Buffy sat very still after her two friends disappeared through the crowd. Willow left. She hadn't even given her a chance to explain. Grabbing her soft drink, Buffy downed it in a few deep gulps. Too bad it wasn't something stronger than carbonated sugar water.
The table shuddered suddenly, the ice cubes in the empty glass rattling together.
"God, I'm sorry. Did I spill your drink? I can get you a refill." White teeth flashed in the strobing lights of the club.
Buffy dropped her eyes back to the table.
"Hey." A hand appeared in her field of vision. "Are you OK?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry about the drink," Buffy told the young man staring worriedly at her. She stood up. Staying was a bad idea. She needed to go…beat up on some vampires.
The young man moved in front of her, and Buffy might have simply shoved past him if he hadn't seemed so concerned. "I recognize that look. Ex-boyfriend? Loan shark?" Leaning against the table, he cocked his head at her. "You can tell me. I won't repeat a word; I promise."
The need for a little vamp therapy still pulsed through her, but Buffy found herself smiling at her erstwhile savior. "Look, I appreciate the offer." Her smile widened. "Maybe not the soda bath…"
A deep chuckle cut through the music. "I normally save that for a second meeting. I guess I'm off my game tonight." He held out a hand. "Parker Abrams, normal guy and college student. You?"
Taking the proffered hand, she replied, "Buffy Summers, also a college student." Thinking about the lack of 'normal' in her life erased the smile from Buffy's face. "I'm sorry. If you're looking for company, keep looking. I'd just make us both depressed." She dropped his hand and stepped back. "I've got to go. Maybe I'll see you around, Parker Abrams."
"Wait! You can't go out like this." Parker shoved away from the table and trotted after her. "Buffy, come on. At least let me walk you back to the dorms. Sunnydale isn't safe, you know. We have lots of muggers and wild dogs."
Buffy's stride hitched at his comment. She barely held back a bitter response on the state of Sunnydale's nightlife. "I'll be fine. I…I work out a lot, and I can take care of myself." As soon as she said that, Buffy realized she wasn't armed. There wasn't even a stake in her jacket pocket.
Sliding an arm around Buffy's waist, Parker shrugged. "Wouldn't matter if you were a black belt, Buffy. Pretty girls should always have an escort." He glanced at her and winked. "Since no one else has volunteered, I'll just have to step in."
The arm – and the implied comfort – convinced Buffy to stay silent and let Parker walk with her to the door. She stopped him there, though. "Stay, please," she pleaded. "I…" Telling him he was in more danger from the vampires than she was didn't seem like a good plan. "I need some alone time to think about that ex," Buffy finally explained.
He didn't want to listen. Thick eyebrows drawing together in a frown, Parker started to protest.
"Good night." Going up on her toes, Buffy brushed her lips across his cheek and ducked out the door before he could argue. Once outside, she took off at top speed, fleeing Parker and the memory of Willow's back as she walked away.
As Tara had expected, the library was almost deserted. She headed straight for the upper floors, where only graduate students and professors normally roamed. Large tables and study carrels dotted the spaces between rows of shelves.
Peering around, Tara didn't see anyone else. Perfect. With a tired sigh, she trudged to the most remote corner and dumped her bag onto the floor. Sitting in the hard wooden chair, Tara leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
The incessant hum of the overhead lights echoed in her head.
Tara shifted. Placing her arms on the table, she buried her head in them.
The sound died away, and Tara smiled in her warm and artificially dark 'room.' Her breathing evened out, and she drifted…
A loud bang rocketed her out of her chair. Heart pounding, she looked frantically around the library. Wearing a sheepish grin, a male student waved the book he'd just picked up from the floor. Feeling weak and shaky from the abrupt movements, Tara dropped back into the chair. This wasn't working. Sleep was impossible.
She reached into her bag and brought out her journal. Writing about her day always helped her relax. Tara read over the last few sentences of her earlier entry before beginning another paragraph.
Well, Mama. It was that Buffy Summers. I couldn't believe it, but…It was. She looked exactly the same.
The pen came off the paper, and Tara chewed on the cap. Was that really right? Buffy hadn't looked like a cheerleader anymore. She'd been wearing faded jeans and tennis shoes.
