"Andrew really should be doing this," Xander looked at the trio. "Its his baby after all."
"I don't want him here," snapped Buffy. "He's done enough as it is."
"Okay," Xander sighed. He really thought Andrew should be here, but Buffy was in one of her moods, and usually it was better to play along. Unless it was something that really needed to be done. He could always talk to Andrew later. He turned to the robed male.
"Perhaps you could start with your names. I'm Alexander Harris, most call me Xander though."
Buffy started to say something, but thought better of it. Contenting herself with glaring at the trio.
"You can't keep us here."
Buffy growled.
"We're not going to keep you," Xander said. "At least not long. Whether you enjoy your stay with us kind of depends on you."
"What are you going to do to us," asked one of the girls."
"Shut up Corrie," snapped the boy. "You don't have to tell him anything."
"Don't be afraid Corrie," smiled Xander. "We're not going to do anything to you. We just want to know what you were doing out there in that field. Then you're free to go."
Buffy shifted in her seat.
"What about her," said the other girl, "What's he gonna do to us?"
"She's not going to do anything either," Xander promised. "But she wants to. You see, what you were trying to do could have hurt her sister. But she's promised to behave."
Buffy scowled, but this time it was at Xander. Not at the trio. How dare he make promises for her.
"We didn't mean to," said the girl. "We just wanted to get our Mother back."
"Wuss," said the boy in a low voice, but not low enough so that no one could mistake the disdain in his voice.
"You're Mother is missing?" Xander looked concerned. "Maybe you could tell us about that? We might be able to help."
"We don't need you're help," said the boy. "We can find her on our own."
"But Dougie? Maybe they can help." The girl turned back to Xander. "I'm Marcie, and we were just trying to get our Mother back from wherever those monsters took her. We didn't mean to harm anyone. Really. We were just trying to get our Mother back."
"The monsters, did they look like the ones that brought you here."
Marcie shuddered at the thought. The Fyarl demons had not been gentle. "No," she said. "They were bigger and more reddish, with horns and and stuff. They came to our house and they took our Mother. Dougie here said he knew how to find her, but we didn't mean to hurt any one." Marcie looked back at Buffy. "Honest."
"That's what you were doing in the field? Casting spell to find your mother?"
"Marcie nodded.
Xander picked up the phone. "Giles? Have you had a chance to look at that paper Cari brought up to you." Xander listened for what looked like a really long time. Finally he grinned and placed the receiver back in it's cradle.
"Mr. Giles, the man I was just talking to, knows a whole lot about magick, and he says that the spell you were trying might have found your mother, but needed a lot of power to work. Did you know that?"
"Dougie said that there was a well of power close by. He said we could use that to get our Mother back. But we didn't know that power was in someone."
"Mr. Giles also said that the spell wasn't exactly attuned to any one source. It just tried to attach itself to the biggest source. So I'm tempted to believe that you didn't mean any harm to Buffy's sister." Xander glanced at his watch. "Okay, suppose we call a taxi to get you back home. You can come back tomorrow and we'll do what we can to help. But you have to promise that you won't try any more spells without knowing what they'll do."
"We promise," cried Marcie, "and thank you."
"That's it," Buffy exploded after the trio had left. "You're just going to let them go?"
"That's what I promised Buff.
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"So who were those robed freaks?" Willow's voice sounded tinny over the phone, but she sounded cheerful enough. She had phoned Buffy first thing to tell her that they had arrived safe and sound and were getting ready to start searching for the errant Slayers. Buffy had described the attack upon Dawn, and how Andrew had tracked them down and had them brought here.
"Local kids," Buffy grumped. "Said they were looking for their mother, they were trying to tap into this source of power that they thought would help them, and didn't know that it was an actual person."
"So they didn't mean to hurt Dawn? Er, do you believe them?"
"No and I don't know. The older brother, Doug, wasn't to forthcoming with the answers, but the two girls, younger, Corrie and Marcie did most of the talking. Marcie was more scared that we'd do something to them."
"Did you? Do something to them, I mean?"
"What could I do," Buffy huffed. "Its not like they were demons or something, so I couldn't slay them, and we couldn't keep them or go to the police. Xander just asked them some questions, made them promise to be very careful, and sent them home in a taxi."
"I guess there wasn't anything else you could do." Willow thought a moment. "Except maybe you could look into their story. You know, check to see if their Mother really disappeared. I know if mine did I'd do what I could to get her back. Maybe you could get Andrew to help with the research bit. He may know a demon who knows something."
