FF: Right In Front of You Part 5/?

["Callistosdarkside" <callistosdarkside@xxxxxxxx>]

Sorry for taking a month to get part five out, but here it is. Hope ya
like.

-CDS

. Title: Right In Front of You; Part 5/?
. Author: Callisto's Dark Side
. Email: callistosdarkside@xxxxxxxx
. Feedback: The more I get, the faster I write.
. Distribution: Wherever. Just email me.
. Spoilers: Season 5 (Around Tough Love or So)
. Rating: R
. Pairing: W/T & B/W
. Disclaimer: All characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to the
almighty Joss Whedon and Company, and are only being borrowed for the fun
and enjoyment of us, the super fans.
. Summary: Willow/Tara fic in which the two love birds must manage to deal
with the consequences of a spell that threatens to tear them apart forever.


Chapter 5

"Someone's coming and I think it's a woman." Tara whispered to Dawn and
Glory behind the tree.

"Alright," Glory rubbed her hands together, "First victim."

"What?" Dawn and Tara said in unison.

"Hey, all I want is some food. If you two wanna grope her, that's your
prerogative."

Dawn and Tara looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Okay, first of all," Tara began, "We aren't robbing this woman and
secondly, just because I'm a lesbian, doesn't mean I go around groping
women."

"Oh please, I saw the way you were all over that witch chick back in that
other sorry dimension you call a home."

"Hello! Girlfriend."

"What's your point?"

"My point." Tara raised her voice, but Dawn quieted her down by putting a
hand on her shoulder.

"Shhhh," Dawn put her finger to her lips, "She's pretty close now."

"Okay, if we're not gonna pounce her, then what's with the secrecy?" Glory
interjected.

"Well, we don't want to scare her," Dawn said.

"Scare, smare. Hey you!" Glory got up from hiding and waved to the woman
passing by.

The brunette dressed in a rather drab brown outfit turned around, saw the
bright red dress of Glory and bolted.

"Hey, where're ya going?" Glory shouted as she gave chase, but her red
pumps gave out and she fell to the ground, grabbing her ankle. "Ahhh. I
swear, one of these days someone has got to make a re-tractable heel."

Tara and Dawn ran by her and continued the chase.

"We're not here to hurt you, we just wanted to talk!" Tara shouted at the
fleeing woman.

Suddenly, the woman fell to the ground, disappearing into high grass.

Tara and Dawn came upon the women who was lying on the ground grabbing her
right ankle.

"Please, don't hurt me. Take what you want," The women pleaded while
pushing her brown bag of belongings at the two foreigners.

Tara pushed the bag back toward the women. "We're not thieves, we just
wanted some directions."

The woman looked suspiciously at Dawn and the wrapping around her head.
"Why are you wearing that?" The woman said while pointing at the wrap.

"Oh this," Dawn tugged on the wrap, "I bumped my head and Tara here used it
to stop the bleeding."

"Ahhhh!" The woman suddenly screamed and pulled away from Tara's touch.

"It's okay," Tara reassured her, "I can help with your ankle, like I did
with her head." Tara pointed at Dawn.

The woman looked back and forth between the two girls, then hesitantly
nodded her head and pulled her hands away from around her ankle, allowing
Tara to treat it. She watched every little motion of Tara's fingers as they
gently moved over her ankle trying to determine if it was a sprain or worse.
She had acquired the skill because of her rambunctious brothers and sisters.
Since her father was too busy working, drinking, and watching television,
she had been designated the family nurse.

"You're alright Miss. Nothing's broken. I suggest that you use a cane of
some sort so you don't put any pressure on your ankle for the time being, it
should be fine within a few hours. By the way, this is my friend Dawn, and
as you already know I'm Tara."

"Who's that?" The woman asked, pointing at Glory in the distance.

"Oh, she calls herself Glory," Tara answered.

"Yeah, but we call her." Dawn stopped after Tara gave her an admonishing
look, "Glory, that's right, we call her Glory too."

"That's an odd name and those clothes, I have never seen clothes that bright
before. Where are you from?"

"From?" Tara repeated nervously. "Ah, we're from the east."

"Are you sure? The Easterners have darker clothes than we do."

"Oh, I mean far east, way past what you're talking about."

"I guess that must be so then. I'm sorry, my name's Leanna."

She offered her hand and Tara shook it.

"Nice to meet you Leanna."

"Same here," Dawn said while shaking Leanna's hand.

"Hey!" Glory shouted while limping towards the three women, "Does she have
any food? Goddess kinda starving over here."

