"You sure you want to do this?" Buffy sat back on her shins, and glanced over at Willow, who was down on all fours, peering at blades of bloodied grass. "The police have already signed off on it or whatever it is that they do. Surely they would have taken anything of interest."
"Warren's looking after that end." Willow sat up and wiped the sweat off her brow. "No I'm not sure I want to do this. But I want to make amends for what I did. I know it won't get me into Heaven or anything like that, but..."
"Then why are you doing it? If not to get brownie points."
"I'm doing it for me." Willow glanced back at the patch of ground she was examining and decided there was nothing there for her to find. "Because if I keep busy then I won't think about what I did and maybe feel that I'm not totally evil." She stood up and started to remove her coveralls. "Lets go for coffee."
"Yes lets," Buffy jumped up to her feet.
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"Giles," Buffy entered his apartment without the courtesy of knockiing. She looked at it as an extension of her own home, so used to coming over here, that she didn't even think aboutit, or about the possibility that Giles might even want some privacy of his own in his own home. "What's a Spirit Guide."
Giles looked up from the book he was looking at. "Ah, Spirit Guide, ah, didn't you meet one once?"
Buffy screwed up her face. "Yeah I did but that was me. Why does Dawn need one?"
"I would assume that it was because she was the key." Buffy whirled to see Wesley enter the room from the kitchen. He placed a tray of tea and scones on the coffee table and turned to her. "As such she does have great power, and evil isn't confined to this world. I think we can assume that there are other influences that would like to gain access to that kind of power."
"Yeah," Buffy tried to hide her annoyance at seeing her former Watcher. "What good would that do them? She's here in this world."
"That is true." "Wesley poured three cups of tea and offered her one. "Don't worry, it isn't poisoned."
"Wasn't worried." Bufy accepted the tea, but her tone and demeaner made it clear that she didn't trust Wesley, not after what he had done to Angel.
Wesley caught the sentiment but strangely enough found that he didn't care. Which was strange. Once there was a time when he'd have done anything to get her to trust him in a slayer watcher type of way, a time when he devoted his life, or had it been devoted for him, to the cares and duties af a Watcher. But that time was long gone. Buffy's disdain did not mean as much as it might have once have done.
"Be that as it may," he continued. "These other influences, spirits if you will, could still make use of Dawn's power, if they could influence her into doing as they wished. Having your mother slotted into that position may well solve a number of problems."
"That would be how?"
"I would think it obvious." Wesley turned to offer Giles a cup. "If Joyce is in that position, then it may be harder for an outside influence to worm its way into Dawn's life. Also, the new influence over her would be predisposed to your side."
"Giles what do you think?"
"Essentially the same as Wesley." Giles stirred cream into his tea. "It may also make your life easier. Joyce could help with raising Dawn."
"Yeah, but I'd still have to be the 'parent' everybody sees on earth. Kind of hard when she's running to a ghost for sympathy and understanding. What do I do if she uses Mom to undermine my decisions?"
"Like she did with the dance?"
"Yeah, like that? I can't protect her if I can't keep her under control."
"Don't you mean under your thumb?" Buffy whirled and glared at Wesley, who she felt had no business whatsoever butting into her life. "That situation is fast coming to an end, wouldn't you say?"
"Wesley," growled Buffy.
"No it has to be said.." Wesley went on. "You're wish to protect Dawn is admirable. Your wish to control her is not so admirable, especially if she shares the same stubborn independance that has served you so well. With her mushrooming abilities, I should think the present situation would last only as long as she wishes it to."
"Giles? What is he doing here?"
"We were going over some points we were researching. However, his advice is sound." You will have to make some sort of accomodation with Joyce. If Dawn is the pawn in a power struggle, who knows what might happen."
"Okay okay." Buffy flung up her hands. "I'll talk to Mom.
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"Isn't it past your bed time?"
