Love Through Touch

Disclaimer: See Part 1

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Faith shakshaking when they carried her back to her cell. She wasn't walking on her own and had a distinct palor to her skin.

Tara felt a rush of cold air when the men carrying her dropped her in her cell and disappeared.

"What did they do to you?" Madison asked through the wall next to Faith's cell.

The slayer said nothing. She curled into the fetal position and sobbed.

They all sat silently and watched of listened to the anguished sounds.

Tara and Hyatt moved futher back into their own cell, wrapping each other in a tight embrace.

Cash appeared "We'll have to move one of them, perhaps into another section." she said to someone behind her.

"Why don't you make 12 and 41 share a cell? They both seem docile enough" a woman in a lab coat appeared next to the well dressed Administrator.

"41 went through a Calming Treatment, this morning. She shouldn't be a problem" Cash smirked when she caught sight of Faith looking beaten. Shened ned to the cell across from her and shook her head "I see you aren't so cocky today are you pretty ones?"

Tara turned her face away from Cash's sior ior expression. Hyatt met her head on with a loathing glare.

"I'll take your silence as a yes" Cash turned her attention to Madison "Move her in with 41. Maybe this new one will even things out. It seems that these four have quite a rapport already" Cash flipped her loose dark hair over her shoulder.

Hyatt thought she'd be an attractive woman, if she weren't so evil.

"Oh come do you really want to do this? My god she looks like Faith. But Faith's in prison" the new victim said as they shoved Madison into the cell with Faith and pushed her into the empty one.

"That is F-faith" Tara said when the official left.

"What? Who are you?" the woman pressed her face against the glass of her cell. She could hear Tara's voice but couldn't see who she was.

Tara and Hyatt moved closer to the front, still connecting to each other physically by brushing together with every movement.

"I'm T-tara" Tara gave a small wave.

"Oh. What do you mean that's Faith?" the woman demanded tossing her short dark hair back.

"She means it's Faith, Dark Slayer Extaodinaire" Hyatt mimicked Faith's earlier statement.

"Oh and who are you?" the girl gave Hyatt a once over.

Hyatt's shirt was torn and dirty, and her jeans had fared worse.

"Hyatt Al-Faqadi" Hyatt rolled her eyes and went back to studying Faith.

She was resting with her head on Madison's lap, whimpering and wiping a few tears against the fatigues their captors had put Madison in recently.

"Al-Faqadi? Of the demon killing Al-Faqadi's?" the girl knocked to get Hyatt's attention once again.

"Yeah" Hyatt frowned "But how did you know?"

"I'm Cordelia Chase. Angel Investigations"
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"So what do you think is happening?" Mycah asked as they patroled the eeirily quiet graveyard.

"I don't know. It seems like the only Vamps out tonight are those of the ABD variety" Buffy shrugged.

"ABD?" Mycah asked frowning at the slayers back.

"Already Been Dusted. They're more likely the dirt we're walking on" Buffy shrugged "I don't know what to think about Tara and Hyatt's disapperance"

"I've been dreaming about snakes in the grass" Mycah wrapped her arms around herself, fitting the stake in the folds of them.

"Snakes? There's been alot of talk about snakes. Vipers and stuff" Buffy turned to face Mycah "Did you dream about vipers?"

Mycah merely pointed behind the slayer.

Buffy turned and kicked the oncoming vamp in the face. It stumbled back and tripped over a headstone.

Mycah swung her arm around behind her catching another vamp in the nose, the momentum of her fist stronger enoguh to push the vamp back a few steps. She bent low and swung her leg up high enough to spoon anothers waist and force her unto Buffy's stake.

These were clearly newbies.

Buffy leapt up and dropped kicked a pretty young undead woman in her ribs. She heard the ominous 'crack' then only saw dust as the broken bone struck the heart.

"I give it an 8 for originality. Never known a vamp to dust itself on it's own bone" Mycah commented ducking untrained punches from the teen vamp circling and swinging around her.

"It's one of those rip you arm off and beat you with it jokes" Buffy said headbutting one that looked in his early twenties.

"Stop flirting with your 'friend' and fight slayer" the cocky vampire said lunging for her once again.

Buffy sidekicked him into a low branch, turning before the dust could get into her mouth.

Mycah was fighting two. Her skill was obvious, they never landed a move on her. She would move between their punches and under or above their kicks. They did more damage to each other. It seemed that she got tired of playing with them and caught one in the leg with a hook kick, forcing her into her fellow vamp. They both staggered back and Mycah dusted one and the other backed onto Buffy waiting stake.

They heard clapping behind them.

