Sunnydale High School, 0930 hours.
A week had passed by since the incident with Eyghon and Giles, and things had returned to normal; as normal as it goes for a city over a Hellmouth anyway. It was finally Career Week, the one week that Willow was looking forward to as she pulled both Buffy and Xander to one of the tables to collect their questionnaires, and their Number Two pencils before they sat down to complete the test that would tell them their possible future.
"What're you hoping for, Buff?" asked Willow excitedly as she looked at her best friend and then started reading the questions on the pieces of paper in front of her, and then she eagerly began marking the answers.
"You're too happy, Will," said Xander as Willow looked up at him and grinned before looking at her questionnaire again while Buffy had just opened hers. Almost immediately she made a grimace before looking up and asking Willow if she liked shrubs, that the question was asking if she liked shrubs.
"Do you like Shrubs?" asked Willow.
"Do I?" asked Buffy.
"Don't look at me," replied Xander as he went through the questionnaire before looking up and then back down and reading the questionnaire again, "so, am I a people person, or do I prefer keeping my own company?' Well, what if I'm a people person who keeps his own company by default?"
"Tick none of the above, Xand," said Buffy as she looked through her questions.
"There is no none of the above," said Xander as he leaned forward and whispered, "and you know why?"
"I'm afraid you're gonna tell us?" grinned Willow as Xander narrowed his eyes at the redhead before sighing and then leaning back on his seat, and putting his hands on his head.
"It would introduce more variables into their little number crunching little world," said Xander nodding his head, "and yes… I said little twice to illustrate the littleness of their world."
"Littleness?" asked Willow as she looked at the young man, and then at Buffy who was looking back at her before they sighed.
"I know what I'll be doing," said Buffy as she looked back at the questionnaire, "can anyone here say fast food?"
"Buffy," said Willow as she looked at her best friend.
"Sorry, Buff," said Xander as he shrugged his shoulders, "you'll be looking at a high risk, sub minimum wage future."
"Xander," said Willow as she frowned at her oldest friend while narrowing her eyes.
"He's right, Will," said Buffy as she marked another answer on the piece of paper before looking up at the redhead and shrugged while putting a finger on her own forehead, "it says it right there, 'sealed in fate'. I'm the.. you know.."
"Oh, pooh," said Willow as she frowned while she leaned back and looked at Buffy up and down.
"Will," said Buffy as she narrowed her eyes at the redhead, "are you checking me out?"
"Oooh," said Xander as he leaned forward while both Willow, and Buffy, looked at the excited young man before giving him a questioning look, "I.. mean… you know.. Willow and Buffy and… ummm…. Should I shut up now?"
"Yes," said Willow and Buffy together before they looked at each other again. Willow then asked her to check out the law enforcement section of the career fair, "think about it, Buff. You're the Slayer, you'll be the first to know if there's a demon attack, or a vampire sighting. I mean even if it's a normal day with chasing the suspect until he gives up bit… what I mean is.. you've got the… you know, the mojo to do all that stuff."
"Yea," said Buffy shaking her head before she looked at the questionnaire again, "I don't see myself there."
"How about me?" asked Xander when they suddenly heard Cordelia's voice from behind them. Willow looked back and saw Cordelia looking down at a clipboard and was about to wave at the young woman when she realized where she was; the redhead had already spoken to the dark haired woman and thanked her for helping them during the entire Halloween fiasco. However, Cordelia told Willow not to mention it ever again, that that day was the weirdest day of her life. Ever since then, it was as business as usual between Cordelia and the Scoobies, although Willow would sometime play tricks on the self-proclaimed queen of the Cordette's by using her telekinesis. Back in the present, once the group had finished their questionnaires, they went for their classes and then Willow spent two hour training with Giles outside his apartment after he was done with work.
"So," said Willow as she ducked and then rolled to one side before she got up and jumped over a sweeping staff that Giles was swinging at her feet. She then used the staff in her hand to block him, and then went on the attack, "did you talk to Miss Calendar?"
Buffy, Willow, and Xander had noticed that the interactions between Giles, and Jenny Calendar, the IT teacher had considerably lessened, after the entire Eyghon incident. They had been meaning to ask Giles about it, but they could never find the right time; especially since Giles would shut down after any of them even mentioned he name.
"No," he replied as he stepped back and avoided Willow's swing when he started to swing much harder than before, leading Willow to be slightly faster at blocking. She then remembered one of NIko's techniques of using her telekinesis as she blocked more and more of Giles' hits using the staff. It was a few minutes later that the staff that Willow was holding on to with both her hands broke in half; leading the redhead t o throw the two halves onto the floor as she crossed her arms together and concentrated. It wasn't long before the redhead created a small barrier in front of her, much to Giles' surprise, that blocked the staff's impact. Giles then pulled back and swung lower as Willow jumped over before she rushed forward and blocked another swing with a small barrier, and then another one while she rushed forward again and then finally, she managed to grab Giles' arm before she spun him around and then kicked him below the arm. She then kept on holding onto the arm while she used her other hand and pressed on some of the pressure points, making him drop the staff before she tripped him and then he fell onto the ground.
'Gotcha," said Willow smiling as she panted while looking down at him.
