Four's A Family
by ABFan
Four's A Family
[reviews]
FOUR'S FAMILY
A Sequel to "Three's Company"
By AmberBensonFan
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own any of the characters in here other than Joy. Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own everyone else. No infringement is intended.
Distribution: Any email lists that I post this to can archive this without letting me know, also, Wiccan Ways, Near Her Always, and anyone else who has permission for 'Three's Company' can take it. Anyone else just email me and let me know so I can put a link to you on my site and keep track of where my stories are. You can contact me at AmberBensonFan@hotmail.com or through my site at www.megawitches.net
Feedback: PLEASE! Any feedback you can send is most appreciated. Be honest, I can't make it better without honest feedback.
Pairing: W/T/B, X/A
Rating: NC-17 for some sexual content.
Summary: This is a sequel to "Three's Company." W/T/B had a daughter and now the tale continues - showing how everyone is dealing with the new addition to the family.
Timeline: We start two years after my other story so note that this is NOT canon. I'm following my own line and in this one W/T never broke up.
Spoilers: Not really since I'm in my own time line, but there are some vague references to different things in the series, though nothing blatant.
Notes: I don't have kids of my own and to be honest they kind of scare me so I try not to be around them more than I have to, but I have a two-year-old niece who is absolute precious (okay, so that's a biased opinion :-)) but she is the model for Joy. I don't know if any of Joy's actions and interactions are too advanced or too behind, all I know is this is what my niece does so that's what I write. It may appear like I'm bragging about my niece and I suppose I am, but I wanted Joy to be 'real' so I wrote about a real girl.
Thanks: I'd like to give kudos to my wife and to Hunter Ash for helping me out with some of the military lingo. To WillowFan:) for the wonderful encouragement, especially when I really needed it.
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The sun was shining high in the sky and the temperature seemed just right, a cool 80 degrees. Well, cool for Californians at any rate. There was a gentle breeze that helped keep the group in the yard comfortable. Laughter and light chatter surrounded them, blanketing the group in its own kind of warmth.
A swing set with slides and other climbing apparatus was set up. On one side was a large sandbox littered with buckets, shovels, and little mounds that never quiet made it into sandcastles. On the other side was a plastic kiddy pool only filled enough to wet the feet of a child.
A little further away from the play area stood a large round table that held many close friends and plates with an assorted supply of food ranging from hamburgers, veggie burgers, salad, and other side dishes. Xander and Anya sat on either side of their six-month-old son who was secured in a high chair. Dawn and her boyfriend, Freddie, were there as well enjoying the food, conversation, and giggling at the antics of the babies. Willow and Tara sat in similar positions as their friends, flanking their two-year-old daughter, Joy, who was also nestled in a highchair. Buffy was standing away from the table keeping a close eye on the grill next her as the rest of the food cooked.
"So I was in the Magic Box yesterday with Joy," Willow started her tale, "and I knocked over one of the candles. Joy turns to me and goes, 'oh damn it, mommy.'"
The table laughed at the adorable personality that already took firm hold of Joy. Tara tried to look stern and asked, "And where did she get that from?"
The table let the laughs die down and all eyes slowly turned until they landed on the only one who could have taught Joy such language at such an early age. Buffy took a quick gulp of her drink and averted her eyes, looking anywhere but at the table of accusing stares. "Um, I think I'll check the food," Buffy stumbled out and quickly turned her back to her friends.
"I can't wait for Alex to start talking," Anya chimed in taking the focus off Buffy for a little while.
"I bet his first word will be 'money,'" Dawn quipped and though Anya shot the girl a look she couldn't help but chuckle while the others laughed heartily at her expense.
Tara finished cutting up a hot dog into tiny pieces, tested it to make sure the food was cool enough, and placed the meal on Joy's tray. Joy picked up her baby fork and took a few stabs at the round object before giving up completely and digging in with her hands, taking one piece at a time. "Juice Mama Tara," Joy asked.
"What kind do you want?" Tara asked, her voice a bit high, as people tend to do when talking to children.
"Orange," Joy answered.
Tara poured some orange juice into a sip-cup, screwed the top on tightly, and handed it over to Joy who took it happily. "What do you say, Joy?" Willow asked.
Joy looked up at Willow, her eyes almost say, 'you can't expect me to say 'thank you' for every little thing, do you,' but at Willow's firm look Joy relented. "Thank you, Mama Tara."
"You're welcome, sweetie," Tara responded and ruffled the girl's hair lightly.
Joy went about alternating between sips of juice and stuffing pieces of hot dog in her mouth.
The remaining bits of food were finished being cooked and Buffy brought them over on a tray before taking a seat next to Tara. "Figure out what college you're going to yet, Dawn?" Buffy asked.
"Well, I was thinking about just staying here and going to UCS," Dawn answered.
"Dawn, you can go to better schools than UCS," Buffy started to complain and couldn't help the corner of her mouth curling into a small smirk as she remembered having a very similar conversation with Willow only a few years ago.
"Yeah, I know, but I'm not sure I really want to leave all this. I mean all of you guys, Joy, Alex, I'd miss everyone too much."
"What about you Freddie?" Willow asked always willing to lend a hand to Dawn's defense, especially since she remembered the conversation with Buffy about choosing to remain in Sunnydale. She hoped Buffy would get sidetracked and forget about harping on Dawn.
"I actually can only go to UCS," the young man replied somewhat sadly.
There were knowing nods around the table and Willow mentally smacked herself for being so careless. She just wanted to take the heat off Dawn and forgot that Freddie didn't have much help financially. Though the boy lived with them and didn't have to worry about paying rent thanks to Willow's high-paying job, he still had various other expenses that he needed to handle. His parents 'disappeared' and Buffy knew all too well what had happened. He and Dawn had only just begun to get to know each other and Buffy offered her home to the boy. She felt guilty that she, the slayer, was unable to prevent their death, and thought the least she could do was give him a home. Over time he and Dawn started dating and it wasn't long after that when he finally broached the subject of Buffy's odd behavior, especially at night. The gang explained to him their unique situation and since then he and Dawn have been serious and enjoyed living a close life with the Scoobies.
Tara took her chances and decided to sway the conversation into something very neutral. She leaned down to Joy's ear and whispered something. Joy shouted out, "How do you make a tissue dance," though she stopped in between to get coached by Tara, her mind not being able to remember the whole question yet.
"How?" Everyone asked at the same time.
"Put a lil' boogie in it," joy answered proudly and giggled.
It was a very old joke, one the gang has probably heard a million times in their lifetimes, but they still roared with laughter hearing it come from this little girl who was way too smart for her own age.
