Chapter Forty
“Tara, you need to take another,” Sheila said in a tone that would brook no refusal.
“I suppose I could take one more,” Tara admitted looking at the pile of carbohydrate filled patties. “Is this a latke?”
“Oh no,” Sheila grinned. “This is the side benefit of being a cultural anthropologist. There are dozens of versions of potato pancakes, ranging from the Irish boxty to the gamjajeon of Korea. I just pick and choose from the recipes looking for the ones I like the best.”
“You should write this one down and sell it,” Faith said taking two of the pancakes.
“Maybe a cookbook,” Buffy said grabbing two more of her own.
“As long as we skip the durian recipe,” Ira chuckled as he took the plate with two warm starchy discs from Buffy. “It got us kicked out of our hotel in Singapore.”
“This one is great,” Tara grinned. “I’m not sure how you could make it better.”
“Maybe make more,” Willow grumbled as her father slid one of the creations onto his plate.
“Don’t worry,” Ira said. “My cardiologist will have a fit with just the one.”
“Cardiologist?” Willow asked sitting up straighter.
“Part of the University’s new health push for the seasoned staff,” Ira explained. “I’m not even going to think about what I have to look forward when I turn fifty.”
Across the table Tara saw Willow slip into the barest touch of a trance. Without thinking she matched her lover’s gaze and saw Ira’s aura. The dark streaks from Wolfram and Hart’s attack on her through Ira were fading but still visible. Guilt swept over Tara as she broke the trance and returned her attention to the table.
“Tara?” Sheila asked.
“Sorry, woolgathering,” Tara replied quickly.
“Knit later,” Sheila smiled. “I have a new variation on an old favorite I want to try.”
“What?” Faith and Buffy asked almost together.
“Chocolate mousse,” Sheila answered.
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Near a warehouse near Hollywood Charles Gunn eeled his way past sagging posts holding a corroded chain link fence. Twilight was briefly adding the extra shadows that made this intrusion possible. It felt strange not to keep a steady watch for vampires, and he still had a cross and a stake just in case. A few minutes later he was inside the enclosed darkness of the warehouse. Gunn took out a flashlight with a red filter and looked around until he found the object he was sure he was looking for. He didn’t recognize the thing in the warehouse and so took out his camera and risked the flash. After a good survey set of shots he looked around the rest of the interior. Nothing more was visible, but he couldn’t shake the feeling something evil had been here.
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Rupert Giles was wondering if a time portal would be possible, and if so would the early death of Alexander Graham Bell prevent the occurrence of the telephone lines that were the backbone of the internet and therefore prevent this teleconference turned schoolyard scuffle? Another leader of one the many ‘post vampire’ committees that had formed was voicing his opinion that while the Werewolf cure was a good cause an index study of the new magic was a more important use of the funds that would soon be available. Giles saw several of the other groups posture for a rebuttal and finally had enough.
“Shut up, the lot of you!” he snapped. Thousands of miles away a room full of people stared at him in a monitor. “Are all of the vampires destroyed? Are we sure they will never find another way into our world? If and when you can answer yes to these questions then we can give these proposals the time they deserve. For now, so you might have a future without vampires, I will be turning some girl who just days ago knew vampires were a myth into a living weapon for their destruction which will, in turn, most likely hasten her own demise. Good night!”
“A bit bitter?” Xander asked as Giles leaned back from the powering down computer.
“And yet very satisfying,” Giles admitted. “Shouldn’t you be at the Summers house with Dawn?”
“I had a desire for fried crunchy food,” Anya replied as she and Dawn came in.
“And the Doublemeat Palace makes the best fries and onion rings in town!” Dawn finished with an exuberant smile as she looked around the store.
“And the fact that there will be a new Slayer here tonight has of course no impact on your decision for fast food this evening,” Giles said rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Is she here?” Dawn asked quickly. “Not that I was curious.”
“No,” Giles answered looking at his watch. “In fact we need to get moving if we’re going to make it to the airport in time. And since this is a school night, though one where the academic pursuits will no doubt be limited given the approaching end of the school year-”
“Except for Mrs Ingerson,” Dawn grumbled.
“Last chance for Summer School,” Xander shuddered.
“I’m afraid studying will be needed after all,” Giles said calmly.
“Hey,” Buffy said from the door of the Magic Box. “We stopped at the drug store.”
“Isn’t it a a school night?” Willow asked looking at Dawn.
