Time and Time Again
Chapter Three
By Azhuraea Fluer
"Ick...." Buffy winced at her own reflection as she twirled before a full-length mirror in the darkened costume shop. She was clad in a gathered fawn skirt that fell to her ankles, a white, full sleeved, high collared blouse. She wore boots and had her hair pulled back in a simple low braid. "And I didn't even get to skimp on the corset..." she muttered, wriggling in the aforementioned undergarment,
"You should probably wear this," Angel handed her a blonde wig, one of the expensive ones that when worn properly not only look real, but also takes several extra hands to pry off. Buffy scowled as she accepted it, but didn't object. She caught sight of her 'boyfriends' attire and grinned. Breeches and a shirt; simply sexy.
Glancing at the directions with the wig, Buffy deemed it wouldn't be too hard to attach to her scalp with Cordelia's help. She then spied the twin packs by Angel's feet. Apparently the costume shop had more than clothes.
"Got everything?" The blonde Slayer inquired. Angel nodded.
"Let's hope Wills has everything set up," he said. Buffy grinned.
"If she doesn't it'll be a first." She said with a small laugh.
"You sure you want to do this?" Angel placed a finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "I can do this on my own,"h e told her. She grinned.
"You need back up." She told him. "From what you've told me about what happened, Druscilla will either keep Angelus from killing the gypsy girl, kill the gypsy witch so she can't do the spell, or if that fails, straight out kill you. You can't guard against all three of those possibilities. With me, we have a chance."
"And *you* were planning on going alone yourself?" Angel grinned slightly, eyes dancing. Buffy stuck out her tongue.
"Come on," she said. "Lets go."
"Is everything all set?" Giles ran his hand through his thin hair wearily.
"Right as rain," Willow said, smiling, pleased with herself. On the floor of the library was a six-point star within two circles, a white candle in a candle stand on each point of the star. Between the two circles was a line of colored sand treated with herbs.
"Hey, have you ever wondered what that means, anyway?" Xander spoke up, coming out of Giles's study with a sheaf of papers in hand. "I mean, how can rain be right? Rain is just plain wrong, if you ask me. It's wet, it's cold, it's depressing -except when it rains hard enough to cancel school, or forces a gorgeous blonde to be stranded at your house, or the power goes out -that's always cool- or-"
"Thank you, Mr. Harris," Giles gave Xander a pointed look and held out his hand for the papers. Xander rolled his eyes and handed them over. Giles leafed through the papers.
"Well, once Buffy and Angel return and look over their parts of the incantation we should be ready to 'hit the road' as one of you would say."
"Well then, let's 'hit the road!'" A cheerful voice said. Everyone looked up, and Cordelia snickered.
"What, you auditioning to be the new Mrs. Fields?" Cordelia sniffed. Buffy gave her a look.
"Ha ha." She said plainly. "Be glad I need your help with this wig."
"Not that it'll improve your looks any..." Cordelia mumbled as she sat Buffy down in a chair and set to work. While Cordelia expertly brushed, glued, pinned, snapped, shaped, arranged, and re-arranged Buffy's hair -real and fake- everyone that would be participating in the transportation was handed a piece of paper with the part that they were to say aloud highlighted.
"Isn't this all a bit elaborate?" Buffy inquired. "Usually we just run and go kick butt. Aren't we over doing it? Over thinking something is never good."
"Better safe than sorry," Willow pointed out.
"Time travel isn't the same as patrolling, Buf," Angel told her. "It's dangerous, picky, delicate, and very temperamental. If anything we're not being careful enough."
"What date are we aiming for?" Willow asked Angel before Buffy could reply.
"Eighteen ninety-eight." He replied.
"Do you know the day?" The redhead asked. He shook his head. "It was in summer, though, I know that much."
"Anything else?"
"It was in the woods..." As Angel tried to remember, only Buffy really noticed the wince of old pain that flickered in his eyes. She was going to say something, when the prick of a pin in her scalp made her wince. She would have glared at Cordelia if the brunette hadn't been behind her.
"The Rumanian Woods, I think," Angel said at last. "That's all I know."
"All right then," Willow said. "The summer of 1898, the village of Bristyn, at the edge of the Rumanian Woods, is where you're headed."
(AN: Most of this information is only partially accurate; Bristyn is made up.)
"You done yet?" Buffy grumped. Cordelia rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically.
"Yes, your Slayer-ness." Cordelia stepped back, and Buffy stood; her 'hair' would now fall down to her thighs in silky golden locks when down. Cordelia had styled it, with the help of the bobby pins and hairspray she was never without, into a traditional 'edifice,' complete with the poofy bun, poofier hair on top of her head, and a few curling tendrils hanging down in front of her face. All together, Buffy made the perfect middle-class late eighteenth century woman, and Willow said as much.
