"Well Willow that certainly wasn't what I had in mind, but you did defeat Wizard Springfield." Magistra commented.

You didn't specify how I was to defeat him and direct confrontation with hostile magic is still problematic with me."

We each have our weak areas. Wizard Negi is training to be a combat magician. He can use physical attacks and magic simultaneously. If he grows up, he will be a devastating opponent. He's not very strong in research however, that is your area of expertise. Remember Willow knowledge is power."

"Oh I could hold my own against him. It's just the whole going black haired, veiny and evil thing. I probably would have killed him if my partner hadn't distracted me. I'm glad she was there."

"You've made a pactio contract?" Magistra sounded alarmed.

"Temporary."

"You know once it's permanent it can never be revoked. Its life long as in if one of you dies so does the other."

"Oh, how long does the temporary one last?"

"Until revoked. There use is limited, minor telepathy, a teleportation lock that can bring you to them or them to you. A minor weapon ability. A permanent contract is a whole different animal. It is very personal and intense. Few wizards and witches use them nowadays. I can only thing of one person in the coven." Magistra stood up and Willow followed suit. 'Well I hereby grant you the status of master witch." She pressed her thumb to Willow's forehead. "Congratulations."

Willow furrowed her brow. She hadn't felt any magical energy but she did feel something stuck to her forehead. She pulled it off and discovered a little gold star. "Oh ha ha." She shook her head and teleported out.

"Mina, please don't be like that."

"How else should I be? Mina looked angrily at Kennedy. "A whole week she's been back and you act like nothing's changed!"

"Come on Mina. You know I've hardly spoken two words to her since she's been back. She's too busy training baby witches and searching for other slayers."

"Yet you still spend the night in her bed."

"Hey. It's my room too, not like she's ever there. What do you want me to do, move in with you? I bet Ami would love that."

"What's Ami got to do with this?"

"Hello, your roommate."

"Oh…yeah."

Kennedy sighed. "Next time I see her I will tell her, promise."

~No need.~ A voice said clearly in their minds.

"Man its creepy when she does that." Mina complained. Kennedy nodded her head in agreement.

~Willow, I was going to tell you.~

~You know you don't need physical proximity to tell me anything.~

~Is Mina hearing this conversation.~

~No.~

~Look Willow, I wanted to tell you in person.~

~I've known about you and Mina since before I got back from Japan. I've moved my things to a different room. Should I go ahead and move Mina's things to your room?~

~No.~

~Yes!~ came Mina's thought

~Willow, I thought you said you weren't projecting to her?~

~I'll let you to talk it out and get back to me~ Willow withdrew her conscious away from Kennedy and realized that Buffy was now in the room with her.

"Hey floaty girl. Whatchya up to?"

Willow, who had been floating near the ceiling joined her friend back on terra firma. "Let's see at the moment, monitoring the website for hits, checking in a neophyte in Japan, moving my things to my new room and breaking up with my girlfriend."

"Whoa, multi-tasking queen."

"That's what they call me. So how are classes going?"

"Alright when I can get to them. I've been so busy with the administrative crap I've had to let Kennedy and some of the original Potentials take over a lot of it, plus trying to keep the government's nose out of what we are doing. I've got Riley trying to help, but since he's not a publically recognized part of the military there is a limit to what he can do."

"Poor Buffy, bet you wish you were back in the old graveyard stomping days."

"You said it. Catch ya later." Buffy left then poked her head back in "Hey did you say you broke up with Kennedy?!"

"Yep."

"Do you need to vent, cry…You're not feeling all vengeance-y are you?"

"No Buffy, I'm fine."

"Ok, but remember I'm your best friend and I'm here."

Willow smiled. "I know, thanks."

~Faith!~

~Gyahh! What?~

~We have an intruder near the south entrance. Smells like vampire.~

~Heh. What vampire would be stupid enough to come here?~

~I don't know feels familiar though.~

~Right. I'm on it…you can telepathically smell vampire?~ She felt Willow chuckle and leave her mind. "Come on hot stuff. We've got an intruder of the vampiric persuasion."

"Alright, but can put some clothes on first?"

"Aww, I kinda like you that way." Faith pouted and encircled Robin's waist.

"Ha, ha." Robin pushed her hands away and put on sweat pants. "Okay let's go."

"Hey Willow."

~Hey Dawny~

"Jeez, don't do that!"

"Sorry Dawny." Willow floated down and stood in front of Buffy's younger sister. "What's up?"

"Giles wanted me to show you this scroll we just got in. He thinks it's Asgardian, but the syntax is strange."

"I'll take a look at it. Tell him I sent Faith and Robin to check out a vamp prowler. Has Xander got our holding cells up and running?"

"Yeah, I don't understand why we can't just dust 'em."

"Normally, but if they are prowling around here, there's a reason."

"And you let Faith know right?"

"Uh…" ~Faith!~

~Yeah, Red?~

~Try to capture this one. We want to know why he's snooping.~

~Got it.~

"Hey Rob. Put the stake away. It seems this guy gets to be guiena pig for the Z-man's cell."

