Repercussions, Reactions and Retaliation Book I (8b/8) W/B/T NC17

Part 8 Continued

========== BtVS ==========

“Hey, we gonna hit the road or what?” Faith’s impatient voice broke into Xander’s fugue state, shocking him back to awareness.

“Um... yeah,” Xander muttered, still staring at Dawn’s face.

‘Oh God, when she licked her lips... and that look in her eyes!’ Xander thought, his blood throbbing in his veins. ‘Why the hell did I say that...? ‘will you marry me?’ what the hell was I thinking? I’m flirting with a fifteen year-old girl!’

He was torn between recrimination and desire as he remembered her reaction. ‘Oh God, she... she looked like she wanted to kiss me! And I think... I’m pretty sure I would have kissed back... Oh I am so dead!’

Clenching her eyes shut in obvious mortification had stayed the actual smooching, but Xander had sat there like a poleaxed steer for several seconds until Faith’s voice had roused him.

“What’s up with you two?” her voice again rang out, this time curiosity rather than haste colored her tone.

“We, um... well...” Xander stammered, his brain starving for oxygen as his blood seemed to be mostly located elsewhere at the moment.

The instant he realized that, he shifted his legs, trying to hide the effect Dawn had had on him.

“Did we tell you about that spell Tara did on the four of us before we went to LA?” Xander was surprised that he’d managed to speak coherently.

“What spell?” Faith asked.

“That linkup thing Wes was all excited about?” Gunn’s voice made itself known.

“Right, so the other three would be able to tell if Glory took one of us...” Xander acknowledged with an explanation for Faith’s benefit.

“Crap, you mean something happened to Buffy?” Faith asked sounding just a little panicky.

Xander furrowed his brow, something in Faith’s tone niggling at the back of his mind. “No... Tara,” Xander said slowly.

‘Ok, now that not good...’ he thought as Faith’s face cleared with an _expression_ of deep relief.

“Well don’t leave us hanging, what happened?” Gunn asked, his voice displaying the tension Xander would had expected from Faith as well.

“Um, well I don’t know exactly... someone took her, but I don’t know who exactly,” Xander began, still bothered by Faith’s reaction.

“But she’s ok,” Dawn interjected quickly. “Buffy and Willow rescued her.”

“Or she rescued herself,” Xander added. “Anyway, they’re all together now, and everyone’s ok... it was just, until they found her, Buff and Will, well they were pretty intense and I kinda got the backwash.”

“Whoever it was, I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be in their shoes with those two comin' after me,” Gunn said and his voice held a thread of serious tension. “For that matter, I wouldn’t want to be them if Tara got loose on her own either.”

“Yeah, well... if they’re all ok and stuff, we should head out, huh?” Faith interjected.

“Yeah, ok...” Xander said.

‘What’s her problem?’ Xander wondered. ‘The return of surly Faith not a welcome one.’

“Uh, hey, guys?” Dawn asked tentatively. “How come you’re you again?”

Xander did a double take, and then gave himself a mental slap to the forehead. ‘And the ‘Distracted much?’ award goes to Xander, can-you-say-statutory-rape, Harris!’

Faith and Gunn glanced at each other with a look of surprise.

‘Well, at least I’m not the only retard in the group,” Xander thought self-deprecatingly.

“Yeah, when did that happen?” he wondered aloud.

Gunn arched his eyebrows, but seemed unconcerned by it. “Dunno, musta just happened... I remember you having blonde hair when we were in the store,” he said to Faith.

Xander looked at the time on the dashboard clock and said, “Well, they should have picked up G-man and Mrs. Summers by now... maybe Willow undid the glamour on them, and it made it drop on you guys too...”

“Whatever,” Faith muttered. “Let’s get outta here.” With that she turned on her heel and walked away, not waiting for Gunn.

‘And again I wonder what the hell her problem is...’ Xander shot Gunn a questioning glance but received only a bemused shrug from the LA demon hunter.

“See you guys later,” Gunn said genially before turning and jogging to catch up with the dark-haired Slayer.

“Ok...” Xander muttered, closing his door and starting the car. They pulled out of the parking lot and headed back for the interstate.

