Chapter Sixteen

Willow was speechless. If he knew the spell wasn't going to work, why hadn't he warned her before she actually did it? "Why did you bother wasting your time telling me how to do that spell if you knew it wasn't going to work?" Willow asked angrily.

"I thought you would notice that you left one of the papers here." The shopkeeper explained.

"W-what? No, you're wrong." She said.

"Here it is, the page you forgot. I was waiting for you to come in and get it. What? What is wrong?" The shopkeeper said as he came out from behind the counter and stood next to a crying willow.

"I did the spell already. I did it and he died."

The shopkeeper was speechless. He hadn't known that she had already tried the spell. Know the teenager was completely in tears because she had killed her friend.

Meanwhile, Willow felt even worse. She could have prevented Angel's death. He could have still been around and Buffy wouldn't be in so much pain. The shopkeeper's information made her feel so horrible, even more so than before.

The shopkeeper went back behind the counter and began looking at his library. He knew what he was looking for and wouldn't stop until he found it.

"I have decided I am not going to purse anything else with magic. I have hurt my best friend and I don't want to do anything like that again to anyone else." She proclaimed.

"Ms. Rosenberg, I believe that I have a solution." The shopkeeper said as he grabbed the gold leather bound book of the shelf.

"What do you mean? Do you have a spell that will make Buffy forget about Angel?" Willow stopped after the sentence escaped from her mouth. She couldn't believe what she had said. Willow interrupted the shopkeeper before he had a chance to explain. "No, did you hear what I said, I'm not perusing anything with magic. I'm through with it. I wan't nothing else to do with it. I-"

The shopkeeper interrupted her. I"I have a spell that can raise an undead, uh, dead person, and make them completely human again. It's an easy spell actually," the shopkeeper said as he read the spell. "Very simple in fact. I will give you the book if you wish."

Willow began to walk towards the door. She wondered if he was listening ot her. She had said she wanted nothing more to do with magic. She turned with her hand on the door and spoke. "I think I am all done with the magic. I don't want to make things worse. Thank you but-"

"Willow, this is your chance to wrong what you have done. It is a chance to make your friend happy again. If you used the old Gypsy spell to return the vampire's soul to his body while you were ill and in the hospital, you should be able to do this spell in your sleep." The shopkeeper explained. He walked towards her with the book. "Here, take this. If you decided to do the spell, that's great. If not, just keep the book."

Willow looked at the book before taking it. She said nothing as she walked out the door. She walked home. Her mind was made up. There would be no changing it.

"So, are we bronzing tonight?" Xander asked Buffy over the phone.

I was thinking about it. I like dancing. Dancing is fun." Buffy commented as she made herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"And it beats staying home by yourself and mopping." Xander added. He knew Buffy was still in pain and still hurt. He knew that she wouldn't be offended by what he said. "Plus, Oz's band is playing and Willow will want you to go. It'll be fun."

Buffy put down the sandwich and drank her milk. "Gee Xand, talk me into going why don't you? Yes, I'll go. We will have fun. The agenda says fun so fun we must have tonight."

On the other end of the phone Xander smiled. His friend was getting her since of humor back and that made him feel good. "That's the sprit. I'll call Wil and pick you up let's say nineish?"

"That will work. After the Bronze I can take a quick sweep on patrol and call it a night.

"So much fun and so little time, what will we ever do with ourselves? Up for some company with the patrolling?"

"Sure, I always say the more the merrier."

"All right then. I am going to call Wil, see you tonight."

"With bells on," Buffy said perky as she hung up the phone. You put on a good front Summers, I almost bought it myself, she thought to herself. She really wasn't in the mood to go dancing and have fun or be around people but she knew her friends were trying to make her feel better, so she thought she would make the effort too. She did want to mope just for a little while longer but she knew her friends didn't want her to so she had to be happy, peppy Buffy for them.

"Hey Wil, it's Xander, your bronzing with us tonight right? Oz is playing so I just figured you were in for tonight too. Let me know. Cordy, Buffy and I are heading over around nine. Let me know what is going on for tonight. Talk to you later." Xander said as he finished leaving his message on Willow's answering machine.

Willow sat cross-legged on her floor reading and rereading the spell in the book the shopkeeper gave her earlier that day. The spell seemed pretty basic and easier than the other spell she had performed earlier, but she didn't know if she wanted to try it. She worried about doing it wrong again or mispronouncing something. She worried about bringing Angel back as a zombie or something. She stared at the book until she made her decision.

Okay, I know this chapter was short but what do you think? Please leave feedback!!! J