Chapter 6
Giggles. The hallway in the magic school was filled with them; the flirtatious giggles of two young Wiccas touring the grounds. The students in their classes were oblivious to the sounds just outside the classroom doors. The couple holding hands, swinging their joined hands as they walked; laughing and smiling over the topic of their discussion. "And then, of course, Xander proves Cordy wrong and suggests attacking the Mayor with hummus! I love the gang. Sure, we almost all died. But it's always funny when we look back on it."
"Xander seems pretty goofy. Is there any explanation for the "fish tacos" thing earlier?" Pri chuckled and rest her head on Willow's shoulder as they walked. "Or was it just a strangely effective way of getting everyone to agree on the spell?"
"The world may never know." Willow tensed up a bit as she felt Pri's head rest on her shoulder. Should I be letting myself get this close to her? I mean, she's probably the last person to…she's not interested in women I don't think. She's just probably interested in me as a friend…that's all. Nothing more. Just friends. But my feelings are growing…I only hope I can control them. I don't want to lose a good friend because of a mistake like that. Unknown to Willow, Pri had heard those thoughts because Willow had inadvertently activated her power and opened a connection.
"Willow…" Pri said almost in a whisper.
"Pri, is something wrong?" Willow stopped walking abruptly and Pri turned to face her.
"No…nothing's wrong." Pri reached for Willow's other hand and interlocked her fingers with the other's. "Maybe we should work on getting that active power under control."
"You mean…?" The redhead's eyes widened and she began to blush.
"I heard it all." Pri moved closer to the Wicca standing opposite her, their faces only inches apart. Pri could feel Willow's breath on her face and knew that Willow was feeling her own breath as well. "Will…" her voice was barely audible now. "I've been feeling the same way. Thinking the same thoughts. I thought…I don't know what I thought. I don't know what I'm thinking right now. You're special, Wills. I can't really explain it, but I feel this kinda connection between us. It's nothing I've ever felt before…with anyone."
"I'm scared." Was Willow's soft, yet honest reply.
"Me too, sweet, me too." Pri felt Willow pull her in closer. "What now? Do we continue as friends or-" Pri let herself be cut off by Willow leaning in to gently kiss her lips. "Or do we do that…" Pri let go of One of Willow's hands and brought her arm around the redhead's waist, flattening her hand against her back and she pulled Willow in to return the kiss. She felt the pressure of Willow's own free hand move to the back of her neck; loving the feel of the young woman's fingers entwined with her short, dark locks of hair.
Willow pulled away. "I-I'm sorry. I feel like I forced myself on you. You're probably not even attracted to women. I just…I…"
"Shhh…" Pri gently placed a finger over Willow's lips. "I said I had the same feelings for you, didn't I?" Pri smirked playfully. "I returned the kiss, right?" Pri pulled Willow into another gentle kiss, the smirk still tugging at her lips as she nuzzled the redhead's neck.
"I…I…hate to break up this moment. But we're kinda in a school…full of kids…and we have some weird future thing to deal with…and the others may wonder where we are." Willow smiled shyly. "But when we get this done I'd really like to spend some time with you…you know, we can talk and have coffee, or tea. Or something. Have you been to P3? I've heard it's incredible but I've yet to go there."
Pri chuckled and held back a grin. "My family owns P3, love. I go there nearly every night. I'd love to spend time with you. I wish we didn't have to wait. But I suppose you're right. We should go back to the library." Pri let go of Willow's other hand to bring the other woman into a tight, loving embrace. When she released Willow from the hug she retook her hand and they began the walk back to the library.
"Glad to see you've decided to rejoin us. We've worked out a relatively safe plan to work the magicks." Angel said. "Let's get to work on doing it."
"Were we really gone long enough for you to have planned it out?" Pri inquired. "If we're going to summon her we need time to write a good spell and we need to have a defensive strategy and everything."
"Um…ok. We'll get on that." Wesley said.
"Ms. Matthews, earlier when you were ushering me through the magic school door you called me "Red." Why? I mean…that's a nick-name some people use to call me, why did you call me it?" Willow asked.
"I dunno." Paige shrugged. "You've got red hair, it just seemed like the thing to say."
"Willow, I think I'm going to go talk to the Elders now. Do you want to come? They may ask to meet with you before making you a charge so maybe you should come anyway." Pri smoothed a stray lock of red hair behind Willow's ear.
"Yeah, that would be cool…uh…remind me again; who are the Elders?" Willow gave Pri a quizzical look.
"They're the big guys up there that are in charge of the whitelighters. For you to be able to call me for help from long distances they need to make you an official Halliwell charge." Pri smiled. "Come on, let's go. When we get back maybe this lot will have our plan perfected." Pri took both of Willow's hands and they disappeared in a swirl of orbs.
"It cannot be done." The lead Elder proclaimed. "She has evil magicks running through her veins. She nearly caused the destruction of the earth. She murdered human lives."
"Sir, everyone has dark magicks in them." Pri countered. "Sure, they don't always take us over. She made a mistake. She became an addict to power. But she had been working on stopping. She'd been working harder than anyone else. Then her love was brutally killed and her emotions took control of her. It's something that can happen to the best of us. But she overcame it. She went to England and trained; fought off the darkness. She still is learning to control it. Slowly, yes, but she is doing it. And her effort never wavers. When the Hellmouth was opened and the First attempted to come to full power, Willow overcame her fear and cast a spell of such power. She was fearful that she would go evil again. But she didn't. She saved the world and she has not let the darkness get to her since. She lost her love again. It was devastating for her. But she controlled herself. She is still getting over the loss but she has come so far that the dark magicks haven't even threatened to return. She is an ally of the Charmed Ones, and of Angel. She's our friend. So is her Sunnydale gang. They have done such good in the world and stopped countless apocalypses from occurring, they deserve-no, let me rephrase that. It would be criminal to deny them the protection of a whitelighter.
"We need them to be safe, especially now that we're up against my older sister." Pri glared around at all of the Elders. "Which brings me to my next point. In my previous life I was informed that I would be the first and only child of Paige Matthews. Then, strangely enough, one day I am flooded with memories of an older sister. Apparently, any time soon, my mother will meet and fall in love with a fire demon, Michael. A year before I am born she will have a daughter of pure evil. At the age of sixteen she will make her home on the sun, where she will sleep until the apocalypse has occurred. Then she will wake and wreak havoc on the new world. It has been prophesized that way. She was time-warped, in her hibernating state, to this time period, and she was raised by Wolfram and Hart. Of course you all know that. Now, what I would like to know, is; why didn't I know? Why was I lied to? Did you know of this all along, or did something I did in the present affect the future enough for my sister to exist?"
"Alright. You win. No, we had no knowledge of your "sister" until you told us right now. Us Elders are not so all-knowing as you believe us to be." The lead Elder cleared his throat. "As for the "Scoobies" becoming you charges…I guess we could give it a try. You have expressed your point clearly and well and have shown that these people deserve a chance. We'll look into the situation with your sister. But, first, tell me what your plan is to deal with it."
"So far we've found a spell that will undo what Wolfram and Hart has done. Sini will be returned to her resting place on the sun and warped back to her time. Once she is there I can return there and kill her." Pri continued to explain further. "She cannot be killed in this time or the future will be affected terribly. The gang is at the magic school at this moment working on our defensive strategy and a summoning spell. Willow, here, is the only one qualified for this spell. She's going to tap into my power and recite it. And if the dark magicks take over, I'll be there to bring her back. Sini also attacked us at the Manor. We saved the book but the attic's a mess."
"Pri, you really would make a good lawyer." The lead Elder remarked. "You can negotiate better than anyone I've known."
"A Lawyer?" Pri chuckled. "You make that sound like a good thing."
"What? It's not?" The Elder smirked. "You're doing good, Ms. Halliwell. Keep up the work."
"I'll continue to do my best, sir." Pri took Willow's hands again and orbed them back to the attic in the Manor.
Upon arrival at the Manor, they found themselves looking at the back of a tall, slender, muscular young woman with dark long hair. This woman was searching through the debris from the battle and appeared to be fighting back strangled sobs. "They have to be here, dammit. They can't have died. Those pains in the ass always get through anything. They have to be alive here somewhere." The woman was muttering to herself.
"Ahem." Pri crossed her arms in front of her chest. "May I ask who the hell are you, what the hell you're doing in our house, and what the fuck do you think you're doing searching through our attic and muttering to yourself like a madwoman? Because, really, I don't think that is accomplishing anything."
The woman jumped, startled by the newcomer. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't be here. No one was home, not that I could tell anyway. And I new the gang was supposed to be here. I came up here and found this place in ruins." The woman's face was streaked with tears. "I…they aren't dead, are they?" She finally saw Willow. "Red, you're alive! Where are the others? B, Xand-man, Fang…everyone…"
"Faith. Hello. Never thought I'd see you crying. You must have a soft side after all." Willow smirked.
"Tell anyone and I'll smack you good. I just care about you guys, is all. I'm finally being accepted and forgiven." Faith looked around. "Looks like hell happened here."
"We were attacked. Everyone's safe at this magic school thing. Since you're part of the gang I guess the Elders are making you a charge as well, right Pri?" Willow looked to Pri.
"Yes…so you're Faith?" The brunette nodded. Pri turned to whisper in Willow's ear. "Can she be trusted?"
"You bet." Willow whispered back.
"I suppose since you're under my protection it wouldn't make much sense to leave you here." Pri turned back to Faith. "We may need you to help deal with the big-bad." She opened the door to the magic school. "After you."
"Whoa! That's some serious mojo." Faith grinned, impressed. "You're a witch, I take it."
"My whole family is." Pri said beginning to grow impatient. "After you." And she gestured to the door.
"Faith…what are you doing here?" Buffy stood up from where she was sitting on the couch.
"It's all five by five, B. I'm here to help." She walked over to Buffy and opened her arms. "Let's have a hug for old times sake. If we're gonna be workin' together we gotta trust each other."
Buffy reluctantly complied and loosely embraced Faith before quickly letting go and stepping back. "Fine. You did help us save the world so I guess you're back in the gang."
"I damn well better be since I got the same whitelighter that you got." She met everyone's stares. "Pri and Red explained everything to me." She looked around the library in awe. "This place is wicked cool. Kids actually learn magick here?"
"Yes, Faith." Angel walked over to Pri. "The defensive strategy is this. We got some protection spells and charms and amulets for everyone. We're gonna fight off Sini. We figured maybe we could trap her in those crystal things to help. I know they won't hold her long but it would still be useful. So we summon her, distract her with some crossbow attacks while you or Paige orb the crystals around her. We know we can't kill her, so we'll only aim for non-critical areas. And we'll only shoot a few times to keep her mind off you. Willow, Pri, you two will be over in a hidden corner of the attic. There you will do the spell that will send Sini back to the future. Pri, you have to keep Willow anchored. If she starts slipping away you need to pull her back. If she goes evil then you need to be able to get to her, to help her overcome the darkness."
"If anyone can keep me grounded, it's Pri. She's got power. She's got love, light, and care. She can keep me fro losing control." Willow said with her resolve face on.
"It's late. We should all get some rest. We can do the plan tomorrow. LA gang, SD gang; we can conjure up some space in the manor if you want to stay with us." Pri said concerned. "The manor may be the safest place for you, now that Sini knows that you're helping us. She may try to attack you on your own. Better to stay in a large group than to separate."
"Thank you. We'll stay." Buffy said, and the others nodded in agreement.
A large space had been cleared on the living room floor. Furniture had been pushed out and cushions had been placed on the ground. Pri had orbed people to their respective homes to gather sleeping bags and a change of clothes for the next day. The two slayers were sharing a guest room. The two vampires were on one side of the living room; Fred and Gunn had a corner; Wesley was sharing a corner with Lorne and Xander, and Willow was staying in Pri's room. In the center of the living room was a pile of weapons just in case. Chris had refused to stay with the group and was off sulking in the back room at P3. Piper was at work, and Willow and Pri were off enjoying music; tearing up the dance floor. Everyone had agreed to return to the Manor before ten; so they all had an hour to do as they please.
"I LOVE this group!" Willow shouted to be heard over the loud sounds of Green Day. She has Pri by the hand and was leading her away from the dance floor and to the bar.
Pri, out of breath, grinned and followed. "This place is great, huh! Aunt Piper has done an amazing job keeping it up."
"Hell yeah! It's bronzier than the Bronze!" Willow exclaimed as she took a seat.
Pri chuckled in amusement. "Fish tacos…wow this has been quite a day."
