Tigerlily: ^_^ Can I just say your review made my day? Really. And I was having a really bad day too.
Chapter 6
Willow talked with Spike and Angel about the possibilities of finding the scythe until Damon knocked on the door, wondering why she was not at dinner. Willow looked at him sheepishly. "Sorry—lots of catching up to do."
"I understand," Damon assured her. "But you are being asked about." A smile touched his face. "Keladree seems to think you are being shut out since you are not a Slayer. It would perhaps be a good thing to convince her that you aren't."
Willow blinked. "Oh. O—kay. Right." Her stomach growled. "Plus, hungriness can be a deciding factor too," she added, rising. Angel and Spike rose. Willow looked at them. "You two coming?"
"Why not," Spike said. "I'm feeling a bit peckish myself."
Angel merely rolled his eyes and followed.
When Willow entered the dining hall behind Damon, Keladree and Suri noticed her immediately. Keladree grinned and waved her over. Suri smiled at her as she sat down with her dinner. Willow said, "Hi people."
Nora looked at her, a slight frown on her face. "Willow, you know the two vampires?"
Willow, her first forkful halfway to her mouth, blinked at her. "Um…yeah?" She took the bite as Nora looked ready to burst, partially from curiosity, partially from shock, and partially from well bred distaste.
Keladree snorted, watching her try to re-find her voice after that statement. Micaela stepped in first, asking, "How? Did not your Slayer friend try to kill them?"
"Several times," Willow agreed. "There's a history—with both of them."
Keladree looked interested. "History? Does it mean the same thing to you as it does to me, 'cause that would be just—ironic."
"What, a vampire in love with the Slayer?" Willow asked innocently.
Nora choked. Micaela's eyebrows shot up. Sarah stared at her, forkful of food halfway to her mouth forgotten. Suri looked mildly surprised. It was she who queried, "A vampire in love with the Slayer? How is such a thing possible?"
Willow shrugged, glancing over at where Angel and Spike were talking to Damon. "It just—happened. With Angel, mostly. Well, the whole in love thing. But there was nastiness and ooginess, not good stuff, so that didn't work."
"And then she fell in love with Spike?" Keladree asked. Willow looked thoughtful.
"No, I don't think love was ever the right word. At least not the same sort of love. Spike and Buffy had a history before he joined the forces of good of him trying to kill her. But also, like he said, he ganged up with her to help save the world. Spike's just a weird vampire." She thought for a minute. "I guess you could call Buffy and Angel star-crossed lovers, like Romeo and Juliet. It was doomed—I mean, a vampire with a soul, and the soul had a happiness clause and bad things happened when that got broken—"
Keladree looked interested, the others uncomprehending.
"And then there's Spike, who even without a soul fell in love with a Slayer. She didn't exactly reciprocate, but it was close enough for him." Willow looked back at Spike, watching him. "He and Buffy were well matched when it came to fighting." She looked back at the Slayers and saw incomprehension. She sighed. "And I'm just not explaining it well. It's hard to—there's just a lot of history behind Spike and Angel and Buffy, and therefore me."
Nora was staring at her and now demanded, "But they are good?"
"They are good," Willow agreed firmly. "No slaying them. Like Mr. Hunter said, they have souls. Although Spike was good even before he got his soul…"
Keladree leaned towards Willow, stage whispering, "I'd quit now. You've lost'em."
Willow smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry—I'm just really bad at explaining things like this. Tell you what—ask them about it."
Micaela looked suspicious. "You are sure they will not attack us?"
"Positive," Willow said firmly. "For the third time. They're good guys, people. They help fight the good fight and all. Plus, they're kinda friends."
"You are talking about the vampires?" a voice asked from behind Willow.
She squeaked in surprise and turned to find Suri's Watcher, Michael McLean looking down at her. "Don't do that!" she yelped. "Gees, coronary much?"
Michael chuckled and took a seat beside his Slayer, watching Willow with bright eyes. "You know the vampires though, yes?"
"Yes," Willow sighed.
"Maybe you can explain why they are constantly at each others throats, figuratively speaking of course."
Willow stared at him for a split second then giggled. "Oh—the Angel vs. Spike feud. That's funny, in a slightly annoying way."
"Do tell," Keladree said eagerly.
