Chapter Text
"Hey, we're back." Buffy announced as she, Anne, and Xander entered Giles's apartment again. They'd just come from visiting Angel and Drusilla, and she was still feeling... off from it. The fact she'd felt more comfortable talking to Drusilla than Angel was still making her feel weird. "How goes the demon hunting?"
"Oh, uh, Buffy. Hello." Giles said from the kitchen, obviously very distracted as he made tea. Ms. Calendar sat in a chair in the corner with her legs curled up under her, staring at the floor while she picked at a loose thread on her shirt. Willow was on the couch staring at her hands, at least until she heard Buffy. Then she looked up, and the look on her face made Buffy's stomach drop.
"Um, what did I miss?" she asked, crossing the room and taking a seat beside her girlfriend. "Did you find something bad? Is the world ending again?"
"No." Willow said quietly. "Just... dealing with some unexpected information."
"That's a bit of an undersell." Giles said as he returned to the living room with his tea. Buffy didn't miss the fact he sat in a chair on the opposite side of the room from Ms. Calendar.
"Were you able to figure out what possessed Willow?" Xander asked.
"To an extent." Ms. Calendar answered, not looking up at them. "The ritual worked. I was able to see the imprint of the demon in Willow's aura, and we got a lead to figuring it out."
"So, what's with the awkward?" Buffy asked. "Cause this is even worse than Angel's place, when I told him I'd stake Drusilla if she became dangerous."
Ms. Calendar sighed. "The lead we got is my family. I'm not here by chance, my family sent me to Sunnydale. To keep an eye on Angel, and on you."
"You, huh?"
"She's from the Romani clan that originally cursed Angel." Giles said.
"A seer in the clan saw something about you and Angel, and my uncle Enyos sent me to watch, and report."
"But, you were here before me...."
"Yes. The vision she got happened the day you were called as a Slayer. I got to town a couple of weeks after that. I actually got here before Rupert, even."
"I don't understand, what did they see? Why did they send you?"
"I don't know. Uncle Enyos didn't give me specifics. He just told me to come to Sunnydale, watch you and Angel, and to report back what I found. I didn't even know you were the Slayer until the night of the dance. But when I realized Angel had feelings for you, I thought maybe that was the reason they wanted you both watched. But...."
"But I came out, left Angel, and started dating Willow. And your orders didn't change?"
Ms. Calendar shook her head. "No. I thought, when I told them you'd ended things with him, that they'd end the observations. But they never did. Maybe they still think you're an issue since he still has feelings for you."
"How does that make me an 'issue!?'" she demanded angrily.
"The curse. Remember what I learned last spring? How to break it?"
"A moment of true happiness." Buffy said softly, as the implication hit her. "You think your family, your clan, is worried I'll break his curse?"
Ms. Calendar shrugged. "If you were still together, I could see that being a concern. But you're not, so I really don't know. It's the only thing I can think of, though. Unfortunately, they never really tell me much. Uncle Enyos isn't big with the sharing. Hence me not even knowing how the curse is broken until I found the information myself, and never specifically being told what the seer saw."
"So... you've been spying on me for almost two years, and you don't even know why?" Buffy asked. She wasn't sure which emotion she was feeling more strongly right now. Anger, or betrayal. She'd come to trust Ms. Calendar over the last year, even feel grateful that she was helping Willow to learn magic safely. And all this time she'd been lying to her, and spying on her.
"I'm sorry." Ms. Calendar said. "I never expected to.... I didn't mean to hurt any of you. I was just trying to fulfill my duty to my people. I thought... my Uncle had to have a good reason. Or... I kept telling myself he had to."
"What were in these 'reports' of yours?" Buffy asked, voice tight.
"Not much, recently. Not for a while."
"I want to know everything you told them. From the beginning."
Ms. Calendar sighed as she finally brought her head up and looked at Buffy. Meeting her gaze Buffy could see the pain in her eyes, and it softened some of her anger. Ms. Calendar held her gaze for a moment before speaking. "Most of my reports were just me saying I had nothing new to share. Other than that, I reported on your arrival. That you were the Slayer. That Angel was working with you. That you seemed to have feelings for each other. That you'd ended things with him. That you'd saved him from Spike. That we'd used the ritual on Kendra and Angel. And that Angel was trying to help Drusilla.