"Down please," Joy requested. She was antsy and wanted to play, but the adults just got settled with their own food and wanted to enjoy it before they had to run around the yard making sure Joy kept out of trouble and was safe while she played.
Tara took a bit of her veggie burger and then pulled out a little book. She pointed to one of the colors and asked, "What color is that?"
"Purple," Joy answered without hesitation. This seemed to distract their daughter long enough for them to finish eating. In between bites of food either Willow or Tara would quiz Joy on various colors and Joy nailed each one. As they finished their food they moved on to numbers and by the time they reached 11 Joy got stuck and frustrated and wanted down again. Tara wiped her hands and then Joy's hands and pulled her daughter out of the high chair. She followed Joy around the yard keeping the girl entertained while the others chatted.
"She's really coming along with those colors," Xander stated the obvious.
"Yeah, she knows them all. I'm working on shades now," Willow laughed, joking. "Actually, I got all freaked out that she didn't know her colors so everything we saw I kept asking, 'what's that color, what's this color.' Then I got a newsletter in my email about children her age and found out that by the time she's three she should know two colors, so it turns out we're way ahead of the game."
That got some more laughs, especially considering the bookworm Willow is. "Aww, poor Joy. Here she is working her butt off and she's got at least one more year to slack off." Dawn joked. She was never a fan of schoolwork and felt a little sorry for her niece.
As night fell and the evening became too cool and unsafe to remain outside, the gang moved their get together inside. Tara laid Joy down to bed and Anya settled Alex in a small, rocking, chair as he dozed.
Fresh cups of coffee filled everyone's hands and the conversation became a little more subdued, punctuated by the occasional muted laugh as everyone was mindful of the sleeping babies (good spot to expand to show Dawn interacting like she wanted to in the first story).
Eventually the lovely day between friends ended. Xander and Anya took Alex home; Dawn and Freddie helped clean up and then went upstairs to get ready for bed; Tara and Willow went up to get ready for bed while Buffy finished straightening. After moving all the coffee cups into the sink, deciding to worry about cleaning them in the morning, she climbed the stairs.
Buffy leaned against the door frame and enjoyed the site before her. Willow was in the rocking chair holding Joy and humming softly. Tara was kneeling beside her with a hand lovely draped over the redhead's knee, a smile unconsciously playing on her lips. Tara was the first to look up and see the slayer at the door and she whispered, "Joy was finicky," and after two years with the young girl now in Willow's arms, Buffy knew well enough what that meant. Sometimes their daughter would suffer from night terrors and would only calm when one of them rocked her back to sleep.
Buffy nodded slowly and though she gave Tara a smile her thoughts were brought to a distant place. It broke her heart that at only two-years-old her daughter was already being affected by life on the hellmouth. Once she was born Buffy and the Scoobies made a solid effort to keep the life of slaying as far away from Joy, yet it didn't seem to matter. Their daughter was still plagued by visions of horrors at night and though she held an impressive vocabulary, Joy was unable to tell them what tormented her at night. The doctors had said it was actually common for children of this age to experience such things, but Buffy knew that wasn't the whole truth.
She was brought from her thoughts when a soft hand brushed stray strands of hair from her face and she looked up to see blue eyes staring back at her. Tara's eyes held concern and understanding while Willow, who had her arms wrapped loosely around the blonde witch's waist, looked on knowingly. They all held the same fears and troubles and they knew Buffy was most affected by the thoughts that ran rampant in her mind.
"Ready for bed?" Buffy finally spoke in hushed tones as she took a final glance at her daughter who was now sleeping peacefully in her 'big girl bed.'
The witches nodded and walked down the hall with Buffy leading. As they readied for bed, Buffy turned and watched Willow once again. The redhead looked so natural holding Joy and she wondered if her lovers would want another child someday and if Willow would be interested in carrying this time. She entertained the thought of eventually being the one to have a child, but the thought passed almost as soon as it came. As a slayer she could never have children. For nine months she would have to be extra careful about any blows she took and that just wasn't likely to happen as she fought the monsters of the night. So, instead, she was content to play the 'father' in this unorthodox family and keep the family safe.
Willow and Tara had crawled into bed and watched their lover carefully. They knew Buffy was prone to getting lost in thought; they knew she held the weight of the world on her shoulders and in her mind and there was little they could do to ease the lines of worry that seemed to be permanent on Buffy's young face. "Care to share?" Willow broached, hoping that as long as Buffy spoke her mind occasionally, she would feel at least a little better.
Buffy turned to finish what she was doing and crawled into bed taking the middle so that Willow and Tara would flank her. She normally liked to stay on the outside to allow the witches room to cuddle with each other, but at times she needed to feel them both. Needed to feel their bodies pressed up against her sides and know that she was loved, completely and utterly. The witches draped arms and legs over Buffy and nestled their heads into her shoulders and Buffy began to idly stroke the smooth skin she found beneath her fingertips.
"Ever think about having another kid?" Buffy asked after a long silent period.
"Did you want a baby, Buffy?" Tara asked.
"No. I mean, not me per se. I mean, I... I can't." She pursed her lips to keep the emotions from welling up inside her.
Willow cuddled closer and started to run her hand along Buffy's arms to sooth the pain she knew the Slayer was feeling.
"Shh, baby, it's okay," Tara cooed gently as she tightened her embrace.
"I, ah, I was thinking maybe Will..." she trailed off, now unsure of herself and of how Willow would react.
Tara looked over to Willow and noticed the green eyes staring back at her. There was a question in those eyes and Tara knew that Willow was seeking her opinion on the matter as well. "That's up to you, sweetie," Tara whispered to her lover, trying to tell her that she'd support any decision made by either Willow or Buffy, as long as it made them happy.
"Well, I thought about it. I mean, I grew up as an only child, but I always thought of Xander as like a brother. Well, except for that time I had a crush on him, because then it would just be ewww, but other than that, he was just a brother, well, like a brother to me. I mean..." Willow took a deep breath and let it out and looked up accusingly at Tara. "You're supposed to stop me when I do that."
"I like it when you do that," Tara quipped, giving the redhead her patented half-smile.
"Me too," Buffy put in, her eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of her lovers being so close, but she kept her lids shut to help block out the eventual rejection of her idea she knew was bound to come.
"He he, thanks," Willow blushed slightly. "But yeah, I guess. I mean, I've thought about it. Especially after Joy. What do you guys think?"
"You already know my vote," Buffy offered up, a bit more confident now that she heard Willow was interested as well. Her eyes drifted open to gaze over to Tara.
