FIC: The Ties That Bind (3/?)

[~~Kimber <kacoe@xxxxxxx>]

TITLE: The Ties That Bind (3/?)
AUTHOR: Kimber (kacoe@xxxxxxx)
DISCLAIMER: All BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

RATING: High PG
SUMMARY: The Scoobs are torn apart and try to come together five years
later to save their relationship and an old friend.
SPOILERS: Branches off to an alternate reality during the Yoko Factor.
DISTRIBUTION: Pat Kelly, Rodrigo, Gary Thompson, Syrenslure,
Serendipity and J&J Xena Site. Anyone else, e-mail me please.
AUTHORS NOTES: Lifted some of the Scooby fight scene from ?The Yoko
Factor? and twisted it for my own purposes. *evil grin*.

-----------

?One? By U2

Is it getting better, or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you, now you got someone to blame?
You say: one love, one life, when it's one need, in the night
It's one love, we get to share it, it leaves you baby, if you don't care
for it

Did I disappoint you? Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love, and you want me to go without
Well it's too late, tonight, to drag that past out, into the light
We're one, but we're not the same, we get to carry each other, carry
each other

Have you come here for forgiveness? Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head?
Did I ask too much? More than a lot? You gave me nothing, now it's all
I got
We're one, but we're not the same. We hurt each other, then we do it
again

You say: love is a temple, love a higher law, love is a temple, love the
higher law
You ask me to enter but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on to what you got, when all you got is hurt
One love, one blood, one life, you got to do what you should
One life, with each other, sisters, brothers
One life, but we're not the same, we get to carry each other, carry each
other

------------

?What?s going on?!? Willow stormed through the door of Giles?
apartment. Xander was on the floor, Buffy was hovering over him and
Tara was standing in the kitchen Things did not look good from where
she was standing.

?Willow.? Tara walked over to her. ?It?s okay. Really.?

?It?s good Will, really. Xander tried to play he-man and bring all the
bags to the spare room at once. I tried to help him and we wound up,
um, here.? Buffy smiled at her then turned to Xander and offered him a
hand up.

Willow looked at them both suspiciously. She wasn?t buying it.

?Why don?t w-w-we get the essentials and g-go to bed? We?ve had a
l-long drive.? Tara pleaded with her eyes.

Now Willow knew for a fact something was up. Tara?s stutter was out in
full force. One look at her face though, and she decided to drop it.
For now. ?Fine.? She walked over to the bags, grabbed a small
overnight tote and walked to the backroom closing the door behind her.

?That went rather well. Don?t you think?? Giles commented from the
door.

?No blood, screaming or broken furniture. Better than I expected.?
Xander offered.

Tara walked over to the bags and grabbed her own small tote. ?Goodnight
Mr. Giles. Thank you f-for having us.? She smiled

?Your welcome Tara. Sleep well.? He heard the door open then close
again.

Giles walked into the house and glared at the two of them. ?I trust
your going to tell me what just happened here? Or better yet. You will
tell me it won?t happen again. Am I correct??

They both nodded silently.

?Good, well. We?ll sort this mess out in the morning. For now I?d like
to retire if you two don?t mind. You?re welcome to stay of course as
long as you don?t bother my guests. Clear?? They nodded again. ?Very
well then. Goodnight.?

--------------

?Tara.?

?I?m fine Willow. Really.?

They laid in bed for the past half hour staring at the ceiling. Willow
was glad that Tara?s stutter had disappeared but worried about what
Buffy and Xander did to her when they were alone in the apartment. ?Are
you gonna tell me what happened??

Tara sighed. ?It?s not important. Really. You know how they can get.?

?Yes I do, which is why I worry. I couldn?t stand it if they hurt you
the way. . .? She trailed off. Some things were better left unsaid.

?I?m fine Willow. I can handle what ever your friends can dish out.?

?Okay. I?ll drop it. . .for now. But sooner or later your gonna tell
me. It?s not fair of them to attack you. You haven?t done anything but
love me. They should be thankful.?

