Chapter 6 The Epic Beginning
Having locked the door leading to the basement, Buffy was feeling pretty secure in having the cat back in the house. Why she was so adamant on bring it back home, she hadn't quite figured out. She trusted the strength of the lock though, and knew that Dawn and the others would be safe so long as it stayed downstairs and out of the way. Confronting the defensive Tara and the injured Willow when they got back from the hospital would be another story though.
After getting the all clear from the Doctor that Willow would be fine but just need some bed rest, Buffy had left the two Wiccans at the hospital with clear instructions to give her a call when they needed a ride home. Having dealt with the cat, all Buffy had to do now was wait for the phone to ring.
"You know Buffy, if you're just going to stand there you might as well help me with the research," Giles said ending the silence and entering the kitchen with his empty coffee cup. "I still can't figure out why the cat signalled out Willow based on your description of the attack. You said that she didn't jump or claw at Willow? She just ran at her and knocked her to the ground?" Giles asked with his now full cup of coffee in his hand.
"That's the just of it. We had just crossed the street when I sensed that she was around. I told Willow and Tara to wait on the sidewalk as I stepped into the bushes. Willow said that she could sense something too when she got slammed into the ground. The cat landed on the other side of her. She must have been in the tree or on top of the mausoleum because I did not see it coming. Tara was pushed to the side in all the commotion. Willow moved to get up, but the cat put its paw right on her chest. I reached Willow, body checked the cat off of her and sent her careening into a tombstone. Tara was by Willow's side in a second. When the cat tried to get up again, I was ready to take her down, but Tara did some sort of spell. That's why there are burn marks all over the cat's fur," Buffy finished.
Giles didn't respond immediately, taking a few sips of his coffee.
"It does seem a bit odd..." Giles finally said. Getting a blank look from Buffy, he continued "Well the cat obviously didn't want to physically maim or kill her, which begs the question what was the purpose of the attack?" He asked almost to himself.
"Well all I know is that Willow was specifically signalled out, and got hurt in the process. In my books, that's not okay, whatever the intentions." Buffy said following Giles into the living room.
"Well perhaps Willow or Tara can shed some more light on tonight's events. Maybe there is something else going on. In the meantime, I am still trying to find out exactly what this cat is. Aside from the biological features, we should assume there is more than meets the eye."
As Giles sat down to go through some more books, Buffy looked at the phone willing it to ring before deciding to take a seat next to Giles on the couch to help with the research.
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By the time Willow had been poked and prodded for the 4th time since arriving at the hospital, she was ready to go home. The Doctor said that there was no apparent head injury, but that she should probably take it easy on bed rest for a while. Choosing to get dressed and leave before having to endure another concussion check, Willow was putting on her shoes just as Tara entered her room.
"I'm so glad you're here," Willow said "I can't wait to go home and..."
"What do you think you're doing Will? The Doctor said you should spend a few hours here, just to make sure that your fainting wasn't anything serious," Tara cut in shooting her girlfriend a questioning glance.
Willow didn't slow down tying up her shoes. "Honestly Tara, I'm fine. I didn't hit my head, nor do I even have a scratch on me. The Doctor's won't find anything," she said finally standing up and grabbing her coat.
"Are you saying that there is something to find?"
Willow didn't respond right away. Knowing that she wouldn't be allowed to leave the room till she answered the question, Willow answered. "Maybe."
"That's not going to cut it Will. What's going on? You know that I'm just concerned." Tara said moving towards Willow and placing the redheads hands in hers.
"I don't think the cat attacked me," Willow finally answered looking directly into Tara's eyes.
Trying not to doubt her girlfriend, Tara just waiting for a further explanation. "When we were on patrol, that mental weight that I told you about was still there. It actually got a bit worse as we moved closer to downtown. Right before I got jumped, I felt something shift, but it was mystical this time. Like something was draining my energy?" She said questioning to Tara. "Did you sense something?"
Taking a moment to recall the night's events, Tara remained quiet for a few moments. "No, I didn't. I remember Buffy stepping into the bushes, and then I was knocked sideways when you were taken down. Is it possible that what you were feeling was part of the attack." Willow was shaking her head before she even finished asking the question.
"That's just it. When the cat landed on top of me, I felt my strength return. My head was clear again, and I didn't feel anything trying to siphon off my powers. " Willow looked at Tara, trying to gauge her reaction.
"It's possible she was protecting me..." Willow finally concluded thinking out loud to herself.
Tara didn't meet Willows eyes. "What's wrong honey?" Willow finally asked when Tara didn't kept quiet.
"I thought you were being attacked Will. I may have over reacted a bit when the cat got back up." Tara responded.
"Why? What did you do?" Willow quietly asked growing concerned over her lovers obvious guilt.
"I cast and knocked her down," Tara met Willows eyes. "Buffy called Giles and told him to pick us up. He brought the gun." Willows eyes began to water. "Buffy shot her Will," Tara finally concluded.
"Oh," was the only sound that escaped Willows lips as Tara enveloped her in a big hug.
"I'm so sorry Will," she said still holding on to her. "We can give Buffy and Giles a call to see if they've found something out. Maybe there's an answer that explains all of this".
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