Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything, including any stolen text belongs
to Joss Whedon and all at ME.
Brief note to say thank you to all the people out there who have been really good and reviewed my story. Keep 'em coming, they make me write faster. To elven-princess88 thanks for letting me know about the punctuation, still trying to figure out exactly how to make this site work for me.
God, Dawn only had to be out of her sight for like thirty seconds and she started to hyperventilate. This morning when they had been moving she had nearly given the game away by freaking out when Dawn was out of the room.
Buffy also had major guilt. It was Tara's birthday tomorrow and she had no idea what to get for the blond witch. What did one buy for someone they didn't know that well? Whoa hold on 'what did ONE buy. . .?' she was spending too much time around Giles. Didn't solve her problem though. Buffy walked down the street, to home. She wanted o check on Dawn. God she was becoming obsessive, and after that well. . . she didn't know. Maybe she'd do a patrol and if that patrol happened to take her past Spike's crypt? Well accidents happened. Buffy groaned; she felt so unbelievably guilt. When Riley had touched her back today she had practically jumped away from him. She had seen hurt flash on his face and then anger. She didn't want to hurt him, she just. . .well she just couldn't seem to stop herself from wanting to see Spike again.
It felt like she hadn't seen him in ages, and it had only been this morning.
Buffy opened the door and could practically feel her boyfriend's presence, the human one. "Riley?"
Riley trotted down the stairs, my obedient little boyfriend thought Buffy, "Hey. Just unpacked the rest of your stuff. Wouldn't even know that you ever left."
Buffy smiled, "Thanks your sweet."
"No I'm not, I like it when you owe me favours."
Riley slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her body to his and Buffy felt her self tense up. Spike had only given her this one condition and she could understand where he was coming from. As Willow had said once he wasn't exactly 'Joe restraint' the idea to Riley touching her must be pretty much unbearable to him. She tried not to make her obvious dodge too obvious as she pushed Riley away, "Well I can't pay you back just yet, Dawn is in the house and she doesn't need that kind of emotional scarring."
Unfortunately Riley had noticed and with a frown on his face looked about to start something when Dawn came walking past. Buffy flashed Riley an I- told-you-so look, thanking God, or monks, for her sister, "See you later."
Buffy's relief disappeared, "Whoa, whoa where do you think you're going?"
Dawn looked at Buffy like she had either gone insane or grown another head; "I'm going to Melinda's for dinner"
"Since when?"
Dawn smiled, "Nowish."
Buffy felt her heart clench. Dawn was planning on going somewhere without family or Scoobies? No, she couldn't. Buffy wouldn't be able to stop worrying, "You can't. It's not safe for you to walk there."
Dawn felt Buffy's big sister mode flick on, "It's across the street. What's the big deal? I'm just going to go. . ."
"NO. It's family night. Besides Melinda's a bad influence I don't like you hanging out with someone that. . . " Buffy didn't know what to say. Melinda was a nice kid, "Short."
Dawn glared at her sister, "I'm so glad that you're moving back into the house. This is the source of my gladness."
Riley was looking at Buffy very strangely. He was going to ask her what all that had been about and she couldn't tell him. Yet another thing to be insecure about. Though as Spike pointed out he did have a reason to be insecure. Buffy was sleeping with the undead. . . again.
Glory just wouldn't have it. She wouldn't, she wouldn't, she wouldn't. Some puny little things interfering. Glory threw another show at the layofft demon she had caught before. She was waiting for him to wake up and he was being annoyingly uncooperative. Carefully aiming this time she threw the next show at the side of his head. That did it, "Finally I thought tat you were going to nap the whole day away." The demon struggle in his chains but Glory knew that he wasn't going anywhere, "Stop whining. You know I remember when the layoffts were a proud warrior race not sneaking around hospitals looking for weak sickly typed to suck the bone marrow from."
The demon grunted something unfriendly but she carried on anyway. " I need info and then I need you to deal with a problem. Blond, short, strong for a human. A girl. There was a vampire with her. Also blond, I mean icky. What is it with everyone wanting to be blond?"
The demon grunted something else. "A slayer? Please don't tell me that I was fighting a vampire slayer. . . wait. If she's a vampire slayer, what was she doing with a vampire? Aren't they meant to kill those things?"
The demon crept through the sewers. He really didn't feel like killing the Slayer, or William the Bloody. But that woman, that God would kill him if he didn't. Way more slowly and painfully than the Slayer would.
Riley had gone off in a huff. He was doing that a lot lately. Buffy felt guilty. She had been doing that a lot lately too. They were meeting at the Magic Shop, to research the demon woman. Buffy had brought Dawn with her, she had felt guilty about not letting her go at the same time as feeling justified. It really wasn't safe for Dawn. She just couldn't explain why.
