"Willow, open the door. I want to talk to you."
"I almost lost it. I almost lost control again. I can't control this!" Willow was laying across the bed, sobbing because she had almost let the magic control her again.
Just then, Dawn orbed into the room. "Willow." When Willow looked up at her, Dawn smiled. "The Elders sent me to you. They said you needed a friendly shoulder to cry on."
Dawn sat down on the bed next to Willow and wrapped her arms around her friend. "Dawnie, I can't do this! I wanted to kill Cole. I wanted to do to him what I did to Warren."
"Warren and Cole are two different people. YOU are a different person now than you were then. You wouldn't have killed him. Hurt him definitely. Badly possibly. But you wouldn't have killed him." Willow's head was laying on her shoulder. Dawn just held Willow and let her cry.
Eventually, Willow fell asleep and Dawn lay her back down on the bed. She slipped out the door and went downstairs looking for Xander.
"Xander."
"How is she?"
"Sleeping. She's scared. She's terrified that she might actually have killed Cole." Dawn sat down next to Xander and he wrapped an arm around the young woman. "I know she wouldn't have killed him but it's going to take a lot of convincing."
"How are we going to keep her from hurting Cole?"
"He can withstand a lot of pain. He is a demon after all."
"How do you know?" Cole's voice came from behind them. "How did you know what --? You're the Key!"
"The Elders briefed me before I came down. They let me know what was going on and how important you were to Willow's recovery."
"Does she have a neon sign on her that tells every evil thing who she is? I mean I know how Glory found out about her, but . . . "
"You fought Glorificus? And lived to tell the tale?" Cole just shook his head. "You'll have to tell me, someday, about how you warded her off."
"We didn't. She's dead." Xander said it with pride. He was still proud that Giles had killed a god.
"What?!?!?! Glory's dead? How? No, wait that's probably a really long story that we really don't have time for right now. But you have to tell me about it sometime. Right now, we have to help Willow. The girls brought me here to help train her to know when to back off."
"Right now, she's just trying to get over the fact that she almost tried to kill you."
"I wish she wouldn't worry about that. Even the girls have tried to kill me at times. No one's ever truly succeeded. I guess it's just my luck. Of course, the way things go around here, Willow might just be the one who could do it."
"That's not funny, Cole. Willow is sitting, well, sleeping upstairs. She's been crying and she's afraid she's going to hurt someone yet again."
"I'm sorry, Dawn. That's just the way I deal with fear. I really was scared of Willow in there. I could feel the power. I had to pretend though that I wasn't because that's what the girls asked me to do."
The phone rang and suddenly, Paige was in the doorway. "Dawn, there's a Rupert Giles on the phone from Sunnydale. He wants to talk to you."
"Thanks, Paige." Dawn picked up the phone. (Picture the next part as switching back and forth between Dawn and Giles.)
"Giles, hi. How are you?"
"I'm doing better. How are you?"
"Great. I'm finding out all sorts of things about my own powers and what I can do with them."
"Very good. Work hard. You never know when you could be of the utmost importance to the survival of not only your sister but perhaps the entire human race."
"I know. Sheesh. So many words to say that I might be important."
"And how is Willow?"
"A setback. She almost tried to kill a demon."
"What?"
"He's a demon that one of the girls is occasionally dating. She somehow knew that he was the one that arrranged for low-income housing to be built right where Acathla was buried. He also arranged for some of the pieces of the Judge to be brought into Sunnydale. He's the whole reason Buffy had to kill Angel in the first place."
"I see." Dawn cringed. She knew that tone all too well. How many times had she heard it from him during the summer that Buffy was gone? "And someone stopped her?"
"Xander. She just finished crying herself to sleep. She's worried that she'll hurt someone that she doesn't mean to." Giles said nothing for a moment. "Giles, I'm scared that she may close herself off from everyone again and I don't know if anyone will be able to get through to her this time."
"Just keep working with her. And keep up on your work too. We need to know just how powerful both you and Willow are." Just then, they both heard another phone in the house pick up.
"Giles?" Willow's teary voice was on the third extension.
"Yes, Willow. It's me."
Willow started crying again. "Giles, I'm so sorry. I don't know why I couldn't stop myself from hurting you. It was like all of pain from all those years of watching you with everyone else, feeling like I had always just been the computer girl, suddenly feeling like I wasn't an important part of the group, all came crashing down at once. I wanted to lash out because the best thing in my life had been taken away from me and I couldn't get her back."
"Willow, it's alright. I will recover. And you will learn to control your power. I have faith in you. As does Buffy. And Angel." Giles took a deep breath. "So does Oz."
"Oz? Oz is there?" Willow's voice had gone very tiny. She sounded so much like the old Willow. The shy, bookish girl who had always evoked a strong protective response in everyone. Giles had always looked at her as his protégé. He loved her like a daughter and had more than once called on his history as 'Ripper' to protect her and sometimes Buffy.
"Yes. I thought Buffy would have told you."
"She just said an old friend was there and that was it."
"Well, I have to go. The nurse is looking at me with death in her eyes. Willow, I have always loved you like a daughter. I have faith in you. We all do. Be strong. Take control of the magic."
"Goodbye, Giles," Willow whispered into the phone.
"Bye, Giles." Dawn's tone was rather sobered. She had heard every word between the two of them and it had torn her up to hear the loss in Willow's voice. "And thank you."
"Your quite welcome, Dawn. You may call me anytime you need me." With that the line went dead and Willow upstairs started crying again while Dawn quietly cried in Xander's arms.
///////////////////
A/N: What is Willow going to say when she gets back to Sunnydale and finds that Oz and Anya are an item? How will Xander react to Angel? Stay tuned to find out.
