Simple Choices
by rebelrsr
Chapter 35
[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: General spoilers for S5, starting with "The I in Team." Eh, who am I kidding? This is really AU now.
A/N: Thanks to Ivy for pre-reading and Zigpal, Lilly, and KK for the beta. There would be no writing without you guys.
At least Tara didn't add another bruise. Instead, she merely poked Faith in the stomach. "What?" Faith asked with as much innocence as she could manage. "You tellin' me you don't believe I'm talented?"
A blonde eyebrow tilted up as Tara pushed open the kitchen door. "I have no doubts, sweetie. However, no more sharing with the Scoobies." Her blue eyes burned into Faith. "Understood?"
Unable to stop her grin, Faith nodded. "Got it, T. No free clinics."
"Thank you," Giles dry voice interrupted them. "I am unbelievably relieved at that announcement."
"Don't know what you're missing, Tweed." Still grinning, Faith pulled out a chair for Tara and then dropped into another. "What happened to the rest of your gang, B? You go all Bruiser Buffy again and scare 'em off?"
Buffy glowered. "No," she said shortly.
Faith waited for more.
***
Of course, Faith had to push. Tara shook her head and jumped in before Buffy could respond. "Remember, sweetie? Graham was going to get some of his Marine friends to help us out."
Faith's pout was cute. "Yeah. I remember." She couldn't resist trying one more time to get a reaction from Buffy, though. "Bet that made X-man happy, getting the boot from the big fight."
"Xander was upset, Faith." Joyce's soft words stopped the teasing.
Tara glanced up and caught the slight wink Buffy's mother directed at her.
Without a pause, Joyce drove her point home. "He wanted to make sure his family was safe, Faith. You want to do that, don't you? Keep us safe?"
Reaching out, Tara took Faith's hand. The other girl stared at Joyce silently. Tara wondered what she was thinking. "If we're going to keep Sunnydale safe, we need to decide what we're going to do once we reach the Meadow," Tara said quietly.
"What did you have in mind?" Willow sat in a pose similar to hers, gripping Buffy's hand.
"I think we need to make sure Adam comes after me. That means a spell that attacks him directly." Faith's hand twitched in her grasp, and Tara tightened her hold.
Giles picked up the folder of notes on Adam. Flicking it open, he peered at the pages. "Perhaps you might try to drain his power." He turned the folder around and pointed to one of the diagrams. "This seems to indicate a power source of some kind."
"Willow?" Tara knew looking at it wouldn't tell her much. Willow, though, might be able to decipher it for her.
Not releasing Buffy, Willow craned her neck to read the notes. "He may be right." She plucked the folder out of Giles' hand. "It's an outside power source. I can't tell what it's made from, Tara."
That wasn't what she'd hoped to hear. Tara slumped back in her chair. "Or I could go with Plan B."
"We have a Plan B?" Faith asked, kissing Tara's fingers. "I ain't heard a Plan A yet."
A whoop from Willow kept Tara from having to admit she was still trying to come up with a backup plan.
"You got something, Red?" Spinning around, Faith pulled Tara into her lap and rested her chin on Tara's shoulder.
The Slayer's warm embrace settled Tara. Pressing into Faith's arms, she glanced at Willow. "What did you find?"
"The power source." Willow waved the folder wildly. "It's uranium."
This was cause for a celebration? "The stuff they make bombs with?"
"Exactly." Willow beamed and Tara automatically smiled back. "Adam has a uranium core, right where his heart would be." Bouncing in her chair, Willow continued, "Well, if he had a heart. I mean, he doesn't. I don't think."
"So you want T to do what? Blast this core thing? Make Adam blow up?" Faith asked brusquely. Her arms hugged Tara, and her hands caressed Tara's forearms. "Sounds simple enough."
It wasn't, though. Reluctant to shatter the suddenly upbeat mood, Tara cleared her throat. "You're forgetting about Adam's shield and his own magic."
"I...we..." Willow looked around the room, including the rest of the gang, "...we haven't forgotten. We'll just work around it. There has to be a way."
***
"What if Faith and I keep him distracted with non-magical attacks?" Buffy finally joined the conversation. "It's kinda hard to block fireballs or whatever if you have two Slayers trying to beat you to death."
Her Slayer rumbled, energy slowly uncoiling inside. Her sight changed, and the room appeared to glow under a copper filter.
When Faith straightened from her slouch behind Tara, Buffy smiled grimly at the change. The Slayers, at least, were in agreement.
"It might work." Buffy nearly growled aloud at Giles' typical response. "However, I would feel better if we knew for certain how to remove the uranium. It can be an unstable substance. It is not in our best interest to replace one threat with another."
"We don't have time for more research, Giles," Buffy told him. Ignoring the energy still pulsing through her, she met his eyes. "The caves are about to explode, and we can't hide from Adam forever. It's time to go on the offensive."
Giles slumped, fingers gripping the bridge of his nose. "You are right. My apologies, Buffy. What would you like me to do?"
"That's up to the witches." Buffy didn't feel qualified to make magical decisions. She preferred hacking and stabbing to spells.
Everyone looked at Tara and Willow.
"I'll get Adam to the Meadow by using the same spell Willow and I did the first night. Since he hasn't been on the news since yesterday, it makes sense that we would be trying to track him." Tara smiled slightly. "He'll want us. We represent a huge power boost if he can drain us."
"He can want," Faith snarled. "He can't have."
Buffy's Slayer howled at that. "No way. He isn't even getting close. You two draw him to the Meadow. Mom and Giles can hit him with crossbows; keep moving, though, Giles. He needs to think there are more of us. That's when Faith and I will go to work"
It sounded too easy.
"How're we going to know when the Tin Man's ready for heart surgery?" Faith had to ask.
Not so easy after all. Buffy looked at Willow. "Will?" She knew her girlfriend would come up with something. She always did.
However, as the seconds ticked by, it appeared Willow didn't have an answer.
Bile burned the back of Buffy's throat. It was like the Master all over again. No real plan, just a grim determination to fight and win. "We'll know, Faith." She met Faith's eyes. "Trust me. We'll know." There had been a look, at the end, in the Master's cold eyes - a sudden realization that he had lost. It would be in Adam's eyes, too.
***
No one said much as they piled into Joyce's Jeep for the trip across town. Faith huddled in the back seat, Tara on her lap. This was it. Show time. She'd expected to be on edge, wired with adrenaline and the promise of the hunt. Instead, her hands were clammy with sweat, her stomach cramped, and her muscles felt like Jell-o.
She glanced across at Buffy. Of course, Buffy looked calm, almost peaceful.
"What's wrong, sweetie?" Tara's soft voice whispered in Faith's ear.
Faith refused to answer. She wasn't admitting — even to Tara — how scared she suddenly was. Not with Yoda Buffy in the back of the car with them. "Nothing, T. I'm five by five." Rubbing her hands on her pants, she winked at Tara. "Just planning for the post-Slaying sex. Gonna be a lot of the HHs, you know?"
She flinched when Tara blushed and looked down. Damn it. She hated that look.
"HHs?" Tara didn't stutter; however, her voice was even quieter than before.
A laugh masked by a very bad cough sounded.
When Faith looked that way, she saw Buffy trying to hide a smirk. Damned Slayer hearing.
"Uh...How about I explain that after we get rid of the Tin Man?" she mumbled, shifting uncomfortably under Tara. Her nerves were eclipsed by relief at avoiding Tara's question as Giles drove into the deserted parking area of the huge park.