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9. "Love and War" Tara was sat next to Willow on the sofa and listened intently as LJ laid out the story for them. Her description of the sprite was suspiciously vague but the rest was perfectly clear, "So we've got a few choices but I'm not thrilled about any of them." LJ concluded.         Now she wants our opinion, Willow grumbled silently. Tara suppressed a smile and concentrated on the problem LJ had given them, "I think we should set the sprite free."
        Willow looked uncertain, "I'm not so sure, maybe we should keep it under control, just in case."
        "I really hate that idea." LJ announced firmly if a little hastily.
        Willow looked at her daughter, "It's less nasty than killing it, and the rest of the sprites won't come looking for us."
        LJ remained firm, "But we'll get chased by everyone who wants the power of the sprite, that doesn't sound a lot better."
        Tara now had a shrewd suspicion why LJ was objecting so vehemently, "By everyone you mean the Athenai."
        "They'd be top of the list," LJ admitted, "but I don't think they would be the only ones."
        Even if she thought LJ's motives were suspect the underlying argument seemed sound, "Ok so we can live without the millstone but will this sprite really just go away if we set it free?"
        Tara thought about that, "It's a force of nature basically, like the wind and the waves it can control, I don't think we can destroy it, or control it."
        LJ nodded, "And it can apparently sort of see the future, I'm pretty sure it knows what will happen if it doesn't go away. Besides Kristina DeAngelo is dead, the sprite is pretty much even I'd say."
        Willow drummed her fingers on the coffee table for a moment, "Alright I think you're right but I'm not the only one who needs convincing."
        "Are you out of your damned minds?" Paul DeAngelo screamed in Willow's face.
        She was tempted to move him backwards the hard way but restrained herself and looked over at Tara, "You're the professional have we gone crazy?"
        "Fairly sure honey." Tara assured her.
        Willow turned back to Paul, "There you go, trained psychiatric opinion, we're still in full possession of our minds."
        Before Paul could explode his brother laid a hand on his shoulder, "Sit down Paul, we need to talk this out, regardless of how we feel."
        Francis' might be willing to listen but his tone made it clear he wasn't happy about the direction the conversation was taking. Willow squared her shoulders to explain the reasons for her proposal, "What it comes down to is this; your ancestor got the sprite to serve him and his descendents. This arrangement worked pretty well, until your sister inherited control over the sprite."
        At that point Willow hesitated and Francis DeAngelo reluctantly filled in the gap, "And she came up with a new way to make money from it."
        "Money for herself, not for the family." Willow looked at Paul DeAngelo as she emphasized that point, the man appeared to value family loyalty; Kristina's blatant lack of it might make him easier to persuade.
        Francis had already followed her logic, "And when this sprite decided enough was enough and try to force her to end the deal she stood here and kept silent when she knew why my children were being targeted.
        "Pretty much," Willow was quietly relieved that the man had said it rather forcing her to continue with her blunt explanation, "and honestly I think its time to put an end to this, make sure no one elsesuccumbs to the same temptation."
        Francis looked at his brother, Paul still looked unhappy and angry but he gave a curt nod. Francis turned back to Willow, "Alright what do you want from us?"
        "We'll check Kristina's apartment but she may have put the pact somewhere else, especially if she expected someone to come looking for it." Willow kept it business like in an attempt to defuse the tense emotional atmosphere.
        Francis thought it over, "Certainly possible, there are a couple of places she might have used. I'll let you know as soon as we can check them out."
        Willow and Tara knew a dismissal when they heard one but decided to take it with good grace, especially as it prevented either of the brothers asking the awkward question; what will you do if we say no?
        "What if they think of it later?" Tara wondered.
        "Then we think of a really good excuse, and we don't mention that LJ is already ransacking Kristina's apartment." Willow responded sweetly.
        Sabrina Harrington was an extremely unhappy young lady. The one positive about this assignment, not counting the totally unforeseen Lydia bonus, had been that she could work it on her own; now here she was standing in front of Phoebe's desk and to cap it off Nigel was stood beside the leader of the Athenai with a distinctly superior look on his face, "Look I realize this whole business hasn't gone as well as we might have hoped but Paul DeAngelo didn't want me talking to the rest of his family, which since his sister was right in the middle of it made it kind of impossible to get to the truth." Sabrina knew she sounded whiny and she wasn't really interested in the outcome of the assignment; all she wanted was to spin it out to find a further opportunity to run into Lydia.
