A/N: ^_^ Loving the reviews people!
Randall Flagg: Have you ever wandered into the Buffy Crossovers section? There are a lot of Buffy/Harry Potter crossovers there. The funny thing about them is that the beginnings, for the most part, are really similar. That's kinda what's going on with this story. The concept of one of the Scoobies being brought to life is a good one. Yahtzee's reason behind it happening makes sense, that's why I used it. It's not a rip off. Give it a few more chapters and then tell me whether it's really a rip off or not, 'kay? And I already apologized and explained why I forgot to mention Yahtzee in the first chapter. Go read my note in chapter two.
Chapter 4
Willow watched the five Slayers sparring from a spot on the floor by the wall near the door of the practice room. Actually, five Slayers sparring was not the right phrase. Two would spar, then another two, and then the fifth would spar with one and the other four would spar. It was very complicated keeping track of who sparred with who next, as far as Willow was concerned. Thankfully, she didn't have to.
The missing spots in her memory still troubled her. It was like she remembered something, but there was something about that memory that was missing. It was very annoying. She knew she was a witch. No one else knew she was a witch yet—she had not gotten around to telling them. She had a feeling she was a pretty powerful witch, but she could not remember why.
A shadow over her made Willow look up. Keladree was standing in front of her, a grin on her face. "Spar with me."
"What?" Willow stared at her. "Are you crazy? You'd beat me in a second."
Keladree laughed. "I'll go easy on you—no slayer strength, I promise."
Willow said dryly, "Right."
Keladree continued to grin. "Please? Damon says you're doing pretty good."
"With a staff," Willow said, glancing at her practice sword. Keladree's eyes sparkled. "He says if you spar with me and do all right, he'll let you start learning how to use a sword. Otherwise he says the Council will decide when and if you learn how to use a sword."
"Council? Why?" Willow demanded, even as she stood up. Keladree glanced at Ashton, who was supervising the workout. "I heard we're being presented to them this afternoon."
"This afternoon?" Willow felt her stomach tighten. She really did not like the Watcher's Council—not after they fired Giles. Of course Quentin Travers was no longer there…
"All right."
"Sweet," Keladree said. She found two staffs and tossed one to Willow, who caught it and headed to the center to join Keladree. She did not notice that the others stopped sparring to watch, as Keladree instantly attacked her. Willow parried the blow, noticing that Keladree was definitely not using all of her Slayer strength, and went into a sweeping blow that would knock her off her feet. Keladree jumped over it and brought her staff down. Willow went to block it, but Keladree switched direction at the last minute and got in a strike to her middle. Willow winced and stepped back, then, when Keladree relaxed slightly, thinking she was taking a quick break to recover, lunged forward and hit her on the shoulder. Keladree winced and grinned. "Nice."
"Yeah, well," Willow returned, a smirk on her face. "I spent seven years watching the best."
Damon, a few feet away beside Keladree's Watcher, Nick Barret, cleared his throat.
"And taught by one of the best non-Slayers," Willow added, throwing her Watcher a grin.
"Right," Keladree snorted. Willow smacked her with her staff, using her distraction, and got a yelp of surprise.
"Pay attention—I coulda been a vampire," Willow teased.
"You'd scare the vampires," Keladree retorted, aiming a blow at her leg. Willow blocked it and retaliated, grinning. "Thanks."
"I meant with your looks dear," Keladree teased. Willow made a face, ducking a high blow.
"Gee thanks."
"Anytime."
They sparred for another five or six minutes before Ashton called a halt. Damon walked up, a smile on his face. "That was very good."
"Thank you," Willow said with a smile. She looked at Keladree, who was grinning.
"You're pretty good for a non-Slayer," Keladree remarked.
"I'm just gonna say thanks and swallow any comments I might come up with," Willow replied, but she was grinning too. "That was fun. I—sparred—with Buffy once—" She frowned, trying to remember what that had been about, and why she did not remember it was fondness. She finally shook her head, banishing those thoughts, and looked back at Damon. "What was this about the Council?"
Damon gave Keladree a look, which she returned innocently. "What?"
"Yes, this afternoon you will be brought before the Council," Damon said, rolling his eyes.
Willow frowned. "Why did it take so long? I mean, why weren't we introduced beforehand?"
"It was to give you all a chance to adjust to this time period," Damon explained. "Being brought back from the dead—we were sure you would need a few days to adjust."
"Got that right," Sarah muttered. Willow glanced at her then back at Damon. "And give them a chance to get back up to scratch?"
"That too," Damon agreed. "The Council expects the best Slayers be brought back, and they were, but it would have been hard to sell if they had still been regaining their abilities."
