*comments added April 28*
It has taken me FOREVER to write this chapter and I even had help! I knew exactly what I wanted and I knew it was going to take some time for the elements to come together. I wanted a nice little girls chapter and it turned into an epic saga that was way too long, even with edits. So I politely chopped it and will add the rest in Chapter 18. Also, the lady who supplied the title to this is in her guest role in this chapter. I think she made a comment about being an Oracle. Well... I gave that some justice and added more to it. So, as you will see, she's not just some oracle. Also... for those of you looking for more romance, I just created a hypothetical wrench in the gut. It will get better, I promise. It's all in my plans.
*end edit*
A few more questions...
Lucius Malfoy... why is free and what is going on with him?
He was released following the fall of Lord Voldemort. Why? I'll leave that to your imagination for now. He will be dealt with in Chapter 18, with the return of the Order. Look for the Order to then reemerge following Chapter 23.
You call this a love story?
Not really... at least, not now. All we know is... one pairing is in a huge state of jeopardy. In the prequel, Harry and Ginny got together and currently their actions put them at friendship, best. The notions will be explored further. The wedding chapters should do some justice to romance. And it'll all begin in "City Girls" as the Cho/Xander relationship is explored further and we start to see the demise of another.
Will we ever see our precious Hogwarts again?
Yes, but not until the end of this sequel. And don't you even THINK about wanting another *threatening glare*.
Who is going to be resurrected?
Since it happens at the end of this chapter, I won't tell you. And... it isn't the first resurrection either. I plan on bringing two agents of evil from the dead, one that will fail and the other that won't. One was a good guy and one was a baddish guy. Sort of. It all fits, really.
I can feel something big happening... what is it?
Xander's wedding will be put into jeopardy when said characters from the question above return. Also, Dawn begins to feel the effects of whatever the American Ministry did to her, and the "agents" aren't helping her out either... Mother and Daughter are reunited in Chapter 24/25. Long ways away, but not really, you know?
Someone spare me the loopey questions!
Ahem, sorry... my bad. In this chapter... Cho takes her English friends, her Watcher and a few others to New York City to register and prepare for her wedding, only a week away. However, things start to occur that makes Cho take a second look at her new life while other lives struggle to maintain what they already have.
*** Updated Disclaimer ***
I brought Tara back from the dead. She is currently a Watcher. I have no holds over whatever Joss Whedon created and wanted to do with these characters, but I'm sure having a hell of a lot of fun playing around with all of these characters. Two more will rise. No copyright infringement intended.
Thank you dear reviewers! If you can muddle through this long, long chapter... cookies and ice cream all around!
- - - - -
Chapter 17
City Girls
- - - - -
It was well past midnight when Cho returned from her nightly patrol. She glanced around the apartment she shared with Xander. As usual, he wasn't home. He was out with his own group of Slayers on night patrol.
She slipped into her separate bedroom, smiling at the large collection of photographs and mementos on the walls. It seemed like just a few weeks ago she was a happy, smiling student at Hogwarts. Now she didn't know if she'd ever see it again. It seemed as though her entire magical world was fading away.
She frowned slightly, turning to her bed where a suitcase was propped up against a large box. She'd begun packing for New York earlier that day while Xander had been gone on his retreat.
She paused, sitting down. Xander had been very distant with her since he'd returned. They only had few precious moments together. Their wedding was less than two weeks away. They needed to communicate better if their marriage was ever going to work.
A picture on the far wall caught her eye. It was a picture she'd forgotten about. She moved to her bookcase and lifted the sterling silver frame. It was a photograph of Cedric Diggory.
How she'd loved him! He had had such a charm about him... one that she could never resist. His death had devastated her. And yet it was his death that liberated her. Without that, she never would have grown close to Harry Potter and Professor Summers.
She placed the frame back on the shelf and turned to her closet with a sigh. Her past life before she knew she was a Slayer seemed so long ago. She had been a Witch and a mighty powerful one at that.
