Thank you to all those who are reading.

And DOUBLE thanks to coffeegoddess, chao-hellsing, and "guest"...for posting actual comments! Love, love, LOVE it!

~oOo~

Chapter Thirty-eight
The Wand Chooses the Witch!

It was approximately two weeks later when Buffy returned to Diagon Alley again. She'd received an owl from the Ollivanders, informing her that they had wands available for her to try—and so she ventured out again, this time with Vin and Sophie, the three of them first stopping at Wools to pick up Tom Riddle.

"I don't understand why poor Tommy has to return to this dreadful place!" Sophie grumbled inside the dank and dingy lobby of the orphanage as they waited for someone to go fetch the boy. There was a woman behind a counter glaring at them—not surprisingly, since they'd come every couple days and disrupted her day of doing whatever it was she did—which only caused the blonde sister's ire to spike irritably.

"And why are they so rude here?" she asked no one in particular—but loudly enough for anyone relatively close by to hear. "You'd think they would be happy for someone else to care for one of their charges now and again."

Vin sighed. "You know they're not going to allow us to take him permanently, Sophie, so..." She shrugged. "Just be happy that we're being permitted to pick him up for day trips whenever we feel like it."

Sophie snorted. They'd picked him up and dropped him off several times in the last two weeks. It was very inconvenient to have to constantly cross town when the boy could just stay with them—if not permanently, then for a few weeks at a time. Why did they even care if he was gone when they clearly just didn't care about the boy at all?! It made no sense!

But Mrs Cole was now insisting that they come to pick him up and drop him off—no earlier than ten o'clock and no later than six o'clock. It was already getting old and the sisters wondered if it would get old for Mrs Cole as well.

"Don't let Tom hear you calling him that," Buffy scolded from where she'd sat down on the cold hard lobby bench against the wall. She was examining her fingernails and looking bored.

Sophie scoffed. "You're one to talk!" she barked out. "I've heard you misnaming just about everyone."

Vin laughed. "Professor Dumb-dumb?" she said, as if to reinforce Sophie's statement. "You do know that the man is anything, but dumb?"

Buffy just shrugged—then jumped up when Tom was escorted in by the stern-looking Mrs Cole.

"Hey!" she said, grinning up at him goofily—and ignoring the woman completely.

Tom looked down at her, making an attempt to be his usual polite and controlled self—but failed, wincing when she poked him in the ribs.

"Missed you," Buffy said.

"I just saw you yesterday," he said, his eyes flickering briefly to Mrs Cole—she stood silently watching the two of them—then back to the girl who was like sunshine in his dark world.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Fine. If you're not interested in a day in Diagon," she said, the last word under her breath, "then...stay here, for all I care...in this lovely place." She gestured about and grimaced, her gaze quickly shifting over to Mrs Cole—who pursed her lips with annoyance.

Tom clenched his jaw. "I didn't say that," he ground out, his tone steady. "But I question how much you could have actually missed me when I've only just come back here sixteen hours ago."

Buffy huffed. "Are you joining us or not, Mr Grumpy Pants?" she asked. "If not then...we'll just be going. There's lots to do today." She hoped there was anyway.

She started to pull away—but Tom's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. His grip was very firm—possibly too tight for a girl who was not a slayer—and she gave him a look.

Sighing, Tom relaxed his hold, then dropped her wrist completely. "Yes," he said after a moment. "I'd like to join you."

The girl grinned. "Alrighty then!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands and rubbing them together. Then, linking her arm through his, she gave him a tug. "Let's skedaddle!"

They didn't bother to look back at Mrs Cole, instead allowing Vin and Sophie to provide their goodbyes.

~oOo~

Arriving at the Leaky Cauldron, the four of them hustled through the establishment, not caring that they were being watched by several. No one was particularly interested in their passage through the pub—it was more that the patrons didn't normally see four such beautiful people everyday and naturally just stared. Unsurprisingly, as soon as they'd passed through and disappeared, their presence was forgotten and everyone returned to their conversations, drinks, and meals. Out of sight, out of mind.

In the courtyard that was the gateway to Diagon Alley, Buffy pulled out one of her used wands—she kept them all in the bag she was carrying—and cleared her throat.

"I've got this," she told them, tapping the bricks and opening the passageway into the magical shopping center. "Three up...two across," she said, smiling as she stowed her wand. "Easy peasy."

