Learning Curve
by rebelrsr
Chapter Ten
[reviews]
Disclaimer: All things Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and lots of people in expensive suits. I'm not making any money here, just trying to create a happier Buffyverse for my favorite characters.
Spoilers, etc.: I altered the timeline of "The Yoko Factor," "Primeval," and AtS "Sanctuary" with reckless abandon. It's mostly AU from here.
A/N: Character thoughts are enclosed by **. Flashbacks are enclosed by //. Thanks to Desirata41 and Zenithar for the beta and encouragement! Thanks to Zigpal for the continuing support and suggestions. I couldn't do it without you.
Archiving: By permission only.
Willow stared blankly at Joyce Summers for a moment before shaking her head slightly. "I'm sorry, what did you say?' Her voice squeaked on the final word.
"You know very well what I said, Willow Rosenberg."
*Great. Can this day get any worse? What am I thinking, of course it can.* Willow didn't respond; she just walked past the other woman toward the small waiting lounge down the hall. The witch could feel Joyce behind her, disapproval and worry radiating off Buffy's mother in waves. After checking to make sure they were alone in the room, Willow sat down in a chair, perching on the edge.
Joyce sat down next to her and waited expectantly.
"Faith was in my dorm room last night." She hesitated, not really knowing how to describe the Dark Slayer's visit. "At first, I thought she was there to kill me or Buffy, but she said she had some information."
"I don't really need all the details, dear. You mentioned earlier that Faith said Buffy might be suicidal. How about you just skip to that part, hmm?" The older Summers tried to keep the impatience from her voice. The tiny redhead babbled at the drop of a hat, but right now, she was at a verbal standstill.
The girl shrank away from her interrogator. "Sure, Mrs. Summers. That's what she said — well, maybe not quite like that." The Willowbabble was finally rearing its head. "Faith told me Buffy didn't fight back in the church and she was giving up. There's a bond the two of them share and Faith could feel the despair through it."
"And you think she was telling the truth." Joyce sounded unsure.
"Umm, not really. I mean it was Faith and she was always playing head games with me. So I asked Tara about it. She can read auras and she swore Faith was telling the truth."
Joyce stood and walked a few feet away. Head bowed, she asked, "Is that why my daughter's lying in a hospital bed?" Her voice was choked with tears.
"NO." Willow was adamant. "No, Mrs. Summers, I really don't think so." She hadn't been sure until just now. "Buffy and I talked a little before the fight and when she woke up. She just wants to quit, to stop being a Slayer. It's got her all confused and depressed. But she still believes Slaying is her job; she even got mad when I mentioned Xander and I wouldn't let her fight alone. I think Adam is too strong for her. All those demon parts and the cyborg exoskeleton — I mean, he's a lot more than she's ever faced before. We can't look him up on the Internet or in some dusty book on Giles' bookshelves. Until yesterday, we didn't have a clue how to beat him."
"So, you think this spell will work?" Joyce turned to face Willow.
The young witch nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely. As soon as Buffy is out of here, we can go find Adam. I just need to take a look at the stuff on Spike's disks so we know where he is."
"I'm not sure..." Mrs. Summers' voice trailed off. "Why would Tara think Buffy wouldn't be able to help with the spell now? The doctor said she would be fine in a few weeks."
"Tara thinks we don't have that kind of time. She isn't used to Slayer healing," Willow replied. She noticed a vicious "don't lie to me, I'm your mother" look aim her way. *Ookay. That is so much worse than Resolve Face. I suddenly want to confess every wrong thing I've ever done.* "If Buffy's not completely healed, Tara also thinks the acting as the vessel could basically rip her apart," she mumbled.
"And that's why you argued." Joyce wasn't asking a question. "So let me get this straight." Willow tried to become one with the chair at the frustrated tone. "My daughter is supposed to walk out of here as soon as possible because she needs to save the world — again. You said something else, earlier. Something about Faith taking Buffy's place."
"Yeah. Tara wanted to go get Faith just in case Buffy wasn't ready. None of us thought that was a good idea. You know, making Faith a Super Slayer when she's already tried to kill us and all."
