Choose
by sailor80
Twelve
[reviews]
Buffy went off to kill things. They could call it patrol if they wanted, but Buffy knew she was hunting for Willow, and knew she would kill anything that prevented or even delayed their reunion. Shortly after sunrise, she stood a few feet from the bench Willow had disappeared from. She wasn't surprised when Tara joined her.
"We were happy," Buffy said quietly. "She felt better and we were glad to be together."
"I know."
"I don't want to do this without her."
"We'll get her back." Tara tilted her head to the side. She could still see the afterimages of the magicks that took Willow. They looked familiar somehow. "How did Spike know where we are?" she asked Buffy.
"I dunno. I didn't ask and he didn't volunteer."
"Ask him."
"Can't. I staked him. He swore he didn't know anything about Willow."
Tara nodded. She had overheard the Council members talking. There wasn't a demon of any kind within 10 kilometers of the manor house. Buffy had annihilated them. The watchers who trailed her every night had been astonished at the Slayer's efficiency. "You need to rest," she said softly and slid her hand into Buffy's. She tugged and the Slayer followed.
Buffy let Tara lead her back inside. She ate what food was put in front of her, and let Tara pull her from the table when she finished. She stopped at the door to her room and refused to enter. "We have things to do," she pleaded.
"You can't help her if you're too tired to think straight."
"Miss Summers, Miss Maclay, so glad I caught you."
Buffy rolled her eyes, then turned. "Mr. Travers."
"Rupert would like you to join him in the library."
"Thank you," Buffy answered.
"Please let me know if you need anything." Travers nodded to them, turned and walked away.
Tara's eyes widened when she noticed the faint blue glow behind his left knee. She nudged Buffy and motioned with her head at his retreating form. When she was sure he was out of earshot, she asked, "Did you see that?"
"No."
"At the back of his knee."
Buffy looked back down the hall. She saw the glow on the back of his pants but it meant nothing to her. She looked back to Tara.
"It's a tag. It's Willow's magick," Tara whispered. She held on to Buffy's hand, but still wasn't ready for the jerk as Buffy moved. "Wait,' Tara ordered. She pushed into the room, dragging Buffy behind, and closed the door behind them. "You can't just jump him, Buffy."
"Sure, I can." Buffy's voice was calm. "And after he tells me where Willow is, I'll kill him."
"No, you won't. We'll tell Giles about this. And we'll watch him. I tagged his other leg, to let Will know we saw her mark."
"When we get her back, we're going home to the Hellmouth, where it's safe."
"Agreed. Now you need to rest. You were up fighting all night, and you didn't sleep yesterday."
Buffy shook her head.
"I know how you feel," Tara told her. "I love her, too."
"I'm sorry. She was hurting so bad and you weren't there anymore. I couldn't not tell her, not."
Tara snickered. It stopped Buffy's panic and its accompanying stream of words.
"What?" Buffy demanded.
"You're babbling."
Buffy snickered, too. "Kissing disease." She grinned at Tara.
Tara smiled back, blushing and nodding. She pushed Buffy further into the room. "I want you to rest. Even if you don't s-sleep, just lay down for a while."
"Giles wants us."
"Giles can w-w-wait. I'll tell him where you are."
"Tara, I can't waste time resting when Willow's wherever she is."
Tara put on the mom voice she used when Dawn was recalcitrant. "You can rest, and you will rest, and it's not a w-waste. If you don't wake up by lunch time, I'll get you up then."
Buffy sighed, realizing she was defeated. "Lunch?" she asked.
"Lunch," Tara answered.
"Okay." Buffy threw herself onto the bed.
Tara joined the others in the library. "Buffy's resting," she said before Giles could ask. She sat at the table and reached for a notepad. While the others talked, she wrote out what they had seen. They passed it around. Giles got it last. He nodded at Tara and continued talking. When he finished, he moved next to Tara. They appeared to be working together over one book, but were writing notes back and forth. Within an hour they had formulated a plan. They divided the duties, writing each one and passing them among each other until everyone had something to do.
