AN: I updated this fic yesterday with Chapter 10, but for some reason it wasn't showing up. Oh well, here you go, a nice long chapter (kind of goofy too, but hoping you enjoy it all the same).

Chapter 11: Sordid Discoveries?

Buffy sighed deeply as she closed the door to her house behind her. She said she was going to Magic Box, but after the evening she had, she didn't feel like dealing with Anya's random quips about her and Xander's copulation habits and Xander's attempts at wittiness in an effort to cover up his discomfort. "Dawn? Tara? Willow?" she called.

"Here!" a voice called from the kitchen. Buffy walked in to see Dawn and Tara sharing a pint of Ben and Jerry's. They were giggling over something, but Buffy could see Tara's face was lined with worry underneath her laughter.

"How's Willow?" Buffy asked, reaching for a spoon.

"We put her down to sleep. She's ok now, a little shook up, but ok." Tara tried to conceal her impatient worry. "S-so did you find him?"

Buffy sighed as she lunged her spoon into the half-empty pint of Chubby Hubby. "I did, but . . ." She looked over at Dawn. "Hey, shouldn't you be in bed?"

Dawn sighed exasperatedly. "I get it. You know, it would be so much easier for you to just to say 'Get you to your prison cell while I discuss highly interesting matters with all my other friends'." Dawn shook her head back and forth emphatically while using a horrible mock British accent.

"Or it would be easier for you to go to bed so you can wake up in the morning and discuss highly interesting matters at school." Buffy shot her a look.

"Right, because in school we always discuss warlocks that invade the bodies of our best friends." Dawn tugged Buffy's hand insistently. "Please? I want to stay and listen to all the fascinating thingies that go on in the deep, evil underbelly of the demon world."

"To bed!" Buffy said firmly pointing towards the stairs. Sighing, Dawn tromped up to her room. As soon as she heard the thunderous slam of Dawn's door, Buffy turned to Tara.

"W-well what happened? Did you find him? Did you kill him?" Tara's eyes widened in panic.

"Well I found him. Or rather, Spike did." She paused at how sharply she had said his name. "We found his floating coven and we charged in."

"And killed him? Get to the part where you killed him." Tara was frenzied now over worry for Willow. Buffy was about to say something before Xander and Anya burst through the kitchen door.

"Buffy," Xander exclaimed. "What happened to you? I thought we were gonna meet up at the Magic Box. We didn't know if you were alright."

"I---"

"We're so glad you're safe," Anya surprisingly said as she quickly engulfed Buffy into a bone-crushing hug.

"Ummm, thanks," Buffy said confusedly as she pried apart from Anya's tight grip.

"Yes, we were afraid you were dead and then that would be tragic, because I already picked out your bridesmaid dress. Put down a down payment on it and everything. We'll be expecting you to be chipping in some too, by the way." Anya's pretense of actual caring faded quickly.

Buffy wrinkled her nose. "What's going on?"

"Buffy, we were researching this guy Rack, and we found that he was incredibly dangerous. We were worried that he got to you." Xander dispensed a hug also, a little less fervent and violent than Anya's.

"You thought that guy Rack could take me?" Buffy scoffed. "Pfffffft, I'm Super Buffy. You know, the one who took down the likes of the Master? Dracula? Glory? And basically every other harbinger of the Apocalypse?"

"But if he's impossible to kill," Tara interrupted hastily, "What happened? What did you do to him?"

Buffy bit her lip. "Well . . . I roughed him up a little." She sighed "But Xan's right. The guy is impossible to kill. He's all hypnosisy and he can transubstantiate." She turned to Xander. "What did it say it say in your research?"

"Basically what you said. This Rack guy has existed for centuries and has traveled all over the world with his floating coven. He's recently come to Sunnydale, with the plan to what else? Open up the always fun-filled Hellmouth."

"Again?" Buffy groaned. "These evil-type dudes need to up their creativity factor. So what's his plan? What do we do?"

