Chapter Nine The Witch pt 3

Flashback A cemetery in New York, 1930

Santana stood before the gravestone, sadly reading the inscription.

Gordon Robert Pierce

July 1 1860-April 19 1930

Beloved Father and Father-in-law

Vaya Con Dios. Until we meet again.

Next to it, of course, was a stone for Brittany's mother, but Santana had never felt the woman, so, all she ever felt looking at her stone was sadness for Brittany and Gordon. But, Gordon...Santana had lost both of her parents before her execution, then later, learned of her brother's death. Even though she'd had to ;eave when she died and then rose, she'd kept tabs on him. She'd made and lost friends over her time as an Immortal, but, never stayed in one place long enough to develop a sense of family. Well, except for Duncan, but, often a decade or more would go between meetings. Until she'd met Brittany.

The beautiful gentle blonde had totally captured her heart, then, when they'd gone to live with Gordon, she'd found herself drawn to him as well. He'd treated her well, probably better than he would have if she'd been male, and over the last twelve years, the two had grown to love each other almost as much as they both loved Brittany. He truly treated her like his daughter in law. In their own way, they'd been nearly as close as Gordon and Brittany, and Santana grieved him just as much.

Santana smiled as she remembered an argument they'd had shortly before he died. Gordon had wanted to be acknowledged as Santana's father-in-law on his gravestone, but she'd argued. Most people were aware of the relationship the two girls had, and though there was a lot of prejudice about that sort of thing, Gordon was influential enough to keep people off their backs, so long as they didn't flaunt it, and Santana had felt like they'd be flaunting it if they put that on the gravestone. Gordon had won, of course. He won most arguments, but, that was mostly because Santana loved him too much to not give in.

As the tears started, Santana looked over and saw Brittany standing by the car. They'd each agreed to allow the other a few moments alone to say goodbye, Brittany having gone first. As always, the sight of Brittany made her heart feel lighter, and Santana turned back to the gravestone.

"Bye...Dad," she whispered softly as she turned and went to join her love.

end flashback

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Sunnydale High School 1997 The Library.

"Witchcraft. Blinding your enemies to disorient and disable them is a classic."

Santana was pulled out of her memories by Rupert Giles' voice. The Watcher placed a bulky old tome on the table in front of her, Buffy, Willow, and Xander. On one of the pages in front of them was an engraving of a group of witches gathered in a sacred circle.

"Man," said Xander, rubbing the back of his neck. First it's vampires, now witches. No wonder you can still afford a home in Sunnydale."

Giles looked perpelxed. "But, why would someone want to hurt Cordelia?" he puzzled.

"Maybe because they MET her?" muttered Willow. She then looked up and blushed at the amused look Buffy gave her. "Did I say that out loud?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "She's not THAT bad," she said. "Well, not anymore." Since they'd both joined Buffy's "Scooby Gang" as Xander called them, Santana had gotten closer to Cordelia than the others had, except for Jesse, of course, and felt the need to defend her.

"Even so," said Buffy, her hand resting unconsciously on Santana's forearm. Santana noticed that every so often, Xander seemed to stare at that. "Cordelia HAS made a few enemies."

"But then why was Amber set ablaze," asked Giles.

"Yeah,' said Xander. "it's not like they hang or anything."

"They were both cheerleaders," said Buffy, exchanging a thoughtful look with Santana.

"Somebody doesn't like cheerleaders?" asked Giles, looking puzzled.

"Somebody LIKES cheerleading," said Santana. A little TOO much."

"Amy," said Willow.

"Amy," agreed Buffy and Santana together.

"So, we're going with Amy," said Xander, unnecessarily.

"You weren't there when we talked to her," said Buffy, indicating herself and Santana. "She's desperate to get on that team."

"We got the idea she'd do ANYTHING to make her Mom's dream come true," added Santana.

Santana snickered as Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do let me see if i have this straight," he said. "You think this person is casting these horrible disfiguring spells, so she can become a cheerleader?"

"Your point being?" Buffy asked, looking up at him.

"Priorities, really," answered Giles. " If I had the power of the black arts, I'd set my sights a little higher than making the pep squad." Santana nodded.

"You are seriously underestimating the pressure a parent can put on you,". Buffy said, a little too vehemently. "If you're not a picture perfect carbon copy of them, they tend to wig."

