Author's note: A big thank you to Dorian for jumping in as a beta-reader on this one. On a seperate note the chapter names sometime might come of as a bit silly or just plain off, but as I've said before this is a rewrite of a old story of mine so I'm trying to keep the old chapter names as much as possible. Now lets get this show on the road and post this before I fiddle with it for another four hours.
Chapter 1: Where in the world is Willow Rosenberg
Three weeks, she thought to herself as she ran a stake through the third vampire of the night, three weeks of frantic searching for any clue of where Willow might have gone and it had led her here.
"Willow I hope you know the trouble I'm putting myself through to find you," Buffy Summers, vampire Slayer and newly graduated High School student muttered.
She then frowned as she flipped her stake over in her hand and hurled it at the fleeing vampire who'd just seen his undead buddy dusted.
The stake landed in his back with a thud and he exploded into dust while trying to grasp it from behind.
Buffy slowly walked over to the vampire, now scattered dust blowing in the gentle breeze, her eyes darting between the dark shadows of the alley as she bent down and scooped up her trusty stake, Willow had watched her make this one, she remembered.
"Willow... you better not be dead because we've got some serious talking to do." She sighed to herself as a red tabby cat ran in front of her and meowed at her, making her giggle. "Yes don't mind the crazy slayer kitty," she told the tabby, scratched it behind its ears then she stuffed her stake back into her leather jacket and headed for wherever her slayer sense took her next.
Just as she was out of sight a tall man in a tailored black business suit seemingly emerged from the shadows of the alley, sniffing the air exposing white fangs, he pulled out a cell phone and made a call. "She's here. The Slayer has arrived in San Francisco sire, like you predicted. I'll bring my report right away," he said in a cultured accent and then a black car pulled up and he slipped into the back. "Take me to the Prince," he said and the driver nodded.
Buffy, without any better idea where to go, slipped into an small all-night diner and ordered a short stack and some coffee. She watched as the sugar cubes made little ripples in the dark liquid when she dropped them in one by one and then almost jumped as the waitress slipped her the pancakes.
"He's probably not worth it?" she stated and Buffy looked up with a confused look on her pretty face. "Uh?" she asked and dropped the third sugar cube into her pitch black coffee.
"Just saying, if it is some stupid boy that has you in such state. He's probably not worth it," the waitress explained with a friendly smile. "Oh... no... I mean... it's not a boy, but a girl... but not... like that..." Buffy stammered a bit as the waitress just nodded and then vanished as the next customer called. "Boy... or a girl?" Buffy asked herself, once again going over every little detailed regarding Willow since graduation in her mind. Her mind drifted back to certain event she hadn't thought much of, but now it sort of made a lot of sense.
It had been maybe four weeks ago, graduation over, the world saved, Faith one of the good guys again and Spike in the interest of pure self-preservation had even pitched in, but that wasn't the important bit. Willow had been come to her house and she'd arrived with a large book under her arm. Asking a bit shyly if they could just hang out and of course Buffy always made time for Willow.
She now realized sitting in a nearly empty diner in another city late at night, that she did always find time for her red headed friend, more so then for anybody else in her life. Her mind drifted back to that night as she sipped her sugared coffee.
There they had been; Buffy making a new stake after losing her old one and Willow just reading the book she'd brought, sometimes making slow gestures with her fingers and sometimes glancing over at Buffy when she thought she could get away with it, but you don't peek at a slayer without her noticing. Still, there had been a nice silence between them as they enjoyed each other's company. Buffy didn't mind one bit that Willow was stealing glance at her as she worked. The only sound had been Willow turning the pages of her book when it had happened - Buffy nicked her thumb on the knife she was using to make Mr. Pointy Jr.
"Oh hell, " she cursed, dropping the stake and looking at the blood flowing from a cut on her finger and then there she was; Willow, right at her side, faster than you could say red headed witch cares a lot about her slayer.
"Here let me..." Willow said and gently took her hand then she muttered something that Buffy couldn't quite make out and ran her pale finger down the cut and Buffy could swear she felt sparks fly between them as the cut closed up.
"How?" Buffy asked wide eyed and all Willow did was grace her with the cutest little smile.
"Borrowed a book of Giles, don't tell him alright?" she winked and then leaned down, slowly kissed the healed finger and the moment seemed to drag out a bit too long, then her head shot up.
"There all better..." she exclaimed in a very squeaky voice, her face flushing and she hurriedly turned back to her book as Buffy slowly examined her healed digit.
"Willow, I don't know what to say, but thank you," Buffy said in a loving tone of voice turning her hand over. "You always look after me, don´t you?" She half asked and Willow without turning around had just nodded.
