Two months until Academy start.
Willow finally contacted Giles, told him the tale – in reality a lie - of how she accidentally used magic to stop a vampire from attacking a woman in an alley. Giles was worried; however, he would go on to say vampire attacks are exceedingly rare in Colorado as a whole, "and Colorado Springs has rarely seen any vampire attacks." Willow was impressed when Giles added he had already looked into statistics for demonic and vampiric activity in Colorado Springs, "I doubt you will encounter another vampire." Willow breathed a sigh of relief before saying the woman she saved was an Air Force officer. There was silence on the line. Willow then mentioned she stayed to help the woman – to make sure she wasn't injured - before attempting to run away. The woman had asked what happened, what attacked her, and how had Willow managed to turn the attacker into dust.
"She saw a vampire," Willow whined out over the silence between herself and Giles, "I mean I can't say it was a kook in a costume or that it was smoke and mirrors since… you know… the vampire went POOF! And turned to dust."
"Oh dear," Giles, who was alone in his apartment, said while running a hand through his hair. He was proud Willow was able to take care of herself. But still, if someone from the military had witnessed Willow's magic… well, that would be troubling news. He took a sip of the whiskey in his hand and said, "Willow, don't tell me she saw you using magic?"
Willow admitted, "I had to tell her it was a vampire… a real vampire. And… well… she saw me using a spell, and… well…"
"She knows about magic?" Giles asked.
"Well, yeah," Willow replied, her voice squeaked, "I didn't say anything about Buffy, but… they know I'm from Sunnydale and…."
"Willow," Giles said over the phone. He wondered what he could do, how he could help Willow. He couldn't approach the Council. If they knew Willow was a witch, then she would have to register with them and go through many other bureaucratic hoops. And Giles doubted Willow would want to be, in essence, controlled by an outside force in using magic. He thought to himself, 'in spite of her decision to leave magic behind, there are times when she would have to rely on it. But vampire and demons are so rare in Colorado that I don't believe she will have any more trouble… especially if the vampire has been dusted.' Giles then spoke, "Willow, do you want to come home? I can travel to Colorado Springs and…"
Willow expected this from Giles. He was always looking to protect her. It was nice. She interrupted Giles and said, "the lady officer talked to her Commanding Officer about what happened."
'Oh no,' Giles thought. He felt panic rising within him. Would they hurt Willow? Would they take her away in the middle of the night like those people in the Initiative? Buffy was a part of that now, and she told him some disturbing things being done to demons and vampires.
Before Giles could say anything, Willow spoke up excitedly, "they offered to sponsor my admission into the Air Force Academy." Giles mouth snapped closed. That was unexpected. Willow continued, "I thought it was a joke too, I mean… you know me… the Air Force is the last thing I would ever apply for. But the lady from the Air Force was excited. She thanked me for saving her and said she had never seen magic."
"Willow," Giles said, "that seems so…"
"I have to admit, Giles," Willow said, recalling practicing her lines with Carter and Daniel, "this happened a week ago." He heard Giles hum over the phone. She continued, "I thought it could be a joke too. I thought they wanted to test me or experiment on me… I mean they did the whole background check and security clearance dance."
"Okay," Giles said, drawing out the word.
"I guess the Lady was really thankful because I just received my admission letter," Willow said.
That was something Giles really did not expect.
"And I've checked, the letter is legit," Willow said excitedly.
Giles shook his head before asking, "what is it they want? There must be some angle, Willow."
"They want to check if there is a genetic cause," Willow said before reiterating, "I know there isn't. And I've mentioned it, but they want a blood test done anyway. They want to know the usefulness and dangers to using magic."
"Willow," Giles wasn't sure about this. But he was fully aware Willow's an adult. Before he could give voice to the potential pitfalls, Willow mentioned she was aware she could be in danger. She mentioned having spoken to the Air Force lady's colleagues, and felt she could trust them.
Giles asked, "they know as well? About magic?"
"No," Willow admitted, "they just work here. And I was offered a place here after I graduate."
"And where is 'here'?" Giles asked.
"NORAD," Willow answered. And Giles nodded his head, he was impressed. "They offered me a place in a unit called Deep Space Radar Telemetry. I'll be dealing with – at least if I ace my classes – I'll be dealing with rovers that will be going to mars, or even classified satellites that do… you know… classified things."
"Are you certain of this, Willow?"
"This is the most excited I've been about anything, Giles," Willow said. "I think this is good for me, Giles."
