Chapter 3: Runaway

*****The Next Day*****

When Pepper made it to the hospital the next morning, Willow's parents still weren't there. They felt Willow would be ready to be discharged after one more day. Tony brought the ladies breakfast, and they were eating when Xander arrived.

"Hey, Willow," Xander said. "Good morning, Mr. Stark, Miss Potts."

"Please, call me, Tony," Tony said.

"Really?" Xander asked. Then he shook his head. "Not important right now. Willow, I hope you're feeling okay. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. I should get out tomorrow," Willow said.

"That's good 'cause I have some bad news," Xander said. "Mrs. Summers called my house this morning, and she said that Buffy never came home."

"That's not true! I escorted her home myself," Tony insisted.

"Did you see her go inside? Maybe another vamp attacked or something?" Willow asked.

"Yes, I watched her climb the tree and go in through her bedroom window," Tony said.

"Tony, you didn't!" Pepper scolded.

"She insisted," Tony said defensively.

"That's her normal way, so that's good," Willow said dismissively.

"Why is that good?" Xander asked.

"It means no demons attacked and dragged her off somewhere," Willow explained. "It means she left on her own."

"You think she ran away?" Pepper asked, frowning.

Willow and Xander exchanged a look. "Maybe," Xander said. "She did have to kill Angel even though he was all Soul Boy again."

"Or maybe she went to her dad's. She did that last summer," Willow said.

"Mrs. Summer said she didn't," Xander said. "I did ask that."

"She got into that fight with her mom," Pepper said, looking at Tony. "Right? Didn't you say that last night?"

Tony nodded. "Yes, she said her mom told her not to come back if she left. She told her mother that she was a vampire slayer. Her mother didn't take it very well," he said. "But I talked to her mom—she didn't mean it. I told Buffy that she didn't mean it—her mother loved her."

"But Buffy might not have believed that. And love is the not the same as acceptance," Pepper pointed out. "She's probably devastated, especially since she just went through the trauma of killing the man she loved after losing a friend."

"A town like this probably doesn't have cameras we could access, huh?" Tony said, looking at the teens.

Willow shook her head. "Not really. The bank has one," she said. "The courthouse."

"She doesn't drive?" Pepper asked.

"No," Xander said.

"Then she took a bus out of town if she left," Tony said.

"But we don't know if she left town," Willow said.

"Yes, it's kind early," Xander said. "She could still be in town."

"So we wait," Willow said.

"In the meantime, I'll have JARVIS check out all the bus routes out of town," Tony said.

"I hope she comes back," Willow said, worried. "Did Mrs. Summers ask Giles? Maybe she's at Giles'!"

"I didn't mention Giles because I didn't know how to explain him to her mom," Xander said. "What would I say? The librarian might know where she is. How was I going to explain that?"

"I guess that would've been a bit hard," Willow said with a wince.

"Who is he again?" Pepper asked.

"He's her Watcher," Xander said.

"He watches her?" Pepper asked in confusion.

"No, well, yea, but it's not creepy like it sounds," Willow said. "There's this whole ancient group called the Watcher's Council in Great Britain. They've been training slayers for generations. Giles is her watcher, and he trains her. Tells her how to kill whatever demon we face. Reads ancient books for prophecies of upcoming doom."

"Like the Harvest when the Master tried the first time to open the hellmouth," Xander added. "That was the fall of our sophomore year."

Pepper looked horrified and reached for Tony's hand. She didn't know how many more of these horrifying revelations she could take.

"Okay, we get it. We know who Giles is," Tony said. "Did he know anything about her whereabouts?"

Xander shook his head. "No, but he said he'd check out Willy's and other demon haunts," Xander said.

"You have demon haunts?" Pepper asked weakly.

"Did you not get it about this being a town built on a hellmouth?" Xander asked. "There's a gateway to an actual hell dimension below the school's library."

"It's under the school?" Pepper asked, her terror apparent. She looked at Willow. "You go to school over a door to hell?" How many more of these revelations was she going to have to take?

"And I thought my school was hell," Tony joked.

Pepper elbowed him. "That's not funny," she said. She had to get her daughter away from this town. Disbelief and terror were at war inside her, and she felt Tony's hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her. For some reason, his touch stilled the panic.

"Well, it's not as bad as it sounds," Willow assured her. "Most of the time, you don't notice there's even a hellmouth. It's only when demons and other idiots try to open it that it's a problem. That's where Buffy comes in. She keeps it from opening, and we help her."

They were interrupted by the appearance of the Rosenbergs. While Peppy fretted that they'd push her out of Willow's life, Tony watched the couple's interaction with Willow. There was clear affection, but Willow seemed guarded and anxious in their presence.

"I can't believe that your friend Bunny killed someone," Sheila said after greetings and introductions were over. "I knew she was bad news after her expulsion from that school in L.A."

"Her name is Buffy, Mom, not Bunny, and Buffy never killed anyone!" Willow said.

