Simple Choices
by rebelrsr
Chapter 12
[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: Basically a S4 rewrite, starting with "The I in Team." Starting to go way AU, however.
A/N: Thanks to the best beta crew: Zigpal and Zenithar. There would be no writing without you guys.
Faith felt warmth flow over her arm where Tara's hand had been. Peering through her lashes, she watched the witch slowly drag her hand up her body. Everywhere she moved it, the warmth touched. It felt good, and Faith shivered. The silence in the room pulled at her, and she drifted, letting the peaceful feelings put her into a trance-like state. The room and the staring Scoobies faded away.
***
Tara waited until Faith drifted off before sending her energies deeper into the Slayer's aura. The top layer didn't show anything out of the ordinary. The brunette was tired, confused, and very scared, but given the information she'd gleaned from Willow in recent weeks, those didn't clash with Faith's background. Sinking deeper into Faith's aura, Tara bit her lip. The emotions here were far darker. A dozen shades of black rippled in front of her inner sight. Despair, rage, bitterness. They pushed at the witch, trying to overwhelm her. Maintaining her own emotional stability was a struggle, but Tara kept going. Finally, buried under the layers of Dark Slayer-ness, the blonde reached Faith's emotional center. Crystalline tears of grief flowing from her astral eyes, Tara embraced the rainbow of shifting colors, hunting for external tampering. As she coasted down the Slayer's energy channels, the witch noticed pockets of atrophy and scarring. Faith was badly damaged and weakened, but there were no overt signs of outside influence. If the problems Faith had experience were normal, physical ones, Tara could perhaps alleviate some of the symptoms.
She withdrew enough to regain regular sight. Blinking her eyes, she looked for Willow. "I need your help," she told the other witch. "I don't think Faith was drugged. All I can find are the normal, expected problems of an eight-month coma. If you link with me, we can repair some of the internal injuries."
"Hey, I don't know..." The redhead hesitated. "Are you sure? I mean, I'm all for having another person to help with Adam, but this is Faith. I've told you about her. She-"
"I won't argue the point, Willow." Tara's regarded her friend sadly. "However, I'm telling you she is not a threat. Certainly not in her current condition, and I don't think that will change once she's back on her feet. Please."
Biting her lip, Willow looked at the three other people gathered around. "Guys? What do you think?"
Buffy was the first to answer. "I can't read auras, Will. But there is a bond between me and Faith. She felt wrong, somehow. Not the scary, I want to kill you stuff I got when she was working for the Mayor. If there isn't a big reason not to, I say do it."
"Indeed. Although I am loathe to perhaps create a second adversary, we could use Faith's assistance with Adam." Giles regard them seriously. "If she has, in fact, returned to her Calling, we must help her."
Joyce frowned. "I can't believe we are even talking about this. She's just a girl. The last time I checked, the Scoobies were all about helping people." She stood and moved toward the kitchen. "For God's sake, Buffy, look at her." Joyce pointed at the pale, emaciated brunette.
"Oookay, then. That's three yes votes," Willow mumbled. "What do you need me to do, Tara?"
Smiling crookedly, the older witch said, "Just let me borrow some of your energy. You aren't familiar with healing, yet, so I can't actively use you to help me repair the damage. Link with me and slowly feed me power from your reservoir."
The redhead nodded and got comfortable on the floor, leaning against the couch. Seconds later, Tara felt an invisible hand touch hers, an energy conduit opening at the same time. With a silent thanks, she returned to Faith. Concentrating on the largest wounds and scars, the blonde witch used focused bursts of energy to clear the blocked channels and prod the Slayer's enhanced healing abilities. By the time she finished, Tara was shaking with effort. As she left the brunette's aura, the blonde left a final suggestion in Faith's mind, urging a deep, healing sleep. Back in her own body completely, Tara gently broke her link with Willow and sagged.
"I did what I could," she said. Sinking onto the couch next to Faith, she continued, "There was too much to fix in once attempt. And, she really needs someone with more medical knowledge. I helped get the Slayer healing back on line and added some energy to her reserves, but she needs a lot more."
Buffy placed a hand on her shoulder. "You did good, Tara. We heal pretty fast when everything's normal. Faith should be much better in the morning." The blonde Slayer watched her younger counterpart sleep. "Will she be out long?"
"Probably most of tomorrow," Tara answered.
"OK. Giles, is one of the bedrooms useable?" Buffy asked her Watcher.
He nodded and stood up. "Even though we have renegade status here in Sunnydale, the Council has kept this house in workable condition."
"Lead the way, then." Buffy slipped one arm behind Faith's back and another under her knees. Grunting with the effort, she picked the brunette up and followed Giles down the hall. The older man opened the second door on the left, revealing a room lavishly decorated and containing a King-sized bed. "Let me guess, this is where your friend Travers stays when he's in town? Get the covers, will you?" Once the bed had been turned down, she placed her bundle down gently and pulled the blankets into place.
