Chapter 5: New England
Bridget sat in the front of the rental instructing Giles to turn here and there. He was completely befuddled by the street of Boston. They were nearly as confusing as the back roads of Central London. He knew he wouldn't be able to remember any of the roads for the return trip. She guided him out of the city and about an hour south to the town of Bridgewater.
Willow was a little disappointed to discover that Bridgewater looked a lot like Sunnydale. She thought that Massachusetts would hold some colonial exoticness. She shook her head at her ignorance.
At Bridget's direction Giles swung the rental onto what was barely passable as a road. The crumbled pavement quickly yielded to dirt. Nature closed in all around them and branches lightly brushed the sides and top of the car.
Giles remained silent during the ride. He knew enough of Bridget's personality to know that she wouldn't tell them what was going on until she was good and ready.
A half mile later, an enormous house rose up in front of them. Willow leaned forward, surprised to see such a gem of a house hidden within the woods. It seemed out of time. Unlike the wooden and vinyl sided houses of the small town, the mansion was constructed of stone and rock. Actually, it looked like a castle.
Giles pulled the car to a halt and gaped at the enormous structure,
"What it in the world…" he stepped out of the car and stared at the building as it changed shape before his very eyes. Three of the top-level windows disappeared completely as a tower sprouted from one if the far corners.
"Oh calm down Rupert, that's just Grandmother redecorating."
"You mean this isn't what we're here to help you fix?" he continued to stare at the strange house.
"Heavens no," she said as if he were asking a ridiculous question. "This is just where we are staying. Grandmother always needs her castle with her whenever she travels."
"Never leave home without it," Willow said under her breath. Giles shot her an appreciative grin. Even though she looked tired and a little wilted from traveling he still couldn't take his eyes off her. Yes, Bridget could turn most men's heads, but Willow had such a profound effect on him – physically and mentally – that Bridget was all but invisible.
They dragged their bags through the giant front door, into the castle. Bridget, and her leather hips, led them through a maze of doors and hallways into a cozy room with a fireplace, several sofas, and an elderly woman that sat quietly sipping from a tumbler.
There was no doubt that she was the infamous Grandmother. Her blue eyes sparkled eerily like Bridget's.
"Grandmother, this is Rupert Giles and Willow Rosenberg."
"Pleasure to meet you," Giles extended her a hand, which was ignored. He lowered his hand and internally rolled his eyes, it must be in the genes.
"Please sit down you two," she addressed them in a strong no-nonsense voice. Willow and Giles shared a quick look and complied, sitting together on the nearest sofa. "Bridget, please pour us all something to drink."
"Tea-" she began to ask when the old woman cut her off.
"Tonight is no night for tea Bridget. I think we all will be needing libations. Bourbon on the rocks," she held out her empty glass. "In fact, make mine a double."
Bridget quickly poured the alcohol into four glasses. Giles thanked Bridget for the drink and took a hearty sip. He felt a little calmer and slightly bolder as it burned, trickling down his throat.
"What exactly is the situation here, Mrs.…?" he let the question hang. He wasn't about to call her Grandmother.
"Patience Mr. Giles is a virtue that, in my long years on this Earth, has proven to be a valued quality. You obviously have none." She clucked her tongue in disapproval. "Bridget, I thought you said he was a smart one."
Willow wasn't fooled by this woman's faux persnicketiness. She could see the glimmer in those blue eyes. The old woman was having a ball toying with Giles. With her back straight, and her confidence in her assessment of the woman, Willow tossed back a mouthful of the drink. She immediately began choking as the fumes burned her throat and her nostrils.
"Not as worldly as you think you are Miss Rosenberg," the grandmother raised a white eyebrow.
Willow attempted to gather the shreds of her dignity, swallowing the rest of the mouthful of bourbon. Her flushed face slowly returned to its normal pallor. She hated this woman already, but she tried to push the feeling down so that the witch wouldn't detect that. No doubt she already had.
"Mr. Giles, I am Bridget's maternal grandmother, Mrs. Eliza Bennett," she offered. The drink was obviously having a positive effect on her annoying coyness. Giles stood up and poured himself another glass and offered her the same. "Thank you," she held out her empty glass.
