Chapter 11



Spike looked to Tara, tears streaming down his face. “I’m not imagining it? She’s really here?”

The pleading look that Spike wore on his face caused a lump to form in Tara’s throat. She could see the powerful emotions he was feeling, they were evident in his aura as well. “Something is being veiled by a spell here in this corner. I can feel it.” Tara hesitated, but knew she needed to tell him what else she could see. “I can also see it in your aura. Spike, I’m really not sure what it means, but your aura is being affected by whatever is in this corner. Not just in color; it looks like it’s being pulled toward something.” She could see the vampire was bursting with questions that she knew she wouldn’t have answers to. “I can tell you, when people belong together, love each other, their auras combine and almost flair when they are near each other. What I’m seeing is that flair… only it’s being pulled off of you.”

Questions fired off inside Spike’s mind, too many to vocalize, as he processed the Wiccan’s observation. Finally, trying hard not to verbally explode on the one person helping him, he stood up, and asked through gritted teeth, “Who did this?”

The Wiccan knew exactly who had done this. She had suspected that Willow knew something when she had rushed out as soon as Tara had arrived home, claiming that she needed to go to the library to study. Looking at Spike, who was furious with anger and grief, she feared telling him. “Let me call Willow. She’s got her cell phone on.”

“If Red did this, after everything Buffy’s been through, and she’s not ok…” A rumbling growl began in Spike’s throat getting louder and angrier by the second. He suddenly turned and struck the concrete wall with his fist, effectively smashing both.

Tara cringed at Spike’s outburst but felt his pain. She herself was beyond angry at Willow. Hurt and disappointed, and scared for her safety, she retreated to the kitchen to call the redhead and get some answers. She better have plenty of them.

Willow looked at her phone vibrating across the table. Her heart began to race after she looked at the caller ID, showing it was Buffy’s home number. Maybe Tara just wants to know when I’m coming home, or maybe she wants ice cream… Slowly, she opened the phone and raised it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Willow, I don’t know what you’ve done, but Spike is here and we know Buffy is still in the house.” Tara’s disappointment in her lover soared as she heard Willow in a panic begin to quickly try to justify what she had done.

“Buffy asked me to help her! She’s going to be fine! I just need to figure out what went wrong, then we can get her back. I’ve almost got it. It’s all I’ve been working on for the last 36 hours. Tell Spike that I will…”

Her girlfriend cut her off. “I will do no such thing. You will get back to this house and unveil Buffy immediately, or Spike will be looking for you himself. Goddess, Willow, what have you done?” Her sobs prevented her from saying anything else. She slammed the phone back in the cradle, and was trying to collect herself as Spike appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Spike, I-I…” She felt weak in the knees, but Spike caught her before she fell and helped her to the couch. Her heart was broken. She could feel the devastation of the ending of her own relationship as well as the fear of what the consequences would be if Willow couldn’t fix this one. She had seen the signs of Willow’s growing problem, but hoped it would never come to this.

Spike was worried about Buffy, and now Tara too. He took a deep breath, took the girl’s hand in his, and squeezed it. He needed her more than anyone else right now. He needed her to be strong, to feel needed, and to use that to help get Buffy back safely. He had heard her on the phone with Willow, and knew Red was on her way there. “Glinda, pet, what did Willow say?”

“She admitted it. Well, she said the spell had gone wrong and she was working on fixing it, and she said Buffy was fine.” Tara looked at the floor, embarrassed by Willow’s actions.

“What spell? Why was she doing a spell?” Spike was becoming more agitated, trying to hide it from her.

Tara looked up at him, meeting her own red, tear-filled eyes with his, and replied, “She said that Buffy asked her to do it.”


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Willow was still talking when she heard Tara hang up on her. Her heartbeat had increased tenfold. She had never heard Tara talk to her like that, let alone hang up on her. She doesn’t understand. If I can just get her to listen to me, she will understand, and maybe help me. And she can explain it to Spike too. He will believe her.

