"Where could she be?" the Slayer yelled.
The Watcher sighed. "I don't know Buffy. She's very different from the Willow we knew. She grew up when going back in time and learned she was an Elf. She built herself a new life and fell in love with one of her kind. Then we brought her back in a now unfamiliar world to her. And she feels lonely. Her mate isn't by her side and that hurts her more than anything." He sat down and sipped his tea. "The best we can do is wait for her to come back to us."
"Wait?"
"Yes, wait," Xander said. "Willow needs time." He knew well the young woman even if she had changed. The redhead was intelligent and if she needed help from them, she wouldn't be afraid to ask for it.
"We can't wait, Xand," Buffy replied. "She's like a wild animal. She sleeps... somewhere, still goes on with that grey cape, eats who knows what and I don't think she's changed her clothes once. She still wears those damn leather pants and that black medieval shirt."
"So what?" Spike asked. "I've been wearing the same clothes for about seven years." The Slayer made a disgusted face. "And if you had been living for a month in 13th century, you would have known you can't change clothes every day. You wear them for years until they are so worn-out, you can't fix them anymore."
"Wait," Anya said quickly. "When did we start talking about clothes wearing in 13th century instead of Willow?"
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the door opened and a redhead stepped in the magic shop. She crossed the place without giving the Slayerettes a single look and sat down heavily on a chair. She was twitching, hoping for a good fight. A spot of violence had become like routine for her. She was tense and needed to kill something.
Anya stepped next to the blond vampire. "I think we should head to the nearest cemetary," she whispered in his ear. "Look at her. She wants to fight." She turned back to Xander. "Lets patrol! You are always horny after staking vampires."
The vampire laughed and the young man turned beat red. He took his girlfriend's arm and pulled her outside, giving her a stake. Spike pulled Willow on her feet and they followed the couple. The Slayer just stayed there, completly stunned.
The small group didn't have to wait a long time before they came across fighting material. They had barely came in the nearest cemetary that five vampires had blocked their path. They soon learned that what they took as easy lunch was in fact a military trained human, an ex-demon, William the Bloody and a powerful witch. The slight redhead was the first one to attack them. She took two at the time while the other took care of the three others. She easily dodged each punch and kick they did, laughing at the poor fledgings. She almost felt sorry for them... almost.
She quickly staked the first one, but the other was much more stronger. He was definitly the leader of the group, a position he'd regret soon enough. Willow kicked him and fell back on her feet gracefully.
The Slayerettes had just finished up their vampires and they were looking at the show ahead of them. Xander's eyes widened when the witch was thrown on the ground. The vampire jumped on her and the young man was ready to help his childhood friend, but a solid hand stopped him. Surprised, he look into Anya's eyes and she stared back at him seriously. He understood it was one of the moment she rarely let the others saw, meaning she was acting as a thousand years old woman and not a sex-crazed, money-liking, childish ex-demon. He was staring straight into the eyes of the real Anya, the one he had fallen in love with. Xander turned back to the fight in front of him and stood still.
Willow growled low in her throat and the minion startled upon hearing the feral reaction of the witch. The distraction gave her the time needed to pick up the hidden elvish sword in the side of her knee lengh boot. The vampire howled in pain when it connected with his leg. He stood up slowly and groaned when he took it out. Looking up, he froze at the sight of two black eyes fixed on him. He dropped the weapon and ran in the opposite direction.
Spike, Xander and Anya watched in awe as the redhead picked up her short sword at a surprising rapidity and broke into a run behind the scared minion. Even his vampiric speed could not outclass elvish agility and speed. Only a couple of seconds later, the two of them were fighting again. But the minion made a bad move. He tried to move past the small woman. She spinned on herself and in one quick movement, cut off his head. She smiled as ashes fell on the perfect green grass. She turned back and joined the other Slayerettes standing apart.
Her survival instinct had kicked in at the moment the battle had started. Adrenaline rush had given Willow the boost she needed to be a little more like she was before leaving Middle-earth. She would have liked to hunt Orcs with Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn. She would have liked to save Merry and Pippin. She would have liked to know all their efforts were not in vain, that Sam and Frodo did got on Mountain Doom and destroyed the ring. She would have liked to say goodbye to Galadriel and sing in Rivendell's fire room once again. But all those things had been denied to her when her friends from the futur had did what they thought best for her.