"Are you certain?" asked Giles as he swept her legs form under her, resulting in the redhead yelping as she fell onto the ground... but was a few seconds later that the Watcher was back up again, as was Willow; the both of them facing each other, one waiting for the other to make a move.
Willow then smiled as she mentally pushed Giles slightly before she rushed forward and delivered a sidekick that she missed, as Giles stepped to one side and kicked the back of her knee. Willow yelped as she landed on the ground with one knee before she got up again and hopped on one leg for a few seconds before getting into her stance.
"Confidence is well and good, Willow," said Giles as he punched Willow, which the redhead used her telekinesis to block while she launched another punch herself that hit Giles' shoulder, "but you shouldn't be too over confident,"
As Giles said that, he reached behind him and then took out two small daggers as Willow widened her eyes in surprise. She watched him get ready to throw both of the knives, so she rolled to one side as he threw the weapons at her. Everything had gone into slow motion for the redhead as her roll stopped and she saw the knives flying through the air towards her; almost immediately she telekinetically caught them in mid-air, while Giles ordered her to keep those weapons in the air. He then rushed into his apartment and took out a bag and set it on the ground.
"Giles?" asked Willow as she looked at the Watcher while she was using her telekinesis to keep the two knives in the air. Giles smiled at her before reaching into the bag, and then taking out a knife and pulling his arm back before letting the blade fly towards the redhead. He saw the knife stop in mid-air next to the two knives her had thrown only a few seconds ago. He then reached into the bag and threw an axe at Willow, followed by an arrow from a cross bow, and even a short sword.
"Giles, not fair."
Willow was panting had as all the weapons stopped mid-air, and hung in the air in front of her; their sharp ends all pointed at her.
"Good girl," said Giles as he stood at ease, while panting hard. He then told Willow to release her hold, which she did and all the weapons clattered into the ground instantly. She then let out a huge sigh and sat on the ground before she lay down on the ground while she was breathing hard, her sweat making her grey shirt cling to her chest as she wondered what could have happened if she didn't catch even one of the weapons.
Giles then walked over to the redhead, and looked down at her while reaching his hand out for hers.
"Quite sorry about that, Willow," said Giles pulling up the redhead, "as you know, enemies will use whatever advantage they have to come at you; to come at Buffy, or Xander. They won't play fair as you put it. I believe that should be in Niko's training as well."
"Yeah," said Willow as she bent down and grabbed her knees while she was still panting as she imagines the sharp weapons being thrown and shot at her. She the shook her head, and stood up and looked at the Watcher, "but I guess I never thought you'd be doing it.. you know?"
"You've been training much harder than even Buffy," said Giles as Willow looked around and then helped Giles collect the weapons that were still on the ground, "and you've grown in your skills at an exceptional pace."
"It helps I have Niko's stuff in my head," said Willow as Giles nodded his head whole they picked up the weapons with their hands, "and Buffy's the Slayer, I mean she's stronger than me, she heals faster, so... she also already super strong so she doesn't need that much training and..."
"Everyone needs training, Willow," said Giles as he carried some of the weapons into his apartment, while Willow carried the rest, "think about it this way; without training, would you have been able to stop those weapons in mid-air.. all of them?"
"Probably not," replied the redhead.
"Exactly," said Giles as he handed Willow a cold drink which she gulped down, "Niko's already was trained for that, so it's easy for her. But you haven't.. so you needed to learn. Which is why I asked you to concentrate on what she did for her focus training; and it looks like you've done excellently."
"Thanks," said Willow with a grin.
"Now, come," said the Watcher as Willow picked up her bag, "I'll drive you home."
Willow then walked out of the apartment followed by Giles; the watcher closing the door to his apartment behind him before walking alongside Willow towards the stairs in the distance that led to the curb where his car was parked.
"So," said Willow as she looked at Giles and grinned, "you never said anything about Miss Calendar?"
"No I did not," replied Giles.
"Come on, Giles," said Willow with a pout on her face, "throw me a bone here. Buffy, Xander, and me are worried about you.. I mean there's this clicking sound you make when you're stressed and…"
"Clicking sound?" asked Giles as he looked forward, and then at Willow.
"Yea," she replied, "a clicky sound; and over the past week we've been getting a load of the clicky sound when you're in your office or when we do research or even when.. I mean you're making it right now and…"
"Willow," said Giles with a sigh as he stopped her babbling, "I am not making any clicky sounds; and besides this is going to take time. What happened to Jenny was a horrible thing and.. and if she needs the time to get her mind in order, then I'll let her."
"All we're saying is talk to her," said Willow as she looked at Giles, "for all our sakes… that clicky noise is going to drive us batty. And in Sunnydale, batty isn't a word you wanna use… makes me think about vampires."
"Willow," said Giles as he shook his head at the redhead upon reaching the older man's car, silently telling her not to take the conversation any further than it needs to go.
"Fine," sighed Willow as she got into the vehicle, "I tried… tomorrow it's Buffy who's coming after you. The day after that..it's Xander; and you know what he's gonna do."
"My days are doomed, aren't they?" said Giles as he got into his car and turned the engine while Willow closed teh passenger side door.
"Oh, you know it is," replied Willow with a chuckle as Giles drove teh redhead home.
TBC.