Blame the busy schedule.
I have four weeks left till I graduate from college =) So now all my professors are piling everything from exit papers to research stuff on me. So writing is kind of taking a back burner. I really want to finish this before I graduate but hey... it might not happen. I'm only halfway through this lovely work of art. Literally.
Thirty one chapters and epilogue are planned. I hope I don't go over too much. Aside from an evil prank, I am predicting character death. So... hold on to your butts!
I'll omit question/answer time for today because I frankly can't find anything really decent to answer that won't be answered in the next few chapters that you don't already know. Yes, I'm evil. I know I am. Yes, I'm sorry for what I did, but hey... it was kind of fun writing that. It'd be the perfect "The Wish" alternative, don't you think?
- - - - -
Chapter 15
Prism
- - - - -
Ron Weasley was standing by the athletic arena where most of the Slayers trained daily, waiting for Hermione to come from the library, where she'd been engrossed in the massive amounts of literature all morning. Her dedication to the books surprised all but Willow, who affectionately called her 'my mini-me'.
He glanced around, spying someone leaning against the fence, staring out over the stables and meadows stretching toward the mountains. Realizing he had some time to kill, he figured it might be nice if he at least found the time to meet new people instead of keeping to himself.
He had heard rumors that the Slayers thought of Harry and his friends as dodgy, prissy dolts. He really wanted to refute that theory since he knew that if Hermione or Ginny found out, it would probably spell certain disaster. Not for Hermione, really.
As he stood there along the fence, his thoughts dwelled on her. Hermione was really something but lately he'd felt a distance between them. She had pulled away from him, throwing herself into politics and her non-profit work. Before they'd seen each other on the plane, they'd spent one measly night together in two months.
He really missed her sometimes but otherwise he felt okay. She wasn't the center of his universe as Ginny was to Harry at times. She was just a really great girl he'd fallen for a long time ago.
As much as it was bittersweet to say so, he and Hermione were over. Sure, they would always remain friends, but the passion between them, the love and respect and warmth, had dried up as had so many creek basins in the dry California sun.
The girl a ways down from him was shielding her eyes and staring at him. Before he could move away, she drifted toward him. "Nice view, hm?"
"It's spectacular," he admitted, nodding in approval as he glanced around the paddock. "Never thought I'd enjoy it as much."
"I'm Melanie Spencer," the girl introduced herself quickly.
"Ron Weasley," he replied, shaking her hand. It was then that he'd gotten a really good look at her. She was on the shorter side, but quite as strong as the others, judging by the grip of her hand. She was also adorable, with short platinum hair and blue eyes that twinkled when she looked into his.
He drew his gaze away.
"You're one of those British folk, aren't you?" she asked and for the first time he noticed an accent.
"You're not from here are you?" he asked, returning her question with one of his own.
"No," she said, shaking her shiny head. "I'm originally from Hungary but my parents sent me off to Canadian boarding schools when I was very young. I just came to the Slayers Academy six months ago. You should have heard my parents... I didn't think I'd ever give them both heart attacks within a five minute span. They wanted me to have nothing to do with Americans."
"Neither did my family," Ron said with a sigh. "At least, not before Dawn came over there."
Melanie looked slightly bitter as he said this. "I just wish that Buffy would tell us more, you know? She keeps us all in the dark about her sister and everything else that's going on."
"Maybe she's trying to protect you from things you aren't ready for," Ron suggested lightly. "I mean, she is only human."
Melanie smiled, and it was a gesture that brought a warm feeling to Ron's toes. "You are right," she said softly, turning back to the scenery. "Listen... I have a few minutes before I need to get back for lunch... have you ever seen the athletic building? I'm pretty sure Buffy and the Watchers are keeping you all busy."
Ron thought of her Hermione, and imagining her blowing him off because she was too engrossed in a book gave him a shot of confidence. He nodded.
"Awesome!" she said, grinning and tucking her arm through him. "I've always wanted to talk to one of you... well, Harry Potter anyway. The moment I heard everyone talk about him I had the hugest crush on him... until I saw that redhead attached to his hip, anyway."
"That redhead is my sister," Ron said quietly. She turned to him in surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry... I didn't know... I'm really, really glad I didn't get involved with that, anyway," she said, blushing slightly.
"You wouldn't want to cross my sister," Ron said wryly. "And besides... Harry loves her. You don't want to get into that."
"I'd rather not," she replied softly. "How about you? Do you have a special someone in your life?"
Realizing that Hermione was still around but not present, he shook his head quickly. "Not really."
"See, you're lying," Melanie said almost immediately, gauging his reaction. "Who's the brunette?"
"My best friend," he replied honestly. "Honest. She's my best friend, Harry's too."
She looked a little puzzled, but suddenly a bright smile spread across her face. "Have you ever seen hockey?"
"I've heard about it," he said, letting Melanie lead him into the arena.
"Buffy has Faith teach us," Melanie said, her voice turning passionate. "I couldn't get enough of it in Toronto. It's kind of like Quidditch where you try to get a ball of sorts into a net. Only we play with sticks and we use a puck in place of a ball. Come on, I'll show you."
