Chapter Two Discovery

/// indicates flashbacks ///

...... indicates scene breaks........

Jenny Calendar pushed her papers away, too tired to try to decipher her students' answers to simple, basic questions.

Sighing, the high school computer teacher switched off her desk lamp, and headed down the small hallway to her bedroom. Flipping the light on, she made her way over to her dresser drawers, and withdrew a t-shirt and her PJ bottoms decorated with little witches hats. Jenny really didn't want to wear them, but the redheaded woman was guilty of that sin commonly known as putting off one's dirty laundry.

The decorative bottoms had been a gift from Rupert Giles during her last birthday in Sunnydale with him. When was that? Oh, yeah, a little over a year and a half ago. Had it really been that long? She shook her head at the thought.

Life on the Hellmouth had proven to be more than even she could handle. After that whole debacle with Angelus, her and Rupert's relationship had never been quite the same. The unconditional trust was no longer present; too often she encountered the stony wariness in his eyes and his features, as well as the subtle disapproval in his tone. Rupert would deny it, of course. He would continually re-iterate that he understood her need to withhold the information concerning Angeleus' curse, and that he had forgiven her. Nevertheless, Jenny could tell that the debacle was like an unseen weight bringing down their relationship by the amount of the guilt, hurt, and betrayal on both sides.

And, then, there was the case of his surrogate daughter. Rupert liked to hide behind his unemotional British persona, but Jenny knew the truth: he loved Buffy like his own, and she knew it nearly killed him to see the girl in so much pain.

Buffy herself had eventually given her forgiveness, but Jenny had had the feeling Buffy wasn't being entirely truthful. Buffy had many admirable qualities, but stubbornness was not one of them. And Buffy had this in spades. Getting her to let go of a grudge would often prove as difficult as extracting a tooth. Buffy would hide behind her protective walls, and sometimes Jenny felt like what you saw was not what you got.

Trying to dismiss the lingering pain brought to the surface through a pair of stupid pajamas, Jenny threw them on the unmade bed, and strode to the bathroom across the hall from her room. She flicked on the light switch, and dug out her toothpaste from the small drawer under the porcelain sink. The redheaded woman reached for her green toothbrush sitting in the leprechaun toothbrush holder; yet again, another gift from Rupert. Her tendency to leave the toothbrush anywhere, and everywhere to the point of not being able to find it, spurned him into action apparently. Their only Christmas together his neatness had driven him to giving her a plethora of gifts designed to re-organize and less clutter one's house, Hence, the holder; a coat rack for her frequently discarded jackets thrown on various pieces of furniture; a pen holder for the scattered pens strewn across her desk; and other assorted like minded gifts.

These memories brought a melancholy smile to her face. Still lost in lost in thought, Jenny squeezed on a dab of minty fresh toothpaste in an almost mechanical fashion, as her mind drifted from Rupert to the other great love of her life: Fionn.

And, naturally, thinking of Fionn only led her to thinking about little Willow. Why she had left without them both, she could no longer say for certain. Jenny had convinced herself at the time that the reason was for their safety. Despite knowing logically that it was the right thing to do, her heart cried out for her lifemate and child. However, as years passed, she had begun to give up hope that she would ever see them again. Finally, when Rupert came along, Jenny gave into the need for companionship and love. Even with Rupert, her mind never fully left her life in the Glen. On every single night during the past 18 years, Jenny's mind would replay the night she left.

/// Jenny could still feel the wet teardrops on her cheeks, the salty taste of them on her lips as she said her goodbyes to her lifemate and child.

Little Willow's tuft of red hair peeked out above the swaddling clothes. She kissed Willow's tiny head, the infant never stirring in her slumber. Jenny hugged Willow to her breast one last time before handing her infant daughter over to her father. As Fionn took the redheaded child, Jenny was surprised to see unheeded tears dropping down his pale cheeks, drifting down into his long almost white blonde hair.

"It is time." She heard the Elder speak next to her. Glancing over to the Elf whom gazed back solemnly, Jenny turned back and gave her lifemate one last lingering kiss. The redheaded woman touched his cheek, and whispered her love to him as Fionn murmured the same. She withdrew her palm from his cheek, and began the walk to the Portal. Just as she reached the opening, she heard him cry out, "Jenny, I'll find you again someday. I promise."

Jenny held herself from looking back, not wanting to see the two beings she loved more than life itself. Drawing herself up, she replied, "I know." And, with that, Jenny stepped through the Portal. ///

Emotion overwhelmed her, and, dropping her toothbrush in the sink, Jenny cradled her face in her hands, and cried the tears she had cried so many nights before.

..........

