A/N: I will be taking a break for about two months, at the most. There's some real life stuff that I need to take care off that's been weighing me down while writing these stories, and I'd like to get them out of the way ( I thought I could do those, and write these stories at the same time; but my other personal stuff has been suffering). The first being writing another draft of a research proposal for admission to a few PhD programs, and the second being learning SAP and Data Management techniques in a course at the local university. I hope you guys understand the need for this break, and I will get back to uploading the newest chapters at the end of the two months. Any further updates will be on my profile.
The Summers Residence, 1630 hours.
Lorne was in the passenger side of the SUV while honking the horn for Wesley, who was still inside the house. The man was finishing his chat with Ronon and Colonel Mitchell when he heard the umpteenth honk, and then rushed out of the house. With a sigh from Lorne who sat back in his seat, the green skinned demon looked at the reflections, in the rear view mirror, of Tara and Willow sitting together while Teyla and Rose were in the row of seats behind them. The two of them were looking out the tinted windows at the people on the driveways on either side of the Summers house; they were all placing their belongings in vehicles as if they were heading for a vacation.
That was what Teyla was thinking, that they were leaving for a vacation, as she looked out the left window, and then looked out the right side window that Rose was looking through at two more families packing items into a car.
"People are leaving?" asked Teyla as Rose looked at her, the two women looking at each other before looking out the window again.
"It's the Hellmouth," said Willow who turned her body back, and placed her arm on the back of the seat and looked at both Teyla and Rose, and then out the same window. While the driver side door opened and Wesley climbed into the SUV, apologizing for being late since he was having a fantastic conversation with the Colonel, Tara told the two women from Pegasus that people could feel the energy coming off from the Hellmouth.
"And people want to leave," whispered Tara.
"But there's enough students to still keep the school open," said Willow, "Buffy's a counsellor there and.. well, a lot of people aren't feeling it yet. Some… like these guys who're packing now? They feel it, but the others not yet. It's going to take time."
"And eventually the city will be empty," said Rose as she looked at another couple, before turning her head to look at Willow. Rose immediately looked away onto the floor, and then out the window once again. It was something that Tara and Willow noticed, and the redhead couldn't help but frown. She understood that, according to Rose, she may look like the Lantean known as Athena… but the fact was that she wasn't her. And Willow wanted to drive home that fact as gently as possible to Rose so that she wouldn't act this strangely around her.
"Rose," said Willow as the young woman looked up at her while Wesley reversed the SUV onto the street, "I know you think that I'm Athena."
Rose just looked at the redhead, and then nodded. She knew deep in her very self that the young woman looking back at her was her creator. But rose didn't want to bring it up again, but she could help but feel as if she needed to be recognized by her creator. It was for that reason that rose found herself wanting t be close to Willow, but at the same time she feeling down while imagining Willow not accepting her as her creation.
'That is because she is not Athena, Rose,' she thought to herself while looking at Willow.
"She thinks you're Athena?" asked Lorne as he turned back in his seat and leaned to the side so that he could raise his eyebrows at Rose, and then at Willow. While Wesley was about to say something when he glanced at Willow and Rose in the rear-view mirror, the redhead spoke first. She turned her head towards Lorne, and then asked him if he could specifically see into her past when she sang.
"I mean I won't sing, just hum," said Willow, "I suck at singing."
"You don't, sweetie," smiled Tara while Willow grinned at her. She then turned to Lorne, who nodded his head, before the redhead started to hum a tune. Lorne listened as images appeared in his mind of Willow's childhood; he saw how upset she was when her parents would go off for a conference or to teach and she was alone which the nanny; he saw how happy she was when Ira and Sheila returned from their engagements, and her father hugged her. Lorne saw her childhood, including a ball of light that would pass her by occasionally, he saw the time when she told Sheila Rosenberg about the light.. and the older redhead just insisted it was her imagination. The more Willow hummed, the more of her past he saw. It went all the way until the time she was a baby in her mother's arm in a hospital, and two women came into the room carrying balloons that said 'Get well Soon'. The two women apologized for being in the wrong room, but when they saw the baby Willow, they asked if they could hold her.
Lorne saw the younger of the two, a dark haired, green-eyed young woman carry the baby and lean forward. He saw her land a kiss on her forehead before whispering something. Narrowing his eyes at that image, Lorne concentrated while the older Willow continued to hum. He tried to hear what was being whispered, but he couldn't hear it. He then saw the older woman carrying her, and the way that the older dark-haired woman looked at the baby… it was like a mother seeing her child for the first time.
"She is a very beautiful child," Lorne heard the older woman say before handing the baby back to Sheila. They watched the young red haired woman, her husband by her side, fuss over the yawning baby. Lorne heard the two women apologize again before leaving. And then there was just blankness. Lorne knew he had gone as far as he could, and he said as much to Willow and Rose.
