After The Storm
Chapter 20
By Vixen
Willow sat cross-legged with an old spell book in her lap, going over the list of ingredients for the first part of the portal opening spell. It dealt with basic astral projection, which she was vaguely familiar with. However, today she was astral projecting into another dimension to ensure Angel and the rest were ready for the trip back. There were a few things she needed to tell them before starting the second part of the spell, the part that would actually open the portal. Luckily, it hadn't taken her that long to find the information to save the day, she was getting better at that lately and was even tempted to open up a company somewhere in South America. Something like Angel Investigations, only her own and with more magick instead of vampire strength. It was an idea she was working on.
The others had left a little over an hour ago. Faith was still annoyed at having lost the debate with Connor, pouting and fussing the whole time when they were getting ready to leave. Willow knew the slayer could handle herself if the First made another appearance, however.
She had lied when she told Connor it probably wouldn't bother him again. When the First saw it's power being snuffed out, and the vortex going down, it was sure to make one last grab at the boy's fragile mental state. It, like most evil things, wouldn't want it's fun spoiled by those who wanted to destroy its strength. Still, he was a strong fighter, something Faith would need in order to get the job done. He also had the same look in his eyes as she recognized from her own past; the wanting to put things right, to make a difference. Willow couldn't have settled the dispute any other way once she saw that in him.
Sorting through the herbs she'd brought with her from Bolivia, Willow made sure everything was ready to go, putting away the questioning thoughts concerning Faith and Connor's safety for the time being. She stood up, spell book in hand and walked to the middle of the lobby.
Sprinkling the heather water on the ground, she moved in a slow clockwise circle creating an outer ring of protection. It was something Willow had added to all of her spells, a trick she found in some old tome while in South America. It formed a barrier that sheltered her from the darkness, made sure that only pure white magick got through to her. It was an unnecessary precaution, but she wouldn't trust herself to do a spell of this magnitude any other way. When she got back to the starting point of the circle, the pink-colored water disappeared up into the air, fading as it evaporated in a sudden whoosh of energy.
Then she began making a smaller circle, inside the one of protection. This circle would bring the magick to her, drawing energy into the center. She sprinkled the sparkling bluish powder on the ground, and it lit up like wildfire, dancing and forever burning though not hot to the touch. Once that circle was complete, she sat down again.
With the book in her lap, Willow began reciting the Latin that was written inside in sloppy handwriting scrawl. It was like an unwritten rule, witches that took the time to write down their spells always had bad handwriting. Whether it was done to subconsciously guard the written words from prying eyes or because they just didn't have enough time to sit down and do it neatly, Willow never knew. The Latin flew off her tongue, as she closed her eyes, the mantra already memorized, "Animadvertistine, ubicumque stes, fumum recta in faciem ferri!"
Her voice grew louder, coming from a source outside of herself. The hair at her temples glowed white, the colored streaks working their way down the length of her hair. Her vision grew cloudy as her inner focus used the energy that was already swirling about in the atmosphere to color her pupils pure white. It enabled her to see the truth, the veiled world of magick that was always there unseen by humans.
She looked up at the sky as a beam of light gazed her forehead, and she left the room. It took a while to travel to project to the other world but during that time she was outside on the astral plane, outside of her body, and it felt good. A blissful kind of good that was natural and pure, as close to heaven as one could get and still live to talk about it.
Once she did arrive in the new dimension, Willow glanced around herself. It was dark; a multitude of stars filled the sky, clearly being seen in the wilderness, far away from any lights. When she turned to her left, she saw a bonfire off in the distance. She thought the spell would have brought her to the exact spot as those she was trying to find, but it seemed she would have to walk now. Sighing, she started out on the long walk towards the only sign of civilization she could see.
If she hadn't used up so much power getting there, she could have just popped over there by using a few teleportation tricks. She had to have enough energy getting back to her own dimension or they were all in trouble. The walk wasn't so bad though, she kinda enjoyed being out in the open air even though she couldn't really feel it, or smell it, but the sight was pleasant enough. At least her friends weren't trapped in a hell dimension, she mused, unless it was just quiet. She guessed the second choice when a large animal-creature-thing, she wasn't sure exactly what it would be called, crossed her path.
The witch held her breath, watching its muscles flex as it walked by her, but remembered with a laugh that she wasn't really there. She was just an image, and it couldn't hurt her, let alone see her. The only ones who could see her were those she had set out to find, the ones she would eventually help bring home. As she neared the bonfire, she finally spotted them, amongst the crowd of people who were enjoying the night's festivities.