        Phoebe waved her hand dismissively, "That's irrelevant, and frankly what Paul DeAngelo wants no longer concerns us either."
        Sabrina didn't like the sound of that, "So what exactly does concern us?"
        "Obtaining control of the pact, and hence the sprite." Phoebe explained casually.
        Sabrina looked from Phoebe to Nigel, just to be sure they were serious, "I was thinking that the Slayer," Sabrina was careful not to use her name, "and her family pretty much had this covered, they send the sprite packing back to wherever it came from, crisis over."
        Phoebe shook her head in a pitying manner, "While she may be the Slayer the girl is inexperienced and her parents amateurish efforts can hardly be regarded as helpful. Their willingness to trust this creature could be fatal to others, this creature must be contained, and we are the ones to do it."
        There were several argument that immediately sprang to Sabrina's mind; she had speed-read some of the Demon Hunter books and if half of it was true you could hardly term Willow and Tara 'amateurs'. She didn't bring it up partly because Lydia had made it clear it was a secret but mostly because Sabrina strongly suspected Phoebe already knew it wasn’t true; she wants the power of the sprite and she'll do or say anything to get it. Despite wanting to throw the accusation in Phoebe's face she instead kept her voice even, "You want me to get the pact for you I take it?"
        Now Nigel spoke up, "Assuming you're prepared to face the Slayer one on one, there's no shame in asking for assistance."
        Something in Nigel's tone suggested an innuendo in the suggestion, regardless of that she wasn't letting anyone else get between her and Lydia, "I'm perfectly capable of taking on the Slayer myself, in fact I've already been planning exactly what I'm going to do with her the next time we meet."
        Nigel turned an odd colour but kept silent. Phoebe on the other hand seemed satisfied, "Very well then, I'll leave this in your hands Sabrina, I trust you'll achieve a satisfactory result."
       
        Kristina's apartment looked like a small tornado had swept through it, which in a manner of speaking it had. LJ had started out simply scrying for some sign of the pact without coming up with any hint of its presence. That could mean that it was elsewhere or that Kristina DeAngelo had taken extra measures to hide the thing. Without any word from the other DeAngelo's LJ had adopted a more aggressive approach to searching.
        Opening every drawer, every cupboard and searching under the bed didn't get her much further, so she started working her way over the walls inch by inch until she came to an almost invisible seam. Pressing on it a panel sprang open to reveal a small chamber marked with warding runes, she really did mean to let this thing go over her dead body. Reaching in LJ extracted an ornate wooden box and undid the catch. There was a folded piece of parchment inside, which LJ resisted the temptation to inspect since it looked rather fragile. Instead she closed the box and stuck it under her arm.
        Hey moms you can call off the search I've got the thing.
        LJ's thought was cheery, Tara's response was somewhat distracted, that's good news dear but we seem to have run into a little problem here.
        After getting home and grabbing a quick bite to eat Willow turned to her tablet, "Maybe there's another clue in Kristina's records.”
        Tara could see the logic but one thing concerned her, "Shouldn't we go help LJ?"
        Willow smiled, "Baby you've seen her bedroom, she's more than capable of trashing a house on her own."
        "She isn't that bad." Tara's defence of their daughter was somewhat undermined by the giggling that accompanied it.
        "Of course not." Willow's response was rendered equally unconvincing by her broad smile.
        "Well I guess she can get by on her own for a while." Tara conceded.
        Willow was about to study the financial records again when the house computer interrupted her, "A call for you from mister Francis DeAngelo.”
        "Well that was quick," Tara checked her watch, they had left the DeAngelo's barely thirty minutes ago, "Put it through."
        Francis' worried face appeared on the screen, "I'm glad you're there, we may have a problem here."
        Willow immediately visualized another row between the brothers but decided Francis wouldn't have bothered them with that, "What sort of problem?"
        "After all the trouble we had I beefed up the security system around the house; one of the cameras picked up something prowling around the fence."
        "Some thing?" Tara queried.
        "Not a person, not an animal, definitely a thing, doesn't seem to be trying to get in but it's checking the place out." Francis confirmed her conclusion.