But it wasn't all bad; she had met Xander after all. She was now so in love with him she couldn't think straight. She remembered the night he proposed and smiled wistfully as she brought outfit after outfit from her closet, profiling herself in her three-way mirror.
He was one of the best things to ever happen to her. Oh, she couldn't deny how homesick she'd been at first, but it was his support and comfort that got her through those long, lonely nights. Without Xander, she might've been very tempted to return home.
Harry Potter and his friends had come and turned her world upside down again, once more. They reminded her that she was a long ways away from where her home was. They were exactly like her... curious about this brave new world and yet apprehensive that they'd start to like it.
Cho set one of the outfits inside her suitcase and packed it away.
She heard a soft knock from the other room and rose to answer the door. When she pulled it open, she was slightly surprised to see Melanie on the other side. "Hey!" she greeted happily.
"I figured you could use some help packing," came Mel's sarcastic reply, waiting for Cho to invite her in.
"You know me," Cho chuckled, holding the door open as Mel walked inside. "What's up?"
"I can't sleep," Mel admitted as she followed Cho back to her bedroom. "And you're the closest thing I have to family... I figured that since you leave in just a few hours, you could use the company."
Cho nodded and grinned. "You guessed right... it's too quiet with only one of us here."
"Where is Xander?" Mel asked, sitting on Cho's bed and crossing her legs, watching as Cho packed various things into a small carryon.
"He's got the midnight patrol tonight," came Cho's muffled reply. She suddenly sat up. "Speaking of which, I've heard an interesting rumor as of late."
"Oh, really?" Melanie asked curiously as she peered into Cho's suitcase and began refolding the clothes inside. "What is this rumor?"
"That you and one of my old friends are involved," Cho said lightly, dropping an armload of shoes onto the bed. "Specifically, Ron Weasley."
"Guilty," Mel admitted, setting down a pile of Cho's pants. "God... if only I had a clue as to what I'm doing."
"I can give you a hint as someone who used to date one of them," Cho said, sitting down and reaching for Mel's hand. "Be careful what you wish for... I know you like him. I can see it in your eyes. But he comes from a world so different than yours."
"So does Xander," Melanie argued, "and look how well you two turned out."
"True," Cho nodded with a sigh. "But Ron's the kind of guy who has been involved with the same person for a few years. And Hermione Granger is not the type of girl you want to cross. She has powers you can't even begin to understand."
"Did you know about your Slayer powers when you found out you were one of us?" Melanie asked softly. "Hermione might be a strong player, I get that. But you've known me for months now, Cho. You know that I will never ever give up on what I want. And if she wants to hurt me, I have powers she can't begin to imagine."
"Don't get into a war here," Cho advised, her voice shaking slightly. "I don't want to choose between my old life and my new one. You know how I feel about these people, Mel."
"Why do you think I'm falling for one of them?" Melanie asked, her tone tearful. "I was hero-worshipping them from all of the stories you've told me."
Cho grinned. "That's my old life," she said wistfully. "I just don't want to..."
"It's all right," Melanie said, squeezing Cho's hand as she stood up. "I know what I'm doing."
"I hope so," Cho said. She too rose and stretched. "I think I'm going to sleep for a little bit before I go tomorrow... I really wish you were coming to New York City with us."
"Me too," Melanie said, and she meant it. "Have a good night, Cho. And have a fantastic weekend."
"I know you will," Cho laughed as Melanie left the apartment.
- - - - -
The plane flew peacefully across the eastern skies as Tara looked out the tiny window, smiling slightly. Next to her, Willow was typing on her laptop, oblivious to everything around her. From what she could see of Hermione and Ginny in the two seats in front of them, they were both fast asleep.
The flight attendant came on the loudspeaker and announced they were beginning their descent into New York's LaGuardia airport. Tara felt her own anticipation rising and she glanced around. Cho was the only other one who looked as excited to see this place as she was. Tara waved and was relieved when Cho waved back with a tense little smile.
Next to her, Willow finally came to her senses, tucking her laptop back inside its bag. "So, what are we doing once we land?" she asked casually as she packed away the bag.
