Love Through Touch

Disclaimer: See Part 1
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Xander sat with his hands over his eyes, fighting back the tears that burned mercilessly demanding to be released.

'I'm a strong man, strong men don't cry...

..unless their surrogate daughters were missing.'

Slowly his hands curled into fists of their own accord. Xander had been angry and scared in the past. But never before had he had so much to lose.

But he didn't plan on losing Jeanie. He'd bring her home safe. He had to, it was a mans job to protect his family. And he had a family to protect now.

Or he would when he got his little girl back.

"Xander?" the questioning voice jerked him out of his musings.

Willow stood close to him, her hand reaching out unsurely. Xander took it, noticing for the first time how tiny it was compared to his.

"Hey Will" he tugged the red witch to sit beside him on Buffy's couch "What's the what?"

"Buffy wants to bumrush this tomb once they find it" Willow said calmly explaining "Anya thinks it's a bad idea, Tara and Hyatt are for it. Faith...well Faith really wants Mycah back"

"I really want the Jean-Machine" Xander added "Do we still have those plans laid out for the attack? The spells and all?"

"Yeah, but Xander I'm not sure they'll work. I mean light spells against the Sect of Shadows? These vamps are some of the 'oldest' that still exist. They're all Masters in their own right" Willow let her vorry leak into her voice "We might be biting off more than we can chew"

"Sometimes we do that Will. But right now, I think we're chewing just fine" Xander assured her, his anger flashing in his eyes "Whatever Buffy wants to do I'm for it"

Willow stood shaking her head. She left the room thinking 'Am I the only one thinking clearly?'
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Tara and Hyatt worked endlessly finding which graveyards bordered the water in Sunnydale. Narrowing it down to those who had hills, then those that had been there the longest.

"We've narrowed it down to these three" Tara reported "Bankton Acre's. It's been there since the turn of the last Century. It was founded before Sunnydale proper actually" Tara nervously pushed her hair from her face. She was used to the Scoobies, she had been for a long time, but speaking infront of people, not matter how well she knew them, always made her nervous.

"There's also Muriel Hills, there's been so called 'Witches' buried there, though there's no date when it was founded. And Ashton Walk also no date founded, but said to be 'very' old" Hyatt added.

"There are numerous tunnels under Ashton, both natural and manmade, but there hasn't been anyone buried there in over a decade" Tara finished "I think we should check there first, get a feel to see if it's there they're hiding Mycah and Jean"

"I agree" Buffy said all business "But we travel as a team, all of us together" she looked around at her assembled family, minus Giles and the two captured women "We were split up last time, and they got two of us. For some reason I think they don't wanna fight us when we're all together"

"Yes" Anya nodded with her usual assertiveness "I spent over a thousand dollars on last minute Christmas presents, and you all better live through this so I can give them to you"

Everyone stopped to stare at the ex-demon in shock.

"What?" Anya shrugged "I don't want to have wasted Xander's hard earned money on dead people"

Everyone looked around at each other, shrugging at odd intervals. The woman had a point.

"Ok try not to die. We move out tomorrow night" Buffy nodded to the room at large "Everyone stays here tonight, get some sleep if you can. You'll need your strength for the fight tomorrow"

"What about the kids?" Tara asked looking at the littlest Scoobs.

"Star's pretty good with her magiks" Willow bit her lip "Kole isn't half bad either, and I've been teaching Dawnie a little myself. I've seen them all fight. If we take them with us, they can watch themselves as long as we don't get seperated"

"You're insane Willow" Buffy remarked flatly "But you're probably right. I don't want to leave them here by themselves"

"Yeah considering we did when we went after the three of you" Willow gestured towards Faith, Tara and Hyatt "Anya brought them to all the action anyway!"

"They tricked me!" Anya argued "And they still won't tell me who Max is!"

"Who?" Buffy and Hyatt frowned at the flustered blonde.

"Oh nevermind" Anya crossed her arms and pouted.
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As the Scoobs settled in for the night, each doing their own routines, very few words were spoken. Though the looks they exchanged spoke volumes.