Xander glanced up to see Cordelia standing outside the grocery store. "Why don't you go ask Buffy to slay you. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
"Oh sure, very original." Cordelia stepped forward. "What are you here for anyway." She followed Xander's line of sight, and saw that he was keeping an eye on a group of girls walking accross the street."
"Do the words jail and bait mean anything to you?"
Xander glanced at Cordelia. "So not my interest." He watched as the girls disappeared into the Bronze. "One of them is not gonna make it home tonight."
"Of course they are," Cordelia snorted. "With us here, a demon and an Angel of Death, er agent anyway, who'd dare touch them." Cordelia thought for a moment and was already set to add to her comments when a puzzled frown came over her face and her eyes snapped to Xander'sface. "Oh."
Xander nodded and started for the Bronze. "I got a couple hours left, wanna go for a drink?"
Cordelia followed Xander to a quiet corner, where they could keep an eye on the dance floor, where the three girls had found partners and were moving to the music.
"Which one," she asked after the waitress had brought their order and left.
Xander nursed his beer. "You know I can't say."
"Shouldn't you at least warn her," demanded Cordelia outraged.
"What woulld you suggest I do? Tap her on the shoulders an d say hello miss, I'm very sorry but your chips will be cashed tonight." Xander knnocked back his beer and signalled the waitress for another. "Wouldn't do any good, except maybe for your amusement. Watching me make a fool of myself."
"Oh please, I don't have to watch to know you do that constantly." Cordelia shook her head. "Yeah I know, you can't warn her cause who knows what might happen then, she might actually live."
"Who's gonna live." Buffy slid iin beside Cordelia, while Willow shoved in beside Xander.
"Xander was following tthree girls here. He says one of them won't be going home. But he won't say which one."
"Does that mean home as we think of it in this world?" Willow turned to Xander. "Or home in the more spiritual sense." Xander didn't say anythiing, but he'd always had trouble keeping things from Willow, who's eyes widened.
"But can't you dop something, I mean yoiu did before, with that old lady, and well I just think you should do something. I mean, she, they're so young."
"She made her decision long ago. She has had many chances since to change her mind. He tries, but there is a point beyond which even He realizes that He has lost. He did not abandon her, but unless something like a miracle happens in the next few minutes, she's going down. On this, I'm just the delivery boy."
Willow turned this over in her mind, and decided that she didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit. But she didn't see what she could do about it. After all, she was in enough trouble with the folks upstairs.
Cordelia shivered. Every fiber in her being cried out to help, that a soul was about to be lost, but she understood the ebb and flow of human life. Oh the heck wioth it. They had already made her into a demon. What else could they do to her. Cordelia shoved that thought out ruthlessly, and stood up, beginning to glow. Xander, Buffy, and Willow watched as she moved towards the dance floor, a perfect white cross appearing over the dancers. Fortunately most were either unaware or thought it was just another of the lighting effects the Broonze had put on for some reason. But Cordelia was gratified to see that it had caught the attention of the three girls Xander and she had followed in here. She pojected a message of abiding peace and warmth through the cross, and smiled to see that it was having some effect." A thought crossed her mind, and Cordelia glanced back at Xander, who watched from the sidelines.
"What did you do," Willow asked when Cordelia returned to her seat. Before she got her answer, the doors burst open and three masked men raced in, brandishing sub mchine guns. "Nobody move," shouted the leader. "An nobody get's hutrt."
One of the girls, a petite auburn shrieked and started to panic. This caused one of the hoodlums to swing around towards her, inadvertedly sentling a stream of bullets her way. Time stood still as the girl crumpled, and the hoodlum's weapon sagged. It seemed like an eternity, but it was actually barely enough time for Buffy to tackle the leder, who was still as shocked as anyone arounf him, while a coulple of the braver partiers tackled the other one.
Willow couldn't, for the life of her, remember moving to let Xander out, but she stood beside their table watching him glow as he moved towards the dance floor."
"What just happened?"
Cordelia smiled. "Maybe we couldn't save her life. But we did save her soul, or gave Xander a chance at it."
