Please read the Disclaimer before continuing to remain in the site or reading the stories. These stories contain adult material with scenes of women loving women. Consider this story to have an R rating. If this is illegal in your state or you are underage, please go to a more appropriate site now.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters. No copyright infringement is intended. Original characters are mine.

Pairing: W/T... eventually

Angst Rating: Highest rating... buy stock in Kleenex

Rating: PG 13 for adult themes and eventual W/T goodness.

lcountry@quiknet.com

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Buffy and Giles walked quietly toward the meadow. The Slayer was taking her time, pausing to admire wildflowers or to look up at the tall trees.

"You’re stalling," Giles pointed out. "Are you having a dreadfully hard time with this?" He knew her feelings for Tara were troubling her.

"I’m okay." Buffy stopped and faced him. "As for the stalling…" She took a deep breath. "I really, really do not want to interrupt them if they’re doing anything other than having lunch. I don’t want to see that." She closed her eyes and sighed. "And I really can’t stress that not wanting to see it thing enough." She blushed remembering watching her two friends waking up earlier.

"Yes, well, we’ll make a great deal of noise, how’s that?" he suggested with a smile.

"Giles, I looked at Tara this morning," she said in a tiny whisper.

"What do you mean?" he asked gently. He moved closer and rested an arm over her shoulder. He didn’t physically touch Buffy much, except during training, but he could see that something was eating her up inside.

"When she was sleeping," Buffy admitted guiltily. "And then … I pretended to be asleep while she and Willow were talking." She looked down at the path, ashamed to meet his gaze.

"You told me yourself that these are the first real feelings you’ve experienced since coming back." He squeezed her shoulder and then lifted her jaw with his hand. "A bit of an infatuation is to be expected." He caught her eyes with his. There was no judgment, only concern. "But you must refrain from anything you’ll regret later. I know you, Buffy. I know you would never interfere with their relationship."

"Never," she swore.

"It’s best you try not to think about it," he suggested. "And no matter how … intrigued … you are, you mustn’t allow your curiosity to make you do things you’ll regret later."

"I’ve been totally checking her out," Buffy admitted with a cringe.

"She is an incredibly beautiful woman," he reminded Buffy. "Just try not to let Willow catch you looking. That could become rather … volatile."

"Oh, god, Willow can never know." Buffy shook her head and sighed. "But I think the lusty thoughts are decreasing," she added hopefully.

"Yes, well … that’s … yes, well, good." He began walking toward the meadow again.

"It’s not like I had lots of lusty thoughts," she said as she hurried alongside him. "I mean, I … there were just a few, and they were strictly vague thoughts, nothing specific."

"Ah, good." He was blushing deeply.

"It’s not like I sit around wondering what it would be like to take a shower with her or use that oil after a long workout and rub it all over her soft, curvy bo—" Buffy’s eyes widened in shock. "And … I just did. I just un-vagued my lusty thoughts and just kill me now." She covered her face with both hands and shook her head. "I so did."

"Right then." Giles cleared his throat. "Perhaps a long workout will clear your mind." He began whistling noisily as he tromped through the grass. "Come along, Buffy!" he yelled so loudly that the birds on the far side of the valley took flight to escape. "It’s time we joined Tara for that sparring," he yelled.

"Coming!" Buffy yelled. She did not want to surprise her two friends. "Coming right behind you … as we go to the big meadow … where Willow and Tara are waiting!"

Giles continued crashing loudly through the vegetation. When he cleared the trees he saw Willow and Tara sitting on their blanket enjoying an innocent lunch. "Ah, yes, I brought Buffy to join us."

"We heard," Tara said seriously. Her eyes sparkled playfully.

"And so did half the state." Willow smirked and waggled her eyebrows at Tara.

"Yes, well…" Giles cleared his throat and went over to his things and picked up a sword.

"Giles didn’t want to interrupt any private picnic moments." Buffy went to his side and grabbed a sword.

"Geez, Giles," Willow said in an insulted tone. "We are grown ups. It’s not like we’re gonna’ be rolling around in the weeds as soon as you leave us alone."

Tara nodded. Her eyes widened and she reached out and grabbed a stray weed from Willow’s hair.

"I never suggested anything of the sort," he said as he went over to Willow. He leaned closer and raised one eyebrow. "By the way, your blouse is on inside out." He spun and went to the area he had set up for Tara to practice.

Willow blushed as she bent down and began collecting the picnic supplies. "Okay then. I’ll just take these things back to the cabin and get some cold drinks." Her hands shook as she piled the paper plates in the small basket.

"Sorry," Tara whispered as she leaned down and helped Willow gather their lunch leftovers.

"Stupid Watcher eagle eyes," Willow grumbled.

Tara snickered and reached for a crumpled napkin.

"It’s not funny." Willow reached for the same napkin and their hands joined over the wrinkled paper. Willow smiled and gave Tara a lecherous grin. "Okay, so it’s a little funny." She kissed Tara’s cheek and then stood. "Play nice with Buffy. I’ll be back in a little while."

Tara nodded and blushed. "I’ll miss you."

"I’ll be right over there in that lil’ house on the prairie." Willow caressed Tara’s cheek lovingly. "Be careful."

"I will." Tara smiled.

"All right then, shall we?" Giles asked.

Tara nodded and turned toward Buffy. She swallowed with a gulp as she watched the Slayer do a few karate kicks and then a back flip.

"Don’t break my soulmate, Buffy," Willow warned sternly. Her eyes sparkled playfully.

"Yeah, yeah…" Buffy sighed dramatically. "Geez, break one or two arms and they never let you live it down."

Tara’s eyes widened.

"She’s kidding," Giles said as he handed Tara a sword.

"Kidding." Buffy nodded when she saw genuine fear in Tara’s eyes.

"She hardly ever breaks people," Willow said with a nod. "Wait, that sounded bad." Willow backed toward the cabin. "She kinda’ broke Giles’ hand once, but that was when she was just barely a Slayer." Willow smiled. "She’s much better now."

"Uh huh…" Tara’s sculpted cheeks paled.

"Geez, I’m not gonna break you." Buffy sighed and made an ‘X’ over her chest. "Cross my heart and Slayer’s honor." She smiled and dipped her head. "Okay?"

"Okay." Tara smiled and began swinging her sword so her muscles would loosen up.

"Yeah, what could go wrong?" Buffy asked innocently.

An hour later, Buffy and Tara were both sweating heavily. "Okay, when did you turn all three musketeers on me?" Buffy was using all of her skill to fend off Tara’s attack, but the Slayer was tempering her strength.

"Mister Giles is a good teacher," Tara said as she pivoted and almost got past Buffy’s defenses.

"Not that good," Giles muttered under his breath. "I need to go ask Diana a few questions. Will you two be all right?"

Both women grunted as their swords connected.

"Yes, right then." Giles backed away. "I’ll be back shortly."

Buffy and Tara grunted in response as he left.

Their swords clashed and the metallic clangs echoed across the small valley. Buffy tried to sidestep so she could get a better angle, but Tara sensed the movement and adjusted and slapped Buffy’s sword off to one side.

"Hey!" Buffy yelled. She intensified her own attack and released some of her Slayer strength.

Tara grunted as she was forced back by Buffy’s incredible power. Every meeting of their swords sent stinging vibrations up Tara’s arm. She backed up, letting Buffy drive her into the shade of the forest, but then she ducked behind a tree and began swiping at the Slayer. With the trees in her way, Buffy’s strength was mostly useless.

"Tricky," Buffy complemented. She kicked at one side of the tree, forcing Tara into the open on the other.

They sparred for a few more minutes with Tara easily avoiding every kick Buffy used to distract her. Tara’s intuition put her on more equal footing with Buffy, but the Slayer’s strength was still overwhelming. After a few more minutes, Tara’s arm shook from deflecting the force of Buffy’s blows, but the witch wouldn’t give up. She moved out of the trees and into the open meadow so she could try a more refined technique.

Buffy was impressed by Tara’s skill. The blonde witch didn’t have Slayer strength, and yet she was holding her own. Buffy was using spins and kicks to keep Tara off balance, but the witch anticipated every attack. Buffy was enjoying the physical workout. With Giles, Buffy had to pull punches and stop her kicks, but Tara’s intuition allowed her to move before any actual contact could be made. Buffy realized that if Tara were a bit stronger, she could probably fight a Slayer to at least a draw, and maybe she could win.

Tara was determined to learn everything she could. She wasn’t about to die in some challenge now that she and Willow were back together. "Come on," Tara said when Buffy poked halfheartedly at her with the sword. "Holding back won’t help me win this challenge."

"Okay," Buffy said as she began using more of her strength.

After a few minutes, Buffy was more than impressed. She had nicked Tara’s arm a few times, but other that, the blonde witch was keeping the struggle at a stalemate.

"Wait." Tara took a deep breath and then took off her tee shirt. She was panting and her face was bright red. "That’s better," she said as she tossed the shirt onto her blanket and grabbed a bottle of water. She handed one to Buffy and the two drank their fill.

"You’re really good," Buffy said as she tried not to watch the way Tara’s cleavage heaved with each breath.

"Thanks." Tara’s breathing slowed. She picked up her shirt and wiped the sweat from her eyes and then faced Buffy. "Ready?" she asked.

"Uh huh." Buffy nodded. ‘Don’t look at her cleavage,’ Buffy thought as a bead of sweat rolled down Tara’s graceful neck and then it continued down her chest and disappeared between the creamy, soft mounds. ‘Stop looking,’ she chastised herself.

"Okay, let’s do it." Tara smiled and saluted Buffy with her sword.

‘Do it?’ Buffy thought. ‘Great word choice, Tara.’

They sparred for several more minutes. Tara was exhausted but she wasn’t about to admit it. They were in the middle of the meadow and Buffy was attacking. Tara deflected every blow, but her fatigue was distracting her.

Tara’s bouncing chest was distracting Buffy. She was actively not looking, and because she was so focused on not looking at Tara’s breasts, that was all the Slayer could see.

At the cabin, Willow and Dawn were roughhousing outside. Dawn ran around the cabin and grabbed a hose. As soon as Willow sprinted around the corner, Dawn squirted the redhead in the chest with the icy water.

Willow squealed in shock as the chilled water hit her warm flesh.

Buffy’s Slayer hearing had detected Dawn and Willow’s playful screams as soon as they went outside, so Willow’s loud squeal didn’t faze her. She continued her attack, driving Tara backwards.

Tara heard Willow’s scream and for a split second, she thought her lover was in danger. Her eyes darted toward the cabin, and then quickly back toward Buffy, but the moments distraction was too much.

Buffy shifted her weight and kicked at Tara, fully expecting the intuitive witch to pivot out of the way. She hadn’t realized that Tara was distracted, and her kick caught Tara under her left arm and impacted with full Slayer strength. Tara was thrown five or six yards through the air and she landed in a heap on the warm grass.

"Tara!" Buffy yelled as she dropped her blade and sprinted toward her friend.

