Eyes of the Soul

Title: Eyes Of The Soul

Author: Jennifer

Copyright (c) 2002 by Jennifer Johnson
Feedback: jennpurr@yahoo.com or willowtaralove@netzero.com Please, give me feedback. Good or bad. Feel free to tell me what you think. Or just post it here.
Disclaimers: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. This is solely for my entertainment. Please do not copyright this story.
F/F romance: If the idea of a same sex relationship bothers you, please do not read this story.
Pairings: W/T, X/A
Spoilers: Season 6. This is set after Seeing Red, but Tara never dies at the hands of Warren. The rest is just my own creativity. Oh, and Giles never left.
Summary: Tara is missing, or so the Scoobies think. What will happen when they find her?
Rating: PG 12? Sorry for all the Willow angst. I promise it will get better soon.
My Thanks: To Sam (Blue77) and Danie. Thanks for being my betas and for helping me out with all the suggestions. You truly are gifted for writing, both of you. I hope you continue to do so. ;) And Danie, don't forget the catnip. ;)
Author's Notes: This is my first attempt at writing Buffy fan fiction, so please tell me what you think. I usually write fan fiction for ER. I apologize for the heavy subject of W/T angst in this story, especially after what has happened to Tara. These thoughts have been floating around in my brain lately and I just wanted to see if I could turn them into a story. Willow and Tara WILL have a happy ending, if that helps. Let's just hope we get that on the show. Some of the inspiration for this came from "Unexpected Consequences" Lisa's a genius. Thanks for your story Lisa. :)



Eyes Of The Soul: Chapter 5/?
By: Jennifer



Tara flipped her tail back and forth as she stared at the bars of the cage. She studied all the corners of the metal contraption intensely and with what could be considered a deep moan, she paced nervously. The blonde witch hated being locked up.

'I need to get out of here,' she said in her mind. 'I need, Willow.'

With a determined grunt, Tara's tail twitched excitedly. She stepped in front of the steel door and eyed it briefly before jumping up on it with all her strength. The impact shook the door, rattling its bolts.

Tara jumped up on it a few more times; making all the noise she could muster up.

A piercing growl filled the room.

Just when Tara was poised to jump up again, the door at the top of the stairs opened. "What's with all the noise?" Amy asked as she climbed down the steps.

The Jaguar backed away from the front of the cage, as a growl rattled in its throat. Her right ear twitched as she stared at Amy.

"Awww... what, you don't like being in that cage?" the former rat sneered.

Tara lowered her head, but kept her gaze locked on the other girl. Her eyes hardened as she watched her carefully.

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" she teased.

Walking over to the door of the steel cage again, Tara jumped up and hooked her paws around the bars as she looked back to Amy.

"I see. You want out. And why should I let you out?" Amy's voice was flat, cold.

Tara let her front paws drop to the cold cement covering the floor. She locked eyes with the brunette and gave her a pleading look.

Amy just stared back at her, daring her to make a move.

Tara's powerful paws padded the floor as she walked over and stood directly in front of Amy; the only barrier between them being the steel bars. She sat, her tail twitching from side to side as she stared the other girl down.

A soft growl found Amy's ears as she stared into the blue eyes in the cage. The eyes were pleading with hers, their pupils enlarged. The brunette finally spoke. "Alright... I'll let you have your run again tonight. You just come back on time."

The Jaguar stood, still eyeing Amy as she approached the door once again. Tara took great caution with each step. She didn't trust the other witch, but as much as she hated it, she had to. There was no other choice.

Slipping the key in the lock, Amy released Tara from the cage and watched as she graciously accepted her release from the steel prison.

Without thinking twice, Tara ran to the back door and waited as Amy magic'd the door open. She took a quick look at the other witch before taking to the stairs and disappearing.

*****

"B-Buf-fy... stop... it," Willow wriggled. "Stop!" she squeaked.

"I'm not gonna stop till you take back what you said." The slayer continued to tickle torture her best friend, who she was kneeling over on the floor. "You give up?" She started tickling her ribs.

"Ahhh... okay... okay," Willow finally gave in.

Buffy stilled her hands, but she didn't let the redhead move away. "Take it back."

"You're not a whiner," Willow finally said.