“Hey Dawn?” Xander broke the silence.

“Yeah?” she asked, her voice sounding hesitant.

“Could I have one of those cheeseburgers?” he asked, smiling.

Dawn’s voice betrayed her relief at the innocuous nature of the question. “Sure, cold cheeseburger and lukewarm soda coming right up.”

“Ahh, the breakfast of champions,” Xander joked.

========== BtVS ==========

‘Well this is uncomfortable,’ Tara thought as everyone sat silent in Giles living room. ‘Buffy’s pushed herself into the corner of the couch with Willow in her lap like a shield, mom’s sitting in the chair hugging herself and Giles is pacing and cleaning his glasses.’

They had ended up at Giles apartment somewhat by chance. He had driven his car with Mrs. Summers, and the triad had followed in the van. The three men from the council were bound in the back of the van.

‘At least we don’t have to worry about them getting away any time soon,’ Tara thought with some humor. Buffy had pulled several lengths of rebar out of the exposed concrete foundation and bound the three men hand and foot. ‘She twisted those bars like they were pipe cleaners,’ Tara remembered in awe. ‘It was almost like watching one of those things where they wrestle the cows down and tie their feet together!’

The first one had tried to struggle when Tara released him from the spell, but Buffy was on him just like the rodeo event of which Tara had thought. She flipped him over and put her knee in the back of his neck like an episode of ‘COPS’, and then wrapped the rebar around each wrist and ankle in a clover pattern leaving him trussed up and completely immobilized.

‘Goddess she’s gotten so strong!’ Tara thought. ‘I thought Giles and Mom’s eyes were going to pop out when she picked up two of them like milk pails and carried them to the van.’ Tara shook her head as she remembered. ‘I suppose we should probably talk about them first...’

“So, Mr. Giles, what should we do with those three men out in the van?” Tara asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence with the less unpleasant of the at least two topics she knew they would be discussing.

“Yes, well...” Giles started, slipping his glasses back on. “It’s rather a sticky situation... technically I do work for the council, yet...”

He was interrupted by Buffy’s simple declaration, “They touched Tara. They’re lucky to be breathing right now.”

“Darn tootin!” Willow chipped in.

‘Only Willow can make such a menacing threat sound so cute,’ Tara thought with a smile. She reached over and squeezed the redhead’s hand appreciatively.

“Yes, well, believe me when I say that I sympathize completely,” Giles responded, walking over to stand behind the chair in which Buffy’s mom sat. He put his hands on her shoulders in an almost challenging manner as he continued, “I would not take at all kindly with anyone who threatened someone so close to me.”

Joyce covered one of Giles hands with her own and looked up at him with adoration clearly written on her face.

Tara pouted her lower lip slightly and thought, “Aww, that’s so cute.”

“You guys!” Willow said in her excited little-girl voice. “That’s so sweet! Congratulations!”

“Yes, congratulations!” Tara echoed, meeting Joyce’s eyes with a knowing grin on her face.

Seeing Joyce’s eyes seek out her daughter, Tara also turned to look at her blonde lover.

Buffy had a smirk on her face when she spoke. “All I’ve got to say is paybacks are a bitch...”

Tara looked back to see a blush and a hint of trepidation on her adoptive ‘Mom’s face. She laughed as she took in Giles puzzled _expression_.

“What? Wha-what does that mean?” Giles stammered.

“Later Rupert,” Joyce said, patting his hand. “I’ll explain later.”

“A-alright...” he answered perplexedly, “Regardless, we still have the matter of what to do with the council team. I believe that I have an idea... though, we’ll need a way to make certain that they don’t suffocate...”

‘Oh my, that’s an evil grin if I’ve ever seen one,’ Tara thought with a shiver at the look on Giles face.

The shiver had been replaced with laughter by the time Giles had finished explaining his ‘idea’.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just put them in some sort of suspended animation, that way they wouldn’t need air at all?” Tara asked.

“No!” Buffy exclaimed abruptly.

Tara whirled in her seat to look at her pet, shocked by her vocal disagreement.