Tara’s head bounced on the ground as she landed and she saw bright sparks behind her eyelids. She couldn’t breathe. Buffy’s foot had caught her in the ribs just under her arm. Tara opened her mouth but air refused to enter her lungs. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as hot pain filled her chest. She was pretty sure that part of Buffy’s foot landed on the side of her breast, and her ribs felt like they’d been crushed.

"Don’t move," Buffy said as she dropped to her knees and stared down at Tara.

‘Not a problem,’ Tara thought as her mouth opened and closed like a fish tossed onto a boat’s deck.

"Giles!" Buffy screamed as she spun toward the cabin. She looked back at Tara and rested a hand on her fallen friend’s forehead. "Where does it hurt?"

Tara still hadn’t been able to take a breath. She moved a hand over and cupped the bottom of her left breast.

"Oh, god…" Buffy moved Tara’s hand so she could check the injury. "Tara, I might have broken your ribs."

‘Ya think?’ Tara thought snidely.

"I need to make sure the bone isn’t broken." Buffy gently probed Tara’s side.

Tara squeaked as she finally sucked in a tiny gasp of air.

"I need to check," Buffy repeated. She felt swelling over Tara’s ribs. "I need to move this." Buffy slowly pushed Tara’s bra up. "Let’s move your arm." She carefully moved Tara’s wrist up and rested it alongside her head.

"Uh…" Tara’s eyes fluttered open and then quickly closed.

"I know," Buffy said quietly. She turned toward the cabin. "Giles!" She looked back at Tara. "There’s swelling. It goes under your breast. I need to see how far."

Tara nodded. Her eyes were screwed tightly shut. Red and white flashes of pain behind her eyelids punctuated every attempt to take a breath.

Buffy cupped Tara’s breast and lifted it so she could use her other hand to probe Tara’s ribs. The swelling continued far under the breast tissue, but Buffy didn’t find any displaced ribs. "Good," Buffy whispered to herself.

"What happened?" Giles asked as he ran up to the scene.

"Tara?" Willow ran past Giles and stared at her fallen lover. "Baby?" She dropped to the ground next to the Slayer, never even questioning why Buffy was cradling Tara’s exposed breast.

"I kicked her." Buffy moved her hand and pulled Tara’s bra back into place. "I can’t feel any ribs sticking out, but I kicked her really hard." She looked up at Giles with a pained expression, letting him know that she’d used her full strength.

"Diana’s bringing her medical bag," Giles said gently.

Willow was almost in tears. She was wiping Tara’s face and trying to smooth the hair from her eyes. "Tara, can you look at me?" she asked gently.

Tara tried to open her eyes but a wave of nausea hit and she quickly closed them. She took a shallow breath and cringed.

"Where is she?" Willow asked harshly. She looked back toward the cabin and saw Diana hurrying across the field. The doctor was limping. Her own incision was still raw and painful.

"Ouch." Tara opened her eyes and looked up at Willow. She inhaled and managed a weak smile. "Just got the wind knocked outta’ me," she said shakily.

"Let me see her," Diana said as soon as she reached Tara’s side. "What happened?"

"Buffy accidentally kicked her." Giles pulled Buffy back so Diana could work.

"Where?" Diana wrapped her fingers around Tara’s neck and felt for any sign of spinal injury.

"My ribs." Tara’s breathing was returning to normal.

Willow rested her hand over Tara’s side. "It’s hot. Should it be hot?"

"Let me see." Diana moved Willow’s hand and poked and prodded Tara’s ribs.

"Ah!" Tara grimaced.

"Just a bit more." Diana glanced up at Giles. "You might want to look away."

He spun and studied the trees in the other direction.

"Okay, let’s see." Diana lifted Tara’s bra away and probed the tissue of her breast. "I need to check the ribs underneath." She lifted Tara’s breast and pressed on the blonde’s ribs. "Nothing’s displaced, but I can’t be sure without an x-ray." The doctor sighed. "She may have cracked something."

"I think she broke my boob," Tara said with a half grin.

"I’m so sorry." Buffy was near tears.

"It happens," Tara said as Diana helped her sit up. "Well, it happens to people who live in Sunnydale." She gave Buffy a sincere smile. "It was an accident." She took in a few shallow breaths.

"Let’s get you back to the cabin," Giles suggested. He handed Tara her shirt. "You’ll need to rest a bit before we begin again."

"What?" Buffy and Willow asked in unison.

"She’s hurt," Willow said angrily. "She needs to rest."

"We don’t have the luxury of time," Giles said gently.

"I’ll be okay," Tara said as she took Willow’s hand.

"You’re not okay!" Buffy yelled. "You think I want to see you hurt?" She backed away as tears ran down her cheeks. "Damn it, Tara. I could have killed you. I don’t care what Giles says. You’re not practicing any more today. I won’t risk you." Buffy was shaking.

"Why don’t we talk about this after we get back to the cabin?" Diana suggested.

"She could have cracked ribs," Buffy yelled. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to hurt someone you … someone you care about?"

"Buffy, we’ll discuss it later." Giles took Buffy by the arm and led her toward the cabin. "Come along." He wrapped an arm around her.

"Giles…" Buffy sighed and relaxed against him and let him guide her toward the cabin.

"I s-should talk to her," Tara said as she tried to stand.

"No, you should let Willow and I take you back to the cabin to rest." Diana helped Willow pull Tara to her feet. "I’ll see if Cassie can scry us an x-ray."

"She can do that?" Willow asked. Her arm was wrapped protectively around Tara.

"A witchy x-ray?" Tara was impressed.

"Scryers find broken bones?" Willow asked.

"Well, she can see things," Diana reminded Willow. "I’ll ask her if she’s up to it."

"Wow, she’s handy to have around," Tara said as they made their way back toward the cabin. She looked off in the distance and could see Buffy and Giles. The Slayer was upset, and something about Buffy’s reaction made Tara uneasy. She couldn’t put her finger on it, so she decided to not worry about it for the moment. She had enough to worry about without a nervous Slayer being added to the list.

*****

Miss Duas sat at her desk studying Amy. The terrified young witch was dressed in a black sweatshirt and a pair of loose fitting black sweats. Her feet were bare, but Amy didn’t seem to notice.

"How are you?" Miss Duas asked politely.

"Fine, ma’am." Amy didn’t make direct eye contact.

"I’m Miss Duas." The older woman smiled. "I’ll be handling this case from now on."

"Yes, ma’am, Miss Duas." Amy visibly relaxed.

"I need to know a little more about Tara Maclay." Miss Duas leaned forward. "Can you help me, Amy? Will you do that for me?"

Amy nodded.

"Where is she from?"

Amy’s eyes widened. "I don’t know." Her heart raced. "I really don’t know. I’m not friends with her, and, and, I really don’t know. Please don’t hurt me," she pleaded.

"It’s all right, dear." Miss Duas stood and moved around the desk and stood next to Amy. "You can’t tell me what you don’t know." She knelt and took Amy hand and patted it. "What do you know about her?" she asked gently, but her deep brown eyes were hard and cold, betraying her feigned concern.

"I didn’t think she had much power," Amy admitted. "Miss Duas, ma’am." Amy didn’t want to piss off the woman at her side. "She won’t use dark magic, and she’s a real goody-two-shoes about it."

"So she never used Rack’s services?" Miss Duas asked as she patted Amy’s hand.

"No," Amy shook her head. "Never. She’s totally against using magic like that." Her throat ached and her mouth was dry.

"Did you see her attack Rack?" Miss Duas continued gripping Amy’s hand, but it was more like holding a prisoner than offering comfort.

Amy shook her head. "I … I saw her bite Caedo, after she turned into a lion."

"She bit him? She didn’t use magic to destroy him?"

"No," Amy said adamantly. "She chomped him." She shuttered at the memory. "I heard his neck crunch."

"I see." Miss Duas stood and leaned against the desk. "Why did she attack Caedo?"

"Well, he did kill her baby," Amy said as if the other woman should have known. She realized her mistake and almost yelped. "Miss Duas, ma’am."

"She had a child?" Miss Duas asked with forced calm. She knew that an Imbolc mage would not have lain with a man. If Miss Nove had mistakenly called in the Keepers, Miss Duas would resurrect her and kill her all over again.

"She was pregnant," Amy corrected politely. "Rack sent Caedo to kill her, but she survived. The baby … didn’t," Amy said the last word quietly.

"Why did Rack care?" Miss Duas began to wonder if perhaps this Tara Maclay had contracted an outside source to destroy Rack. It would be more plausible than an Imbolc mage coming out of nowhere.

"Because of Willow," Amy said. Her lowered her head, feeling guilty for betraying the redhead. "Willow and I used to go to Rack, but Tara … Tara made Willow get all clean and sober. She acted like magic was a bad thing."

"Are they related?" Miss Duas knew a family bond could inspire incredible vengeance. She had read a brief description of Willow Rosenberg, but there was no mention of anything more than friendship between her and Tara.

Amy actually laughed, but she quickly cleared her throat and her expression became appropriately serious. "Tara and Willow are a couple," Amy explained. "You know … they’re girlfriends." She fidgeted nervously. "I think the kid was Willow’s."

Miss Duas’ mind raced as she stared at Amy. Even if this Tara Maclay wasn’t the long awaited Instrument, she and her lover were powerful, unregistered witches. They needed to be brought in; unfortunately, she had no way of tracking Tara. She smiled and cupped Amy’s chin in her hand like a cat cradling a mouse in its paw. "You and Willow cast together?" she asked with a cold smile.

"Lots of times." Amy nodded.

"Come with me, my dear." Miss Duas stood and pulled Amy to her feet. She may not be able to track Tara, but with Willow’s one time dark magic playmate, she could easily find Willow Rosenberg.

*****

"Easy," Willow said as she held an ice pack to Tara’s battered ribs.

"It’s cold," Tara complained.

"It’s ice," Cassie said as she gingerly walked into the kitchen. "It’s supposed to be cold." She eyed Tara. The young blonde witch had her shirt off and a dark bruise was visible around the edges of the ice pack Willow was holding it in place.

"How are you?" Tara asked.

"I’m fine." Cassie smiled. "I’m more concerned with you." She moved alongside Tara and studied her. "I didn’t take these injuries of yours so you could go get new ones."

Tara looked down at the table shamefully.

"Hey, I’m kidding," Cassie said quickly.

"Can you tell if her ribs are broken?" Willow was still focused on the ice pack, trying to keep it against Tara’s skin without applying too much pressure and causing Tara more pain.

"I think so." Cassie pulled a small crystal from her pocket. "I need in here," she told Willow. As soon as the redhead moved, Cassie held the crystal in one palm and placed her other hand over Tara’s injured side. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. For several minutes she stayed that way, quietly standing with her hand on Tara’s ribs.

Willow and Tara watched, not quite sure what to do, so they did nothing.

Finally, Cassie opened her eyes and moved around the table and slumped into a chair. She was covered with sweat, and her face was pale.

"Are you okay?" Tara asked.

Cassie nodded. "It just takes a lot out of me."

"What did you see?" Willow asked.

Cassie gave Tara a wry smile. "I’ve got some bad news for you."

