Two.
"What, pray tell, are we doing in front of a blasted magic shop?" A male British voice spoke from the backseat, his tone filled with customary English haughtiness. It would have seemed more intimidating if it didn't belong to a stuffy old German shepherd.
Cassie, a Siamese cat, yawned beside him. "Oh, stuff it, Henry, you old man ... er, dog. Why don't you go to sleep? The silence would be so—oo welcoming for a change." She smiled sarcastically at the big dog.
"You, my dear, wouldn't know the meaning of 'silence' even if it bit you in the nose." He replied in a dry tone.
"Oh yeah?"
"Put a cork in it, you two." Anne sighed exasperatedly. " You've been bickering nonstop ever since we flew over Kansas."
Hannah, her white owl, chuckled beside her, continuing with her knitting. It was a wonder her feathered wings were able to hold the knitting needles in a firm grasp. Anne knew the fact that her feathers were enchanted enough to be used like real hands helped in this interesting hobby.
If somebody happened to listen in on their conversation, one would think they were a normal family ... of sorts. Henry, Cassie, and Hannah were all enchanted animals, blessed with human voices in order to interact with their owners. They found each other in an Animagi convention in London several years ago and the four have been inseparable since. The three animals joined in all of Anne's travels, always making their home with her.
"I have to make a quick stop before we move on to the house. I've run out of scented candles and incense." She got out of the black convertible. " I'll be right back."
Funny how a magic store was strategically located in Sunnydale. Considering it being the Hellmouth and all... She thought as she entered the large shop. Maybe they could help her locate her old friend, learning that Ripper was the new watcher for the Chosen One. Tinkling bells announced her arrival. She hoped the shop wasn't about to close up. It was getting pretty late actually.
A large dark-haired man, wearing a black trench coat over his blue shirt and dark brown pants, hesitantly greeted her with a brooding stare. A tingling behind her neck told her he was not of the human variety, more of the vampire species. However, she couldn't feel evil vibes from him. Hmm ... interesting.
"Can I help you? "His deep voice rumbled forth, causing her to tilt her head at one side at the intriguing softness in his tone.
"Uh ... yes. I.. I suppose. I was looking for ... uh.. Scented candles. And incense." She couldn't help stammering as she stared at him.
Angel looked at her curiously, noting her English accent. He led her to the vast array of colorful candles in various shapes and sizes. "Here you are." She looked like a normal woman in her early twenties, with her yellow halter-top and white jeans. Still ... There's something strange about this girl...
He glanced back at the far side of the store where the training room was built. He could still hear Giles' droning voice, indicating that the Watcher was still doing the Yoda-style meditation. They should be done any minute now. He can't wait to take Buffy out to patrol and ... whatever came after. He grinned guiltily at his thoughts.
Anne cleared her throat, causing Angel to snap back at her direction, " Yes?" He asked.
"Where can I pay for these?" She asked, smiling slightly.
"Oh. Let me help you with those. The cashier's over here..." He motioned with his head as he strode towards the cash register.
Anne followed the large vampire, noting the round table in the middle of the room, several piles of old books that were strewn across it, and the red-haired girl who was deeply engrossed in her reading.
"I didn't realize this was also a reading room." She remarked before facing the counter to pay for her purchase. "Do you sell books here too?"
Unexpectedly, a familiar scent swept across her, causing her to do a double take as she saw who was waiting by the cash register. "Oh my God..."
The blonde female gaped right back at her in shock. It took them a full minute before dissolving in shrieks of laughter, causing Buffy and Giles to come rushing out from the back in fighting mode. The sight of the two women in a happy hug allowed them to relax and look in curiosity.
"Annie! Oh my God!" Anya rushed blindly towards her old friend, grabbing her in a warm hug.
"Anyanka! You, old demon, you! What are you doing here?" Anne laughed in delight, her arms going around her old demon friend. "How have you been? It's been ages since we've seen each other!" She stepped back to look her friend over. "And you're looking good too. Where did you get this hideous orange dress?" She half-teased.