“With one more trap to avoid to actually have a summer vacation,” Dawn admitted.
“Mrs. Ingerson,” Buffy winced. “You’d better get home and make sure you’ve got the
math down.”
“Want some onion rings?” Dawn asked holding out the bag.
“Yeah, these are the best thing they had,” Buffy said grabbing the bag. “But why’d you go all the way to the Doublemeat?”
“Long story,” Anya sighed. “Come on Dawn, you can impress me with your mathematics knowledge.” As she pulled on her coat Anya turned to Tara and held out her spare key to the store. “Lock it up.”
“I do have a key to the store,” Giles said with an affronted tone.
“You’re going to be talking shop with another Watcher,” Anya said clinically. “Buffy and Faith are going to be showing off to the new Slayer. There are books here in a language Willow can read. I need a grownup to secure my place of business so I don’t worry about anything but Dawn’s grade point. Lock it up, Tara.”
“I will,” Tara promised as Dawn and her minders left.
“Oh!” Willow said quickly as Giles shook his head. “We got a variety of OTC-that’s over the counter-pain meds.” With that she up-ended a small white sack and several small vials and bottles spilled out. “Now, each of these has its own benefits and drawbacks and a careful comparison will determine the best outcome. For instance this ibuprofen is more for an anti-inflammatory effect and has been known to cause such things as nausea or fluid retention-”
Giles gulped down two of the aspirin from a small bottle.
“Or you can just take two aspirin because that’s what everybody does,” Willow finished in a deflated voice.
“I’m sorry, we must hurry,” Giles said looking at the group. “Willow, are you sure you can do this without too much strain?”
“We’re going to wait here and practice to make sure,” Willow said thoughtfully. “I’m not going to say its going to be CGI perfect but we should be able to make it a bit more realistic.”
“Thank you,” Giles said as the two Slayers began to argue over who got the front seat in the rented minivan.
“Good luck,” Willow smiled.
=======================================================================
“Well, you managed to find a look that you can afford,” the mixed race girl teased.
“Yeah,” the skinny boy said pulling his threadbare jacket back. “Look at this! A real Sunny Day Real Estate shirt for three bucks.”
“You got ripped off,” a well built teen wearing a letterman’s jacket and khakis said.
“Nah,” the thin youngster grinned. “I don’t go near LL Bean. Their clothes will turn you into a mannequin and you know what mannequins don’t have.”
“A pain in the ass?” the girl sighed as the big boy glared at the other.
“If you can please concentrate on the task at hand for a moment,” a middle aged woman snapped. “We might be able to get rid of this nest tonight. Does everyone have their holy water?”
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Kelli was first down the short set of stairs and out of the plane. She stopped, looking around the tarmac. Behind her Trudy began her descent. “Babe,” the new Slayer said gently. “I think I’m the one that’s supposed to be protective.”
“Sorry,” Kelli said looking behind her.
“You’re doing a good job,” Trudy went on. “I feel safe.”
The wonderful moment as Kelli smiled at her faded as another passenger came out of the turboprop. “How’s a reasonable sized person supposed to get out of this sardine tin? I don’t suppose they’re here yet. Young Giles always had his head in the clouds.”
“Mr Preston, they’re trying to help us,” Trudy said politely. “I think that’s them.”
“Oh yes, that’s Rupert,” the man with a white halo of hair said with a frown. “Still too young.”
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“Oh dear God,” Giles hissed as he straightened up without thinking. “That’s Cyrus Preston! They didn’t tell me he was the Watcher!”
“You know him?” Buffy asked knowing the answer.
“He was my Unarmed Combat instructor,” Giles said without moving his mouth very much. “He has eyes in the back of head!”
“I wondered where you learned that,” Faith grinned.
Buffy stepped forward and held out her hand to the girl behind Kelli. “Hi, welcome to California!”
=======================================================================
*Bring the flow down up to the weir* Willow said as she brought a touch of her power across the line of magic. In her mind she saw Tara gently guide the magic to fill the small blocked section until the magic ‘overflowed’ back into its normal path leaving a small pool of magic. A half dozen others were on this line, ranging from a small rather rough first attempt to the last three that looked almost like a stepped millpond. Willow nodded to Tara and they both relaxed back into sitting on the training room floor. There was a soft knocking on the doorway.
“Come in,” Willow said a bit tiredly. “We’re decent.”
“Which is a pity,” Bruce said as he shimmered into the room.
