Chapter 4: Boston

Willow stood in the crowded airport terminal with her arm wrapped protectively around her stomach. She rose up on her tiptoes looking for Giles. She was beginning to regret their decision to divide and conquer. He was going to arrange for the car rental while she picked up their bags. But she had gotten the bags and had been standing there for a good 20 minutes with no sign of him.  The announcement speaker above her head chirped on and made her jump.

"Now boarding flight 187 to Baltimore at gate 11D. Rows 25-30 may board at this time."

She chided herself, 22 years living on the Hellmouth and a loud speaker makes me jumpy. Trying to settle her ruffled feathers, she scanned the crowd again, looking for the handsome tall man with brown hair and glasses. There he was. She spotted him fighting the current of people. A smile lit her face as she watched him, mildly flustered, making his way slowly across the terminal.

She half dragged their heavy suitcases and met him half way.

"I thought you might have been attacked by a car rental demon," she smirked, catching her breath. 

"Not quite," he adjusted his glasses and took his suitcase from her. "Although that woman may bloody well have been a demon," he frowned and examined the receipt. "I think she overcharged me."

"We should call the gang," the red head changed the subject and headed for a nearby pay phone. "Let them know we're safe and sound."

 "I don't know that I would call us safe at the moment," he mumbled to himself.

"I heard that," she turned and leveled him with a look, which he returned with a raised brow.

"Well I will feel a lot better when Bridget decides to grace us with the details of what's going on here. I very much dislike coming into the unknown."

"Oh, where's your sense of adventure Giles?" she teased. Her fingers sped across phone's number pad.

"I left it back in England apparently."  He recalled a time in his life when he was thirsting for adventure. Now all he wanted was a quiet moment where he and Willow could… He forced himself back to reality. At least she had come with him to Boston, alone. The others had stamped their collective feet wanting to come and fight evil somewhere new and exciting.

Luckily none of them could afford to make the trip, which created a convenient argument that he could only afford to bring Willow. He justified bringing Willow because she needed training from an experienced witch on how to control her power. He wondered if his hidden agenda was obvious to Willow or the others.

"Dawnie?…yeah it's me, can you put Buffy on?" Willow's eyes stared off blankly as she talked into the mouthpiece. "Buffy? Hi!….yeah, we're fine, no hijackings or anything."

Giles shot her an alarmed stare at her use of the word 'hijacking' in an airport. As her faced turned crimson, she lowered her voice considerably and shrunk into the phone booth.

"Well, I don't know the number yet, but I'll call you as soon as we know where we're staying. Ok…..Yup…..what?…..Buffy!" her face reddened even more as her eyes flickered to Giles. "I'm hanging up now…ok….mm hmm…bye." She hung up the phone and gathered her composure.

"Did she have anything pertinent to say?" He knew he was making her squirm and was selfishly enjoying it. Apparently, based on what he assumed of Buffy's side of the conversation, he wasn't as subtle as he'd hoped. But that was OK. He sighed. He knew Buffy would figure in out sooner or later. She could be disturbingly perceptive at times.

"Nothing…pertinent," her eyes met his in a moment that made both of their hearts skip a beat. "I told her that we would call when we know where we're staying." He stared at the freckles on the bridge of her nose. She was so damn beautiful.

A sharp poke in his side jolted him out of his reverie.

"Oww…" he turned to see Bridget's impish face looking up at time.

"It's about damn time," she frowned and tossed her magnificent waist length chestnut hair over her slim shoulder.

Willow forced herself to close her gaping mouth at the gorgeous woman who stood before her. Even under the harsh florescent lighting of the airport, she turned most of the heads that walked by. She had amazingly luscious curves in all the right places, and her blue eyes sparkled with a supernatural light. Amazingly, she seemed oblivious to this. Willow guessed her to be in her late 20's, although her eyes held a wizened look of someone much older.

"So sorry to put you out," Giles voice held a sarcasm Willow had only heard him use with Xander.

"Well aren't you in a dandy mood Rupert. And so polite," she sparred back, untouched by his sarcasm. She held her hand out to Willow, "I'm Bridget Carrington, and you must be Willow." Her statement didn't leave much room for reply.

"Hi," was all she managed as their hands came together in a soft grip. Willow almost thought she felt the tingle of magic in her palm as they touched.

"It's the transference," Bridget said as if the meaning of this statement were obvious. When both Willow and Giles returned blank stares, she huffed through her big pouty lips and explained. "When you stole some of the coven's magic from Rupert, we became bonded. We are all bonded now, you, me, Rupert, and all the other members of the coven."

Giles' brow creased as he considered this for the first time.

"What effects will that have on all of us?" He hadn't thought there would be a lasting effect.

"I don't know," she turned and began to walk away. Willow and Giles quickly scrambled to pick up their bags and follow her. She spoke over her shoulder as she made her way through the crowd, "But whatever the effects are, I damn well hope that they can help us here. The situation is most dire."

§

Willow struggled with her insecurities. She wasn't even sure how she felt about Giles, but the sudden appearance of this beautiful powerful woman brought out a jealousy in her that surprised her. Her short red locks hung limply against her scalp, unkempt from the long flight. She felt silly in her wrinkled sweater top and long skirt. Bridget looked elegant as her hips swayed in her immaculate black leather miniskirt. Her long legs ended in short leather boots that matched her skirt. And her breasts bounced slightly in her tight black top, just enough to draw the eyes of everyone, including Willow. Aside from jealousy she also felt a sudden attraction.  This woman held a presence that oozed with sensuality.

§

Giles walked beside Willow, suddenly distraught. He hadn't even considered that Willow might be attracted to Bridget. Of course he knew that Bridget was an incredibly sexy woman, despite her damn frustrating personality. But he had overlooked the fact that Willow was indeed attracted to women on occasion. He didn't blame her really as he watched Willow staring openly at Bridget's sultry backside. But jealousy surged through him so strongly that he had to force it down to a manageable level.  He battled the urge to grab Bridget aside and threaten her with harm if she even took a step in Willow's direction. He sighed again knowing that he didn't he have any right to judge or control Willow's choice in lovers.