Willow’s legs buckled and she grabbed the table to keep from falling.

"What?" Tara asked hesitantly.

"You bruised three ribs, but nothing’s broken." Cassie glanced toward the other room.

"And that’s bad news?" Tara’s brow furrowed.

"The bad news is … you can get back to training right away." Cassie smirked. She had heard Willow yelling at Giles earlier, telling him that Tara would only spar over her dead body.

"Oh…" Tara bit her lip and looked up at Willow. "Sorry, honey."

"I’m not leaving your side," Willow said dangerously. "And if Buffy even thinks of hurting you, I won’t be responsible for my actions."

"It was an accident," Tara said gently. "Besides, you can’t get all bad ass wicca on her." The blonde witch smiled proudly. "I’m not risking any relapses, and you haven’t had the dark magic eyes in days."

"W-well, of course I’m kidding." Willow smiled at her lover. A twinge of guilt hit Willow, deep in her soul. She hadn’t told Tara about her minor relapse when Cassie and Diana did their healing spell. "No dark magic for me. Nope."

Tara smiled warmly and climbed to her feet. "That’s my girl," she whispered as she kissed Willow’s cheek.

Willow’s eyes fluttered shut at the touch of Tara’s lips. The redhead knew she should tell Tara about the minor relapse, but she just couldn’t bring herself to say anything that would make Tara’s smile disappear. She was keeping the secret for Tara’s own good, at least, that’s what Willow told herself.

*****

"Ouch." Tara winced as she lifted the sword into a defensive position. She backed away from Buffy. The grass under her feet felt comforting, but facing a Slayer who had just kicked her into next week wasn’t on Tara’s list of favorite things.

"Giles?" Buffy looked over at her Watcher and frowned.

"She’s fine," Diana interrupted.

"If she’s so fine, why do we need a doctor standing by?" Willow asked. The petite redhead had already broken into a cold sweat and Tara wasn’t even sparring yet.

"Because you insisted, honey," Tara said with a smirk. She shifted her weight, warming up her stiff muscles.

"Oh, well, there is that," Willow admitted sheepishly.

"Okay…" Tara swung her blade in a few lazy arcs and then faced Buffy. "All righty then…" She bit her lip and swallowed hard. "En guard?" Tara asked meekly.

Buffy looked more nervous that Tara. She took a weak thrust at Tara and winced when Tara deflected the blow. "Are you okay?" Buffy asked. "Any pain?"

"It’s fine," Tara lied. In fact, the minor impact had vibrated up her good arm and across her chest to her sore ribs, but she wasn’t going to admit that, not with the small audience of mother hens watching her every step. "Let’s go." Tara moved toward Buffy and engaged the Slayer in a more intense exchange of blows.

Buffy gave up her ground and backed away. The Slayer was terrified she’d hurt Tara again.

"Attack her," Giles ordered.

Willow spun and gave Giles a deadly glare.

"Come on," Tara encouraged. "Just keep those tiny feet away from me."

"Tiny?" Buffy asked indignantly. She moved forward and began attacking with more serious intent.

"That’s better," Tara said even as her ribs screamed in protest.

"Better my ass!" Willow felt like she was going to throw up. She glared at Giles and decided if she did get sick, she’d do it on him. ‘He should be letting my honey rest,’ she thought grouchily.

"She has to practice." Diana moved to Willow’s side and rubbed the redhead’s arm. "This could save her life."

Willow nodded grimly. She kept holding her breath as the woman she loved battled her best friend. After twenty minutes, Willow felt lightheaded.

"Breathe," Diana cautioned with a smirk.

Willow nodded and then gasped as Tara was pushed back toward a small stream

"You okay?" Buffy asked. She lowered her blade and started to reach for Tara’s hand.

"Stop asking me that!" Tara swatted Buffy’s blade and went after her with a vengeance. She slammed her blade into Buffy’s and managed to push the Slayer back several feet.

"Whoa." Buffy locked blades with the angry blonde witch, and after a few pivots, they ended up face to face with their swords crossed. Both were breathing heavily. "I just don’t want to hurt you," Buffy said in a breathless whisper.

"Every time you ask if I’m okay, you hurt Willow," Tara said as fire flashed in her blue eyes. She shoved Buffy back and attacked again.

Buffy stumbled as she glanced over at Willow. It was true. Willow was scared to death, and every time someone pointed out that Tara wasn’t 100 percent, it only made it worse. "Okay, you asked for it." Buffy narrowed her eyes and went after Tara.

Their blades clanged and pinged as they jockeyed for the best position. Tara’s skill was amazing, but her strengths were her graceful movements and intuition. Buffy’s strength was her … strength. She pounded Tara’s blade driving the blonde witch backwards.

"Got ya," Buffy said as she tried to sweep Tara’s legs out from under her.

"Really?" Tara anticipated the move and sidestepped. She gave the Slayer an awkward kick on her butt that sent Buffy sprawling into the shallow creek face first.

"You are so dead." Buffy lifted her face from the water. Her bangs were sticking to her face and there was a bit of green algae on her nose.

"Eep!" Tara backed up, but she wasn’t fast enough.

Buffy was on her in an instant and she wasn’t holding back. She slammed her sword against Tara’s again and again. They fought for a few minutes, and Tara held her own, until Buffy’s stamina finally won out.

Willow lurched forward, but Giles held her back. Tara needed to experience being pursued relentlessly.

The Slayer could feel that Tara was exhausted. Her blocks weren’t as effective as they had been. Buffy moved around Tara and forced the witch toward the stream. Buffy smiled as she envisioned the coming payback.

"Ack!" Tara ducked under a swipe of Buffy’s blade. She knew she was almost at the stream’s rocky edge and she didn’t want to spar with a pissed off Slayer on the uneven surface, so she did the only thing she could think of … she leapt into the stream and faced Buffy. As soon as the chilled water covered her legs up to her knees, Tara’s body stiffened. She felt something shoot through her body, as if fire were coursing through her veins. She felt … strong.

"You can’t run," Buffy said as she hopped into the stream.

Tara smiled dangerously and went after Buffy. The two clashed swords, but now it was Buffy who was being pounded backwards.

"Can’t run." Tara mirrored Buffy’s words as she waggled her eyebrows. She bashed her blade against the Slayer’s, knocking her a few feet backwards.

"You little minx!" Buffy was pissed, but she was smiling. "Ack!" she screamed as she went after Tara with all of her Slayer strength. She was going to see the smug witch on her ass in the stream, and she was going to see it now.

Tara deflected each blow and she didn’t seem to be tiring, in fact, she seemed to be getting stronger.

Diana’s face paled and she grabbed Giles. He looked at her and she nodded toward the two sparring young women.

Giles was enjoying the exhibition. Both fighters were going full force and seemed to be having fun. He caught Diana’s gaze and his chest tightened.

"Look at her go." Willow smiled proudly. "But I don’t think Buffy should be playing so rough." She scowled at her friend.

"The flame and the wave," Diana whispered.

Giles looked at Tara and sighed. The blonde witch was standing in the stream. He remembered that Brigit’s power lay in flame and water. "She’s drawing energy from it," he said quietly.

Diana nodded. There was no doubt left. Tara was the Imbolc mage.

Buffy was frustrated. Every move she made, Tara countered, and it was pissing the Slayer off … a lot. "That’s it!" She slammed her sword against Tara’s and shoved the blonde. "Ha!" Buffy yelled triumphantly as Tara tripped over a loose rock and fell onto her butt in the chilly water. Buffy moved forward to demand a surrender.

Tara’s left hand landed on the bottom of the stream. She inhaled, somehow knowing she could summon the power of the water. ‘Give it to me,’ she sent with her thoughts.

Buffy faltered as she lifted her blade. Tara had a look that let Buffy know the witch had something up her sleeve. Then Buffy felt Tara’s foot sweep under her legs and she was upended. She landed with an indignant squeal.

Tara was up and on her feet in an instant. She bent down, dipping her hand into the water and pulling more energy into her body so she could make Buffy give up. Her ribs tingled and the pain from the earlier injury disappeared.

"Umm…" Buffy struggled to her feet and then dropped to her knees. Her vision blurred and she dropped her sword. "Uh, Giles?" She swayed and fell forward. Her hands gripped the gritty sand on the riverbed, hoping to find her balance.

"Buffy?" Tara moved closer. Concern covered her face.

"Giles…" Buffy turned toward her Watcher. She was panting and her face was as pale as Giles has ever seen it.

"Oh, god," Diana rushed forward. "She’s draining Buffy’s power."

"What?" Willow yelled as she watched Buffy topple face first into the stream.

Tara moved forward toward the Slayer.

"Stay back!" Giles yelled as he ran for the small creek.

"Buffy!" Willow jumped into the cool water to grab her best friend. She didn’t know what was happening, but she knew Buffy was in trouble. Buffy wasn’t the only one. As soon as Willow’s feet hit the water, her body felt like it was on fire. She screamed and fell unconscious in the stream.

"Willow?" Tara dropped her sword and sloshed toward her lover.

"Tara, no!" Diana was at the water’s edge. "Get out of the stream."

"They’re drowning!" Tara yelled.

"You’re killing them," Diana said bluntly. "You’re pulling their power through the water."

Tara’s eyes shot open wide and ran out of the water and leapt onto the shore. Tears ran down her cheeks as she watched Giles and Diana jump into the water and pull Willow and Buffy onto the shore.

"Buffy?" Giles rolled his Slayer onto her back.

"Wh—?" Buffy coughed and sputtered a mouthful of water out on his face.

"Easy," Diana said as she put Willow on the ground. She felt the redhead’s weak pulse and sighed.

"Oh goddess…" Tara covered her mouth with both hands. She had nearly killed Willow and Buffy. Her body was pushing her toward Willow, but she was afraid she’d hurt her.

"Willow?" Diana cupped the witch’s face in her hands. "Willow!"

Tara shook her head and her lips trembled.

Diana leaned down and blew a breath of air into Willow’s mouth. The redhead’s cheek puffed out and then she coughed weakly.

"Thank you, goddess," Tara whispered. She edged a bit closer.

"Ta—" Willow coughed and tried to sit up.

Tara stayed rooted in place. She wasn’t about to go anywhere near her lover.

Diana looked up at Tara, the young witch was truly the mantle of Brigit. Diana’s heart broke for the young witch. She could see fear in Tara’s eyes, and she could see hate, hate for herself and all she had become. "Tara, I need your help," Diana said gently.

Tara shook her head and didn’t move.

"She needs your help," Diana tried.

Tara took a minute step closer. Fear warred with love. She edged a bit closer.

Buffy sat up and looked over at Tara. "What the hell happened?" she whispered.

"You experienced the power of the Imbolc mage," Giles said quietly.

"Tara, get over here," Diana said firmly.

The blonde witch stood a few feet from Willow, too afraid to come any closer.

"You drained her energy," Diana said. "She’s not as strong as the Slayer, so it happened faster."

Tears slid down Tara’s cheeks unchecked.

"She needs you to give it back," Diana continued. That wasn’t exactly true, Willow was just dazed, but Diana needed Tara to snap out of her current shock.

