August 20th, 6:00PM, Rome: Italy
Isabel De Luca stared at the image of her father before her with defiant eyes. She loved him dearly, both before and after his death but there were times that the people you loved, even parents, asked too much of you. This was one of those times.
"I'm telling you, I don't want it."
"And I am reluctant to offer it to you." Her father told her, eyes still as gentle as they had ever been. "I know how much you wish to be like everyone else, but you aren't. You are my daughter. Your mother and I were different and so are you."
"I know," she said softly, not wanting to appear ungrateful. "And I know that I had no choice in receiving what you've already given me, but it's enough. I will get it done using the power I have. I don't want any more."
"I just want to make you strong!" He insisted taking a step towards her that both knew was pointless as his spirit form was incapable of touching her. "Your mother…she's worried for you. We both are. When you find him….well, he didn't get to be the world's oldest man without knowing how to win. He…killed your mother and I. I don't want the same to happen to you. Not if I can help it."
"I know you want to protect me," she told him, touched by the depth of their worry for her, even after they had passed out of the realm of the living. "And I swear to you that I will be careful. I am not challenging him blindly. I have been training…I remember everything you've taught me and I'm getting better. I will find him and I vow to you and mom that I will not let him kill me. But I don't want your power, no matter how easily you may be able to give it to me. I want to remain as human as possible. I don't want to become…" she broke off, about to say something she was certain would offend her father.
"A monster?" He finished, apparently sensing what she had been holding back. He smiled however, did not seem offended. "You're not a monster Isabel. You are my daughter. You are beautiful and strong and capable. You are the most capable child that your mother and I could have asked for but….you don't understand how important it is that you find Methos and find him soon."
"Why?" Isabel was suddenly on the alert upon hearing the urgency in her father's tone. "I thought time was ours. What's happened?"
"I can't tell you." Her father said. And then, at her look, "I would if I could Isabel believe that, but I can't. Just know that our time is limited. There is a weapon in existence that could destroy your mother and I…this time completely. I don't know where, but I have reason to believe he does. You must accept what I want to give you."
"I…" she hesitated, not wanting to compromise her decision and at the same time not wanting to let her father down. Not a second time.
"You are strong," her father continued, "but I fear not strong enough."
"Then I will become so on my own." She said resolutely. "Dad, I love you. I won't let you down, but I have to do this on my own. More power….more strength…it will only weaken my humanity. You and mom were killed because you weren't human enough. I can't let that happen to me."
"Your mother and I were killed because we met another immortal who was power hungry and vicious." Her father told her firmly. "It had nothing to do with a lack of humanity. We just want to make sure the same doesn't happen to you."
"Is this…" she paused and swallowed slightly. "Is this weapon really capable of taking you away from me for good?"
"Yes," he told her with clear regret in his eyes. "Methos destroyed our bodies, but we were still able to appear to you because our souls were powerful and strong. Not everybody is capable of that. Only the strongest of immortals can appear to their loved ones after death, but if Methos gets hold of that weapon…"
"It can destroy your souls?" She suddenly found it hard to breath. The thought was terrifying not only for her parent's sake, but the idea that there was anything that powerful out there that was capable of that. She clenched her fists, more determined than ever to find Methos and destroy him.
"I don't want to frighten you Isabel, but if he finds that weapon…."
"He won't." She interrupted sternly. "I promise you dad, but I gotta do this my way OK? No more power. I'm already strong enough."
"You always were a stubborn one," he said with a sad shake of his head. "I must go now. It is taking too much energy to sustain this form."
"Will I see mom tomorrow?" She asked. Her parents could only appear to her one at a time, and they tended to alternate nights. Her father nodded.
"She will do her best to make it to you sweetheart. Maybe she can talk some sense into you."
"I doubt it," Isabel said with wry humour. "but I look forward to seeing her. I miss hugging you guys good bye you know."
"We miss it to," Her father told her sadly. "Good night Isabel."
"Good night dad," her words were lost on the wind as the image of her father had already disappeared. She tried to fix herself some dinner afterwards, but eventually gave up and called for delivery. She spent the remainder of the night eating pizza that seemed to have no taste and mulling over the conversation with her father. She didn't want this power that he was offering her. It frightened her beyond words and yet the idea of really losing them to Methos frightened her even more.
She would have to think about it, really think about it and decide at some point what she was really willing to do in order to win this…and what she was willing to give up.
August 23rd, 7:00PM, London: England.
Willow Rosenburg breathed a sigh of relief as she shut the door to the bedroom she shared with her girlfriend Kennedy. Although living in the newly rebuilt Watcher's Headquarters was larger than Buffy's house had been, it was still a pretty crowded place, especially since there were twice the number of newly called slayers living and training there.
There were as many bedrooms in the large ancient building as there were a well priced hotel and a damn good thing too, as more slayers were showing up by the day. The dining and common areas tended to be more crowded than ever and the training areas were places Willow would have liked to avoid were it not for the fact that Kennedy spent much of her time there, training the other less experienced slayers.
She, Vi, Robin and Faith had been named as head trainers for the younger slayers as they had proven themselves the most capable in battle and Kennedy enjoyed the responsibilities placed on her. She reveled in her status as a slayer and Willow was immensely proud of how she handled her new powers and the slayers given to her charge.
Not all of the more experienced people were there all the time either. Faith was currently out finding a slayer in Peru with Robin, and Andrew in Turkey. Vi, Willow, and Kennedy traveled when it was necessary, but Willow preferred staying in one place despite how exciting it was to travel to new places. Her life had been uprooted so extremely that it felt comforting to have a place that even slightly felt like a home.
Still, that many people in one place tended to stress even the ever patient Willow to her limit, and she had wanted nothing more but to get away from the crowd at dinner and up to her room where she could have some piece before she had to get back to work.
