This whole being a atcher thing had been preying on Xander's mind all day, and now it
was getting in the way of his paying attention to the scooby meeting. Which was okay, since the
point was to bring Giles up to speed on the missing Willow sitch. Which he'd heard before. Tara
was sure that she'd know if Willow was usin g her magic, which drew a snort from Christina.
Who was attending her very first scooby meeting, and was sure that Willow had stayed biund,
even though Giles had explained the temporary nature of her gris-gris. Anyway, Tara was also
sure that Willow was still alive.
Buffy reported on her feelings of frustration on not being able to find her former best
friend, which Xander had wished she hadn't said. Frustrated yes, former best friend no, Anyway,
she had put the fear of the Slayer into Willie.
Anya had networked with the other proprietors that sold ,magic supplies, and no one
remembered her.
The only one not weighing in with a position was Spike, and come to think of it, he hadn't
been around as often during the last month. Since about when Willow disappweared. Xander
stopped to think. Nah, his crypt had been searched time and time again, and surely he'd know
what Buffy would do to him if he crossed her. Like hiding someone from her.
Still, Sunnydale wasn't all that big a town, and there wasn't all that many places to go. It
shouldn't be as difficult as finding a needle in the haystack. Except that this particular needle
knew thenm and out performed them in the brin department.
Still the most likely thing was that she was receiving help from someone. Someone who
new she was hiding from them..."
"Xander!" Everybody was staring at him.
"What were you doing," Buffy demanded. "Don't you think you should pay attention
now that you're going to be a Watcher?"
"Uh, sorry, just connecting dots." Buffy rolled her eyes. Xander turned to Giles. "What
happens when we do find her? You planning to fis her up with a Watcher?"
"Since we can't seem to find her, that point would seem to be moot. Unless you have an
idea."
"Xander," warned the Slayer, "if you now something..."
"Like I said Buff, I've been connecting the dots. But before I do anything about it, I'd
like to know what's gonna happen when we do find her."
"I, ah, suppose that would probably be what ould happen but..."
"Great, I nominate Tara."
"What, but I c-c-c-ouldn'T"
"Sure you could, you know all about the mojo thing, and its not like you'd be alone.
There's still giles, and I'd help."
"Xander," Buffy started.
"Plus," Xander ignored Buffy. "There's the guy that's helping her."
"What?" Xander looked around at the assembled people around the table. "C'mon, she's
got to know that we're looking for her, and the only reason we haven't is because she doesn't
want to be found. But Sunnydale isn't so big that we wouldn't have come accross something in
the last month. So she's got to be getting help from somewhere."
"Xander what do you know?"
"No more than you do, like I said. But I do have an idea, and need a week to see if it
works out."
"Well you don't have a week. You don't even have one minute." Buffy's eye's flashed as
she stood up. " Now spill."
"Hey," a voice shouted. "You threatening my Watcher."
Every eye turned to Christina, who was standing beside the table, glaring at Buffy.
"Sit down.," Buffy snapped at her, then turned back to Xander. "Start talking now."
"And what? If I'm wrong, we just wasted more time. If I'm right, you'll go at her all
Slayer like, which'll end up three ways. One, she gives up, which would be the best solution, but
she's had a month to come out. Two, she manages to escape, which makes it all that much harder
to find her again. Or three, she gets backed into a corner and tries to fight her way out, in which
case you let her go, you kill her, or she kills you. None of which sounds like something I want to
happen, so I think I'll do this my way for a week, and if I don't find her, then I let you in on it and
do it your way."
"Don't let this Watcher thing go to your head." Buffy glared at Xander, who was
definetely not happy, and very nervous about being at odds with the Slayer.
"I'm not," he said quietly. "But I'm not backing down."
"That's enough," Giles thundered from his seat. "Buffy, Xander sit down."
He waited for them to comply before continuing.
"I don't know what you're thinkin this will accomplish. One thing it won't do is get
Willow out of hiding. Now, do you have any better ideas Buffy?"
"No but..."
"Then I suggest we give Xander a chance. If it doesn't work we can try something else."
Buffy's eyes flashed. "Xander you have one week."
It took less than that. Three nights, of sneaking into Spike's cemetery, Not to see him, but to see
where he was going. One night in particular, Xander thought Spike was particularily frustrated.
He'd leave his crypt, start for a certain part of the cemetery, and slip back into the shadows
whenever his path was crossed by a tall svelte woman. A bunch of them seemed to have chosen
that night to visit, and Xander wondered if he should warn them about the dangers they faced.
However, they looked like they knew what they were doing, and Xander spotted more than one
vamp avoiding them.
On the third night, the women were gone, and Xander followed Spike. Who finally had a
chance to complete what he wanted to do. Which was to visit a small crypt in a rarely visited part
of the cemetery.
Xander pushed on the door to the crypt. It opened a little, and then stopped as the door
came up to asomething.
"Willow, you in there?"
No answer.
