Love Through Touch

Disclaimer: See Part 1
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Buffy stood stubbornly in her front door. She refused to say a word to Angel or any of his crew as they prepared to return to L.A.

The moddy vamp was tucked safely in a blacked out backseat covered by a thick dark blanket.

Willow stood behind Buffy, watching her watch the L.A crew pack up.

"Your gonna miss him aren't you?" Willow nudged Buffy's knee with her own.

"No. Might miss Cordy. And that Fred girl, she reminds me of you. Only skinnier and accented" Buffy smirked.

Willow gave a low chuckle and force the slayer outside, pressing their bodies together and leaning on her hard.

Buffy stumbled onto the porch with Willow in her wake.

"Slick" Buffy muttered continuing down to the front lawn.

"That's my middle name" Willow followed her out.

Dawn and the kids played a game of 'torture Dawn' tag around the people packing.

Madison caught Kolby up allowing the teen to tag her before letting her loose and avoiding the flurry of hits aimed at her knee's.

"Geez Tonya calm down" Cordy spun the child and patted her on her way.

"Tonya?" Kole rubbed her bottom where the half demon had shooed her "I'm Kole. Your stupid" the little girl ran off trying to catch Dawn who was well into a tree.

"Before her time Cordy" Buffy reminded helping her fit a large suitcase into the back of a van.

"So we're sure about this whole splitting up and working thing?" Fred asked slamming the hatchback of her and Gunn's car closed.

"Yeah. You guys can get different kinds of info in L.A, we'll work from here" Willow crossed her arms and turned to Gunn "And you won't need guns to do it"

"Hey" Gunn shrugged "My name says it all"

Willow rolled her eyes. She'd come to like the man in their short visit "Learn to shoot a crossbow"

"I can shoot a crossbow" Gunn tilted his head "Maybe you should learn to use a gun"

"I know how to use a gun. It just doesn't help against vamps" Willow turned her attention to Madison firmly dismissing Gunn.

"So you're going to L.A?" Buffy asked reaching out for a tentative hug.

"Yeah, I've been before I'm going back. My parent's have a condo there" Madison hugged the slayer back squeezing her before whispering "She'll come back Buffy. She loves you too much to stay away for long" Madison snorted "Unless she wants to be stubborn"

Buffy chuckled and released the girl "I'll keep that in mind"

"Keep what in mind?" Cordy pulled Madison away from the slayer possessively.

"Madison here said she'd like to check the fit of my pants someday. I'm not fighting it" Buffy smirked at the brunette.

"Oh great do you 'all' plan on stealing my signifigant other at some time?" Cordy dragged Madison into the van.

"Hey!" Willow placed her hands on her hips "I don't even 'like' penis anymore!"

Her voice carried well into the neighborhood. It was unfortunately the time that most people were leaving for their morning commute.

Many of their neighbors stopped to stare at the revelation.

"My god people it's California! Like you don't know that gay people run rampant here!" Cordelia shouted.

All the once the people continued to their cars muttering at strange neighbors and the choices of young people these days.
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After saying a proper goodbye with minimal gay pride shouting, the L.A crew left leaving the Scoobies standing around.

The kids found ways to amuse themselves. All four were currently hanging upside down from the branches of a tree.

"It's safe for them to go back to school now" Willow reminded Buffy as Dawn taught ther younger girls how to flipped off the brach and land on their feet.

All but Jeanie managed.

Buffy scooped the little girl up as she rubbed her sore bottom.

"Good point Wills" carrying her inside with a calmer Dawn, Kolby, and Star in tow.

"You guys are so starting school tomorrow" Willow shut the door just as the phone rang.

Buffy reached it first. Making short conversation she hung up and turned to face the room.

"That was Tara. Faith and Anya have an idea of how to find these weak spots into our plane. She's calling Cordy and Wes with the how to and stuff" Buffy walked purposely towards the stairs "They want us all at the Magic Box ASAP"

Nodding everyone but Jeanie moved to get ready.

Sighing the little girl remained on the couch. She had a bad feeling they couldn't beat this thing alone. She could only hope Orangi came through if they succeeded in getting that far at all.

Moving to stand the twinges of pain in her keister kept her on the couch.

"Buffy!" she called with a whine in her voice "I can't move my butt hurts!"
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Hyatt made her way through Fatima's library for the 7th time in as many hours.

"So it is all coming together?" Fatima asked from the reading table she'd situated in the midst of her stacks.

"Yes. The shadows, the champions. But that's what I don't understand" Hyatt slumped into the chair next to Fatima "There's two slayers"

"Two?" Fatima's eyes widened "How did this come to pass?"

"Buffy died. They brought her back" Hyatt shrugged "Actually she died twice"

"Twice? How does one die twice and still be human? Or slayer in this case" Fatima sipped at a shot glass of blood.

"Magic? CPR?" Hyatt forced a smile "You know the gift the keeps on giving"

"Funny child. Now what exactly are you keeping from me?" Fatima removed the book Hyatt clutched in her hands.

"Nothing" Hyatt said quickly.

Too quickly.

"Do not lie to me" the vampire hissed her voice becoming threatening and the accent she though long lost resurfaced giving her the voice and command of the queen she would have been.

"She knows my name" Hyatt said quickly sending her eyes to the ground.

"You little fool" Fatima threw the crystal glass, shattering it and it's contents.

"She also posesses my.." Hyatt stopped herself from speaking as Fatima rose to loom above her.

"I know. I can smell it. I can smell her" grasping Hyatt's upper arms she lifted her ohe ghe ground "I can smell her all over you" sniffing Hyatt closely and sensed something else "It is truly all together"

"What is?" Hyatt trembled.

"The Prophecy. It has begun. Even before you broke my rule" Fatima set the girl down "You could not stop this. The joining begun before your's" running her hands through her great-great-great neices hairima ima sat down in her chair.

Hyatt moved a few steps away.

"I am sorry child. But this, this Tabierna. May be the end of us all" Fatima sighed andted ted her head against her cold hands.

Lucita, having sensd her lovers anger and now her worry, entered and moved directly to her.

She could see the nervous look on Hyatt's face.

'What happened?' she mouthed to the girl.

Shaking her head Hyatt pointed to the texts on the table.

Lucita looked them over. Taking in much more than one would think she turned angry eyes to Hyatt "This is not good"

"I've told her that love" Fatima spoke caressing Lucita's hand to keep the woman from ranting at the girl.

"It's a lose lose situation" Lucita screamed.

"It's a win lose" Fatima argued "We just don't know the conditions as of yet" turning to Hyatt she commanded "Take these to your friends. Everything, tell them exactly what your up against"

"But Fatima" Hyatt began to argue.

"In the Mouth of Hell, secrets are the shadows little one" Lucita cut her off "Be honest, be true. And fight this with your whole heart"

Hyatt gathered the text, nodding in affiron son she left the library.

"Or you shall lose everything" Lucita finished when she was out of earshot.

"And this world will die. One cruel breath at a time"
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