"I sort of asked him to leave."
"You what...why?"
"Will, he used demons. Fyarl Demons. He's supposed to be keeping my sister safe not talking to demons."
"Kind a sounds like that's what he was doing."
"Am I the only one who sees anything wrong with using demons?"
"Well it is rather unconventional, I guess. But not unheard of." Willow sighed. "Look, we'll talk when I get back, and Andrew doesn't have to be at the school to look into this. Just call him and tell him."
"I don't know where he is," Buffy admitted.
"Dawn should know. He is her Watcher."
"I'll ask," muttered Buffy. "Maybe she can get him started on this."
"Right, well the others are ready to go. Gotta run." With that, Willow hung up leaving Buffy to sit on her bed staring at the wall. Finally she cradled the phone and headed for Dawn's room.
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"Anyone seen Dawn?" Buffy entered the cafeteria where some of the new Slayers were eating breakfast. "She didn't sleep in her room last night. I checked."
"Haven't seen her," said an anonymous Slayer. "Andrew's gone too. We had to cook our own breakfast."
"Yeah and no one makes French toast like he does."
"Or one eyed susans."
"And that stuff he puts in orange juice, the stuff that really brings the taste out. Anyone know what that is?"
"Powdered orange," someone cried out. "That's what he puts in oj. Where is he anyway? It's not like him to miss a meal."
"Look," Buffy shouted to get their attention. "Andrew's gone and that's it. You're just going to half to deal with his not being here. Now, has anyone seen Dawn?"
"Why is he gone?"
Buffy stared. "Like I owe you an explanation?" She spotted Caridad in the crowd. "Caridad. You've spent time with her. Did she say anything to you?"
Caridad said nothing.
"Caridad if you know anything... now would be a good time to tell me."
"Or what," Caridad demanded getting out of her chair and facing Buffy. "You'll be kicking me out like you did Andrew. For why? For keeping Dawn safe, which was what he was supposed to do, no? Well fine, I go, save you the trouble." Caridad brushed past a surprised Buffy, muttering a blue streak in Spanish."
Buffy turned to see everyone staring silently at her.
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"Xander," Buffy entered his office to see him sitting behind his desk, examining the paper. "This has to stop."
"Can't agree with you more Buff." Xander circled an advertisement. "It's like living in a war zone around here. Which is kind of distracting from both the custodial stuff and the Watcher stuff I do. Which is why I'm looking for an apartment. Someplace close, so I can still do the custodial stuff, but far enough away that I can get some tranquility for the other stuff."
"Xander, Dawn is gone. Her bed hasn't been slept in."
"So I heard." Xander circled another ad. "Maybe she went with Andrew, who I understand is also no longer hear. Which no one saw fit to share with me. Way I hear it," Xander looked up at Buffy, "You kicked him out for doing his job."
"What, how did you, I never..."
"Talked to me about it, nope you didn't. Caridad did though. She came storming in here a half an hour ago, and never let anyone tell you those Spaniards aren't spicy when hot. She came in with a full head of steam, demanding to be reassigned to Andrew, as his Slayer. I didn't even know she wanted to be his Slayer. But she and Dawn are closer than the rest, so she might know where they are."
"I knew that little vixen knew something," Buffy ground out. "She give you an address?"
"No and I don't think I'd get one out of her even if I tried. I promised to see that Andrew became her Watcher and she promised to phone when she got settled." Xander smiled. "Remember when we'd go out patrolling and I'd get the crap beat out of me?" Xander sighed. "Never figured I'd look back on them fondly as the good old days."
Buffy slumped in her chair. "I promised Mom I'd keep her safe. How can I do that if I don't know where she is?"
"By doing the best you can," Xander told her. "But don't be so focused on the task that you treat her like a possession not a person. Remember she's not just an all powerful source of power. She's a kid with all that means, and with all the stuff that she lives with."
"I lived it when I was her age. So did you and Willow."
"And did you like it when you were her age? I remember some of the arguments you and Giles had, and you had some concept of what a normal life is, having lived part of one. Dawn hasn't. All she knows, not false memory like, is that she is the Key and was given to you to protect, and she's also a human, with very human desires, plus being a teenager, which, if I remember right, ain't all that easy."
Xander stood up and rounded the desk towards Buffy. "You gotta lighten up Buffy. Give her space to breathe. Trust Andrew to do his job. Sure, his methods aren't exactly my cup of tea, but give him a chance."
"How can I do that if I can't find them?"