But when she had killed those vampires, all the memories came back to her like a tidal wave. Memories of fighting side by side with members of the fellowship. In a instant, she knew what she needed to do. Her place was by their side.
She had to go back.
* * *
"Where's Willow?"
Anya sighed, quickly losing patience. The blond Slayer was seriously getting on her nerves. She was one step from slugging her good. "She went home to sleep."
"You do realize that her *home* is a tree in Sunnydale's woods, don't you?" Buffy asked. The Slayer had finally learned where the redhead was sleeping after threatening Spike to cut off his blood supplies. She had chased the witch in the woods for five hours straight before giving up. Willow had spend months living in forests and she knew how to get scarce when wanted. After only two weeks spent on the Hellmouth, she knew the woods like her own pocket. The Slayer could search all she wanted, she never found her resting place.
"Yeah I do realize she lives in a tree. So what? So does birds and they don't seem to dislike it." Anya answered back, smirking.
Giles shook his head as the two girls continued to argue. He was getting tired of this story. He didn't understand why Buffy had to put her nose in everythings the witch did. She was more smart than any of them, especially after spending a month and a half in 13th century.
The Watcher froze when he saw that the stair leading on the upstair part of the store had been touched. He started going up. What he saw made his blood turn cold. A black magic book was open on a time travelling spell, the inversed one they had used to bring Willow back in his appartment. Bottles and other spell ingredients laid scattered around the place. Giles cursed and the Slayerettes heard it. When the Watcher cursed, it meant bad things. They took two steps at the time. Upstair, Giles laid in the middle of the place. "Giles, what is it?" Buffy asked.
Spike's eyes swept over the ground. "Good God, she did it," he whispered dreadfully.
Anya looked up at him. She held out a piece of paper she had find on the ground and read it outloud.
In the dark I hear a call
Calling me there
I will go there
And back again
The ex-demon exchanged a glance with the bleached vampire. "She was called here. She went back. She went there again to find her heart. The bond is no longer broken."
The Watcher sighed. "I don't know Buffy. She's very different from the Willow we knew. She grew up when going back in time and learned she was an Elf. She built herself a new life and fell in love with one of her kind. Then we brought her back in a now unfamiliar world to her. And she feels lonely. Her mate isn't by her side and that hurts her more than anything." He sat down and sipped his tea. "The best we can do is wait for her to come back to us."
"Wait?"
"Yes, wait," Xander said. "Willow needs time." He knew well the young woman even if she had changed. The redhead was intelligent and if she needed help from them, she wouldn't be afraid to ask for it.
"We can't wait, Xand," Buffy replied. "She's like a wild animal. She sleeps... somewhere, still goes on with that grey cape, eats who knows what and I don't think she's changed her clothes once. She still wears those damn leather pants and that black medieval shirt."
"So what?" Spike asked. "I've been wearing the same clothes for about seven years." The Slayer made a disgusted face. "And if you had been living for a month in 13th century, you would have known you can't change clothes every day. You wear them for years until they are so worn-out, you can't fix them anymore."
"Wait," Anya said quickly. "When did we start talking about clothes wearing in 13th century instead of Willow?"
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the door opened and a redhead stepped in the magic shop. She crossed the place without giving the Slayerettes a single look and sat down heavily on a chair. She was twitching, hoping for a good fight. A spot of violence had become like routine for her. She was tense and needed to kill something.
Anya stepped next to the blond vampire. "I think we should head to the nearest cemetary," she whispered in his ear. "Look at her. She wants to fight." She turned back to Xander. "Lets patrol! You are always horny after staking vampires."
The vampire laughed and the young man turned beat red. He took his girlfriend's arm and pulled her outside, giving her a stake. Spike pulled Willow on her feet and they followed the couple. The Slayer just stayed there, completly stunned.
The small group didn't have to wait a long time before they came across fighting material. They had barely came in the nearest cemetary that five vampires had blocked their path. They soon learned that what they took as easy lunch was in fact a military trained human, an ex-demon, William the Bloody and a powerful witch. The slight redhead was the first one to attack them. She took two at the time while the other took care of the three others. She easily dodged each punch and kick they did, laughing at the poor fledgings. She almost felt sorry for them... almost.
