Love Through Touch

Disclaimer: See Part 1
_____________________

Hyatt was putting off going to the Magic Box. She knew she had information the Scoobies needed, but she wanted to avoid Buffy.

Being another hot day in late November, she decided Ice Cream was definitely in order. Looking around for the longest line she got at the end of it and prepared to wait.

It was a good enough reason.
____________________

Xander was on a mission. An Ice Cream Mission.

Buffy and the other ladies were handling the kids in the Magic Box while he retrieved the sugary cold sweetness to make them even more hyper.

Glancing around in his boredom he spotted Hyatt at the end of the monstrous line. Turning back around quickly he hoped she hadn't seen him.

Glancing back covertly her noticed her eyes were trained firmly on the ground.

And there was a guy behind her, saying something in her ear to which she shook her head in the negative too.

Xander was tempted to go back and see what was going on. But he was next in line.

"Sir how can I help you?"

Ok scratch that. It was his turn.
__________________

Hyatt shook her head once again at the pass the young man behind her tossed her way.

"Just dinner. You, me, moonlight" he rubbed her bare shoulders.

The sensation from his touch was less than pleasant.

It also carried some undertones she was seriously not into.

"No thanks. I'm seeing someone"

"Who?" the man puffed out his chest "I could make you forget him"

Something about the comment struck Hyatt as odd, but she shrugged it off when a shadow cast over her.

She looked up into the friendly brown eyes of her Xander-shaped friend.

"Hello precious" Xander threw a careless arm around her. Accidently on purpose chucking the guy behind her "Going my way?"

"Always" following Xanders lead she allowed his arm to stay around her and they walked away.

"Here's your share of the cold creamy goodness" Xander handed her a swirled strawbeconecone.

Tasting it she turned a surprise smile Xanders way "Strawberry mint! My favorite. How'd you know?"

"Ah Buffy let it slip, and we were kinda hoping you'd show today" Xander nudged her with a hip.

"I'm parked behind the Magic Box" Hyatt confessed blushing.

"Your such a chicken" Xander laughed.
_________________

Star sat in Willow's lap tracing the icon on a text long given to dust.

The redheaded witch ran her fingers through the girls tangled curls as she skimmed through light spells.

"Won't light spells make more shadows?" Star asked dusting her fingers off on her pants.

"Maybe. But it'll push the bad one's away long enough for us to fight them" Willow flipped another page.

"Oh" Star turned in Willow's lap and gazed at her solemnly "Are we still a family? Cordy left us. Madi left us. Even Mommy left"

"They'll be back" Willow assured her forgetting all about spells and light and fighting \ we\ we'll always be family. Unconventional yes. Family definitely"

"Magical?" Star smiled brightly.

"Without a doubt" Willow assured.

Star's eyes widened suddenly and Tara came into clear view of them both.

"Did you just feel-?" the Wiccan began to question.

"Mommy!" Star squealed hopping from Willow's lap and running down to the main floor.

"Walk on those stairs!" both Wiccan's yelled just as the bell rang to announce someone's entrance into the store.

Star was a small blur that stopped abruptly when she leapt into Hyatt's arms.

Once again Hyatt caught her and hugged her tightly.

"Xander!" Anya squealed throwing herself at the poor man when he entered behind Hyatt.

Handing the bag of Ice Cream over to Hyatt just in time to catch his fiance Xander wore the biggest smile.

"Remind me to bring gorgeous women with me more often" he joked recieving a smack for his trouble.

Willow and Tara joined them on the main floor. Tara headed Hyatt's way while Willow headed into the training room.

"Where's the cold Ice Creamy goodness?" Dawn asked coming into the main store from the basement.

Hyatt set the bag down and Dawn and Jeanie, who remained hot on Dawn's heels (even with a sore bottom) more often than not.

"Ice Creams here?" Buffy came in toweling the sweat of her forehead "Yay goodies"

"Yay goodies is right" Hyatt muttered under her breath.

Only Buffy heard due to her slayer hearing.

Faith entered seconds later with Giles.

"Hey Hyatt" Faith greeted before snatching the bag "I hope you got my a waffle cone"

Hyatt backed towards the door Star still in her arms.

"Hey where are you going?" Mycah appeared behind her, blocking the exit.

"To get the books out of my car" Hyatt placed Star on her feet. The little girl darted behind her and out the door.

"I'll go with. Just incase you can't, you know, carry them all" Faith abandoned the Ice Cream, much to Dawn and Jean's delight.

Hyatt exchanged a look with Tara. A look that didn't escape Buffy's notice.
___________

Hyatt loaded Star with two texts and sent her scampering back inside.

Faith loaded as many as she could carry and leaned back against the car to wait for Hyatt.

"So did the big scary Wiccan force you to come today?" Faith mock whined.

"Yeah" Hyatt smirked "She told me to come so I came. That simple. Besides I have the information on this whole prophecy thing anyway"

Faith sobered at the reminder "You know if we lose we all go.."