Tara shifted a bit as both sets of green eyes looked at her for an answer. "I have a brother but it wasn't, well, you know," Tara swallowed back the resentment and lingering pain that still surfaced sometimes when she thought about what her life was like back home. She thought of her mother and wondered - hoped - that her mother would be happy and proud of the life that she know led. "I think Joy would love a sister." She looked back up into their eyes and smiled.
The girls hunkered down for the night, no need to get into the details of when they planned to try for another baby. Each drifting off to sleep with content smiles.
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"I'm telling you, we must bring her in. There's no telling what kind of danger she could bring to us. This is completely unprecedented and it must be studied so we can form a defense if needed."
"And how to do plan on bringing her in? Surely they won't just hand the girl over to us."
"Then we just take her."
"I fear it won't be as simple as that, dear friend. Plus, do you seek the wrath of three extremely powerful women as a result?"
"The matter is final. We will bring the girl in and examine her. Determine what we need. If she survives we will consider returning her or keep her for ourselves. Now leave me."
The man shook his head. This was not good. This was as far from good as you could get. The bring down the wrath of the slayer and two witches was not something he wanted a part of, but his duty forbid him from doing anything else. He shook his head and closed the door behind him, leaving his boss to his evil schemes.
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By the end of the week the three lovers discussed trying the spell they had inadvertently put together almost three years ago and hoped that they could once again make it work. Now, aware of what they were doing, the women set up everything they needed. An athame rested on the nightstand, the lights were off with candles lit all around the room. Dawn and Freddie were told to go out and stay out late, the others were told not to call or come over unless someone was hurt or the world was ending.
Buffy moved over to the bed where Willow was laying, reviewing the spell's words that would be needed. She straddled her lovers legs, resting on the hacker's small and firm butt, and began to give the redhead a soothing massage. Willow's head dropped forward and she let out a long moan as she felt the Slayer's fingers press into her muscles and she let herself fall into the lull that quickly came over them.
Tara watched with a smirk from her position over by the dresser as she finished lighting the rest of the candles. She blew out the match, placed it on a dish, and slowly crept out of her clothes. She crawled onto the bed and captured Buffy's lips with her own, both groaning at the contact. Willow began to shift and Buffy lifted up slightly to allow the redhead to turn onto her back. Willow reached up and with one hand began to move her way under Buffy's shirt while her other hand started to trace lazy patterns along Tara's smooth skin.
Tara reached over and tugged Buffy's shirt off, breaking the kiss only to remove the clothing and then they were quickly back to business. Buffy reached out and removed Willow's shirt and then felt the slender hands of her lover slide onto her skin once again, trails of heat following in their path until they reached her breasts and Buffy couldn't help the gasp that came from her lips. It never ceased to amaze her how the feel of her lovers always set her on fire.
Buffy shifted off of Willow to allow them both more range of motion and slid onto the opposite side of Willow, effectively placing her in the middle of them. The Slayer broke away from her kiss with Tara, giving her a smile, before her lips met Willow's, her tongue immediately seeking access. Tara moved to lay down next to Willow and started to run her hands along the redhead's topless form, taking one of her small, pert breasts into her hand and gently squeezed it, lightly pinching the nipple until it hardened. Willow gasped into Buffy's mouth when she felt Tara playing with her breast and a deep groan came forth in response. Tara latch her lips onto Willow's neck, sucking on the pulse point there, feeling the heartbeat pounding fiercely beneath the skin. Buffy draped a leg over Willow's until it rested in between her lover's legs and she pressed upward. Willow immediately bucked against Buffy's thigh and moaned when the Slayer pulled her leg away. Tara kissed her way up Willow's neck and along her jawline until she was up to Willow's lips. Buffy pulled back slightly, her hand reaching up to lace into Tara's blonde tresses, pulling her into another kiss. Willow reached up, pressing them both to her as she added her lips to the mix.
Tara pulled from the kiss first and Buffy looked up for only a moment to notice the blonde witch reaching for the nightstand. Buffy moved her body so it covered the lithe form of the redhead. Her hips pressing up against Willow's center and Buffy smirked as her lover whimpered with need. The Slayer resumed her kisses, soft and frequent until she reached Willow's quivering stomach. Her fingers dipped into the band of Willow's skirt and began to pull it down, her lips covering the skin with more kisses as each inch of flesh was exposed.
"Buffy, please," Willow whimpered further, her fingers sliding into and griping blonde hair as Buffy finished pulling off the skirt and began to kiss her way back up her lover. She nipped at the flesh on Willow's inner thighs and blew at the wet patch between Willow's legs making the redhead buck, wanting more physical contact. Tara moved back over to them and after kissing Willow passionately, began to chant her part of the ritual.
"Goddess, please look upon us with your grace. We ask that you bless this union and grant us the power to bring forth love into this world."
Tara, hating the next part, took a deep breath and steeled herself against what needed to be done. With the athame in hand she moved the blade against Willow's stomach. Buffy saw it and knew what to do to distract Willow. She let her tongue lash out and took Willow's clit into her mouth. Willow cried out at the same instant Tara pulled the blade across her fair skin. No one was sure if Willow's cry was in pleasure, pain, or both, but any discomfort she felt was quickly replaced by the overwhelming sensation of Buffy's mouth working her over expertly. Her hips slammed up against Buffy's mouth.
Tara quickly ran the blade across her palm, wincing and sucking in a sharp breath as the metal cut into her skin. Buffy held onto Willow's hips with one hand while she turned her other one up, her eyes silently asking Tara to do the same for her. With a quick swipe the Slayer matched her with a slice across her palm.
"Goddess..." Willow gasped out, "please l-l-look upon uuuuuussssss... with your grace. We-we ask t-t-that you blessssss this union and g-g-grant us the powerrrrrr to bring forth l-l-love into this worl..." the redhead barely managed to get out in between gasps and pants.
Tara climbed up onto her lover and Willow quickly positioned Tara the way she wanted her, and reached out with her tongue, deviling deeply into the blonde. Tara cried out loudly as soon as Willow started to lavish her with her tongue. Tara reached out across Willow and began to finger her clit to allow Buffy time to speak.
"Goddess, please look up us with your grace. We ask that you bless this union and grants us the power to bring forth loveintothisworld..." Buffy rushed out as quickly as she could and went back to Willow. Tara placed her still bleeding hand on one side of Willow's stomach where the cut was and Buffy did the same on the opposite side.
Tara motioned with her other hand for Buffy to move around and with a smile Buffy shifted until her bottom half was up by Tara, but her mouth still firmly planted on Willow's center. Tara leaned down, her mouth laying claim to Buffy, sucking greedily on the Slayer's clit. With her free hand Buffy easily slipped two fingers into Willow who ground herself against Buffy while crying out into Tara at the same time. Willow's cry vibrated through Tara who couldn't help but moan, which only served to have the same effect on Buffy and a circle quickly formed, pushing each woman to the edge.
