Causatum
by sailor80
Ten
[reviews]
Aislin stood in the doorway for a moment. She watched Buffy and Willow sleep. Willow's aura was different than it had been in the Magic Box, far less cohesive and duller. As she watched, it changed ever so slightly from moment to moment, as if being in Buffy's arms was enough to heal the damage. She looked away, then looked at them again. Willow made some quiet noise, and Buffy's hands immediately began to move. As soon as Buffy touched Willow's skin, the noise stopped.
They needed time, Aislin realized. Time to be together without disturbance, without crisis, away from the Hellmouth. They both needed to heal, Buffy from the after effects of her resurrection, Willow from the pull of dark magicks, and both from the years of repressed longing. Aislin sighed. She doubted they would get what they needed, but she would try to get it for them. Aislin went back downstairs without disturbing them.
"Are they coming down?" Meredith Davies asked.
"Not right now. They're sleeping," Aislin answered. "Merry, they need time."
"Excuse me?"
"You haven't met them," Aislin reminded herself. "They've been through so much. They need time to build themselves back up."
"The Slayer is the guardian of the Hellmouth," Meredith told her.
"I know that. But they're not strong enough to stand against that right now," Aislin replied. "They won't admit it if you ask, but if you look at them, you'll see what I mean."
"What do you want, Aislin?"
"I want you to give them some time, Merry. A month. Send them, all of them, someplace for vacation. They've been doing this for six years without a break. Buffy's lasted longer than any Slayer before. Her friends have there night after night, with the Slayer and without her when they had to. Can you imagine? You can bring in some of the potentials and their Watchers and let them train in the field," Aislin suggested. "But you need to give them a break. Especially Buffy and Willow. If you don't, I'm afraid we'll lose them both."
Meredith frowned. "I didn't think the witch was that fragile. Nor the Slayer."
"They are. They'll deny it, but they are. Ask their friends. Ask the Key."
"I'll think about it."
"Thank you," Aislin said.
"You're one of them now, aren't you?" Meredith asked.
Aislin waited a moment before answering. "I could be."
"Is that what you want?"
"I don't know," Aislin answered. She thought of Tara and smiled.
"Oh, please," Meredith said. "I know that look. Does she know you love her?"
"Who?" Aislin asked innocently.
"The Slayer's Mage."
"Tara," Aislin said.
"Tara," Meredith repeated. "Does she know?"
"I haven't told her, but I think she knows." Aislin looked at her watch. "I have to go. I'm meeting her for lunch. Let them sleep, please, Merry. They're exhausted."
"Fine, Aislin, I'll let them sleep." Meredith smiled. "Go. You don't want to be late."
* * *
Tara walked out the lecture hall and scanned the area. She smiled when she saw Aislin sitting on a bench in the sun. Aislin stood when she saw Tara, and returned the younger witch's smile.
"Hello," Aislin said when Tara was close enough to hear. She leaned in and kissed Tara's cheek. "How was your class?"
"It was fine, thanks. Have you been waiting long?" Tara took Aislin's hand and interlaced their fingers.
"No. Besides, it's a lovely day. Is California always like this?"
"Usually. How's Buffy?"
"They were sleeping when I left. Merry said she'd leave them alone for a little longer." Aislin let Tara lead her.
"She came?"
"She's the Council."
Tara led them away from campus. "Wow. Travers always sent flunkies unless it was really, really bad."
"Merry's not like that. The Slayer called for the Council, and the Slayer gets what she requests." Aislin squeezed Tara's hand. "Where are we going?"
"There's a really good Chinese buffet near the Magic Box."
"Sounds good. Are you done for the day?"
"No," Tara sighed. "I have history at three."
"We don't have to rush, then," Aislin asked.
"No," Tara confirmed.
"Good."
* * *
Buffy woke slowly. Willow was holding on to her tightly and drooling a little on her shoulder. Buffy stroked her hair and turned to look at the clock. She thought about waking Willow, but decided against it. She watched her lover sleep, alert for any disturbance.