"You said it, hun." Piper said and stood up. She had been kneeling behind the bar searching through some boxes. "So, what'll it be?"
"I know this place aint the Bronze, but do ya have root beer floats?" Willow asked shyly.
"You go out to a night club and you order a float?" Pri laughed as Willow blushed deeply. "God, you're cute. Aunt Piper, make it two floats."
"Well…I've never been much of a drinker." Willow murmured.
"Two root beer floats it is." Piper smiled and shook her head in disbelief and awe. Those two do seem to be pretty close. She set about making the drinks.
Pri looked to Willow. "Neither have I. I just never would have thought to order a root beer float." Pri's eyes locked onto Willow's. "You're eyes are beautiful, you know? Your hair really brings out that deep green. I have trouble looking away from them whenever we make eye contact." Pri blushed and looked down. "Sorry. I was starting to babble wasn't I?"
"Your babble is cute. Rarely heard, but cute. I babble all the time. Us babblers must unite." Willow struck a pose. "All babblers of the world shall unite as one and rule in chatter-boxdom forever!" She burst out laughing. "I am such a dork!"
Pri burst out laughing as well. "Yeah, well, you're my dork." She slowly stopped laughing when she saw Willow freeze. "I-I'm sorry. We haven't even decided if we were going to try dating. I had no right to say that."
"I can be yours if you want me to be. Will you be mine? I mean…do you want to give being girlfriends a try?" Willow said weakly. "I would have asked earlier but I wasn't sure if…if…are you crying?"
Pri had tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to roll down her cheek any moment. "I would have asked too. But with your loss of Kennedy…I wasn't sure if…I mean I didn't think you were over it enough to-"
"I'm not over her. You're right. But today you've helped me in my journey of getting over it. I want you in my life. I think starting a relationship with you will help more than anything else." Willow put her hand under the tables and took Pri's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "So, let's give this a try."
"Give what a try?" Piper plopped down two oversized glasses with the root beer floats in front of the two young women in front of her.
"I think even I don't know." Pri said.
Willow nodded. "We'll explain when it become more clear to us."
"Uhhh…ok…" Piper shrugged. That's odd. Oh well. "You'd better think about orbing back to the Manor soon." Piper then changed her mind. "Actually, maybe you should orb us all back right now."
"Sure. Let's just finish our floats. Then we'll be on our way." Pri spooned some ice cream into her mouth and Willow dug in as well.
"Hahahaha! Stop it! Heh." Willow was on top of her sleeping bag on Pri's bed and Pri was tickling her.
"Why stop? Your giggles tell me you enjoy it." Pri smirked devilishly and laughed as she continued to tickle the redhead. Then the red head unexpectedly grabbed Pri's upper arms and pushed her onto her back and returned the tickles.
"How do you like it?" Willow asked, red faced and still laughing. Pri's giggles were soon so frequent and coming so hard that she was near to tears.
"We're acting like little girls at a slumber party! I haven't laughed like this in ages." Pri exclaimed before finally managing to pull herself into a sitting position once Willow's tickle-attack ceased. "Wow…I think those floats made us hyper."
"Maybe…or maybe you make me hyper." Willow smiled sweetly. "Being with you makes me feel warm, fuzzy, and hyper inside. It's like I can't control myself. I let loose with the hyper-active outbursts."
Pri grinned and pulled Willow close to her. "Let's get some rest. We need our energy for tomorrow." Pri waited for Willow to get settled into her sleeping bag before gesturing towards the light-switch, turning off the lights.
Willow turned towards Pri and pulled the other woman closer to herself and rest her own head on Pri's chest. She drifted off to sleep smiling at the touch of the occasional kisses Pri left on top of her head, relaxing at the touch of Pri's fingers running through her hair. Calming dreams of happy times filled her head as she subconsciously snuggled closer to Pri: falling deeper into a web of love for her new friend. "Don't let the tadpoles get the chocolate…" Willow murmured in her sleep.
Pri couldn't help but smile lovingly at how cute this woman is. "Don't worry, love, I'll help you protect the chocolate." She had one arm protectively around Willow and her other hand running through the Wicca's soft red hair. "Always," she whispered as she, too, fell sleep.
"No…ugh…baby, no!" Willow almost shouted in her sleep. "No, you can't be dead; don't die, baby!" The young woman was violently convulsing in her sleeping bag; drenched in cold sweat; an expression of pure terror on her face; tears streaming from her closed eyes. She was completely oblivious to the panicking Pri kneeling at her side.
"Willow, hun, come on." Pri gently tried to soothe the suffering woman beside her. "Wake up, it's just a dream; a very bad dream. Wake up, love, let me hold you; calm you; take your pain away. Please, Wills, it's just a dream." Pri wanted to put her hands on the redhead; somehow end her wild shaking; perhaps even wake her to end the terror. But she was afraid of what may happen. The shaking was so terrible that trying to stop it by force could hurt her new love; something she did not want to do. And if she were to merely touch Willow to gently wake her, the slightly older Wicca may wake not knowing where she is or whom she is with. Pri could end up increasing Willow's state of terror and make her fear real. Not knowing what to do, Pri knelt and continuously uttered words of comfort, until, suddenly; she was thrown back onto her pillow. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as images flooded her mind. In her last moments of consciousness, Pri realized that Willow had activated her power; sharing her dream with Pri.
Fleeting images, they were. Of Kennedy running; lifting large chunks of concrete off of trapped passengers. Flash! The scene changes. Robed men and women running around on clouds; disappearing here, reappearing there; several repelling balls of lightning. The pain and suffering of the people rush through Pri and Willow's sleeping bodies. Flash! Back on the ship they see Kennedy slowly dragging herself across the deck of the ship with one arm. Her other arm dangles limply at her side; broken and shattered. Tears are streaming down her blood-streaked face. What she is saying cannot be heard, but it is clear that she is crying out to her lover. Her pain is felt by the two sleeping women; as is her fear. The scene shrinks as a camera zooms out. The ship is in half, sinking into the frigid sea. A face of a news reporter at a desk is shown under a headline: "Reenactment of Titanic Gone Wrong" it reads. Flash! Bodies all around all around. Pain and sorrow in the air is nearly palpable. Several beings are alive; battling away against their foe. Flash! Sini's face shows; a look of pleasure looming in her dark, flaming eyes. Then everythingwent black.
