the vamp nurd, Hey there. No

in this update, but they are promised in the next one. Hope that's okay.
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And without further ado, here is an update.
This part isn't very long, but I promise the next one will be. I'm working on it now, so hopefully I'll have it up sometime soon. Hope you enjoy this part. It's kind of a cliffhanger, but not to bad.
Note: The rating is set for the entire update. Not just this part. This one isn't to exciting, just some filler. Maybe a little angst. Next part will hopefully be NC-17, with a little bit of angst.
Thanks for the patience, guys.
Title: Eyes Of The Soul
Author: Jennifer
Copyright © 2002 by Jennifer Johnson Distribution: If you would like to archive this somewhere, please ask my permission first!
Feedback: jennpurr@yahoo.com or
truthotheart@aol.com Please, give me feedback. Good or bad. Feel free to tell me what you think. Or just post it here.
Disclaimers: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. This is solely for my entertainment. Please do not copyright this story.
F/F romance: If the idea of a same sex relationship bothers you, please do not read this story.
Pairings: W/T, X/A
Spoilers: Season 6. This is set after Seeing Red, but Tara never dies at the hands of Warren. The rest is just my own creativity. Oh, and Giles never left.
Summary: Tara is missing, or so the Scoobies think. What will happen when they find her?
Rating: NC-17 and A: for some angst My Thanks: To Danie. Thanks for being my beta and for helping me out with all the suggestions. You truly are gifted for writing. I hope you continue to do so.

And D, don’t forget the catnip.
Eyes Of The Soul: Chapter 11/?
By: Jennifer
The dull and faded handkerchief passed over the lenses with extreme care, wiping away the non-present smudges. It was plain to see that this act was being performed out of nervousness and not out of need. Although, the look of worry was ever present on the Watcher’s face, he tried not to make his uneasiness too blatantly obvious to his children; he had come to see them as such, anyhow.
He was worried about Tara, for obvious reasons, but he was also troubled for Willow. He had seen first hand that evening, that she was still capable of, whether intentional or not, releasing dark magic. That thought concerned him.
‘What if she slips up again? And what is Tara to think? Yes, Willow was extremely pained at the time, but that…’Buffy was the first to pick up on the Englishman’s current demeanor. He wore an expression of deep thought, the look he might wear if she told him that she accidentally set all of his books on fire, or worse, told him the apocalypse was at hand. To say he looked worried was an understatement.
“Giles?” The Slayer reached over and squeezed his forearm.
At first he didn’t seem to notice his young charge trying to capture his attention, but when Buffy’s hand gripped his arm again, he visibly jumped away from his thoughts and looked up at her. “Hmm? Oh, Buffy. I’m sorry. Did you say something?”
He pulled his eyes away from her face and looked down at his glasses. Satisfied that they were cleaned to his liking, he slipped them back on his nose and pocketed the handkerchief.
Scrunching her eyebrows together, she studied his features carefully. “No, but you have that Gilesy look,” she pointed out to him.
“I do not!” He came to his own defense. However, after the words left his lips, he paused. “What look?” The former librarian asked for clarification.
“Like I just told you that the apocalypse was coming again.” Buffy watched as Giles turned in his seat somewhat and faced her more.
“I’m worried about Willow, if you must know,” he finally admitted to what had been troubling his thoughts.
“Will? Why are you worried about Willow? Is there something to be worried about?” Buffy started to panic.
“Calm down, Buffy!” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “I was worried about the fact that she is still capable of performing dark magic.” Giles wanted to feel that the redhead in question wouldn’t slip again, but he wasn’t so sure of that fact. His worry was tattooed on his features.
The blonde paused to digest what he had just said, before starting in with the questions. “What are you talking about? I don’t even think she’s used any magic since we did that fairy light spell?”
“Guiding spell,” Giles corrected her. “And you’re right; she hasn’t done any magic since then, but she has tried to.” He admitted in a defeated tone.
“Is there something I’m missing here?” Buffy was obviously taken aback by this bit of information, even though her conscious told her it could be true. Thinking back to how easy the temptation was for Willow before, she guessed it could happen?
The Watcher stood to his feet and walked the short distance to the stairs, looking up them to make sure he could see no one around. Feeling certain that Willow was still in her room with Tara and that Dawn was still asleep, he quietly trudged back to the chair he had been occupying. Sitting back down, he took a deep breath and addressed the three Scoobies present.
“When Rack was here and Ta… well, Amy, was fighting him…” he paused to think of the right words to use. “Willow almost slipped, but I stopped her,” he finally explained.
“What do you mean, slipped?” Xander asked from his position on the couch, next to Anya.
“Just as I said, she slipped. She attempted to do a spell. Dark magic.” Giles stated.
“How do you know it was dark magic?” Buffy instantly came to her best friend’s defense. “It could have been…”
“Buffy,” the Watcher interrupted her. “Her eyes shaded black and she was angered. She was not going to use normal magic, I assure you. However,” he emphasized the last word, “She managed to stop before she actually did anything. What I’m concerned about is that it may occur again, in the future. What if she is ill able to stop it again from bubbling to the surface?” His eyes reflected his concern for the young girl.
“Giles…” Buffy waited until his eyes captured hers. “Will, has been doing really well. Maybe she did slip, but now that Tara is here, I don’t think that will be an issue anymore. I mean, I hope it wouldn’t be. Maybe since Tara is back she could help her?” The blonde wore a hopeful, yet concerned look on her features. “Do you think Will, can ever get to that point where she doesn’t want to use the darker mojo?” The Slayer sympathized for her friend, as she asked the question that all the Scoobies had been pondering, even Giles.