A few minutes before noon, Tara left to wake Buffy for lunch. Dawn was passing the library when Tara stepped out, and they went together to get Buffy.
Buffy was tying her boots when they came through the door. She looked at Tara, who shook her head that nothing had changed. Buffy stood and hugged Dawn.
"Anything new with Willow?" Dawn asked.
"No."
"You'll find her," Dawn said confidently.
"Yeah," Buffy agreed. What worried her most was what would happen to Willow before then.
They walked down to lunch together. Dawn told them about her tutoring that morning. The Scoobies sat at one table and ate. They talked casually, putting out information about their plans for the afternoon for the others to hear.
After lunch, Tara and Buffy walked through the gardens. They stood again near the bench, and Tara told Buffy what everyone would really be doing that afternoon. Magicks still hung in the air around the bench, and Tara examined them again. This time she was able to pull the thread that led to where Willow had been taken. She closed her eyes so she could concentrate better.
Buffy frowned and put her hand on Tara's shoulder. That gave Tara strength to follow the thread deep underground and toward the back of the mansion. It ended abruptly at a black cube. Realizing what it was, Tara backed away.
She looked at Buffy. "She's still here. Under there." Tara gestured toward the manor house. "You can't feel her because she's locked in."
"Is she ok?"
"I think so."
* * *
Willow wasn't aware when it stopped actively hurting her. She had long ago curled into a fetal position in the far corner. She didn't look up when the door opened, or respond to Travers' greeting. "Miss Rosenberg, so nice to see you again. I just left the Slayer and the other witch. They send their greetings." He paused for a moment. "Perhaps when I return you'll feel more like talking. Good day."
She heard him turn and opened her eyes just enough to check that her mark was still on his pants. She saw Tara's mark on his other leg, and blinked, sure that it was wishful thinking. It was still there when she looked again. Willow closed her eyes. They would come. Buffy would come. And she would keep her promise. Willow forced herself to sit up. She put her back to the wall and began counting the stones again. She scratched absently at her hands. They itched the worst.
* * *
After dinner, everyone but Buffy gathered in Dawn's room. Buffy was patrolling, because she had been doing it every night and didn't want to spook Travers by changing her routine. Xander spread the blueprints he had acquired on the table. Tara tried the location spell that Anya had modified. She blew the powder across the blueprints. A moment later, one cluster of red dots and several of blue showed up. "That's us," Tara pointed at the red dots. A yellow dot followed by a trail of blue dots moved along the edge of the blueprints. "That's Buffy." A green dot moved through the building. "That's Travers."
"He's in the other wing," Xander said.
They watched the green dot move. It stopped and started frequently, moving finally off the map. Xander frowned. "There's not supposed to be anything there."
"The blueprints are not complete. The Council would show the local officials only what they want them to know," Giles said.
As they watched, the yellow and green dots intersected for a moment, then separated. "He's underground," Tara said. "Otherwise he and Buffy would have stopped to talk."
* * *
"Miss Rosenberg," Quentin Travers greeted her. "You're looking better."
Willow glared at him with black eyes from the far corner of the room.
"Your absence has whipped the Slayer into quite a frenzy. I must say I'm impressed at her skill." When Willow didn't respond, he continued. "The dynamic between Miss Summers and Miss Maclay has changed most interestingly. Wherever one is, you see the other. Especially in Miss Summers' quarters."
Willow looked in the corner over Travers' head and began counting the stones again.
"If I were a gambling man, I'd wager they'll be having sex soon. Perhaps tomorrow morning, after Miss Summers completes her patrol."
Willow ignored him. She scratched her at right hand with her left as she counted each stone in the row.
"I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out." He smiled at her and backed out, pulling the door closed.
Willow continued counting. She pushed a piece of hair back from her face, leaving a bloody streak in its place, then went back to scratching her bleeding hands.