Buffy bowed her head and was blushing as she apologized. “I’m sorry I shouted Mistress... but they need to be awake and aware...” her voice was low and angry as she explained. “We need to make sure they are so afraid of what’ll happen to them here, that they will never come back no matter what the council tells them! They may not be afraid to die, but we can show them that there’s worse things than death.”

Willow leaned back and whispered in Buffy’s ear for several moments- too softly for Tara to make out what was said. However, whatever she was suggesting made Buffy’s eyes get huge and her jaw drop in what looked like extreme shock. When the redhead was finished, she leaned back to look into Buffy’s eyes, all the while sporting a smug grin.

Buffy’s look of surprise slowly morphed into a wicked smile of her own. She made a noticeable effort to put on a straight face before speaking, but Tara could see the deviousness in her _expression_ even still.

“Um, if you guys want to get that set up, me and Will are going to go... uh, rearrange them... you know, so they’ll fit better.”

“Actually that’s an excellent idea. Unless it was destroyed by Glory, there’s a crate in the basement at the shop...”

“Right at the bottom of the steps on the left,” Buffy interjected. “I remember I walked right into it when I was looking for the lights when Xander and I were getting the Dagon-sphere thingy.” She stood up and set Willow down on her feet, saying, “You’re right Giles, that’s perfect! Tara can whip up something to make sure they can breathe and stuff, and me and Will will take care of the rest!”

“Ah, yes... well I’ll go along and...” Giles started, sounding somewhat reluctant.

“That’s ok Giles, I think the three of us can handle it... you guys should rest up from your flight,” Buffy said, fooling no one with her ‘innocent’ tone.

‘Mmm, I can’t wait to see what my pets have in mind...’ Tara thought, standing up to join them.

“Well, if you’re certain...” Giles started.

“They can handle it, Rupert,” Joyce spoke up in a tone that brooked no argument. “I think our day has been plenty long enough.” Turning her attention to the triad, she added, “You girls will come by tomorrow, right?”

Tara couldn’t help but smile as her lovers answered in chorus with her, “Yes mom!”

“Indeed,” Giles agreed with his new house-mate. “We most certainly have some issues to discuss.”

“Yay, more research!” Buffy said with patently false cheer.

All three girls gave mom a quick hug before walking out the door.

“Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do!” Buffy tossed off as a parting shot.

Willow and Tara laughed out loud as the door shut behind them.

“I’m not sure that’s possible, Buffy!” Willow said with a laugh, “barring the gender issue, of course.”

“Of course,” Buffy agreed.

“Now then, about the watcher team,” Tara said, moving the focus back to the immediate issue. “Just what devious ideas are percolating in those two lovely heads, hmm?”

Buffy and Willow looked at each other with a wicked grin. Buffy gestured to Willow and said, “Go ahead pet, it was your brilliant idea.”

“Ok, well you see...”

========== BtVS ==========

They were approaching Baker, California and neither had spoken beyond a few monosyllabic communiqués necessary for transferring food from the bag to Dawn, and on to Xander.

‘At least it’s not completely uncomfortable,’ Xander pondered the relative silence. ‘Yeah as long as I ignore how she keeps ‘accidentally’ brushing my hand when she hands me stuff... or how I keep letting her do it...’

“So, Dawn...” Xander said. His thoughts were starting down a path he wanted to avoid at all costs right now, so he tried to change the subject in his mind through conversation. “Is it just me, or did Faith seem kinda...”

“Bitchy?” Dawn supplied.

“Uh, yeah, I was gonna say something less, I dunno...”

“Honest?” Dawn again interjected with a smirk.

“Blunt,” Xander corrected with a matching grin. “But, yeah. She seemed almost panicky when she thought it was Buffy that was in trouble, but then...”

“It was like she didn’t care anymore as soon as she heard it was Tara,” Dawn finished his thought.

Xander nodded. “Yeah. Not only like she didn’t care, but almost like she was disappointed that she was ok?” Xander wondered aloud, concerned about the potential problems if Faith and Tara didn’t get along.

“Do you think Faith is still in love with Buffy?” Dawn asked, her voice sounding uncertain and thoughtful.