As one the three of them crested and a bright flash filled the room, slowly fading until it sealed the small wound on Willow's stomach. The women laid there, panting, Tara sliding off Willow, and they laid there haphazardly. "I... I think it worked..." Tara panted.
"Hmmm," was all Buffy managed to get out.
Willow decided it would be foolish to even try to speak at this point and simply let her hand trail across her stomach. Buffy cracked an eye open and added her hand to Willow's stomach. Tara was quick to follow, the three of them rubbing Willow's stomach, innately knowing that the spell worked.
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RING! RING!
Buffy and Tara were in the kitchen, the Witch teaching the Slayer how to cook. Buffy threw a dish towel over her shoulder, wiping her hands on it as she went to answer the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello, is Ms. Rosenberg available?" The cheery female voice asked.
"Ah, no, she's working at the moment. May I take a message?" Buffy answered and looked around for a pen to jot down the message.
"Is this Ms. Summers or Ms. Maclay?"
"This is Buffy Summers, who's this?" Buffy asked. She couldn't help but get suspicious of curious people.
"Oh, I'm sorry. This is Stacey over at Doctor Goldberg's office. I'm calling with the results of Ms. Rosenberg's test."
"Ahhh, okay." Buffy answered, getting nervous already.
Tara came to stand by Buffy and watched as the Slayer paced in small circles. "The test has come back positive. Congratulations." Stacey announced, loving it when she got to give good news.
"Whoo hoo!" Buffy cheered. "Thank you, I'll pass on the news. Thank you." Buffy hung up and turned to Tara, unable to keep the huge smile from her face.
"Positive?" Tara asked though she pretty much knew the answer already.
Buffy nodded, took Tara's hand, and pulled them down the stairs into the basement, now Willow's office. They knocked on the door and walked in to see Willow hunched over one of the three computers lined up on her desk. "What's up, guys?" Willow asked, immediately brightening up at the sight of her lovers.
Tara and Buffy stood there, without saying a word; huge, goofy grins plastered on their faces. Willow looked puzzled for a moment, but her brain kicked into gear and she bounded out from behind her work station and threw herself at her lovers. "Congrats, sweetie" Tara said, kissing the redhead passionately. As soon as Willow's lips were free from Tara Buffy took over, finally pulling away, leaving Willow gasping for air with a huge smile of her own.
"So, Scooby meeting tonight to announce the news?" Buffy asked.
"Oh, no!" Tara called out and started racing up the stairs.
Willow and Buffy looked at each other and quickly followed the blonde. As soon as they made it to the door they saw Tara tossing something from the stove into the sink and running water over it. She turned around and gave them a meek smile. "In all the excitement we forgot the sauce on the stove."
"Awww, shucks, now we have to go out for a celebratory lunch," Buffy quipped.
"Hmmm, sounds good. I can use a break," Willow leaned in and gave Buffy a kiss on the cheek.
"Great, so you finish up whatever you need to, I'll clean up this mess, Tara - wanna go grab Joy? She should be done with her nap about now anyway."
The women nodded and went about their tasks. Tara piled a bag decorated in Winnie The Pooh(TM) characters with bibs, diapers, and a plethora of baby needs. She walked into the baby's room and Joy was already scooting herself out of bed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her small hands. "Hey, honey" Tara called out, "Did you have a nice sleep?" Joy just nodded, not really wanting to speak so soon after waking up. "You want to get something to eat?" Tara asked and Joy nodded again. It didn't take too long for her to get Joy changed and more alert before heading back down the stairs.
Willow set about closing down the various programs she had open, saved her work, and headed back upstairs. Buffy was scrubbing the pot now lined with burnt and very stubborn sauce. Willow leaned up against the counter to watch with a bemused smirk on her face. "Agghhh! I've fought demons who've given me less trouble than this." Buffy exclaimed as she slumped against the sink, defeated.
Willow laughed until Buffy gave her an exhausted 'evil eye.' The redhead bit her lip, turned around, and set the pan down in the sink. She turned the water on to its hottest setting, put some drops of soap in, and then pulled Buffy away from the setting pan. "But, but..."
"Trust me. When you come back you'll still get to do the dishes," Willow joked and then she saw Buffy's pout, "But it'll be a lot easier," she tried to ease the lines that creased around Buffy's eyes.
"Ready?" Tara called out as she came down the stairs, baby in one arm, bag draped over the other one.
Buffy smiled, nodded, and then held out her hands to help Tara. Tara smiled sweetly and then tossed the bag into Buffy's arms. Again, Buffy couldn't help the pout that came to her face. "Aww, don't pout, sweetie," Tara leaned over and kissed her before turning out the door with a laugh.
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"And what can I get you little one?" The smiling waitress asked as she squatted down next to Joy in the high chair.
"Chicken and fries," Joy announced happily.
"Sweetie? Don't you want something different for a change."
Joy turned her head and seemed to consider Tara's words for a second before turning back to the waitress with a smile. "No thanks. Chicken and Fries please."
The waitress laughed and looked up to Tara who she marked as the mother. Tara gave a defeated chuckle and nodded. The waitress stood back up and headed out to place their orders.
"What's the deal with this chicken and fries?" Willow asked, a firm smile on her face.
"Who knows. You know how she gets onto her kicks with things," Buffy answered as though it explained everything.
~~
"She's off her game," the man with the binoculars stated.
"She's eating, how can you tell she's off from her eating?" the younger one commented, bored out of his mind.
"She doesn't even know we're here," the other explained.
"I don't see why we don't just sneak in, take the girl and go," the younger one griped.
"Because, you idiot, I don't want to get myself killed. We track, we inform, we go home. They'll send in a retrieval team when the time is right."
A crackling sound broke the silence that fell over the men. "Team Alpha, come in, over."
The older man snatched away the mic before the younger one could. "Alpha here. Over."
"We've just received a report that Willow Rosenberg may also be carrying. Observe and report. Over." The crackling voice demanded.
"Understood. Over and out." The older man replaced the mic and returned to his watch, zeroing in on the redhead.
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"The reports have been confirmed, sir." Another man stood in front of the large desk, waiting for further instructions from his boss.
"Rosenberg is pregnant?" he asked, not really surprised.
"Yes, sir. Our team spotted them entering the physician's office and we accessed her records to confirm that her tests revealed a positive pregnancy test. According to our scouts she is still with the others and has had no contact with a male in a sexual nature."
