Xander was not having a good day. Not by any means, and it wasn't even noon yet. First there was slip lag, from slipping to the Celestil Library and back, which always took a lot out of him. Then there were a list of deliveries he had to make, most of which weren't to the good place. He'd done what he could, but joy was lacking. There was the phone call to Willow's, so he could set up a noon meeting. He'd gotten Buffy instead, who agreed to put Willow on the phone. He'd set up a meeting with Willow for the Espresso Pump for lunch, and was told in no uncertain tones by the Slayer, that she would be there to. No way was she going to let her best friend be alone with Death-boy. They'd meet at Weatherby Park, near the playground. Where he'd met Fred, his boss, seated on the bench, hands folded over the top of his cane, watching the children at lay. He had a message for Xander. It was time for Ms. Rosenberg to pay the piper, and it was his jpb to see that she did and in full. She wasn't gona die, and Xander supposed it was a good thing. Still, as he watched Fred tip his bowler to the two girls appratching, Xander didn't think he was having anywhere near a good day.
+++++
Lunch was rather strained. Buffy glared at him. Willow tried o make small talk, but she wasn't feeling to great, herself, and didn't know why, though Xander thought he could guess. He just came right out and told them what Albert had told him. Which was why they were having this get together anyway.
That was when Buffy exploded.
"You're out of your goddamn tree if you think I'm gonna let you anywhere near Dawn, let alone take her and me anywhere. You can tell them to find some other way to stop the Valaasco Sisters."
"Not happening Buffy." Xander tried to remain calm. "They can't interfere. You get to decide, and live with the consequences."
"Youmean they are just going to let them come. What kind of people are you working for anyway?"
"Librarians mostly. Think of Giles to the nth degree. They watch, they observe they warn. The warning bit, that's the only interefereance they are allowed."
"Don't forget, they also kill."
"No Buffy, they don't kill. I don't kill. the process of death has already started by the time any of us get there. Accept it or not, I'm not going to keep trying to expalain it to you."
"Good, cause there's no way you can."
"You mean there's no way you'd listen," was Xander's private thought but one not expressed out loud. "Okay, we got a few days. Maybe we can find another way. I'll see if Giles has any ideas."
Buffy glowered. "Good, we're so out of here." She grabbed Willow's arm and hauled her out of her seat.
"Buffy," protested Willow. "What's gotten into you."
Buffy stared at Willow. "What if he..."
"He's not going to. Are you Xander?"
"No. Not today. But I do need to talk to you, and it should be done somewhere, more private."
Buffy stared hard at Xander.
"Could we go for a walk?"
"Sure." Willow moved towards the exit.
"Fine," growled Buffy. "But I'm going with you."
"Buffy, I am going to be alone with him some time, and I already asked him to, you know, be there."
"What," Buffy shrieked, drawing every eye in the Espresso Pump as Xander paid the bill. "Willow how could you."
"Very easily actually," said Willow heading for the door. "First you think of what you want to say, then let your mouth say it."
Buffy rolled her eyes and hurried after her best friend.
+++++
Back at the park it was a wonderful afternoon. Not too hot, just enough to remind you that this was southern California, after all, and the kids were taking full advantage of it.
"What did you want to talk to me about." Willow slipped back to talked to Xander. Buffy didn't quite stop, but she paused long enough for the two of them to get closer.
"You remember that British looking guy, who tipped his hat as he passed you?"
"Yes, so?"
"That was Fred. my boss. He, uh, wanted to talk about you." Xander was very unomfortable. "About, uh, what you did last spring. About how you were going to pay for all that karma you built up."
Willow bit her lower lip. Buffy dropped back to walk beside her.
"Can't you do something?" Buffy glared at Xander. "Plead insanity or something? Warren did kill Tara. If I remember right, you thought he should die."
"Yes I did," Xander confessed. "I still think he should've died for what he did to Tara, to you." Xander sighed. "It's not so much that he died, it's the way he died. You saw. If she'd killed him in a fit of rage, that maybe could be understood. But she hunted him, she knew exactly what she was doing and how she was doing it. She stole power, from Giles, from Rack. She tried tp end the world. The idea, they were insane. The way she acted wasn't. She knew what she was doing."
"So, what you do, it isn't only after death. What makes you judge jury executioner, without even a trial."
"I'm just the messenger boy, Buff. Besides, Besides, no guarantee thers gonna be a tomorrow for her, for any of us on the hellmouth, fightuing the dark as we do. They said they'd page me when its her time, but who knows, I may not get a chance to do for her what I did for Mrs. Hoffenmeyer, and if she dies with this on her soul..."
Xander didn't finish the sentence, but everyone knew what he was saying.
"So what do I have to do."
"That's my Willow. Scared but game," admired Xander to himself.
"Warren is kind of stuck, in limbo. Fred says that he has to help us, to work out some of the bad karma he has against him, only he doesn't know that, and he's scared. You put the fear of something in him Will, and everytime a transitioner or Angel tries to appraoch him, he sort of goes catatonic on them."
"So, what am I supposed to do?"
"Sometimes a sort of bond forms between the victim and his torturer. Fred thinks you can use the bond to get through to him."