Grabbing Tom's hand, Buffy pulled him through with her—and the sisters followed them, chatting about this shop and that as they walked. They were making plans for which shops they planned to visit after their stop at Ollivanders—where they hoped Buffy would get what she was looking for. Both of them worried that a wand would not choose her and that they'd have to take her home "wandless"—again. If that were the case, they would have to find a way to lift her spirits. Maybe they would find more secondhand wands for her to use. The ones they'd purchased weren't perfect, but she was able to use them and that was all that really mattered, wasn't it? But there were other things that might please the girl too. Sophie suggested getting her a whole new wardrobe as compensation—to which Vin laughed, but nodded her agreement, because everyone knew that girls loved clothes!

It was odd, however, that she was having relatively decent success with her used wands, but couldn't seem to find one of her own. But with any hope, today would be the day that she no longer needed them.

The journey to Ollivanders was quick. They stopped nowhere else on the way, instead making a beeline for the wandshop.

In front of the shop now, Buffy stared at the door for a moment, looking a bit more nervous now that she was actually there. "Okay. Here goes nothin'!" she said as she reached for the doorknob and stepped inside—followed immediately by Tom, then Vin and Sophie—the door closing with a quiet click, which was drowned out by the bells above ringing again as the door hit them.

Once inside, the sisters instantly fanned out and started examining the wand boxes that were stacked wibbly wobbly, all over every surface of every shelf. Some were even piled on the floor in the corner and on the steps of the stairs leading up to the second floor. It was as if they'd been taken out to offer some other patron, but had not been purchased and had not been put away yet.

"Ahh. Miss Summers, I wondered if today would be the day," Garrick Ollivander said when they'd all filed into the room and the two young people were stood at his counter waiting.

Buffy smiled. "I thought about sending you an owl...to let you know we were coming, you know. But the McOwls were out hunting or something, so..." she said with a shrug.

Mr Ollivander cocked his head and frowned a bit. "The McOwls?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Our owls...Owlbert and Owlfred. They were still out when we left the house this morning." She turned and looked at Tom. "Or were they with you?"

Tom snorted indelicately, then frowned at himself. He'd worked so hard to change himself—to become more refined—so that he would fit in better with those in his House, but just a few weeks in the presence of Buffy Summers had him slipping. Clearing his throat, he said, "Certainly not. Where would they stay at...where I live?"

Buffy bit her lip. "True," she said, thinking about the tiny cubical that was all Tom had to call home—which he refused to call home! Not that she blamed him.

Garrick Ollivander watched the two of them for a moment. Their connection was evident. They were so different and yet so obviously understood one another.

"No matter," he said, drawing their eyes. "I shall fetch my father and grandfather. They won't want to miss this."

Turning, the man at the counter rushed out of the room—but quickly returned with the two older Ollivanders.

"Good morning," said Gerbold Ollivander, nodding at the group.

The oldest Ollivander found himself a seat on a high stool and positioned himself for the choosing. He looked eager for the outcome of the girl's wand—and felt confident that it would be found on this day. All three men had taken part in the making of the wands and Gerbold wondered which wand it would be.

Gervaise Ollivander, on the other hand, found his way over to the sisters—to draw them over to the counter. "Come ladies," he said to them. He wanted all present when his creation chose the girl.

Buffy smiled at the men and waited for the shop owner to begin. He seemed to be waiting for everyone else to be present and settled. Vin and Sophie had finally stopped looking about and had joined them—thanks to Gervaise—and both were standing at the end of the counter waiting. And Gervaise had gone to stand beside his father's stool. All were silent now.

And Tom, sensing Buffy's nervousness, reached out and took her hand, squeezed it firmly, then let it go—and Buffy smiled up at him.

Silently, Garrick continued to study the two young people. The girl was a tiny thing—it was hard to believe that she was a slayer—the boy quite a bit taller. Both of them were strikingly beautiful in their own way.

"So then. Let's see it," Buffy said, trying to shake off her nerves as she dragged her gaze from Tom's.

Garrick's head tilted, his silvery eyes twinkling. "It?" he queried, smiling at the Slayer. "If you think we've brought you here with just one wand to offer, then you're in for a surprise, Miss Summers."