She quickly staked the first one, but the other was much more stronger. He was definitly the leader of the group, a position he'd regret soon enough. Willow kicked him and fell back on her feet gracefully.
The Slayerettes had just finished up their vampires and they were looking at the show ahead of them. Xander's eyes widened when the witch was thrown on the ground. The vampire jumped on her and the young man was ready to help his childhood friend, but a solid hand stopped him. Surprised, he look into Anya's eyes and she stared back at him seriously. He understood it was one of the moment she rarely let the others saw, meaning she was acting as a thousand years old woman and not a sex-crazed, money-liking, childish ex-demon. He was staring straight into the eyes of the real Anya, the one he had fallen in love with. Xander turned back to the fight in front of him and stood still.
Willow growled low in her throat and the minion startled upon hearing the feral reaction of the witch. The distraction gave her the time needed to pick up the hidden elvish sword in the side of her knee lengh boot. The vampire howled in pain when it connected with his leg. He stood up slowly and groaned when he took it out. Looking up, he froze at the sight of two black eyes fixed on him. He dropped the weapon and ran in the opposite direction.
Spike, Xander and Anya watched in awe as the redhead picked up her short sword at a surprising rapidity and broke into a run behind the scared minion. Even his vampiric speed could not outclass elvish agility and speed. Only a couple of seconds later, the two of them were fighting again. But the minion made a bad move. He tried to move past the small woman. She spinned on herself and in one quick movement, cut off his head. She smiled as ashes fell on the perfect green grass. She turned back and joined the other Slayerettes standing apart.
Her survival instinct had kicked in at the moment the battle had started. Adrenaline rush had given Willow the boost she needed to be a little more like she was before leaving Middle-earth. She would have liked to hunt Orcs with Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn. She would have liked to save Merry and Pippin. She would have liked to know all their efforts were not in vain, that Sam and Frodo did got on Mountain Doom and destroyed the ring. She would have liked to say goodbye to Galadriel and sing in Rivendell's fire room once again. But all those things had been denied to her when her friends from the futur had did what they thought best for her.
But when she had killed those vampires, all the memories came back to her like a tidal wave. Memories of fighting side by side with members of the fellowship. In a instant, she knew what she needed to do. Her place was by their side.
She had to go back.
* * *
"Where's Willow?"
Anya sighed, quickly losing patience. The blond Slayer was seriously getting on her nerves. She was one step from slugging her good. "She went home to sleep."
"You do realize that her *home* is a tree in Sunnydale's woods, don't you?" Buffy asked. The Slayer had finally learned where the redhead was sleeping after threatening Spike to cut off his blood supplies. She had chased the witch in the woods for five hours straight before giving up. Willow had spend months living in forests and she knew how to get scarce when wanted. After only two weeks spent on the Hellmouth, she knew the woods like her own pocket. The Slayer could search all she wanted, she never found her resting place.
"Yeah I do realize she lives in a tree. So what? So does birds and they don't seem to dislike it." Anya answered back, smirking.
Giles shook his head as the two girls continued to argue. He was getting tired of this story. He didn't understand why Buffy had to put her nose in everythings the witch did. She was more smart than any of them, especially after spending a month and a half in 13th century.
The Watcher froze when he saw that the stair leading on the upstair part of the store had been touched. He started going up. What he saw made his blood turn cold. A black magic book was open on a time travelling spell, the inversed one they had used to bring Willow back in his appartment. Bottles and other spell ingredients laid scattered around the place. Giles cursed and the Slayerettes heard it. When the Watcher cursed, it meant bad things. They took two steps at the time. Upstair, Giles laid in the middle of the place. "Giles, what is it?" Buffy asked.
Spike's eyes swept over the ground. "Good God, she did it," he whispered dreadfully.
Anya looked up at him. She held out a piece of paper she had find on the ground and read it outloud.
In the dark I hear a call
Calling me there
I will go there
And back again
The ex-demon exchanged a glance with the bleached vampire. "She was called here. She went back. She went there again to find her heart. The bond is no longer broken."