Love Through Touch

Disclaimer: See Part 1.
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"My goddess, Summers you drive like a spaz"

Buffy glared into the rearview mirror "Okay are you 4 or 14?"

"I'm 4..and I'd like to live to see 5 lady. So.....drive slower?" Star demanded from the back seat "Hello that was a stop sign"

Buffy growled "I totally paused"

"You don't pause at a stop sign. YOU STOP" Star reasoned.

"Ok your not gonna live to get out of this car if you don't shut up" Buffy yelled at the exuberant little girl.

"Did you hear that Hyatt? She threatened my life" Star asked the silent woman in the front seat.

Hyatt hadn't said anything since Buffy had dragged her out of the house. She was in shock. Her father had beaten her and thrown her out, Buffy in return had roughed him up a bit also. 'Get that abomination you call a child and get out' rang inside her head. It broke her heart that he felt that way. It didn't seem to phase Star.

"I think she's in shock" Buffy said when the childs face dropped "She probably can't hear you"

"Cuz she's got all that yelling in her head?" Star asked with insight no 4 year old should have.

"Your not like any 4 year old I've ever met" Buffy remarked. She pulled into her own driveway behind her new red car.

"Oh red. Is that yours?" Star bounced in the back seat.

"Yeah" Buffy got out of the car and hepled Star from the back "Go knock on the door. Willow should be home" she directed wanting to get the child out of the rain.

Star did as she was told. Something that rarely happened.

Buffy crossed to the other side pulled out Hyatt's door. She was worried when Hyatt didn't seem to notice she was there.

"Hey, you okay?" Buffy asked in a small voice.

Hyatt looked at her for the first time in what felt like hours "You kicked his ass"

Buffy burst out laughing. It was said with a straight face but a voice full of wonder.

"No one deserves to be hit" Buffy said when she calmed down "Ask Tara she knows"

"I know" Hyatt smiled and got out of the car herself, she lost her balance as a wave of dizziness overtook her "He wasn't very happy when he grabbed me" she muttered before collapsing.

Buffy caught her before she could hit the wet pavement. The rain fell on her closed eyes looking like tears or perhaps mixing with them.

Willow and Tara ran outside. Willow was holding a thick blanket and Tara a large Umbrella.

"W-what happened" Tara stuttered when she saw Hyatt unconscious in the slayers arms.

"I think her dad was mad when he grabbed her. Unless the whole 'shake the hell out of her' thing he did was fake" she said cradling her closer. She accepted the blanket from Willow and wrapped Hyatt in it. The girl was shivering from some unknown chill.

"She said anger burns" Tara spoke so softly the slayer could barely hear her "It must of been painful"

"Oh my god I forgot about that" Buffy said and rushed into the house.

Tara was close on her heels.

Willow stayed outside and began to take things out of the car. She wasn't overly fond of Hyatt. The young woman was beginning to step on her toes where Tara was concerned. Willow was jealous that they had a thing, just between the two of them. Tara had never had something special that didn't include her before, but then again Tara had never had a friend like Hyatt before. They were two of a kind, yet different in ways that made them stronger. Willow shook off her jealousy for a moment, they were good for each other. And Tara could use a friend. She entered the house long minutes later with the few cases she'd taken from the car.

"Honey your soaked" Tara said rising from the edge of the couch. She was perched there at Hyatt's feet, while Buffy was at the other end stroking the wet hair off the woman's face.

"Just getting the stuff out" Willow said without any other excuse.

"Thanks Will, I forgot about those" Buffy didn't even look up when she said this. Her eyes remained trained on the woman below her.

"Is she gonna be okay" Willow asked as she and Tara retired to the kitchen leaving the slayer alone with Hyatt.

"We hope so" Tara said sadly.
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"Rock covers paper, I win" Star exclaimed.

"I don't like this game" Dawn grumped, she hadn't won at all "I think your cheating"

"I don't cheat, I kick butt" Star smirked.

"Whatever" Dawn rolled her eyes at the little girl. Usually she'd be mad at getting stuck babysitting, but this was actually fun "So do you have special powers?"

"Me? I can make things.." Star trailed off when Tara entered the room "Tara bear" she flew into the Wiccan's arms.

"H-hi sweetie" Tara hugged the child to her savoring the warmth of the tiny body "How ya feelin'?"

"I beat Dawn at Paper, Rock Scissors" Star said proudly.

"I still think you cheated" Dawn mumbled.

Star stuck out her tongue.

"Hey none of that" Tara admonished the little girl.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Dawn asked softly. Buffy's new 'friend' was someone she'd grown fond of rather quickly. The clothes had helped alot.

"I don't know" Tara sighed and sat down.

"He's mean" Star said crossing her arms and pouting "He would grab her and shake her all the time, then she'd sleep. Fatima would have to wake her up"

"The' Fatima?" Tara asked. She was curious about the Assamite "What would Fatima do to wake her up?"

"She just touched her" Star shrugged "Sometimes Lucita would do it"

"Hey, what's the boogey?" Willow asked entering the dining room.

"She said boogey" Star giggled.

"Ok what's with this boogey thing" Willow frowned.

"Long story" Tara chuckled "I'll fill you in later. Tell us more about Fatima?"