Buffy could also tell that something was wrong with Willow. She hated it when her best friend was down, it was like it was catching or something. Se always felt down when Willow was and she knew that Willow felt the same. Buffy was sure that it had something to do with Tara and her somewhat unconventional family that had shown up this morning. There was something off about them. They were, well, they were. . . Buffy didn't now what they were. But if they were the reason tat Willow was upset, they had better watch their backs; they wouldn't like a pissed off Slayer.
Tara stood at the entrance to the park with tears streaming down her face. She wasn't evil. She couldn't help being a demon but she wasn't evil. Was she? Beth was right. She had put a spell on them, her friends. People that she cared about, and Willow. She had just wanted them not to see the demon part of her. She didn't want them to see the demon in her. She didn't want them to see. . .Tara felt her mind race away somewhere in front without her. Not see demons? Oh God. What the hell had she been thinking? What if they were attacked, what if they got hurt, what if . . . Willow? Willow! Tara began to run. It didn't mater if they saw it. Se had to go and take the spell off of them. They could die.
Spike was lonely, he had gotten rid of Harmony, and she really didn't do it for him anymore now that he'd had his Slayer. She was boring dull and annoyed the hell out of him now. Well, she had annoyed the hell out of him before but she had been getting worse. Spike grabbed his duster and headed for the Magic Box. Maybe the Slayer would be there and he could quite openly stare at her making her blush in that ever so cute little way of hers. God he loved her. If soldier boy were there. . . he'd just deal. After all, the Slayer wanted him, now. He had felt it when she touched him. He just hoped that she would hurry up and see that she didn't really need that normal life that's she had been desperately clinging to. There was nothing do great about normal. Now Spike just needed to prove it to her.
Buffy was stretching out in the back room as the others read. She had been quite prepared to help but Giles had insisted. She had been a little bruised from last night and Giles wanted to make sure that se didn't need treatment for any sprains. Buffy punched the bag but stopped at a twinge of pain, and then something else caught her attention. She turned around checking to see if Giles had come in. She could swear that there was someone else in the room with her. She could feel them. Thinking that she been imagining it Buffy turned back to the punch bag.
Her block was automatic and swift as something grabbed her throat, "Giles! There's something in here!"
But Giles couldn't get to her. He pushed Dawn under the desk and stood guard as he watched Xander wrestle with nothing in the doorway.
Spike came through the door to see his Slayer being attacked. He thought that maybe he'd watch her fight. She would win, they were only layoft demons. Nothing to demanding, but for some reason every single one of the Slayers attacks and counters was off. Spike threw himself in to lend a hand. After all watching her fight got him going. Watching her lose was not on the agenda. Spike watched as the Slayer fought and still kept missing, it was like she was blind, she didn't even look straight at him when she had thrown the demon off, just glanced around the room and ran next door. Spike sulked for a second giving a peevish, "Your welcome." Before a punch to the face brought him back to the present.
Buffy stood in the centre of the Magic Box listening. They seemed to be everywhere and nowhere. She heard the door open and whipped round to see Tara, "Buffy behind you!"
Buffy felt an arm grip her round the throat although she was able to thro it off, "Tara where is it? Can you see it?"
Tara stood in the centre of the room, "Blind Kadria lift your veil give evil form to break my spell."
Buffy felt a jolt go through her and suddenly she saw them, ugly demons, she ran at one as it knocked Tara to the floor.
Fortunately once Buffy could actually see them they didn't seem to be up to much. Disposing of them quickly and taking note of Spike's presence coming in from the back room Buffy turned to Tara. "Care to explain Tara?"
Buffy voice stopped being hard at the tears on Tara's face. "I'm sorry, I'm s s s so sorry. I was trying to hide. I didn't want you to see, what I am."
Willow put her hand on Tara's arm, "Tara what?
Buffy looked at her in confusion, "What do you mean 'what you are'?"
Tara's father stopped forward when Tara didn't answer, "Demon. The women in our family have demon in them. Her mother had it. That's where the magic comes from. We came to take her home before. . . well before things like this started happening."
Buffy laughed internally and caught Spike's eye seeing a smirk on his face, the guy was a bit late to stop demons attacking. Her attention was regained by Giles quick deduction and explanation, "You cast a spell on us to keep us from seeing your demon side that's why we couldn't see our attackers."
Buffy looked at her sister, as if Dawn didn't have enough to deal with, "Nearly got us killed."
Tara took in the looks and stood, "I'll go. I'm very sorry."
