Author: Ragna
Rating: PG.
Classification: Willow/Tara.
Summary: Just a normal day in the life of a Buffyless Scooby Gang.
Spoilers: Set after "The Gift" but before "Bargaining."
Distribution: Any sites with my fic up; you all have unspoken permission. I write it, you can post it. Everyone else just keep my name on it and let me know.
Previous Parts/Archived At: Slayer Comma The.
Disclaimer: If you don't recognize it, chances are it's my own creation. If you do, Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Kazui Sandollar, FOX and the WB own it or them. Various friends of mine are holding characters hostage. You may see them by appointment only.
Feedback: Sorry I'm not home right now I'm walking in the spiderwebs so leave a message and I'll call you back...in other words, I want it. Don't care if it's onlist or not, but I prefer offlist since I have quite a few lists on No Mail.
Author's Notes: Answer to Teija's Gloveslap where we had to use as many episode titles from BtVS as we could in a fic. I used all of them.
Dedicated: To Teija, for the cool new fanlisting layout and because AIM sucks butt.

"'Beware of people from Doppelgängerland,' she said. 'Never kill a boy on the first date,' she said." Dawn looked around. "I love the witch, but I think Willow lost her mind. I mean, she's giving me nightmares about reptile boys and Inca mummy girls." She looked at Tara and sighed. "Why can't she just lie to me?"

"Well," Tara replied, setting the box down on the Magic Box counter, "I think she doesn't want you becoming one of the bad girls, the Zeppo, the invisible girl or one of the enemies."

"But why? It's not like fifteen is the dark age or something. I'm not becoming too helpless, and I can deal with the consequences that come from my choices. It's not like I'm a freshman anymore."

Tara nodded. "You're right, Dawnie. Willow's probably just listening to fear, you know? She's a fool for love, and she loves you like you're family. She's older, and far away, from what it's like to be a teenager since she never really was a teenager to begin with."

"What do you mean?"

Tara pointed to the chairs around the table. "Well, when she found out about Buffy, she got the weight of the world on her shoulders, too. It was like Sunnydale now held a sign for her saying 'Welcome to the Hellmouth,' and that's a surprise to anyone."

"But she went to the prom! She went to graduation, too! And homecoming and..."

Tara held up her hand. "Willow was a teacher's pet. Worrying about the fate of Sunnydale made school hard, especially college. She didn't have the greatest of living conditions in high school. And she did go to her graduation...one that got interrupted by a restless mayor turning into a primeval snake where the vampires showed up, making it a dead man's party. Just because she did normal things doesn't mean she was a normal teenager."

"So why's she going all tough love on me?" Dawn asked, tracing the spiral design on the table. "It's not like any of these revelations are new to me. Buffy always tried to talk to Mom about it while I was out of earshot."

"Maybe I'm just telling you about all this because I want you to know where the wild things are and how to deal with them," Willow said, stepping out from the shadow made by the staircase. She smiled at Dawn. "Buffy's gone, and I just want things to be normal again. That means protecting you from the villains and the bad eggs."

"So you're telling me all that to..."

"To keep you protected. You're safer knowing about it than by being innocent."

"I was only feigning innocence." She smiled at Dawn. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you two know Anya called. She said she's not paying us over time, and that if we don't leave and enter the harsh light of day she'll see if D'Hoffryn can get us killed by death or bunnies or something."

"What?" Tara said.

"I was laughing too hard to really understand. I even asked her what's my line, too, when she said something about fear itself. She sounded so grave, too."

Tara pointed at the boxes. "There's some smashed passion incense in there. Anya said they weren't worth selling, so I'll have two to go."

"Two boxes or two sticks?" Willow said, moving from the staircase all the way towards the box.

"Boxes." Tara stood up, pushing the chair in towards the table. "Dawnie, can you grab the pack?" she asked, pointing to her satchel.

"Sure," Dawn said. A book fell out, and she looked at the title. "Tara, I don't think you should be carrying a book called When She Was Bad where some bewitched bothered and bewildered kid like me can find it."

"Tara!" Willow said in shock indignation. "I thought that was The Secret of the Tabula Rasa, not something so...dirty."

Tara laughed. "I only have eyes for you, Willow," she said. "No, the book follows the phases in the childhood of a girl named Anne. After she's grown up, she tries to make amends with her younger brother Ted after he stages an intervention. But he dies before she gets out of rehab, so she summons him from the afterlife by bargaining with Loki." She pauses. "She's a Wiccan, and she worships the Norse gods."

"What kind of bargain does she make?" Dawn asked, looking at the back of the book.