Spike was being asked to dance by a throng of girls, while Illyria sat next to him starring down anyone who dared talk to either of them. It was Willow's first view of Illyria, and she couldn't help but watch the Old One. Though she had heard the tale of how she had come into the world from Wesley's email, the witch still couldn't get over how much she looked like Fred and acted so very opposite of the sweet and innocent Texan she had once met. It was a startling transformation, replacing soft curves with chiseled features, bone hard and strong from fighting amongst her army millennia ago. Willow had only met Fred once, but it was enough to feel a kind of loss she could barely put her finger on.
Moving through the crowd unseen, Willow noticed Angel and Gunn talking to one another. An eight-year-old ran past them, playing around with a bunch of teenagers. He stumbled into Angel after running to catch a ball one of the older kids had thrown. Willow watched as Angel laughed, which was in itself weird for the dark and brooding avenger. He helped the kid up and Willow could make out him asking if it wasn't past the kid's bedtime yet. The little boy smiled, shook his head, and then ran off to play with the group of teenagers who were waiting for him.
Willow started to walk over, and just then Angel looked up. Across the smoke she could see that her image registered with him, his eyes were wide, watching her, it almost looked like he didn't believe what he was seeing. A ghostly image from his own world, Willow didn't blame him for being a little startled. He told Gunn he would see him later, and walked over to Willow.
"Hey, Angel," The redhead said with a smile as he neared. Then, she looked at the gathering of people who were there, noticing that they weren't alone and perhaps it wasn't the best place to talk to him. "Don't say anything, just follow me, okay?"
He agreed, glancing around at the people as well, knowing why she had given that instruction. They walked out into the darkness beyond the light of the bonfire, where they could converse without being seen or heard. "Is that really you, Willow?"
"Yep, it's me." The witch said, simply. She watched the emotions play out across his face, surprised that she could read them so well. "I'd give you a hug, but that wouldn't really work. You'd just go right through me.. and it would look weird."
"I didn't want to tell Gunn, just in case it wasn't you. It's really good to see you again," Angel explained, then he changed the topic, "How did you get here?"
"Oh, boy, is that a long story," Willow laughed. She wasn't even sure herself how she had been roped into all of this. It had all started with a phone call from Faith, and ended up here in an alternate dimension talking to an old friend under a sky full of stars that seemed out of place and made strange constellations. Life was funny that way. "Faith, Connor, and I are working to bring you guys back home."
"Connor? He's helping?"
"Yep, he is." Willow smiled, catching the proud look on Angel's face. "We all pulled together and found this spell that'll reopen the portal, we're going to perform tonight.. well, since time moves differently in this world it'll actually be tomorrow for you, according to the book. I just wanted to make sure everyone here was doing okay, and tell you to be prepared and stuff. When the big swirly out-of-place shiny thing appears, walk towards it okay. I'm not really sure what it's going to look like. I've never opened a portal before. I'm thinking something out of Slider, that old Sci- fi show.. that you've probably never seen, and here I am going off on another of my babblefests."
A faint grin crossed his face, "Its okay. I've missed hearing your voice."
Willow felt a twinge pulling her back to her own world, telling her that there wasn't much time left. She had better say what she had to say and get back home before her tie to her own world was severed too severely and she was lost without a way to return. "There's a catch to the spell though, it can only open the same portal. Which means you have to return to where you first appeared in this world, but that's it."
He nodded, "That's fine. We can do that."
"I think that's about it... and now I really have to go," Willow said. She waited for one more moment, to make sure Angel was really okay, before reciting another choice Latin phrase that would bring her back to her world. Her vision went fuzzy, before the alternate dimension faded completely before her eyesight.
It took less time getting back then it did going to the alternate dimension, the tether of energy that ran from her body pulled Willow back like a fishing line, reeling her in until she was at last back in the Hyperion. She blinked as she felt her body surround her once more, there was a slight sensation of pins and needles running through her whole body. She stood up and noticed that the circle of mystical blue fire which had been burning brightly during the spell had gone out, assuring that the spell was complete and the energy returned to it's natural place in the universe.
It was all set. Tonight Willow would work the spell and everything would go back to the way it should be.
...........................................
Sona si latine loqueris. (Honk if you speak Latin.)