"I never went into detail about anything. No specifics. Even before I got to know you it felt... too invasive. Regardless of why they sent me, they didn't need to know about your personal life. Not without a good reason, and if they had one they never saw fit to give it to me. All I told them about you was what felt pertinent to Angel. I knew who he was, that he was the main focus.
"I've wanted to say something for months. The more I got to know everyone, the worse I felt hiding my identity, and about making the reports. I was just... afraid. Caring about you and Willow wasn't part of the plan. Neither was... falling in love with Rupert. And I didn't want to... to ruin any of that. But... when I saw what I saw, I knew I had to come clean. Everyone's safety is more important than... than my secrets."
Buffy felt even more of her anger ebb away at that. She knew it wasn't just words, she'd seen how much Ms. Calendar cared about them. She'd witnessed it with how she acted with Giles, the help she'd given them in finding Angel last year, and just a few hours ago when she told them about Willow's gift and the help she'd gotten to teach her. And now, in the fact she was revealing all of this information, despite the damage it caused to her relationships, just because it could help them. As soon as the truth mattered, she'd given it.
"I'm not happy," Buffy said, still an edge of anger to her voice, "but I appreciate what you're doing. The spying and the reports stop now, though."
"Of course."
Buffy nodded. "How do we contact your family for information?"
"There's a dead drop I use to make my reports. Once a week, on Fridays. It's... it's the only way I have of making contact."
"Friday? That's four days from now. You don't have an emergency number or something?"
Ms. Calendar shook her head. "No. Sorry. Even after I deliver the message to the drop, I don't know how long it'll take for them to get back to me."
"In the mean time, I can check my books." Giles said. "I have a description of the demon, I may be able to find something in the interim."
"Yeah. Alright." Buffy agreed. "We... we need to be getting back home. Told Mom we would be back for dinner." she said, getting up. Giles got up as well and walked them to the door. Buffy let everyone else go ahead of her, until it was just her and Giles. "Giles?" she started quietly, so only he could hear.
"Hm?"
"It's clear she does care about you. That wasn't a lie. It's... it was me she was spying on. Let me worry about that. You just worry about you."
Giles blinked a couple of times, then smiled without much happiness. "When did you grow up so much?"
"When... I died. When I met a mummy who just wanted back the life that had been stolen from her. When a former friend tried to sacrifice me, and a room full of innocent people, to save himself. When I saw the news reports about Drusilla's massacres. When the sun turned black. When I learned Kendra had been turned. When I found an 80 year old teen who'd downed a bottle of drain cleaner. When I learned my girlfriend is at risk of possession, and there's nothing I can do to protect her. Take your pick." she answered. "There's a lot of bad things in this world, Giles. You shouldn't let the good things go without a fight."
Wiping the steam away, Buffy sighed as she stared into the bathroom mirror. Only back in town for one full day, and she was already feeling the stress coming back. Willow was in danger and there was nothing she could do to help her. Just... trust in Ms. Calendar and the witch from England. She didn't even know for sure anything would go wrong, it was just a risk. But she didn't like the powerless feeling she had knowing she couldn't do anything to protect her.
She heard the shower turn off then, and the curtain pushed aside. A second later she felt arms wrap around her waist and Willow's lips against her neck. She closed her eyes and sighed again, leaning back into her girlfriend.
"Mmm, this is what I needed tonight." Willow said softly.
"A nice hot shower?" Buffy asked, voice weak as Willow continued kissing her neck, and shoulders. She still couldn't believe she'd actually let Willow talk her into showering together. Sure, the bathroom door locked so her mom couldn't walk in on them, but she would understand the meaning of both of them in the bathroom without needing walk in and see. That said, it had been a very enjoyable experience.
"No. Buffy time. Haven't had any in a month." Willow replied, as she started kissing the other side of her neck.
"Careful. We, mmm, gotta make it back to, to my room, yet. Y-you keep that up much longer...."