"W-what do I do?" Tara asked as she knelt next to Willow.

"Give me your hand," Diana said.

Tara shook her head. "I don’t want to hurt you!"

"Focus." Diana caught Tara’s eyes. "Center yourself, Tara. This is important. If you aren’t actively drawing energy, you can’t hurt us. And it only works with water." She nodded at the droplets of water on Tara’s skin.

Tara held out her hand. Her fingers were shaking as Diana took just her index finger and placed it over Willow’s chest.

"Send her your love," Diana whispered. "Picture your love as a golden ray of light, but muted," she cautioned. "Don’t overload her."

Tara inhaled deeply and focused. She felt a sensation like warm oil running down her arm, through her hand, and into Willow.

"Tara!" Willow’s eyes opened and she gasped.

"That’s enough," Diana took Tara’s wet hand away. The doctor wiped the water from her own hand. It was tingling where she had touched Tara.

"What happened?" Willow asked. She saw Tara and smiled. "Hey…"

"Let’s go inside and talk," Diana said. She helped Willow to her feet and half carried her toward the cabin.

Tara trailed along beside them, keeping a safe distance from her lover.

Buffy looked up at Giles. "So, she can just suck our power? Is she gonna’ give it back?" She was weak, and she wasn’t used to the frail condition. She didn’t like the feeling at all.

"She wasn’t in contact long enough for anything permanent," Giles whispered. He knew Diana had asked for Tara’s help for the young mage’s benefit. Willow would have woken up soon enough on her own.

"She wasn’t in contact at all," Buffy pointed out.

"The Imbolc mage can draw power from water." Giles helped Buffy to her feet. "Apparently, if she actively draws energy, she can pull power from any mystical force that is touching that water."

"I’m guessing witches and Slayer are mystical beings?" Buffy looked over at Tara. The young witch looked shell-shocked. She shuffled across the meadow without even looking up.

"Yes," Giles said grimly. "I can’t wait for her to shed this blasted mantle." He was staring at Tara. "She’s much too gentle a spirit to wield such a dangerous force. She wasn’t meant for it," his voice trailed off. "I dare say it would destroy her tender soul."

"Guess I’m not the only one with a crush," Buffy said under her breath.

"Buffy!" he glared at her. "She’s like a daughter. Besides, I’d never infringe on your unrequited crush." He smiled and nodded toward the stream. "Be a good Slayer and fetch the swords, will you?"

"After that comment, I should toss you in there." She groaned as she stomped toward the creek. "Umm, there’s no … lasting suck power in there…right?" She looked back at him.

"I assure you, it is a suck free zone." He rested his palm over his heart earnestly.

"Stupid Watcher," Buffy grumbled as she stepped into the chilly water.

*****

"What happened?" Dawn asked as she waited at the door of the cabin. She’d heard yelling across the meadow, but Xander wouldn’t let her go investigate.

"Just wait here," Xander said. He held the young teen by both shoulders.

"Buffy probably lopped Tara’s head off," Anya said sadly. "It was such a pretty head, too."

"Nobody lopped anything," Xander said angrily. "See? There’s Tara and…" He let go of Dawn and sprinted toward the meadow. "Willow?"

"She’s fine," Diana said as soon as Xander got close to them. "Just give us some room."

Tara was off to one side by herself. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she stared at Willow with a lost expression.

"Hey, you okay, Tara?" Xander moved over to the spooked blonde witch.

"Don’t touch me!" Tara backed up.

"Whoa … it’s me, sweet Xander." He smiled disarmingly and stepped closer.

"Xander, don’t." Willow’s voice was hoarse and she sounded like she was about to pass out.

"Okay, hands off Will’s gal. I get it." He raised his hands in surrender.

The blonde witch sidestepped Xander and went inside.

"Wha’d I say?" Xander asked.

"Nothing," Willow said with a sigh. She looked at Dawn. "Maybe you could go help Buffy?"

"Is she okay?" Dawn asked.

"She’s a little tired, like me." Willow nodded toward the meadow.

"Okay." Dawn trotted off to check on her older sister.

Tara ran to the bathroom. She grabbed a towel and began roughly scrubbing every drop of water from her skin in a complete panic.

In the living room, Diana explained the situation to Cassie. Willow sat on the couch and looked around anxiously for Tara.

Tara came into the room with the towel still gripped tensely in one hand. "H-how are you?" she asked nervously.

"Better." Willow smiled and patted the couch next to her. "Sit with me?"

Tara shook her head and her eyes widened with fear.

"You won’t hurt her," Diana promised. She nodded toward the couch.

"Are y-you s-sure?" Tara moved closer and paused at the edge of the couch.

"Yes. Now sit," Cassie ordered. She pried the towel from Tara’s hands.

Tara smiled shyly at Willow. "You really okay, baby?"

"Fine," Willow said as she reached for Tara’s hand.

Tara almost bolted, but she steeled her resolve and only pulled her hand away.

Willow paused and then put her hand on her lap. It stung, seeing Tara pull away, but she’d wait as long as she had to for Tara.

"Come on." Cassie took Diana’s hand and led her away from the two young witches. She looked at her partner and sighed. "She has no idea how to harness her powers."

"I know." Diana pulled Cassie’s hand and they went to the bedroom they were sharing. "We have to prepare her."

"Cass, I don’t even know everything she’s capable of. I’m not a Keeper." Diana stopped her lover and they embraced in a loose hug. "How the hell are we supposed to prepare her?"

"It won’t matter once she shed’s the mantle." Cassie took Diana’s face with both hands. "And we gave her the best possible chance to defeat the challenge." She pressed her body against Diana’s and gently kissed her. "Okay?" she asked as she broke the kiss.

Diana nodded. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Cassie’s, absorbing the warmth her lover offered. "Okay," she whispered.

Buffy came into the living room and saw her two friends sitting on the couch. The space between them was only a few feet, but it looked like a huge chasm because the witches normally sat pressed together. "Guys?"

"Are y-you okay?" Tara looked up at the Slayer.

"Fine. Takes more than a little witchy swim wear me out. " Buffy smiled warmly. ‘That’s just like her,’ the Slayer thought. ‘Always worried about everyone else.’

"See?" Willow edged closer to Tara. She smiled and held out her hand.

Tara dipped her head and slowly took Willow’s hand. The connection felt comforting, and welcoming, and right. She held her breath, expecting something horrible to happen, then let out a relieved sigh when it didn’t.

Willow saw her lover relax. She bit her lip and scooted the remaining distance and snuggled against the blonde.

Tara chuckled and leaned her head over on Willow’s shoulder.

"See? Safe as can be." Willow sighed contentedly.

Buffy looked away. "I should go refuel. You know, raid the fridge…"

Tara tilted her head to one side as she watched the Slayer flee. Something was wrong and she realized that she needed to get to the bottom of it, soon.

Giles came into the cabin carrying two swords, both in need of a serious cleaning. "Where did Buffy run off to?" he asked with a grunt.

"Kitchen." Willow smirked.

"Refueling," Tara added.

"Ah, yes." Giles dropped the swords to the floor with a loud clatter. "But she’s polishing these blasted things." He sighed and then studied Tara. "Are you all right?"

Tara nodded. She felt Willow’s grip tighten painfully so she spun and looked at her lover. "Willow?"

The redhead’s eyes rolled back in her head and her body stiffened and shook violently.

"Let her go," Giles said as he rushed forward.

"I can’t!" Tara couldn’t break Willow’s grip. "Do something!" She was panicking. "Willow, let go!" She jumped to her feet but that didn’t break the connection. Willow slumped onto the floor, dangling from Tara’s hand.

"What’s going on?" Diana came running into the living room just as Buffy came out of the kitchen and Dawn rushed in from outside with Xander and Anya close behind.

"Apparently Tara’s killing Willow, or maybe Willow’s killing Tara." Anya grabbed Xander. "I’m sure someone’s being killed.

Xander rolled his eyes.

Willow inhaled deeply and then her eyes opened. She slowly turned her head and scanned the room.

"Baby?" Tara asked. She dropped to her knees and leaned to one side trying to catch Willow’s gaze.

The redhead turned and stared at Tara. Willow’s eyes were brown and glazed over.

"Willow…" Tara ripped her fingers away from her lover’s more petite hand.

A slow, cruel grin covered Willow’s face and then she collapsed into Tara’s arms.

"Baby?" Tara lowered Willow to the ground. She looked over at Diana for rescue.

"What happened?" Diana felt Willow’s pulse.

"Her eyes w-were brown," Tara stammered.

"Dark magic eyes? Again?" Buffy asked angrily.

"No," Tara looked over at the Slayer. "Brown, normal brown. Human brown, but not her green eyes." She looked at Diana. "What does it mean?"

"I’m not sure." Diana opened one of Willow’s eyes and saw the beautiful green shade that belonged there.

"No frogs…" Willow twisted away and opened her emerald green eyes.

"Did I do that?" Tara asked.

"I don’t think so," Diana said. She looked at Willow and touched her flushed cheek. "Hey, sleepyhead. Do you remember anything?"

"I remember lots of things." Willow smiled and took Tara’s hand and patted it. "Tara likes sleeping in flannel shorts … just flannel shorts." She made a sexy growling sound and then giggled. "And she likes pancakes dipped in syrup, not poured over…well, the syrup poured over because you can’t pour pancakes over syrup because that’s just silly." She inhaled slowly. "And Tara loves it when I kiss her right here…" Willow ran her finger across Tara’s chest and then down into her cleavage.

Tara grabbed her lover’s hand and looked over at Diana.

"She’s high!" Dawn said in an anguished whine. "That’s how she was at Rack’s!"

"No…" Willow laughed and sat up. She smiled drunkenly at Tara. "No dark magic for me." She patted Tara’s shoulder. "Although I did have one teeny tiny relapse with the eyes, but there were no spells…"

"She is!" Dawn insisted. "She promised." She sniffled as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Looks like dark magic to me," Anya agreed.

"No," Tara said. "She wouldn’t." It hurt that Willow hadn’t mentioned her minor relapse, but something else was happening.

"It wasn’t Willow." Cassie stood in the doorway staring at Willow’s muddled aura. "Someone just sent her a very nasty care package."

"Hey, baby." Willow ran her hand down Tara’s cheek. "How ‘bout we go take a little nappy? Hmm?" She waggled her eyebrows. "And by nappy I mean … you know…"

"But I ki—" Tara paused. "Rack’s gone," she said quietly.

"Hello? No magic use." Willow pulled Tara’s face toward her. "It’s just us, baby. We’re magic." She snickered.

"I can’t be near her like this." Tara pulled away and stood. "Get it out of her system. Do something." She gave Diana a pleading look.

"It’ll burn out soon." Cassie went to Willow’s side. "Someone gave her one heck of a jolt. Someone who knows about her addiction."