"Well," Tara said, consulting her checklist, "we get off the plane and get baggage and eventually we get taxis and go to our hotel."
"How long is that supposed to take?" Willow asked with a laugh. "And do you have our entire schedule planned out? You're like a... a she-Giles."
Tara grinned as she closed her folder. "I promise I didn't plan out the entire weekend, but I did pull some strings. We still have to find music for the wedding, so I arranged a few bands and such to show up at the hotel's lounge around two this afternoon. And we have dinner reservations with Cho's wedding planner at seven. Tomorrow Cho's parents arrive and we have a harbor tour at eleven. Sunday we fly home at six..."
"Good God," Willow muttered as she listened to Tara talk enthusiastically. "At least we'll keep busy."
"I plan on it," Tara said quietly. "Things have been so strained since Dawn..."
"I know," Willow said, squeezing Tara's hand slightly. "And we'll be on the ground in twenty minutes... does that factor into your plan at all?"
Tara giggled slightly, the excitement quickly building at the thought of spending a great weekend with seven of her favorite females in the world. She glanced over her shoulder to see Cho and her two other Slayers engaged in deep conversation around a wedding magazine. "Oh, it will," she assured her. "It always does."
- - - - -
"Tell me again why we're doing this."
"I told you," Buffy said for the fifth time that Friday morning as they drove south on the interstate toward Los Angeles. "Angel's firm set up an appointment for you to see a psychiatrist... a real one this time, not an American-Ministry bred one. I think you need to get some things together."
Dawn scowled next to her. Behind them, Faith was practically bouncing in her seat. "Can you push it a little faster?" she asked impatiently. "Robin said he only had a meeting till ten!"
"I'd rather you didn't," Dawn said curtly. "I want to get wherever we're going in one piece, thank you very much."
"Not one for much excitement, are you?" Faith asked, sitting back in her seat, crossing her arms. "I used to remember a Dawn that was all 'go team go' psyched."
"Maybe it's because you get to go and see your boyfriend while I get to go talk to yet another shrink," Dawn snapped.
Faith scoffed in the backseat. "He is not my boyfriend."
Dawn shrugged. "Whatever."
"And speaking of boyfriends, anyway," Faith continued, "when are you ever going to talk to yours again?"
Dawn fell silent for a moment. Finally, she sighed. "Who am I going to kid?"
"He came all the way from London against his Father's wishes to be with you," Buffy pointed out gently.
"I know," Dawn said, her voice suddenly tearful. "I just... I just wish it was back to the way it was, you know? Before we..."
"Yeah," Faith said softly. "We know."
"Everything's changed," Dawn said quietly. "Everything. Now he's here and our daughter is... our daughter is somewhere out there and I have no idea where. He's here, demanding my time... and I need some to myself, you know? I just need a little time."
"And maybe a little faith?" Buffy suggested. In the backseat, Faith snickered as the three drove on in silence.
An hour later, after they'd dropped Faith off at the school, she drove into the parking lot of Wolfram & Hart. "This place creeps me out," Buffy muttered under her breath as she handed the keys over to a valet and stepped inside. They were greeted by a doorman who did little but scowl. After checking in at the front desk, Buffy led Dawn to the third floor and stopped outside the security checkpoint.
"It's good to see you around here," a friendly voice came from behind them.
Angel stepped out, grinning at both of them.
"It's about time you got back to the old office," Buffy said, grinning back. "Dawn has her appointment now."
"Go right on in," Angel said, gesturing toward the large glass door at the other end of the hallway. "She's expecting you."
Dawn glanced nervously from her sister to the vampire before proceeding with caution. Once she reached the door, she knocked. "Come in!" came a soft voice from inside. Dawn pushed the door open.
And found herself transported into a new world.
"What is this?" she asked curiously, glancing at the purely white office. It looked quite different from what she expected. White pillars held up a white ceiling, and a calm brook ran bubbling and gurgling across the office floor. The windows seemed to have disappeared, and the sunlight was coming from above, filtered through long white strands of lights. "Where am I?"
