Willow's shopping trip didn't take long, although it was pretty productive. Unlike the Doctor, Willow wasn't content to only wear one outfit. Though the clothes she chose didn't have a large variety. Willow tended to prefer jeans, t-shirts, and ankle boots. She also liked darker colors.
After that, Willow made her appointments to have the construction and maintenance of her new properties started. She was pleasantly surprised to find the work wouldn't take nearly as long as she'd thought it would. Her factory would be fixed up and cleaned out in only three weeks. Willow's homes wouldn't be finished for a month or more, but she didn't need them done anytime soon.
She could also pick up the keys for her new mansion, which was already decorated and furnished. All that was left was to begin ordering the electronics and other items she would need to start fixing up the security around her new home and factory.
She didn't make it out to her bunker, but she already knew that it would take a lot of time to get it up to the standers she wanted. She was planning to make it a fallback location for her, the group, and Buffy's family if the worst happened. They needed a fortified place to fall back to. She wanted it to be both secure but comfortable.
Now that she had a time frame for her factory completion, she also ordered all of the equipment she would need to begin working on her projects. Most of the advanced equipment she purchased was still far too primitive for what she wanted to accomplish, but they could help her build the tools she would need.
It took a lot of internal debating, but she ended up choosing to purchase a used V 150 armored vehicle and had it delivered to her mansion. She wasn't planning to use it for long as her primary vehicle. Still, until she could build her own car, she wanted to be driving something that she would have some protection in. She also wanted to get something that the Scoobies could use as an assault and armored command vehicle. It would also make an excellent base for upgrades later when she could fix it up the way she wanted it.
She thought about something more circumspect, but in the end, she wanted something that would offer the most protection possible while still being street legal. Although she would never admit it out loud, there was a small part of her that would get a thrill riding around Sunnydale in what amounted to an armored troop carrier.
She took all of the new clothes she'd just bought along with her laptop to her new home. She also grabbed her TARDIS coral, the small chest she kept her weapons and magic books, and a few other keepsakes she didn't want to lose. It took a few trips, but she was able to move everything to her new home.
She made a light dinner and began working on another project she'd thought of while she'd been out shopping. Willow figured that the Scoobies could defiantly use a bit more help monitoring the Hellmouth. So she began searching through the different military computers to find out what satellites might be near Sunnydale. She figured that she could borrow them from time to time to help out if there were any.
What she found was very interesting. The Pentagon actually had an HK-Keyhole satellite dedicated just to observing Sunnydale and its surrounding areas. Willow didn't know who it was, but it was evident that some powerful people in government knew about the Hellmouth, and they were trying to keep an eye on it. After all, keyhole satellites were monstrously expensive, and it wouldn't have been easy to get one dedicated to just one small town.
It didn't take her any time to create a hidden back door into the satellite so she could review everything that the satellite was used for. She would also be able to take over the satellite anytime she needed to. However, she would try not to do it too often as that might cause her and their group more problems.
Her parents wouldn't be home for at least two more months, so she had no problem moving permanently into her new home. But, of course, by the time they got back, Willow would have come up with a reason that she needed to move out. She would probably just tell them that she was entering college early or something.
To protect her new identity, she intended to create a low-level perception filter. However, it wouldn't be strong enough to prevent people from seeing her. Instead, it would allow people to see her but not pay very much attention to her looks. This would help Willow Rosenberg disappear and Willow Striker to take her place.
The next day was Monday, and a school day, so Willow decided to try to get at least a few hours of sleep.
She'd only managed to get two hours of sleep before she was once more wide awake and feeling full of energy. Willow knew from her research and watching the episodes that the Doctor didn't require much sleep, so she didn't try and sleep any longer. It was only four in the morning, and Willow was almost bursting with energy. That's why she decided to get in some exercise. Of course, there was no way she would go out before the sunrise, but luckily her new home came with its own gym.
Whoever had lived here before her must have been a health nut because the gym was gigantic. It was almost as large as a basketball court. The gym took up two floors, with the upper level having a running track running around the edge of the room. Half the gym floor was taken up by different exercise machines and weight benches. One entire wall was made into a climbing wall broken into different sections, each with an increasing difficulty level.
The other half of the gym floor was bare, although it was covered with a large, custom-padded mat. Willow thought it would make an excellent area for Buffy to practice her martial arts. It was solid enough to work out on but padded sufficient that a fall wouldn't hurt as much.
Another feature she liked about the gym was the large artificial sunlight lamps built into the ceiling. They made it seem like she was outside on a warm summer day, even in the dead of night. She'd also been shown the environmental controls that were built into the room. For example, Willow could turn on hidden fans in the walls to create a gentle breeze in the room. It even had a feature to add different aromas to the air like a pine forest, tropical beach, hidden garden, and ecliptic/mint.