"Now if you can just learn to keep your mouth shut, the disguise will be complete," Giles muttered.
"I heard that!" Buffy grumped, pouting.
"All right then," Willow said. "Everyone know their lines? Where they're supposed to stand? Alright, then, let's do this!"
"Seems being a computer teacher has its up sides," Angel murmured in Buffy's ear. She grinned; he was right. In place of the shy, mousy, shaky, fearful eyed red head was a bright, happy, polite, teasing teenager.
"Before you step into the Spell-Star," Giles stepped up to them and handed them twin pendants that mirrored the star and circle pattern on the floor. "If something goes wrong, these medallions have enough power for two more transportations. One to take you to the correct time, and another to take you home. The amount of time you jump makes no difference; it takes the same amount of power to jump back five minutes ago as it does five hundred years ago. To activate the medallions, just name the date and place you wish to go, and shove all your mental will into wanting to be where you're aiming for, and say 'Epoca sua miniera; portare io patria.' It's on the back of the medallions if you forget."
"Oh, pretty. Latin?" Buffy inquired. Angel quirked a grin.
"Uh, no," Giles took off his glasses and quickly swiped them clean fore replacing them. "Italian, actually. Rather surprising."
"Well, why don't we just click our heels together and say 'There's no place like home?" Buffy inquired with a mock ditz expression, trying to make up for the genuine ditz remark, mistaking Italian for Latin.
"Well, let's do this," Angel finally said what no one else wanted to. Buffy quickly exchanged hugs with Willow, a wink for Xander and Cordelia, and another hug for Giles; while it would only be moments for the Scoobie gang, it could very well be years before Angel and Buffy saw them again.
And so Cordelia lit the candles, and, holding hands, the Slayer and the Vampire with a Soul stepped into the center of the Spell-Star.
Willow began to chant...
To Be Continued...
You guys have been sooooooooo supportive!!!!!! This is great! Chapters are short, I know, but its either that or wait months for new chapters. *sweatdrop* Anyhoo, hope you're still enjoying! Ja ne!
Smile More, Dream Always,
Azhuraea Fluer
*ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY*
Chapter Three
By Azhuraea Fluer
"Ick...." Buffy winced at her own reflection as she twirled before a full-length mirror in the darkened costume shop. She was clad in a gathered fawn skirt that fell to her ankles, a white, full sleeved, high collared blouse. She wore boots and had her hair pulled back in a simple low braid. "And I didn't even get to skimp on the corset..." she muttered, wriggling in the aforementioned undergarment,
"You should probably wear this," Angel handed her a blonde wig, one of the expensive ones that when worn properly not only look real, but also takes several extra hands to pry off. Buffy scowled as she accepted it, but didn't object. She caught sight of her 'boyfriends' attire and grinned. Breeches and a shirt; simply sexy.
Glancing at the directions with the wig, Buffy deemed it wouldn't be too hard to attach to her scalp with Cordelia's help. She then spied the twin packs by Angel's feet. Apparently the costume shop had more than clothes.
"Got everything?" The blonde Slayer inquired. Angel nodded.
"Let's hope Wills has everything set up," he said. Buffy grinned.
"If she doesn't it'll be a first." She said with a small laugh.
"You sure you want to do this?" Angel placed a finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "I can do this on my own,"h e told her. She grinned.
"You need back up." She told him. "From what you've told me about what happened, Druscilla will either keep Angelus from killing the gypsy girl, kill the gypsy witch so she can't do the spell, or if that fails, straight out kill you. You can't guard against all three of those possibilities. With me, we have a chance."
"And *you* were planning on going alone yourself?" Angel grinned slightly, eyes dancing. Buffy stuck out her tongue.
"Come on," she said. "Lets go."
"Is everything all set?" Giles ran his hand through his thin hair wearily.
"Right as rain," Willow said, smiling, pleased with herself. On the floor of the library was a six-point star within two circles, a white candle in a candle stand on each point of the star. Between the two circles was a line of colored sand treated with herbs.
"Hey, have you ever wondered what that means, anyway?" Xander spoke up, coming out of Giles's study with a sheaf of papers in hand. "I mean, how can rain be right? Rain is just plain wrong, if you ask me. It's wet, it's cold, it's depressing -except when it rains hard enough to cancel school, or forces a gorgeous blonde to be stranded at your house, or the power goes out -that's always cool- or-"
"Thank you, Mr. Harris," Giles gave Xander a pointed look and held out his hand for the papers. Xander rolled his eyes and handed them over. Giles leafed through the papers.