Keladree nodded her understanding. "It makes since," she said. "I wasn't at the top of my game a few days ago. Now, though…" She twirled the staff on her fingers and grinned. "Much more like myself."
"Exactly," Damon agreed. "Now, you might wish to clean up before lunch. We go to the Council Headquarters right after."
"We're not at Council Headquarters?" Nora asked curiously. "Why?"
"The Council owns several buildings around the world," Damon said. "Headquarters is a bit busy these days, so this building we decided was better. It's only a block or so away."
"Oh."
Willow glanced at Nora, who looked satisfied, then at Micaela and Suri, who were standing a few feet off, their heads together. Micaela looked annoyed—per usual. Suri looked like she was trying to calm the younger girl down. Willow hoped it worked—another Faith in this time period would not be good, and the dark haired Slayer reminded Willow a little too much of Faith in senior year.
At Ashton's suggestion, the six resurrectees made their way back to their room for showers and a change of clothes. Willow was finished first, and she packed her clothes into the bags they had been provided. Suri was next out and she copied Willow, packing things. Willow glanced at her. She wasn't sure how old the Slayer was—she did not talk much. She looked to be about the same age as Keladree, who was 21, two years younger than Willow.
Willow remembered her discussion with Micaela and asked, "What was up with Micaela?"
Suri looked at her, a small smile on her face. "She wished to spar with you as well. She was upset when Mr. Ashton put a stop to the training session."
Willow frowned. "Why did she want to spar with me?"
Suri shrugged. "I do not know."
Keladree came out and started packing as Suri said, "Perhaps she wished to see how well you really fought."
Willow, finished packing, sat back on her heels and frowned at Suri. "She didn't think I can really fight?"
Suri shrugged again. "Perhaps. I do not know." A half smile touched her face. "I do not read minds."
Keladree snorted. "Will can fight. She couldn't really beat a Slayer, but she's pretty good for a pseudo-normal person."
"Pseudo-normal?" Willow asked with a smile.
Keladree nodded. "No one who has lived with you for a week would consider you normal, Rosenberg. So you're pseudo-normal. You try to pretend you're normal, but we all know it's an act."
Willow just shook her head. "Come on, the Council awaits."
"Joy," Keladree said dryly as Nora and Micaela came in. Nora looked at Keladree curiously. "Joy what?"
"The Council," Keladree said.
Nora frowned at her. "The Council is the organization that we answer to. We should treat the members of it with respect Keladree."
Keladree groaned. "Give it a rest Nora," she said. "I'm respectful, we're respectful, right Willow?"
Willow shrugged. "I don't answer to it," she said.
Nora looked at her. "You do now, do you not?"
Willow looked at her. "Well," she said slowly. "Considering why my experiences with the Council have been—no, not really."
Nora looked shocked. Micaela rolled her eyes, packing her things. "Nora, she's not a Slayer. She should not have to answer to the Council."
"She has a Watcher," Nora insisted. "She answers to the Council now."
"Doesn't mean I have to respect it," Willow pointed out. "The Council is comprised of humans, just like the rest of the world. It goes through good times and bad times, and I happened to be alive during one of the bad times. I'll save my decision for when I meet them, thanks."
Nora sniffed but dropped it. Keladree grinned at Willow, who shrugged, slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed out to find her Watcher.
*****************
The six girls were herded into a car for the five minute ride to Council Headquarters. Willow surveyed the building when it came into view. It was what would be considered modern in her times, made of metal and glass. There seemed to be two buildings, connected by glass and metal tube walkways at each of the seven levels. They stopped beside the one on the right and got out, each looking around.
Sarah looked around, and muttered, "He was right. I don't recognize it."
Willow said absently, "This is pretty much the center of London."
Keladree and Sarah stared at her. Sarah said, "I thought you were from America. How do you know where we are?"
Willow blinked. "I've—spent some time in England." Although it had all been in Devon, not London. How did she know where they were?
"Come along," Ashton said, leading them inside.
Willow glanced around. This building was hauntingly familiar. Had she been here before? Why would she have been at Council Headquarters? It didn't make sense.
"When did they rebuild Headquarters?" Nora asked, looking around. Ashton looked at her. "I believe it was blown up in the early twenty-first century."
Willow froze.