"Give me a couple days and I'll find them."
"I don't want him here," snapped Buffy. "He's done enough as it is."
"Okay," Xander sighed. He really thought Andrew should be here, but Buffy was in one of her moods, and usually it was better to play along. Unless it was something that really needed to be done. He could always talk to Andrew later. He turned to the robed male.
"Perhaps you could start with your names. I'm Alexander Harris, most call me Xander though."
Buffy started to say something, but thought better of it. Contenting herself with glaring at the trio.
"You can't keep us here."
Buffy growled.
"We're not going to keep you," Xander said. "At least not long. Whether you enjoy your stay with us kind of depends on you."
"What are you going to do to us," asked one of the girls."
"Shut up Corrie," snapped the boy. "You don't have to tell him anything."
"Don't be afraid Corrie," smiled Xander. "We're not going to do anything to you. We just want to know what you were doing out there in that field. Then you're free to go."
Buffy shifted in her seat.
"What about her," said the other girl, "What's he gonna do to us?"
"She's not going to do anything either," Xander promised. "But she wants to. You see, what you were trying to do could have hurt her sister. But she's promised to behave."
Buffy scowled, but this time it was at Xander. Not at the trio. How dare he make promises for her.
"We didn't mean to," said the girl. "We just wanted to get our Mother back."
"Wuss," said the boy in a low voice, but not low enough so that no one could mistake the disdain in his voice.
"You're Mother is missing?" Xander looked concerned. "Maybe you could tell us about that? We might be able to help."
"We don't need you're help," said the boy. "We can find her on our own."
"But Dougie? Maybe they can help." The girl turned back to Xander. "I'm Marcie, and we were just trying to get our Mother back from wherever those monsters took her. We didn't mean to harm anyone. Really. We were just trying to get our Mother back."
"The monsters, did they look like the ones that brought you here."
Marcie shuddered at the thought. The Fyarl demons had not been gentle. "No," she said. "They were bigger and more reddish, with horns and and stuff. They came to our house and they took our Mother. Dougie here said he knew how to find her, but we didn't mean to hurt any one." Marcie looked back at Buffy. "Honest."
"That's what you were doing in the field? Casting spell to find your mother?"
"Marcie nodded.
Xander picked up the phone. "Giles? Have you had a chance to look at that paper Cari brought up to you." Xander listened for what looked like a really long time. Finally he grinned and placed the receiver back in it's cradle.
"Mr. Giles, the man I was just talking to, knows a whole lot about magick, and he says that the spell you were trying might have found your mother, but needed a lot of power to work. Did you know that?"
"Dougie said that there was a well of power close by. He said we could use that to get our Mother back. But we didn't know that power was in someone."
"Mr. Giles also said that the spell wasn't exactly attuned to any one source. It just tried to attach itself to the biggest source. So I'm tempted to believe that you didn't mean any harm to Buffy's sister." Xander glanced at his watch. "Okay, suppose we call a taxi to get you back home. You can come back tomorrow and we'll do what we can to help. But you have to promise that you won't try any more spells without knowing what they'll do."
"We promise," cried Marcie, "and thank you."
"That's it," Buffy exploded after the trio had left. "You're just going to let them go?"
"That's what I promised Buff.
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"So who were those robed freaks?" Willow's voice sounded tinny over the phone, but she sounded cheerful enough. She had phoned Buffy first thing to tell her that they had arrived safe and sound and were getting ready to start searching for the errant Slayers. Buffy had described the attack upon Dawn, and how Andrew had tracked them down and had them brought here.
"Local kids," Buffy grumped. "Said they were looking for their mother, they were trying to tap into this source of power that they thought would help them, and didn't know that it was an actual person."
"So they didn't mean to hurt Dawn? Er, do you believe them?"
"No and I don't know. The older brother, Doug, wasn't to forthcoming with the answers, but the two girls, younger, Corrie and Marcie did most of the talking. Marcie was more scared that we'd do something to them."
"Did you? Do something to them, I mean?"
"What could I do," Buffy huffed. "Its not like they were demons or something, so I couldn't slay them, and we couldn't keep them or go to the police. Xander just asked them some questions, made them promise to be very careful, and sent them home in a taxi."
"I guess there wasn't anything else you could do." Willow thought a moment. "Except maybe you could look into their story. You know, check to see if their Mother really disappeared. I know if mine did I'd do what I could to get her back. Maybe you could get Andrew to help with the research bit. He may know a demon who knows something."
"I sort of asked him to leave."
