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West of the Moon, East of the Sun by KnifeEdge
 
Chapter 6: Family
 
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Author's Notes: Slightly canon-centric, with some Mr. Gordo fun towards the end. Enjoy. I updated the other day, so make sure you've read Chapter 5. I may also update and add Chapter 7 and 8 within the next day or two.

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all recognizable characters, locations, and dialogue belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and the various writers. Show writers and any other quoted authors have been credited in individual chapters. I'm making no money from this—it is purely in the name of fun.

Credits: This chapter contains dialogue adapted from the episode "Family" written by Joss Whedon.

Betaed by Phuriedae

Banner art by Phuriedae








Chapter 6

Family


It takes the better part of five hours, even with everyone helping, to get me moved out of my dorm room. As we're finishing up, Willow reminds us about Tara's birthday party tomorrow night.

Crap.

I like Tara. She's really, really nice. I just... don't know her very well. She's quiet and shy, and she stutters sometimes when she's nervous. She's also way smart, and she and Willow seem to connect on some level that's totally beyond me—which, I mean, yes, obviously, because, uh... she's Willow's girlfriend. And there's a big difference between girlfriend and best friend. Big difference. Of the 'I'd rather not think about it' variety.

But Tara is nice.

And, well, since I'm being honest with myself, I'll admit it: she kinda makes me feel stupid, without even trying.

And I totally don't know what to get her for a present.

Xander and I are discussing the topic at the Magic Box later, when this moronic rednecky guy butts in and starts asking dumb questions about Giles's books and the magic shop. Which instantly makes me feel like a super genius because no way am I that moronic.

It's even more shocking when it turns out that Forrest Gump here is Tara's brother.

Apparently her father and brother and... some chick she's related to, maybe a cousin?... have come to take her back home. Tara doesn't seem thrilled, and the vibe I'm getting off her family makes me think that home isn't exactly where Tara's heart is. Eventually they go away, but the vibe remains.

There are times when I'm glad I don't have much family, and that what I do have, I love. Mom and I may have had our rough spots, but we're still totally a team. I know if I need her, she'll have my back.

I leave early to check on her. Riley's there waiting. I catch him just as he's coming down from my room. He's put away all of my stuff, which is sweet, if a little domestic.

I have the best boyfriend.

Except somehow I screw it up.

I don't know if it's the whole patrol thing or what but we end up fighting over pretty much nothing. When he leaves I'm frustrated and not sure what to do.

I don't know how to help him feel useful, and I don't know how to make him feel needed.

Why can't I just have a normal, healthy relationship? What's wrong with me?

***


Mom had a doctor's appointment earlier in the day, and she's decided to do the rest thing for the afternoon. She has a new prescription to be filled and it's easy enough to run down to the hospital and pick it up for her.

Good thing, too.

I hate hospitals. I really do. They're so sterile and everyone always talks in these hushed sort of voices. And half the people there are sick or injured or dying... or dead. Or undead.

Being the Slayer means pulling morgue duty way more often than I like.

Also, it's apparently the demon equivalent of an all you can eat buffet, because I'm constantly finding them there. Today I find one lingering near a door into the staff breakroom. The screaming was a good clue that something was going on.

I'm not sure what kind of demon this guy is that I'm fighting. Looks like Tim Curry in that movie about the scary clown, only minus the good hair and covered in open sores. He's strong, and crafty enough that he somehow manages to slip away when hospital security interrupts our impromptu bout in the hallway.

I swing home quick to drop off mom's medicine before heading to the Magic Box to fill everyone in on the new nasty.

***


Tara begged out of the Scooby meeting, Willow tells us when she arrives. Too tired after talking to her dad, I guess.

I wasn't able to get a hold of Riley, which should worry me, but maybe he just needs space after our argument earlier. Boys need that sometimes, right? Space? I wish I knew what to do to help him but I totally don't. Still, if he wants space, I won't push. I think sometimes with Angel I was a little too clingy. I'm not going to make that mistake again. But at the same time I really wish Riley would understand my point of view.

Without Riley or Tara it feels like an old-school Scooby meeting. Only, you know, without the school part. With some sugary donut fortification we hit the books, trying to track down my scary clown friend.

I'm not really research-girl, though, and I get bored pretty fast. Especially when Pennywise doesn't turn up in the first few books I flip through.

Hours of musty old books later I'm frustrated and ready to just go out after it. When a knock sounds at the door, but no one is there, I decide it's time for a break. "I need to go punch something," I tell Giles and head for the back room.

I'm just starting to warm up on the punching bag when I sense something. It's not vampire, but it's definitely demony, and it feels like it's somewhere in the room.

