Leaving Obi-Wan's mind had been difficult but not impossible. Uniting as one, he had been able to explore the possible resources within and found them to be immense. Whatever else this Obi-Wan was, he certainly possessed the power of a great controller of potent reserves.

There was deeper understanding of power and its risks, as well as the benefits behind using them. Far deeper than anyone he'd ever met. Obi-Wan more than knew that the power was not a tool, it was a partner. He believed it with all he was. They would need that belief in the coming days.

"Will you be all right? I need to talk to Buffy," he asked. A part of him worried about leaving him alone for a bit after what they had just done. It walked the fine line of their world's power and Obi-Wan's own, which was slightly dangerous.

Seeing the redhead nod, he stood and made his way towards the front were they were waiting. Xander moved to the side, letting him sit between him and a barely alert Robin, for all that his eyes were focused.

"Well?" Faith asked, not wanting to waste time. If they had to get someone else-or several someones-to fill in the gap, it was best to know now.

"Possible," he replied, glancing at Robin. "How's the head?"

"I'll live," Robin winced, glancing back at the redhead sitting quietly on the bus' floor. She seemed to be ignorant of their talk, deep in the throes of meditation.

Yet she had played a vital role in the final battle. The exclusion of her in this conversation bothered him, so he asked. Plus, there was something off about her that he felt. "What's going on with Willow? Shouldn't she be here with us?"

"I am afraid that we've developed a little problem with her."

"Problem?" he asked Giles, somewhat apprehensively. The last time she had a 'little problem', the whole world almost suffered from it. Sunnydale itself still showed the signs of the prelude, though it was thought to have been an earthquake.

"Don't worry. It's not like that at all. We'll tell you in LA. This story should only be told once. Though, I fear that its being already told is one time to many. When dealing with problems of time, one can never determine the ultimate consequences of alterations that occur in the temporal stream." Giles sighed, taking off his glasses to pinch his nose.

Not for the first time did he wish that he'd been able to ask the Coven to come down and help them out. This whole situation was like nothing he'd been trained to handle. Though, to be honest, how did one prepare for two lives to be switched so completely, one couldn't tell how it happened. Or how to reverse it.

But they had decided that too much magic would prove to be more dangerous than helpful. Not just to Willow herself but to the direction the spell would take. Seeing the blank confusion on some faces, he sighed and decided it would be wise to change the subject for a time. "Damages to us?"

"Minor injuries to Robin and Anya," Xander smiled understandingly at her when she glanced back at them. "We lost a few Slayers near the end. Right now, I only know of three, Chao-Ahn, Kennedy, and Amanda. Kennedy is the only one I know how it happened. I had a pretty good view of it. She tried to save Andrew from one of the Turok-Han he was fighting. Unfortunately, she did not see the armed demon. They were both shot."

Each bowed their heads in memory of their fallen comrades. Each had their own unique memory of them flash before their eyes. Each had a feeling of deep loss and sorrow.

The pain and regret-and the feeling of joy-at surviving the fight was reflected in Buffy and Faith's eyes.

In the background, Obi-Wan closed his ears to their words, shaking his head at his disgraceful behavior. He hadn't meant to listen in on them-at least, that's what he tried to convince himself of, but knew that wasn't the truth.

He had worried that the conversation had to do with him. That they were talking about what to do with him and didn't want him to know. He had feared that they were just going to drop him off somewhere to fend for himself.

Now that he knew the truth, shame filled him at his thoughts.

They were mourning fallen comrades. Bowing his head, he offered up a silent blessing he had heard on one of the missions he and his Master had been on years ago. Hauntingly beautiful, it had stayed with him and was something he often used to comfort those who had lost loved ones.

All his life he had been taught that there was no true death. Yet, it wasn't as simple as that as he had discovered. He had learned many things once he'd started to travel the wider world. It was like his Master said, not everyone has the Force as a comfort. Those that don't feel a deep sorrow, an almost unquenchable sorrow, when they are bereaved.

The Jedi should never make light of death for there was nothing painless about it. They owed it to those they served and protected to honor them, to comfort them in their loss.

Faith cleared her throat. "What about, you know," she lowered her voice conspiratorially, "The spell?"

"We won't know what Angel needs until we arrive," Giles reminded her. "And while I believe that it is possible, I hesitate to say more until we've actually attempted some basic things."

"Not that one," she crossly said. "The Spell?" This time, she emphasized the word spell.