Buffy frowned, but didn't say anything. Instead, she watched the wandmaker open the counter's cabinet and crouch down—then start digging around. Curious, Buffy went on tiptoe and leaned over the counter to see what he was doing down there—and was shocked to see that the man had three boxes in his hands. Grinning, he stood up with them, causing Buffy to straightened back up, her eyes wide with excitement when he placed the boxes down on the counter in front of her.

"You've made me three wands?" she asked.

Garrick glanced at his father and grandfather, then back at the girl. All three men were grinning.

"We have created several wands, Miss Summers," said Gervaise Ollivander.

Gerbold Ollivander nodded. "In hopes that one will choose you."

"But you only get to take one with you," Garrick added. "The others will remain here."

Buffy pouted. "But...what if I break one?" she asked innocently. "I mean, sometimes I break my stakes. Or lose them. A wand could break or get lost too, you know. Would be good to have a spare. Every think of that?"

Garrick chuckled. "Wands are...significantly more sturdy than you might imagine and can usually be summoned, even by a mediocre witch or wizard."

"Which I suspect you are not," Gervaise added. "We have every confidence that you won't have to worry." All three men nodded.

Frowning, Buffy hmm'd. "And do you have confidence that one of these sturdy sticks here will like me enough to choose me?" she asked, waving her hand at the boxes on the counter. "Because...need I remind you that it didn't go so well the last time we tried?"

The three men chuckled—causing Buffy to huff.

"I really don't get what's so amusing," she grumbled, shaking her head. "One of these things zapped me, another caused a torrential downpour in here, and one shattered all the windows!"

Without responding to the girl, Garrick Ollivander reached out and opened one of the boxes and put it down on the counter—then did the same to the others. When they were all open, he lined them up neatly and pointed at the first one on her left. "We will start with this one."

Buffy was too curious to only look at the one he was indicating. Instead she let her gaze sweep over all three—each was nestled in its own velvet-lined case. They all looked quite different. And they were all waiting for her to give them a try.

After giving each a once over, she focused and brought her eyes to the one on the end—the one the wandmaker said she should try first.

Still feeling doubtful, she reached out and tentatively picked up the first—and examined it. It was a bit gnarled-looking, mostly a medium brown in color with deep grooves of light and dark running length-wise. It reminded Buffy very much of a twisting branch as she turned it over, testing the way it felt in her hand. Like Tom's wand, it had substantial weight—felt balanced—and, she had to admit, felt rather nice. Solid. Warm. And it was vibrating a bit, almost as if it wanted to tell her something.

It also felt like she could use it—which was important, of course. Making a looping motion, she said, "Lumos"—and grinned when the end of her wand lit up.

Everyone in the room grinned as well, Vin and Sophie each giving an ooo and an ahh.

"You've been reading your books," Tom commented.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Of course I have! I am not starting at Hogwarts without knowing enough to deserve to be there," she said—then made at wave-like motion and whispered, "Nox."

Tom smirked. "First year casting isn't difficult, but it's a start."

Buffy harrumphed and turned, wand still in hand, to face her friend. "Shall I show you something else?" she asked him.

Tom dark eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't."

Buffy shrugged. "I might, so...you know, you'd better watch it, buster," she threatened.

Tom chuckled at her empty threat—and she glared at him.

"So, is that it...is this one mine?" she asked, her eyes going to the Ollivanders. "Seems sorta...anticlimactic."

The three men glanced at one another and shrugged. "Do you think it is?" asked Gerbold.

Buffy shrugged. "It doesn't make me feel the way Tom's wand feels," she admitted with an involuntary shiver. "Can you tell me about this one?"

Garrick gave a clipped nod. "Of course. That wand is made from rowan. It is twelve and a quarter inches. And we fused it with the red vampire hair.

Buffy nodded. "She was the least offensive...of the three who weren't allowed to leave," she said, smirking. "She was also the first to get all dusty, which is probably why she was the least offensive. No time."

"So how does it feel?" asked Gerbold Ollivander.

Buffy looked at the wand in her hand, then shrugged. "Meh. All right, I suppose. I mean, I can use it...as you saw."

"But possibly not quite right," Gervaise said.

Buffy shook her head. "Yeah...no," she said as she placed it back in its box. She stared at it for a moment, then turned her eyes to the next. While she studied the second wand, Garrick quickly put the lid on the first and slid it into cabinet.