“Still?” Xander exclaimed in surprise. “Faith was in love with Buffy?” even as he asked the question, a memory from earlier in the week came back to him.

‘We were at McDonalds, going back to LA after getting Faith out of prison... Tara told her that she was with Buffy and Willow and Faith mumbled something... something about envying Tara,’ he reflected.

“Yeah, back before the mayor and stuff I saw them together sometimes...” Dawn reminisced.

Xander’s mind immediately supplied him with one of his old Buffy/Faith fantasies and he choked out, “Together? You saw them together, as in...”

“Ugh! No, Xander,” Dawn said with a combination of annoyance and humor in her voice. “Did anyone ever tell you that you have a dirty mind?”

“All the time,” Xander replied immediately. “It’s like one of my defining characteristics.”

‘Nice one, slick. Way to impress...’ Xander chastised himself for his knee-jerk response. Then he chastised himself for his chastisement, “What am I thinking?! I am *not* trying to impress anyone here, certainly not the Slayer’s underage sister!’

“Anyway!” Dawn said with the same tone of amused annoyance. “As I was saying, I’d see them after patrol sometimes when they thought I was asleep... I never saw them having smoochies or anything, I don’t even think Buffy felt that way about her... but I’d see Faith looking at her sometimes. Like the look I see when Willow looks at her now.”

“Oh man, that’s not good...” Xander said worriedly.

“You’re not...” Dawn started, but trailed off uncertainly.

“I’m not what?” Xander asked.

Dawn shook her head and asked “It’s not good, why?”

“Huh?” Xander asked, confused by the seeming change in subject. He darted a glance at the brunette and saw her studying his face with narrowed eyes.

“I said I saw Faith looking at Buffy like Willow looks at Buffy, and you said ‘that’s not good.’ Why is that not good?”

“Uh, cause having a Slayer and a witch mad at each other is a really, really bad idea?” Xander answered, surprised by the question.

Dawn nodded. “So, you don’t... it’s not because you have feelings...” she started again, hesitantly.

With a frown of confusion, Xander asked, “Feelings? for Buffy?”

“Feelings for Faith.” Dawn quickly corrected. Seemingly nervous, she went on explaining, “I mean. I know you guys kinda have some history and stuff...”

“What?!” Xander squawked. “How the hell... no, lemme guess. You were spying on someone...” Xander paused, his emotions slightly in turmoil. “Had to be Buffy... Buffy and Willow?”

‘Why do I care if Dawn knows about that? I mean, beyond the embarrassment factor, It’s ancient history...’ he consoled himself.

“Well...” Dawn’s voice came out as a whine. “No one ever told me anything! It’s not my fault I had to figure out everything on my own!”

“You’re killing me Dawn!” Xander chuckled exasperatedly.

‘In so many ways...’ he appended mentally.

“Ok, so it’s not feelings for Faith,” Dawn said, even though Xander hadn’t specifically admitted to that. “You aren’t worried about Tara are you? Don’t you think she can handle Faith?” Dawn asked wonderingly. “I mean, if she kicked Angel’s butt...”

“Dawn, just because I don’t have feelings, or at least no romantic feelings for Faith doesn’t mean I don’t care about her,” Xander refuted her presumption. His voice became subdued as he continued, “Believe me, I know what it’s like when you’re in love with someone who doesn’t return those feelings... it hurts. It makes it hard to even be around that person, because you feel sad, and frustrated and angry.”

‘Boy, do I ever remember how it felt...’ Xander recalled mournfully.

The feel of a warm hand on the back of his own brought Xander’s attention back to the present. He looked down to his hand, then followed the line of Dawn’s arm up to her face, which was looking back at him with a soft, sympathetic smile. ‘Oh I am in so much trouble...’ he lamented, feeling is insides melt. ‘How did you get so damn beautiful in one week away?’ he asked silently before squeezing his eyes shut and focusing back on the road.

“Anyway, I don’t want Faith and Tara at odds because I like both of them and it would just be bad.” Xander said, returning to the previous subject. “It would be bad for Willow and Buffy too. It would just be bad for everyone.”