Anya spent extra time with the kids, becoming uncommonly affectionate on several occasions. Be it stroking Dawn's hair or tracing Star's brow, her face kept a sad smile as she watched them try not to be nervous.

Tara and Willow disappeared early in the evening, retiring to their room to 'work on light spells' they had explained giggling.

"They're having sex again" Star said pointedly before Anya could even speak a word.

"No they're doing magic" Dawn argued once again.

"No they're definitely having sex" Anya cut in "Happens before every apocolypse. We get scared, make a plan, and then the night before we have lots of sex" she ticked off on her fingers "Happens everytime."

Star began to giggle at the astonished look on Dawn's face. The teen quickly excused herself after shooting Buffy and Hyatt an interesting look.

The slayer and the empath both stared back at the teen before turning to the ex-demon.

"What? You know you're going to do it" Anya mumbled before grabbing the two little girls and ushering them upstairs after Dawn.

Xander shot them apologetic looks when they met his eyes. Buffy between her blushing and Hyatt as she looked everywhere but at Buffy.

"I think I'll just go distract Anya for a while" he said blushing a little himself.

They sat in silence. Looking at each other meaningfully but never speaking a word. After several minutes Hyatt stood, caressed Buffy's hand and made her way upstairs.

The slayer, however, went to search for her sister-in-arms. She found Faith sitting at the small round table in the kitchen, sipping warm milk at she stared at the waning Gibbus moon.

"Scared?" Buffy asked in greeting.

Faith started before relaxing again. She glanced back at the blonde before answering "Nah. Just... thinking" her hands anxiously fiddled with the mug before her "When you..." Faith stopped herself before she could get embarrassed.

"When what Faith?" Buffy took a seat across from the brunnette slayer.

"When you fell in love the first time. Did you know you were in love?" Faith muttered unable to meet Buffy's eyes.

"God I wish I knew Faith. To me it seems like every crush I ever had I thought I was in love" Buffy chuckled "But when you're in love. I don't think it feels the same" Buffy bit her lip.

"Feels the same?" Faith gave her patented half smile "What if you've never felt anything besides lust"

"Well when you're in love, there is that too. The lust. But it's different. It's not 'just' the lust. There's this need to be near them, even if it's not for sex. You wanna touch them. Tease them. Sometimes you even wanna shake them for being stubborn" Buffy explained with a smile "But mostly, you just, well... well you just 'feel' for them"

"Like there's all these things you wanna say and do. But you don't know when or even 'how' you'll ever have a chance to say or do them" Faith added.

"Yeah. But sometimes you don't have to say or do them. When you just look at them, or they look at you. All those things are said and done" Buffy shrugged.

"But how do you 'know' when all this happens?" Faith asked after draining her cup.

"When she looks at you. It'll all be there in her eyes. And you'll know what it is, because no one's ever looked at you that way before" Buffy explained.

"Oh" Faith finally met her eyes. They sat together in silence, staring and smirking.

"Did we just have a moment?" Faith asked smirking hard.

"Yeah. But don't tell anyone. They might think we get along" Buffy chuckled rising from her seat.

"Not a word" Faith assured dropping her mug into the sink "Night B. Get some rest"

"You too F" Buffy mocked rolling her eyes.

"I'm not the one with the babe in my bed" Faith gently punched Buffy in the shoulder "But while you're resting" she winked "Think of me" and she took off up the stairs.

"Aww Faith! Ew! That's gonna give me nightmares" Buffy called up after her, trying to shake the scary visual place Faith had just sent her from behind her eyes.

"What's gonna give you nightmares?" Hyatt asked as she pulled a tanktop over her head.

Buffy began to pull off her clothes upon reaching their room "Faith's words. Use your imagination"

Hyatt mimicked the 'think face' for a moment before smiling devilishly "Giles in drag?"

"Goddammit" Buffy knocked her head against the wall.

Twice.
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They started searching early. Long before the sun even threatened to set, the Scoobies were out raking cemeteries. The slayers managed to clean out 3 vampires nests in as many cemeteries by lunchtime.

The Scoobs met up, only feet away from where Mycah had been taken. They all knew where they were standing, and the knowledge was taking it's toll.

