Learning Curve
by rebelrsr
Chapter Twenty-Four
[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.: Adheres to Buffy canon up to "Who Are You?" Spoilers for S4 after (and including) "This Year's Girl" and the AtS episode "Sanctuary." Many thanks to my fabulous beta crew: Desirata41, Zigpal, and Zenithar.
A/N: Thoughts enclosed by **. Flashbacks enclosed by //.
Archiving: Please ask first.
Feedback: Bring it on...
Joyce stopped in front of the house and put the 'borrowed' minivan in park. "OK, everyone. Let's get into the house."
"What about the car, Mrs. S?" Faith asked.
The older Summers looked at her in confusion.
"I didn't exactly knock on the door and ask for the keys," the brunette Slayer explained. "We need to ditch it and make sure the cops can't trace it back to us."
Smiling slightly, Giles commented, "You aren't the only one with experience on the streets, my dear. Help Buffy get Riley into the house. I'll make sure the car isn't found."
"Don't ask, Faith, please," the blonde Slayer pleaded. "I really don't want to ever think about that whole thing ever again. Just give me a hand." She glared at a chuckling Joyce. "It's not funny. Just the thought..." she broke off, shuddering.
"Oookay, B." Deciding to ask about the byplay later, Faith hopped out and ran to the back of the van. Pulling open the door, she carefully maneuvered the frozen Marine over her shoulder. "Get the door, B. I got your boy."
Grimacing at the brunette's comment, the shorter girl trotted up the front steps and opened the door. Faith squeezed by and headed straight for the living room. With a grunt of effort, she dropped Riley onto the couch and stepped back. "Fuck. He's a load." She rotated her shoulders. "Think the juice from the spell's finally gone. Man, I'm tired." She leaned against the arm of the couch.
Joyce and the witches stumbled into the house. The older blonde gazed at the young man lying motionless next to the Slayers. "I'm going to fix something to eat. Any special requests?"
Faith quietly responded, "Thanks, Mrs. S." She flashed a grin. "You're too cool to be B's mom." Giggles greeted her words. "I'll pretty much eat anything ya' got."
Giving her brunette companion a miffed look, Buffy agreed. "Food is of the good, Mom."
Smiling at the group, Joyce headed for the kitchen. Willow walked over to the blonde Slayer. "I'm going to take a look at Riley. Could you grab my laptop from the bedroom?"
"Sure, Will." Without thinking, the Slayer leaned in and brushed her lips across the redhead's. "Oops!" She spun toward Riley. Even though he hadn't moved a muscle, Buffy saw the confusion in his eyes. "Fuck! I'm sorry, Ry. We'll get you fixed up and I'll explain everything." She hurried from the room.
Gently touching the Marine on the shoulder, Willow said, "Tara and I are going to do a little spell to check you for additions. You know, things like homing beacons and stuff." She glanced up as the blonde witch joined her by the couch. "You might feel a bit warm, but it won't hurt, OK?"
Tara took her hand and started to chant.
"Whoa. Hang on there, Blondie." Faith interrupted the incantation. "You ain't up to any more magic tonight." She glared at the two girls. "Soldier Boy can wait til morning."
"Faith, it isn't fair-"
"Fuck fair, Tara. I ain't letting you drain yourself." The brunette Slayer was adamant.
Releasing Willow's hand and moving in front of the agitated Faith, the older girl smiled crookedly and ran a gentle finger across the brunette's pouting lips. "Sweetie, this is just a tiny spell. I promise, between the two of us, we have enough energy to spare."
Faith stubbornly shook her head. "No. If I have to knock you out and carry you upstairs, you're getting some rest first." She tilted her head, hearing Buffy starting down the stairs. "Hey, B, I ain't sure it's safe for the witches to do any more magic tonight," she called out.
Buffy pounded down the stairs, arriving with her precious cargo. "What do you mean?"
"Don't listen to her, Buffy." Willow spoke up. "She's just being Control Girl. Like you even have a clue what we're doing."
Flushing at the dismissal in the redhead's tone, Faith tensed. "Look, Red. You want to drain yourself helping the Beefstick, go ahead. You can explain to your girl here about the whole sitch. But Tara won't be helping. She's already done too much."
The two adversaries squared off. Despite a lingering fear that Willow might slam her with a lightening bolt, the Dark Slayer wasn't going to back down. The blonde witch looked wan, with dark circles standing out against her pale skin. "Faith, I promise. I'll be OK." She took the shorter girl's hand and drew her away from the couch. In a low voice, she tried to explain. "I can take energy from the natural sources around me."
"T, I want to make sure you don't hurt yourself." The brunette looked away. "Can you take some of the energy you need from me?" she mumbled.
Tara was stunned at the offer. For someone who didn't know about magic, her Slayer instinctively understood the way it worked. "We could, Sweetie. But you're just as tired."
"Nah, Blondie. I'm tired, but that spell pretty much recharged the batteries." She unleashed her dimples. "I just need to take care of the Double Hs and get some sleep."
The wide grin drew a groan from the blonde witch. "If you promise to have enough energy for later," she smirked, "then Will and I can draw from you and Buffy to do the spell. Will that make you happy?"
