Cordy is a porn star!!! That had me laughing! Giles is dead???? I assume we’ll find out more about that later.



Ally can’t help thinking about LJ pouncing on her? I think someone has a crush on her friend



A couple of things I was wondering, why doesn’t LJ have a watcher? And how old is LJ when she goes back in time, or would that be giving too much away?



Really enjoying this, keep it coming!

---

I can smell your brains

Just to say that I've finished 'Tourist Trap' and it should be up by the weekend allowing for a little editing.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

Title: Tourist Trap

Author: Mike Mullen

Rating: NC-17/18 because of violence, adult themes, and sex.

Spoilers: None what so ever

Disclaimer: All the original BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and ME. Everyone else in the stories are my personal slaves.

Summary: Willow finds herself being horrified and embarrassed as the family are dragged into revisiting their old hometown.

Authors notes: This is sort of a two parter, though this story and ‘Renaissance’ can be read independently.

Feedback: Just add your comments at the end of the story.













When Willow and Tara had been house hunting after the sale of the first Anne Winters novel they had seen many fine houses but Willow had been swayed by one salient feature; the bathtub; though bathtub was a wholly inadequate description for this miracle of plumbing. The tub was circular and set into the floor; with water jets and a system of heaters, pumps, and controls that maintained the temperature and freshness of the water. It was in short ideal for the hedonist who wanted to relax in the tub; possibly bringing along a little company.

        Willow sighed as hands slipped over her warm wet flesh and she wiggled back against the pillow of Tara's boobs, "You've got to love Saturday mornings," she sighed.

        Tara nuzzled her neck, "Saturday mornings when we're alone," she amended.

        Willow only sighed again by way of reply. She dearly loved her daughter but like so many teens she had a rather puritanical attitude when it came to the very idea that her parents had sex, and since neither her nor Tara were exactly quiet that meant moments like this were precious and not to be wasted.

        Slithering round in a languid manner Willow faced Tara, half floating in the water she let her mate draw her in and kiss her while they tangled their bodies together. Willow straddled her lover and let her tongue massage Tara's while her hands did the same with Tara's breasts and thighs.

        Tara's right hand pressed between Willow's thighs and found the button of her clit, which brought the sort of shuddering moan that would have had LJ banging on the door and coughing loudly. Right now that was the furthest thing from Willow's mind as she ground her sex against Tara's hand and tried to work every inch of her skin over every inch of Tara's, setting them both on fire and bringing them to a shrieking climax.



        Willow had wrapped a robe around herself after they had toweled up some of the water that had slopped out onto the floor, the foresight of having the floor tiled avoided anything being permanently damaged. I really do love Saturdays. Willow thought; and there was still the small matter of drying each off in the bedroom to look forward to. As she walked down the hallway Willow spotted her tablet laying on the table where she had left it blinking for attention. She tried to ignore it but some instincts were just too powerful so she picked it up and checked her messages.

        Tara had settled for a big fluffy towel rather than a robe, leaving a lot of wet, glistening skin wantonly exposed as settled back on the bed. The frown on Willow's face rather killed Tara's hopes for 'seconds', "What's the matter honey?"

        "I've been invited to give a lecture, on the history of magic and witchcraft." Willow sounded grave as she spoke.

        "Well you are an authority," Tara pointed out brightly, "and you're pretty well known in academic circles."

        Willow didn't look any happier, "It's not the what its the where; UC Sunnydale."

        That explained everything to Tara; she still tried to look on the bright side, "Well you probably are their most famous alumni, even if they don't know it."

        "And no one is going to tell them." Willow reminded her.

        Tara shrugged, which had the distracting effect of causing her towel to slip down, "Of course not but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, I like the idea of showing off 'Professor Rosenberg' in her old home town."

        Between the warm tone and the exposed skin Willow found herself feeling less unhappy, and when Tara dragged her onto the bed Willow forgot all about it.



        I hope their enjoying themselves, LJ thought grumpily as she pulled her coat tighter around herself. It was of course not strictly her parents fault that she was out here in the cold and the dark since she was the one who had dug up this little situation from the Watcher reports, it was also an excuse for some long range teleportation, and I thought Russia would be exotic.

        Petrograd might be steeped in history but it was currently dusted with snow and LJ was far from the historic palaces and museums. The Slayer was instead in amongst what had been intended as luxury apartment blocks, right up until the Russian economy had gone into a freefall that bankrupted the developers and the recovery was far too fragile for anyone to be looking at overpriced real estate; especially when it had been thoroughly vandalized and overrun by squatters. That mass of what the Russians called 'invisibles' had attracted the attention of all those who preyed on the lost and uncared for of a society; including some predators that only came out with the full moon.

        LJ had matched up the Watcher files with some reports tucked away in the far corners of the medianet. They all pointed to a pack of werewolves roaming the back alleys of Petrograd; and not just the back alleys anymore or the medianet would have carried right on ignoring the attrition of the invisibles.

        Werewolves were in a different category from the other supernatural beasties in that most of the time they weren't beasts at all and according to the records quite often tried to avoid causing trouble when the full moon came around. It was even possible to control the transformation with some elaborate rituals and herbs; or at least Willow had told her that after running into some werewolf she had known in high school, and such was the nature of LJ’s life that comment hadn’t even been worth commenting on. Some people though enjoyed the transformation, reveling in the power and the excitement of hunting and killing, while at the same time disavowing any responsibility for the acts. That was bad enough when they were hunting alone but when they formed a pack with like-minded types it was bound to get very ugly. LJ's attention was grabbed by the sound of howling. It might have been a large dog, but I don't think so. Answering howls banished any doubt and LJ moved towards them.

        The werewolves came together more by instinct than design; even the oldest of them could only remember their transformation, not direct it. Once the full moon came they were overwhelmed by the beast; which was exactly what was so exhilarating about it. They beasts were still snuffling and growling to one another, settling the small matter of pack hierarchy, when the first of them picked up a human scent and set off a fresh wave of howling. Before they could set off on the hunt their target wandered into view, "Hey boys how are you doing?" LJ flipped her long coat back to reveal a skirt short enough that her parents would have had a fit if they knew she was wearing it. Still it had the desired effect; the males were being fired by testosterone and bloodlust and the females by some animalistic desire to remove a rival.

        LJ turned and ran as the werewolves scrambled after her. She had no time to pull out her tablet and check her route, she just had to trust that the two hours she had spent walking around trying to stave off the cold had fixed the landmarks in her mind because she wasn't wasting anymore of her weekend chasing after these jerks; which was how she came to be running up a blind alley with a pack of slavering monsters on her heels. She span around and watched the approaching pack. As she stood her ground she found an old quote coming to mind, and couldn't resist uttering it, "Now you see me..."

        "...and now you don't," she concluded as she teleported and materialized behind them. LJ flipped open her coat again; this time though to draw out the wickedly gleaming form of her sabre. The force spell had been intended as a temporary expedient to combat the Shiva sword. When it had proven stable LJ had decided to keep the enhancement; you never knew when it would come in handy.

        The werewolves were confused when their quarry vanished and before they could figure out what had happened an impossibly sharp blade separated a wolfen head from its shoulders and the scent of blood roused the beasts into a frenzied assault. That left them practically tripping over one another and made them sitting targets for a blistering series of sword strokes that turned them from hunting beasts into whipped curs. The last two tried to escape from the Slayer's fearsome power but the blind alley left them nowhere to go and LJ had no qualms about attacking the while their backs were turned, these beasts were killing the weak and helpless, they had no right to any mercy.

        The Slayer stood in the alleyway and surveyed the carnage she had dealt out. Her coat was probably going to require cleaning, possibly a lot of cleaning, but that was the only damage she had taken. The half a dozen werewolves though had...weren't there seven of the things? The thought punctured her sense of satisfaction and brought a steadily rising tide of panic behind it. LJ stretched out her senses; which caught the echo of a triumphant howl somewhere in the distance.

        Whether the werewolf was smarter or lazier than the rest of the pack was impossible to say; what mattered was that scenting alternative prey it had fallen away from the pack and slipped into the shadows of one of the alleyways that had intersected LJ's apparent escape route. The thick clothing wrapped around the body made it impossible to determine the age or sex of the unfortunate the beast had pounced on; and the damage it had wrought would render identification impossible even without that encumbrance.

        None of that mattered to LJ; all she saw was a dead person she hadn't protected. Exactly what happened in the next few seconds was never entirely clear. The night turned red with rage and when LJ could focus again there was a scent of Sulphur and scorched fur and the snow had all melted; of the werewolf there was no trace. All she could really recall was screaming at the creature, "Go to hell you bastard!"

2. “Home Help”

Bernie White was an excellent literary agent, he knew exactly what publisher X would pay for book Y. He knew how to deal with the temper tantrums of his writers, doubts about their talent, or the agonizing over an outbreak writer's block; and he was a past master at keeping the media sweet. In dealing with Willow Rosenberg he had found it necessary to develop a new skill; ignoring the impossible. It was a skill he had found need to practice again since Willow had called him from San Diego barely two hours ago and here she was in New York, must have been a computer error, like all those other times.

        The restaurant they were sat in was the one Bernie always took his clients to and having persuaded Willow to share a light lunch he decided to bite the bullet, "So what's on your mind Willow?"

        "I was wondering if you had gotten a little carried away with your publicity efforts?" she asked ominously. Willow wished she had been able to persuade Tara to come along but Willow's better half thought she was being silly; and someone should be home when LJ got back.

        Bernie's air of puzzlement removed the need for Tara's aura reading skill, "Only the usual stuff, posters, store displays, point blank refusal of any interviews," he saw that didn't make her happy, "you want to do an interview?"

        Bernie's hopeful enthusiasm forced Willow to explain why she was asking and the agent saw past the surface of her explanation, "You were hoping that I had been indiscrete so you would have an excuse to turn down this invitation weren't you?"

        Willow knew that while Bernie might look like someone's favorite uncle he was razor sharp so she had no choice but to admit the truth, "Basically, yes."

        Bernie smiled, "Sorry Will but you’re going to have to find another way to wriggle off this hook."

        Willow was going to offer a sarcastic reply when a telepathic call drove out everything else, Honey we need you here; now.

        The urgency of Tara's call sent a shiver of panic through Willow, "Bernie I'm sorry but I have to go, there's trouble at home."

        And how exactly do you know that? Bernie bit back the question and substituted a different one, "Is there anything I can do to help?" Before he even finished the offer the agent realized he was talking to an empty seat. Part of his brain insisted that she had vanished in front of him; the other part decided that he would be better off finishing his glass of wine, and possibly the bottle while he was at it.



        The sight of the blood stains brought a hastily suppressed shriek from Willow when she materialized in the living room. She had managed to suppress it only because it was clear almost at the same instant she saw them that they didn't belong to Tara or LJ; they were souvenirs from whatever LJ had been fighting and it looked as though the coat could be fixed with some dry cleaning, unless they just decided to burn it.

        LJ herself looked a lot worse than the coat. Her hair was damped down and matted, her eyes were puffy from crying and she was pale in a way that spoke of shock, "What happened?" Willow asked, not quite managing to keep the panic out of her voice.

        LJ tried to answer but couldn't find the words. Tara stepped into do it for her and filled in the details of the encounter with the werewolves; and the casualties. She kept her tone as neutral as possible, neither wanting to sound critical nor patronizingly sympathetic. Either could push LJ over the edge.

When Tara was finished LJ jumped before Willow could respond, “I shouldn't have tried to be so clever, I should just have gone straight in and confronted them.”

        Willow considered her response and decided to go with a strictly practical answer, “Maybe but what if one of them had been late? Or fled when you started tearing into them?”

        Almost against her will LJ considered that, “Are you say there was no good plan?”

        “No I'm saying that there were several good plans but there is no perfect plan. All you can do is your best dear, no one is expecting more than that.” Willow explained reassuringly.

        LJ didn't look convinced but any further attempts to bringing her around was prevented by the polite chiming of the household computer, “What is it computer?”

        “There is an incoming call from Reese Burkle Professor Rosenberg.” The computer explained in placid tones.

        That news left Willow too puzzled to think of saying anything else but "Put him through."

        As his face appeared in the living room screen Reese was equally taken aback at being confronted by the whole family, "Uh hello, Professor, Doctor, Lydia."

        "LJ," she corrected him absently.

        "Of course, sorry."

        Seeing that Reese was floundering Willow decided to nudge him along, "What are you calling about Reese?"

        "I was hoping you could help me out with my work." Remembering his purpose helped Reese get a grip on his nerves.

        "Reese we explained that we can't tell you where we saw the math before," Tara reminded him, "I thought you understood that.”

        "I do but there was something else, something that my cousin Fred told me about, something that could really help with the research."

        "And what would that be?" Willow asked cautiously.

        "Well its egg shaped, blue crystalline, with a big crack running down one side. Does that sound familiar?"



        Willow handed Reese a cup of coffee before she settled on the sofa next to Tara, "LJ isn't going to join us?"

        Tara shook her head, "She's had a rough day. I recommended a long soak in the tub followed by a trip to the mall."

        Reese nodded, "I didn't think you would want her involved in this; that's why I was a little circumspect earlier."

        Willow's earlier unease grew, "and exactly why would you think that?"

        Reese could tell he was a long way out on very thin ice, "After Angel came back cousin Fred loosened up and started telling me about the old days, especially about the last battle in Sunnydale, and how you closed the Hellmouth." Now a note of awe had entered Reese's voice.

        Willow's unease gave way to embarrassment, "You don't want to believe everything you hear."

        "Well my cousin isn't given to exaggeration, and she did tell me a lot about the tuning crystal, about how it could bend space and time. Then I started to think about how you could have seen my math, the math that no one else in the world is working on, before we ever met. I came to a conclusion and I figured that if I was right it wasn't something you would want to share with your daughter; seeing the future."

        It took Willow more than a few moments to frame an answer, "If you've figured that out then you have to know how dangerous it could be." In the wrong hands went without saying.

        Reese spread his hands in acknowledgement, "I do realize that but studying the crystal could cut years from my research, and who knows when that might prove useful?"

Reese rose from the chair, "I think maybe I should go; let you have some time to think it over."



        After showing Reese to the door Willow walked back into the living room and slumped into the chair he had vacated, "I knew we should have just stayed in the tub this morning."

        Tara gave her a wry smile, "I wouldn't have complained."

        Willow sighed, "But we would have gotten kind of wrinkly."

        Tara gave her a few moments to settle her self before asking the question, "So are we going to give him the crystal?"

        "I'm not sure its safe," Willow replied, "I mean Reese is bright, maybe even a genius, but what if he screws up?"

        "Actually honey he probably will." Tara saw the startled look on Willow's face, "Have you forgotten how you first met LJ?"

        Naturally Willow had done no such thing, and having two tuning crystals in the same time and place certainly smacked of an accident somewhere along the line, "So you're saying we should give him the crystal because we already did?"

        "I don't think I would say that," Tara contradicted, "not unless I wanted to bring on a migraine."

        Willow was willing to concede that point but another had occurred to her, "Well we do have one headache whether we like it or not; where is the crystal?"



        Wesley ran his fingers over the plaster on the wall; there was no trace of the gouges inflicted by Lonard on it, which made him a little happier about the cost of the repairs. The other changes he had made were equally invisible, a steel cored door, dead bolts on the windows. After being let down so badly by magic he had decided to place more faith in physical security to protect his home. Wesley is it alright if I drop in?

        The Watcher suppressed a rather unmanly shriek, "Of course Willow, I'm free at the moment." In the moments before Willow appeared Wesley wondered if he should introduce Willow and Tara to some of the more vocal members of the Council; perhaps if they had to deal with this sort of thing on a regular basis their ardor for greater involvement in managing the Slayer would be cooled.

        Willow materialized in the centre of the room and took a quick look round, "They did a nice job of repairs, glad we kept that thing out of my home."

        Wesley could tell she meant it as sympathy but it simply grated on his nerves, "Indeed, what can I do for you?"

        "I was wondering if Giles had passed the tuning crystal to you before he, died." Willow still found it hard to use that last word.

        Wesley frowned, "I rather thought you had taken custody of it."

        "No fragile crystals and toddlers don't mix, and later I just didn't want it anywhere near LJ, so it got left with Giles." Willow explained.

        Wesley considered that, "In that case I may indirectly be in possession of it."

        "Indirectly?"

        "Yes, you see I suspect he left it in the Magic Box, and I own the Magic Box." Wesley was a little ashamed of how much enjoyment he got from Willow's bemusement but only a little.

        "How exactly did you come by the Magic Box, shouldn't Xander have had half?" Willow wished she hadn’t said that; he was another good reason why she would rather not visit Sunnydale.

        Wesley was also a little uncomfortable with the subject, "It turned out that the partnership agreement with Anya contained a clause that if one partner died their share passed to the survivor. I believe it was Anya's idea."

        Willow found that entirely likely; she could well imagine Anya explaining to Giles how he was bound to die first, anything else probably never even occurred to her. "So the whole thing reverted to Giles and he left it to you?"

        "Actually he left it to the oversight office, to provide an independent source of finance. One of his conditions was that we protected a safe he had put in to the basement. If the crystal is anywhere it will be there."

        With a heavy heart Willow accepted the logic, "Back in Sunnydale."

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

Tara was watching her family and was torn between the personal desire to comfort them and the professional instinct that said she should just get them to snap out of it. LJ she had to concede had reason to be upset but it was in danger of becoming self-pity. Willow on the other hand... "Honey this really isn't that big a deal."

        Willow gave her a wounded look, "Not that big a deal? I'm being dragooned into going back to Sunnydale. Between the crystal and that invitation what choice am I being given?"

        That slip got LJ's attention, "What invitation?"

        "Your mom has been invited to talk at UC Sunnydale." Tara explained.

        LJ looked puzzled and turned to Willow, "So what's the big deal, don't you lecture all the time? In class I mean."

        "Yes but that's different." Willow knew that sounded incredibly lame and wasn’t going to get her off the hook.

        LJ asked the one question Willow was afraid of, "Why?'

        Willow looked to Tara but her better half just shrugged, she agreed with LJ and wasn't going to dig Willow out of this. Willow turned back to her daughter, "Because at my college I'm a professor, at UC Sunnydale I'd feel like a teenager again," she admitted.

        "Well I don't see that as a bad thing," LJ suggested, "besides I don't really remember the old place and I'd like to get to know where it all started."

        Willow considered that and now Tara did, silently, intervene; and it will take her mind off what happened in Russia. Willow could see that LJ had been thoroughly distracted from her brooding, and there was the small matter that if they didn't go to Sunnydale there was no way of getting the crystal for Reese; which had headache inducing implications for causality, "Alright, we'll go back to Sunnydale." With a few good tactical spells just in case.



        James Ferryman had three separate tablets sat running on his desk. It wasn't that he was really that busy; he was simply paranoid about losing data if one of them failed. It therefore took him a few seconds to remember which one he had routed his calls through. When he remembered he was confronted by an attractive red headed woman and the panicky sense this was someone he should know but had awkwardly forgotten.

        Luckily Willow was in too much of a hurry to notice his hesitation, "Professor Willow Rosenberg."

        That did ring a bell with Ferryman, and a little discrete tapping on one of the other tablets completed the process of jogging his memory, "Ah yes professor I hope this is good news, you are going to accept our invitation?"

        Willow knew she should just say yes but she couldn't resist the impulse to try and find some wiggle room, "You are aware that my lecture is going to be strictly academic, no magic tricks?" As she mentioned it Willow wondered if perhaps Ferryman had heard about her little 'demonstrations'.

        It appeared he hadn't, "That's exactly what we want Professor. Your lecture will be part of a program and the other speakers will be a little more, commercial shall we say. Your contribution will add some welcome academic gravity to the series."

        Willow was sure the man had been rehearsing that speech for just this occasion. Still under other circumstances that might have been reason enough to refuse the invitation; right now it was just one more irritant among the many Willow was having to put up with, "Well as long as you're clear then I'll be happy to accept," she managed not to grit her teeth over the word 'happy'.

        "That's marvelous Professor. I'm forwarding full details of the program and our other local activities for that week. If you could just let me know about exactly when you're arriving and your accommodation requirements I'll get the ball rolling at this end."

        Willow acknowledged that with a few mumbled pleasantries before breaking the connection. The words; other local activities for that week, kept echoing in her head. She saw the blinking icon indicating a received file and opened it with deep foreboding.



        Tara had retired to the kitchen with LJ and was watching her offspring working her way through a box of cookies while she waited for some coffee to brew. She could have ordered LJ to go easy but Slayer metabolism seemed to burn up the calories. If there was anything about being a Slayer that someone might envy it had to be the constitution that kept them in shape practically effortlessly.

        Recently Tara had been uncomfortably aware that it was getting harder work to keep the pounds off herself, that was before LJ had received her calling of course; since then the scales had been a lot kinder in their judgment. Tara was contemplating the commercial possibilities of weight loss plan built around fighting the forces of the supernatural when Willow walked in looking shocked and carrying her tablet.

        She pointed a finger directly at Tara, "This is all your fault; 'it will be fine honey', 'it won't be any trouble honey', 'nothing will go wrong honey'."

        Tara didn't remember using those exact words exactly but decided to let that pass, "Honey you're being hysterical and a little scary; what's the matter?"

        Willow thrust the tablet wordlessly towards Tara who took it and began to study it. She tried not to react openly but she couldn't hold it back; she burst out laughing.

        That reaction left Willow looking still deeply wounded and LJ burning with curiosity; using all her Slayer speed and fencers agility she plucked the tablet out of Tara's hand and began to read.

Want to take a trip into the unknown?

Then join us in the home of the

Demon Hunter

For our 5th annual exploration

of mystery and magic

in Anne Winters country!!!

        LJ was a very bright girl and it took her only a few moments to come to a conclusion, "They know you wrote the books."

        Willow shook her head, "No but they've apparently concluded that Sunnydale is a dead ringer for the town in the book."

        "Because it is the town in the book." Tara pointed out, having managed to get over her laughing fit and trying to sound more sympathetic.

        "Yes it is the town but I thought if anyone there recognized it they would have the decency to go into denial like they always used to." Willow complained.

        LJ had been working her way through screens and data links, "Well they're out of denial and well into money making. There are all sorts of links between local landmarks and the books, as well as weird stories from the old days. Hey who put a force field around the whole town?"

        You did. Willow barely managed to choke back the comment and doing so broke through her unhappiness about the situation, my tantrum she admitted to herself.

        Even as Willow calmed down Tara understood what was really behind her partner’s unhappiness. She wasn't worried so much about their past as their daughter's role in it. Sunnydale was the epicentre of weirdness and with the tuning crystal involved the last secrets they had tried to protect LJ from might have to come out. But still we have no choice.

        Willow heard the thought and nodded in acknowledgement, "Alright I've agreed to go and we need to get the crystal; let's just see if we can avoid anymore surprises."



        The demon completed the translation of the cantrip and almost threw the volume it came from across the room. The spell was the exact same one it had found two volumes ago, simply in a different language. The work would go a great deal quicker if the humans could simply choose a language and stick with it.

        Instead of hurling the book the creature simply added it to the stack of other books that had proven less than helpful. That proved wise as its employer chose that moment to arrive and they had already demonstrated a tendency towards petulance if its efforts to provide the necessary research material wasn't properly appreciated.

        On this occasion it became apparent the employer didn't need any stimulus for petulance, "How much longer are you going to be doing this?"

        The demon refused to descend to the mortal's level, it replied matter of factly, "Another week or two would be beneficial."

        "But not essential?" The employer snapped.

        "No not essential but useful, for our mutual safety."

        "Yeah well there's safe and there's safe."

        The demon might be beholden to its employer but it wasn't about to risk its survival without some sort of explanation, "Something has changed, a new reason for urgency."

        "Something has changed," the employer conceded, "trouble is coming."

        The demon fought down its impatience, "What sort of trouble?"

        "A couple who make a habit of sticking their noses in and screwing things up."

        "If they know what we're doing..."

        The demons suggestion was cut off brusquely, "They don't but I know them and they're bound to find out. We need to get this done before they get too close."

        The demon was going to point out the risks but a sneaking suspicion about the identity of the couple restrained it, if it's them none of this matters, we are still in the unyielding grasp of fate, "Very well we can begin tomorrow."

4. "Falling into Fiction"

The car the Sunnydale chamber of commerce had sent to the airport didn't quite qualify as a limo but it was plush and spacious and let the family spread themselves out. LJ didn't want to rubberneck but she found herself fascinated with the place. Even the woods that around the fringes of the town reminded her of stories from her parents as well as Buffy and Dawn, the monsters seemed to like the dark woods just as well as Sunnydale’s sewers. One thing definitely didn't fit in with any of the stories she had heard, "Look at that."

        Willow and Tara leaned over to see what their daughter was gesturing at. There was a curving triangle of transparent plastic rising ten metres out of the ground and surrounded by a cluster of free floating displays running through a montage of images culled from old news reports, "I think its supposed to represent the force wall around the town." Willow muttered darkly.

        LJ looked again and nodded before turning back to her parents with a quizzical expression, "You know you didn't tell me how you did that."

        "No that's right we didn't." Willow replied agreeably.

        When it was clear that was all the answer she was getting LJ shrugged, "Fine I'll ask Reese, he can probably figure it out. Are you okay?" This last was in response to the sudden coughing fit Tara was having.

        She waved away LJ's concern, "I'm fine dear." While she choked the laughter down she did nothing to keep her amusement out of the thought she shot Willow, I think that qualifies as a plan backfiring honey.

        Since LJ was looking away from her Willow responded by sticking her tongue out.

        For Willow Sunnydale proper carried a double level of familiarity. So many of the landmarks of her youth had been preserved and at the same time re-edited to fit in with the product of her imagination. The Bronze was a prime example; the area around it might have been redeveloped with shops and apartments but the club remained an island of grunge amidst the modernity. The disconcerting part was that the neon sign hanging outside said 'The Forge', which was the name borne by the fictional incarnation in her books. The sight of it all prompted an urge to leap from the car and just scream out a confession, yes it was I; I'm responsible for all of this! Willow reminded herself that she was after all a professor and it would be beneath her dignity, not to mention that Tara and LJ would stand around sniggering. As much as it pained her Willow knew she would just have to grin and bear it; well bear it anyway.



        The home of the chamber of commerce of commerce were the old mayoral offices downtown; it seemed that no one had been keen to fill the role vacated by Mayor Wilkins and it had been allowed to quietly fade away; leaving responsibility for running Sunnydale firmly in the hands of the chamber. Ferryman had described the event as an 'informal get together for the chamber of commerce and their honored guests'. None of the witches had been fooled by that and had gone for their best outfits. Of course LJ's idea of best was rather different from her parents and they had insisted on something that covered at least fifty percent of her skin. LJ had complied but signaled her rebellion by choosing a black dress that had a high necked, long sleeved top, and therefore a somewhat short skirt.

        Tara had considered asking her to change but decided her daughter would just come up with something worse and let it go. For herself she had gone with a silk blouse and the sort of wrap around skirt that Willow liked her to wear. Willow had gone for a rather conservative look, possibly in response to her daughter's showiness. It was simple dark green silk dress that set of her hair and lent a certain elegance to Willow's petite frame.

        As they walked in the room Willow scanned the crowd and recognized a number of them from the brochure for the event, including a fellow horror author; one in fact she significantly out sold. She was watching him lecturing rather pompously on the 'craft of the writer' so was totally oblivious to the fact that she in turn was being watched until LJ nudged her in the ribs, "There's some guy checking you out," she murmured.

        Willow turned to give whoever it was her best frosty stare; only to find herself frozen instead. The figure was greyer, wider, and had picked up a not wholly natural looking tan but Willow would still have known him anywhere. She managed to force her legs to carry her forward, with a baffled LJ gliding along beside her.

        "Hello Xander." As Willow approached him Xander Harris hadn't made any effort to close the gap and he seemed quite content with Willow halting a couple of feet from him.

        "Hi Willow, and I guess this is LJ."

        LJ nodded in response not sure what she should say. When she was growing up the family had visited with Buffy during school holidays; Dawn had babysat whenever she came to town and dished the dirt on what really happened in the old days. LJ had bawled her eyes out when Rupert Giles died; the man had been like an extra grandfather to her. All the core of the Scooby gang were people to her, even if she sometimes couldn't imagine them running around killing demons, with one notable exception. Xander Harris was just old stories and a thinly disguised character in her mother's novels, which it now occurred to her was odd for the 'boy next door'.

        The awkward silence was broken as Xander ushered a young woman forward, "This is Penny, my girlfriend."

        LJ restrained herself from saying gross; the girl was half Harris' age. She looked to Willow and saw her mother looking stricken, what is it mom?

        She looks a lot like Anya, Willow explained, "So Penny how did you meet Xander?" Willow's bland civility grated with her but she had to say something.       

        Penny seemed oblivious to the strain, "I started working at the construction firm and Xander and me just hit it off," she enthused.

        You and his wallet, LJ thought cattily; and then felt bad when the woman sweetly asked her, "So how old are you, uh, LJ?"

        "I'm sixteen." LJ mumbled.

        Penny continued her effort to sustain the conversation, "And what do you do with your spare time?"

        "I fence, you know with swords."

        That left Penny uncertain how to respond. Xander however had a question, "So have you picked up any of your mom's bad habits?"

        That caused LJ to bridle, "They aren't bad habits. I'm just following in their footsteps, and Buffy's."

        Willow saw that comment hit home with Xander and a puzzled frown formed on Penny's face that just reinforced the young woman's resemblance to Anya, so much for hoping he had let go and moved on, he hasn't forgotten or forgiven.



        Tara had left Willow and LJ checking out the crowd while she went and organized drinks for the three of them. The woman behind the makeshift bar was overworked and had her back turned when Tara approached, "Excuse me."

        The woman turned and stared, "Oh my god they said you were coming but I forgot."

        "Hello Amy." Tara could see that Amy Madison's aura was in turmoil; that made it very hard to tell her attitude towards the meeting, Tara was sure her’s was quite obvious, appalled and shocked.

        Amy had a bottle of alcohol in her hand, "I work for the PR department of the Chamber, I'm just helping out for the evening, pitching in."

        "Well that's good." Tara sounded wooden even to herself.

        Amy nodded uncertainly and hastily tried to bring a close to the encounter, "So what can I get for you?"



        As the family regrouped in the centre of the room willow and Tara's words ran over the top of one another, "Guess who I ran into?"



        The drive back to the hotel the Chamber had arranged for them was every bit as brooding as the drive to the party. LJ looked form one parent to the other. She didn't have any great desire to stir things up but her curiosity was overwhelming, "Why was Xander Harris being such a jerk?"

        Willow looked at Tara, are we sure they didn't mix some of Anya's DNA in with ours?

Tara's expression remained impassive; actually I think it's a fair question.

        Willow had been hoping for some back up but it was clear Tara still hadn't forgiven Xander for his behaviour so she had no choice but to offer a straight answer, "Right after the first Demon Hunter novel came out Anya got in touch about this scheme to franchise the Magic Box and she was looking for investors. I wasn't sure the book wouldn't turn out to be a flash in the pan so I turned her down.'

        LJ was astonished, "That's it?"

        "Tell her the rest honey." Tara stated resolutely.

        Willow had wanted to avoid the most unpleasant and embarrassing part but that was now impossible, "After I said no Anya found some other investors; not very nice as it turned out."

        "Or very human." Tara interjected.

        Willow nodded, "It all went wrong when someone embezzled money. The original Magic Box was safe but Anya had a lot of investors looking for their money, or a piece of Anya if they couldn't get it."

        LJ didn't know what to say so she just waited for Willow to continue, "Xander came to us and begged for help but there was nothing we could do, the kind of deals Anya had made there was no way to protect her, no way to save her. After she was dead Xander came to see us one more time."

        "He came to blame you," Tara corrected, "he was ranting and screaming right in your face, that's why I knocked him down."

        "You knocked him down?" LJ was incredulous.

        "Telekinetically." Tara added with embarrassment.

        Willow understood why Tara had done it, and had even been grateful but she couldn't forget the bitterness in Xander's expression when he left, or that she had seen a flicker of it tonight.

5. "Crystal Tears"

LJ had looked at her hotel room and decided it was perfectly nice. The bed was comfy, the shower was neither scalding nor freezing, and the screen had a broad range of video and data services. All fine, and she was bored to death within half an hour of arriving back from the reception. She paced back and forth for a little while before changing her clothes, grabbing her jacket and knocking on her parent's bedroom door. LJ couldn't escape the suspicion that Willow had hastily pulled clothes on before answering. She tried desperately not to think about that, "Hey mom."

        "Is something wrong?" Willow asked; sounding more distracted than concerned.

        "Actually I was going to go out, do some patrolling." LJ explained.

        Willow now looked a little uncertain, "Well dear I'm not sure. I mean you weren't planning on heading for the Bronze were you?"

        "I promise no partying, strictly going to see if I can find any undead fiends to slay." LJ reassured her.

        Willow didn't ponder the incongruity that the statement was reassuring, "I'm still not sure I want you running around a strange town."

        "Hey I've read the books and listened to the stories, this isn't a strange town," LJ countered, "besides if I don't go out I'll just be sat in my room watching the screen, listening to every noise around me.

        The not so subtle hint did the trick, "Alright dear but don't stay out later than eleven."

        "Promise." LJ responded and set off jauntily down the corridor.

        Willow closed the door and turned back to the still half dressed Tara and saw the amused look on her face, "What?"

        "Just noticing how easily our daughter can wrap you around her little finger."

        "Oh be quiet and get your clothes off." Willow announced before pouncing on her.



        The alleyways of Sunnydale weren't that different from those of San Diego and whatever they might be steeped in it wasn't a sense of history. Nonetheless LJ couldn't help thinking about how this was where it all started; a group of teenagers running around the dark places of this town fighting the forces of evil, and making out like bunnies. LJ smiled at the thought, which she wouldn't dare mention to her parents.

        LJ was surprised to find she wasn't the only one out for a late stroll, though where she had changed into a sensible jeans and jacket the other girl was in a flimsy party frock, and blithely ignorant of the fact that something was trailing her in the shadows. It could just be a mugger, or some nastier normal threat but LJ's Slayer instincts said not. It seemed Sunnydale was truly determined to live up to its past.

        Sliding into step behind the pursuer LJ let the stalker close up with its prey. She still couldn't get a good look at whoever or whatever was hunting the oblivious girl and LJ didn't want to spook it into running off; wherever it picked as a good place to ambush the girl should also work to contain it. Yeah that worked so well the last time. The memory of Russia hit LJ like a blow and the surge of panic drove her to chase down the predator, as she did so both the girl and her stalker turned into an alleyway.

        As she entered the alley LJ heard a shriek and saw the girl backing up against the wall with the attacker closing in, "Back off bozo!" LJ commanded.

        The stalker turned round and now LJ saw it was a vampire with bleached blond hair, bleached blond? "Your Spike!"

        Being called by name surprised the vampire enough that he shifted back to his human face. Spike's surprise wasn't sufficient wasn't enough to wipe out his swagger, "That's right, and if you know me you'll hop it while I'm feeling generous."

        The reaction wasn't the one Spike had been expecting, LJ broke out in almost hysterical laughter, "Oh god you really talk like that," she finally managed to choke out.

        Spike did not take the ridicule well, "Who the bleeding hell are you?"

        LJ smiled, "I was hoping you'd ask that."

        Perhaps it was the streetlight glinting off red hair, or that quirky smile, or just the way she moved. Whatever it was Spike suddenly knew that he was about to have a very bad night. That realization was still forming when a spinning kick sent him flying down the alley.

        "What is going on?" The potential victim had found her voice and sounded angry and confused.

        "I think you had better go while you can." LJ instructed the woman and the steely resolution in her voice made it impossible to refuse.

        As the woman ran LJ approached Spike again; who was still lying dazed on the cement, "You're the witches little bit."

        "Yes but I don't like being called 'little bit' anymore than Dawn did."

        Spike ran a hand over his aching ribs, "And you're the Slayer."

        LJ nodded, "And I have some other party tricks as well," she gestured and Spike rose up to hang several feet in the air.

        Spike was speechless. He had been pummeled by Slayers and zapped by witches, and here was someone who could do both at the same time. Ever since the Hellmouth was closed he had more demons whining on about their doomsday prophecy 'caught between the dark of the sky and the light of the earth'. In Spike's book it was self-pitying rubbish and he didn't believe a word of it; until now.

        LJ was still trying to figure out exactly what she should do with the vampire. He had been stalking the girl but there was something off about the whole thing and besides wasn't Spike a sort of historical artifact? The question was rendered moot as a cold wave passed over LJ. Instinctively she released Spike, dropped and rolled; just as a thing of scales and steel rippled into existence in the alleyway.

        Leaping to her feet LJ boggled at the thing. It looked as if someone had taken left over chunks of demon and stitched them together with metal and machinery; and what looked queasily like pieces of human. The thing seemed equally confused but after a moment it lumbered forward to grab her. LJ met it with a spinning kick, and winced as it connected; she might as well have kicked a concrete post.

        Slayer reactions allowed LJ to dance back out of the way while she tried to come up with some alternative. Spotting a large manhole cover set near the other end of the alley way she concentrated her magic on it, all of her magic.

        The supersonic boom was probably just in her imagination but the effect of the impact of the heavy iron disk on the assemblage was quite real. The cover caught the thing edge on and square in the back. The metal shrieked and tore and fleshly parts squished and crushed. The violence of the impact snapped the things neck back with an unmistakable crack and the remains toppled to the ground amidst wisps of smoke and leaking fluids.

        Looking around LJ saw that Spike had taken advantage of the chaos to flee. Examining the remains of the creature LJ was left wondering what to do with them; leave it for the chamber of commerce, they'll probably have it stuffed and mounted.



        After working off some tension Willow and Tara had headed for the hotel restaurant to replenish expended energy and replace the fluid they had sweated off. Tara had become vegetarian years before and was pleased to see a good selection on the menu. She settled on a dish based around a cheese and spinach ravioli. Willow on the other hand had never given up carnivorous tendencies but stuck with the Italian theme by having a spaghetti Bolognese. As it turned out James Ferryman might lay his superlatives on a bit thick but he had been right about the quality of the restaurant.

        Between their 'alone time' upstairs and the good food Tara could tell Willow was about as relaxed as she could get, "So honey what do you really think of what they've done with the place?"

        Tara had, as usual, judged her partner perfectly. Willow wasn't inclined to dissemble and just smiled, "I guess part of me is psyched about the whole thing, and the other part is mortified, so it just about balances out."

        "Maybe there's just a little more of the psyched side?" Tara held the thumb and forefinger of her right hand slightly apart.

        Willow gave her a sly grin, "You'll have to earn the answer to that question."

        Tara was about to pursue that when she spotted Xander Harris crossing the restaurant, well there goes the mood.

        Willow followed Tara's troubled gaze and began to frown herself. Xander saw the reaction and spread his hands in a conciliatory gesture and tried to smile, not very successfully, "I'm not here to fight, I know I didn't make a great impression at the reception and I wanted say sorry," he had laid his hands on an empty chair at an adjacent table.

        Tara was inclined to tell him to get lost but Willow looked hesitant and Xander took the silence for assent and sat across from the pair, "I really didn't think you'd come; the rest of the chamber was gung ho for it but I figured you were done with this place."

        Tara could tell Xander was working hard to sound reasonable but his aura was glazed with tension, "I thought so too but things just pushed me into saying yes." Willow conceded.

        Xander nodded, "Figures, your daughters the Slayer so you’re back in the old routine."

        "Not exactly the old routine." Tara couldn't keep the edge out of her voice. Xander Harris wasn't part of the new routine, and he wasn't going to be.

        Willow winced at Tara's manner but had to agree with the words, "It definitely isn't like the old days, it's way more complicated," she launched into the story of the recovery of Angel, and for a little while it was like the old days.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

        "Willow I love you but if you say, 'I told you so' one more time I'm going to find a good divorce lawyer." Tara wasn't so much bothered by the constant repetition as by the fact she hadn't come up with any way to rebut the point so far.

        Willow didn't take the threat even vaguely seriously but she switched to another tack anyway, "You're sure Spike being here is nothing to do with us?"

        LJ was grateful for the question because she hadn't been able to get a word in edgeways since her parents started discussing her initial report of her run in, and the merits of this trip to Sunnydale, "Pretty sure not. I think it totally freaked him out when he figured out who I was, I don’t think he was looking for trouble." The truth was that LJ had always thought that someone in the gang must have had a soft spot for Spike because from all the stories she had heard it was a near miracle he hadn't wound up dusted years before. LJ was rather more worried about the party crasher, "That other character was something else, one tough…creature. I hit it so hard it should have splattered instead of just crunching."

        Willow tried not to visualize LJ's two options, "It just appeared out of thin air, teleported in?"

        LJ considered that, "Didn't feel like that. When you teleport it’s sort of static, this was more like it just opened the door and walked in."

        That left both Willow and Tara troubled, it sounded familiar but neither of them was willing to draw the obvious conclusion just yet.



        The alleyway was just as LJ had left it. Tara saw that the manhole cover had been replaced properly; years of telling her daughter to keep her room tidy had clearly paid off. LJ could have stuffed the demon down the hole first but that was would be neatness beyond the call besides they did need to examine it first. The thing itself was oversized and distorted; like something out of an old Frankenstein movie.

        Willow was poking around the remains with a degree of equanimity that surprised her daughter. It was one thing to go and slay the monster it was quite another to pick through the pieces. A device attached to the left eye had been knocked away and Willow scooped it up, "Kind of antique looking." LJ offered.

        "It is pretty out of date." Willow conceded. The lens system was glass and Silicon. Modern systems used liquid oil lenses that adjusted in the same way as the human eye. The device in Willow's hand hadn't been high tech since, since the last time we were in Sunnydale. The conclusion that had been lurking at the back of her mind finally unfolded in front of her, "This thing didn't come from around here."

        "You mean not from the here and now." Tara concurred.

        LJ on the other hand did not get it, "So this thing just bounced through time and space to get here; how exactly is that possible?"



        The Magic Box was a radically different place from its time under the management of Rupert Giles. The fairly light and clean aesthetics of the original had given way to gothic gloom. The walls were lined with dark wood paneling and the lighting was arranged to give the impression of flickering torches. Thomas Geary found it nauseating, which was unfortunate as he was the manager of the place. Every morning he opened his eyes with a sense of dread and came to unlock this dingy cave. It wasn't even as if he could delegate the job; Wesley Wyndham Pryce had been adamant that the post was too important to leave to anyone outside the Watchers.

        Geary didn't really blame his superior for this working conditions. The person who was responsible for this dungeon was the one who had described it in such excruciating detail; the one who had written those accursed novels, if I ever get my hands on Anne Winters…

        The tinkling of the doorbell signaled the arrival of the first customers of the day. Geary felt a certain empathy with the red headed woman who led the way through the door. The appalled expression on her face matched his feelings exactly, "Good morning, can I help you?" For once the warmth in his voice wasn't forced.

        Seeing that Willow was still too stunned by her surroundings to respond Tara pushed past her with LJ, "I'm Tara Maclay and this is my daughter."

        The way Geary's face went pale said that no further introduction was needed, "Ah, yes, I was told you were coming." Warned was closer to the truth. The potential consequences of any sort of highhanded attitude had been made crystal clear; "I'll show you to the basement."

        Tara waved him off, "Don't worry we know where it is."