        Willow dropped her tablet back on table, "We'll be right over, just keep an eye on it."
        Francis cut the link without further comment and Tara grabbed her jacket, "Do you think the sprite is trying a double-cross?
        Willow frowned, "Why trust the pact to a bunch of demons when she must know we're going to turn it over?"
        "I guess we'll just have to ask this thing then." Tara concluded, and Willow wasn't inclined to disagree.
        The creature lurking around the fence looked disconcertingly like a dolphin, a mean dolphin but a dolphin, Willow thought to herself. Where a dolphin would have had fins this demonic thing had human looking legs and arms, though somewhat more than seemed absolutely necessary to support the beast. The thing was so intent on its own snooping that it was oblivious as Willow and Tara snuck up behind it. That condition changed when the creature rose up in the air, rolled on to its back, and was dropped unceremoniously in the dirt.
        The creature recovered its senses to find the two witches standing over it, "Hey there," Willow greeted it cheerfully, "mind telling us what you're doing here?"
        The demon looked sullenly from one to the other, which was a good trick for a dolphin faced creature. Tara decided to try a different tack, "If you're trying to win the reward from the sprite that's over. We've got the pact and the deal is done." That wasn't quite true but they would have the pact shortly and there was no point encouraging the creature.
        "I am not going to take your word for that," the demon's voice was surprisingly guttural, "and if you do have it you will trade it if we take the other humans."
        Willow gestured at the creature and it was yanked back into the air, "You see that's the flaw in your plan, you're never going to get near the other humans, tell your friends that." With that she dropped the creature to the ground again and let it scuttle off.
        So I'm guessing you don't think it's going to take your advice, LJ made it sound like a practical certainty.
        I'll be amazed if it does, Willow admitted.
        So do you want me to come and help?
        No dear, Willow thought firmly, you better deliver the pact, to get it out of the way.
        Ok but yell if you need me.
        Willow's reply was slightly peeved; I think we can handle one little band of demons.
        Of course you can, LJ's reply was less than wholly sincere, she just had to hope her parents could stay out of trouble; this time.
10. "Kiss"
The jetty was as barren as the last time LJ had been here, and she hadn't been anticipating seeing it again. Her plan had been to teleport straight into the sprites cave; fully clothed this time. She was puzzled why it hadn't worked until she looked at her feet. There was a complex runic pattern painted on the rock.
        "Sorry but I figured it would be better to meet outdoors than in some dank cave."
        LJ looked at Sabrina suspiciously for a moment but in the same way she had spotted the disguised sprite she could tell this was the real thing, "I'm glad to see you but I'm sort of on a mission," she gestured with the box.
        Sabrina looked a little embarrassed, "I know that, Paul DeAngelo went running to the higher ups and they want me to get that pact thing for them."
        LJ felt a knot forming in her stomach, "And you've come to get it?"
        Sabrina's smile was disarming; "Actually I'm more interested in finishing our competition, have you figured out what you want as a prize if you win?"
        Even knowing that her parents wouldn't approve of her time wasting she couldn't resist playing along, "Pretty much but haven't I already won? I've got the pact."
        "Ah but you haven't got it to the sprite, that means there's still one last round by my reckoning." There was a bag lying next to Sabrina's feet. She reached into it and extracted a pair of rapiers, "I saw you with that sword earlier, are you any good Lydia?"
        LJ hesitated for a moment, "Not bad but you know I am the Slayer, I have a natural advantage."
        Sabrina looked pensive for a moment, and then threw a sword to LJ, "Actually I thought of that."
        Sabrina's attack was lightning fast, or Slayer fast at any rate. LJ barely managed to dodge and dance away, "I'd say you looked up an enhancement spell."
        Sabrina was a little taken aback by LJ's calm, well this isn't the first fight she's been in, "I thought it was only fair to even things up."
        LJ had recovered her poise, "Couple of problems though."
        Seeing the wicked grin on LJ's face Sabrina had a sinking sensation, "What exactly?"
        "First I do this as a sport," LJ dropped into a proper fencing stance.
        Sabrina guessed LJ was more than 'not bad' at fencing, "And the other thing?"
        LJ's smile became positively predatory, "I can read your moves before you make them."
