Buffy POV
"You're a WHAT?" I heard my sister scream as I came back into the living room. Giles was in the hospital, being treated. He'd be home before nightfall.
My attention shifted to my sweet sister whose bug-eyed, aghast form was running around in complete shock.
Finally, Dawn ran up to me. "She's a witch," Dawn told me. "She's a witch and I was her best friend and she never told me! Can you believe that!"
"Um," I thought about it. "Yeah, I guess I can. Did you happen by chance to ever ask her why she's here?" Just the expression on Dawn's face was enough.
I turned to our uninvited guest and looked at her questioningly.
"I was sent," she replied, "from the Witch's Counsel in Ireland. We have heard about your little problem and so I was sent to help you."
"Well, you're a little late I guess. Giles said that the threat was gone." I had never heard of a Witch's Counsel, but hey, doesn't mean they don't exist.
"Perhaps," she said in her soft, yet proper sounding voice, "but the witch, Willow I believe her name is, has been through a horrible ordeal and must be helped or the same thing shall repeat itself."
I nodded. "Yeah, the old Willow could hardly tranc a werewolf, least yet kill someone. It must have done horrible things to her. And losing Tara, she still has to deal with that."
"And," interrupted the girl, "magic is controlled by the emotional balance of the witch or warlock. So it is pertinent we reach her soon."
"Agreed"
Whoever this girl is, she seems to have had some experience in the matter so I'm WAY more than willing to let her help. Plus, Dawn trusts her, and while once that would have been a bad thing, I think the new Dawn is quite capable.
In a well placed, timely entrance Xander walked into the house carrying a sobbing Willow, who, thankfully, once again had red hair. The strange witch, Ariana I think I heard Dawn call her, immediately took over, having Xander take Willow up to her room and giving her a stuffed animal to cry on. "It helps!" Ariana cried defensively at our odd looks.
So an hour or so later, when all had quieted down, Dawn, Ariana, and I all sat in the living room talking. Dawn explained to me how they used to go to school together and had been good friends. Dawn also explained, in a quiet whisper when Ariana had left the room for a minute, that Ariana's parents had been murdered in front of her when she was three and that her older brother took care of her, and that she was extremely wealthy.
Ariana and I got along well enough, and I invited her to stay in the house, seeing as she might be needed to help with Willow more. And because she had nowhere else to go, but I didn't say that. She agreed and went out to her car to bring all of her stuff in. She was, it turned out, a new driver, but very good at it, and from the type of car she owned, VERY, VERY rich.
After seeing that Willow was sleeping peacefully enough, the three of us decided to have a girly party downstairs. (Giles had come in from the hospital as well and was sleeping also) So we all got into our PJs and sat around the TV talking silly girl stuff when the subject of Ariana's brother came up.
After Dawn had exclaimed that Ariana had never told her ANYTHING except that he was male, she and I ganged up on Ariana and made her spill.
"All right, all right. I'll tell you about him. Hmm, let's see, he's pretty tall, dark good looks, he's very intelligent, and veeery romantic. Whenever I try to push him into dating, he would always say something like, oh, I haven't met the 'right one' yet, or, no, I can't POSSIBLY be in a relationship unless I'm head over heels for the girl. You know, stuff like that. And, let's see, I haven't seen him in seven years but I'm pretty sure."
"Wait," Dawn cut in, "What do you mean you haven't seen him in seven years? I thought you said you were really close?"
"Well, we are, it's just, we each have our own lives to live and they just happened to be taking us to different parts of the world."
"Don't you miss him?" I asked without thinking.
She paused for a moment before saying softly, "Yeah, I miss him a lot."
"Well, where does he live? Do you even know?" Dawn seemed intent on reuniting the siblings.
"Of course I know. He lives in LA."
Oh no. Not LA. Not HIS city.
"Well, I have a great idea then," Dawn stated, "We can all go and see him together. He seems absolutely perfect for Buf..I mean, I'd love to meet him and it really isn't that far away. I'm sure Buffy wouldn't mind getting away for a few days and showing me this great wonderful world she been talking about." Dawn stared at me with innocent eyes. Evil conniving little..
A few hours later, all was set and planned. We would leave the following week, with the addition of Willow, so that Ariana could keep an eye on her and start counseling and stuff. Ariana would drive. Her deluxe full sized van that is. We would all have plenty of room, and lots of time for girl chats and world exploring. I had decided on it not just because of what Dawn had said, but because I needed a break from my life and all it's woes. I needed to spend some time with Dawn, and heck, if I had to stare at a potentially hot guy to do it, well, the sacrifices I must make.
