Shades of Gray

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Willow, Tara, Xander, Giles and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, together with the names, titles and back story are the sole copyright property of Josh Wheldon, Fox and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Please contact the author for permission to reproduce this story on any other fan fiction site.
Distribution: The Rainbow Writer's Homepage: http://www.therainbowwriters.com/
Mystic Muse: http://mysticmuse.net
Spoilers: Season 7.
Feedback: All feedback is welcome.
Pairing: Willow/Tara    Buffy/Other    Faith/Dawn

Part One

It was Saturday, Xander loved Saturdays, they meant he could lie in bed, watch cheesy TV and not have to worry about getting into work before the crew to check the site over for vandalism, or for the general 'disruption' that was often rampant in Sunnydale. Saturdays meant junk food and lots of coffee whenever he wanted it. Then there were scruffy clothes, back into the jeans and long sleeved T-shirts that still owned such a large part of his heart but had been banished from his weekdays.

'Oh yes, relaxing clothes.' He sighed at the idea.

This Saturday however was different. It was two thirty in the afternoon and he'd just stepped out of the shower, his second of the day. He'd been up since eight a.m., helping Buffy with the latest round of SIT training. His head hurt, his back hurt and he was pretty sure by the end of the day he'd have a shiner from the right hook that one of the young Slayer's had accidentally landed on him during sparring.

"So much for Saturdays." He groaned pulling on a pair of khaki combat pants and a cream T-shirt with black long sleeves.

He was due back at the Summers house by five. Buffy had said something about a group discussion on The First and how to deal and then he'd agreed to meet up with Anya on 'neutral' territory to discuss things like why he was being nice to her and why she was being nice to him.

"I need to tidy the apartment too." Xander moaned to himself as he wandered through to the kitchen, picking up two half drunk cups of stone cold coffee on his way. "God, I sound middle aged." He grumbled to himself as he put the cups in the sink and gave them a quick blast of lukewarm water trying to get the thick granulated sludge out of the bottom.

Standing up straight he flexed his shoulders back and then leaned forward trying to look in the glass panel of a kitchen cupboard to assess how his bruised cheek was doing. The redness hadn't spread upwards into his eye like he had expected and instead it ran in a slightly angry looking line tracing his cheekbone.

"Great." He sighed and pulled open the cupboard and pulled out of it a box of cereal. Pushing his hand into the badly opened top, he pulled out a handful and began munching it one piece at a time.

Deciding this was one of those moments he needed coffee, he flicked the kettle on to make himself one just as the doorbell of the apartment briefly resounded around the room in a shockingly pleasant ding-ding.

Dumping his small handful of uneaten cereal on the counter, he trudged barefoot towards the door getting there just as the doorbell sounded out again.

"Okay I'm coming but if you're a debt collector, a demon from hell or some kind of religious nut go away I'm really not in the mood to deal." Xander flicked the lock and pulled the door open, pushing his hand up through his wet, tousled hair.

"I don't think I fall under any of those categories."

A voice Xander never, ever counted on hearing answered him in a gentle almost heart soothing tone. Slowly the carpenter's head rose and dark brown eyes looked up meeting pale blue ones.

"Tara?" He squeaked.

Standing in the hallway outside the apartment, Tara smiled softly and pressed her hand down the side of the three-quarter-length brown suede jacket she was wearing making the material go lighter to mark the trail of her palm. With her other hand trembling slightly she reached up and pulled the subtle rainbow striped hat from off her head and balled it up in the hand that removed it.

For a long moment Xander just stared at her and then backed up slightly away from the threshold.

"So you've started ringing the doorbell and getting all civilized rather than just showing up and pushing us towards insanity?" He eventually turned away shaking his head.

"What?" The blonde witch's brow creased in a confused frown. "I…"

"Oh and doing the innocent trick, yeah very convincing. So come on, let me have it, the apocalyptic message, the image of death and Hellmouthy goodness that you have to sear on my brain and scar my existence." Xander turned and walked back towards the kitchen expecting her to follow.

"Have I c-c-come at a bad time?" Still standing in the doorway Tara watched the young man retreat into the apartment growing more and more confused before in order to keep him in sight she took a few steps inward.

"A bad time?" Xander laughed bitterly and shook his head. "Oh you're good aren't you?" He stopped in the sitting room and turned to look at the door. "Okay I'll fall for it, I'll ask the million dollar question, why her? I don't get it so come on tell me, why her? Why choose Tara?" His face was held in an angry snarl as he regarded her with cold eyes. "I know you're low, but this is like bottom of the stack low. Tara was a good person, you have no right to mess with her memory like this."

"Xander what?" The blonde raised a hand to her forehead and rubbed it briefly. "I think maybe I shouldn't have come, I should have waited until tomorrow, having just got back and all." She glanced nervously over her shoulder. "Yes." She nodded to herself. "I'll go, and come back when I'm less tired and…" She paused looking at him. "And m-m-maybe I'll call first…" She turned and took a slightly hesitant step backwards to the door into the safety of the hallway.

For a long moment Xander just let her turn and retreat, his angry mind tossing and turning over what the 'vision' had said before it froze.

"Back." He whispered, his dark eyes flicking up to look at the doorway. "Hey, hey wait!" He called hurrying to the door and when he reached it he looked down the corridor to see she was still retreating towards the elevator.

Tara stopped when she heard his footsteps. She turned back looking at him still apologetically, though she wasn't quite sure how she could be causing all this confusion.

"Did you say back?" He asked his voice sounding restricted in his throat.

"Yes." Tara nodded looking a little confused. "I just got back this morning, and I have to say things feel really strange." She admitted glancing around. "Even for Sunnydale."

"Holy shit, do you mean it?" Xander ran the short distance down the corridor down to the blonde. Remembering everything they had learnt about the First so far, that the images and visions it had produced had had no form nor physical presence, he reached out and almost roughly closed his hand around Tara's suede clad arm.

"Xander?" Tara turned and looked down at his hand frowning as his grip actually hurt slightly.

"Oh my God." His eyes went so wide it made the growing swelling on his cheek spike with pain.

Before Tara could blink she found herself wrapped up in strong thick arms that hugged her and held on too tightly.

"How… oh my God." Xander released her and stepped back only to pull her into another hug a fraction of a second later. Tara felt a left sided smile begin to creep onto her face, when suddenly Xander pushed her away again and stared at her. "No, wait a minute. How can you be back? Did someone one… God Dawn didn't…" He backed up a little, his dark eyes going wider still as the color draining from his cheeks. He suddenly put distance between himself and the blonde.

"Xander what is it?" Tara asked her voice full of concern. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder just in case something was behind them that could have been the cause of Xander changing so quickly. "Xander please, you're scaring me. You look like you've seen a ghost." She frowned gently and moved forward extending her hand to comfort him.

"No, no you're not a ghost, I know that with the squeezing and the hugging, but you could be a zombie, a brain eating zombie." Xander backed up more. "Or one of those things like in the high school, with the talisman. Where is it, where's the talisman?" He glanced around the empty corridor.

"Brain eating Zombie?" Tara looked down at herself with a frown. She had thought the chic suede jacket she was wearing and the lace up purple jeans underneath it made her look rather nice. "Talisman, high school? The Hellmouth High re-opened?" She shook her head confused as she tried to piece together what he was saying.

"Or maybe you're something new, some kind of girl on girl loving Hellmouth fiend?" Xander looked up his eyes wild.

"Xander please." Tara felt herself blushing hotly. "Look is Anya here, maybe she'll make just a little more sense than you are right now. I find myself hoping that it's not marriage that's done this to you." She tried the joke softly hoping it would have at least some kind of effect on the obviously panicking figure in front of her.

"Anya?" Tara's words did change Xander's reaction considerably, when her words actually filtered through to his brain. "Marriage?" He asked again.

"Look I really am sorry about missing that…" Tara bit her lip slightly and tried an apologetic smile. "I was going to call, you know, I sent a card and everything but I just couldn't be there. Not with Willow and I both being, you know, in the wedding party and everything." She shook her head. "I'm really sorry." She added quieter. "I'm sure it didn't spoil the day."

Xander's mania seemed to ebb a little as Tara's speech went on, he straightened up and looked at his visitor with a curious but gentle frown.

"Tara there was no wedding," Xander said slowly. "Well there was, that is people and wedding things were there but I backed out, last minute, after considerable wacky demon things going on that is." He explained the basics to her and watched the very real pained and sympathetic frown that creased Tara's brow as he spoke. "But Tara." He added smiling at her very typical gentle offer of condolence. "You were there."

Less than ten minutes later the carpenter and the Wicca were sat on chairs opposite each other in the apartment almost as if facing off for some high-strung political commentary show on CNN. Each cradled a mug of coffee in their hands, both looking slightly pale and uneasy. Tara was still wrapped in her suede and Xander was still barefoot and shell shocked.

"So you weren't at the wedding?" Xander said slowly looking up from examining the contents of his cup.

"I left Sunnydale after the spell… the crystal. I moved out of the house and then about a week, maybe a little longer I left. First I stayed with a friend in Oregon and then I traveled a little. I went to Europe you know, trying to sort my head out, deciding what I wanted, what I was going to do with my life." Tara shook her head making an attempt to meet his eyes. "It took a while, a long while, but nearly a year after I left I knew it was time to come back. I flew in from Florence today." She leaned forward and put her coffee down on the table.

Xander sat silently looking at Tara for a moment not sure what to make of either her presence or her story. She certainly looked like Tara. After all who else, apart from Willow, would put purple jeans, Dr. Martin boots, a brown suede jacket and a rainbow-striped hat together? She spoke like Tara, her words coming in that quiet slightly reserved almost apologetic tone, and her words carefully chosen for clarity and yet information.

'The problem is if I believe what she's saying than it means.' Xander argued with himself. 'No!' His brain couldn't even process what that would mean.

Xander knew at that moment, if he wasn't sure earlier, that he was way out of his depth. He had to call out bigger, stronger, more capable guns here. The only question was, who?

"Xander I'm sorry." Tara's soft tone brought the carpenter out of his thoughts and by the time he looked up at his visitor she had stood up and the soft muted colored hat was placed gently back on her head pressing down her long blonde hair so it flowed over her shoulders. "Maybe I shouldn't have come back." She took a little step away from the chair.

This wasn't at all how she had imagined returning to Sunnydale was going to be. Yes, she had been prepared for awkward, after all a year was a long time and a lot of things could happen. Yes, she had been prepared for anger, after all she had sent no word, only the card to the wedding that hadn't happened, she'd not even sent birthday or Christmas greetings. She had even been prepared for out right rejection, the fact that they might not want to see her, especially after so long and after the way she had just gone, without word, even to Buffy or Dawn. But Tara was not prepared for this. Not for complete and utter confusion, mystification and she had to acknowledge, fear.

"Tara, no wait!" He called putting his cup down, spilling most of it over the polished surface as he jumped up after her.

"It's okay." Tara stopped and turned back to look at him. "This was a bad idea, I shouldn't have expected to just walk back in here and everyone to be okay." She held up her hand warning him back a little, her voice sad and tired. She paused and linked sorrowful blue eyes with brown. "I'm sorry, I understand really I do." She said in little more than a whisper as she broke the eye contact and turned to leave.

"Tara no." Xander hurried after her despite her objection. "You don't understand." He shook his head quickly as he darted round in front of her baring her way to the front door. "You really don't understand." He stressed looking at her. He could see the confusion and hurt in her eyes, as well as the almost overwhelming tiredness. "Please." He dropped his voice slightly lower. "Come and sit down, maybe have a nap or something. You look beat." He offered her a warm smile.

"Long flight, hate planes." Tara admitted feeling herself waiver slightly in her determination to leave. That was until she looked up and caught a glimpse of a photograph of Xander, Buffy and Willow together hung up on the wall just beside the door. "But I shouldn't be here, I didn't want to put you in a difficult position." She shook her head, her resolve returning.

"Tara please, there are things I need to explain." He tried again. "Rest up a bit, take a shower, just chill for a while." He offered. "Just stay here." He re-stated. "I need to do a couple of things but then, then we'll talk, we'll sort things out. Come on Tara, you're done in and I have a great and comfortable apartment." He gave her a cheesy smile.

Tara took a breath and looked at Xander for a long moment, her head tilted slightly in contemplation.

"Okay, I'll stay, for a little while, a few hours." She conceded. "The lure of your comfy corner couch is just too much." She smiled at him seeing a flicker of the Xander she knew, the man who wanted to do his best to make everything right in the world.

"No one can resist the corner couch." He smiled back. "You okay if I pop out. I promise I won't be long." He pointed over his shoulder at the door.