Chapter 20
By Vixen
Willow sat cross-legged with an old spell book in her lap, going over the list of ingredients for the first part of the portal opening spell. It dealt with basic astral projection, which she was vaguely familiar with. However, today she was astral projecting into another dimension to ensure Angel and the rest were ready for the trip back. There were a few things she needed to tell them before starting the second part of the spell, the part that would actually open the portal. Luckily, it hadn't taken her that long to find the information to save the day, she was getting better at that lately and was even tempted to open up a company somewhere in South America. Something like Angel Investigations, only her own and with more magick instead of vampire strength. It was an idea she was working on.
The others had left a little over an hour ago. Faith was still annoyed at having lost the debate with Connor, pouting and fussing the whole time when they were getting ready to leave. Willow knew the slayer could handle herself if the First made another appearance, however.
She had lied when she told Connor it probably wouldn't bother him again. When the First saw it's power being snuffed out, and the vortex going down, it was sure to make one last grab at the boy's fragile mental state. It, like most evil things, wouldn't want it's fun spoiled by those who wanted to destroy its strength. Still, he was a strong fighter, something Faith would need in order to get the job done. He also had the same look in his eyes as she recognized from her own past; the wanting to put things right, to make a difference. Willow couldn't have settled the dispute any other way once she saw that in him.
Sorting through the herbs she'd brought with her from Bolivia, Willow made sure everything was ready to go, putting away the questioning thoughts concerning Faith and Connor's safety for the time being. She stood up, spell book in hand and walked to the middle of the lobby.
Sprinkling the heather water on the ground, she moved in a slow clockwise circle creating an outer ring of protection. It was something Willow had added to all of her spells, a trick she found in some old tome while in South America. It formed a barrier that sheltered her from the darkness, made sure that only pure white magick got through to her. It was an unnecessary precaution, but she wouldn't trust herself to do a spell of this magnitude any other way. When she got back to the starting point of the circle, the pink-colored water disappeared up into the air, fading as it evaporated in a sudden whoosh of energy.
Then she began making a smaller circle, inside the one of protection. This circle would bring the magick to her, drawing energy into the center. She sprinkled the sparkling bluish powder on the ground, and it lit up like wildfire, dancing and forever burning though not hot to the touch. Once that circle was complete, she sat down again.
With the book in her lap, Willow began reciting the Latin that was written inside in sloppy handwriting scrawl. It was like an unwritten rule, witches that took the time to write down their spells always had bad handwriting. Whether it was done to subconsciously guard the written words from prying eyes or because they just didn't have enough time to sit down and do it neatly, Willow never knew. The Latin flew off her tongue, as she closed her eyes, the mantra already memorized, "Animadvertistine, ubicumque stes, fumum recta in faciem ferri!"
Her voice grew louder, coming from a source outside of herself. The hair at her temples glowed white, the colored streaks working their way down the length of her hair. Her vision grew cloudy as her inner focus used the energy that was already swirling about in the atmosphere to color her pupils pure white. It enabled her to see the truth, the veiled world of magick that was always there unseen by humans.
She looked up at the sky as a beam of light gazed her forehead, and she left the room. It took a while to travel to project to the other world but during that time she was outside on the astral plane, outside of her body, and it felt good. A blissful kind of good that was natural and pure, as close to heaven as one could get and still live to talk about it.
Once she did arrive in the new dimension, Willow glanced around herself. It was dark; a multitude of stars filled the sky, clearly being seen in the wilderness, far away from any lights. When she turned to her left, she saw a bonfire off in the distance. She thought the spell would have brought her to the exact spot as those she was trying to find, but it seemed she would have to walk now. Sighing, she started out on the long walk towards the only sign of civilization she could see.
If she hadn't used up so much power getting there, she could have just popped over there by using a few teleportation tricks. She had to have enough energy getting back to her own dimension or they were all in trouble. The walk wasn't so bad though, she kinda enjoyed being out in the open air even though she couldn't really feel it, or smell it, but the sight was pleasant enough. At least her friends weren't trapped in a hell dimension, she mused, unless it was just quiet. She guessed the second choice when a large animal-creature-thing, she wasn't sure exactly what it would be called, crossed her path.
The witch held her breath, watching its muscles flex as it walked by her, but remembered with a laugh that she wasn't really there. She was just an image, and it couldn't hurt her, let alone see her. The only ones who could see her were those she had set out to find, the ones she would eventually help bring home. As she neared the bonfire, she finally spotted them, amongst the crowd of people who were enjoying the night's festivities.
