Azirahael – Well, the baby Scoobs have to learn sometime, right? I’d propose we call them Scrappies, I mean, I certainly liked the character. Dunno about anyone else
Finey_McFine – Any shenaniganry that involves sneaking out at night is sure to end badly, especially in this universe, as we’ve seen countless times before, right?
TinyPurpleFishes – lol, we’re just gonna go ahead and assume cellphones are a rare commodity in Sunnydale. It would explain quite a bit. I will give you this, though:
Dawn – stainless steel watch, actually Buffy’s but she never wears it
Artie – something black, probably rubber/plastic, glows in the dark and is waterproof, banged up
Janice – silver, thin wristband, probably something her dad bought her
Ravi – Mickey Mouse
Barry – GI Joe
Yeah, um…I tend to focus a lot on insignificant, minor things for my own amusement.
Title: Sentinels (Chapter 21)
Author: Starr, aka faolan228
Email:
faolan228@yahoo.comRating: R
Disclaimer: Starr does not own BtVS or any related works. Except for Artie. Only because no one else wanted her.
Feedback: Me gusta.
Summary: Season 1 happened as it did on the show, but everything after has been molded and reshaped to my lunacy. Moral ambiguity abounds. Lying is sometimes okay for the right reasons, and genocidal rage a perfectly normal thing for people to feel. AU W/T that may or may not be a comedy.
Notes: THIS CHAPTER IS ONE BIG GIANT BIRTHDAY GIFT TO FELLOW KITTEN, TINYPURPLEFISHES! Haha, happy birthday, m’dear. This woman here is one of my most favorite people in the world, so you can all thank her for this. Smoochies!
Chapter 21: Wing and claw
Everything had to be perfect.
Tara was not the sort to be considered obsessed with the state of her home. Housing two teens, and one preteen, and two-thirds of said residents being Slayers, a sort of perpetual mess was to be expected. Any and all guests they tended to have were aware of this fact, though Tara did keep the place in a sort of organized chaos. If only, really, to avoid Joyce from having a conniption.
That was not the case today.
Though kept constantly dust free, the tables and other surfaces were absolutely polished. The lights had been dimmed, candles lit to provide a honeydew scent.
There was even a platter of cucumber and salmon sandwiches, crusts removed and cut into tiny squares, each perfect and symmetrical like Daddy Jack had taught her years ago.
Absolutely perfect.
“Um, Tara?”
The witch looked up to see her Slayer standing awkwardly at the stairs, backpack slung over her shoulder. Part of it was because, while there was much teasing, Artie had never really lied to her Watcher before. The other part was because she’d also never seen Tara work so hard to impress a girl before. Huh. Maybe it would be a good thing for her to be out of the house, then.
“Yes, sweetie?” Artie could be loud and demanding, seldom using the small voice that she was using right now. That meant one of two things. She had done something wrong, or she was asking for permission. Seeing as there had not been any crashing, yelping, or cursing from Faith, she assumed it to be the latter. Her good mood and excitement also made her more willing to give permission.
“Um, well,” Art scratched the back of her head nervously. “Buffy is on patrol tonight-”
“And you want to join her?”
“Oh. Oh no, no, no,” she shook her head. As intimidating as Faith was, Artie found the eldest and most experienced Slayer even more so. “Mrs. Summers has a thingy at her gallery but she knew you guys were right next door so she figured Dawn would be okay, but is it alright if I go next door and hang with Dawn?”
Oh. That was adorable. Artie had made a little friend, and Tara’s heart swelled. A real friend for her little Slayer, and one she didn’t even need to hide her true self from. “Of course, sweetie,” she very nearly gushed. Artie’s face broke into a wide, gleaming grin, and she dashed for the door.
“Wait!” Tara called out, gesturing to the platter. “Take some of these, ok?”
And that’s how Artie ended up happily walking down their driveway, with several yummy sandwiches in hand. She’d nearly crashed into Willow, too.