"Pri!" Willow gasped for air when she woke. She turned her head to look at Pri, too weak to sit up. The redhead saw by the amount of sweat on her friend's body that the experience had been shared. "Wake up love, please wake up." Willow pulled herself onto her side, facing Pri, and cupped the other woman's cheek in her hand.
Pri tiredly moaned out of pain from the "dream" and out of pleasure of feeling Willow's touch. "Wha…what happened?" An image of Kennedy flashed through her thoughts and her eyes snapped open. "Willow, baby, you used your power. I saw-what I mean is…that dream wasn't a dream was it?"
"That was the day Kennedy died. That was what I saw on TV when the news broke. It was live coverage. I saw her die…on live TV…" Willow fought a sob. She took a few deep breaths before pulling herself closer to Pri. "That part wasn't a dream. But the stuff in between…with the flashes and the clouds; I don't know what that was."
Pri took Willow's hand in both of her own and tenderly kissed the redhead's fingertips. "It was Sini launching an attack on the Elders, I believe. Perhaps the dream was prophetic. Cordy may not be the only one connected to The Powers That Be." Pri tried her best to relax, knowing that she would need to be calm in order to soothe the quaking woman lying next to her. "Either that or Sini sent you the dream. That's probably it. There's going to be a massacre. Or at least that's what Sini wants. She probably threw in the bits of the shipwreck to pshyc you out, and to show that many people are going to die just like in the accident. We need to do this spell." Pri looked into Willow's eyes. Even in the dark she could see them bright as day. "But I need to hold you first. I hated seeing you like that, shaking and in pain. I want to know that you're safe, to hold you and kiss away your tears." Pri watched a silent tear roll down Willow's cheek. "Starting with that one." She leaned in and kissed Willow's cheek where the tear was. She protectively wrapped her arms around the still trembling Wicca and pulled her close.
Willow said nothing. She was still shaken up after the "dream" and she was too shocked and overjoyed by the words she had heard to reply. Instead she brought her hand up and outlined Pri's lips with her fingers before returning the kiss. Her lips lingered lightly on the other's and she moaned softly as Pri took the opportunity to deepen the kiss.
"We can still get a few hours rest, if you can feel like you can get back to sleep." Pri said, slightly pulling back. She smoothed back Willow's sweat-dampened hair and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "You might wanna try. This "dream," or whatever it was, seems to have exhausted you. You need to get back some of that lost energy if you want to have the best chance of successfully completing the spell." Pri felt the redhead shiver in her arms. "Don't worry, I'll be here holding you; protecting you. I won't let the tadpoles get the chocolate." Pri added with a smirk.
"But they're big tadpo-I-oh-um-see, I talk in my sleep sometimes…okay a lot of times. I'm sorry if it bothered you." Willow was glad that the room was dark so that Pri could not see her blush. "Did I say anything e-" Willow was cut off by another kiss from Pri. "Is my babble really that annoying." She smiled.
"I love your babble. I love your sleep babble even more. I would say I wish you would never stop, but if you never stopped how would I be able to kiss you; to whisper words of affection into your ear? I wouldn't because I'd be enjoying listening to the wonderful, interesting things you have to say. And, as much as I love to hear what you say, I love even more to hold you close and whisper to you how glad I am you're in my life." Pri inhales deeply after saying that in one breath before continuing. "But your babble could never be annoying to m-"
"Now it's my turn to stop you." Willow pulled Pri into a kiss. "I know you love my babble. The whole "annoying" thing was just a poor attempt at sarcasm, love. I'll babble all you want as long you hold me all you want." She yawned as she rest her head on Pri's chest and snuggled closer. "Since you promised to protect the chocolate, I suppose I can sleep peacefully." Willow joked.
Pri chuckled warmly and held Willow close. "That's right, love. The tadpoles will not be victorious." She shifted her body so she could lie back down and secured her arms around Willow. She was drifting off to sleep while tenderly stroking Willow's hair; feeling Willow's attempts to snuggle even closer to her than she already was. "Hmm…if you could get any closer you'd be on top of me." The dark haired Wicca sleepily murmured.
Willow giggled and threw her leg over Pri's hip.
"My point exactly." They both giggled as peaceful sleep finally greeted them.
"Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome to the world of reality, girls!" Piper greeted Pri and Willow as they walked into the kitchen hand in hand. "You two have been off in dream land for so long I thought you'd never make it downstairs." There was an awkward silence before Piper laughed at their quizzical expressions. "It's nearly noon, sleepy heads! How late were you guys up?"
"Not that late, actually." Willow took the carton of orange juice from Xander's hand just as he was about to empty it and poured it into the glass offered to her by Piper. "We were disturbed by a dream though. Part of it was real…but the rest seemed kinda like a-a future type thing. We think the Elders are in danger." Willow shrugged. "We just need to get the spell done sooner than planned."
"And," Pri said after stealing a sip of Willow's orange juice. "I'm gonna orb "up there" to see if it's happened yet. I doubt it has, or I would have felt it. So would you, because you're married to an Elder. But it won't hurt to check." She turned to Willow. "Mmm, good orange juice. Maybe I'll go buy some on the way back."
"Be careful, sweetie." Willow said. "If you run into her and risk fighting and losing. Get the hell outta there." She watched as Pri nodded and orbed away smiling. Willow sighed and turned to Piper who was staring blankly and obviously confused. "What?"
"You said "we" were disturbed by "a" dream." Piper said and Willow nodded. "As in both you and Pri?" Willow nodded again. "As in two people and one dream, or two people and one dream each?"
"I was having a dream. I think I may have been talking in my sleep coz' I had inadvertently woken Pri. Somehow I activated my power and she saw what I saw; felt what I felt…" Her voice trailed off.
"Felt?" Xander asked from where he is sitting.
"We felt the pain of the victims in the dream; the fear." Willow's eyes glazed over as the memory of the images brought back the painful sense of reality the dream had brought. "We knew the event was real. Or would be. I don't know how but we knew."
"The white-lightnings are under attack!" Buffy burst in with Faith at her heels. She expectantly looked around the room, only to be greeted by blank stares. "Y'know! The angel people with robes who live on clouds."
"Buff, it's whitelighter. And Pri's gone to check on them." Xander corrected Buffy.
Willow noticed beads of sweat on both slayers. "You had the dream didn't you? My power affected you too!" She grinned with the knowledge that her power was so effective. Then her grin faded. "No…wait; that's a bad thing. Damn that dream was painful."