"I know, I know. I look ridiculous in it." Tears started to form in Anya's eyes. "I missed you so much!" She grinned like an excited kid.
Anne grinned back, oblivious to their audience staring at them in surprise.
"Uh.. Anya ... "Angel looked from one woman to the other. He wore the same expression of utter confusion as Willow.
"Oh. Angel, this is Anne Sinclair, an old friend from London." She linked an arm with Anne. "Annie, this is Angel, one of our resident vampires. But don't worry, he won't bite. He got his soul back."
"Gee, thanks." Angel scowled at her, extending a hand to Anne.
"A resident vampire?" Anne raised her eyebrows at him.
"Annie?" A disbelieving voice called out from behind. Anne turned sharply at the sound, her blue eyes widening in recognition.
Familiar brown eyes stared at her, drinking in the sight of her. They spoke of humble wisdom and intelligence. His mischievous features that caused much trouble back then were now tamed by time, weathered by experience. She smiled at him with a fondness that came from knowing him so well.
"Ripper." She whispered, emotion weakening her voice. Shock at the sudden sight of her old friend rendered her legs useless at the moment.
"Oh, God..." He walked towards her, his eyes misting. He wrapped her in a tight hug, tears spilling into his cheeks. She allowed herself to comfort him, rubbing her hands down his back in a continuous motion.
After a while, Anne grinned and finally pulled herself from Giles hug. " Ripper, old boy. I may be a half-demon but I still need to breathe." She peered at him, "You look ... older."
Giles chuckled, raking his hand across his brown hair, "Thank you for the kind observation, O demon friend of mine. And you look ... the same. Still beautiful as ever." He replied sincerely.
"You two know each other?" Anya interrupted, amazed.
Anne grinned, "Yes. His folks were friends of mine. I watched how little Ripper here grew up in the proper care of his guardians in London, just like how a true gentleman should have."
"She was my Godmother." Giles smiled self-consciously.
"Really?" Anya asked excitedly.
"Just how old are you really?" Angel asked, scratching his head.
"Yes, I'm his Godmother. And I'm 219 years old." Anne answered with a grin..
"Whoa, whoa. Back up a minute. "Buffy finally spoke, walking purposefully towards the trio. "Care for introductions, little Ripper?" She asked sweetly, her tone belying a message of impatience.
Giles cleared his throat, "Uh ... Annie, this—this is Buffy Summers ..."
"The resident Vampire Slayer." Anya supplied.
"... uh... Willow Rosenberg..."
"The resident Witch."
".. and of course, you've met Angel." He smiled slightly.
Anne shook hands with the two girls, smiling cheerfully. " It's a real honor to meet you, Buffy Summers. I've heard a lot about you."
Buffy grinned back, "Really?" She blushed, pleased.
Anne paused when she greeted Willow. "You're a witch? " She asked curiously.
Willow nodded, "Yes. I'm Wiccan. Well, at least trying to..."
Anne smiled warmly, "I'm a witch myself. Although Wiccan Magick isn't really one of my fields of study."
"Really?" Willow asked, intrigued.
"Annie's a really very good witch. Had a lot of years studying and practicing it." Anya remarked with pride for her friend. "You had a triple PhD right?"
"Wait. A demon-witch?" Buffy asked.
Anne corrected, "Actually, it's five PhD's now. Professor Dumbledore kept insisting that learning should never stop."
"Five? "Willow's jaw dropped.
"That is pretty unusual." Angel mused. "What kind of demon are you?"
Shooting a nervous glance towards Giles, Anne replied, "Uh, I'm not really the kind of demon that could be found in Watcher's books..."
"That's because the Watcher's Council was unable to study her kind. She was... is protected by the Ministry of Magic." Giles added.
"Ministry of Magic?" Angel asked perplexed.
"Another Council?" Buffy whined.
"No, Buffy. This.. council is more powerful than the .. er, Watcher's but they are also extremely protective of their identity. Only a few ... know of its existence." Giles explained. "In fact, I believe that an American Ministry of Magic also exists."