"You know where you are," an ethereal voice sounded behind her.
Dawn turned, nearly running into a large fountain. "Am I still in the same office?" she breathed, suddenly growing apprehensive.
The voice chuckled around her. Dawn continued looking around. The room appeared to be divided into four quarters, each quarter brimming with white flowers. The brook ran in the center between the quadrants and the fountain was set in the center. The room seemed to be creating itself around her.
"Magic," Dawn realized.
"You're getting warmer," the voice replied softly.
"That's always good," Dawn muttered, finally stopping at the fountain.
"Can I at least see you or am I just talking to trees?
She caught a movement behind her and turned to see a figure appearing literally out of thin air. She was stunned a moment to see the woman step into the light, the sunlight seemingly following her in.
"Who are you?" Dawn asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
"I think you already know who I am," the woman replied, walking to the fountain and leaning against its edge.
"You're not human," Dawn realized. "I know that. How do I know that?"
"My powers kept you alive while you were sleeping."
"Are you--"
"... a Goddess?" the woman replied with a haughty laugh. Then she suddenly grew very serious. "Yes, I suppose I am. My portal," she continued, gesturing toward the spot she'd appeared at on the floor. "This office follows me wherever I go. Your friend Angel summoned me to help guide you back to the others and to guide the others toward the danger that awaits them."
Dawn was beyond surprised, so shocked in fact she nearly fell speechless. "How do you know all this?"
"I know of your power," the woman said again. "I know that my people created your power. I am the last one of my people and I am exalted in my dimension, much like Glorificus was in her own."
"You know of Glory?" Dawn squealed.
"I know what she was, what she could have become," the woman replied with a heavy sigh, her hand trailing in the cool water. "We can discuss this later. I wish to have a word with your sister and then you and I are going to talk."
"Before we do, can I ask you of your name?" Dawn suggested meekly. "It'll be kind of hard to go one-on-one calling you 'hey you'."
The woman beamed and extended her hand. "I am Irina. I come from one of the many Heavenly dimensions. This, too, we shall discuss at a later time."
Dawn felt slightly perplexed as the trees seemed to pull apart to give Irina space to the door.
"This might just work," she muttered, taking Irina's empty seat. For the first time since she'd awoken from catatonia, she had questions. Real questions. And she knew that Irina would be the perfect person to answer them - goddess or no goddess.
- - - - -
The balmy New York air hit them the moment they stepped out of the airport and onto the sidewalk, full of people waiting for a taxi.
Tara, instead of joining the queue, led the way across to where a small fleet of men and women dressed to the nines in black suits were standing, holding up little white signs. One of them read 'Maclay'. "Here we are!" Tara announced happily.
"A limo?" the Slayer next to Cho, named Helena, gasped out loud. "We get to ride to our hotel in a limo?"
Tara grinned at her as the driver led them to a long black car. After placing their luggage inside, the seven scrambled inside.
"Wow," Ginny whispered as she crammed with Hermione in the corner. "This is bloody awesome!"
As the car took off, all seven women stared out the windows and followed the travel brochures and magazines which had been placed strategically inside.
"What's that?" Hermione suddenly asked, noticing a large hatch on the roof. "Is that a window too?"
"Open it!" Cho cried out.
Tara turned to the driver and asked him to open the sunroof.
As it slid open, Hermione stood up, suddenly finding herself looking out over a vast city as the long car sped across the bridge. She let out a loud whoop, pulling Ginny's hand as the younger redhead stood beside her.
"Oh, my word!" Ginny breathed as she threw her arms in the air, shrieking at the top of her lungs, "New York, we love you!"
Hermione let out another loud cry as passersby on the bridge happily honked and waved at the two women cheering out the sunroof on a long stretch limo.
Cho quickly joined them through a second sunroof, her long black hair flying gracefully from her face as she too let out long, excited screams.