Blown up. Caleb. Evil preacher. Servant of—of…of what? Nothing they had to fight. The Bringers—killing Potentials. Potential whats? They rebuilt it. The Scoobies rebuilt the headquarters for the Watcher's Council. Why? Because the Slayers needed Watchers. Giles was the most senior member alive—he was head of the Watcher's Council. Who was second? Buffy, of course. Who else? Her. She had been a member of the Watcher's Council. Why? They did not like the Council. No. What had Giles said? They had not liked the people at the Council, and a lot of the Council traditions. They had scrapped a lot of the old traditions in favor of new ones. A Slayer training center? What had that been about?
Willow growled mentally at the still gaping holes in her memory. She remembered why she had been in England and part of the final battle for Sunnydale. They had won the battle but lost Sunnydale—which was not completely a bad thing. The Hellmouth had closed. But there were still important pieces missing.
"Willow?" Damon asked. Willow looked at him. He nodded to the others, who had kept walking without her. "Let's catch up with the others, shall we?"
They caught up with the others at an elevator and all went up to the seventh floor. Willow remembered what the other floors were for. Research, library, training facility, school for Watchers…
The elevator doors opened to show a hall with several doors on each side and a door at the end. Willow remembered this too. The floor was devoted to the offices for the upper Council members and the Council meeting room, which dominated half of the entire floor.
It was this door, the one at the end of the hall, that Ashton led them to. At the door, he turned to look at Willow. "Have a seat Miss Rosenberg."
Willow looked at him, confused. "What?"
"Have a seat." He nodded to a row of chairs against the wall. Willow sat grumpily, Damon beside her, as Ashton knocked on the door and, at the response, opened it, leading the Slayers in. Keladree cast Willow a sympathetic glance as she followed the others in.
Willow grumbled, "What, I don't get introduced? Oops, we made a mistake?"
"Not at all," Damon said calmly. "Mr. Ashton simply wishes to introduce the Slayers first."
Keladree, the last one in, had left the door open, and Willow could hear, "Good afternoon Mr. Hunter."
"He's the head of the council," Damon murmured.
"Afternoon Ashton," a voice responded, presumably Mr. Hunter. "These are our Slayers?"
"Yes sir," Ashton said. "Allow me to introduce Sarah, Keladree, Micaela, Suri, and Nora."
"Where's the sixth?" a voice that struck a cord in Willow asked.
"Pardon? We did not set a number…"
"There are six new females here," the voice insisted calmly. Willow frowned. She knew that voice. It wasn't English, although it had a hint of an Irish accent. A light tenor—a voice she knew.
"What's he talking about Ashton?" Hunter demanded. "I see five. Is one invisible?"
There were snickers from the room. Ashton said coolly, "Mr. Hunter—"
"Spare me Ashton," Hunter said. "Where's this girl he speaks of?"
"I can smell her," the light tenor added. "There's something—actually, sir, it's a familiar scent, though I can't place why."
Willow continued to frown. Familiar—not English—not Xander—good sense of smell…oh Lord.
Willow lunged to her feet, ignoring Damon's hiss to sit down, and appeared in the doorway, searching the large table for the familiar face she knew was there. There, looking at Ashton. Dark hair, dark eyes, leather coat, black clothes—
"Angel," she said weakly.
Angel's head snapped up, his eyes fixing on Willow for several tense, silent seconds. Then he shoved his chair back so fast, it fell over. "Willow?"
Willow moved past the other Slayers, still staring at Angel. "What—I thought—"
She leaned against an empty chair, still staring at him. Angel walked over, as shocked as she was. He touched her arm, as if to make sure she was really there, then rounded on Ashton. "Why was she brought back?"
"It was an accident," Ashton huffed. "As I told Miss Rosenberg."
"Accident," the voice of Mr. Hunter growled. "I thought you were going to set up protections against this happening, Ashton."
Willow looked in the direction of the voice, at the salt and pepper haired man. He looked at her. "I take it you are not a Slayer."
Willow shook her head. "No, I'm not. There—there were protections against someone other than a Slayer being resurrected?"
"There were supposed to be," Hunter said shortly. "Apparently someone made a mistake."
Willow nodded, looking at Angel. "What are you doing still walking around? I was told everyone was dea—oh." She glared at Ashton.
Angel looked at her quizzically. "Willow?"
Ashton said quickly, before Willow could say anything, "I did not realize you were familiar with Angel, Miss Rosenberg."
Angel looked at Ashton. "She asked about me?" He looked at Willow. "You asked about me?"
"Not you in particular," Willow admitted. "Not by name at least, but since you're the only vampire I know that's not dust…"
"Sorry I'm late," a British voice said. "What'd I miss?"
Willow spun at the familiar voice, not seeing Angel's small, exasperated smile, and stared at the blond vampire sauntering inside. "Spike!"
The bleach haired vampire halted, looking at her. "Who's the bin—oh my God you're Willow."
