Chapter 12
Buffy grieved for Willow, but was still convinced that she had to stay in hiding until absolutely necessary. Now, as it neared the end of September, she was starting to think that day wouldn't be too far off. If she had counted right, she was entering her final month of pregnancy. She already had a bag packed with necessities and waiting by the door if labor came quickly and unexpected.
While in the airport on September 20th, Tara and Giles awaited Xander and Anya. They had been gone for 2 weeks, as planned, but seemed much longer. Dawn was with Joyce, who had finally been let out of the hospital, but was under the constant care of her daughter. Willow was still in the hospital, in the same condition as she was when she was first brought in. The only difference was she had gained almost 10 pounds.
Before Xander and Anya had left, Giles called Angel in LA. He had asked for assistance, seeing as neither he nor Tara weren't trained enough to patrol by themselves. Angel had arrived the next night, along with Cordelia and Wesley. Angel and Wesley had stayed with Giles. Since there was no more room, and the fact that she didn't want to stay with 3 males, Cordelia stayed in Buffy's room with Dawn and Joyce, who had finally been let out of the hospital, but was still regaining her strength. Although she would probably never admit it, she had fun with the remaining Summers women. They talked about nothing and everything from working with Angel to fashion (which they talked about a lot, especially from Cordelia's end).
At night, the three members from LA went out and patrolled the area that was Sunnydale. Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley would be leaving that night after Xander and Anya returned home.
Back in the airport, Tara and Giles were deep in their own thoughts, both staring off into space. They had been sitting there for about 15 minutes when passengers started streaming out of the walkway. They slowly turned their attention to the people walking by, waiting for Xander and Anya. After the last people walked out and still no sign of the couple, Tara and Giles stood up. Leaving him there, Tara walked over to the entrance of the walkway. After about a minute, Giles watched as Tara's features melt from concern to happiness as her face lit up and she smiled. He walked over to her and stood by her side, then looked down the tunnel as the odd couple came walking towards them, arm in arm and grinning.
"Tara! G-Man!" Xander called out a greeting.
"Hello! We're back from our trip!" Anya stated the obvious, but was pleased to see them.
"Sorry we took so long, but Anya kind of freaked out during the flight and the stewardess was forced to give her something to make her calm down, then she crashed, sleeping the whole way here. I had to wake her up just 5 minutes ago, and remind her where we were," Xander explained.
Anya just smiled, then seemed to remember something.
"We bought you senseless little gifts to show you where we were, although you already knew. We got one for each of you, even Buffy and Spike, just in case," Giles winced at the Slayer's name, but didn't say anything, "Anyway, it was Xander's idea and he picked them out, so if you hate them, don't blame me." Anya beamed at Tara and Giles, oblivious to Xander's glare.
Xander got serious and turned towards Tara.
"How's Willow? Any change?" he asked.
Tara just nodded, not knowing what to say. Xander draped an arm over her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Tara just blushed at the attention, but didn't make a move to remove Xander's arm.
After they started walking towards the exit of the airport, Xander took his arm back and held Anya's hand, stopping her glares at Tara, turning them in smiles.
Giles drove them all to his house, where they met with Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley. It was still mid afternoon, so they couldn't leave yet. But as soon as the sun set, they'd be gone.
When they were all seated, Xander rummaged through one of his bags until he pulled out a gallon sized plastic baggie filled with the purple petals of a flower. He smiled as he explained that they didn't know how much to get, so they just filled the bag. After they chatted about what they did in Texas, Cordelia left to stay the rest of the day with her new friends and to gather her bags. Angel would be coming by later to pick her up. Cordelia, Dawn, and Joyce talked about what they were going to do that summer, whether or not they would communicate and how and finally exchanged home phone numbers, addresses and e-mail addresses. By 9 that night, both households were relatively silent.
The next day, they would be performing the spell. It would take longer than normally, as there would be only one witch chanting. To make sure the spell worked; they needed possessions from both Buffy and Spike. From Buffy's room they collected her stuffed pig, Mr. Gordo. They searched Spike's old crypt, coming out, very dusty, with one of his red button up shirts. They set up the circle, in which Tara was sitting in the middle. They back off, leaving her to do her work. Candles were lit all around her, creating a soft glow of light dancing across her face. Dawn was there, wanting to see if it actually worked. The rest of the group stayed silent and watched. They had already decided that Tara would go by herself to look for them if they were found with the spell. From reading the passage about the spell in a book, they knew what was to happen, a small blue light would appear, only the one performing the spell would be able to see it, and lead her to where the couple would be. The light would only move if the subject(s) of the spell were within a mile of the performer of the spell. In the corners of Giles' living room stood, Giles himself, Anya, Xander, and Dawn, all waiting and listening to Tara chant in the middle of the room.
