Xander watched Dawn pace and rant. Her hands flew about as she punctuated her words with cuts and slices. Sometimes she sounded like Buffy. He smiled. He missed the Buffster. Back before the spell, she had been one of his girls. He supposed she still was in a way, but she never laughed at his jokes or hugged him anymore. Yeah, he missed her, but people grew apart. That was life. He sighed.
"It's just a meal, Dawn." Willow rolled her eyes. "Giles isn't asking you to stop the next apocalypse."
"He kicked us out and he thinks a stupid meal will make it all better?" Dawn tossed her hands up in the air. "You have got to be kidding me."
"He's her watcher and I had just told him you cursed her. Try to understand. He was doing his job." Willow grabbed Dawn's arm. "He loves you."
"Then why does he want me to have a meal with my whiny, weepy sister?" Dawn flopped down into a chair. "Hell, the holidays are over."
"He just wants his family together." Xander sighed. "We can deal. She won't break down again."
"She'd better not."
Xander looked out the window at the grey sky. He missed the burning sun and wide skies of his new home. Things were clearer there.
Ethan watched the wolf and the slayer as they sparred in the garden. It was a beautiful display. Their bodies blurred as they moved, but it was still more dance than battle.
"I had no idea he could move like that." Rupert touched the small of his back. "He used to be stronger and slightly faster than a human, but he has honed those skills far beyond any level I believed he could attain."
"He moves like our girl." Ethan leaned back against Rupert's chest.
"Our girl, is she?" The heat of Ripper's breath warmed the shell of his ear.
"I've decided to share her with you." Ethan smiled as Rupert's deep chuckle moved them both.
"So, the past in the past, we move forward together?" Rupert slid his fingers under the hem of Ethan's sweater.
"It's what I want. We'll keep your slayer happy and alive and her wolf will fill her belly with babies for us to spoil."
"What a lovely imagination you have, Ethan." Rupert pulled him around so they stood face to face. "I think I would very much love the world you see."
Rupert's fingers moved in small circles on his forearms. Those warm green eyes he'd been dreaming of for far more years than he'd care to admit narrowed as Rupert smiled. Ethan slid closer and their lips met all too briefly.
"Afraid she'll see us, Ripper?" Ethan cocked his head to the side.
"No, Buffy would never begrudge me a lover, not now." Rupert shook his head. "This thing between us only works if the chaos is tempered, Ethan. I don't want it to end because her safety trumps your religion. Can you live with that?"
"Managed chaos only." Ethan sighed. "I'll miss it a bit, but I see my future with you."
"I'll talk to Buffy as soon as we get this situation managed. I want her to know about us, but I want to handle it right." The weight Ripper's hands on his shoulders was delightful.
"I know." Buffy smiled at them. Giles spun around awkwardly. "I have a curse, but it doesn't make me blind. I've known about your relationship since the Halloween costume debacle. I really can't blame you Ethan. My watcher is one yummy example of manhood. Stay off the evil crap train and we're good. Okay?"
"I promise to avoid the evil crap train." Ethan laughed, nodded, and held up his hand.
"And you gave me shit for Spike?" Buffy rolled her eyes at her watcher.
"I did far worse than that, Buffy. I'm sorry." Rupert's hand shook as she closed the distance between them in that startling speed of hers. She hugged Ripper and reached out one hand to him.
"If you need to hex someone go after my real Dad, okay?" She smiled and winked at him. His breath caught. Chaos had destroyed his world and rebuilt it. He winked back and grabbed her hand.
Kennedy hated the plane. Oh, it was nice enough, but teleporting would be so much better. Of course, the one time she needed an excuse to travel so quickly none had presented itself.
She smiled politely at the waitress and nodded. Willow needed her. This stupid family vacation had been a bad idea from the start. She should have talked Willow into a ski vacation or a Christmas in the sun and sand somewhere where clothing was more optional than not. Anything would be better than this mess in England.
It was always about Buffy. Everything always came back to her. Buffy was still The Slayer. The rest were just slayers. Kennedy wrinkled her nose in disgust. Even she was just one of the crowd.
Giles smiled as Buffy ate her third bowl of split pea soup. Oz sat beside her, one hand resting on her back while he paged through a book. The casual intimacy of it was appealing. He grinned thinking of Ethan's earlier wild speculation.
Buffy took a bit of bread, dipped it in her bowl, and popped it into Oz's mouth without missing a beat. The werewolf glanced up at her and smiled. His fingers spread wider on her back and pressed in a bit harder. She leaned back into his touch with a sigh.
"Thanks for the bread."
"Well, you make me eat." Buffy grinned. "It seemed fair."
Oz shook his head and nodded toward her bowl. She scooped up more soup and made a production of slurping it down. Oz ignored her antics.
Giles leaned back against the counter and relaxed. There was reason for hope. She was eating and smiling. These were good things.
"Where's Ethan?" Buffy smirked up at him.
"He's preparing. The spells aren't complicated, but we have to check Xander and Dawn." Giles frowned. "The spells at work on you are bound into the initial curse. Those may fail when we figure out what Oz has to do to break it, but the spells acting on Willow are subtle and we have no idea what they are doing to her."
"Is that why you didn't just break them?"
"Partially. We chose not to explain the intricacies of what we discovered to her because she might have done something rash." Giles sighed. "I'm hoping that Dawn or Xander have traces of similar spells. We might be able to trace them back to their source."
"You're going to triangulate with magic? You can do that?" Buffy and Oz were both focused on him intently. It was slightly unsettling.
"Willow has greater power, but delicacy eludes her. We have experience on our side." Giles shrugged.
"And a certain debonair flare." Ethan smiled from the door. "I've found something interesting."
Ethan walked into the room. Giles examined his lover. The magic he'd been working had taken a toll.
"Sit down before you fall down, Ethan." Buffy kicked out a chair and nodded to it. "Do you want some tea?"
Giles was already getting the cup when Ethan nodded.
"It seems someone has been using Miss. Rosenberg's power against her." Ethan sighed. "It has to be someone she trusts. It isn't easy to leech power and these are delicate spells. The culprit has most likely done this before. It's a pity. The skill and focus required to do these spells would have served your cause well if it hadn't been perverted."
Giles felt like he'd been punched. Someone was using magic against those closest to him.
"It could be one of them." Buffy swallowed. "Willow trusts Xander and Dawn more than anyone else."
"The spells on her are intricate." Ethan tapped the table. "I've met the boy. He wouldn't have the touch."
"Dawn is far too affected." Giles sighed. "It's going to be someone else."
Buffy nodded, but he could see the pain and doubts swirling behind the façade.
"So, the curse isn't a one off." Oz looked down at his book and frowned. "If this is a campaign against Buffy and the others, we may be running short on time. The person behind all this could cover their tracks before we act."
"Yes." Ethan nodded. "We need to break the curse as soon as possible. The side spells should dissipate with it or, at the very least, weaken."
"I think I know how to break it." Oz looked down at Buffy's hand.
"How?" Buffy turned and grabbed his hand. Oz looked up into her eyes.
"What do you have to do?" Giles sat next to Ethan.
"We have to talk first. This is her decision." Oz rested his hand on Buffy's shoulder. "She's had enough things decided for her."