"You're a WHAT?" I heard my sister scream as I came back into the living room. Giles was in the hospital, being treated. He'd be home before nightfall.
My attention shifted to my sweet sister whose bug-eyed, aghast form was running around in complete shock.
Finally, Dawn ran up to me. "She's a witch," Dawn told me. "She's a witch and I was her best friend and she never told me! Can you believe that!"
"Um," I thought about it. "Yeah, I guess I can. Did you happen by chance to ever ask her why she's here?" Just the expression on Dawn's face was enough.
I turned to our uninvited guest and looked at her questioningly.
"I was sent," she replied, "from the Witch's Counsel in Ireland. We have heard about your little problem and so I was sent to help you."
"Well, you're a little late I guess. Giles said that the threat was gone." I had never heard of a Witch's Counsel, but hey, doesn't mean they don't exist.
"Perhaps," she said in her soft, yet proper sounding voice, "but the witch, Willow I believe her name is, has been through a horrible ordeal and must be helped or the same thing shall repeat itself."
I nodded. "Yeah, the old Willow could hardly tranc a werewolf, least yet kill someone. It must have done horrible things to her. And losing Tara, she still has to deal with that."
"And," interrupted the girl, "magic is controlled by the emotional balance of the witch or warlock. So it is pertinent we reach her soon."
"Agreed"
Whoever this girl is, she seems to have had some experience in the matter so I'm WAY more than willing to let her help. Plus, Dawn trusts her, and while once that would have been a bad thing, I think the new Dawn is quite capable.
In a well placed, timely entrance Xander walked into the house carrying a sobbing Willow, who, thankfully, once again had red hair. The strange witch, Ariana I think I heard Dawn call her, immediately took over, having Xander take Willow up to her room and giving her a stuffed animal to cry on. "It helps!" Ariana cried defensively at our odd looks.
So an hour or so later, when all had quieted down, Dawn, Ariana, and I all sat in the living room talking. Dawn explained to me how they used to go to school together and had been good friends. Dawn also explained, in a quiet whisper when Ariana had left the room for a minute, that Ariana's parents had been murdered in front of her when she was three and that her older brother took care of her, and that she was extremely wealthy.
Ariana and I got along well enough, and I invited her to stay in the house, seeing as she might be needed to help with Willow more. And because she had nowhere else to go, but I didn't say that. She agreed and went out to her car to bring all of her stuff in. She was, it turned out, a new driver, but very good at it, and from the type of car she owned, VERY, VERY rich.
After seeing that Willow was sleeping peacefully enough, the three of us decided to have a girly party downstairs. (Giles had come in from the hospital as well and was sleeping also) So we all got into our PJs and sat around the TV talking silly girl stuff when the subject of Ariana's brother came up.
After Dawn had exclaimed that Ariana had never told her ANYTHING except that he was male, she and I ganged up on Ariana and made her spill.
"All right, all right. I'll tell you about him. Hmm, let's see, he's pretty tall, dark good looks, he's very intelligent, and veeery romantic. Whenever I try to push him into dating, he would always say something like, oh, I haven't met the 'right one' yet, or, no, I can't POSSIBLY be in a relationship unless I'm head over heels for the girl. You know, stuff like that. And, let's see, I haven't seen him in seven years but I'm pretty sure."
"Wait," Dawn cut in, "What do you mean you haven't seen him in seven years? I thought you said you were really close?"
"Well, we are, it's just, we each have our own lives to live and they just happened to be taking us to different parts of the world."
"Don't you miss him?" I asked without thinking.
She paused for a moment before saying softly, "Yeah, I miss him a lot."
"Well, where does he live? Do you even know?" Dawn seemed intent on reuniting the siblings.
"Of course I know. He lives in LA."
Oh no. Not LA. Not HIS city.
"Well, I have a great idea then," Dawn stated, "We can all go and see him together. He seems absolutely perfect for Buf..I mean, I'd love to meet him and it really isn't that far away. I'm sure Buffy wouldn't mind getting away for a few days and showing me this great wonderful world she been talking about." Dawn stared at me with innocent eyes. Evil conniving little..
A few hours later, all was set and planned. We would leave the following week, with the addition of Willow, so that Ariana could keep an eye on her and start counseling and stuff. Ariana would drive. Her deluxe full sized van that is. We would all have plenty of room, and lots of time for girl chats and world exploring. I had decided on it not just because of what Dawn had said, but because I needed a break from my life and all it's woes. I needed to spend some time with Dawn, and heck, if I had to stare at a potentially hot guy to do it, well, the sacrifices I must make.