After a short time, Buffy slowly reached for the next wand and gently lifted it. It was light in color—almost white—and stick straight with a small nub about a third of the way from the end she was holding. It felt light in her hand, almost as if nothing was there—and she might have thought nothing was there, if not for the hum she felt coming off of it. After a moment, she glanced up at Garrick questioningly.

"That wand is chestnut. It is twelve and half inches. And we have affixed it with the blond vampire hair," the man told her.

Buffy hmm'd. "He was a mouthy one, that blond vampire," she said—then spoke to the wand directly. "Not so mouthy now, huh?"

Everyone chuckled.

"All right then, give it a wave," Garrick instructed.

Reluctantly, Buffy flicked her wrist up and then down, hoping not too much damage was caused. For a second nothing happened—and then an orange-ish-red light shot out of the end causing a small pile of papers on the counter to burst into flame. Eyes widening, she just stared.

Everyone else stared for a moment as well, then from the other end of the counter, Gerbold extinguished the fire and everyone looked at the girl holding the wand.

"Um. I'm sorry...about your papers," she said. "I hope they weren't important."

Garrick shrugged. "Not particularly," he said as he looked at his father and grandfather. "Fire-making spell."

The older Ollivanders nodded.

"Second year spell," said Gerbold.

"And non-verbal," Gervaise added.

Tom frowned. "Non-verbal? That's sixth year magic," he said. "How did you do that?"

Buffy shrugged. "I didn't plan to start a fire," she said. "I mean, I was thinking...I don't know what I was thinking." She stopped speaking, because she felt like she'd done something wrong.

Gerbold reached out and patted Buffy's hand. "It's all right, Miss Summers," he said.

Garrick nodded. "Of course it is," he said. "How does that one feel?"

Buffy shrugged. "Nice. Super warm though. Almost hot." She tightened her grip on it and turned it over. "It's very...sleek, but...I'm thinking no," she said as she placed the wand back in its box and looked up at Garrick—who nodded and picked up the box, lidded it, and put it back in the cabinet—then pushed the next box forward slightly, to indicate that he wanted her to try the another wand.

Glancing down, Buffy stared at the third boxed wand.

"This one," Garrick said with a gesture at the oddly curved wand, "is black walnut and not common at all, as it is native the eastern North America."

Buffy leaned forward and looked at it more closely. It had a greenish hew and, to her eyes looked a bit odd. "Did you paint it?" she asked.

Garrick shook his head. "No. The wood that was chosen became that when it fused with the hair that we'd picked for it."

Buffy hmm'd—then picked it up and turned it over in her hand. It was also quite warm and gave her hand a tingle. "Tell me more."

Garrick cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Twelve and a three quarters, unyielding, dark vampire hair."

"The curly one?" she asked—but it wasn't much of a question.

The wandmaker nodded. "How did you know?"

Buffy hmm'd. "I can feel the crazy. She was...quite belligerent. You should have seen the look in her eyes when I staked her. Almost surprised that I'd managed to best her."

"Vampires are arrogant," said Vin. "Or so Edna always says."

"Not the other one we met that night," Buffy said. "Well, he was arrogant, but...in a different way. He was odd. I'd even say intriguing. Edna was extremely frustrated with me."

Sophie laughed. "I remember."

Buffy looked at the wand again, then shook her head. "This one doesn't feel right to me. I feel like I would be constantly trying to force it to do what I want."

Garrick nodded. "Then it is not the wand for you," he said.

Quickly, Buffy re-placed it in its box and sighed as she watched the wandmaker return the box to the cabinet. "I guess that means we have to start over," she said sadly. Vin and Sophie each reached out to squeeze Buffy's empty hands.

"Oh. We are not quite finished," Garrick said with a smile as he set another grouping of boxes on the counter. "We have others to try."

Buffy's eyes widened. "More?"

"Of course, dear," said Gerbold, still sitting on his stool. "You didn't think we'd give up on this venture, did you?"

Buffy shrugged. "At this point, who knows!" she said quietly.

Everyone was giving her looks of sympathy. Finding one's wand was always an exciting venture. Most witches and wizards managed to be chosen quick and easy, or at least in one visit. But Buffy was not alone in her struggle; she was not the first to have to leave and come back. It was just a process and all three Ollivanders knew they would eventually succeed.