Giles wondered if he should tell Willow about the Initiative. Would she come running back to Sunnydale if she learned about it? Did he have the right to spoil her excitement of a new future for herself? They had Tara with them, working to create protective charms for Buffy whenever she went of patrol. She was also gracious, kind, and in control of her magic. Tara shared similar philosophies in magic use as Giles. And as far as he was aware, the Initiative was being run by the Army. So, would the Air Force have any jurisdiction? He could ask Xander. After all, he still had the knowledge of soldier guy in his mind. Finally, he made a decision. It would be best to not tell Willow about the initiative. But he would have a former colleague from the Watcher's Council just follow her for a few days. At least until she enters the Academy.
Giles then answered Willow, "This is a good thing, Willow."
Willow then contacted Buffy and the others, telling them about being offered a place in the Academy and a job after. She left out the magic use and the story of a vampire. Xander was happy. Willow could sense Buffy was slightly upset, but still accepting. Willow spoke to Joyce, and the latter was excited; Joyce told Willow she knew Willow would go far if she ever left Sunnydale. She was surprised about the Academy, but Joyce didn't delve into it too much. Willow's parents were surprised at the sudden shift towards the Academy instead of Standford or MIT. Willow told them she was excited about it, and would be changing her major from psychology to Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. It was a surprise once again for Ira and Sheila Rosenberg, and Ira asked if Willow was absolutely certain. Willow said she was. And her mother was proud, said that she was finally independent enough to be making decision for herself after going through all the options.
Willow loved her parents, but they could be distant at times. And dramatic at other times.
After calling everyone she needed to call, she lay back on the bed in her quarters at the SGC. With her Security Clearance successful, she could now live off-base with Janet and Cassie. And now, her training was going to start in earnest.
A few days to Academy Start.
Willow's body didn't hurt as much. But it still hurt. She was told to enjoy the pain while it lasts, because it would be much more painful once she begins her Basic Cadet Training. Her foundation was lacking, she wasn't that great at Physical Education at Sunnydale High: she would get heavily winded after runs, push-ups, pull-ups, and so on. But now? Now she had to start building a foundation. And it hurt every muscle group and joint in her body. She would even question if it was worth all this pain just to step through a ring. It took a few minutes before answering, "Yes…, yes it is." And she would be questioning herself every hour or so, and the answer would always be the same.
Before starting at the Academy, Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c, and Carter started Willow on some solid foundations, focusing on cardio, strength, endurance, and flexibility. Carter helped her along with jogging – her legs felt like lead after two days or so. But she had to continue, Carter wouldn't let her slow down too much. Even Daniel would join in – they would begin early in the morning – and they would sprint, jog, and run. Willow would feel her lungs burn, her stomach twist, her breathing sounded as if she was going to die. But she was pushed along.
Then there was the push-ups, crunches, planks, squats, and pull-ups. Even while her body was already screaming at her to stop – especially after the earlier running – she had to push herself because Carter was at her ear screaming at her. Oh how she wished she could use magic to just silence Carter just a few seconds. Oh how she wished she could use magic to wipe away all the pain her body was experiencing. But Willow couldn't… not that she couldn't, Willow didn't want to. She would try and think to herself her experiences as being tests. Tests of her will. She wanted to back away from using magic, and magic was the ultimate cheat code in this situation. It would be so easy to cast a spell, remove the pain. So easy. And Willow would be lying to herself if she wasn't tempted.
"Up! Up! UP!" Carter would yell out as Willow lay on the grass close to the running track.
Willow wouldn't give in. She wouldn't cheat. She would struggle to get back up… her forehead covered in sweat. Her grey shirt would be fully damp with sweat by the time it was ten in the morning. But she would get up. And Carter would always pat her shoulder when she did.
Sometimes Teal'c would join. Sometimes O'Neill would join as well. Sometimes all five of them would be jogging, egging Willow on whenever she fell back. When she wasn't pushing her body, she would be either studying or relaxing. Dr. Fraiser introduced her to yoga, supposedly it was good for mobility. And it released stress too… apparently. She also had to pick out an extracurricular activity. She wondered if she should take the easy way out and join the debate club. Then, she would think she was always the one who would shy back. It was true she was pulled out of her shell somewhat by Buffy, but that shyness pulling her back was always there… in the back of her mind.