"You what...why?"
"Will, he used demons. Fyarl Demons. He's supposed to be keeping my sister safe not talking to demons."
"Kind a sounds like that's what he was doing."
"Am I the only one who sees anything wrong with using demons?"
"Well it is rather unconventional, I guess. But not unheard of." Willow sighed. "Look, we'll talk when I get back, and Andrew doesn't have to be at the school to look into this. Just call him and tell him."
"I don't know where he is," Buffy admitted.
"Dawn should know. He is her Watcher."
"I'll ask," muttered Buffy. "Maybe she can get him started on this."
"Right, well the others are ready to go. Gotta run." With that, Willow hung up leaving Buffy to sit on her bed staring at the wall. Finally she cradled the phone and headed for Dawn's room.
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"Anyone seen Dawn?" Buffy entered the cafeteria where some of the new Slayers were eating breakfast. "She didn't sleep in her room last night. I checked."
"Haven't seen her," said an anonymous Slayer. "Andrew's gone too. We had to cook our own breakfast."
"Yeah and no one makes French toast like he does."
"Or one eyed susans."
"And that stuff he puts in orange juice, the stuff that really brings the taste out. Anyone know what that is?"
"Powdered orange," someone cried out. "That's what he puts in oj. Where is he anyway? It's not like him to miss a meal."
"Look," Buffy shouted to get their attention. "Andrew's gone and that's it. You're just going to half to deal with his not being here. Now, has anyone seen Dawn?"
"Why is he gone?"
Buffy stared. "Like I owe you an explanation?" She spotted Caridad in the crowd. "Caridad. You've spent time with her. Did she say anything to you?"
Caridad said nothing.
"Caridad if you know anything... now would be a good time to tell me."
"Or what," Caridad demanded getting out of her chair and facing Buffy. "You'll be kicking me out like you did Andrew. For why? For keeping Dawn safe, which was what he was supposed to do, no? Well fine, I go, save you the trouble." Caridad brushed past a surprised Buffy, muttering a blue streak in Spanish."
Buffy turned to see everyone staring silently at her.
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"Xander," Buffy entered his office to see him sitting behind his desk, examining the paper. "This has to stop."
"Can't agree with you more Buff." Xander circled an advertisement. "It's like living in a war zone around here. Which is kind of distracting from both the custodial stuff and the Watcher stuff I do. Which is why I'm looking for an apartment. Someplace close, so I can still do the custodial stuff, but far enough away that I can get some tranquility for the other stuff."
"Xander, Dawn is gone. Her bed hasn't been slept in."
"So I heard." Xander circled another ad. "Maybe she went with Andrew, who I understand is also no longer hear. Which no one saw fit to share with me. Way I hear it," Xander looked up at Buffy, "You kicked him out for doing his job."
"What, how did you, I never..."
"Talked to me about it, nope you didn't. Caridad did though. She came storming in here a half an hour ago, and never let anyone tell you those Spaniards aren't spicy when hot. She came in with a full head of steam, demanding to be reassigned to Andrew, as his Slayer. I didn't even know she wanted to be his Slayer. But she and Dawn are closer than the rest, so she might know where they are."
"I knew that little vixen knew something," Buffy ground out. "She give you an address?"
"No and I don't think I'd get one out of her even if I tried. I promised to see that Andrew became her Watcher and she promised to phone when she got settled." Xander smiled. "Remember when we'd go out patrolling and I'd get the crap beat out of me?" Xander sighed. "Never figured I'd look back on them fondly as the good old days."
Buffy slumped in her chair. "I promised Mom I'd keep her safe. How can I do that if I don't know where she is?"
"By doing the best you can," Xander told her. "But don't be so focused on the task that you treat her like a possession not a person. Remember she's not just an all powerful source of power. She's a kid with all that means, and with all the stuff that she lives with."
"I lived it when I was her age. So did you and Willow."
"And did you like it when you were her age? I remember some of the arguments you and Giles had, and you had some concept of what a normal life is, having lived part of one. Dawn hasn't. All she knows, not false memory like, is that she is the Key and was given to you to protect, and she's also a human, with very human desires, plus being a teenager, which, if I remember right, ain't all that easy."
Xander stood up and rounded the desk towards Buffy. "You gotta lighten up Buffy. Give her space to breathe. Trust Andrew to do his job. Sure, his methods aren't exactly my cup of tea, but give him a chance."
"How can I do that if I can't find them?"
"Give me a couple days and I'll find them."