Back in the study-

"So Dawny, how's watcher life?"

"We've decided that the watcher title needs to go away." Dawn stated. Willow raised an eyebrow. "Yeah see with Buffy having such issues with Watcher's we decided to call ourselves AR's

"AR…as in Grr arr?"

"No. Acquisition and Research. We've got Amanda and a few other Slayers who like research to form up teams and search out books and artifacts and bring them here. There are some pretty weird things being brought in. The scroll I brought in Giles said 'radiates with magical energy' so he said I should bring it to you."

"That is because this place is warded against everything except a super nova. If anything I'm doing goes ka-bluey the rest of the school won't be affected.

"So Giles thinks whatever the scroll is, it will be safer if you mess with it in here…you know he can be really creepy at times." Willow nodded in agreement. "Oh hey the other reason I came, Giles Amanda and I are headed for Japan. There's a demon in Tokyo stealing ancient artifacts from museums and temples. Giles wants you to come with. Apparently the thing is huge and can wield magic."

"Sure, no problem. There's actually a neophyte there I want to check up on."

"Weren't you in Japan last week? Why didn't you bring her then?"

"Complicated situation."

"Oh. Let's grab her first then. Maybe she can help."

"Umm, sure." Dawn raised an eyebrow as Willow stuttered and started blushing. "She's a trained martial artist and she may already know something since she lives in the area."

"Uh huh. So…how's Kennedy doing?"

"Oh ummm, why do you ask?"

"Just a question." Dawn smirked. "We're leaving tonight. Our flight leaves at eight."

"You know I could just teleport us there."

"Uh huh and then sleep the rest of the day. Travel like the rest of us mere mortals. It'll do you some good." Dawn walked out and ran into someone, "Hey Kennedy." Dawn greeted the new arrival coolly.

"Is she in there?"

"Unless she disappeared as soon as I left" Dawn's voice turned to ice, "Which I wouldn't blame her." Dawn walked off and left Kennedy to breach Willow's sanctum on her own.

"Willow?" Kennedy called tentatively.

"Yes." Willow pulled a volume of the shelf and pretended to read.

"Hey. What's up with earlier? You see something in my mind and just like that you cut me loose?"

"Really? And here I thought I was freeing you. I thought this was what you wanted."

"Well yeah, but not like this."

"Not like what?"

"Well you're being very casual about it, don't you care?"

"Let me think. I did until I got ran over by a bus. Things kinda got put into perspective at that point."

"When did you get run over by a bus?"

"While in Tokyo. You contacted me to ask to borrow my car to take your new girlfriend out which kinda distracted me and I flew into a double decker."

Kennedy blinked a couple times and then started to giggle. "It's not funny." Willow said trying not the laugh herself.

"Sorry I got the mental image of you like one of those Halloween witches. Oww. Are you alright now?"

"Yeah. I magicked myself better as soon as I woke up."

"You never told me how your trip went."

Willow sighed, "Not much to tell. Found another neophyte, got my ass kicked by a vampire sorceress, picked a fight with a ten year old wizard and got made a Master witch by the coven, which technically happened in England."

"You found another neophyte?"

"Yep. Giles asked me to come to Japan with him and some of the other slayers. I'm going to pick her up then."

"You want me to go with."

"No. We are leaving tonight and you have other problems." Willow nodded toward the door where a pissed off Mina was standing.

Kennedy looked over her shoulder and then shot Willow a desperate look, "You sure?"

Willow winked, "Sorry sweetie, but this is a hole you dug all by yourself." Willow popped over to the south entrance where Faith and Robin had a very familiar vampire cornered. ~I hope those two work things out.~ Willow surprised herself by thinking. "Spike? Doesn't anybody stay dead anymore?" Willow walked over.

"Hey Red." Faith greeted. "What do we do with the reincarnated peroxide king?"

"I guess that would depend on why…and how he is here."

"Well as to the how, Willow, that'd be Angel's doing. That amulet what turned me into a sun got sent back to him and there I was all ghostie like. They figured how to make me solid and I figured I'd go see Buffy, but then I thought, 'Buffy thinks I'm dead, a hero, saving her and the Slayerettes and all so I stayed in LA fighting the good fight. But then Cordie dies and Fred gets possessed by a demon thing, and there's Angel turning darker and letting more things slide..."

"Spike! Is there a point to this?"

"Well yeah, see turns out Angel was acting the way he was to infiltrate this group called the Circle of the Black Thorn, the ones responsible for most of the big bad evil going on in the city, so we could take them out. Which we did. Senior partners didn't like that too much and sent a horde of demons after us. I got separated from the others. Couldn't find 'em so I came straight here."

"Sleep." Willow commanded and Spike dropped like a stone.

"Well what are we supposed to do with him? Robin asked. "Take him to Buffy?"

"Not yet. Put him in a holding cell as Buffy ordered. Give her the info but hold off on the source." Willow noticed Faith staring at her. "What?"

"Hey Red, did I ever apologize for kidnapping you that one time?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind, just remind me to never piss you off."