Faith stared hard at the ground, though she participated in the conversation her wouldn't meet the eyes of her fellow fighters.

"Nothing. We checked everywhere, even Willy's" Willow pouted "No one knows about any cemeteries that old that border the water"

"Well we've still got a few hours until the sun goes down. We should get something to eat and get back to work" Buffy sighed.

They all nodded in solemn agreement, they didn't really want to stop searching but the need for food was making itself known by the growling in their stomachs.

They all headed into Sunnydale proper, trudging to the Expresso Pump looking as if someone had kicked their puppy.

The waitress took their orders, smiling at the children hoping to atleast get a small one back, and speaking sweetly to the adults.

After their orders were taken they simply sat together, glancing solemnly around the table. Staring at each other and ignoring the other patrons as they stared at them, wondering what could make such a large group look so sad.

"I'm scared" Kole whispered and she pressed closer to Faith. The slayer lifted her into her lap, adjusting her so that they were both comfortable "I "I got you, kid. No worries" Faith promised kissing Kole's hair. The little girl sighed softly and snuggled into Faith's chest. Suddenly they both stiffened and looked down. Before they could be asked about the look the exchanged there was a loud crash.

Their waitress was precariously balancing a tray, trying to avoid a little green blur that seemed to be tangled in her legs. The woman muttered something under her breath and the contents of the tray stilled, no longer sliding from side to side as she struggled to keep them from hitting the floor.

The blur shot under their table as the waitress steadied herself and approached them.

As the waitress came closer the air around them took on an electric feeling, as if the very energy around them was being tapped into by a reckoning force.

"Sorry about the noise, a cat or something ran in here. Emily fell, I almost did to" the woman smiled at them as she dispensed their drinks and sandwiches "If you need anyone else just give a yell, my name is Amelia" she smiled again giving a wink before walking off.

"Nice save Westich!" the cashier behind the counter called out as the woman walked past her.

"Westrich?" Dawn's eyes widened as she remember something Jeanie had said.

"What?" Buffy shook on the strange feeling the waitress left her with.

"She just used magic. Weird magic" Willow's voice took on a strange tone "I don't like the feel of it"

"Neither do I" Tara muttered as Hyatt nodded her agreement.

"No! Jeanie said it. She was something about Westrich!" Dawn managed to squeal and whisper at the same time "She said she was bad, and she sinned or something. But she definitely said Westrich"

"What?" everyone exclaimed when the teen became excited.

"There's a rumor around my school, about a witches grave. The headstone faces into this manmade pond. They say the people of the town dug the pond and buried her at the bottom, then poured holy water over it so she wouldn't rise again. She was a evil witch-" Dawn explained only to be cut off.

"Who ate the eyes of children" Willow finished "I thought it was just a scary story to get kids to sleep at night"

"Huh?" Buffy, Tara and Hyatt all gave her confused looks.

"It's a scary story parents tell kids to get them to close their eyes when the lights are out. Whenever a room is black Old Lady Westrich comes to find the bad children who lay awake in their beds. Close your eyes and go to sleep and the mean old witch can't get you" Willow babbled as she remembered "Her graves in Muriel Hills. The cemetery was supposedly named after the last child she killed"

"Muriel Daylen, she was their preachers only daughter" Dawn added "After she was killed they took to the witch and cut her to pieces and buried her"

"What a wonderful story" Anya sighed a far away look in her eyes "Death, decapitation and human uprisings"

Everyone shot her astonished looks.

"Sorry" Anya actually had the grace to blush "Throwback from my demon days"

"Do you know where this 'witches' grave is?" Buffy asked Dawn gripping her hand tightly.

"Yeah it's at the bottom of the cemeteries steepest hill" Dawn bounced in her seat.

"Eat quick" Faith ordered.

They all dug into their food.
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Time fls ths the food was inhaled, the table remained silent except for the sounds of rapid chewing. The slayers were the first to finish, the witches pushed their plates away soon after. They all ceased to eat when Hyatt turned her plate over as she stared down in her lap in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Buffy leaned over the girl to see what she was staring at.

Under the table Orangi stood, clutching Hyatt's legs. The little demon bore multiple scratches and abrasions, her clothes were tattered and torn, with blood and dirt marring the once bright yellow cloth.

