Love Through Touch

Disclaimer: See Part 1.

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"What kind of errands are these?" Tara asked when they pulled off from the curb.

"I'm taking my account off of the family account and changing banks" Hyatt said not taking her eyes off of the road.

"You're leaving aren't you?" Tara settled back in the seat.

"Not Sunnydale" Hyatt turned left and slowed into traffic.

"Good. If you need a place to stay-" Tara began.

"I'll be ok Tara" Hyatt said shortly.

"I know" Tara sighed "But to be alone-"

"Weren't you?" Hyatt hunched a bit in her seat.

"Yeah I was. Then I met Willow" Tara sighed at the memory.

"And you haven't been alone since" Hyatt finished "You have that truly, madly, deeply in love look on your face" Hyatt chuckled.

"I'm really that obvious" Tara stated "Wow"

"Lucky" Hyatt rolled her eyes and pulled up behind the bank.

"Buffy won't let you be alone" Tara warned as she climbed out of the car. They entered the bank together.

"I guess I'll just have to put up with her" Hyatt said in mock aggrivation.

"Oh you'll be so put out" Tara followed in form.
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"Why are you looking at me like that?" Buffy asked Willow. The redhead was practically staring at her.

"I'm trying to decide something" Willow said simply.

"What are you trying to decide?" Buffy sat back ready for a long conversation.

"How good of a liar you are" Willow gave Buffy her resolve face "You lied to me about not liking girls"

"I didn't lie" Buffy sat up straight giving her friend a serious look.

"You like Hyatt" Willow pointed out.

"No I-" Buffy began only to meet the resolve face once again "But she's not a girl she's Hyatt"

"Hyatt is a girl Buffy" Willow giggled "But I'm thinking it's like me and Tara. It's not really the 'softer sex' thing. It's just Tara"

"Yeah. Do you like her?" Buffy asked scooting closer to Willow's chair.

"I thought you were gonna take a nap?" Willow said leaning back. She enjoyed baiting the Slayer.

"This is better than a nap" Buffy whined "Do you?"

"Yeah I like her. She seems like a good person" Willow sighed "Tara seems to like her"

"Their 'running errands' together already" Buffy rolled her eyes "Their probably talking about us"

"Like we're talking about them?" Willow laughed.

Buffy laughed along with her, then sombered "We haven't talked like this in so long Will"

"Yeah we haven't" Willow agreed "Where did our friendship go?"

"To hell on a bus" Buffy frowned staring at the floor "And I think I was driving it"

"I know you were in heaven Buffy" Willow started to tear up "You don't have to lie"

"I know. Will, everything was so beautiful there. But-" Buffy stopped herself mid sentence.

"But what Buffy?" Willow asked.

"It wasn't perfect. You guys weren't there. I was in heaven. But missed my family" Buffy choked out.

Willow slid from her chair and wrapped the Slayer in a gentle hug "Well it was hell here without you" Willow allowed the tears to fall for the first time since she found out she'd pulled her best friend, not from hell, but from heaven "I'm sorry Buffy"

"Sorry for what?" Buffy asked through her own tears.

"Sorry for dragging you from heaven, and back into this hell" Willow sobbed into Buffy's shoulder.

"You didn't do anything wrong Willow. You gave me back my family" Buffy pulled away from the weeping witch and forced her to look her in the eye "Willow I may have been in heaven, but family is more important than bliss"

"I think I was alot happier before I knew I pulled you from heaven" Willow sighed and rubbed at her red nose "I guess ignorance is bliss"

Buffy made a serious face "Bliss is delicate"

Willow tried to choke the laugh back in her throat but it escape as a strangled cough before exploding into full blown hysterics.

Both women were rolling on the floor by the time they were through laughing.

Anya watched them with confusion "They've gone insane"
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"Done" Hyatt slapped closed her new account book.

"So now what do we do?" Tara asked smiling.