"That's true," Tony said. "I've already spoken to the police captain this morning, and all charges are being dropped. There were eyewitnesses that put her on the other side of town at the time of the murder, not to mention Willow, Xander, and Mr. Giles, the librarian, stated she was not present. In fact, they all gave an ID of the real killer to the police."

"Well, why was she charged?" Ira asked.

"Because the police and principal found her leaning over the body, and the principal, who hates her, jumped to wrong conclusions," Tony said. "She just had the bad luck to be the one to find Kendra's body."

Sheila pursed her lips but said nothing more. She knew who Tony was and how intelligent the man was. He was most likely correct—at least she'd give him the courtesy of not arguing. "The doctor told us that you will be cleared to leave in the morning," she said. "That's good. I wish we knew it wasn't so serious because we had to leave in the middle of our tour. You know how important it is, Willow, to honor your commitments."

"I'm sorry, Mom, that my brain injury was inconvenient for you or that I'm not still unconscious," Willow said with uncharacteristic bitterness.

Ira reached for her hand. "No need to apologize, my dear. This wasn't your fault," he said. "Hooligans shooting up schools across the country, and now we have gang bangers here in Sunnydale brazen enough to attack a school in broad daylight. It's not right."

"No, it's not," Tony agreed.

Pepper was silent, unsure of her place. She didn't like that Sheila seem to be critical of Willow and had to bite her tongue to keep from saying something rude.

"We will leave and let you visit with your daughter," Pepper said, not wanting to be around the woman anymore.

"That's not necessary," Sheila said. "We've not been home yet because we came straight here."

"We wanted to make sure you were okay, dear," Ira said. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"I'm good, Dad," she said, smiling up at him.

It was clear to Tony that Willow was much closer to her father than her mother.

"We will be back for dinner," Sheila said. "If you have any requests, please call."

No one spoke until they were gone, Xander said, "I'm going to go cruise around with Cordy and see if we can spot Buffy anywhere."

"Good idea," Willow said. "Call me if you find her."

"Of course," Xander said. "Let Oz know we could use his sense of smell to help track her."

"I will," Willow said. "He stayed with me until about six, so he went home to sleep a few hours."

Xander waved goodbye to Tony and Pepper and left. "So why can Oz's sense of smell help track down Buffy?" Tony asked, never one to miss a detail.

"Oh, well, that's 'cause he's a werewolf, so he has that good sense of smell," Willow admitted.

"Werewolf?" Pepper exclaimed in dismay.

"So, wait, you're telling me that werewolves are real?" Tony asked. "He actually gets furry on the full moon?"

Willow nodded. "Yes, for three days. We just keep him locked up in library on the full moon," she said.

"In the library?" Pepper said. Would the horrific revelations ever stop? This was not the life she'd envisioned for her daughter.

"Giles has a cage," Xander explained.

"Of course, he does," Tony said with a grin. "I'm really beginning to love this town."

"I hate it," Pepper mumbled.

"So, back to the point," Xander said. "Yes, I will call Oz this afternoon if Buffy doesn't turn up."

"Keep me posted," Willow called out to him as headed out the door.

"So vampires, demons, and now werewolves," Tony said. "Are there other things?"

"Well, yea," Willow said. "You should go to the library and talk to Giles. He's got books on it."

Tony's eyes lit up, and he turned to Pepper. "Can I please?" he asked her.

Pepper laughed. "Go. Have fun," she said. "But don't bully Mr. Giles."

"I don't bully—I bribe," Tony said smugly.

Willow and Pepper watched him leave, amused. However, her worry for Willow hadn't dissipated—she just knew it wasn't the time to address her many concerns.

"I don't think Giles can be bribed," Willow said after he left.

"That's good. Tony needs to know some people can't be bought," Pepper said, patting her hand. Both enjoyed their time together once more.

*****A Few Days Later*****

Giles looked at the billionaire with fond exasperation. The man was like three Xanders and two Willows in one adult body. His energy was boundless and his questions unrelenting. Giles knew some very brilliant people—he himself was quite intelligent. However, Tony Stark's mind worked on a level that Giles had never encountered before. His thirst to know and understand, well, everything was both impressive and exhausting. Somehow, he'd talked Giles into allowing him to scan all his books on the occult. Jenny had cleansed all his books after Willow's unfortunate incident, so he couldn't think of a reason not to allow him. Of course, the man was nearly impossible to say no to.

Tony's mind could operate on so many levels simultaneously—it was both fascinating and overwhelming, especially when he focused that mind on Giles.

"So Buffy is gone—there's no way she can be in town," Tony said. "Statistics show that teenage runaways rarely stray too far from familiar haunts. Most likely, she will be in Los Angeles somewhere."

"That's a real possibility, but she's not contacted her father," Giles said. "And unfortunately, the city is huge."