"It's like a tape reaching its end… or beginning before starting to record on it," said Lorne while he looked at Willow. He remembered the look that the older woman had given the baby Willow, and he shook his head. He pushed it away, telling himself that he'll get back to that later on.
Right now they had a bigger threat to deal with. Instead, all he told Willow was that he had looked at her past, and there was nothing to suggest that she was this Athena person.
"Sorry, Rose," said Willow as she gave a small smile, "I just look like her. I mean, you guys said that she returned to Earth."
"And that the Ancients bred with the local population… so…" said Tara, "Willow's just her descendent."
"Perhaps you are correct," whispered Rose who had a faraway look on her face while she was staring at the back of the seat where both Tara and Willow were sitting on. She then looked up, and smiled at Willow before apologizing for how fooling that she must have looked.
"No, don't be," said Willow as she paced her arm on the back of the seat, and then rest her chin on her arm while Wesley drove, "so, can you tell us about Atlantis?"
"Teyla?" asked Tara.
Teyla and Rose nodded their heads before saying that they couldn't reveal any classified materials about the city. Willow and the others nodded their heads, and then listened intently as the two Pegasus residents talked about the Ancient city.
The Summers Household, 1630 hours.
Once the SUV had left the driveway, Giles, Colonel Sheppard, and Ronon where left alone in the living room with the other Scoobies in the kitchen. The Colonel then asked Ronon to take a break and get some rest, that it was possible that demons won't be attacking the house in the day.
"I would say that would be a fact," said Giles as he looked at the weapon on Ronon's hip, and then up at the tall, dark haired, man, "we are relatively safe, at least for now."
"Then it's settled," replied the Colonel, "take a break. Hopefully we'll hear something from Homeworld later tonight on a safer place that we could move to."
"I'll call the coven in Devon," said Giles while his arms were crossed over his chest, "and inform them that any Potentials heading towards Sunnydale should head for this home, until we say otherwise."
"Yeah." The Colonel nodded his head before Ronon asked dryly if he needed to know what Giles met by a 'coven', and how this coven was going to inform the Potential Slayers.
"Nah," answered Colonel Sheppard with a smirk on his face while he shrugged his shoulders. The man was referring to the use of the Coven's magic to contact the Potentials and any Watchers who were still alive, "even I'm not sure how it works."
"There is one thing we should talk about," said Ronon who crossed his arms over his chest, and turned to the Colonel, "the one with the red hair, and your sister. I take it that the Slayers, and these Potential Slayers already have some form of self-defence… am I right?"
"Today was the first lesson for the three with us," added Giles, "but they already had some training with their Watchers before they were killed, and the Potentials escaped. I cannot be sure of anyone else who joins us."
"Then in the here and now," said Ronon as he looked at the Colonel, and then at Giles, and bac to the Colonel again, "Sheppard, you should teach them some basic self-defence, at least. I know you said that they can use magic and… well, I can't really comment on that. And… wait a second…"
The Colonel and Giles saw the alien look around confused before asking if they had seen Mackay anywhere.
"He's gone upstairs," said the Colonel as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder towards the stairs, "he's creating a secure comm-line with the SGC from inside the house, and upgrading the security sensors that's connected to the security system."
"Good, good," said Giles as the three of them walked out of the living room, and into the hallway that led to the kitchen. When Buffy and Faith saw the three of them heading into the kitchen, they pushed themselves off the island while Xander and Dawn turned and nodded at the three of them. Faith could see that Ronon was smirking at her before looking away and telling them all that the Colonel had recommended they take a break.
"But I'd like to go up against you," smirked Faith as she raised an eyeborow towards Ronon.
"Faith," said Buffy as she gently slapped the dark haired Slayer's arm, while Dawn and Xander rolled their eyes. Faith shrugged her shoulders before saying that she didn't feel like taking a break, just yet. That her body was primed from her defeat at the hands of the Turok-Han, and that she needed a release.
"That just sounds bad," said Dawn while shaking her head.
"Look, the Potentials are still learning," said Faith, "B's tired as hell, so its not going to be fun beating her again and…"
"Hey," frowned Buffy as she nudged Faith's arm with her elbow, "just so you know, you still haven't beat me… and I'm not tired."
"Children," said Giles as he looked at Buffy and Faith while Dawn and Xander looked from Faith, to Ronon, and then to Faith again, "I would like for you to spar when we have the Potentials with us. They would get to see how two Slayers fight. And then, perhaps Ronon and Faith could spar… or Ronon and Buffy."
"Oh, I'd like him," smirked Faith as she rubbed her fist while looking at Ronan, who looked at her, and then at the Colonel.
"You wanted to spar with her," was the reply from the Colonel while he put his hands up.
"Oh, I will," replied Ronon before looking back at Faith, "I would like to experience what a Slayer can do."
"You're on, big guy" smiled Faith.
TBC.