Willow grinned as she stopped her kisses, and rested her chin on Buffy's shoulder. "We could always just get back in the shower."
"We can't sleep in the shower."
"Who said anything about sleeping?"
Buffy laughed as she turned and gave her a half smile. "We do have to sleep eventually, you know."
"Eventually doesn't have to be right this minute, or even any time in the next hour."
"Wow. Incorrigible and insatiable."
"You weren't complaining five minutes ago."
"I was barely able to stand five minutes ago, definitely wasn't able to talk. And, hey, my eyes are up here." She said it playfully, but she'd been feeling more and more uneasy the longer she and Willow had been alone. Her girlfriend wasn't behaving like herself. They'd already gone three rounds in the shower, and she was still pushing for more.
Willow smirked, but her eyes stayed where there were for a few seconds longer before they finally flicked up to meet Buffy's. "Just enjoying the view."
Buffy sighed and rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do with you?"
"I could make a few suggestions, if you're out of ideas."
"Oh. My. God." Buffy laughed, shaking her head. A moment later, making her decision, she reached up and cupped Willow's face in her hands, then leaned in and kissed her for several long seconds. "I love you, hon. So tell me what's wrong."
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong." Willow said, a touch too defensively.
"Yes, it is. Because this? This isn't you. Yeah, you've always been affectionate, and big on the touching and the playing. But now that we're alone you're not letting time for anything else. You're just constantly pushing, and that's not you."
"I'm telling you, there's nothing wrong." Willow protested. "Can't I just want to spend time with my girlfriend after a long time apart?"
"Will-"
"There's nothing wrong!" Willow yelled, pulling away and heading for the door, despite still being wet and naked from the shower. Buffy reached out for her and grabbed her arm to stop her from storming out. "Let me go!" Willow cried, spinning around.
SLAP!
As the sound of skin hitting skin echoed through the bathroom Willow's eyes widened in a mix of disbelief and fear. Her hands came up and covered her mouth as she stared at the red handprint on Buffy's cheek. Meanwhile, Buffy was practically frozen in disbelief. She raised a hand slowly, and gently touched her cheek. The sting and the warmth told her it happened, even if she couldn't really believe it.
"Oh my God. Buffy." Willow said slowly, barely over a whisper. "I'm so sorry. I didn't... I didn't...."
"Still going to tell me nothing's wrong?" Buffy asked quietly, lowering her hand from her cheek. "This isn't you. Talk to me Will. Please." she begged.
"I-I... ok. But... Give me a couple minutes? I'll meet you in your room."
Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Sure." she said. She hung her towel back on the rack and grabbed her bath robe off the hook on the door. "Take your time." she said as she stepped out of the bathroom. When she reached her room she stepped inside, closed the door, changed from her bathrobe to her pajamas, and lay down on her bed to wait for Willow.
While she lay there, she reached a hand up and gently touched her cheek again. It was still warm, still stung, where Willow had slapped her. Maybe... she shouldn't have pushed her so much? But she could tell she was behaving unusually, and that something had to be bothering her. She wanted to help, but couldn't until she got her to talk. She'd had to push. She wouldn't have felt right to just keep going along, knowing it was all because something was bothering her. Which would have lead to her stopping things, probably triggering a different fight that would only have made things worse.
She had to push.
Still, Willow had slapped her. Her sweet, shy, nonconfrontational girlfriend had hit her. That was something she'd never expected. Was something she could hardly believe. Something that hurt far more than the physical sting that it had left behind. She couldn't imagine what was bothering Willow so much that she'd react like that, rather than talk about it. Her initial thought was that she was more upset about the Conduit thing than she'd let on, only... she didn't think that worry would lead to violence. But she didn't know what else it could be.
Trying to figure it out lead her mind to wander to her own worries. It was good at that, whenever she had a moment to herself. She was concerned about whatever had come through during the seance, and what harm it might cause. What it might take to stop it. And she was worried about the Conduit thing and hoped Willow would be ok, that Ms. Calendar and the new witch could help her to learn and control her power.
Ms. Calendar... now there was a complicated and confusing situation. She hated that she'd been spied on, lied to, but she could also understand her situation. She hadn't known any of them when she'd been sent to Sunnydale, hadn't had any reason to refuse, or feel bad about, her orders then. They'd been strangers, and she'd been sent by family. Who wouldn't trust family over strangers?
Buffy closed her eyes and sighed. She wasn't going to unravel how she felt about Ms. Calendar's revelations tonight. The pain and the anger were still too fresh, too raw. She'd need time to get past that, then maybe she could figure out how she actually felt about it. The one thing she knew, though, was no matter how she ended up feeling about the woman, she hoped none of this ruined things between her and Giles. They both seemed a lot happier together, and one thing she knew for sure was that happiness was hard to find.
She turned her head as she heard her door open. Willow walked into the room a second later, closing it behind her again. When Willow looked toward the bed she hesitated, looked almost like she wanted to bolt out the door and run away. But she didn't. After a moment she removed her robe, laid it with Buffy's, donned her pajamas, then joined her in bed under the sheets. But, unlike normally, didn't cuddle up next to her. She kept several inches of air between them.
Willow lay there, completely quiet for a few moments, before saying anything. "First," she started, her voice quiet and strained. "I'm so sorry I hit you. I didn't... It'll never happen again, I swear. I refuse to be that kind of person."
Buffy rolled over onto her side so that she was facing Willow. "It's ok." she told her. "It hurt, yeah, but... when you yelled at me to let you go? I heard fear in your voice, not anger. It's... that makes it different. Lashing out in fear I can understand. But I need to know what has you so afraid."
Willow closed her eyes and Buffy saw tears leak out from the corners of them. It took all her self control not to wrap her arms around her and pull her into a hug. But she knew if she did that, Willow would never start talking. Never tell her what was wrong. After a few moments had past, Buffy sighed. "Will, you're the one who keeps telling me we're in this together. That we protect each other. You're always trying to help me, let me help you."
"She's been lying to me for months." Willow said, her voice quivering and breathy.
"Who?"
"Ms. Calendar."
Oh. Was that what was bothering her? That Ms. Calendar had been lying to them, to her? She knew Willow really liked her, even looked up to her. She should have realized she'd feel even more betrayed than her. "She lied to all of us." she said gently.
"But I was the one she was teaching." Willow said, opening her eyes and turning her head to look at Buffy. "I spent more time with her than anyone, except maybe Giles. And I didn't... I had no idea it was fake."
"Will, none of us did. She was-"
"Convincing." Willow said, voice cracking with emotion.
Buffy realized then there had to be more to what was bothering Willow than just Ms. Calendar. She wasn't just hurt, she was scared, and feeling betrayed didn't make you scared. But she still couldn't tell what exactly was wrong, and wasn't sure what to ask to get to it. "Yeah. She was." she agreed. "Even Giles couldn't tell, and they were...."
Convincing.
Oh.
"I still... still want to be your friend. But I don't, I can't, love you." Buffy said.
"So, everything you said, we did...?" Angel asked.
Buffy winced and her shoulders sagged. Admitting everything was definitely a lot worse than just breaking up. "I've had... a lot of practice, pretending. My social life back in L.A. depended on me being... convincing."
"Oh my God." Buffy whispered, eyes burning as fresh tears sprung from them. "Oh my God, Willow, you don't think... you're not worried that, that I'm... that we're not...?"
"It's stupid, I know it's stupid." Willow said, voice strained. "But if I couldn't tell Ms. Calendar was lying to me...? And, and Angel couldn't tell with you. And I'm, I'm just me. Just Willow. I'm nothing special, so why would... would you actually be-"
Her words cut off as Buffy suddenly rolled on top of her and kissed her. Hard, and strong, and trying to push all the emotion she felt into it. She kissed her until she felt Willow's tension seep from her, until she felt her kissing her back. When, finally, she stopped, she raised her head and gazed down intently into girlfriend's eyes.