Anne nodded, "Yes, there is. Each country is assigned one to make international correspondence easier."
"Oh. Ok. So, then?" Buffy turned to Anne, prodding her to go on.
Anne continued, "To keep a long story short, I'm what is called a direct hybrid of a vampire and a slayer. My father was a vampire while my mom was the slayer at that time. They were brought together by love and that's where I came to being." She half-smiled at their look of complete amazement.
"Oooh... that sounds so romantic." Willow gushed.
"No... that's impossible..." Angel murmured, shaking his head.
"I'm afraid it's true." Anne said apologetically. "I'm sorry for shocking you and all, but ..."
Willow grinned, "I think you more than shocked them with your revelation, Annie." He patted Buffy's hand comfortingly.
Giles looked shocked. He sputtered, "But that.... That isn't in—in the Watchers' journals..." He took off his glasses then started cleaning them out of habit, "This is... bloody hell."
Buffy seemed to be in a trance. Vampires could breed? No way...
Anne caught the look that passed between her and Angel and smiled inwardly. So that was how it is between you two. This was getting to be more interesting than she thought.
Shaking her head off this brand new issue, Buffy glanced at her watch, commenting airily, "Listen guys, I'd like to stay and chat but Angel and I have patrolling to do. How about I take a rain check?" She began to shrug into her black leather jacket, throwing a meaningful look at her partner.
"Are you staying at a hotel?" Giles asked Anne as he handed Buffy her backpack of weapons.
Anne shook her head. "No, I'm moving here permanently. Giving myself time to recuperate from my last assignment and take on a new job."
"A job? Doing what?" Anya asked, frowned.
"A Witch on Patrol. Oh, before I forget, Ripper, I have a letter for you. It's from the American Ministry." She extracted a long white envelope tucked into her back pocket.
Buffy paused from her preparations to glance sharply at Anne.
"Witch on Patrol?" Willow asked curiously. "What's that?"
Anne hurriedly assured them, "I'm not here to replace the Slayer or anything. "She grinned at Buffy's rueful look. "I'm just here for added reinforcement or secondary research resource. The energy here in the Hellmouth can attract a lot of bad wizards and witches."
"Tell me about it." Buffy grumbled.
" I could also help with things concerning Hellmouth activity, but otherwise, I'm supposed to fade into the background." Anne shrugged. " It's just a quiet job actually."
Giles finished scanning the contents of the letter and then carefully folded it back into the envelope and tucked it into his pants' pocket. Turning to Buffy, he said, "You better do your patrol now, Buffy. I have to close the shop in a few minutes. Anya could you flip the sign by the door?" He began to clear the books on the round table into neat piles.
"Ok. See ya guys!" Buffy waved goodbye as she and Angel exited the shop.
Anne bit her lip. Ripper was obviously mulling over the news the letter contained. She didn't know how he was going to react at the information of her true purpose here, as such was the news the letter held.
Giles finally turned to her and whispered in a low voice, " I won't be mentioning this to anyone. This will be kept in strict confidence. Trust me."
She gave a slight nod. Extracting a piece of paper from her pocket, she asked him, "Well, then, can you help me find this address?"
Glancing at the written address, Giles exclaimed, " That's in Buffy's street!"
Willow looked over his shoulder, "Not only is it in Buffy's street, it's the house next-door to Buffy's."
"Could you take me there?" Anne asked eagerly.
"Sure. I'll be dropping Willow at the University dorm anyway. We'll just stop by your place first." Giles grabbed his car keys and coat before heading for the door. "Anya, I'll be back in a few minutes."
"I'll be doing the accounting." Anya gave him a mock-salute before turning and giving Anne a hug.
"Why don't you stop by tomorrow for coffee or tea?" Anya asked.
"We'll see. I'll send you an owl." And with a last squeeze, Anne and Willow walked into the cold night air.
"You'll send an owl? "Willow laughed.
Anne grinned, "It does seem unconventional but that's how we magic folks communicate."
