Chapter Ten - Unexpected Answers
With everyone's attention focused on Tara and the
knife, Angel was able to move around behind her unnoticed.
"I'm going to answer the door. No one move." Buffy
rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I said that. This is
sounding more like a bad movie every second."
"H-hold on!" Tara demanded. "I don't like this.
First Willow turns out not to be who I fell in love with,
then you start accusing ME of-of being some-someone else!
You just stay here! If you think the four-four of us are
not us, then that means you guys are-are really the-the
impostors!"
Angel chose that moment to grab Tara from behind.
After taking the knife from her, he let her go. "Buffy,
go answer the door. We'll sort this out in a minute."
Buffy headed up the stairs, unaware of a beady set of
eyes watching through the basement window. She opened the
front door to find the old lady from across the street
standing there with a plate of cookies.
"Hello, dear. Father and I couldn't help but notice
all the activity going on here tonight." She pointed at
her husband, still sitting on his front porch. When he
saw Buffy looking at him, he raised his hand and waved at
her.
Buffy returned the gesture and apologized to the
elderly woman. "I'm sorry, this isn't a real good time."
"Oh, I know, dear. I just thought you could use my
help."
Buffy smiled. "Oh, I don't think you can really help
us tonight. Thank you, though."
Her neighbor smiled back. "Oh, honey, I think I can.
Invite me in and just listen to what I have to say. If
you don't find it interesting, at least I'll know that
I've managed to piss off that damned Council."
The Slayer's jaw dropped open. When she picked it
up, she invited the woman in and led her downstairs.
After explaining why she had let the lady in, she let
the woman speak.
"My name is...well, it's not important. I'm sure
your Mister Giles would recognize the name, but he's not
here, so it's not important. I used to be a Watcher. So
was my husband, actually. We still do the odd job for the
Council every now and then, when we get bored. Not long
ago, that smarmy little man the have in charge now, that
Travers boy, came and asked us to keep him informed of any
activity around here. Naturally, we said yes, but not to
help them. We just like inconveniencing them. They think
they're so smart, but they still haven't figured us out,
not even after all these years. It wasn't hard to find
out what was happening here. I think now, though, that
there is some tension here. Can I ask what's happening?"
When she had gotten the latest in the story, she
continued. "Oh, no children. You are all just who you
think you are. There are no impostors here. It's all a
part of that spell Faith cast. It released Willow and
Katherine, but it also causes confusion and doubt. Oh,
the Council knew what they were doing, alright. There
purpose was to separate you young people. They feel like
too many people know the secret, much less actually being
a part of it. If you turn on each other now, they will
have won."
"So, what can we do?" Buffy asked.
"Now that, I'm not sure. I know of a way to help
Miss Willow there, but I don't know what it would do to
the witch. The powerful one. I mean, Mrs Madison. There
is a spell that can give Willow the memories of Katherine,
but I'm not sure what would happen to Katherine if it is
performed. The last time it was performed, the source of
memories disappeared."
"No." Both Buffy and Willow spoke the word.
Everyone turned to Willow.
"I won't be a part of it. I would love to know
what's been going on the last five years, but I won't do
to her what she did to me."
"I have something to say." This time all eyes turned
to Katherine Madison. "I never meant to do that to
Willow. I tried to reverse it, but I was never able to.
What if I had told you all what I did? After what I did
to my own daughter, I surely couldn't expect you to help
me. If I can make things right by giving Willow, the real
Willow, my memories, I want to do it."
"Yeah, right. Whatever."
Katherine turned to Xander. "I understand why you
feel that way. I was truly an evil person. I did
horrible things. All these years in her body, though,
"she said, pointing to Willow, "living with you people,
it's made me care. It did something to me. I know you
won't believe me, that you have no reason to, but it's
true." She stopped and almost whispered the next words.
"I love you guys. Well, most of you," she offered,
looking at Spike with distaste. "I just want to make this
right." She looked at the old lady. "What exactly will
this spell do to Willow?"
"Well, dear, it'll give her all the memories of
everything you've gone through. As far as she's
concerned, they will be her memories. She won't remember
anything else."
"And you don't know what'll happen to me?"
"No. I'm sorry."
"Ok. So, what do we do?"
"It's simple. You do what you did the first time.
You cast the spell that put you in Willow's body."
"I can't. That would put me in someone else's body.
I'm not doing that again."
"No. Not this time. First of all, there are no weak
people in this room. Second, I believe Tara can cast a
counter-spell that will protect us all from absorbing your
spirit, as it were."
After a bit more discussion, it was decided.
Everyone gathered around. Katherine picked up the trophy,
just in case that was where she was going.
Outside, the eyes kept watching. With glee, Warren
started talking to himself. "This is great! I'll be able
to use this spell to control the Slayer! Hell, I might
just take her body for myself!"
Back inside the room, the Tara and Katherine started
speaking, each using their own spell. A bright light came
from Katherine, traveled through the air, surrounded
Willow, and disappeared. At that moment, Katherine's body
disappeared.
It was silent for a second. It was Willow who broke
the silence. "What's going on? What're we doing here?"
She looked at Tara. "What happened to, um, Craig
Kilborne?"
The elderly lady snuck out unnoticed as everyone
tried to remember how they had all ended up in the
basement, how Faith and Angel had ended up in Sunnydale.
She walked back across the street and climbed the steps to
the porch. She sat next to her husband.
