CHAPTER FIVE: fluxing forces

Buffy sighed happily as she made her way towards the Magic Box. She couldn't believe how understanding and supportive her mother was being about the whole thing. She had no idea what it would have been like had she been against it. Buffy grimaced thinking about when her mom had found out about her being the slayer. That hadn't exactly gone over well. As she got closer to the shop she began to feel a soft humming, her breath caught as she saw Tara through the glass. The taller blonde was bent over a book with Giles, talking about something in the texts when her head perked up from the book and she turned to look out the window at the slayer.

Giles noticed the quick move and turned to see what had caught the witch's attention and noticed Buffy standing outside the shop. He looked back to Tara who was smiling shyly at his Slayer. Tara must have sensed Buffy coming, her back had been turned to her so there was no other explanation. "Very interesting," he said thinking out loud.

"I-I'm sorry?" Tara said turning back to the watcher.

"Oh!" Giles said not realizing he had said that out loud. "These books are very interesting Tara, thank you." He glanced back down at the Magical Texts in his hands. "I'll have to call Lucinda for some of the translations but they should prove to be very interesting." The bell rang over the shop door as Buffy stepped inside. They both turned to greet the slayer.

"H-Hi Buffy." Tara said, unknowingly staring at the slayer, who was clad in a pair of tight kaki colored pants and a blue crop top with a black blazer.

"Hey." Buffy said pulling a chair to the table and sitting down close to the witch, "You get your stuff all unpacked?" at the witches nod Buffy continued. "So what are you going for?" she asked curious about anything concerning the girl before her.

"Psychology and a minor in business." Buffy stared at the witch a little surprised.

"God first Willow and now you," she groaned banging her head on the table, "I'm not majoring let alone minoring in anything. Soon you're goanna see how stupid I really am and go running in the other direction." Tara giggled at this.

"I-I doubt that Buffy, a lot of students go into college and have to feel around for awhile before they find what really suites them." Buffy gave Tara a sad smile.

"Not like I'm going to have a ton of time to figure it out let alone do anything with it." Buffy said thinking about how slayer's rarely made it to their eighteenth birthday let alone their twentieth. Tara looked at Giles questioningly.

"I'm afraid she's right Tara," Giles said sharing the same sad look Buffy was wearing "It's rare for a slayer to live past her eighteenth birthday. As of up to date Buffy is one of the longest living slayers." Tara sucked in a breath at that, it never really having occurred to her that the slayer had to live with that knowledge since her calling, she knew slayers didn't live very long, but to have to live with that knowledge? That had to be a lot to stomach. Buffy seeing Tara's mood change decided to try and lighten things up.

"But hey let's think on the bright side, I've already beaten the prophecy twice." She touched Tara's hand. "And if you can kick my but in training think of what an asset you'd be in battle or on patrol for that matter?" Tara smiled at Buffy than looked quizzical. She knew Buffy had beaten the prophecy by living past her eighteenth birthday but what about the other. Buffy caught the look. "What is it?"

"Y-You said you beat the prophecy twice…" Tara said.

"Not exactly Buffy." Giles corrected.

"Well…" Buffy said annoyed with her watcher, "Kind of. Maybe beat was the wrong word, it was more like a loop hole type of deal" Tara motioned for her to go on. "You see in my sophomore year there was this prophecy that I would die." Tara paled.

"B-But you didn't." Tara offered feeling slightly nauseous at the thought of Buffy dieing. Buffy grimaced wishing she didn't have to tell this part.

"Um well I kind of…did" Tara gasped.

"K-K-Kind of?"

"Well he drowned me in a pool of water and Xander brought me back with CPR." Tara looked at her shocked. "So see I was only kind of dead…for like a minute" she glanced at Tara who was still a little pale but seemed to be calming down a bit. "Okay enough about me and dieing." Buffy finished lamely.

"Good idea." Giles said also falling into a grave mood, thinking about how close he had come to loosing the girl he thought of as a daughter. Tara just nodded, personally not wanting to think about how close Buffy really had come to dieing. She had just found her and didn't want to think about it..

"So Tara." Buffy said trying to change topics, "What are you in the mood for, we have fast food, Mexican, Chinese, Pizza, and…" She looked at her watcher. "Giles is there anything you want specifically?" the watcher shook his head flipping through a couple of the book's pages.