At the time Buffy had not understood what all the fuss was about, but now she was sort of getting there. "Don't worry I won't tell Giles, " she remembered saying in a cheerful voice, thinking that her friend was just worried about the 'borrowed' book and the reply from Willow was a muted: "Oh... oh okay good, don't tell Giles yeah, we don't want Giles mad at us now do we, " in a mumbled voice as they both returned to their tasks.
In the diner, Buffy glanced up at the clock, 12:34, just after midnight. Swallowing a mouthful of her pancakes she sighed again, and then holding up each hand like she was weighing out her options.
"A boy or a girl?" Buffy asked herself while slowly rubbing her face with the palms of her hands. "Willow... we so need to talk," she sighed as the waitress swung by to fill up her cup and way too cheerfully for Buffy's liking slipped in: "Oh Willow, so a stupid girl then?" With Buffy thinking that this night could not get any worse, scratch that this month could not get any worse.
The Club had no name, but it was built on for a lack of a better term a magically friendly place. Thus it drew all manner of beings mystical and magical to it. Good for business in a city with a large supernatural community.
Thus it was that Willow Rosenberg, a witch, moved through the darkness of the club, swaying her hips back and forth. The various children of the night and just plain old humans danced around her and she felt her pulse racing a bit, the smell of magic was in the air and most importantly she felt alive.
So far it had been great getting away from Sunnydale, the Hellmouth and Buffy, nobody here she could hurt or drive away by a slip of the tongue. She stopped for a second, brushing up against a girl with blonde hair that smiled at her sweetly.
"Love your hair," the girl shouted over the loud music and Willow felt the girl's fingers brushing the silver streaks in her otherwise flaming red hair, but then with a fright the cute girl backed away, causing Willow to frown as she felt somebody step up behind her.
"So you're the new witch in town?" a tall and dark figure asked from behind her, the voice was smooth and sophisticated and it's owner the cause for the pretty blonde girl's hasty retreat.
"That depends on who wants to know," Willow replied with her best innocent and shy smile plastered on her face as she turned around, but at the same time she was getting her handy bursting spell ready just in case.
"Interested parties," the man replied with a smile obvious in his voice even before Willow fully faced him. Willow stifled a gasp, but managed to show no outward sign of being shocked. The coven she was staying with had given her the run down on who where the major players and this man, with his white fangs showing as she smiled, although not the absolute power commanded plenty of respect.
"Willow," she said and offered her hand to the man, making sure that she had the other one free in case some liberal blasting was required.
"And do you know what I am?" he asked as he gently took her hand and kissed it, his lips not cold, but not warm either pressing on the back of her pale hand.
"Of course, you're a messenger," she stated bluntly acting unimpressed, pulling her hand back and she spotted a man in a black business suit standing behind the man, clearly sizing her up as he checked something on the inside of his jacket.
"That I am. You see I along with my superiors, we are curious about your reasons for being here?" the sharp dressed man stated, guiding her towards a more quiet area of the club.
"And since when do the Undying concern themselves with a lowly witch?" Willow asked with a raised eyebrow, running her hands down the tight corset she had on. Something she'd never be caught dead in back home, but here it felt right.
"When said witch arrives from the Hellmouth," the man replied while being handed a glass of amber liquid and Willow watched as he sipped at it, she could tell it wasn't blood but it was something close to blood.
"Alright, I guess that's a good enough reason, but I'm afraid you'll be a bit disappointed," Willow said sweetly as she looked around for something to drink
"Try me?" he asked and motioned for the waitress to bring Willow something to drink and the young woman nodded and then smiled at Willow.
"Well then let's sit down first okay," Willow suggested as she accepted a goblet with red liquid from the waitress, their fingers brushing and impishly Willow gave the girl a little mystical jolt which caused the waitress to give her a surprised little smile. She then lowered herself into the dark leather couch and looked at her host from across a low table.
Now that she saw the man up close in the dim light of the club she noticed his features: Probably Italian by birth, a distinctive nose, he had brown eyes tinted with green, black hair with streaks of grey in it and a tall forehead. He was very handsome by any standards while radiating an aura of assured calm and power. The business suit clad man took up position behind him, hands crossed over his chest.
"In your own time Miss Rosenberg," the man said as he clearly noticed the young witch sizing him up.
"Well before I spill my life's story, can I at least have your name?" she asked flashing him a winsome smile.
"Just call me Alfeo, Miss Rosenberg, now your reasons for being here please," Alfeo introduced himself then urged her to explain her presence and Willow sensed that she was being spared precious time by a very busy man or at least what looked like a man.