"Amy?" Tara’s eyes narrowed. "I let that little bitch live." Her tone made it clear she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

"Where’s Amy?" Willow looked around the room. "Who invited Amy? Is she a rat again?" She rolled onto her knees and peeked under the couch. "Amy?" She looked up at Diana. "She likes to hide under the couch. It’s a rat thing." She laid her face on the floor and she looked for Amy. "Here Amy…"

"Geez, maybe we should take her out to that sucking river," Buffy said. "Wash that right out of her."

Tara’s eyes watered. She hated seeing Willow in a drunken magic haze. She closed her eyes and swallowed a sob. She wiped her tears away with her palm and looked at the tiny droplets. "I’m so sorry, baby." She looked down at Willow and put her hand on Willow’s cheek. "Give it to me," she said, hoping her intuition was right.

"Tara, no!" Diana dove forward as Tara moaned in pain. She tackled the blonde witch and they rolled across the floor. "Oh shit." She looked at Tara and sighed. "How could you be so stupid?"

Tara whimpered and clutched her stomach.

"What the hell?" Willow sat up and looked over at her lover. "What happened?" She looked up at Buffy.

"You went all dark magic," Buffy said. "But … it wasn’t you … And Tara… I didn’t mean she should…"

"She took it," Diana said as she wiped the sweat already forming on Tara’s brow.

"No!" Willow crawled over to Tara.

"Oh, goddess." Tara groaned and struggled to stand. "Bathroom, now," she said as she held a hand over her mouth.

"She’s gonna’ be sick," Willow warned as she grabbed Tara and helped her toward the bathroom. She remembered that tone from Tara’s bouts with morning sickness. They rushed down the hall and made it just in time.

Tara trembled as she vomited a putrid smelling black slime.

"I’m here," Willow whispered.

"It’s the dark magic," Diana said from the door. "Her system is rejecting it."

"How?" Willow asked as she rubbed Tara’s back.

"Amy," Tara said and then retched again.

"Oh…" Willow’s expression fell. Once again, her dark magic was hurting Tara. She looked up at Diana. "Can this make her sick?" She nodded at Tara. "Really sick, like her mom?"

Diana looked over her shoulder at Cassie.

The seer looked at Tara and focused on her aura. "No," she said. "She channeled it out of you, like a conduit. I think she’d have to use the dark magic to have it poison her."

"Hey … feeling more than a little poisoned here," Tara said and then hurled into the toilet. She coughed and gagged as her entire body flexed with each retch.

"It’s temporary," Cassie promised. She grimaced as she watched Tara suffering.

"You okay, Will?" Tara asked as she rested her face on her arm and groaned.

"I’m fine," Willow said. "Baby, please no more hero stuff, okay?"

Tara lifted her head and looked past Willow to Diana. "Show me how to use my power," she said quietly. "I want Willow protected."

"You should be able to put a mystic barrier around her," Diana said. "It takes a ton of power, but it’s simple. You shouldn’t have any problem."

"Okay." Tara nodded.

"And that would be more hero stuff," Willow said as she rubbed Tara’s neck. "Big ‘no’ on the hero thing. Are you listening?"

Tara rested her face on her arm where it was splayed over the toilet. She didn’t answer Willow’s question.

In the other room, Buffy was pacing angrily. "I’m going back to Sunnydale, I’m gonna’ find Amy, and she is gonna’ wish she were a rat again." She grabbed a sword from the floor.

"Calm down," Giles said. "She may have sent Willow a dose of dark magic, but I don’t think there’s any permanent damage."

"Yeah, I mean, knowing Amy, she could think she was doing Willow a favor," Xander said.

Buffy swung around and glared at him.

"I think I’ll just go find Anya." His girlfriend had gone into the kitchen after Tara ran to the bathroom.

"I’m sure the worst is over," Giles said as he pried the sword from Buffy’s grip. "Sending that energy would have been quite draining. Amy would have had to send it out on Willow’s specific wavelength. She won’t be able to do it again soon. We’ll make sure we’re ready."

"You know, Tara could probably fry Amy from here," Anya came out of the kitchen with a cheery smile. "Rat flambe … just like that." She snapped her fingers.

Buffy, Giles, and Dawn glared at the former demon.

"Fine, waste perfectly good killing powers." Anya spun and went back to the kitchen. "See if I care."

*****

Amy collapsed forward onto the black table. She groaned as her body shook.

"Well?" Miss Duas asked. She was holding Amy’s hand, sending dark magic to the young witch.

"Got her." Amy lifted her head. "I looked right through her eyes. She’s in a small room, maybe a cabin, and that doctor lady is there."

"Which doctor?" Miss Duas asked.

"Yes." Amy nodded

"Who?" Miss Duas demanded.

"The witch doctor," Amy said as she shivered.

Miss Duas looked over at her assistance. "The witch who reported the mystic tear … she was a doctor. What’s her name?"

The assistant looked through his palm computer. "Doctor Diana White," he said as he scanned the file.

"That’s what I said." Amy fell forward, exhausted. Her head banged the tabletop, but she was already unconscious.

"I want a complete search." Miss Duas stood and went to the door. "Find me everyone who’s ever met Doctor White, and get this information to the tracking teams."

"Yes, Miss Duas," he replied crisply. He nodded at Amy’s slumped frame. "What about her?"

"Keep her. She might be useful." She left the room. The door locked with an ominous click.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Cassie was fixing dinner for the exhausted group. She was making her specialty, barbecued chicken marinated in teriyaki glaze. Xander and Anya had driven down to the local grocery store and brought back enough fresh food to last a month.

Anya was not one to skimp when it came to stocking up. She smiled hungrily as she watched Cassie toss the chicken onto the searing heat of the grill. "This is like a vacation," the former demon said. "Except without the sex."

Buffy rolled her eyes and went into the house. She needed her CD collection because she wasn’t going to listen to another one of Dawn’s boy-bands singing cheery, bubble gum pop music. She opened the bedroom door and paused. Tara and Willow were standing in front of the dresser looking in the mirror. It was a private moment, Willow was spooning Tara from behind, and the blonde witch had her eyes closed and her head tossed back enjoying the touch.

Buffy forced herself to look away and cleared her throat. "Just came for some CDs."

"Hey, Buffy," Willow said as she turned toward her friend. She was standing behind Tara, enjoying gently holding her lover.

"Hi." Tara looked into the mirror, not turning. She had a shy smile and her hands were resting over Willow’s wrists.

The Slayer nodded and went to her bed and grabbed her small duffelbag and dug through her things.

Willow turned back around and rested her chin on Tara’s shoulder. She met her lover’s eyes in the mirror and squeezed Tara’s belly. "You sure your side’s okay?"

Tara nodded as she smiled. She was finally relaxing under Willow’s touch. "I think some of Buffy’s healing powers transferred." The blonde was still a bit nervous that she might somehow accidentally draw Willow’s energy.

"Really?" Willow leaned to one side and lifted Tara’s shirt. "Wow." Her eyes widened as she looked at the injury. The bruise was faded and the swelling was already going down. She pulled the shirt higher, smiling when Tara didn’t even flinch.

"Willow." Tara giggled as her lover tugged the shirt even higher.

"I have to be sure," Willow said innocently. She bit her lip and rubbed Tara’s bare side as she impatiently yanked on Tara’s blouse. "Up," she whispered.

Tara snickered and lifted her arms.

"There, see?" Willow ran her hands up Tara’s sides.

"Mmm." Tara murmured under Willow’s touch.

Buffy’s head shot up and she looked over at her two friends. Tara’s back was womanly, and more than touchable. Buffy tilted her head as soon as Willow leaned around and began checking the front of Tara’s ribs. Buffy had an unobstructed view of Tara. The slope of her muscle flared out gently at her rounded hips. She stared with a look of longing and desire as Willow playfully, and tenderly probed Tara’s skin.

"I’m just glad she didn’t break you," Willow said. She kissed Tara’s side, her eyes closing as she sighed against the warm skin. Her hand moved up and cupped the bottom of Tara’s breast.

"Oh…" Tara bit her lip, embarrassed by being so completely aroused with Buffy in the room. She glanced into the mirror and saw Buffy’s reflection.

The Slayer was too focused on Tara’s body to notice the blonde witch watching her.

Tara’s eyes narrowed as she watched Buffy. "You know what?" Tara said as she put her hand over Willow’s. "I need to talk to Buffy … alone." She was staring into the mirror, her eyes hard and cold.

‘Oh, crap.’ Buffy saw Tara’s reflection in the mirror. She realized she’d been caught, and Tara’s did not look happy. "Uhh…" Buffy scrambled for an excuse.

"Okay." Willow released Tara from her grip and kissed her cheek. She turned toward Buffy. "No breaking her, okay?" Willow had no way of knowing that Buffy was the one in danger at the moment.

"Not a Problem." Buffy smiled.

"This won’t take long," Tara said. She took Willow’s hand and gave her a peck on the knuckles.

As the redhead left the room, Buffy had a feeling of complete dread. She was not looking forward to the lecture she was sure was coming. She could almost hear Tara’s voice, soothing and calm and perhaps a bit motherly, and it would make Buffy feel suitably ashamed.

Tara closed the door behind Willow and spun quickly. She stormed the three or four steps to the Slayer’s side and then reached out and slapped Buffy hard across the face.

‘Okay, I was not expecting that,’ Buffy thought as she reached her hand up and covered the stinging skin of her cheek.

"Willow is your best friend." Tara’s rage was barely contained. "If I ever catch you looking at me like that again, I’ll do more than slap you," she said dangerously. Her voice was like ice, and her jaw shook.

Buffy had the sudden feeling that she now had some small understanding of what Rack had seen before he died.

"If I ever see you looking at me that way again," Tara warned again.

"Wait, Tara, really … it’s not what you think." Buffy raised her hands.

Tara lifted her hand and silenced Buffy immediately. "If Willow ever sees you looking at me like that … I’ll do so much more than slap you. You do not want to cross me on this."

"I … but … Tara," Buffy stammered.

"No," the blonde witch said. She stepped closer, her eyes locking with Buffy’s. "You are her best friend," Tara said. Her voice cracked with emotion. "She loves you like a sister. If she ever saw you ogling me, it would break her heart."

Buffy nodded as her body filled with shame.

"I won’t have her hurt," Tara whispered. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Not after all she’s been through. Do you understand?" she asked.

"Yes." Buffy lowered her head and studied the carpet fibers. She had expected many things from Tara, but not this, not this aggressive confrontation.

"There won’t be any stolen glances, no wondering what if, and there won’t be any fluke," Tara said firmly. "You and I will never happen."

"I know that!" Buffy insisted. "Tara, I would never … you know, get between you two."

"And that won’t happen either," Tara said as she took a step back.

"What?" Buffy furrowed her brow. She suddenly realized what Tara meant. "Oh… no, I … never… with you and Willow… no. Never!"

They stood there for a few moments and then Tara spoke. Her voice was slightly calmer, and not quite as harsh. "I understand what you’re going through," Tara said. "I should have realized this might happen. When we connected, our emotions were laid bare. I should have known you might transfer some emotion to me, like in therapy." She looked into Buffy’s eyes. "You know, psych 101," she tried to lighten the mood. She felt bad about hitting Buffy, but it had been a gut reaction to the threat to Willow’s happiness.