        As the door of the basement closed behind her Willow shook her head, "It looked so cool in my head, sort of a cross between an Oxford college and a sorcerers lair. They turned it into an S&M dungeon," she commented mournfully.

        "Let it go honey." Tara suggested distractedly. She was trying to orient herself as the contents of the basement had turned over more than once in the better part of two decades. She walked over to the back wall, which was obscured by several large boxes.

        "I'll get them." LJ shuffled the boxes aside effortlessly to reveal an unadorned metal plate.

        Tara ran a finger down one edge of the plate and it sprang open to reveal a recessed safe with an old-fashioned tumbler mechanism set in the middle of it. She drew a slip of paper from her pocket and entered the combination until a soft click announced that she had gotten it right. Tara reached out and her and hovered an inch away from the unlocked door; she was quite certain of what she would find but as long as she didn't look...

        LJ reached past her unceremoniously and swung the door open, "Bunch of papers, no stone," she turned to see the stricken looks on her parent’s faces. LJ Maclay was a good daughter and seldom lost her temper with her mothers but right now she had reached her limit, "What? What is so important about this thing? What is the big secret? What the hell is going on?"

        Tara looked at her other half, it’s time Willow.

        Willow nodded, she knew it had to be her who told the story; after all she was the one who had started it.



        LJ rubbed her fingers along her temples, mostly so she could make sure that her head hadn't exploded. She stared at her parents so long Tara was afraid she had gone catatonic. Finally LJ fixed her gaze on Willow, "Did you know who I was? When you gave me the crystal did you know?"

        "I didn't know but I felt something, I felt a connection, I knew I could trust you to get me home." Willow's voice was trembling; she was terrified that LJ was going to storm out and not come back. She looked to Tara but even she couldn't read LJ's turbulent emotions.

        LJ had been on the brink of just such a tantrum when the image of the unfortunate street person in Petrograd. That terrible sense of failure of not being able to save them, the desire to protect them even though they were a stranger, what would it be like if it was someone you loved? Would she do things differently? Lay all that weight of destiny on someone she loved in one crushing heap? Are you going to get mad at them because they love you and want to protect you?

        Tara saw the wave of calm wash through LJ's aura. She hoped she knew what it meant but she didn't dare utter a word. LJ had been perched on one of the boxes, now she stood up and squared her shoulders, "I know I'm your little girl, probably always will be to you but I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm the Slayer, I need to know this stuff."

        Willow nodded relieved, "I know dear but it’s hard to give up a secret you've kept so long."

        LJ couldn't resist one little dig; "Well it looks like it has been a secret for a while now."



        Geary had considered going down to the basement several times. The shouting earlier had driven away several customers but Geary saw that as no bad thing. It was the silence that had followed which disturbed him. He was greatly relieved when the door opened and the three women emerged; a feeling that lasted slightly less than five seconds.

        Exactly how he came to be pressed against the wall with his feet dangling inches above the floor was unclear. What was clear that his superiors had not exaggerated the power commanded by the witches, "Who did you let into the safe?"

        Willow sounded mad but Tara could tell it was mostly an act to shake Geary so Tara could get a clear read on him, there was though just a little bit of venting going on,

        "I've never been anywhere near the thing." Geary blurted.

        Willow gave him her best frosty stare, "I'm supposed to believe that someone just walked in and burgled the basement?"

        "This place is a mad house at the weekends," Geary babbled, "and the warding spells."

        "What about the warding spells?" Willow asked menacingly.

        "They perhaps haven't been renewed as often as they should have been." Geary admitted haltingly.

        Tara could read the truth clearly in the manager’s aura, anyone one could just have walked in and robbed the place.

7. "Suspicious Minds"

Willow Rosenberg was not the sort of person who was normally suckered in by the extortion of the hotel minibar. In this case though she was prepared to make an exception. She had liberated a bottle of wine for herself and Tara. She wasn't so far gone that she was going to let LJ drink so she also fetched a soda.

        LJ squeezed and twisted the top until the metallized plastic unfolded and took a sip, trying unobtrusively to watch her parents.

        Willow strolled over to the window and looked out over Sunnydale, "You ever think it would just have been better to let this place slide into the Hellmouth?"

        "Now honey you know that isn't so." Tara scolding was offered in the lightest possible tone.

        LJ jumped in to help as best she could, "I don't think it’s as bad as it seems."

        It was all Willow could do not yell; are you nuts? "How do you figure that dear?"

        "Well since I haven't gone back to retrieve the crystal yet, and if I don't do that you won't get out of that limbo, and then I won't be born, and then..." LJ halted as she got lost in her own loop of logic.

        Tara saw where she was going, "We wouldn't be here talking about it. So either this is all part of that history or things are still fixable."

        Willow considered that. She didn't like the notion of trusting to destiny but if someone was messing with the order of things; well she had always been good at putting things in order, "Ok so we figure out the who and the why and then we get the crystal back, not necessarily in that sequence."

        LJ and Tara nodded along with Willow. LJ spoke up first, "If that demon turning up last night was deliberate then you know who that would put in the frame, your old friend Spike."

        Willow considered that, "Could be, I think it has to be someone from the old days."

        Tara was always sort of fascinated when Willow went into super sleuth mode, "How do you figure that honey?"

        "The crystal was locked away right after we closed the Hellmouth. How would anyone who didn't see it in action then even know about it?" Willow pointed out.

        It wasn't an airtight argument but it did make a fair amount of sense. Tara thought of something else, "We don't know that last night was deliberate.”

        "You mean someone just messing with that kind of magic without knowing what they’re doing?" LJ was dubious, "Whose that stupid?"

        Tara answered unhesitatingly, "Amy Madison."

        Willow knew that Tara had never gotten over her dislike of Amy; that didn't make her wrong though, "Could be; could also be none of the above. We need to find out how long this has been going on, if there's any pattern to it."

        LJ nodded, finished her soda, grabbed her jacket, and headed for the door, "Where are you going young lady?" Willow demanded.

        LJ gave her a look as she thought Willow was becoming a little senile, "I thought we had just come up with a plan. I'll go finish what I started with Spike, you're going to dig up the dirt on Sunnydale, which leaves you one mom to go grill Amy Madison."

        Tara looked deeply unhappy, "Oh thank you so much, I'll remember this the next time you want your allowance raised."



        Finding Amy wasn't exactly a challenge; a quick call to the chamber offices had found plenty of people only to happy to put an old friend in touch with her, and only too happy to tell Tara where she went for lunch.

        Tara had considered a head on confrontation but settled for a little unobtrusive snooping instead, fittingly using the trick she had acquired from Amy. The concealment glamour was working as well as ever and Tara drifted into a quiet corner of the diner to keep watch on Amy. The woman was sat at a table far to large for a person eating alone and they way she kept looking around with a concerned expression reinforced Tara's impression that Amy was up to something.

        That impression was somewhat spoiled when Amy began waving vigorously towards one of the entrances to the diner. Tara looked over her shoulder to see a small boy and girl making a beeline for the table with a man following behind with an apologetic look on his face. The body language spoke volumes to Tara, especially since it had happened to her and Willow more than once; the carefully made space in a busy day for the family to get together wrecked by the unexpected delay.

        The more familiar the scene became the more of a lowlife Tara felt. She had been absolutely sure Amy was up to something, and the notion that she actually had something in common with the woman was making Tara wish she could just leave and forget all about her little theory but still part of her couldn't let go, she had to talk to Amy before she could be sure so Tara braced herself for a lot of embarrassment.

        The one piece of good fortune Tara got was that when lunch was over Amy made her way back to the chamber offices alone, so at least she wouldn't have to confront the partner and children, unable to think of any subtle way of doing this Tara just let go of the concealment glamour and fell into step beside her, "Hello again Amy."

        Any faint hope that Amy would take it for a chance meeting fizzled out as her face hardened, "You're following me," she stated bluntly.

        Tara wasn't very good at lying at the best of times so she didn't bother trying, "Yes I have, I needed to see what you were doing, what," what you were up to.

        "I don't want to know, even if it's the end of the world I don't want to know." Amy's voice was tight with tension as she cut the explanation off.

        Tara found she needed to justify herself, "You have to understand, after the last time we saw you."

        Amy cut across her again, "The last time I saw you I got a vision that scared me to death and I resented it like hell but you know what I resent the most?"

        As much as she hated to Tara had to ask, "What?"

        "That you were right."

        That knocked Tara sideways, "We were right?"

        After years of storing this up Amy needed to get this out, "Every time I even thought about using magic I saw that vision and I couldn't do it. I started doing things the hard way, expecting my life to fall apart every day, only it didn't. The more distance I put between me and the power the better things got. I turned out to have a talent for PR and I went back to night school, that's where I met my husband. So yeah I guess I owe you but that doesn't give you the right to snoop on me." With her pent up frustration vented Amy stormed off.



        Thomas Geary had been hoping that the Rosenberg-Maclay family was done with him. The sight of LJ marching through the front door of the shop therefore filled him with dread. He pulled himself together as best he could; after all he was a Watcher and she was the Slayer, supporting her was part of his mission after all, "Miss Maclay, what can I do for you today?"

        Suck up, LJ thought. She decided to be pleasant though since the man represented the last resort in her quest, "I'm trying to locate Spike."

        LJ's attempt to track down Spike had met with nothing but frustration. There was a faux version of Willy's bar in the back streets of Sunnydale but it was strictly a tourist trap without a real demon anywhere within a mile of it. The same was true of the other demon hangouts her parents had mentioned, either given the tourist treatment, derelict, or redeveloped. With no better plan LJ had decided to try the Watcher, though since he barely knew what was going on in his shop LJ didn't hold out much hope for his knowledge of the rest of Sunnydale.

        "The vampire?" Geary's immediate answer wasn't encouraging but LJ held back an acerbic reply since he appeared to be thinking, "I do recall hearing about him, seen a lot down town, entering the Wilkins apartment complex if I remember the reports I received, does that help."

        LJ managed an embarrassed, "Thank you." before retreating from the store.



        The Wilkins' apartments were surprisingly upscale and LJ began to wonder if Geary's information was really worth anything. She had been envisioning a slum with Spike lurking in some dank basement. Instead she found herself perusing the list of apartments for some clue as to whether Spike was actually anywhere in the building. She was about to abandon the effort when one name caught her eye, William Blood. LJ shook her head, can't be, but... LJ read the apartment number and headed for the stairs.

        The apartment door was the same as every other in the hallway, nothing that hinted it was home to a vampire, a pool of blood or a few dead bodies left out with the garbage would be nice. There were two ways of finding a definite answer, one being kicking the door in; LJ went with the other and rang the bell, repeatedly.

        After the sixth ring the door flew open, and was just as quickly closed. Slayer reflexes let LJ grab it before the lock could catch and she shoved back hard, sending Spike tumbling back onto the thick carpet. LJ slammed the door shut and looked around her, the inside was a mess but an expensive mess. The empty bottles were all branded booze, and the littered furniture wasn’t refuse heap rejects either, "Who did you kill to get this place?"

        LJ's voice was light but Spike could see her eyes were cold and hard. The flip response that had been forming died in his throat, "I rent the place."

        LJ's mouth opened, closed, and repeated the cycle one more time before she could form a meaningful response, "How exactly? And this had better be good."

        "You've seen what a tourist trap this place had become, well I've found a way to get a piece of the action that’s all." Spike offered defensively.

        LJ was examining a wooden chair, trying to decide if it would make good stakes. She looked over her shoulder, "Go on."

        Spike had been hoping that his scant explanation would be enough but it was clear that the Slayer was going to insist on full humiliation, "That girl last night, I wasn't hunting her, she was a tourist."

        LJ had thought the idea of Spike renting a home was mind boggling but this; "You were paid to hunt her?"

        Spike tried to defend himself, "If someone’s stupid enough to want to pay to have a real vampire bite them, why shouldn't I be the one to take advantage of them? Bit of money, good feed, occasional shag."

        LJ raised a hand, "Stop right there or I'm going to throw up. You have no idea why that demon turned up last night do you??"

        "I thought it was following you, I've never seen the bleeding thing before."

        LJ had her hands resting on the back of the chair and considered snapping it off and shoving the pointy end right through Spike. As it was she decided silent disdain would wound him just as well, and it would last longer. She simply walked to the door, gave the vampire a withering look, and left him lying there on the floor.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

James Ferryman looked a little the worse for wear in the daylight. Organizing the festival was a tangled business and he had overindulged at the mixer resulting in a nagging headache that wouldn't go away however many aspirin he swallowed. The sight of Willow Rosenberg bearing down on him didn't do anything to make him feel better. Several of the guest speakers had come to complain about one thing or another; mostly indulging their over inflated egos. He took a deep breath and put a smile on his face, "Professor, what can I do for you?"

        Willow had an equally false smile on her face, "Mr. Ferryman, I wanted to talk to you about my lecture."

        Ferryman braced himself for demands for a bigger venue, or her favourite brand of mineral water, "Go right ahead Professor."

        "I was thinking of illustrating my talk with some anecdotes about the old days." Willow's opening was innocuous enough.

        "You're planning to debunk our past; I'm not sure that would go over well with the audience." Ferryman commented hesitantly.

        Willow gave him a cool appraising look, "Why would I do that Mr. Ferryman?"

        Now Ferryman was flustered, "Well I just assumed..."

        "Mr. Ferryman I lived here then; I know what really went on in Sunnydale." Willow was tempted to reveal more but she was concerned that the man might start blabbing if she did; or put two and two together and figure out the real identity of a certain writer.

        Ferryman looked uneasy and his voice dropped almost to a whisper, "How much of it is true? I mean I've always known there was something here but it must have been exaggerated, mustn't it?"

        "Trust me the more outrageous it sounds the more likely it is to be true." Willow confided, "What about now? Any weirdness?"

        Ferryman had agreed to keep everything quiet and there was no good reason to break that promise for this woman and yet; there was something that made him feel this was someone he should tell, "I haven't experienced anything personally but there have been reports the past few days, things that aren't part of our schedule, some sort of holes."



        Leaving Spike's apartment building LJ felt a strong need for a shower, the whole encounter left her feeling grimy. She wasn't sure which was worse; Spike for his creepy money making scheme or the weirdoes who wanted to be bitten. LJ had heard of vampire wannabes and losers who bought into the whole 'Dracula' mythology. Actually Buffy had told her that Dracula was pretty enthralling in the flesh but LJ was sure the ex-Slayer had just been pulling her leg.

        LJ was still trying to shake off the images Spike had left in her brain when she felt a prickling sensation at the back of her neck. She dropped and rolled as a rift tore open in the air beside her. This time nothing emerged but the rift hung there and LJ stared into it, and a scene of utter devastation.

        The place LJ was seeing sloped off into the distance. It seemed to be part of some great crater strewn with the rubble of buildings that had slipped down towards the centre; as if someone had pulled the plug and the whole place had drained away leaving only one recognizable landmark; a 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign.

        The Hellmouth, the notion struck LJ overwhelmingly. Someone had closed up the Hellmouth and used up most of Sunnydale in the process. Somebody certainly made a mess of things. LJ hadn't quite believed it when her parents began explaining about parallel realities, now she was looking straight into one.

        As she was watching LJ heard a car draw up and as she concentrated she saw a speed blur that said whoever was driving was heading straight for the rift. She wrapped herself in the concealment glamour to await the new arrival; and was taken aback when Xander Harris walked into the alleyway and stared at the rift with an expression of disgust and anger. LJ wished she could read his aura the way Tara would so she could discern the source of his emotions. Instead she just watched him until the rift folded in on itself and he walked away.



        Willow was going over the scant information that Ferryman had provided, "It all seems pretty random, there are probably a lot more incidents that didn't get reported but even so,"

        "It's still probably random. Whoever is doing this doesn't really know what their doing." Tara finished the analysis for her.

        LJ sat on the bed and watched her parents going over the information and struggled to find a good way to tell them about her run in, "You are sure that Spike isn't involved with this dear?" Willow asked as she turned to her.

        LJ nodded, "Trust me he's just interested in his sick money making scheme.”

        “And Amy genuinely seems to have given up magic.” Tara added.

“Unless she's figured out a way to fake her aura, I mean honey she's had long enough to come up with it.” Willow suggested gently.

        Tara couldn't help bridling a little at the suggestion but kept it out of her voice as she pointed out the flaw in Willow's suggestion, “If she had reason to expect us to turn up, but if she was expecting us all she had to do was not be at the mixer and we wouldn't even have known she was in Sunnydale.”

As LJ listened to this exchange she found she couldn't hold back anymore she had to tell them what she had seen, regardless of whether Xander was a friend of her mother's or not, “There's something I haven't told you about, something you definitely aren't going to like,” she stared at Willow as she said it.



When LJ was finished Tara looked concerned; Willow looked thunderstruck, “He just stared at it, he didn't touch it or try to do anything to it?”

“Well no.” LJ didn't quite see what that proved one way or another.

“So he could just have seen it, been investigating on his own. If Ferryman knew about it then so did other people in the chamber of commerce, Xander could be investigating on his own.”

Tara nodded; it was possible but, “Then why didn't he mention it when he met us at the restaurant?”

        “Maybe that's what he was working up to, that's why he wanted to know why we came back.” Willow answered defiantly.

LJ hadn't heard about that, “He tried to pump you for information, without saying word one about these holes? That sounds like someone up to no good to me.”

“Lydia Joyce...” Willow began warningly.

On this occasion LJ wasn't going to be intimidated, “Look the only time I've seen the guy he behaved like a jerk with a major grudge. If we're checking out ex-witches and second rate vampires why don't we check him out?”

        Willow looked to Tara for support and saw only hesitation, ”You think he could have done this?"

        "I honestly don't know," Tara admitted, "the Xander we knew wouldn't but he's changed Willow."

        "That much?" Willow demanded.

        LJ had been thinking about what little she knew about Xander Harris, and one bit seemed suddenly relevant, "Didn't you say Harris used to be some sort of handyman?"

        "He runs a construction company." Willow corrected her firmly.

        LJ waved the difference aside, "He builds stuff, like the safe in Magic Box's basement perhaps?"

        That brought Willow's defence to a shuddering halt. Who else would Giles have trusted to build it? And for that matter who else might have a spare key belonging to his dead wife? "Why would he do it?" It was more of a despairing comment than a real question.

        Tara could see accepting the idea was inflicting terrible pain on Willow. Xander had once been her only friend and despite all that had happened that was a treasured memory; which she was about to help trash, "I can think of a reason, the anniversary of Anya's death is only a couple of weeks away."

        LJ was too carried away with unraveling the mystery to notice how badly she was treading on her mother's feelings, "So he's opening holes in time to try and save her, and not exactly doing a stellar job right?

        Willow looked utterly bereft, "I need to go for a walk, and I need to think."

        As Willow walked out of the hotel room LJ made to follow; wanting to watch her mothers back, and possibly apologize for putting her feet in it, again. Tara held her back, "She needs to be alone dear."

        "Is she going to be ok?"

        Tara nodded, "She'll be fine once she works through this." I just don't know how long that will take.



        Willow walked along the both familiar and alien streets brooding. Part of her resented the way her wife and daughter has torn into her old friend. The other part of course scolded her for it; they loved her and wouldn't willingly hurt her; can you say the same for Xander Harris?

        It was natural that she remembered the good times rather than the bad from her friendship with Xander but now she couldn't help recalling how he had so assiduously avoided acknowledging the crush Willow had on him. It was more than a little ridiculous in hindsight but at the time it had wounded Willow when he seemed to be interested in every girl except her. That naturally brought up ugly thoughts of love spells and Slayer obsession; it wouldn't be the first time he had turned to magic to get something he wanted, without worrying too much about the consequences, If that was so then she had to intervene; for Xander's sake as well as everyone else’s.

9. "Handyman"

LJ prowled back and forth across the hotel room as Tara sat in a chair and looked at the information on Willow's tablet, "You're way too calm." LJ finally commented.

        "I know her better than you do dear." Tara offered reassuringly. Willow might be unhappy about the situation but Tara knew that her other half was too strong to let that deflect her from her goal. She resisted the temptation to tell LJ 'I told you so' when Willow walked back in.

        "Alright so we check Xander out and settle this one way or another." Willow announced in a businesslike manner.

        "Does that mean I go pound on him to find out the truth?" LJ normally wouldn't use her powers on a human but in Harris' case she was prepared to make an exception.

        "I think we'll try a more subtle approach." Tara corrected her, "Even if Xander is involved I doubt he could work the magic himself; however erratic it may be."

        "So he has a hired gun doing it for him." LJ concluded.

        "If he's behind it." Willow was determined to maintain the presumption of innocence.

        "If," LJ conceded, "then it’s probably literally a hired gun."

        "Checking that out would involve someone picking through his financial records." Tara looked hesitantly at Willow as she suggested it.

        Willow sighed, "Ok I'll break out the tablet and do some prying."

        Since she had a great deal of confidence in her parents ability to snoop LJ decided to bring up the other thing that was bothering her, "Whoever's doing this if they keep opening up these holes sooner or later someone is going to get hurt, or a lot of people if a hole connects to some place really bad."

        That was something Willow and Tara could wholeheartedly agree with, "I think dear that might be something you can deal with." Tara suggested, which brought a grin to LJ's face.



        Alone in their room Willow and Tara had drawn the curtains and switched the tablet to projection mode. This left an enlarged image of the screen hanging in the air above the tablet. Banks naturally had high level security wrapped around their computer systems. That security though was entirely focused on combating the mutant successors to the viruses, worms, and Trojans of yesteryear; anyone who proposed adding a charm to ward off witchcraft would have been asking for a fast trip to a mental health facility.

        Willow drew her finger across the hanging image and traced out the pattern of runes. As she did so the image shifted and wavered, with a whole set of supposedly restricted search options appearing, "You couldn't pay off the mortgage while you're in there could you?" Tara asked and frowned as she saw Willow considering the idea, "I was joking honey."