Buffy slapped her head, catching onto what Faith was referring to. How could they have forgotten The Spell? "The Restoration Ritual, Giles. How will this change affect Angel's soul?"

All their eyes went instantly to the meditating redhead. Feeling it, Obi-Wan glanced up. "What?" he asked, noting the intensity in their eyes.

"How do you feel?" Giles asked, an odd amount of passionate strength in his voice. "Any odd feelings? A desire to spill innocent blood? Do you feel angrier than you've ever felt? Lusty? Want to get vengeance for no reason at all? Do you feel the need to get out and kill something just because you can?"

His mouth worked desperately for a moment, trying to formulate words to answer the strange questions. Trying to understand the logic behind the queries. "Can't say that I do," he finally found the voice to answer the questions, he still wasn't sure what the purpose behind them was. "Should I?" he asked curiously.

"NO!"

The word exploded from the group. Obi-Wan jumped back, eyes wide in fright as they stared at them. What was going on?

Giles cleared his throat, looking more at ease. "I apologize for startling you. It is a very good thing that you don't feel any of those things. But I had to ask you those questions in order to check, something out that relates to one of the spells Willow did. We needed to find out if it was still in place. Your answers relieve our mind."

"And did you?"

"I believe that we have," he hesitated, then made a decision. "Though there is only one way to be sure. I need you to trust me and do something. However I cannot tell you why right now. Do you think that you can do that?"

Still uncertain about what he should do, he thought about his choices, realizing something. He had little options in this matter but to trust them. And, for all their weird manner, they seemed to be nice people. They had been kind to him and were willing to help him out.

If that meant taking a leap of faith, he could do that. Obi-Wan nodded reluctantly.

"Good." He contemplated his hands for a moment trying to remember how to do this. This would be trickier than joint meditation or spell casting. One misstep could cost Obi-Wan his mind.

And inadvertently release Angelus.

Anya picked up on his dilemma and started to gesture emphatically. After nearly running them off the road for the third time, Robin got up and took the wheel. Though miffed at the slight to her abilities, Anya grabbed paper and pen, scrabbling furiously.

'Don't even think about it, Giles. There is an easier way than, you know, killing us all. Though giving away that power seems to be a specialty you have. That and costing me my hard earned money. The restoration spell will be the only active spell Willow's tied to. Just do a reveal spell.'

"What do I need to do?"

"Nothing. We've found a much easier way than what I was thinking about before. Relax," Giles advised, adding a warning. "And do not fight what is about to happen to you. It won't hurt, I promise."

"I trust you," Obi-Wan reiterated, breathing in deeply. Resolutely closing his eyes, he let go of his body and listened to the even beating of his heart. Peace came almost instantly to his mind for he knew this intimately. Meditation had always been his one true comfort when all else failed.

From beyond his perception, he could vaguely hear what was going on.

All of this was lost in the energy that seemed to suffuse his body in powerful waves. Floating inside its encompassing cocoon, he was careful to not allow any of the power to take hold within. Rejecting it as Giles had taught him to only moments ago.

"That's not good," Giles mumbled.

"Angelus?" Xander demanded, hand tightening on the seat beside him.

"No. Something else," Giles slowly shook his head, freeing it from the vision of power before him. Both Willow and Obi-Wan were amazing conduits for magical energy.

It worried him-and intoxicated his darker side.

Shaking off the feeling more firmly, he explained. "There's a thread of magic here that I do not recognize. The spell for Angel's soul is still active, though it appears to be split."

"Split?" Buffy asked, apprehensive. It was the last thing any of them wanted, a return of Angelus. She had barely beaten him the first time they met him-and if Angel's soul hadn't returned when it had, she firmly believed that she would have ended up in Hell with him. The one thing she had learned from the whole experience, the one thing she was resolved to never forget, was to not think that anything was beyond his capabilities. "As in weakening?"

"As in tied to them both," he sighed. "The protection extends to Willow on the soul level wherever she is. Which makes perfect sense, now that I think about it. The spell would be tied to the physical body as well as the spiritual one due to its very nature."

"So, we don't have to worry about Red dying where she is."

"Faith, we've been through this before," he began, exasperated with her. Then he continued, softening his voice, "though I do understand the misperception of it. I have given up trying to explain this to Angel."

"Why can't you allow us to enjoy our happy delusion?"