The lilting of the flute seemed to call to the Slayer, as she and Tara made their way deeper into the woods. Buffy estimated the distance to its origin was near. This led her to the presumption that it was coming from a small, partially hidden, clearing that she herself had visited many times. In fact, it was one of the Slayer's favorite spots to hide from the demands of her Calling, even the demands of her family and friends. She felt a sense of peace there. No one knew of its existence, and Buffy liked it that way. Not even Tara.

Unwilling as she was to show even Tara this place, Buffy was even more unwilling to leave Tara alone in the forest while she surveyed the situation.

She had been right; as they came upon the trees Buffy knew so well. Buffy raised her hand to signal the Wiccan to stop, and placed her fingers to her lips in a gesture of quiet. Tara nodded her understanding.

The Slayer peeked through the shrubs to see what had captured her attention, truly surprised by what she beheld.

.......

The redheaded Halfling had lulled herself into a state of peaceful bliss with Pan's lilting tune. Her eyes were closed, her legs crossed at the ankles in a relaxed position. But, her emerald eyes popped open as she sensed a presence nearby. Abruptly sitting upright and dropping the flute onto her lap, the Halfling scanned the area. But, it was strange. She should feel scared, or so she thought. Instead, she felt…excited? Goosebumps caressed her skin, and the Halfling knew that it had nothing to do with the cold.

Buffy had laid in wait, almost transfixed by the creature she saw lying on the grass playing the pleasant, gentle melody.

.......

The creature was beautiful. The moonlight shone on the creature, creating an almost ethereal glow surrounding it. The short, fiery red hair shined liked the finest ruby. The slender body was relaxed, but radiated a subtle power. Power not like Buffy's; an ancient power filled with magicks, but strength as well. The form fitting unique clothing also added to the creature's allure. Buffy was unable to tell the sex of the creature, but the soft features and an overall impression left her with the sense of femininity. The androgyny only led to the creature's attraction for Buffy; an attraction that Buffy had no wish to acknowledge, not even to herself.

The creature played her pipe with closed eyes. For some reason, Buffy found herself wanting very much to look into those eyes.

In the next moment, Buffy was amazed to discover that her wish had been granted.

The creature sat straight up, eyes wide open, looking about her. Sensing no danger, Buffy left her hiding place in the shrubs, and announced her presence.

.......

The redheaded Halfling's ears twitched, guiding her line of sight to the most beautiful female she had ever seen. The moonlight accented her long golden hair cascading around her face, while her small frame moved with warrior grace through the remaining thicket towards the Halfling. When the beautiful female emerged fully into the clearing, the Halfling's breath caught in her throat, and her voice refused to cooperate.

As the blonde female's slow approach drew to a halt about five feet away from her, the Halfling's keen emerald eyes stared into strong hazel eyes. The Halfling felt herself falling into the deep pools of the girl's eyes, causing the Halfling to draw in a sharp breath. As they studied each other, the Halfling caught a glimpse of the girl's enigmatic soul: tortured, and, yet, filled with love and laughter.

And that's when it happened.

It wasn't loud. It wasn't a thunderclap. It wasn't what the Halfling expected at all. It was like a soft caress, a whisper on the breeze. And, the beautiful girl's inaudible involuntary declaration of her innermost self shot straight to the Halfling's heart, straight to the Halfling's soul.

Then, she felt her own unexpected release of her own soul name. The Halfling watched as the beautiful girl gasped in wide-eyed shock as the Halfling's most sacred name entered her own soul.

As the beautiful blonde seemed about to speak, a rustle of shrubs and a call from behind the girl alerted the two to another female human. A mage, the Halfling realized. What if the mage sensed her for what she was? She had already inadvertently announced her existence to this girl in front of her. What had she done? She couldn't stay. No matter how much she longed to. Her father had warned her, and now…

As the beautiful girl stole a quick glance over her shoulder at the call, the Halfling took the opportunity she was afforded; the redheaded Halfling disappeared faster than the blink of an eye.

.......

"Buffy?"

The Slayer glanced behind her in response to the call of her name, before turning back around to the creature. The creature who was no longer there, nor were any of her belongings.

"Crap!" The Slayer muttered.

........

The Slayer had yet to speak upon exiting the forest, seemingly a million miles away… lost in thought.

Tara grew more and more concerned as time went on. After the Slayer's "encounter", Buffy had insisted upon investigating further into the forest. After nearly an hour, the tall blonde witch finally protested, hoping the Slayer would let it go, and leave. Buffy had finally relented, and they had left the deep forest to return to the dorm. Tara wondered exactly what had happened. The only thing Tara knew for sure was that Buffy had stumbled upon someone else in the clearing. Her friend was so tight lipped that Tara even had no clue whether that someone was a girl or a boy, or human, for that matter. The Wiccan tried to get more information from the Slayer, but she had refused to elaborate. So, here they were, walking in continued silence.