"It sounds pretty old... WOW! Is that your car?" Willow's jaw dropped at the sight of the black convertible. "This is ... " Words failed her.
Anne grinned at her reaction. " I bought this during one of my travels. Pretty, isn't she?"
"Oh yeah." Willow grinned, sliding her hand on the car's sleek form. Then a frown entered her features. "Was it too expensive to ship this from England?"
Anne shook her head. "Not at all. I didn't ship this from back home. I drove it all the way here."
At Willow's dumbfounded expression, Anne explained, " I had to go through the International Toll way then traveled across the US continent. It was a very long drive. Took me almost four hours."
"How..." Willow asked in confusion.
Giles laughed, as Willow's expression didn't change, "You have to understand, Willow. Folks like Anne are used to having enchanted possessions." Turning to Anne, he said, "I take it when you said drive, that meant you flew?"
Anne nodded. "Of course. Don't you have flying cars here?"
Willow replied, still in awe, "Not that I know of." She gazed at the beautiful black car. "So that's why you arrived at night. Trying to avoid the traffic, huh?" She joked.
"I guess you could say that. Want to ride with me?" Anne offered.
"Oh, yeah." Willow nodded vigorously, jumping on the passenger's side. Noticing the sleeping animals, she remarked, "You've got a lot of .. uh, animals here."
"We prefer to be called family, madam. If you don't mind." Henry's aristocratic voice sounded with righteous indignation from the back.
Willow stared with wide eyes at the speaking dog, not knowing how to react.
Anne sighed, "Oh shut up Henry." Turning to Willow, she grinned, " Enchanted animals."
"Hey, there Henry." Giles grinned at the canine.
Henry suddenly grinned widely, "Ripper! What brings you here? It's been a long time, old boy."
"I live here, old timer. Well then, I – I guess I'll meet you at Revello Drive then." Giles said, opening his own car door.
"Okay. See you, Ripper." And with that, the black convertible rose into the sky with nary a sound as it sped off into the night.
"What, pray tell, are we doing in front of a blasted magic shop?" A male British voice spoke from the backseat, his tone filled with customary English haughtiness. It would have seemed more intimidating if it didn't belong to a stuffy old German shepherd.
Cassie, a Siamese cat, yawned beside him. "Oh, stuff it, Henry, you old man ... er, dog. Why don't you go to sleep? The silence would be so—oo welcoming for a change." She smiled sarcastically at the big dog.
"You, my dear, wouldn't know the meaning of 'silence' even if it bit you in the nose." He replied in a dry tone.
"Oh yeah?"
"Put a cork in it, you two." Anne sighed exasperatedly. " You've been bickering nonstop ever since we flew over Kansas."
Hannah, her white owl, chuckled beside her, continuing with her knitting. It was a wonder her feathered wings were able to hold the knitting needles in a firm grasp. Anne knew the fact that her feathers were enchanted enough to be used like real hands helped in this interesting hobby.
If somebody happened to listen in on their conversation, one would think they were a normal family ... of sorts. Henry, Cassie, and Hannah were all enchanted animals, blessed with human voices in order to interact with their owners. They found each other in an Animagi convention in London several years ago and the four have been inseparable since. The three animals joined in all of Anne's travels, always making their home with her.
"I have to make a quick stop before we move on to the house. I've run out of scented candles and incense." She got out of the black convertible. " I'll be right back."
Funny how a magic store was strategically located in Sunnydale. Considering it being the Hellmouth and all... She thought as she entered the large shop. Maybe they could help her locate her old friend, learning that Ripper was the new watcher for the Chosen One. Tinkling bells announced her arrival. She hoped the shop wasn't about to close up. It was getting pretty late actually.
A large dark-haired man, wearing a black trench coat over his blue shirt and dark brown pants, hesitantly greeted her with a brooding stare. A tingling behind her neck told her he was not of the human variety, more of the vampire species. However, she couldn't feel evil vibes from him. Hmm ... interesting.