"She's a Goddess?" Leanna asked.

"Oh no," Tara shook her head, "She just likes to tell everyone that. Glory
likes to live in this fantasy world where she thinks she was the Goddess of
some Hell dimension, and we came from another dimension also. Don't pay any
attention to her."

"Okay, but if you want to eat, you're welcome to eat at my place. I don't
have much to offer, but I did catch a Tarak."

Leanna opened the brown bag she had been carrying to reveal a dead
rabbit-like creature, just like the one Tara had seen earlier. Tara and
Dawn backed up a few inches but tried not to look too shocked at seeing the
dead animal.

"Alright," Glory wrapped her left arm around Dawn's shoulder for support as
she looked at the dead Tarak, "I get dibs on the head."

"Fine with me," Tara and Dawn said in unison.

******

"Can I speak to Principal Stevens?" Buffy asked over the telephone.

"May I ask who's speaking?" The school receptionist asked.

"Buffy Summers, Dawn's sister. She'll know when I speak to her."

"Very well," The receptionist answered. "I'll send the call through now."

A tense thirty seconds passed before Principal Stevens answered.

"Hello, Principal Stevens speaking."

"Hi, I'm Buffy Summers, Dawn's sister."

"Is Dawn a student of our school?" The Principal asked.

"Umm. Yes," Buffy responded, a little confused that the same woman who was
threatening to take Dawn away if she didn't attend classes, didn't know who
her sister was. "We talked a couple weeks ago about her."

"A couple weeks ago you say?" Principal Stevens looked through her schedule
and found nothing. "I don't recall ever talking to a Buffy Summers or a
Dawn Summers."

Buffy shook her head, not believing what she was hearing, "You are Principal
Stevens right?"

"The one and only in Sunnydale."

"Hmmm. Maybe I got the wrong school, but could you do me a favour and see
if a Dawn Summers is registered there?"

"Sure, no problem. Just let me bring up the student catalogue and type in
her name." A minute and a half later, the Principal responded, "Nope, no
Dawn Summers registered at our school. Maybe you have it confused with
Parkland High."

"Yeah, that must be it. Thanks for your time anyway."

"You're welcome. Have a nice day."

Buffy hung up the phone in the kitchen and headed upstairs with her box of
chocolate chip cookies and two glasses of milk.

******

Willow laid on Buffy's bed, flat on her stomach looking through yet another
one of Giles' books. She faced the doorway and her feet were crossed
together, resting on the headboard.

Willow was looking for any sign of a teleportation spell that might have
resembled the one Tara had cast, but so far she had nothing.

"Hey Will," Buffy said while passing through the open doorway.

"Hey," The redhead answered without looking up from her book.

Buffy placed the box of cookies and the glasses of milk on the cabinet
drawer.

"Will." Buffy said while taking a seat at the edge of bed.

Willow immediately took her head out of the book and looked up with
concerned eyes, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, and that's the problem," Buffy answered cryptically.

"What?" Willow shook her head, pushed herself up with her elbows and sat
next to Buffy.

"Sorry Will, I didn't mean to go all cryptic on you."

"That's okay Buffy. Just tell me what's wrong?"

Buffy stared at the carpet while talking, "Remember when I told you that
Principal Stevens threatened to take Dawn away if she skipped classes?"

"Oh no! They can't take her away now, it's not like they could, but still,"
Willow argued, placing her arm around Buffy's shoulders.

"That's just it, they aren't threatening to take her away, in fact, as far
as they're concerned Dawn doesn't even exist."

"What?"

"I know, it's strange. How come she can't remember Dawn but you and the
rest of the Scooby gang can?"

"Maybe only people that knew she was the Key can remember," Willow
suggested.

"You could be right, but what if that means that she's. she's." Buffy
trailed off, unable to say the words.

"No!" Willow grabbed Buffy by the shoulders and forced the Slayer to look
her in the eyes, "Dawn is not dead, she's alive Buffy, and we'll find her
along with Tara, safe and sound."

Buffy wiped her eyes with her sleeve, "But what if you're wrong and she
isn't alive, what if she really is."

Willow cupped Buffy's cheek with her right hand, "She's not, I promise."

Buffy looked up into soulful eyes, "But."

Willow cut her off, "Hey, have I ever broken a promise to you?"

"No."

"Good, then you'll know I'll keep this one."

Buffy didn't know why, but she believed her, even though Willow had no way
of knowing if Dawn and Tara were still alive.

To be continued.