"Do I gotta get Buffy to open the door.? Cause, you know, I will if I have to."
Xander waited a few moments, and then there was a scraping noise, and the door opened
wider. He slipped in as soon as it was wide enough.
"Nice place." His eyes grew accustomed to the candle light. There were candes set up
aroungd the crypt, illuminating a chair, small sesk, lap top, and a cot with a sleeping bag on it.
There was even a small coleman stove and ice box. "Spike help you fix things up?"
Willow nodded dumbly, standing beside the door, her eyes on her oldest friend.
"Hey, I'm just glad you're okay, I'm not gonna turn you in or anything. It's hat, weel it's
been a month, and a month without Willow in it is not a month I want to live trough again.
"Xander got a good look at the girl. "Yeah, I know I'm babbling, and had this whole speech
prepared, you know, where I'd forgive you and things would be happiness ever after, but I guess
they won't be like that ever, Huh?"
Willow shook her head, and walked over to the wall.
"So, what are you going to do?"
"Well like I said, I'm not going to turn you in..." Xander sank down to a seat next to her.
Just like he used to do when they were kids.
"But, I killed that old lady."
"Yeah, well I on't know how that's going to play itself out. There's going to be
consequences you know, there's gotta be. But it wasn't deliberate. H, it wasn't was it?"
"No, she wouldn't stop thrashing about in her wheel chair. I couldn't control it."
"Christna's living with Anya and me. She has no other family, and I didn't feel right
abandining her to social serices."
Willow nodded. "I know."
"You do," Xander looked surprised. "Yeah, I guess you do."
"Giles is back."
"I know that to."
"He says that the Council are assigning Watchers to witches now. Betcha didn't know
that."
"No, I didn't," Willow said, following it with a small giggle.
"I'm going to be Christina's Watcher."
Willow looked at him.
"Tara could be your Watcher, if you'd let her."
"She wouldn't want to be." Willow fidgetted nervously. "Ot after what I did."
"You're not a bad person, Will. You just got in over your head. You just need a little
more direction, discipline, if you'd let Tara provide that, then you should be okay, back with your
friends. We can work out the other stuff somehow."
"Otherwise, what are you going to do?"
"I dunno."
"Tara doesn't think you've been using your magic, that's something."
"Spike's been helping with that."
"He still can?"
"Huh?"
"Well, he can't be your official Watcher, evil soulless vampire and all that, but he could
help, like Giles did with Buffy when Wes was her official Watcher."
"Buffy's not going to like that?"
"This isn't about Buffy. This is about you."
was getting in the way of his paying attention to the scooby meeting. Which was okay, since the
point was to bring Giles up to speed on the missing Willow sitch. Which he'd heard before. Tara
was sure that she'd know if Willow was usin g her magic, which drew a snort from Christina.
Who was attending her very first scooby meeting, and was sure that Willow had stayed biund,
even though Giles had explained the temporary nature of her gris-gris. Anyway, Tara was also
sure that Willow was still alive.
Buffy reported on her feelings of frustration on not being able to find her former best
friend, which Xander had wished she hadn't said. Frustrated yes, former best friend no, Anyway,
she had put the fear of the Slayer into Willie.
Anya had networked with the other proprietors that sold ,magic supplies, and no one
remembered her.
The only one not weighing in with a position was Spike, and come to think of it, he hadn't
been around as often during the last month. Since about when Willow disappweared. Xander
stopped to think. Nah, his crypt had been searched time and time again, and surely he'd know
what Buffy would do to him if he crossed her. Like hiding someone from her.
Still, Sunnydale wasn't all that big a town, and there wasn't all that many places to go. It
shouldn't be as difficult as finding a needle in the haystack. Except that this particular needle
knew thenm and out performed them in the brin department.
Still the most likely thing was that she was receiving help from someone. Someone who
new she was hiding from them..."
"Xander!" Everybody was staring at him.
"What were you doing," Buffy demanded. "Don't you think you should pay attention
now that you're going to be a Watcher?"
"Uh, sorry, just connecting dots." Buffy rolled her eyes. Xander turned to Giles. "What
happens when we do find her? You planning to fis her up with a Watcher?"
"Since we can't seem to find her, that point would seem to be moot. Unless you have an
idea."
"Xander," warned the Slayer, "if you now something..."
"Like I said Buff, I've been connecting the dots. But before I do anything about it, I'd
like to know what's gonna happen when we do find her."
"I, ah, suppose that would probably be what ould happen but..."
"Great, I nominate Tara."
"What, but I c-c-c-ouldn'T"
"Sure you could, you know all about the mojo thing, and its not like you'd be alone.
There's still giles, and I'd help."
"Xander," Buffy started.
"Plus," Xander ignored Buffy. "There's the guy that's helping her."
"What?" Xander looked around at the assembled people around the table. "C'mon, she's
got to know that we're looking for her, and the only reason we haven't is because she doesn't
want to be found. But Sunnydale isn't so big that we wouldn't have come accross something in
the last month. So she's got to be getting help from somewhere."