Willow looked at Buffy in positive panic; practically begging her to stop this from happening, "Wait go? She just did a spell that went wrong it was just a mistake."
Tara's father didn't seem to agree and in fact as far as Buffy could tell, he really wanted to take Tara home, "It's not the point and it's not your concern. She belongs with us, we know how to control her problem."
Willow was now crying as she looked at the blond witch and Buffy felt her heart clench, she couldn't let this happen to Willow, "Tara look at me. I trusted you more than anyone in my life. Was all that just a lie?"
Tara gripped Willow's hand, "NO."
"Do you wanna leave?"
Tara father took a step forward, as did Spike. That guy was giving off a vibe. He wasn't going anywhere near the Slayer or the Scoobies she seemed to care about so much, "It's not your decision young lady. . ."
Spike took another step forward, Willow was giving off pain and that was never good with a witch, "I KNOW THAT." Willow turned back to Tara, "Do you wanna leave?"
Tara crying more steadily now shook her head. But that was not what her father wanted to see, "You're going to do what's right Tara. Now I'm taking you out of here before somebody does get killed. The girl belongs with her family I hope that's clear to the rest of you."
Buffy made a decision. She trusted Willow, and she did trust Tara. She was not going to let this guy upset either of them anymore, "It is. You want her Mr McLay? You can go ahead and take her. You just gotta go through me."
Tara looked up in shock. Buffy still wanted to know her after everything that Tara had done? Her father's face was reflecting equal horror. "What?!"
"You heard me. You want to take Tara out of here against her will? You gotta go through me."
Dawn went to stand by her sister's side wit a forceful, "And me."
Tara cried even harder, "Is this a joke? I'm not going to be threatened by two little girls."
Dawn glared at him, "You don't wanna mess with us."
Buffy fought the urge to smile, "She's a hair puller."
Spike stepped forward, until he was behind Buffy, "So why don't you sod off mate. I don't thing your taking the chit anywhere."
Buffy was grateful for Spike's comment, it showed her that he really would care about something if she did.
Xander spoke for the first time adding his two cents, "You're dealing with all of us. Good luck."
The man on the step seemed to expand with rage, "This is insane you people have no right to interfere with Tara's affairs. We are her blood kin! Who the hell are you?"
Buffy squeezed Spike's hand. No one in the shop could see but he felt it. "We're family."
Brief note to say thank you to all the people out there who have been really good and reviewed my story. Keep 'em coming, they make me write faster. To elven-princess88 thanks for letting me know about the punctuation, still trying to figure out exactly how to make this site work for me.
God, Dawn only had to be out of her sight for like thirty seconds and she started to hyperventilate. This morning when they had been moving she had nearly given the game away by freaking out when Dawn was out of the room.
Buffy also had major guilt. It was Tara's birthday tomorrow and she had no idea what to get for the blond witch. What did one buy for someone they didn't know that well? Whoa hold on 'what did ONE buy. . .?' she was spending too much time around Giles. Didn't solve her problem though. Buffy walked down the street, to home. She wanted o check on Dawn. God she was becoming obsessive, and after that well. . . she didn't know. Maybe she'd do a patrol and if that patrol happened to take her past Spike's crypt? Well accidents happened. Buffy groaned; she felt so unbelievably guilt. When Riley had touched her back today she had practically jumped away from him. She had seen hurt flash on his face and then anger. She didn't want to hurt him, she just. . .well she just couldn't seem to stop herself from wanting to see Spike again.
It felt like she hadn't seen him in ages, and it had only been this morning.
Buffy opened the door and could practically feel her boyfriend's presence, the human one. "Riley?"
Riley trotted down the stairs, my obedient little boyfriend thought Buffy, "Hey. Just unpacked the rest of your stuff. Wouldn't even know that you ever left."
Buffy smiled, "Thanks your sweet."
"No I'm not, I like it when you owe me favours."
Riley slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her body to his and Buffy felt her self tense up. Spike had only given her this one condition and she could understand where he was coming from. As Willow had said once he wasn't exactly 'Joe restraint' the idea to Riley touching her must be pretty much unbearable to him. She tried not to make her obvious dodge too obvious as she pushed Riley away, "Well I can't pay you back just yet, Dawn is in the house and she doesn't need that kind of emotional scarring."
Unfortunately Riley had noticed and with a frown on his face looked about to start something when Dawn came walking past. Buffy flashed Riley an I- told-you-so look, thanking God, or monks, for her sister, "See you later."
Buffy's relief disappeared, "Whoa, whoa where do you think you're going?"