"Yeah, Red, I kinda got that." Faith groaned as she rolled her right shoulder. "I can still feel that broken arm. That thing with the boat…was that what you saw when-" she stopped when she saw Willow's cheery glow fade. "Oh. I see. It must've been terrible."
"Yeah," Willow glanced down and something caught her eye. "Must've been terrible for you two too; seeing the way you're clinging to each other like that." She smirked.
Faith and Buffy both looked down to see their hands gripping each other's so tightly that their knuckles were white. Blushing slightly they quickly let go and looked away from each other.
"Don't be shy. We're all girls here. We all get a little clingy when-uh…" It was Xander's turn to blush as he clamped his jaw shut. "Should we get the blood-sucking-fiends from their shelter in the basement?"
"So that's where they went? I was beginning to think that the sun had got them and they were the dust floating in the air." Faith said. "Hey, B, let's go close the blinds in the living room so they can join us." She walked out with her hips sexily swaying and Buffy joyfully skipped after her.
"We're about to fight something with nearly unlimited power and I just realized how cheery we all seem." Willow remarked as Xander whistled his way to the basement. "Is it always like this around here when you're faced with the possibility of dying?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Piper went to the sink and began to wash the breakfast dishes. "You know, I've noticed you and Pri starting to get really chummy. I'm glad. She never had a true friend who she didn't have to keep her magick from. And she's a great person to rely on for support and a shoulder on which to cry. It's no wonder you two are getting along so well."
"Oh…really…" Willow said, suppressing a laugh.
Pri orbed in front of Willow, with her back to Piper not knowing she was still in the room, and wrapped her arms around Willow's waist; pulling her into a kiss which the redhead eagerly deepened. "Hey baby." Pri pulled back, smiling. "I warned the Elders. Now they're at a sanctuary created by Uncle Leo when Mom and the aunts fought the Titans. Where is everybody?"
"Well, Xander went to the basement to get out fanged-friends. Faith and Buffy went to close the living room blinds, but they're probably making out in an oversized sleeping bag. Everyone else is in the living room." Willow's breath catches in her throat as she stares at something behind her lover. "Except your aunt Piper, who is-"
"Standing right behind you in shock and disbelief." Piper cut in.
Pri released Willow and whirled around in surprise; relieved to feel Willow take her hand and hold her from behind. "I-I-I-you're smiling." Pri stammered.
Piper chuckled. "Gotcha. Back at the magic school Fred pointed out that she saw something between you two. You guys are great together. Did you think I'd kick you out of the family or something?"
"Well-I-um-I mean…" Pri blushed. "One never knows what to expect. And in a situation like this one would normally expect rejection. Plus I am kinda new to this, myself. I figured I should be able to understand my feelings before trying to explain them to my family. Of course I am quoting Willow now, but; "hello, gay now.'"
"Alright, point taken." Piper smiled. "But, in the future, you can tell us anything. Even if it's that, by some strange magical occurrence, you're pregnant with a twenty-pound Chihuahua by having gay sex with a female giraffe at 3:20AM on the Fourth of July wearing a pink-polka dotted tutu on the top of the Empire State Building whistling Puff the Magic Dragon. Because, although I'd find it quite strange and sickly amusing, I'll love you no less than I do now. Which is a lot." Piper smirked at their bewilderment. "And now that I have diverted your attention from our current apocalyptic situation with my sick sense of humor and given the sense of impending doom some sort of comic relief, I will be going back to my cleaning and let you be." Piper turned back to the dishes, concealing a blush over her moment of perversity.
Willow and Pri, both quite speechless, looked at each other and mentally made a mutual agreement. Still in Willow's arms, Pri orbed them back to her room. "Sorry about that. She's never said anything quite so…juvenile before."
Willow burst out into laughter and collapsed onto Pri's shoulder. "I love your family!" She managed to say between laughs. "So carefree and fun-loving. My family was always too strict…and…" Willow's laughter slowed to a halt as she cupped Pri's cheek in her hand and kissed her softly. She pulled her face back a few centimeters away from Pri's to speak. "Conventional…" She kissed Pri once again. This time her lips lingered, as she tasted Pri's lips with her tongue. "Their minds were always closed to…" She said, her voice nearly a whisper as Pri returns the kiss with a passion. "New and exciting things…" She let herself fall into Pri's now waiting arms.
"And what kinds of things would their minds be closed to right about now?" The dark haired Wicca asks.
"You…me…us…" Willow replied between each light kiss she left on Pri's lips. She continued her kissing as she and the woman holding her sank onto the bed. Getting lost in her actions, the redhead explored her lover's face with her lips and tongue; gently caressing the soft, flawless skin; tasting the sweetness of Pri's fruity perfume. Slowly and affectionately her lips found Pri's nose, eyelids, forehead; she dots Pri's jaw line with lingering kisses and pauses only to gently nibble the young woman's earlobe before making her way back to the pair of full lips longing for the redhead's attention.
Pri moaned into the kiss and deepened it further; moving one hand against Willow's back and entangling her other hand in Willow's hair. She felt the redhead mirror the action. "Willow…" She whispered. The woman in her arms pulled Pri hard against her body and placed a searing kiss on the dark haired Wicca's lips.
Pulling back for a moment, Willow smirked. "You know what, baby?" Pri gave her a questioning smile. "I think you forgot the orange juice."
Pri's eyes widened in mock surprise, "Dear lord…I think you're right. What a tragedy this is!" The two women giggled. "Maybe I should go get some now…" She teased.
"No, don't go! I-" Willow was cut off again.
"Then why did you ask me about it, love?" Pri nuzzled Willow's neck and tickled the soft spot just below Willow's ear with her tongue. "Besides…even the most powerful magicks in the world could not get me away from you. I'll be by your side. Always." She whispered the last word.
Always…the word echoed in Willow's mind. With that one word from her lover's lips she sank into a sea of passion. All she could think of is the woman in her arms; pressed against her body, trying to snuggle closer. She felt Pri's warm, orange-smelling breath on her neck, and the long slender fingers in her hair. She felt the comforting pressure of Pri's other arm around her waist. For the first time in months she felt safe. She softly kissed Pri's neck. Always. There it was again: the echoing voice of that word. She and Pri were both in silence. And, when with most people silence felt awkward, with Pri it felt calming and connecting. Like just by lying in each other's arms they were becoming closer; forming a bond beyond friendship. Pri. She sent with her power. Do you mean it? Do you really mean always? She kept the power working so that Pri could reply.