?Yes they should.? Tara smiled at her in the dark. ?We?ll be refreshed
in the morning and ready to face the beasties.?

?I sure hope so.? Willow leaned over and kissed her cheek. ?Night
Tara.?

?Night Willow.?

Another half hour passed and Willow found herself staring at the ceiling
again, after tossing and turning for about the twentieth time.
<Sunnydale of all places!> She couldn?t believe she agreed to come back
here. To top it all off, she was staying with Giles. The very place of
her big stand-off with Buffy. Every word, every accusation still
rattled around in her brain as if it happened yesterday. . .

--------------

Five Years Previous. . . .

?. . .sure. You?d do wonderful in the army. Hey, do you think the
umbilical cord between you and Anya can stretch that far!?? Willow
glared at Xander.

?I knew it! I knew you hated her.? He yells.

?Look. I?m not the one being judgmental here. I?ll leave that
territory to you and Buffy.?

Buffy looks at her, surprised. ?Judgmental? If I was anymore open
minded about the choices you two make my whole brain would fall out!?

?Oh, and superior. Don?t forget that. Just because your better than us
doesn?t mean you can be all superior.? Xander storms away behind Buffy.

Buffy pauses a moment to try and gain some composure but she?s not doing
a very good job of it. ?You guys, stop this. What happened to you
today?? Her voice is pleading and desperate.

Willow shakes her head. ?It?s not today. Buffy, things have been wrong
for a while don?t you see that?!?

?What do you mean wrong??

?Well they certainly haven?t been right since. . .Tara! We have to face
it, you can?t handle Tara being my girlfriend!?

?I would have faced it if I knew there was something to face! You
didn?t say anything Will! You?d be gone overnight and I?d. . .? Buffy
stopped suddenly and shook her head. ?No. I?m not gonna get into this
with you. Now is *not* the time.?

?Now is the perfect time, Buffy. How was I supposed to tell you
anything when you were off with Riley and the commando?s every free
minute? When was I supposed to talk to you? Huh? Over waffles? Or,
or maybe as you were packing your bag to go spend the night with him!
How about then??

?That is *so* not fair, Will. Exactly how available have you been
lately? Your off in the chem. lab, or the library, or. . no wait. You
were with Tara all that time. I?ll bet every time you told me you were
someplace else, you were with Tara. Am I right? So who?s the
unavailable one now?!?

?Tara?s your *girlfriend* ?? Xander finally caught on.

?Xander!? They both yelled in unison.

Willow turned back to Buffy and continued. ?How was I supposed to tell
you? Oz left and I needed a friend, I needed you. . .I know I was a
handful but can you blame me? You guys were sick of hearing about it
and don?t think I didn?t know it either. Why do you think I did that
spell? Not only to stop myself from hurting but because I didn?t have
you to talk to. One day, Buffy. Had you given me even that much or
even an hour I would have, could have felt like I could tell you.?
Tears were streaming down Willow?s face now and her cheeks were bright
red.

?Oh, don?t talk to me about not being available, Will. I tried to talk
to you, I tried to get you to open up after Oz left but you shut me
out. You?re my best friend! Don?t you think it killed me to see you
hurting like that?? Buffy began to cry too and the words were just
tumbling out. She couldn?t stop herself even if she tried. ?I?ve been
supporto gal, I?ve been Slayer gal, I?ve even been cry-on-my shoulder
gal for you.?

Buffy stomped closer to Willow trying to both vocally and physically
make her point. ?Where the hell were you after the whole Faith
incident? I?ve lost battles. . .a lot of them. . but no one has ever
made me the victim the way Faith did. I was scared and I was alone
after we switched back and I found out that Riley slept with her. And
where were you? Off with Tara I?ll bet. . .doing spells and making
wacky fun or what ever the hell it is people like *you* two do!!!?
Buffy hands flew up to her mouth in shock. She instantly regretted the
words as soon as they left her mouth.

?Buffy!? Xander gaped at her. He couldn?t believe what he just heard,
and Willow stood there in shock for a moment.