As he poured the smooth amber liquid into the tumbler his mind raced. He felt nearly on the verge of sensory overload. He found the warm room almost stuffy, and the fire that burned in is stomach from the bourbon caused a few beads of sweat on his forehead. And sitting next to Willow on the love seat was incredible distracting, with her leg resting against his.
He smiled surreptitiously, thinking about her trying to drink a mouthful of bourbon for the first time. Her innocence could be quite endearing. He offered Willow a re-fill. She paled slightly and shook her head, covering the top of the glass with her hands. He quickly turned away to place the decanter back on the beverage cart as his small smile erupted into a full on grin. He wanted so badly to just take her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her. But now is not the time, he chided himself as he sat back down beside her. He tried to ignore her warmth as it seeped through his pant leg. He took another long swallow of the fiery liquid.
"Mrs. Bennett, what can we do for you?" he got right to the point. She stared at him for a moment, as if sizing him up. In her 78 years of experience she considered herself an expert at reading people. This Mr. Giles seemed to be a good man. His love for the girl was obvious, but shouldn't cause a problem for what they needed to accomplish. In fact, his passion would probably help if the situation became desperate.
But the girl…it disturbed her that she couldn't read the girl. There was more to that one than meets the eye. Eliza could see the powerful aura of energy around Willow. Frankly, she was a little intimidated. She had never seen one so young able to control that kind of power, but they needed someone of her strength if they were going to succeed. And the girl seemed to be in control of it now. She would just have to ensure that Bridget found some time to train the girl on controlling her power. She would be a powerful ally if they could train her to push back the dark magicks.
"Alright Mr. Giles, I'm sure you've had a long day, so I'll get to the point," she sipped her drink and continued, "I know that we've never met, as such, but I am also a member of the Devon Coven. I don't often make it to the gatherings and rituals because of my advanced years," she looked hard at him as if challenging him to disagree that she was advanced in years. When he didn't reply, she continued, "but never-the-less I am still a member of the coven.
"One of our own, Hailey Edwards, has betrayed the coven."
Bridget gasped from across the room. Willow and Giles looked to her with surprise.
"You didn't know," Giles felt a pang of sympathy for her.
"No," she shot an accusing look at her grandmother. "What are you talking about," she demanded. Eliza hadn't wanted to keep this from Bridget either, but sometimes these things were necessary.
"Hailey fell in with a sizable dark coven from a city nearby here called Taunton. I didn't tell you because I needed you to focus on your task of gathering these two and the other members of our coven," she put on her no-nonsense voice. She didn't have time to placate Bridget tonight. Bridget recognized the tone in her grandmother's voice and backed off. Once Eliza was satisfied that everyone was ready to listen again, she revealed more of the situation,
"This new coven is trying to create a Hellmouth somewhere in the area. I've heard that they will be performing their ritual in 3 days when the moon is new. That's when our power will be the weakest and theirs will be the strongest."
"But you don't know where they're planning to do this?" Giles adjusted his glasses, feeling the growing adrenaline from danger.
"No, and I'm not sure that we are powerful enough to stop them," she looked into his eyes with intensity. "That's why I've had Bridget gather all of the living members of the coven here in Bridgewater. We need all the help we can muster Mr. Giles."
Willow frowned with concentration, trying to think of what it would take to create a Hellmouth. She remembered a few things from some of the books from the magic shop.
She mumbled to herself,
"It would have to be a place where there's already been mystical activity. Enough to weaken the veil between worlds…" she didn't notice that the others were staring at her as she puzzled through the problem. "Most likely it would be underground," she frowned again and looked up at the faces staring at her, "Why are we here in Bridgewater? I don't sense that this is the place where they're going to do this mojo."
"Very perceptive Willow," Eliza began to understand why this girl was so special. Not only did she have the gift, which leant her a higher instinct, she was also incredibly smart even without the gift. "Bridget's mother lives here in Bridgewater."
Giles knew that Bridget's mother had been out of her life for a long time. He glanced at her, trying to read her expression. Her face had been a mask of blankness since her initial reaction of shock over Hailey.
"She hasn't been active in the coven in over 20 years. But she was the strongest of all of us at that time. I'm hoping that Bridget will be able to convince her to help us with this."
Giles frowned,
"What makes you think that she'll help?"
Eliza leaned back and knocked back the rest of her drink,
"Well, if she doesn't help and we fail – she, her new family, and everyone she knows here will be brutally killed when the demons swarm out of the Hellmouth."