        Before Sabrina could answer that LJ made her move. Sabrina might have matched her Slayer strength and speed courtesy of a spell but that couldn't compensate for LJ's skill with a blade, or the speed blur that betrayed Sabrina's every attack. With a deft series of feints LJ turned Sabrina around and got her backing towards the cliff face behind the jetty.
        Sabrina didn't even realize where she was heading until she bumped into the rock face. She was so startled that she dropped her guard. LJ had been ready for that and with a swirling stroke she sent the sword flying from Sabrina's hand. Pressed against the rock without a weapon the girl knew what she had to do. Sabrina raised her hands in submission not looking exactly upset, "You win, so have you figured out what prize you want Lydia?"
        LJ couldn't think of any snappy comeback, she was working on pure instinct as she pressed Sabrina into the rock and pinned the witches raised hands above her, molding their bodies against one another as she pressed her lips against Sabrina's.
        Sabrina kissed back hungrily and LJ could swear she was floating as their tongues darted around one another. Their mouths clung for the longest time before LJ reluctantly broke away. They stood staring at one another until LJ released Sabrina's hands and the girl let her right hand trace the outline of LJ's body until it came to rest on her hip, "Is that all you want?" Sabrina asked huskily.
        LJ found herself trying to catch her breath to answer, which gave her brain just long enough to kick in and inject some common sense, "No, but you need to go now." Sabrina opened her mouth to protest but LJ pressed a finger to her lips to prevent it, "When you go back to the Athenai you can tell them I beat you, slammed you against the rocks, and told you to get out of here; without one word of a lie."
        Sabrina thought that over, "Beautiful and smart," she seemed to be directing the comment at the universe in general. Peeling herself off the rock Sabrina walked over to her bag and pulled a talisman out of it. She looked back at LJ, "Later then."
        "Sooner." LJ corrected her. Sabrina smiled and twisted a gem on the talisman, which caused her to shimmer and fade away.
        LJ shook her head, "Got to teach that girl to teleport properly," she went back to where she had left the pact. Regardless of anything else she had to deliver this to the sprite; besides the delay would give her a chance to calm her emotions, and maybe I can sneak this by, the thought didn't sound very convincing; her parents would have to be pretty distracted not to spot she was in love.
        Willow was staring at a bank of monitors in what appeared to be a converted broom closet. Tara was stood behind her with her hands resting lightly on Willow's shoulders. The screens were showing the grounds around the house, and also several fishy looking demons clambering over the fences, one of them was really more squid like but Willow wasn't interested in morphology at the moment. Her attention was on the dolphinoid creature leading the attack. She concentrated her magic and jabbed her finger towards the screen the thing was on. The image on the display doubled up and tumbled to the ground, "I told it to stay away." She swept her hand across another screen and the squid thing went cartwheeling across the grass.
        Tara could see a sheen of sweat forming on Willow's face; as effortless as her gesture's and moves looked they required a lot of power and concentration to make them work, to connect the image on the screen to the reality outside. Tara was feeding her energy but even she was beginning to feel an ache in her muscles and a dull throb in her temples. Willow raised her hand to repulse the ninth or tenth demon to clear the fence and let it drop, it was just too much effort.
        Tara squeezed her shoulders, "I think it's time to go one on one honey, we have a few little surprises downstairs remember?"
        Willow perked up somewhat as she recalled that, "And you know I love surprises."
        The squid demon was covered in livid green marks, its version of bruises. Only the creatures basically squashy nature had spared it from the more permanent damage inflicted on a number of its comrades. It was though sufficiently dazed not to question the fact that the front door was lying open and simply stumbled into the front hallway. The sudden heaviness that afflicted it sent it tumbling to the floor. It tried to get back up but the weight simply grew and grew until the creature collapsed with a sound like tearing celery.
        The second demon through the door dodged around the squashed remains; and on to another of Willow and Tara's 'hot spots'. They had balanced increasing gravity in one spot by reversing it in another. The demon slammed into the high ceiling before the spell collapsed, letting it drop the ten feet to the floor. Yet a third creature nosed its way through the door, "You really can't take a hint can you?" Willow commented as she emerged hand in hand with Tara. Between them they had enough energy to launch a fireball that sent the thing flying back into the garden. The surviving demons proved Willow wrong as they scrambled for the fence and melted away into the surrounding countryside.