"Xander can we borrow your jacket?" Buffy demanded holding out her hand, not even looking to him for an answer.

Xander gamely handed the windbreaker over, summoning the waitress for the check. As he went to the counter to pay they filed out of the Expresso Pump, huddling together until they made it to an alley a bit off from the main human traffic.

Hyatt gently peeling the jacket away from the tiny demons head "Oh my god Orangi we forgot all about you!" she said softly stroking the scaly little head.

"I wanted to help Jeanie" the little demon curled up against Hyatt's chest as Xander joined the huddled group "Got friends. We know where she is"

"So do we" Buffy actually reached out and stroked the green cheek, avoiding the cuts and bruises that marred them "We're heading there now"

Orangi sighed and lost consciousness. Dawn reached out and took her from Hyatt's arms "I'll hold her, you guys do the fighting thing"

They started towards the cemetery at a quick walk, afraid they'd draw attention if they ran. As they moved through the town they made sure to keep Dawn surrounded at all times, so no passerby could see what she held protectively against her chest.

Dusk was just beginning to show it's face as they filed into Muriel Hills. They made their way to the steepest hill, staying to the growing shadows, noone saying a word.

Buffy stopped several feet away from the gravestone that faced a small pond, keeping them all shadowed.

"So what do we do, swim?" Faith asked as they lookeoundound, their seemed no apparent way to get underground.

"A tomb" a gravely voice came from directly behind them. They all spun in surprise both slayers ready to attack as the witches readied their light spells to deflect thei intruder.

"No, friend" the voice came again and a shadown fell at their feet. Upon closer inspection Faith found it to be a Vopus demon, a few shades lighter than the one in Dawn's arms "There is a tomb where the hill turns, always shadowed. Never light" the demon's voice shook as he informed them "You go in, then down, it is black"

The sun set as they all stared at the tiny demon before them. As the last rays of the sun fell beneath the hills of Sunnydale the eyes of the demon began to glow.

"That's wicked freaky" Star half whispered breaking the surprised silence. Her words drew all attention to her, then behind her, where hundreds of eyes, like the ones of the demon before them, also glowed in the gathering dark.

"No shit" Faith conceded as they looked all around them. They were completely surrounded by the glowing eyes of the Vopus demons "I'm just glad they're on our side"

"Oh yeah" Buffy agreed as her eyes too drifted over the glowing pairs around them "Time to go in"

"I show you the way" the little demon said quickly.

Through the gathering dark the followed the tiny form, listening to the twitters around them.

"What's that sound?" Tara asked when she too picked up the sound. It was reminiscent to the sounds crickets made, but with a quality to them that made it shrill.

"The Vopus demons. It's how they communicate" Hyatt informed her as they came upon the masoleum.

"Cynthia Westrich" Willow read the name off the plaque above the door "But that's not the name of the witch. It's Sara"

"A close cousin maybe? Lesbian lover?" Faith quipped "I don't really care but I'm gonna kick some ass" with that said she pushed past Willow and into the pitch black of the masoleum.

The rest of the Scoobs followed, silent and frightened but ready for action.

"Got those light spells ready girls?" Faith's voice rang out softly as they seemed to descend into the very hill the masoleum was built into.

"Y-yes" Tara whispered nervously as she firmly grasped Star and Kole's hands.

"Yep" Willow's voice to strong and steady. Anya remained silent, for the first time ever she was too afraid to speak.

"Think you coud light our way a little?" Faith snapped as she ungracefully tripped over a rock.

"No!" the Vopus demon whispered harshly "Light will bring the traps. No light, not yet. Take my hand, I see. I lead you"

Faith hesitated a second before taking it's hand. She knew this type of demon had a habit of tossing it's feces at people. Or so Jeanie had told her.

The rest joined hands as the demon lead them around and through a pitch so unceasingly dark they couldn't tell with way was up.

After what felt like hours the dark began to become lighter. They could see a promise of firelight and the whisper of many voices.

"Shh. Listen" the demon told them needlessly.