"There's not much to tell," Willow protested. "Angel and Spike ran together in the 1800's. Actually, Angel turned Dru, who turned Spike, so Angel is, like, Spike's grandsire. So there was competition about Dru, and then there was the whole Buffy thing—and after Angel got a soul…"
"There's a history," Sarah surmised.
Willow nodded brightly. "That's one way to put it."
"Bloody hell!" a familiar voice snorted loudly. "Who did she put in charge of the bit? Not you—you were up in L.A., doing God knows what, while I was doing my job to protect her and her kid sister. You never even technically met her!"
Willow and Keladree exchanged glances. Keladree asked, "History?"
"History," Willow agreed. She looked at Michael. "Do they do this often?"
"Only on days ending in Y," Michael said dryly. Keladree giggled. Willow nodded. She had expected that.
"At least they haven't killed each other. Yet."
***********
Willow laid
in bed that night, staring into the darkness and thinking. She still had not
told the council that she was a witch, much less about the spell she had cast.
She was still coming to grips with that particular memory herself, and she
wasn't sure she wanted the Council to know exactly how powerful she really was.
Angel had said that he would arrange a meeting with Mr. Hunter the next day so
that she could tell him without the rest of the Council hearing, in case he
thought it best for her to keep her witchy-ness quiet
for some reason. Maybe she could tell him about the scythe then—and ask about
the Guardians.
The Guardians. That was something Buffy had told them about after the battle. The Guardians were supposed to be there to watch the Watchers and watch out for the well being of the girls. They had reinstated them when they recreated the Council, with Buffy, Faith, and Willow herself becoming the first three. The logic behind that had been that, as the two experienced Slayers, they knew what the newer Slayers would go through, and that Willow, as a witch and long time friend of the oldest Slayer, would understand as well. And it had worked for the six some odd months that Willow had been a Guardian before she died. They had been available for the newly activated and newly discovered Slayers to come and ask questions, or make complaints, or make suggestions, or even just talk to. Giles had become the head of the Council, after a unanimous Scooby vote, and Dawn had decided that becoming a Watcher would work well for her. Xander had decided not to become a Watcher, but he did help with the construction of the new Watcher's Council Headquarters, putting in his own additions. Andrew had become the official recorder of all events pertaining to the newly conceived Watcher's Council, including writing down the newly drafted Charter of Watchers that the Scoobies had come up with. It had kept many of the old traditions, gotten rid of the more archaic and unnecessary ones, like the Cruciamentum, and added a few of their own, like the Guardians. What with what Spike had said about changes not all being for the better, Willow wondered what had been changed. She certainly hoped the way Slayers were trained had not been. They had done away with the notion that a Slayer must be separated from their family and friends to do their job, as Buffy had proved that it had definitely not been true. It was an excellent possibility that Buffy had lived so long simply because she had had friends and family that tied her to the earth—after all, Xander had brought her back the first time, and she had brought her back the second time. Had Xander not been there, Buffy would not have even been brought back the first time.
Willow rolled over, dozing off. As she slipped into sleep, she could hear Xander's voice saying, "Let me tell you something about Buffy. In fact, you should all listen to this. I've been through more battles with Buffy than you all can ever imagine. She's stopped everything that's ever come up against her. She's laid down her life—literally—to protect the people around her. This girl has died two times, and she's still standing. You're scared? That's smart. You got questions? You should. But you doubt her motives, you think Buffy's all about the kill, then you take the little bus to battle. I've seen her heart, and this time not literally. And I'm telling you, right now, she cares more about your lives than you will ever know. You gotta trust her. She's earned it," and Faith's response of, "Damn, B, I never knew you were that cool."
Willow fell asleep, a half smile on her face.
**********
Willow wandered into the dining
hall for breakfast the next morning, somehow feeling a whole lot better than
she had in a long time now that she remembered everything and slept on it.
Suri remarked as she sat down, "You are cheerful this morning."
Willow smiled at her as she helped herself to breakfast. "Let's just say I've gotten a new perspective on things."
She got several curious looks but did not respond to any of them, settling in to eat her breakfast.
Angel walked up when she was finished, saying, "Hunter wants to see you."
Willow looked at him, surprised the head of the Council had apparently agreed to see her so soon. "Okay."
