~**~
-5-
~**~
Joyce Summers wasn't sure she could take anymore. She'd known for
a while that her older daughter was the Slayer. For somewhat less time, she'd
been aware that her younger daughter was created and given to her because she
was some mysterious energy known as "The Key," and it was Buffy's job to
protect her. Normal didn't begin to describe her family life.
It was bad enough when she'd come home and found Dawn missing, and
a ransom note addressed to Buffy from the rogue god named Glory. She'd been
about to call Buffy when the girl breezed in the door with Chinese carryout for
dinner. But after her mother's quick, ragged explanation of the situation,
Buffy had turned inside herself, and seemed to be carrying on a mental
conversation, to judge by the expressions parading across her face. Apparently
finished, she looked up at her mother, her eyes narrow.
"Mom, I need to warn you about something. There've been some new
developments in the Slaying business. You know I quit school to be more
available for a new challenge that has to do with Glory. What you don't know
is…"
Buffy stopped talking, and her eyes grew vague and unfocused. In
an instant, she seemed to cease breathing, and collapsed in a heap on the
ground. Before Joyce could even shake herself out of her shock to go check on
her daughter's condition, Buffy's body shimmered and faded away, reappearing a
moment later in an altered state.
The body was her daughter's, but the face wasn't, quite. When she
spoke, the accented alto voice was both vaguely familiar, and not one she'd
ever heard before. "You need to call Amy Madison at the Magic Box for the full
story. We have to go."
Joyce grabbed the girl's leather-clad arm as she rushed by. "Who
*are* you?"
Pulling away, she threw the answer over her shoulder as she ran
out the door. "We are Unity."
Joyce sat down on her couch, resting her head in her hands. "I
really only saw one girl," she said to no one.
~**~
Unity was mumbling a locator spell as she ran, certain it would be
useless. To her surprise, the trail was clearly marked with Dawn's essence. *A
trap?* the Spirit asked Knowledge. *No,* the other Part replied,
*overconfidence.*
*Or,* her Emotions worried, *a message.*
"The car," she said aloud to herself, as she neared the spot it
waited. The keys appeared in her hand, and she jumped into the driver's seat,
squealing the tires as the red BMW left the curbside. Following Dawn's unique
marker, she raced through the early evening.
~**~
Tara didn't know where else to go when Willow disappeared. She
stumbled into the magic shop, finding Joyce Summers there, talking to Amy. "No,
really. I never got to apologize properly for that whole MOO thing," Buffy's
mom was insisting.
"Amy," Tara gasped. "Were they called?"
"If what Mrs. Summers just told me is any indication, I'd guess
so. Mr. Rupert wasn't here, so I didn't see it." She started shuffling through
an appointment book. "Okay, there's the number for Xander's job for tomorrow.
I'll make his excuses."
"Let me call Anya first," Tara insisted. "Make sure she's all
right." Just then, the aforementioned woman burst through the door.
"That's *it*!" she screamed. "I will *not* stay with a man who
evaporates during sex."
"Um, Anya. Too much information?" Tara tossed her head in Joyce's
direction.
"It's all right, dear," the older woman soothed. "Although I will
have to revise my mental picture of Xander as an eager little puppy-dog kind of
boy, now. I sort of knew it was outdated." She thought a moment, and looked
generally around the room. "I don't want any more redecorations to my mental
landscape tonight, however."
"He usually is pretty eager, though," Anya said helpfully. Joyce
pretended not to hear.
The former demon turned to the two witches. "It was the Unity
thing, right? I mean, Xander didn't just die on me or anything, did he? 'Cause
I was really scared, then I got mad, and I need to know if I should be scared
again." She wrung her hands anxiously.
Tara put a comforting hand on her arm. "It's Unity. I saw Willow
disappear, too, although under different circumstances." She didn't add that
had it been a bit later, she might have had the same circumstances. "Glory has
Dawn."
"Oh," Anya gulped, turning to Joyce. "I'm supposed to say I'm
sorry, right? Because I am – sorry. She's cute. Xander really liked her."
