A/N: Originally wasn't going to have this up til Tuesday, but your getting it early, on a work day for me because I might be really busy on Tuesday and I didn't want to make you all wait even longer. Hope this chapter satisfies you all!

Chap. 19: The Return- April 05

Buffy opened her eyes, or she thought she did, but still everything was completely dark. Reaching a hand up to touch her face, her eyes were in fact open. What happened? Where was she? Or was she now blind? If so she wasn't sure how she got that way. Last thing she remembered was arguing with Giles on whether she was going to be a part of the rescue mission for Faith.

Did she go through the portal and just not remember? If so, then where did she end up, and where was everyone else? Not knowing where she was, she wasn't exactly sure what the right thing to do was. She wanted to call out and see if anyone else was there, but if it was the wrong someone, she wasn't really in a position to fight.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on her other senses. She remembered her days in the high school gym, when Giles would blindfold her. If she concentrated hard enough, maybe she could use her Slayer senses to get an idea of where she was.

Time seemed to move slowly, as a very faint picture came into her mind. It was still dark, but there was just enough light in her mind to see the walls around her. The smell of the earth reached her nostrils and she was sure now that she was in a cave.

With her eyes still closed, she began moving around in a circle, trying to see the whole room inside her mind's eye. She had almost gone all the way around when she thought she saw something different from the rest. Concentrating on the much darker blob against the already dark picture, she moved a step toward the spot.

Slowly the picture came into view, and she realized she was looking at a figure of something crouching. She was sure from the shape it was human, but she couldn't be positive. "Hello?" she asked almost in a whisper, afraid to startle whatever it was and have them attack.

"Anybody there?" she asked again softly when she got no response the first time. Still no response, so keeping her eyes closed so that she could see where she was walking, she made a few more steps to the figure. "Hey, you okay?" This time she was a little louder, causing the body to jerk finally.

It was then she finally recognized the familiar set of hair. "Faith, is that you?"

If it was possible, the figure retreated further into itself. "No, no one here," was uttered despondently, as if she wasn't even a person.

Buffy knew then, that whatever had happened to Faith, it was horrible. She reached out to comfort her wife, but all her hand met was more air. Which begged the question again of just what was happening. Could Faith only be a figment of her imagination? Reaching out, she tried to touch the wall of dirt beside her and once again was just met with air as her hand went through it.

"Nope, I'm not really here. Which means the gang has some explaining to do." Realizing she was the one out of place, she had a feeling she was sleeping, which meant her friends did something to stop her from going on this mission.

Taking a deep breath, she turned back and kneeled next to Faith. Not being able to touch her was killing her. But she hoped that soon, that wouldn't be the case. "Its okay, Faith. Kennedy will be here soon with an army of Slayers. You'll be home soon."

~BF~

This time when Buffy opened her eyes, the light was almost blinding. It took a minute to get her bearings, but when she did, she realized she was in her own home, laying on one of the couches in her living room.

Remembering the situation she was in, she sprung up from her position, intent on going to find someone to explain just what the hell was going on. "Oh, Buffy, you're awake."

"Tara, what is going on?"

"It wasn't my idea. I swear I didn't know they were going to do that?" The blonde witch felt bad for the girl she's come to think of as one of her best friends, not just her wife's best friends. She wasn't entirely sure she agreed with their method, feeling Buffy should have gotten a choice, but she understood where they were coming from too.

"What wasn't? What happened?" She was trying to stay really calm, and give her friends the benefit of the doubt. But she wasn't sure they deserved it right now.

"Willow put you in a magically induced coma."

"Why?"

"You'll have to ask her that."

"Where is she?"

"School building, in the basement." Tara didn't even bother to try and stop the very angry Slayer as she stormed out of the house. Instead sending a message out to Willow telepathically, hopefully her wife got the message that a very pissed of blonde was headed her way.

~BF~

"Buffy, hold up," Willow said, standing at the top of the stairs. As soon as she'd gotten Tara's message, she ran up the stairs to stop Buffy from going any further.

"You got some serious explaining to do!" Buffy shouted.

"I know I do. Why don't we head to my office."

"No. I want an explanation right now."

Willow sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere with the stubborn Slayer. "Ok, but let's at least go sit over there," she tried again, pointing to the bench that sat in the hallway about ten feet away.

"Fine," Buffy conceded. "Now talk," she demanded once they were both seated comfortably.

"Giles couldn't convince you not to go," Willow started. She looked her friend in the eye and placed a hand on her friend's belly. "I was afraid hopping dimensions would harm, or possibly kill the baby."

Buffy sighed, letting the anger wash away. She knew Willow at least had good intentions. "Why didn't you just tell me that?"

"Because I know you, Buffy."

"What does that mean?" the blonde asked, clearly not understanding what her reasons were for not telling her.

"It means, I know that if you'd chosen to go anyway and something happened to the baby, you'd feel guilty. And if you had chosen to stay and something happened to Faith, you'd feel guilty. It was a no win situation for you. I just wanted to spare you that pain."

Buffy leaned back so her head rested against the wall. She knew Willow was right. She would have felt horrible if something had happened to either of them and she could have done something to prevent it. Still, she wasn't sure she agreed with not being given a choice.

"I probably would have chosen to still go," Buffy whispered honestly. "It would have been horrible to have something happen to the baby, but if it meant getting Faith back…" Buffy trailed off. "It sounds so horrible. But I'm miserable without her. And we could always try and make another baby. There's only one of her."