Maybe I was just expecting her to be the same, Mama. I can't actually remember now. I was so mad. And scared.
Even while simply writing in her journal, Tara felt compelled to tell the truth. Her mother had insisted on it.
The only good thing today was meeting Willow and Faith. Willow is Buffy's friend, but she's really nice. And funny. She babbles when she talks, like a tape on fast forward. Her girlfriend had the strangest aura. All golden and really, really powerful.
More teeth marks dented the abused plastic cap as Tara stared sightlessly at her journal. Faith…Faith had never answered her about what she was.
I don't think she's a demon, Mama. She was too nice and good for that. And Willow is a witch. She's been teaching herself. I wish I could work with her. I haven't trained with anyone since…since you died. I probably won't get the chance, though. I'm going to the Housing people in the morning. I can't be Buffy's roommate. I can't.
Her eyes burned with tears and exhaustion. Tossing the pen onto the table, Tara rubbed her hands over her eyes. "Goddess, I have to sleep." She left the journal out in case sleep still eluded her, and tried her arm bed again.
This time, she drifted off without interruption.
Since she was using Slayer speed, Buffy kept to the shadows and cemeteries on her way home. Panting, she burst into the house without a thought to what was proper. "Mom!"
The noise of her entrance, combined with her yell, got an almost immediate response. "Honey? What's wrong?" Joyce's head popped up over the back of the couch.
All of Buffy's emotional control shattered. "Willow…she…she left, Mom. I told her about Tara, and she left." The words were garbled by the sobs trying to escape from her throat. Buffy stared at her mother through scalding tears. "What am I going to do, Mom? Willow hates me."
"Looks like you're workin' real hard there, T." Tara's head snapped up at Faith's wry comment. "Thought you said you had a paper or some shit to do."
Oops. Mind still fuzzy from sleep, Tara scrambled for a response.
She was too slow. "Don't hurt yourself. Did you really think we bought the 'working on a paper' thing anyway?" Faith snorted. "I only look dumb."
Rubbing her crusted and tired eyes, Tara mumbled, "I didn't think you'd care."
Faith's silence grew glacial.
"I guess you do, though." Tara flicked a glance up at Faith's angry brown eyes. "Why? You just met me. I'm not a friend. I'm…I'm only Buffy's roommate."
"Not for long, T. In fact, we're moving you out right now." Faith unlooped Tara's bag from the back of the chair and slung it over her head. "Until B gets her head out of her ass, you can room with me and Red."
Between the surprise and the slew of nicknames, Tara struggled to make sense of the words. "You want me to move in with you and Willow?" Her voice rose a little, seeming to echo in the vast library. Wait a minute… "Where is Willow? And does she know you're here?"
Faith's sigh suggested she was tired of talking. "Red knows. I took her home after the thing at the Bronze." She hesitated, looking everywhere except at Tara. "She's kinda upset at B right now and I didn't want her hauling ass through town like that."
If Tara slumped any farther in the chair, she slither right out and underneath the table. It was a very tempting thought. "Why…why is W-Willow upset at B-Buffy?" The stutter increased as the tension grew.
"Come on, Blondie. You don't even look dumb. Don't play the blonde card. B's got that one all locked up." Faith held out a hand. "Let's motor. Leavin' Red alone when she's pissed ain't always a good thing. Last time, she tried this spell…" Breaking off, Faith grimaced. "Like I said, it ain't a good idea for her to be by herself."
Reluctantly, Tara took the proffered hand. "You don't have to invite me to your place, Faith. I c-can go back to the do-dorm." It wasn't like she didn't have enough magic to keep Buffy away from her.
"Grab your notebook and let's go." Faith didn't seem impressed with Tara's comment. "You want to go back to the dorm in the morning, I won't argue."
Tara relaxed slightly.
"Red, though… She ain't as reasonable as me. You might want to get your thoughts all together before the big blow up." A slow grin, bracketed by dimples, left Tara in no doubt that Faith didn't think she could win against Willow. "We'll swing by the dorm and pick up your things. If B's there, I'll do the packing and you can stay downstairs."
Too tired to fight anymore, Tara plodded after Faith. With each step, her feet felt lighter, and a smile tried to sneak out. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.