"Anya. Try to avoid referring to the living in the past tense,
even if there may be doubt about the 'living' part," Tara whispered to her.
"Correction - *especially* if there's doubt about the 'living' part." Joyce's
pleasant expression had faded back to stunned and overwhelmed. She wandered
aimlessly away.
"I'll make coffee," Amy said as brightly as she could. "It looks
like it might be a long night."
~**~
"Once we divide, one of us is going to start a petition drive to
get these old warehouses torn down," Unity grumbled. "They're hazardous." She
was creeping along the side of the one at the end of Dawn's trail, towards the
door. She talked to herself, which was less redundant in this case than it was
for most people. "I really hope Dawnie's okay. She has to be." A brief moment
of decision at the locked door. "Break in or magic in? Yeah – magic. Quieter."
Focusing on the door, she mumbled some words in Latin, and the
knob glowed and turned, the door swinging in. "Much quieter," she mumbled,
slinking silently inside.
She could hear the mad god chattering cheerfully in a back room.
"You could make this easy, you know. We do the whole sleepover thing – I fix
your hair, you paint my nails, you tell me where your sister put my damned
KEY!" Glory's voice had risen to a shriek, but when she spoke again, was almost
normal. "I forgot – you're tied up. You might have trouble with the nail polish
part." Unity crept to where she could see through the open door, although
neither the captive Dawn nor Glory were looking towards her at this point. "I
hope your sister has my message by now. I tried to make things as clear as
possible, but she might not be a very good map reader."
*Trap,* the Intellect conceded. *But decidedly overconfident, as
well.* The Body took control, and stepped inside the doorway. "Let her go,"
Unity demanded.
Glory whirled towards the door. "You're not the Slayer," she
pouted. "A pretty good resemblance, though." Dawn was bug-eyed, overwhelmed by
dealing with her insane captor and her shock at this Buffy-like rescuer. "I do
like the leather thing," Glory continued conversationally. "It looks pretty hot
on you." Suddenly, she moved toward Unity and threw roundhouse kick at her,
which the other woman easily blocked, countering with a punch of her own, which
Glory ducked. "Not the Slayer, but you fight like her. Interesting." She tossed
a wave of magic at Unity, who warded it off with ease. "Slayer can't do that,
though." Glory frowned. "If you aren't the Slayer, you don't have what I want."
Pointing a finger at the chair Dawn was tied to, she gestured, and the girl
convulsed in pain. "I could kill her, but this should get the point across.
Next time, tell the Slayer to answer her own messages." Another hand gesture,
and Dawn screamed, blood running from the corner of her mouth. "It's been fun.
Ciao!" The mad god vanished, and Unity ran to the girl, calling out a healing
spell as she went.
She untied the girl, who crumpled to the ground before Unity could
catch her. Dawn's breathing was labored, and there was a slight rattle with
each inhalation. "Her larynx is damaged," Part of Unity assessed, "and there
are heavy internal injuries." The girl groaned, and coughing weakly, spit out
more blood. "We need to get her to the hospital. Spells can only do so much.
And if we wait for the ambulance, we might loose her." She gathered the child
in her arms and moved her quickly but carefully to the car. After arranging
Dawn on the back seat, the entity jumped into the driver's seat and tore
through the quiet streets of town.
Unity was more than the sum of her parts. She was stronger, more
intelligent, more magical than any human could ever be. Unfortunately, this
also meant her emotions were stronger. Keeping them all in check while she
delivered Dawn, filled out the papers and called Joyce was difficult but
doable. That completed, she went outside to a secluded spot, dropped to her
knees on the ground, and howled her anguish to the sky. And there, some time
later, Whistler found her.
~**~
"Ya might need to back off for a while," Whistler said to Unity.
He'd led her inside, settled her in a chair and gotten a cup of coffee from the
machine. "The bond is still too new, and ya ain't used to working together –
this much together - yet. And she is strong, real strong."
"No stronger than we are," the entity insisted. "She ran for that
reason. She attacked Dawn instead of us for that reason." The tears once again
began to flow from the soft brown eyes.