“The couch is lumpy and kind of stinky,” Tara said with a a touch of distaste.
“Lumpy couches seem to be a theme,” Bruce mused. Then he smiled. “I like the reservoir concept. I see you haven’t blocked it off entirely.”
“Not until we have more observations,” Willow replied. “Just the study of the flow of magic now is enough to fill a notebook, let alone the possible consequences for blocking the flow.”
“Rate of flow versus time blocked,” Bruce said thoughtfully. “Effects of a collection of magic on the surrounding area. This could be quite a project. How’s your utilization of the magic?”
“We seem to be pretty efficient,” Willow said.
“Are they on their way?” Tara asked getting to her feet.
“Oh, right,” Bruce said quickly. “They’re in front of the store. Remember Willow, you’re a fire witch. I’ll be nearby if you need me. Training is always important.”
A moment later the door to the training room opened. Tara recognized Kelli. The brown haired girl behind her had an athletic build. The new girl looked at Willow and Tara for a moment and then looked away. Not because we’re witches, Tara thought. But because we’re college girls who are more Kelli’s style. Ones who can take her away.
“Hey,” Kelli said cautiously. Only then did Tara notice how close the blonde was to the new Slayer. She saw the way Kelli was looking at everything in training room like it might be a threat.
“Hey Kelli,” Willow said back. “Who’s the cute chick?”
The new girl looked up surprised at Willow’s words. Kelli took her hand. “This is Trudy,” she replied with a smile.
“Short for Gertrude,” Trudy said with a shrug.
“Meaning strong spear,” Giles observed.
“Actually I think its strength of the spear,” Tara said with a thoughtful frown. “Referring to the shield maiden.”
“And you are?” the old man in the rear of the group asked.
“These are the witches,” Buffy said with a hint of pride.
“They’re the magic part of our posse,” Faith added.
“This is Willow and Tara,” Giles said politely. “Willow, Tara, this is Cyrus Preston.”
“A pleasure,” the old man said. “Though I expected someone older.”
“Is the training magic ready?” Buffy asked eagerly.
=======================================================================
“This thing gave me the willies,” Gunn admitted as he and Winifred looked over the photos arranged on the table. Fred leaned forward and pointed to one photo.
“Copper mesh?” she asked.
“Looked like, but its corroded,” he answered.
“Or burnt,” the thin girl frowned. “What are these?”
“Heavy duty truck batteries,” Charles said leaning forward and tracing their form. “The poles are here, where is looks like there was some wicked short circuit. There’s half a dozen of them attached to whatever this is.”
“Are those jars?” she asked pointing to photos of the rear of the burned machine.
“Or urns,” Gunn said thoughtfully. “They’re ceramic. You thinking they might be magic storage?”
“Not enough data,” Fred said thoughtfully, which Charles knew meant that she was thinking the same thing but was trying to be the good detached scientist. After a moment she leaned forward and picked up shot of the burned front of the machine. “I want to check something,” she said frowning.
=======================================================================
“Wow!” Trudy said stepping back from the image of the collapsing vampire. “Do they always fall apart like that?”
“Only if you’ve done your job,” Preston said dryly.
“Miss the heart and they get cranky,” Buffy said. “Or they run off with your best stake in their chest and you’ve got to chase them down to get it back.”
“Beheading can be a bit better,” Faith insisted. “If you miss and smash the axe into their head they usually just fall over and quiver.”
“We are not using the stake targets for axe work!” Giles snapped quickly
“Lets get the basic stake moves down,” Preston said calmly. “Once you have the theory its really just a matter of muscle memory being built up. Shall we run through this again?”
=======================================================================
“Holy...” the skinny boy whispered as the vampire collapsed in a pall of dust. “Annie, you did it!”
“Yeah-” the girl started before a brief flurry of coughing stopped her.
“Hey, there’s make up here,” the muscular boy said thoughtfully looking at the dusty vanity.
“Vampires can’t use mirrors,” the raggedly dressed boy said confidently.
“Couldn’t use mirrors with silver, Timothy,” a middle aged woman said as she came into the chamber. “And there are coats in three sizes here.”
“Oh crap,” the girl sighed. “There are more of them.”
=======================================================================
“Very good,” Preston said with a nod watching Faith’s strike demonstration. Trudy stepped forward and moved with her new speed and strength. She was not a smooth as Faith nor as precise as Buffy, but to her trainer she was improving swiftly. “Much better,” he said with a small smile. “Nice touch with the hint of flame and the death roar,” he added looking at the witches. “Trudy, go through the basics a few more times and then do the off hand strikes. The old boys have to go and get boring.”