"Willow Danielle Rosenberg." she said slowly, intently. "You listen to me, and you listen good. I. Love. You. More than anything, anyone, ever. That is a truth that will never change. And I never want to hear you say you're not special, because you are. You're Willow, my Willow. You're the one thing that makes this crazy insane life I live worth it. You're my everything, you hear me?"
Willow nodded, then grabbed at the bedsheets and used them to wipe her eyes. "I'm sorry." she mumbled.
"You have nothing to apologize for, hon. Ok? You were thrown for a loop today, and it made you wig." Buffy said, settling back onto the bed beside her, and wrapping her arms around her. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner. I keep forgetting you can't see what I do."
"That goes both ways, you know. I'm not the only one in this relationship with, with mirror blindness."
Buffy gave her a small smile. She knew she wasn't exactly wrong. There were definitely times she wondered why Willow would want to be with her. She wasn't nearly as smart as her. Being around her frequently put her in danger. And she was far from the hero Willow said she was. Too many people had died on her watch for that.
"So, we're both hopeless. Makes us a perfect match, yeah?" she said.
"Yeah." Willow replied with a small laugh.
"So, what were you trying to do? Not that I wasn't having fun, but... why the obsession with sex tonight? Were you trying to prove to yourself that we're real? Or just trying to avoid having to actually talk?"
Willow sighed. "No. I was... I was trying to... to get everything out of, of us that I could before...."
"Before you found out I was lying to you, too...."
"Yeah. I know, I'm an idiot."
"Yes. You are. But I still love you, so I guess I'm an idiot, too."
Jenny sat on one of the hard plastic chairs at the airport terminal, waiting for Hikaru. Her plane had arrived a few minutes ago and the travelers were disembarking. Rupert stood a few feet away holding a sign with Hikaru's name on it. The ride to the airport in his small car had been... awkward. She wasn't sure what to say to him to try and make up for things. Or even if there was anything she could say.
She'd known, the whole time she'd been getting closer to him, and Willow, and Buffy, that doing so would make things worse when the truth came out. And that the truth coming out would be inevitable. But she hadn't expected it to hurt this much. She'd have welcomed some open hostility a lot more than the cold silence she'd been getting. She could at least respond to that, say something in defense or as an apology. Offer an explanation. But there was nothing she could say to silence.
She'd at least gotten some of that from Buffy. She'd shouted, been angry, and given her a chance to explain. To try and make things better. And that had helped, a little. But she'd not gotten it from the two people who's opinions, she had come to find, mattered the most to her. Rupert, and Willow. Willow hadn't even spoken to her after she'd told them, hadn't looked at her at all. She'd always liked her as a student, but since starting their magic lessons she'd gotten a lot closer to her.
All she could do now was wait, and hope. She wasn't going to push anyone to hear her out. If, when, they were ready to argue the matter with her, to press for her reasons and explanations, she'd give them. Until then, she'd just quietly continue to help everyone, unless and until someone told her she wasn't wanted.
"Rupert Giles?" a young woman's voice asked, one Jenny found familiar. She returned her attention to the airport and found a young Japanese woman standing a few feet away. And... she wasn't what Jenny had been expecting, at all. Or Rupert, for that matter, if his open mouthed gaping was any indication.
She looked like she might be about twenty. Her hair was dyed deep purple and pulled up into twin buns. She had on thick black eyeshadow and eyeliner around deep brown eyes, purple lipstick, a black leather spiked collar, a black leather jacket over a black corset top, a short black skirt, and thigh high black boots. It was... a lot. In general, but also of black. It took Jenny a few seconds to take it all in and process what she was seeing, then she stood and held out her hand as she smiled.
"Hi, I'm Jenny Calendar." she said. "You must be Hikaru."
The girl turned to look at her and gave her a warm smile and shook her hand. "I am. It's nice to meet you, Jenny." She then turned and looked at Rupert, corner of her mouth curving up in a smirk. "And he's clearly a Watcher. No one can give me a glassy-eyed yet disapproving stare quite like a Watcher can."
"N-not disapproving." Rupert stammered, as he recollected himself. "You're just... not quite what I expected."
"Welcome to the 90s, Rupert."
"Do you have any other luggage?" Jenny asked when she noticed the single - black, of course - wheeled suitcase sitting beside her.