"Youse all love her like family, don't ya? Glory picked her 'cause
she was the Slayer's sis, but couldn't have known she'd chosen the perfect
target to get to the Unity. The one *all* of ya want to protect." Whistler
scratched his head.
"At least Glory didn't know she had what she wanted in her hands,"
Unity said quietly. And with more determination, she continued, "And she didn't
know who she was up against, either. It's even more personal, now."
"I think youse oughtta take some time, get more comfortable with
the bond," Whistler reiterated.
"No," the red-haired figure said vehemently, and her contact saw
something dark flash in the chocolate eyes, "We'll find her, and get rid of
her. She's gone too far this time."
She saw Joyce coming in the door, and rushed over to her, leaving
the demon to shake his head. "Houston, we got a problem," he murmured to
himself.
~**~
Anya and Tara followed Buffy's mother into the waiting area,
spying Unity heading their way. She skidded to a stop in front of the three
other women, and there was an awkward silence.
Joyce spoke first. "I know we need to talk, but first, have you
seen Dawn since she got here?"
Unity wore the reserved manner of her Intellect. "They have her in
surgery right now. There was a lot of internal damage to be repaired – it could
be a while. They were very encouraging, though. Joyce…" seeing the look of
distress on the older woman's face at this choice of addresses, Unity seemed to
morph into an even more Buffy-like appearance. "Mom," she said in the lighter
voice, "We can take her, the one who did this. We're as strong as she is; she
just had the element of surprise on her side this time. She won't be so lucky
next time. And she won't get her hands on Dawn again, trust me."
Buffy's mother shook her head. "You really are all in there,
aren't you? You, and Xander, and Willow…" her voice trailed off in confusion.
"And Rupert?" Unity nodded. "Oh." The overwhelmed expression was back. "We'll
talk," she muttered, wandering away to the chairs.
"We tried to explain it," Tara volunteered, "but it's tough to get
a grasp on."
Anya's eyes were flashing. "I need to talk to Xander. Like NOW."
Unity drew up, disgust drawn on her pretty face. "Listen, …"
Before she could finish, something changed in her demeanor, and her accent grew
more pronounced. "I think Joyce needs to see her real daughter now, too. The
one that isn't hurt." Turning to Whistler, who had approached them from behind,
the redhead asked, "Can you find us a room that's vacant? I don't think the
waiting room is ready for witnessing our division." The demon nodded, heading
off to find a good place to deconstruct the quartet.
~**~
Anya, Tara and Whistler waited outside the previously unoccupied
family room. It was for small group private visits, with a couch, a couple of
chairs, an attached bathroom and a locking door, and had been ideal for their
needs. Willow, Buffy and Giles emerged. Willow forced a grin. "We're…"
"Back," Buffy finished. "There's a small…"
"Problem," Giles went on. "Xander dematerialized…"
"Naked," Anya finished for him. The whole group looked at her
bug-eyed, and she shrugged. "I was there, so I knew what they were gonna say.
So I take it he reappeared the same way?"
Giles giggled inappropriately, then glared at the blonde Slayer
who the sound should have come from. He gathered his dignity. "Yes, so would
you…"
"Go to the apartment and get…" Willow went on.
"Him something to wear?" Buffy completed.
Anya headed out the door right away.
Without warning, the trio winced together, as if in pain.
"…hurts," Willow moaned, as if finishing a sentence they hadn't heard the
beginning of. Her eyes teary, she said, "Sorry."
"Of course…"
"It does," Buffy went on for Giles. "One of us…"
"Will be right there. I'll…" Willow started eagerly.
"Go." Buffy headed for the door as she spoke.
"No." Giles stopped the blonde before she went far. "Your mother…"
"Needs you now," Willow said. "Willow…"
"Should go to him," Giles ended the thought, not at all bothered
by the witch referring to herself in the third person. The redhead turned and
headed for the closed door, her girlfriend moving behind her.
"Wait," Tara called. "I'll come along."