Always. Even in death, as Tara and Kennedy are. I swear to you part of me will always stay with you. I'll watch over you and protect you. I'm falling for you, Willow. I have feelings for someone, and, for once, I know they're real. My feelings for you are real. Pri sent back without hesitation. When you do the spell I will be there holding your hands. I will be there to help you fight the dark magicks pulling you. Why do you ask?
I hate to break this moment, Pri, but you're not the first I've been with after Ken. Willow felt Pri stiffen in her arms. I was never physically with her. It was a complicated online thing. I told her of my feelings for her. She did not reciprocate but we remained friends and grew closer. She said she'd always be by my side. When she did reveal her true feelings for me it was in a suicide note. She must've decided against suicide, for she called me several days later. A week after that she disappeared. For the last few months I've been dying inside. 'Til you came. I feel happy and safe and I'm starting to love myself. You know what's special about you? You like me for who I am. You always see the positive things in people. You listen when I'm distressed and need for someone to listen. You don't roll your eyes at my emotional pain; you comfort me. You're perfect. Too perfect for me. But you stay. I don't think I could handle it if you disappeared. And I know you have to return to the future someday.
No, I don't. Say the word and I'll stay…for you. Pri pulled her head back to look into Willow's eyes. "Once you send Sini back to the future, I'll follow for a few days and kill her. Then I'll return to you until I save my family. I'll travel to the future once more to see if saving my family made the future good, then I'll come back here and stay with you forever. It'll be several years before I have to save my family anyway, so you don't have to worry anytime soon. If you want me, all you have to do is say so. Just tell me and I'll be yours."
"If you would stay, I-I…I need you. I more than want you; I need you. Like you said; you'll be with me forever. Even in death part of you will be with me. You'll be with me because you're part of me. You're part of my soul. Just like Tare was-and still is and always will be. You're like…an angel sent to save me from my self-destruction. Ken never understood that Tare would always be a part of me. She thought all of my attention should be focused on her. But you…you respect that I once loved another and then lost her to a violent end. You respect that I will always love her and you understand that even though I still love her, there's more than enough room for me to love you just as much- if not more. And now I want you in my heart. I want you in my life and in my arms forever." The babble-queen babbled.
"So, it's settled." Pri whispered. She tenderly kissed the tip of Willow's nose. Damn, that nose is cute. She thought to herself. "I'm staying." She nuzzles her nose against the redhead's.
"Or, perhaps, when you make sure it's safe…what I mean is…once you save the future, maybe I could return to it with you. So you can live in the future you're working so hard to create." Willow struggled to find the right words. "You need to be able to live in a future with a family. It's what you've always wanted and I don't want to be something that keeps you from that-"
Pri stopped her with a kiss. "That could work. It would be complicated but we'll see," Pri said when the kiss was broken. "Whatever happens, whatever makes you happy, as long as we're together. Sorry to say this, love, but I think everyone is waiting for us-for you. So you can do the spell. And all I'm wishing right now is that I could hold you like this forever."
"I know. I wish we could stay in this moment." Willow said as she lovingly stroked the strong arms holding her. "But I suppose ending this sibling rivalry would do the world more good." The two women slowly sat up at the same time and shared an intimate kiss before making their way downstairs.
"Ok. So here's the deal. "Buffy began, standing in front of the room of sitting people. "Xand-man, flip over that overstuffed armchair you're sitting in and move it over there. You'll be positioned behind that chair with a crossbow. You will not be firing those shafts of wood we normally use; you'll be equipped with these nifty potions Paige made. They'll temporarily blind her with flashes of light, smoke, minor explosions, and the like. As long as they directly hit her they won't affect us." The older slayer commanded. "Faith-"
"Ahem. B." Faith Interrupted. "You may be a Slayer, but this is not your city, this is not your home, and it is not up to you to decide who the hell does what. Let the Charmed Ones deal out the battle duties."
"Actually, she seems to know what she's doing." Piper said and the other Halliwells nodded in agreement. "If we have any objections to anything we'll just cut in."
"Thank you." Buffy smiled sweetly. Then her smile quickly disappeared and her expression grew stern. "As I was saying. Faith, we'll need you waiting in the next room. I know it may seem like I'm trying to keep you out of the battle, but your job is key. If we get into trouble and need someone to come flying in to rescue us, I'll signal you to come aid us in the hand-to-hand combat. I'm quite positive we'll need you desperately not too far into the fight. "Flamingo" is the signal word. Angel, Spike, and I will be positioned around the area Pri and Wills will be doing the mojo. That way they'll be protected. Of course Xand will be opposite us in that corner distracting her from our side of the room, but we'll be ready just in case." She turned to Lorne, Dawn, and the Halliwell sisters. "Piper, Paige, and Phoebe; you will be doing the summoning spell-away from Willow and Pri so that she doesn't appear right at their feet and kill them-then Paige will orb you to the room Faithy's gonna be in where you'll begin chanting a protection spell around Pri and Wills. It won't hold her for long, but that's what me, Angel, and Spike are for. Lorne and Dawn, wait with Faith in the next room.
"Once Paige orbs in with Piper and Phoebe, you'll join them in the protection spell." Her gaze turned to Willow. "You and Pri have a "special" battle area. Over there, behind those bookshelves, is a magically enlarged space for both you and Pri to sit within a magic circle. Pri's back must be to the bookshelves and Willow must be facing them. The shelves will act as a sort of two-way mirror. From here they look like normal bookshelves, but from behind them you can see the entire room as if they weren't even in front of you. Piper totally rules for coming up with the spell that did that. Now Wills can have the spell's target in her sight, which is needed for the spell to work properly. Even if her eyes are closed: if she is facing the room, Sini would be in her sight if her eyes were open. She has the ability to see Sini if she wished, and that's what's needed for the spell. With the power that's going into the spell you'll probably wind up with your eyes closed. So, what I'm saying is that you don't need to worry about that."
"Ahem." Angel cleared his throat and raises an eyebrow.
"Oh, right. Angel, Spike, and I get these shield things. We tuck 'em in our pockets and, if Sini sends anything magical our way, it'll be deflected back in her direction." She tossed small cylindrical objects to those people named. "Angel, thanks for having these buried deep in your jacket. I know they're gonna' come in handy. Alright, everything you'll need is ready at your battle stations. Positions, everyone. Let the fun begin!"