A growl is all the warning I get, but it's enough for me to spin and block the invisible blow. Whatever it is, I can't see it to fight it, and that's got me wigged. I haven't fought anything invisible in... I can't remember. Feeling at a disadvantage like this scares me, especially when whatever it is manages to slam me against the floor hard and pin me there.

Dimly I register the sound of the backdoor opening, and suddenly a change in the tingles. There's a vampire in the room, and if I'm not mistaken, he's both powerful and familiar. Spike.

I manage to get my invisible attacker off me and throw it against the wall. A nasty crack tells me it's incapacitated or dead. Worried, I glance around, hearing the sound of scuffling and punches, but there's nothing to be seen. Just the sense of demon and Spike somewhere in the room.

A scream from the front of the store sends me running. Willow is holding a chair, Anya has barricaded herself behind a counter, and Giles is getting punched in the face by another Mr. Nobody. It stops as I enter.

"Where'd it go?" Xander asks.

"Shhh, everyone be quiet," I say, trying to listen. My Slayer sense is tingling, and it feels as if the demon is... Just then the front door opens and Tara rushes in.

"Buffy! Behind you!" she yells. Okay... so... whatever it is, it's not invisible to Tara. What the hell is going on? Suddenly I'm flying across the table, rolling to my feet instinctively to face... nothing.

"Tara, where is it? Can you see it?"

"Oh, god," she says, looking horrified. Suddenly she's chanting.

"Blind Cadria, lift your veil, give evil form, and break my spell..."

There's a weird moment when there's nothing, then something. The clown demon I fought at the hospital rushes Tara, knocking her down. It only takes a couple of steps before I trip it. The demon lands face first on the steps up to the front landing, and gawks for a second when the door opens. With a kick of my very stylish boots, I break its neck.

Only to look up into the faces of three very confused and freaked out humans. It takes a minute for the adrenaline haze to clear and for me to place them: Tara's family.

"What in God's name is that thing?" Mr. Maclay asks, horrified.

"Lei-Ach demon," says Spike, coming in from the back room and rubbing bruised knuckles. "Fun little buggers, big with the marrow sucking." Ha! Totally knew he was there. He must have taken care of the one in the back.

Weird of him to help, but I'm not going to question it right now.

"I don't understand," Mr. Maclay says.

It takes a little while to make sense of things. According to Mr. MacCrankypants all the women in his family have demon blood... something I've never heard of before, but I guess might be possible. Tara was worried we'd see her demon side so she cast a spell. One that almost got us all killed, of course, but as Willow points out, it was a mistake.

Spells around here DO tend to go kablooey.

And the vibe I was getting from Tara's family earlier? Totally worse now. This guy is starting to make Spike look positively kittenish by comparison and he's really pissing me off with all his high handed orders. Tara is clearly upset, crying, and doesn't want to leave.

"You're going to do what's right, Tara," her father says. "Now, I'm taking you out of here before somebody does get killed. The girl belongs with her family. I hope that's clear to the rest of you."

Crystal.

I've dealt with a lot of things over the years, and the one thing I know is this: you build your family and you keep them close. It doesn't matter if you share blood or not. Willow and Xander... they're the closest things to siblings I'll ever have. And Giles... way better father figure than my real dad. I may not always love the choices they make, or understand them, but I won't see anyone in my family get hurt.

I may not be able to stop whatever is happening to my mom, but I can stop this. Demon blood or not, Tara is one of us now.

"You want her, Mr. Maclay? Go ahead and take her," I say. "You just gotta go through me."

"What is this?" Mr. Maclay says, clearly confused.

"You wanna take Tara out of here against her will? You gotta come through me," I say.

"Is this a joke? I'm not going to be threatened by a little girl."

Ugh... could he be more piggish?

It doesn't take long before Giles and Xander are backing me up. Not that I needed them to, but Tara clearly did. The look on her face is shocked, amazed, and absolutely glowing.

"You're dealing with all of us," Xander says.

"'Cept me," Spike pipes up from the back.

"'Cept Spike," Xander confirms.

"I don't care what happens," says the vampire.

I try not to roll my eyes.

"Are you people insane? You people have no right to interfere in Tara's affairs. WE are her blood kin. Who the hell are you?" Mr. Maclay is starting to fray at the edges.

"Family," I say. Because we are.

He's furious. Her brother is furious. Her trampy, ice-queeny cousin is seething.

"Well, I hope you'll all be happy hanging out with a disgusting demon," she spits.

"Um, excuse me?" Anya's got her hand up like we're back in high school again. "What kind?"