        Willow smiled impishly, "I know that baby."

        Tara smiled back, glad to see that Willow was recovering her sense of humour; she had been grim while setting up the tablet and helping Tara explain the mechanics of her idea to LJ. Tara hoped it meant Willow had come to terms with the possibility that Xander was responsible for the theft of the crystal and not simply slid into denial about it, "Ok I've found Xander's accounts; personal and business."

        "I suppose we should start with personal account." Tara suggested, keeping her voice as neutral as possible.

        Willow only hesitated for an instant before tapping in the commands. She tried to simultaneously search for clues and not see anything embarrassing. Realizing that wasn't very practical she began to look closely at the flow of money in and out of the account, "Midas Emporium," she wondered aloud.

        "Some sort of jewelers?" Tara offered, "He is dating a girl whose a lot younger than him," she decided using the word 'gold-digger' would be catty.

        Willow changed the display and called up the shopping site belonging to the emporium, "Not unless she's into coins or bullion."

        Willow sounded gloomy and Tara didn't blame her. Electronic money had relegated paper and coins to the status of small change; serious transactions were usually machine to machine. Of course if you had a transaction that you didn't want recorded you needed a medium of exchange, and gold was an ever popular choice. "It could be some sort of gift." Tara didn't believe it but she didn't want to seem to eager to condemn Xander.

        Willow appreciated the gesture but couldn't escape the logical conclusion, "It looks like a payoff. Xander wont tell us about it but there's one other person who probably keeps a close eye on how Xander spends his money."



        LJ had retreated back to her own room and piled the pillows from the bed and the cushions from the chair in the middle of the floor. Satisfied with that she settled cross-legged on top of it; one piece of wisdom her mother had imparted to her was that sitting on the carpet was hard on your butt. Tara hadn't put it quite like that but that was the gist of the advice.

        The rest of Tara's idea had been less practical and more magical. Running around trying to close up each of the holes as it opened would be futile and exhausting, and since they were still trying to find where the things were coming from that left trying to catch them 'in the middle'.

        Closing her eyes LJ let her shoulders sag and her breathing slow; allowing the ordinary world to drift away and reaching out for the ethereal realm. Tara had described the realm as a sort of misty plane but as it formed around her LJ found herself looking at a looping tangle of pathways composed of colored light, like a sort of rainbow spaghetti that spread out to infinity. Her perception probably said something about the way her brain was wired and doubtless her parents would be fascinated by it but LJ concentrated on searching her surroundings for any sign of company; she had a strong sense that there were other entities here but none of them seemed keen to come over and say hello, which was fine with LJ. As she was looking LJ was startled as a laser like beam lanced out of nowhere and ploughed through one of the roadways before disappearing. It took a few moments for her to realize that this might be what she was looking for. There was only one to be sure, so LJ marched over and stuck her hand into the beam.

        It seemed like the beam was trying to pull her inside out but LJ didn't flinch; she need to feel the nature of the thing. Her parents had told her about the whole space and time folding power of the crystal but she could actually sense the magic, the way the universe bent and flowed at its command. LJ tried to feel along it to find where it was coming from but the flow of energy was moving in the wrong direction, drawing her senses towards the place it was connecting to.

        That was when she did pull back; she wad confused enough about past and future without seeing anymore of it. She regarded the beam for a moment and then swirled her hands in front of her. A silvery disk formed out of nothingness and slid into the beam; cutting it in half and reflecting it back to where it came from. Almost instantly it collapsed but moments later another one lanced through the realm. LJ nodded, "Ok you want to play let's play."



        The house Xander's girlfriend occupied wasn't as garish as Tara had been imagining, this Penny clearly had some taste, for a gold digging harlot. Tara couldn't help taking a dim view of Xander's girlfriend. It wasn't just the age difference; it was that Xander had sought a look-alike for Anya. That in itself should have been a great big warning about the mans mental state.

        The front door opened and Penny stepped out dressed to go out. When she spotted Willow and Tara her expression went through several iterations. First there was the coldness addressed towards anyone trying to doorstep you. That gave way to a vague relaxation as it occurred to her that she knew these two from somewhere; then froze again when she remembered where from, "I'm afraid Xander isn't here." Penny barely bothered trying to put any regret into her voice.

        Tara was reading Penny's aura and picked up a flicker as she mentioned Xander’s name. Tara decided to test her suspicion, "Do you happen to know where he is?" That got the response Tara had been looking for, a pulse of dark colour in the woman’s aura that spoke of fear and uncertainty, she knows something's wrong.

        Willow nodded, Penny's body language said she was unhappy, well you’re the expert baby, do some digging.

        Penny was oblivious to this exchange, "I'm not some sort of possessive nut, I don't track his every movement."

        "But you wish you could, so you could find out what he's up to?" Tara suggested sharply.

        That left Penny dumbstruck. Xander had said the blonde one could see through you like a pane of glass but he had been in a bitter mood and she hadn't really paid attention, and of course when he called them witches she assumed he was just being insulting, "It's none of your business," she stammered out.

        Tara ignored the feeble protest and pressed on, "You thought he was cheating on you but that isn't it, there's something else something that scares you."

        Willow watched Tara work, she was the one who enjoyed the detective work but Tara had a real talent for interrogation when she put her mind to it.

        Penny's last defenses crumbled under the pinpoint attack, "I was sure he was sneaking around behind my back so I followed him one afternoon. It wasn't a girl, he went to this rundown old warehouse and he met, something."

        The words were a hammer blow to Willow; deep inside she still hadn't believed it; been sure there was some other explanation. Tara turned to comfort her but Willow's expression remained stony, she couldn't afford to feel anything right now, "Tell us where the warehouse is."

        Faced with that stony resolution Penny couldn't give the details fast enough.

10. "Forgotten Man"

"Wow do these things ever change?" Tara commented.

        As unhappy as she was Willow couldn't help agreeing with her. The run down industrial park looked just the same as any they had seen in the last twenty years. It was a collection of concrete and sheet metal buildings touched with rust, mould, and graffiti. "Practically a home from home."

        "No it isn't a home without a hot tub." Tara's comment drew a smile from Willow in spite of herself, "So are we just going to go up and knock on the door, or maybe we wait for LJ?"

        They had left a note for LJ; not daring to disturb her trance they had simply slipped away to do their investigating. Willow considered the options, "No I think we'll do a little sneaking around and see what we can find, I have to settle this now."

        Up close the warehouse didn't look anymore imposing; still dingy and dirty, though the padlock on the side door was shiny and new. Covered by the concealment glamour the pair had strolled up to the building and scouted round, "I can break that if you can hold up the glamour." Willow offered.

        It was risky but the alternative was to try phasing through the walls and just thinking about that was enough to make Tara queasy, "I can do that."

        Willow reached out and ran her fingers over the mechanism; picking locks made her feel like a delinquent but in a second she heard a click and felt a guilty pleasure in it. Sliding the door open and slipping through Willow found the interior as dingy as the exterior. The bulk of the interior was just dust concrete floor, though there were offices and an upper floor occupying the rear quarter. The couple moved forward, which was when the humming noise began and the air around them began to sparkle.

        Tara felt a weight pressing down on her, as if the glamour was a physical cloak weighing on her. Before the pressure paralyzed her Tara dispelled the glamour and drew a deep shuddering breath. Beside her Willow did the same, and the snapped upright as a voice echoed from the back of the warehouse, "Don't you think that trick's getting kind of old Will?" Xander asked, leaning against the rail of the upper floor with a nasty grin on his face.



        LJ was surrounded by mirror disks whirling around like some old time plate spinning act; she had bent and broken one beam after another in her fight but after several minutes of waiting ready to spin out another disk she realized she had won, "Finally point to me," she mimed a fencing salute and let the mirror dissipate. LJ closed her eyes and pictured the hotel room until she felt the cushions beneath her and heard the hum of the air conditioner.

        Blinking and stretching LJ surveyed the room; she had been inside the realm for about an hour though she couldn't say for certain how long it had seemed, minutes, days? Deciding that running up a room tab was a problem she would worry about later she raided the minibar for a soda, or two.

        With her thirst assuaged LJ went to open the room door and found two pieces of paper slipped under the door. The one on the bottom relayed the information that her parents had gone to see Penny, which was fine. The second detailed their intention to go snoop around the warehouse, which was definitely not fine, "Carrying on like a couple of teenagers," she muttered. Trying to contact them telepathically turned mild annoyance into real concern, there was the definite sense that something was getting in the way. LJ could blast through it but what if her parents were in the middle of something? The last thing that was needed when you were working a spell was someone telepathically yelling in your ear, "So we just go see what they've gotten themselves into."



        Willow stared up at Xander as if he might somehow shapeshift into someone else, anyone else. When he resolutely refused to she called out to him, "What are you doing here Xander?"

        Xander shook his head, "Come on Will you know me so well do you really need to ask?"

        Despite his wounded tone Tara could see the bitterness pulsing in his aura, "No we don't, we know you've got some stooge playing with the crystal and making a mess."

        The comment stung Xander into opening up, "Of course, when you two do it that's destiny, when I try to fix things I'm messing around."

        That wounded Willow, "Xander we weren't given a choice. When I got shunted into the future or when we followed Glory into the past we didn't intend to do it, it was just the way things worked out."

        Xander's expression said he wasn't buying it, "Sure, all just a big happy coincidence that it all worked out for you."

        Seeing Willow hesitating Tara stepped in again, "You’re right it wasn't a coincidence." That left Willow and Xander stunned, "We benefited and it was because someone messed with history but it wasn't us. There's a power that manipulated everything, gave us the life we have; and all it took in return was my mother. Nothing's free Xander you might try remembering that."

        Willow nodded along as Tara spoke; there was a balance to things; if Xander would just listen. The wish went unheeded, "I don't give a damn, I'm getting her back."

        Hearing the petulance in his voice Willow snapped; she made to launch a telekinetic punch his way, only to find the magic wouldn't come. "I knew you two were bound to stick your noses in so I took a few precautions." Xander announced smugly.

        "That's nice, how do you think they're going to do against me?" LJ had appeared close to the door and strolled across to her parents. She saw the strained looks on their faces, "Are you two ok?"

        "We'll be fine dear." Tara assured her.

        "I can't leave you two alone for a minute." LJ shook her head reprovingly.

        "Yes dear," Willow responded with exasperation, "but could you do something about getting our magic loose?"

        LJ cast a glance up at a now nervous looking Xander, "Sure mom."

LJ focused her effort and felt the wards pressing against her, in response she slipped into top gear.

        Willow watched as the air around her daughter began to glow; as did the hitherto invisible spells laid into the walls and floor of the warehouse. Soon they weren't glowing; they were melting.

        As the last rune dissolved Xander made to turn away and run for the back door, he found LJ standing in front of him, "What? You want leave this reunion already?" she grabbed him by the shoulder and Xander found himself on the ground floor right in front of Willow and Tara.

        Willow stared at the figure in front of her, sweating, interested only in his own selfish wants, a stranger, "I want the crystal and I want it now."

        The utter coldness of the tone left Xander with no doubt that he had to cooperate, “It’s in the offices at the back."

        "With your hired gun?" LJ prompted. Xander nodded, "I'll go get it."

        Willow put up her hand, "No you watch him; I'll go get it." Even now she didn't want to bring her daughter together with the tuning crystal.

        The office door was unlocked when Willow walked in to find a shimmering portal hanging in one corner of the room. The demon standing before looked weary and familiar. It was the shifting eyes that jogged her memory, "You, you were with Glory."

        "Yes I was, and I still am not free of fate." Before Willow could ask what that meant the demon stepped through the portal and vanished. Willow spotted the crystal lying on the table and picked it up; collapsing the portal. A dog eared book lying beside the crystal gave the only clue as to where the demon had gone; Rough Guide to Asia.



        Tara was relieved to see Willow reappear with the crystal carefully cradled in her arms. LJ looked at the crystal curiously, "Doesn't seem worth all the trouble."

        "I promise you it is." Tara reassured her.

        Willow joined the rest of her family, "Let's get out of here, I still have a lecture to write."

        As they walked away Xander couldn't contain himself, "Are you just going to ignore me?"

        Willow hesitated for a moment and looked over her shoulder, "Yes because you were my friend that's exactly what I'm going to do."

        Xander stood alone in the warehouse and was still trying to find the will to move when a telepathic voice infiltrated his mind; LJ's voice, maybe my mom doesn't have anything more to say but I do. You are not and never were my friend, so if I ever get even a hint you are trying another stunt like this I will come back here and stomp you; hard.



        The Tribex demon looked at the jungle around it, what a ghastly place, it looked up into the night sky, I hope he doesn't keep me waiting too long.



        Willow threaded her way through the crowd, stopping frequently to answer questions or accept compliments from the crowd who had attended the talk. She finally made her way over to LJ and Tara who had watched her progress without budging an inch, "You could have come and rescued me."

        "Oh come on you were loving it."

        Since it was true Willow chose to ignore the comment, "Well what did you think of my talk?"

        LJ shrugged, "It was ok." To her a lecture was a lecture.

        "I was fascinated, what did you say dear?" Tara had hear LJ muttering something that sounded very like, aren't you always.

        "Nothing, nothing important." LJ assured her.

        Tara turned her attention back to Willow, "So you just have this panel this evening and then you're done?"

        "That's right we can check out in the morning and hopefully never set foot in Sunnydale again."

        LJ shook her head, "You know mom that's the kind of comment that's just asking for it."

        As she thought about it Willow had the sinking feeling her daughter was right.       

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

There's just so much to comment on, so I'm just going to say... really long, interesting, and amazing update. Thanks so much.



Yvonne

loved the update



Sunnydale becoming a tourist trap was funny. i can understand why Xander was trying to use the crystal to try to save Anya, but you would think with the stuff that he's seen, he would have realized that it wouldn't work and something was bound to go wrong

I'm not stealing, I'm just taking things without paying for them. In what twisted dictionary is that stealing?
Welcome friends, how may I pervert you?

While I'm sure LJ hated that she let that one werewolf get away to do damage, at least she has her parents to talk to her and explain she can't save everyone. Buffy didn't have that at the start of her slaying career.



Xander doesn't seem to have changed much. The falling out with our girls shows he is still the selfish person he always was. Willow is his oldest friend, he should not have been so quick to assign blame to her for what happened to Anya, and should have done everything possible to make amends. Typical too, that he would seek to use magic to his own advantage without considering that it might harm someone (as when he summoned Sweet).



Where oh where has Doc (it is him I presume) ended up, and for what purpose?



Another entertaining update. Thanks.

---

I'm really enjoying the series set in the future (because, as the "great" Criswell said, "the future is where we are going to spend the rest of our lives!" ). I very much also enjoyed the "present-day" setting of Reality Check as well.



Boy, has Tara become the tough cookie or what?



Nice to know that at the age of 38 (more or less) these women still have healthy libidos. Of course, given what they say about women's sexual peaks, they may just be starting the downhill run.



Xander. Still clueless after all these years. And yet, it's hard to me not to feel a little sorry for the dumb SOB. And Spike being reduced to shilling for the tourists. How appropos.



Minor nitpick. Hasn't Willow heard of teleconferencing, especially in that day and age? Would save a lot of magic nto having to teleport from San Diego to New York...one would have thought Tara would have a fit about "frivolous use."



Fantastic storyline! Can't wait to see Buffy and Dawn!

_________________



"Many such journeys are possible. Let me be your gateway."

Hi Mike,



I don't know if I've yet commented on this new series. I certainly should have; they are fine stories, a worthy continuation of the original "Reality Check."



It's strange and somewhat disturbing to see what time has done the Scoobies. Willow has become so middle-aged in her thinking! She seems almost devoid of a sense of humour, and way overdoes her protectiveness toward LJ. She seems almost the other side of the coin to her own mother. While not neglectful as Sheila was, she errs as much in the other direction. She is equally unable or unwilling to face reality. LJ is the Slayer, for Pete's sake, and a very powerful witch. Trying to keep her in the dark about events is only going to endanger everyone, and build resentment. It's a good thing Tara is there: grounded, sane, and totally unwilling to take Willow as seriously as Willow takes herself.



It was really saddening to hear of Anya's unfortunate end, and Xander's reaction. Xander has always been a complex character, with the capacity to go either way. So it's not surprising to see what he has become, but it is disappointing.



LJ is a very attractive character, with much of young Willow and young Buffy (and maybe even some Faith) in her personality. She's struggling with her role, and the consequences of her decisions and actions. She still very much needs the support and love of her mothers, even though doing the obligatory teen thing -- pretending to be bored and embarrassed by them.



So it looks like Xander & his demonic employee aren't done yet; I wonder what is to be reborn in "Renaissance?"



Russ

Well 'Renaissance' is finally finished; couple of days of editing and it will be up.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

Title: Renaissance

Author: Mike Mullen

Rating: NC-17/18 because of violence and adult themes.

Spoilers: None what so ever

Disclaimer: All the original BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and ME, everyone else in the stories are my personal slaves.

Summary: The aftermath of Xander’s attack draws the Watchers to Sunnydale, and the Rosenberg-Maclay family into uncovering a hidden agenda.

Authors notes: Can, open, worms all over the place.

Feedback: Just add your comments at the end of the story.













…Elias wasn't nearly as relieved as Willow; she had been dreading another trip through the maze of World's end. She squeezed Tara's hand and smiled, at least this part of their mission was peaceful.

        "Come back you miserable SOB's!" The loud female shout had the three spinning on the spot. There were two oriental men in a sort of grey striped camouflage outfit and perhaps twenty paces behind them was a young woman with long dark hair and eyes set in a face that Willow thought looked like a younger version of Angelina Jolie. She was dressed in a tight dark blue jumpsuit with a patch on each shoulder. If the girl weren't quite so furious she would have been very attractive.

        The two men looked terrified and suddenly vanished in a rippling of the air. The woman came to a stop and stared at the space where they had disappeared, "You think that's going to save you? I'm going to kick your asses you mother..." The woman shut up as she became aware that she was being watched. As she turned to look at Willow, Tara, and Elias she did a double take and stared at the witches. Her expression grew pained and she threw her hands up in the air, "Great! Wonderful! No wonder they hate me!" The girl disappeared in a blast of light.





…"It's kill or be killed." Sabrina insisted.

        "We don't kill people." Willow explained frostily.

        "It isn't people, and if we don't kill them they'll kill us."

        "I suppose that makes it easy for you." Willow regretted the words as soon as she said them.

        Sabrina didn't shout she just shook her head and walked away, "Fine I'm the cold blooded killer I'll go do what has to be done and you can keep your hands clean and tell LJ what a rotten human being I am; again."







The woman rolled the sticks in her hands and muttered the words before letting them fall on the table. "Well?" The man hovering over her demanded tartly.

        "Well what?" she snapped back, "It was unreadable the last three times, did you think miraculously going to clear up now?" The woman snatched up the sticks, "You're going to have decide this yourself."

        Chance would be a fine thing, Jones thought bitterly as he turned towards the others, gathered conspiratorially on the other side of the room. They broke up as he approached but regarded him defiantly, already guessing what he had to say, "The outcome remains unclear."

        One of the others shook his head, "I hardly think we needed the I-Ching to tell us that."

        Another of the little group looked relieved, "Then it is time to call for assistance."

        Jones gave him a withering look, "That's marvelous, we run into difficulties and you want to just give up. A fine way to establish our reputations."

        The woman who had been casting the I-Ching snorted, "Reputations? What sort of reputation do you think that is going to give us?"

        She was gesturing towards the intricately carved sarcophagus resting in the other corner.

        Jones was about to deliver a stinging rebuke when a voice from the doorway startled him, "And what is that exactly?”

        Everyone in the group swiveled round to look at the entrance to the warehouse. The trio by the door made a somewhat odd group. The man could have blended in with the rest of the residents of the warehouse. The older woman had something of gypsy motif to her appearance. It was the younger woman who held the attention though; she had long dark hair, high cheekbones and a penetrating gaze that moved across the group assessing them.

        Jones couldn't help being reminded of Angelina Jolie but he shook that off and concentrated their uninvited arrival, "By what right are you asking that?"

        The dark haired girl made a face, "God do you guys take pompous lessons? I think I'll just go look for myself."

        As if from nowhere Jones produced a dagger, "I really can't allow that.”

        The dark haired girl stopped and smiled. She stretched out a hand and sparks crackled across her fingertips, "I was sort of hoping you would say that."



        Willow groaned as she stretched her legs out once more, "Why did I agree to do this?"

        Tara let the tension of the springs she was pulling against draw the padded arms back, "Because we both agreed we needed some healthy exercise."

        "This isn't what I had in mind." Willow grumbled.

        "I know what you had in mind." Tara teased.

        Willow tried to smile but it turned into a grimace as she stretched and twisted once more.

        There were only two good things about this gym in Willow's opinion; the first was the way Tara filled out a leotard, the other was the fact that at this gym people actually worked out.

        The first place the couple had joined turned out to be little more than a meat market. While it had been amusing for a while to trade pickup lines that had ceased to be funny when LJ suggested coming along to join in the work out. Their daughter might be the wolf when it came to battling the undead but when it came to the dating game she was a lamb to the slaughter.

        A soft beeping from the belt wrapped around her waist grabbed Willow’s attention and gave a grateful Willow an excuse to interrupt the torture. There was a package the size and shape of a lipstick attached to the belt. Willow pulled a clip off of it and put it in her ear, "What is it?"

        "Professor it's a call on your priority list." The computer explained, "Wesley Wyndham Pryce."

        Willow wished she had just stuck with the exercises, "Put him through," she saw Tara staring at her, "It's Wesley," she whispered, which didn't make Tara any happier.

        "Hello? Willow?" Wesley could hear a lot of noise in the background.

        "Yes Wesley, I'm at the gym." Willow offered.

        "Really?"

