Fix You by Enigmaticblue

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Chapter 29: Marshalling Forces

Buffy’s eyes went wide as she saw who was coming through the door. “Oz!”

“Hey, Buffy.”

“When did you get into town?” Buffy looked from Oz to Willow and back again, wondering exactly what the status of their relationship was, although their joined hands gave her a clue. She looked past them to Tara, who appeared determinedly cheerful.

“Today,” he said briefly. “I went straight to your dorm room.”

“It’s a good thing he caught us there,” Willow added. “Where’s Spike?”

“I sent him home to get a shower and some sleep,” she explained. “He’ll be back later.” She didn’t mention that he was planning on bringing Angel and Faith with him, once visiting hours were over. Buffy wished Spike could be convinced to smuggle her out, but he was being entirely too stubborn about listening to the doctors.

Xander and her mother came back just then from getting sodas, and the room grew very crowded. Joyce allowed the impromptu gathering to go on for about fifteen minutes before she started shooing people out the door.

Xander and Anya were the first to go, then Buffy said, “I’m sure you and Oz want to get reacquainted, Willow.”

Willow’s eyes lit up for a moment, before she gave Buffy an apologetic look. “Are you sure? I mean—”

“Go,” Buffy replied. “I think Mom can probably give Tara a ride back to campus, or Spike will do it when he gets back.”

“Of course,” Joyce said quickly. “I’d be happy to.”

“Well…” Willow glanced over at Tara. “If you don’t mind—”

“It’s fine,” Tara said firmly. “You should go.”

They didn’t have to be told again. Buffy caught Tara watching them leave, a wistful expression on her face. “Being the third wheel sucks,” she observed.

Tara shook her head quickly. “Oh, no, I don’t mind. I know Willow’s just been waiting for him to come back. I understand.”

“It still sucks,” Buffy said softly. “I’ve been there.”

Tara ducked her head shyly, not replying.

Giles stuck his head through the door. “Has everyone gone?”

“Not everyone,” Buffy replied. “How’s Faith doing? Is Angel okay?”

“They’re fine, Buffy,” Giles assured her. “Faith seems anxious to get out of Sunnydale, however.”

“Can you really blame her?” Buffy asked. “I mean, the Council has it out for her, and now she’s got Adam to look out for, too.”

Giles frowned. “I would almost think that you’re fond of her, Buffy.”

Buffy shook her head. “Not fond. We’re not friends. But I understand her better now than I used to. I just want to be sure she’s got a chance.”

“I think she will,” Tara offered. “From what I saw.”

“I hope so.”

Giles cleared his throat. “Has anyone eaten yet? I can go get some sandwiches from the cafeteria, if anyone wants one.”

“That would be good,” Joyce replied.

“Buffy?” Giles asked. “What about you?”

She made a face. “I finally convinced them to take the cast off, but they won’t let me eat solid foods yet.”

“You might be the Slayer, but it’s still going to take time for you to heal,” Joyce said sternly.

“Yes, Mom.” Buffy made a face at Tara, who fought back a giggle. “Can I at least get some jello?”

“We’ll see what we can find,” Joyce promised. “Come on, Mr. Giles. I’ll go with you.”

Once they had left the room, Buffy turned to Tara. “Are you okay?”

Tara frowned. “What—” She stopped. “You knew?”

“Yeah.” Buffy hesitated, wondering how much to tell the other girl.

Tara didn’t seem to need telling, however, because she blinked back sudden tears. “Oh.”

“I’m sorry, Tara,” Buffy said immediately.

“Things change, right?” Tara smiled bravely. “You didn’t know. Just—were we happy?”

“For a little while,” Buffy said honestly. “Maybe things would have worked out eventually, but…”

“Something happened?”

“Yeah.” Buffy reached for her hand. “I want you to know that you’re important to us, Tara. To me and Spike. We really can’t do without you.”

Tara flushed deeply. “Thank you.”

“Do you want to stay tonight?” Buffy asked. “Spike’s bringing Angel and Faith with him after visiting hours.”

“Why?” Tara asked. “Do you need me to?”

Buffy shook her head. “I don’t know. I just—you have a good sense for people. I wouldn’t mind getting your take on Faith.”

“If you want me to stay, I will, Buffy,” Tara said.

Buffy smiled at her, grateful for the other girl’s deep sense of loyalty, and her willingness to help. “Thanks. I think it would be good. I’m sure Spike can give you a ride back later.”

“Buffy?”

“Yeah?”

“I died, didn’t I?” Tara met her gaze forthrightly. “That’s what happened.”