The Slayers nodded and returned to the dummies. Giles led his senior back to the office. Once the door was closed he turned to his old instructor.
“Rupert, do relax,” Cyrus sighed. “ I’ve been teaching teachers for the last decade. You’ve kept your Buffy alive longer than anyone else ever did with their Slayers.”
“I’ve had help,” Giles said modestly.
“The new way,” Preston said tightly. “But there are only so many witches like your girls.”
“Witches, a carpenter, a former demon, a cheerleader, and the occasional commando or werewolf,” Giles corrected. “Not what they taught at school.”
“You adapted,” the older man said easily. “You’ve adapted so well right now you’re the bees knees at the Council.”
“Me?” Giles asked with a start.
“You,” Preston smiled. “I have to admit you’re doing better than I have.”
“Is it because your Slayer came with a lover?”
“Don’t let the chronicles fool you, lad. About a third of the Slayers have had lovers and sometimes those lovers were girls. Thing was it would never have mattered. Trudy’s almost too old. Another few months and she’d have never been called.”
“Why did they assign you?” Giles asked handing the senior Watcher a glass with a generous splash of amber liquid.
“Old man need a soft assignment,” Cyrus replied taking the glass. “Next thing you know I’ve got a Slayer in her very early twenties who’s just found a girlfriend. No, my girl and her girl aren’t the issue that’s driving me right round the bend. Rupert, those two know every sob-sister so-called singer songwriter and all the lyrics to their insipid tales of suburban woe and the radio channels that play them for a hundred miles! They have no idea what real music is. Do you know they’ve never heard of Jackie Brenston?”
“‘Rocket 88’” Giles nodded.
“I swear Hoagy Carmicheal and Jo Stafford might has well have signers of the Magna Carta!”
“Mother loved ‘Stardust’” Giles said with a sad smile. “What about Nat King Cole or Mel Torme?”
“Not a clue.”
“In this case I’m thankful for living in California, land of technology and fads,” Giles said with a small grin. “Do you have a computer?”
“Had to,” Preston said. “I’m getting all of our older combat manuals into a more accessible form. Some of those things are a mass of line drawings. The boffins set me up with a big Apple with a scanner and one of those laptop things.”
“There’s something new called an iPod,” Giles said now with a real grin. “I believe it will help. Oh, perhaps you can introduce your girls to Julie London.”
“They might like her,” the older man smiled.
=======================================================================
Cordelia leaned back in the booth and sighed. She was just glad to be back in Vancouver this evening even if it meant interior scenes in the morning. She loved the city with its nightspots, dangerous bakeries, and hotels with hot water heaters larger than a coffee can. Next to her her costars Katie and Caroline looked around the slowly filling club. Katie grinned. “Too bad I’m not really gay,” she chuckled. “After Wendy hits the air I’d never have worry about getting laid again!”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Caroline said glancing at the dance floor. “You’re being noticed.”
Cordelia looked around the club and froze. At the bar three people, two male and one female looked out over the crowd with the gaze of predators. She looked behind them and felt a lurch as she saw a teenaged girl next to an older man wearing a tweed jacket. As she watched the girl walked in front of the trio. Suddenly she put a hand to her tummy and rushed for the back door. The two males started after the girl but the female held back for a moment, then followed the other two. Cordelia turned to her costars. “Stay here!”
The former cheerleader was on her feet and catching up the female in front of her when a dancer got in front of what was in fact a vampire. With barely a shrug the offending dancer flew backwards out of the vampire’s way. Cordelia reached into her bag and grasped a pair of hair sticks that were just a bit too thick and pointed. As the female hunter opened the door Cordelia got a glimpse of a dusted vampire falling into nothingness. The other stumbled by with his face steaming. The teenager was turning when the vampire grabbed her and pulled the stake out of her hand.
“Surprise!” the creature snarled as she slipped into her hunting face. Then she screamed as she fell apart.
“You bet!” Cordelia said pulling back the undercover stakes. In front of her the girl had a shocked look on her face. “I’m from Sunnydale.”
“Ah,” the older man said stepping over a new pile of ash further along the alley. “That explains it. Thank you.”
“That-that-that-” came from the back door of the club.