"Okay, baby, you ready?" Pri asked as she finished drawing the circle and put down the chalk. "You're really brave to put yourself through this. I'd be too terrified."
"I am too terrified. But this must be done." Willow pulled her girlfriend into a loving embrace. "I'm trying so hard right now to keep myself from falling apart. I know I'll never make it without you here to keep me grounded. Thank you. Thank you so much just for being here for me, y'know? I feel like there's no way I could fully make it up to you. Thank you is not enough."
"You don't have to make it up." Pri answered. "Just letting me be here for you is enough." Pri lightly kissed Willow on the mouth. "The kisses," Pri kissed Willow once again. "And the snuggles," for the third time Pri's lips met the redhead's and she moved one hand behind Willow's head; resting her other arm around the Wicca's waist. "Are just…" her face now just centimeters from Willow's; her eyes staring intently into those green pools in front of her, she pulled the redhead's body against her own and kissed her deeply and passionately. "An added bonus." Her eyes were closed and her forehead rested on the forehead of the beautiful woman in her arms. "This is more than I ever expected from our friendship. And since we've decided to bring our relationship beyond being friends, my feelings have been growing stronger every moment. I'm falling so deeply in love with you."
"I know exactly what you mean because I feel the same for you." Willow felt Pri's breath on her face. "If I don't make it through this, just know that I l-oh shit! They're beginning the summoning spell!" She quickly sat down and Pri sat opposite her as they took each other's hands. She sighed with anticipation and relief of having her lover's touch. I love you. She thought to herself. Dammit, Willow. What if you never get to tell her? I will. I will get to tell her. She warred on with her thoughts.
"Come to me, I call to thee: angel of darkness, come to me. " The sisters began to chant and a small wind started up in the living room. All three sisters were pissed because Chris was too chicken to help out and had fled to the underworld: not wanting to be involved in this battle. "I call upon the power in me to summon you on bended knee." The wind picked up and, as the strong gusts blew the witches' hair wildly, they clenched their eyes shut in concentration. "Related by blood, do my bidding you must." Paige, in the middle of her two sisters, took Piper and Phoebe's hands. "Appear in my sight or turn to dust." Long slashes appeared on their arms, necks, and faces, but they still chanted on. "Come to me, angel of darkness, arrive at my feet! SINI!" They cried out the last word in pain and anger. When Paige opened her eyes and saw Sini begin to appear, she orbed Piper and Phoebe into the room Dawn, Lorne, and Faith were waiting. "Leo! Get your Elder ass down here, quick!"
Leo orbed in, expecting to see an angry wife. "Piper, hon, whatever it is I-oh dear gods." His face paled when he saw the sisters' blood streaked faces. "What-"
"Just heal us." Paige said. "Hurry. We have a spell to perform."
As Leo healed the sisters, Dawn, Lorne, and the sisters chanted. "With the warmth of the sun, and the salt of the sea, I use the power invested in me. To protect those of good in this house. Protect them from the evil they fight. Protect them from fatal harm this night." When Leo was done they circled up and joined hands. Paying no attention to Faith's staring eyes, they continued to chant the repetitive spell. "With the warmth of the sun, and the salt of the sea…"
Back in the living room Sini glared around the room, her eyes blazing in rage. "Who is it that dares to summon me? Where are they?" Her nostrils flared and she appeared to be sniffing the air as a dog might sniff out its prey. " My sister is near." Her head snapped toward Buffy, who was directly in front of the bookshelves, and her eyes narrowed into slits as she glanced at the armed vampires to the side. "You're protecting her; foolish mortals. But wait…you are already dead. What in the Source's name are you?"
"I'm a vampire Slayer. My name's not important right now." Buffy drew her sword. "And for once the stupid evildoer is right. I've died twice, and my buddies here are vampires. Kinda ironic, aint it? Me fighting alongside what I am destined to kill? Wasn't meant to happen…not sure how it happened, but one thing's for sure; we're gonna kick your ass back to Tomorrow Land in no time."
"Heh, heh," Sinistra chuckled. "And how do you plan to do that-gah!" She whirled around but couldn't see a thing for she was surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke. "Fools! You think this will help you?" She muttered a word in Latin and, when the smoke cleared, she sent a plasma ball in the direction she thought the potion came from; only to have it deflected back at her. "Ack!" Sini ducked to avoid being hit, but it was once again deflected by Buffy's shield and the ball hit Sini in the center of her back. "Ah! Shit!" She hunched over in pain. "You'll pay dearly for that!" Straightening up, she threw her arms out in rage and seemed to tower over everyone in the room. Both arms outstretched towards the sky, palms up with her fingers splayed out, she formed two large balls of fire in each. "Who shall die first?" She glanced around the room once more, and her eyes narrowed even further than before.
"Look, lady." Spike spoke up. "We've already died. So there's clearly no bloody point in trying to kill us again. We'll just keep coming back." He smirked as he watched the fireballs extinguish themselves.
"I could easily dig you a permanent grave, vampire." Sini spat out in disgust. "But you won't provoke me to attack you. I sense a force field around each of you. Anything magical I attack you with will only be sent back at me. Sort of like that "I'm rubber, you're glue. Whatever you say bounces off of me and stick to you" thing that young children shoot at each other as a lame form of insult. I can't attack you magically, but how are you with hand-to-hand combat?" She chuckled playfully and draws a long, jewel encrusted sword. The blade was of an unknown, jet-black metal that reflected the fire burning in her eyes.
"Try me, Sini. Give it your best shot." Buffy raised her sword before her in challenge. "I'd like to see you even touch me with that piece of crap. With your shitty, faked, exaggerated, skill. I'll laugh to see you accomplish anything other than making a complete, utter fool of yourself. You come here from the future to try to steal the Charmed Ones' book to start an apocalypse in your time. You have some nerve to think you could get near it without setting off a supernatural alarm. Well, the alarm was sounded, and we came running. Your attempts at victory will be futile."
"Dear lord…do you humans ever shut up?" Sini rolled her eyes. "What the fuck is up with you hero types and pointless battle-banter anyway? Don't you ever just fight? Whatever. That is of no importance to me. You will die tonight, as will anyone else that stands in my way."
"Um, evil-hell-bitch lady?" Xander shrunk back from a glare that was suddenly shot his way. "It's the middle of the day."