"You taking care of yourself makes me happy, T," came the shocking admission.
Unable to resist, Tara pulled the younger girl in tight and kissed her heatedly. Nipping at Faith's tongue and stroking the sides of her breasts with eager fingers, the blonde witch forgot they had an audience. "Wow! That's hot. You think we should give it a try?" Laughter edged Buffy's voice as she teased her sister Slayer and the older blonde.
Growling, Faith moved Tara away a few inches and glared at a grinning Buffy. "Gonna have to talk about this teasing crap later, B. I got things I need to take care of right now." She pulled Tara toward the couch. "OK, Blondie, do your thing so we can get back to the good stuff."
Tara cleared her mind and found her focus. "Will, we're going to scan Riley for foreign matter. Instead of using energy from nature, though, we're going to tap our Slayers' energy."
"Umm, alright." The redhead shot her girlfriend a startled look. "How do we do that?"
"Extend your senses." Following her own directions, Tara pushed outward with her internal sight. "You should be able to see the energy around Buffy and Faith. Tap into it and draw a little of the power into yourself." She gently touched the golden aura surrounding the blonde Slayer and siphoned off a little of the energy. It warmed her channels when she fed it into her power reserves. Finally, Tara reached for Faith. The Dark Slayer's energy glowed a warm brown flecked with shimmering golden highlights. The witch smiled at the familiar feel of the brunette's energy. Flushed with the strength of the magic she'd gathered, Tara merged her aura with Willow's and began the incantation a second time.
As she'd told Faith, this spell was simple. Their combined powers sent a blanket of energy over the frozen Marine. As it passed along Riley's legs, the mystical cover remained a solid white. Pushing the power toward the young man's chest, Tara frowned. There was a dissonance interfering with the magic. The white sheet of energy turned a violent red as it covered Riley's chest. "Will, can you go a little deeper?"
"On it," the redhead replied. Willow sent a new ribbon of power toward the young man, focusing on the cause of the interference. Sinking into his flesh, she peered with astral sight at the layers of flesh and muscle. An object lodged just below the subcutaneous fat. "Here, follow my line," the younger girl directed.
Tara followed the glow of her friend's power. The object Willow pointed out was a small computer chip. It attached firmly to nerve endings in Riley chest and sent out a signal in repeating patterns. "I see it." The blonde witch used a directed burst of energy to disrupt the chip's signal, frying the circuitry. Riley jerked. Tara waited to make sure he was under his own control before withdrawing her senses.
"Ry?" Buffy said hesitantly. She and Faith hadn't been able to see what their witches had done.
The Marine smiled slightly. "Thanks, Buffy." He ignored the three other girls in the room and sat up. "What happened with the Initiative?"
"Lots of death and bloodshed," Faith pointed out. "Your buddies took on a lot of demons. Don't know if any of them survived."
"You didn't go back to check?" He was incredulous.
Buffy held up a hand to cut off Faith's reply. "Ry, we weren't in any condition to take on all the remaining demons. And we weren't sure the Colonel would let us leave. He wanted to arrest Faith."
Riley glanced at the younger girl. Part of him agreed with McNamara's decision. But, she had helped him escape Adam's control. "Yeah. I get it." He stood up. "I'm going to head back to the base and check things out."
The blonde Slayer followed him to the door. "Riley-"
"Don't, Buffy. I told you at the beginning if you were going to break my heart to do it quickly." He met her eyes. "That wasn't a friend kiss you shared with Willow. I always wondered if you loved her. I guess I have my answer." Yanking open the door, he walked away.
Buffy closed the door with a quiet thud and wandered back into the living room. Seeing the lost look in the Slayer's eyes, Willow pulled her into a warm hug, pressing feather-light kisses on the blonde hair. The young witch glanced up at Tara and nodded slightly when the older girl gestured at Faith and then the kitchen.
"Hey, Buffy. It's gonna be OK," she murmured. Tears ran hotly down her neck where the Slayer's cheek rested. The redhead pulled her lover away and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Slayer. Nothing will ever change that."
"Love you, too, Will." She nuzzled her lips against the taller girl's neck. Extending her tongue, she traced a leisurely path from collarbone to ear, stopping to suckle Willow's lobe. The action left both girls panting. "How about we head upstairs and you can give Nurse Willow a call? I mean," she nipped her girlfriend's pulse point, "I may have gotten hurt fighting the bad demon."
Laughing, the redhead, stroked the Slayer's strong back. "What about dinner?"
"I can eat upstairs," Buffy whispered hotly.
"You think?" Willow moved a hand between their bodies and cupped the blonde intimately over her jeans. "There isn't any food in your room. And, I know how hungry you get after a good fight."
Pressing down onto the witch's hand, Buffy started unbuttoning the redhead's shirt. "Yeah. I'm really hungry right now. Gonna take a lot to satisfy me."
"Fuck, B. Get a room or something." Faith's voice shattered the couple's passion. "Your mom said dinner's almost ready." Grumbling, the brunette Slayer stalked back into the kitchen.