Cyteach: Artie varies from, 'I'm cute, look at me!' to 'Does not give a shit', and all varying places in between. There's also, 'Shit just got real so I'm gonna hide behind Tara' mode, though we haven't seen much of that one.
Babbles4Twillow: Right-o, ma'am!
Warning: Mentions of child abuse.
Chapter 8 (Apple n' Greens is apples, spinach, bell pepper, lettuce, and pretty much Dawn if she were a beverage.)
"…wait, so your house is infested with imps?"
Tara nodded. "Eighty dollars if you can kill them."
"Sweet!" Faith paused. "Wait, are you setting me up for some sort of prank? I'm pretty sure baby-Slayer can take care of this, and B's right next door."
The young Watcher shook her head. "Trust me, Artie is the last person I'd want near these things. I'm asking you because I want these things dead. Not relocated outside because Buffy thinks they're cute. I want them dead."
"Wow. And you seemed so nice."
"I am nice! But these things are like tiny piranhas. I saw one strip a mouse down to bone this morning."
The dark haired Slayer winced. "I'll ah, go grab my weapons then."
Faith's 'weapons' as it turned out, were various vermin traps, coils of wire, a BB gun, and a boot knife. At Tara's quirked brow, she merely said, "Big rats where I grew up. Momma couldn't always afford an exterminator."
Tara led Faith through the house, and the Slayer let out a whistle. "Didn't know we had houses like this this close to Main Street."
"It was originally only a five bedroom, with a three car garage. The previous owners must've decided one car was enough, because they walled off the bigger part of the garage and turned it into two more bedrooms."
"Wow. That's hella stupid. I've only been in SunnyD for a few months and even I know not to mess with old buildings like this. Think that may be what released the imps?"
"Probably, yeah. That's also probably why the house was so cheap."
Faith shrugged. "All the houses here are cheap, man. Death rates mean the housing market is always good." She dropped her gear on the back porch, and set to work setting traps. They'd set them up outside, and work their way in so that if any imps tried to flee, they'd be caught in the traps already set up outside.
DING-DONG!
"What the-" Tara started towards the house. "Faith, you okay here? I'm gonna go check who that is."
The Slayer made a sound that sounded like confirmation, so Tara shrugged and went inside. Pulling the door open, she was surprised to find Art standing at the front porch somehow managing to look smug and petulant at the same time, Buffy and Xander laughing their butts off on the sidewalk.
Willow grinned, and gripped Artie's elbow tighter. "Is this yours?"
An hour earlier
It was definitely her eyes. Or maybe her smile? Maybe it was the soft encouragement that she gave Willow, how she made her feel safe?
Maybe it was her boobies.
Willow hissed in frustration. Trying to figure out what she liked best about Tara was like trying to pick out the best smoothie at Jamba Juice: There were honestly far too many and her favorite changed every time she came by.
Still, as she smiled thankfully at the 16 oz. Mango-a-go-go Xander handed to her. Confidence in a Styrofoam cup. Yum.
"Guys?"
Buffy looked up from her Orange Carrot Karma. "Yeah Wills?"
"I need advice," she swallowed. "On dating. Girls."
Buffy grinned. "Of course I can give you advice. I'm a girl. And Xander's one of the ladies too, aren't you?" she punched the dark haired boy affectionately on the shoulder.
Willow flushed. This was going to be harder than she thought. "I don't think you understand, Buff'." She took a deep breath. "I need advice on asking a girl out."
Xander choked on his Razzmatazz and looked at Buffy, wild eyed. The Slayer stared back, eyes equally huge.
Was Willow finally confirming what they had believed for months?
Composing himself, Xander stepped into his role of big brother almost flawlessly. "Well you've got me if want advice. You know, for finding a gal pal, or a playmate, or a lady sidekick-"
Almost flawlessly.
Buffy patted his back. "I've got it from here, Xand."
"Oh thank god," he gasped. "I honestly have no idea what I'm talking about."
"Wait." Willow blinked. "You guys are okay with this?"
"You're our friend, what'd you expect?"
"Judgment, denial, laughter, and a whole host of other terrifying things?"
"Wills," Xander held his hands up to calm her down. "It was kinda obvious. You don't notice guys-"
"The guys we know are scabs!"
"-you own a tool belt."
"That was the Ultimate Organizer Computer Repair kit my cousin Lily got me for my birthday!"
"Plus she's been sniffing around Tara like a creeper," Artie said, taking a sip of her Peach Perfection.
The Scoobies jumped in their seats. "Where did you come from?" Xander screeched.
"She smells nice!" Willow cried indignantly.
"I got lost." She spun in her chair, ignoring Willow's outburst. "Take me home and I can get Tara to go out with you." She tried to waggle her eyebrows the way her Watcher did, but only succeeded in bugging her eyes out.
"Oh my god, you losers are always making a scene wherever you go, aren't you?"
All four turned to the source of the voice, though the three older ones winced, already knowing who it was.
Cordelia Chase, with Harmony by her side.
Buffy sighed. "Look you two, we really don't wanna have to deal with you right now, so-"
"Shut up, Summers," Harmony snapped. Art cocked her head curiously, mesmerized by the interactions. Buffy was a Slayer, Willow was apparently a powerful witch, and Xander…
Well, Xander was a pretty big guy. So why were they being pushed around by these two vapid girls? She shook her head. Teenagers were weird.
"We're just having smoothies. Back off," Willow really did not want to deal with this right now. Why was it that every time she attempted some sort of large, emotional reveal, the universe played it off like some joke?
"Please," the blond snorted. "We share the Bronze with you losers no problem, and you've all taken over the Espresso Pump. This is our smoothie shop. Your kind don't belong here."