"A Deusa de Luz
A Deusa de Amor
A Deusa de Sabedoria
Venha, mostre para nos
Porque nos buscamos nossos familiares
Nos mostre luz, nos guiar,
Nos mostre o amor do que nos precisamos
Nos mostre o sabedoria que nos precisamos achar
o Escolhido e um uma vez Mestre Vampire poderoso
A Deusa de Luz
A Deusa de Amor
A Deusa de Sabedoria
Venha, mostre para nos"
In Tara's eyes, she saw the little blue light flicker into visibility. The group watched in the shadows as Tara's eyes lit up in delight for 2 reasons, the fact that the spell worked, and that the light was moving towards the door. They watched as she left the house in pursuit of the light that they could not see.
Tara followed the little blue light in the direction of the cemetery. At first she was confused as it led her to Spike's old crypt, for they had been there just a few hours ago. Then she remembered that one night, months ago, when she saw that shadow dart back into the crypt. Thinking that they were in the crypt and all was going to be well, she walked into the crypt, looked around, and felt her heart nearly stop with devastation as she was standing in an empty crypt. But the light wasn't done. It was hovering above the ground, obviously waiting for Tara to follow. It darted to the bathroom, where it hovered next to the shower. Confused, Tara slowly opened the curtain, afraid of what she might find, but in a way disappointed that nothing was in it. The light started hitting the tiles of the shower wall, looking like it wanted to go through the wall. Tara didn't really understand, but to satisfy it, she started feeling around the edges of the tile wall. As she got half way up the other side, she felt the wall start to give. To her surprise, it started to open. Shoving the make shift door all the way open, she was shocked to see a stair well at her feet.
Down the stairway, Buffy and Spike were panicking. Buffy was writing a note to whoever was up there, telling them to go away. If she recognized the shoes, she was going to leave it on the kitchen table, but if she didn't, she was going to take it with them when they retreated to the chamber below them. As she finished off the note, she saw 2 dainty feet on the first step. Immediately recognizing them as Tara's favorite shoes, she headed the letter with Tara ~ dropped it on the table, and walked as fast as she could towards Spike, who was waiting for her at the doorway of the linen closet. When both were through the door, Spike closed and locked it behind him, just in time for Tara's head to come into view of the home they had been living in for almost a year.
As Tara walked down the steps, she could've sworn she heard a door click shut, but when she didn't hear anything else, she figured it was her imagination. She looked around the place, marveling at how comfortable it seemed compared to what was above it. She walked through it, first through the living room, feeling the material of the leather couch as she walked past it, then noticed the 3 doors off to the corner of the room. She walked to the one closest to her. As she opened the door, slowly, she half expected something to jump out at her, or to see Buffy and/or Spike somewhere in the room. Opening it all the way, she saw no one was there, nothing, except a queen-sized bed and a dresser. Walking over to the dresser, she found it was empty. She exited that room, and searched the next one, finding it in the same condition as the first. With her hopes down, she entered the last room to find a king-sized bed that looked as if someone had been sleeping in it. She went through the drawers of the dresser, noticing that there were clothes in them, male clothes that looked remarkable similar to what Spike used to wear. She saw the bedroom closet was also filled with clothes, but were female, and looked close to Buffy's style, but were maternity. That's odd, Tara thought as she went through the clothes. Satisfied, and noticing that the light had been gone for some time now, she left the room. She walked through the bathrooms, just in case she found something like in the bathroom upstairs. She walked through the kitchen, finding nothing until her eyes wandered over the table, where she found a single slip of paper. If anyone were watching her, they would see her eyes widen more and more with every word she read.
Tara ~
You've found the place we now call home. We don't know how, but frankly, we don't really care, as long as you don't tell anyone about it. Yes, the we is Spike, and I, Buffy. We don't want to be found just yet, we'll come home sooner or later, more than likely sooner. If you went through out rooms yet, you'll know why. I have to make this quick, because even as I write this, you're coming down the stairs. Please, don't tell anyone where we are, we're down here for a reason. And that reason you just defied. If you absolutely have to talk to someone about us, talk to Dawn, she knows we're in town, just not where we are. But talk to her in private, away from anyone else, especially my mom and Giles. Just tell them you found nothing. I hope Willow's doing ok. I have to go. I'll talk to all of you guys later, and we'll explain everything. Now go.
Love ~
Buffy & Spike
AN: The spell that Tara chants is in Portuguese. It really says:
The Goddess of Light
The Goddess of Love
The Goddess of Wisdom
Come, show us
For we seek our loved ones
Show us light, to guide us
Show us the love we need
Show us the wisdom we need to find
The Chosen One and a once powerful
Master Vampire
The Goddess of Light
The Goddess of Love
The Goddess of Wisdom
Come, show us
Buffy grieved for Willow, but was still convinced that she had to stay in hiding until absolutely necessary. Now, as it neared the end of September, she was starting to think that day wouldn't be too far off. If she had counted right, she was entering her final month of pregnancy. She already had a bag packed with necessities and waiting by the door if labor came quickly and unexpected.