"I'm fine, though don't blame me if I fall asleep while you're gone." Tara shook her head and took off her hand and unfastened her coat, slipping it off her shoulders she folded it carefully in half.

Xander stood silently watching as the blonde neatly laid her coat on the floor and stood back up to straighten out her jeans and the light pink top she wore. He tried not to stare as she walked over to drop lightly on the couch.

'She's got thinner, quite a lot thinner.' He thought as he watched her, noticing the change in her body shape as he compared her to the memory in his head. 'And her hair is a lot longer and lighter than it had been the last time…' His thoughts stopped in his head. They made his brain hurt. He so had to get someone else over here.

"Make yourself comfortable." He bid her as he crossed to the door picking up his keys and his coat off the peg as he backtracked. "Help yourself to anything in the kitchen."

"Thank you Xander." Tara called back pushing lightly off the couch to reclaim her recently abandoned coffee.

"I'll be right back." He nodded and slipped out.

"And everyone stops and smiles as the Xan-man enters the house." Xander announced trying to be as normal as he could as he arrived at the Summers house.

From the bottom of the front drive he had heard the constant low level dim of young women arguing and he knew that this wasn't going to be an easy task. Now as he pushed open the front to what looked like a mini war zone, he was more than sure.

"Yeah I'm smiling, I'm so smiling." Buffy stamped by him throwing comics at the huddle figure of Andrew on the couch. The geek whimpered a little and clutched them to his chest, checking to see if any of them had been damaged in the Slayer's tirade. "I need you to go shopping again, they've eaten everything but the grout out of the tiling." The Slayer growled in the carpenter's direction.

"Actually Buffy…" Xander winced slightly as he watched her stomp off towards the stairs. "Can the shopping wait?"

"Not really." She turned to glare at him but something made her stop. "Xander what's wrong?" She saw the familiar look of mixed fear and anxiousness in his eyes.

"I..." He glanced around as two SIT's walked by bickering, none too gently pushing past Buffy to go up the stairs. "Can we slip outside." He pleaded with her trying to push through her agitation.

"This better be really good." Buffy scowled after the SIT's and then followed him out to the porch.

"Well, I don't know how to categorize it really." Xander beckoned her further from the house wanting to ensure the only two people to catch the conversation were Buffy and himself.

"We have three categories right now.... The First... the crazy potentials or other world ending news. Which is it?" She slowly followed him all the way out to the sidewalk his hesitation making her give an aggravated sigh.

"Other, I think." He replied uncomfortably having glanced down the street for a moment before answering.

"Xander…" Buffy looked over her shoulder at the house with a frown. "They are killing each other in my house for fun so do you want to spit this out?"

"I have a houseguest." He shifted edgily. "Well no, not a house guest, I have a someone at my house."

"Xander if this is about your love life I really don't think that it needs to involve me right now." She stated as she fixed him with a hard stare. "I will go out and buy you celebratory drinks and meet her right after I save the world, but right now I need to rescue my bathroom." She turned to go back towards the house.

"Buffy I really need you to come to my apartment, like now!" Xander blurted out his voice taking on a slightly panicky edge.

"I don't have time for this." Buffy shook her head she continued back up the front walk.

"Buffy please, you have to have time for this." He reached out and took her arm as tightly as he dared to.

For a moment Buffy just stared at Xander's hand around her arm. Her eyes angry and full of annoyance but she drew in a tight breath and looked at her old friend giving him the small birth.

"Fine, everyone else has lost their bloody minds today why not you as well. Let's go, you've got one hour." She pulled her arm back.

Xander didn't say anything else as they got into his car and he drove them the short distance to his apartment building. It was only once he had pulled his car into its designated parking spot that he pried his hands off the wheel and turned to Buffy.

"We going up?" She questioned him when he turned but didn't seem to be moving out of the car.

"I think I need to tell you who's up there before we go up there." Xander pulled lightly at the front of his shirt.

"If you have an uber vamp trapped in your closet it's not my problem." Buffy tried to get him to tell her with a little of the sadistic humor he liked.

"No." He swallowed hard.

"Xander, come on what the hell is going on?" She pushed him harder, Xander could be flaky but this wasn't Xander's style in the slightest to be outright insane.

"Tara." He mumbled putting his head down.

For a heartbeat Buffy didn't say anything, and when she did her words were proceeded by a short harsh laugh.

"Wow Xander that sounded a lot like the name of a person who if she is in your apartment you've just delivered me to the First. You switched sides suddenly and decided the great all powerful evil needed a gift wrapped Slayer?" Buffy looked at him with cold eyes.

"No." Xander stated almost angrily. "I thought exactly what you did." He looked up and pointed at her. "I thought it was the First, I'm not stupid."

"You're hurting my brain, who is in your apartment?" She swatted his hand away.

"Tara!" He stated again this time without mumbling or putting his head down. "Maybe a Tara clone?" He made a second guess his voice more uncertain.

"You're trying to tell me that Tara, Tara Maclay, girlfriend of Willow, is upstairs in your apartment?" Buffy checked the details before adding in a less than strong voice. "Xander she's dead."

"Buffy, all I know if that there is a girl in my apartment, she looks like, sounds like, acts like Tara. Add to that the fact she has never been to her knowledge dead and my brain is hurting too." Xander shook his head trying to show he understood it less that the Slayer.

"We buried her." Buffy pointed out staring at him in disbelief.

"You need to see her Buffy, to talk to her, something's odd here and it doesn't add up." Xander pleaded with her.

"Let's go see the Tara clone or The First," Buffy sighed and pushed out of the car slamming the door hard behind her making the whole car rattle back and forth with the force. "Might be the quickest ending to a world apocalypse, for me at any rate because there's not a lot I can do about it if you 'houseguest' rips my head off." She growled pushing off towards the building.

Feeling his stomach fall even further Xander followed her and rushed ahead to open the building's security door.

His hand shaking slightly as he opened the front door, Xander swallowed and eased the door inside. Part of him was completely terrified at what horrible thing he might find inside, though he wasn't actually sure what he classed as horrible.

If he opened the door to find the place gutted and trashed with an apocalyptic message scrawled on the wall in blood maybe that would be terrible but at least that would clear up the First issue.

Then again if he opened the door and the apartment was empty it would clarify that he was going completely insane and would be the next one to spend a few days tied to a chair under day and night watch.

"So where are you hiding your Tara..." Buffy pushed past him wanting to get this over with quickly before she had to drag Xander home and tie him to a chair. "Clone?" She stopped her voice seizing in her throat.

Xander hadn't realized he hadn't actually looked up until he felt Buffy push by him and heard her voice crack. The uncommon noise made him raise his head.

The apparent was perfect, even the two coffee cups had been moved off the table and tidied away to leave a figure curled up on the corner couch sleeping soundly. The figure was Tara, dressed almost just as he'd left her though she had taken off the heavy black Docs and was curled up into a loose fetal shape on the sofa.

"It has to be the First." Buffy whispered in an icy hiss as she started to slowly move forward her arm extending. "It can't be..." She moved closer and closer leaning to reach her hand and close it over Tara's leg.

The slim figure sleeping on the couch tensed instantly her breath catching in her throat when she felt the hard grip.

"Oh my God." Buffy pulled back when her hand closed around real flesh and didn't pass through the apparition. She was pinned to her spot when blue eyes blinked open and focused past her onto Xander.

"Oh Xander I'm sorry I..." Tara stopped as her gaze shifted to take in the Slayer who stood stock still by the side of the couch. "Buffy." She whispered a well of emotion rising when she saw the blonde.

"Who are you?" Buffy's voice shook as her eyes locked with blue ones.

"W-W-What?" Tara's sleepy brow crumpled slightly in confusion. "Buffy?" She shook her head.

"Who are you?" The Slayer repeated the question.

"Buffy, I know I've been away for nearly a year, but..." Tara stopped. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She frowned and titled her head to appraise the look she was getting.

"Because we buried you." Buffy felt the words slip out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"What?" If Tara had been standing up she would have fallen over, the fact that she was still lying down saved her from that particular embarrassment.

"You died, he shot you." Buffy filled in the cold details.

"Died?" Tara heard her voice shake.

"How can you not know any of this?" Buffy questioned back.

"This is why isn't it?" Tara suddenly looked at Xander. "Why you said what you said, why you went out?"

"Tara, I know you said you were in Europe and I didn't want to say anything. I couldn't tell you that here in Sunnydale you died." Xander tried to explain what little he could.

"I didn't just say I was in Europe I've been in Europe. I flew in this morning from Florence." With a shaking hand she reached into the back pocket of her purple jeans and pulled out a badly creased boarding pass. "Buffy I left Sunnydale eleven months ago." She turned pleading eyes back to Buffy.

"When exactly?" Buffy pressed for the small detail.

"W-W-Willow..." She stopped and swallowed. "There was a spell." She felt herself choke up, unable to say exactly what had caused her to leave. "You have to remember what she did." Tears sprung into blue eyes.

"I remember lots of spells Tara." Buffy stared the real emotion before her but not letting herself react to it. "Then she got clean and you came back to her and then..." She didn't finish as her own resolve broke a little.

"Clean?" Tara blinked her eyes free of tears. "Willow's clean?" She stared hard at the Slayer, the news both exciting her and breaking her heart at the same time. After all wasn't that exactly what she had wanted to come home to find? That her lover, the person that completed her was okay and better than that had controlled the one thing that had forced them to part.

"If you're really Tara then tell me what you said to me after my mother died." Buffy pushed her not answering the question.

Buffy's query threw the blonde for a moment and made her focus on what was actually happening once more.

"In the hospital?" She asked for the small clarification. "When I told you about my mother, when you asked whether it was sudden and I said it's always sudden?" She tried to piece together the right words to reflect the memory.

"Tell me something else only you would know." Buffy pushed her strength faltering a bit.

"Something only I would know?" Tara frowned trying to wrack her brain. "The night Willow and I first kissed, I gave her my grandmother's dolls eye crystal."

"Xander?" She looked at him for confirmation.

Xander nodded almost without actually moving his head, though he didn't look any more content.

"Buffy please, what's going on" Tara watched the interaction beginning to feel slightly ill at ease. "When you said I died, what do you mean?" She pushed up to sit.

"Warren shot you, through the bedroom window." Buffy felt a bitter taste in her throat as she spoke the words.

"I… I don't understand." Tara pressed her hand into her forehead. "Buffy I swear to you, I left Sunnydale eleven months ago."

"You say you left after the memory spell?" Buffy cautiously moved over and sat on the end of the couch.

"Yes." Tara nodded again. "I moved out, it was horrible. Dawn wouldn't speak to me, you didn't know what to say, I couldn't even look at Willow." She shivered. "I couldn't be here like that." She shook her head. "All my life I've been in places that made me feel bad and this was my home, I needed to feel safe and wanted in my home." She explained her reasons as best as she could in this highly tense situation.

"It must have been the First, something the First made." Buffy reluctantly put two and two together, her stomach filling with a hard icy feeling as she worked things out. "It's been playing us for a year, that's how it knows us, how it knows what to taunt us with."

"The First? Who is the First?" Tara frowned more. "I swear to you Buffy I left here, I went to Oregon to stay with a friend and then to Europe. I've not been back to Sunnydale until today."

"Tara, this isn't going to make any sense." Buffy looked at her and took a breath. "But if what you're saying is true then for the last eleven months something was here living in your place, dying in your place."

"You mean I was never gone?" Tara looked between Buffy and Xander, she watched as the carpenter shook his head solemnly. "But… but that makes no sense." She pushed up from the couch and backed away from them slightly.

"You were distant, withdrawn but you came around when we needed you." Buffy filled in shaking her head.

"But... Dawn hated me, she wouldn't even say goodbye when I left the house." Tara shook her head. "You didn't want me around." She glared at the Slayer.

"The 'you' that was here made it up to Dawn, you two used to go out for shakes twice a week and movies." Buffy's voice was blank. "You helped me with the Spike thing and Willow... you forgave her."

"And then I was shot." Tara had turned deathly pale color that peaked whiter when both Xander and Buffy gave a hard nod. "And Willow?" She swallowed as she asked the question, her body trembling.

"Someone murdered you Tara, you died in her arms." Buffy could bring herself to give a clear answer.

"What did she do?" Tara asked pointedly.

"She killed him." The Slayer tried to keep some volume in her voice. She had first cast a sideways glance at Xander to see that his mouth was all but sewed shut.

"The boy who shot me?" Tara felt her stomach twist painfully and it only got worse when the Slayer nodded. "Xander, I'm sorry I have to use your bathroom." She managed to inform them what she was doing before hurrying out.

"What do we do?" He asked in a hiss when she had left.

"Xander I just told her she died and Willow killed someone, give her a minute. I know I need one." Buffy put her hands up over her face as she leaned back on the couch.