Angel led her to Hunter's office on the seventh floor—the office that, Willow remembered, Giles had used. Willow looked around, a shadow passing over her face as she remembered the Watcher that had been more like a father to all of them for seven years. The room did not look remotely the same. She had not expected it too, but still…
"Ah, Miss Rosenberg," Hunter said with a smile as she entered. "How nice to see you again."
Willow smiled at him. "Call me Willow, please."
"Willow then. Have a seat, make yourself comfortable. Angel says you want to talk to me." Hunter settled back in his chair behind his desk and surveyed the red haired young woman as she sat down in a chair next to Angel's. She seemed so vulnerable when you looked at her. Hunter could not imagine what Angel's remark earlier that she was stronger than she looked could mean. He had watched Slayers for years and always—always—there was an aura of power in even the most delicate looking ones. He did not see that in her.
Then gray-green eyes fixed on him as she focused her full attention on him and he saw a glimmer, a shade really, of something behind those innocent eyes. He cleared his throat. "What can I do for you?"
Willow hesitated, glancing at Angel, but he was not saying anything. She hid a sigh and looked back at Hunter. "Um…I just wanted to let you know, since I haven't yet—mostly 'cause I kinda forgot, or at least didn't think about it, and it never came up anyway, so—"
Angel cleared his throat, a smile starting on his face. "Willow, you're babbling."
"Oh." Willow reddened slightly. "Oops—I still do that huh?"
Hunter smiled. "What is it you wish to tell me?"
"What? Oh—just that I'm a witch."
Hunter blinked at her. "A practicing witch?"
Willow nodded. "Until…um, well until I died, actually." She made a face. "That really screws up timing, you know that?"
Hunter was not going to be distracted though. "You have been trained?"
Willow nodded. "Yeah, I learned control and stuff with a coven in England, but a lot of it I learned by myself. Or just plain made up," she added as an afterthought. Hunter raised an eyebrow.
"I see."
Willow smiled brightly. "So, yeah, that's what I wanted to say, so you know that I can help in the magic area, even if I can't help so much in the slaying area."
"That will be helpful," Hunter agreed. "Thank you for telling me."
Willow smiled and moved to go when Angel muttered, "Scythe."
"Scythe? Oh! Right—scythe!"
"Scythe?" Hunter asked, looking between the two in confusion.
Willow looked at him, now even more nervous. Saying she was a witch was one thing. Saying that she had cast a spell to activate all the Slayers with a scythe was another. She finally compromised. "Yeah. Um…during the last major apocalyptic battle I was part of, we found a weapon, a scythe, that was created for the Slayer. Buffy said she felt like it belonged to her. Faith said the same thing. It was red and gold—had three ways of killing vampires? The Guardians created it for them."
Hunter was frowning heavily. "I have never heard of this weapon—or these Guardians you speak of."
Well that answered that question.
Hunter continued to frown as Willow waited for him to stop thinking and start talking. She finally asked, "Is there a chance I can do a locator spell for it or something?"
Hunter looked at her, startled out of his thoughts. "No," he said decisively. "No, save your magic—"
Angel covered a snort.
"—You will need it to help with this—master vampire. Perhaps you can do a locator for him?"
Willow thought about that then shook her head. "I would need something to connect with him before I could. Maybe if you catch one of his minions or something, but until then…" She shrugged. "Sorry."
"Quite all right," Hunter murmured, thinking. "Magic is not all powerful, after all."
Willow remembered her magic dealings and muttered under her breath, "At least not for most people."
Hunter did not hear her. He said, "I will have to think about where to put you. Let me think on it for a bit."
That was a dismissal if Willow had ever heard one. She nodded and left. Hunter looked at Angel, who looked back calmly.
"She does not seem all that powerful."
"Looks can be deceiving," Angel replied cryptically.
Hunter looked at the dark haired vampire intently. "She has power."
It was a statement, not a question. Angel nodded slowly. "Oh yes. She has power."
"How do you know?"
"She restored my soul," Angel said. "Twice. Once when she had a concussion."
Hunter stared at him. "A soul restoration? But—that is extremely powerful and advanced magic! And it borders on dark!"
Angel nodded. "Yes," he said simply. "As I said, she is stronger than she looks."
"I believe it," Hunter murmured, remembering that glimmer in her eyes. "I believe it."
