“Damn it!” Angel growls as his phone rings, digging it out of his pocket he punches the button and growls into the phone. “What?”
Buffy and Tara give the vampire some space as they continue through the tunnels, unfortunately not finding anything of help as they searched.
“I honestly think they’re probably headed back to Sunnydale.” Tara finally admits, sighing quietly as she turns her light off, letting Buffy’s illuminate the area.
“You and me both.” Buffy rubs a hand over the back of her neck as she looks over the area. “How many do you think?”
“Three, maybe four dozen.” Tara makes an educated guess, gently tugging Buffy back against her and rubbing her lover’s tense shoulders and neck. “Relax, honey. Getting yourself tied up in knots isn’t going to do you any good. We’ll deal with this in whatever way we have to.”
Buffy leans back against Tara, letting her lover ease her tension. “Do you think there’s any chance whatsoever that we can get through to Willow?”
Tara closes her eyes and rests her forehead against the back of Buffy’s head. “Honestly?”
Buffy nods her head, frowning as she hears the heartfelt sigh and feels the shake of her lover’s head against hers. Tara obviously not wanting to answer out loud in the negative, but the head shake tells the tale. Reaching up, she grasps her lover’s hands and pulls them down and around her body, closing her eyes as Tara holds her tightly.
“Cordelia had another vision, we need to get back to the hotel.” Angel strides up to the two women, taking in the sad slumps of their shoulders.
“Spike?” Buffy questions, stiffening as she looks at the vampire.
“We’re not sure, but she had a vision with a large group of vampires attacking a group of people traveling in those motor homes pulled over in one of those rest stops just outside of town.” Angel explains as the group jogs to an exit, climbs out and takes off running towards the Hyperion.
“It would make sense.” Tara keeps her breathing measured, glad she’d gotten back in the habit of exercising frequently, even working out with Buffy occasionally in her room between her defense classes. Her lover insisting on her being able to protect herself physically, not just magically which she agrees with wholeheartedly.
“If there are fifty or so of them, the bigger the transportation, the least amount of vehicles they have to steal.” Buffy growls softly at the thought, glancing over at her lover as they pick up their pace, making sure Tara’s not having any problems keeping up with them.
“If they’re still here, I would rather take care of them while we can before they get to the Hellmouth.” Angel growls, fighting the change as his anger takes control at the thought of Spike on the rampage again. Honestly having thought about taking him out himself, if it hadn’t been for the chip keeping him under control he would have.
“It would put a serious crimp in whatever plans Willow has if we can.” Tara admits quietly, panting faster and harder as she works to keep up with her lover and the vampire.
“Two more blocks, love.” Buffy lets her lover know, smiling at Tara when she sees the thankful look coming from her. “Does she usually get the visions a while before this happens?”
“No. Sometimes she gets it literally a few minutes beforehand and occasionally even after things happen.” Angel admits as they turn the block and come up to the hotel.
“Hell of a lot of good it does then.” Buffy growls angrily at the thought.
“Sometimes we aren’t actually meant to stop what happens, but what might happen afterwards.” Angel shrugs, knowing it’s not an exact science and sometimes he honestly believes the visions come too late on accident and they end up having to make the best of whatever happens.
“Damn PTB.” Buffy rests her hand on Tara’s back, the witch slightly winded from the fast pace they’d used to get back to the hotel quickly.
“I grabbed the book you wanted and we’ve loaded up the convertible along with adding some weapons to your Jeep.” Wesley steps up, handing the book to Tara after Angel motions towards the witch, before glancing behind him as the rest of the group come from different areas of the hotel after they grabbed a change of clothes.
“Girls with the girls and guys with the guys?” Cordelia raises an eyebrow, it’s a question, but sounding more like an order not surprised when the guys nod and quickly head towards the convertible.
Buffy groans softly, snorting when Tara smacks her on the ass. “Do you know where we need to go?”
“Wesley is navigating, just follow them. He figured out where it’s at.” Cordelia eases into the back seat while she watches the two women curiously, raising an eyebrow as Buffy opens the door for Tara before placing the stuff she’d been carrying in the back and running around to the passenger side.
“Sweetie, can you go ahead and call the boys and tell them we won’t probably be able to meet them for lunch tomorrow?” Tara starts the Jeep and puts it in gear as she waits for the convertible to swing out, following behind them.