"This is so much better than sightseeing!" Ginny breathed into Hermione's ear as the two sat, windswept, in their corner. Cho joined them a moment later, attempting to compose herself. "Aren't we just the perfect tourists?"
Cho and Hermione both dissolved into giggles while the other two Slayers looked at Cho and the others in disbelief. Willow and Tara were leaning against their side, enjoying club soda, both grinning.
Soon their ride came to an end and the car stopped in front of their hotel. The seven managed to get out and get their luggage inside, check in, and were soon checking out their new suites for the weekend.
"Looks just like the flat!" Ginny said happily as she, Hermione and the three Slayers entered the room. "This looks exactly like Ron and Harry's flat!"
At mentioning Ron's name, Hermione's face softened a bit as they divided the two bedrooms between the five of them and headed into the smaller one. Since they had always roomed together whenever Hermione spent time with Ginny's family, they decided it was best they do it again.
After briefly checking out the large suite, Tara appeared from her own adjoining room and announced it was time to go down and greet the bands auditioning to play at Cho and Xander's wedding.
Hermione wanted to stay behind, however, and Ginny chose to hang back with her as the other women left the suite behind.
Ginny noticed right away that Hermione had something on her mind. She opened up the door to the balcony and walked out, beckoning the older woman to join her. "Something on your mind?"
"I was just thinking about Ron," Hermione admitted as the two sat against the wall. "I miss him, you know. Not just today... but he seems to be pulling away."
Ginny bit her lip. She had made some interesting observations in the past few weeks about her older brother and Hermione, but had held back because their relationship had been none of her business. But now she felt obligated to speak up, not only because Hermione looked so miserable but also because Ron was, after all, her brother.
"I think you're both pulling away," Ginny said in a slow voice. "I know you care deeply for him and he, you... but really, when I look at the two of you... you're always fighting and bickering... about books, about his drinking, about your activism... everything. I know that it creates friction and passion... but since you two got here... you've been ignoring him. It's no wonder that he--"
Hermione had suddenly glanced up, alarm in her eyes as she turned toward Ginny. "No wonder that he what? What were you going to tell me, Gin?"
"He's been making new friends with the Slayers," Ginny admitted. "Especially one. Her name is Melanie... she's one of Tara's Slayers too. I've only seen her once and it was yesterday."
"Is she that small blonde?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "I saw her too. She and Ron were talking to--" Her voice suddenly cut off and she gasped, her hand covering her mouth, looking as though she were ready to faint. "My God, Ginny... do you think the two of them--"
Ginny forced herself to be honest and let out the tiniest "yes" she could muster, along with the smallest of nods. "I think they are."
"Damn him," Hermione muttered, standing up and walking to the railing, anger showing in every ounce of her being. "Damn it!"
"Hermione," Ginny said, standing up. "You and I both know this isn't his fault... he's been left alone to his own accord. Harry and I are always hanging out together, Percy is usually in the Watchers Club, and Draco is only who knows where? Ron was left alone while you played in the library."
Hermione glared at her, turning back to the door. As soon as she put her hand on the handle, it fell away and she turned back, defeated.
"What happened to us, Gin?" Hermione asked in a tiny, defeated voice. "What happened to Ron and me? I thought we'd be together forever..."
"Maybe," Ginny said, turning to face the strong sunshine and the overwhelming waves of heat pouring up fifteen stories from the river. "Maybe you weren't meant to be."
"I want us to be," Hermione said, resolve showing in her eyes. "I wanted this for so long I just took it for granted it'd always be there, that he would always... but no... I'm not going to let him go, Ginny. I'm just not..."
"I know you're going to fight for what's yours," Ginny said, laying a comforting hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I'm just saying... you'll be fighting a Slayer."
"I haven't loved him this long and this much to be brought down by some whore," Hermione swore bitterly. "I'm going to get him back, Ginny. I promise you. I don't know what I have to do. I'll give him the whole world if I have to."