Buffy couldn’t lie to her. “Yeah, but it’s not going to happen this time.”

Tara smiled gently. “You don’t know that, Buffy.”

Buffy set her chin. “Yeah, I do. It’s already different, and I can promise that Spike would rip Warren limb from limb before he allowed that weasel to hurt either of us again.”

Tara flushed slightly, then nodded her acceptance.

While Buffy knew she couldn’t guarantee that nothing would happen, she knew that Warren wouldn’t be allowed to do any damage this time around. She was certain of that much.

~~~~~

“I want to show you something,” Oz said, interrupting the flow of his story.

Willow frowned. “What?”

“Come on.” He reached for her hand, leading her through the halls and outside.

For a moment, Willow didn’t understand what it was he was trying to show her, and then she followed his gaze upwards. Her eyes widened as she realized the import of what she was seeing. “It’s a full moon! And you’re not—” She stared at him. “How?”

“Some herbs, chanting, a couple of charms…” He trailed off, holding up a wrist, where she could see a cord with beads. “A lot of meditating and learning how to keep your cool.”

Willow grinned. “Well, good, because you were a real hothead before.”

Oz held onto her hands, his eyes full of hesitation. “Buffy told me before I left, that if I didn’t send you some word, you’d move on. Did you?”

“No,” Willow whispered. “I waited, Oz. I don’t—I don’t know. You—you probably should know some things about me.”

“It doesn’t matter, Will,” he soothed, pulling her to his chest.

Willow shook her head, pulling back. “No, you should know. You went and had this total mind/body transformation, and I’ve been here.” She took a deep breath. “Can we sit down?”

“Sure.”

Willow hadn’t realized that Oz’s return would necessitate telling him about the magic, about the spell she’d done that had hurt Spike and Buffy, and the more recent one that had shown her the path her life would have taken.

Had taken, really. Xander had been right; they all had a second chance now, but that didn’t mean that somewhere her choices hadn’t hurt the ones she loved.

Willow had been wondering about that a lot, actually. Would things be different with Oz, as opposed to Tara? What would he say when he found out that she was going to have to go for training over the summer? She’d promised Buffy that she would, and Giles as well.

“What’s up?” Oz asked, sitting down on her bed, clearly expecting her to join him.

Willow couldn’t sit; she was too nervous. “I—I did this spell, while you were gone. I was missing you so much, and—and I just wanted to make the hurt go away.”

He frowned. “I’m sorry, Willow.”

“No!” she said quickly, alarmed. “I didn’t mean that it was your fault at all. It was mine. I tried to take control, and I hurt some people. Buffy and Spike being the people. They could have killed each other. And I wanted to see the future. I wanted to know how things would turn out with us, and Tara used a scrying bowl, so I thought I’d try that too, but I—”

Oz stood, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Slow down, Will.”

“I saw the future, Oz,” Willow said, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. “I saw what I did, why Buffy doesn’t really trust me anymore. I killed someone. I almost ended the world, and you needed to know, because you might not want—”

He gave her a little shake to stop her words. “You think I don’t know about having the darkness inside?”

Willow gulped. “No,” she said in a very small voice.

Oz smiled. “If I know you, you’ve already made a plan.”

“Buffy wants me to get training, and Giles thinks he knows of someone in England, but I’d have to go this summer.” Willow searched his face, trying to figure out how he was reacting to the information.

“Okay.”

“Huh?”

“How could I not support you in this, Will?” Oz touched her cheek. “Did you think I’d be angry with you?”

“I’m angry with me,” Willow replied. “I hurt the people I care about.”

“I guess that makes us even.”

Willow leaned her forehead against his chest. “I didn’t know how you’d react.”

“I’m just grateful that you’re giving me another chance.”

She held him tighter. “I’m glad you came back.”

“I love you,” he murmured into her hair. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know. I love you, too.” For the first time in months, Willow felt at peace. There was nowhere she’d felt at home quite as much as in Oz’s arms.

~~~~~

Faith felt a great deal of trepidation as she followed Spike through the hospital basement. There had been a sewer entrance down there, probably courtesy of the Mayor. She knew that he’d had a lot to do with the network of hidden tunnels below the surface of the town. It would make sense for him and his cohorts to have easy access to the hospital, among other key locations.

Faith had no idea what her feelings towards Buffy were. She knew she was still angry at the other Slayer—even though she couldn’t have fully explained why—but she was curious, too. Faith wanted to know why Buffy was so intent on giving her a second chance. Maybe Angel had been right, and Buffy had come from the future, but that still didn’t explain why Buffy wanted to help her.