"Well done Slayer. Who's your little friend? She's looks familiar" a dark form emerged from behind a crypt.

"Oh great a See'r. Shouldn't you know this shit already?" Mycah asked. She took note of the toned body and the pale skin. It contrasted nicely with the dark hair and blue eyes, of the classic beauty.

But something about her felt 'dark'. She was after all in a cemetary, on a HellMouth after dark.

"There's a protection spell on you. I can't see anything but what you let me" Naida approached them slowly. She swayed her hips hoping to distract them.

"Aww. It must suck to be you" Buffy quipped.

"Or do they suck 'on' you?" Mycah added after sniffing the air.

"You smell like a vampire" Buffy said. She wasn't really smiling, she was baring her teeth "But you 'feel' alive, but not quite human"

"A Ghoul maybe?" Mycah began to round on her.

Buffy did as well.

Naida followed both of them as they tried to work their way around her.

"I'm not a Ghoul, I'm very much alive, and a little less than human" Naida agreed nodding at them "Your good"

"Your evil. So get to whatever you want us to know" Buffy gave her a bored look "We need to be on our way"

"Hot date?" Naida asked smiling at them.

"Yes, my lovely Mycah has decided to make my night complete with her presence" Buffy quipped smiling harshly.

"Oh, good to know" Naida turned and walked back into the shadow's that she'd emerged from.

"That was.........strange" Mycah said jokingly to Buffy.

"Yeah. Let's go home"
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Willow sighed.

Kolby and Star were both tucked tightly in bed with Dawn, and all she had to do was wait for Buffy to return.

Buffy and Hyatt's look alike.

She didn't know what to make of the girl. She'd thought having Hyatt around was bad enough, but when Hyatt and Tara returned -and they would she'd make sure of it- and Mycah stayed, she had a feeling things were just gonna be 'weirder' than usual.

The front door slammed and Willow left the kitchen.

She met Buffy at the edge of the livingroom. She was arguing with Mycah.

"She's probably asleep. Leave her, you can stay too. There's a guest room upstairs and then there's the couch" Buffy was blocking the front door, and trying to seem like she wasn't.

"I don't want to intrude" Mycah held up her hands.

"Your not" Willow cut in "Stay, everyone else does"

Mycah gave her a crocked grin and laughed.

"Ok fine, but just this once" she relaxed and turned towards the stairs "Show me to your guest room" she imitated the alien joke.

"I'll get the linens for the bed" Willow offeren wondering why she wasn't freaking about this girl. Maybe it was because she didn't 'feel' like Hyatt. She looked exactly like her, but the 'feel' or the 'sense' of their presences, were far from alike.

"Thanks, you guys are kinda awesome" Mycah said softly.

"We try. Allies on a Hellmouth are always good to have" Buffy patted her on the shoulder "This way" She led Mycah up the stairs.

Willow retrieved the linens from the downstairs closetand hurried up the stairs.

Buffy's door was closed.

Mycah was in the room by herself. She stood in the center and was looking around "Did Hyatt sleep on the couch?" she asked suddenly.

"No" Willow shook her head "Why?"

"Well I can sense her presence everywhere in the house but not here. Is this the only guest room?" Mycah said on the Duvet that lay on the unmade bed.

"Yes it is. Hyatt slept with Buffy" Willow said slowly. She shoo'd Mycah off the bed and began to make it.

"She was sleeping with the Slayer? The Champion?" Mycah's face was surprised then worried.

"Yes, why do you have a problem with it?" Willow turned around defensively.

"Oh no. She has great taste though" Mycah held up her hands when she saw Willow's face.

"Buffy or Hyatt?" Willow asked smiling when she realized Mycah had no qualms about the relationship that Buffy and her cousin were in.

"Both" Mycah smiled when the witch fluffed her pillows" I can do that"

"I'm doing it so don't bother" Willow said playfully.

"Are you with anyone?" Mycah asked, her curiousity about the beautiful redhead had only grown throughout the day.

"Yes. The girl that's missing along with Hyatt. Tara, she's my soulmate" Willow sighed as tears filled her eyes. She just missed Tara so much, and it hadn't been an entire day.

"We'll find them" Mycah assured her when she noticed the unshed tears.

"I know" Willow wiped at her eyes "We just have to"
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"41's treatment is holding" the doctor reported.

"I wanna hear the write up" Cash said looking at the file.

"Subject 41, also known as Faith Spencer, was taken to the Behavorial Study lab at 0:00 hours. She was tested and injected with Herifoline. She had massive full bodies pain, and a few minor seizures. No permanent physical damage. She hasn't been taken in for another Emotional Exam yet" the same woman who had brought in Cordelia, reported.

