Love Through Touch

Disclaimer: See Part 1
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Tara paced holding the text Anya had brought with her.

"I don't understand how we could have missed this" Giles continued to clean his glasses, upset he hadn't seen it sooner.

"It was right in front of our faces that's how we missed it" Buffy scowled at the room as a whole.

Everyone had answered when called and were now crowded into her livingroom.

Everyone but Hyatt. Faith was also a no show.

"Why did this scare Faith enough to run?" Tara read and reread the text "This prophecy began 2 maybe 3 years before she was born. She has nothing to do with it"

"It says a Champion, defeated" Giles quoted having memorized it.

"I defeated her" Buffy turned her eyes down "And she changed"

"No you saved her. Buffy you saved her" Angel cut in moving to stand near the slayer "But you've been defeated" frowning he sat on the floor at her feet.

"Defeated? I've never lost a..." Buffy's voice trailed off as she realized the truth.

"You lost to the master. You were dead. Which is why Kendra and now Faith was called" Giles sighed "This Champion Buffy. Is you"

"So I'm guessing Willow is this tree?" Tara slammed down the text "From the sound of this so far, you guys are in for some deep slayage" dropping herself into the chair next to Willow she wiped her face.

"But what about the other two?" Fred peered down at the text Tara had dropped before her "There's a heart and a moon needed" shrugging the shy woman sighed and shook her head "I'm guessing the moon has to be in a certain part of it's cycle. Which would mean a date"

"But the heart?" Gunn sat forward on the worn lounge chair, Wesley too was perched on the arm of it "Is it's somethings heart we gotta have to beat this thing?"

"No" Fred continued reading "It makes it sound like this heart is an entity in itself"

"A heart without a body?" Buffy frowned "Now that's just bordering on gruesome"

"We're all gonna die aren't we?" Anya piped up.
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Faith found herself out of breath and surprising tired. Stopping her breakneck fleeing she sat on a low brick wall to catch her breath.

"Inner or real demons"

Faith jumped slightly at the familiar voice.

"My god girl you scared the shit out of me" Faith held a hand to her furiously beating heart.

"Well you seemed pretty caught up and whatever it is your running from. Did you do something?" Hyatt sat on the wall beside Faith and nudged the young woman gently.

"No. I...there's this nightmare of mine. It's coming to pass" Faith answered honestly. Living on the HellMouth as they were, secrets were deadly.

"Nightmare?" Hyatt frowned and leaned back watching Faith closely.

"There's this Prophecy" Faith began "Of the four chosen, fighting to bring light back to a world of shadows. They succeed, but die in the process" Faith bit her lip "I'd say it's a win win situation. Well if it wasn't for the 'dead' part for the champions"

After long moments Hyatt didn't respond and Faith turned to find the girl frozen. Her eyes staring forward into the darkness. Her body shook, and her lips trembled as tears slipped silently from her eyes.

"Hyatt?" Faith began to fet worried when she shook the girl and recieved no response "Hyatt. Hey, girl talk to me"

"Fable: Tabierna" Hyatt choked on the title "The Fairytale Prophecy"

It was Faith's turn to be rendered speechless "You know about the prophecy"

"Yes! My goddess. The Vivione Kadesh" Hyatt leapt to her feet "The People of Shadows. How could I have missed it!" pacing before the raven slayer for long minutes she tried to come to terms with the knowledge of how serious this all really was.

"We've gotta tell Buffy" Faith stood grabbing Hyatt and dragging her away.

"I know. But I can't just leave" Hyatt pulled back "Gimme one minute I gotta tell Kris I'm leaving" turning she ran into the house Faith had, in her disbelief and hellbent running, stopped in front of to rest.

"This is too strange for T.V" Faith muttered as she ran aggrivated hands through her tangled locks.

Hyatt rushed back out of the house and straight to her car "Come on"

Faith didn't argue. Hopping into the car she asked the question that had been knawing at her since Hyatt's easy acceptance of what she knew.

"How did you know about Fable: Tabierna?" Faith's tone brought no arguement.

"I was born under it" Hyatt pressed the accelerator throwing them both back into the seats.
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The Scoobies and Co. sat quietly, thinking about the enormity of the situation.

"So it's not just the Hellmouth this time" Willow sighed and hugged herself tighter.

"It's this Hellmouth and every weak spot between any and every dimension we border" Giles once again removed his glasses and cleaned them.

Wesley too removed his and cleaned the lenses.

"H-how many dimensions do we border?" Fred raised her hand slightly.

"Over 3 million, border on this hellmouth alone. So let's not go into how many actually touch our plane" Hyatt and Faith came through the door breaking the silence.