“Great, make me deal with Hekyll and Jekyll.” Buffy grumbles as she flips open the phone and hits the speed dial glaring at Tara as her lover laughs softly at her. “Hey, it’s the blonde bimbo.” Buffy smirks as Freddie answers the phone, yelping when Tara pinches her on the leg. “Damn, it Freddie, how did you know what she did?” Buffy glares as Tara smirks while listening to the Professor. “Well, tell your better half that things aren’t looking good for us to get together tomorrow. Please, please, please, I mean I can’t say it enough, please be careful if you’re out and about during the day and do NOT go out at night. No matter what the reasoning is, it looks like a big world of hurt is heading to Sunnydale and I don’t want to end up having to stake you two, understand?” Buffy rubs a hand over her head, before reaching down to hold Tara’s hand that was squeezing her thigh in silent support. Smiling and relaxing slightly with Freddie’s acquiescence as he questions hesitantly what’s going on.
Tara glances towards Buffy, worried for a moment until her lover relaxes and a bittersweet smile crosses her face, turning back to the road in front of her as she glances up quickly into surprised brown eyes of the Seer in the back seat. Smiling apologetically at her, she whispers softly. “We’ll explain.”
Cordelia nods and continues to listen to Buffy’s side of the conversation while watching the two women curiously.
“Willow disabled Spike’s chip and is full-blown joined the dark side. Spike’s been here in LA making little baby Spike’s to bring back to probably…” Buffy hesitates and squeezes Tara’s hand gently as her lover’s grip tightens. “Turn me and possibly Tara. Or at least try and overpower both of us until Willow can do some kind of mind fuck on us.”
Cordelia inhales sharply at the slayer’s explanation, knowing if Buffy believes the worst of Willow, that something very, very bad has to have happened. The slayer having always stood up for the redhead and defended her from the first day she met her.
“Yes, we’ll check in with you two and let you know what’s going on. Yes, as soon as we can we’ll get together.” Buffy groans and shakes her head. “I promise, we’ll be careful.” Buffy finally just chuckles softly as both men were on the phone at the same time giving her a long list of do’s and don’ts. “Yeah, we worry about you two, too.” Buffy finally whispers before closing the phone shut and turning her head to look at her sadly smiling lover. “Guess I don’t have to explain their end of the conversation to you, do I?”
“No, I think I have a pretty good idea of what they said.” Tara squeezes Buffy’s hand before pulling it up to her lips and pressing a kiss on her knuckles. “They’ll be good and stay inside during the evening, honey.”
“I know they will.” Buffy shifts around slightly so she can watch Tara and glance back at Cordelia. “Go ahead and ask whatever you want to ask, Cordy. I know you’re just chomping at the bit to let the questions fly.”
“Bitch.” Cordy grumbles before looking at Buffy, even though the stress and worry are obvious in the slayer’s eyes with what’s going on at this moment, the underlying happiness and contentment there for her to see. “Who were you just talking to?”
Tara snorts softly as Buffy groans loudly. “Freddie and Craig, two professors from the college that know about what goes bump in the night. They actually pretty much know all the sordid details about our lives now.”
Buffy grumbles lowly before speaking up. “They’re two knuckleheads that always flirt and try and steal Tara from me, is who they are! Kick both their asses.”
“Remember, honey, they like that.” Tara chuckles at the glare coming towards her from Buffy before glancing up in the rearview mirror to Cordelia. “The two men have been a couple for fifteen years. Freddie is the Art Professor and his partner is Craig, the Head of the Drama Department.”
“Freddie looks like a bleached blonde surfer dude that lifts VW Bugs for fun, and Craig is a tall, skinny, African-American that has one of the deepest, most beautiful singing voices I’ve probably ever heard.” Buffy explains, a small smile crosses her lips as she thinks about the two men. “Craig’s always trying to make Tara sing and dances her around wherever we happen to be, and Freddie is just a huge, incessant flirt. They both do their damnedest to piss me off, and they are completely in love with each other.”
Cordelia blinks in stunned shock at the slayer, the crooked grin on Tara’s face as she glances over at the witch confirms everything Buffy just said. “Is Sunnydale turning into gay central?” Cordelia questions, half seriously. “I mean, first there was Larry. Then Willow ends up hooking up with Tara. You and Tara are now together and then these two Professors…”
Tara giggles softly as Buffy growls and rolls her eyes at the Seer’s words.