As Hermione walked inside, a new bounce to her step, Ginny stared out over the railing with a sigh. She was thinking of her relationship with Harry over the past few months. With Ginny gone a lot for Quidditch, she and Harry had precious few moments together. But now that they were together in one place and had been for a few weeks now, she felt oddly empty and strangely about the direction it was going. It seemed as though her own relationship was losing a lot of the spark it once held. Unlike Ron and Hermione's volatile relationship, she and Harry had always gotten along, despite their rocky beginnings. She was so in love with him, and he with her, but for the past two weeks, their relationship was nothing magical. They were taking each other for granted.
After vowing to herself to talk with Harry the instant she arrived back in California, Ginny followed Hermione's footsteps back to the suite, shutting all of the hot air out.
- - - - -
"That, my friends, was awesome," Cho announced to the group once they'd booked a band and she'd spoken with her planner. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some time before dinner to get dressed."
Helena, however, held a different perspective. "I want to go look in the gift shop and stuff, maybe take a walk around."
"Me too," the other Slayer, Lauren, replied crisply.
So Cho headed back to the suite on her own. Once she arrived, she saw both Hermione and Ginny in their room, talking quietly. Hermione looked close to tears, and Ginny was whispering consolingly.
"You okay?" Cho asked gently.
"Did you know about Ron and Melanie?" Hermione asked boldly, looking up through red-rimmed eyes.
Cho nodded, feeling the truth was her best guess. "Yes, I did."
"We've known each other for how long and you weren't going to tell me?" Hermione asked in a small voice. "Or are you so Americanized that you've forgotten that we were your friends before any of this happened."
Ginny looked at Cho as though to apologize for what Hermione was saying. But before she realized it, Cho found herself snapping.
"You think any of this was easy for me?" she exploded, walking into the room. "I spent the first year here trying to forget I was here and wishing I was back there! If I hadn't met Xander--"
"You know how much Ron means to me," Hermione said quietly, her eyes apologetic. "And I had no idea you were so homesick."
"I still am," Cho admitting, dropping onto the bed on the other side of Ginny. "I miss my family and my friends from Hogwarts so much sometimes... I feel like... like I'm abandoning my world for this one. Before Harry showed up... I missed all of you. We were never really friends, Hermione, but I missed your wit. And Ginny's determination and friendship. And I missed Harry, I guess, most of all. I used to have the biggest crush on him... and now it seems like it was all in a past life it's so far gone."
"I don't know what you're going through," Ginny said, wrapping an arm over Cho's shoulders, "but I do know that we can get through this. Once you're married, things might change. Sure, you're a Slayer. But there has to be hoards of vampires in England. Once you're all done with training and sent off in your separate ways, you can go home."
"I don't know if I can wait another year," Cho replied sadly. "All I need to do is look at my broomstick or my posters... or just remember everything we did together. If we have children, they may never go to Hogwarts because Xander is needed here."
Hermione gave her a tense little smile before rolling on her back and laying across her bed. "Sometimes... sometimes I wish I had never come here."
"Me too," Cho said sadly.
Hermione stopped pining and sat up, her eyes wide. "Are you saying that if you had a chance, you'd give it all back?"
Cho shrugged, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "I know that you're all worried because your relationships are suffering here. But... you still have each other. I never had that. All I had was me."
There was a sharp knock on the door as Lauren and Helena appeared, both carrying large shopping bags and jabbering excitedly. "Did we walk in on someone's funeral?" Helena asked, suddenly seeing the three women looking dour and sad.
"No," Cho said, standing up, forcing her face to brighten. "I'm fine. Let's just go down to dinner."
As the two left for her room, she answered before Ginny had a chance to ask the question. "I'll be fine, really. Just give me time."
"And that's one option we don't have a lot of," Hermione muttered as she and Ginny followed her out.
- - - - -
Willow woke up first the next morning, glancing at the blaring sunshine through the windows. She rolled over in her bed, suddenly seeing the clock and sat up quickly. "Crap," she muttered, turning to the other bed. "Tara?"
Tara groaned from underneath a small mountain of pillows. "What?"