"Can I help you? "His deep voice rumbled forth, causing her to tilt her head at one side at the intriguing softness in his tone.
"Uh ... yes. I.. I suppose. I was looking for ... uh.. Scented candles. And incense." She couldn't help stammering as she stared at him.
Angel looked at her curiously, noting her English accent. He led her to the vast array of colorful candles in various shapes and sizes. "Here you are." She looked like a normal woman in her early twenties, with her yellow halter-top and white jeans. Still ... There's something strange about this girl...
He glanced back at the far side of the store where the training room was built. He could still hear Giles' droning voice, indicating that the Watcher was still doing the Yoda-style meditation. They should be done any minute now. He can't wait to take Buffy out to patrol and ... whatever came after. He grinned guiltily at his thoughts.
Anne cleared her throat, causing Angel to snap back at her direction, " Yes?" He asked.
"Where can I pay for these?" She asked, smiling slightly.
"Oh. Let me help you with those. The cashier's over here..." He motioned with his head as he strode towards the cash register.
Anne followed the large vampire, noting the round table in the middle of the room, several piles of old books that were strewn across it, and the red-haired girl who was deeply engrossed in her reading.
"I didn't realize this was also a reading room." She remarked before facing the counter to pay for her purchase. "Do you sell books here too?"
Unexpectedly, a familiar scent swept across her, causing her to do a double take as she saw who was waiting by the cash register. "Oh my God..."
The blonde female gaped right back at her in shock. It took them a full minute before dissolving in shrieks of laughter, causing Buffy and Giles to come rushing out from the back in fighting mode. The sight of the two women in a happy hug allowed them to relax and look in curiosity.
"Annie! Oh my God!" Anya rushed blindly towards her old friend, grabbing her in a warm hug.
"Anyanka! You, old demon, you! What are you doing here?" Anne laughed in delight, her arms going around her old demon friend. "How have you been? It's been ages since we've seen each other!" She stepped back to look her friend over. "And you're looking good too. Where did you get this hideous orange dress?" She half-teased.
"I know, I know. I look ridiculous in it." Tears started to form in Anya's eyes. "I missed you so much!" She grinned like an excited kid.
Anne grinned back, oblivious to their audience staring at them in surprise.
"Uh.. Anya ... "Angel looked from one woman to the other. He wore the same expression of utter confusion as Willow.
"Oh. Angel, this is Anne Sinclair, an old friend from London." She linked an arm with Anne. "Annie, this is Angel, one of our resident vampires. But don't worry, he won't bite. He got his soul back."
"Gee, thanks." Angel scowled at her, extending a hand to Anne.
"A resident vampire?" Anne raised her eyebrows at him.
"Annie?" A disbelieving voice called out from behind. Anne turned sharply at the sound, her blue eyes widening in recognition.
Familiar brown eyes stared at her, drinking in the sight of her. They spoke of humble wisdom and intelligence. His mischievous features that caused much trouble back then were now tamed by time, weathered by experience. She smiled at him with a fondness that came from knowing him so well.
"Ripper." She whispered, emotion weakening her voice. Shock at the sudden sight of her old friend rendered her legs useless at the moment.
"Oh, God..." He walked towards her, his eyes misting. He wrapped her in a tight hug, tears spilling into his cheeks. She allowed herself to comfort him, rubbing her hands down his back in a continuous motion.
After a while, Anne grinned and finally pulled herself from Giles hug. " Ripper, old boy. I may be a half-demon but I still need to breathe." She peered at him, "You look ... older."
Giles chuckled, raking his hand across his brown hair, "Thank you for the kind observation, O demon friend of mine. And you look ... the same. Still beautiful as ever." He replied sincerely.
"You two know each other?" Anya interrupted, amazed.
Anne grinned, "Yes. His folks were friends of mine. I watched how little Ripper here grew up in the proper care of his guardians in London, just like how a true gentleman should have."
"She was my Godmother." Giles smiled self-consciously.
"Really?" Anya asked excitedly.