“Was a real vampire,” Cordelia said glaring at Katie and Caroline. “What part of ‘stay here’ was too hard to understand?”
“She wanted to come!” both actors said as they pointed at each other.
“Oh no, wait,” Cordelia said suddenly turning to the girl. “You’re a new Slayer.” The girl just nodded. “I-I’ve got to make a call.”
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“It’s a trident!” Fred said holding up one of Wes’ books. “I knew I’d seen it before.”
“Trident of Monos,” Charles read. “Doesn’t look like a fish spear.”
“Monos was the god of pain and sarcasm in Ancient Greece,” Fred explained as she looked at the photo and the drawing again.
“Looking at this thing I can believe it,” Gunn said. “What does the wicked trifecta of stabbing do?”
“It doesn’t say, but Angel made a note here next to it,” she said looking at Charles. “He does know a lot about this stuff.”
“I hate to interrupt his Daddy time,” Gunn sighed. “But I don’t like this.’
=======================================================================
“Guys, you don’t have to stay,” Dawn said as Xander worked on a set of papers. Anya looked up from Dawn’s math book.
“While I’m sure you could study very well on your own,” Anya said primly. “I have doubts if you could study without phoning Janice and discussing Kevin and the possibility of a double date.”
“Which would take you way past school night bedtime as defined by ancient beings like me,” Xander added. “Sorry Dawnster, you’re stuck with us.”
“Can I at least call her for a bit?” Dawn begged. “My circumference is getting numb.”
“Twenty minutes,” Xander holding out his wrist. “By my watch.”
Dawn sighed.
=======================================================================
“Dad, there’s two of them,” Connor said happily.
“Mind leaving one to me?” Angel said with a small grin.
Angel heard a pair of footsteps begin to rush. He and Connor turned as one. The vampires hunting visages registered alarm just before the stakes found their hearts. As the dust drifted down Connor yelled “First!”
“Mine was farther away,” Angel insisted “And I hit him harder.” Then he heard more rushed steps. He pushed Connor back just a flushed teenaged girl turned the corner with a stake in her hand. “Oh no...” Angel whispered. The girl looked at them carefully. “Are you the Slayer?” Angel asked with a rough voice.
“Uh, yes?” the girl answered. Behind her Angel heard someone call out “Damn it Brenda, wait for us next time!”
Angel’s cell began to ring.
=======================================================================
To Tara, Trudy’s last move was much slower than the others had been. She glanced at Buffy, who caught the look and stopped her move. The slim blonde Slayer turned to the new girl for a moment. “Shoulder?” she asked.
“Uh, yeah, sorry,” Trudy replied softly. “How fast does the Slayer healing work?”
“Not fast enough,” Buffy frowned.
“Well, we do have some anti-inflammatory stuff,” Willow said straightening up from her position on the floor near the dummies.
“Good,” Buffy said, then she smiled. “Hey Tara, you remember what you did after I did that triple vamp stake thing but came down on the wet grass and landed on my shoulder.”
“Among other things,” Tara smiled. “Yes I do. I’ll need a straight back chair and a pillow.”
=======================================================================
Giles groaned as the cell went off. He put the phone to his ear.
“What-wait a moment-Angel do shut up!” Giles snapped. Then he sighed. “Buffy and Faith are quite all right. There have been...some changes.”
=======================================================================
As Willow lead Kelli back from the tiny bathroom with the pain relievers in her hand she saw Trudy leaning against a pillow on a chair. Behind the Slayer Tara was concentrating on her strokes near the brown haired girl’s neck. Behind her Willow heard Kelli hiss. “What’s she doing?”
“Come here,” Willow said pulling the blonde into the front of the store. After the door swung shut Willow glared at Kelli.
“Look!” Willow started. “You had better pull your head out of jealous over-protective mode right now! You go around with that attitude and things that bite are going to eat you alive.”
“But-”
“No buts!” Willow said firmly. “Get this through your head. She’s a Slayer. As much as you want to help and take her burden you can’t! She’s so strong she could knock out a rhino in full charge. She’s probably going to get involved with some sort of mystical thingamajig and have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. I’ve seen it and all you can do is be there for her and let her cry on your shoulder or maybe give her a swift kick in the butt to get her started. Think you can handle all of that?”
“I’m not leaving,” Kelli said with her eyes burning.
“Good,” Willow said scaling back her tone. “There’s something else. I’ve been through the best girl in the world thing, but you’ve got to give her some space. Things will get... messed up if you don’t.”