"Don't we have to be up and dressed by nine?" Willow asked, getting out of bed and opening the blinds. Tara groaned again, rolling away from the sunlight.
"Yeah," she mumbled.
"It's after ten," Willow replied quietly.
Tara sat up, pushing the pillows aside. "Oh, no."
Within a half hour, the two were dressed and eating the continental breakfast that'd arrived for them. A few minutes later, Cho called and said they were all ready. They arrived downstairs just as a taxi pulled up and two people stepped out, looking as though they'd never seen anything like it in their lives.
"Mom! Dad!" Cho cried, rushing forward.
After a barrage of introductions and hugs, Tara called for another taxi and the two cars sped off toward the marina. Once they'd arrived, Tara went and got their tickets and within an hour, the group was on board a ferry, which sped out of the harbor and toward the open Atlantic.
Willow was enjoying herself, Andrew's digital camcorder in hand as she shot different angles of Cho and her family, the Slayers, and the two girls from England. After spending a quarter of an hour on top, she went down below to get a snack. She was surprised when Tara joined her a few moments later.
"Want company?" Tara asked, windblown and out of breath.
Willow grinned and moved over on her bench, enjoying a cup of popcorn. "I wish I thought of doing this sooner... vacationing, I mean."
"I thought about asking you to come out here when we were still together," Tara admitted in a loud voice as the loudspeaker droned on.
"Really?" Willow asked, looking at her as though she'd never seen her before.
"Yes, really," Tara replied with a smile, standing up and borrowing the camera. "I'm going back up... you want anything?"
"I'm good," Willow said, watching as Tara swept away. As Tara disappeared from sight, a strange feeling came over her. It was almost as if she had been hoping, time and time again, that they would have done these things. She knew how close they were, how close they had been. They were connected in ways far deeper than the heart could ever hope for. If Kennedy wasn't in the picture...
Forcing the thoughts out of her mind, Willow returned to the upper deck. She was just about to head over toward her own corner when a large landmark appeared in front of her.
It had to be a sign.
The Statue of Liberty was practically glowing in daylight as Willow walked toward it, ending up at Tara's side. Tara reached over, her hand squeezing Willow's. Willow squeezed back, reminded once again they didn't need words to describe the incredible rush they felt at seeing the large statue.
As the boat turned back, Willow saw the city approach and for the first time in a long while, she didn't want to move forward.
She wanted to go back.
- - - - -
There was the distinct sound of stiletto heels clicking across a cold granite floor.
A figure finally stopped, her voice agitated. "This isn't the way it was supposed to be."
A second voice, definitely male, piped in. "It isn't our fault either. The Slayer was wise to take the Key to her."
"Who is her?" It was a second female voice, bored in tone. "Is she someone to concern ourselves with?"
"It is the Goddess of Thespia."
"So... so... the prodigal god returns," the second female mocked sullenly. "Bored now."
"We have other news... we managed to procure... the talisman."
"I'm amazed you two finally figured out how to do your jobs so I wouldn't have to set my pets on you," the second female chided coldly. "I shouldn't have to cover all of your screw ups just because you can't handle a few Slayers and a handful of witches."
"You know that Willow is more than a witch..." the male protested quickly.
"Shut up!" the second voice snapped, and two pairs of footsteps melted into the distance.
"So... the Witch is finally within my grasp, the Slayer is about to get another dosage of the word pain and I finally have the infamous talisman in my grasp. Buckle up, my pretties... it's time to phone home."
- - - - -
To be continued...
Chapter 18 - a continuation of City Girls, including Dawn's talk with the, er, person... and Ron and Mel's lunch date. Not to mention we'll get a look at an old enemy, two actually, within the American Ministry.
Chapter 19 - old enemies reemerge as the wedding draws nearer. One relationship is headed for a fall while another one blossoms. And Dawn has the biggest decision of her life to make… while the Ministry copes with yet another hidden truth.
Two chapters from now... Cho and Xander's wedding was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives... but someone isn't playing by the rules… it's the wedding double-chapter!
And after that… only ten remain.