"Well, once Buffy and Angel return and look over their parts of the incantation we should be ready to 'hit the road' as one of you would say."
"Well then, let's 'hit the road!'" A cheerful voice said. Everyone looked up, and Cordelia snickered.
"What, you auditioning to be the new Mrs. Fields?" Cordelia sniffed. Buffy gave her a look.
"Ha ha." She said plainly. "Be glad I need your help with this wig."
"Not that it'll improve your looks any..." Cordelia mumbled as she sat Buffy down in a chair and set to work. While Cordelia expertly brushed, glued, pinned, snapped, shaped, arranged, and re-arranged Buffy's hair -real and fake- everyone that would be participating in the transportation was handed a piece of paper with the part that they were to say aloud highlighted.
"Isn't this all a bit elaborate?" Buffy inquired. "Usually we just run and go kick butt. Aren't we over doing it? Over thinking something is never good."
"Better safe than sorry," Willow pointed out.
"Time travel isn't the same as patrolling, Buf," Angel told her. "It's dangerous, picky, delicate, and very temperamental. If anything we're not being careful enough."
"What date are we aiming for?" Willow asked Angel before Buffy could reply.
"Eighteen ninety-eight." He replied.
"Do you know the day?" The redhead asked. He shook his head. "It was in summer, though, I know that much."
"Anything else?"
"It was in the woods..." As Angel tried to remember, only Buffy really noticed the wince of old pain that flickered in his eyes. She was going to say something, when the prick of a pin in her scalp made her wince. She would have glared at Cordelia if the brunette hadn't been behind her.
"The Rumanian Woods, I think," Angel said at last. "That's all I know."
"All right then," Willow said. "The summer of 1898, the village of Bristyn, at the edge of the Rumanian Woods, is where you're headed."
(AN: Most of this information is only partially accurate; Bristyn is made up.)
"You done yet?" Buffy grumped. Cordelia rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically.
"Yes, your Slayer-ness." Cordelia stepped back, and Buffy stood; her 'hair' would now fall down to her thighs in silky golden locks when down. Cordelia had styled it, with the help of the bobby pins and hairspray she was never without, into a traditional 'edifice,' complete with the poofy bun, poofier hair on top of her head, and a few curling tendrils hanging down in front of her face. All together, Buffy made the perfect middle-class late eighteenth century woman, and Willow said as much.
"Now if you can just learn to keep your mouth shut, the disguise will be complete," Giles muttered.
"I heard that!" Buffy grumped, pouting.
"All right then," Willow said. "Everyone know their lines? Where they're supposed to stand? Alright, then, let's do this!"
"Seems being a computer teacher has its up sides," Angel murmured in Buffy's ear. She grinned; he was right. In place of the shy, mousy, shaky, fearful eyed red head was a bright, happy, polite, teasing teenager.
"Before you step into the Spell-Star," Giles stepped up to them and handed them twin pendants that mirrored the star and circle pattern on the floor. "If something goes wrong, these medallions have enough power for two more transportations. One to take you to the correct time, and another to take you home. The amount of time you jump makes no difference; it takes the same amount of power to jump back five minutes ago as it does five hundred years ago. To activate the medallions, just name the date and place you wish to go, and shove all your mental will into wanting to be where you're aiming for, and say 'Epoca sua miniera; portare io patria.' It's on the back of the medallions if you forget."
"Oh, pretty. Latin?" Buffy inquired. Angel quirked a grin.
"Uh, no," Giles took off his glasses and quickly swiped them clean fore replacing them. "Italian, actually. Rather surprising."
"Well, why don't we just click our heels together and say 'There's no place like home?" Buffy inquired with a mock ditz expression, trying to make up for the genuine ditz remark, mistaking Italian for Latin.
"Well, let's do this," Angel finally said what no one else wanted to. Buffy quickly exchanged hugs with Willow, a wink for Xander and Cordelia, and another hug for Giles; while it would only be moments for the Scoobie gang, it could very well be years before Angel and Buffy saw them again.
And so Cordelia lit the candles, and, holding hands, the Slayer and the Vampire with a Soul stepped into the center of the Spell-Star.
Willow began to chant...
To Be Continued...
You guys have been sooooooooo supportive!!!!!! This is great! Chapters are short, I know, but its either that or wait months for new chapters. *sweatdrop* Anyhoo, hope you're still enjoying! Ja ne!
Smile More, Dream Always,
Azhuraea Fluer
*ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY*