New Paths

“What are we going to do?” Buffy glares at Giles. Over the last month, other than a few stray, altered demons, Sunnydale was pretty much demon free. Spike even calling it quits when the hybrid had come after him, almost ripping his arm from his body before he’d escaped.



“I don’t know.” Giles admits tiredly sitting dejectedly in the chair in Buffy’s living room. “The Council is having discussions with their contacts in the military and government, but unfortunately they’re being stonewalled. Most of them either acting like they know nothing about what’s going on here with the Initiative, or they really don’t know what the bloody hell is going on.”



Joyce passes out the drinks as Tara helps her before they sit down. “Are we positive that Riley is this hybrid?”



“Yes.” Tara answers so quietly, that most of the group has to strain to hear her. “Buffy and I saw him from a distance a week ago. No more having to take Forrest’s word for it.” Tara looks sadly at her lover.



“Then we ran like hell when he caught sight of us and started to come after us.” Buffy admits, rubbing a hand over the back of her neck. “I don’t feel right going after him, Giles. Though I honestly wonder how much of him is left in that… thing.”



Giles nods his understanding, Buffy and Tara having explained in as much detail as they could what they’d noticed ‘different’ about the young soldier. “You have two weeks left of school. After that I honestly suggest that Willow and Oz disappear again from town until this situation is resolved.” Giles looks at Tara and when she glares at him, he snaps his mouth shut, deciding silence is the better part of valor with her. The witch having already told him multiple times that she wasn’t leaving Buffy, no matter what.



Buffy gently pulls Tara into her lap, wrapping her arms around her as she takes a deep breath. “I want you to go after your last final.”



“No.” Tara states bluntly turning her glare on her lover this time. “That isn’t happening. You already talked Amy into leaving, though they don’t know about her being a witch. Oz and Willow will head out of town as soon as they finish their last finals. All other demons and magic users are gone from town that we can tell, and I’m not leaving you here unprotected without me.”



“Damn it, Tara!” Buffy growls at her lover.



“No.” Tara growls back. “This is not up for discussion, unless you’re leaving with me. End of subject.”



Everyone conveniently looks elsewhere as the two women argue.



“Has Angel been able to find out anything?” Willow hesitantly asks, her eyes darting to Buffy and Tara, the blonde witch’s feelings for the souled vampire well known by everyone in the room after he’d dropped in after she had accidentally dropped the bomb on him that Buffy was dating a woman when she and Oz had stayed with him during spring break.



Tara stiffens and snarls her nose up at the mention of the vampire. His condescending attitude in their one meeting and his proprietary actions around Buffy had almost ended his life, and if it hadn’t been for Buffy tackling him out of the way of one of her fireballs, he would have been dead… again.



Buffy winces as she feels Tara stiffen, the anger of her lover obvious, knowing there’s no love lost between Angel and Tara. “Giles?” Buffy questions hurriedly, having enlisted his help in being the go-between between her and Angel, trying to keep the peace with Tara. Of course if Angel hadn’t made his little snide comments and pretty much acted like a jackass when the two had met, Tara would have probably done her level best to get along with him. But when Angel had condescendingly told Tara that when he became human, Buffy would be his again, that had ended any thoughts of her lover playing nice with the vampire. Of course, his comments hadn’t set well with her, either and she’d almost let the fireball hit him before changing her mind at the last second. She’d dragged him a short distance away and told him in no uncertain terms that she would never be his again, and that her relationship with Tara wasn’t some ‘stop-gap’ measure, or just wasting time until he could be hers again, that she loved the witch and she’d be damned if she was going to give her up for anyone. And the next time she wouldn’t save his ass from anything her lover threw at him, but that she would actually help her lover if he made any kind of comment whatsoever about them.



“He’s checked with the PTB, and this is something technically non-demony. In other words, everything happening here right now is based in strictly human beings’ actions, and you know how they are about free-will.” Giles stares down into his tea, honestly not liking to deal with the vampire himself, but when Buffy had explained to him exactly what was said and done he’d agreed to be the mediator. Of course, after the two women had left his apartment, he’d laughed his ass off at the thought of the great ‘Angelus’ almost having his ass fried by Tara.



“Yeah, have us fight for the greater good against the demons and devil’s spawn, then let the human’s own idiocy blow up the world instead.” Buffy strokes her hands gently down Tara’s back as her lover slowly relaxes from where she’d become almost as hard as marble when talking about Angel.



“Everyone has their panic buttons, right?” Tara makes sure, having made a magical version of a homer beacon, that way if anything should happen to one of them it’ll let all the others know and also lead them to wherever that person is. The item an innocuous braided bracelet on everyone’s wrist and with a particular thought phrase, could be activated. As everyone answers, Tara relaxes more and shifts to rest her body more against Buffy’s.



“How are Xander and Anya doing?” Joyce asks curiously.



“Good. They’re enjoying their mini-vacation traveling around the country.” Buffy rolls her eyes at the thought. “Of course, it was pure luck we overheard the soldier boys mentioning Anya. If we hadn’t, I never would have thought about them going after her.”



“Yes, well, ex-vengeance demon, it didn’t occur to any of us since she no longer has any of those powers.” Giles points out sadly. “But they’re away from here and safe for the time being.”