"Isn't that kind of harsh," smnapped Buffy. "He did kill Tara."
"And she killed him," Xander snapped back. "Tara got a quick clean death, Warren did not." Xander caught himself before he said something he regretted, and took a deep breath. "Look, I shouldn't tell you this, but Tara was very nearly done with her life span. At most, Warren cut it short by a few hours. Warren was not meant to die then. There's an inequity, which has to be taken care of, and if Willow doesn't pay in this life, she sure a hell will in the next."
+++++
Lunch was rather strained. Buffy glared at him. Willow tried o make small talk, but she wasn't feeling to great, herself, and didn't know why, though Xander thought he could guess. He just came right out and told them what Albert had told him. Which was why they were having this get together anyway.
That was when Buffy exploded.
"You're out of your goddamn tree if you think I'm gonna let you anywhere near Dawn, let alone take her and me anywhere. You can tell them to find some other way to stop the Valaasco Sisters."
"Not happening Buffy." Xander tried to remain calm. "They can't interfere. You get to decide, and live with the consequences."
"Youmean they are just going to let them come. What kind of people are you working for anyway?"
"Librarians mostly. Think of Giles to the nth degree. They watch, they observe they warn. The warning bit, that's the only interefereance they are allowed."
"Don't forget, they also kill."
"No Buffy, they don't kill. I don't kill. the process of death has already started by the time any of us get there. Accept it or not, I'm not going to keep trying to expalain it to you."
"Good, cause there's no way you can."
"You mean there's no way you'd listen," was Xander's private thought but one not expressed out loud. "Okay, we got a few days. Maybe we can find another way. I'll see if Giles has any ideas."
Buffy glowered. "Good, we're so out of here." She grabbed Willow's arm and hauled her out of her seat.
"Buffy," protested Willow. "What's gotten into you."
Buffy stared at Willow. "What if he..."
"He's not going to. Are you Xander?"
"No. Not today. But I do need to talk to you, and it should be done somewhere, more private."
Buffy stared hard at Xander.
"Could we go for a walk?"
"Sure." Willow moved towards the exit.
"Fine," growled Buffy. "But I'm going with you."
"Buffy, I am going to be alone with him some time, and I already asked him to, you know, be there."
"What," Buffy shrieked, drawing every eye in the Espresso Pump as Xander paid the bill. "Willow how could you."
"Very easily actually," said Willow heading for the door. "First you think of what you want to say, then let your mouth say it."
Buffy rolled her eyes and hurried after her best friend.
+++++
Back at the park it was a wonderful afternoon. Not too hot, just enough to remind you that this was southern California, after all, and the kids were taking full advantage of it.
"What did you want to talk to me about." Willow slipped back to talked to Xander. Buffy didn't quite stop, but she paused long enough for the two of them to get closer.
"You remember that British looking guy, who tipped his hat as he passed you?"
"Yes, so?"
"That was Fred. my boss. He, uh, wanted to talk about you." Xander was very unomfortable. "About, uh, what you did last spring. About how you were going to pay for all that karma you built up."
Willow bit her lower lip. Buffy dropped back to walk beside her.
"Can't you do something?" Buffy glared at Xander. "Plead insanity or something? Warren did kill Tara. If I remember right, you thought he should die."
"Yes I did," Xander confessed. "I still think he should've died for what he did to Tara, to you." Xander sighed. "It's not so much that he died, it's the way he died. You saw. If she'd killed him in a fit of rage, that maybe could be understood. But she hunted him, she knew exactly what she was doing and how she was doing it. She stole power, from Giles, from Rack. She tried tp end the world. The idea, they were insane. The way she acted wasn't. She knew what she was doing."
"So, what you do, it isn't only after death. What makes you judge jury executioner, without even a trial."
"I'm just the messenger boy, Buff. Besides, Besides, no guarantee thers gonna be a tomorrow for her, for any of us on the hellmouth, fightuing the dark as we do. They said they'd page me when its her time, but who knows, I may not get a chance to do for her what I did for Mrs. Hoffenmeyer, and if she dies with this on her soul..."
Xander didn't finish the sentence, but everyone knew what he was saying.
"So what do I have to do."
"That's my Willow. Scared but game," admired Xander to himself.
"Warren is kind of stuck, in limbo. Fred says that he has to help us, to work out some of the bad karma he has against him, only he doesn't know that, and he's scared. You put the fear of something in him Will, and everytime a transitioner or Angel tries to appraoch him, he sort of goes catatonic on them."
"So, what am I supposed to do?"
"Sometimes a sort of bond forms between the victim and his torturer. Fred thinks you can use the bond to get through to him."
"Isn't that kind of harsh," smnapped Buffy. "He did kill Tara."
"And she killed him," Xander snapped back. "Tara got a quick clean death, Warren did not." Xander caught himself before he said something he regretted, and took a deep breath. "Look, I shouldn't tell you this, but Tara was very nearly done with her life span. At most, Warren cut it short by a few hours. Warren was not meant to die then. There's an inequity, which has to be taken care of, and if Willow doesn't pay in this life, she sure a hell will in the next."