“This is so new,” Kelli sighed as she slumped into a chair. “I finally meet a girl I want to wake up next to for a few decades. I’m-I’m afraid I’m going to look around one day and find out I’ve lost her.”
“Kelli,” Willow said gently putting a hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “You couldn’t lose her with a crowbar and a mallet.”
“You think so?”
“I know so,” Willow said with a grin.
“Okay,” Kelli said a bit shakily as she stood up. “No more hen with one chick. Uh, what was your girl doing?”
“Massage,” Willow replied. “You’re going to want to take a couple of workshops, and maybe a first aid course.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Kelii shuddered.
“CPR saved Buffy’s life,” Willow said firmly.
“I’ll learn,” Kelli said resolutely.
“Good,” Willow nodded. “You know, for all their strength, Slayers can be kinda fragile.”
=======================================================================
“How does that feel?” Tara asked as she feathered her touch and took her hands off Trudy’s shoulders.
“Wonderful,” Trudy sighed.
“Not too wonderful,” Tara teased. “I don’t want Kelli scratching my eyes out.”
“You think she’d do that?” Trudy asked shyly.
“For you, in a heartbeat,” Tara grinned.
“Hey,” Willow said as she approached with Kelli and a trio of bottles. “Are you allergic to anything?”
“Peanuts,” Kelli answered. “Oh, sorry.”
“How about an ibuprofen or three?” Trudy ventured.
“How about two?” Tara suggested.
“Sounds good,” Trudy said taking the pills. As she took a long drink of water Tara saw Buffy and Faith talking with Giles. Tara saw the tension flare across Buffy’s shoulders and the angle of her jaw. A moment later Preston came down the hall from the loo and everyone began to gather coats. Tara finally managed to catch Buffy’s eye. The blonde smiled at her friend.
“I’m okay,” Buffy said softly to Tara. “Angel and Cordy met the new girls and they kind of, well they freaked.”
“”Oh, they thought-” Tara clamped down hard on her train of thought as the image of her friend bleeding on an operating table came back to her in a flash. She felt Buffy’s touch on her arm.
“Yeah, that’s what they thought,” Buffy said gently. “But I’m fine.” Then she looked at Willow. “We’re going on patrol, want to come along?”
“I’d just suggest patrolling the library,” Willow said with a small shrug. “Besides I kind of promised my parents I’d be in early tonight. You go ahead. Oh, if you run into something hot remember you’ve got backup.”
Buffy frowned and then nodded. “Thanks Will. Okay, shall we get going?”
After the others had left Tara stopped and locked the front door of the Magic Box. Then she sculpted some of the magic around the store into a ward. She crafted it to fade away in nine hours. The spell vanished quickly into the door. “Why nine hours?” Willow asked.
“That’s when Anya gets in,” Tara replied.
“We were going to take care of the store so she could get a vacation,” Willow said quickly. “But after I shower and brush my teeth and floss and get dressed and have a cup of coffee and eat I’ll be getting up as early to come here as I did for school!”
“I can open the store myself,” Tara pointed out.
“No way!” Willow insisted. “You’re not going to be in a magic shop in Sunnydale on your own. Every bit of leftover badness will show up here.”
“Or in our sewers,” Tara said lightly. “Along with the entire cast of Titanic complete with extras and all of the props.”
“Our town,” Willow said with a disturbing brightness. “It’s special!” She took Tara’s hand and they began to walk to the Rosenberg house. After a while Willow glanced over knowing she was going to see a thoughtful look and her lover’s face. “What is it?”
“Everything that made Sunnydale special in the bad way is gone,” Tara said carefully.
“There’s a few of the Mayors old boys hiding in City Hall,” Willow said. “But I understand what you’re saying.”
“How is it going to change?” Tara asked not expecting an answer. “Is it just going to grow like a wildfire and change into hundreds of strip malls looking for a freeway surrounded by cookie cutter developments?”
“I don’t know,” Willow said after a moment. “The future was different just a month or so ago. I don’t have a solution. We may just have to grow up.”
“Just a bit,” Tara said softly. “But not right now.”
“Tara, you don’t think sacrifice means...politics, do you?”
“I hope not!” Tara gulped. “I’m not good at the whole, um, public speaking thing.”
“Okay, enough scary grownup thinking,” Willow said as they arrived at her parents’ home. “I don’t want to wake them. We need to be quiet.”
“Quiet as mice?”
