Title: Family Ties (Sequel to Sold)
Author: UniDagger
Email: sj10113@alltel.net
Feedback: Yes, please!
Distribution: Just let me know.
Spoilers: none
Pairing: W/T, B/S, X/A…you know, the usual *G*
Rating:
Disclaimers: Joss and Co. own all.
Summary: When grandma calls, Tara and Willow rush back to another dimension to rescue her, aided by the slayer. Is it just a rescue mission? Or is Destiny calling. And if it's Destiny calling, how did she get their number? Inquiring minds, want to know.
NOTE: No bunnies, and no strange men with cheese slices appearing for no reason.

Part Seven

They made it across the meadow and back into the woods without being seen or bothered in any way. After a brief discussion they all agreed to just take short breaks, and to continue on through the night. No one liked the idea of falling asleep and waking up with that thing on top of them. They were blessed with a full moon that made travel easier and before dawn, they arrived at the outskirts of Blithen.

Buffy stared at the sign with it's strange marks. "We need to find out if this is Blithen." She whispered to her friends. "It is Blithen." Willow frowned at her. "You've been here before?" The slayer asked.

"No, we never made it out this far. It says so on the….oh!" Tara stopped, and grinned. "The spell."

"The spell?" Buffy asked. Willow explained that the last time they had been in the realm, Amilia had cast a spell on them so that they could understand the local speech and written words, as well as to be understood. "I guess it still works."

"That's convenient. Alright, so we find Corwitthen. I suppose we should stick to the shadows and alleys. They do have alleys right?" Buffy spoke softly.

Willow shrugged, then whispered back, "Kind of. At least the other towns we were in did. Maybe you and Tara should stay put, and I'll go in and ask around."

"NO!" Buffy and Tara both whispered vehemently.

"I'm not letting you go in there alone." Buffy argued.

"Will…please….we should stick together." Tara told her.

"Look. If anyone is looking for us, they'll see three women and say "hey, I bet that's them." But one person won't call much attention. Right?" She looked from her friend, to her lover.

"Fine. Right. But it should be me going in there." Buffy told her.

"You don't speak the language Buffy. I don't know the spell that Amilia did, or I would do it and you could go. "

"Then I c-could…" Tara started to volunteer but was stopped by a kiss.

"No way. You're walking-wounded. And…you have the whole family resemblance thing going on. Best not to risk it. You rest, Buffy will make sure nothing happens to you." She gave Tara another kiss then added, "Maybe you two should go to the first alley and wait. I'll help you carry our stuff there, then I'll go mingle with the locals. I'll see if I can snag some munchies too. Okay?"

Reluctantly, the other two agreed and followed her to the first alleyway, where they parted company. Willow swallowed hard, and made her way down the street, hoping she looked like she belonged there. Though the sun was just cresting in the sky, there were already a lot of …people… Willow paused, thinking about the word. Many of the 'people' resembled humans, while others were more scaly-scarey demon looking things. Ok, people. Merchants were setting up their wares and though many passed by or glanced at her, most chose to ignore her. So far so good, she thought.

The red headed woman strolled down the road trying to listen to conversations, hoping to catch a name, or see someone that looked ok to talk to. As she meandered towards the docks, she frowned and glanced behind her. She had the sense that someone was following…or watching her…but she saw nothing.

*****

Buffy shifted a few of the huge wooden crates to cover them better then stepped into their hiding place, to sit beside Tara. Tara stared out of the opening at the lightening street, her hands worrying her pants leg. Buffy reached over and placed her own hand over Tara's. "She's going to be ok."

Tara squeezed her hand back and sighed. She couldn't seem to push the fear away. "Here, lay your head against me and try to rest. We'll probably be moving fast when Willow returns." Buffy suggested. Tara smiled and accepted the offer. After a few minutes she opened her eyes again.

"Buffy?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"Promise me you'll protect her if something happens. "

"Hey, nothing is going to happen. We'll.."