"In as few words as possible then," Willow said with a bit of a sigh. "I needed to get away," she said taking a long sip from her goblet.
"Explain," Alfeo said calmly and nodded for her to carry on as he watched her pale neck move as she swallowed down the contents of the goblet almost greedily like it might be her last drink.
"You see this?" Willow asked and motioned to her red hair, with its silver streaks and her jade green, formfitting corset and paint on black leather pants hugging her shape.
"I may be many things my dear girl, but I'm still a man," Alfeo joked. "So how could I not… notice?" he added with a small smile that caused Willow to blush just a little, but she mentally suppressed the growing redness in her cheeks.
"Well this, this isn't who I am. Well not most of the time anyway," she tried to explain.
"Let me guess; the grade A student?" Alfeo asked then sipped his drink again and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe even the librarian's assistant when not in class?" he probed further, seeming to see right through her.
"More or less yes," Willow said and took another sip from her goblet.
"So you came here to cut loose?" he asked, but it sounded more like a statement and not a very happy one at that.
"Well not actually cut loose. Maybe have a little fun," Willow said with an innocent little smile that usually worked so well, but it failed utterly on the clearly worldly man she was talking to.
"You know the rules?" he asked with a firm glare causing Willow to visibly gulp, she'd been given the city's strict code of conduct from the coven upon her arrival.
"Yes and I will honor them," Willow nodded while trying not to look meek, she hated being meek now.
"That's all I needed to hear," Alfeo said and stood up in one fluid motion, uncoiling his tall frame and smoothing down his tailored blue suit.
"You're leaving?" Willow asked looking up at the tall man with her best and cutest smile beaming up at him. That voice in the back of her head telling her since Buffy had a much older man once why not her.
"The fun you want is not the kind of fun I can give you," he simply replied. "Plus I sense there is someone special you wish to share your new self with," he added and disappeared into the back of the club with his bodyguard in the black business suit following. Willow didn't really care who he was though, but she did feel a bit miffed about being shot down completely with a cryptic statement however.
Who do I want to share this with? she thought to herself out loud and looked into the goblet. As she focused her magic into the remaining liquid an image formed in it stayed there for a breathless moment. Then it flickered away leaving Willow with a little smile on her face and then she saw the cute blonde from earlier coming back and the smile turned impish.
Across town, Buffy was not having a good night, she viscously roundhouse kicked a vampire against a wall and then hurled a discarded piece of a broken two by four at his stomach, pinning him in place. "Stay put," she ordered the vampire as it clawed at the piece of wood sticking out of its gut.
His two undead companions where circling her as she just raised her eyebrow at them. The first one rushed her and she somersaulted over him, sailing over his head and stabbing him in the back as she landed, yanking out the stake as he exploded into dust.
His friend probably thinking he had a small chance of taking down the Slayer lunged at her, but instead found himself impaled on Buffy's stake face to face with the angry Slayer.
"Not smart uh?" Buffy asked in a cheerful voice and the vampire nodded before exploding into dust all over the frazzled slayer.
She turned to the vampire she'd pinned to the wall and put her foot on the two by four she'd launched into his stomach. "Now just tell me where I can find witches in this city," she asked sweetly and the vampire just laughed at her. "Stupid slayer," it spit at her. "Coming here not knowing the rules, just stake me and be done with it you bitch," he growled and Buffy angrily rammed her stake into its chest which just caused even more dust to explode all over her as she yanked the stake back.
"What is it with this place," she shouted she then heard movement at the entrance of the alley, readying herself she blew a bit of dust of her shoulder then a quick gust of wind blew it out of the alley.
"Come on then, the more the merrier," she grinned eager for a fight, anything not to think about Willow.
"Yes I guess it can be a bit of a bother not having the usual fear from the local vampires," Rupert Giles, her Watcher, said as he stepped into the light brushing some of the offensive dust stuff of his shoulder. "That they don't want to talk even when you've got them nailed to the wall is just rude," he added with a bit of a smile.
"Giles, I asked you not to follow me…" Buffy exclaimed with a frown and threw up her hands, then she stopped and noticed that her watcher was very un-tweet-y. "And what on earth are you wearing?" she asked and nodded at the black overcoat, gray turtleneck and the generously cut pants her watcher was sporting making him look a lot less stuffy.
"To answer you first question, they insisted on coming," Giles said and on cue Spike, Buffy's former nemesis, now sometimes ally and all around bad-ass vampire, and Anya, a vengeance demon turned human, stepped into view on either side of her Watcher.