Art narrowed her eyes. These guys saved the world on a nightly basis and this was what they put up with? Not only that, in her head, she had already begun to associate Willow as Tara's, and there was no way she was going to let the other girls get away with this. Tara would be disappointed if she didn't stand up for people, even if they were older.
Artie hated disappointing Tara.
"What'd you mean 'your kind'?" She looked innocently between Willow and Harmony, playing up the 'little girl' act as best as she could. "Did you mean redheads, or Jews?"
Silence fell in the smoothie shop as all the other patrons stopped and glared, waiting for an answer. The two girls sputtered, and stomped out with a huff.
The Scoobies cocked their heads to the side in unison. 'This kid has the potential to be a complete and utter douchebag.'
Back to the present
"Um, what?"
"I got lost!" Art informed her Watcher cheerily. Tara pulled her into the house and shoved the smaller girl behind her, never taking her eyes off of the redhead.
"W-willow…"
The younger witch grinned and held up a Styrofoam cup. "Brought you a creamy treat, too."
'I bet you did.'
"It's Peanut Butter Moo'd,"
"T-thanks." The two girls stood there awkwardly, staring at each other with wide eyes and completely unsure of what to do now. Buffy and Xander rocked forward on the sidewalk, expectantly, and Buffy nearly spilled Dawn's Apple n' Greens. Artie grumbled a bit behind Tara.
"W-willow…I was w-wondering if-"
"Tarawillyougoonadatewithme?"
"…huh?"
Willow expelled air from her lungs, a keening sound of frustration. "Willyougoonadate?" she rushed again. "Withme?"
"W-will…"
"It's just, you're so nice and you're also really hot. Like, really. And we've got all the same interests and I understand if you don't wanna go on a date with me, since you're so hot and amazing, but you'll probably do it nicely because you are nice." The redhead stopped, panting. She was blushing furiously, having thrown herself completely out there.
Tara's eyes widened, and she glanced over at Artie, who looked absolutely smug. She was way too young to look smug. She told her –told her! - that she would ask Willow out when she was ready, yet the Slayer had led the gorgeous redhead to their doorstep!
'Aaand now I'll be doing all of Dawn's geography homework for the next week or so, though I wouldn't have found them without her help.' There would be no scolding from Tara; Willow would keep her distracted enough.
Tara's lips quirked. "I'd love to."
And there it was. Tara-smile, pretty enough to bring a smile on Willow's face too, though her's was of a far more dopey variety.
'I owe you so much, Ta',' the youngest Slayer smiled.
Buffy and Xander let out several whoops and cheers, genuinely happy for their friend.
Their cheers weren't loud enough to cover Faith's screams from the backyard.
"NO! Mama, no..!"
The four of them managed to reach the backyard in time to see the dark haired Slayer collapse into the patio, whimpering and shivering. Out of the corner of her eye, Buffy spotted a green mist fading from the area.
"-I'll be a good girl now, I promise!"
"Buffy!" Tara's clear voice turned the blonde Slayer's eyes back to her. "Pick her up." The young woman was in full Watcher mode now, her eyes narrowed as she stepped around Faith, trying to assess the damage. "Xander, call Giles. Now."
Artie scowled. It had been only a month, but her Slayer senses had kicked the young girl's predatory instincts to overdrive. A sister-Slayer and been injured, in Art's own home. "I'll go next door and see if Mrs. Summers and Dawn are okay."
Tara nodded her okay and Buffy smiled at the younger Slayer gratefully. Art tried to smile back, but something made her go green, bumping into Xander before she muttered an apology and stumbled over the fence separating the two yards.
Willow moved towards Tara, sidestepping Buffy as she hauled Faith up. "Anything I can do to help?"
"Can you get the first aid kits please?"
"Kits?"
"First Aid kit is the downstairs bathroom, emergency first aid kit is under the couch, and Artie's first aid kit is in her room," she murmured. She was feeling woozy.
"Tara," Willow was concerned. "Which one do we need?"
"All of them." Damn her head hurt.
"Tara, it was just a head wound."
When Tara was little her dad –Nathan, not Jack, Jack came later- had walloped her good. She ended up cracking her head on the table edge.
"Artie's then. Master bedroom, under her bed."
It was a tiny cut, but they always bled the worst.
"Buffy is putting Faith on the couch," the redhead said slowly. "Wouldn't it make more sense to use that one?"
That was the night Momma took her away. Away to the Council's Welsh headquarters, away to Jack, and safety and magic. To Watcher-hood, and Artie, and Sunnydale, and Willow.
Artie. Willow.
Tara sighed, and rocked backwards on her heels as an invisible weight seemed to lift from her shoulders. Willow's arms shot out to steady her.
"You okay?"
"Nope," she righted herself, and quirked a brow at the redhead. Or maybe she thought she did, she was still a bit woozy, after all. "But I think Faith should be our main priority right now. This has not been a good month for her."
Somewhere
Halfrek growled.
Something was hurting Sunnydale's young people. More so than usual, anyway.
But this went beyond mere predator/prey relations.
Something out there was being drawn towards the young adults who used to be abused children, the ones who had risen beyond their hurt and turned it into drive.
The ones that Halfrek exacted justice for anyway, because they never asked for it themselves.
And now, something was being drawn to them, and forcing them to relive those childhood memories.
Dammit, this was the exact opposite of what she wanted.
Stupid other demons and their undoing of Hallie's work.
"That's not all," Anyanka hissed from behind her. "Dimensional walls are getting holes poked through them, and it isn't one of us."
Well, shit.