"Well, Willow's parents have agreed to allow her to spend the summer with Pepper. She'll be touring colleges in New York," Tony shared. Pepper was extremely happy to both remove her daughter from the hellmouth even for a short time and to get the time with her. "We decided to invite Oz and Xander—give those poor kids a break from the hellmouth."

"That's a good idea. The summers here are relatively tame," Giles said.

"I think we'll spend a week or so in Malibu while I try to locate Buffy. JARVIS is now plugged into the Los Angeles grid, so he can access all the city's cameras," Tony shared. "It's only a matter of time before we catch her on film somewhere in the city."

"Well, today is the last day of the term," Giles said. "I will keep using my contacts to look for her outside of Los Angeles."

Xander and Cordelia came into the library with Oz and Willow behind them. "We are so ready to be gone from this place for a few months," Xander said.

"Your parents said it was okay?" Giles asked.

"Mine could care less," Xander said. "Cordy's going to Mexico for a few weeks with her parents, and then she'll meet us in New York. Oz is going to travel with his band and eventually join us before we leave for New York."

"The guys are already finding locations to perform in Los Angeles and New York," Oz said with a faint smile.

"I know lots of dives," Tony said. "I can keep you busy."

"Thanks, but we'll manage," Oz said.

"Oz doesn't care about fame," Willow said. "He just wants to play his guitar."

"So any word from miss drama queen yet?" Cordelia asked.

"If you're referring to Buffy, no," Giles said.

"We'll find her," Tony said confidently. "JARVIS is on it."

"I think it's great that your imaginary friend is doing what Giles can't," Cordy said with a smirk.

"I told you, JARVIS, isn't an imaginary friend," Tony said. "He's my A.I."

"He's someone you talk to and confide in like a friend, right?" Cordelia asked.

Tony frowned. "Well, sure," he said.

"And no one can see him, right?" Cordelia said.

"That's because he's a computer, not a figment of my imagination!" Tony insisted.

Cordelia snorted. "You say toma-toe, I say to-mat-toe!" she said.

Willow rolled her eyes. "Ignore her, Mr. Stark. She can't help being a rude know-it-all," Willow said.

"I'm just teasing," Cordelia said, glaring at Willow.

"Ladies, it's our last hour at school for three glorious months," Xander said. "How about you retract the claws?"

"Why do you do that, Xander? She insults me, and you don't take up for me!" Cordelia said, now glaring at him.

"Come on, Cordy, don't be like that," Xander begged.

"Whatever," Cordelia said, brushing him off. "Oz, have fun traveling with the Dingoes. I'll see you when I see you. Goodbye, Giles. Mr. Stark, thanks for the invitation, but I'm not sure I'll be seeing you in New York." Then she turned and walked out of the library with Xander trailing after her.

"She's so dramatic," Willow said with a sigh.

"All the fun ones are," Tony said with a grin. "I've chased after your mom like that more than once."

"So are you trying to tell me that you and my mom are a couple?" Willow asked with a hopeful grin. "I've been trying to figure it out, but she won't say."

"Well, I'm nuts about her, and she's my person," he said. "I literally can't function without her—she's more necessary to me than caffeine."

"That says a lot," Oz observed.

"So you love her?" Willow asked.

"She's the only person in my life who I've ever truly loved, but it took me too long to realize that," Tony shared. "Unfortunately for me, she lived through a lot of my one-night stands."

Willow frowned while Oz winced. "So she doesn't trust that you really love her?" Willow said.

"Let's just say that we're a work in progress," Tony said.

"Well, I'm rooting for you," Willow said, giving him a warm smile.

"Did your mother go home?" Giles asked her.

"She had to go to New York and put out a fire for me," Tony said. "She'll meet us in Malibu in two days."

"I can't believe I get to spend the summer with her!" Willow said excitedly.

"We're pretty excited," Tony said. "I can't wait to get you two in my lab. I need some smart assistants. Currently, my two robots that help normally aren't really making the cut."

Willow was beyond excited and still couldn't believe that her parents were letting her spend so much time with Tony and Pepper. She knew it had a bit to do with who Tony was and the doors he could open for her future. Sheila had already mentioned that to her. Ira had some family in New York City, so they were quite content with the idea of her going to college there. Willow hadn't really given it much thought as she couldn't imagine leaving Buffy.

"So, Giles, if Kendra was called after Buffy died for a minute," Tony began, "shouldn't there be another slayer called?"

Giles looked thoughtful. "Well, the slayer line should no longer run through Buffy since she did die and another was called," he said. "That's a good point. I should call the Council and have them search. We can get the new slayer here. As active as this hellmouth is, it's a good thing to have two."

"Not to mention, Buffy could decide to go away for college, too," Willow said excitedly. She really hoped that Tony found Buffy, and she joined them for the summer.

Losing Angel would be devastating for her friend, and Willow knew isolation was never a good way to get over heartbreak.

She really hoped they found Buffy soon.

*****Chapter End*****

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