Dawn looked at Buffy like she had either gone insane or grown another head; "I'm going to Melinda's for dinner"
"Since when?"
Dawn smiled, "Nowish."
Buffy felt her heart clench. Dawn was planning on going somewhere without family or Scoobies? No, she couldn't. Buffy wouldn't be able to stop worrying, "You can't. It's not safe for you to walk there."
Dawn felt Buffy's big sister mode flick on, "It's across the street. What's the big deal? I'm just going to go. . ."
"NO. It's family night. Besides Melinda's a bad influence I don't like you hanging out with someone that. . . " Buffy didn't know what to say. Melinda was a nice kid, "Short."
Dawn glared at her sister, "I'm so glad that you're moving back into the house. This is the source of my gladness."
Riley was looking at Buffy very strangely. He was going to ask her what all that had been about and she couldn't tell him. Yet another thing to be insecure about. Though as Spike pointed out he did have a reason to be insecure. Buffy was sleeping with the undead. . . again.
Glory just wouldn't have it. She wouldn't, she wouldn't, she wouldn't. Some puny little things interfering. Glory threw another show at the layofft demon she had caught before. She was waiting for him to wake up and he was being annoyingly uncooperative. Carefully aiming this time she threw the next show at the side of his head. That did it, "Finally I thought tat you were going to nap the whole day away." The demon struggle in his chains but Glory knew that he wasn't going anywhere, "Stop whining. You know I remember when the layoffts were a proud warrior race not sneaking around hospitals looking for weak sickly typed to suck the bone marrow from."
The demon grunted something unfriendly but she carried on anyway. " I need info and then I need you to deal with a problem. Blond, short, strong for a human. A girl. There was a vampire with her. Also blond, I mean icky. What is it with everyone wanting to be blond?"
The demon grunted something else. "A slayer? Please don't tell me that I was fighting a vampire slayer. . . wait. If she's a vampire slayer, what was she doing with a vampire? Aren't they meant to kill those things?"
The demon crept through the sewers. He really didn't feel like killing the Slayer, or William the Bloody. But that woman, that God would kill him if he didn't. Way more slowly and painfully than the Slayer would.
Riley had gone off in a huff. He was doing that a lot lately. Buffy felt guilty. She had been doing that a lot lately too. They were meeting at the Magic Shop, to research the demon woman. Buffy had brought Dawn with her, she had felt guilty about not letting her go at the same time as feeling justified. It really wasn't safe for Dawn. She just couldn't explain why.
Buffy could also tell that something was wrong with Willow. She hated it when her best friend was down, it was like it was catching or something. Se always felt down when Willow was and she knew that Willow felt the same. Buffy was sure that it had something to do with Tara and her somewhat unconventional family that had shown up this morning. There was something off about them. They were, well, they were. . . Buffy didn't now what they were. But if they were the reason tat Willow was upset, they had better watch their backs; they wouldn't like a pissed off Slayer.
Tara stood at the entrance to the park with tears streaming down her face. She wasn't evil. She couldn't help being a demon but she wasn't evil. Was she? Beth was right. She had put a spell on them, her friends. People that she cared about, and Willow. She had just wanted them not to see the demon part of her. She didn't want them to see the demon in her. She didn't want them to see. . .Tara felt her mind race away somewhere in front without her. Not see demons? Oh God. What the hell had she been thinking? What if they were attacked, what if they got hurt, what if . . . Willow? Willow! Tara began to run. It didn't mater if they saw it. Se had to go and take the spell off of them. They could die.
Spike was lonely, he had gotten rid of Harmony, and she really didn't do it for him anymore now that he'd had his Slayer. She was boring dull and annoyed the hell out of him now. Well, she had annoyed the hell out of him before but she had been getting worse. Spike grabbed his duster and headed for the Magic Box. Maybe the Slayer would be there and he could quite openly stare at her making her blush in that ever so cute little way of hers. God he loved her. If soldier boy were there. . . he'd just deal. After all, the Slayer wanted him, now. He had felt it when she touched him. He just hoped that she would hurry up and see that she didn't really need that normal life that's she had been desperately clinging to. There was nothing do great about normal. Now Spike just needed to prove it to her.
Buffy was stretching out in the back room as the others read. She had been quite prepared to help but Giles had insisted. She had been a little bruised from last night and Giles wanted to make sure that se didn't need treatment for any sprains. Buffy punched the bag but stopped at a twinge of pain, and then something else caught her attention. She turned around checking to see if Giles had come in. She could swear that there was someone else in the room with her. She could feel them. Thinking that she been imagining it Buffy turned back to the punch bag.
Her block was automatic and swift as something grabbed her throat, "Giles! There's something in here!"
