Willow had been aware of Buffy nervously pacing in the hall. It did not make it easier for Willow to talk on the phone to her contact in London.
"But it is possible, isn't it Marina? I mean, I've heard of it being done. The First brought Angel back once before."
"Yes, Willow. It is possible. But it is very, very hard and requires an immense amount of power." Willow sighs, but Marina continues. "I will overnight everything to you. It should be there by tomorrow morning. I beg you to not take this spell lightly." Willow thanks her friend before hanging up. She stands up, and hesitates. She's fairly certain Spike is in London, not in a Hell dimension.
The question was, how to tell Buffy. Or even if she actually should. After all, what if it turned out she was wrong after all? What if she had been mistaken about the whole thing? With a sigh, she sits down and starts yet another tracking spell. She doesn't get very far into it before something strange happens.
Her eyes are closed and she isn't aware of having moved at all. But suddenly, she senses another presence, and her eyes fly open. She finds herself looking down on a sleeping Spike. He's pale. Much paler than she's ever seen him. Even when he was starving after the chip.
Spike stirs ever so slightly, mumbles something, but doesn't fully wake. Willow looks around the room, trying to figure out where exactly she is. It isn't immediately obvious, but she finds a clock on the wall. Given the time difference, she realizes she's in London.
A voice comes from the corner of the room. Willow turns and sees a woman sitting in a chair near the window.
"You do not belong here, witch." The woman says softly, a hint of accent in her voice. "You should go back to your body. It isn't time yet for the Slayer to discover his presence." The woman stands up and approaches Willow.
"Who are you?" Even to her own ears, Willow's voice sounds muffled. "What are you doing with Spike?" The woman smiles.
"William Pratt is in safe hands. I have been asked to look after him. All I am doing is trying to keep his new found humanity from slipping from him. He had been poisoned near death. I am merely trying to prolong his life until we can discover the antidote." The woman glances at Spike's sleeping form. "He shall be fine by the time the Slayer is ready to see him again. But that time is not now. She is not ready yet. And neither is he." The woman turns back to Willow. "Go. I shall be in touch with you Willow Rosenberg." The woman reaches out and touches Willow's cheek, and there is a sudden dizzy sensation and a rush of air. A moment later, Willow is aware of sitting in her hotel room in LA.
:~:~:~:
I sit down on my bed as soon as I get to my room. I sigh and lie back. What if she can do it? What if she can't? Fear mingles with hope, causing my stomach to churn. I close my eyes. No sooner have I begun to relax then there is a knock at the door. Groaning, I stand up.
I open the door, and find Vi there. "Hey, Buffy. One of the girls found something out at the ruins. I thought you should come look at it." I nod and follow Vi downstairs.
On a table in the lobby of the hotel sits a strange box. It's a perfect cube, with strange markings covering every inch of it's surface. I don't recognize the language. I move closer to the table, and study the box. "Okay, anyone have any ideas?"
A small girl, on of the newer Slayers, steps forward. "I've seen something a bit like this before. I grew up in Ireland. We knew about this organization who were evil. I think they're the Wolfram and Hart you speak of, though we called them a different name. We called them the Mac Tíre, reithe agus Hart." I nod for her to continue. "When I was little, we found a box like this in my village. After that, people started going missing."
I look at the box again, eyebrow raised. Whatever this box is, it's got to be dangerous. Something about it reminds me of the Box of Gavrok. But this box is very different. Still, there's a certain air about it that doesn't feel right. And judging by the looks on the other Slayers' faces, they sense it too.
"Let's get it somewhere safe. For now, until someone else can look at it too. I'll see if Willow can find someone who might help." I grab the box and head upstairs. Vi's hand touches my arm.
"Are you okay?" She looks genuinely concerned, telling me I need to be better about keeping my poker face up. I nod and continue up the stairs, aware that she is still watching me.