"Wanna go shopping?" Hyatt asked checking her balance slip one last time "It's not like I don't have the money"

"Oh I don't need anything" Tara shook her head.

"What about Willow?" Hyatt asked starting the car "And Buffy. We could get her a new jacket"

"It's dusk" Tara pointed out.

"Damn, I forgot about the Slayers curfew" Hyatt bit her lip "Can't break curfew now can we" she eye'd Tara.

"No" Tara shook her head, she turned and eyed the back seat "Got any weapons?"

"Axe, crossbow, blessed sword, water guns filled with holy water, and the ever convenient, and conventional stake" Hyatt smiled.

"To the Mall" Tara pointed to the windshield "Oh and do you have an extra cross I could wear?"

"Gold, silver, or a rosary?" Hyatt said opening her glove compartment. Several necklaces fell out.

"Were go a Girl Scout?" Tara joked rifling through the tangled chains.

"No, just well trained" Hyatt pulled into the mall lot. She parked close to the entrace, directly under a lamp.

"Let's go spoil our honeys" Tara said offering an elbow.

Hyatt didn't notice that Tara hadn't spoken in the singular.
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"Where are they?" Buffy paced the Magic Box.

"Maybe Hyatt took Tara home" Willow paced a few steps behind Buffy.

"Maybe they're dead" Anya said passing them both.

"Don't say that" Both women yelled at the ex-demon.

"I'm calling the house" Buffy rushed to the phone only to have Anya keep her from picking up the reciever "This is not the time"

"Are you paying for this call?" Anya demanded.

Buffy lifted the woman by her shirt and tossed her a few feet away. She then snatched the phone from the cradle and rapidly dialed her home number. Dawn picked up on the second ring.

'hello'

'Dawn is Tara with you?'

'hi Buffy, no she's not here' there was a pause 'Spike said he saw Tara out with some 'pretty bird' they were heading for the mall'

'I'm gonna kill her'

'Tara?' Dawn sounded worried.

'No not Tara. The 'pretty bird' she was with' Buffy clarified 'If she shows up at home, tell her to call Willow at the Magic Box ok?'

'Ok Buffy bye'

Buffy hung up the phone and turned to face a desperately worried Willow.

"Their not there?" Willow ran her figners through her hair pulling out a few hapless strands.

"I told them to be in by dark" Buffy growled "If anything happens to them-" Buffy choked on the thought "I'm going to patrol"

"Ok. I'll be here just in case they come back" Willow hugged herself and sat down.

"I'm sure they're fine Willow" Buffy ran a loving hand over the Wiccans disheveled hair. She left without speaking to Anya.

"Did she really have to toss me away?" The Ex-demon whined.

"Did you really have to say they might be dead" Willow snapped.

"Well they might" Anya pouted.

"How does Xander live with you?" Willow said with her temper in her voice.

"Naked mostly" Anya said honestly.

"Too much info" Willow complained. She fisted her eyes hoping the rub away the mental image Anya just placed there.
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Buffy patroled the streets as well as the graveyards. She hoped to see them heading for home and much as she hoped not to see them. The Vampire activity had increased since Halloween and had Buffy worried for her two friends.

She'd been patroling for less than an hour and had encountered 6 vamps. They were all dust but four had sported the charm of the Vivione. "Please be safe" she whispered to the breeze.

Headlights temporarily threw off her Slayer vision before her pupils dilated to the new light. She eyed the passing car, noticing it was red and not the silver that Hyatt drove. She could hear loud music basing it's way through the metal shell when they were still 50 ft away from her. Buffy squinted and tried to act normal. Like she was just a girl walking home after dark.

The car pulled up beside her and the window slowly rolled down.

"Hey baby heading my way?" a masculine voice said from the open window.

"Oh I'm just heading home" Buffy said placing a fake nervousness in her voice. The breeze changed and she could smell death. Someone if not everyone in that car was dead, or undead.

"Hop in, we'll give you a ride" the boy who offered was attractive.