“That’s wonderful, now if we could only get the rest of you to somewhere safe.” Joyce sighs looking at the group, knowing that there’s no way she’ll be able to talk Buffy and Tara into leaving, but she’s still holding out that Willow and Oz can go.



Willow catches the look from Joyce, sighing quietly. “Oz and I have been talking to our professor’s that we still have finals to take in their classes. I think I’ll be able to get my tests done by the end of the week.”



Oz pats Willow gently on the knee. “I have one that I’m still trying to talk into letting me take it this week, instead of next, but I’m pretty sure I’ll convince her.”



“Thank God. Are you both heading back to LA or somewhere else?” Joyce winces as she darts a glance at Tara and Buffy, having only heard a small part of what had happened between Tara and Angel, but knowing enough that whatever had happened was worse than over a month ago when Buffy had went off on her own and pissed the witch off. Though, thankfully, this time it wasn’t Buffy Tara was pissed at, but Angel.



Willow shakes her head as Oz wraps his arm around her. “No, we’ve actually decided to take my parents up on one of their abroad invites. I think they’re going somewhere in Italy and the house in France is available over the summer.”



“So you two are planning a little out of country getaway?” Buffy pouts slightly at the thought of her best friend being gone all summer, before smiling at the couple. “That would be a great vacation. Plus plenty of alone time.” Buffy wiggles her eyebrows, chuckling as Willow blushes and Oz just smiles enigmatically.



“Enough, love.” Tara chuckles softly. “Like you wouldn’t jump on the chance of some serious alone time for a couple months.”



“Hell, I’m jealous!” Buffy smirks, before nuzzling against Tara, before whispering hotly in her ear. “You, me, a huge house with all kinds of rooms, furniture and God only knows what else to initiate? What kinds of kinkiness could we get up to?”



“Buffy!” Tara blushes, even as she giggles quietly, shifting around to bury her face against Buffy’s neck as the rest of the group laughs.



“Any other ideas, thoughts or gripes?” Buffy finally questions, resting her cheek against Tara as she looks from one person to the next, and when all she gets are shakes of the head and sad looks, she relaxes back into the couch and urges Tara into a more comfortable position against her as she leans her head back and closes her eyes. “Rest until dinner’s done, love. I know you haven’t been sleeping well since all this has happened.” Buffy orders quietly, slowly trailing her fingers over Tara’s back and thigh in small circles as the witch burrows against her without any argument, that in and of itself telling her how tired Tara is.



***



Finn strides down the hallway, his eyes darting back and forth as he makes his way unobstructed to the exit.



The anger he’s starting to feel building inside him is fed by more and more memories of the blonde slayer and the bitch that had defiled her and twisted and forced her into her own sick and depraved lifestyle. His plans to take care of this are almost ready, closing his eyes for a moment he locates the signal that is sent back to Walsh and the rest of the Initiative, starting a previously recorded visit through the tunnel systems where there were no demons found, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference as he cue’s it up ready to start sending when he reaches the correct area.



Switching it over when he hits the cross-walk, he heads left while the film shows him turning right. Working his way under one particular dorm, he slides the heavy enclosed shelving unit easily away from the wall before pulling out the gas canisters. Making his way to the air conditioning units on the roof by the workers access, he works diligently and quietly on attaching the canisters that with a single switch he can open to spread throughout the whole dorm making everyone unconscious within a few minutes.



Double-checking the couplings and making sure nothing is leaking, he stands and strides to the edge of the roof, looking down at the students hurrying here and there on their way to classes, meeting friends, or whatever else they consider important in their daily lives. Zeroing in on a small group of students making their way across the grounds, Riley snarls his lip at the sight of the two blonde’s holding hands as they talk to the two redheads. “Not much longer.” Riley’s head twitches slightly as the anger flowing through from his memories works its way through the rest of him, his artificial eye gleaming a more brilliant red as it zooms in closer on the small group as they split up, each heading in a different direction.



A montage of memories flow through his mind, a bookstore and books being knocked on his head by the small blonde… her spilling soda on him then as he’s trying to talk to her, she’s ignoring him… he saves her redheaded friend from being run over by a car she half-heartedly thanks him before ignoring him… him decking Parker for talking bad about Buffy… running into her outside with her sitting on a bench, trying to help her to get inside where it’s not dangerous, her being uncooperative, a little later fighting her and her slamming him face first into a chair… hundreds of other pictures in his head until one of the last ones of her pushing the other blonde against a mausoleum while touching her intimately…



Breathing heavily with the anger and fury inside him, he slams his fist down on the concrete barrier around the edge of the roof, ignoring the crumbling concrete before spinning around and striding back to the roof access, working his way towards the sewer systems.



***



Maggie Walsh throws her coffee cup across the room, snarling in anger as another one of their experiments dies on the operating table. Looking in the observatory window as the doctors pull down their masks and shake their heads, she growls in disgust.



“What the hell is going on? We’ve only had four successes in combining and controlling these demons! Every other one has died, what the hell are you doing wrong?” Maggie screams into the intercom.



The Private stares in fear at the woman in charge of the Initiative, deciding to back out of the room, instead of mentioning the discrepancies in the inventory he took, deciding to make a written report, instead of a verbal one as she pushes the intercom button and starts to yell at the doctor’s. Turning and exiting as quickly as possible, he breathes a sigh of relief as he makes it around the corner and further away from the woman.