"I almost lost it. I almost lost control again. I can't control this!" Willow was laying across the bed, sobbing because she had almost let the magic control her again.
Just then, Dawn orbed into the room. "Willow." When Willow looked up at her, Dawn smiled. "The Elders sent me to you. They said you needed a friendly shoulder to cry on."
Dawn sat down on the bed next to Willow and wrapped her arms around her friend. "Dawnie, I can't do this! I wanted to kill Cole. I wanted to do to him what I did to Warren."
"Warren and Cole are two different people. YOU are a different person now than you were then. You wouldn't have killed him. Hurt him definitely. Badly possibly. But you wouldn't have killed him." Willow's head was laying on her shoulder. Dawn just held Willow and let her cry.
Eventually, Willow fell asleep and Dawn lay her back down on the bed. She slipped out the door and went downstairs looking for Xander.
"Xander."
"How is she?"
"Sleeping. She's scared. She's terrified that she might actually have killed Cole." Dawn sat down next to Xander and he wrapped an arm around the young woman. "I know she wouldn't have killed him but it's going to take a lot of convincing."
"How are we going to keep her from hurting Cole?"
"He can withstand a lot of pain. He is a demon after all."
"How do you know?" Cole's voice came from behind them. "How did you know what --? You're the Key!"
"The Elders briefed me before I came down. They let me know what was going on and how important you were to Willow's recovery."
"Does she have a neon sign on her that tells every evil thing who she is? I mean I know how Glory found out about her, but . . . "
"You fought Glorificus? And lived to tell the tale?" Cole just shook his head. "You'll have to tell me, someday, about how you warded her off."
"We didn't. She's dead." Xander said it with pride. He was still proud that Giles had killed a god.
"What?!?!?! Glory's dead? How? No, wait that's probably a really long story that we really don't have time for right now. But you have to tell me about it sometime. Right now, we have to help Willow. The girls brought me here to help train her to know when to back off."
"Right now, she's just trying to get over the fact that she almost tried to kill you."
"I wish she wouldn't worry about that. Even the girls have tried to kill me at times. No one's ever truly succeeded. I guess it's just my luck. Of course, the way things go around here, Willow might just be the one who could do it."
"That's not funny, Cole. Willow is sitting, well, sleeping upstairs. She's been crying and she's afraid she's going to hurt someone yet again."
"I'm sorry, Dawn. That's just the way I deal with fear. I really was scared of Willow in there. I could feel the power. I had to pretend though that I wasn't because that's what the girls asked me to do."
The phone rang and suddenly, Paige was in the doorway. "Dawn, there's a Rupert Giles on the phone from Sunnydale. He wants to talk to you."
"Thanks, Paige." Dawn picked up the phone. (Picture the next part as switching back and forth between Dawn and Giles.)
"Giles, hi. How are you?"
"I'm doing better. How are you?"
"Great. I'm finding out all sorts of things about my own powers and what I can do with them."
"Very good. Work hard. You never know when you could be of the utmost importance to the survival of not only your sister but perhaps the entire human race."
"I know. Sheesh. So many words to say that I might be important."
"And how is Willow?"
"A setback. She almost tried to kill a demon."
"What?"
"He's a demon that one of the girls is occasionally dating. She somehow knew that he was the one that arrranged for low-income housing to be built right where Acathla was buried. He also arranged for some of the pieces of the Judge to be brought into Sunnydale. He's the whole reason Buffy had to kill Angel in the first place."
"I see." Dawn cringed. She knew that tone all too well. How many times had she heard it from him during the summer that Buffy was gone? "And someone stopped her?"
"Xander. She just finished crying herself to sleep. She's worried that she'll hurt someone that she doesn't mean to." Giles said nothing for a moment. "Giles, I'm scared that she may close herself off from everyone again and I don't know if anyone will be able to get through to her this time."
"Just keep working with her. And keep up on your work too. We need to know just how powerful both you and Willow are." Just then, they both heard another phone in the house pick up.
"Giles?" Willow's teary voice was on the third extension.
"Yes, Willow. It's me."
Willow started crying again. "Giles, I'm so sorry. I don't know why I couldn't stop myself from hurting you. It was like all of pain from all those years of watching you with everyone else, feeling like I had always just been the computer girl, suddenly feeling like I wasn't an important part of the group, all came crashing down at once. I wanted to lash out because the best thing in my life had been taken away from me and I couldn't get her back."
"Willow, it's alright. I will recover. And you will learn to control your power. I have faith in you. As does Buffy. And Angel." Giles took a deep breath. "So does Oz."
"Oz? Oz is there?" Willow's voice had gone very tiny. She sounded so much like the old Willow. The shy, bookish girl who had always evoked a strong protective response in everyone. Giles had always looked at her as his protégé. He loved her like a daughter and had more than once called on his history as 'Ripper' to protect her and sometimes Buffy.
"Yes. I thought Buffy would have told you."
"She just said an old friend was there and that was it."
"Well, I have to go. The nurse is looking at me with death in her eyes. Willow, I have always loved you like a daughter. I have faith in you. We all do. Be strong. Take control of the magic."
"Goodbye, Giles," Willow whispered into the phone.
"Bye, Giles." Dawn's tone was rather sobered. She had heard every word between the two of them and it had torn her up to hear the loss in Willow's voice. "And thank you."
"Your quite welcome, Dawn. You may call me anytime you need me." With that the line went dead and Willow upstairs started crying again while Dawn quietly cried in Xander's arms.
///////////////////
A/N: What is Willow going to say when she gets back to Sunnydale and finds that Oz and Anya are an item? How will Xander react to Angel? Stay tuned to find out.
