Willow woke up the next morning, pleasantly rested as she stretched her arms out. She felt something on her chest. Looking down she saw the locket Tara had given her the night before. A slight smile crossed her features. What ever was happening to them, she decided to just let it go where it wanted.

Turning towards Buffy's bed, she frowned. It looked as if it hadn't been slept in. Willow thought she could remember Buffy telling her something, but she couldn't remember what.

"I'll ask her later," she said to herself, getting out of bed.

***

"Giles, it's me. I… I have to leave. No, I'm fine. I just need time to think about some things. Just the weekend, I promise I'll call you. Giles don't try to talk me out of it. I need to get away. No…I'm not running away, you have my word. You need to trust me on this. I will… no, I don't need any money, I'm positive. I've got to go, talk to you soon. Bye."

***

"Willow, yes it's me. I'm fine… I need to talk to you right away. Can you come over? Yes… it's about Buffy."

***

Willow heard the desperation in Giles voice during their brief conversation. She would call Tara as they were going to study later. Maybe they could find out what was going on.

***

"Are you sure no one will find me here?" Buffy asked.

"Positive Pet. Although I haven't the foggiest idea why you're hiding out in the first place," Spike answered.

"You don't need to know…"

"Hey, you'd better watch it Slayer. I'm allowing you here out the…"

"Cut the crap Spike. You just want to go after some demons," Buffy told him, putting her bags down.

"Well… having you here does have it's advantages," Spike replied.

"Fine… just leave me alone."

'What's with 'er I wonder,' Spike thought to himself as he left the room. "Ah, killing demons, that's the way to spend a weekend," Spike said out loud clapping his hands together.

***

Tara walked towards Willow's dorm room, secretly hoping that Buffy wouldn't be there. Something about the blonde haired girl worried her. Whatever it was, she didn't want anything to happen to Willow. Ever since the incident with those…things, Willow had called them the 'Gentlemen'. She had wanted to find out all she could, but other priorities had arisen.

Her face lit up just thinking Willow's name, she sighed. Reaching the door, she knocked.

"Hi, I'll be right out, we need to go see Giles. You remember him don't you?" Willow asked after opening the door.

"Oh yeah, he's the one that's helping you with your…"

"Yeah, that's him," Willow replied, grabbing her bag from her bed. Reaching out, she impulsively pulled Tara into the room, shutting the door.

"What?"

"Hi…"

"Oh… hi." Tara said after Willow kissed her.

"Okay, let's go."

"Sure," Tara replied, heading out the door and following Willow. 'Anywhere,' she told herself.

***

Buffy paced the room, while Spike watched silently. She stopped, frowned, and then began pacing once again.

"You're making me dizzy," Spike told her.

Buffy stared at him.

"Just trying to make idle conversation, is all."

"Don't try so hard," Buffy told him.

"Come on, tell you're Uncle Spike what's wrong," he said.

"Spike…"

"Yeah?"

"Blow it out your ass," she told him.

"I like you like this, all unfeeling. Makes me feel… nothing really."

"I'm not surprised. I can't believe you actually had any feelings for Druscilla in the first place."

Spike jumped from his chair, his hands outstretched ready to add another slayer to his belt.

"AHHH," he grimaced, when the pain hit him.

"Oh… did you hurt yourself?" Buffy sarcastically.

"Bitch. If I could get my hands on you…"

"You'd what? Kill me. Oh please, you can't hurt me."

"Get out."

"What?"

"Get out."

"You have so got to be kidding."

***

"Ah Willow, come in," Giles said as they entered his apartment.

"I hope you don't mind Giles. This is Tara, we were going to study later… you know magicks."

"Really? Of course not. Umm… Tara?"

"Yes Mr. Giles."

Willow smiled, she hadn't called Giles 'Mr.' in years.

"Why don't you make yourself at home. I need to discuss something with Willow," the former librarian/Watcher told the young woman. "It shouldn't take too long."

"Sure, thanks," she replied and headed towards his extensive book collection.

"Willow," he said as soon as they entered the kitchen. "Do you have any idea where Buffy might have gone?"

"Gone?"

"I take it you don't know that she's left."

"Oh… not again…"

"No… no. Not like the last time. She called and promised me she wasn't running away. I have to believe that, otherwise…" he trailed off as he glanced away for a brief moment, quashing the thoughts of the last time she had gone. "She said she needed to think about something and she had to leave. So, I thought who better to ask than you."

"She hasn't said anything. At least nothing that would make me think she was planning to do this. I'm sorry Giles," Willow told him biting her lower lip, going over everything she could remember. "Wait!"

"What…what is it?"

"I just remembered. Last night she went for a walk after we got back to the room. I never heard when she came back. I was asleep. I should have stayed up…"

"Willow, you mustn't think that this is your fault. You had no way of knowing that this would happen."

Tara could hear bits of the conversation while she pretended to look through one of Giles' books. So, Buffy had disappeared, she doubted that the blonde haired girl would stay away for long. Willow had spoken so much about Buffy that she knew deep down that if Buffy did leave, Willow would be crushed.

That led to other thoughts, and those made her shiver.

***

"I said 'get out'", Spike told Buffy, who stared at the peroxide vampire.

"Where else can I go?"

"I don't bloody hell care. Sod off."

"No."

"What did you say?"

"No."

"Look here, this is *my* place, and be it so ever humble… you know the rest. Now, vacate, leave, take-a-walk, scram, hit the bricks, go, remove yourself from the premises, out…"

"I get the hint, but I'm not leaving…"

"Ah!!!"

***

Tara walked alongside Willow who was lost in thought, more than once she had to stop her…

'What are we to each other?' she wondered.

Were they involved? Sure they had kissed; the memory made her smile. They had done a little more than kiss that one time… but did that mean she could she call Willow her girlfriend? Had they reached that far? It was confusing, Tara hoped that Willow might think about her that way. Lover? Ooh, that was a huge decision that they'd both have to talk about, eventually. Hopefully?

'Buffy where are you. Please come back, I need you… here,' Willow silently pleaded.

END