        Willow didn't appreciate the tone of surprise, "Yes, really, what do you want Wesley?"

        Wesley realized he might have hurt her feelings; not a wise move over all, "I'm sorry Willow I'm a little harassed at the moment, a situation has come up in Sunnydale."

        "Sunnydale?" Willow said it loudly enough so Tara could hear, "Look Wesley don't you have people of your own who could deal with it?" Willow didn't want to sound harsh but it had only been a couple of weeks since they had gotten back out of the place and she was in no hurry to fulfill LJ's prophecy about their inevitable return.

        Wesley took a moment to respond, he hated having to make the admission he was being forced into, "Actually Willow I do, that's the problem."



        The sunshine was warm, the sand was golden, the water was blue, and the UV alarm parked next to LJ's beach towel said she wad good for another twenty minutes. LJ contemplated the book tablet lying next to her again but couldn't face it again; she had thought a romance novel would make a nice distraction. Instead she found it just made her painfully aware of the fact that she had come to this beautiful spot all on her own.

        Before she had been called LJ hadn't really been bothered about her single status but since; well there was a keener sense that life was finite and how important it was to seize the day. There was also the small matter of the heightened physical and sensory powers that went with being the Slayer, or to put it more bluntly her sex drive had been enhanced along with everything else.

        It wasn't a subject she could discuss with her parents but LJ had done a little discrete checking through the watchers records and while they were circumspect about the subject it was clear that she wasn't alone in responding in that way; Faith might be the most radical example but there was a common thread. LJ had attracted enough attention on the beach to know that she could address that urge if she was inclined to. The thing was that LJ wasn’t just looking for a, date for a Saturday night, she wanted someone who wouldn't freak out and run the first she worked a spell, someone she could tell everything to, someone she could share with the way her parents did with one another. Perhaps she had been spoiled but that was what she expected a relationship to be, there was just the small matter of where she was going to find it.

        Are you busy dear? Tara's tone was unhappy but not panicky.

        Just roasting in the sun mom, what's up?

        We've just a call from Wesley, Tara explained, it seems he's lost some of his Watchers; in Sunnydale.

        LJ took a moment to absorb that, This has something to do with the holes right?

        He doesn't know but they were supposed to keep an eye out for any problems.

        So he wants the Slayer to go in and sort things out. LJ wasn't exactly thrilled at the notion of taking orders from the Watchers.

        It wasn't an order, more of a desperate plea. Tara corrected her.

        And you want to go.

        No, but I think maybe we should go, if it is connected to the crystal we need to know.

        LJ sighed, as usual her mom was right, Ok mom I'll be there as soon as I can find a quiet spot to teleport out.

        Thank you dear.

        LJ began to gather up her things and took one last look at the other swimsuit clad figures on the beach, "So much for romance," she shook her head and looked for a convenient exit.



        The gypsy style woman's coughing was racking, incessant, and increasingly annoying, "Can't we get her something for that?" The dark haired girl demanded, not very sympathetically.

        The business suited man gave her a disparaging look, "If you happen to know the composition of that potion she breathed in then perhaps we can, otherwise we will simply have to let it run its course."

        Not having that particular piece of information the dark haired girl grumbled under her breath. The man couldn't make out the words but doubted they were complimentary, "Look I didn't ask for you on this assignment and frankly your connections don't intimidate me; if you want to withdraw from this mission I won't stop you and I'll come up with some reasonable excuse to cover you. But if you do stay then you obey my orders without complaining, is that clear Sabrina?"

        For a moment she was tempted to say no and just walk away, if I had anywhere to go, or anyone to go with, "Alright, Alright, I'll shut up and soldier, I'd just like to know how we're going to move forward now."

        The man shrugged, "We'll simply have to wait, I'm sure that opportunity will strike soon."

        Sabrina suspected that 'opportunity' was going to be ugly and nasty, she was wrong on both counts as it happened.

2. "Detour"

LJ had insisted on grabbing a shower to wash off the salt, sand, and sun tan lotion before she listened to the news of the Watchers, it was a small gesture directed at the council rather than her parents, she was not at the Watchers beck and call and it wouldn't do any harm to remind them.

        She was still brushing out her hair as she made her way down the stairs and saw her parents staring at a screen on the wall. She recognized a map of Sunnydale, covered with a rash it seemed, "Has the computer caught measles?"

        Willow gave her a look that said it was a pretty poor joke; "Actually it shows all the holes that appeared in Sunnydale before we got the crystal back."

        That sobered LJ up instantly, "That's a lot more than I thought there would be."

        "The Watchers did a lot of scrying and probing," Tara explained, "at least at first."

        "Then they seemed to lose interest." Willow added ominously.

        LJ dropped into a chair, "I thought the Watchers were big on that sort of detail, I'm surprised Wesley didn't send someone to chase them up."

        "Well it seems that ran into Watcher politics." Willow commented unhappily.

        LJ yawned theatrically, "Oh good, I needed something to help me sleep tonight."

        Tara thought she had a way to get LJ's full attention, "Actually it has to do with Giles."

        That had the desired effect, "What does it have to do with Giles?" LJ demanded.

        Since Tara had gotten her attention Willow gestured for her to tell the story, "You know Giles was trying to reform the way the Watcher's worked. He wanted to get them to keep the best parts of their traditions but pay attention to the real world, understand that taking care of a Slayer was more than an just an academic study."

        "I always thought he was being over optimistic." Willow interrupted.

        "I know honey but that doesn't mean he was wrong." Tara responded, "Something had to be done." They had both spent time talking it over with Giles. He had found files filled with dispassionate details of the lives of potential Slayers, simply recorded without any consideration for helping those who were in dire straits, Faith being a prime example.

        Tara resumed her explanation, "Anyway what he actually got was two faction, one for him, one against him. When he died and Wesley took over he pretty much lined himself up with the modernizers, the team in Sunnydale was all from that faction."

        Now LJ saw where Wesley wad coming from, "If he has to send in a Watcher rescue party then it's going to leave him with egg all over his face."

        Willow shook her head, "It's more than just that, the last reports Wesley got suggested the Sunnydale team were onto something big, then they started to get vague, and now they've gone missing all together."

        "And if it's got anything to do with the holes then we do have to find out what," LJ got out of the chair and took a look at the map, "any idea where they were supposed to be?"

        Willow highlighted a portion of the map, "They stuck with tradition and set up in an empty warehouse but we don't have a picture."

        LJ smiled, "I think we can do without," she extended her hands towards her parents, "come on, what can go wrong?"



        Willow rather unnecessarily scraped her shoe against the curb, "Look mom my aim was perfectly fine, how was I supposed to know about the dog; mess?"

        "I know, I know, it's just that Sunnydale doesn't understand when enough is enough." Willow grumbled.

        Tara decided to change the subject, "Does that warehouse look familiar?"

        Willow paid attention to the building for the first time, "It's the same place Xander was using, guess the Watchers decided it was a good place to start."

        "Well at least we already know the layout." LJ commented practically.

        "I suppose so." Willow conceded and walked towards the main door.

        The inside of the warehouse had changed significantly in the last couple of weeks. The walls were scorched, the glass in the back office was blown out, and the floor had lumps torn out of the concrete. "Well you have to hand it to the Watchers, they know how to throw a party."

        "I'd ground them for a week." Willow commented, giving LJ a significant look as she did so.

        LJ took the hint, "A bad party, not the kind I'd want to have."

        "We'll hold you to that dear." Tara promised.

        "Maybe we should concentrate on figuring out what happened here," LJ pretended she hadn't heard that last comment, "There's a lot of magic been used here, I can still kind of see the trails they left, like the vapor behind an airplane."

        That got Willow and Tara's full attention, "Can you show us?" Willow asked.

        LJ nodded and concentrated. As she did so Willow saw faint glowing trails crisscrossing one another throughout the room, "Well a lot went on here but I still can't really tell what."

        "It's a shame we can't rewind the whole thing and play it back." Tara pondered, and then looked at LJ, "Could you do that?"

        LJ hadn't really considered it but the more she thought about it the more she liked it, "Nice idea mom, the trails kind of move through time so," LJ concentrated and the contrails began to shrink in on themselves until they had vanished. Sweat was forming on LJ's brow, this was a finely balanced thing, if she pushed it to far back she might lose it altogether, "Ok, hold it, hold it, now, begin."

        Willow and Tara watched as a group of trails began to reform in the middle of the room. Two of them were slightly apart but after a moment they merged back with the others and three more trails appeared by the door; after that it began to become chaotic. The trails began to scatter and pass through one another, flaring brightly as magic was used. Just before the trails scattered and fled the building a new one emerged from out of the junction of two of the metal walls and raced towards the door.

        The contrails collapsed and LJ wavered on her feet, "It's ok dear, you did very well, just take it easy now." Tara suggested as she rested her hands on LJ's shoulders.

        "Fine by me mom." LJ murmured.

        Seeing that LJ was in good hands Willow went to look in the corner. There were signs of something big and heavy being dragged away, and a scorch mark on the wall with a straight bottom edge suggested it had gotten in the way of some sort of magic.

        Having made sure LJ was ok Tara joined Willow, "So the Watchers were having a meeting, some others came in and started a fight."

        "Or the Watchers picked a fight with them." Willow wasn't going to assume the Watchers were blameless just yet.

        Tara conceded the point, "Ok there was a fight, and then something came out of this corner."

        "Probably when whatever was stored here took a hit."

        LJ had recovered enough to join her parents and ask the big question, "So what exactly was in the box?"



        Closing the last file Amy looked at the time and smiled, she was going to be out of the office on time for the first time in a month. The festival was the biggest week of the year in Sunnydale and the run up to it was the busiest time in her year. The aftermath wasn't much better with bills to be paid and reports to be written. Only now was she getting out from under the mountain.

        It was hardly surprising therefore that even if she had been on good terms with the Rosenberg-Maclay family she wouldn't have been happy to see LJ standing in her doorway, "Look I'm not here to pick a fight, my parents sent me because they thought you wouldn't have as many 'issues' with me."

        "I don't have issues, I just want to be left alone." Amy responded coldly.

        LJ shrugged, "Problem is that the world won't leave Sunnydale alone, and that means it won't leave you or your family alone."

        The words were phrased as a simple statement rather than a threat, which made them all the more compelling, "And what do you want from me?"

        "A little help in stopping it, I need to know about any of the stuff that the Chamber doesn't put into the records, particularly in the last couple of days."

        Amy didn't try to argue any further, she just thought about the office gossip that she had heard, "There was a break in at Bunny's house last night."

        LJ was puzzled, "Bunny's house?"

        "The home of the Demon Hunter; Buffy's old house actually." Amy explained.

        "Quite a coincidence." LJ commented.

        Amy flushed, "It made sense at the time."

        "Don't worry I won't tell the parents whose idea it was." LJ assured her, not that they can complain much about anything to do with the Demon Hunter books.

        "We do get the occasional weirdo breaking in for souvenirs but they’re usually pretty easy to catch; all the good stuff is tagged." Amy was eager to bring this to a close.

        LJ absorbed the information and was about to leave when something else occurred to her, "I don't suppose you could check some property records while I'm here?"

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

Willow was comparing their location with the map on her tablet, "I hope Amy hasn't sent us on wild goose chase."

        "I don't think she wants us turning up on her doorstep again." Tara had regretted the need to go to the former witch again, it smacked of waving a bottle of whiskey under the nose of an alcoholic but there hadn't been much choice unless they wanted Ferryman and the chamber of commerce to know they were back in town. Tara could see Willow was still unhappy, "What's the matter honey?"

        Willow shook her head, "It's this whole situation baby."

        "You really think that Amy has set us up?"

        "It's not Amy, it's the Watchers, they don't make sense."

        "There is something off." Tara agreed.

        "When LJ reran the fight everyone ran out at the end right?" As always Tara was Willow's favourite sounding board.

        "Everyone plus one." Tara reminded her.

        "Right but the Watchers definitely got out."

        Now Tara saw what was bugging Willow, "So why haven't we had a call from Wesley telling us he's found his lost Watchers?"

        Willow nodded vigorously, "That's it exactly, why haven't they gone yelling for help after getting beat up?"

        Tara considered that for a moment and then noticed a figure walking down the street, "Maybe we can ask him."

        Willow followed her gaze and saw Thomas Geary walking towards them.

        The manager of the Magic Box was practically the poster boy for furtive as walked down the pavement. He was looking all around him in case he was being followed; he was of course but his pursuers were invisible to his mundane senses so it was a rather wasted effort. Seeing nothing Geary became more confident and made the final turn towards his destination, which was a rundown detached house in what had once been the expensive part of town before earthquakes and economics shifted the centre of gravity in Sunnydale elsewhere.

        After Geary knocked according to some prearranged signal the front door swung open and that was when Willow and Tara dropped their camouflage. That almost got them a very hot reception until the Watchers heard Geary's startled exclamation, "Professor Rosenberg! Where did you come from?"

        "We were on our way here ourselves, the strange thing is Mr. Geary that your superiors don't seem to know about this place." Willow explained.

        Geary looked even more bewildered, "Well this place is supposed to be a secret but..."

        The Watcher in the doorway was afraid that this was going to turn into a knock down drag out on the doorstep, "Perhaps you all better come inside."

        The Watchers all looked somewhat bruised and battered when Willow and Tara walked into the living room where they had gathered. One of the men leapt to his feet, "Who are these two?"

        Willow regarded him coldly, "We are Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay, and you are a bunch of Watchers who haven't reported in for two days."

        Faced with that blunt response the Watcher changed tack, "I'm sorry, it's been a trying couple of days, I'm Philip Jones, the team leader." That brought a derisive snort from the woman sat in the chair nearest him.

        Tara noted that, there was a lot of tension in the group that had nothing to do with their unexpected arrival, their totally spooked honey, grill them good.

        Willow flashed a positively predatory grin, a good excuse to tweak the Watchers wasn't to be missed, "Mr. Geary here seemed to be under the impression that you were acting under orders, however did he come to think that?"

        Geary fixed his gaze on Jones, he had been wondering the exact same thing, "With all due respect to Thomas," Jones paused to see how Geary responded to the use of his first name before continuing, "But he doesn't have clearance to know everything that's going on."

        Willow ignored the sputtering indignation that came from Geary, "And what about Wesley, how's his clearance?"

        "I fully intend to make a full report but I will make it directly, not through yourself."

        Willow wad about to explode when Tara's cool thought filtered into her mind, ignore the attitude Willow, he's terrified we're going to keep digging.

        Thanks baby. Willow checked her temper and shrugged her shoulders, "Fine, we were just asked to find you; if you don't want our help we won't force it on you." With that Willow and Tara turned on their heels and walked out.



        The suburban street was quiet and leafy, and surprisingly familiar to LJ. The last time she had been here she couldn't have been mote than two years old, Buffy and Elias having moved not long after Dawn went to college. On the other hand given what LJ had learned about her parent’s involvement with time travel perhaps she had been here more often than she realized.

        Some of the stylistic elements of the other houses had been updated but the Summers house had been preserved as was; within the boundaries of her mothers fictionalized version anyway. There was a sign outside that apologized for the house being closed, 'owing to unforeseen circumstances'.

        LJ slipped around the back of the building and found the motion sensor that Amy had warned her about. LJ let her fingers play along the connecting wire. Freezing a person in place was fairly simple, in theory, freezing a signal made up of pulses of light was a different matter. LJ frowned, her parents had been most insistent that she got good grades in

all her classes, including science. She couldn't help remembering something about the speed of light being a constant, which wasn't very helpful, but she also remembered that time wasn't. If I can't freeze it maybe I can make the moment last. LJ focused on her heartbeat, imagining the time between the beats stretching out, at the same time she let her magic flow into the cable synchronizing it with the stretching rhythm. Letting go of the wire LJ looked at the sensor housing mounted on the wall of the house. The light on it had been pulsing rapidly, now LJ watched as it dimmed and brightened painfully slowly. Since the only one way she would know if her trick had worked would be when the police cars didn't show up she decided to go in.

        Whoever had invaded the house previously hadn't been nearly so subtle as LJ and that they hadn't been caught was an indictment of the Sunnydale PD, though that was hardly surprising given their history. The back door appeared to have been attacked with an ax and had been hastily secured until proper repairs could be carried out. LJ made short work of that and began to explore.

        Whatever had been inside seemed to have picked up and discarded things almost at random. As she moved from room to room LJ couldn't see any coherent pattern to it. Things had been picked up, moved, dropped but there was nothing missing according to the inventory Amy had accessed and LJ had to wonder if the first theory hadn't been right; some drunk or crazy had wandered in and trashed the place. Somehow though that didn't quite convince her, there was something frantic, something desperate here; LJ just didn't know what.



        Leaving the puzzling scene at the Summers house behind LJ set off back down the street and reached out to her parents, we found the Watchers dear, Willow informed her.

        So we're off the case? LJ ventured.

        Do you want to go home dear? Tara's tone sounded amused.

        No way, LJ responded, something weird is still going on here.

        We agree dear, Willow answered, those Watchers are up to something.

        If it is something to do with them then whoever broke into the Summers house was probably interested in Buffy not Bunny.

        In an out of date sort of way, Tara added.

        Which isn't all that weird if you remember the holes, LJ concluded, maybe I should check out some of the old haunts.

        There was a brief pause before Willow responded, all right dear, just be careful, we're going to have a word with Wesley.



        The Forge nightclub was a happening spot; probably because it was the only spot in Sunnydale for anything to happen. Basically the town still wasn't big enough to support much of a nightlife, which had the advantage of narrowing down LJ's search parameters. The erstwhile Bronze was an obvious destination for anyone nosing around in Sunnydale’s past.

        LJ was tempted to slip into the club and grab a soda or maybe a coffee, though that made her jittery it would at least help perk her up. As it happened a girls shriek from a nearby alleyway had much the same effect. LJ broke into a sprint and was ready for pretty much anything, except for an ordinary mortal male standing over a female figure huddling in the shadows of the alley.

        "Come on baby, why don't you play nice?" he was asking the girl.

        "Why don't you get a better pick up line?" LJ snapped.

        The man turned to give the interfering busybody a few choice words but when he realized she was something of a babe herself he hesitated. The leer on his face was too much for LJ. She smiled, stepped in close, and slammed a fist into his stomach. As he doubled up retching LJ pulled his face up, "Get the hell out of here creep or the next hit is going a lot lower."

        LJ watched the man stagger painfully away, she kept her eyes on him until he was out of sight just in case the jerk had a sudden rush of Testosterone and decided to make some sort of suicidal macho gesture. She was just turning to check out the girl when a voice called out from the other end of the alley, "Why don't you get out of here?"

        Is there an echo in here? LJ wondered. She turned to see a woman dressed in what she could only imagine was meant to be a gypsy look, "Why would I want do that?"

        The woman made a couple of passes in the air and LJ felt something slimy crawling in the air around her, "Oh be serious." LJ made a dismissive wave and the magic dissipated, "If you want to scare someone you need to work a little harder." LJ made her own passes and suddenly the woman was standing in a pillar of flame.

        The woman shrieked and leapt to one side. Only then did she realize that she was unsinged, the flame was pure illusion, "No one makes a fool of Bethany." The woman announced theatrically and gestured towards LJ. The Slayer raised her hand and the bolt of energy bounced right back at the gypsy knocking her back along the alley for twenty feet, "Hey you're right, you don't really need any help with that do you?" she called out, though the woman was in no state to respond.

        Since the woman didn't seem inclined to answer LJ finally turned her attention to the girl who was still huddled against the wall, "Are you ok?"

        The girl hesitantly edged forward, "No, no I'm not."

        LJ froze, she knew this girl, she had seen that exact same face right alongside her parents in old pictures, Buffy Summers.

4. "Lost Highway"

By the look of things Wesley hadn't left his office in the past couple of days. Willow grimaced at the air of disorder and Tara couldn't help smiling at her offended neatness, "I'm terribly sorry, I've been rather swamped lately," Wesley apologized.

        "Not a problem." Willow demurred unconvincingly.

        "I've just received a call from Jones, he and his team are all safe." Wesley looked more than a little relieved.

        Tara hated to puncture that but there wasn't much choice, "Actually we tracked them down, that's probably why they called."

        Wesley's face fell, "They were hiding, concealing themselves?"

        Tara was reading Wesley, he was upset but not surprised by the news, "What's going on with this group Wesley? It's more than just politics isn't it?"

        Wesley stared at the couple; technically this was none of their business, however, "I told you about the factions on both sides of the modernization argument. What I didn't mention was that each faction has it's own; extremists. The extreme modernizers call themselves the 'Renaissance', Jones is a leading light in that group," Wesley hesitated before continuing, "Giles expressed some concerns about them before he died."

        Willow had caught that hesitation in Wesley's answer, "Just how long before?"

        Wesley knew this was very dangerous ground, "Willow, Tara, I promise you there was never a shred if evidence that Giles death was anything but natural."

        "Just how hard did you look?" Willow asked coldly.

        "There was no evidence and if I had called on you based on nothing but innuendo and gossip; well the Watchers wouldn't have survived regardless of the outcome, and it simply couldn't be true." The statement was more an act of faith than anything else

        Both Willow and Tara were quite ready to argue the point further when an urgent thought cut through their train of thought, moms you need to come home right NOW.

        It wasn't quite a command but the sense of urgency was overwhelming, "We'll finish this later." Willow announced and the couple teleported out before Wesley could ask what was happening.



Bethany was still lying in the alleyway when her two compatriots found her, "Nigel, Sabrina," She croaked.

        Sabrina knew things had to be bad for Bethany to actually use her name, "What ran you over?"

        "There was a girl." Bethany muttered.

        "We know that." Nigel snapped.

        Bethany shook her head and she wished she hadn't, "No another girl. She used aglamour on me and I wasn't going to stand for that. I tried to hit her with a bolt, it just bounced straight back.

        Nigel shook his head, "Now you're being ridiculous."