While in the airport on September 20th, Tara and Giles awaited Xander and Anya. They had been gone for 2 weeks, as planned, but seemed much longer. Dawn was with Joyce, who had finally been let out of the hospital, but was under the constant care of her daughter. Willow was still in the hospital, in the same condition as she was when she was first brought in. The only difference was she had gained almost 10 pounds.
Before Xander and Anya had left, Giles called Angel in LA. He had asked for assistance, seeing as neither he nor Tara weren't trained enough to patrol by themselves. Angel had arrived the next night, along with Cordelia and Wesley. Angel and Wesley had stayed with Giles. Since there was no more room, and the fact that she didn't want to stay with 3 males, Cordelia stayed in Buffy's room with Dawn and Joyce, who had finally been let out of the hospital, but was still regaining her strength. Although she would probably never admit it, she had fun with the remaining Summers women. They talked about nothing and everything from working with Angel to fashion (which they talked about a lot, especially from Cordelia's end).
At night, the three members from LA went out and patrolled the area that was Sunnydale. Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley would be leaving that night after Xander and Anya returned home.
Back in the airport, Tara and Giles were deep in their own thoughts, both staring off into space. They had been sitting there for about 15 minutes when passengers started streaming out of the walkway. They slowly turned their attention to the people walking by, waiting for Xander and Anya. After the last people walked out and still no sign of the couple, Tara and Giles stood up. Leaving him there, Tara walked over to the entrance of the walkway. After about a minute, Giles watched as Tara's features melt from concern to happiness as her face lit up and she smiled. He walked over to her and stood by her side, then looked down the tunnel as the odd couple came walking towards them, arm in arm and grinning.
"Tara! G-Man!" Xander called out a greeting.
"Hello! We're back from our trip!" Anya stated the obvious, but was pleased to see them.
"Sorry we took so long, but Anya kind of freaked out during the flight and the stewardess was forced to give her something to make her calm down, then she crashed, sleeping the whole way here. I had to wake her up just 5 minutes ago, and remind her where we were," Xander explained.
Anya just smiled, then seemed to remember something.
"We bought you senseless little gifts to show you where we were, although you already knew. We got one for each of you, even Buffy and Spike, just in case," Giles winced at the Slayer's name, but didn't say anything, "Anyway, it was Xander's idea and he picked them out, so if you hate them, don't blame me." Anya beamed at Tara and Giles, oblivious to Xander's glare.
Xander got serious and turned towards Tara.
"How's Willow? Any change?" he asked.
Tara just nodded, not knowing what to say. Xander draped an arm over her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Tara just blushed at the attention, but didn't make a move to remove Xander's arm.
After they started walking towards the exit of the airport, Xander took his arm back and held Anya's hand, stopping her glares at Tara, turning them in smiles.
Giles drove them all to his house, where they met with Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley. It was still mid afternoon, so they couldn't leave yet. But as soon as the sun set, they'd be gone.
When they were all seated, Xander rummaged through one of his bags until he pulled out a gallon sized plastic baggie filled with the purple petals of a flower. He smiled as he explained that they didn't know how much to get, so they just filled the bag. After they chatted about what they did in Texas, Cordelia left to stay the rest of the day with her new friends and to gather her bags. Angel would be coming by later to pick her up. Cordelia, Dawn, and Joyce talked about what they were going to do that summer, whether or not they would communicate and how and finally exchanged home phone numbers, addresses and e-mail addresses. By 9 that night, both households were relatively silent.
The next day, they would be performing the spell. It would take longer than normally, as there would be only one witch chanting. To make sure the spell worked; they needed possessions from both Buffy and Spike. From Buffy's room they collected her stuffed pig, Mr. Gordo. They searched Spike's old crypt, coming out, very dusty, with one of his red button up shirts. They set up the circle, in which Tara was sitting in the middle. They back off, leaving her to do her work. Candles were lit all around her, creating a soft glow of light dancing across her face. Dawn was there, wanting to see if it actually worked. The rest of the group stayed silent and watched. They had already decided that Tara would go by herself to look for them if they were found with the spell. From reading the passage about the spell in a book, they knew what was to happen, a small blue light would appear, only the one performing the spell would be able to see it, and lead her to where the couple would be. The light would only move if the subject(s) of the spell were within a mile of the performer of the spell. In the corners of Giles' living room stood, Giles himself, Anya, Xander, and Dawn, all waiting and listening to Tara chant in the middle of the room.