"This really bites by the way" Hyatt patted Fred on her shoulder "Can you read Marbovian?"

"Yeah" Fred said shyly.

Dropping a book into the girls lap Hyatt followed Faith further into the house "Page 1178, I can't quite make out most of the second paragraph"

Buffy, who had come to her feet at the entrance of her lover, moved forward to take Hyatt into her arms.

Hyatt stepped back quickly when Buffy reached out for it.

"Mommy!" Star came flying down the stairs with Dawn close on her heels.

Both girls threw themselves at Hyatt.

Star landed in her arms and Dawn simply wrapped them both in her arms "I knew you'd come back"

"But I can't stay. Just bringing Faith back" brushing the hair from both of the girls eyes and smiled sweetly "but I do miss you guys already"

"Then stay" Buffy cut in hurt deeply that the girl wouldn't allow her touch.

"I can't" Hyatt set Star on her feet.

The little girl immediately grabbed Buffy's hand, standing next to her and staring up at Hyatt pleadingly.

"I'll be back soon" Hyatt blew each of them a kiss as she backed away and out the door.

Buffy slumped back into her chair pulling Star into her lap for a cuddle.

Drawing her legs up and around the slayer, Star effectively made herself a human blanket.
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Tara could sense the tears Buffy was holding back.

"I'll only be a second" rushing from the house she stopped Hyatt before the girl could reach her car.

"That was pretty mean" she said without preamble.

"It's what she wants" Hyatt said not bothering to turn around.

Tara grabbed her arm swining the girl around to face her.

Hyatt hissed shortly as pain shot up her arm from Tara's touch. The girl was seriously pissed off.

"She loves you. And you hurt her in there" Tara pointed back at the house.

Dawn stood gazing at them through the window.

"You think it didn't hurt when she avoided me because of her boy toy?" Hyatt snapped back bringing her arms around herself and holding on tightly.

"I'm sure it did. Either way it hurts" Tara pushed her hair back agitatedly "Your killing each other. It's only been a day and your both miserable. Come home"

"When I'm ready" Hyatt turned back around.

"When will you be ready?" Tara followed her as Hyatt stomped towards her car.

"When she's not afraid of 'us' or whatever it is she considers me and her" Hyatt opened her door, meaning to get in but Tara's hand stopped her.

"That might take a while. This is all new to her Hyatt" she tried to reason with the other girl.

"Then I'll be gone a while" Hyatt snapped.

Tara magically slammed her door causing the other girl to leap back to avoid being hit by it.

"This isn't just about you" Tara hissed under her breath "There's a family in there Hyatt. A family that both you and I are a part of"

"I know" Hyatt began only to have Tara cut her off.

"We want you back, and we need you" Tara began to advance on her friend. She needed her to understand "We have to stay together. You know what this prophecy means"

"Yeah I do" Hyatt nodded holding herself tightly "But that does not mean I'm gonna come running back"

Tara's jaw dropped "You're being selfish"

"Well maybe I should be for once. Instead of worrying about everyone else" Hyatt raised her voice "Maybe I need some 'me' time"

"No. Hyatt. I don't know how much she hurt you. Or how bad you feel right now" reaching out to touch Hyatt she was surprised when the girl stepped back avoiding her touch as well "But this is not you right now. Your not like this"

"You don't know who the fuck I am" Hyatt growled sending Tara a look that would have frightened a weaker person. Or in Tara's case, a person who didn't know most of it was a bluff to hide the pain.

It didn't mean she was gonna put up with it.

Tara slapped Hyatt quickly across her face.

Hyatt's head snapped back in surprise and she stared at Tara with astonishment.

"Don't pull that bullshit with me" she said simply. Her tone brook no arguement.

"I'll be by with any information I find tomorrow" Hyatt stepped past Tara and got into her car.

"I'll be expecting you" Tara headed back into the house.
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Dawn eyed the blonde wiccan when she came back.

She'd seen the entire exchange including the slap she'd given the darker girl.

"Why'd you hit her?" Dawn tilted her head in question.

"Don't worry about it" Tara answered retaking her seat in the otherwise silent room.

"Tara what happened?" Willow took her lovers hand looking into her eyes.

"Don't worry about it" Tara softly assured the redhead, touching her cheek gently.

Turning to the slayer she gave Buffy a hopeful nodd.

Buffy relaxed slightly.

"Don't ever hit her again" she threatened softly. Star leaned back and watched Buffy in astonishment at the tone.

"Don't worry I won't" Tara turned her attention to the prophecy.
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