Tara interrupted her, lifting her head to stare into the Slayer's eyes. "Promise me. I can survive anything if I know she's ok. And Chro."

"Tara. I promise, I wont let anything happen to either of them. Or you either. Nobody messes with my family without getting a really good Slayer butt-kicking." Tara continued looking at her a moment, then gave a small smile before laying her head back down.

Buffy closed her eyes and leaned her head back. "I won't let anyone hurt either of you." She thought to herself.

Part Eight

Willow reached the docks and began looking around. Some of the ships were being loaded with crates while others were having huge nets hoisted aboard before shoving off. A kindly looking man stood outside a building, smoking. Deciding to talk to him, Willow made her way down the platform only to be shoved out of the way by three young boys who raced laughing towards the piers. Willow stopped just down from where her 'target' stood, "Excuse me, Sir?"

Before she could continue, a cry reached her ears. As she turned to look, one of the boys was pin-wheeling his arms as he fell into the water. "Help!" One of the others hollered, peering over the pier worriedly. Without thinking, Willow raced to the side and dove in, power stroking it deeper into the water. The water was kind of murky but she could just see a shadowy image. Her lungs felt like they would burst, but she thrust herself further, reaching a hand out.

At the last second, her fingers touched the boys and she grabbed, shooting back to the surface. As the air hit her face, she gasped in oxygen, pulling the boy up too. Hands reached down and grabbed the child, then returned to help her out. The boy was choking and sputtering, spitting the water out and trying to breath and cry at the same time. Willow sat with her feet hanging over the pier, catching her own breath.

When she looked up, she noticed that the man she had started to speak to was the one who had helped them out. Another man who had come over was chastising the boys, "How many times have I told you boys not be playing down here?" He demanded. "W-were sorry." The contrite boys apologized, then swore not to do it again. "Go on, git. But don't be thinking I wont be having words with your parents." The wide-eyed boys gulped then raced off.

The man looked at Willow then smiled. "That should hold them. A few weeks at least." Willow smiled back. "That was a brave thing you did." The man with the pipe said. Willow shrugged, and stood up, her clothes dripping.

"Not many….humans know how to swim around here." He added carefully.

Willow froze, her breath catching. "H-humans?" The older man grinned. The younger man chuckled and hit him on the shoulder. "Ignore him. Lots of folks can swim. Im Corwittehn, this Alvrin, my uncle."

Corwitthen offered his hand, and Willow accepted the hand shake, "Cor- well, that means.. I mean we are…that is, You're the one we We found you." Corwitthen chuckled, "Are you always this articulate?" Willow blushed. "Sorry."

"Now, where is Amilia's grand daughter? I was told there'd be two of you."

"Oh, well. See. We thought maybe three of us walking around might cause undue attention. And there's three of us, by the way…which I realize I just said that." Willow took a deep breath to stop rambling. "I'll go get them. Shall we come back here?"

"Yes, to that third ship down. See it? It has a falcon painted on the prow." Alvrin pointed. Willow nodded, "Alright, I'll be right back."

"Hold up." Corwitthen said, then walked into the shack, reappearing with a small sack. "Theres a waterbag and some fruit and bread. You and your friends can eat it on the way back. I'm sure you haven't had much time to eat since…you arrived."

"Thank you very much. We'll hurry." Willow turned, then stopped. Looking back she said quietly, "You do realize the danger?" The look they gave her told her yes, so she added, "Ok. It's just…yesterday… I'll hurry. We need to get away from here quickly." The two men nodded as the witch walked away they looked at each other, then quickly began loading the rest of their gear on their boat.

Willow made her way back through town, this time keeping to the back street, not wanting to call attention to her wet clothes. A few women noticed her as they swept out their homes, or hung out laundry, but no one spoke. She finally reached the alley and made her way to the stack of crates. She went around to the opening and called their names. "Tara…Buffy."

She got no response, so she stepped in. Their bags were gone, the girls were gone. Willow gasped, backing out. She suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe as terrible thoughts strove to weaken her. She turned around and came face to face with red eyes.