Ron was having a hard time keeping up with Melanie's enthusiasm. As soon as he saw the hockey rink spreading before him, he understood her excitement. "Wow," he breathed.
"I think I forgot to mention it's played on ice," she giggled, taking his hand and leading him down to the benches. As soon as she stopped though, she turned and stared down at their enjoined hands. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, pulling her hand back.
Surprisingly, Ron felt himself reaching for it again. "Don't be," he said, a sly look in his eyes.
She felt herself blushing as she turned her gaze to the ice. "Want to play?" she asked brightly.
Ron felt a sense of fear and trepidation, yet the boredom of the past few days overcame that and he nodded. "At least I finally figure out what an ice rink is like," he admitted as she pulled him onto the ice.
- - - - -
Buffy had just finished clearing her dishes from her private suite when a knock sounded at the door. "Come in!" she called out.
Willow stepped in with Dawn, both of them smiling. "I just got the grand tour of the grounds," Dawn said, her voice sounded as though she were tired but unwilling to admit it.
"I'm glad," Buffy said softly as she straightened. "Please, come in."
"The one place you haven't shown me is my room," Dawn joked as she took a seat in the Slayer's office. Willow smiled at Buffy before ducking out. "She didn't have to leave, you know."
"I know," Buffy said, sitting down. "But we do have a lot to talk about."
"We do?" Dawn asked, puzzled.
"For one thing, we never finished your suite," Buffy said apologetically. "And because Xander and Cho's wedding is so close--"
"Xander? And Cho? Getting married?" Dawn asked in disbelief.
"-- that he ran out of time to finish your room for you," Buffy finished up. "Some of the girls are heading to New York in a week. I think you should hit a Pottery Barn or a Crate and Barrel and find some things for it. I'll happily show you the space, but it needs flooring, windows, and a door... probably some furniture too."
"Oh," Dawn said, looking slightly taken aback. "Thank you."
"No problem," Buffy said, sitting down. "And I felt like we needed to talk about what happened to you. After all, you annoyed me to no end when I came back from the dead."
Dawn suddenly looked panic-stricken. "I-I can't..." She turned away, her face twisting into a look of deep, intense pain. "I-I'm sorry."
"Dawnie, don't be," Buffy said, reaching across to put her hand on Dawn's. "I know things are different now. It's like you're looking into your old life and seeing something completely different on the other side. But it's all right... we're all here for you. That's what families do."
"I can probably try and talk about it," Dawn muttered, biting her lip. "Just give me time, okay? It was a lot to go through and you weren't exactly forthcoming in your life either. You neglected to tell me you were in Heaven... after I'd been alone for months."
"Dawn," Buffy said, her eyes shining with tears. "That was really stupid of me, but I hope you can help us because I want to know what they did to you. They have your daughter and I know you'd probably want to get her back."
"I do," Dawn said, with a half-smile. "I-I just can't go back there... it-it's too..." Her voice trailed off as she rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "It hurts. Just knowing that my life has been changed and I can't ever have these years back... everyone is so different now... and you're all I have. You're my everything."
Buffy smiled at her sister. "I know things seem different now but once you get used to them, everyone's the same. So we live in an Academy now instead of a house, and we're training these girls for the next few months to be placed in areas around the world... but that's all!"
"What about Xander and Cho?" Dawn asked, using her fingertips to brush away the tears in her eyes.
"They fell in love," Buffy said simply. "You know how lonely he was after Anya died... and now that Cho came over here, she and Xander worked together a lot."
"What about a Watcher's Council?" Dawn asked curiously.
"Giles formed an American branch," Buffy said, her voice full of pride. "Xander and Tara are both Watchers, but Tara is Cho's, if you were wondering," she said wryly, seeing Dawn's eyes widening. "He also hired about a dozen new people. There are hundreds of us living here now, completely off of our funds from the British Ministry... a loan of sorts."
"You're using magical money to fund this place?" she asked incredulously.
"Well," Buffy fidgeted slightly, "Wolfram and Hart have been a big asset to us too. It was they who first discovered the findings of the American Ministry."
As she spoke the name, Dawn suddenly hardened, her eyes turning into two perfect orbs of steel. "I don't want to hear that name mentioned again," she hissed.
"Of course," Buffy said smoothly, waving her hands as a sort of apology. "Anything else?"
"Why is Draco here?" Dawn asked. "He gave me up years ago."
"It was his Father who was behind your breakup," Buffy replied. "He was the one who arranged to have the Ministry take you... take you away from us."
"I figured as much," Dawn said bitterly. "I really wish he'd go though."
"He loves you," Buffy said, trying to catch Dawn's eye.
"He doesn't love me," she sputtered, her eyes narrowing with fire flashing behind them. "He loves himself. That's all Draco Malfoy ever loved!"
"I will speak with him," Buffy vowed, "and ask that he maintain his distance."