***
Back in the living room, Buffy dropped onto the couch with a loud sigh. "Any luck, Will?"
"Not yet. This is more complicated than I expected." Willow's green eyes glared at her laptop. "I don't know, Buff. I may not be able get the information." She sounded frustrated. "I think it must be Adam doing the security now. There's nothing to grab onto."
Sitting forward and resting her hands on her knees, Buffy glanced around the room. "If the computer's no help, where do we go from here?"
"I could check the magical texts for a way to shut Adam down," Giles offered.
"Didn't Tara and Willow already try that?" the Slayer wasn't good with the magic work. Pushing off the couch, she wandered over to peer at Willow's computer. "Hey, Will, is that still on autopilot?"
The redhead kept typing and didn't look up. "Mostly, but I'm trying to find a backdoor to the system." When Buffy didn't respond or move away, she leaned back, staring into clouded hazel eyes. "What's up, Buffy? You're like Freak Out Girl all of a sudden. Are you sorry we helped Faith?"
A blush stole up the narrow face. "No. No, of course, not. Um, I just...could we maybe find somewhere to talk?"
Sensing there was more than just Adam or Faith on the Slayer's mind, Willow nodded. "Sure, Buff." She typed a few commands into the computer and set it on the floor. "Back room or outside?"
Biting her lip and bouncing on her toes, Buffy considered. "This place has a back porch. We can sit there?"
"OK." Willow smiled slightly. She'd never seen her friend quite this wired. "Maybe we should have had Tara check you out. Are you sure you feel alright?"
"Nah, I'm good." Buffy flashed her teeth in a patently false smile. She took Willow's hand and pulled her rapidly out of the house. Once they were both standing on the tiny covered porch, staring into the darkened yard, the Slayer didn't seem to know how to continue.
Watching her closely, Willow bumped her shoulder, "Hey, Buffy? If you want to talk about something, you actually have to open your mouth. Cause, you know, witch here! But I can't read minds." She pulled the suddenly reluctant blonde around to face her, keeping a firm grip on both small hands. "You want me to tell you what I think, Buffy? There's really only one thing we could be here about if it isn't work related."
Buffy couldn't move. Green eyes bored into her.
Smiling gently, the redhead continued quietly. "I don't know what happened tonight. We've been best friends for three years. Is there something you want to tell me?" She swallowed audibly. "We can forget it ever happened, if that's what you want. I won't mention it again. Or," she looked away for a second, "we could see if there's more to us than just best friends."
"Will, I don't..." Buffy looked at their joined hands. "Before tonight, I thought there was no way this would ever happen. I mean you were straight. And, for the most part, so was I."
"So, when did you become not so straight?"
"The feelings have always been there, Will." The Slayer pulled them farther into the shadows and leaned against the wooden railing. "It was just way easier to ignore them because life was hard enough without adding a bisexual label to the mix." She grimaced. "And, can I just say how freaky this conversation is?"
The redhead giggled. "Come on. Is it any worse than talking about the Bug Guy, or stabbing Angel, or figuring out how to sneak you out of the house without your mom knowing? Face it, Buffy. Our lives would make a great TV show."
"Yeah, right, like anyone would watch us kill demons every week." Buffy moved a little closer, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "I'd like to see if there's more, Will."
"Sweetie, of course there's more." A tiny smirk flitted across the freckled face. "Unless you want to tell me the kiss earlier was only the hornies taking over?"
Relief coursing through her at the gentle teasing, Buffy laughed and picked Willow up, spinning them around. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She stopped spinning, but continued to hold the taller girl off the ground. "I'm sorry it took Riley and his narrow mind to get me to tell you."
"I'm not sorry, Buffy." Willow squeezed the muscled shoulders under her fingers. "Now, put me down. I'd like to see if that kiss earlier was skill or just the thrill of the fight. After all, Faith's down for the count. We shouldn't have an audience this time."
"Mmm, good point." Smiling in anticipation, Buffy lowered Willow to the ground and leaned in. The kiss was slower this time. The witch had been partially right. The thrill of the fight had been riding the Slayer hard. Loving the feel of the soft lips on hers, the blonde wrapped one arm around Willow's narrow waist, pulling her flush against her body. Gently slipping her tongue past the redhead's lips, she stroked inside Willow's mouth, dueling gently. Needing a breather, she finally put a little distance between them, letting her cheek rest against Willow's shoulder. "That was so much more than wow, Will. Where did you learn to kiss like that?"
The answer, when it came, wasn't from her best friend. "G-guys, Mr. Giles said you ne-needed to c-come inside." Tara stood just outside the doorway, tears shining brightly in the moonlight. "Adam just made the news." She slipped quickly back inside, not waiting for acknowledgement.