"Damn!" the boss exclaimed but calmed almost immediately, a new idea forming in his head. "Good, good," the other man looked on curiously wondering how someone could change attitudes so quickly, but he remained silently. "Inform the retrieval team that it is time to move in. Two targets. Both must be taken alive and well. If any, and I mean any," his voice grew dangerous, "harm comes to either of them you will beg for death before I'm through, understood?"
The man gulped visually and audibly, nodding almost til his head fell off as he quickly backed away til he reached the door.
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"Time for bed," Tara announced as she herded Joy up the steps. Joy immediately began to come up with a million excuses why she couldn't go to bed that instant while Willow and Buffy went to the kitchen, chuckling at the same time.
"See," Willow pointed to the pot that had soaked all day, "now you can clean it," she threw a sponge at Buffy who easily caught it. With a groan she set out to scrub and was happy when it just wiped clean.
Suddenly flashing lights were outside their house and a loud pounding came at the door. "Fire department," someone yelled and the door crashed open. Buffy and Willow were startled and her slayer instincts kicked in, wanting to attack.
"What's going on?" Willow had to raise her voice over the sudden intrusion of noise while positioning herself in front of Buffy to stop her.
"Neighbors reported smoke coming from your home. Follow us, please," one man instructed, holding out his hand.
"Tara!" Buffy yelled as she headed for the stairs.
Tara came to the top of the stairs holding Joy. "Buffy! What's going on?"
"They say there's a fire, let's go!" Buffy informed racing up the stairs to make sure Tara and Joy were fine.
"Smoke!" Willow announced from her position in the kitchen. Smoke started to billow out from under the door in the basement. She started to cough as it quickly rose and she breathed it in.
"Out! Now!" Buffy ordered and ushered Tara and Joy down the stairs right into a cloud of smoke. Tara tucked Joy's head against her shoulder and Buffy tried to cover Tara but the height difference made it difficult. A fireman grabbed Willow and pulled her out of the house behind Buffy, Tara, and Joy.
They were coughing and two sets of paramedics came rushing up. "We'll take you to the hospital to get checked out," one announced to Willow who was still trying to get the smoke out of her lungs.
"I'm fine," Buffy argued around her coughs catching Willow's attention.
"It's a precaution, miss, smoke inhalation can be serious, especially for children," one of the medics stated, nodding over to Joy.
"We'll go," Willow announced and Buffy nodded in agreement.
"If you'll just follow us," one medic said.
Another medic took Joy and handed her to Willow while they looked over Tara quickly. One of the other medics started to usher Willow and Joy into one ambulance while Tara and Buffy were taken to another one. The ambulances took off, lights whirling, sirens silent.
"Um, the hospital is the other way," Willow noted as she tried to look over Joy and discover any injuries.
"Can you please place the baby here," he patted the cot. "I need to check her out.
"But... the hospital is the other way."
"We know, miss," the medic smiled at her. "The fire trucks have blocked the road, both rigs couldn't fit through, we're going around and back up," he tried to explain.
Willow nodded and placed Joy on the stretcher. He kept Willow's attention on the baby while using one hand to check her out but his other hand snuck out and plunged the needle into Willow's arm.
"Owwww..." the word died on her lips as she slumped forward almost immediately.
"Got her, let's go," the medic announced. The sirens blared as they raced down the street.
"What happened to mommy?" Joy asked as they left Sunnydale behind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What?" Buffy yelled and her voice bounced off the hospital walls.
"I'm sorry, miss, but you really must keep your voice down. This is a hospital," The nurse admonished.
"Screw that. Are you telling me that There was never a second ambulance? Are you telling me that my girlfriend and my daughter are missing? Is that what you're telling me?" Buffy was near hysterics.
While Tara was checking out Buffy had gone to see where Willow and Joy were only to hear that the hospital had no record of a second ambulance being sent to the scene or entering the hospital.
"Ma'am, if you don't maintain some control I'll be forced to call security." The nurse tried again.
"Fuck security!" Buffy suddenly screamed out and slammed her hand down on the large counter the nurse hid behind, causing a large dent to form. She stormed away and started to make some calls.
"Xander! Xander wake up this instant!" Buffy yelled into the phone at the answering machine. She heard the noise on the other end of the line.
"H-hello? Buffy?" Xander's voice came through.
"Xander, something's happened to Willow and Joy. Get to the hospital please. Tara and I are here. Something was set up. Something's happened."
"Be right there..." Xander informed as he hung up the phone.
It felt like an eternity, but by the time Xander and Anya came stumbling into the emergency room Tara was just being released and two pot-bellied security guards were trying to look menacing as they stood watching Buffy pace like a wild animal trapped in a cage.
"Buffy!" Xander called out, knowing better than to rush the blonde when she was like this.
Buffy and Tara raced over to Xander. "They took my baby!" Tara cried out and threw her arms around Anya who awkwardly, but genuinely tried to console Tara.
Buffy was enraged and in full slayer mode. "Can we go home? There might be clues there." She growled out.
~~~~
It didn't take them long to make it back to Buffy's house and the Slayer was already racing from the car before it pulled to a complete stop. Dawn and Freddie met them at the front door, concern and confusion clearly etched into their young faces. "Buffy, what's going on?"
Buffy pushed past them and Tara took it upon herself to explain what little they knew. "Someone took Willow and Joy," was all she got out as she rushed into the house after Buffy.
"What?" Dawn yelled out and quickly followed the others, Freddie, Xander, and Anya not far behind her.
Buffy was downstairs when the others finally caught up with her. She was throwing piles of clothes around, pulling out tables and shelves, and finally pulled the washing machine from the wall and that's when she spotted it. "Damn it! I knew it!" She pulled out two packets and studied them. Without even acknowledging the others she pushed passed them and bounded up the stairs.
"Buffy, what's going on? What are those?" Xander asked as he tried to comfort his friend.
Buffy paced back and forth in the kitchen and growled when Xander got too close. He immediately and wisely backed off. "Smoke bombs. It was a fucking set up."
Everyone blanched at Buffy's angry words and knew that if the Slayer was resorting to full curses than she was beyond angry, easily taking up residence in the land of the livid. "What do we do?" Dawn asked.
Anya was about to suggest that they ask Willow to just track the serial numbers on the packets but quickly realized the folly in that plan. Before anyone else could put forth a plan the phone's shrill ringing broke into the fray. Buffy lunged forward and in her haste to answer it, nearly ripped the phone off the wall completely. "Hello?"
"They're safe. Stay away and they'll remain safe. This is not a trap. This is not a lure. We want you far away. Do be a dear and follow these simple instructions." The line went dead.