"So, do I get doctor-patient privilege?" Buffy asked with a coy smile.

"You don’t get any privileges." Tara’s voice was cold again. "Willow does," her voice lowered to a soft whisper. "It would kill her to know this, Buffy. You can’t tell her."

Buffy nodded and then looked deeply into Tara’s blue eyes. She felt worse than she had before. Tara’s eyes were filled with tears. "Oh, god, Tara, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…"

Tara raised her hand, quieting the Slayer again. "No," she said. "Don’t even go there. You don’t even get to go there. You don’t get to comfort me, you don’t get to anything." She sighed and rubbed her temple. "I understand what you’re feeling, but that does not mean that I’ll tolerate it."

"I know." Buffy nodded her head. "I know … I never would have—"

"And you never will," Tara said. "Get that through your head. Do you understand, Buffy? Nothing will ever happen between us. Never. Ever. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Buffy whispered. She nodded her head and didn’t know what to say.

"Even if something happened and Willow and I weren’t together, which it wont… you and I would never be together. I wouldn’t do that to her. I would never hurt Willow that way."

"I didn’t expect you to be with me," Buffy said. "I don’t know what I expected."

"From the look on your face when I caught you looking at me a few minutes ago, you were expecting something," Tara said.

"No, I swear. I wasn’t." Buffy backed up until she hit the bed and then sat abruptly. "Tara, I never would have acted on my … feelings. You have to know that. I don’t even know what I’m feeling."

"You’re damn right you don’t!" Tara yelled. She stomped forward pinning the Slayer in place with her gaze. "These are not okay feelings for you to be having about Willow’s girlfriend, do you understand?"

Buffy nodded contritely.

"Hello, those are not okay feelings for you to be having about a woman," Tara said. "You’re straight, Buffy, remember?"

The Slayer swallowed and bit her lip. She wasn’t quite so sure of the last statement anymore.

Tara seemed to sense Buffy’s confusion on the matter. She took a deep breath and backed up and sat on the bed she and Willow were sharing. "Buffy, you are straight," she said quietly.

"Then why am I having these … you know, feelings?" Buffy wanted to understand, but more than anything, she wanted to stop having the feelings.

"You went so long without feeling, it only makes sense that when you did start to have some emotions, you’d grab onto whoever woke them up." Tara rubbed her face with one hand. She really didn’t want to be having this conversation. "Frankly, I’d rather see you go back to Spike than look at me that way," Tara said.

Buffy frowned, feeling slightly insulted.

Tara seemed to sense that as well. "Not that there’s anything wrong with you," Tara said. "What’s wrong is hurting Willow, and I won’t stand for that."

"I don’t want to hurt her." Buffy felt her throat tighten. "That’s the last thing I want to do."

"Then deal with it." Tara stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. "Take a cold shower, do whatever you have to, just don’t… Just get these feelings and thoughts out of your head."

‘How am I supposed to do that?’ Buffy wondered. Of course, having Tara almost rip her head off was dampening the Slayer’s desire for the feisty witch. She looked around the room, not quite knowing what to say.

Tara’s gaze fell on the bed Buffy had shared with Dawn. "I think you should find somewhere else to stay from now on."

Buffy nodded silently, accepting Tara’s decision. Her brow furrow. "How am I supposed to explain that?" she asked.

"Oh." Tara hadn’t thought of that. She frowned and let out a slow sigh. "I’ll sleep somewhere else."

"And you’ll explain that … how?" Buffy asked sarcastically.

Tara picked up her pillow and set it on her lap. She stroked the soft cotton fabric. "I was actually considering it already, but Willow talked me out of it," she said. "I’m a little afraid to sleep next to Willow, what with this new Imbolc mage sucking power I have." She sighed and lifted the pillow and hugged it to her chest. It smelled like Willow’s shampoo. She smiled. She should have known that she’d instinctively grab her lover’s pillow.

"I thought Giles said that wonder-suck only worked when your skin was wet?" Buffy inquired.

Tara blushed. There was no way she was going to tell Buffy that sometimes, late at night, her hands wandered, and the places her hands wandered weren’t always dry. Those places certainly weren’t dry after she left them. No, she couldn’t mention that little tidbit, especially with Buffy’s newly exposed feelings.

"Tara?" Buffy asked after watching the blonde witch deep in thought.

"I’d just rather be safe," Tara said quietly. The words now had double meaning, and the new meaning cut Buffy deeply.

"Tara, you’re safe with me," Buffy swore. "I would never do anything to hurt you. You have to know that."

"You already hurt me," Tara said in a tiny whisper.

"I can’t help the way I feel," Buffy said. She sighed in frustration and tossed her hands into the air. "You said it yourself. It was from that witchy spell thing we did, okay? It’s not my fault. I don’t want to feel this way." Buffy paced. "I’ve been fighting it. God, have I been fighting it."

Tara nodded. She knew Buffy well enough to know that the statement was true.

"I’d give anything to not feel this way," Buffy said as she continued pacing. "And it’s less now than it was before… so it’s going away. I think."

That caused Tara’s brow to crinkle. She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of Buffy’s feeling having been stronger than the ones she saw in the mirror. Buffy’s look had been filled with lust, and longing, and most disturbingly, some genuine love. Tara could use logic to dispel any lustful thoughts the Slayer had, but she had no idea how to argue with someone who thought they were in love with her.

"I should go," Tara said quietly. "I don’t want Willow getting curious."

"Willow’s always curious." Buffy smiled and nodded toward the door.

The statement was so true that it made Tara smile. She looked at the door and shook her head. She had to tell her lover something, and she wouldn’t lie to her. She decided to do the best thing she could. She’d tell Willow that she had talked to Buffy about things that had come up during their connection, and that it was something that should be kept private between the two of them, since no one could be held accountable for their fleeting thoughts.

Buffy stayed in the room long after Tara left. She looked around the space and then stood and walked over to the closet. One of Tara’s long skirts was hanging from the door. Buffy smiled. The garment was just so typically Tara. It was covered with a broad print in autumn colors. It was absolutely hideous. Yet, Tara seemed to make any outfit look perfect.

"Okay, this has got to stop," Buffy said as took a deep breath and went back to her own bed. She realized that she really didn’t trust herself in the room with Tara’s things. It was still too raw. She knew she would get over the feelings, but for the moment, she had to resist temptation, or she’d be sniffing Tara’s sweater like Spike had done with hers.

She decided to face the music and go out to join the others.

*****

Dinner was a boisterous affair. The mountain air and the abundant food seemed to lift everyone’s moods. They ate outside on a large redwood picnic table and talked as the sun began to set.

"Okay, so everyone really did sing?" Cassie giggled. "We were out of town that week. We thought our patients were just exaggerating."

"Oh, there was singing," Anya insisted. "And I kept getting these crappy songs that will never be hits…"

"Anya, you need to let it go," Xander said as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Tara sang the most beautiful love song." Willow’s eyes were full of sadness. She held her lover’s hand and their gazes met briefly. Pain and loss passed between them, but it was tempered by the love they shared.

"We’ll get her back someday," Tara whispered as she pressed her forehead to Willow’s. "And I’ll sing for you then, too." She blushed at the memory of creating their child.

"Well, who wants more chicken?" Giles stood and held the plate up. "Xander, you’ve only had three pieces, that’s barely a snack for you."

"Uh, sure." Xander held his plate up, trying not to interrupt the private moment the two witches had managed to share at a packed dinner table. "Wing me, G-man."

"I’m afraid I’ll have to thigh you," Giles said wryly. "We’re fresh out of wings."

Xander giggled and looked over at Anya. "Giles is gonna’ thigh me. Tell him I’m taken, honey."

Giles tossed the thigh onto Xander’s plate.

"Hey!" Xander squealed as the chicken thigh bounced into his lap.

"And now Giles thighed your crouch." Buffy smirked as she took a bite of chicken.

Giles cleared his throat and raise one eyebrow.

"Well, ya’ did." Buffy continued munching on her chicken.

"I should think you’d see things through my eyes," Giles said indignantly. "I am your Watcher."

Cassie and Diana snickered as they watched their old friend lay on the guilt.

"Poor Mister Giles," Tara said as she and Willow joined in the fun.

"Sorry, Giles." Buffy sighed. "I really don’t want to see things through your old, far sighted, English eyes. No thanks."

"Old?" Giles gave her a pointed look.

"Watch it," Diana warned playfully. She looked over at her lover and froze.

Cassie’s expression shifted. Her grin faded like water slipping through a sieve. "Oh, goddess," the seer whispered.

"Sweetie?" Diana took her lover’s hand.

Cassie looked at her gathered friends. Her gaze stopped on Willow’s beautiful green eyes. "We have to get out of here. We’re not safe."

"What?" Buffy was on her feet with one swift step. She spun and looked around the calm and tranquil meadow.

"Cassie?" Diana asked as she took the seer’s face in both hands and guided their eyes together. "What is it, baby?"

"Willow’s eyes," Cassie said with a gulp.

"Are the black?" Willow asked in a panic.

"They’re fine, darling," Tara assured her. She met Willow’s gaze and they shared a calming moment.

"Then what is it?" Dawn whined.

"When Willow’s eyes turned brown earlier," Cassie said. "She said she couldn’t remember what happened."

"I can’t," Willow insisted.

Cassie turned toward Tara. "You said she had a weird smile, that it was cruel, and nothing like Willow."

"T-that was the dark m-magic," Tara stuttered. "W-wasn’t it?"

"Someone was looking through Willow’s eyes," Cassie said. "I should have realized sooner. They’ve seen us all." She swallowed shakily. "And Amy doesn’t have the power it would take to pull that off."

"Calm down," Giles said rationally. "They may have seen us, but they have no way of knowing where we are."

"They saw the inside of the cabin," Anya pointed out. "That’s where Willow’s eyes went all wonky."

"We should go inside and see what they saw," Xander said as he jumped to his feet. "See what there is to see when they were seeing cuz we need to see what they saw."

"Well, great." Anya rolled her eyes. "Now Xander’s talking in nursery rhyme speak." She looked at Tara. "You didn’t do some spell did you?"

"There’s no spell." Xander pointed toward the cabin. "But if we can see what they saw, we’ll know what they know, ya’ know?"

Anya folded her arms over her chest and nodded at Xander. "See?"

"He’s right," Giles said. "We need to know what information they could have gathered from seeing the interior of the cabin." He headed inside.

"Come on." Cassie pulled Diana to her feet and followed Giles.

"See?" Xander trotted along behind them. "He said what I said, except when he says it, it sounds all British and stuff, but I said what he said."

"Yes, Xander." Buffy grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. "We’ll see what they saw by the seashore selling seashells."

"Well, that’s just nonsense," Xander argued with a smirk. "We’re miles from the seashore."

Dawn ran inside with the others leaving Willow and Tara alone at the picnic table. The half eaten food was scattered across the tablecloth, but what had looked like a playful picnic mess now looked like a table abandoned during a air raid.

"It’s never going to end," Tara said as she stared at the food.