"I get it," Willow told her, wrapping her arm around her friend's shoulder. "If it was Tara, I'd do the same."

Buffy played with the wedding ring on her finger as the silence engulfed them for several minutes, just letting the truth of their admissions sink in.

"It all worked out though," Willow finally said, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"They got her."

It took a minute for Buffy to realize what the redhead was saying. "You got her? You mean they are back? Why didn't you say that first thing," she demanded. "Where is she?"

"You need to take a deep breath and listen. Yes they got her back, but right now she's unconscious. They had to tranq her."

"What? Why?"

She really didn't want to have to tell Buffy what she needed to know. But someone had to, and somehow she'd been given that task. "Tarzar's home wasn't as hard to get into as we'd worried about. He wasn't worried about us coming for her. He'd really thought he'd fooled us. But when Kennedy found her, she was tucked into a corner of a dark cave. When she tried to touch her, she went wild and lashed out."

"I think I knew that. Before I woke up, I dreamed of her in that cave. She flinched when I came near her."

"For us, she's only been gone a month, but we don't know how long it's been for her. It could have been years for all we know."

Buffy sighed, remembering when Angel had come back from whatever hell dimension he was in. "I need to see her."

"I know you do." Willow gave her a half hug and a pat on the back as they both stood up and headed for the stairs. "She's got some marks on her, some old, some new. It does look like he tortured her some. But mostly, I think he just took her blood."

Buffy paused when they reached the room Faith was said to lie in. Now she knew why she was here and not the small infirmary. They didn't know what to expect when Faith woke up, so they needed her in a room they could keep her contained, until they could get her back to her old self.

Entering the room slowly, she made her way over to the cot they'd set up for her. "Oh, baby," she cried, reaching out to run a hand along Faith's cheek. She looked so frail and so pale.

"He probably fed her just enough to keep her alive," Giles said from his place across the room. He'd been keeping an eye on Faith for the last little while. He was racked with guilt, feeling as if he should have seen through Tarzar's act long ago so that Faith wouldn't have gone through what she did.

"Oh, baby. I'm so sorry I didn't figure it out sooner," Buffy cried, no longer caring who was in the room. The tears fell from her eyes as she ran her hands through Faith's hair. Slowly, she maneuvered herself onto the bed, wrapping her arms around Faith as best as she could.

"Buffy, maybe you shouldn't do that. We don't know what she'll be like when she wakes up," Willow tried to warn.

"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. I just need to be with her."

Everyone seemed to understand that. They all made their way out into the hallway to give Buffy some alone time.

"I'm so sorry," Buffy apologized again, placing a kiss on her wife's cheek. "I promise I'll make it up to you though. I love you so much and I've been so miserable without you. I need you, baby. Our family needs you. You need to come back to us, okay."

~BF~

As much as she didn't want to, Buffy left Faith's bedside. She wanted to stay there until she woke up, but knew that she couldn't. Nevaeh had already lived the last month without one of her moms. She didn't need for both of them to disappear on her. And she wasn't going to let Vaeh anywhere near Faith until they were sure she was okay.

Giles assured her they would have someone with Faith at all times though, and that someone would call her if the other woman woke up. So she headed home and released Dawn from baby-sitting duty.

"Thanks, Dawnie, for sitting with her," Buffy told her sister.

"Anything for my favorite niece."

Buffy laughed. "Better be careful, she won't be the only one for long."

"So?" the younger Summers girl responded, like that mattered. How times had changed. She remembered when Nevaeh had first appeared in their lives and Dawn wanted nothing to do with her. Hating that she was no longer the baby in the family. But Vaeh had Faith's charm and that changed quickly and she had her aunt wrapped around her finger. "She'll still be my favorite, first born and all," Dawn teased.

Buffy just smiled and waved as her sister walked through the front door. Placing a gentle hand on her belly, she made her way upstairs to her daughter's room. She knew the new baby would be just as spoiled, but she understood where Dawn was coming from. There was just something about Veah's appearance in their lives that would always have an impact on them.

"Hey, baby, you all ready for bed?" she asked as she entered Vaeh's room to see the little girl all tucked into bed.

"Mama back?" she asked instead.

Buffy froze, wondering how Nevaeh knew that. She hadn't planned on telling her just yet. But somehow she knew anyway. She wasn't about to start lying to her daughter though.

Moving to the bed, she lifted up the covers and slid in beside her. Wrapping her arms around Vaeh, she situated them so she could talk to her easily and comfort her at the same time.

"Yes, Mama's back. You were right all along," Buffy smiled, letting her daughter know how smart she was to know that.

"Me want to see her."

Buffy sighed. "You will, I promise. But not right now. She's not feeling so good right now. When she's all better you can see her."

"My magic hugs make her better," Vaeh insisted.

"I'm sure she'd love one of your magic hugs. But right now, the way she's feeling, she can't have hugs. But soon I promise." She was terribly sad for her daughter. She couldn't possibly understand all this. How could she tell a four-year old that right now any touch might just send her Mama into a wild rage?

And Nevaeh didn't get it. Mama always told her that her hugs were like magic. No matter how bad she was feeling, a hug from her always made her feel better. Mama said it was her superpower. She wasn't sure what that meant, but she knew it made her special. She fell asleep that night, determined to convince Mommy to let her give Mama a hug.

Buffy watched her daughter sleep for over an hour before she finally made her way to bed. It was easier to sleep tonight, knowing that even though Faith wasn't there with her, she wasn't that far way. And soon, she'd be back in their bed.