"Because it is a deadly delusion. Not only to you but to Willow. As I was about to say, the tie between them doesn't stop death from happening. The spell was not given that kind of power. It merely prevents any death that occurs from being permanent," he explained patiently.

"Either way, which one of you guys wants to be the one to break the happy news to him?" She jerked her finger in his general direction.

"Why tell him? I mean, Willow doesn't really know about it," Xander pointed out. "Why should he?"

For a moment, Giles considered it. It would solve a lot of problems if they didn't say a word. Then he dismissed it as irresponsible. "As much as I would love to avoid that particular discussion, we can't do for one good reason."

"And that is?"

"Merely that this is not Willow anymore. No matter that we can see her body and hear her voice, that isn't her anymore. This is Obi-Wan Kenobi," he spoke precisely, emphasizing certain words. "He needs to know what he's getting into while staying in our world. We are dealing with a new person entirely. We do not know how he'd react to this knowledge. We will have to tell him about demons and the other evils that cross our paths.

"And whoever did this may try again. How are we to justify our silence to him if he dies on us and comes back? He trusts us to be open with him, how are we to keep that trust if we say nothing? We are all he knows, he is depending upon us to help him out."

"You're right," Xander sighed and closed his eye momentarily. Weariness hung from him. A heavy coat that infected his mood and posture, though he tried to keep it hidden from them. He wasn't sure how successful he was and couldn't quite decided how he felt about it. "How far from LA are we?"

"We're just about there. Anya was driving rather fast," Robin said.

Anya smirked at them, writing quickly. 'I wanted to put as much distance between us and that rotten sinkhole as I could. If you have a problem with it, you should've been driving.'

"Why don't we break for food and then tell him what's going on?"

"Excellent idea," Dawn spoke up suddenly, glancing at them from her sister's shoulder where she'd been resting. She knew from the looks she received that they had all thought she'd fallen asleep. "Food can help ease bad news. At least, that's what mom used to say."

"It should be all of us," Buffy suddenly said, covering the slightly awkward moment the mention of her mother caused.

"What?" Giles asked, startled by the almost abrupt return to the prior subject.

"We should all tell Obi-Wan what's going on," she repeated. Seeing their looks, she explained her reasoning. "This is a burden that each of us carries. We've done it from the start. Not one of us acts on our own, even if I've acted like the burden was mine to carry alone. So, we need to be united-and we need to tell him together."

"Don't you think that would overwhelm the boy?" Dawn asked, tilting her head to look up at her sister.

"I didn't mean at the same time, Dawn." She rolled her eyes, smiling at her sister and, ignoring the squirming, hugged her close. It felt so good, so human, to be able to just reach out and do that, forgetting fear for a moment. It had been so long since she'd just been able to let go and enjoy herself. For a moment, she indulged in the feeling.

Then she shook herself and got back to business. As much as she might've wanted to, now was not the time to indulge. "I just meant that we shouldn't let one person take him aside and give him the talk. And I don't mean that one, Faith, so don't say it."

"Kill my only source of fun, why don't ya?"

"That's what I'm here for," she replied.

"Before we do that, we need to let someone in LA know of the situation. I take it they weren't home?"

"Someone was home," Faith scowled. "Just not the ones we needed to speak to."

Quickly comprehending what wasn't said, he nodded. "Obi-Wan? Move over so that I can join you. We're going to perform a spell that should allow us to communicate with Angel. Buffy, when we're ready, I'll give you the signal."

"Sure, Giles. No problem," she shrugged when they looked at her. She was just a Slayer, not a mind reader.

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"Come along, Obi-Wan," Buffy quietly said as they entered the restaurant, checking it out with a glance. "You might want to wash off your face in the bathroom. From past experience, I know that spell casting leaves one feeling tired and slightly dirty."

Not wanting to be rude, though he didn't feel like going into this bathroom, he followed her. Entering the room, he found himself blinking rapidly in the harsh, fluorescent light, trying to adjust to the change.

After a moment, he moved away from the door. Walking over to what he assumed was the sink, he stuck his hands under the spigot and waited for the water to fall. When nothing happened, "I think the sink is broken."

"Why?"

"It is not working," he replied.

"You didn't turn it on," Dawn told him, turning the dials to mix the cold and hot water.

"Ah. Thank you," he murmured, throwing it onto his face and rubbing briskly.

The tired feeling seeped out as the water stimulated his senses and he started to breath easier. Finally gathering up his courage, he looked at the reflection in the mirror. Through the water that partially clouded his sight, he stared, arrested by the sight.