There were more slayers out there. She could feel it inside. She was connected now to each and every one of them and every locator spell she did, only managed to find more as the days wore on. Willow had begun to think they would never stop coming.
Sometimes when she would do the locator spells, she would feel everything…their location, their names, their personalities, their dreams and their fears. Other times, she would get only the barest of information. Sometimes even the location was merely a picture in her head that took them a while to decipher. It varied and Willow was not yet sure why.
It was new, and strange and frightened her slightly. With every new slayer she located a new feeling of dread took route within her heart. She should be feeling positive. More slayers meant more security in the world's safety, but something was very wrong and getting worse by the day.
She hadn't told anybody of her fears yet…not even Kennedy, because she wanted to be wrong. She didn't want another big bad to emerge, or another apocalypse to deal with. Not after everything they had been through already. She had decided to take the child-like 'close your eyes and pretend it doesn't exist' approach in that respect, yet she couldn't ignore it too much longer. It grew stronger with every slayer she found.
Kennedy sensed something was off with her, but had the good sense not to pry. Willow was grateful for her being there. She was a comfort in a sea of uncertainty. But even with Kennedy around, Willow still missed Buffy, Xander and Dawn with an ache that surprised her.
They had been through so much, fought together side by side and now they were separated. It felt wrong. She had spoken to Buffy on at least a weakly basis, keeping her updated on their progress, the new watchers and the girls they had found, but it wasn't the same. She missed the sleepovers, the gab sessions, the games of 'anywhere but hear' when they got bored. And as much as she missed the slayer, she missed Xander ten times more than that.
He was a part of her in a way nobody else ever could be. Her other half. And not only was he in France with Buffy, but she hadn't been able to get him to speak in more than one or two short sentences whenever she called to talk to him. Buffy had told her he was hurting pretty badly over Anya's death, but was at a loss as to how to help him. Willow desperately wanted to be there for him, but knew that her presence was required here. It was a bitter pill to swallow to know her best friend was in such pain, but there was nothing she could do.
She sighed and turned on the TV, resolving to put her mind at ease for another few minutes or so before she had to do another locator spell to find more slayers. The spell drained her every time she did it, and she had to be at full strength for every attempt, otherwise she would find herself confined to her bed for sometimes one or two days at a time.
She had almost managed to fall asleep when the door opened and Kennedy came in. She glanced at her girlfriend slouched on the bed and gave her a tender smile.
"Did I wake you?"
"No, I hadn't actually fallen asleep yet." Willow admitted. "I was just drifting off."
"Oh, well I can…" Kennedy made a gesture that Willow interpreted as an offer to leave her in peace. The idea was tempting, but there was work to be done before she could take advantage of it.
"No, that's OK. I have to do a locator spell anyway." She sighed and sat up. "I'll need you here for that."
Kennedy had been invaluable. By acting as an anchor whenever Willow performed magick, she had kept her grounded and helped her to avoid the urge to give in to the darker side of her power. She was a calming influence. Kennedy gave a small smile, to show that she was eager to be of use and sat down on the bed.
"I'm ready when you are."
Willow nodded and stood up to retrieve some of the supplies she kept in her closet. Within moments she had prepared herself and her environment for the spell and sat down.
She placed her hands in Kennedy's and allowed her mind to float free of all the baggage and stress that had hounded it. It was incredibly peaceful before the spell actually began and Willow had begun to meditate in her spare time to achieve that peace without the magickal drainage that usually followed.
As she felt the peace wash over her, she began to chant. Low in her throat at first, then louder and louder until it was a steady drone within the room. Her hands tingled and Kennedy's twitched slightly. She knew the other girl felt the power swirling about her and took a deep breath.
She let her mind wander, searching, seeking the essence of the slayers that had yet to be found, but this time it wasn't as easy as it had been in the past. Something was hindering her…blocking her from seeing what the magick wanted her to see.
She frowned, though Kennedy couldn't see it, and doubled her efforts. The gnawing feeling of badness started to creep towards the edges of her soul, poking and prodding…looking for way in. Willow clenched her teeth and held tightly to Kennedy's hands, refusing to allow the darkness inside.
If you don't see it, it doesn't exist, she told herself, trying desperately to concentrate on the spell and not on the malignant feeling of doom that clawed at the very heart of her.
Find the slayer, find the slayer, find the slayer…she kept that mantra in her head as she chanted, hoping the determination would help, but it only made things hazier. The darkness was getting closer to finding a way in…closer to existing.
Sweat broke out on Willow's brow.
She kept chanting, allowing the perspiration to slide down her face, clutching Kennedy's hands and hoping against hope that she would find the slayer before she was drained completely or the darkness took her. She did not want to see the heart of what was coming. Already she knew it was something she could not stop, could not prevent on her own. But the slayer she had to find was tied to it.
She could feel it. If only she could make the picture clearer.
Find the slayer, find the slayer, find the slayer…
She felt Kennedy's breath catch and knew the other girl felt the blackness as well. It was getting too close. She couldn't keep this up much longer.
Just a little bit more…
And there it was…a clearing in the haze of uncertainty. Willow almost shouted aloud and ruined the entire thing. She could see! She could make out the location. There was no name, no picture in her head of the actual slayer, but she knew where to find her.
The slayer that would help defeat the coming dark was in Rome.
And with that realization came a renewed effort from the evil force. It was a push so strong, it nearly knocked Willow off the bed.
She tried to desperately to fight it, to keep the image of Rome until possibly a name, or facial picture appeared to her, but it was too strong.
The last thing she remembered was dropping Kennedy's hands before she passed out, allowing the spell and the access to the darkness to be broken.