Willow crossed her arms across her chest and glared at her. ?Oh, so
that?s it? That?s what this is all about? It?s not the fact that I
haven?t been available for you, it?s got nothing to do with me not being
in the dorm every night. It has to do with Tara being, Tara. A girl!
You *can?t* handle it!?

?No Will, maybe I can?t. I dealt with the Oz wolf, with the witchcraft,
and being made to fall in love with Spike of all creatures! But this. .
this is ludicrous! What are you thinking? Just one more test of
Buffy?s iron clad will? Cuz if that?s what this is I?m about ready to
snap over here. I?m gonna go from Slayer to snappy girl in no time
flat! Is this really what you?ve reduced yourself to? I mean honestly
Will, I can?t??

?Reduced myself to? Reduced myself to? You think this is easy for me?
I?ve had a hard time with this Buffy. Oh wait, but you wouldn?t know
that, now would you? No, you?re either off making nice with ?Agent
Finn? or chasing after Adam *alone* or going all cave slayer on me!
This isn?t a test for you! And if it was, you?d fail miserably. .
.there isn?t a word for how low a grade you?d get if this was a test for
you! It?s about me and my life and my choices. Choices I would have
like to share with you but now. . .now I see that I can?t and probably
shouldn?t have. And did you think for one moment that maybe this wasn?t
a choice at all??

?Don?t pull out the big guns on me Will. I?ve always been agreeable
about the choices you make and the things you do. Look at the witch
stuff! I get turned into a rat and still I?m supportive. . .I get
practically killed trying to make nice with the homicidal Indians but
still I saw your side of it. So don?t go all ?Linda Blair? on me and
start spouting off about choices!?

?You really think I have any kind of choice with this? Do you? I have
something with Tara, something powerful that I can?t even begin to fully
explain and you think it?s a choice? I can?t just ignore it. You of
all people! I thought you?d understand. Or did you happen to forget
that you fell in love with a 246 year old re-animated corpse that killed
our computer teacher and put *me* into a coma!?

?Don?t you dare bring Angel into this. Our relationship is nothing like
yours and Tara?s. Nothing! What I had with him was special, it was
love. . .?

Willow ran her hand through her hair in frustration. ?Don?t you get
it? Love, Buffy. You, the Slayer, the, the Chosen One. . .in love with
a Vampire!! Hello to the irony in that little scenario! It?s
illogical, technically and totally ?eww? if you stop and think about it
for one second, and is supposed to be impossible! But it happened.
Hello to the pain and the curse and me getting knocked on the head way
to many times. Love isn?t logical, it isn?t something you can reason
with and it?s certainly not fair. We love who we love, despite there
gender *or* their un-dead status!?

?Bloody hell!? Giles? voice came from the upstairs room.

Behind them, someone cleared their throat to get their attention. It
was Tara. ?I?m gonna g-g-go now.? She gazed down at the floor and
couldn?t look at any of them. ?I think I?ve h-heard enough.? She
walked towards the door but was stopped by Willow?s hand on her
shoulder.

Willow reached out and lifted Tara?s face up with her finger. She
smiled wearily at her then turned to Xander. ?Care to weigh in on this
issue, Xand?? She waited for a response from him but he simply shook
his head no. ?Good. I?ve had just about enough of it myself.? She
took Tara?s hand in hers and squeezed it then returned her attention to
Buffy. ?My *girlfriend* and I are leaving now.? She walked past both
of them and went out the door.

Anya emerged from the bathroom and stood next to Xander. All Xander
could do was stare at Buffy then finally he found his voice. ?Aren?t
you gonna go after her?? Buffy shook her head no. ?Buff??

She looked up at him and a look of realization crossed her face right
before she bolted out the door.

Xander grabbed his coat but was stopped by Anya. ?Where do you think
your going??

?Somebody has to do something. She can?t just leave it like that!? He
felt desperate. Never had he seen Buffy and Willow lash out at each
other like that.

?It?s none of your concern.? Anya simply stated.

?None of my? None of my concern? They?re my best friends. . .they?re
best friends to each other. I can?t leave it like this. I can still
catch up to Willow. God knows where Buffy?s off to.? He ran out the
door before Anya could get another word in edgewise.