Finally, Tara couldn't stand it anymore, and decided to take an indirect route to get the Slayer to talk; Buffy's propensity to bottle up things, especially emotions, was legendary. "Right now, I think I'm in the mood for a warm chocolate-y beverage; one that can be found available at the Espresso Pump. So…" Tara gently nudged her friend. "What do you say? I'll buy." She offered.

The Slayer smiled rather sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Tara. Something happened out there…" Buffy shook her head. "I don't know…it was well…kind of x-filey, I guess…" She was quick to add, "But, in a good way. Just…" She hedged. "Well, it's just confusing." She shook her head, and relaxed slightly, "Maybe warm chocolate-y goodness is called for." Buffy genuinely smiled at Tara, and took her friends hand.

Tara, happy to see her friend more relaxed, replied, "Good. Lead the way."

...........

The Watcher was accustomed to being up this late; many a-night had research sessions run late, perhaps even entering the early morning hours. But, tonight, something didn't sit right with him. Buffy surely had finished patrolling by now, yet Giles could sense something lingering, almost like something she had missed. Somehow, the Watcher knew his Slayer was alright, and Giles briefly wondered if it was some sort of Slayer/Watcher bond, or, maybe what he didn't like to acknowledge: the bond of a parent.

Reaching for the phone, Giles dialed a familiar number. Try as he might, the old -fashioned Englishman could not figure out the infernal machine's use of speed dialing. Buffy laughed at this before asking in mock innocence, why the Watcher's Council didn't teach about the demon otherwise known as technology. To which Giles had remarked on her inability to drive that demon otherwise known as an automobile. Buffy had glared at him, but had remained silent on his phone usage ever since.

"Tara and Buffy are not here at the moment, as they are out hunting rabbits for Elmer Fudd. Please leave your wonderful and heartfelt message on this new Macy's answering machine."

Giles rolled his eyes at his Slayer's attempt at humor, while trying to scare Anya with the talk of bunnies in the process.

"Buffy, this is Giles. I'm sure you have finished your patrol already, but I'm wondering if you ran into anything unusual. Tonight, I felt…well…something that I am unable to explain at the moment. Please call me as soon as you get this message. I give you permission to call as late as you like. It's all right if you interrupt my sleep. Ahh, good night, then."

'Well, that message sounded idiotic. "I give you permission to call"? I'm sounding more and more like my father everyday.' Giles snorted in disgust with himself, but snapped out of it when he sensed that faint tingle of…magick. Yes, that was it. But…it was different. It was old. Ancient, perhaps. Where, and what, was it coming from? And why hadn't he noticed this sooner? Oh, that's right, Olivia. After the Gentleman, he had been too preoccupied with trying to salvage the damage done to their relationship by the introduction of the evil that the majority of the world was blissfully unaware of. The frightened woman had lost her innocence, and Giles had lost the first significant relationship since Jenny. The faint tingle had been most likely only the leftover residue of some larger significant event.

The Watcher began to reach for his coat hanging on the antique coat rack beside his door, before a fleeting thought halted his progress. Changing his mind, Giles went back to his phone to dial a number that he had never forgotten, but hadn't used in over a year. He only hoped that number, not to mention the person, hadn't changed.

RING, RING

Jenny fumbled in the dark as she reached for the desk lamp, nearly knocking over her statue of the goddess Brigid in the process.

Switching the lamp on, she peered at the alarm clock: 11:31 pm. Who could be calling at this hour on a week night? Not bothering to check caller ID, Jenny pushed the talk button.

"Hello?" she croaked in irritability.

"Hello, ah, Jenny, it's Rupert."

Jenny was suddenly wide-awake, and raised herself to a sitting position in bed. She felt unsure of how to react. They had parted ways courteously enough, saying they would keep in touch when Jenny decided to move to L.A. But, deep down, they both knew this wouldn't occur; their goodbyes as she packed up her belongings into her car was the last time she had really expected to ever talk to him again.

"Jenny? Are you there?"

Rupert's question brought her back to the present. Still feeling confused at his phone call, a fleeting thought flew into her mind that one of the kids was in trouble. This notion brought a wave of concern. Although the computer teacher had no contact with any of them anymore, she would always care about the scoobies on some level. But, Jenny was still leery, and the feeling came through in the tone of her answer.

"Uh, yes, Rupert, I'm here. Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong, exactly…" If he had heard the wariness in her voice, the Englishman gave no evidence of it. "I'm sorry to call at such a late hour, but there is something urgent that I need your help with." He sounded perplexed, if anything.