#
With everyone's attention focused on Tara and the
knife, Angel was able to move around behind her unnoticed.
"I'm going to answer the door. No one move." Buffy
rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I said that. This is
sounding more like a bad movie every second."
"H-hold on!" Tara demanded. "I don't like this.
First Willow turns out not to be who I fell in love with,
then you start accusing ME of-of being some-someone else!
You just stay here! If you think the four-four of us are
not us, then that means you guys are-are really the-the
impostors!"
Angel chose that moment to grab Tara from behind.
After taking the knife from her, he let her go. "Buffy,
go answer the door. We'll sort this out in a minute."
Buffy headed up the stairs, unaware of a beady set of
eyes watching through the basement window. She opened the
front door to find the old lady from across the street
standing there with a plate of cookies.
"Hello, dear. Father and I couldn't help but notice
all the activity going on here tonight." She pointed at
her husband, still sitting on his front porch. When he
saw Buffy looking at him, he raised his hand and waved at
her.
Buffy returned the gesture and apologized to the
elderly woman. "I'm sorry, this isn't a real good time."
"Oh, I know, dear. I just thought you could use my
help."
Buffy smiled. "Oh, I don't think you can really help
us tonight. Thank you, though."
Her neighbor smiled back. "Oh, honey, I think I can.
Invite me in and just listen to what I have to say. If
you don't find it interesting, at least I'll know that
I've managed to piss off that damned Council."
The Slayer's jaw dropped open. When she picked it
up, she invited the woman in and led her downstairs.
After explaining why she had let the lady in, she let
the woman speak.
"My name is...well, it's not important. I'm sure
your Mister Giles would recognize the name, but he's not
here, so it's not important. I used to be a Watcher. So
was my husband, actually. We still do the odd job for the
Council every now and then, when we get bored. Not long
ago, that smarmy little man the have in charge now, that
Travers boy, came and asked us to keep him informed of any
activity around here. Naturally, we said yes, but not to
help them. We just like inconveniencing them. They think
they're so smart, but they still haven't figured us out,
not even after all these years. It wasn't hard to find
out what was happening here. I think now, though, that
there is some tension here. Can I ask what's happening?"
When she had gotten the latest in the story, she
continued. "Oh, no children. You are all just who you
think you are. There are no impostors here. It's all a
part of that spell Faith cast. It released Willow and
Katherine, but it also causes confusion and doubt. Oh,
the Council knew what they were doing, alright. There
purpose was to separate you young people. They feel like
too many people know the secret, much less actually being
a part of it. If you turn on each other now, they will
have won."
"So, what can we do?" Buffy asked.
"Now that, I'm not sure. I know of a way to help
Miss Willow there, but I don't know what it would do to
the witch. The powerful one. I mean, Mrs Madison. There
is a spell that can give Willow the memories of Katherine,
but I'm not sure what would happen to Katherine if it is
performed. The last time it was performed, the source of
memories disappeared."
"No." Both Buffy and Willow spoke the word.
Everyone turned to Willow.
"I won't be a part of it. I would love to know
what's been going on the last five years, but I won't do
to her what she did to me."
"I have something to say." This time all eyes turned
to Katherine Madison. "I never meant to do that to
Willow. I tried to reverse it, but I was never able to.
What if I had told you all what I did? After what I did
to my own daughter, I surely couldn't expect you to help
me. If I can make things right by giving Willow, the real
Willow, my memories, I want to do it."
"Yeah, right. Whatever."
Katherine turned to Xander. "I understand why you
feel that way. I was truly an evil person. I did
horrible things. All these years in her body, though,
"she said, pointing to Willow, "living with you people,
it's made me care. It did something to me. I know you
won't believe me, that you have no reason to, but it's
true." She stopped and almost whispered the next words.
"I love you guys. Well, most of you," she offered,
looking at Spike with distaste. "I just want to make this
right." She looked at the old lady. "What exactly will
this spell do to Willow?"
"Well, dear, it'll give her all the memories of
everything you've gone through. As far as she's
concerned, they will be her memories. She won't remember
anything else."
"And you don't know what'll happen to me?"
"No. I'm sorry."
"Ok. So, what do we do?"
"It's simple. You do what you did the first time.
You cast the spell that put you in Willow's body."
"I can't. That would put me in someone else's body.
I'm not doing that again."
"No. Not this time. First of all, there are no weak
people in this room. Second, I believe Tara can cast a
counter-spell that will protect us all from absorbing your
spirit, as it were."
After a bit more discussion, it was decided.
Everyone gathered around. Katherine picked up the trophy,
just in case that was where she was going.
Outside, the eyes kept watching. With glee, Warren
started talking to himself. "This is great! I'll be able
to use this spell to control the Slayer! Hell, I might
just take her body for myself!"
Back inside the room, the Tara and Katherine started
speaking, each using their own spell. A bright light came
from Katherine, traveled through the air, surrounded
Willow, and disappeared. At that moment, Katherine's body
disappeared.
It was silent for a second. It was Willow who broke
the silence. "What's going on? What're we doing here?"
She looked at Tara. "What happened to, um, Craig
Kilborne?"
The elderly lady snuck out unnoticed as everyone
tried to remember how they had all ended up in the
basement, how Faith and Angel had ended up in Sunnydale.
She walked back across the street and climbed the steps to
the porch. She sat next to her husband.
#