"To answer your second questions; the remaining ladies of Sunnydale decided that I was in need of a 'make-over'." He finished the last word laced with sarcasm.
He stepped up to her and seemed to study her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and her frazzled hair. "Buffy have you slept?" he asked genuinely concerned for her and if Buffy gave a shy smile shaking her head, but then steeling herself and looking at the former baddies that had showed up.
"Okay Giles I get, but what's the deal with you two?" Buffy asked and glared at her two not so solid allies.
"Well you see pet, Sunnyhell is boring in the summertime so I thought I'd check on San Francisco, since I had so much fun here during the sixties and seventies," Spike replied with a huge grin on his face. "Hippies did the strangest thing to your head when you had some of their blood," he added with a dreamy look that was just this side of disturbing.
"Let me just say yuck and you what's your excuse?" Buffy asked the former vengeance demon with a pointed glare, because in the days she'd spent thinking what might have set her friend of, what came up again and again was the vengeance demon's wish granted to Cordelia last year.
"Xander wanted to find Willow and you and also same reason as Spike's," Anya answered with a shrug. "I have fond memories of this place and it's a city where anything goes," she added with a grin.
Buffy sighed and rubbed her face again with both hands. Great, this was just great. Two Brits and a ex-demon had come to her aid, along with a missing Xander, She wasn't too sure if it this a good thing or not.
"So did you leave anybody guarding that little gate into hell we call home?" She finally asked, as if things couldn't get any worse she pictured Cordelia and Wesley bravely defending the Hellmouth.
"Faith is there, of course, with Wesley and Angel on call. It is summer so there is always less activity," Giles explained to her who had been left behind. "She'll do fine," he added as if to reassure Buffy, making a mental note of talking to her about how one can't be everywhere at once.
"So have you had any luck locating her?" he asked.
"None what so ever," Buffy admitted her shoulders slumping and she gave out an almighty sigh.
"How about you three? Any luck?" she asked the trio that had arrived to give aid, as pissed off as she was with them for following her, she was glad that now at least she wasn't alone.
"None!" sighed the former demon.
"We've been somewhat unsuccessful," Giles said and unfolded a tourist map of the city that he'd pulled out of his coat.
"Not even a strand of red hair!" Spike cursed and adjusted his leather coat, looking at the two by four sticking out of the wall. "But remind me never to get on your bad side again," he added with a cheeky grin and Buffy just gave him a winsome smile then threw up her hands again.
"Okay so we don't have zip to go on," Buffy exclaimed. "Just great!" she muttered and crossed her arms across her chest, pouting a bit.
"What about the occult stores?" Giles pondered out loud studying the map in his hands. "We only just arrived at sundown, but you did check them first when you arrived didn't you?" he asked his Slayer and when no reply came Spike grinned, only to be glared at hard by the Slayer fingering the stake inside her jacket.
"You didn't do it, did you?" the vampire asked with unbridled glee, not letting this one go even on the threat of a very painful of death.
"Well no I was…" Buffy stammered and blushed.
"…just running around like a headless chicken trying to find her and maybe get something going," Anya said off handedly. "But that's just my theory," she added and gave a smile, causing Buffy to developed a raging headache or it could be two days of no sleep catching up with her.
"Stop it all of you!" she finally shouted so loudly it rang through the alley, causing a familiar looking red tabby cat to panic and knock over a trashcan.
She was tired, it had been three weeks since Willow had left without telling anybody now, it had been forty eight hours almost since she'd beat out of a vampire that he'd seen Willow board a bus for San Francisco, now after a frantic two days without sleep she was a mess.
Her feelings for Willow were all jumbled and she kept thinking back on all the little things that passed quietly between them over the years. She really just wanted her red haired witch back and she wanted her back so bad it hurt. Taking a deep breath, shrugging off Giles attempt to put his coat over her shaking shoulders she turned to Anya, hoping to change the subject.
"So where's Xander?" she asked the ex-demon after she'd vented her frustration into the night sky.
"He well tripped over something earlier tonight," Giles said trying to hide his snicker, but failing.
"What?" Buffy asked with a happy if not cheerful smile on her face. "A mummy… bug girl?"
"Neither, it was Anya's suitcase. Knocked his head on the bed post, so Anya felt it was best to keep him -ahem- secure in bed where he is of the most use anyways." Giles replied deadpan and gave a small smile.
"He's back at the hotel," Anya explained. "Getting better," she added and Buffy just shook her head.
"Well since it's now two in the morning, we might as well check out the occult shops tomorrow," Buffy stated and stifled a yawn then sheepishly looked at Anya. "You said hotel?" she asked hopefully, her body finally realizing that it had been a very long time since her last nap.