"No Buffy I'm fine thank you, I think I'm going to see if I can decipher any of this while you're gone." He glanced down at a page that looked to behalf torn. "Perhaps it'll explain some of the recent activity going on in the Hellmouth" He glanced up from the page to look at Tara. "I don't suppose you can understand any of this…it looks to be a mix between Gaelic and" he looked closer at the scripture. "Ancient Greek perhaps?"

"S-Some…but Lucinda w-would be much more inclined to help you with that."

The witch looked down at her shoes "S-Sorry I can't b-be of more help." She mumbled reddening. Giles shook his head.

"No dear it's alright, I'm a bit rusty but I'm sure I can manage." He closed the book and slowly stood. "I need to phone Lucinda as it is though. You two run along and have fun."

"Giles are you sure you don't want anything?" Buffy asked as she pointed towards the street. "I could grab you something." Giles shook his head no.

"I ate a sandwich earlier while you were gone, so go on." He said moving towards the counter and picking up the phone. "I'm going to call her now and see if she can tell me what dialect this is in." Buffy grinned turning to Tara. "Yes can you connect me to Los Angelus please?" he said into the phone.

"Ready?" Buffy asked.

"Y-Yes." Tara said grabbing her knapsack off the table.

"Okay." She turned back to her watcher. "Giles we'll be back in a few hours to get ready for patrol." She glanced back at Tara. "That is if you still want to go?" Buffy asked thinking that perhaps the Wiccan may have changed her mind.

"N-no Buffy. I still want to go." She smiled at the slayer. "I didn't come this far just to read books and sit around uselessly. B-Besides I want to help."

"Alright. I just wanted to make sure." She touched the blondes arm. "And I'm glad. It'll be nice to have someone to talk to other than myself." She winked making the Wicca blush. "Giles we'll be back in a few hours for patrol."

"Alright Buffy, goodbye and thank you again Tara." The older man said looking up from the phonebook.

"Y-You're welcome Mr. Giles." Tara said as her and Buffy turned to leave.

"So where to?" Giles heard Buffy ask as her and Tara left the store. He shook his head thinking about the two then focused his attention the phone as he became connected.

"Hello?" Giles said into the phone. "Lucinda?"

"Giles, hello I wasn't expecting you to call until later." The older woman said into the phone. He smiled at the voice of his old friend. "Did Tara make it in alright? Her plane wasn't due for another hour or so."

"Yes she made it in just fine." He said.

"Has she had a chance to meet up with Buffy..." She asked knowingly. He chuckled.

"Yes, yes she did. And I have a feeling you know more than you're letting on old friend. It would seem that they had met in L.A. shortly after Buffy was called." He smiled to himself. "Something I suppose you already knew."

"Well there was no way to know for sure." She paused. "But I had suspicions when Tara's mother told me about a girl that had saved her daughter's life." She paused not sure how to say this. "Giles, from what little I've heard and what I've seen, Tara didn't have an easy time growing up…I don't know the details, not to mention that her mother just recently passed on, be easy with her" Giles frowned thinking about Tara's stutter and seemingly low self esteem, though it did seem to improve around Buffy somewhat.

"Was she abused?" he asked already guessing the woman's mother had passed away judging by the way the girl had reacted to his questioning earlier.

"I think so…and I also think Buffy might have saved her from more than just a vampire that night." She breathed into the phone. "Tara was already fairly powerful when she came to us, one vampire I'm sure she could have handled on her own" Giles nodded his head thinking of the witch's powers.

"I think you might be right in thinking that…she is very powerful." He said thoughtfully then smiled. "She even outmatched Buffy in sparring." He said on a lighter note.

"She sparred?" Lucinda asked surprised. Tara had only ever actually participated in one of the classes, than had fled the room before having a breakdown, another event that had tipped her off that perhaps she had been abused. The class was completely optional and was mostly filled with males. She had just simply thought that perhaps Tara had a crush on one of the other students when she continued to attend. She knew better now of course but at the time it had puzzled her. "And she won?" she asked thinking that perhaps Tara had been teaching herself by watching the other students.

"Yes." Giles said confused. "She said that she had only known the basics, but proved to be very versed, of course she couldn't out power Buffy, but between what she had learned with you're classes and magic… she did."

"Well that was something I didn't see coming."

Why do you seem so surprised by this?"

"Tara has never been one for violence and only ever participated in one of those classes, she came to the others of course, but strictly as an observer." She took a breath. "And she was comfortable with sparring with Buffy?" she asked trying to figure out how someone so fearful of physical power would agree to sparring with a slayer. "She didn't seem troubled by it when you had asked her?" Lucinda asked. Giles was a little surprised as well at the fact that what Tara performed today was self taught and that she feared physical power. But then he thought back to Buffy's promising to be gentle and caring nature towards the girl. He shook his head.