“Quiet as ninja mice,” Willow corrected.
“I’m in touch with my inner ninja mouse,” Tara whispered.
Willow approached the door. She took a moment to push in the key and turn the doorknob very slowly. Silently the door opened. She took just as much time carefully shutting the door behind them and threw the bolt so softly she wasn’t sure it had gone all the way home. They grinned at each other,
“Honey, would you and Tara like some tea?” Sheila called from the kitchen.
“Our ninja mice powers are as nothing against Mom Hearing,” Willow sighed. “Sure Mom.”
“Oh, when did you get in?” Ira said coming out of his study.
“Just now,” Willow replied with a small smile. “With a partial ninja mouse win.”
“I cannot keep up,” Ira said shaking his head.
“Join us for tea?” Tara asked. Ira looked at her and Tara felt indecision and something else she couldn’t identify.
“Not tonight, but if an Orange Pekoe shows up in my study I wouldn’t mind,” Ira smiled.
“Dad, there’s more to tea than Orange Pekoe,” Willow said in a tone that indicated this was a very old patch of ground.
“All propaganda from that Earl Grey person,” Willow’s father said lightly.
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“Mr. Giles?”
“Yes Winifred,” Giles replied on his cell as the girls descended on the Starbucks with Preston in tow.
“Charles found something,” the thin girl reported. “I’m sending you an e-mail with jpegs.”
“Those are the picture things, correct?”
“Yes sir,” Fred replied and Giles knew she was smiling.
“What will I be looking at?”
“We’re not sure,” she replied more seriously. “I’m adding our impressions in the e-mail.”
“Thank you,” Giles said with a frown. “Get some sleep.”
“Yes, sir.”
=======================================================================
Tara knocked on the study door. From inside she hear Ira call out “Come in Willow.”
“Just me,” Tara said as she opened the door. “Your tea, sir.”
“Tara, stay a moment, please,” Ira said turning back to his computer. “Just let me save and close here.”
Tara looked around the book-filled space. Along one wall there were photos of Willow. They started off with snapshots of a baby and a toddler. Around the first grade a pattern emerged. There was a school picture of Willow at some point in her academic career and a photo with one parent and a science project. The series stopped in high school. On the next wall there were plaques and diplomas. One was from Washington University at Kansas City. Next to it Ira was one of a group of smiling students under a banner proclaiming ‘Danforth Scholars’. Next to that was an even younger Ira holding a huge trophy.
“The year I won the State Championship for Debate,” Ira said flatly.
“State Champion,” Tara said impressed. “I remember my old high school’s debate team. They were so focused and intense.” And they totally ignored the shy stuttering girl she added to herself.
“It’s what proved to me if I could find the right words I could make anything the way I wanted it to be,” Ira sighed. “If didn’t like a truth, I could talk around it.” Ira waited for Tara’s questions but after a moment realized she was just listening to him. “Tara, could you come by and talk with me later this week?”
“You want to t-t-talk to me?”
“No, actually I want to listen to you,” Ira said meeting her eyes. “Tara everything I know about you and where you came from is mostly hokum designed to make the people who buy it and peddle it feel very superior. I want to know you, where you came from, and all about this world of magic and monsters I’ve been protected from by people I’ve dismissed.”
“I can do that,” Tara said gently.
“Good,” Ira said with a sad smile. “Maybe you can help me learn about my daughter as well. I haven’t known her for a very long time.”
=======================================================================
“Thanks guys,” Buffy said as Xander and Anya pulled on their coats. “Any problems?”
“Dawn was sufficiently competent at her exercises,” Anya reported. “She even did the extra credit problems.”
“She went to bed about a half hour ago,” Xander added. “Oh, thanks to conversation I was trying to not eavesdrop on you may be asked for permission for a movie date this Saturday”
“Thanks for the heads up,” Buffy smiled as she showed them out the door. “Be safe.”
Buffy and Faith stood in the quiet living room. Faith saw Buffy close her eyes and wondered how precious this moment of normalcy was to the thin blonde. Buffy let out a long sigh and looked at Faith.
“Go ahead,” Buffy said. “Say it.”
“I don’t want to,” Faith replied with a sad frown.
“This isn’t what we need to do,” Buffy said tiredly. “Our most dangerous encounter tonight was a vegetarian demon with bad breath and worse poetry.” Buffy looked towards the stairs and Dawn’s room. “Slayers aren’t needed here. We have to go.”