"Just how old are you really?" Angel asked, scratching his head.
"Yes, I'm his Godmother. And I'm 219 years old." Anne answered with a grin..
"Whoa, whoa. Back up a minute. "Buffy finally spoke, walking purposefully towards the trio. "Care for introductions, little Ripper?" She asked sweetly, her tone belying a message of impatience.
Giles cleared his throat, "Uh ... Annie, this—this is Buffy Summers ..."
"The resident Vampire Slayer." Anya supplied.
"... uh... Willow Rosenberg..."
"The resident Witch."
".. and of course, you've met Angel." He smiled slightly.
Anne shook hands with the two girls, smiling cheerfully. " It's a real honor to meet you, Buffy Summers. I've heard a lot about you."
Buffy grinned back, "Really?" She blushed, pleased.
Anne paused when she greeted Willow. "You're a witch? " She asked curiously.
Willow nodded, "Yes. I'm Wiccan. Well, at least trying to..."
Anne smiled warmly, "I'm a witch myself. Although Wiccan Magick isn't really one of my fields of study."
"Really?" Willow asked, intrigued.
"Annie's a really very good witch. Had a lot of years studying and practicing it." Anya remarked with pride for her friend. "You had a triple PhD right?"
"Wait. A demon-witch?" Buffy asked.
Anne corrected, "Actually, it's five PhD's now. Professor Dumbledore kept insisting that learning should never stop."
"Five? "Willow's jaw dropped.
"That is pretty unusual." Angel mused. "What kind of demon are you?"
Shooting a nervous glance towards Giles, Anne replied, "Uh, I'm not really the kind of demon that could be found in Watcher's books..."
"That's because the Watcher's Council was unable to study her kind. She was... is protected by the Ministry of Magic." Giles added.
"Ministry of Magic?" Angel asked perplexed.
"Another Council?" Buffy whined.
"No, Buffy. This.. council is more powerful than the .. er, Watcher's but they are also extremely protective of their identity. Only a few ... know of its existence." Giles explained. "In fact, I believe that an American Ministry of Magic also exists."
Anne nodded, "Yes, there is. Each country is assigned one to make international correspondence easier."
"Oh. Ok. So, then?" Buffy turned to Anne, prodding her to go on.
Anne continued, "To keep a long story short, I'm what is called a direct hybrid of a vampire and a slayer. My father was a vampire while my mom was the slayer at that time. They were brought together by love and that's where I came to being." She half-smiled at their look of complete amazement.
"Oooh... that sounds so romantic." Willow gushed.
"No... that's impossible..." Angel murmured, shaking his head.
"I'm afraid it's true." Anne said apologetically. "I'm sorry for shocking you and all, but ..."
Willow grinned, "I think you more than shocked them with your revelation, Annie." He patted Buffy's hand comfortingly.
Giles looked shocked. He sputtered, "But that.... That isn't in—in the Watchers' journals..." He took off his glasses then started cleaning them out of habit, "This is... bloody hell."
Buffy seemed to be in a trance. Vampires could breed? No way...
Anne caught the look that passed between her and Angel and smiled inwardly. So that was how it is between you two. This was getting to be more interesting than she thought.
Shaking her head off this brand new issue, Buffy glanced at her watch, commenting airily, "Listen guys, I'd like to stay and chat but Angel and I have patrolling to do. How about I take a rain check?" She began to shrug into her black leather jacket, throwing a meaningful look at her partner.
"Are you staying at a hotel?" Giles asked Anne as he handed Buffy her backpack of weapons.
Anne shook her head. "No, I'm moving here permanently. Giving myself time to recuperate from my last assignment and take on a new job."
"A job? Doing what?" Anya asked, frowned.
"A Witch on Patrol. Oh, before I forget, Ripper, I have a letter for you. It's from the American Ministry." She extracted a long white envelope tucked into her back pocket.
Buffy paused from her preparations to glance sharply at Anne.
"Witch on Patrol?" Willow asked curiously. "What's that?"
