“I don’t care what Willow says,” Dawn mumbled as she sat down to her laptop in her room and logged on.  “There’s something fishy about Alex and I’m gunna find out what.”  Fifteen minutes later she had stumbled upon what her sister had missed.

 

Chapter 19 – Awakenings

(“Because you’re mine, I walk the line” Johnny Cash – I Walk The Line)

 

                Willow hurriedly put her key into the lock, flipped it over, and stepped in quickly.  She paused as she stood inside the entrance way to the house wondering what she was going to say.  The redhead had run so fast home, her mind lost in wondering what Tara actually thought, that she hadn’t even bothered to think of what she was going to do.  What if Spike was wrong?  What if he was lying?  He could be right but what if…  What if she tells Tara how she feels and that just drives her further away, makes her spend more time with Alex?  Willow ran a hand through her hair in frustration and let out a groan as her mind stumbled through “What If”, after “What If”, all of them ending badly.

                “Tara?” came a shout from up stairs as Willow heard a bedroom door open.  The Slayer watched as she saw her daughter race down stairs to meet her.  “Willow, I’ve been trying to call you for like, the past half hour!”  Willow paused and then lifted her cell out of her pocket and flipped it open, the LCD reading seven new messages.

                “Sorry, I left it on vibrate and I’ve been running around a lot, I must not have noticed it going off.  What’s up, and have you seen Tara around?” Willow asked.

                “That’s what I’ve been trying to call your about, she’s out with Alex.”  Willow didn’t even bother to hide the pain that etched into her eyes and mouth as she felt her stomach tighten up.  “You gotta find Tara, Alex is gunna do something to her,” Dawn said in an anxious tone, almost jumping up and down with impatience.  Willow cocked her head down with a curious face.

                “What makes you say that Dawn?” the redhead asked inquisitively.

                “I did a background check on him on my laptop an--,” Dawn began saying, only to be cut off by her older sister.

                “Dawn!  You weren’t supposed to do that.  That’s an invasion of Tara’s privacy.  I was wrong to do that, you should know better by now to respect other people’s private lives.  I can’t believe you.”  Willow felt exasperated at her sister and part of her still felt pain knowing that her friend was out with Alex, away from her.

                “Willow, don’t you even want to know what I found?” Dawn pleaded with her sister.

                “No!  Tara’s life and whom she chooses to be with is her own choice, we shouldn’t be noising in when ever we want too if it isn’t warranted,” Willow proclaimed.

                “But Willow,” Dawn whimpered.

                “No buts Dawn!  Consider this matter dropped.”  The Slayer began to make her way towards the kitchen for a soda just as her little sister shoved a piece of paper into her face.  Willow took the piece of paper in hand and felt her face pale as she read over the text.  Willow felt her face harden as she looked in her sister’s eyes.  “Where are they now?”

                “Tara said they were heading out to see a movie,” Dawn answered.  Willow paused for only a second.

                “Ok, call Xander on his cell, have him and Anya do a sweep of all the main popular theaters.  Call Giles after that, tell him what’s happened and have him work see if he can dig anything up at Willy’s bar.  I’m gunna call around to all the mom an pop indy theaters.  After you’re done telling everyone what’s going on, find out if you can find Alex’s current residence here in Sunneydale.  Willow stepped quickly to the kitchen and pulled out the phone book and began making her first phone call as Dawn headed up stairs to her room and got on her own phone.  As Willow let the phone ring she let her fingers trace over the text printed into the paper that her little sister had given her.  Willow frowned again as she looked down at Alex Chesterberg’s obituary, a picture sitting in the upper right hand corner of a young man no wear near the countenance of the thing that was currently with Tara.

 

                “Excuse me Ma’am?  Are you Tara?” an older grey haired lady asked in a hushed tone to the young blonde who was sitting comfortably in her theater chair next to the man she whom she knew she was falling more in love with it felt like every moment she was near him.

                “Yes,” Tara replied in a low confused voice as she lifted her head off of Alex’s shoulder.

                “There is a phone call out in the lobby for you,” the lady said.  Tara gave a puzzled look that was barley noticeable in the dim theater and then started to stand up to follow the theater usher.

                “I’ll be back in just a moment Alex,” Tara said as she bent over and kissed him lightly on the lips.

                “Ok, hurry back,” Alex said softly through a brimming smile.  Tara smiled back to the young man and then turned and headed up the aisle.