Daniel encouraged her to take something that challenged how she saw herself, he suggested taking up intramural soccer. When she spoke to Buffy and Xander, they would say she could try the debating club. Carter suggested martial arts. O'Neill suggested improv… Willow was slightly surprised. And Teal'c suggested boxing… Willow wasn't really surprised. She still had time to choose, and she would take her time. But it would be something different.
When everything seemed to be getting easier, when her body seemed to be kind of getting used to the physical torture of building a foundation, she would be training with a weighted backpack. And her pain returned a thousandfold. But Willow would push on. She was then told to cut out junk food… she pouted… but accepted it. She was pushed constantly by Carter and the people around her. She was encouraged by Buffy and Xander, even Joyce would jump in. The worse part of her day… other than the pain through her entire body… was the freezing cold showers. Yes, those were bad… at first.
Her life was slowly being structed over the past two months or so thanks to Carter and O'Neill. It would be useful, she was told.
In that time, O'Neill and Teal'c conducted a crash course on weapons shooting and handling, which Willow picked up quickly before some initial hesitation. Teal'c and Carter would train her in basic hand to hand combat and self-defense training respectively.
"Did your neighborhood watch group participate in basic combat training, Willow Rosenberg?" Teal'c asked after a few sessions.
"Some of them did," Willow answered, "there was this one girl: Buffy, my best friend, she would be the one who trains and… well… she was the one who would watch my back." It wasn't a lie… just a half truth. Willow couldn't say Buffy was a preternaturally strong girl who slayed Vampires and demons in Sunnydale. Willow then went on to say, "I did pick up some things here and there when I would watch her fight. But now, with me going to the Academy, I guess I have no choice but learn how to defend myself and fight for real."
"Indeed," said Teal'c before taking up a stance with his arms up, "Be prepared Willow Rosenberg, I will attack now."
Over the two-month long period before the Academy, Willow would be used to the Zat weapons, the P90… after having some initial troubles, and basic hand to hand combat. Major Carter was happy at how quickly Willow took to the training.
Willow chuckled and thanked her. She thanked everyone.
First year, A F Academy.
The basic training was hell. Trudging back into her dorm room, she sighed at the sight of her real bed instead of the tarp where she slept on in the tent at Jack's Valley. Her whole body wasn't that painful, but there were stinging sensations all over the place. The rest of the year was structured and routine. It helped. With all her classes, studies, and extracurriculars, there wasn't much time to practice magic on her own even if she wanted to. During her free time, Willow did meditate just as Teal'c had taught her. She also did yoga in her room, sometimes with her roommate.
All the while, she stayed in contact with Buffy and the others as much as possible. But calling everyday before the basic training became calling four times a month, especially since she was at the Cadet Training grounds. The only eventful things that happened in Willow's life was the few times she was allowed to go through the Stargate on research missions with SG14 during the summer break. There were boring missions, which was a good thing, Willow supposed. And while Willow's life continued on, the news she received from Sunnydale was slightly more worrying.
Giles and Buffy told her about an Army organization known as the Initiative. They had been conducting experiments on demons and Vampires beneath U C Sunnydale. Willow was even surprised to find out that Riley, the T A to Dr Walsh was the leader of this organization. She had created something of a Frankenstein's monster known as Adam. Adam was an experiment that went out of control, murdered several people in Sunnydale, used Spike against the Scoobies, took over the Initiative base where he released all the demons and monsters held in their overcrowded prison cells. The monsters massacred so many in the Initiative base.
Eventually, Buffy defeated Adam after Tara, Giles, and Xander channeled the power of the First Slayer through Buffy. Willow was impressed. But Buffy nearly died. And it was that near death which caused a shift between Willow and Dawn, Buffy's younger sister. She was angry that Willow left. That if she was there, then defeating Adam would have been easier. Willow didn't really know what to say to that. Buffy and Xander did say they would talk to Dawn. The rest of the year went as usual, Colorado Springs wasn't a hotbed of vampires, monsters, and magic. And Buffy would go on her usual rounds in Sunnydale.
Things would change drastically in the second year.
Second Year, A.F Academy
Willow's second year wasn't as routine as usual; in fact, it was tragic. Near the beginning of the year, she received news that Joyce died from a ruptured aneurysm. Willow couldn't believe it. She was the Scooby mom. It was so sudden. Buffy found the body in the living room of their home, and then she had to tell Dawn. Willow didn't know what to say through her tears except for, "I'm sorry, Buffy." She applied for an emergency pass – just for the day – but it was denied. Telling Buffy she couldn't come for the funeral broke her heart. They spoke on the phone the day before the funeral for hours about Joyce's life. And then, there came another tragedy.