Anne hurriedly assured them, "I'm not here to replace the Slayer or anything. "She grinned at Buffy's rueful look. "I'm just here for added reinforcement or secondary research resource. The energy here in the Hellmouth can attract a lot of bad wizards and witches."
"Tell me about it." Buffy grumbled.
" I could also help with things concerning Hellmouth activity, but otherwise, I'm supposed to fade into the background." Anne shrugged. " It's just a quiet job actually."
Giles finished scanning the contents of the letter and then carefully folded it back into the envelope and tucked it into his pants' pocket. Turning to Buffy, he said, "You better do your patrol now, Buffy. I have to close the shop in a few minutes. Anya could you flip the sign by the door?" He began to clear the books on the round table into neat piles.
"Ok. See ya guys!" Buffy waved goodbye as she and Angel exited the shop.
Anne bit her lip. Ripper was obviously mulling over the news the letter contained. She didn't know how he was going to react at the information of her true purpose here, as such was the news the letter held.
Giles finally turned to her and whispered in a low voice, " I won't be mentioning this to anyone. This will be kept in strict confidence. Trust me."
She gave a slight nod. Extracting a piece of paper from her pocket, she asked him, "Well, then, can you help me find this address?"
Glancing at the written address, Giles exclaimed, " That's in Buffy's street!"
Willow looked over his shoulder, "Not only is it in Buffy's street, it's the house next-door to Buffy's."
"Could you take me there?" Anne asked eagerly.
"Sure. I'll be dropping Willow at the University dorm anyway. We'll just stop by your place first." Giles grabbed his car keys and coat before heading for the door. "Anya, I'll be back in a few minutes."
"I'll be doing the accounting." Anya gave him a mock-salute before turning and giving Anne a hug.
"Why don't you stop by tomorrow for coffee or tea?" Anya asked.
"We'll see. I'll send you an owl." And with a last squeeze, Anne and Willow walked into the cold night air.
"You'll send an owl? "Willow laughed.
Anne grinned, "It does seem unconventional but that's how we magic folks communicate."
"It sounds pretty old... WOW! Is that your car?" Willow's jaw dropped at the sight of the black convertible. "This is ... " Words failed her.
Anne grinned at her reaction. " I bought this during one of my travels. Pretty, isn't she?"
"Oh yeah." Willow grinned, sliding her hand on the car's sleek form. Then a frown entered her features. "Was it too expensive to ship this from England?"
Anne shook her head. "Not at all. I didn't ship this from back home. I drove it all the way here."
At Willow's dumbfounded expression, Anne explained, " I had to go through the International Toll way then traveled across the US continent. It was a very long drive. Took me almost four hours."
"How..." Willow asked in confusion.
Giles laughed, as Willow's expression didn't change, "You have to understand, Willow. Folks like Anne are used to having enchanted possessions." Turning to Anne, he said, "I take it when you said drive, that meant you flew?"
Anne nodded. "Of course. Don't you have flying cars here?"
Willow replied, still in awe, "Not that I know of." She gazed at the beautiful black car. "So that's why you arrived at night. Trying to avoid the traffic, huh?" She joked.
"I guess you could say that. Want to ride with me?" Anne offered.
"Oh, yeah." Willow nodded vigorously, jumping on the passenger's side. Noticing the sleeping animals, she remarked, "You've got a lot of .. uh, animals here."
"We prefer to be called family, madam. If you don't mind." Henry's aristocratic voice sounded with righteous indignation from the back.
Willow stared with wide eyes at the speaking dog, not knowing how to react.
Anne sighed, "Oh shut up Henry." Turning to Willow, she grinned, " Enchanted animals."
"Hey, there Henry." Giles grinned at the canine.
Henry suddenly grinned widely, "Ripper! What brings you here? It's been a long time, old boy."
"I live here, old timer. Well then, I – I guess I'll meet you at Revello Drive then." Giles said, opening his own car door.
"Okay. See you, Ripper." And with that, the black convertible rose into the sky with nary a sound as it sped off into the night.