Giles just nodded and put his arm around her and guided her out of the alley towards the hotel. The two not so evil anymore members of the Willow search party looked at each other and then looked at Buffy as she was being led away.
"There's more to this must find Willow now thing than meets the eye," Anya muttered looking after the Slayer supporting herself against her Watcher.
"Old news pet, old news," Spike replied with a grin on his face. "Very old news," he added just to make sure the point got across Anya just shrugged and walked after pair then turned around to look at Spike who seemed to be making up his mind on what to do.
"You coming?" she asked the vampire who'd surprisingly showed up just as they were leaving town offering his help and more importantly his car as transportation. Along with a hasty excuse about wanting to see San Francisco again, but everybody knew that the big bad vampire had a big soft spot for the red headed hacker.
"Like I have a bloody choice?" Spike asked nobody in particular following the ex-demon out of the alley with a sideways glance at the two by four still sticking out of the wall covered in dust. Suppressing that shiver again at seeing what Buffy could be pushed to do if she as worried enough.
"Hey who knows this could be fun trip," Anya said with a smile and Spike shivered again this time at the thought of what fun trip with Anya would entail.
It was very late and the sun would be rising very soon, when Willow slowly walked back to the house owned by the coven that had taken her in. Her hair was a mess and her corset wasn't tightly fastened around her body anymore.
She gave a guilty smile as she thought back to the club, pushing that blonde girl up against the wall had felt so good and the way she'd giggled. Sort of like Buffy would that annoying voice reminded her causing her to shake her head and focus on the house up ahead.
The house the coven was a nice red brickstone townhouse, no complaints there. She looked up at her window and then slowly put her hands against her sides, palms facing down and with a faint green glow around her pale white hands she rose into the air until she was at the level of her window. "Pass code: Redheads do it better," she whispered with a smirk, triggering the ward on the window so it opened, she floated in and landed gently on the carpeted floor of her room. She walked over to the light switch, flicked it and then nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Lily!" she exclaimed in a startled voice as she came face to face with her mentor in the coven that was sitting at her desk in a green robe, she was a short woman about Buffy's height Willow had noted upon first meeting her in person, she had a pixie like face and short black hair, her eyes were dark blue and they always seemed to make Willow want to tell the truth.
"Your friends are in town," the woman named Lily said from where she sat, a red tabby cat rubbing against her leg and purring. "Your friends seem very worried, the blonde girl the most," she went on as Willow frowned.
"No..." she gasped and then caught Lily's scowl. "I mean it's not bad that she came, it's just that… well I need more time… I mean did she look alright?" she finally asked, sitting down on her bed, trying rather sheepishly to keep the corset from falling off her body
"No she did not look alright and I fail to understand why you don't want to be with her" Lily asked in as stern a voice she could muster without sounding like she was scolding the young witch, picking up her cat, well familiar and scratching it behind the ears for a job well done.
"I needed to get away, I told you that," Willow expressed with a sigh as she lay back onto the bed, her hair splayed around her head in a red and silver halo. Lily stood up then walked over to the bed and looked straight down at the rebellious witch that had come into her coven's care.
"Running away never helped anyone," she told the flame haired witch patiently as the cat meowed seemingly in agreement.
"I know I just want to see what it's like, you know without them protecting me," Willow tried to explain and then added. "Without her… seeing me like this," she added as she plucked a blonde hair out of her own hair and blew it away.
"You hardly need protection Willow, why don't you tell them how far you've come?" Lily suggested smiling paternally down at Willow.
"No, not now, it would scare them," Willow answered back straight away shaking her head.
"How can you be so sure?" Lily asked and put the cat down as she sat on the bed next to Willow and stroked her hair.
"They only know the fluffy Willow and I'd like to keep it that way for now," Willow replied a little too firmly as Lily pulled out a few more blonde strands of hair out of the tangled red and silvery mane of the young witch and gave her questioning look to which Willow just shrugged.
"You mean you're afraid that Elisabeth will stop liking you if you change?" Lily asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, that's not the reason, it's just…" Willow didn't finish because Lily was gone, no rushing air, no flash of light, just gone like she'd never been there at all. The only sign of her was her red tabby cat slinking out of the room.
"I HATE when she does that!" Willow shouted with anger and guilt mixing together as a thunder clapped outside. Willow closed her eyes and took in a lungful of air and slowly let it go. Control and calmness are the magic user's best friends and right now she'd had precious little of both.
To be continued in Chapter 2: Of Dreams and Dreamers...