Smiling proudly, the blonde started to back away to stand when she heard, 'You're a quitter.' Buffy looked down at the redhead who was grinning from ear to ear. "You asked for it now," she said, as she started to attack Willow's ribs again.

"Not... again... AHHHHH!" she screamed.

Upon hearing the commotion, Anya ran in the room for the back of the shop. Giles was right behind her. They looked on at Buffy and Willow who were on the floor close to the research table.

"Look..." Anya pointed at the two laughing and joking around, "Buffy's trying to have sex with, Willow. I always thought she had a thing for her!"

"Oh, Dear Lord!" Giles pulled his glasses off and started cleaning them.

"She started it," Buffy continued to tickle her best friend. "And I'm not trying to have sex with her, Anya!"

"You sure sounded like you were," Anya said forthright.

"I... said... I was... sorry... now stop!" the redhead pleaded.

"You'll stop calling me names?" The blonde smirked at her flushed and somewhat aggravated best friend.

"I promise," she said, with a promising smile.

"Alright." Buffy rose to a standing position, pulling Willow up with her.

"...But I didn't say I wouldn't get you back," Willow chimed in as she grabbed onto the slayer and started to get her revenge. It felt good to let go of all her worry's and aggravations and just laugh. Later on, after all the laughter would die down, she would be back to the same old depressed and saddened Willow, but just for a second she reveled in the absurdity of it all.

"WILLOW!" she squeaked, trying to get away from her best friend's fingers. Buffy quickly ran over behind Giles and used him as a human shield.

This didn't slow the redhead down. She crossed over to Giles and tried to get to the blonde. Every time she thought she had her, Buffy would push the watcher in front of her.

Willow finally gave up trying to get through Giles and started attacking him with her fingers.

"Willow!" he tried to protest, as he was pushed back into his slayer.

Buffy decided to help her tickle monster of a best friend and started to tickle Giles from her position from behind him. It didn't stop there, as Anya quickly joined in, feeling a little left out.

Before they all knew it, Giles was on the floor being tormented by the two young women and the ex-demon, laughing hysterically.

This is how Xander and Dawn found them when they walked in the shop.

"Ooooh... Hey, not without me you don't." Dawn threw her backpack down on the floor and ran over to the mass of giggling joy on the floor.

Xander just stood there laughing at the sight. He never thought he would see Giles in this position. He was always the leader, never one to joke around. The young man couldn't help, but throw a few jibes at him. "What's the matter G-man? You out numbered? To much woman there for ya?" he snorted.

"Alright, alright... that's quite enough!" Giles practically shouted. It worked, everyone stopped abusing the poor watcher and started to stand. As soon as they were all on their feet, he started laughing. "I say, that was rather amusing. However, we do have research to attend to. Buffy, will you help me up?"

Buffy gladly obliged. "Sorry Giles. Guess we got carried away." She stuck her tongue out at Willow. "Blame her, she started it!"

The half smirk on Willow's features showed that she had no objections.

"Yes I did. Sorry about that, Giles." Willow gave him an apologetic look.

"It's okay, Willow. Now... since everyone is here, why don't we get back to our research, shall we?" He nodded at the books on the research table.

"You all heard the man," Xander crossed over to Anya. "Hey, baby. How goes it?"

Anya embraced her fiancé. "Hey, sweetie." She quickly kissed him.

"Did you find anything out about the cat?" Dawn asked from her seat in between her sister and Willow.

Willow frowned. "Not really, Dawnie. We're still looking for stuff." She looked up from her book to peer at Giles. He eng engrossed with whatever it was he was currently reading. 'I wonder if they would get all mad at me if I just left? I don't want to be here. Why can't they see that?'

Willow's eyes moistened as she turned her gaze back to her book.

"This party's gonna have to go on without me. I gotta be back at the site."

"Be careful, Xander." Anya looked up from her book.

"I will, An. Bye guys." Xander waved his farewell as he left the shop.

Willow looked up from her book. "Giles, are you sure I shouldn't help Buffy tonight?" She still didn't like the idea of Buffy being out on her own after dark. "That cat is out there and if anything happens, she'll be all alone!" Her voice saddened. 'I know this won't work. He wonive ive in. All I want is to be out there. I just want to find my Tara. Is that too much to ask for? Consequences be damned!'