"Nope. I travel light. I'm ready to go when you are."
"Ah, yes, of course. This way." Rupert said, leading the way out of the terminal. "I've made up the spare room at my apartment for you. If you wish other lodgings we can find you something more suitable later. You are, of course, welcome to stay with me as long as you need."
"Appreciate it. I do prefer my privacy, so I'll see about other arrangements in the next few days. For now, though, anything with a bed will do. I made sure not to sleep on the flight so I could adjust to the new time zone more easily. I've been awake almost twenty-four hours now, and am quite ready for some sleep."
"I can imagine." Jenny said as they stepped outside and started across the lot to Rupert's car. "I really appreciate you coming all the way here to help. Especially...." She stopped and sighed. "Especially after what we heard today."
"Did something happen?"
Jenny frowned. "Willow, my protege, performed a seance last night for her girlfriend and a friend of theirs, and was nearly possessed in the process. Her girlfriend disrupted the seance, saving her but releasing whatever was trying to claim her."
Hikaru frowned at that information. "Have you told her?"
"As soon as she told us what happened." said Rupert. "And warned her not to do any more magic alone, until you clear her. She understands now the danger, so I believe she'll listen."
"It is not only magic she needs to be concerned with." Hikaru said. They'd reached Rupert's car and Jenny helped her into the backseat with her suitcase, before getting into the passenger seat herself while Rupert got behind the wheel. "She can reach out for something without needing to perform magic."
"If something pushes her to, right?" asked Jenny. "Desperation or need?"
"Essentially, yes. High emotions are a common trigger. Generally grief or anger. But also a strong desire to survive, or to protect, can be enough. You said her first channel happened during the black sun, while aiding the Slayer?"
"Uh, yes." Rupert agreed, as he started driving for his apartment. "The ritual she and Jenny were performing was vital to us restoring the sun."
"And she lacked the strength to complete it?"
"We both did." answered Jenny. "We'd drained ourselves pretty heavily with the first casting. To the point I didn't think we'd succeed at the second. But we had to try. It was our only hope."
Hikaru nodded. "So when it began to fail, her desire for it to succeed was enough that she sought outside help. Does she aid the Slayer often?"
"Uhm, well... yes." said Rupert. "The Slayer, Buffy, is, uh, her girlfriend."
"She's.... Your Slayer is dating?" Hikaru asked, the shock evident in her voice.
"Uh, w-well, yes. Buffy wasn't found until after she was called. She is, uh, very... untraditional, as a result."
"She's a Wild Card? Interesting. And you've adapted to her rather than try and force her into the standard Council mold?"
"It seemed... prudent." Rupert said with a sigh. "She is a very strong willed and independent girl. Attempting to stand on tradition would have been a disaster that would likely have gotten us both killed. And you seem considerably more versed in Slayer lore than most outside of the Council."
"Ah. Yeah. I know a fair bit. My older sister was a Slayer. A Wild Card, like yours. She was called fifteen years ago, was active for about six months. Her Watcher took me in, afterwards."
"Oh, I-I'm sorry." Rupert said quietly. "Was, uh, was that how you ended up in, in England?"
Hikaru nodded. "Yes."
"If you don't mind my asking," Jenny began, "what happened to your parents that your sister's Watcher took you in?"
"Our parents had both died in an accident when I was an infant. We were in an orphanage in Nagoya when Minako was called. When Mr. Taft came to train her she refused to go anywhere or do anything with him unless I came along, too."
"Taft? Vincent Taft?" Rupert asked.
"Yes."
"I've met him. Very charming and personable fellow. He was retired from field work by the time I started, but I saw him in the halls at Council headquarters from time to time. I... I may have even seen you there, once or twice."
Hikaru smiled faintly. "You may have. If you were there about ten years ago you may have even witnessed the 'chewing gum incident.'"
"That was you?"
"The blighter deserved worse." Hikaru said with a shrug. "Anyway, your Conduit is dating the active Slayer? That is a recipe for disaster, at least until she's got some control. Slayers are in constant danger, and the desire to protect those you love is a strong trigger for subconscious channeling."