Buffy noticed that he cast no reflection in the side mirror "Sure" she climbed into the back seat "What kinda car is this?"

"It's an Echo" The driver said.

He cast no reflection either. Neither did the girl who sat beside her. But she was wearing a charm. Three posted.

"So when does your master wake up?" Buffy asked innocently as she met the women's eyes.

"What?" All three vamps chorused.

"Congratulations. Your dead" Buffy said before launching her attack.

Outside the car nothing appeared amiss. The little red car pulled over to the side of the road and shook a bit before it was still. A girl climbing out the drivers door and brushed off her pants. She then began sweeping what looked like dirt piles out of the seats, before climbing back in turning down the music rolling the windows down and leaving.
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Hyatt took Tara home. They entered through the front door using Tara's key.

"I thought I'd die when he-" Hyatt laughed.

"I know" Tara joined in.

"Tara, your home" Dawn came down the stairs and hugged the Wiccan to her. Shopping bags and all.

"Yeah I'm here. Were you worried?" Tara dropped the bags, and embraced the smaller girl.

"Buffy called and asked if you were here. I told her you weren't. She said to call Willow at the Magic Box when you came home" Dawn rushed to say. It was then she noticed the other woman "Who are you?"

"Dawn, this is Hyatt, Hyatt this is Buffy's little sister Dawn" Tara said before grabbing the phone and dialing the number from memory.

"You look alot like one of my friends" Dawn said circling the older woman.

"I do who? And please don't circle me" Hyatt said turning to follow Dawn's progessive circle.

"She doesn't like it when I do that either" Dawn stopped "Her name is Ayumi"

"Ayumi Al-Faqadi?" Hyatt asked.

"Yeah. You know her?" Danw sat down on the couch and gave Hyatt a serious once over.

"I should. She's my little sister" Hyatt laughed "I didn't know she had any friends"

"You'd be surprised" Dawn said cryptically.

"Somehow I think I would be" Hyatt deadpanned.

"Ok Willow. You'll tell Buffy when she shows up?" Tara finished her call "I love you too baby. G'bye" She turned to Hyatt "We're in trouble" Tara singsoned.

"We came bearing gifts" Hyatt tried.

"That might distract her for a hot minute" Dawn said helpfully "But did you bring me anything?"

"Yeah we did" Tara rummaged through the bags she and Hyatt had lugged in "Ah" she said and picked up the entire bag "This is yours"

Dawn accepted the bag "All of it?" she tested the weight "This is kinda heavy"

"Yup all of it" Tara smiled "I think we got the right size"

"This had to put a good dent in your bank account" Dawn remarked as she climbed the stairs.

"No. Just my allowancHyatHyatt whispered to Tara.

"Was what all your allowance?" Tara asked.

"Not even half. And that was for all of it" Hyatt motioned towards the group of bags on the floor.

"Are you gonna wait for them to get home?" Tara asked hopefully.

"Yeah. I can't leave you to face them alone" Hyatt took a seat on the couch.

"Good. So how do you feel about Buffy" Tara took the cushion next to her.

Spike listened raptly from the basement stairs.
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Buffy pulled up to the Magic Box in her newly pilfered car. She honked twice and saw Willow peek through the window. Buffy hung out of the car window and waved.

Willow disappeared from view and came out of the door moments later "They're at your house" She said climbing into the passenger side "Where'd you get this car?"

"I stole it from some vamps" Buffy said proudly "It's brand spankin new too"

"Can we keep it?" Willow asked hopefully.

"I don't see why not. Your gonna have to hack us up the title and stuff though" Buffy said "So off to my house to claim the wayward women right?"

"Yes" Willow pulled on her seat belt. She sniffed briefly "Buffy no more slaying vamps in the car please?"

"Ok" Buffy agreed "The stench is bad isn't it"

"Nothing a little Fabreeze can't cure" Willow said ever optimistic.
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