“Hi,” she said, almost shyly. It had been different when Willow had been just another member of their little slay-gang. But now she knew that the redhead was Tara’s special someone, and that was just a bit weird. Nice, yes. Good, definitely. But still weird.
“Oh, hi Artie,” Willow said brightly. “What’s up?”
“I’m just..uh..gonna, well, you see….” Shoving a sandwich in her mouth, Artie fled.
“Huh. Weird kid,” Willow muttered, adjusting her tight shirt and going about her merry way to Tara’s door.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“Willow and Tara have this cute thing so we’re just gonna go hangout with Faith, okay?”
Only months before, Buffy would have said no. No way in hell was she leaving her sister in Faith’s care. But that was months ago. Now the two Slayers had built up a rapport, a mutual trust, and if there was one thing Buffy could trust Faith to do, it was to fight for her little sister until whatever threat was dead and gone.
She’d also seen, from her interactions with Art, that Faith wasn’t actually all about the corruption of minors.
“So long as you and Artie don’t annoy her too much, okay?”
And that was that.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The moment Willow stepped through the door, Tara was mesmerized. The other witch had opted for a tight pair of jeans, and an equally tight, red, shirt.
“Well, hello there,” she squeaked out, a failed attempt at suave.
“Hello to you too,” Willow smiled, stepping into the house. It was a habit of theirs, all of them, stepping into each other’s homes without invitation, like a wordless proclamation to the family, ‘Yes I am alive.’ Oh, and how alive she was! Lean and warm and just radiating Willow-goodness, Tara couldn’t help but tug her into her arms.
“You smell amazing,” she whispered, arms already trembling at the closeness she’d been craving all day. Stolen smoochies behind the library stacks just didn’t compare to a guaranteed makeout session in your own home. “Parents didn’t think it weird you’re out and about on a weeknight?”
Willow rolled her eyes, herding Tara towards the couch. “They rarely notice anything when they’re home,” her parents were, Tara had learned, taking a break between lecture circuits. “They think I’m over at Buffy’s, studying,” she whispered conspiratorially. “And of course Buff called and confirmed.”
“That old switcheroo trick?” Tara mused, slinging her arm over Willow’s shoulder to tug her closer. “Never thought that sort of thing actually worked…”
“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Willow smirked. “We’ve personally pulled it off multiple times. In the name of justice, of course.”
“Oh really?” Tilting her head, Tara can’t help but caress Willow’s face as she moves to cup that perfect jaw. “Surprise me then, Miss Rosenberg.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“I can’t believe that actually worked!” Parking their bikes behind some nearby bushes, Dawn rushed to join Artie, who was busy passing out flashlights to the other kids. Emptying her own bag, she began passing out crucifixes and small squirt guns with holy water. It wouldn’t do much against the larger beasties of Sunnydale, but vampires could be found anywhere and it was better to be safe than sorry.
Breaking into the school had been easy. “A whole lot easier than sneaking out,” Barry had joked, before Janice had shushed him. Finding the appropriate janitor’s closet, opening the secret door had been easy now that they knew where it was. It was a simple act of pushing down on the hidden panel. Though, not as simple as one would have thought, as it took Artie a running start, slamming herself into it before it budged.
It left Artie with a bruised shoulder, and Dawn wondering about Miss Poppendorfer.
“Woah…” Ravi’s trailing sound drew their attention back to the now opened panel. ‘Woah’ was right. A long, narrow hallway descended into the darkness. A gust of air rose from below, and all five kids recoiled with disgust.
“Ugh, that reeks!” Janet screeched, covering her nose and mouth. “It smells like my cat’s litterbox!”
“Nope,” Artie said, eyes watering. “Definitely a chicken coop. Smells like a chicken coop.”
“How do you know what a chicken coop smells like?”
“Oh yeah, this coming from the girl who sniffs her cat’s litter box!”