What would have been a summer break was spent off-world as usual. This time Willow was assigned to an archeological team – SG11 – who were examining a Minoan temple near an abandoned village on P5U-939. It was a week-long mission. After she returned, Willow checked her schedule and noted the Aerospace special lecture in a couple of days. As she put away her bag, she noticed the blinking light on her phone's answering machine. And the message from Xander shattered her.
Buffy died. Two days ago.
When Willow was living her dream; spending time off-world.
In shock, she sat on her chair for an hour. At least it seemed like an hour. Xander, his voice cracking in the message, told her to call him back. In the background, Willow could hear Dawn screaming at her to answer the phone between sobs. Willow didn't know how long she was sitting there, staring at the phone. She felt her heart racing, her breathing getting raspy. Willow brought her hands up to her mouth as she realized what the message meant.
Her best friend died. Buffy died.
And Willow started to sob.
When she managed to regain some control, Willow picked up the phone and dialed Buffy's home number. The phone rang. A part of Willow hoped no one would answer. What would she say? She didn't know what to say. The phone line connected. A cracked voice whispered, "hello".
"Dawn," Willow managed to say before she quietly cried.
Willow heard a sob on the other line before Dawn, her voice angry, whispered, "I can't do this." Xander then came on the line. Hearing his voice, Willow sobbed, her free hand over her eyes.
As if reading her mind, Xander said, "you couldn't have done anything, Willow."
In the background, Willow heard Dawn yell out angrily, "yes! She could have!"
Willow heard Xander give off a sob before saying, "she's gone, Willow."
Willow heard the phone being passed. And soon, Giles voice came on the line, "Willow?" Willow hummed, she couldn't speak. But she had to.
"What… what happened, Giles?" Willow asked, wiping her tears. Tears replaced by more tears.
Giles explained everything from the Order Of Dagon, to Dawn being something called the Key, to the hell-god known as Glory who was after the Key. Willow listened, and her heart continued to break piece by piece. Tara helped a lot. But maybe another witch could have changed things. Maybe if she was there – Willow thought to herself – then perhaps they could have come up with a way to defeat Glory before Dawn was captured and cut. Before the portal to hell opened up. Before Buffy had to sacrifice her life to save Dawn.
Giles told her Buffy's funeral would be held the next day. He explained they had called, but Willow was out of reach. Willow said she was at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii – a cover story if anyone had asked – for a work-study program. Giles understood before saying that he realized it was last minute, and Willow would be welcome at the funeral; that Buffy would have wanted her there to celebrate her life.
"No!" Dawn yelled in the background. Willow could hear Joyce's voice, as well as Tara's, telling Dawn that Willow wasn't at fault. Dawn continued, making sure Willow heard every word, "You should have been there, you could have done something." What she said next broke something in the redhead, "I hate you; you could have saved her. Instead, you left and now Buffy's gone. I don't want you here or at the funeral!"
"Willow…," Giles whispered.
Dawn was so angry. Willow had never heard Dawn this angry. She knows the youngest Summers is grieving, but decides it would be better to just stay away. For now. "Giles," Willow wipes her tears, "I… I'll stay away."
"Dawn's just grieving," Giles whispered.
"I know," Willow said, "I'll submit a request for leave, may take a few days."
Giles nodded his head, "that's alright, Willow. Keep me in the loop?"
"I will, Giles," Willow said before putting the phone down. She took a deep breath. She needed to talk to someone. Really talk to someone. Xander and the others were grieving. She was grieving… at least Xander and the others had each other. Willow released a quick sob before reaching for her phone once again. She did have people close to her in Colorado Springs. And she really needed to talk to someone. The phone on the other line rang. Twice before it was picked up.
"Major?"
"Willow?" Carter asked. She noticed the cracks in the redhead's voice as she stood up, the figure next to her asking who was calling. Carter waved him away, saying it was a friend, before she walked down the hallway to her bedroom, "Willow, what's wrong? Are you alright?"
Willow closed her eyes and began to speak. "My best friend just died and… and I just needed to talk to someone." She didn't mention Buffy being the Slayer. No, it was a promise she and Xander made to Giles the day after Buffy saved her from being taken by Darla as a sacrifice for the Harvest. That secret would stay. All Willow could do was talk about her life.
To be Continued.