"Yeah" Hyatt blinked "But what I don't understand is.."

"Hey you guys! It doesn't take that long to lug some books inside!" Jeanie caled from the side door.

Rolling their eyes they both took the time to go around to the front. Just to annoy her more.

Stacking the books haphazardly on the table they eyed the pile.

"We're gonna have researched out our asses" Faith spoke shaking her dark head.

"Yeah but it'll make us look smart" Anya wiggled her brows at the slayer "And smart chicks are sexy"

"Aren't they ever" Buffy muttered "Speaking of smart chicks. Hyatt can I talk to you in the back?"

Hyatt ceased waving her hand in front of Giles face. His expression of surprised had frozen when he'd seen the amount of texts brought in. Then he'd really gone into shock wheatt att informed him that Fatima wanted him to add these to his personal library.

Following the slayer into the training room she gasped in surprised when she was slammed against the wall.

Her complaint at the rough handling was swallowed by the lips that covered her's in a needy passion that she had no intention of fighting.

Melting into Buffy she let the slayer mold her body to her's. Fitting them together as they had so many times before (only horizontally).

Hyatt's hands clunched in Buffy's shirt while the slayers buried themselves in the long dark hair, tugging slightly at her scalp when they broke apart to breathe.

"I miss you" Buffy whispered sliding her hands under the strapless tube top Hyatt wore. She gently traced the smooth warm skin beneath it, knowing every dip and curve by heart.

"I know" Hyatt breathed burying her face in Buffy's neck, nipping gently at the skin.

"Come home?" Buffy bugged lifting the shirt as her hands went higher up Hyatt's belly, brushing the underside of her breasts.

"I can't" Hyatt turned her face away and bit her lip to hold the tears back.

Buffy ceased her caresses and ignored the whimper of loss Hyatt let slip. Sighing she caught a new scent on Hyatt's skin. Releasing her she stepped back "Who is she?"

Hyatt pushed the rolled up shirt back down over her belly from where it had come to rest just below her breasts "Just a friend"

"Just a friend? I can smell her all over you" the slayer growled pacing in short steps.

"She's the snuggly kinda friend" Hyatt tried weakly.

"Are you...you...do you..." Buffy coudln't bring herself to say it.

"Sometimes we sleep in the same bed" Hyatt admitted "But I'd never...not with her...Buffy, I..." looking down she took a deep breath before speaking "I belong to you, no matter how much it hurts sometimes. That part of me is your's"

Gathering herself and straightening her hair Hyatt left the room, her eyes trained firmly on the ground.

Buffy followed minutes later, a small smile on her face.
________________

Anya fanned Giles hoping to bring him back to reality.

Tara had gotten him into a chair and Willow had brought him water to sip. But the man just kept staring stupidly at the stack of books.

"I love Fatima" he managed to say after long minutes.

The Scoobies had long since opened the books and started researching. Even found some useful weapons.

"Just don't tell her that" Mycah advised "I don't think her lover would take it very well"

"Her lover?" Giles frowned "The Black Rose of Argon?" removing his glasses her needlessly cleaned them.

"Yep the one and only" Mycah nodded.

"She is the last of the Shadow Walkers is she not?" Giles thought "They've been weakened and are slayed quite often. The Watcher's Journals usually account how many Shadow Walkers a said slayer destroys"

"Really?" Buffy made in impressed sound "That's pretty cool. How many have I dusted?"

"Well none" Giles moved to the stacks and grabbed the journal of the watcher before him "The last slayer, before you Buffy. Uh Rebecca Denison, she 'dusted' as you put it, nearly 17 in her 5 year reign"

"Only 5 years? How old was she when she.." Willow couldn't find a polite way to say 'die' so she left it open.

"Twenty. Just barely" Giles slammed the journal closed and put it back "The Shadow Walkers are a dying race. The Dark Rose could be in danger of her own kind soon. Even Vampires take pride in destroying certain legions"

"She's gonna be hell to kill if anyone tries" Hyatt laughed "I've trained under both her 'and' Fatima. She's a slave driver"

"Yeah" Mycah agreed "I've had more bruises from her 'teachings' than I got being beat up by my brothers"

"It was her teachings that helped you beat up your brothers" Hyatt chuckled.

"And weren't 'they' surprised" Mycah smirked.

"Is that why Unca Jeff calls you mighty mouse?" Kole was covered in Ice Cream.

"Partly" Mycah confessed.

"What's the rest of it?" Faith nudged the girl next to her.

The two shared a smile.

"He tried to embarrass me once" Mycah explained "I started yelling at him, said a few things I shouldn't have, said them louder than I should have. Jeff's atleast 6'4 I'm barely 5'5. He'd call me 'little mouse' because of my size. When I stopped cowering at everything, he started adding 'mighty' to it"

"What did you say?" Hyatt knew but liked it when she told the story.

"I told him why his last girl friend broke up with him" Mycah said simply.

"And why was that?" Willow looked up from the Spell Book of Light.

"Because I did it so much better than him"
____________________________