“Buffy, I honestly don’t know. I’d like to think that since Tara is back and is… well, Tara… that they can be there for one another, but I seriously cannot answer that. There is something that I have often thought about and I have more than once come to the same conclusion that, Tara seems to be her balance, her anchor. I think it’s quite possible that she can be that for her now. It is mainly for Willow to…” his words slipped away, before he could finish them, as two feet could be heard padding down the stairs.
“Buffy? Is that you?” Dawn’s head poked around the corner and caught sight of Xander and Anya sitting on the couch. She quickly took to the stairs two at time, until she reached the bottom and strolled into the living room. “What’s going on?”
The Englishman breathed a sigh of relief. He really wasn’t comfortable discussing the matter of Willow’s almost slip up and wanted to steer the conversation elsewhere. “Ah, Dawn. How are you? Shouldn’t you be asleep?” He gave her a firm fatherly nod.
“I couldn’t sleep. My tummy’s all rumble-y.” The teenager rubbed her stomach to prove her point. “Very acidy.”
“Awww, Dawnster, want some juice or something?” Xander asked the young teen.
Frowning, “There’s only one thing that can make me feel better. Tara-hugs and she’s not here to give me one.” Dawn looked as if she could cry at any given moment.
“She is here. She’s upstairs.” Anya said cheerily, before receiving a glare from Buffy.
“She is?” The teen squealed. “I want to see her.” Dawn quickly turned and was about to make a dash for the stairs when Buffy’s voice stopped her.
“Dawn, no! Not now. You can see her later,” she promised.
“…But, I wanna see her now.” The brunette whimpered, her eyes full of sadness.
“Dawn, I promise you that you can see her later. At the moment, she is upstairs with Willow and she wishes not to be disturbed.” Giles tried to make her understand. “They need time to talk and be alone.” He pushed, gingerly.
Wiping the freshly fallen tears from her eyes, Dawn just nodded her head, her hair dancing on her back. “She’s really back?” She questioned softly, as if she said it too loud, it wouldn’t be true.
“She is.” Buffy went to her sister and gave her a hug, which the young girl gladly accepted. “You feeling better now?” The Slayer asked as she pulled away from the embrace.
“Yes!” Dawn practically squeaked and hugged Buffy again, before running over to Xander and throwing herself into his arms.
“Whoa there, Dawnster.” The carpenter gulped audibly, as the teen squeezed him for all she was worth. “Feeling the need to breathe here!” He exclaimed.
Pulling away, she anxiously jumped up and down on the heels of her bare feet. “I feel like I just won the lottery!” The brunette said, excitedly.
“Oooh, the Tara-lottery!” Anya threw in, rather enthusiastically. “Of course, it’s not as good as actual money, which can be very heartwarming.”
Suddenly, Xander let out a yelp. “OW! An, what was that for?” he asked, after she had slapped his arm.
“Why haven’t we ever won the lottery? It could give me a lot of money. Money I could use to…”
“Okay, for one, I know what you could use the money for and two, we’ve never bought a ticket!” Xander gave her the facts, as he continued to rub his abused flesh.
“Oh, well, then we should buy a ticket. I want to win,” she told her fiancé.
“I’ll buy you a ticket tomorrow,” he promised her.
Anya beamed, as she lightly bounced up and down on the couch from her sitting position.
“Yes, well, now that that is settled, why don’t we go over to the hospital and check on Amy?” The Watcher suggested to the group.
“Can I stay here?” Dawn asked, hopefully, her blue eyes looking soulfully into her sisters.
Placing her hands on the teen’s shoulders, Buffy spoke to her calmly. “I want you to come with us to the hospital. You can see Tara when she comes down with Will, okay?”
The brunette girl just nodded her head, her eyes filling up with tears.
Giles approached the two girls and waited for them to look at him. “I’ll stay here and look after them.”
Buffy quickly hugged the man who she looked up to as a father to her. “Thanks, Giles.”
“You’re quite welcome,” he said, somewhat embarrassed at the show of affection, but returned the hug affectionately. “Alright, why don’t you all get a move on and call me if you need anything?”
The blonde pulled away from the older man and smiled at him. “I know, not big on the hugging.” She winked at him. “Okay, let’s go guys. We’ll see how Amy’s doing and then come back.”
“Then can I go up and see Tara?” Dawn almost pleaded her question.
“Yes. Then you can see her,” Buffy said with a smile, as she watched her sister quickly go upstairs and a few seconds later, reappear with her shoes and a jacket around her shoulders. “Let’s go,” she said, as she followed the young teen out the front door. Following behind her were Xander and Anya.
Giles heard Dawn yell, “I’ve got shotgun,” as the door firmly snapped into place. Letting a heavy breath fall from his lips, he walked into the kitchen to fix him some tea. He made a promise to himself to speak to Willow later about the magic slip.
*****
TBC...
More soon, guys.
Thanks for reading,
Jen
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"Oh, man. I wish I WAS a lesbian. I would get laid every night for the rest of my life." ~ Amber Benson
Quote from Melissa Etheridge on 8/10/2002, in The Woodlands, TX
"THAT is a bat! ... Does it have a ticket? ... It doesn't have a ticket!"