Pale and drawn, hers was a face that spoke of living times that had left visible and invisible scars upon her. There was a shadowing pain there that he could not understand. But there were also signs of great laughter and happiness, of laughter and joy. The eyes were a familiar shade of blue green with a touch of gray around the edges, giving them a smokier look.

Studying her hair left him feeling relieved. It was red, a red that was somewhere between his Padawan braid and a myriad of shades he couldn't quite place. "What?" he started, leaning closer to watch as it darkened some more. "Is this normal?"

"What?" Faith asked, washing her hands briskly in the sink next to his.

"This." He held up a handful of hair, watching it shimmer again. Every strand seemed to be alive with the change and he watched, breathless. "Is it supposed to change like this?"

"B, has Will's hair ever changed color after a spell before?" she asked after a moment's study.

"No," Buffy answered, emerging from the stall and looking over at them before washing her hands and face. "Why?"

Wordlessly, Obi-Wan held up the hair so that she could see it also. The hair had darkened to a red so dark it could beblack, shattering the faint ties to his braid. The faintest trace of regret swept through him and quickly forgotten.

Buffy whistled, low and clear. "That's almost as dark as it used to be. Giles is going to love this."

"Love as in hate it for the confusion it'll bring?" Dawn asked, a half smile on her face.

"I'm not sure," Buffy finally admitted, shrugging broadly. "I'm almost afraid to find out."

"We'd better not keep him waiting," Faith said, walking to the door, clearly anxious to get this over with.

Taking one last look at his new self, he shook his head, wishing for a full-length mirror to complete his study.

All he could see of his new body was the view of the shoulders on up-and the mirror wasn't very good at showing even that clearly. With a sigh, he followed on still unsteady legs, thoroughly grateful for the sensible shoes on his feet as he observed some of the torturous shoes other women were wearing.

Of course, he thought, it only makes sense that she would be wearing practical shoes. They were just in battle.

Entering the dinning area, he noticed that they were very few patrons. They were in a center table and he smelled the delicious smells appreciatively. His stomach growled lightly and he sat down between Xander and Giles. One of the benefits from traveling around with a Master was experimenting with all kinds of cultures, one of which was food.

Picking up the menu as the others, he found himself very grateful for that often-overlooked fact, as it was thought unbecoming of a Jedi. Otherwise, he doubted his own ability to survive. Though he could read what the items were-they were written in the Basic tongue of the Republic-he didn't recognize even half of them. Shrugging, he decided to make the best of the situation.

And hoped that his new body could handle it. His Master had often complained about his ability to inhale food as though it was going to be his last meal.

End, part 6.

Author's Thanks-and a note: I'm sorry if my slightly offbeat sense of humor in these notes offended anyone. It was not my intent at all. I have decided to write any full-length notes in e-mails, unless you wish it otherwise. I don't wish to hurt anyone's feelings or offend anyone with my quirky answers.

Again, I do apologize if I've offended anyone.

kissmekent: Part of it happens in the next chapter, so I hope it lives up to its promise. You know what? He probably does, that is why he's acknowledged as the greatest and wisest of the Jedi Masters. I think they all have to face that darkness and not succumb to it in order to become a Master of the Force. Or something like that. Oh, Giles, the secret's you kept from us.

Jedi-Princess: Welcome! Thanks for the review. :-) Glad I could clear things up, I really was unsure about how to explain it in the story. It sounds so much better in my head b/c it's my head and I know what I'm thinking, you know?

Dooku does, doesn't he? Yet, he is an important character, so I had to establish him. Making stuff up for Yoda's rather fun. I think Giles will treat Obi as he did Buffy but with more understanding. Yeah, I'm not pairing up-well, except for the obvious Anya/Xander, Faith/Robin, Gunn/Fred ones. Mace take a chill pill? Oh, but I can just see Faith telling him that. She's probably the only one with the guts to do it. Hah! That would require him admitting he's got an overactive imagination. He only sees it as doing his duty.

sunset: Yoda's meeting with Willow is...interesting to say the least. I enjoyed writing it, though I am worried about how it'll come off in its entirety. Mace and Willow's meeting, I've just started to work that one out. As for Willow's dark side, it does come out in the sense that they become aware of it. I'd say more but then I'd be getting into spoiler territory. But I will say this, she doesn't go evil again.