The near death experience the phone experienced before hand was nothing compared to the shattered pieces of plastic that flew outwards as Buffy slammed the phone down, leaving a considerable hole in the wall in the process. Tara was hesitant to go to Buffy and wondered if, for the first time, she was actually afraid *of* her lover. "Buffy?" She called out gently, not wanting to startle a clearly enraged Slayer.
Buffy spun on her heels but her eyes softened when she saw Tara and opened her arms. Tara didn't waste a second and fell into Buffy's embrace and the two fell the floor, crying. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Buffy cried out. She couldn't protect them. She couldn't stop them. She let herself get so lax over time and these English bastards had... "English bastards!" Buffy cried out and jumped to her feet, leaving Tara completely startled on the floor.
The others were about to leave the lovers to their cry-fest when Buffy's cry brought them all rushing back in. Buffy's brain kicked in and realized how she left her lover and reached down to help her up. "English! He had an English accent." Buffy tried to explain as she gave Tara a quick once over to make sure she was okay.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Xander asked, hoping he was wrong.
"The Council," Buffy growled.
"But... but why would they?" Dawn tried to grasp what was happening. She'd known some of what the Council had done to Buffy as stories were told over the last three years and knew she didn't like them, but she didn't think that Willow and Joy had anything the Council would need.
"Because Joy's the daughter of a slayer and two witches." Tara started, the thoughts steadily clicking into their right places. "And you're the oldest living slayer, so they probably never had a situation like this before."
"Fucking bastards!" Buffy yelled and went to grab the phone and realized it was a lost cause. She pushed herself through her friends again and grabbed the phone in the living room, the others following, but keeping a safe distance. She began dialing frantically cursing at the unusually long phone number.
"But why take Willow? Why bring a powerful witch along for the kidnapping of her own child?" Xander asked, trying to get the whole situation squared away in his head.
"Well, we had hoped to announce it under better circumstances, but Willow's pregnant and the Council probably wanted to make sure they had complete control over the situation." Tara tried to answer though her mind was clashing with thoughts on the nastiest spells she could find to cause the Council as much damage as possible, while also trying to find ways to save her lover and daughter.
"Giles!" Buffy yelled into the phone. "The goddamn Council took Willow and Joy!"
"Wha-what?" Giles' groggy voice came over the line and he tried to process what Buffy just announced.
"They kidnapped Willow and my baby!" She reiterated.
"But why... oh dear," he groaned as the same thoughts quickly clicked in his head as well. "I'll get right on it here. I'll see if they've come back to England at all, you make sure that everything's taken care of on your end there."
"They're human, Giles, but I can't promise anything if Joy or Willow are hurt." Buffy growled her warning.
"Understood, and neither can I." Giles tried to placate Buffy, knowing it would be useless to argue with her when she was like this, even as he felt the same way once his mind grasped what was happening. He just prayed that, if anything did happen to the girls, Buffy would pull through in the end and make the right decision, and no matter which one that was, he'd support her through it... if he didn't get to the Council first.
Buffy hung up the phone. "He's looking into it. Checking to see if they're on their way back to England. I'm going out on patrol and I'll try to catch them if I can. Can you guys stay here and watch Tara? They probably won't be back, but just in case."
"Sure thing, Buff," Xander offered without hesitation.
Freddie was beside himself and kept his mouth shut as he took in the whole scene from Dawn's side. He'd never seen Buffy this angry before and he wasn't afraid to admit it scared him a whole lot. He knew about the slaying, about the weird goings-on that always seemed to pop up, and even went on an occasional patrol with them. But he never was apart of a crisis or an impending apocalypse. He looked over to Dawn as Buffy rushed out of the house and wondered how they did it. He heard the stories of the times when the world almost ended. How Dawn was the key. How she was kidnapped almost weekly and wondered how they could lead lives that had happiness and fun and go about their days like they didn't just save the world the night before. He smiled down at his girlfriend and couldn't help but take that moment to think how very happy he was to apart of this group, albeit by proxy, and hoped there was something he could do to help the women who had taken him in, but he couldn't help a bit out of place with all these 'super hero' types. Instead, he made a silent vow right there and then that he'd do the one thing he knew he could... support Dawn and with that came supporting everyone else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been several hours and Buffy finally came dragging herself back into the house. Everyone had taken up temporary residence in the living room and at some point Xander and Anya left to pick up their son so they could watch him too while they tried to track down Willow and Joy. Buffy couldn't help but stare longingly at the little boy that slept soundly next to Anya, completely oblivious to the horrors that were going on around him at that very instant.
"Buffy!" Tara called out and then immediately sent an apologetic smile to Anya when she realized that she just risked waking Alex. Anya nodded to tell her it was understood and that no harm had come. Tara rushed forward and pulled Buffy into a hug, but immediately pulled away when she heard the gasp from her lover's lips. She let her eyes take in every aspect of Buffy and realized that she had several bruises and cuts. "You're hurt," she stated softly and started to move for the first aid kit.
"I'm fine," Buffy grumbled and before she could protest further the phone rang, interrupting any debate that was about to take place. Buffy raced forward and picked up the phone, this time being a little more cautious with the device. "Hello?"
"Buffy, it's Giles," he stated as though the slayer wouldn't have figured it out after hearing his voice for six years.
"Anything?" She asked hopefully.
"Actually, I may have found something. There are no records to indict the Council's team will be returning to England soon." Buffy's shoulders slumped forward as she took in his words as bad news. "I did, however, manage to track them to New York."
"What?" Buffy cried out. She wasn't sure if she was shocked or happy, perhaps a mix of both. "What the hell are they doing all the way over there?"
"Well," Giles started, "I suspect that they figured you'd get in touch with me and would try to track them back to England. I imagine they picked New York so that they could blend in easier and get lost in the large crowds there."
"Fine. Time for a road trip then."
"I already have two tickets for you and Tara being sent to you via courier service. It should be there first thing in the morning and your flight leaves at 10 am."
"You're the best, Giles. Thank you."
"Anything for you, Buffy, you know that. Now, go get my granddaughter and Willow," he commanded gently.
Buffy hung up the phone and turned to th group waiting expectantly. "They're heading for New York. Giles already has tickets on the way for Tara and I. We're going to get packing." Buffy gave the short version, as always, and bounded up the stairs.
"Dawn, you and Freddie need to take over the house for a while, can you do that?" Tara asked, trying to make sure that everything was under control before she took off after her lover and daughter. The two younger ones nodded seriously. This was not the time to think about the joys of having the house all to themselves. Tara smiled her thanks. "Xander, can you and Spike handle patrolling while we're gone?" She saw Xander cringe at the thought of having to work with Spike but nodded that it would be taken care of. With that Tara followed Buffy up the stairs and began to pack.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xander had dropped them off that morning and they had an easy flight to New York, landing at La Guardia International airport. Buffy, the mighty slayer, actually gripped the back of the seat in front of her as they came in for their landing and Tara couldn't help the small smile that played on her lips. She patted Buffy's thigh, "Next time I'll take the window seat," she offered.