“Plus Tara would have to kick Faith’s ass,” Dawn said.

Shooting another quick look at her, Xander saw that she was just kidding. “That too,” he jokingly acknowledged. Before the conversation went in any uncomfortable direction, Xander changed the subject. “Hey, how about one of those Twinkies you bought...”

“Sure!” she said with a grin, letting go his hand to reach for the bag on the floor.

‘I’m not going to survive another four hours in this car...’ Xander bemoaned in self pity.

“Here you go,” she said, tearing open the package and handing him one of the yellow, cream filled cakes.

“Thanks Dawn,” Xander said, catching himself before he said anything else.

‘We used to flirt around all the time, but now I feel like a dirty old man every time I open my mouth!’ he thought in frustration.

Dawn took a moment to stretch, arching her back and reaching back over her head with a groan of appreciation. “God I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed,” she said. “That waterbed in huggybear’s house wasn’t very comfortable.”

The intense arousal Xander felt when he caught a glance of the younger girl in mid stretch was ameliorated by the realization, ‘Oh crap, I didn’t tell her yet...’

“Xander, what’s wrong?” Dawn asked when she turned to look at him and saw his _expression_.

“Um, well... Dawn...” he stammered. “Ah, about your house...”

========== BtVS ==========

Two days later

In a large manor house, Somewhere just outside London...

“My lords!” the chief clerk cried out as he entered the main council chambers. “A package has arrived from America for you, it’s marked ‘most urgent’!”

“To whom among us is it labeled, Percival?” a particularly snobbish voice rang out.

The clerk trembled in fear as he answered, “It is l-labeled t-to, to, to ‘The Council of Watcher’s’ m-my lord!”

“What!?” the roar was echoed by all the members of the council save one.

“Who would dare!” demanded one particularly querulous voice.

Quinton Travers merely shook his head at the antics of his fellow members of the council. Once the furor had died a bit, he took to his feet and spoke, “Gentlemen, come now, are you truly that daft? I believe we know from whom this has come. I did warn you that any advance upon the Slayer or her group would be received poorly.”

He overrode the sputtering protests that arose and said, “Come then, let us see what consequence your heavy-handed actions have brought us...”

Continuing to ignore the outraged mutterings of his cohorts, Quinton exited the chamber, clerk in tow.

Immediately upon seeing the size of the ‘package’, Quinton believed he knew what it contained. With a resigned sigh, he commanded the clerk, “Have it opened, Percival.”

The clerk gestured to his two aids who stood by with pry-bars in hand. They immediately fell upon the box and pried the top off.

Looking inside, Quinton saw a uniform layer of white Styrofoam packing material, on which lay an envelope. With an innate sense of superiority, Quinton stepped forward and opened the envelope, quickly scanning the contents.

Quinton closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head at his peer’s folly. “Clear away the packing materials,” he instructed the clerk. “And have one of your assistants fetch a doctor.”

Another uproar arose at Quinton’s mention of a doctor. Turning back to the council, He responded abruptly, “Be silent! For God’s sake, have you no sense of decorum at all?”

He cleared his throat dramatically and then read aloud, “Gentlemen. I thought I was clear when you were last here, but apparently not. America is off limits to the Watcher’s Council without a specific invitation. These gentlemen were not invited. They should still be alive by the time you read this, but I doubt they will ever forget the experience.”

By that time, the packing material had been cleared away, and the clerk gasped out loud.

The whole council rushed the box like little kids, pushing to see what lay inside.

Quinton looked down in the box and had to restrain an entirely inappropriate chuckle. “Well, they certainly are creative, if rather crude...” he opined, turning and walking away. “That Summers girl is definitely something...” he muttered to himself as he walked away.

In his wake, the council stood stunned, looking down at the three men of their crack team. They were naked, on their sides, and interlocked together as though seated in each other’s laps; with the rearmost’s hands wrapped around the frontmost’s privates. The way their skin pulled as they lay there indicated that they had been somehow glued together. It would only be later, when the doctors got them separated, that they would be found to have been ‘interlocked’ in every way possible.

========== BtVS ==========

End Repercussions, Reactions & Retaliation; Book I

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