"Well, as powerful as this Rack guy, he can't just flip open the Hellmouth. He needs more ammunition."

Buffy cocked her head confusedly. "Really? Cause Rack doesn't seem like the straightforward lock-and-load type."

"No-Buffy. That's not the type of ammunition I mean. He uses . . . people as ammunition. Like Willow. He takes over their mind and uses them in order to create havoc. Hopefully, with the proper amount of havoc, he can create total confusion and chaos and it will be all that easier to open the Hellmouth."

"But why doesn't he just open it up himself? If he's such a powerful warlock?" Tara looked back and forth from Buffy and Xander.

"He's had a curse put on him by a group of Franciscan monks back in the 18th

century that curbed his powers considerably. The only way to get them back full force is to re-open the Hellmouth. Hence, his wacky plan for city-wide terror." Xander sighed as he took a much-needed breath.

"You sounded so much like Giles right then," Anya mused as she curled a hand through Xander's arm. "So smart and bookwormish."

"Really?" Xander's eyes brightened. "Yeah you're right. Dear lord," he imitated in an appalling Giles accent.

"So how do we kill him?" Buffy interjected sharply. "Obviously the regular tactics won't work."

Xander tore himself from Anya's adoring gaze. "Well, this is kind of the downer Buff. You can't kill Rack. He's untouchable. Think Mayor-touchable. The only way to kill him is . . . by killing a person who Rack chooses to manifest at the time."

Buffy began to pace, clutching her arms together. "Willow," she murmured. She whirled around to face Tara. "Tara, is there anyway you can do a sort of protection spell to keep Rack out of Willow's body?"

Tara breathed deeply. "I guess. I mean, I don't know if it'll be strong enough to keep someone as powerful as Rack out, but I can try . . ." Her voice broke slightly. "What am I saying? I have to try." Tears played down her face. "I mean . . . it's Willow."

Buffy gripped her shoulders tightly and gave her a hug. "Don't worry. We'll figure something out." She let go and in frustration, smacked her head. "Geez, can't we ever fight someone easy? Like that dancing guy, y'know? At least with him we got to sing a few songs . . . and . . . a few more songs. But this . . ." She sighed deeply. God what a long night. It wasn't as boring as Buffy suspected it was going to be, but she had forgotten how boredom became more and more of a frequently desired visitor in her life. She hated it, yet inevitably longed for it in the end. Kind of like a certain vampire she knew. She turned to the rest of the Scoobies abruptly. "Hey, I think things are under control, at least for tonight. So . . . you guys can bail if you want."

"Oh, oh yeah, sure Buff," Xander tugged at Anya's arm as they prepared to leave.

"E-except you, Tara," Buffy said quickly. "Can you stay for a minute?"

Tara widened her eyes in confusion. "O-okay."

Xander and Anya exchanged suspicious glances. "Well, we'll just be leaving then," Anya said as they motioned towards the door.

"Yeah okay guys, I'll see you tomorrow." Buffy seemed impatient for their departure. As soon as they were out the door, Buffy slammed it quickly behind them.

"What do you think that was about?" Xander said as they stood on the back stoop.

"What do you mean?" Anya asked absently, gazing down at her engagement ring.

"Buffy, and that slight show of the rudeness and the wanting-us-out. But not Tara." Xander was hurt. He was becoming impatient with Buffy's continual shows of avoidance towards him. But not Tara. He found them talking about something obviously upsetting at the Magic Box that one time, and lately, it seemed like Buffy was going to Tara more and more, talking secretly. "What do you think is going on with them? Do you think they're in cahoots or something?"

"You mean, do you think they're lesbians?" Anya piped up loudly.

"Thanks so much for putting that rather erotic, yet uncomfortable image into my head Ahn," Xander said grimacingly. "That's not what I meant."

"Why not?" Anya widened her eyes in recognition. "You know, you might be right, I think they're lesbians."