Willow had been working on the spell in the old mansion on Crawford Street. There was plenty of space to work and plenty of privacy. Eager to get home and talk to Tara, she gathered up all her notes and supplies. If, for any reason, Tara and Spike are too angry to listen to me, I may need to put a spell on them too. Just until I get this all straightened out. Maybe a forgetting spell. I just need some Lethe’s bramble, which I have back at the house… With her heavy bag slung across her chest, Willow rushed out into the night to get home as quickly as possible to talk to Tara.

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Buffy had begun to thrive in her new lifestyle. There were many things she missed—like running water, indoor plumbing and mirrors—but there were things in this world that she didn’t have at home.

Groma and Kaia filled the empty space in her heart left by Joyce, Giles, and all her friends. She had found companionship with these women she hadn’t known she needed. Groma had accepted her, and if she had any doubts, she hid them well.

Kaia gained comfort and confidence because of her newfound friend, something she’d never known.

The days of the following weeks were filled with Buffy telling Groma of her life as the Slayer, her friends and family, and life in 21st century Sunnydale, California. She told Groma of Spike, and how much she missed him. Buffy even opened up to Groma about her fears about her relationship with him.

Groma told stories of her own mother, sharing tales from her childhood, and Kaia listened and learned from them both. Together, they had formed a family.


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The sun was high over the bluff as Buffy carried the latest bundle of household items to the new cave. She’d had an opportunity to practice with the slingshot she’d fashioned after the ones the men were using. She was rather good with it, and mentally thanked Giles for his weapons training. Even though he’d never taught her this weapon, he’d shown her how to center her thoughts and aim. She felt pretty confident that, if and when the time came, she would be able to provide meat for her and Groma to eat. The idea would have made her gag a few weeks ago, but it didn’t take long to realize that that was the way things were there. Cute, fuzzy bunny equaled dinner.

The pack of items on her back wasn’t heavy, but her lower back was aching. Must have twisted it or something. She rubbed it with both hands and continued on her way.

The walk was pretty far, but Buffy was always able to make up time on the return by running. Kaia’s long legs combined with her speed were unmatchable. Kaia had been curious for Buffy to test her body’s strength, hoping that she was just as strong as Buffy was in the world she came from. Maybe she was even meant to be a Slayer there, in her own world.

Buffy had begun the trip back, anxious to return before dusk, when the cramps hit. Kaia was confused by this unfamiliar discomfort, but Buffy knew all about it. She had discussed with Groma what they would do when the time came, and now was time to put the plan into action.

Buffy could sense the panic in the girl. Kaia, relax, I know what to do and Kahn will not find out. Please trust me. Buffy’s words silenced Kaia, but she could still feel her anxiety.

Buffy hurried to the stream and quickly removed her crudely fashioned panties, to clean herself up. It felt strange cleaning up someone else’s body, but even stranger, that she was starting to feel as if Kaia’s body was her own. She had been carrying a spare pair in her pack, ensuring that she would be prepared for just this. Groma had told her to return the soiled items to her so she could burn them. Buffy had then told the woman of the ingenious invention called The Tampon which would make her “situation” unnoticeable to the others, unlike the supplies the other women in the clan used. Buffy had taken it upon herself to make these items, and had explained that since they were a foreign item to everyone, no one would suspect even if someone found them.


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Ullah was outside beating dusty hides with a long worn pole when she saw Kaia rushing to the cave. It was dusk, the girl was obviously in a hurry, and Ullah planned on finding out why.

She waited until Kaia was out of sight, then wove her way through the other hearths until she could see the girl and Groma speaking at their hearth. She strained to hear anything, even a snippet of a sentence, but nothing. They were definitely keeping a secret. She watched as Kaia retrieved a small wad of what looked like cloth from her pack and handed to Groma who immediately tossed it into the fire.

Ullah could see the paranoia on Groma’s face as she kept looking around, checking to see if anyone was coming toward her. When she was sure whatever had been thrown into the fire was destroyed, she saw that the medicine woman went back to whispering to Kaia.

I knew it! She’s begun her time and they are hiding it! I must tell Kahn immediately!

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