Buffy whimpered and nodded as she watched the plane get closer and closer to the water beneath them. If it wasn't for the sealed cabin, Buffy would have been able to lean over the side and touch the sparkling liquid, or so it seemed. "Are we ever going to reach land before we hit the water?" The blonde gulped.
"I'm sure they know what they're doing, just breath," Tara tried to calm her lover with soothing tones.
"It's always scarey the first few times, until you get used to it," a deep voice from beside Tara offered, a look of sympathy on his face.
"There'll be land?" Buffy squeaked out.
He chuckled warmly. "Yeah, we should be coming up to the runaway any second now."
There were a light bump and the squeal of rubber tires meeting asphalt and then the grinding of the breaks being applied. Buffy audibly sighed and couldn't wait to get off the plane so her feet could touch solid ground once again.
Buffy had been to Los Angeles before but the hustle and bustle that buzzed around them was almost overwhelming to the slayer and shy witch. By the time they finally got their bags and located a taxi Buffy was about to spit nails. "I can't believe how rude the people here are," the Slayer groaned as she settled in for a relaxing ride to the hotel.
"Where to?" The cabbie's distinctly Hindu accent floated to them through the Plexiglass, bulletproof divider.
"Downtown Holiday Inn on Lafayette Street," Tara answered.
Without further word the driver shot his cab out into traffic, without even looking nor caring about the dozen or so horns blaring from behind him. "Christ!" Buffy yelled as she held onto the 'oh shit' handle and the cab sped out of the airport, flying over potholes, and finally veering onto the parkway heading west back towards the city.
It was a bumpy and scary ride and by the time they finally pulled up in front of the hotel Buffy was wondering if she'd ever done anything as scary before in her life, slaying included. Tara looked absolutely frazzled as she practically stumbled out of the car and waited for Buffy to pay the fare. A bellman came forward and started to unload the bags from the trunk and walked behind the women as the entered the cool lobby and went to the reception desk.
"Buffy Summers and Tara Maclay checking in," Buffy informed.
The man looked down at his console and typed in the information. "One room, queen bed, and you've requested that Internet service be available, is that correct, ma'am?" He spouted, without even looking up from his computer.
"Yeah, sounds about right," Buffy answered, too tired to even think about anything and just wanted to get up to her room, sleep for a little bit and get right into searching.
He passed a piece of paper to the bellman and their luggage was brought up to the room. "Please sign here," he instructed. Buffy quickly scribbled her name across the line and pushed it back, wanting to be finished with the stupid formalities and just throw herself on the bed she knew was waiting for them. He took the forms back, finished up his work, and finally handed Buffy an envelope with two cards. "Take the elevator to the third floor and exit to the right." He instructed.
Buffy eagerly grabbed the cards and then Tara's hand, pulling her to the elevator. It wasn't hard to find the room, but Buffy, in all her skills, couldn't manage to time the card and the lock just right to get through the door. Tara gently pushed Buffy to the side, took the card, and with one swipe entered the room. Buffy grumbled under her breath as she stepped past the threshold, but made sure to give her lover a grateful kiss. Before Tara could close the door the bellman arrived with their bags. He brought them into the room, setting them on the floor beside the bed, and left when Tara handed him a few dollars as a tip.
Tara pulled out the laptop and couldn't help but let a tear escape at the thought of her missing lover. Buffy came over and wrapped her strong arms around Tara, nuzzling her neck gently. "We'll find them, I promise," Buffy vowed. She pulled back and Tara plugged in the modem and the screeching could be heard as it tried to make a connection to the Internet. "I talked to Giles before we left. He said a hacker friend of his was going to try to get a better location on them and that he'd email us with the details." Buffy informed.
Tara nodded and started to log in, immediately checking the email, and sighed with relief when she saw one marked urgent with the subject line "Seek and Ye Shall Find." She bypassed all others and opened that one while Buffy threw herself onto the bed with an exaggerated groan. Tara read the email, not understanding any of the locations, but the hacker thankfully provided basic directions and different web sites they could visit in order to get exact directions from where they were. Tara jotted down the most important bits of information, saved the email as new for future reference, and shut down the system. She looked over and noticed Buffy was out cold, too exhausted from the stress, slaying, injuries, and travel, especially with a time difference to adjust to on top of it all. With a gentle, but loving kiss, Tara left the bed and headed for the shower. She'd give Buffy about an hour before she tried to wake her. At least it would give them time to eat and survey the area before they would attempt sneaking in.
As the warm water pounded against her aching flesh, Tara couldn't help but wonder if things were far too easy. This was the Council, after all. How would they allow themselves to get tracked so quickly. Not that the prospect of rescuing her family within the next few hours was a bad one, but something just seemed 'off.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time they finally pulled up at the end of the block from the address they received in the email it was already 4pm. Sunset wouldn't be for at least another 3 hours, which meant they had to decide whether or not to charge in without the cover of darkness to help give them an advantage or wing it and risk being seen before they got inside. It really didn't take them long to decide that they'd split up, one taking the front, the other taking the rear, and with a little luck they both managed to get up to the doorways without any alarms going off.
Buffy kicked in the door, it flying off its hinges and sailing across the room. At the commotion, Tara opened the door on her end, snapping the lock with magicks. They both rushed in at the same moment and Buffy was a split second too late. "Tara, stop!" The witch skid to a halt, but Buffy's momentum from her slayer-speed carried her forward.
She tried to grab for something, anything, but all the jagged edges broke in her hands, ripping into her skin and before she knew it her body landed with a reverberating thud.
"Buffy!" Tara called out. The witch started to shuffle around the gaping hole in the building and tried to see into it, but it was like a black abyss. "Buffy! Are you okay?" Still no response. "Answer me!" Tara was near hysterics as she kept moving around the large hole trying to find an angle that would reveal the depths her lover fell into. She forced herself to calm down and as she took in a centering breath the idea to try the spell Willow had used to light up the burnt out school when they searched for Riley came into mind. "Fiat lux!" Tara called out and a pop echoes around her with some wisps of smoke wafting up through the air while a dim light grew and slowly filled the darkness.