"So, here we have a wand made of ash," Garrick started, gesturing at the next one as he pushed the box toward the girl. "The longest of them all at thirteen inches. It has the dark, nearly black, vampire hair."

"Ahh. The other vampire," Buffy said, reaching out and picking it up. "The wizard one. He was quite tall and... intriguing."

Scowling, Tom watched her. He did not like the sound of that. He didn't want Buffy interested in anyone but him.

Not noticing Tom's upset, Buffy gripped the wand and looked it over. It was smooth-grained, lightweight, and mostly light in color though it had sections of darkness.

Everyone watched her.

"Anything?" Sophie asked.

Buffy wrinkled her nose. "It feels...interesting."

"Like the vampire?" Tom queried—trying desperately to keep the burning jealousy out of his tone.

Buffy shrugged. "A bit." She hadn't wave it at all. It felt like she and the wand were vying for control. Glaring at it, Buffy pointed it at a pile of wand boxes on the ground and made a U-like motion. The tip of the wand lit up white, but nothing else happened. "Hmm. That's disappointing."

Tom frowned. Another attempt at non-verbal magic! he thought.

Garrick's eyes lit up. "I think you've almost got it, Miss Summers. Give it another go!"

Shrugging, Buffy tried again, this time verbalizing the spell. "Depulso!" she said firmly—causing the pile of boxes to fly across the room and slam into the far wall.

Vin and Sophie both applauded—but Tom's frown deepened.

"Buffy, you don't even have your third year books yet!" said Tom, his dark eyes wide with astonishment.

"Oh!" Sophie cut in. "Vin and I went and bought them for her."

Vin nodded. "She was going through some of them so quickly that we figured it would be better to have them all on hand."

Tom nodded. "That is...logical," he said. He would have done the same had he been thrust into the wizarding world at fifteen without any prior knowledge—if he'd had the support that Buffy had. He would have desperately wanted to catch up as quickly as possible, but he didn't think Buffy would be so ambitious. This gave him his first sliver of hope that she could very well end up in Slytherin.

"I've not read them fully," Buffy explained. "I'm just sort of skimming. Getting the gist and practicing spells. I've always been good with the physical, so the muscle memory involved with wand movements is easy. I'll have to study more in depth later."

"Not too much later, I'd hope," said Tom, shaking his head—both impressed by what she'd accomplished in just weeks and worried because there was so much more for her to learn in such a short time. Very few people would be capable of gaining all the knowledge she was going to need in just a few more weeks.

Buffy shrugged. "I'll get by. I always do. That is...if one of these infernal things would pick me!" she snapped, glaring at the wand in her hand first and then turning angry eyes on the still boxed wands on the counter. Then she looked up at Tom and fluttered her eyes. "Plus, I'll have you to help me." When he just stared at her, she poked him with the wand she was holding. "Right?!"

Tom coughed. "Don't point that thing at me, Summers!" he practically growled as his hand snapped up and gripped the wand, pushing it away from him—keeping his hand on the wand to prevent her from turning it on him again.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Geez Tom! Angry much?! I wasn't going to hex you!" she said, not really understanding why he seemed so upset. Of course, now she was upset. "And what's with the last name thing?! You know I don't like that very much!"

Tom opened his mouth to reply, to apologize for snapping at her—but suddenly felt a sharp stinging pulse come off the wand he was still gripping, causing him to yelp and instantly let go. "Buffy!" he ground out, shaking his throbbing hand.

Buffy had felt the pulse too, but it was almost as if the wand knew not to cause her any pain. Frowning, she slapped the wand down on the counter and grabbed Tom's hand. "I'm sorry," she instantly said. "I didn't mean to do that. I mean...I...I'm sorry."

The Ollivanders all looked at each other. And the sisters watched the two teenagers.

"Interesting," Gervaise said—causing the other two to nod.

Tom's eyes widened. "Interesting?!" he snapped. "That bloody thing stung me!" He tried to pull his hand from Buffy's, but she held fast.

"It's not their fault," she insisted, using her fingers to massage his hand. "And I said I was sorry. Twice even."

Tom sighed. He knew she hadn't meant to hurt him, but the shock of pain had angered him. He took a deep breath and looked at the wandmakers. "My apologies, Sirs."