"Actually she was the one who had originally offered to spar with Buffy since I had hurt my back earlier."

"This is an interesting turn of events…" Lucinda said thinking. She knew Tara preferred the fairer sex but she also knew the woman feared the type of power that made the slayer. "Giles how does Tara act around the slayer, in general I mean?" she asked trying to remember something she had read once pertaining to the slayer.

"I'm not sure what you're asking." The watcher said confused.

"I mean does she seem comfortable around her, or does she seem to be more on the skittish side?" Lucinda clarified. Then he realized something Tara had only ever gotten the courage to offer to be Buffy's sparring partner when he had suggested her going on a longer patrol.

"Well she definitely doesn't seem to be frightened by Buffy presence, if that's what you're asking." He thought back to how Tara acted around Buffy. "If anything she seems to be quite protective of her." He chuckled. "and Buffy of her."

"Interesting." Lucinda said trying to think back to what exactly had been in that book she had come across years ago.

"Dare I ask what you are talking about now?" Giles said making the older woman laugh.

"Nothing you need to worry about Rupert." She said using the watcher's first name. "At least not for now." She frowned as once again something in the air made her skin craw. "Giles have you sensed any recent change within the Hellmouth and its recent activities?" she asked feeling a very strong flux within the spiritual balances. Giles frowned deeply.

"So you've felt the darkness strengthening as well then?" he asked, also sensing the balance of good and evil shifting.

"Yes and it seems to be growing stronger, especially now that Tara has arrived." Lucinda shivered never having felt something this powerful. "Have you talked to Buffy about it?"

"Briefly yes, but we haven't been able to find anything pointing to it's causes, and there is absolutely nothing in any of the watcher's books, that give cause for concer, if anything it eludes to it being nothing out of the ordinary." He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Buffy said she had felt it shifting recently as well but her patrols have remained in realms of norm." Lucida sighed.

"You know I feel about the council, but I'm not here to argue." She groaned. "I don't know what's all inside those books Giles, I hadn't had much chance to read through them myself…but I have a feeling they will help you find the answers you're looking for." Giles nodded his understanding.

"I hope you're right," he sighed feeling the energies shift again. "Thank you Lucinda I'll start on it tonight and keep you up to date on anything I find."

"Good and you won't be the only one doing some book work tonight." She said already looking through her own books.

"Pardon?"

"I don't know why exactly but from the moment I've met Tara I've had an inkling that she may be a part of something much larger than I or anyone could have imagined."

"Really?" Giles said also getting that impression but not wanting to say anything.

"Yes, that being one of the reasons I agreed to take her on as my student."

"Do you think she has something to do with what is happening with the Hellmouth?" he asked trying to guess at what the woman was talking about.

"I'm not sure, but there was something I came across ages ago. I can't recall where I read it or what it contained specifically, but I…I think it may help." She said flipping through another book. Giles pondered this for a moment.

"Do you think them meeting was prophetic?" he rubbed his neck. "I may be off with this but-"

"To tell you the truth Giles, I don't know." She tossed the book she was just looking through to the floor. "What I do know is that Tara is one of the most powerful sorceresses I have ever had the privilege to teach and we both felt the draw for her presence in Sunnydale. Prophetic…perhaps…fate…maybe, but as we stand now there is no way to tell."

"So I suppose all we can do now is try and find out all that we can?" He asked starring at the books Tara had brought to him.

"Yes, for now that is all we can do. I'll call you if I find anything to be of use."

"Alright Lucinda, take care." Giles said.

"You too, we'll be in touch."

"Alright, goodbye." He frowned hanging up the phone. He didn't know if Tara being here was prophetic or not, but he knew she would be of help. What was really bothering him was the fact that Lucinda was feeling the fluxions all the way in L.A. That by no means could be a good sign. Moving back to his seat at the table he began flipping through the pages of the first book, hoping to find something…anything. He glanced outside watching as the sun was beginning to set. Buffy would be back soon he thought, before turning back to the texts before him.

(okay please don't kill me…but I was tampering with the idea of expanding this story beyond just their relationship and thought it might be more challenging…I'm open to suggestions here. Tell me what you think. Should the story be solely revolved around the two's budding relationship or should it have a little more depth to it? Thanx.)