"A Deusa de Luz
A Deusa de Amor
A Deusa de Sabedoria
Venha, mostre para nos
Porque nos buscamos nossos familiares
Nos mostre luz, nos guiar,
Nos mostre o amor do que nos precisamos
Nos mostre o sabedoria que nos precisamos achar
o Escolhido e um uma vez Mestre Vampire poderoso
A Deusa de Luz
A Deusa de Amor
A Deusa de Sabedoria
Venha, mostre para nos"
In Tara's eyes, she saw the little blue light flicker into visibility. The group watched in the shadows as Tara's eyes lit up in delight for 2 reasons, the fact that the spell worked, and that the light was moving towards the door. They watched as she left the house in pursuit of the light that they could not see.
Tara followed the little blue light in the direction of the cemetery. At first she was confused as it led her to Spike's old crypt, for they had been there just a few hours ago. Then she remembered that one night, months ago, when she saw that shadow dart back into the crypt. Thinking that they were in the crypt and all was going to be well, she walked into the crypt, looked around, and felt her heart nearly stop with devastation as she was standing in an empty crypt. But the light wasn't done. It was hovering above the ground, obviously waiting for Tara to follow. It darted to the bathroom, where it hovered next to the shower. Confused, Tara slowly opened the curtain, afraid of what she might find, but in a way disappointed that nothing was in it. The light started hitting the tiles of the shower wall, looking like it wanted to go through the wall. Tara didn't really understand, but to satisfy it, she started feeling around the edges of the tile wall. As she got half way up the other side, she felt the wall start to give. To her surprise, it started to open. Shoving the make shift door all the way open, she was shocked to see a stair well at her feet.
Down the stairway, Buffy and Spike were panicking. Buffy was writing a note to whoever was up there, telling them to go away. If she recognized the shoes, she was going to leave it on the kitchen table, but if she didn't, she was going to take it with them when they retreated to the chamber below them. As she finished off the note, she saw 2 dainty feet on the first step. Immediately recognizing them as Tara's favorite shoes, she headed the letter with Tara ~ dropped it on the table, and walked as fast as she could towards Spike, who was waiting for her at the doorway of the linen closet. When both were through the door, Spike closed and locked it behind him, just in time for Tara's head to come into view of the home they had been living in for almost a year.
As Tara walked down the steps, she could've sworn she heard a door click shut, but when she didn't hear anything else, she figured it was her imagination. She looked around the place, marveling at how comfortable it seemed compared to what was above it. She walked through it, first through the living room, feeling the material of the leather couch as she walked past it, then noticed the 3 doors off to the corner of the room. She walked to the one closest to her. As she opened the door, slowly, she half expected something to jump out at her, or to see Buffy and/or Spike somewhere in the room. Opening it all the way, she saw no one was there, nothing, except a queen-sized bed and a dresser. Walking over to the dresser, she found it was empty. She exited that room, and searched the next one, finding it in the same condition as the first. With her hopes down, she entered the last room to find a king-sized bed that looked as if someone had been sleeping in it. She went through the drawers of the dresser, noticing that there were clothes in them, male clothes that looked remarkable similar to what Spike used to wear. She saw the bedroom closet was also filled with clothes, but were female, and looked close to Buffy's style, but were maternity. That's odd, Tara thought as she went through the clothes. Satisfied, and noticing that the light had been gone for some time now, she left the room. She walked through the bathrooms, just in case she found something like in the bathroom upstairs. She walked through the kitchen, finding nothing until her eyes wandered over the table, where she found a single slip of paper. If anyone were watching her, they would see her eyes widen more and more with every word she read.
Tara ~
You've found the place we now call home. We don't know how, but frankly, we don't really care, as long as you don't tell anyone about it. Yes, the we is Spike, and I, Buffy. We don't want to be found just yet, we'll come home sooner or later, more than likely sooner. If you went through out rooms yet, you'll know why. I have to make this quick, because even as I write this, you're coming down the stairs. Please, don't tell anyone where we are, we're down here for a reason. And that reason you just defied. If you absolutely have to talk to someone about us, talk to Dawn, she knows we're in town, just not where we are. But talk to her in private, away from anyone else, especially my mom and Giles. Just tell them you found nothing. I hope Willow's doing ok. I have to go. I'll talk to all of you guys later, and we'll explain everything. Now go.
Love ~
Buffy & Spike
AN: The spell that Tara chants is in Portuguese. It really says:
The Goddess of Light
The Goddess of Love
The Goddess of Wisdom
Come, show us
For we seek our loved ones
Show us light, to guide us
Show us the love we need
Show us the wisdom we need to find
The Chosen One and a once powerful
Master Vampire
The Goddess of Light
The Goddess of Love
The Goddess of Wisdom
Come, show us