The gym also had a sanna and a small cold pool built into small rooms of their own that could only be accessed from the gym. Without even thinking about it, Willow stripped out of her clothes. Then, she moved over to the empty area to begin stretching. It wasn't until she was halfway done with a quick warm-up routine that she noticed she was nude. That little realization gave her a jolt, but it wasn't enough to make her pause her stretching.
Willow knew that only a few days ago, the thought of exercising in the nude would have crippled her with embarrassment. She wasn't even comfortable being nude in her own home outside of the bathroom or when she changed quickly in her room. At school, Willow constantly changed in the toilet stall, and Willow refused to shower at school. So it was a good thing that she never did enough to work up a sweat in the gym usually.
Today Willow stripped without a care in the world, and she was finding it didn't bother her in the least. But, of course, she wasn't sure she would like it if there was anyone else with her. But, then again, she didn't know if she would care even then, provided it was one of her friends.
As she was thinking about this strange new facet of her growing personality, she noticed Willow was going through a stretching routine that she'd never done before. Not only was she using a new set of stretches, but she was doing so as if she'd been doing it all her life. Willow could only conclude that it was more of the Doctor's memories seeping through. However, she was determined not to worry about it and just let her body do whatever felt comfortable.
She did two quick circuits on the exerciser machines before she found herself going through a slow kata in the empty section of the gym. Willow often observed Buffy practicing several different martial arts styles with Giles all the time. However, Willow didn't recognize what she found herself practicing now.
If she had to say what the style most reminded her of, she would have to say it was a strange blend of tie-chi, aikido, and judo. Though she found herself practicing a series of finger strikes, she could only compare to the pressure point strikes in the old kung-fu movies she watched with Xander. So when Willow visualized where she would be striking on a human body, she could easily picture the different pressure points and nerve clusters she was aiming for.
As Willow moved through the slow-flowing kata, she lost herself in a meditative state. Willow lost all track of time as her mind became peaceful and silent for the first time in days. Finally, it was only the alarm she'd set to remind her that she needed to get ready for school.
Willow finished up the last part of her current kata before coming to rest. After that, she moved over to pick up her discarded clothes. Willow didn't bother to dress before leaving the gym. Willow actually found it almost freeing to walk through her quiet home without a stitch of clothes covering her body. Reaching the master bathroom, she took a quick shower in the colossal luxury steam shower. Again, she didn't bother with any of the unique features but quickly washed herself and her hair.
Willow noticed that she had no hair below her neck, and if the vague memories she had from the Doctor could be trusted, she never would again. It was a feature of being a time lady that Willow quite liked. She'd always disliked having to shave her legs and under her arms. She wasn't sure about her pubic hair as she'd never had enough to really worry about it before. To be honest, it didn't really matter one way or the other to her on that score.
She was quick to blowdry her hair before pulling back into what was becoming her trademark braid. After that, she dressed in her now standard jeans and boots; she also grabbed a Black Sabbath t-shirt. After that, she had a bowl of cereal since she'd only been able to buy a few groceries yesterday.
After washing her bowl, she grabbed her keys and backpack before heading out the door. It took her almost twenty minutes to get to school, and Willow made a note that she couldn't wait for her V 150 to be delivered tomorrow. Even with the long walk, however, she was still early for school.
Willow didn't bother waiting outside for Buffy or Xander. Instead, she headed straight for the school library. Giles, as usual, was standing behind the library's main desk, and he was the first thing Willow saw when entering the library. She could tell that he was still a bit uncomfortable with her and the revelations from Halloween. It was all there in his eyes and the almost tentative smile he gave her.
Willow wasn't surprised by Giles's hesitation regarding her. Of everyone in their little group, he was the only one that knew anything about the Doctor. When Giles recommended the series, only Willow took him up on borrowing his copies of the show. Buffy and Xander knew only that the Doctor was some kind of alien that traveled through time and space in a blue police box.
Only Giles knew how powerful and dangerous the Doctor could be. He was the only other member of their group who knew some of the darkness that hid beneath the surface. At least that's what he no doubt thought. Despite how vague the memories she'd gained from the Doctor, she could tell that there was so much more than the series showed. The show didn't show the Doctor during the time war, and for a good reason. After all, there was a reason that the Daleks hated and feared the Doctor so much. Not that Willow had any intention of enlightening Giles to the whole truth and scope of the Doctor's hidden darkness.
Willow gave Giles a gentle smile, trying to ease his concern as much as possible. At least as much as she could without letting time doing its work.
"Good morning Giles. How was the rest of your weekend?"
Willow was relieved that her voice didn't betray any of the uncertainty she was currently feeling.
She was also happy to hear the normal kind tone in Giles's voice as he answered her. "It was good, thank you. I spent some more time researching the spell that Ethan used, looking for any answers as to why it had such a profound effect on you."
Willow sat in her regular seat, "Did you have any luck?"