"Odin will only let her speak and see her brother if she gets the gift of a sacrifice. Well, she goes into the woods searching for it, but she can't find anything. Loki agrees to help if she makes blood ties with him." She takes the book from Dawn. "I haven't gotten to the point to see if she agrees or not, and it's taking forever to get time to finish it."

"Well, I believe there's no place like home," Willow said, grabbing the two boxes of incense, "so let's go home now."

Dawn snapped to attention and saluted Willow. "Yes, sir!"

Willow and Tara collapsed in laughter. "Once more with feeling!"

"I robot, you Jane, sir!"

"As you were, Robot," Willow said. "Come on, or Anya's liable to get the wish about D'Hoffryn killing us till we're dead."

"Oh, can't she go relax? I mean, can't she just go fish or something?" Dawn said.

"Anya and fishing...interesting concept." Willow grabbed the keys and went to the door, opening it. "Hey, what's my line? One--ooph!"

"Sorry," a masculine voice replied.

Willow got knocked backwards, looking up at Angel. "I'm getting these pangs in my chest...I think I may have hurt myself," Willow muttered.

"Did you crush something?" Angel said, offering her a hand up.

"No...wait, just the replacement key for the new lock at home. No wonder my chest hurt." She bent down and picked up her purse, putting the key back inside. "What's up?"

"Well, can we hurry up and get to your house? I almost got burned up by the sun's rays on the way here, and if I had, Cordelia and the others would have been doomed."

"Well, didn't your prophecy girl tell you anything?" Willow said.

"It isn't prophecy, it's premonitions." Angel stepped further inside the shop. "She's walking around the hotel asking everyone 'Who are you?' and she says she's seeing red dots all the time. It's driving me out of my mind, because we can't figure out how to help."

"Sit, Angel," Willow said. She glanced at Tara. "Do you want to go home with Dawn? I mean, it's almost nightfall..."

Tara nodded. "Yeah. Dinner sounds good." She looked at Dawn. "I think I have some gingerbread cookies at home that we can snack on while we make dinner." She watched Dawn gather her things. "Any ideas?"

"Beer?" Dawn said, smiling.

"Beer bad. Next idea?" She ruffled Dawn's hair as they got closer to the door.

"How about some of that band candy I bought?"

"Real food, Dawn," Tara said, stepping outside after Dawn and shutting the shop door behind her.

Angel shook his head. "She's a beauty."

"And the beast's walking right in front of her," Willow said wryly. "Dawn's a good kid, though."

"She's really Buffy's sister?"

"I consider her to really be her sister. I would have thought Buffy's death wouldn't matter so much after she found out Buffy really wasn't her sister, but Dawn's life was wrecked. She took it really hard...she's been a superstar dealing with this."

"How about you?" Angel asked.

Willow shrugged. "I don't dwell on dead things or dead people. I mean, it wasn't like Buffy vs. Dracula, where we knew Buffy would win. And it wasn't like the fight at the Initiative compound. Or that Halloween where we were trapped in the fraternity house. This year's girl, this Buffy, she just seemed defeated before she even tried."

"Willow, you're dwelling."

"Maybe a little." She shook her head. "Let's see what we can do to help Cordelia."

***

It was five hours later when Willow opened the door to the house.

"There's a new moon rising, and she was wild at heart. She attended the harvest, to get the freshly cut corn, but she had to wrap it in something blue...to take the lover's walk without a gift of some sort was frowned upon. She had faith, hope...and trick upon trick to make sure she made it to the sacred triangle. There was a hush in the air, and she whispered 'Goodbye, Iowa' softly, her heart flooded with emotion..."

Willow shut the door as softly as she could, but Tara stopped talking to the computer, looking up. "Willow! When'd you get back?"

"Just a few seconds ago," Willow said, coming up behind her and kissing her on the top of the head. "Angel left like a new man. There's some assembly required for his part of the spell, which I called the 'I In Team' spell, but Cordelia should be as good as new when he's done."

"What caused the problem?"

"The Yoko factor. The new girl, Fred, was getting all the attention, and Cordelia was starting to lose interest in her life. Serial progressive thoughts of jealousy formed, and it just continued until Cordelia started feeling hurt in order to get attention. But she wasn't faking it." Willow smiled. "Is that your novel?"

Tara nodded. "I'm calling it The Real Me In The Puppet Show. Or something like that. Maybe Checkpoint Entropy or Hells Bells, but the last one might make people think it's about a Satanist."

Willow hugged her shoulders. "What'd you and Dawn end up having for dinner?"

"We went to the Doublemeat Palace. I figure since they got that new manager there, it was safe." Tara smiled. "Dawn's in bed. Maybe we should do the same thing..."

Willow tightened her hug. "You know, I think I was made to love you."

"I think you were, too." Tara saved her novel and leaned back into Willow's embrace. "Come on, let's go to bed."