This clearly throws all of them for a loop.

"What kind of demon is she?" Anya asks again. "There's a lot of different kinds. Some are very, very evil. And some have been considered to be useful members of society."

"What does it matter?" Tara's father says. "Evil is evil."

"Well, let's just narrow it down," Anya says, with a surprising amount of steel in her voice.

Then Spike steps forward. "Ah...," he practically purrs it. "Why don't I make this simple?"

What with the huh? How?

Before I realize what he's about to do, he steps forward and taps Tara on the shoulder. She turns, and Spike punches her very carefully in the nose. They both yell in pain, Tara clutching her surprisingly unbroken nose, and Spike his aching head.

Holy crap.

Did Spike just... what did he just do?

"He hit my nose!" Tara says.

"And it hurt!" Willow says, as shocked as the rest of us. "Hurt him, I mean!"

"And that only works on humans," I say. Spike is shaking the pain off.

"There's no demon in there," he says, derisively. "That's just a family legend. Bit of spin to keep the ladies in line." He eyes Mr. Maclay up and down. "Oh, you're a piece of work. I like you."

He would.

"You're welcome," Spike tells Tara, before striding purposefully out, one hand still rubbing his head.

Huh.

It doesn't take too long for Tara's family to leave after that. Good riddance. Tara is so sweet and nice, and her family doesn't deserve her at all.

We, on the other hand, are very happy to have her.

***


Later that night, as I wait for Mr. Gordo to show up, my mind is back on the fight with the Lei-Ach demons. A couple of things are bothering me.

First, I really, really hated not being able to see what I was fighting. Giles, for a while, had been training me blindfolded, but I'd never had much luck with it beyond being able to sense the most basic of attacks. It never occurred to me that my demon tinglies could be of use in a fight, because obviously, Giles isn't a demon.

The other thing that was wigging me was invisible Spike.

I sensed him. The minute he came through the door, I knew he was there. When I can see him, I don't always pay attention to the tingles I get around him. I forget how strong they are with him, forget that he's an old vampire, even if he is chipped. Power rolls off him in waves.

When Willow and I had discussed my dream vampire before, we'd considered that it might be Spike. But if... IF this weren't a dream (which I'm totally sure it is), but if it weren't and the vampire was Spike, wouldn't I know? As quickly and easily as I'd identified him in the Magic Box, wouldn't I know if that were him creeping up on me in the dark now, approaching the bed?

The only thing was, here my vamp sense seems... muffled. For lack of a better word. Like someone has wrapped me in a thick blanket.

I'm not really sure what to make of that. But it makes me think that this is, definitely, a dream.

On the other hand, the last few months of sleeping in a room with a vampire I can't see have honed my ability to sense them somewhat. I'd noticed it on patrol, and when fighting that demon earlier, too. I'd relied on it in ways I normally didn't.

Dream or not, it's a useful skill.

Which is why, as Mr. Gordo pads quietly toward the bed, I have an idea.

"Wait!" I say. He pauses. I feel it dimly.

"Don't move," I say, scrambling out of bed. I'm thankful I'd worn a tank top and long pajama bottoms to bed tonight. I know he can see me, and the idea of exposing myself to him when wearing what I sometimes wore for Riley left me blushing.

I edge carefully around the bed until I'm on his side. He waits.

"I... I want to try something," I say, finally. "I... know this is going to sound strange but I want to try something. With you. I mean, with your help."

Okay, so I'm asking a dream vampire for help. Either I'm crazy or... I'm crazy. But after so long sleeping next to him, and how polite he was the other night, it seems weird to just order him around. Rude, somehow. Besides, it's a dream, and I can do what I want in a dream. Right?

Mr. Gordo seems to be waiting, and I hear him shift a little, as if uncomfortable.

"I'm not going to stake you," I say, sure somehow that he's worried that I will. "That is... as long as you promise not to try to kill me." He makes an odd little noise and I realize he has no way of responding to that. "Will you promise not to try to kill me?"

There's not even a hesitation. Yes, he taps...and it sounds like he may have patted his pants or something, since he's nowhere near the bed.

"Okay," I say, thinking fast. "Okay... I... want to train. With you. Sort of. I want to practice figuring out where you are since I can't see you. It's easy, when you're moving slow, but can we somehow make it more difficult? Maybe like... vampire hide and go seek?"

He chuckles softly.

"Other than the bed, is there anything in here that I could run into that might hurt me?" I doubt it, somehow. The room seemed empty enough when walking it with him before.

No, he taps, confirming my thoughts.

"Okay, so... you go somewhere in the room and wait, and I'll find you. Then you move to a different spot, and I'll find you again. Would... is that okay?"