Buffy's mother sighed. "God knows I have my own problems with Faith, but...Honey, do you trust Tara?" At the small nod, she continued. "Then you really don't have anything to fear from Faith. If she believes that Faith isn't a danger and we need her for the spell, you should believe her." Joyce lapsed into deep thought. "OK. I need a few minutes alone. It's a lot to take in at once, especially since I'm usually out of the loop on the Slaying details." She gestured to the computer bag by the door. "Go, ahead, Willow. Find the information we need and keep an eye on my daughter." She smiled slightly. "You've always been there for her."
"I'm not planning on changing that." Willow picked up the bag and headed for Buffy's room, determined to do whatever it took to help Buffy defeat Adam.
***
"I can't make the drive back to Sunnydale right now," Tara answered the Slayer. "Let me get a few hours of sleep and then we'll head back."
Faith shrugged. "Whatever. Where are you going to hide me until the big battle? I'm wanted for murder, remember?"
"You can stay in my dorm room." Tara pushed her hair behind her ear. "Look, I know there are a lot of details, but I need to crash."
"The bedroom's through here." Angel guided the exhausted witch out of the living room. "I can get you some fresh sheets if you want to take a quick shower."
Tara shook her head. "The sheets are fine. Don't let me sleep more than a few hours. I want to get Faith into the dorms before most of the students are up. We'll need to leave by 5:00." At Angel's nod, Tara smiled. "Thanks, Angel. One last favor? Make sure she doesn't leave."
"She'll be here." An answering smile ghosted the vampire's mouth. "Even if I have to chain her to the wall."
Chuckling, the blonde climbed under the covers and watched Angel leave.
***
Tara woke to a light touch on her shoulder.
"Fang said you wanted to get an early start," Faith said. She waved a steaming mug at the groggy witch. "I got coffee brewing in the kitchen when you're ready."
"OK, give me a few minutes." Tara swung her legs out of the bed and staggered into the bathroom. She didn't bother with a shower. That could wait until they got back to Sunnydale. Instead, she splashed cold water on her face and availed herself of the toothbrush on the vanity. A glance in the mirror told her she looked rumpled but presentable.
Faith was leaning against the kitchen counter, absently sipping from a coffee mug, when Tara came out of the bedroom. "So, Blondie, you sure you want to take me back to SunnyD?"
"I thought we took care of all this last night, Faith. We need you there. It doesn't matter what Willow or the rest think. It's only a matter of time before they realize Buffy isn't going to be ready in time. So, stop trying to weasel out of saving the world, and hand me some coffee."
She wasn't expecting the dimpled smile and laughter from the normally taciturn Slayer. "Gotcha, T. One coffee coming right up." Faith grabbed another mug from a cabinet and filled it. "Need anything but the java?"
"Cream and sugar if you can find it." Looking completely at ease, the brunette quickly added the requested items and handed the witch her coffee. After a tentative sip, Tara asked, "You all packed?"
"Ain't nothing to pack. All I got are these clothes — and they belong to Queen C." At the blonde's questioning look, she explained. "Cordelia. Used to be the Head Bimbo at Sunnydale High. I think Willow was the one who came up with the Queen C title."
"Sounds like Willow." Tara drank the coffee quickly. Despite the easy banter, she could tell Faith was anything but relaxed. Time to hit the road. She rinsed the mug and put it back in the cabinet. "Well, if you're traveling light, we should head out."
The Slayer didn't reply, but started for the elevator. The offices of Angel Investigations were empty at this time of morning. The vampire and his crew were either tucked in for the night or out on a job. The two women exited the building and climbed into Tara's borrowed car.
A comfortable silence blanketed the first hour of the drive, but Tara sensed the change as they got closer to their destination. Not wanting to alienate the brunette, she hesitantly reached out and touched Faith's knee. "It'll be OK." When Faith snorted, the witch smiled slightly. "Alright. That was a pretty dumb comment. But, whatever happens with Adam, I promise that the Scoobies won't hurt you."