Willow whipped around, her green eyes flashing, but it was Buffy's
angry voice that rang out. "No! He doesn't need…"
"You," Tara's love finished seamlessly. "He'd only…"
"Be embarrassed," Giles explained. Then he nodded, and the witch
went into the room. Reaching out, the Watcher took Buffy's hand. "That…"
"Helps," she agreed. "Let's go see…"
"Mom." Giles smiled while Buffy grinned from ear to ear.
Seeing Tara's lost expression, the two turned to her. "We didn't
mean to be…" Giles began gently.
"Mean," Buffy went on. "It's just that…"
"As long as we're touching another…"
"One of us afterwards, we're…"
"All right." Giles' eyes grew a bit misty. "If not, it can…"
"Physically hurt," Buffy finished. "He was hurting and…"
"Naked, and Willow was afraid…"
"If you went in, he'd…"
"Do what he felt was right and…"
"Not let her touch him." Buffy blew out a breath, and Tara felt a
bit dizzy. It was the longest exchange she'd ever witnessed while the group was
in this condition. But they weren't quite through.
"Two of us," Giles pressed on.
"Together like this," Buffy held up their joined hands.
"Can keep it between us."
"But being totally alone…"
"Right after the division…"
"Makes you feel…"
"Like you want to die," Giles said sadly. Then he smiled slightly.
"After all,"
"You can't even," Buffy grinned too.
"Finish your own sentences." They both laughed together, and even
Tara smiled a little.
~**~
"Xan, I'm…"
"Here," the young man moaned from the couch. He was pale and
shivering, and the room wasn't cold. True, all he was wearing was a small white
hospital towel tastefully draped over his lap, but his face was drawn with
pain, indicating the cause of the shaking. The petite redhead ran to him,
throwing herself almost on top of him. "Thank…"
"You," she finished for him. "Better?" He simply nodded, wrapping
his arms tightly around her as she rested her head on his bare chest. He
sighed, the tension flowing from him in waves, and the pained look disappeared.
"Buffy and Giles…" he began somewhat questioningly.
"Are talking to Joyce," she answered. "Let's not…"
"Talk out loud right now," he agreed with her. *This is less
work,* his mind spoke to hers.
*Yeah, and easier to tell who's who, since we're touching and
all.* She shifted so that she rested beside him on the couch, his arm draped
over her shoulder. Somewhere over the last couple of weeks they'd discovered
that any two of them, touching, could carry on a private conversation mentally,
without the others interrupting. Buffy and Willow used that loophole a lot, to
giggle and girl talk. Xander didn't feel quite comfortable sharing with Giles in
that fashion, though. *Anya mad?* he asked, already knowing the answer.
*Ballistic,* Willow assured him. She frowned. *Tara seems a bit
unhappy, too.*
*Think about it, Wills. You're sitting in a locked room with a
naked man draped all over you. A naked man you spent at least twelve years in
love with, who's kissed you, and recently shared a body with you, not to
mention nearly your every thought. Your lover is supposed to do what? Go
"La-di-da, no biggie?"*
Willow pouted. *I'm gay.*
*I share your mind, remember? You aren't as gay as you like to
think you are, and I'm pretty sure Tara can tell. I've noticed a couple of guys
catch your eye, as well as a couple of other girls. You're looking, Wills, and
not in a way that somebody in a committed relationship ought to be. You aren't
just admiring, you're shopping.*
*Okay, I admit the bloom is off the rose. I still love her, but
I'm not in love with her the way I was at first. I still don't want to hurt
her.* She ran her fingers suggestively over Xander's chest. *And I admit to
being with one of the few guys who could convince me to go back to the other
team, right now.* She grinned at him cheekily, taking some of the sensuality
out of her gesture.
Xander caught her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it
lightly. *Remember, I'm still 'in love' with my girlfriend.*
*And Buffy,* the witch teased. He nodded in acknowledgement.
Willow's face grew serious, and her gaze was sad. *But you're still losing
her,* she sympathized.
His deflated figure sunk back into the couch. *Probably.*
~**~