“Knock it off you two!” Dawn barked. “Now c’mon!”
Giving Art a hearty shove to the front, the little cadre made its way down.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“Mmm, I thought we were supposed to do research?”
Willow’s response was to merely grin wickedly, and give Tara another kiss. “Well, dunno about you…but I’m finding this experience to be very educational.”
“Oh really?” The blonde purred.
“Oh yes. For instance, when I do this…” Willow lowered her head, planting silky soft kisses on Tara’s jaw. The older girl’s breath hitched, and Willow pulled back, looking rather smug. “That happens.”
Feeling emboldened, Tara reached down to Willow’s ass, hand resting comfortably on a well rounded cheek before giving it a firm squeeze. The redhead gasped, hips rollicking forward into Tara’s with a heady groan.
“Oh look,” Tara husked. “Cause and effect.” Willow giggled, high and breathy.
“Sup, lesbos.”
The two witches sprang apart with a shriek, settling on opposite ends of the couch. Tara glared at Faith hard enough to disintegrate her had her magic been focused enough. “Faith!”
“Gonna go head out for some patrolling,” she grinned at their flushed faces and mussed hair. “Where’s the pipsqueak?”
“She…she went to go hang out with Dawn,” Tara side, unable to stop herself from smiling fondly as a wide-eyed Willow shoved a sandwich in her mouth to avoid speaking.
“Smart girl,” Faith noted. “I’ll make myself scarce too,” she says cheekily, grabbing a light jacket from where it hung by the door. “Stay safe, kids,” she winked, and she was gone.
The silence that followed seemed to echo in the house. Tara shifted her weight awkwardly, and turned to Willow. “So um…dragons?”
“Dragons, yeah…”
“…..”
“….”
Willow was upon her in a flash.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The closer they got, the stronger the stench got.
Artie and Janice had come to an impasse, deciding the particular scent was, in fact, a blend of chicken coop and kitty litter. An agreement that had Dawn rolling her eyes, but an agreement nonetheless.
“…..calm down….”
“Shh!” Artie held her hand out to stop the group, only to have them all stumble into her. “SHHH!”
Creeping closer, they began to notice that the downward angle had begun to even out, leaving them with relatively flat footing.
“…please….I need you to calm down….”
Dawn looked at her quizzically. “Why does that voice sound familiar?”
“Because it should.” They all turned to look at Barry. “That’s Miss Poppendorfer.”
Surprisingly, that was easy to believe. Life on the Hellmouth made one easily accept these sorts of things. “But what’s she doing?”
They crept closer, curiosity and fear combining in a dizzying blend. Peering from behind a large rock, they had a clear view of what they now knew was their teacher. An eerie glow was rising in the center of the strange cavern they found themselves in. Their teacher stood before something large and lumbering.
Artie craned her head to get a better look, and despite herself, gasped.
Poppendorfer whipped around at the sound, her face nothing like the pretty woman they saw every day. Her face was now green, white stripes and swirls here and there, and a twin row of small spikes starting from the bridge of her nose to her hairline. She spotted them easily.
“Kids?” she gasped. “What’re you doing here?”
But that was not what held their gaze. Rather, what was behind her. With a jangle of the chain, the only thing keeping him bound, he rose onto his hind legs. Sucking in a deep breath, he let out a horrific screech, this time not at all muffled.
Artie didn’t know what the others were thinking, but she certainly knew how she felt.
The source of the metallic screech.
The reason for the odd, horrid stench wafting up from this very room.
She was staring at a creature that inspired all sort of tales. Tales of horror, of fear. Nobility, knights, princesses. The Archaemenids’ protector from evil, and terror to all horses.
The winged beast spread its wings, and let out another ear piercing shriek.
Absolutely stunned, Artie turned back to the group, pointing to the winged creature as if they couldn’t see it for themselves. She gave Dawn a stupid, absolutely dazed grin.
“That’s a gryphon.”
She couldn’t help it. She laughed.