Santana moved her hand to squeeze Buffy's, remembering the episode with Buffy's mother that morning. "It's ok, Slayer," she whispered so only Buffy could hear. Buffy gave her a grateful smile.

"And cheerleading WAS kinda Mrs. Madison's last hurrah," added Willow.

"We gotta stop her," said Xander, a little excitedly. "We need to grab her and..."

"Let's be sure she's our witch before arousing her suspicions," said Giles. "If Amy IS our witch, she's clearly capable of some pretty nasty things."

Buffy stood and started pacing. "ok,' she said. "You're a teenage girl, desperate to make the cheer team and please your mom, so you turn to witchcraft. What's the first thing you do?"

Willow's eyes lit up. "You check out books on witchcraft!" she said excitedly, getting up and going over to the computer.

Xander scoffed, looking oddly nervous to Santana. "No!" he said. "That's the last thing you do. You never leave a paper trail. Don't waste your time with that"

"It'll just take a minutes," said Willow, typing.

"We don't HAVE a minute," said Xander. "Cheerleader's lives are in danger. BUFFY'S life is in danger!" He grabbed Buffy and tried to hustle her out.

"What are you doing?" asked Buffy, pulling free. "Get off me!"

Xander grabbed her again. "You were the first alternative," he explained. You're on the team now that Cordelia is blind. You could be next. We have to get you to a safe house. I'll take you to mine."

Santana rolled her eyes and grabbed Xander's arm, pulling him away from Buffy. "A) Buffy doesn't look like she wants her paws all over her," she snarled protectively. "B) A spell can find Buffy just as quickly at your house as it could at hers. And C), I'M the second alternative, before Amy, so, I could be in danger too, thank you SO much for your concern!"

Xander snatched his arm out of her grasp and turned on Santana. "Stay out of this, Lopez," he snarled.

Giles sighed and moved between them. "Children..." he said exasperatedly.

Santana started to push past him. "Do you have a problem with me, Harris?" she asked him challengingly.

Xander was about to respond when Willow's voice piped up. "Xander," she called.

"Yeah?" asked Xander, turning to her. Buffy moved up next to Santana with a "what was THAT?" look. Santana just shook her head.

Willow read from the computer screen, an amused look on her face. " "Witches- Historic Roots To Modern Practices", checked out by Alexander Harris."

Buffy and Santana moved over to read over Willow's shoulder. ""The Pagan Rites"," read Buffy. "Checked out by Alexander..."

"Ok ok," interrupted Xander, blushing. "it's not what you think."

"You like to look at the semi-nude engravings?" asked Santana, cheekily."

"Oh, ok,' said Xander, looking at the floor. "I guess it IS what you're thinking."

Giles sighed, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "We'll need a conclusive test anyway," he said. He started flipping through a book. "There should be one...Aha! Here we are. The ducking stool! We throw Amy in a pond. If the water rejects her, she's a witch, if she drowns, she's innocent!" He looked up to see the looks on their faces and realized what he'd just said. "Yes, w-well, some of my books are, are a little...outdated."

"Ya THINK?" quipped Buffy exchanging smirks with Santana.

He turned to another book and quickly found something. "aha. This is more like it," he said. "A potion. We'll need some of her hair, some quick silver...aqua fortis..."

"That's just mercury and nitric acid,' she said. "We can get that in the science lab."

" "Heat ingredients and apply to witch"," read Giles. "if a spell has been cast within the last forty eight hours, the witches skin will turn blue." Oh, you'll need some eye of newt as well."

"Of course," muttered Xander as they all got up to leave. "What ELSE would we need?"

Buffy and Santana hung back from Xander and Willow as they left the room. "Where's Jesse?" Buffy asked Santana.

Santana chuckled. "The big dork has barely left Cordelia's side," she said, shaking her head affectionately. "I spoke to Mrs. Chase and she said he's been waiting on her hand and foot. I think he even tried to help her in the bathroom."

Both girls laughed as they walked down the hall, shoulders barely touching.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Xander sat on the stool in science class, holding a scalpel and staring at a frog. Giles had said a frog's eye was basically the same thing as a newts, but, somehow practiotioners of witchcraft had gotten it in their heads the eye HAD to be from a newt. He moved the scalpel closer to the frog, then away again, for some reason, unable to actually remove the things eye. he halfheartedly listened to the science teacher, Dr. Gregory, give instructions behind him. Dr Gregory was a kindly man, but, he was quite the stickler for actually doing your work. Nazi!