"Xander what do you know?"
"No more than you do, like I said. But I do have an idea, and need a week to see if it
works out."
"Well you don't have a week. You don't even have one minute." Buffy's eye's flashed as
she stood up. " Now spill."
"Hey," a voice shouted. "You threatening my Watcher."
Every eye turned to Christina, who was standing beside the table, glaring at Buffy.
"Sit down.," Buffy snapped at her, then turned back to Xander. "Start talking now."
"And what? If I'm wrong, we just wasted more time. If I'm right, you'll go at her all
Slayer like, which'll end up three ways. One, she gives up, which would be the best solution, but
she's had a month to come out. Two, she manages to escape, which makes it all that much harder
to find her again. Or three, she gets backed into a corner and tries to fight her way out, in which
case you let her go, you kill her, or she kills you. None of which sounds like something I want to
happen, so I think I'll do this my way for a week, and if I don't find her, then I let you in on it and
do it your way."
"Don't let this Watcher thing go to your head." Buffy glared at Xander, who was
definetely not happy, and very nervous about being at odds with the Slayer.
"I'm not," he said quietly. "But I'm not backing down."
"That's enough," Giles thundered from his seat. "Buffy, Xander sit down."
He waited for them to comply before continuing.
"I don't know what you're thinkin this will accomplish. One thing it won't do is get
Willow out of hiding. Now, do you have any better ideas Buffy?"
"No but..."
"Then I suggest we give Xander a chance. If it doesn't work we can try something else."
Buffy's eyes flashed. "Xander you have one week."
It took less than that. Three nights, of sneaking into Spike's cemetery, Not to see him, but to see
where he was going. One night in particular, Xander thought Spike was particularily frustrated.
He'd leave his crypt, start for a certain part of the cemetery, and slip back into the shadows
whenever his path was crossed by a tall svelte woman. A bunch of them seemed to have chosen
that night to visit, and Xander wondered if he should warn them about the dangers they faced.
However, they looked like they knew what they were doing, and Xander spotted more than one
vamp avoiding them.
On the third night, the women were gone, and Xander followed Spike. Who finally had a
chance to complete what he wanted to do. Which was to visit a small crypt in a rarely visited part
of the cemetery.
Xander pushed on the door to the crypt. It opened a little, and then stopped as the door
came up to asomething.
"Willow, you in there?"
No answer.
"Do I gotta get Buffy to open the door.? Cause, you know, I will if I have to."
Xander waited a few moments, and then there was a scraping noise, and the door opened
wider. He slipped in as soon as it was wide enough.
"Nice place." His eyes grew accustomed to the candle light. There were candes set up
aroungd the crypt, illuminating a chair, small sesk, lap top, and a cot with a sleeping bag on it.
There was even a small coleman stove and ice box. "Spike help you fix things up?"
Willow nodded dumbly, standing beside the door, her eyes on her oldest friend.
"Hey, I'm just glad you're okay, I'm not gonna turn you in or anything. It's hat, weel it's
been a month, and a month without Willow in it is not a month I want to live trough again.
"Xander got a good look at the girl. "Yeah, I know I'm babbling, and had this whole speech
prepared, you know, where I'd forgive you and things would be happiness ever after, but I guess
they won't be like that ever, Huh?"
Willow shook her head, and walked over to the wall.
"So, what are you going to do?"
"Well like I said, I'm not going to turn you in..." Xander sank down to a seat next to her.
Just like he used to do when they were kids.
"But, I killed that old lady."
"Yeah, well I on't know how that's going to play itself out. There's going to be
consequences you know, there's gotta be. But it wasn't deliberate. H, it wasn't was it?"
"No, she wouldn't stop thrashing about in her wheel chair. I couldn't control it."
"Christna's living with Anya and me. She has no other family, and I didn't feel right
abandining her to social serices."
Willow nodded. "I know."
"You do," Xander looked surprised. "Yeah, I guess you do."
"Giles is back."
"I know that to."
"He says that the Council are assigning Watchers to witches now. Betcha didn't know
that."
"No, I didn't," Willow said, following it with a small giggle.
"I'm going to be Christina's Watcher."
Willow looked at him.
"Tara could be your Watcher, if you'd let her."
"She wouldn't want to be." Willow fidgetted nervously. "Ot after what I did."
"You're not a bad person, Will. You just got in over your head. You just need a little
more direction, discipline, if you'd let Tara provide that, then you should be okay, back with your
friends. We can work out the other stuff somehow."
"Otherwise, what are you going to do?"
"I dunno."
"Tara doesn't think you've been using your magic, that's something."
"Spike's been helping with that."
"He still can?"
"Huh?"
"Well, he can't be your official Watcher, evil soulless vampire and all that, but he could
help, like Giles did with Buffy when Wes was her official Watcher."
"Buffy's not going to like that?"
"This isn't about Buffy. This is about you."