Spike headed up a set of stairs, and Faith stayed on his heels, feeling as though she had little choice. Although neither vampire had threatened her, Faith definitely got the impression that this little trip wasn’t voluntary.

Faith followed Spike out into a hospital hallway, to the second door on the left. He slipped inside, and she followed his lead, getting out of the way so that Angel could enter as well.

And then she was face to face with the other Chosen One.

“Hi, Faith.” Buffy sounded incredibly calm, considering that the last time they’d seen one another, she’d stuck a knife in Faith’s gut.

“You wanted to see me?” Faith inquired, not wanting to give away her nervousness.

“Yeah.” Buffy glanced over, and Faith noticed another girl for the first time. She’d been too focused on Buffy to take in much of the surroundings. “This is Tara.”

Faith eyed the girl warily, then shrugged. This Tara didn’t look like much of a threat. “What did you want?”

“Faith,” Angel hissed.

“It’s okay,” Buffy said. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.” She looked Faith dead in the eye. “Do you want privacy for this, or do you care?”

Faith shrugged, pretending a nonchalance she didn’t feel. “Whatever.”

“Has Angel told you anything about what happened to me?”

“You came back to the past because you were fucked.” Faith used the profanity deliberately, hoping to shock the other girl. To her surprise, both Spike and Buffy started to chuckle.

“That’s as good a way as any to describe it,” Spike said.

Buffy smiled. “Pretty much. The world was going to end.”

“I don’t get what that has to do with me,” Faith said.

Buffy smiled faintly. “Nothing, really, except that I really don’t want to repeat my mistakes.”

“What do you want from me?”

“Nothing.” Buffy’s eyes hardened. “If you want to leave, now is the time, Faith. We’ve already got the Initiative to deal with, and if you stay, we’ll have the Council to worry about, too.”

Faith frowned. “I thought you wanted me to stay.”

“No, but we can offer you protection from the Council,” Spike said. “In return, you help us with our little problem.”

“So that’s what this is about,” Faith said, feeling a sense of disappointment almost in spite of herself. “Your problem.”

“No, it’s about you.” Buffy sighed. “Look, Faith. I’ve screwed up my fair share, too. I know how this works. If you want to change, fine. We’ll do everything we can to help. If not, there’s nothing I can do, except offer whatever help you’ll take.”

Faith was a little surprised to realize that Buffy meant it. “So, if I walk out of here right now?”

The other Slayer shrugged. “You’re on your own, although I won’t tell the Council anything. I think I owe you that much.”

Faith knew that they owed each other more than that. As much as she hated the idea, she and Buffy were bound together, just by virtue of being Slayers. “I’ll help,” she said finally.

“Thank you,” Buffy said, and there was real gratitude in her voice.

She shoved her hands in her pockets. “What next?”

“I don’t know,” Buffy admitted. “We’ve discussed a couple of options, but none of them are tempting.”

“Like what?” Angel prompted.

“Sealing it up an’ lettin’ them fight it out,” Spike said. “There’s some concern about the death toll.”

Faith frowned. “They’re our enemies, right?”

“Not all of them,” Buffy said quickly. “I think at least one of them, a man named Graham’s going to help.”

“Faith has a point,” Angel rumbled. “From what you’ve said, there’s no point in taking risks.”

“We need to shut the place down,” Buffy said. “That doesn’t mean I want to kill everybody to do it. Maybe we didn’t have a choice last time, but that’s not the case now.”

“Isn’t it?” Spike asked quietly. “How else are we going to be sure that they don’t open up shop again?”

Tara cleared her throat nervously. “C-can’t y-you j-just make it uncomfortable for them?”

Faith frowned. “What do you mean?”

Tara flushed. “I—it d-doesn’t m-matter.”

“No, Tara, tell us what you were thinking,” Buffy urged.

Tara shrugged. “There are little w-w—things. D-demons g-get out, m-men g-g-get hurt, g-guns j-jam up. I-It d-d-d-doesn’t seem like much, until y-you add it all up.”

Spike’s face broke out in a grin. “Truly nasty practical jokes, you mean? Guerrilla warfare?”

When Tara nodded, Buffy grinned, too. “That’s not a bad idea. We’d still have to find a way to take out Adam, but we could make it so uncomfortable for the soldiers that they don’t have any other choice but to leave.”

“This place is underground, right?” Angel asked. “Surely there’s a way to collapse some of their tunnels.”

“What did Graham say?” Buffy looked at Spike.