Giles sounded slightly frustrated when he spoke next. "No. The spell of masks has been well documented over the centuries. Even if it has fallen out of favor over the last hundred or so years."
Giles absently removed his glasses and began chewing on one of the earpieces as he kept speaking. "It is overall a rather harmless spell even if it does tend to generate chaos when used. It only lasts one night, the costumes are never empowered enough to cause widespread destruction, and never before has the change been permanent."
He gave her an ironic look, "I have to say I don't know if you are simply astonishingly lucky or horribly cursed with bad luck. I can say that regardless of whatever else happened, the spell must have had a secondary source of magic added to the spell. Where it came from and if it was intentional or not, we may never know."
By the time Giles was finished, he sounded frustrated again. "I can say with a fair amount of certainty; it is not possible to change you back to normal or even remove the Doctor's memories."
Willow gave a half-hearted shrug. "To be honest, Giles, I don't think I would want to go back even if you told me you could safely reverse the change right now."
Willow interrupted whatever response he was about to give her. "Giles, you can't believe what it's like to be turned into a time lady. It's not only the major upgrade to my intelligence, although that in itself is a massive change. My senses have been opened in ways that I can't describe, and it isn't just my five senses that have gotten an upgrade."
Her voice seemed to take on a dreamlike quality as she kept speaking. "As you no doubt recall, the Doctor was both empathic and telepathic. It's not only that, though. Like the Doctor told Rose in the first episode of the new series, I can feel the Earth's turning. I can feel the Earth revolving around the sun and both falling through space in turn. But there is so much more as well. So much that I just can't describe."
Now her look became far more intense as she stared hard at Giles. "How do you describe the beauty of the world and universe to a blind man? How do you describe the exquisite sound that is Motsats or Batovens masterworks? Then ask yourself if you were blind and def for your entire life and you were suddenly given both sight and hearing would you allow anyone to take them away again?"
Giles was taken aback by what Willow was describing and had to admit that the way she described it, if he was put in her positions, he wouldn't give that up either. Still, he had to make sure that she understood the possible consequences that might accompany her new gifts.
His voice was soft when he spoke to her. "My dear, I think I understand, and I will admit what you are describing sounds amazing, but I know how dangerous some of these gifts can be. Primarily both empathy and telepathy. I have read accounts of others who have suddenly gained those abilities, and most of those accounts didn't end well. They normally ended with the person driven insane by their new powers when they couldn't control them."
Giles eyed her sternly. "I will, of course, do everything in my power to help you gain control of these gifts, but I don't know how much help I will be. First of all, the show touched on the Doctor's abilities but never really specified how powerful those abilities were. Do you have any idea of what we might be dealing with?"
Willow nodded. "Yes. Well, that is to say, kind of. I've already said some of it, but to be honest, the show only touches on the tip of the ice burg when it comes to the Doctor's potential powers."
Willow gave him a quirky smile. "The memories are shadowy, but I can recall that there were two reasons for that. The first is that the Doctor didn't like using those abilities very often as he felt they were wrong to use against those who couldn't fight back. The other reason was that the Doctor just wasn't as skilled in that area as he could be."
Willow's expression turned rye. "As for myself, I just can't tell you how powerful I will become or how skilled I might end up being in the end. While I can't be one hundred percent sure about what happened to me, I have a good guess. When the spell changed me, it used the Doctor's genetics and energy as a template for my own new time lord DNA. So, in essence, I am not quite the Doctor's daughter or his clone, but instead, I'm somewhere between the two. Although I would say, I fall closer to the first than the second."
Giles looked slightly lost, but he just nodded, "I think I would have to agree with you on that. Still, that leaves us with you trying to learn to control your new abilities."
Willow gave a slight shrug. "Yes, but I don't think that is going to be too much of a problem."
At Giles's look, Willow was quick to continue before he could speak. "This morning, I found myself not only going through an exercise routine. One I've never done before, but I was also able to begin practicing a type of martial arts I've never seen before. I was thinking about it, and I think it is that same style the Doctor mentioned knowing in the show a few times. Venusian Aikido, if I remember correctly."
Giles looked quite intrigued, "Really, that's amazing, and you say you just began practicing without recalling it first?"
Willow was almost vibrating in her seat with excitement. "Ya, it was really cool. After I finished working out, I just found my body going through the motions as if I've known them all my life. I even ended up falling into a pretty deep meditative state. That's why I don't think I will have too many problems with my new mental abilities. I think that when it comes to using and controlling them, the memories will help give me that control or show me whatever exercises I need to learn."
Giles looked a little more relieved, although he didn't seem to be completely reassured, "That sounds good. I still think it would be a good idea to teach you what I can as well as doing some research for other methods you could learn for control."
Willow nodded, "Hey, that's ok with me. More knowledge is always better than less you know."
It was at this point that Buffy and Xander entered the library.