The Ollivanders nodded. "Apology accepted," they said in unison.

Sighing, Buffy looked up at Tom and searched his face—to verify to herself that he wasn't angry with her. It wouldn't do to lose her only wizarding friend before she'd even arrived at Hogwarts.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, her voice hardly above a whisper—tears filling her big green eyes.

He sighed again, then squeezed her fingers. "I...am too, Buffy," he said, then reached up and wiped her tears away.

Everyone in the room seemed to exhale with relief.

After a moment, Garrick pushed the next wand box at the girl and smiled. "Next."

Buffy huffed. This wand choosing the witch business was hard! If fact, it sucked big time!

"Okay," she said, biting her lip, then reaching out cautiously to lift the damned stick. She wondered what else they could have for her since they're been four vampires and she'd already tried four wands, but she supposed she had to keep calm and carry on.

Garrick watched her for a moment, then gestured at the wand. "This one is hazel, twelve and three quarter inches, flexible, and it also has a vampire hair core."

Buffy frowned and looked at the man. "Which one?"

Garrick smiled. "None of the ones you brought in. I was able to procure several different ones from the apothecary," he said. "Just in case."

Buffy nodded. "I hope you got an entire head full of them," she said. "At this rate we might have to test every vampire in existence."

Everyone chuckled—even Tom.

"So, how does it feel, Buffy?" Vin asked.

"Hmm. Like...it could work. Maybe." She frowned. "It feels good in my hand. Not too heavy, but ample sized. It's thicker than the others, more like one of my stakes. But it also feels a bit...whiny? Is that possible?"

"Hazel wands are quite sensitive to the emotional state of their owner, so you would need a level head to maintain control," Gerbold informed her. "Not always easy when things get bumpy."

Buffy hmm'd.

"Try another spell, Buffy," Sophie encouraged.

"All right," she said. Looking around the room, she spotted something on the far counter, all the way at the back of the shop, and pointed the wand at it. "Accio glass of water!"

Instantly, the full glass came flying across the room, causing Buffy to use her slayer reflexes to catch it in her non-wandwielding hand—and without spilling a drop.

"Impressive!" Gervaise Ollivander burst.

"Very," Vin and Sophie intoned together, clapping their hands.

"This young lady won't have any issue catching up with the others," Gerbold predicted.

"So is that the one?" asked Vin.

Buffy frowned. "I'm not sure. Can I try the next one?"

Garrick nodded. "Of course. If you're not sure, then it isn't the one."

Smiling, Buffy put the hazel wand in its box and waited while Mr Ollivander stowed the two tried wands, then looked the one still on the counter. It was lighter in color than the last one, more beige than brown, but had darker brown and red grooves and nicks in it—and a bit of a vine design carved around it. Leaning in, Buffy saw a subtle floral design and smiled.

"This one's pretty," she said as she picked it up—then exclaimed, "OH!" when it lit up the entire room with green and yellow sparkles. "This is it! What is it?"

Garrick released his breath. Everyone sighed with relief. And Tom smiled fondly at Buffy Summers—she was beaming in her delight.

"Your wand, that is what it is!" Garrick Ollivander said triumphantly, grinning at the girl—and everyone in the room—but mostly at the girl! "That is twelve and half inches long, slightly yielding, and made from English oak, which produces a wand for good times and bad."

Buffy frowned. "Bad times?"

The man shrugged. "There is always good and bad. They go together."

"I suppose," the Slayer said.

"Oak is a friend as loyal as the witch or wizard who deserves it," Garrick assured her.

Gervaise nodded. "And wands of English oak demand partners of strength, courage and fidelity," he said.

"And less well-known is the propensity for owners of English oak wands to have powerful intuition, and, often an affinity with the magic of the world of nature, with the creatures and plants that are necessary to wizardkind for both magic and pleasure," Gerbold added.

"And the core?" Buffy asked, curious—though it didn't matter a bit now that she'd been chosen.

All three Ollivanders grinned. "That's the best part!" Gerbold exclaimed.

"This wand is one of a kind!" said Gervaise.

Buffy looked from the two older men to the youngest of the three expectantly. It was Garrick who responded.

"It is vampire slayer hair, Miss Summers," the man said. "It is your hair."

~oOo~

Okay, I've done my part...it's now your turn! Questions, comments...let's hear it!