"Argh!" With a final shout of anger, Sini rushed forward with her sword out, her nostrils flaring, and her eyes black and rimmed with fire. She pulled her elbow back, bringing the sword into an offensive position; only to have her lunge parried by a swing of Buffy's sword. "Hmm, I suppose the title "Slayer" has a meaning. You have strength, but not enough." She hissed as hers and Buffy's swords are locked.
"You bet your damn ass it means something, bitch! It means I'm gonna kick your ass!" With that Buffy forced Sini's sword around and down so that the point faced the floor. She whirled around and brought the blade up to Sini's side, grunting in effort to hold her own as her blow was once more blocked and countered. "Fla…min…go!" She managed to shout in between grunts.
"I beg your bloody pardon?" Sini asked in confusion as she made a stab at Buffy's shoulder; only to be blocked once more.
"She means," Faith said, running in with her axe raised. "That it's time for me to join the fun. Care to tango, love?" She grinned madly as she rushed forward to hack off Sini's head.
"Oh…" Sini looked to Faith like a deer caught in headlights. "Damn." She ducked the forthcoming axe. Then she pointed a finger at the windows and the blinds flew open. After smiling devilishly at the sight of the two vampires fleeing to the shadows, Sini drew a second sword. "Two on one, I can handle that."
"Alright, baby, it's started." Pri said. For the last few minutes she and Willow had been listening to the pre-battle banter. She couldn't help but chuckle at Sini's confusion over hearing of Buffy's two deaths. "It sounds like hell in there. Sini's fighting a losing battle."
"I know, love, I know. But for how long?" Willow squeezed Pri's hands, searching for comfort. "Sini is powerful. So are Buffy, and the others. But how long can they go on like this?"
"Not very. That's why we need to do this." 'Fla…min…go!' They heard Buffy grunt out. "Damn, they just called in the reinforcements. Why haven't Angel or Spike done anything yet?"
"She opened the blinds." Willow blanched at the sight of the two smoking vampires running for safety. "So it's two on one. Plus Xander's distractions."
"The evil bitch, I knew she'd have a trick up her sleeve." Pri shook her head in disbelief. "Buffy just couldn't keep her mouth shut about the vampire part. Ok, what's done is done. Now we just need to close our eyes and focus. I need to focus on sending you the power you need, and keeping you grounded. You just concentrate on saying the words. I won't let the darkness consume you." She silently closed her eyes as she listened to Willow's telepathic reply. 'I know, I trust you,' she heard in her mind. I hope you're wise to do so.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale; the redhead sat cross-legged on the floor, concentrating on breathing properly. Without her mind constantly reminding her to take those breaths, she would have forgotten to breathe long before this moment. Her eyes glued to the scene unraveling before her she wished to the goddess that she could pull it off. "By the raging dark and light magicks within me, by my emotional struggle and pain," the chant began and she tried not to be distracted by the whooping that Buffy and Faith seemed to be receiving. A flash of light filled the room as Xander launched yet another one of the potions, and Willow restrained herself from releasing a yelp of joy in seeing Buffy return the blows three times as much as she'd received them.
But where was Faith? "I reopen the rift in time created by those that brought you!" Unbeknownst to Sini, a portal opened in the ceiling, and a small whirlwind of magicks swirled through the air. Suddenly Faith lunged from a crouching position behind the dark witch, and swung her axe so that it barely missed hitting Sini, then she swung forward with one fist and caught her hard in the back. "I return you to your respective time! I return you to your resting place!" She felt her eyes clamp shut against her will as she fell towards unconsciousness. In fear she gripped her lover's hands.
Will, hon, hold on baby. Pri sent to the slight woman gripping her fingers tightly. She sent out magicks, dark and light, and pulled with all her might to keep her beautiful love awake. I will not let the magicks take you! She squeezed her eyes tight and tensed her muscles as she put all of her physical, and magickal, strength into keeping Willow grounded. She felt the usually babbling Wicca falling into an oblivion of darkness and she began to pull her back , not only with magicks and physical strength, but with the love in her heart as well.
Willow knew she was being overpowered by the dark magicks, but she also knew she needed to finish this spell. Reaching out to her inner strength, and pulling more from Pri, Willow opened her eyes and forced herself to continue. "By my never ceasing pain and undying thirst for vengeance; I undo the evil that has been done, and prevent the evil that you would have done." With one last burst of strength she screamed the last line of the spell. "Be gone, being of darkness! Return to your fiery home!" Her eyes were forced shut again by a sudden wave of mystical energy flooding the Manor. Her face was being pulled toward the ceiling and she felt as though her head would be ripped from her neck. The swirling energy around them was so strong, she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness, despite hers and her lover's efforts.
Suddenly she and Pri were surrounded by what seemed like the heat of flames, licking at their flesh, tugging at their souls. Before they knew it, they were falling upwards through a portal, hands pulled apart from each other, and lost unconscious in a strange new world.
Back at the Manor, the place was a shambles, Leo was healing, and those well enough were searching the house for the missing Wiccans. Furniture was destroyed, debris littered the floor. Windows were shattered and some of the debris had made its way onto the lawn. But as hard as they try, the two women for which they searched were gone to this world.
"B, we need to do something." Faith said, fighting back the tears that were threatening to make their presence known.
"I know. But we have to at least wait a day." Buffy reluctantly admitted what was on her mind. "They are both strong, smart, and able witches. They'll find their own way back. If they don't by this time tomorrow we'll start planning and research."
Willow felt hard, rough, rocky ground under her back. Her body was stiff and sore. It seemed she could hardly even flinch without pain coursing through her body. She finally managed to open her eyes enough to squint. Black hair was covering her eyes, which she slowly pushed back. The spell made me dark. I brought myself here…Pri! No, I…if I brought her here I…I have to find her. She finally gathered the strength to sit up on her elbows. She noticed that she was sitting on a giant, floating rock with a flat surface and a seemingly straight drop from all of the edges. Great. I'm on an island, floating in midair, only the Goddess knows where. She continued to look and saw that there were many more of these "islands" floating around her. "Where the hell am I…" she muttered to herself.
-FIN-
A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger. But I felt like the rest of this "story" would have to be under the "that's a different story" category. If you want to find out what happened, you'll have to check out "Witches Found", the sequel. First chapter of that will be up next week. Stay tuned. And remember…I love feedback. I'll review you if you review me.