'The kids must be all right then,' she thought. But, then he paused, and Jenny was surprised to hear his voice taking on a different tone that she had tried very hard to forget. It was the same tone Rupert had used with her when he had found out she had hidden her tribal mission concerning Angeles and the curse. "I feel it's something that would qualify as your area of expertise."

Jenny caught the lingering resentment. "Rupert, just spit it out. I'll be able to give my answer if I know the details." She didn't mean to sound quite so mean, but his penchant for skirting around the situation was renowned. The redheaded woman used to find it quite charming, now it only served to aggravate her.

"Tonight, I felt the strong presence of ancient magicks. I have felt ancient magicks before, but this…this was different. It goes beyond the depth of my knowledge and experience." He left this to hang in the air.

Jenny cut to the chase in a clipped tone. "You think it has something to do with the Neverending Realm, don't you?" Her eyes strayed unconsciously to the end table next to her bed.

"I don't know for certain, but, yes, I think it has a connection with the Realm." She finally heard the tone where Rupert admitted the truth.

Jenny forced herself to keep her emotions in check, and wrenched her eyes away from the end table. Briefly, she put her forehead in her left hand, and then rubbed her brow. Raising her head, the redheaded woman mentally stepped back, and tried to approach the situation from a logical point of view. "How strong is the presence of the magicks?"

"It's not overwhelmingly strong." His tone became hesitant. "I think it was most likely released from its origin a few days ago."

Jenny tried to pinpoint him down; Rupert's evasiveness was driving her crazy. "Why do you think you didn't notice it when it was stronger?"

"Uh, I've been very distracted the last couple of days to notice much of anything." She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. Jenny could tell Rupert wasn't telling her the whole truth, but she decided to let it go for now.

"Has Buffy or Tara sensed anything?"

"If they have, they haven't mentioned it. If anyone would catch it, it would be Tara, and I feel certain she would have mentioned it."

"Yes, Tara is very magickally sensitive, and quite gifted," Jenny agreed. "Have you talked to them tonight? I'm assuming Buffy has finished patrolling by now."

"I called, but there was no answer. I left a message asking them to call me as soon as possible."

"I'm not sure if I can sense anything from this distance, but I'll meditate right now, and give it a shot." Two emotions warred within her at what she might discover: excitement and fear. If she was going to figure anything out, Jenny needed to keep these emotions at bay. "Are you going to be up for awhile? I can call you back after I'm done."

"Ah, erm, yes, I want to go through the texts- " Same old Rupert. Despite the situation, she almost smiled to herself at the thought."-and I'm hoping I'll hear from Buffy soon."

"Alright, I'll call you back as soon as possible."

"Excellent." He hesitated. "Well, actually, I also wanted to ask you if you would be available to come to Sunnydale tomorrow."

Jenny froze when she heard the request. Could she really do it? Could she really make herself go back to Sunnydale? But, if this really was connected to the Realm…Jenny chose to give a noncommittal answer. "Well, um, let me do my meditation first, and then I'll call you with the results before we make any decisions."

"Yes, well, that does seem to be the most prudent course." She could tell Rupert didn't care for her answer; he obviously had expected her to just drop everything, and just come to Sunnydale. Jenny felt a stab of annoyance again, but decided to concede a bit.

"Look, if I find anything at all substantial, I'll come by tomorrow. When I call you back tonight, we'll discuss it some more." Trying to keep her tone light, Jenny added, "Lucky for you, Rupert, tomorrow is Friday, and I only have one class in the morning".

"Well, then, I look forward to hearing your results, then." She could hear the palpable relief in his voice. "And, erm…,thank you, Jenny."

Grateful that he didn't elaborate the thank you, she simply took her leave. "Goodbye, Rupert. I'll call back soon. I promise."

"Alright, good night then."

Jenny hung up the phone, staring vacantly into space for a moment. Blinking her eyes, Jenny brought herself back to her painful reality. Turning to her right, Jenny stretched her arm out to open the drawer within the end table. Her hand finally found the small music box, inlaid with an intricate design representing mother earth on the silver top.

Laying the beautiful box on her lap, she caressed the lid before gently lifting it. The sweet soft swaying tune played while she found the treasure she was searching for: A small lock of red hair. Gathering the ringlet between her fingers, Jenny placed the box aside, and drew up her legs. The redheaded woman wrapped both arms around them, hugging her legs close in search of comfort. She rested her forehead on them, shutting her eyes. Clutched tightly in her grasp were the short tresses of her baby's red hair.

Jenny sat cross-legged on her bedroom rug amidst burning candles and incense, seeking a calm state of being. Her emotions were in tremendous flux right at the moment, leaving her unable to fully concentrate on performing the ritual. Finally, she felt settled down enough to cast a circle, and set about invoking the spirit of Gaia. Within moments, she had her answer. A sob broke free, and tears began to freely flow.

"Willow."