        Willow stuck her head out the door to verify that they were indeed gone, "Do you think we should go and catch up with LJ?"
        Tara looked around the hallway, "Actually honey I think we better do some tidying up first, I'm sure LJ is doing just fine."
        Shaking the water off her soaked sneakers LJ cursed; she had walked into the puddle of water oblivious to her surroundings; lost in the lingering sensation of Sabrina's lips. LJ did her best to focus on the here and now, she had no idea of the sort of tricks the sprite might pull; still she couldn't quite wipe the smile off her face.
        Luckily for LJ the sprite was simply sat dangling its feet in a pool of water at the far end of the cave, "You have brought it, despite the distractions."
        "You know snooping on other peoples private lives is a bad habit." LJ pointed out, not surprised that the sprite had been watching.
        "I simply wished to know why you were so long in coming."
        LJ made a face and weighed the box in her hands, there was no point in spinning this out. She walked over to the sprite and held the pact out, "Here, consider you're contract cancelled, just make sure you don't forget our new deal; you vanish back into oceans and leave the weather and the DeAngelo's alone."
        The sprite took the box and nodded. As it turned to go LJ thought of something that had bothered her in their last encounter, "Just before you go, you mentioned something about a disaster before, I don't suppose you'd like to give me a hint?"
        The sprite shrugged, "A great conflict is coming with you and yours at the centre, by the end millions of your kind will be no more."
        LJ struck a defiant pose, "Yeah? Well maybe I'll surprise you and win."
        The sprite gave her a pitying look, "I assumed you would, light of the earth." Before LJ could grab the creature and demand an explanation the sprite slid into the water and lost itself in the deeps of the ocean.
11. "Lovers Knot"
The second of the glade sat and stared at the map laid out on the ground before her. It resembled a subway map with lines criss crossing, converging, diverging, cutting off suddenly. To the untrained eye it was just a mess; only a trained eye could interpret it, understand the beginnings and endings, distinguish the significant from the trivial.
        At the moment she was interested in the changes wrought by their latest machinations. The abrupt termination of one line drew her attention first, Kristina DeAngelo. The second might brood over the price of their plan but she wasn't going to mourn the death of that one. The sprite would have tried to break free long since, if it had anyone it could trust to deliver up the pact. Once the second offered up a solution to that problem the outcome was inevitable.
        The second shifted her attention to a tangle of lines near the centre, the Athenai, again the second couldn't feel badly about their being thwarted once again, if anything it was long overdue. One line was veering away from their entwined branches, now intersecting with another completely separate line. The second couldn't help feeling somewhat pleased with herself, best birthday present they'll ever get.
        She followed LJ's line back until it merged with Willow and Tara's; ignoring the other line branching off from the older couples for now. The second didn't imagine a certain redheaded witch would be thrilled about the outcome but I'm sure she'll handle it in a calm reasonable manner; eventually.
        "She kissed you?" Willow demanded, aggrieved more by LJ's attitude than anything else.
        "I said we kissed; if you want to be technical I pinned her against a wall and kissed her." LJ was enjoying Willow's discomfort too much to be embarrassed.
        Tara decided that the two had sparred enough, "Can I ask you something dear?"
        LJ suspected this was going to be a lot less entertaining, "Sure mom," she agreed weakly.
        "Did anything change when you kissed Sabrina?"
        It sounded an odd question but it didn't feel odd, "Yeah everything changed," now LJ did look embarrassed, "I'm going upstairs, I need to shower and change."
        Once LJ was safely out of earshot Willow slid down onto the sofa next to Tara, "And?"
        Tara didn't answer immediately; instead she leaned in and kissed Willow. When she finally finished she leant back and stroked Willow's face, "A long time ago I looked across a street and saw a girl staring back at me, and I saw something in her, something wonderful, and it was all aimed at me. When I asked LJ about Sabrina I saw the same thing."
        Willow sat staring into Tara's eyes for a moment, "Then I suppose I'm going to have to get used to Sabrina being around for along time."
        "I suppose you will." Tara agreed sweetly.
        Willow snuggled in close and kissed Tara, she had spent enough time worrying about her daughter's love life; it was high time to concentrate on her own.
Willow: ...I have to tell you....
Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love
Willow: I am
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