                Making her way into the lobby Tara stepped over to one side of the concessions counter that held a myriad of candies and popcorn and picked up the receiver that was laying on the warm counter top next to the salesperson that was cleaning up a cirtied area of their counter top.  Tara thanked the woman that had lead her to the phone and smiled politely.

                “Hello?” Tara said into the phone with a curious lilt in her voice.

                “Hey Tara, it’s me,” Willow said in a quick response.

                “What do you want,” Tara replied in a dry thin voice.  Willow physically winced at her friends underlying tone.  Then winced again at about what she was about to tell her best friend.

                “Listen, I don’t have a lot of time, Dawn is really hurt and I think we need your help.  I’m on my way to pick you up.  Stay there and don’t tell Alex *anything* ok?  He doesn’t need to be around this stuff if you know what I mean.”

                “Is, is she ok?  What happened?” Tara asked, her voice filled with worry and pain.  Willow could feel the knots in her midsection tighten as she lied to her friend.

                “I don’t know, but I’m going to be *right* there ok?  Stay in the lobby so I can see you, don’t go outside, just stay right there.  Dawn and I are kinda hiding out away from home just in case ok?  Just stay put, I’m on my way.”  Willow hung up the phone before Tara could ask anymore questions.  Willow bounded up the stairwell and ran to her sisters room as she pulled her coat on.

                “Dawn,” Willow said as she opened up the young brunette’s door.  If the phone rings, don’t answer it ok?  It might be Tara and I told her you and I weren’t here.”  Dawn gave a puzzeled look up at her sister.

                “Why?” Dawn asked.

                “Listen, Tara isn’t all that happy with me and if I told her that I think her boyfriend is a demon I think she would fly off the deep end at me and do pretty much exactly what we need her not to do.  So, I lied to her, said you were hurt and that we needed her help.  Had to tell her that you weren’t here on the off chance that she tells Alex to driver her home.  I just need her to stay put for about fifteen minutes in some place nice an populated so Alex can’t be alone with her.”  Willow frowned down to her younger sister.  “I don’t like lying about stuff Dawn I just don’t know any other way around the situation right now.”

                “I know,” Dawn said in a tone of understanding.

                “You know where Tara keeps her keys at?” Willow asked quickly.

                “Yeah,” Dawn replied as she got up and headed downstairs.  Dawn picked up the set of keys that were on top of the TV in the living room and handed them to her older sister.

                “Thanks,” Willow said warmly to her little sister.  “Ok, when I head out call everyone and let them know where I’m headed, have them meet me there with what ever they can grab on short notice.  I want you to stay here and wait for us ok?”  Dawn gave a look of pleading.

                “Why can’t I come?” Dawn asked firmly.

                “Listen Dawn, I don’t have time for this, I just need you to stay here till we get back.”  Willow watched her little sister open her mouth to protest again but then restrain herself.  “Thanks,” Willow grinned.  Willow hugged her little sister once and then ran out the door to Tara’s car, racing down the road into the night.

 

                “Hey Tara, what’s up?” Alex asked as he moved closer towards Tara who was still standing in the lobby.  The young blonde brought her head up from eyeing a spec of stray popcorn on the counter near her.

                “I’m sorry Alex I should have gone back and told you, I just got distracted, I, I’m sorry.”  Alex’s brow furrowed lightly.

                “Tell me what?” the young man said in a soft voice as he laid his hand across Tara’s gentley and smiled.  Tara’s eyes looked into his.

                “That was Willow on the phone, Dawn’s not feeling well and she wants me to come look at her.  Shu, she’s coming here now to pick me up.”  Alex blinked his eyes hard but his smile never wavered once.

                “Why exactly is she coming to pick you up again?  If something is truly wrong with Dawn, why isn’t she taking her to a hospital?”  Tara felt herself getting caught up in her won words as she looked into Alex’s face.

                “Well, uhhhhh, sometimes doctors can’t uh, fa fix everything you know, and she just wants me to see what’s going on and all.”  Alex stepped a little closer and softened his voice a little more.

                “Is there something your not telling me Tara?  You know you can trust me with anything Tara.  Please, tell me the truth.”  As Tara looked into Alex’s eyes, into his shiny white toothed smile she felt an overwhelming sense of trust, of honesty, of sincerity from him, and then she proceeded to tell him all she knew about Dawn and the Slayer.  She finished right about the time That Willow walked into the lobby.

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