"What do you want to know?" Star got out of her chair and climbed in Tara's lap.

"Did you all train with her?" Willow asked "Hyatt said she and her sisters did"

"Well you can't actually 'train' train with her until your 7" Star explained "First she teaches you concentration and balance. Then Focus"

"Sounds like hard work" Dawn remarked.

"I guess" Star shrugged "I just started on focus, we didn't train much. Hyatt trained everyday"

"She did?" Willow asked "Did you ever watch her?"

"All the time" Star said nodding "Fatima would train her last, so they could take longer. Lucita taught Fatima how to harness the power around her, taking strength from nature. Fatima taught Hyatt"

"Is she a witch?" Willow asked "Because witch's are trained for that to"

"I don't know. She doesn't cast spells. She does have this psy-psychic thing she does" Star stumbled over the word "It's like she talks to people in her head"

"Like a mental telephone" Dawn asked.

"Yeah" Star agreed.

'That might be why Buffy had so little trouble reaching her' Willow thought.

'Maybe that's why the Astrial energy affected them so much' Tara though when she picked up on Willows.

"Do you have any chocolate?" Star asked playing with Tara's fingers.

"Sure" Willow went into the kitchen.
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"It's raining, it's pouring, the shadows are soaring" Drusilla danced to the music only she could hear.

"I'm telling you Mistress, she's insane" the minion said shaking her head.

"The answer is in her head. We just have to find the meaning of her words" the Vampire sat back in her chair. She watched Drusilla rock herself as she chanted rhymes that meant nothing, and everything.

"Two little witches went to hell, the slayer and the chosen went to, one little slayer fell harder, and she'll bring the light to you" Drusilla drone and began pacing again.

"She'll bring the light to me?" the vampire sat up in her throne, the shadows she wore seethed and settled.

"She'll bring the light to you, and the fire to" Drusilla rhymed tilted her head every which way.

"But doesn't fire bring light?" the minion asked, she thought Drusilla had it backyard.

"Fire and light, fire and light, together they'll fight" Drusilla began to dance with an imaginary partner "Turn and burn, turn and burn, wherever there's fire the light will burn"

"The light will burn" the vampire said making a fist and smiling showing sharp fangs.
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Buffy brushed the dried hair from Hyatt's forehead and prayed that she'd wake up soon.

"Come on Hyatt open your eyes" she whispered "I really need you to open your eyes"

"She'll come back when she's ready" Willow said coming up behind her.

Buffy jumped, she hadn't heard her friend enter "I hope she's ready soon"

"You can't rush these things" Willow said sitting down on the couch near Hyatt's hip.

"Why do I think you're not talking about her waking up" Buffy said with a smile in her voice.

"Because if Tara were unconscious, I'd be right where you are, saying the same things" Willow smiled at Buffy.

"So this is love" Buffy said softly.

"The worry, the joy, eventually the sex" Willow said straitfaced.

"Willow! My god girl what's gotten into you" Buffy laughed smiling in delight for the first time in hours.

"Oh just channeling Anya for a moment there" Willow joked. She fished Hyatt's hand out of the blanket. Turning it palm up she fitting her own hand . Willow sent a subtle surge of energy through her palm to Hyatt's.

"What does that do" Buffy wondered aloud.

"Call it incentive to wake up" Willow said off-handedly, smiling when she saw Buffy's confusion.

Buffy didn't have a clue that she was channeling her feelings outward. Her emotions tied in strongly with her mystical nature causing her to send them out to anyone who could read her aura. Like Willow.

Willow had simply taken what she'd learned from Buffy's aura and sent it to Hyatt in the form of an Astial dream. She'd wake up knowing the slayer had fallen in love with her.

"Buffy. Good luck" Willow said rising from the couch. She settled Hyatt's hand over Buffy's arm, making sure their skin was touching.

"Good luck? For what Will?" Buffy asked truly confused by her friend.

"Good luck, in love" Willow left Buffy alone with her thoughts.
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Buffy only left to patrol, and only briefly. There was no Vampire acitivity so she went home. If the night was a few shades darker in the shadows, she didn't notice.

When she arrived home, Tara was sitting on the couch with Hyatt's head in her lap speaking softly to her. She watched them for a few minutes. In the few days they'd known each other, the two had grown close.

Tara pushed Hyatt's loose hair gently behind her ear and whispered something to her. She placed two fingers on each temple and did something much like Willow had don't earlier in the day. Silver tendrils of evergy passed from her fingers and into Hyatt's head.

"More incentive to wake up?" Buffy made herself known.

Tara looked up guiltily for a moment "Y-yeah. I didn't hear you come in. Nothing on patrol?"

"Nope, not a snitch" Buffy sat on the floor and took Hyatt's hand in her's "I hope your incentive wakes her up"

"So do I" Tara said honestly, she didn't like seeing her friend hurt.

"What is your incentive anyway?" Buffy asked when Tara rose to leave.

"Good dreams" Tara said simply and headed upstairs "Night Buffy"

"Night" Buffy whispered.
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Sometime that night, the hand Buffy held tightened around her's. Their joined hands were brought up to soft lips and kissed.

Buffy didn't stir, content with the matters at hand.
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