A/N A Baronet is a title between Baron and Knight and is address as Sir and hereditary and I did look that up before writing it. However, I missed the fact that he would be address as Sir Rupert not Sir Giles. So we were both right and we were both wrong. I've since corrected it.
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"We might be in trouble." A shamefaced Willow informed the group, which included Cordelia, when they returned to Sunnydale. "Turns out Faith's new father does Classified work for the Air Force. When I was trying to find his email address I ran into the most sophisticated computer system I've ever encountered and tripped an alarm before I was barely in the door. And then got traced though over a hundred bounces worldwide by the best damn programmer I've ever seen. She was writing tracking software to personally track my signature even as she was blocking my attempt at her systems. I am in complete and total awe."
"You believe it was a woman who discovered and thwarted your attempt?" Giles asked.
"Major Dr. Samantha Carter, I found her signature on her programs, it was about all I saw before she kicked me out and I only got that because I used a touch of Magic."
"Willow!" Tara exclaimed. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet on using Magic frivolously or without understanding what you're doing?"
"But I did know what I was doing, I know computers, Tara, far better than I know Magic and it was just a little spell -."
"Willow," Elder Xander said sternly. "you're the reason Cordelia's life and soul was in danger, in this reality anyway. You had no idea what you were doing when you did that soul curse. You have yet to understand that spells are not Magic. Magic is energy, power and you had absolutely none when you did that curse. You couldn't even have lit a match. You opened yourself up and begged for power from anyone who would give it to you and a fallen Power that literally wanted to devour the human race granted you power. But it was a bargain! An exchange. Giles sells something in his shop and the customer gives him money. You wanted power and you had to exchange something of equal value to get it. You wanted to pull a soul from where it was, most likely being reincarnated, reborn into a new life. The equal exchange for a soul and a life was another life and soul and Cordelia was the only person participating in that spell that the fallen Power could use. So she claimed it and gave you the power you wanted. Cordelia would have died and her soul been destroyed, because of you. Because you're too stupid to understand, learning spells isn't learning Magic. Spells are for focusing Magic and there is always a price to pay! That's how life works! How can you claim to be a genius and not understand something so fundamental and so incredibly simple!"
"Didn't the pool show you how messed up that curse was?" Buffy asked, horrified herself.
"Everything became a blur after I felt the soul's pain." Willow confessed. "My brain felt like it was being sliced into with red hot knives."
"That would be the pain from my visions you were experiencing." Cordelia glared at Willow. "What I felt each and every time I had a vision. What nearly put me into a coma myself when Vocah put them into overdrive. What I willingly endure because it was a way for me to help. We've hated each other most of our lives, Willow and I could keep hating you, because frankly, you were more of a bitch then I ever was. I was just honest about it. But, that would trap Xander between us and he doesn't deserve to be in that position and unlike you I don't want to force him to choose. So start learning from your stupidity before you manage to actually get someone killed."
"But - nothing in Ms. Calendar's notes said anything about an exchange or a price to pay - or begging for power -."
"Why would she make a note about something she was well aware of?" Giles asked. "She came from a long line of Magic users, her notes were in regards to the translations of the spell and nothing more. You convinced me you understood what you were doing. I told you you'd be opening a door you might not be able to close. I asked you if you knew what dark Magic was and what you needed to do to use it. You swore you knew and that you'd read through the references I gave you. Did you miss the part where a sacrifice is required? Or a specific deity called on for high level Magics? Jenny probably intended to sacrifice a dog or a goat and call on a guardian protector of her people. Did you read those references?"
"I read the spells in them, the rest was really boring and didn't seem important."
Elder Xander sighed. "I've heard enough, you're on your way to becoming a dark witch and you don't even know it." He held out his hand with the palm raised up. A strangely carved knife appeared in his hand, called from the Upper Realm. "This is for your own good, Willow and the rest of the world's, because I'm not going to let you become a monster because you refuse to understand your own ignorance." Without another word he shoved the knife into her and it glowed, when the glow shut off a few seconds later he healed the wound. The whole thing happened so fast not even Buffy or Faith could react fast enough to stop him. "And now you never will."