Buffy lay there listening. Giles was downstairs, and there were people with him, but not any of her family. They were talking too quietly for her to make out what they were saying. Her stomach rumbled and Willow's face contracted into a frown.
"It's all right, sweetheart," Buffy said quietly.
"Buffy?" Willow asked sleepily.
"Right here." She squeezed Willow.
"What time's it?"
"Going on one," Buffy answered.
"We should get up." Willow said, but made no effort to do so.
"Yeah," Buffy agreed, and shifted a little.
Willow immediately let go of her and sat up. Buffy sat up, too, and swung her feet to the floor. "Shower?" Buffy asked, stretching.
"Yeah," Willow answered, sitting on the bed with her feet dangling.
They showered quickly together, then dressed and went downstairs hand in hand. When they reached the bottom step, Giles greeted them.
"Hey, Giles," Buffy answered. "How many of them are here?"
"Just Meredith at the moment. The others will return later."
"Okay. Is there anything to eat?" Buffy asked.
"There are sandwiches in the refrigerator," he answered
"Thanks." Buffy headed toward the kitchen, Willow in tow.
"Willow, I'd like to speak with you later," Giles said.
Willow nodded.
They got food and drinks from the refrigerator and went into the back yard. They sat in the shade to eat. Willow didn't eat much. Buffy inhaled one large sub and ate half of Willow's. She eyed the remains of the half Willow had been working on, and Willow handed it to her. Buffy inhaled that, too.
She wiped her hands and mouth with a napkin, then asked Willow, "You ready for Giles?"
"Ready as I'll be," Willow answered.
"Have I told you today how much I love you?"
Willow raised their joined hands to her mouth and kissed the back of Buffy's hand. "Every second."
"Don't ever forget it." Buffy leaned over and kissed Willow gently. Then she stuffed their trash into one of the plastic bags that had held their sandwiches. "Ready?" she asked again.
Willow nodded and they got to their feet.
Giles was in the kitchen. Meredith Davies was with him. She immediately stepped forward, offering her hand. "Miss Rosenberg, Miss Summers, so nice to meet you in person."
Buffy dropped the bag into the trash before accepting the greeting. "Call me Buffy," she said while shaking Meredith's hand.
"Only if you call me Merry," she replied, then gave her hand to Willow. A brief frown flashed across her face when Willow shook her hand. "May I call you Willow?"
"Sure," Willow answered.
"Why don't we sit?" Meredith asked, and stepped aside to let Buffy and Willow pass into the dining room.
Buffy and Willow sat on one side of the table. Meredith sat across from them. Giles sat at the end closest to the kitchen.
"You asked for the Council to come, Buffy, and we're here. How can we help you?"
"Did Giles tell you what happened yesterday?" Buffy asked.
"Briefly," Meredith replied.
"I can protect my family from demons," Buffy said. "I can protect them from stupid little boys playing at being bad guys. So why can't I protect them from lowlife magick users?"
"Magick isn't your gift, Buffy," Meredith said.
"Yeah, I know, death is my gift. But I'm tired of people messing with my family. I'm tired of us not being safe unless we're together. We have lives apart from each other. Not much, admittedly. But we can't be together all the time. We need to be able to walk the streets like everyone else."
Meredith waited a few moments before answering. "Aislin said this morning that you all need a vacation."
"What's that got to do with anything?" Buffy demanded.
"It will give us some room to work," Meredith said. "While you are gone, we can put additional shields and wards on your homes. We can clear up your problem magick users. We can bring in a few teams to watch the Hellmouth."
Buffy looked at Giles. "Is she for real?"
"As good as her word," he said.
"How long?" Buffy asked.
"A month, longer if you need," Meredith said.
"Really?" Buffy asked, amazed.
"Really. The Council owns some lovely properties. If none of them suit, tell us where you want to go and we'll make the arrangements." Meredith said.