        Sabrina chimed in, "What did this other girl look like?"

        "A little taller than you, about the same age, long red hair, athletic." Bethany did her best to give a potted description of LJ.

        Sabrina nodded, "You missed a couple of important things."

        Bethany had recovered enough to be annoyed at the suggestion, "Like what?"

        "Was she cute and did you get her phone number?" Sabrina supplied.

        Bethany swore and Nigel looked at Sabrina disparagingly, "We are not here to arrange your social life. If this girl gets in our way again we'll have to deal with her."

        Sabrina looked at Bethany whose expression become positively gloomy; Sabrina had a feeling that dealing with the redhead wouldn't be nearly as easy as Nigel made it sound.



        LJ was pacing the floor in the living room when her parents appeared, "What kept you?" she was so tense the joke fell flat on its face.

        "What's the matter dear?" To Tara LJ seemed more on edge than she had ever seen her.

        LJ tried to think of some good way to brace her parents for the coming encounter but nothing came to mind, "I'm going to show you something, and it's important you don't freak out, or try not to show it anyway."

        Naturally that made her parents even more nervous but they nodded their agreement.

As LJ led the way towards her den Willow tried hard to imagine what had spooked her daughter but as LJ pulled the door open Willow realized that her imagination had fallen far short. At first she thought it had to be some sort of projection but when the figure turned to face them Willow and Tara realized she was real; Buffy Summers, and no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. She stared at Willow, "Do I know you? You look sort of familiar but I can't place you, sorry."

        Tara sent a thought to her partner and daughter, she's in deep shock, be very, very careful what you say.

        I think I'll let the professional handle it, Willow responded and LJ seconded it.

        The interplay took only a moment and Buffy didn't even notice it before Tara responded, "We're sort of family friends." Tara offered.

        That seemed to satisfy Buffy as far as it went, "Can you get in touch with my mom or my dad?"

        Tara dodged the question, "We're going to do our best to help you. You do understand that things aren't quite right?"

        Buffy nodded, "The town, my house, it’s all wrong."

        "And what's the last thing you remember; before everything became strange." Tara saw the hesitation in Buffy's eyes, "It's alright, we know about the Slayer stuff," she reassured Buffy gently.

        Buffy still looked uncertain but decided to answer, "The Master was trying to open the Hellmouth, I went to stop him. Then he grabbed me, and after that everything went nuts."

        LJ was startled to realize that she shared that recollection, or at least the version she had read in one of her mothers first novels, "That was quite a while ago Buffy."

        Buffy looked at her rescuer; that sounded ominous and yet somehow not as surprising as it might be, "How long are we talking about?"

        Seeing that Buffy's aura was relatively calm Tara gestured to Willow. She stepped forward, "Buffy it's me, Willow."

        Buffy stared at Willow and shook her head, "No this is just more of the craziness, and you’re trying to make me nuts."

        "It is crazy," LJ conceded, "but it's true as well. One of the first stories my mom ever told me was about how you saved her from that vampire that lured her into the crypt, and how the Scoobies got started."

        Buffy frowned and looked at Willow, it was absurd but the eyes, the expression of concern was so familiar, it couldn’t be true, and yet this was Sunnydale. She slumped into a chair, "I just can't deal with this."

        Tara nodded, "No on expects you too, I think you could use a bath and some sleep."

        Buffy didn't have the energy to argue, "I'll show her upstairs." LJ offered and showed Buffy out of the study.



        After they were gone Willow took over the seat that Buffy had vacated, "Well now we know what Jones' big secret was." Tara commented as she watched her better half, she was as worried about Willow as their new arrival, and trying to get a handle on the implications.

        "Maybe." Willow was noncommittal, "I'd still like to know who broke up their party."

        "And we still have to figure out how to put her back where she came from."

        Willow waved it away, "Oh that's just time travel; no big."

        "Well of course not." Tara copied Willow's airy tone.

        "Right, the big problem is going to be taking a trip to Florida in the morning."

        Tara winced; she had been so focused on their visitor that she had forgotten there was another Buffy to deal with.



        Standing on the doorstep Willow tried not to fidget and failed miserably. She tried to distract herself by looking around the front garden. The white picket fence was gleaming with fresh paint. Willow had teased Buffy unmercifully the first time she had seen it and Buffy had been most indignant. Willow had backed off when she realized that it was part of Buffy's determination to have a 'normal' life, even if her interpretation was a little ‘quaint’ and old fashioned.

        Willow never quite saw the attractions of normal, her life had been far removed what most people still regarded as normal; of course she had been allowed the luxury of choice, Buffy never had, until she chose not to be the Slayer anymore.

        An MPV turned the corner of the block and Willow came to attention. It pulled up in the driveway and two young boys spilled out of the passenger door, followed by a commanding female voice, "Hank! George! Don't go running off."

        The twins made faces, safe in the knowledge that their mother couldn't see them, "You better listen to your mother boys." Willow announced.

        The boys froze and turned towards her, "Willow!" They called out in unison and rushed for the porch.

        The front doors of the MPV popped and Buffy and Elias emerged. Even after all this time Elias still had something of a soldierly bearing about him, although his hair was turning iron grey now. As for Buffy, Willow couldn't help noticing how much like Joyce she was becoming, and not just physically either, "Boys please let her breathe."

        "It's ok Buffy, I can handle it," she ruffled the boys' hair in a manner she knew they didn't like and they both retreated.

        "Hey Will, where's the car?" Elias's question was phrased neutrally but Willow knew this was going to turn into an issue, "Oh you know I just snapped my fingers and here I am."

        Willow said it in a joking tone that made the boys laugh, Buffy however looked less than amused, "Elias dear would you take the boys inside, I just want to have a word with Willow." Elias hustled the twins through the front door and shot Willow a sympathetic look.

        As soon as the door closed Buffy let rip, "Willow you know rule number one, no magic when you come visiting. The boys are almost ten and I can't explain away any little accidents as daydreams or just imagination anymore."

        Willow had been expecting this and wasn't put out by it. Buffy wanted her family to live in the ordinary world where magic and monsters were restricted to stories and fables, problem is what you want and what you get aren't usually the same thing, "I'm sorry Buffy but someone's torn up the rule book."

        Buffy felt a knot in the pit of her stomach that she hadn't felt in a long time, and could have lived without for the rest of her life, "What exactly are we talking about?"

        "Well put it this way; have you ever wanted to be sixteen again?"

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

The house had the chaotic appearance of rapid abandonment. Jones and his Watcher team had fled without worrying too much about the mess they had made of the place. Reluctantly Tara picked over the remnants of their stay but there was nothing more than empty pizza boxes and drinks containers; no clues as to what agenda the Watchers were pursuing. Right, as if they were going to leave an evil to do list lying around. The thought caused Tara to freeze; why had she automatically gone to the conclusion that the Watchers were up to something evil? They were up to something yes; but something evil? They could be callous and self-righteous but outright evil was something else. Even Quentin Travers had thought he was acting for the greater good. Of course if Jones had adopted that sort of 'ends justifies the means' attitude he could be as dangerous as any demon; or he could be an out of his depth bureaucrat desperate to cover his bungling. Either way there was nothing here to answer that question; which left only one other source of answers at the moment.



        LJ was sat in a chair watching the sleeping figure on the bed. She had seen the face of this Buffy in lots of pictures from the old days, though none of them showed her sleeping of course. She looked peaceful, angelic, and sexy; that thought made LJ feel awfully voyeuristic but it had struck her quite clearly as she sat there.

        LJ had never quite understood why so many males in her parents stories seemed to obsess on Buffy Summers, after all LJ's clearest memories of her were as a thirty something mom. Now she understood something of the allure, which also answered some of LJ's more basic questions about exactly what she was looking for in a partner; though by all accounts Buffy was a little uptight to LJ’s way of thinking, Faith would probably have been a fun date; when she wasn't being evil. LJ wisely decided to keep that thought to herself.

        That decision was reinforced when Tara walked into the bedroom, "How is she doing?"

        "Seems to be sleeping ok but you can probably tell better than I can." LJ suggested, mostly so her mother's insight and aura reading skills would be firmly focused elsewhere.

        Tara did give Buffy's aura a once over and decided it was about as healthy as she could expect under the circumstances, there was a certain amount of turmoil but it was subdued; at least for now.

        Buffy seemed to feel the scrutiny she was under because she began to stir and open her eyes. She groaned as she saw her company, "Sorry but I was kind of hoping you were a bad dream."

        Tara smiled sympathetically, "We're quite real I'm pleased to say."

        Buffy nodded and got off the bed, "Feel like something to eat?" LJ was feeling a little hungry herself.

        "Sounds like a plan." Buffy agreed.

        "And afterwards, we can talk, I'm sure there are questions you want to ask." Tara offered the suggestion as lightly as possible.

        The notion concerned LJ, are you sure that's a good idea mom?

        She's going to ask them anyway, and it's a good way to get her to open up; besides if we do send her back where she came from She won't remember a thing.



        Buffy nibbled a slice of toast as she chewed over the information she had just been given. She just about managed to swallow both, "2018? Twenty-two years? Where exactly have I been all that time?"

        Tara tipped her head to one side, "We were sort of hoping you could tell us."

        "After getting jumped in that cave there's just a big blur before I was in that warehouse with a bunch of people trying to kill one another."

        That didn't add a lot to what Tara and LJ already knew. Buffy could see their disappointment and her own barely contained frustration boiled over, "Look I need to know what happened, to my mom? Xander? Dawn? Everybody?"

        LJ had been reaching into the fridge for a carton of juice and froze when she heard that, "Dawn?"

        Tara cut in before LJ could expand on that, "Dawn is fine Buffy."

        Buffy accepted that; still she wanted to know more, "But what happened after I disappeared?"

        That was the question that Tara had been expecting, and she tried to break it to Buffy as gently as she could, "Actually technically you didn't disappear."



        Willow was nursing a cup of coffee and sitting across from a Buffy every bit as confused as her younger version, "Another me? You're sure it's not a robot or something?"

        "Why would anyone need a sixteen year old Buffybot?" Willow asked; Buffy gave her a questioning look, "Ok there's that but trust me she's human and; she's you."

        Buffy knew that when it came to magic and time travel Willow was the expert but she still wasn't prepared to just accept what her friend was saying, "Don't you think I would remember something like that?"

        "Not necessarily but there's only one way to be sure." Willow said it apologetically but determinedly.

        Buffy didn't like it; she had resolutely kept magic out of her home and now here it was worming its way back in, right into her brain if she was guessing what Willow wanted to do correctly. Problem was she didn't really have a choice if she wanted to know the truth, "Alright, it won't hurt will it?"

        "Of course not." Willow sounded confident; truth was she had no idea; she would just have to do her best. She reached out her fingers and let them rest on Buffy's temples. A memory blocking spell left a trail in the mind that you could pick up if you looked carefully enough; the trick now was to do it if without looking at anything else in passing.

        When Willow removed her hands from her Buffy couldn't suppress a sigh of relief. She had felt something inside her head but it was furtive; impossible to describe, "So what did you find?"

        Willow frowned, "Nothing."

        Buffy gave her a look that said I told you so, "Good, then I want to meet this phony right now."

        Willow wasn't sure that was such a great idea; Tara had said their other Buffy was rather fragile, on the other hand given what she had found here, or not found, there wasn't anyway she could refuse.



        Baby we've got incoming, Willow's warning bought Tara just enough time to put LJ on alert and make sure that Willow and company arrived in the living room while their other guest was still in the kitchen. The younger Buffy was finishing a soda but she could see the sudden surge in tension, "What's the matter?"

        "There's someone else here to see you, and I think it's going to be kind of rough." Tara explained.

        Before Tara could explain further a loud voice echoed through the kitchen door, "If she's who she says she is then she can't be that delicate." Buffy walked in a heartbeat behind her words and halted in the doorway.

        Her alter ego was equally dumbstruck; initially trying to identify a strangely familiar face, and then horrified as she realized why it was familiar. Tara placed a hand on the youngster’s shoulder, "Remember, I told you; you didn't disappear, you carried on in the past." Actually Tara wasn't quite sure that was true but she wanted to talk with Willow before she brought it up.

        "Well at least I don't get fat." The younger Buffy commented.

        Her elder didn't take that backhanded comment very well, "Yeah well contrary to what you might think there's only one me, and you're looking at her."

        The teenage version stiffened at that, "Well if I turn into such a tight ass maybe that's a good thing."

        The older Buffy turned to Willow who was stuck in the hallway behind her, "And you really think this is me? I mean when did I ever behave like that?"

        Willow was spared an embarrassing dilemma when the teenager shook off Tara's hand, leapt up, and advanced with her fists balled up. LJ moved swiftly to intercept and grabbed the younger Buffy's wrists to restrain her; which was surprisingly easy to do, she doesn't have anything.

        Neither of her parents needed an explanation of what she meant; the younger Buffy wasn't making any headway against Slayer strength, she was straining and struggling but not making LJ work any harder than any other ordinary mortal, more weirdness to add to the pile Willow decided. She was intrigued but too annoyed just at that moment to spend the time working it through, "That's enough!" Her voice brooked no interruptions, "You Buffys are in my home and you are not going to start a fight."

        Both Buffys looked at her, clearly still angry but neither one wanted to take responsibility for resuming hostilities. Willow decided that would do for now, "Good now I think I should take the present day Buffy home, then we'll settle down and figure out how to put things back to normal." Just as soon as we figure out exactly what normal is of course.

6. "Intersection"

The fearsome battering Buffy was giving to the crockery and cupboard doors made Willow wonder if her old friend was trying to bring the whole kitchen down around their ears. She had offered Willow coffee when they got back to her house and now Willow was doubting whether saying yes had been a wise move, "I did try and tell you it wasn't a good idea," as she spoke Willow braced herself for the backlash.

        Buffy slammed down a plate, "And you were right, does that make you feel better?"

        "Right now? No." Willow replied calmly.

        That took some of the wind out of Buffy's sails, "She's not me Will, you dug through my brain and I don't remember any of this."

        "She does remember Dawn." Tara had passed along that piece of information just after Willow hustled the older Buffy out.

        Buffy looked astonished, "Well doesn't that prove it?"

        "It proves that she's not you, it doesn't mean that she's not a Buffy Summers, maybe in her world there was a Dawn Summers all along."

        That left Buffy looking confused, "Remember when we went to that other universe looking for Dawn? Well it isn't the only other reality, there are probably an awful lot of Buffy Summers." Willow explained.

        Buffy had done her best to forget about that; the details of that other Buffy's life hadn't been pleasant, "So she's real?"

        Willow hesitated, there was the small matter of the other Buffy's lack of Slayer power and there was something else elusive nagging away at the back of her brain that was just out of reach. However this wasn’t the time for that, "She seems real and if she's from another reality we might not be able to put her back, it might not even be right to put her back. Just because Xander saved you in the nick of time doesn't mean he'll be there to do the same for her." Willow hadn't told Buffy about their recent run in with Xander and decided it wasn’t the time for that either.

        Buffy thought about that for a moment, and came to an unpleasant conclusion, "You mean she might be staying?"

        Willow shrugged, "It's a possibility."

        That did nothing to make Buffy feel better and when she heard the doorbell Willow hoped it wasn't a Mormon, or even a girl scout, because the were apt to take the full brunt of Buffy's mood. Instead Willow heard a girlish squealing and rushed out; to find both Summers sisters hugging on the doorstep.



        LJ was in the back garden with the teenage Buffy. After her other self had left the girl had announced a desire for some fresh air. Since Tara wasn't inclined to have young Buffy wandering San Diego the back garden was as fresh as it got. Buffy was wearing a t-shirt and skirt borrowed from LJ's wardrobe and was sat on the grass staring into the distance. LJ was watching her while trying not look as if she was watching; she didn't want Buffy to think she was under guard, or possibly more awkwardly that she was being checked out.

        Buffy turned to look at LJ who had to work hard not to blush, "How did it happen?"

        "Sorry but you're going to have to be a little more specific."

        "Well hey you're the Slayer but, I'm, she, is still alive, how did they manage that?" Buffy sounded almost wistful.

        That prompted a question that LJ had always been curious about, "You really weren't happy being the Slayer were you?"

        "And you are?" Buffy retorted.

        LJ thought about it, "Well it has its downside but it's an adventure, and I get to be a superhero. When I got chosen it was like a missing piece clicking into place."

        Buffy shook her head, "I felt like a rock had dropped on me, one day I'm a cheerleader the next I'm the Chosen one."

        "Well that's the big difference," LJ conceded, "the moms knew I was going to be a Slayer before I was born; so I grew up with the magic and a whole lot of stories about the old days."

        Buffy had that wistful look again, "That must have been good, not having to keep your parents in the dark."

        LJ paused before answering, and then decided it couldn't hurt, "Actually your mom found out and when she got over the shock she was proud of you."

        Buffy looked hopeful but unsure, "Really? I always thought she would just freak out. Are you sure they weren't just telling stories."

        LJ shook her head, "I don't think so, you see my full name is Lydia Joyce Maclay. They named me after your mom because she was a special person who was there when they needed help," she stopped because she could see tears welling up in Buffy's eyes. She had the sense that the out of time Slayer needed a hug and put her around Buffy, hoping it wouldn't be taken the wrong way, or possibly the right way.

        She was still holding Buffy when there was a cough from the back door and LJ turned to see Tara standing there. There was nothing untoward in what she was doing but she couldn't help looking guilty as she released Buffy. She marched over boldly, putting up the calmest front she could, "What's up mom?"

        "Willow called, Dawn's turned up at Buffy's."

        "Great." LJ was always happy when Dawn came to town, then she frowned, "But why has she turned up now?"

        "That's what Willow is trying to find out." Tara explained.

        "So we better get over there then." LJ looked back at Buffy, worried about round two between her and her older incarnation. LJ looked back at her mother; to see an odd little smile playing across Tara's face, "What?" she demanded.

        "Oh nothing dear." Tara assured her, just one little question answered.

        LJ could practically read Tara's mind , "Ok she's kind of; interesting but," LJ hesitated as she sought the words, and then the exact phrase came to her, "she's not the one."



        Nigel was growing somewhat goggle eyed at Sabrina's command of invective. She was holding a pair of leather boots she had just pulled off, "Will you please calm down and tell us what happened," he begged.

        Sabrina stopped cursing and thrust the boots towards him, "These were new and now they’re ruined."

        Nigel looked at the boots, they were somewhat scuffed, that though wasn’t important, "I meant what happened on your assignment."

        Sabrina frowned, that explanation was going to take some very careful editing.



        Willow, Tara, and LJ were crowded onto a sofa in Buffy's living room. The owner of the living room was stood next to an armchair, hovering over her sister. Tara noticed that Dawn's hair was shoulder length now and approximately back to its normal colour; though that probably wouldn't last. Dawn's lifestyle was most kindly called 'bohemian'. After college she had put her Slayer powers to good use, fighting demons only being a part of it, she seemed to spend a lot of time in jungles and deserts. Tara frankly thought she had played one too many 'Tomb Raider' games; Dawn had even gotten her face in 'National Geographic' after turning up some ruin down in Cambodia.

        Willow was watching Dawn intently, "Ok can we go over this one more time?"

        Dawn stifled a groan, there was no point complaining when Willow was in detective mode, "Like I said I was coming back home to visit Buffy and see how the new Slayer was doing, and maybe do a little tag team slaying."

        Buffy gave her a sharp look, "You told me you were giving that up at your last birthday."

        Dawn shrugged, "Got bored, and everyone needs a hobby."

        Willow pressed on before the pair started a full-blown argument, "But you decided to stop off and do some shopping enroute."

        "Right," Dawn confirmed, "And I really wasn't paying attention because I didn't even realize these two guys were trailing me until someone yelled out. I turned round and something whizzed past me."

        LJ hadn't been fully paying attention the last time around, "Who warned you?"

        "A girl around about your age, long dark hair high cheek bones, very attractive if she hadn't been cursing up a storm."

        Something in that description troubled Willow but she didn't want to probe it, "What about the two guys?"

        "Big, masked, mean, carrying a gun that fired this." LJ pulled a crumpled tissue from her pocket and unwrapped it; revealing a dart of the kind used to contain animal tranquilizers, "Once they realized this had missed they both took off."

        "Two big guys running from one woman doesn't make a lot of sense." Tara began.

        "Unless they knew you were tougher than you looked." Willow finished, plucking the dart from Dawn's hand. She looked over to the far corner where the young Buffy had retreated, too overwhelmed to take any part in the discussion. Willow glanced back at the dart. Somehow all of this connected together, she just had no idea how at the moment.

        "What happened to the girl?" LJ enquired.

        "I don't think that's important." Willow snapped, prompting a wounded look from her daughter and leaving Willow herself wondering why she had been so abrasive.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

The chilly atmosphere had persisted when the family and their guest. LJ didn't see why her mother had been so abrupt, and Willow was too uncertain about her reaction to know whether she should apologize or not. As soon as they were back LJ and Buffy disappeared leaving Willow and Tara to check out the dart.

        Willow broke out a couple of bowls, half a dozen baggies full of dry magical ingredients, and selection of scrying charms. She laid them out on the living room coffee table and began to carefully unscrew the dart and pour its contents into a test tube seated in a wooden rack. The contents were practically colorless and there was no noticeable odour.

        Even though she could see Willow was intent on her study Tara felt compelled to interrupt, "I think you really to say sorry to LJ."

        Willow frowned and then nodded, "I don't know why I snapped. I'll go apologize but she's probably to mad to listen to me right now."

        "Probably," Tara conceded; then added slyly, "And you better knock on her door when you do try."

        Willow looked baffled, "Why?"

        "Well our daughter likes Buffy." Tara was still being impish.

        "Well that's good isn't it...wait, you mean she likes Buffy?"

        Tara nodded, "Glad you're catching up honey."