But Giles couldn't get to her. He pushed Dawn under the desk and stood guard as he watched Xander wrestle with nothing in the doorway.
Spike came through the door to see his Slayer being attacked. He thought that maybe he'd watch her fight. She would win, they were only layoft demons. Nothing to demanding, but for some reason every single one of the Slayers attacks and counters was off. Spike threw himself in to lend a hand. After all watching her fight got him going. Watching her lose was not on the agenda. Spike watched as the Slayer fought and still kept missing, it was like she was blind, she didn't even look straight at him when she had thrown the demon off, just glanced around the room and ran next door. Spike sulked for a second giving a peevish, "Your welcome." Before a punch to the face brought him back to the present.
Buffy stood in the centre of the Magic Box listening. They seemed to be everywhere and nowhere. She heard the door open and whipped round to see Tara, "Buffy behind you!"
Buffy felt an arm grip her round the throat although she was able to thro it off, "Tara where is it? Can you see it?"
Tara stood in the centre of the room, "Blind Kadria lift your veil give evil form to break my spell."
Buffy felt a jolt go through her and suddenly she saw them, ugly demons, she ran at one as it knocked Tara to the floor.
Fortunately once Buffy could actually see them they didn't seem to be up to much. Disposing of them quickly and taking note of Spike's presence coming in from the back room Buffy turned to Tara. "Care to explain Tara?"
Buffy voice stopped being hard at the tears on Tara's face. "I'm sorry, I'm s s s so sorry. I was trying to hide. I didn't want you to see, what I am."
Willow put her hand on Tara's arm, "Tara what?
Buffy looked at her in confusion, "What do you mean 'what you are'?"
Tara's father stopped forward when Tara didn't answer, "Demon. The women in our family have demon in them. Her mother had it. That's where the magic comes from. We came to take her home before. . . well before things like this started happening."
Buffy laughed internally and caught Spike's eye seeing a smirk on his face, the guy was a bit late to stop demons attacking. Her attention was regained by Giles quick deduction and explanation, "You cast a spell on us to keep us from seeing your demon side that's why we couldn't see our attackers."
Buffy looked at her sister, as if Dawn didn't have enough to deal with, "Nearly got us killed."
Tara took in the looks and stood, "I'll go. I'm very sorry."
Willow looked at Buffy in positive panic; practically begging her to stop this from happening, "Wait go? She just did a spell that went wrong it was just a mistake."
Tara's father didn't seem to agree and in fact as far as Buffy could tell, he really wanted to take Tara home, "It's not the point and it's not your concern. She belongs with us, we know how to control her problem."
Willow was now crying as she looked at the blond witch and Buffy felt her heart clench, she couldn't let this happen to Willow, "Tara look at me. I trusted you more than anyone in my life. Was all that just a lie?"
Tara gripped Willow's hand, "NO."
"Do you wanna leave?"
Tara father took a step forward, as did Spike. That guy was giving off a vibe. He wasn't going anywhere near the Slayer or the Scoobies she seemed to care about so much, "It's not your decision young lady. . ."
Spike took another step forward, Willow was giving off pain and that was never good with a witch, "I KNOW THAT." Willow turned back to Tara, "Do you wanna leave?"
Tara crying more steadily now shook her head. But that was not what her father wanted to see, "You're going to do what's right Tara. Now I'm taking you out of here before somebody does get killed. The girl belongs with her family I hope that's clear to the rest of you."
Buffy made a decision. She trusted Willow, and she did trust Tara. She was not going to let this guy upset either of them anymore, "It is. You want her Mr McLay? You can go ahead and take her. You just gotta go through me."
Tara looked up in shock. Buffy still wanted to know her after everything that Tara had done? Her father's face was reflecting equal horror. "What?!"
"You heard me. You want to take Tara out of here against her will? You gotta go through me."
Dawn went to stand by her sister's side wit a forceful, "And me."
Tara cried even harder, "Is this a joke? I'm not going to be threatened by two little girls."
Dawn glared at him, "You don't wanna mess with us."
Buffy fought the urge to smile, "She's a hair puller."
Spike stepped forward, until he was behind Buffy, "So why don't you sod off mate. I don't thing your taking the chit anywhere."
Buffy was grateful for Spike's comment, it showed her that he really would care about something if she did.
Xander spoke for the first time adding his two cents, "You're dealing with all of us. Good luck."
The man on the step seemed to expand with rage, "This is insane you people have no right to interfere with Tara's affairs. We are her blood kin! Who the hell are you?"
Buffy squeezed Spike's hand. No one in the shop could see but he felt it. "We're family."