“B, maybe I can do this on my own,” Faith suggested. Buffy’s glare stopped her. “Or not.”
“No,” Buffy said firmly. “We need to get moving. I’ll talk to Giles in the morning. Let’s get some sleep.”
=======================================================================
“Honey, how are you and your Dad doing?” Tara asked as they got into bed.
“About a well as we have for the last couple of years,” Willow said stifling, then losing to a yawn. “We’re okay, I guess.”
=======================================================================
“ANNIE!” Timothy screamed as the inexperienced Slayer got between the two vamps and was knocked to the ground. The first thing out of his jacket was a bottle of crushed garlic. He dumped the whole jar into the vamps faces. They growled and pawed at their streaming eyes. Then he grabbed his last bottle of Holy Water. He’d missed earlier so he got as close as he dared and emptied it into the wrinkled faces of the vampires. The male flung out an arm in agony and Timothy flew backward against the basement wall. A half second later two dying screams filled the poorly lit room. Annie staggered forward to a very still form.
“Get up poser,” she said in a ragged voice. “C’mon, Timothy, this isn’t funny.” Annie knelt on the grimy floor. “Timmy...Tim get up...please?”
A moment later Annie’s Watcher found her followed by the big teen but the girl did not see them. Her tears blinded her to everything but her own grief as she held a cooling hand.
=======================================================================
Giles was reconsidering the use of his ring tone since he’d begun to fume at the opening bars to any Pink Floyd song. Now just before he could get into bed it went off again. “Now who needs their hand held?” he fumed as he reluctantly opened the phone. “Yes?”
After a moment he sighed tiredly. “I’m so sorry Lois. I’m afraid you’ll need to leave him. That’s what the Dustmen are for. Get her out of there. Carry her if you have to, girl! The police can’t find her there. I’ll call and get them moving.”
=======================================================================
“Where am I?” Timothy asked softly.
“Where do you think?” a peroxided hipster in a duster asked.
“I’m dead, but I’m thinking your not an angel,” the boy said mostly without squeaking.
“You’re not my usual pick-up,” the older man said unhappily. “What makes you think you deserve an angel?”
“I, um, I s-saved her,” Tim replied. “She’s okay, isn’t she?”
The grayness faded and the boy saw Annie being dragged out onto the street. As they watched she collapsed, sliding down the car door. “We can’t leave him there,” she said weakly.
“We’ll get him home,” Lois said.
“We were his home,” the big lad said through his own tears.
“Oh shit, Deke,” he complained. “Don’t go all soft on me jock boy, your boyfriends won’t like it.”
“Ah, that’s why I’ve got you,” the lean man sighed looking off to something Tim couldn’t see. Then he turned and smiled in a most unreassuring way. “By gum, let’s see if we can’t knock off some of that attitude, shall we?”
========================================================================
Buffy was out of her bed and holding a dagger from a cubby on the nightstand before she was totally awake. Faith rolled out of her bundle scrubbing her cheeks. “What the Hell was that?” Faith choked out.
“She lost somebody,” Buffy said returning the blade. “She lost someone closer than she knew. Damn IT!”
“Hey,” Faith said standing up and holding onto Buffy. “We’re here, ours are okay.”
“I-I need to call them,” Buffy said softly.
“B, look at the clock,” Faith said gently. “It’s late. We’ll check on them tomorrow.”
“Then we’re going wherever this happened,” Buffy said with a tired anger. “We’re not gonna lose any more.”
“That’s right,” Faith said closing her eyes and begging the still night. “No more lost ones.”
=======================================================================
The dark brick-lined passage was full of the sounds of a distant battle. A battle Tara knew good people were losing. The salamanders danced an oval into existence as the dragon watched down the passage into utter darkness. Willow strode out of the flame-wreathed portal, her red hair writhing like the flames. She looked down the the hall, her face beautiful and terrible at the same time.
“Let’s finish this,” she said as she stepped forward, a flight of flames coming into being in front of her and driving back the dark.
Tara awoke from her dream. For a moment she stared into the dark. Then Tara took Willow’s ‘night time idea’ pad and the pen from their place on the nightstand. In the weak light from outside Tara wrote something carefully. Then she put down the pad and burrowed into the covers next to Willow. She was quickly back to sleep, but the blonde tossed and turned all night in her dreams. On the night table the pad was open to a mostly empty page with the words ‘League of Flame’ in Tara’s writing.
To Be Continued
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