Spike was being asked to dance by a throng of girls, while Illyria sat next to him starring down anyone who dared talk to either of them. It was Willow's first view of Illyria, and she couldn't help but watch the Old One. Though she had heard the tale of how she had come into the world from Wesley's email, the witch still couldn't get over how much she looked like Fred and acted so very opposite of the sweet and innocent Texan she had once met. It was a startling transformation, replacing soft curves with chiseled features, bone hard and strong from fighting amongst her army millennia ago. Willow had only met Fred once, but it was enough to feel a kind of loss she could barely put her finger on.
Moving through the crowd unseen, Willow noticed Angel and Gunn talking to one another. An eight-year-old ran past them, playing around with a bunch of teenagers. He stumbled into Angel after running to catch a ball one of the older kids had thrown. Willow watched as Angel laughed, which was in itself weird for the dark and brooding avenger. He helped the kid up and Willow could make out him asking if it wasn't past the kid's bedtime yet. The little boy smiled, shook his head, and then ran off to play with the group of teenagers who were waiting for him.
Willow started to walk over, and just then Angel looked up. Across the smoke she could see that her image registered with him, his eyes were wide, watching her, it almost looked like he didn't believe what he was seeing. A ghostly image from his own world, Willow didn't blame him for being a little startled. He told Gunn he would see him later, and walked over to Willow.
"Hey, Angel," The redhead said with a smile as he neared. Then, she looked at the gathering of people who were there, noticing that they weren't alone and perhaps it wasn't the best place to talk to him. "Don't say anything, just follow me, okay?"
He agreed, glancing around at the people as well, knowing why she had given that instruction. They walked out into the darkness beyond the light of the bonfire, where they could converse without being seen or heard. "Is that really you, Willow?"
"Yep, it's me." The witch said, simply. She watched the emotions play out across his face, surprised that she could read them so well. "I'd give you a hug, but that wouldn't really work. You'd just go right through me.. and it would look weird."
"I didn't want to tell Gunn, just in case it wasn't you. It's really good to see you again," Angel explained, then he changed the topic, "How did you get here?"
"Oh, boy, is that a long story," Willow laughed. She wasn't even sure herself how she had been roped into all of this. It had all started with a phone call from Faith, and ended up here in an alternate dimension talking to an old friend under a sky full of stars that seemed out of place and made strange constellations. Life was funny that way. "Faith, Connor, and I are working to bring you guys back home."
"Connor? He's helping?"
"Yep, he is." Willow smiled, catching the proud look on Angel's face. "We all pulled together and found this spell that'll reopen the portal, we're going to perform tonight.. well, since time moves differently in this world it'll actually be tomorrow for you, according to the book. I just wanted to make sure everyone here was doing okay, and tell you to be prepared and stuff. When the big swirly out-of-place shiny thing appears, walk towards it okay. I'm not really sure what it's going to look like. I've never opened a portal before. I'm thinking something out of Slider, that old Sci- fi show.. that you've probably never seen, and here I am going off on another of my babblefests."
A faint grin crossed his face, "Its okay. I've missed hearing your voice."
Willow felt a twinge pulling her back to her own world, telling her that there wasn't much time left. She had better say what she had to say and get back home before her tie to her own world was severed too severely and she was lost without a way to return. "There's a catch to the spell though, it can only open the same portal. Which means you have to return to where you first appeared in this world, but that's it."
He nodded, "That's fine. We can do that."
"I think that's about it... and now I really have to go," Willow said. She waited for one more moment, to make sure Angel was really okay, before reciting another choice Latin phrase that would bring her back to her world. Her vision went fuzzy, before the alternate dimension faded completely before her eyesight.
It took less time getting back then it did going to the alternate dimension, the tether of energy that ran from her body pulled Willow back like a fishing line, reeling her in until she was at last back in the Hyperion. She blinked as she felt her body surround her once more, there was a slight sensation of pins and needles running through her whole body. She stood up and noticed that the circle of mystical blue fire which had been burning brightly during the spell had gone out, assuring that the spell was complete and the energy returned to it's natural place in the universe.
It was all set. Tonight Willow would work the spell and everything would go back to the way it should be.
...........................................
Sona si latine loqueris. (Honk if you speak Latin.)