"Well, from what I saw of her earlier I believe it might have worked" Cash sat back and relaxed.

"Actually ma'am, it was only her first treatment. If anything she'll be harder to control until her next treatment" the woman corrected "She's just angry right now. Possibly still in pain. But once she recovers, she'll hate us even more"

"Doctor Annette Jordan" Cash read aloud from another file "Highest in your class, great recommendations. Honest to a fault. I like you" Cash stood up and took the woman by her jaw forcing her to meet her eyes "But never correct me"

"Just wanted you to be correctly informed. It wouldn't be good for you to be wrong in front of your 'subjects' would it?" Jordan bowed her head so she didn't seems as overbearing as she was being.

"Your right. You can come with me. I want you to do a little test for me" Cash crooked a finger and led Jordan out of her office an onto the lowest floor.

"What kind of test?" Jordan asked. She noticed that Cash actually seemed intersted in what she was about to 'test'.

"Subjects 45, and 46. Their Resonance are nearly identical. It also bears a simularity to that of subject 41. I want to know why" Cash stopped and flashed her dark eyes at Jordan "That's if your up to it?"

"Nearly identical Resonance? Of course" Jordan added a bit of pep to her step.

Cash led her directly to their cells "Subjects 45, and 46, one Tara McClay and Hyatt Al-Faqadi" Cash made a grand gesture their way.

"Tara McClay is an accomplished witch. Good precautions on her. But I have one question" Jordan said when she stopped reading her data.

"What?" Cash smiled sure she knew the answer.

"Is she bonded?" Jordan looked the girl over. She seemrighrightened but that a given. When she mentioned being 'bonded' the girls face tightened.

"I don't know" Cash said slowly "But why does it matter?"

"Because if she's bonded her soulmate can track her into the very depths of hell" Cordelia offered.

"You captured her?" Jordan asked ignoring the girls answer. She'd known already anyway "I need to know the last time she came into physical contact with her soulmate"

"What makes you so sure she has one" Cash crossed her arms and mentally planned to call Pryde once she was alone.

"She's not just afraid for herself. There's fear on her face, but there's also sadness" Jordan pointed out tapping the glass "She can't protect whoever it is she loves"

"Shut up!" Hyatt snapped glaring at the woman.

"And if she's had close contact within the last 48 hours, it makes it a hell of a lot easier to find her" Jordan said.
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"Oh Tara" Willow whimpered in her sleep. It was just after dawn and she was recieveing some seriously distressed signals from her lover.

"Noooooo! Mama, Mama!" the childs vocie rang clearly through the silent morning waking everyone in the house.

The rythmic 'thud' of small running feet went past her door and Willow sat up.

"Mama"

It could only be Kolby. Star refered to everyone by their first name.

"Shh baby it's ok Mama's right here" Mycah's voice was tired.

"You okay Wills?" Buffy asked appearing suddenly at the bedroom door.

"Yeah. But I just recieved some serious distress feelings from Tara" Willow's sadness showed on her face "She's so scared and there's nothing I can do about it"

"I know the feeling. Hyatt's angry, and scared" Buffy crossed to her friend and wrapped her in a strong hug "We'll find them and get them"

"Yeah, and then We'll spend Thanksgiving together" Willow added looking into Buffy's eyes hoping to draw strength from her.

Buffy's eyes were sad but hopeful " It's the least we can hope for"

"We'll spend the rest of our lives together" Willow said tucking her face into buffy's shoulder.

"It's a great dream of mine" Buffy said settling on Willows bed.

They fell asleep together holding hands.
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"So it's Mycah she's in love with?" Kalindi paced her lair.

"That's what she said" Naida spoke softly. She had her doubts but it had come straight from the Slayer's mouth.

"So we kill Mycah, we bring the Slayer to her knee's" Kalindi snapped her fingers "So simple"

"Or we bring her down our throats" Naida added.

"She's not strong enough to take me down" Kalindi said smartly.

"She's killed a Master before" Naida pointed out.

"He was a man and therefore inferior, I hear he was leaning heavily on the Prophecy of the chosen one" Kalindi waved away Naida's point "S "She's stronger than she seems" Naida whispered "And there are strong magics surrounding her"

"I also have magicks" Kalindi countered.

"Did you say the Prophecy of the Chosen One?" Naida said quickly.

"Yes why?" Kalindi paced not really paying much attention to her See'r. It was her first mistake.

"I'm just sorry I missed it" Naida lied. There was a Prophecy the came after the Chosen One. Connected but not fully. Shederedered if Kalindi knew.

She'd just have to wait and see.
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