REPLIES TO REVIEWS

Thought I would get out another Chapter for you guys! Hope you enjoy!

Sink of Swim - Good luck holding off! Like I mentioned in my Author's note - this is definitely not a Willow friendly fic. I took an attitude for some reason - and hence the story! LOL Got another one brewing around in my brain about Tara coming into the Scoobies their Junior Year - makes you wonder how things would have been different, huh?

Just Me - Hint - Read this chapter! LOL You're right about Oz - but he never said much of anything! Anya is Anya. Loved her character - of course being a demon for 1200 years, you see just about everything. Cordelia was a bitch - but thinking back on it she never did judge Buffy like that - more everyone's fashion sense! Amy's character was done an injustice - I don't think she would have been like that after seeing how her mother was. My personal opinion - nothing more than that. She isn't in the story for long, anyway. I'm EVIL EVIL I Say! I LIKE IT! I'm just hoping you guys don't hate me too much when the story takes somewhat of a turn. Oh, well. My muse wants to go a certain way, and no matter what I try it keeps coming back around to the same thing. I've decided to listen. LOL

CHAPTER 5

Buffy walks into her house, stopping in shock. All of Willow's things are piled up in the living room. "Willow!" Buffy shouts.

Willow comes down the stairs with her laptop in her hand. "What, Buffy?" She growls at the slayer.

"Where are you going?" Buffy asks taking a step back at the growl.

"I'm leaving, what does it look like?" Willow snarls before waving her hand at her pile of stuff, making it disappear. "I'm going back home."

Reaching out to gently grab Willow by the arm, Buffy states "You don't have to leave Willow. We can work through this!"

Willow turns on Buffy quickly flicking her hand like she did earlier and when nothing happens her eyes widen. "What did you do?" She growls, physically pushing the slayer away from her. "Don't you trust me, you had to go and get some piss ant charm to negate magic?"

As Willow pushs Buffy away, the Celtic cross swings out of Buffy's shirt to where Willowcan see it. Willow closes the distance between them pointing to the cross "That's Tara's cross. Her mother gave it to her." Giving the slayer a hateful look "Why are you wearing it?" Poking the slayer in the chest "Are you screwing her now? Did you decide you wanted to see what it's like to fuck my girlfriend?" Willow's eyes are completely black, she tries another spell on the slayer that gets absorbed.

"Willow! NO! She thought I needed it more than her. Nothing is going on between us!" Buffy almost pleads with Willow "Please Willow. You're out of control. You need help. Can't you see what you're doing? Please let someone help you!"

Willow slaps the slayer hard across the face "I AM NOT OUT OF CONTROL. Tara is mine and I will get her back. Stay away from me!" Willow slams out of the house, leaving a stunned Slayer standing alone in the living room.

"Oh, God! What are we going to do?" Buffy states to the empty house. Was there something else I should have done? Shaking her head in despair she quickly goes to the phone to call Tara.

"Tara….Yeah I made it home okay, but…She was here, but she's gone now. To let you know, the necklace works, the magic just seemed to slide right off. But…We need to talk. I can't have this conversation with you over the phone. Can you and Dawn come to the house? Please take a cab… Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes." Buffy sits down dejectedly on the couch.

After explaining to Dawn and Tara what had transpired at the house such a short time ago, Buffy watches with haunted eyes as Dawn runs to the bathroom, throwing up. Looking over to Tara the blonde didn't seem to be in much better shape than Dawn.

Pale Tara roughly wipes her shaking hands down her face. "Goddess. What can we do?" Looking up at Buffy with fear in her eyes. "We have to find some way to reach her, Buffy. If we don't…" Shaking her head Tara starts to cry.

Getting up off the couch and walking over to the Wicca sitting in the chair, Buffy kneels down, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm going to call Giles. See if he has any ideas." Hearing Dawn come back down the stairs Buffy lifts her head up, watching her. "Are you okay Dawn?" She asks worriedly.

Dawn shakes her head no but states "I will be. We have to figure out something." She sits down on the arm of the chair, hooking her arm around Tara's shoulder. "We have to find some way to help her, and until then we have to be here for each other, right?" She asks hopefully looking from Buffy to Tara.

Buffy, nodding her head pulls back, still holding Tara loosely in her arms. "I want you to stay here with us. I don't like the idea of you being at the dorms by yourself."

Tara shakes her head "I can't stay in the room W-Will… we shared." She states between quiet sobs.