Yes.

"Alright," I say. "Whenever you're ready. I'll give you a head start."

Abruptly, he's gone. Just... gone.

Or... no, not gone. Far away. Slightly out of range.

I remember my training sessions with Giles, when he'd make me try to "protect" something. The bed, I decide, is my landmark, and also represents something I needed to keep track of. A victim maybe, or a powerful object, or Riley... I try to lock its location in my head, so that when I move, I'll still know where it is and be able to avoid it while tracking my invisible vamp.

Curious, I also try to count my steps, to see how wide my range really is. Right now he's hovering just at the edge of it, a vague kind of prickle at the nape of my neck. Somewhere off to the left. Trying not to stumble in the dark like an idiot, I walk straight for him. I feel the tingle grow and spread, the closer I get, until finally he's less than a few feet away.

Briefly I hesitate, then, just to be sure, I reach out a hand and touch him. My fingers brush a cotton shirt. Well, at least he isn't naked. I smile.

"Tag," I say. "Wanna try it faster?"

And he's gone again.

This time, I run.

I don't know how long we play, but it starts to be fun. Even when I screw up and run full tilt into the bed, I end up giggling madly. Mr. Gordo's soft chuckle isn't mocking, just amused. He keeps making it more difficult, moving slightly further out of my range each time, or moving away as I come toward him.

At one point he confuses me completely.

I'm standing at the foot of the bed, turning this way and that. I can feel him, right in front of me... but not. The tingles are there, powerful even though they're still somewhat muffled by the dream.

"Ooookay," I say, trying to figure it out. He's not on the bed. Under it, maybe? I drop to the floor, but the tingles fade slightly. Not there either. I stand up. I reach out a hand again and touch the foot post... then remember and tilt my head back and up. Smiling now, I grab hold of the post and haul myself up it.

Huh.

Didn't know this bed was a canopy.

He's sitting above me, and when I reach up, I accidentally grab his bare foot.

"Gah!" I say. "Zombie feet." His toes are so cold. He chuckles and growls, as if to remind me that, oh, right... dead guy. Then he vaults over my head, landing with a soft noise against the stone floor and disappears again.

We play until I'm panting. He tries the top of the bed thing a few more times, but I'm wise to his tricks now. Then he tries under the bed, but I figure that one out even faster.

The last time, however, it takes me a minute. Not on top of the bed, I realize. Definitely not on it or under it.

Crap. The tingles are so close. I can feel him, right there... but no matter where I blindly search, I can't find him. With a huff, I sit down on the mattress.

"Okay, you win this one round," I say, laughing a little. "I give."

There's a sensation of movement, and then he's dropping down behind me, his hands on my shoulders, and his knees spread to either side of my hips. I jump, but he holds me in place, and I feel my heart beat pick up. His hands are cool on my shoulders, but not as icy as his feet were.

"Under the canopy," I say, feeling stupid. He had been upside down, bracing himself between the struts above my head.

He taps with one finger against my shoulder. Yes.

"Smart aleck vampire," I say, but it's good humored. I haven't had this much fun in ages. Certainly not while 'training'.

He chuckles and moves away to his side of the bed as I crawl under the covers.

"Thank you," I tell him.

It's been a long, long time since I trusted a vampire, but something about this one makes it... not easy, but possible.

I wonder again if it's Angel.

It was possible to trust Angel. Not easy. Not at first. Not when he was all cryptic guy. And it's been a lot harder to trust him since... well... since. But there's still a bond there.

Only this doesn't feel like Angel. Just like the tingles don't feel like Spike's, they definitely don't feel like Angel's. I can't tell if that's because they aren't, or because of the muffling effect of the dream, though. Maybe if my sense weren't slightly deadened, then I'd recognize them.

Not only that, though, the vampire doesn't feel like Angel. Not that I've plastered myself to him, or anything, but the few brief touches we've had—hands, feet, shoulders, shirt—haven't felt like Angel at all.

They feel... like Mr. Gordo. My weird, friendly, dream vampire.

I mumble a good night, and snuggle into my pillow, deliciously worn out.

***


Tara's birthday, at the Bronze, is totally fun. She loves all her gifts, and she and Willow dance, literally, on air. We're all trying to get to know the shy girl better.

I even see Spike, lurking in the shadows, but I leave him alone. I'm having a good night and no way do I want to deal with bleached blond, annoying vampires.

Riley on the other hand. Mmmmm.

He's late, but he brought the birthday girl a present, which is totally sweet.

I hope whatever has made him so bad moody is over. I really want my sweet, normal boyfriend back.

 
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