Chapter 7

Willow and Wesley sat silently across from one another sipping their tea. Willow placed her cup on the small coffee table situated between them and spoke breaking the silence and causing Wesley to jump a little.

"Look Wesley I know this must be, well, kinda odd for you, but I'm still Willow. Well a 4000 year old Willow, but I'm still your friend, If you still want me to be your friend, I mean you don't have to be if you don't want to be……." Willow trailed off a little towards the end. Even after living for 4000 years she still had a tendency to ramble on a little.

Wesley noticed this little fact and a small smile graced his mouth. 4000 years she may be, but there are some things that never change, but many things do. At that thought his smile turned into a frown. Looking at Willow he could see no physical changes in her face but her body seemed to have developed. Studying her closer now she had removed her long jacket he could see her well-toned form. Her bare arms where muscular, but were not so muscular that the veins could be seen like on weight lifters, but were very attractive. Her stomach, that was exposed, had light indentions of muscles but again not too much. All in all her muscular body added to her attractiveness. As his travelled upwards he noticed that there was a lot more on her chest then her usual woolly sweaters showed. Quickly averting his eyes he looked at her face, more specifically in to her eyes. They no longer held the wide-eyed innocence she once possessed, but within the depths of those emerald eyes, he saw a great deal of wisdom, knowledge and strength and also the same kindness that had always been there since he had known her.

Willow noticed he was studying her and waited patiently for him to finish his observation and speak.

"Willow, you may be older than you were the last time I saw you. You may have changed in many ways, but you are still my friend. And I would like very much to get know who you have become now." Wesley smiled at Willow and she returned his smile with a blinding one of her own, before diving across the table and hugging him so hard he thought she would crack his ribs.

"Thank you Wesley. Believe it or not, I really missed you." She said without pulling out of the hug.

Wesley smile down at the red head who was still holding him in what he considered an iron vice.

"Em. Willow, has anyone ever told you have a very strong grip." Willow pulled away from him and grinded sheepishly at him.

"Sorry Wes, I got a bit carried away." Willow pulled away and sat on the edge of the table in front of Wesley.

"That's quite all right Miss Rosenberg." Willow pulled a face at being addressed by her maiden name.

"Wes, I haven't gone by Rosenberg for a long time. Just call me Willow from now, just full stop you know. Willow. Then again I haven't really gone by Willow in a long time, and most of my immortal friends call me Thera, cause that's the name I've used more then any other, but Willow was my first name and it would be nice to be Willow again. So just call me Willow. Ok? "

"Very well Willow." Wesley chuckeled before he looked down at his cooling tea. Looking up at Willow he spoke. "I'm curious." Wesley looked back up at Willow. "If you where sent 4000 years back in time, I would not of, I would think that, well.."

"Just ask Wesley, I'll answer it if I can." Willow straitened up on her table seat.

"How can you still remember a life that happened 4000 years ago, well for you anyway."

Willow smiled at Wesley, looking up at his curious and inquisitive face.

"In all honesty, sometimes I didn't." Willow stood up and walked to the window opposite where Wesley sat. She stared out in to the night as she spoke. "Sometimes it seemed like a dream, sometimes I did not even remember it, and sometimes I thought I was plane nuts. Even if I was describe in some prophesise as been 'born of the future to fight in the past'." Willow turned around and smiled at Wesley. "Sometimes it was easier to just forget, to get on in the here and now, not there and then, or rather when and to be. That's another thing I kept on getting my pronouns confused. Every time I started thinking about the whole time thing, I either got a headache or went cross-eyed." Willow bit her lip in thought. "Well, either way, it wasn't that pleasant."

"So how did you remember?"

"I suppose it was a mixture of things, occurring over the past few centuries. I started remembering things, nothing big, but after all who could really forget computers. Then as time caught up to when I, well died, every thing became clearer. Then of course comes the traditional interference of the wonderful Powers That Be in the form of a very painful vision to jog my memories."

"And when you say your Immortal, you mean your of the head chopping variety? The ones that…" Wesley began then bit his lip as he realised he should not reveal that titbit of information.

Willow smiled wider and walked back where Wesley sat holding his tea.

"You mean the Immortals that another branch of watchers keep records of. Yes Wesley, I am one of those."

"You know of the watchers that …. Wait. I don't actually think I'm surprised at that. Nothing really ever got past you." Wesley smiled at Willow. He took a sip of his tea and pulled a face when he realised it was cold. Getting up he picked up his and Willow cup and empty the now cold brew down the kitchen sink. "How about now. Do you still have a watcher."

"No, Actually, My last Watcher died 6 years ago in England. I kept my distance for a while. I wanted a little privacy. It's worked out for the best I think." A look of sadness flicked across her face but Wesley had her back to her and did not notice.

"Why is that exactly?" He asked as he began to clean the pots.

"If you report to the watchers that I've become immortal, they will assume, I'm a new one."

"Why would you want to hide who you truly are?"

Willow walked into the kitchen and began to dry the pots as Wesley placed them on the draining bored.

"I'm over 4000 years old Wesley, a very attractive target to others of my kind, the more who know who and where I am, the more chance there is of an Immortal finding me and coming along to try and win my quickening. In other words come after my head. The watchers don't know how old I truly am anyway. There are many records of my activities over the centuries, but they are recorded under different names. I do believe however that they have researcher trying to peace my exploits together." Willow replied with a rather smug smile. "And hey, when you report me, they'll send a watcher, to you know watch me and then you can like have a watcher buddy."

"May I ask how many other names you have gone by."

"I never really counted them, the earliest name I went by was given to me by Torrin, my teacher in Celtic, Ffaglog helyg."

"Celtic, it means ehm…" Wesley scrunched his eyes together in concentration, " 'Flaming Willow' how original. Oh wait, Ffaglog helyg I've heard that name before. I'll have to do research, unless of course you care to fill me in."

"Nope."

"Well, will you be remaining here?"

"As long as you'll have me." She smiled at him.

"Well in that case. I require your assistance. I've been busy attempting to discover the type of demon that attacked a young couple and killed one of them in the woods." He said as he moved over to his desk with his notes and books over it. Readjusting his glasses he read out the description. "It is approximately 6ft tall, black skin with shades of green covering his body. A sweet smelling odour , describe as something like a mix between lavender and pine has been found on all its victims, quite odd that really."

"That's a Cuver demon." Wesley turned to look at her.

"How can you be certain?"

"I've been around for a long time, I know allot," She said mater of factly. "and as far as I know, no other demon leaves that scent around."

"Well then. Do you know how to find and kill it before it attacks anyone else." Wesley asked as he began to clean his glasses, half sitting on the table behind him.

"They hang out mostly in the woods, their skin allows them to hide in the foliage. The smell they give off draws the victims deeper into the woods to them. Their not all that smart, but they are very stealthily in their attacks; you have to be very alert in your surroundings to kill one. They are loners, they only meet up with their other kind when its time for them to mate. So you'll never encounter two. As for killing them, they have very tough skin, but you put enough umph behind whatever you using, their pretty easy to kill." She finished.

"I'm assuming you have killed one before then?" Wesley stated more then asked. Nodding Willow smiled at Wesley. "Well then lets have at it." Wesley picked up his axe and coat; opening the door he waited for Willow to step outside before following her and locking the door behind them.