"Those on track one may begin their dissections," he said. "Those on track two, add your hydrochloric acid and your ammonium hydroxide to your beakers..."

Willow, who like Xander, was on track one, walked up to him as he lowered the scalpel again. "I can't," he said, resignedly.

Willow rolled her eyes and took the scalpel from him. She made a quick, neat incision. "There,' she said brightly. "One eye of newt."

Xander looked at her in awe. "Wow," he said. "You have got a killer streak I've never seen before. Remind me never to cross you."

Willow gave him her sweet Willow smile and said in a bright, chipper voice," You better not. Because then I'd have to carve you up into neat little pieces."

Xander gulped a bit and took the scalpel respectfully. "How's Buffy coming with the hair?" They both looked to see Buffy, who was on track two, walking towards Amy. She stopped and exchanged a few words with Lishanne, then continued on to Amy. Xander snickered as Amy looked at her like she was a simple minded child, then said something back to her. After nodding and saying something else, Buffy pretended to drop her pen next to Amy's purse, then she knelt down and as she was picking up her pen, quickly pulled some hair from the hairbrush that was sticking out of the purse. Xander got a bit nervous when Amy gave Buffy a Look. Had Amy seen the hair grab?" Luckily, though, Buffy was able to make her way back over to he and Willow. She handed the hair to Willow, who added the hair to the chemical mix boiling on the Bunsen burner.

"Wave to the nice with," Xander said through his teeth as Amy glanced over at them.

The beaker cooled quickly, and Willow handed it to Buffy. "All set," she said. "What's the plan?"

Buffy took the beaker and scrunched up her nose. "Spill it on her and try to make it look like an accident," answered Buffy. Willow rolled her eyes. "What? There's only so many ways you can do something like this!" She gave them a defensive look and walked over to Amy's table.

"We're right behind you," Xander said to her. "only...further back."

"Lishanne," Dr Gregory was saying. "Can you tell me why the chemicals have this reaction?"

Xander watched, tensely, as Buffy walked up to Amy. She pretended to stumble a bit, looking very natural to Xander, and spileld a few drops of the liquid on Amy, who never noticed, she seemed to be watching something else. Buffy looked up and Xander than nodded, but Willow grabbed his arm and gestrued in the direction Amy was looking. Both Xander and Buffy turned.

Lishanne, her back to all of them, was trembling, her hands went up to her face, and she totally freaked and spun around.

"Lishanne, are you..." said Dr Gregory.",,,,Oh my God!"

Lishanne had no mouth!

Xander watched as Lishanne stumbled around, upsetting various science equipment, and grabbed the first person she could. Amy. Amy looked terrified and backed away.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Shortly, after class, Santana, who'd had a different class, walked up to the three of them.

"Did you see?" Xander said. "Amy was as freaked as the rest of us!"

"So, she's not the witch?" Willow asked.

"What's up?" asked Santana. Buffy quickly filled her in.

"The test was positive," Buffy said, answering Willow's question. "Amy is definitely our Sabrina. I just think she doesn't realize what she's doing."

"Maybe we should talk to her," Santana said.

Buffy thought a moment. "I think we should talk to her MOM," she said, determinedly. I'm wondering if Mrs. Madison knows just WHAT she's created."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Amy stomped up the steps to her house. She felt the mystic energy as she entered. She was PISSED. she looked around the living room as she closed the door behind her. "Where are you?" she asked. "Hiding? I know you can't leave."

Her mother walekd into the room, looking disheveled, wearing old clothes that were practically rags. "I was just cleaning the kitchen," she said, defensively, cringing back away from Amy.

Amy nodded and looked thoughtful. "I should be on that team by now," she muttered darkly. Instead, Miss Buffy and her friends are sneaking around...stealing bits of my hair..." She stopped and looked down at her hand. In it was an ID bracelet. She looked at it and read the words "Yours Always".

"I was going to spare her and Santana,' said Amy. "They were nice to me. But now..." She looked at Catherine and tossed her book bag on the couch. "I have a history paper due,' she said. "Write it. I'll be upstairs."

Catherine nodded as Amy left, looking terrified.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0