“The Professors were gay way before they moved here. Larry I think was always gay, just doing the whole denial thing. Willow I can’t really answer for her, but I wouldn’t say that I’m gay, just that I happened to fall completely in love with another woman.” Buffy offers up the last softly, leaning over to press a soft kiss on Tara’s cheek. “Completely and irrevocably in love.” Buffy whispers softly into Tara’s ear, before nipping playfully on the lobe when she sees the tears start to glimmer in her eyes. “None of that, now.” Buffy growls.
“Can’t help it.” Tara shrugs, glancing quickly at Buffy and grinning crookedly at her lover. “Sometimes what you say hits me where I live, honey.”
“How did you two end up a couple?” Cordelia relaxes back in the seat, smiling at the two women.
“Tara kissed me until I gave in.” Buffy smirks at the squeak coming from her lover. “Then she showed me all kinds of naughty things I never would have believed would be possible, let alone feel as good as they do.” Buffy starts giggling before laughing outright at the glares and threats being tossed at her from Tara.
Cordelia bites back a sharp laugh at the devilish grin on Buffy’s face even as the blush coming up on Tara’s cheeks along with the threats being aimed at Buffy confirms the slayer’s words. “So, basically you’re saying Tara rocked your world and you haven’t looked back.”
“Pretty much, yup.” Buffy snorts and wiggles as a deceptively strong hand pinches her in a sensitive area. “You’re driving!” Buffy laughs at the bared teeth being pointed at her.
“Pull over and kick your ass.” Tara warns, rolling her eyes as Buffy’s grin grows even bigger. “I know, I know.”
“Yep, you do.” Buffy nods and relaxes in the seat, unbuckling the seatbelt and ignoring the serious glare coming from Tara, shifting to hook her leg on the console and rests her palms on her leg while letting her fingers play over whatever flesh they can find available to her from Tara as she looks back at Cordelia. “Has Angel been keeping you abreast of what’s going on, or doing his ‘on a need to know basis’ thing, still?”
“Need to know. I just found out about you two.” Cordelia waves her hands at the two women.
“Figures.” Buffy rolls her eyes at the thought of the vampire. “Well, here’s what’s been going on for the last…” Buffy frowns and stares at Tara. “We’ve been together for five months now?”
“Right at that, love. Seem longer?” Tara grins crookedly as she darts her lover a glance.
“Sometimes, sometimes it seems like just yesterday.” Buffy admits shrugging. “Maybe I should go back further and explain about being brought back and everything that entails.” Buffy frowns at the thought, looking up at Tara when soft fingers stroke over her hand.
“Only if you want to. That’s entirely up to you, and I’m here for you.” Tara squeezes the hand that turned over and grasped hers.
Buffy takes a deep steadying breath and looks back at Cordelia slowly starting to explain everything that happened since she was brought back. The Seer’s shock, pain and anger more than obvious on the woman’s face as Buffy goes from one thing to another, before a soft snort and grin crosses her face as she explains to Cordelia the truth of the whole hooking up between her and Tara.
“First off, I would really like to know what it is with you and vampires.” Cordelia starts only to be interrupted by Tara.
“Me, too. She is SO not going to go down that road again. Unless of course, I get turned. I’d have to take her with me, because even undead I have this feeling she’d be the center of my existence.” Tara smirks at the growls and groans she’s getting from Buffy.
“Great, and the vows read… ‘And even after death, we do not part.’” Buffy chuckles at the pinch on her inner thigh from Tara. “As for me and vampires, I have NO idea.” Buffy admits seriously, looking back at Cordelia. “Angel at least had a soul, so…” Buffy shrugs.
“Spike took advantage of Buffy not being quite herself when she came back and then when she started to become right and break things off with him this crap happened.” Tara offers softly, squeezing Buffy’s knee before putting her hand back on the steering wheel as Wesley was slowing down in front of them, obviously coming up on the area from Cordelia’s vision.
“That looks like the right place.” Cordelia leans forward between the two seats as Buffy shifts around and faces forward as they pull over into the rest area.
“Shit!” Buffy growls angrily, only seeing one motor home and not having any of her senses going off, realizing that the vampires are probably long gone.
Tara sighs, seeing the look on Buffy’s face before turning the Jeep off as they climb out to join the men.