A low groan was heard and as the light touched further into the hole Tara was able to see Buffy. Her mind, though frantic, knew instantly that the awkward angle Buffy's leg was at was anything but natural and in all likelihood broken. "Buffy!, don't move." Tara cringed realizing that the Slayer probably couldn't move even if she wanted too. "I'm going to call for help. I'll be right back."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What were you kids doing messing around in that abandoned building?" The cop asked as Tara nervously fidgeted, wringing her hands, as they stood in the emergency waiting room.
Tara wanted to balk at the thought of still being considered a kid, but then she realized to him she really was just a kid. "We were, ah, were looking for someone." She knew the police wouldn't be of any help if the Council was involved and hoped that he'd just leave soon enough so she could worry about her lover alone.
"Ms. Maclay?" A woman's voice called out and Tara spun, rushing away from the officer. "We have Ms. Summers stabilized at the moment, but she's not yet conscious. The blow to her head was substantial and she has several fractures and breaks." The doctor took a deep breath. "Ma'am, your partner's injuries are quite severe. She's in a comatose state at the moment and her back was damaged in the fall. If she does wake there's a great chance that she may not be able to walk again." Tara gasped, but the doctor continued. "There's also a chance, due to the injure to her head, that she may experience amnesia."
Tara stumbled and would have collapsed if the doctor and the police officer didn't rush to catch her. "Are... are you sure?" Tara asked, not believing this. A Slayer who couldn't move would literally be a sitting target, not to mention the fact that if Buffy couldn't even remember who she or anyone else was could be just as dangerous and heart wrenching and now both of those fates were bearing down on them. "Can I... when can I see her?"
"We're going to be moving her into a private room shortly. Once she's settled I'll have someone bring you to her. Ms. Maclay," the doctor gently squeezed Tara's arm and the Witch looked up to see sympathetic eyes, "I'm sorry."
Tara nodded and the doctor turned away while the officer lead her to a chair. "I have to... I have to make a call." Tara said, pushing herself back up onto unsteady legs. She shuffled over to the pay phone, everything around her foggy, and she dialed, collect, to the Magic Box.
"Magic Box?" Anya's voice came through on the line.
"There is a collect call from... Tara Maclay... do you accept the charges?" An automated voice, interlaced with Tara's own weary tone, crackled over the phone.
"Yes," Anya answered. A click was heard and then the lines were connected, "Tara?"
"Anya, it's... it's Buffy. She's been hurt... bad."
"What happened?" Anya asked, her pitch increasing. 'I don't know yet, stop it,' Anya's barely hushed voice was heard as she pulled the phone away, obviously talking to whoever was hording around her for the news as well.
"She fell," Tara answered simply. And it was simple. Just a tumble, a trip, a spill. No death defying flight from building-to-building, or intense battle. Just a fall.
"What? She what? Tara, I think something's wrong with the line here. Did you say she just fell?" Anya's incredulous voice came blaring through the ear piece.
"Anya, please," Tara was bordering on tears and she wondered how long she'd be able to hold on. "We can't keep up the search for Willow and Joy and I'm not sure how to get back home... she's... oh god Anya, she's in a coma," Tara spilled out and the tears finally came pouring forth.
Clink, clung, bang, boom... the phone tumbled along the counter at the Magic Box. "Hello?" Xander's voice came through the line.
"I have to go..." Tara stated, her voice cracking with emotion and she hung up.
"Ms. Maclay?" Tara turned to face a nurse. "You can see your partner now." Tara nodded and was guided silently to the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Anya! Anya what happened?" Xander was frantic as Anya just stared at the phone.
"Buffy, she's..."
"Oh my god!" Xander's immediate thought was that Buffy had died.
"No, you dope," Anya snarled at him, "she's in a coma."
"Huh? What? I mean wait, she's a slayer, she can't be in a coma." Xander tried to reason.
"Faith?" Anya reminded him.
Xander slumped into a chair, suddenly exhausted. Faith was a slayer and she had been in a coma for about 8 months. They barely survived when Buffy had died for those four or five months. If she was in a coma... Xander shook his head and decided he wasn't going to think about it. "Anya, can you get me a ticket to fly out there, I'm going to call Giles and let him know."
Anya nodded and set out to locate the number of an airline while Xander started to dial the long digits to connect to Giles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tara stood outside the door for long minutes as she tried to scavenge up the courage to push through the small barrier, fortifying herself against the horror she knew awaited behind the door. With a deep breath of resolve, she pushed lightly and the door gave way. Slowly, she inched her way into the dimly lit room and wasn't quick enough to stifle the gasp as she took in the sight of her prone lover. The mighty Slayer has fallen and now she looked like nothing more than a young girl overcome by the webs of IV lines and cords that protruded from under the covers to monitor various vital signs. "Oh, Buffy," Tara cried out, her hand clasping over mouth as she rushed to Buffy's side.
A bandage was wrapped thickly around the top of Buffy's head, her eyes were puffy and closed, her hands rested on top of the neatly laid hospital blanket, each limb covered with medical tape to keep the IV drips from pulling out. A respirator was in her nose providing a constant supply of fresh oxygen, filling the otherwise silent room with a low hiss.
Tara pulled a chair close to the side of the bed and carefully slid her hand into Buffy's, cradling it while tears spilled forth. "Oh, baby, please be okay, please, please be okay."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anya was able to get Xander on the next flight out, though it took a lot of haggling and negotiations. He grabbed a quick overnight back, which all the Scoobies already had packed in cases of emergency, and raced to the airport. He left instructions that Giles was going to be flying in as soon as possible and that he'd call when he got in and checked on Buffy.
A few hours later, after wading through the heavy traffic at J.F.K. Airport, Xander went straight to the hospital. After checking in at the nurses station he was directed to the 6th floor where he saw Tara walking out of the room. "Tara!" He called out and then quickly looked around realizing he was being a bit loud.
Tara's head snapped out at the sound of her name in a familiar voice and she looked surprised for a moment before rushing over to him. "My god, Xander, what are you doing here?" She asked while throwing her arms around him in a hug.
"I got on the next flight. Giles is flying in from England. He said he'll work on getting her transferred to a hospital in Sunnydale or possibly some in-home care once he gets in." Xander explained. Tara nodded slowly, understanding the words, but not really processing them. They stood there for a few moments, silently holding each other, Tara cried and Xander was close to tears himself. "How is she?" he finally asked.
"No change," Tara pushed out through a sob. "Oh, Xander, it was so stupid. A stupid accident."
"Anya said she fell?" He questioned, trying to understand what happened.
Tara nodded. "We broke into this warehouse where a friend of Giles said they were keeping Willow and Joy but when Buffy ran in, the floor had this huge hole and she... she couldn't... stop in time."
"What about her slayer healing?" Xander tried to find the upside to this terrible situation.