        "But baby even if this is alternate Buffy I don't think she's that alternate." Willow was truly concerned, the last thing she wanted to see was LJ being wounded by being rejected by what, as far as Willow was aware, was her first show of interest in anyone. Of course if this incarnation of Buffy were that different from the one they knew; well that could be even messier if they had to send her back where she came from.

        Tara could guess what was concerning Willow, "She understands that Will, and besides she told me Buffy is attractive she isn't the one."

        That should have been reassuring but again for some reason that troubled Willow rather than comforting her. She plunged back into her analysis of the contents of the dart. Using magic she stripped apart the mixture until she had half a dozen test tubes filled with liquid and powder. At the end of the process the original tube had nothing left in it bar a little water.

        Willow discarded that and concentrated on the fractions. Applying charms and potions to each one to expose their nature, and what she found fitted a pattern, one she hadn't ever expected to see again, "Well part of it's a tranquilizer," she explained to Tara, "which is no big surprise but the rest of it; that's nasty. Muscle relaxant, adrenaline blockers, plus a couple of more magical components."

        Tara recognized that description too, "The testing drug."

        "The Watchers own special recipe." Willow finished bitterly.



        LJ followed Buffy as she stomped towards the stairs, "Really its not that big a deal."

        "Oh yes it is." Buffy yelled as she practically leapt down the treads.

        Moms you've got trouble coming.

        The warning barely gave Willow and Tara time to tidy up before Buffy marched in, "What do you call this?" she was waving a tablet above her head before slapping it down on the table.

        Willow winced at the mistreatment but bit her tongue and examined the tablet. It contained a lurid cover with the title 'Broken Hearts: The Angelo War', scrawled across it. It was the final part of a Demon Hunter trilogy based around the loss of Angel's soul, "Oh." Was Willow's immediate reaction.

        LJ burst into the room, "Sorry mom, I just didn't realize what was on that tablet."

        "You wrote that about Angel? About me? Buffy seemed about explode with indignation.

        Tara knew that for all Willow kept her literary efforts a secret she wouldn't brook anyone else criticizing it, "Buffy its all true, and your older self agreed to Willow writing it."

        That knocked Buffy back a bit but she regrouped, "But it can't be true. Angel wouldn't do those things, I wouldn't do those things." Seeing the looks on the older couples faces, and guessing what was coming next from them Buffy turned and fled for the front door.

        LJ sighed, "I'll give her a minute then I'll go catch up."

        Willow nodded, "Good idea dear, because we need to go have a little conversation with Wesley."

        "Isn't it going to be a little late in England for a visit?" LJ suggested.

        "Oh I don't think he'll mind." Willow responded in a dangerous tone.



        Striding purposefully down the street Buffy was somewhat dismayed to realize she had no idea where she was going. It was then a little bit of a relief to see LJ perched on a fence waiting for her, though she wasn't prepared to admit that right now, "What are you doing here?"

        LJ hopped off the fence, "Just out for a stroll myself."

        Buffy looked at her disbelievingly, "You call that strolling?"

        "Oh that bit outside our house is kind of boring so I usually skip it." LJ offered.

        "How did you find me?" Buffy demanded.

        LJ shrugged, "I can just home in on people I know, it's just a talent."

        "Something else you inherited from your parents." Buffy sounded bitter as she was reminded of her beef with Willow and Tara.

        LJ understood that but still she felt compelled to defend her parents, "Hey their good people, and you should have looked at some of those other books. They earned the right to tell some stories about the old days."

        The look of resolution on LJ's face powerfully reminded Buffy of the Willow she knew, had known, "Maybe, it's just, it's just too damn much." With that comment Buffy burst into a flood of tears.

        LJ was taken aback but after a second realized there was only one appropriate response she put her arms around Buffy and gave her a hug, making sure to keep all body parts in appropriate places, I just hope the moms don't hear about this, they'll never believe I didn't plan this.



        Meetings of the Watcher's Council were civilized affairs, with a carefully ordered agenda, an air of decorum, and breaks for tea and sandwiches where the real business was often done. What they were not, ever, under any circumstances, was a knock down drag out fight.

        "This whole situation smacks of gross incompetence." Morton was a large grizzly bear of a man with a temper to match.

        "That is uncalled for." Jennings was a prim rather gaunt woman sat across the meeting table and a couple of spaces over.

Wesley suppressed a sigh, "Thank you Daphne."       

The smile Jennings gave him was far from friendly, "That doesn't mean, Wesley, that there aren't questions to be answered."

        I should have known better, Wesley admonished himself; he had no supporters in this room, "Questions such as what?"

        "Questions as to why you have involved a pair of outsiders in our business."

        No supporters, and no secrets, "That matter is supposed to be confidential, and I'm not sure you can precisely call the parents of a Slayer outsiders." As soon as he said it Wesley knew it was a mistake.

        "You went to those two?" Morton's glower could have stripped paint.

        "They were the only ones who knew about the occurrences in Sunnydale, and I was primarily interested in bringing the Slayer into this." Wesley knew he sounded desperate but he had to forestall another round of pointless arguments.

        Never in his life had Wesley been so glad to hear a knock at the door, "Come in," he called out before anyone could say otherwise.

        The junior Watcher who stuck her head around the door was thoroughly apologetic, "I'm sorry but there's an urgent call for Mr. Wyndham Pryce."

        "Well I suppose I had better see what it is." Wesley announced with mock reluctance.

        "I'm sure we can find something to talk about whilst your away. “Jennings assured him in a thoroughly unsettling manner.



        The phone had been left lying on the desk waiting for him, " Wesley Wyndham Pryce."

        "You took your time Wesley." Willow's voice came from the corner of the room rather than the handset.

        He turned to face her and found both Willow and Tara watching, and suddenly the meeting he had just left seemed like a cozy chat, "I'm afraid this isn't a good time."

        "You are so right about that." Willow commented.

        Seeing that Wesley had no immediate comeback Willow stepped up beside him and dropped the dart on the desk.

        Tara was watching him intently; if there was the slightest hint of complicity or recognition they would; well she had avoided thinking that through but it was hardly going to be pleasant. As it was all she read was bafflement and uncertainty, "What is that?

        Getting no warning from Tara Willow took him at face value, "It's a dart, fired at Dawn, filled with your testing poison."

        It didn't take Wesley long to realize what she meant, "That is closely guarded secret."

        "Not from other Watcher's it isn't." Willow pointed out sharply

        "If you're implying that..."

        "We're not implying Wesley we're telling you." Tara's preemptory interruption startled Wesley far more than Willow's abruptness. She was normally the voice of reason and if she wasn't going to hold Willow back then..."Where's Jones?" she demanded.

        "His team is still in the field," Wesley admitted, "certain members of the council are willing to accept his version of what happened."

        Willow bit back the temptation to ask about Jones' version; ""Alright Wesley I want to know everything about the Renaissance, membership, associates, operations they've been involved with."

        "Willow if I give you that then it could cause a complete break in the council." Wesley pleaded.

        Tara intervened, "Wesley there are Watchers taking shots at Slayers, how much worse could it be?"

        To that Wesley didn't have an answer.

8. "Dirt Track"

Sitting across from her daughter Tara laid out the details of what had happened in England, "Wesley basically gave us what we wanted and then rushed back into his meeting to stop anyone on the council asking awkward questions."

        "Things are that bad with the Watchers?" LJ wondered.

        "Probably worse but they don't know it yet." Tara suggested.

        LJ nodded, "Well if mom's on their trail that's got to be true."

        Tara smiled in spite of the seriousness of the situation; Willow was indeed doing her best sleuthing routine and heaven help the Watchers when she was finished. Looking back at LJ she could see something was still bothering the teenager, "What is it?"

        "Well I got my head bitten off the last time I mentioned this." LJ began hesitantly.

        "The good Samaritan." Tara surmised.

        "And the gang who mixed it up at the warehouse," LJ continued, "I mean for all we know they could be Watchers as well."

        "We actually checked the Watcher records," Tara admitted, "and there wasn't anyone who matched Dawn's description." In fact Willow had been quite certain but again wasn't quite sure why she was certain.

        LJ considered that, "Could have been disguised, or a real passerby, but the trio in the warehouse definitely weren't just strolling by."

        "And if they turned up once they might do so again, so what do you think we should do?" Tara asked.

        LJ was taken aback, until she realized her mother was asking the Slayer, not just Lydia Joyce Maclay. LJ thought about it carefully, tactically, "We're spread out all over the place, I think we need to circle the wagons, pull everyone into one place."

        "Are we talking about both Buffy's?" Tara asked pointedly.

        LJ considered that, "We just don't know enough about what's going on, we don't know who or what either bunch is after, we don’t know what they try next and we can’t be everywhere at once."

        Tara accepted that, "I suppose I better start digging out some bed linen then.



        Once upon a time Willow had seriously considered pursuing her university studies in Oxford, tea, scones, tweed, and olde worldy charm. The idea had been shelved because of Slaying, magic, and a certain blonde minx who had moved into her bed on a permanent basis. Willow had visited the city years later and was pleased to find that while the tweed might have gone the 'olde world charm' had survived in places.

        Right now of course Willow was in no position to appreciate the Tudor style charm of the pub she was loitering in. A lone woman in a bar could still attract a lot of unwanted attention but Willow had thrown a weak version of the concealment glamour around herself and so was left alone so she could keep an eye on the table in the far corner.

        Willow didn't have psychiatric training or her partner’s aura reading ability but she could tell a nervous man when she saw one. He was reading an old battered paperback back; except that he kept turning the page and then turning back as if he had forgotten what he had just read.

        Interrogating Wesley about the Renaissance had turned up a few tid bits beyond simply a personnel roster, including a pub in Oxford that they seemed overly fond of visiting. Perhaps it was the real ale or the restaurant in the back but Jones and the others didn't strike her as being all that sociable, which left the question as to just what was it they found so fascinating here?

        The man at the table was a Renaissance member who hadn't joined Jones team in the US but who had suddenly taken a day off and headed for Oxford, with Willow in hot pursuit.

        She was on the point of just going over, pinning him to the wall, and insisting on knowing what he was doing here when he was joined by another man clutching a pint of beer and a tablet. Willow judged the man to be about ten years older than herself and he was almost completely bald, which given modern treatments suggested someone who just didn't care much about appearances. He clearly did care about the tablet and wasn't letting go of it even as he leaned in close to talk to the Watcher without being overheard.

        Since that was exactly what Willow had in mind she left her table and glided over to eavesdrop, trusting the glamour to keep her unnoticed. Unfortunately it was clear that the men’s conversation was going to be short and angry, "If you're simply going to question my professionalism then I don't see any point to this discussion." The man with the tablet announced; almost knocking over the concealed Willow as he stood up and stormed out. Avoiding being hit Willow Willow got a good close look at the tablet, or the emblem embossed on the back of it anyway. It was a coat of arms laid out in gold with a scroll running underneath bearing a Latin inscription. She only saw it for an instant but her brain zoomed in on one word, because her university used it in their motto. It meant knowledge or wisdom, and now I know where this guy came from.



        Willow waited for the watcher to go as well before she pulled out her own tablet and started her search, "I need to see the emblems and heraldic devices of all Oxford colleges."

        The tablet only needed a second to access the information, "Ready."

        Willow stepped through them, quickly dismissing any that lacked the scroll or the proper motto. The handful that were left were whittled down to one as Willow did her best to recall the details of the emblem, "That one." she muttered.

        "St. Justin's College." The tablet offered misunderstanding the intent of the statement.

        Willow ignored that, "Just access some sort of prospectus for the academic staff at the college."

        "That is over one hundred people." The tablet pointed out.

        Willow didn't like how long that would take but something in the unease tangle at the back of her mind crystallized, "Does the college have a biology department?"

        "It does."

        "Then limit the search parameters to that department, PhD's and up, male."

        "That only leaves seven persons." The tablet advised.

        "Show me." Willow commanded.

        Seven pictures appeared on the screen; one of them the angry man who had fled minutes earlier, Professor Clelland, geneticist, Willow read grimly, of course you are.



        St. Justin's was a relatively modern college; meaning in Oxford terms it was founded in the mid twentieth century. The biology department was altogether more recent; a triangular prism shaped structure coated with solar tiles that helped power the building. It also possessed a discrete but elaborate security system. Anyone logged into the computer could walk in and out as if the system wasn't there; anyone else would find locked doors and large guards waiting for them. Of course that meant anyone who couldn't walk through walls. Willow had found a chemist's shop and purchased the best travel sickness drug available over the counter. She swallowed the maximum dose before summoning the phasing spell and walking into the biology department.

        Passing through the charged solar tiles was by far the most unpleasant experience Willow had suffered when phasing; at least until she passed through a fibre optic cable running through the wall. She almost jumped out of her skin at the sensation and hurried on to find some open space and breathing room.

        The corridor Willow found herself in was broad and mercifully empty. She rested her hands on her knees and drew a couple of deep breaths before staggering off to find Clelland's office. The door was a frosted glass with gold lettering that Willow suspected could survive a bomb blast but wasn't a lot of good against an immaterial witch.

        Finding herself alone inside Willow released the spell and dropped into the leather chair set behind the desk; just sat waiting for the dizziness and nausea to pass. After several minutes she felt well enough to carry on and pulled out her tablet. Only now did it occur to her to wonder what phasing might do to the microcircuitry of the device and she was mightily relieved to see it power up normally.

        Getting up out of the chair Willow activated its video function and swept it across the bookshelf set against one wall. Most of them were antique medical texts but a number of them were familiar to Willow, a carefully dispersed collection of works on the occult and magic, which Willow found not remotely surprising, and indeed not especially helpful.

        She looked back at the terminal on the desk, realizing that she had been trying to avoid checking it, fearful of what she suspected was there. Setting the tablet down beside the terminal she leaned and whispered to it, "Can you access this system?"

        "I can access the terminal but not the secure files."

        "Do what you can, I'll take care of the rest."

        The tablet soon had the terminal displaying an elaborate file structure of secret material. Willow dismissed those parts of it that connected to the universities main system; those had to be routine university research programs, what she was looking for Clelland wouldn’t share with anyone else. She concentrated on the personal sections of the database, and a cluster of files wrapped in a double layer of security. "Might as well just flag it with 'dirty little secrets'," she muttered to herself before applying a couple of little charms that helped her software peel away the layers.

        As the files unfolded before her Willow found those deep nagging doubts coming into clear focus, everything she had been thinking, and avoided acknowledging until now, was right there; and one she definitely hadn’t expected that left her frozen with shock. There was one group of files clustered under a familiar name, one which Willow had never expected to see again.

        "Can you store all of this data?" she asked the tablet.

        "It would require dumping almost the entire data and program files of this device." The computer warned.

        "Do it," Willow commanded bluntly, "starting with that last block, I want all of that." Willow stared at that last block with a mixture of apprehension and something she couldn't quite admit was a long shelved hope.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

LJ was trying to contain a mixture of annoyance and bewilderment. The annoyance was simply the product of some ripping into what seemed like a perfectly reasonable plan. The bewilderment came from the fact that a mature mother of two was behaving like a truculent teenager while LJ was being forced to copy Tara's best soothing manner, and finding it didn't come naturally, "You're being; unreasonable, Buffy."

        Buffy wasn't moved by the comment, "What's unreasonable about wanting to stay in my own home? What's unreasonable about not wanting to just abandon everything and run off to San Diego?"

        "Hardly abandon, we're just talking about a little visit, a couple of days with old friends, where's the harm?" LJ wished Tara had come along, because she was doing a lousy job of sounding calm and relaxed by herself.

        "And what about the Ground Rules?"

        LJ could hear the capitalization; the ground rules were in LJ's opinion a total pain in the ass. They said that she couldn't so much as levitate a cup when they were visiting Buffy, or when Buffy and family came on trips to San Diego. Right now though... "We have a bunch of Watchers and who knows who else running around doing who knows what, I don't really think the rules really apply right now."

        "I'd say you don't enough to decide that." Buffy's rebuttal struck LJ as a little desperate but it did have a grain of truth in it.

        Before LJ could compose a response Elias decided to throw in his two cents, "We aren't talking about anything demonic here right? If it's just Watchers I'm pretty sure I can handle them."

        LJ looked at Elias. For a man in his forties he was in excellent shape, and reading between the lines about his so called 'security work' he hadn't let his skills go rusty either; which would be fine except his image of a Watcher was Rupert Giles and according to her moms a couple of Jones' buddies in the Renaissance had resumes that were a match for Elias' own. Explaining that to Elias was going to take a lot of tact; possibly more than LJ had available.

        Any chance she might be able to try was snuffed out as Dawn walked in from the kitchen. She had heard Elias' last remark, "Hey if he needs a hand I'm always up for a little ass kicking."

        LJ suspected Dawn was enjoying the prospect of her big sister depending on her for protection. She looked from Dawn's Cheshire cat grin to Elias' calm assurance, to Buffy's bloody-minded determination. LJ shook her head, "Alright fine do it your way."

        "I always do." Buffy reminded her.

        Before LJ could offer a hot response Dawn jumped in, "Okay, that's settled then. You know I didn't pack a lot of weapons and we could probably put a couple of charms on the house. How about I come back to San Diego with you and organize some stuff?"

        It took LJ a moment but she managed to nod and offered a hand to Dawn, "Might as well go now."



        Tara had been tempted to go to Buffy's with LJ but had decided to hold the fort in San Diego; and not coincidentally await Willow's return. That proved wise when Willow reappeared without any warning. Tara had been expecting Willow to be angry or upset, instead her other half seemed, distracted, "What's the matter honey?"

        Willow opened her mouth to answer, then closed it and shook her head before starting again, "Nothing that can't wait. I got some answers about our visitor, I know how she got here."

        That distracted Tara from pursuing the other matter, "You have?'

        Willow threw herself into an armchair, "Oh yeah, and we should have seen the hole in the hole theory from the start."

        Tara took a second to follow that, "And what was the hole?"

        Willow answered the question with a question, "How long after LJ shutdown Xander's little game before the Watchers turned up in Sunnydale?"

        Tara considered it, "Maybe three or four days,' she stopped as the problem struck her.

        Willow nodded, "So even if our younger Buffy fell through the last hole and the Watchers stumbled over her the moment they arrived what the heck was she doing in between?"

        Now Willow said it out loud it seemed blindingly obvious. How could Buffy, pretty, blonde, teenage, Buffy wander around Sunnydale without someone taking her to a police station, a hospital, or a cheap motel for that matter. Any which way she had to have been somewhere, "You know where she was?"

        "She wasn't anywhere, the Watchers brought her with them. This Buffy wasn't born, she was made."

        Tara wanted to say it was absurd, how could anyone do that? She was however looking straight at a picture of her family on the wall; not actually impossible.

        Willow nodded, "A little genetics, a lot of magic and you have yourself a replica Slayer. I mean they've tried it with racehorses; make a copy of a champion instead of just waiting for nature to throw one up."

        "Except human beings aren't racehorses." Tara commented.

        "Try telling the Watchers that." Willow commented acidly.

        Another thought struck Tara, "How long have they been working on this? I mean was it before Giles died?"

        Willow hadn't considered that, and it raised ugly questions about how far the Renaissance would go to achieve their goals, "I don't know but I think we'll find Mr. Jones and ask him."

       

        Pressed against the wall outside the door the freshly minted version of Buffy was listening to every word. Part of her wanted to rush in and tell them to shut up, to stop lying. The larger part held back, terrified of how they would treat her, how else could they treat a freak like me? With that thought Buffy slid quietly towards the back door.



        Willow and Tara were trading ideas and trying to formulate a battle plan when LJ and Dawn teleported in, "The first wave?" Tara suggested.

        "Don't ask." LJ grumbled, "What happened in England?'

        Willow and Tara looked to one another and Tara decided to take the lead, "We have some answers, and I don't know how you're going to take this. You better sit down, both of you."

        LJ and Dawn listened in shocked silence as Tara laid it out for them, "Have you told her any of this?" Dawn nodded in the direction of the stairs.

        "No," LJ guessed, "because we should do it."

        Dawn looked startled, "Why do we get stuck with it.?"

        LJ fixed her with a disbelieving look, "Because she was created with genetics and magic, where else are you going to find two people who can genuinely say they understand that?"

        Now Dawn blushed, "Sorry, I kind of forget, some times."

        LJ nodded, "Which is the point we need to make, right moms?

        Willow looked at her and nodded, "Exactly dear."

        LJ was pleased by the warm smile that accompanied the comment but slightly puzzled by the wistful look in her eyes, "I'll go get Buffy," she suggested to escape the awkward moment.

        Conversation had just about resumed when the sound of feet pounding down stair treads, "Where is she?" LJ demanded as she stormed back into the room.

        Tara instantly leapt to the correct conclusion, "She heard us talking."

        LJ restrained the urge to curse, and tried to reach out telepathically; all she got back was a wall of silence, "I don't think I can go to her."

        Dawn climbed up out of her seat, "So we do it the hard way, you want to take left or right? Out of the front door," she expanded as she saw LJ's puzzled expression.

        "Oh, I'll take left."

        "We'll stay and see if we can whip up a locator spell." Willow offered.

        "Okay, I always like a little competition." Dawn smiled and headed for the door.



        Despite the warm sunshine and the pleasant neighbourhood Buffy felt the streets of San Diego were cold and hostile. Everyone was watching her, guessing her big secret, shunning her, except for that guy who keeps checking out my ass, the thought pierced her anxiety and allowed some sort of sanity to reassert itself. Her 'difference' was invisible to everyone but herself; and Willow and Tara, and probably everyone else they knew by now. That she realized was the real problem here; if they turned their backs on her she would be alone.

        "Aha! I win."

        The call from behind her startled Buffy and she spun around to find Dawn striding towards her, "You win what?"

        "Doesn't really matter, the main thing is we've found you."

        "They want to find me?" Buffy sounded dubious.