"That's not what I said!" Xander exclaimed. "I said---"

"Honey, they are so obviously lesbians. Come on, they go off together all the time in other rooms and talk about secret lesbian things, and did you see that back in there? The touching?"

"Buffy was just comforting Tara about Willow. You know? The real lesbian girlfriend?"

"But, Xander," Anya probed on, "What if that's it? They always said bringing back Buffy would have consequences. That she would come back wrong. Maybe that's it. Not that I'm saying that's wrong, hey I mean whatever floats your boat---"

Xander interrupted Anya's efforts at political correctness. "You don't honestly think us resurrecting Buffy made her gay do you?"

"Well yeah! I mean it's been know to happen."

Xander glared at her pointedly. "Is it really?"

Anya shrugged. "No, not really. But I honestly think that's it. Not that I'm surprised, I mean, it's not like she's had the best experience with men. And you know that whole theory of like, peer pressure. With her best friend switching teams, it would seem logical that Buffy would follow suit. Look how easy it was for Willow."

"T-that's ridiculous," Xander scoffed. He suddenly pondered a second. He turned back to Anya in panic. "Unless it's NOT. Oh my god, Buffy's gay! I can't believe it! She's gay and she's having an affair with Tara! What are we going to tell Willow?"

"Maybe they can all get together and it can be just a whole type of girl-girl-girl thing," Anya suggested. Xander's eyes gleamed with momentary arousal. He shook it off hurriedly.

"Let's go home," Xander said, pushing Anya from the house. He gazed back at the back door in disbelief. "Buffy gay? Who'd thunk it?" he mumbled.

"So basically, I was just wondering if you could consider . . . moving back in."

Buffy faced Tara from across the kitchen island and looked at her hopefully, waiting for her response.

"Buffy, I---"

"I know it would be awkward, with Willow and everything, and I know it's a lot to ask. I mean, I could sleep with Dawn and you could have my room. Or, or, Dawn could sleep with me and you could have her room. It's just that . . . I need someone to look after Dawn and Willow, especially after what we found out tonight." She looked deeply into Tara's eyes. "Please Tara."

Tara smiled shyly. "O-of course Buffy. You know I would be happy to. And don't worry about the sleeping arrangements, I can take the couch."

Buffy relaxed and got up to throw her arms around Tara. "Thank you so much Tara. I can't tell you what it means to me."

"I kind of wanted to move back in. I was really concerned over Willow and well, the protection spells are really short lasting. Someone would need to be there to constantly administer them." Tara looked up. "And I know now how much Willow needs me. God, if only I didn't leave---"

"No Tara, don't blame yourself. It was nobody's fault. All we can do now is cope and take care of what needs to be done."

Tara nodded. "I know." She looked into her lap and back up at Buffy. She could detect the absent look of sadness that danced in Buffy's eyes. "Hey," Tara said, laying a hand over one of Buffy's, "Are you okay?"

Buffy shrugged, trying to smile. "It's nothing. It's just . . . at Rack's. I didn't tell you . . . He went inside my head. But he can't use my body," she assured Tara, seeing her widened eyes. "Anyway, he made me look at all these memories of mine and then all of a sudden, he put me through this hallucination."

"What kind of hallucination?" Tara gazed more concernedly at Buffy.

Buffy shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "It was really . . . vivid." She blushed slightly. "Spike was in it." She sighed, releasing all of her tension. "Tara . . . I said I loved him."

Shocked silence. "Did you mean it?" Tara asked quietly.

"I don't know!" Buffy exploded. "I mean, it has to have been the hallucination. What else could it be? I . . .don't love Spike." She made a face at the words. "But when then afterwards, when I was around him, I---" Buffy turned to see the microwave clock blaring 2:30 AM. "I . . . should let you go home," she said hesitantly. "You should get your stuff and----"

"No Buffy, it's okay," Tara said soothingly. "I want to . . . listen."

So she did. She listened well into the morning as Buffy poured her heart out to her.