******
Willow, on her way out of the
elevator after leaving Hunter's office, turned the corner and ran into someone.
Said someone snapped, "Hey! Watch where you're going!"
"Sorry," Willow responded, looking at who she had nearly knocked over. The girl looked familiar—wait. "Jordan, right? The current Slayer?"
Jordan nodded. "And you're Willow, the non-Slayer that was somehow brought back."
Willow nodded. "That's one way to put it." She surveyed the girl, and the vaguely resentful look in her eyes reminded Willow of—who? Oh, of course—Buffy their senior year. She raised her eyebrows at the girl. "Let me guess—you're not too thrilled about the other five Slayers showing up."
Jordan stared at her. Willow could see a denial forming on the younger girl's face when she finally nodded reluctantly. "A little. I mean, I know it's stupid—they're here to help, but—"
"They're moving in on your turf," Willow finished. Jordan nodded, casting her a sideways glance. "You look like you know the feeling."
"No, but I know someone who did," Willow replied. "And for good reason."
Now Jordan looked interested. "Who and how?"
Willow smiled, glancing around. She had pressed a random button and had wound up on the fifth floor—the garden floor. She had put this in, mostly because she had wanted some ties to nature and this part of London was all city. "Come on—let's go sit down."
She led the way to a bench and sat, looking around. This had really been a good idea, if she did say so herself. There were flowers, small trees, and grass—without the bugs. She looked back at Jordan.
"To answer your questions, in order, Buffy Summers and after she died."
Jordan blinked. "Huh?"
Willow grinned. "Buffy died for about a minute, therefore activating the next Slayer even though she was still alive after she got rescued. She and Kendra didn't get along all that well in the beginning."
"Because Kendra was—um—moving in on her turf?" Jordan asked.
Willow grinned. "Well, mostly because Kendra tried to kill her and her honey, but—"
"Whoa—why?" Jordan demanded.
"She thought she was a vampire," Willow replied nonchalantly. "Anyways, Buffy and Kendra finally started working together and they did a good job of it. After Kendra died though, Faith showed up."
"Faith?"
"Yup. Actually, again with the starting out rocky and then smoothing out some." Willow grimaced. "Then Faith went evil, which really put a damper on the relationship—"
Jordan was staring at her in wide eyed fascination. Willow smiled. "So, the point of this story—there's a point by the way—is that you're not the only Slayer who's had to deal with suddenly not being the "one girl in all the world", and the one before you actually found it to be nice to have someone to talk to that knew how it felt. So I'd suggest getting to know the other girls before you condemn them or anything."
Jordan's face set. "Yeah, but that was accidental—kind of at least. This was on purpose. They brought them back because I can't do my job right."
"Hey," Willow protested. "That's not why—exactly." She sighed. "Look, you're one person, one Slayer. With this upsurge in demons, you can't hope to hold your own—I don't think even Buffy could do that. It's not because they think you're incapable."
"And how do you know this?" Jordan demanded. Willow looked injured.
"Hey, best friend of a Slayer sitting here. Slayers are not incapable—they're just not gods, which is unfortunate, 'cause we fought a god and it was hard."
Jordan stared.
"Okay, and you don't care. The point is, if you feel that bad about it, talk to your Watcher. They're kinda supposed to be there to look out for you, and that includes when you're feeling pushed aside or something."
Jordan heaved a sigh. "Or when they're just being spoiled teenagers?"
Willow smiled. "Or that."
"How'd Buffy's Watcher react to her being a teenager?" Jordan asked curiously. Willow grinned.
"He cleaned his glasses a lot. And then there was that time right after they met when Buffy told him, 'If the apocalypse comes, beep me.' He wasn't too happy about that."
"Beep me?" Jordan repeated.
"Yeah—we had pagers that, if you called them, it beeped," Willow explained.
"Oh—oh!" Jordan snickered. "Wow, I don't think my Watcher would have let me get away with that. He does clean his glasses alot though."
Willow grinned. "They all tend to do that—it's very weird. I always wondered if they took a class on the different ways to clean your glasses."
Jordan giggled. Willow stood up, saying, "Come on, I wanna check out the library."
Jordan rose, groaning. "Library?"
"Where the books live?" Willow teased.
Jordan gave her an injured look. "I know that. Come on, it's this way."