"Baby, we’ll get through this. As soon as you pass that big ol’ test, no one will want you." She frowned. "Well, I will always want you, but not in the scary… ‘I want your powers at my beck and call’ way." She smiled and squeezed Tara closer. "But I do like the idea of you being at my beck and call." She waggled her eyebrows, hoping to coax out a Tara-smile.

A tiny Tara-grin emerged. "You do?" she asked coyly.

"Uh huh." Willow helped Tara stand.

"Let’s go help the others." Tara took a deep breath as her resolve face set firmly in place.

"Okay, love." Willow kissed Tara’s cheek.

*****

The black walls reflected the glare from the harsh lights in the ceiling overhead. The room was quiet except for the hum from the bank of computers.

"Well, what do we know?" Miss Duas asked impatiently.

"Well, we’ve gone through all of Doctor White’s friends, and none of them have any property like Miss Madison described," a short balding man at the terminal said. "I’m cross referencing her patients now."

"Did you check Cassandra’s holdings?" Miss Duas asked.

"Yes," he replied as he continued typing in data. "Cassandra’s family has substantial holdings, including three cabins across the country. We’ve sent teams to each, but there’s no sign of the mage or her friends."

"I can’t believe the committee allowed a seer of her ability to nest with such a common mongrel." Miss Duas’ voice was full of contempt.

"The White family is from an old and well respected clan," someone said from the door. "You’d do well to watch your tongue, Miss Duas."

Miss Duas didn’t recognize the voice, but she recognized power. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as she stood and turned to face the newcomer. She almost swallowed her tongue when she saw the woman standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Miss Duas. So nice to see you in good health." The woman at the door was stunning. She was almost six feet tall and she had jet-black hair and even darker eyes. Her hair was cropped at shoulder level, blunt, without bangs, and not a hair was out of place. She wore a black skirt and an impeccably pressed black dress shirt and tie. The ensemble was topped off with a floor length, black lambskin jacket. On her lapel she wore a small, silver Eye of Osiris; the pendant sparkled in the light, accenting her dark outfit and telling any who met her exactly who she was.

"Keeper," Miss Duas stammered as she rushed forward to offer her hand. "Welcome, Ma’am."

"My Instrument isn’t here," Keeper said as she went over to the computer and leaned down onto the black desktop.

"No, Keeper." Miss Duas straightened and faced the newcomer. "The agent who called you prematurely has been dealt with."

"Severely?" Keeper asked calmly as she smacked aside the technician’s hand and began clicking through his database.

"Dead," Miss Duas said quickly.

"Did she suffer?" Keeper paused and frowned at the reading. She backed through several directories until she found what she wanted.

"Yes, Keeper, she suffered a great deal." Miss Duas could feel her armpits growing damp.

"Then you know what will happen if you fail me, hmm?" Keeper didn’t even look up. She studied the data and smiled. "Hmm, well, well, well, seems my precious Tara came from a long line of mages."

"Yes…" Miss Duas said as she stepped closer. "We’ve traced the line back to 1062. Tara Maclay has dozens of mages in her—" Her eyes bulged and she grabbed her throat but no sound came out. Her face reddened. No air was coming in either.

"Tara belongs to me," Keeper said as she walked slowly over to Miss Duas. "If I am to build a relationship with her, no one is to use her name except me."

Miss Duas dropped to her knees. She nodded her head.

"Is that quite clear?" She smiled and dipped her head.

Miss Duas gasped and coughed. "Yes, Keeper." She hacked to clear her throat and had to balance on one hand to keep from falling over. "What I meant to say was that the Instrument has dozens of mages in her line. Every branch of her female lineage is filled with powerful witches and mages."

"And the darkness?" Keeper asked. She nodded at the computer screen. "I saw no sign of it."

"Yes, well, we haven’t traced that yet," Miss Duas admitted. "But I was thinking that it might come from the Maclay side. Her … the Instrument’s father is a vile man. Our agents have been observing him and he is rather…"

"He’s a powerless fool," Keeper interrupted. "Don’t waste your time." She spun and headed for the door. "Have all the databases accessible from my laptop. I’ll want to work on the go."

"And … uh … " Miss Duas hesitated. She didn’t dare question the Keeper.

"Yes?" Keeper asked calmly.

"Uh, did you bring a team, ma’am?" Miss Duas flinched, expecting some retribution for the insolence of asking a question.

"My dear, I am a team." Keeper laughed. It was a cold, dangerous laugh that could make youthful children quake in terror and make their hair turn bone white.

"Yes, of course, Keeper. I only dared to ask because I want to make sure you have accommodations, ma’am." Miss Duas could feel sweat beading on her upper lip.

"I’ve taken care of it." Keeper sighed, growing bored with Miss Duas. "I’ll be taking Miss Madison with me." She smiled sweetly. "That is, if you don’t mind?"

"Oh, please, feel free to take anything and anyone you need, Keeper." Miss Duas smiled, though everyone in room knew Keeper would take whatever she wanted and Miss Duas couldn’t say a damn thing about it except, ‘thank you, for taking my humble resources, and let me get you anything else you mind need.’

"Excellent." Keeper nodded and left the room.

The technician glanced at the closed door and sighed. "Excellent," he whispered. "She sounds like Mister Burns on the Simpsons," he muttered under his breath.

Miss Duas cleared her throat, though she really couldn’t punish him. Keeper did sound like Mister Burns, only with less warmth.

*****

"You see? Nothing to see here." Xander surveyed the room.

"There doesn’t appear to be anything that could identify our location," Giles agreed. He walked around the cabin’s living room and studied everything. "This painting, it seems to be a common reproduction. There must be thousands of them."

"She saw you." Tara looked over at Diana and Cassie. "And Amy knows you."

"But they don’t own this place," Willow said hopefully. "I mean, so what, right? They can’t find us."

"They’ll search through all my patient files." Diana sat on the couch and sighed. "Eventually, they figure out where we are."

"We need help," Cassie said. She looked up at Giles and then cleared her throat. "We should call the guardians, now."

"What?" Willow jumped in front of Tara. "She’s not ready for the sword fight. Are you crazy?"

"No way," Buffy chimed in. "Why should we call the nineteen armed women who want to kill Tara."

"They don’t want to kill Tara," Giles said as he tilted his head to one side. "They are sworn to protect her."

"Then why do I have to fight them?" Tara asked.

"If you challenge the mantle, they will be honor bound to accept the battle," Giles said. "But, from everything Diana said about the feud between the committee and the guardians, I rather think they will gladly assist us."

"And if they don’t?" Buffy asked pointedly. "We’ve handed them Tara on a silver platter."

"No," Tara said. She shook her head. "We’ve already got enough people trying to come after us. I won’t have anyone inviting more into the mix."

"All right." Giles looked down and cleared his throat. "It is your decision."

Diana and Cassie exchanged glances. They agreed; it was the wrong decision.

"Okay, so now what?" Anya asked. "We sit here in paradise and wait for the Witches’ Committee to come waltzing in here?"

"We’ll leave in the morning," Giles said. "I’ll call some friends and set up another safehouse. Though, I rather liked the idea of training close to the actual challenge location. It gives us the most time to spar."

"Yeah, well, staying here also gives us the best chance at meeting the nasty witches up-close and personal." Xander scratched the back of his neck. "So what do we do until morning?"

"Oh!" Anya raised her hand. "We can—"

"No!" Xander rolled his eyes.

"You really think they’d find us that fast?" Willow clung to Tara’s arm and leaned into her shoulder. "I mean, even if they cross-referenced all of your patient files against all of the patient’s property holdings, how long would it take them to find this place?"

"Computers, you know, how fast are they?" Tara asked.

"Oh…" Willow frowned. "Yeah, computers."

"This place isn’t even listed yet," Diana said optimistically. "My patient’s parents gave it to her. It won’t come up in a search of her things."

"Good. Then, I think we should get some sleep," Giles said. "I want to be on the road by first light."

"I’ll sleep on the couch," Buffy said. "I want to keep an eye on the front door." She glanced over at Tara. "Okay?"

Tara nodded.

The small group wandered around the cabin cleaning up the dinner dishes outside and putting away the leftovers. Dawn finished putting away all the dishes just as Buffy came into the kitchen.

"Any chicken left?" Buffy asked.

"In the frige," Dawn said quietly.

"Cool." The Slayer opened the door and grabbed a piece of chicken and took a bite.

"Buffy, is this gonna’ turn out okay?" Dawn scrubbed the pan in her hands.

"Sure," Buffy said with a smile.

"It reminds me of when we were all running from Glory, only we have a nicer place to stay and no knights with horses." Dawn tossed the rag into the water and turned. "And that ended so well." She rested both hands on her hips.

"I’ll make sure this ends better." She put down her chicken and pulled Dawn into a hug. "And if we get to this challenge … and there’s a jacked up tower built by mental patients, we’ll turn right around and leave."

Dawn snorted and pulled back. "Dork." She shoved Buffy away. "Help me dry." She nodded at the stack of dripping dishes.

"Hey, I slay. There’s no drying anywhere in my job description," Buffy whined, but she did grab a towel.

"Then slay the dishes for all I care." Dawn splashed her sister.

"Hey!" Buffy laughed and swatted Dawn with the towel.

Tara was in Diana’s bedroom with the doctor. She walked around the room, pacing nervously.

"Was there something you wanting, sweetie?" Diana went to Tara’s said and wrapped an arm over her shoulder.

"Um, yes, well, about the power transference thing…" Tara bit her lip and glanced over at the doctor.

"Have you been having any side effects?" Diana asked. She turned Tara toward her and felt the blonde’s forehead.

"Uh … not exactly." Tara’s voice cracked and she blushed.

"What is it?" Diana gently urged.

"This transference of power, it only works when my skin is wet, and in contact, right?" Tara swallowed, though her throat was dry. "And it can’t happen accidentally, right?"

"No…" Diana twisted her head to one side trying to understand what Tara was not asking.

"So, shouldn’t I sleep somewhere else?" Tara asked delicately.

"As long as you’re focused, and you don’t consciously draw in her energy, you won’t hurt her." Diana cupped Tara’s cheek. "It’s okay to make love."

"I’m not making love to her!" Tara shook her head. "Not until the challenge is over. Well, not if I can help it."

"So why are you worried?" Diana asked. She wondered why the sweet blonde was blushing, then it dawned on her. "Oh, honey, no. You’re not going to accidentally drain Willow."

"But sometimes I … when I’m asleep … my hands… uh… umm…" She blushed darker and shrugged. "Wander," she explained.

"Wander?" Diana asked.

"Wander," Tara said meaningfully.

"Oh!" Diana’s eyes widened. "Wander." She nodded.

"And well, the transference works when, um, oh goddess, I can’t believe I’m saying this…" Tara’s voice was almost a squeak.

"When it’s wet." Diana nodded. She smiled and chuckled. "Oh, wander," she said as she finally got the entire picture. "So, you don’t plan to make love to Willow, but there are times when you’re asleep and you end up…"

"Yes." Tara cleared her throat. "I mean, I’m asleep … we’re asleep … when it starts and well, by the time we wake up, there really isn’t any going back."