"That's precisely why I don't want you out there. The cat IS out there and anything could go wrong. Slaying is Buffy's duty. She must go out tonight." He looked over at his slayer, who was frowning right along with Willow.

"However, I wouldn't send her out this evening if I didn't think she couldn't take care of herself."

Buffy reached for Willow's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I'll be fine, Will. You need to stay here or at the house. I don't want you out there."

"I know you'll be fine. I just want to help. I just want to get out of the house..." the redhead pleaded, but was cut off.

"No, Willow! And that's final!" Buffy's features took on a shape much like that of the redhead's, 'resolve face.'

"Fine!" The witch huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm just trying to protect you. It's one thing for me to go out there and face the fact that I might get hurt..." pausing only long enough to pull Willow's vision to her own, by gently pulling her chin around, "...but... I won't risk you, Will. I can't! None of us can."

"Alright... go out by yourself. Have fun. Laugh e I'l I'll just go home and cry my eyes out like I've been doing for the past week and a half wondering where Tara is and why she's not home and why I can't get that damned spell to work when I want and need it to, but I'll be fine and maybe I can invent a new way to wallow, you never know..." huffing for air, Willow finally cut off her words that seemed to all come out at once.

As she looked on at her friends, their worried looks of confusion, it was all she could take before her tears started to waterfall over again. She ran from the room and scurried out of sight through Buffy's training room. A moment later the alley door could be heard, slamming shut.

"I should go after her," Buffy said, standing from her chair.

"I wouldn't suggest that, Buffy. She needs some time alone. She's going through quite a lot right now. Just let her be." Giles choked down the lump in his throat. It took all of his own ability, not to run after the lithe redhead and try to offer some sort of comfort.

The room grew silent as Dawn preoccupied herself with homework, while Giles and Buffy continued to read their books. They both had a look of concern forming on their features.

Anya sighed and stood. "Everyone's all uncomfortable now." She looked around.

Giles looked up at her, his expression timid.

"I'm going to count the money," she said, before expediting herself from the table of sorrow.

*****

The sun was beginning to fade into the horizon, as dusk beckoned to come forth. Once Tara had safely reached the cemetery unseen, she had found a bush to confine herself in until nightfall.

Tara had been so focused on trying to figure out a way to get back home, that she hadn't slept much in the past few nights. Her exhaustion finally caught up to her, as she lay passed out on her side in her hiding place. Some of the leaves of the bush were lightly tickling her ears, making them twitch in response.

She lay there till the sun disappeared and everything grew dark. The moon highlighting the only glow in the blackened sky now, except for the stars. They all seemed to be twinkling.

With a stretch of all her limbs, Tara crawled out from her hiding place and cautiously began to look around.

'Buffy should be here soon,' she thought.

Spotting a small rock in front of her, the cat pawed at it. Tara's claws batted it to the side. After watching it skitter away, the Jaguar pounced the new toy and rolled over on sid side as she began kicking at it with all her feet. Her back feet coming up much like a rabbit's would. The feline in her wanted to play.

Tara stood again and continued to paw at the rock.

Just when she was wiggling her backside to pounce again, she heard a twig crack somewhere from behind. She froze and looked behind her. Upon hearing another cracking, Tara ran back to the confines of her bush again.

Peeking out through the leaves, her black nose the only visible feature, Tara could hear the footsteps coming closer. Soon enough she could see two feet come into view. As they moved forward it became apparent that the new arrival was Buffy.

'It's just Buffy. Calm down, Tara!' her inner psych babbled.

The slayer stopped and sat down on one of the tombstones. It was a fresh grave. It's resident would soon rise and try to wreck havoc on Sunnydale. The blonde would make sure that didn't happen.

Buffy sat so her back was ara ara and her bush.

'Should I go to her? I don't want to scare her like last night. I'll just be real quiet.' Tara remained still. 'B-but what if she freaks? W-what will I d-do t-then?'

She closed her eyes, cursing her stutter even in her thoughts. 'I won't be n-nervous. Just go to her, Tara.'

Buffy was too wrapped up in her daydreaming to even hear the cat approach.

Tara paused just behind a head stone and tried to figure out the best way to reveal herself. Fiy shy she began her trot forward to greet her friend.

*****


End of part 5