"Yeah." The young man paced in front of the window. "Do you believe her?" He found he just couldn't keep silent.

"She's real, she looks like Tara, she sounds like Tara, she knows stuff Tara should know." Buffy leaned forward taking a deep breath. "I want to believe she's Tara because then she's alive."

"But it's not as simple as that is it?" Xander paced more. "Buffy, we buried Tara."

"Xander I know that!" She stood up snapping at him.

"Should we talk to Giles? Maybe there's some tests or something he can do on her. You know find out if she's real or something." Xander suggested reaching up to pull at his hair.

"Call him, but don't tell him." Buffy shooed him and headed down the hall.

"Tara?" Buffy knocked on the door to the bathroom.

"Just a moment."

There came as small scuffle from inside and the sound of the toilet flushing, then water being run in the sink and only then the soft click of the door being unlocked.

"Tara?" Buffy pushed it open slowly to see her sitting back on the tub edge. "Look I know I just blurted that out but you have to understand what we've been going through."

"Of course." She raised her hand to her lip nodded slightly. "It must have been terrible for you, I'm so sorry." She dropped her head in a classic Tara position.

"No, you see there's a new big evil in town called the First, as in the first evil. It can take the form of anyone deceased and it's killing off all the Slayer potentials before it takes out Faith and I to snuff the line." Buffy blurted it all out.

"Slayer potentials?" Tara frowned trying to keep up.

"The girls who would be called when Faith and I die, the First's eyeless demons have already knocked off most of them. The last few left are shacked up at my house." She crouched down so she was eye to eye with Tara.

"I'm sorry I had no idea what things were like here. I ... I just thought it was time to come home." Tara looked up into Buffy's eyes.

"It is." Buffy nodded.

"No, no it isn't." Tara shook her head.

"Tara, I have no right to say this but Willow needs you. She's fighting so hard to keep her magic in check and she's so lost without you." The Slayer sighed. "She's not Willow anymore, she's like she's empty, vacant, just trying so hard to go through the motions but she's not alive."

"But, I shouldn't be here." Tara shook her head. "I died." The words came in a haunted tone.

"Tara, look at me." Buffy leaned forward and took the very warm, very real hands in her own. "If you were in Oregon or Florence or wherever, it wasn't you. You never died."

Tara had to stop herself crying the instant Buffy took her hands, it was the first contact they'd shared for so long and it said that at least Buffy wanted to believe she was who she said she was. That fact combined with everything she had just learnt and everything she was feeling inside before that made her just want to fall apart and cling to the strong Slayer for support.

"But something did." She stated shivering, refusing to give in and crumble.

"I know." Buffy nodded. "The First has powers, powers that we don't understand." She was honest, there was nothing else that she could be. "Xander called Giles, he might be able to help explain."

Tara merely nodded. What else could she say in a situation like this? What voice did a dead woman have?

Giles staggered back a bit feeling the couch hit his calves and the comfort of a solid object made him sit down as he stared at the figure before him. Seeing the blonde Wicca at first had caused him to have the usual reaction. He'd gone through a very reserved concern that she was The First, asked a series of inane questions to see where she had been and what she had been doing, then the shock had settled in.

"I'm sorry... I just need a moment." He gave her a soft smile as he slowly pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his brow.

"I need to get a glass of water." Tara admitted and looked up at Xander, she was beginning to feel a little like a zoo animal or some kind of circus freak with everyone staring at her asking questions and then just staring some more. Of course she understood why they were like it, well no, she could piece together why they were like it, understanding exactly would come a lot further down the line, but still it didn't make her feel any better.

"Be my guest." The carpenter nodded that she should feel free to get one. He felt bad for the fact that he'd just sat and stared between the four of them all the time that Giles had performed his 'interview', but there was nothing else he felt he could do.

Tara softly pushed up from the couch and silently left the room and immediately Buffy pushed off from the windowsill where she was perched and looked at Giles.

"Well?" She asked of him, her voice clipped.

"The idea is incomprehensible." Giles tried to gain his composure.

"I know that but we have to comprehend it, so comprehend it and tell me how we can find out if it's true." Buffy pushed she paced lightly in front of the window, the heels of her boots tapping almost impossibly loudly on the polished wood floor. "How can we prove that that is Tara?" She looked at the Watcher desperate for him to have an answer.

"All of the conventional methods are useless, the autopsy performed on the..." He gulped. "I'm sure if there had been gross abnormalities they would have contacted someone."

"Was there an autopsy?" Xander said uncomfortably pulling at the front of his shirt, the material sticking to him and making him feel like he was choking. "I don't remember." He admitted, feeling green just thinking about it. "You know the bullet and the blood and everything, seemed kinda obvious how she, how it died."

"It was a murder investigation Xander, they had to do one. Why do you think we couldn't get her back to bury her for a week?" Buffy snapped at him feeling the tension in the room rise a notch higher.

"Please." Giles interrupted the pair, aware that they were both reacting to the situation in different ways and that those ways were enough to cause friction in themselves. "I think there is a spell. One that can at least confirm she is human, and isn't in fact a doppelganger." He pushed up to stand again.

"There is?" Buffy turned and looked at him the momentary anger at Xander forgotten as the Watcher offered a glimmer of hope.

"It's crude but it would be vaguely effective in this scenario." He nodded. "It was conceived many years ago when there were rampant fears that doppelgangers were being use to imitate important public figures. As I say crude but effective, designed to focus on a beings inner source." He stopped before he went into a lengthy explanation knowing that no one in the room was the slightest bit interested in a history lesson right now.

"It's not gonna hurt her is it?" Xander shifted uncomfortably in his place glancing at the kitchen door.

"No, no of course not. Mostly I walk around with a few things then point something akin to a divining rod at her, the basis of its reaction allows me to determine who and what she is. I'm afraid other than that there is no way to confidently confirm her identity." He paused momentarily and followed Xander's eyes to the door. "I think it is obvious that she believes that she is Tara Maclay, but then none of us for one moment thought the young lady that lived and died with us those short months ago was anything other than Tara Maclay." Giles finished then looked at them both.

"There must be something else we can do." Buffy sighed feeling tension and a thick swell of nausea build up inside her. "A way to check we can check her story out." Buffy felt herself clicking into research mode. "Tickets." She looked up proud that she had come up with something, "If she traveled a lot she must have bought tickets and tickets are traceable."

"She said she had tickets, we saw the plane one she had." Xander nodded catching on to Buffy's train of thought. "And we can check with her friend in Oregon, and she must have been staying with someone at least as a base in Europe, didn't she mention someone in Paris?" The carpenter's eyes were bright when the enthusiasm of the moment caught up with him.

"Exactly." Buffy nodded. "We can check dates and bank details we just need to know names and places. Giles…" She turned to the Watcher with a new sense of purpose. "Where do you have to be to do this spell?"

"I can do it here, I just need to pick up a few things." The Englishman replied with a short nod but then for an instant his face fell into a much darker, serious line. "Buffy…" He called for the Slayer's attention, his voice somber. "What do we plan to do if we discover she isn't who she says she is?"

Buffy stopped in her tracks, the click of her boots ending ominously short as she turned and looked at him, all trace of light and hope gone from her features.

"Then we get rid of it, before it can hurt anyone." Buffy said with out hesitation, her hazel eyes dark and focused on nothing but Giles' brown ones. Her voice was cold, her tone almost clinical.

"Buffy!" Xander's gaze flicked between the two other people in the room, unable to comprehend the sudden shift in mood and thought.

"As long as we're agreed." Giles ignored Xander's horrified gasps and remained focused purely on Buffy.

"We're agreed." The Slayer didn't flinch in the slightest also ignoring Xander's objection.

"I'll be back as soon as I can with the spell ingredients. Try to confirm all you can in the meantime. I don't think I need to advise you that she shouldn't be allowed to leave." He tucked his handkerchief away and moved to the door.

"Giles." Buffy called as he reached the door, the watcher turned and looked at her.

"No one else finds out." She kept his eyes as she spoke.

"Of course not." He took a visible breath trying to steady himself as he pulled the door open and slipped out.

As the door closed behind the retreating watcher, Xander turned to Buffy and caught hold of her arm. He pulled her almost roughly over to the window, as far away as her could from the still closed kitchen door.

"Okay." He said rather breathlessly. "Just what the hell was that?" He hissed staring between the Slayer and the door.

"That was necessary." Buffy replied though the edge had slipped from her voice, she took a breath and looked up at her friend. "Xander I don't like this idea any more than you do but if that isn't Tara..." She hissed back her voice low. "Then we can't afford to get wishy washy and let the First get to us or Willow." She said the redhead's name even lower.

"But Buffy are you seriously suggesting we do a bit of research, Giles waggles a pointy stick at her and if it wiggles left she's Tara if it waggles right we kill her?" Xander squeaked appalled.

"If she's not Tara, then it, whatever it is, is not human." Buffy underlined the most important fact.

"She sure as hell looks human. You want me to stab her with a stick see if she bleeds." Xander scowled.

"Xander." Buffy snapped at him. She didn't like the though any more than her friend did, in fact right now she couldn't even begin to comprehend how they would deal with it if the tests, the research and the spell confirmed that she wasn't real. The very thought made her sick to the stomach. "We deal with that when we have to." She tried to order her own thoughts as well as give the carpenter something he could work around. "Look, why don't you order us something to eat? If she has just flown half way across the world, then she's going to be starved." Buffy began walking towards the kitchen.

Xander watched his friend move feeling his body shaking inside though when he looked down at his hands he saw them hanging firm in the air.

"I don't know if I can do this." He whispered as she neared the door.

"Remember you're big yellow crayon speech?" Buffy walked back over to him, her voice back to being low and hard. "Well guess what, its time to step up. We have to deal with this and we have to protect Willow from this, so suck it up and suck it up quick."

"But this is real, this is heavy." Xander felt his inside tighten more under Buffy's intense stare.

"I need you in this Xander." She softened her voice.

"But..." Xander began to object but felt all his arguments die in his throat. Buffy was right, they couldn't let anything hurt Willow, any of them and this, if this were a lie, would crush her. He took a breath and looked up at his friend. "You know…" He began with a sigh. "If she is Tara, the real Tara, there are a whole other bunch of issues."

"We can't think about those yet." Buffy shook her head and broke eye contact. "The first thing we have to do is figure out what she is. Then we can deal with telling Willow."

"One step at a time." Xander seemed to draw a little strength from somewhere as her straightened up and took a breath.

"Exactly." Buffy actually gave him a smile. "So get on the phone and do your pizza ordering thing." She turned towards the kitchen.

"What are you going to do?" He asked somewhat pensively as Buffy neared the door.

"Talk to her." The Slayer shrugged. "If she is Tara, she must think we've all gone insane."

"We're ordering pizza, any special requests? We could get that sausage and double pepperoni you used to like." She kept her voice light as she entered the kitchen letting the door swing closed behind her.

The blonde Wicca was stood in front of the kitchen window, her back turned to the Slayer. Her slim figure outlined by the dimming sunlight of the late afternoon. Her head was slightly dipped and one arm wrapped itself around her waist. The other tucked her hair repeatedly behind her ear.

"I know what you're doing." She whispered in a low sad voice.

"Doing?" Buffy faked ignorance as she hung in the doorway.

"The questions, M-M-Mr. Giles." Tara turned, her pale face streaked with tears. "The pizza." She said needlessly pushing her hair back again. "You're trying to find out who..." She stopped. "What I am." She felt a hard shiver hit her body as she spoke.

"I won't lie to you Tara, but you have to understand what this looks like from our perspective." Buffy took a few steps in and leaned against the counter. "You've been a Scooby long enough to know how our life is."

"I have." Tara nodded.

"Giles says there's a spell, he's going to get some stuff so he can confirm you're who you are." Buffy felt the hardness in her body drop as she continued looking at the blonde seeing her very real tears.

"I should save you all the trouble and just leave." Tara dropped the hand from around her waist and pushed at the tears on her cheek trying to steal herself some inner strength, after all it would be the right thing to do wouldn't it? To just leave again, to everyone here she was dead and gone anyway forever.

"Tara, don't you think we want it to be you?" Buffy interrupted her thoughts, "Trust me, there is nothing I want more at this moment. I want to just be able to look at you and think that maybe, just maybe with you back, then all of the shit that has happened since you…" She felt a lump lodge in her throat. "Tara I want to believe its you more than anything. But I have to know it's you before I change the world." She took a breath and moved a little closer. "Tara the thought that you, the real you was never here, was never hurt that makes me…" She stopped again, "I can't tell you how good that feels inside." She shook her head.

"But if what I am saying is true, if I am Tara, and I have been away for the last eleven months, it means something worse doesn't it?" Tara revealed that she had indeed been a Scooby long enough to know the kind of things that happened to them, the kind of situations they found themselves in, the fact that every day their lives were about life and death not just for themselves but of the world.

"No, it doesn't mean worse, it just means supernatural and evil. We can deal with supernatural evil." Buffy shook her head. "We've dealt with it before."

"I don't want to make anything harder for any of you, that's not why I came back." Tara willed her voice not to crack as she made the sad admission.

"Tara, you not being here made things harder... you being dead made things impossible. You being here, being alive can only make things better." Buffy knew she should be keeping herself more in check but she couldn't. Ever word, every look just made her want to believe more and more that this was Tara Maclay.

"Why?" Tara shook her head. "What can I do? I was never the witch Willow was, I don't have the fighting skills that the rest of the gang do." She pointed out her weaknesses.

"We don't need a witch and we don't need a fighter." Buffy shook her head. "We need what you've always given us... stability. Tara…" She took a stiff breath. "You know how people say you never really know what you have until you don't have it any more? That's how it's been without you and it makes me feel sick to admit it because I so undervalued you when you were here but without you we're just a gang of individuals doing our best not to fall apart. You have no idea how bad it feels inside if you're real. To know that the First knew better than any of us did how important you were, are. Used our own ignorance against us."

Tara watched the obvious emotion play in Buffy's face. She pushed her hand into her pocket and pulled out the plane ticket she had shown them earlier and along with it a hotel key card.

"All my things are there." She tapped the card as she held it out.

"Do you want me to pick them up?" Buffy questioned a little bemused by the move after her emotional outburst.

"That's not what I'm taking about." Tara took a breath. "I kept receipt stubs and things like that, I always do. Well always since going out with Willow, we, we did things like that." She explained without really saying much. "Either you or Xander will find everything in my hold all, I think I dropped it on the bed." She continued. "Paulo, the friend in Paris, his number is in the pink address book in my purple square case, as is Sophie's." She glanced up to the ceiling trying to think of anything else she could tell the Slayer that would prove her story. "There are some photographs in there too, of Europe and things." She shook her head trying not to miss anything.

"I'll send Xander." The Slayer nodded.

"Of course." Tara lowered her eyes and slid the things onto a kitchen counter when Buffy didn't take them. She took a slightly staggered breath. "Do you want me to sit down, I don't know, tie me up or something?" Tara's voice shook as she made the offer her hand tracing subconsciously over her wrist as if she could already feel the ropes there.

"To be honest I've had to tie way to many people up lately." Buffy watched the blonde's actions and fought down a shiver. "We could go sit in the living room and you could tell me about Florence, did you go to the chapel?"

"Actually I'm really, really tired right now." Tara looked up shaking slightly more, she couldn't cope with Buffy being chatty and amiable. Especially as she was more than aware that if she or any of the others found anything they didn't like about her or her story then the Slayer would have to 'sort' something out. "Perhaps if I just curled up on the couch again?"

"Let me change the sheets on Xander's bed, there's no reason to not get some proper sleep." Buffy backed away under the sad glare, knowing full well that Tara knew exactly what the score was, the blonde had always been quiet but very quick to catch on to a situation.

"No, no, M-M-Mr. Giles will need me at least fairly awake for the spell." Tara shook her head. "The couch is fine." She wrapped her arm around herself again.

"I'll get you a blanket." Buffy nodded. "I'm sorry." She whispered slipping back out knowing that the small apology was far from good enough.

Giles had set the spell up trying to make as little fuss and disruption as possible. They had had to move some furniture around so that Tara was sat isolated in the center of the room surrounded by a strange collection of artifacts and crystals. Dark green candles were lit at specific points around the room and thick smoke billowed from some burning herbs on a small silver platter near to the blonde's feet.

Giles slowly walked around the artifacts mumbling under his breath letting some dark powder slip from between his fingers as he walked the complex route over and over.

Buffy stood with Xander over to one side of the room watching everything that was going on with a curious eye. Xander had made it back before the Watcher with Tara's stuff and everything she had said so far checked out.

The large pile of receipts for everything from plane tickets to socks confirmed she'd been exactly where she said she had. Add to that the pictures and even newspaper clippings that she had gathered together in a large scrapbook, and it gave everyone a clear outline of exactly what this 'Tara' had done with the last eleven months of her life. The scrapbook that had obviously been designed to chart her journeys and provides points of reflection later in life now sought to prove she lived at all.

"That smoke's making her cough." Xander looked over at the blonde who was trying not to disturb anything, covering her coughs with her hand occasionally when they became too hard to ignore. "Does that mean she's an evil dopple-thingie." He hissed at Buffy.

"I don't know." Buffy shook her head. "Smoke makes anyone cough." She pointed out.

"There were presents." Xander whispered under his breath as they continued watching the spell. "For everyone, wrapped and everything."

"I know, so you told us." Buffy watched Giles as he made another lap.

"And…" Xander shifted uneasily in his place. "I found this." He added slipping Buffy something that up until now he had kept to himself.

It was a small navy envelope with the name 'Willow' written on the front in pastel pink pen. The name seeming to sound another bell of warning that they needed to figure out who she was as quickly as possible.

"We're not opening that unless the stick does the wonky." Buffy hissed at him snatching the envelope to keep it safe. She pressed it into the pocket of her dark jeans.

"Do you think it's her, I mean like really her?" Xander pushed the Slayer to make some kind of judgment.

"I want it to be her." Buffy's voice dropped softer as she admitted the truth. "Don't you?"

"Well yeah." Xander nodded but something in his eyes told the Slayer that he was lying.

What?" Buffy turned to him her eyes wide with alarm that maybe she was missing something glaringly obvious. "You don't think it's her?"

"No, it's not that, I mean no." Xander stumbled over his words. "It's just that, well, Willow." He pointed out his major concern.

"This is what Willow wants Xander, this is what she wants more than anything." Buffy whispered glancing over at Giles who seemed ready now to get to the important part of the spell.

"But she's moving on Buffy, all that work that she did in England, she's a different girl now." Xander argued to the contrary.

"What?" Buffy couldn't help but show her surprise in the carpenter's words. "Have you ever talked to her about Tara since the whole blow up the world thing?" She questioned him her voice too low for the others to hear. "Have you even heard her say her name? Seen her cry? She went to England to get the magic in control. Getting over Tara has not happened, moving on has not happened." She took a shallow breath. "For Christ-sake she turned into Warren to punish herself just last week."

"Yeah but maybe, you know with Kennedy." Xander queried finally saying the SIT's name.

"Kennedy is only an issue because Tara was dead." Buffy spelled out the situation as she saw it. "And if she is Tara, Kennedy doesn't stand a chance."

"I just want the best for Will, she can't deal with much more, you know that Buffy." Xander said sadly.

Buffy was about to respond when she saw Giles begin a tentative approach towards Tara with the two foot long gnarled stick he had carefully unpacked from within an aged wicker box. When the Watcher within range of the blonde, the tip of the stick centimeters form her nose, he released the end of it that he was holding. Buffy felt her breath catch in her chest as she watched mesmerized.

For a second the divining rod wobbled in the air and then hung perfectly horizontally in its place supported by nothing. Giles stepped back looking at Tara and the stick. Buffy watched not so much amazed by the fact that it was floating in mid air, but by the fact that once it became stable it didn't waiver one millimeter.

"She's her isn't she?" The Slayer whispered the question to the Watcher still not having took a real breath.

"Xander the candles." Giles pointed over to the pair of them stepping back forwards taking the end of the stick in his hand again.

"Blow them out?" Xander moved over to the closest one.

"Yes." Giles nodded.

Quickly he extinguished the flame and moved around to the others. The instant the first flame was out the stick dropped into the Watcher's hand.

"Giles?" Buffy pushed again for an answer when none was forth coming.

The Watcher bent down and picked up the ash filled silver plate and carried them out of the way over to Buffy.

"That young lady is Tara Maclay." He whispered in Buffy's ear as he moved through to put the things in the kitchen.

Buffy wasn't sure if the words made her feel like her body was a million pounds heavy or that she felt as light as air.

"Tara." She spoke the blonde's name as she walked tentatively closer.

Tara turned just her head to look at Buffy, tears streaked her pale cheeks. The Slayer couldn't decide if they were from relief or if they might have just been a result of the smoke.

Without another word the Slayer felt something inside her break and in two quick steps she was at the side of the chair, dropping down on her knees so that she could lean forward and throw her head into Tara's lap.

"Tara." A thick sob broke out of her body.

The blonde Wicca drew in a long breath and pressed her hands down over the back of Buffy's head stroking her long fingers through the shorter blonde locks.

"I'm so sorry." Buffy gasped between sobs.

"I understand, it's all right." Tara whispered, never stopping the soft motion of her hand.

Xander somewhat awkwardly picked up the candles and the strange orange colored glass ball that Buffy's foot was close to destroying and slipped off after Giles.

"I'm sorry... I just..." Buffy lifted her head after a long time. "I can't believe it's you."

"I knew I should have cut my hair, those extra three inches make all the difference." Tara tried to smile, but it was obviously hard.

"It's beautiful, makes you look all international." Buffy wiped at her cheeks trying to compose herself.

"The coat is from England." She reached out and bravely caught a tear on the pad of her thumb and brushed it from the Slayer's cheek.

"It's perfect for you." The Slayer nodded.

"I don't have to stay Buffy, not if it makes things harder." Tara said softly, now that the issue of her identity had been cleared up the Wicca wanted Buffy to know that her offer to disappear still stood, understand that it was an unconditional one based on what was best for them all.

"No, no." Buffy shook her head instantly. "We need you... Willow needs you." The Slayer's last three words were almost a whisper.

"I need her too." Tara's reserve broke as she had so far managed to steer clear of mentioning her ex-lover. The blonde's brave façade crumpled and heavy tears fell from blue eyes.

"I can call her, get her here." Buffy pulled up higher on her knees.

"Doesn't she... won't you need to talk to her?" Tara desperately wanted to accept Buffy's offer without thought or question, but she couldn't, not after what they had just had to go through, not after what had obviously happened in her absence.

"Tara, I don't know the right way to do this." The Slayer shook her head. There didn't seem an easy way to slide this into a conversation.

"I don't know what to say." Tara admitted shaking her head back. "In all my coming back scenarios, this never came up." She admitted tearfully.

"Do you still love her?" Buffy asked the serious important question of the moment.

"More than anything." Tara replied without hesitation.

"Those are the only three words she needs to hear... thinking she had lost you... losing you... it hurt her so much." Buffy whispered the last part realizing that even though Tara wasn't really dead, for them all it had been as if she was.

"My question of does she still love me, seems a little irrelevant somehow." Tara replied softly.

"You are still her everything." Buffy nodded instantly.

"When..." Tara hesitated. "When did you lose me, the other me?" She shook her head trying to get her head around the facts and details.

"May." Buffy sat back on her legs.

"I..." Tara stopped, unsure of exactly what to say, she was saved from having to make any decision when Xander came back into the sitting room.

"Buffy, sorry." He stated hovering a little way back. "That was Dawn on the phone."

"What's up?" Buffy pushed up to stand trying to regain her composure.

"Apparently a group of the SIT's have taken off, something about patrolling." Xander winced as he reported the news.

"Can't I leave the house for more than a few hours without them all growing brass balls." Buffy cursed as she moved over for her jacket. "Tara, I have to go... these girls can't fight to save their lives, literally. Do you want to get a few hours sleep and I'll bring Willow by later?" She questioned slipping on her jacket.

"Whatever you think is best." Tara watched the Slayer move a little thrown by the sudden activity. "I could go back to the hotel."

"No, I changed the sheets. Consider this your new home, we can't have you at a motel." Xander shook his head.

"Thank you." Tara turned and smiled gratefully at him, it was nice to have him look at her without that trace of fear in his dark eyes.

"No worries, I put some candles in there too and towels in the bathroom if you want to have a shower." He pointed back to the hall and doorway.

"I'll see you both in a few hours." Buffy smiled at Xander who she could see was trying so hard. She headed out the door though knowing she needed to get home. The last thing she needed was any of the SIT's getting into a situation they couldn't handle right now.

"Buffy." Giles called running after her as she hurried down the hall making her stop after she had hit the call button. "We need to talk, about what happens next." She said seriously as the elevator doors slid open.

"We've already got a next, I'm bringing Willow back once I round up the rogue SIT's and tuck them back in the house." Buffy spelled it out putting her hand back to hold the door open.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Giles stepped into the lift with her letting her release the door.

"Giles, that's Tara. We have to tell Willow." She hit the button for the ground floor.

"Of course, but..." Giles shifted awkwardly.

"But what?" Buffy watched the change in his move and pushed for him to tell her what was going on in his head.

"How do you intend to tell her?" He asked. "How do you intend to explain to her that The First, as we assume this was, used a shadow of Tara to infiltrate our circle, to learn all it could about us and then to find out how far and how much power she possessed?" He sighed heavily. "We can only guess at the motives here Buffy."

"We know the First motive Giles, it wants to drive us all crazy and kill us." She nearly snapped at him but she managed to keep her voice in check. "What it wanted to do, what it did to us to propel this crazy plan it has isn't the issue right now. The issue for Tara and Willow right now is that Tara isn't dead and Willow needs to know that." She let her voice fall. "Giles we're losing her, you know that even better than I do. She's not herself and it's not the magic anymore, she's got that under control."

"When do you plan on telling her?" Giles saw that Buffy wasn't going to be moved.

"The SIT's are roaming wild, I have to round them up first then I'll bring her back with me." She filled him in. "I'll try to prep her all I can."

"I'll try and do some background, into exactly what it was that The First did." Giles nodded. "Be careful Buffy." He urged her knowing just how dangerous things were out there right now.

"Giles..." Buffy stopped as the door opened as she stepped out but held it open. The watcher looked up at her expectantly. "If the First replaced her, did all this... it can't have expected her to come back to town. It can't expect us to know what it's been up too." She filled in, her more strategic mind coming to life.

"Are you thinking in someway this helps us?" Giles frowned slightly.

"Anything that we know and the first doesn't, helps us." Buffy nodded. "What we need to figure out is how it does."

It hadn't been the disaster it could have been for the Slayer, rounding up the SIT's proved to be fairly easy and they had between them actually managed to both stay alive and bag a couple of vamps before she'd found them wandering down main street. That hadn't meant that Buffy didn't give them all a lecture about safety and sensible planning, but all in all it hadn't been that bad. Now everyone was back at the house, with Anya and Dawn watching over the group. This fact had helped Buffy greatly as it meant that she and Willow had been able to slip away without concern or question.

'Though it was more like Anya and Dawn just being part of the hyped up crowd, but hey at least they should be sorted for the night.' Buffy thought to herself with a sigh. 'I just hope they keep it together long enough for me to get Willow to Xander's.'

The pair had gone a long way in silence. Each wrapped in their individual thoughts. Buffy's stomach was turning and churning inside her, while at the same time her head was filled with a feeling of elation and hope like none other she'd felt for the last seven months at least.

A few feet beside the Slayer, Willow wrapped her arms around her body shaking out her hair in the slight wind as followed what seemed to be the aimless path her friend was walking.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly noting how the whole night the Slayer had been very distracted.

"Yeah, I can't believe the SIT's." Buffy shook her head. "You'd have thought enough of them had..." Her voice trailed off. "Well you know, for it to have sunk in a bit by now."

"Me too." Willow nodded sadly. "I guess they figure if they get in the game they'll have a better chance of surviving. I know for one that Kennedy is eager to get things going."

"How you doing?" The Slayer asked gently, her mind racing over anything but the SIT's group death wish.

"Who me?" Willow shrugged lightly. "I'm okay." She gave the unconvincing answer.

"Do I get any details with that okay?" Buffy pushed softly.

"There aren't many to give." The redhead shifted her arms. "Just focusing on finding out info on The First."

"I meant more after last week." Buffy tried to find out some specifics.

"Oh." Willow looked down a little. "Better I guess, not turning myself into my own murder victim again." She gave an agitated laugh. "Though if I see Amy again I might be forced to threaten to re-rat her." The comment gave the Slayer a glimpse of the old Willow and she laughed genuinely before she took a slight breath.

"And Kennedy?" She asked more because it fitted with their topic of conversation than because she actually classed it as an issue.

"I…" Willow shook her head. "I don't know Buffy." She admitted. "Something doesn't…" She stopped again. "Do you mind if I don't answer that?" She concluded looking away.

"No problem." Buffy slid her hands into the pockets of her pants. "You haven't asked where we're going." She pointed out as they walked on.

"Where are we going?" Willow looked up at the crossroads ahead orienting herself to the location.

"To Xander's." Buffy replied trying to kept her voice even. "Because I need to talk to you." She added quickly and watched as Willow shook out her hair again looking at the Slayer waiting for her to continue. "Will." Buffy began but stopped taking a deep breath. "Something happened today." She tried to find a way to say this again. "Something that changes some things." She added watching Willow carefully.

"What? Did the First come out of hibernation?" Willow blinked a flash of worry settling on her face.

"No, no not that." Buffy shook her head. "But it is to do with the First."

"Did you find out something?" Willow questioned again.

"Kinda." Buffy led Willow gently towards a bench close to the sidewalk. "Wanna sit for a minute?"

"Buffy, if this is about the hex... I sorted it. I told you I would." Willow instantly went on the defensive.

"It's not about the hex." Buffy shook her head and sat down. "Please." She patted the wood beside her and a little reluctantly Willow eased down. "Will, the thing, that happened today." She found herself pausing a lot between words, as if trying to order them in her mind. "It's made us see, that…" She took another long pause. "That the things that have happened in the last months, the last year, haven't exactly been." She paused again feeling the weight of the silence moments sitting heavier on her. "Real." She concluded.

"Buffy, you're not making any sense." The redhead stared at the Slayer and rather obviously reached out putting her hand on Buffy's arm to test that she was real.

"I'm me." Buffy assured her as she felt the small hand close over her arm.

"I still don't understand." The redhead pulled her hand back.

"Willow I have something really important, but really unbelievable to tell you." Buffy took a deep breath. "And I need you to know that before telling you Xander, Giles and I have done everything to make sure that what I am going to tell you is the truth." She tried to make it clearer. "You following me so far?"

"I guess." Willow watched her carefully still not at all understanding what is going on. "Not really."

"When we get to Xander's." Buffy glanced down to the apartment block at the bottom of the road. "I'm going to take you up to his apartment." She bit her lip a little but carried on. "And…"

"And?" Willow pushed her not enjoying the tension in the air that was rising by the second or that Buffy reached out and the Slayer's hand rested on her knee.

"And Tara's gonna be there." She whispered slowly.

The five simple words, strung together to make the sentence made every feature on Willow's face fall instantly.

"That's not funny." She pulled away coldly before standing up.

"Will." Buffy jumped up. "Willow." She reached out catching hold of Willow's coat, trying to turn her round to face her.

"Is this some sort of sick test? A check to see if I start floating and burning the block down." Willow turned around angry.

In an uncontrolled reaction Buffy released her best friend's arm and took a step back, shaking her head.

"I wouldn't do that to you Willow." She underlined softly.

"Then why?" Willow whimpered a little. "Why are you saying this?"

"I'm saying this because it's true." Buffy continued. "I didn't believe it either, when Xander came and got me this afternoon, but Willow, she's there." She hated the look in Willow's eyes but had to continue. "She left Sunnydale, after the spell you cast on us all, the memory spell that made us all forget everything. She moved out of the house and then a week later she left Sunnydale. She's been gone over eleven months."

"But..." Willow tried to process what she was being told as her breath started to come faster, whistling into her dry body to make her already dizzy head swim more.

"She went to a friend, Sophie." Buffy remembered the name to see if Willow had ever heard of her to see if it would make her at least focus a little. The way green eyes were darting around made her edgy and uncertain that the redhead could handle what she was hearing.

"Sophie Elm, her friend in Oregon?" Willow answered immediately.

"And then to Europe, she had a friend in Paris she used as a base." Buffy nodded quickly.

"Who? Jamie?" Willow didn't real internalize what she was being told. "Oh no, he moved to Brussels. It must have been Paulo." She stepped back sitting down again. "She used to have lots of friends." Her voice was tiny.

"She has lots of friends." Buffy sank to her knees on the floor in front of the bench. "Giles is trying to figure out what happened but we think that some how the First knew about you and Tara, and then when she left it saw the perfect opportunity to move in." She explained quickly, there was no need to focus on this aspect of things now. "We think it, it replaced her some how, with a clone, a doppelganger or a shadow as Giles called it. So that it could learn things about us, find out our weaknesses, test us, hurt us."

"Tara's not dead?" Willow looked down into Buffy's eyes her own wild and filled with tears.

The plea made Buffy stop her hasty explanation and as she looked up into her best friend's eyes she realized for the first time Willow understood, really understood what she was saying.

"She's not dead." She stated with a teary smile as Willow latched onto the main point of her statement.

"She's at Xander's?" Willow's body started to shake.

"Just down there." Buffy clasped her hands over Willow's and nodded with her head.

Willow squeezed Buffy's hand for a moment before she broke away running full out the short distance down to the building. It took Buffy a moment to catch up with the fact that Willow had moved, she blinked and pushed up from her place on the floor and fled after her.

"TARA!" Willow screamed racing into the lobby and banging on the elevator button to call the lift. When it didn't immediately come, she ran to the side stairs and raced up the three flights to Xander's floor.

"TARA!" She screamed again feeling tears burning down out of her eyes as she reached her best friend's door and flung it open, the heavy wood rattling back on its hinges.

"Tara?" She looked around at Xander and Giles' shocked faces. "Where is she?" She threw the words at them daring them to not lie.

Xander blinked somewhat stupidly and then pointed at the bedroom door. Following the line that his finger created, Willow moved without another word over to it and flung it open.

All of her energy and provocation came to a hard stall as her gaze fell on the blonde who lay asleep, looking small and fragile in Xander's bed. Her hair was fanned out on the pillow behind her turned head, her pale pink lips slightly open as she breathed slowly during her slumber.

"Baby?" Willow whispered her chest rising and falling hard with each emotional breath.

With a soft moan Tara turned in the bed, disturbed both by the noise and the streak of bright light that seem to flood the room from the door. She raised a sleepy hand to her head and rubbed it across both eyes before they fluttered open.

"Baby?" Willow whispered again as she watched the sleeping beauty before her wake up just like she would in the fairy tales she had read during her childhood.

"Willow?" The name slipped from between Tara's lips in a sleep filled whisper as she pushed herself up in the large bed, blinking the figure framed in the doorway into focus.

"Tara." The redhead spoke the name as she stepped shakily closer not able to believe her eyes. She hadn't even dared to dream this could be possible.

"Willow." The blonde saw red hair lit by the living room light, and instantly she threw back the cover and pushed her sleepy aching body out of the bed.

"Baby..." Willow's arms shook as they rose a little beckoning the blonde to come to her.

It took less than a step for Tara to be in reaching distance of Willow, a step that the blonde made quickly and decisively, her arms closing around the slender red head without a trace of hesitation. When Tara was close enough Willow collapsed against her, the hard tears she'd been holding back breaking free when she felt the blonde's warm familiar arms around her. Her hard sobbing gasps filling her nose and lungs with the damp taste of Tara, making her know this wasn't a ghost or a dream.

Tara closed one hand over the side of Willow's head lightly, the other went to wrap around her waist to hold them together as she placed kiss after kiss onto soft red hair.

"Shush sweetie." She whispered over and over. "It's okay." She rocked her gently.

"You're alive." Willow sobbed the strength running out of her legs as she started to sink in the grasp her arms still clinging to the blonde's body.

"Willow..." Tara slid too, not expecting nor able to cope with the sudden change. She gracelessly and somewhat painfully sunk to the floor with Willow partially in her lap. "I'm right here." She gathered Willow to her as best she could.

"I thought I'd lost you… I..." Willow couldn't even begin to speak as she sobbed pressing her body against the blonde's harder, wanting to crawl inside her and be free of the harsh painful world.

"I know sweetie I know." Tara rocked her over and over. "But I'm here now." She whispered knowing in no way did it make anything right or better instantly but unable not to say it if it might offer Willow any relief.

"Please don't ever leave me again." Willow sobbed leaning up to hug her closer, nestling her chin over Tara's shoulder as she had so often done in the past.

"I won't." Tara whispered shaking her head, rubbing Willow's back over and over. "I won't."

Part Two

Anya poured the fifth bag of microwave popcorn into the enormous bowl preparing to bring it to the horde of SIT's watching videos in the living room.

"You know I think it is appalling that just because I don't have demon powers I get left to baby-sit as if that is the only task I am still suitable for." She grumbled turning to watch the last bag as it began to pop in the microwave. "Not that I mean you, as since I no longer own the shop you have nothing you can steal from me." She looked at Dawn who was putting ice in the dozen or so glasses lined up on the countertop.

"Anya please just get on with the popcorn." Dawn answered flatly.

"What do you think Willow and Buffy are doing out there?" She questioned shaking salt over the bowl. "I mean is it wise to leave all of them here alone, it's not like the Bringers can't just bust in the front door and kill them all."

"Patrolling maybe or maybe Willow needed something." Dawn played with the ice in the glass nearest to her. "I think Willow did some protection thing on the house."

"Well that's comforting." Anya spoke the words but it wasn't obvious if she meant them.

"Comforting?" Dawn sighed again. "We've still been abandoned. If they decide to jump ship the second time I'm not calling her again."

"I mean I know they haven't been around this as much as we have but even we have the sense not to go out when Buffy tells us." Anya agreed sticking up for the teenager. "I mean how many more of them have to be disemboweled before they get the picture."

"I don't know." Dawn shrugged. "Maybe to be a potential you have to be a little, you know, blind to the obvious."

"And be able to eat like a pig." Anya turned as the microwave beeped retrieving the steaming bag.

"We're going to need a bank loan." Dawn grumbled. "Or our own farm."

"Really the Council should be paying for this but I guess since they blew up there's not much of a chance of that." Anya nodded her displeasure. "And why do they think we're their waitresses?"

"Because they've been trained by the Council, you know how 'better than you' they are. Do you think they're really like exploded and destroyed or do you think they have a secret underground bunker thing?" Dawn turned and grabbed a handful of popcorn.

"Underground bunker." Anya nodded grabbing a handful as she leaned forward on the island.

"Me too." Dawn agreed.

"Maybe this is all some big test to figure out the best of the best." The ex-demon mused hopefully.

"Buffy will be unbearable if it is and she wins." Dawn admitted with a sigh.

"She's unbearable now. Do you know she said I was looking flabby and should start training?" Anya commented disgusted. "Hello I am over twelve hundred years old and I look perfectly fine."

"You do." Dawn nodded not really looking at her.

"Thank you." Anya beamed. "I hid some chocolate in with the cleaning stuff, did you want some?" She offered gently and wasn't surprised when Dawn nodded. "I knew they would never look for it there." The ex-demon grinned as she bent down and fished them out a bar each.

Just then the dull sound of the front door closed reached the pairs ears, Dawn turned and looked in that direction.

"If someone has run, I'm not going after them." She announced in a firm voice.

"Neither am I!" Anya joined in with her.

The idea that that it wasn't someone leaving but someone arriving was underlined when the noise from the lounge dimmed and a few small voices said 'Hi or hello'.

"Hide the chocolate." Anya hissed and quickly grabbed what was left of Dawn's chocolate bar and stuffed it back into her stash under the sink.

With soft slow footsteps Buffy moved out of the living room and entered the kitchen.

"Oh its you." Dawn glanced over her shoulder.

"Yes, we were just feeding your horde of baby slayers." Anya pointed to the popcorn.

"They look fine." Buffy nodded walking slowly to them, her voice low.

"Did you lose Willow?" The ex-demon questioned grabbing another handful of popcorn.

"Kind of." Buffy smiled a little tightly as she eased herself onto a stool under Anya's confused glare.

"Buffy, what's going on?" Dawn asked quietly seeing the worry that was creasing the Slayer's face.

"I…" She glanced at them both. "There's something I have to talk to you both about. Perhaps you could both sit down." She encouraged.

Almost ritualistically they both sat down staring at her waiting for what they assumed would be bad news.

"Something's happened that's made Giles realize that this thing with The First has been going on a lot longer than we thought it has." She stated gently.

"How long?" Anya questioned swallowing.

"A long time." Buffy breathed.

"Buffy, how long?" Dawn added putting her hands nervously in her lap. "What does he think it's been doing?"

"Watching us, learning about us, about our strengths, our weakness." Buffy answered knowing that neither of them could possibly understand the ramifications of what she was saying.

"How?" The teenager breathed the word out with a shiver.

"Being one of us." Buffy felt her spine chill and tense as she whispered her reply causing them to both looked at her in disbelief.

"Buffy did you perhaps get knocked around the head again by another uber vamp?" Anya asked the serious question.

"I wish I had, but this is real." Buffy shook her head.

"So how is it been one of us? We haven't really hung around anyone new Buffy... Oh God was it doing its bad mojo on Spike?" Dawn gasp lightly as Buffy shook her head and reached out and placed her hand over her sisters.

"Longer than that." She frowned unable to believe how hard this was.

"Buffy, you're really not making enough sense." Anya frowned back at her.

"I know," Buffy apologized. "I'm sorry, but so many things make much more sense right now, but at the same time have gotten all crazy." She tried again. "The First has spent the last eleven months learning about us, finding out exactly how to hurt us."

"Yes, but how exactly?" Anya pushed again.

"Tara." Buffy couldn't look at either of them as she whispered the name.

"You think the First killed Tara?" Dawn pushed back off her stool abruptly.

"Dawn please, sit down." Buffy tried to calm her sister.

"No, you just said that the First killed Tara." The teenager's eyes were hard.

"No, I didn't" Buffy shook her head.

"Actually you said that the First has been finding out how we hurt and how we live and then you just said Tara which would suggest that you're saying the First had something to do with her dying." Anya summed up looking between them.

"The First had nothing to do with Tara dying," Buffy shook her head again. "Because Tara isn't dead."

For a long moment the kitchen was totally silent before Anya started to giggle.

"That is funny, it sounded like your insane sister said Tara wasn't dead." The ex-demon's voice tapered off. "Wait, that isn't funny." She scowled at Buffy.

"No it's not." Buffy didn't flinch under the scowl. "Tara left Sunnydale eleven months ago, after her break up with Willow. She's not been anywhere near here since." She explained quickly. "The first copied her, created a shade of her, and used it to spy on us."

"Tara isn't dead?" Dawn backed up a bit until she collided with the fridge, two of the small magnets falling off and clattering on the tiled floor.

"No, she's at Xander's." Buffy turned and gave her sister a sympathetic smile.

"We have ruled out that she isn't the First right?" Anya looked at the Slayer hopefully.

"We checked out her story, and Giles has done a spell." Buffy turned to her.

"In the bedroom... the blood... she..." Dawn stammered as her face drained of all color.

"It was a copy, created by the First." Buffy slid off her stool and slowly moved towards the teenager. "Made to hurt us, To test us."

"But... I... we... Willow..." Dawn started to shake as her long legs buckled slowly under her and she dragged the grocery list and a few other notes that were posted on the fridge down as she fell.

"I know." Buffy dived gracefully after her sister gathering her in her arms. "It was all a test." She rocked her gently. "It was all to hurt us." Dawn curled against her sister's body shaking, her eyes wide as her brain seemed to stall as it dealt with the information.

"Damn, damn, damn it." Anya pushed back picking up the bowl of popcorn and threw it at the far wall. "It did hurt." She screeched stamping her foot as her eyes filled with tears.

"It did." Buffy looked up shocked ducking the flying popcorn. "The First is good at what it does."

"It hurt a lot, she was nice, nice like your Mom and I thought she was dead. I lost my store because of what Willow did, and now it's for nothing." Anya paced around her hand on her forehead.

"Where is she?" Dawn pushed up stammering the words. "I need to see her."

"Dawn are you sure?" Buffy let her go and scrambled up to her feet.

"Yes, I need to see her." She repeated with more strength.

"I'll call Xander." Buffy moved to the phone glancing at the former demon that was almost guiltily picking up popcorn.

"Can't we just go over?" Dawn pleaded with her.

"I took Will there." Buffy looked at her sister's doe like eyes and lowered her voice slightly.

"Oh my God Willow." Dawn put her hand to her mouth again not having really thought about how this would impact everyone.

"She's okay." Buffy soothed.

"How can she be okay? You're telling us Tara isn't dead." Dawn shook her head just not believing.

"Tara has her." Buffy tried to explain.

"I would like to see her too." Anya slipped the bowl back onto the counter before she tried to smooth out her skirt.

"Of course, I'll ring." Buffy picked up the phone. "Dawn are you okay?" She asked before dialing the numbers.

"I feel hot." The teenager sat down. "And cold." She stammered leaning against the island a bit.

"Do you want to see her?" Buffy clarified.

"Yes!" Dawn snapped out the word as if she was afraid Buffy was trying to take back all that she had said.

"Common reaction to shock." Anya moved over and put her hand on Dawn's shoulder. "I think I'm going to throw up as well." She added trying to be helpful.

"Okay." Buffy dialed the number quickly. "Anya, can you please look after Dawn, Dawn, sit down please." She directed them as she listened to it ringing.

"Put your head between your knees honey it'll be fine." Anya encouraged not looking much of a better color as she rubbed Dawn's back.

"Pick up Xander, pick up." Buffy whispered over and over casting quick concerned glances at Dawn and Anya.

"Hello?" Xander's voice came on the line finally.

"Xander, sorry," Buffy said quickly. "Its me."

"Hey, hey... how's it going?" His voice went lower.

"Been better, How's it going your end?" She held her breath as she checked.

"Mmmm the wailing stopped awhile ago. We brought them in some drinks. Buffy, remember when the Byzantium boys hit Giles with a spear?" Xander kept his voice hushed.

"Yeah." Buffy frowned not liking the start of this.

"He had more color then did he did when he came out. I don't think Willow's holding up well." Xander tried to help her understand. "Though hey no fire balls or black eyed girl so we must be doing okay."

"You think we could cope with two extras?" Buffy asked worriedly.

"Buffy, they need to see her." He admitted softly. "To believe."

"Xander I hate to do this to you, but I can't leave the Potentials." Buffy began. "Do you think you could possibly?"

"Head over there while you're heading over here?" He offered immediately.

"Please." Buffy sighed. "Xander thank you." She added very thankful that she had him to rely on.

"I'm leaving now. Tell them to stay put I'm on the way." He reassured.

"Okay." Buffy placed the phone down and turned back to the girls. "We can go." She whispered to them.

"What about the..." Anya looked to the door towards where the living room.

"Xander's coming over." Buffy relayed. "Dawn are you sure?" She added softly, the teenager didn't look much better even after a few minutes of calmer breathing.

"I need to see her." She repeated her new mantra as she pushed up to stand.

"Okay. Let's move." Buffy pointed to the hall encouraging them all to get ready.

"Tara." Giles rose softly to his feet when the blonde eased herself out of the bedroom.

"I was getting another drink." Tara turned to him and smiled somewhat weakly

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you finished the other." The watcher frowned feeling suddenly inadequate.

"I didn't..." Tara glanced back towards the bedroom. "I just needed to move." She smiled tightly.

"Is everything all right?" He asked softly seeing her discomfort.

"Cramps." She replied gently. "Long plane journey and we've not exactly moved a lot in there."

"Oh course." He nodded. "Tara, I'm very sorry about before, not that I believe if I was in your place I could appreciate just how shocking it was for us all but I hope you do understand how difficult it was for us to comprehend on face value."

"I understand Mr. Giles." Tara shook her head that his apology wasn't necessary.

"How is Willow?" He asked the question a little reluctantly as he went to turn the kettle on.

"She's..." Tara glanced over her shoulder again at the closed door. "I'm not sure." The blonde admitted. "She's stopped crying."

"I doubt I have to impress this on you Tara as you know Willow better than any of us, but she took your demise... well the demise of what we all believed to be you rather..." He searched for the right word. "Hard." He finally filled in the completely inadequate one.

"It doesn't equate and I know it but…" She looked up through pained blue eyes. "I found it hard to leave." She whispered.

"I can't imagine how hard that must have been for you." He stepped a bit closer very fatherly putting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing. "I'm also very sorry I wasn't here." His voice dropped a bit.

"I tried to find you, in London when I was in Europe, but I couldn't bring myself to..." She glanced at him. "I shouldn't have left her."

"Tara, I know the last thing you need right now is a lecture and I sincerely hope you won't think of this as one but it is not your fault what happened in your absence." He squeezed her shoulder again. "Even by Hellmouth standards it was impossible to believe such a thing could occur."

"Do you understand what happened? How it happened?" Tara asked frowning slightly.

"I have a theory but it's going to take some time to piece it together. I believe the First must have seen an opening when you were leaving to truly infiltrate Buffy's inner circle and to do that it created a Shadow." Giles flicked the kettle off as it started to boil. "The problem I have to research is how."

"I'll help in anyway I can." Tara assured him.

"Thank you." He smiled at her.

"Perhaps I should go back in there." Tara took a step back towards the door before stopping. "Where's Xander?" She asked turning to Giles with a soft frown.

"He's gone to Buffy's to watch over the SIT's." He poured out his tea. "Dawn and Anya wanted to see you." He admitted in a soft voice.

"Anya... They're coming here? Dawnie?" Tara went a little pale.

"I apologize if this is all overwhelming." He looked at her regretting how much strain this was putting on her. "But they wanted to see you, they've missed you terribly."

"Of course." Tara shook her head slightly and tried to look more assured.

"Did you want anything to eat?" Giles tried to find some way to help.

"No, I don't think I'm hungry, I-I-I'll ask W-W-Willow." She moved back to the door.

"I'll knock when they are here and do my best to keep them out here in the living room." He nodded as she retreated away.

"Thank you." She bowed her head slightly, pushing the door handle down and easing herself back into the dimly lit room.

Willow by this time was sitting cross-legged on the middle of the bed, she'd managed to shed the heavy corduroy jacket she'd been wearing. Her hair sat a little wildly around her face and shoulders as she looked up immediately watching Tara close the door.

"Mr. Giles wondered if you were hungry." Tara asked pausing in the doorway before she pulled it closed.

"No." She shook her head lightly. "Are you? I could get you something..." She questioned not taking her eyes off of Tara.

"No, I don't think I am." Tara moved a little way away from the door towards the bed.

"This all must be super weird." Willow pointed out as she nibbled on her lower lip.

"It is." Tara nodded "You shouldn't do that, you'll make it sore." She added pointing to the side of her mouth "And you'll have to put that cream on you don't like."

"I ran out of cream." Willow informed her almost stupidly. "I keep forgetting to make an appointment at the health center."

"Did you use the emergence tube?" Tara prompted instantly. "From the Kitty box?"

"I..." Willow slowly shook her head. "I didn't want to disturb anything in the kitty box."

"No, of course." Tara suddenly felt chilled to her stomach, just as she was beginning to forget the events that had been happening in Sunnydale they hit her full on again.

"I can use it now though." Willow reached out the short distance touching the blonde's hand. Tara literally jumped at the contact her mind a million miles away. "Sorry." Willow jerked her hand back.

"No Willow, I'm sorry." Tara blinked blue eyes at her but didn't reach out to take the redhead's hand. "I just...." She tried to explain, but she wasn't even sure she had the words.

"Feeling overwhelmed, feeling like you've just walked into a nightmare." Willow offered trying to explain it for her. "I feel like I'm in the best dream I've had in months." She slowly moved over to sit next to Tara. "You're alive." She whispered ever so softly. "This is all I ever wanted."

"I... I don't know what to say Willow." Tara admitted turning to her.

"Tara you don't have to say anything." Willow shook her head. "You're alive, that's all that needs to be."

"I'm sorry that I let you all get hurt so badly." Tara breathed.

"It's not your fault." Willow contradicted immediately. "You didn't know any of this was going on. I know if you knew that baby you'd have come home right away to tell us all, it's that damn First." Her voice went angry at the mention of its name.

"But I should have kept in touch with someone, someone other than Candice, I can't understand why she didn't try to contact me." She shook her head and let it drop momentarily.

"Candice?" Willow looked confused.

"At university." Tara nodded. "She was in my Art history class, I stayed with her for a couple of days before I left."

"She knew you were leaving?" The redhead's eyes narrowed.

"Yes." Tara nodded. "She drove me to the bus station. I didn't know you knew Candice." She looked at Willow with a soft frown.

"Tara, I saw you with her a few weeks before..." She didn't finish. "I went to find you after class and I saw you kiss her cheek and got a bit jealous. You explained who she was and that she was just a friend."

"Kiss her cheek?" Tara frowned. "I wouldn't do that." She shook her head. "She's just a friend, I didn't really even know her, she just offered her spare room. She went to the Wicca group once or twice, way back, before you joined."

"It must have been the first." Willow shivered as she looked at the blonde.

"The First with Candice? Oh God do you think she's been hurt?" Tara went a subtle shade of green.

"Tara, this might be hard to remember but when she offered you a place to stay and after that... did you ever actually touch her?" Willow checked.

"Occasionally, nothing more than a brush or a... no wait." Tara shook her head after a few moments of thought. "I cut my finger." She recalled. "There was a broken cup in the sink, I didn't see it, didn't check." She explained.

"And she helped you bandage it?" Willow checked.

"She thought it may need stitches." Tara examined her finger. "It didn't."

"Poor poorly finger." Willow looked down at the faint scar with a frown.

"It bled, you know like I do." Tara gave a gentle lopsided smile.

"Did you put cream on it?" The redhead checked softly.

"Candice did have the one I like." She replied her blue eyes filling up with tears. "Or any pretty bandages."

"Baby I'm so sorry." Willow reached up slowly putting her hand on Tara's back.

"I…" She shook her head. "I…" She jumped when the intercom from the front door buzzed loudly.

Willow jumped with her instantly putting a protective arm fully around the blonde.

A brief scuttle sounded outside before the front door opened and more people entered.

"Giles, how are they?" Buffy's voice asked clearly through the closed door.

The Watcher's reply wasn't as clear muffled by the wood and his obvious attempt to cover his answer.

"Where is she?" Dawn's more high-pitched voice questioned back.

"Are you up for visitors?" Willow realized who must be behind the door.

"They have a right... they need to see me." Tara replied her voice quiet and anything but sure.

"I can tell them to come back tomorrow, if you're not ready." Willow offered protectively.

"No, I... Dawnie." The blonde's voice changed to a hushed whisper as the door was pushed open and the teenager stood framed in the bright light from the living room.

"Tara?" Dawn stopped stark still as she stared at the blonde.

"Dawn." Tara pushed up but didn't move.

"Tara." The teenager repeated her name as she rushed forward throwing herself into a hug.

"Oh Dawnie." Tara closed her hand over the back of Dawn's head and cradled it softly.

"I missed you, I missed you so much." Dawn sobbed as soon as she felt Tara's soft arms cradling her as they had so often.

"You've grown, look at you," Tara blinked hard knowing her tears wouldn't help this already tricky situation. "So tall, and so pretty." She swallowed.

"Please don't ever leave again." The teenager whispered softly.

"I'm so sorry." Tara whispered. "I didn't ever dream this could happen."

"It's okay as long as you're alive." Dawn pulled back a bit looking into blue eyes.

"I'm alive." Tara nodded. "And I bought you a skirt from Italy." She added with a lopsided smile.

"A skirt?" Dawn's face brightened through her tears. "It is you." She hugged the blonde tight again.

"I'm hoping its not going to be too short now." Tara hugged her back.

"Short is good." Dawn held on for along time before she pulled back before plopping to sit on the bed beside Willow as they both watched her in awe.

"Oh my God." Anya's voice squeaked from the sitting room. The former demon had been watching from there while Dawn had met up with blonde. "Is it really her?" She turned and looked at Buffy and Giles.

Buffy nodded at Anya.

"Oh my God." She repeated still staring at Tara. "Have you checked?" She turned back and stared at Giles. "I mean she might be another one, The First might have an army of Tara clones."

"Anya, please." The Englishman scowled at her.

"What?" Anya turned back and stared at Tara. "I'm just saying, I don't want to do this all over again I mean I don't want to make friends with her take her back into my heart and really like her if she's going to just go again." She defended her comment.

"Anya!" Willow glared at the brunette.

"What?" Anya stared at Willow. "I'm just saying…"

"We heard already." Buffy interrupted her from repeating it.

"Tara's tired, she needs to rest and doesn't need to hear your wild theories." Willow stood up trying to deflect the demon's stare.

"She does look tired." Anya nodded. "But maybe if she was a Shade she would." She turned back at Giles to see if he would support her statement.

"She is not a shade." He shook his head again.

"She's not a shade." Willow snapped looking at them all. "Stop saying that." She underlined.

"I'm just saying what people are thinking." Anya folded her arms across her chest.

"She needs to rest, go say what you think in the living room." Willow pushed them all back with her words.

"Tara if it is you, it's nice to see you're not dead." Anya huffed lightly and sunk down into the nearest chair.

"Do you want to have a bath before you lie down?" Willow went closer to Tara.

"Sorry, what?" Tara blinked and looked at Willow not having heard the question.

"Do you want to have a bath baby? To help you relax for sleepies." Willow looking into distant blue eyes.

"Yeah and do you want something to eat?" Dawn looked at her showing that every one of them was ready to jump at her every wish.

"Willow why don't you run her a bath, Dawn go make tea and Anya you can make toast okay?" Buffy finally spoke and wasn't surprised when everyone started scurrying around. "Giles, you can go do whatever." She waved him off and walked closer to Tara. "Sorry, everyone is just in shock." She tried to explain their irrational behavior.

"I understand that." Tara nodded though her breathing was a little short and her cheeks turned from pale to suddenly flush. "I... I…" She raised her hand to her forehead.

"Overwhelmed... don't know what to say, I know." Buffy gently reached up and moved her over to sit on the bed. "When I came back from the dead I swear I kept thinking I had three heads the way everyone was looking at me."

"But I only came back from Florence." Tara said weakly.

"Yeah but to everyone you were dead so it's just like that." Buffy tried to explain.

"To everyone but me." She tried to explain her viewpoint.

"Well yes." Buffy nodded. "Everyone will calm down in a few days"

"Yes." Tara nodded distant again.

"Anything else you need?" The Slayer checked.

"To get out of here." Tara smiled awkwardly.

"Where do you want to go?" Buffy stood up a bit shocked by the request.

"I don't know, but it's okay, I'll take my bath, drink my tea and eat my toast, and then go to bed." The blonde seemed to settle on the plan.

"I'll try to keep everyone as distracted as I can, but I don't think Willow's going to let you out of her sight." Buffy admitted.

"I think you're right." Tara nodded. "Do you think you could maybe pick up some more of my things?"

"Of course." The Slayer nodded. "We've got it in storage... I can bring all your clothes if you want."

"My clothes?" Tara looked a little strangely. "Oh the ones I left with Candice?"

"Yeah those ones." The Slayer felt the very large warning signal go off in her head, after all they'd been forced to go and pack up all of her stuff at the dorms when the shade had been killed. Apparently the First had thought of everything to the smallest detail.

"I meant the ones from the motel, from my luggage, but yes, whichever." Tara gave her a brief smile.

"I can get both." She nodded.

"Thank you." Tara gave a small smile.

Andrew hung up the phone and looked around at the girls in the living room.

"Who did Buffy put in charge when she left?" He questioned them.

"Xander, but he's not here yet." A voice called up from off the floor.

"Oh okay." Andrew put his hand up to his mouth and chewed his nail for a minute walking towards the door. "I'm sure he'll be here soon, I mean a few minutes won't make a difference."

"What's wrong, you're disturbing the movie." Came a second grumble.

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Just that was those English Wicca friends of Willow, apparently another of you was due in at the bus terminal about now."

"Wasn't Giles supposed to be picking her up." Kennedy queried through a mouthful of popcorn.

"Was he? Oh then no worries." Andrew came back over and sunk into his chair. "Can we watch the twin towers after this?"

"But why was there a phone call if she was already been picked up?" Vi asked seriously.

"Maybe something happened to him?" Molly put in reluctantly. "Maybe something happened to both of them."

"We could go down there and check." Another voice came into the conversation.

"Bad idea, Buffy said to never leave the house without her." Andrew looked at them all.

"Yeah well Buffy isn't here." Kennedy interjected.

"If we all go together?" Rona questioned a bit sheepishly.

"You can stay here and tell Xander where we are." Kennedy pushed up. "Let's get armed." She moved over to the weapons chest.

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Molly asked a bit reluctantly as the rest of the girls ran over to the chest.

"Well why donut you stay with Andrew then." Kennedy offered with a shrug.

"No, no if everyone is going." Molly got up and came over picking up a stake. "I'm a potential too."

"Let's go." Kennedy snapped the bolt into the crossbow and headed towards the door.

"Can I just say I really don't think you should do this." Andrew raised his hand hesitantly.

"We have to do something, she can't be out there by herself." Rona confirmed as she tucked the large bottle of holy water into her coat.

"Rona's right, we have to do this." Kennedy nodded. "Lets go." She underlined again hoping no one had any other objections to slow them down.

"Okay, okay, switch off the chick flick, the Xan man is here." Xander pushed open the door and carried in the buckets of fried chicken he brought with him. "The road was a nightmare, there was some problem at the bus station and why am I looking at one Geek and a hobbit?" He stood in the doorway looking between Andrew and the TV screen.

"You're late." Andrew looked up from the screen.

"That was covered by the 'the road was a nightmare' line in my greeting." Xander dumped the chicken on him "Where are they?"

"They went to the bus station, Willow's witchy friends called to say another potential was arriving and since none of you were around they decided to go get her themselves." Andrew opened the lid.

"What? And you let them?" Xander scowled.

"How can I stop them?" Andrew wagged a chicken leg at him. "They outnumbered me."

"You remind them of a certain slayer who is going to kick you ass into next week if any of them are so much as scratched." Xander snarled.

"They didn't listen." He whined back. "I told them it was foolish and they'd probably all die."