Being as silent as they could, all the Scoobies strained to hear what was being said.
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Kalindi paced her throne room, as the newly risen Generals had called it. Said Generals were arguing over what should be done about their resident slayers, and their pain in the ass band of uppity humans.

"I say we attack them tonight. I've wanted to taste another slayer for centuries" a husky voice rang clearly above the rest.

"Oh Theona, arent four slayers enough?" a British sounding male vampire smirked in her direction "If you eat these two how will the rest of us taste such a delicacy?"

"These two have proved to be harder to kill then I first imagined" Kalindi informed them with a scowl "I'm truly tempted to let them live for now. It would be more sensible for us to disperse. Being clustered here, with the Gathering upon us. It is far from the best plan"

"The elders rise tomorrow, if your plan goes correctly" a serpentine hiss came from the deepest shadows "Are you positive the child is ready?"

"Yes" Kalindi hissed back "She is ready, and she is strong. Thanks to that traitor Fatima, and her 'special' ones. She's been fed black magick for the requisite 14 days, as well as feeding off Fatima's brat. I've never seen one so young with so much power"

"Is she safely hidden? We don't want to chance losing her" the hissing voice asked again.

"Yes Azriel. She's hidden, so deep inside the labrynth not even rats can find her. But so close that I can" Kalindi boasted casting the shadowed figure a dark look.

"Only the foolish believe they cannot be stopped. And only those that cannot be, are" the voice hissed.
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"Jeanie?" Mycah's voice was weak. She'd been calling out to the girl for the past few hours and she hadn't gotten an answer. She know the child was there, she knew she was conscious, but she wasn't answering. And that was what worried Mycah.

"Jean? Sweetie answer me please" she choked out of her dry throat. She felt so weak and so cold, even the overly heated body of the child was welcomed the dispell the chill in her very bones. She didn't know when they'd moved them from the dungeon room to this...maze. But they hadn't reshackled her legs, so Mycah knew it was someplace she couldn't escape.

"Jean! Answer me now!" she croaked with as much authority as she could muster.

Suddenly a pair of glowing eyes appeared not feet from her. Then a glowing form, though the form remained black, and the glow only outlined it, she knew it was Jeanie.

"This is bad" Mycah used all her strength to back away, as the Jeanie's glwing form appraoched her.
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"This is the opening of the Labrynth" the little demon gestured towards a tunnel of a natural cave "It is truly a maze of which no one is meant to leave"

"But if the skank ass vamp can find her way through, so can we" Faith growled as she scanned not one but four seperate ways she could take to enter the Labrynth.

"She said that Jeanie was so deep in the Labrynth no even rats could find her. But close enough that she could" Willow thought aloud. Which way inside is beneath that room they're in?"

As the demon pointed to the cave to their far left, they all couldn't help but smile at the redhead.

"Good thinking Will" Buffy touched her friend briefly on the small of her back.

"But herein lies the problem" Faith brought up, unhappy to be the one to do it "We know where our girls are. But the vamps are leaving"

"Shit" Hyatt hissed "Do we get our girls, or save hundreds of people from death by ancient vamps" she paused "Then again if we leave our girls, Kalindi will use them to awaken the elders"

"And we all die" Faith finished.

"We lose either way" Buffy muttered.

"Split up!" Dawn hissed, afraid to raise her voice, much like the rest of the group.

"No we stay together, we went over this earlier" Buffy snapped at her younger sister.

"No Dawn might be right. Buffy you and Faith should go stop those vamps, take one of the witches, the rest of us can get the girls" Xander commanded.

"Well shouldn't their be a slayer with each team? It would be safer if we ran into vamps" Anya piped up for the first time that night.

"Yeah I kinda want to find Mycah myself" Faith said shyly finding herself unable to meet Buffy's eyes.

"Ok, Faith you Xander and Willow look for the girls" Buffy conceded "Take Kole with you. The rest of you come with me. We have some serious ass to kick" she growled the last words out, her anger shining brightly in her eyes.

They stood there a moment, looking over each other in the low light, not saying anything as their eyes spoke volumes to one anotehr.

Slowly, Xander, Faith and Willow took off into the Labrynth, Kole close on their heels.

And the rest, ran into the fray.
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