If There Was No Buffy

Chapter Eleven

Trust Me

"I don't trust him. Why don't I trust him? He's Giles. I should trust him. Why don't I trust him?"

Tara and Willow were sitting at the Expresso Pump waiting for Willow's first class of the day.

"Well, he hasn't been especially forthcoming about this new evil," Tara said. "But you do have to give him credit for coming to you like he did. Do you think he was lying?"

"No. I was subtle girl. He had no idea I was flirting around his aura. Unless he was able to project a false impression about what he was thinking. I keep wondering, what if the coven also gave him some power?"

"Like the ability to inhibit your flirtations?"

"That's what I keep wondering."

Willow was silent for a while. Tara could see by the look on her face she was thinking, and Tara knew the look – Willow was hatching some kind of plan, and that didn't always bode well.

"Okay," Tara said. "Spill."

"What?"

"Don't 'what?' me. I know you, Will. And I know you've got some kind of devious little something rattling around in that devious little brain of yours." Despite trying to be serious Tara couldn't help but smile.

"I was just thinking about a test. Just to see what kind of magicks they have."

"I-is that such a g-good idea?" Tara suddenly became concerned; her stuttering was a dead give-away. She only stuttered when she was stressed.

"Sure it is."

"B-but if they're as powerful as Mr. Giles said, it c-could be dangerous, don't you think?"

"Maybe. But if I'm careful and construct the test just right, they'll never know what hit them."

"Okay. N-now you're scaring me."

"It'll be okay. Trust me."

"S-speaking of trust, what are you going to do about Dawn?"

"Talk to her. And hope she'll understand how dangerous sneaking out at night is."

"Maybe if you tell her the protective spell she knows about doesn't work anymore."

"She knows. But she also knows Spike will protect her. I told him if I had to, I'd put a protective bubble around the house. And that's what I'm going to tell Dawn. Maybe that will keep her in."

"But just as soon as you fall asleep it will disappear."

"I know that. And you know that. But Dawn doesn't, and Spike doesn't. Other than putting her between us in our bed I don't know what else to do. I told Spike to let her know she was going to catch it when we get home. Maybe that will help."

Willow glanced down at her wristwatch. "Anyway, I guess we should get to our classes. Meet here afterward?"

"Oh, my class was canceled. The professor decided to take a 'sick day'. I think she has a new girlfriend. I've seen them together a few times around campus, and they seemed to be getting kind of cozy."

"So meet you at home?"

"Actually I was going to the magic shop. Anya said she had some new and exotic crystals that just came in. So why don't you meet me there and then we'll go home?"

"Magic shop it is."

After a quick peck on the lips the two left for their separate destinations.

Tara was a block from the Magic Box when Giles called out to her.

"M-Mr. Giles. I didn't expect to see you. Is everything all right?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

"I d-don't understand."

"It's Willow. I'm worried about her."

"Worried? Is she in some kind of t-trouble?"

"Not at the moment, but I think she's about to do something incredibly stupid that may jeopardize her well-being."

"Do something? She's going to do something?"

"I believe she is."

"What is she going to do?"

"I have reason to believe she intends to challenge the magicks Mary and Marie possess."

"Why do you think that?"

"Call it a – gut feeling, to put it in laymen's terms. I was at the house earlier today, and during my conversation with Willow, I felt as if she was scanning me, or attempting to. And there was this – background emotion of defiance. I realize it was fleeting, barely perceptible, but it was there, nevertheless."

"W-what do you want from me?"

"I need you to talk to her, to impress upon her in the strongest terms that Mary and Marie are NOT to be challenged! Nor are they to be underestimated. Trust me when I say, their tolerance is much less than mine. All my years as Buffy's Watcher taught me that a certain degree of patience is necessary. But their youth and their desire to fight the good fight make them much less accepting of outside interference."

"I-I'll be sure to tell her."

Giles smiled as if he knew it would do no good, then turned and walked away, leaving Tara more worried now than before.

When the bell on the door rang as Tara entered the Magic Box, Anya sang out loudly, "Welcome, Paying Customer. Did you being lots of mon…?"

But when she saw it was Tara, her enthusiasm died. "Oh. Hello, Tara. Did you bring any money at all?"

Ignoring the question, Tara asked, "Was Mr. Giles just in here?"

"Yes he was. And I must say, he was being very annoying. He came in here like he still owns everything! He just HAD to look at the cash receipts, and the credit card receipts, and the invoices, and the inventory sheets, and the…."

"Did he say anything about Willow?" Tara interrupted.

"…It's like he doesn't trust me! What? Willow? Oh. Yes, he did." Anya held up a neatly typewritten sheet of paper, with over half the page filled with book titles. "He said I was to lock these away, and not to let Willow have them under any circumstances."

"Did he say why?"

"Something about her not having access to magicks she's not ready for."

"Anything else?"

"No. He just said he has his reasons. He said I should trust his judgment. Then he left."

"Is that an Aqua Aura Quartz?" Tara asked as she spotted the teal colored crystal.

"Yes, it most certainly is," Anya replied, her mood suddenly lifted. "And I can give it to you at a most attractive price. Almost at cost, plus a paltry thirty five percent markup for overhead expenses."

To Be Continued