        Dawn laughed and shook her head, 'Trust me if you, me, and LJ had a competition to see who has the weirdest origin I figure you'd come in third."

        Buffy found that extremely hard to believe but before she could say so an old lady walking by stumbled into her, at which point the world started to go black. Totally taken by surprise Dawn reached out to her, only for a sharp pain in the palm of her hand to make her jerk back. She turned her hand over and saw a dart sticking out of it; just before things began to fade out and someone laid hands on her.

10. “First Contact”

LJ was trying to look casual as she searched the streets for Buffy, pinning people to walls and demanding if they had seen her was not a practical option. LJ was also tempted to try telepathy again but decided against that as well; the last thing Buffy probably wanted right now was more magic, and maybe a chance to think things through without interruption would be a good thing.

        The more she thought about that the more it seemed to LJ that if they did find Buffy they should hang back and give her some breathing room. She reached out to Dawn and found herself groping in the void with no answer. LJ pushed it as hard as she could and still there was no answer. She switched her attention elsewhere, moms I think we have a new problem.



        Willow and Tara quickly confirmed LJ's fears, there was no response from Dawn and where earlier there had been a sort of wall of silence from Buffy now there was just; absence.

        I think you better get back here dear, Willow suggested, we're going to go have another little word with the Watchers.

        LJ could swear she heard the word thumbscrews in the background of her mother's thought. She was about to agree and insist on coming along when she spotted a figure in the distance. LJ couldn't make out the face but the outfit was unmistakable, I think I may have a lead; my friend from the alleyway is hanging around.

        That put a brake on Willow's growing anger towards the Watchers, not by much but there had to at least be a possibility they weren't behind this; unless the gypsy was a Watcher, alright dear, we'll check the Watchers, you renew your acquaintance.

        I'm sure she'll be delighted to see me.



        Wesley was beginning to contemplate the crossbow on the office wall longingly; it was a radical solution but anything would be preferable to continuing this meeting, "I really don't feel that we are achieving anything here Jennings."

        Jennings was maintaining her air of prim authority, "Only because you refuse to face reality. The Oversight office has had its day, its time to return that role to the Council, or at the very least to divide the responsibility. It must be clear by now its more than one person can handle." Especially you was unspoken but no less clear to Wesley for that.

        "And no doubt you already have someone in mind to help me share the burden?"

        Jennings wasn't fazed, "I have no intention of indulging in any false modesty, of course I believe I should be involved in these decisions."

        Wesley wanted to dismiss the notion but his position had been so eroded that he no longer had that luxury. A swirl of air prevented him from answering. As Willow and Tara appeared he was going to tell them this wasn't a good time, until he took note of their thunderous expressions.

        Jennings wasn't nearly so sensitive to the mood, "And this is a large part of why we can no longer leave matters in your hands, you're involvement with these, outside elements." Jennings rose to leave but to everyone's astonishment Tara stuck out an arm and barred Jennings' path.

        "You're a liar." Tara announced matter of factly.

        Willow was a little puzzled as Jennings hadn’t really said much besides being extraordinarily rude to them. On the other hand there was simply never any question of doubting Tara, "Exactly how baby?"

        Tara fixed her gaze on Jennings. Usually Tara's eyes were warm, empathic; right now they were twin scalpels boring into Jennings' soul, "She's behaving as if we're beneath her but the truth is she's terrified, afraid of, what we know"

        "Utter nonsense." Jennings sneered but now Willow could see it in the woman’s eyes as well.

        She began to think furiously about what could be making her afraid. The woman couldn't very well fear their magic and work as a Watcher, and the only Watchers they had been coming down on were..."You're part of the Renaissance."

        Tara smiled, in a predatory way normally reserved for the rather more comfortable surroundings of the bedroom. Willow found it sent a shiver down her spine. Jennings experienced the same sensation; for rather different reasons, "That's it honey, right on the money." Tara announced.

        Wesley shook his head, "That hardly seems likely, Jennings has been opposing them for years, vehemently in fact," he stopped as past meetings began to shift into a new pattern. Wesley rose and walked over to her, making Jennings face him, "that was the point wasn't it? Create division and turmoil, weaken my position, and clear the way for your ascension. Then what? A Damascene conversion to their cause?"

        Jennings regarded him frostily, "Is this where I'm supposed to break down into a sobbing confession like some soap actress?"

        The female Watcher found herself being turned round without anyone laying a hand on her. Willow and Tara were staring at her from mere inches away, "Confession is good for the soul, it eases your pain." Tara suggested.

        "What pain?" Jennings sneered.

        Willow's smile made Jennings' seem positively sunny, "The pain I'm going to inflict on you until you do."

        Jennings had never understood Wesley's willingness to defer these people, until the instant Willow's eyes turned into pools of darkness.



        LJ had begun to conclude that the gypsy was simply on a shopping expedition; without even visiting any interesting stores along the way. She was tempted to switch to the direct approach when the woman finally turned in towards a small hotel. Somehow it didn't seem a likely hiding place for Dawn and Buffy but still LJ was itching to know who the woman was and what her role in events was; and she could always be holding the missing pair elsewhere. Slipping up the stairs LJ managed to outpace the elevator and position herself to keep watch as the woman entered a hotel room.

        LJ padded quietly down the corridor until she reached the room door, which was when her patience with the subtle approach ran out and she directed a fearsome kick at the panel. The door came off its hinges and landed with a thump on the floor, well the hotel can just bill her for it.

        Bill them, LJ corrected herself as she saw the gypsy woman had company; a middle aged man who obviously traded fashion tips with Wesley, "Hello again, whose your friend?"

        "Nigel that's the girl..." Bethany tried to warn him but he was already launching a spell. It seemed as if shadowy outline tore away from him and lunged towards LJ, stretching out as it came. LJ gestured and the shadow collapsed in on itself and vanished. She gestured again and the bedspread leapt from bed and wrapped itself around Nigel tightly like a mummy's shroud. He tried to extricate himself, which forced LJ to choke down a very undignified giggle.

        Seeing her opponent apparently distracted Bethany succumbed to the temptation to try a spell of her own. Since fire hadn't worked she decided to try ice. Naturally LJ wasn't nearly as distracted as she seemed and she fixed her gaze on Bethany, who found herself unceremoniously spread-eagled on the ceiling staring at the floor.

        LJ grabbed Nigel and bundled him into a chair, pulling the bedclothes away from his face as she did so. She looked from one to the other and struck a relaxed pose, "Now why don't we have a talk?"



        The school buildings were rundown and abandoned, undergoing what was called, 'demolition by neglect'. The area it was located in was equally desolate. About ten years before the politicians had decided that some places were just too rotten to be fixed; the best solution was simply to abandon them and start over. Moving the people out had been relatively simple, barring a few riots, finding the money to rebuild was something else.

        Tara was trying to ignore the small scurrying things sharing the alley with them, "Charming place they Watchers have found for themselves."

        Willow nodded, "Maybe we should get the name of their realtor."

        "After we ask them a few other questions maybe." Tara offered.

        "Sounds like a plan to me." With that Willow summoned up the concealment glamour and they set out for the school entrance.

        Jennings had cracked under Willow's bluff practically instantly; much to both witches relief. Willow's dislike of the Watcher had been magnified by the way Jennings had forced her to reach far enough down into the darker aspects of her power to make the threat credible, and it was only slightly mollifying that the woman had spilled enough to let them track down Jones and his team even if she couldn't provide much more detail about his plans, that had been strictly, 'need to know'.

        There was no one watching the street as the pair approached, not that it would have helped the watchers much if they did of course. One of the front doors was tipped over hanging from a single hinge. Willow and Tara slithered past it into the dingy garbage strewn corridor beyond, "No sign of anyone being here." Willow worried that maybe Jennings was sneakier than she seemed.

        Tara was quite sure that Jennings was telling the truth, but had Jones lied to her? She was contemplating the floor as she was thinking it over and as they reached an intersection something shimmered off her boot. Tara froze and bent down to look at the skirting board, where she saw a small lens set into the wall, and a reflector set on the opposite wall, "Uh honey? I think we may have a problem."

        Willow followed her gaze and realized it was too late, they had tripped the alarm and the glamour wasn't much use against machinery, or animals, she added to herself as she heard the sound of dogs howling and many feet pounding on the floor.

        Willow looked at Tara, "I'm really more of a cat person," Tara reminded her. Willow nodded and summoned up a little power; she just wanted scare the animals not hurt them. That resolution was shaken as two very large and angry looking German Shepard's came pounding round the corner. Willow let fly and was shocked as the energy splintered and flowed around the dogs.

        Tara had just enough time to raise a barrier before the slavering beasts reached them. The dogs caromed off the unseen wall but recovered quickly and began scrabbling at the barrier growling and snarling. "Definitely a cat person." Tara muttered.

        Willow stared at the animals; there were runic symbols painted on their collars, wards against the magic, "Jones' crew are getting sneaky."

        "Let's try another corridor."

Tara suggested. Willow nodded and they swiftly left the dogs behind. Even as they did so Willow couldn't shake the feeling of being a rat in a maze.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

LJ stared from Nigel to Bethany, which despite her best efforts was as much as LJ knew about them, except that they definitely weren't Watchers; they seemed positively offended by the suggestion in fact. "Still don't want to tell me who you're working for?"

        "We're strictly freelance." Nigel responded thoroughly unconvincingly.

        LJ knew she could get the truth out of them, if she was willing to do something unpleasant and irreversible to them. She decided this might be the moment to call in Tara's psychiatric skills; her mom was sweet but she had a real talent for extracting the truth, as she had learned from embarrassing personal experience. LJ reached out, and ran into another wall of static, something was blocking her communications, "Ok, enough is enough," she muttered. It was time to put a stop to this, whatever it was. Wherever Buffy and Dawn were her parents had found them; and gotten themselves into trouble, again.

        "Brace yourself," she warned Bethany and then let the woman fall to the bed, "If you two are still here when I get back; well just don't be here," with that warning LJ teleported out.

        The instant she was gone the wall of the corridor outside the room shimmered and Sabrina appeared.

        She rushed in and began to unentangle Nigel from his wrappings, "Where the hell were you?" Nigel snarled, humiliation lending his voice uncommon venom.

        "Hey by the time I got here you two were wrapped up and I didn't think I was going to do better one on one than you two did together."

        The rebuttal shut the other two up but Sabrina could see it in their eyes that they didn't believe her, they thought she was a coward. That though was probably less dangerous than the truth. She had been charging up the corridor, wrapped in a concealment glamour to give her the element of surprise ready to kick butt; and then world stopped. The dangerous truth she couldn't share with her colleagues was that she had frozen because she found herself in the presence of a goddess.



        Willow pressed herself against a wall as the bolt of energy bounced around the walls like a crazed pinball. She focused on it, trying to read its path, reasonably sure she had it Willow let fly with a bolt of her own. The pair intersected and Willow threw her arm across her eyes to shield them from the brilliance of their mutual annihilation. As it faded she crossed to Tara who was examining the dirt streaks her clothes had acquired after hitting the floor. She pushed a strand of hair and looked at Willow, "You know darling I didn't want to be the one to say this first but maybe we are getting too old for this."

        Willow shook her head, "No honey we're just being too nice about this." At the far end of the corridor were the doors of the school gym with a bright light leaking under the door. Willow extended a hand to Tara who took it and fixed her gaze on the doors. Willow stretched out her free hand and the doors trembled before ripping free from their hinges and crashing to the floor. Willow and Tara marched down the corridor with dust and debris billowing up in front of them; any further booby traps were literally brushed aside.

        As they stepped into the gym the determined drive came to a halt. Dawn and Buffy lay unconscious on cots, with an orb of Thessalius resting on a small table between them. It was shockingly obvious to Willow what the Renaissance intended, a transfer of Slayer power. That wasn't what froze the witches however; it was the presence of several large attack dogs and the array of conventional and magical weapons focused on them by the members of Jones’ team, I think this plan needed a little more work, Willow conceded to herself.



        LJ's head was ringing as if she had hit a solid object rather than thin air. Someone had erected a barrier around the school that her parents had gone tearing off to, without so much as a word to her, whose supposed to be the irresponsible teenager here? She complained silently. LJ let her fingers trace the outline of the barrier and once she was sure she had the measure of it she took a few steps back. She squatted down and pressed her fingertips against the ground and began to murmur an incantation. Just at that moment LJ was glad her parents weren't here because they would have wondered exactly how she had picked up this particular spell.

        As LJ finished the cantrip fine cracks flowed out across the concrete from her fingertips. They merged and deepened as they raced towards the barrier. When they struck it bright jagged lines flowed out over the surface, tracing out the invisible shape until it collapsed in a flare of failing magic.

        LJ stood up and dusted off her hands, "Now let's go see what kind of trouble the moms have gotten themselves into."



        Tara gazed at the line of Watchers that had formed between them and the beds Dawn and Buffy were lying on, "What gave you the right to do this?" she demanded.

        Jones' response was cold and firm, "Who gave us the right? I’m looking at them. Who overturned the authority of the council? Who proved that it was possible to choose the Chosen One? Who opened the Pandora's box of genetically engineering a Slayer?"

        Willow looked to Tara for a read on the man, and saw that her partner was as grim Jones, "He means every word of it Will." That left Willow at a momentary loss but Tara had an answer, "Even if all that were true Mr. Jones I don't remember us engaging in kidnapping, torture, or murder along the way, or maybe I've just forgotten after all these years."

        That punctured Jones' armour, "We had no choices left, you wrecked everything and the others were just content to let the rot go on."

        Willow was unimpressed, "Yeah, yeah, heard it all before. Well we're not going to let you get away with this."

        Willow thought she sounded very resolute and intimidating. It was very unsettling therefore when Jones laughed and walked over to the orb, "I'm afraid you’re a little late for that," He hefted the crystal and let it slip from his fingers. The orb shattered against the floor into a thousand pieces, "We finished while you were still playing with the dogs."

        That was unsettling but Willow wasn’t going to let him see it, and at that moment the balance of power shifted, "Fine but that still doesn't mean your going to get away with it."

        Now it was Jones turn to be disappointed, and then to have the uneasy feeling that someone was behind him. He spun around to find LJ leaning against the wall, "Like my mom said, you are not getting away with this."

        The Watchers began to turn around, which gave Willow and Tara their chance, not to mention one other party, Buffy there's no point playing dead anymore, time to move.

        Buffy's eyes snapped open and she swung up into a sitting position. She lashed out with a two footed kick that sent Jones flying. Willow and Tara gestured towards the gun toting Watchers and ripped the firearms from their hands. LJ administered a further blow as she disappeared from the corner and reappeared in the midst of the Watchers. She grabbed the nearest pair and slammed them into one another. As they staggered away one of the dogs leapt towards LJ. She had no intention of hurting the animal, instead she fixed her gaze on it and the animal saw, something, something that had it yelping for the door.

        As LJ was sending the dog scurrying a couple of the remaining Watchers reached for her; only to be flung back against a wall as Willow and Tara reached out for him telekinetically. LJ acknowledged the help with a smile; then spotted another pair running for the door. She gestured and a barrier sprung up, bouncing them back towards a vengeful looking Buffy who collared them and knocked them to the floor before dragging them back towards the centre.

        Soon there was a veritable pile of Watchers stacked in the space between the tables. Tara had revived Dawn, who even without her powers wanted to stomp on the Watchers, "Hey get in line." Buffy insisted, "They stuck me with being Chosen again, they made me into some sort of genetically engineered freak."

        LJ shrugged, "You get used to it."

        Buffy glared at her, until it sunk in that she was being serious, and turned instead to the problem that was really troubling her, "But you've grown up here, where am I supposed to go, how do I fit in here?"

        Tara looked at Willow, who nodded, "Actually we do have a couple of ideas there, you aren't the only one whose been displaced, and he has a lot of experience with coping with changing times."

        LJ was a little mystified until it sunk in who they were talking about, Angel. As much as she hated to admit it the moms were right, it was a good idea. That just left the small matter of what they were going to with their collection of Watchers. "I think we'll just turn them into the authorities." Willow suggested.

        That caught Dawn by surprise, "They may be kidnappers but do we really want to explain all this to a bunch of cops?"

        Willow's smile turned wicked, "I was thinking more along the lines of turning in a bunch of illegal aliens."

        Tara expanded on the point, "It seems certain peoples US visas just vanished, and then there are all those illegal firearms just lying around, I don't think Mr. Jones and his friends will be going home anytime soon." As long as Wesley can keep up his end of things.

12. "...Something New"

Bethany, Nigel, and Sabrina were lined up like naughty schoolchildren waiting to see the headmistress, which was a fair analogy, if the headmistress could turn you into a rodent. The woman behind the desk was fair haired and slender, she had large green eyes that bored into the trio as she looked from one to another, "I think I can safely describe this report as a debacle. I'm especially concerned about the fact this person trailed you to your base of operations and proceeded to humiliate you."

        "It might have helped if Sabrina had acted instead of skulking." Nigel suggested sternly, iy might get him in to trouble but he wasn’t going to cover for the girl

        The woman frowned, "Perhaps, tell me Sabrina were you afraid of this girl?"

        Sabrina offered a silent prayer of thanks for the phrasing of the question that allowed her to answer without any shading or hesitation, "Absolutely not, in fact I'll be more than happy to face her one on one when the chance arises," if I'm very, very, lucky.



        LJ watched as Angel and Buffy talked. It had been awkward at first but soon it was as if the two had never been apart. Tara on the other hand was watching her daughter, "Are you alright with this?"

        LJ nodded, "Their meant to be together, and like I said she's not the one."

        "Well you don't have to hurry dear, there's plenty of time." Tara reminded her gently.

        LJ considered pointing out that being the Slayer that wasn't necessarily true but decided to change the subject, "Weren't both you grownups supposed to be here chaperoning?"

        Tara checked the time; Willow had said she would be five minutes, and that was twenty minutes ago, "I better go see what's keeping her, keep an eye on those two."

        LJ smiled, "I've got a stake and a bucket of cold water handy just in case."

       

Willow was sat in the study staring at a computer display when Tara teleported in, and didn't seem to notice her partners arrival, which was unusual in itself. "What's so fascinating honey?"

        Willow started in her chair, "Sorry I was just sitting trying to decide what to do with this, how to break it to you."

        That immediately put Tara on her guard, "Break what?"

        Willow moved to one side and gestured at the screen, "Dr. Clelland's notes. I wiped his originals and most of what I took from him but I wasn't sure about this."

        Tara saw a single group of files clustered in the centre of the screen with a one word title, Tomarov.

        Willow saw the shocked question in Tara's face, "I've cross referenced everything, I can't be one hundred percent sure but I think Clelland has done it; he's recreated Tomarov's technique. He's even gone one better, he's figured out how to do it without the Slayer gene."

        Tara finally understood Willow's emotional turmoil. There had never been anything that said LJ had to be an only child, and there were scientists who had put together enough of the pieces to give LJ a sister, albeit without the double dose of magic; and that had been the thing that made them hesitate.

        Sibling rivalry could be a vicious enough thing when children were treated totally equal, and had totally equal opportunities. But what about when one child was the Slayer? When one had talents the other couldn't match? Neither Willow nor Tara could ignore the fact that Slayer's were invariably only children.

        That built in inequality seemed just too much to inflict on another child, and so they put such notions aside and counted their blessings for what they had; until right now.

        Willow felt compelled to fill the silence, "I've been sitting here trying to decide what to do, I mean it's too late, probably, and it's stupid, and we should just delete it," her babbling was stopped as Tara kissed her.

        Tara broke away and turned towards the screen, "Computer save the displayed files, secure storage, with full backups," she turned back to Willow, "it's not stupid, and it's not to late, and if the time comes when we're sure, well then we'll know where to find it won't we?"

        Willow thought about that and her face slowly relaxed, "You know this is going to freak LJ out?"

        Tara shrugged, "What sort of parents would we be if we didn't gross her out once in a while?" Then she leant in and kissed Willow again.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

loved the update



so who was the woman at the end admonishing Sabrina and the others? is LJ going to get a sister now? interesting that Buffy got the "normal" life that she always wanted

I'm not stealing, I'm just taking things without paying for them. In what twisted dictionary is that stealing?
I can't watch this because its creepy and wrong and sickening...however I will watch out of curiosity

Really interesting storyline, what with the renegade watchers and the newly-created Buffy. The real Buffy's almost-phobia about the ways of her old life is interesting, especially seeing as her sister and best friend still live in that kind of world. Dawn choosing to remain in that life is an effective foil. As is LJ's dedication to her calling. It'd almost make you wonder how Buffy came to be the chosen one after all.



LJ's interpretation of magic is really interesting. She doesn't abuse the magic, but rather uses her intellect to figure a way around. She's so the daughter of Willow and Tara!



So, Sabrina has entered the story. Or, entered it again, even though that was from the future in the past. Dearie me, I'm confusing myself! I had guessed that she would become a romantic interest for LJ, which is why she reckoned Willow and Tara didn't like her. Really interested in finding out more of her backstory - how she came to join allegiance with Bethany and Nigel.

---

As promised a preview of the forthcoming 2019 stories; 'Cold hearted' should be along at the beginning of September.







"Cold hearted"

A student approaches Willow about her Wiccan sister and the family find themselves confronting a new threat and a ruthless opponent.



“A Fine Line”

WTL are called into action when a powerful family of wizards becomes the targets of blackmail and intimidation. The investigation is complicated when they discover someone else on the case, and they’re interested in more than just solving a mystery.



"Forbidden"

Willow and Tara come under suspicion when Wolfram & Hart are attacked. The witches have no choice but to find the real culprit and LJ has a dilemma when she finds out who is guarding Wolfram & Hart.



“Perfect Day”

When Sabrina turns up in San Diego LJ is delighted, Willow; isn't. She decides to do some digging and discovers a dark secret that puts all of them in jeopardy.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am