Dawn visibly relaxed. "Thank you," she said graciously. "I just can't deal with him now... and all of this... and knowing my daughter is still trapped in that looney bin..."
"I understand," Buffy said, standing up. "If you don't mind, I'm going to send you down to the Slayer wing, unless you want a hotel-style room in guest quarters with Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger."
"The Slayer wing," Dawn said quickly. "I don't want to deal with them either right now," she explained, seeing Buffy's curious look.
She shrugged, opening the door. "Okay, let's go, Dawn." After Dawn stepped out, she closed the door behind them.
- - - - -
"I think that your Uncle Rory should sit over here," Cho was saying, glancing at a few stacks of paper and a box of pushpins lying next to them on the concrete walk surrounding the large outdoors pool. "Near your parents?"
"Bad idea," Xander replied, pulling out the pushpin with the yellow post it labeling his least favorite uncle and gently sticking it into a table across the room. "The farther he is away from my parents, the better."
Cho nodded and glanced at the invitation list. "Are these friends?"
Xander examined the list over her shoulder. "Yeah."
"Table four?" she asked, taking a few pushpins.
Xander nodded as she quickly placed them. He was surprised how easy this was compared to his foiled wedding with Anya. Cho knew exactly what she wanted and he spared no expense on letting her have the wedding of his dreams. They were getting married at sunset on campus before driving to a large, gorgeous flat in the mountains for the reception at a stunning luxury club. The friends would stay there overnight and return the next day.
Cho was staring at him and he pulled out of his reverie. "What is it?" he asked gently.
Her eyes softened as she placed her head on his shoulder. "Do we really get to spend the rest of our lives together?"
He felt a grin tugging at his lips despite thoughts of Anya. "We do," he said, placing an arm around her shoulders as she handed his the guest list. "Harry Potter and friends."
As he said this, he heard peals of laughter coming from the athletic complex down the hill. They both straightened and saw two people stumbling out, pushing each other around.
"Mel?" Cho asked, standing up as the two grew closer. She was surprised to see Melanie, a Slayer, and Ron Weasley, both flushed and wet, looking as though they'd had the time of their lives.
"Hey!" Melanie said, throwing her arms around Cho, getting her dress all wet. "Wedding planning again, you two? You never stop!"
"I only have my free periods," Cho said, dropping back into her seat before glancing at Ron. "What were you two doing?"
"She was introducing me to hockey," Ron said, grinning at Mel. She grinned back.
Cho started. Her eyes widened as she saw the look and immediately she froze, exchanging a panic-stricken glance with Xander.
Another voice boomed out across the grounds. "Ron Weasley!" a voice shouted. He turned to see Hermione, her arms full of books, waving madly.
"I'd better go," he said regretfully, turning to Mel. "I had a lot of fun..."
"It's been great," Mel agreed, watching as he spun and ran off. She sighed slightly. "It's been a blast..."
"Um, Mel?" Cho asked gently. Mel turned to look at her. "You do realize he's just visiting, right?"
Melanie nodded. "I know he is... but... I really like him. He's so sweet and funny as hell as he kept falling on the ice..."
"Uh oh," Xander said in a teasing sing-song voice. Both Melanie and Cho rounded on him. "Someone's got a crush."
"Yeah," Melanie said, gazing as Ron met up with Hermione and the two disappeared from view. "I think maybe I do."
- - - - -
After they'd hit the meadows, Hermione handed him her top book. "I think you should start with this one," she said in a brassy voice, "and then maybe--"
"Hermione," Ron said suddenly, turning to her. She stopped, several books dropping out of stunned arms.
"Yeah?"
"Let's not read today," he said, gently pulling the books out and setting them on the grass. "That's all we've done since we've gotten here. Read and study... this is my vacation too as well as yours. You should be relaxing."
"I know," Hermione shrugged.
"Let's take a walk," he said, offering his arm. "I really just want to spend time wandering around this gorgeous campus and spending time with you."
Hermione looked hesitantly at his arm, her gaze dropping longingly at the books. "A-All right," she stammered, taking his arm. "Where are we going?"
"Wherever the wind takes us," Ron said, his voice serious.
"That sounds intriguing," Hermione replied.
"I figured as much."
- - - - -
"So, the Key has woken from her waking sleep after all," a deep voice said, filling a crowded chamber. "It is time for us to implement the next stage."
A figure stood up and stepped forward, the lights shining off of her dark hair. "I vote we step up and go directly to stage four. Stage three is unnecessary at this point. The price will be too high for the Key to stay away."
"And once the change happens, what then?" another voice demanded.
There were shouts along the small hall until the woman placed up her hand, grinning. "That'll be up to her, won't it? I think we should begin immediately."
The man at the table nodded, his dark, dead-sounding voice full of despise as he spoke his next words.
"Proceed."
- - - - -
To be continued...
Chapter 16 - Join Xander and the rest of the Watchers as they hit a mountain retreat as the perfect bachelor party before the big day!
Chapter 17 - Cho and the girls are heading to New York City for the wackiest and wildest bachelorette party yet!