He shrugged in reply. “Wants to help us take out Adam, but I wouldn’t count on him for more. Still have to find a way to rip that battery pack out.”

“Faith is going to have to do it.” Buffy’s tone and expression left no room for argument.

“What?” Faith demanded.

Buffy met her eyes. “Adam will kill people, and he’s going to start soon, if he hasn’t already. I’m not going to be healed soon enough.”

Faith shook her head. “I don’t think—”

“Spike and Angel can help,” Buffy went on, running right over Faith’s objections. “With the ring, Spike’s pretty much invulnerable.”

Spike looked at her. “You don’t think we should try callin’ on the First Slayer again?”

Buffy sighed. “That spell requires a lot of trust, Spike. Giles and Willow would need to be on board, although Angel could probably provide the third person.”

“What spell?” Faith asked, not liking the fact that she didn’t get their references.

Buffy rubbed her eyes. “It requires calling on the spirit of the First Slayer, and incorporating the essences of several other people. Giles was the mind, Willow the spirit, and Xander was the heart.”

“Rupert would be willing,” Spike said quietly. “He’s put personal feelings aside for the mission in the past.”

“I don’t think that matters,” Buffy replied. “We’d still be missing a couple of players. Besides, then Faith would have to deal with the spirit of the First Slayer, and that was not fun.”

Faith shrugged. “Then we do it the hard way.”

“Angel an’ I can distract him while Faith yanks his battery out,” Spike said. “We just have to find him.”

Angel raised his eyebrows. “What was he after the last time? Chances are he hasn’t changed his mind.”

“Building an army.” Spike straightened from where he’d been leaning against the wall. “This isn’t doin’ us much good. Buffy needs to rest.”

Buffy shook her head stubbornly. “I’m fine.”

“Real fine,” Spike agreed indulgently. “Maybe I’m the one who’s tired.”

Faith turned away as he bent to kiss her. There was something about the tenderness they displayed towards one another that made her stomach lurch. She knew that she was seeing something she would never have.

“We’ll give you a ride home, Tara,” Spike said, heading towards the door.

“Faith?” Buffy called. “Stay for a minute?”

She stayed, although she still didn’t know why she’d agreed to any of this. Maybe Buffy had offered her help, but Faith was taking a big risk in staying. A risk she wasn’t obligated to take.

“Look,” Buffy began awkwardly. “I’m sorry.”

Faith eyed the other girl warily. “For what?”

“For not helping you more when you first came.”

“I didn’t want your help,” Faith responded honestly. She didn’t know how to apologize in turn. In a sense, she still wasn’t sorry about striking the deal with the Mayor; he’d been the closest thing to a father she’d ever had.

“I know. I just thought I should say it.” Buffy met her eyes, and Faith was startled at what she saw. Raw pain was written clearly on her face, and she knew that it had nothing to do with Buffy’s injuries.

“How bad did it get?” Faith asked, suddenly curious.

Buffy glanced away, then back. “Let’s just say that I did my share of walking on the wild side.”

Somehow Faith believed her.

~~~~~

Giles picked up the phone, wishing that he might get a full night’s sleep for once. It felt as though it had been weeks. “Yes?”

“Rupert, it’s Eamon. I wanted to let you know that the Council voted against sending a second team.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “What made them change their minds?”

“Travers got a call from the coven.” There was a definite hint of humor in Eamon’s voice. “One of their seers made it clear that if Faith were to be harmed, the Council would no longer receive their help.”

Giles smiled grimly. While the Council tried to keep their own magicians and witches on hand, it was rare to have a Watcher with any real power. That meant that their relationship with the coven was crucial, and while the women—and a very few men—tended to use their influence sparingly, they did use it on occasion.

“Good,” he finally said.

“When I spoke to her later, Miss Harkness said that she was expecting a student from Sunnydale at the beginning of the summer,” Eamon commented.

“Yes, Willow,” Giles supplied. “She needs training.”

“She said to ask about another girl who’s there,” Eamon said. “She didn’t have a name, but she thought you’d know.”

Giles frowned. “Other than the Slayers, there’s only Anya—and Tara. That must be who she’s referring to.”

“Yes, she said to send her along, too.”

Giles blinked. He hadn’t even thought about Tara needing training, but it wouldn’t hurt to have two trained witches in Sunnydale, especially given what could and did arise regularly. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“I’d see that you follow her orders,” the other Watcher said, sounding amused. “You know how she can be.”

Giles hung up, laying back in his bed and thinking of the head of the coven. Eamon was right about one thing. He did know how Miss Harkness could be; she was one of the few people who could still intimidate him.

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