"And what did you want to ask me?" Diana asked as she fought the urge to laugh.

"Well, doctors have doctor things, and well, some of those things are gloves, rubber gloves and well, we want to be safe and…" Tara’s face was now the color of a vine ripened tomato. Her blonde hair only made her skin look redder.

"Oh. Gotcha." Diana went to her bag and pulled out a few latex gloves. "Don’t put them on until you go to bed because they’re gonna’ make your hands sweat."

"Thanks." Tara let out a relieved sigh. "And well, I really don’t think we will … you know, because with Dawnie in the room, well, I just can’t see that happening, but if my hand does…"

"Wander," Diana said helpfully.

"Yes, wander, well, Willow will be safe." She smiled and shrugged.

"It’s okay, sweetie." Diana pushed the blonde toward the door. "Now go tuck your honey in, and try to keep the wandering down to a minimum."

In the next room, Giles picked up the phone and dialed a number scribbled in the back of a worn old leather notebook. He waited through several rings and then cleared his throat. "Yes, this is Rupert Giles." He smiled. "Yes, it has been a long time. How are you?" He nodded as he listened. "That’s actually why I called." He looked over his shoulder and then lowered his voice. "The latest Imbolc mage is standing in the next room." He waited as his friend asked dozens of questions. "I am quite certain. Yes, well, we have a slight problem…Yes, the committee." He lowered his voice again. "I rather thought you might."

*****

The sun broke over the mountains with a golden splash of color. Giles stood in the darkened doorway watching the sun make its appearance. He watched as the dark shadows in the valley came to life in vibrant hues of green. It reminded him of his childhood, when he would wake up at the crack of dawn and watch the sun rise over the moors.

He closed the door and leaned against the wall and inhaled the fresh scent of the crisp mountain air. He heard the door open and turned to see Buffy. He smiled and turned back to the unfolding majesty of the valley.

"Wow, it’s like an IMAX movie." She stared at the beautiful valley. "Only without the annoying gum on the floor."

"Yes, that’s exactly what it’s like." He smiled tolerantly. He glanced sideways at her. "How did you sleep?"

"Tara kinda’ kicked me outa’ the room," she admitted.

"I see." He stared at the tree line, watching as the subtle hues came into focus.

"Yeah, well, she caught me checkin ’ her out." Buffy sighed. "She was pretty angry."

"And Willow?" he asked.

"Good lord, we are not saying anything to her." Buffy shivered. "And I am done looking at Tara that way."

"Good. That sounds best." He pushed away from the wall and turned toward the door.

"So, you gonna’ cook breakfast?" she asked as she followed him inside.

"I should think not," he whispered as they tiptoed past Xander and Anya who were sleeping soundly on the floor in two sleeping bags zipped together. "Tara makes those delicious triangles," he added.

Buffy rolled her eyes and they went into the kitchen to get things ready for breakfast. They knew better than to actually mix the pancake batter. Tara seemed to be the only one who knew the correct balance of pancake mix, eggs, and a few secret ingredients she added.

"So, coffee?" Buffy asked. She went to the machine and started a fresh pot.

Giles sat at the table and sighed. "How late does Tara sleep?" he asked dejectedly.

"You’ll live," Buffy promised.

In the other room, Tara opened her eyes and smiled. Willow was snuggled behind her, and the redhead had an arm tossed over Tara’s belly where it was nestled under her top. She sat up and yawned, then took off her gloves. Diana had been right; Tara’s hands were puckered and pruned from the sweat that had collected under the latex. She climbed from bed and tossed the gloves into the trash and then went back to look at Willow. She smiled and then kissed her beloved’s cheek. She stared down at Willow, her mind filled with wonder that the redhead was hers, her lover, her life, her everything.

"You really love her," Dawn whispered hoarsely. Her throat was thick from sleep and her eyes were bleary.

"Yeah." Tara turned and blushed as she smiled at the young teen. "Hey, sweetie," she whispered. She held a finger to her lip and nodded toward Willow. "Wanna’ get up and have some pancakes?"

Dawn nodded and the two quickly dressed and went to the kitchen. Tara fixed her special pancakes. Before the first batch was out of the pan, Xander and Anya were sitting at the table grumbling.

"Coffee?" Xander held his cup up and let out a happy sigh when Buffy filled it for him.

Anya sipped her coffee grouchily. "I don’t sleep well without a nice goodnight orga—"

"Organic pancakes," Tara said as she piled a stack in front of Anya. "Just cant sleep without these yummy organic pancakes. Nope. Can’t beat those organic pancakes."

Anya stared at the pancakes, inhaling the rich aroma. "I wasn’t talking about—"

"Yes, you were." Xander handed his fiancée the syrup.

"Right, pancakes." Dawn giggled. She knew exactly what Anya had been about to say.

"Pancakes," Buffy insisted firmly.

"Yes, pancakes," Giles agreed.

Anya shrugged and dug into her pancakes. She smiled. They were good, very good, but they were not orgasms. She took another bite. On the other hand, with Tara’s cooking skills, the pancakes would turn out perfect every time, and there was an endless supply. She licked her lips and smiled up at Tara. "Good pancakes."

Tara took the next batch out of the pan and put them in the center of the table. She put some of the next batch onto a plate and gave the rest to the others. She poured a fresh batch in the pan and handed Giles the spatula.

"I’ll be right back," Tara promised. She took the plate and left the room.

"You never bring me breakfast in bed," Anya whined.

"Yeah, well, neither do you," Xander reminded her.

"Do what?" Diana

"We have pancakes," Giles offered from the table.

"Did Tara make them?" Cassie asked.

"Yes." Giles smirked.

"I’ll have some," Diana said happily.

"Me too." Cassie sat and inhaled deeply. "They smell delicious."

"I made coffee," Buffy said as she held up her mug.

"Thank the goddess." Diana grabbed two mugs and reached for the pot.

Tara snuck into the bedroom as quietly as she could. She carried the plate of pancakes to the nightstand and put it down before turning to her lover.

"Hey, sleepy." She kissed Willow’s lips and caressed her cheek.

"Tara?" Willow’s eyes flickered, but didn’t open.

"Wake up, baby." Tara sat and picked up Willow’s hand.

Two green eyes slowly opened, and as soon as Willow saw Tara, her eyes lit up and her sleepy grin blossomed into a dazzling smile. "Hey." She sat up and pushed several pillows behind her back.

"Pancakes." Tara reached over and grabbed the plate. "Triangles." She waggled her eyebrows as she took a scoop and held it out.

Willow took the bite slowly, her eyes locked with Tara’s. "Umm," she moaned as the taste hit her tongue. "You spoil me." She licked the side of her mouth. She could feel a bit of the sticky syrup sliding down her jaw.

"I love you," Tara said simply. She wiped the syrup away and licked her finger. "Will, I’m scared," she said quietly. She moved the plate and put it back on the nightstand.

"Me too." Willow looked over at Dawn’s empty bed. "So, am I the last one up?"

"I wanted you to get a good rest." Tara sighed. "Honey, maybe we should call the guardians."

Willow shook her head and her eyes widened in horror.

"I can just take this challenge and get it over with." Tara was resolved.

"Tara, no. Please, baby. This is not a good idea." She pulled the blanket down. "You have to keep practicing."

"I’m already as good as Buffy." Tara stood so Willow could get up. "How much better can I get?"

"Well, just … better," Willow whined. "Why do you want to rush this?" Tears rolled down each of her cheeks.

"Honey, please don’t cry." Tara rushed forward and reached for Willow’s cheeks only to yank her hand back. She pulled her fists to her chest. "Please, baby, it’ll be okay."

"Okay?" Willow yelled as she went over and grabbed a pair of jeans. "Okay?" She yanked on her pants. "Tell me how it’s gonna’ be okay when you won’t even touch me?" She stomped over and yanked off her nightshirt. She dug through her things and pulled her bra on. "Tell me how it’s okay when you want to go fight 19 Xena-wannabes?"

"Willow, please." Tara sniffled as her heart broke. She could see how much Willow was hurting.

"Tell me, Tara," Willow demanded as she pulled a shirt over her head. She squirmed to get her head out of the blouse and saw that Tara was in tears. "This is not okay," she said quietly. She reached to wipe the tear away and Tara flinched.

"Don’t," Tara asked hoarsely. "P-please don’t touch me." Fear filled her tearstained eyes.

"I will touch you," Willow persisted. She wiped the tears, then leaned forward and kissed Tara’s pain away. "I love you, and if touching means you take some part of me, so be it." She wrapped her arms over Tara’s shoulders. "Every time I touch you, I my heart fills. I guess it’s a fair trade."

"Oh, Willow." Tara pulled her lover closer and held her. Her arms squeezed tight, as if she’d never let go.

"It’s okay." Willow was now the one reassuring Tara.

"Now it’s okay?" Tara laughed as she pulled Willow even closer.

"No, but it will be," Willow promised.

"Your pancakes are getting cold," Tara said between sniffles.

"You’ll cook me more," Willow said. She rocked Tara in her arms, not yet ready to let go, not yet ready to give up the feeling of her lover pressed to her chest.

"Yeah." Tara nodded and burrowed her face against Willow’s neck.

*****

The sun sparkled off of the morning dew. The meadow was silent; even the animals were resting in the early morning hours. The muted crunching of heavy boots on damp leaves broke the silence in the rhythmic beat of feet marching in pairs. A young doe blinked open her eyes and then leaped to her feet and bounded off into the brush.

"She’s here," Keeper said with a sneer. "Excellent." She dropped to one knee and studied the small cabin at the far end of the meadow.

A small group gathered around her. All were dressed exactly alike, black commando gear from head to toe. Even their guns were matte black. The only sparkle of contrast was Keeper’s silver lapel pin. She never took it off. It was who she was. She lived only to fulfill her destiny. Keeper was born to wield a powerful weapon, the Instrument, and she was trained to control the young witch who embodied that weapon.

The others didn’t ask if Keeper was certain, or how she knew. Keeper could feel her Instrument; it was part of her. She’d been bred to control other witches, bred from a line of Keepers who had never had the chance to wield their Instrument, bred for a duty that might never come to pass, but now it had.

Keeper smiled as she looked at the small cabin. She could see the power, feel it, even from this distance. Her Instrument was inside, and it was up to Keeper to bring her precious Tara into the fold.

"Keeper?" a male witch asked as he looked down and cocked his automatic rifle.

She ignored him and inhaled deeply, pulling in the essence of her Instrument. She smiled. "She’s so pure." Keeper turned to her small band of well-armed witches. "She overflows with love and protection."

They nodded, not quite knowing what to do with that bit of information.

"Don’t let her see us kill any of her family," Keeper explained. "Not unless you want to unleash the destruction you saw in the photos I gave you."

"Well, how do we capture her?" the soldier asked.

"With her greatest strength and her greatest weakness." Keeper smiled and inhaled as she could feel Tara’s lifeforce crackling over her skin.

The soldier had a puzzled expression.

"The greatest weakness of all," Keeper said with a cruel smile. "Love."

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