---------------

Tara walked silently beside Willow. They were headed in the general
direction of the dorms, which she thought was good considering the night
they?d had. Maybe sleep would do them all good. Sleep and a night apart
from each other and they?d all think a lot clearer in the morning. Tara
noticed Willow stop dead in her tracks and turned to her. ?What is it??

?I forgot my laptop.? She said flatly.

?Can we get it tomorrow??

Willow thought for a moment then nodded yes. She continued walking and
Tara fell in step behind her.

?Will! Willow wait!? Xander?s voice came from behind them

Tara saw Willow visibly cringe, but they just kept on walking.

He ran a head of them and stopped right in front of Willow. ?Will.?

She looked up with tears in her eyes but didn?t say anything.

?She. . .you know she didn?t mean what she said. Things just got outa
hand is all.?

Willow shook her head. ?She meant it Xander. And so did I.?

?But Will. . ? He pleaded.

?We need to go back to the dorm now. What ever needs to be done can
wait until tomorrow. Okay?? Tara chimed in with an almost authorative
tone. Willow and Xander looked at her surprised but didn?t say
anything. Finally, Tara took Willow by the hand and led her off towards
campus leaving a very confused Xander to stare off at them from the
sidewalk.

-------------

Present day. . .

Buffy poked her head into the spare room to find the two people
slumbering peacefully. She stood there for a moment and looked ? really
looked ? at Willow. She really hadn?t changed in all this time. Still
the same red hair, only a little shorter. And she still curled up into
a ?Willow-ball? when she slept.

She closed the door soundlessly and turned to walk down the hallway only
to be met half-way by Giles.

?I trust everything is alright??

?Fine, Giles. I?m gonna head home.? She walked past him to grab her
coat.

?She?s in trouble. I don?t think I need to tell you that. Do I??

Buffy shook her head. ?No. You don?t.?

?Tara?s don?t nothing but take care of her these past few years. I
really don?t know how she?s managed.? He took his glasses off and
approached her.

She looked up and recognized the look she was getting. ?You have
?trouble face?. Why do I *know* your not telling me everything??

?Because I?m not. But you will find out soon enough. Go home and get
some rest. You?re going to need it.? He smiled at her and headed back
upstairs.

?Why do I not like the sound of that?? She put her coat on and headed
out the door.



--
Your humble bard and Rodrigo's dedicated love slave,
~~Kimber

Shadowlander's #1 fan and her 'Official Un-Official Idea Bouncer Offer'
Pat Kelly's #1 fan and his 'Offical scene runner-by-er'
Now self-proclaimed #1 fan of AMGlass!!!

'Exquisite Coalescence' - Your source for BuffySlash fiction on the
web. Coming soon!

- Eternally jealous of Erin 'cause Joss and Fury impersonated her.
*grumble*
- Member of THE CITIZENS OF KANE - I have Christian's tousled hair on
retainer
- Member #102 of the Amber Benson is a Hottie Club
- Humble reciever of Joss love --- Joss says: (Wed May 17 14:05:24
2000 152.163.205.76) Hi, Kimber. I give you love. There is a squishy
element to it that I'd rather not discuss. But it's pudding-free.
- VERY humble reciever of an e-mailed "DAVID FURY-LOVE" ---I love you,
Kimber. There, happy? :-) Fury --
- SO's to all VIPS - Alyson, Amber Benson, James, Nicholas, Anthony,
Jeff, Joss, SMG, Eliza, David, Seth, Marti, Jane, Sophia, Fury and last
but never least, Erika from Velvet Chain (my fellow Duran Duran
lover)!!!!!!
- Keeper of Tara's ability to make Willow's eyes sparkle in "Superstar."

- Keeper of Tara's smokin sleeve ability in "Superstar."
- Keeper of Tara's stutter when she says the word Scoobys in "New Moon
Rising."
- "Heavy lesbian witches rock!"

Final thought:
"One out of every ten people are born to give the other nine trouble.
Guess what number I am."