"You can stay in my room tonight. Tomorrow I'll switch out my stuff and put it in…the other bedroom and we'll get your stuff from the dorm." Buffy hesitated almost stating Willow's room.

"Dawn, can you help Tara upstairs and get her settled?" Buffy asks quietly.

Nodding her head Dawn helps Tara stand up, walking with her up the stairs. "Come on Tara, why don't you go lay down. We'll talk more in the morning." Dawn states as Tara climbs into Buffy's bed still shaking slightly.

Looking up with pain filled eyes Tara nods. "We'll figure something out." Laying her head down she slowly falls asleep.

Dawn watches her for a few minutes, gently pushing her hair from her face with a frown.

"We need to make sure you're safe." She whispers quietly to the sleeping Wicca before heading back downstairs.

Buffy's standing their with the phone in her hand, shaking slightly. Hearing Dawn come back down the stairs she looks up questioningly.

"She's asleep. Buffy…we need to make sure that Willow doesn't hurt her." Dawn states with firm resolve. "Whatever it takes. I love Willow, but…"

Buffy rubs her hand across her face and looks Dawn in the eye "I know Dawn. I love Willow too. But, that isn't Willow right now. Tara has been through enough in her life…I'll do everything I can to protect her. Why don't you go and try and get some sleep? I'm going to call and talk to Giles."

Dawn hugs her sister tightly before whispering goodnight and heading up the stairs.

Watching Dawn climb the stairs Buffy shakes her head, thinking to herself 'She's dealing so well with this. Better than I ever expected. She's definitely growing up. Damn, time for a phone call that I really wish I didn't have to make.'

"Buffy, I don't know what to say." Giles states worriedly.

"Giles, tell me you're going to help, and for God's sake stop cleaning your glasses. You're going to rub a hole in them." Buffy states with a dejected sigh.

"How…Never mind. I'll talk with the Coven here in Devonshire and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I don't know if they'll be able to do anything, but maybe they'll have some ideas." Hesitating for a moment Giles asks quietly and sincerely "Would you like me to come back, Buffy?"

"Giles…" Hesitating momentarily Buffy tries stop her original reaction of wanting to say yes. "I would always love for you to be here, Giles. But…I would rather you find out anything at all you can to help us and let me know. Giles…You're like a father to me, more so than my real father ever was. I miss you." Buffy states the last extremely quietly, not even knowing if Giles heard her or not.

"Oh, Buffy. I miss you too. I'll contact the coven as soon as I'm off the phone with you. I'll also check out all the books I can get my hands on and see if there is anything I can do to help. Is everyone okay?" Giles asks worriedly.

"Yeah, Tara made up some kind of magic deflector things that work against Willow, if she tries magic on any of us. I have to get Xander and Anya's to them, and try to talk to them about Willow." Inhaling deeply Buffy feels a little better talking to Giles about Willow.

"Tara was able to make a defense against Willow?" Giles asked with concern.

"Yeah, she used some ingredients and some of Willow's hair to make these stones, which we're wearing as necklaces. It works great. Willow tried to blast me twice and it's like the stones just absorbed the magic." Buffy stated almost a prideful note in her voice.

Giles, surprised to the say the least, states quietly "Buffy, that takes a lot of power, and she made one for everybody?"

"Yes, she made five of them. She said it was an easy spell. How much power are you talking about Giles?" Buffy asks questioningly.

"A lot. And the spell may have been easy, but the power is what takes a lot to make something like that. I believe our dear Tara is a lot stronger, more powerful witch than any of us realized." Giles yanks his glasses back off, chewing on the end thinking.

Buffy thinks back over past conversations "You know, Willow was always saying that Tara was powerful and Tara would just shake her head stating she wasn't…do you think she even realizes?"

"I don't know, Buffy. She may not. She has always come across to me as a very well-balanced witch. She never really used her talents from what I can gather. She doesn't take her power for granted and she doesn't use it unless she needs too. I might talk to the coven about Tara, also. It might be best if she studies with themduring the summer to realize her potential." Giles shakes his head, first things first, old man. "Let me get off here and call the Coven, Buffy. I'll get back to you once I hear anything. Please take care of yourself. Call me if you need me." He states gently.

"Thanks Giles. I appreciate anything you can find out. Bye." Buffy states quietly before hanging up the phone, pacing back and forth in the kitchen. Looking over at the clock on the stove realizing it's almost four in the morning she shakes her head, deciding to check on Tara and Dawn, before trying to get a couple hours sleep herself.