Willow's eyes watched as Xander knelt beside the fallen girl, and seemed to be talking to her.
"Warren's looking after that end." Willow sat up and wiped the sweat off her brow. "No I'm not sure I want to do this. But I want to make amends for what I did. I know it won't get me into Heaven or anything like that, but..."
"Then why are you doing it? If not to get brownie points."
"I'm doing it for me." Willow glanced back at the patch of ground she was examining and decided there was nothing there for her to find. "Because if I keep busy then I won't think about what I did and maybe feel that I'm not totally evil." She stood up and started to remove her coveralls. "Lets go for coffee."
"Yes lets," Buffy jumped up to her feet.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Giles," Buffy entered his apartment without the courtesy of knockiing. She looked at it as an extension of her own home, so used to coming over here, that she didn't even think aboutit, or about the possibility that Giles might even want some privacy of his own in his own home. "What's a Spirit Guide."
Giles looked up from the book he was looking at. "Ah, Spirit Guide, ah, didn't you meet one once?"
Buffy screwed up her face. "Yeah I did but that was me. Why does Dawn need one?"
"I would assume that it was because she was the key." Buffy whirled to see Wesley enter the room from the kitchen. He placed a tray of tea and scones on the coffee table and turned to her. "As such she does have great power, and evil isn't confined to this world. I think we can assume that there are other influences that would like to gain access to that kind of power."
"Yeah," Buffy tried to hide her annoyance at seeing her former Watcher. "What good would that do them? She's here in this world."
"That is true." "Wesley poured three cups of tea and offered her one. "Don't worry, it isn't poisoned."
"Wasn't worried." Bufy accepted the tea, but her tone and demeaner made it clear that she didn't trust Wesley, not after what he had done to Angel.
Wesley caught the sentiment but strangely enough found that he didn't care. Which was strange. Once there was a time when he'd have done anything to get her to trust him in a slayer watcher type of way, a time when he devoted his life, or had it been devoted for him, to the cares and duties af a Watcher. But that time was long gone. Buffy's disdain did not mean as much as it might have once have done.
"Be that as it may," he continued. "These other influences, spirits if you will, could still make use of Dawn's power, if they could influence her into doing as they wished. Having your mother slotted into that position may well solve a number of problems."
"That would be how?"
"I would think it obvious." Wesley turned to offer Giles a cup. "If Joyce is in that position, then it may be harder for an outside influence to worm its way into Dawn's life. Also, the new influence over her would be predisposed to your side."
"Giles what do you think?"
"Essentially the same as Wesley." Giles stirred cream into his tea. "It may also make your life easier. Joyce could help with raising Dawn."
"Yeah, but I'd still have to be the 'parent' everybody sees on earth. Kind of hard when she's running to a ghost for sympathy and understanding. What do I do if she uses Mom to undermine my decisions?"
"Like she did with the dance?"
"Yeah, like that? I can't protect her if I can't keep her under control."
"Don't you mean under your thumb?" Buffy whirled and glared at Wesley, who she felt had no business whatsoever butting into her life. "That situation is fast coming to an end, wouldn't you say?"
"Wesley," growled Buffy.
"No it has to be said.." Wesley went on. "You're wish to protect Dawn is admirable. Your wish to control her is not so admirable, especially if she shares the same stubborn independance that has served you so well. With her mushrooming abilities, I should think the present situation would last only as long as she wishes it to."
"Giles? What is he doing here?"
"We were going over some points we were researching. However, his advice is sound." You will have to make some sort of accomodation with Joyce. If Dawn is the pawn in a power struggle, who knows what might happen."
"Okay okay." Buffy flung up her hands. "I'll talk to Mom.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Isn't it past your bed time?"
Xander glanced up to see Cordelia standing outside the grocery store. "Why don't you go ask Buffy to slay you. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."
"Oh sure, very original." Cordelia stepped forward. "What are you here for anyway." She followed Xander's line of sight, and saw that he was keeping an eye on a group of girls walking accross the street."