"How can you say that, Blondie? Even all banged up, B's gonna want to kick my ass. And Red? She never did like me, and that was before all the other stuff."
Faith hadn't moved away from her touch, so Tara daringly moved to grasp the girl's left hand, squeezing gently. "Well, they may try to 'kick your ass' as you said. But they won't be able to lay a hand on you." She could feel the tension in the body across from her. A glance at the younger girl showed an aura whirling with fear and anger, bolstered by a steady determination. *Hmm, she may be terrified of being in Sunnydale, but she isn't going to back down. Good.*
"Hate to break it to you, T. Buffy's never lost a fight with me and Red's already showed just how little Slayer strength is against her mojo."
Tara couldn't hold back her laughter. At Faith's confused look, she explained. "If you were on your own, that would be true. However, I'll be there to protect you." The laughter broke out again at the look on the other girl's face. "You should see yourself," she managed to gasp out.
"Don't know what's so funny," Faith ground out, managing to look like a pouting five-year old.
"Oh, Goddess, that felt good." Tara reflexively linked her fingers with Faith's and stroked her thumb across the back of her companion's hand. "Hey, sweetie, you can trust me on this — I am strong enough to keep Buffy and Willow from trying anything."
Tara could see the girl looking at their joined hands, but the Slayer didn't say anything or move away. She also still didn't appear entirely convinced. "If you say so, Blondie. But I gotta ask, if you're so strong, why can't you just go after Adam?"
"We actually thought of that — me and Willow. But Adam is made up of several different demons. We don't know what those demons were and that makes any kind of focused, combative magic risky. Before we discovered the enjoining spell, we were exploring ways to remove Adam's power source. Unfortunately, anything we found worked on some demons, but not on others. So, it wouldn't be effective to try a direct magical attack," Tara explained.
The Slayer was silent for a few minutes. "OK, then. Whatever I gotta do to help out, just tell me. You keep saying you don't think Buffy's going to have enough time to heal. Is Adam planning something, or is this like one of those ritual things that's got to happen at a certain time?"
The witch hesitated before answering. This was a new Faith. She could still see the whirling emotions, but they had faded. This was Faith the Slayer, totally focused on the job at hand. "Well, nobody's really sure. Just before Buffy got hurt, though, Spike gave her some disks that were supposed to have information on Adam."
For the rest of the drive, Tara filled the brunette in on everything they knew about Adam, the Initiative, and their thoughts on what nefarious plan the monster had for Sunnydale. They pulled into the dorm parking lot shortly after daybreak. "Hey," Tara said, shaking the hand she was still holding. "Remember what I said? I won't let anyone hurt you."
Reluctantly, Faith nodded.
"I'm going to cast a glamour on you so you can get safely into the building. We have to hurry, though. It's a difficult spell and I won't be able to maintain it for long." Tara closed her eyes, drawing in energy from natural elements around her. She whispered a short incantation, and glanced at her companion. "OK, let's go."
They hurried into the building. "You better lead, Blondie. I don't know where I'm going." Tara nodded and moved into the lead. Faith was ashamed of herself, but couldn't help checking out the witch as they climbed the stairs. *Not bad. Wonder how Red could've thrown that away?*
As soon as they entered Tara's room, the witch closed the door and released the glamour. She sagged against the door, feeling the energy drain from her, returning safely to the ground.
"You OK, Tara?"
Tara smiled at the worry in the tone. "I'll be fine. I'm just a little low on reserves right now. Why don't you make yourself comfortable while I go take a shower? I didn't want to take the time at Angel's." She quickly gathered her supplies and a fresh change of clothes. "Be right back."
Faith spent a few minutes casually inspecting Tara's things after she left. Other than some old books in weird writing, the Slayer didn't find much of interest. She shrugged out of her jacket and sat down on the bed, thinking about the information Tara had given her on the trip to Sunnydale. She was startled out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. Grinning, she bounded to the door, flinging it open. "Forget your key, Blondie?"