"Oh crap, we so don't need this. Didn't they go missing earlier and Buffy had to drag them all back here." He pushed moving over to see that most of the weapons were gone.

"Yeah they decided they needed ice cream, this is way different they took weapons." He pointed to the chest as Xander peered in.

"What?" Xander smacked his hand to his forehead. "Do you like your comic collection." He turned and stared at the small man on the couch.

"Stop holding it ransom, you all do that." Andrew flinched.

"Well you know I'm thinking BONFIRE right now." Xander screeched.

"Look they went to the bus station, you've only got say fifteen minutes on them."

Andrew stood up. "We can argue or we an go get the slayer and go save them."

"Do you know how long it takes to kill someone?" Xander pushed his finger up to Andrew's nose.

"Yes, yes I do." Andrew flustered. "Stop bringing it up." He pulled away putting his hands to his ears.

"Hey I smell chicken." From behind the carpenter a strong female voice announced her presence in the open doorway. Instinctually both men backed away from her.

"Look we don't need your taunting right now." Xander spat at her.

"Okay I won't taunt you." The tall stocky girl that stood behind Xander shook her head, as she reached up and pulled of a close fitting black woolen cap. She pushed a scuffed hand up through her shoulder length brown hair, that from about an inch and a half up to the bottom was dyed pitch black. She then cupped her other hand underneath her bleeding nose. "But can I at least have a tissue?" She looked at Xander with dark brown eyes.

"Who are you?" Xander walked cautiously over to the desk and stood with the box of tissues held as far out as he could, waiting to see if she took one.

"Owl." The tall girl pulled one tissue out of the box and held it up to her nose. "I got in about twenty minutes ago, I would have been here earlier, but I ran into a little bother."

"Owl?" Andrew looked at her slightly awed.

"O, W, L… Like the bird." She stared at him dabbing at her nose.

"Sorry don't mind the furniture." Xander moved over offering more tissues and rather obviously stuck his hand out to feel her arm. "We've just had some bother too lately. Are you a potential?"

"Do you mind not groping me?" Owl stared at his hand. "I'm Owl, I feel the phrase potential just asking for trouble and I have to say right now, I'm beginning to affirm my idea." She screwed up the tissue in her hand and threw it with perfect aim into the small bin just visible on the other side of the TV.

"Sorry, just had to check not groping." Xander pulled his hands back. "Welcome to casa Summers or better known as Slayer central. Where are the others? Did they get into this bother too?" He looked out the door.

"Others? What others?" The tall women stripped off a short brown leather jacket and scowled as she saw a large gash on the sleeve.

"The other potentials who went to pick you up at the bus station." Andrew supplied the information.

"Nice for them but I came by my own steam. Large bike on the front lawn, I take it someone can tell me where to put it." She motioned out the door.

"You can put it in the back." Andrew was more than happy to help her. "I can show you."

"Andrew get her settled, I have to go after them." Xander moved back picking up an axe.

"Hey! That's a might big axe you got there." Owl called after Xander.

"You know the bother you ran into?" Xander hung in the doorway.

"Yeah guys in robes, big knives." She nodded.

"There are more of you running around that the bother wants to kill." He nodded. "I have to go find them."

"Want me to tag along?" She offered pushing her arm back into her jacket.

"You feel up to fighting more of them?" He was surprised by her confident eagerness, most of the other potentials were eager but not really confident.

"Sure." She pulled her jacket on fully and pulled out one of the Bringers' daggers from the inside pocket. "After you." She nodded. "Does the weed come to?" She checked glancing over her shoulder at Andrew.

"I'm not a weed." Andrew started chasing after them. "I'm a vital link in the... hey be nice you just got here." He pulled the door closed after himself.

"Yeah whatever, you're going in the car with him." She pointed after Xander. "No offence but I don't want you hanging onto my back." She jogged over to the large Harley on the lawn

The bus depot was a maze of dark and light. Desolate shadows were broken up by the hazy yellow glow from tall pole lights more designed to mark off where the large coaches should be parked rather than to offer light to the concrete below.

"We missed her bus." Rona hissed as she crept behind Kennedy as they rounded a shadowed corner entering a long corridor created by two parked buses.

"Obviously." Kennedy hissed back as she kept the crossbow that she had ready to be raised and fired. Whatever moved first in front of her that wasn't human was getting the bolt as a present.

"She's probably in the depot and the others have found her." Rona glanced back when she heard something that was vaguely like a footstep echo above them but she shook it off as nerves.

"We'll make our way back there but I want to check out here first just in case." Kennedy nodded as they slowed their pace, edging their way to the front end of the long metal bus they were pressed against.

"I don't like it out here." The other SIT clung to the bus looking back and forth. "Why did you pick me to come scouting anyway?"

"Because Molly has two left feet and Amanda still has a headache from the last attack." Kennedy explained as she clutched the bow tighter. "It's too quiet, like we're being…" She didn't get a chance to finish as without warning two Bringers jumped down from the roofs of the bus they were hiding behind to cut off the exits of the small alley.

Even in the dull light the shiny blades they carried sparkled and confirmed exactly what they wanted to do to the two young girls.

"Run!" Kennedy announced when Rona hadn't moved. She took aim and fired the crossbow bolt at the closest Bringer, striking him in the shoulder. The wound made him lose focus on them for a moment but didn't bring him down.

"Where?" Rona questioned seeing the other Bringer starting to advance on them.

"Under the bus, go… go…" Kennedy urged her to move by pushing down on Rona's shoulders to cram her under the metal underbelly of the couch before she threw the crossbow at the other Bringer and dove under it herself. Kicking off hands that grabbed at her ankles she scrambled across to the other side. "Keep going." She cursed at the other SIT making her move faster as they pulled out and jumped to their feet again.

The depot suddenly became a maze of metal as they ran from alleyway to alleyway blindly trying to find their way back to the main building. Around them they could only hear sudden distant calls for help and then screams, as it became clear that the Bringers were hunting and it was apparent they weren't the only things on the menu anymore.

"What's going on?" Rona questioned as they ran by the ticket building to see that it was eerily deserted.

"Something very bad." Kennedy rounded a blind corner and was nearly smacked off her feet when she ran headlong into Andrew who had been cautiously backing up.

"Don't kill me!" He squealed at first bringing his hands up to protect his face.

"Where is everyone?" Xander asked immediately ignoring his cowardly show.

"They were in the depot, we were scouting out the parking lot when two Bringers jumped us." Kennedy filled him in quickly.

"But we heard screaming and we've been trying to find them." Rona added panting hard her eyes wildly looking around.

"This is why Buffy tells you to stay in the house at night." Xander cursed as he led them out into the main station platform.

"Who is this?" Kennedy asked Xander when a tall brown haired girl rounded the corner.

"This is Owl." She responded before anyone else could slowly looking Kennedy up and down.

"She's a slayer in training, I think you guys got your wires crossed because she didn't come in to the bus depot." Xander shook his head. "We need to find the rest of the potentials."

"This place is huge, we'll never find them." Andrew whined as they moved in a tight group across the open area. "Not with Bringers running around."

"If those weird eyed guys are around we better find your little friends fast." Owl moved forward boldly and everyone filed in behind her.

Following up the rear Kennedy felt her boot slip on something and she looked down to see a dark stain on the concrete. Looking up she saw that a trail of it led around a bus shelter and she followed it immediately. Hidden in a corner, wedged between a poster-covered wall and a garbage can was a slim oriental girl.

"I found someone." She called back for the others as she bent down trying to pull her out from the tight area. "She's hurt." She reached down to the large growing bloodstain that covered the girl's stomach. "Bad." Her voice was smaller as she felt the warm liquid cover her hand.

"We need to get her to a hospital." Rona added when she looked down at the injured girl. "I mean she must be the new SIT." She turned to Xander and saw him clenching his jaw as he looked over her shoulder.

"First we need to get rid of them." He raised the axe he had as four Bringers bore down on them.

Dawn literally skipped in the front door, she felt like she was walking on air and for the first time in months she was sure they were going to survive all this First stuff.

"We should send her flowers." She mused as she hung up her coat.

"Dawn's right, and maybe take her out for breakfast tomorrow." Anya agreed.

"I think maybe we need to give her some time guys, let her settle in." Buffy interjected looking into the living room. "Um okay who let the potentials out of their cage?" She asked in an annoyed voice.

"Settle in, but... Oh they've gone again." Anya piped up but stopped.

"And took weapons." Dawn pointed to the open chest.

"I don't believe this." Buffy cursed tightly jogging over and looking into the nearly empty chest "Don't they ever learn." She reached in and grabbed a short sword.

"I think Andrew's gone too." Dawn did a quick lap of the main floor.

"Molly clear the couch." Kennedy's out of breath voice called from a little away as the door was pushed back harder and Molly pushed through. Kennedy followed a heartbeat later, carrying a badly bloodied oriental girl.

"We should have gone to the hospital." Molly hobbled in moving past Anya and pulled the pillows off.

"Yeah like what were we going to tell them?" Kennedy snapped pushing through and placing the girl in her arms on the couch.

"I'll get bandages." Anya hurried off when she saw the blood.

"What the hell is this?" Buffy snapped.

Rona stumbled through the front door, bleeding lightly from a cut in her cheek.

"We were a bit late." She frowned at the Slayer's scowl.

"Bringers." Xander staggered in hanging off of Vi holding his side, one of his eyes was already swelling closed.

"I don't know how to stop this." Kennedy pushed both of her hands down onto the oriental woman's side, she wiped her forehead on her shoulder, her long hair dirty and straggly around her head.

"Here, here." Anya pushed towards her and she started applying pressure to the wound. "This is going to need stitches." She looked back at the Slayer frowning.

"Anyone want this?" Owl took long strides in carrying an unconscious Andrew over her shoulder.

"How bad?" Buffy looked at the ex-demon her eyes serious but stopped as she heard the new voice her head twisting round to stare at the tall girl. "Xander who the hell is that?" She hissed.

"Owl." He groaned as he was dropped in a chair. "She's a SIT Buffy."

"Drop him anywhere we don't care much about him." Anya scowled. "It's bad, like more than we can do bad." She wadded up more bandages to put on the wound.

"Okay." Owl pitched Andrew on the bottom step, leaning his head against the rail.

"Should we call an ambulance?" Buffy pushed Anya to make a decision. The demon took another look at the wound and nodded. "Dawn the phone." Buffy called pushing forward.

Kennedy leaned back a bit wiping her hands on her dark jeans as the teenager ran off towards it.

"We tried Buffy." Kennedy frowned and pushed away at tears that threatened to spill onto her cheeks.

"Get everyone into the basement, if you're all here when they come we'll have more trouble then we have now." The Slayer instructed not having the time to deal with emotion.

The dark haired potential was about to argue, but instead she pushed up onto her feet. She moved over to Rona.

"Come on you heard what she said." She rallied them all towards the basement.

"There coming, I called Giles too." Dawn rushed back in and moved to help Xander.

"Get down into the basement with the rest Dawn." Buffy instructed

With a shrug Owl picked up Andrew and followed the others out of the room.

"What are we going to tell them?" Anya wiped her forehead with her sleeve and looked up at the Slayer.

"Right now, I have no clue." Buffy looked at the girl on the couch and then at Anya. "Its bad isn't it?" She said quietly.

Anya gave her a tiny sad nod.

Owl rather unceremoniously dropped Andrew on the closet bed and glanced over to where Vi carefully cleaned Rona's cheek. Kennedy paced the floor near the door. Dawn fussed around Xander as she helped him slide down on the bed near where Owl had dropped Andrew. Amanda and Molly sat on a bed further back looking at each other sheepishly.

"Do we have any ice for this?" Owl looked at Xander who was just sitting there in pain.

"In the freezer." Dawn pointed to the chest freezer in the corner.

Owl nodded and went opening it, she took out some ice and a bag of frozen peas.

"Here." She moved to put the ice on Xander's head. "You can put those on your leg." She tossed the bag at Kennedy.

"They knew we were coming." Amanda stared at the floor.

"This is why Buffy keeps telling you not to leave the house." Dawn snapped at them as the sound of a siren rushing up to the house could be heard above.

"We had to go." Kennedy replied. "She was on her own."

"Yeah what happened to the Watcher picking her?" Vi queried looking at the teenager.

"Giles wasn't picking anyone up." Dawn shook her head. "Who told you that?"

"Kennedy did." Vi looked at the dark haired woman.

"Who told you that?" Dawn looked at Kennedy.

"I..." Kennedy frowned. "I can't remember, he did?" Immediately Molly reached out and poked her.

"She's not the first." The dark haired SIT confirmed.

"Guys he did." Kennedy objected.

"Was he meeting me or the other girl?" Owl questioned as she hopped up to sit on the freezer.

"We didn'