"Do the words jail and bait mean anything to you?"
Xander glanced at Cordelia. "So not my interest." He watched as the girls disappeared into the Bronze. "One of them is not gonna make it home tonight."
"Of course they are," Cordelia snorted. "With us here, a demon and an Angel of Death, er agent anyway, who'd dare touch them." Cordelia thought for a moment and was already set to add to her comments when a puzzled frown came over her face and her eyes snapped to Xander'sface. "Oh."
Xander nodded and started for the Bronze. "I got a couple hours left, wanna go for a drink?"
Cordelia followed Xander to a quiet corner, where they could keep an eye on the dance floor, where the three girls had found partners and were moving to the music.
"Which one," she asked after the waitress had brought their order and left.
Xander nursed his beer. "You know I can't say."
"Shouldn't you at least warn her," demanded Cordelia outraged.
"What woulld you suggest I do? Tap her on the shoulders an d say hello miss, I'm very sorry but your chips will be cashed tonight." Xander knnocked back his beer and signalled the waitress for another. "Wouldn't do any good, except maybe for your amusement. Watching me make a fool of myself."
"Oh please, I don't have to watch to know you do that constantly." Cordelia shook her head. "Yeah I know, you can't warn her cause who knows what might happen then, she might actually live."
"Who's gonna live." Buffy slid iin beside Cordelia, while Willow shoved in beside Xander.
"Xander was following tthree girls here. He says one of them won't be going home. But he won't say which one."
"Does that mean home as we think of it in this world?" Willow turned to Xander. "Or home in the more spiritual sense." Xander didn't say anythiing, but he'd always had trouble keeping things from Willow, who's eyes widened.
"But can't you dop something, I mean yoiu did before, with that old lady, and well I just think you should do something. I mean, she, they're so young."
"She made her decision long ago. She has had many chances since to change her mind. He tries, but there is a point beyond which even He realizes that He has lost. He did not abandon her, but unless something like a miracle happens in the next few minutes, she's going down. On this, I'm just the delivery boy."
Willow turned this over in her mind, and decided that she didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit. But she didn't see what she could do about it. After all, she was in enough trouble with the folks upstairs.
Cordelia shivered. Every fiber in her being cried out to help, that a soul was about to be lost, but she understood the ebb and flow of human life. Oh the heck wioth it. They had already made her into a demon. What else could they do to her. Cordelia shoved that thought out ruthlessly, and stood up, beginning to glow. Xander, Buffy, and Willow watched as she moved towards the dance floor, a perfect white cross appearing over the dancers. Fortunately most were either unaware or thought it was just another of the lighting effects the Broonze had put on for some reason. But Cordelia was gratified to see that it had caught the attention of the three girls Xander and she had followed in here. She pojected a message of abiding peace and warmth through the cross, and smiled to see that it was having some effect." A thought crossed her mind, and Cordelia glanced back at Xander, who watched from the sidelines.
"What did you do," Willow asked when Cordelia returned to her seat. Before she got her answer, the doors burst open and three masked men raced in, brandishing sub mchine guns. "Nobody move," shouted the leader. "An nobody get's hutrt."
One of the girls, a petite auburn shrieked and started to panic. This caused one of the hoodlums to swing around towards her, inadvertedly sentling a stream of bullets her way. Time stood still as the girl crumpled, and the hoodlum's weapon sagged. It seemed like an eternity, but it was actually barely enough time for Buffy to tackle the leder, who was still as shocked as anyone arounf him, while a coulple of the braver partiers tackled the other one.
Willow couldn't, for the life of her, remember moving to let Xander out, but she stood beside their table watching him glow as he moved towards the dance floor."
"What just happened?"
Cordelia smiled. "Maybe we couldn't save her life. But we did save her soul, or gave Xander a chance at it."
Willow's eyes watched as Xander knelt beside the fallen girl, and seemed to be talking to her.