"Yeah," Angel said. "Bit of a surprise for me too."
"Spike, what are you doing here?" Willow demanded. "You were—I mean—you dusted! Poof! Buffy saw you!"
Spike, his hands in the pockets of his leather duster, shrugged. "Well, that's the thing about dying for a good cause Red," he remarked. "I came back."
"How?"
"That amulet," Spike said. "I was a ghost for a while, but we finally figured out how to corporealize me, thanks to Angel's girl, Fred, and here I am."
"Fred?" Willow repeated, frowning. "Oh, Fred!" She glanced at Angel. "I remember her."
"Uh huh," Angel said. "I'm not surprised."
Willow directed a scowl at him before looking back at Spike. She frowned. "Spike, why are you on the Watcher's Council?"
Spike snorted. "Slayer asked me to, after we figured out how to make me all nice and solid again."
"And…Angel?" Willow looked at him.
Angel shrugged. "She asked me a few years after you died. Wolfram and Hart was…well, as good as it could get, so…"
"Whoa, wait a minute—Wolfram and Hart?" Willow demanded. "Aren't they evil?"
"Yes."
"Why did they matter then?"
"Well…" Angel cleared his throat. "I was put in charge of them. It's where I got the amulet, actually."
"Oh." Willow blinked a few times.
In the lull, Hunter asked, "Can the reunion between you three wait? We do have quite a bit to discuss."
"Oh, right," Willow said sheepishly. "Sorry."
Hunter smiled. "It's quite all right. I realize it was a bit of a start—" He shot Ashton a glance. "—but we really must be getting on with it."
Angel led Willow over to his seat and sat her in the empty chair beside him. The Slayers found seats as Mr. Hunter said, "Well, now that you all have been introduced—Spike, sit down, please."
"Oh, right." Spike found a seat and plopped down in it.
"Thank you. As I was saying, now that you six have been introduced, I'd like to introduce our people—yes…Nora, is it?"
"Yes sir," Nora said. She glanced at Angel and Spike. "Are they vampires?"
Mr. Hunter smiled. "I was getting to that, but yes, they are. They are both gifted with a soul, though. They are on our side. You have no need to worry about them attacking you."
Nora looked unconvinced but nodded.
"As I was saying, I'd like to introduce our people. You have met our two resident vampires, Angel and Spike. Our current Slayer, Jordan—" He gestured to the girl seated a few seats from him. Willow glanced at her. She looked about 17, and a bit put out about something.
"—and the rest of the council members—well, I'm not going to bore you with this many names." Hunter gave the girls a brief smile before a serious expression replaced it. "You have been told, I assume, why you were brought back? Yes, Nora."
"The vampire population is taking over," Nora said.
Keladree snorted. "It's not taking over, it's just getting—bigger."
"But—"
"Actually," Hunter said, intervening before they could get into an argument. "Keladree is more right than I think she knows."
The Slayers looked at him, startled. Willow frowned at him. "The—the vampire population's growing and it's not trying to end the world?"
"Surprisingly no," Hunter said.
Spike snorted. "That's 'cause someone smart is in charge," he informed them. "It's the same reason I ganged up with Buffy to help save the world."
Keladree looked at the vampire with interest. "I thought you were a good guy."
"This was before that pet," Spike said. "But this world's pretty good for a vampire. As I told the Slayer, you got dog racing, gambling, lots of fun stuff, and all those people wandering around like Happy Meals with legs."
"Spike," Angel muttered.
"It's true," Spike retorted. "Whoever's in charge—he's the smart one. He knows that vampires have a good thing here. It's a shame to waste it."
There was a moment of silence then Willow asked, "So who is leading them?"
"We don't know."
That was Hunter. Willow looked at him seriously. "Why not?"
"He's not advertising his identity," Hunter sighed. "And all the vampires we've questioned just call him Master and My Lord."
"Master?" Willow glanced at Angel. "The Master couldn't have come back, could he? 'Cause I thought Buffy ground his bones up and everything."
"She did," Angel assured her. "It's not the Master."
"Besides," Spike added. "If it was that particular wanker, the world would probably be ended by now."
"True," Willow murmured. She looked at Hunter, wondering who it was.
A/N: Okay people—no more saying this story's a lot like/a ripoff of Yahtzee's. It has been duly noted, I know there are a lot of similarities. Continuing to tell me that will not stop me from writing this story 'cause my muse won't leave it alone—and the story line's different. So notice, complain to yourself if you want to, but it's been said several times and if it's said any more I'm just gonna ignore it, 'kay?
With that out of the way, review please!