"Well, at the risk of jinxing things, things have been relatively quiet of late." Rupert said. "Fingers crossed it stays that way until you can train Willow."
Buffy groaned softly as she woke and stretched. She could feel the weight of Willow against her side, her head nestled against her shoulder, and she couldn't help but smile. Last night had been a little... rough, and thinking about it brought back a phantom sting on her cheek. But this? Waking up with Willow pressed up next to her? Totally worth all the mess of the night before.
She turned her head to glance at her clock, to see how long she had until the alarm went off, and sighed. Only seven minutes. Not worth going back to sleep. Giles and Ms. Calendar had wanted Willow to come over early to meet the witch from England, to start her Conduit training. And Buffy wanted to tag along. She wanted to at least be there for moral support, and maybe to try and get an understanding of what exactly Willow was dealing with. So, no sleeping in today, unfortunately.
But also no reason to wake Willow earlier than necessary. So she decided to lay there and wait for the alarm, let her have a few more moments of peace before needing to deal with reality again. A moment later she felt her girlfriend suddenly twitch against her. Her arm around her waist tightened and her brow furrowed as she mumbled "We have to warn Buffy the Frog King is coming."
Buffy grinned and chuckled, then lightly kissed the top of her head. "It's ok, hon. I already beat the Frog King." she whispered to her, and Willow visibly relaxed. The girl could, and had, faced down demons, but would turn and run at the sight of a frog. Her frog fear was one of those cute little quirks about her she loved. One of a handful of surprise facts she'd learned, like her love of monster trucks, on their first date.
When the alarm finally went off a few moments later Buffy reached over and switched it off as Willow stirred and woke. "Morning, hon." she said, smiling at her.
"Morning, babe." Willow replied, returning her smile. Though it faltered a little after a second. "Buffy, about last night...."
"Forget about last night." Buffy said, getting out of bed and starting to get dressed for the day. "We've already said all that needs said. Last night is of the past, and no longer matters."
Willow stared at her a moment, then her smile returned. "Thanks." she said, getting up and getting dressed as well. Less than five minutes later they were downstairs in the kitchen grabbing bowls and cereal.
"You two are up early." Joyce said from where she sat at the island, finishing her own breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausage.
"Giles is coming by to pick us up at eight." Willow explained, as she handed the milk to Buffy.
"Giles? Is something happening again?"
"Huh? Oh, no." Buffy said. "Nothing you need to worry about. Just some magic lessons for Willow."
Joyce nodded. "Well, alright. What about Anne?"
"She said she was going to stay home today, rest up some." Buffy answered. "She's had a busy couple days and wants to spend some time just... decompressing."
"I can imagine." Joyce said. "Willow, you going to come over for dinner tonight? I'm making meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans."
"Ooh, I love your meatloaf. I'll definitely be here."
Joyce gave her a smile and nod. "Alright. See you girls tonight." she said, getting up and putting her dishes in the sink, then grabbing her purse and heading off to work.
"Nervous?" Buffy asked a few minutes later, when she noticed Willow had stopped eating with half a bowl of Cheerios left.
"A little." Willow admitted. "I have no idea what to expect from this new witch. Or what she'll expect of me. And... and what if I can't do it? Whatever it is I need to do to not get possessed, I mean."
"Hey, I'm sure you'll do great." Buffy said reassuringly. "You always do, when you put your mind to something."
Willow gave her a half hearted smile. "Thanks."
Buffy sighed, wishing there was something more she could say. Something that would really help Willow feel better. But she knew that, sometimes, nothing but actually seeing you could do a thing let you believe it. She'd felt that way plenty of times, and this was probably going to be one such time for Willow.
She was so distracted and lost in her thoughts she lost track of the time. Hadn't realized how much had past until she heard the horn of Giles's car out front. They both still had half their cereal left when they jumped at the sound. They glanced at each other, then laughed as Buffy took the bowls and dumped them in the sink. Then they grabbed their things and hurried outside and down to his car.
"Good morning, Giles." they both said, climbing into the back seat.
"Good morning, girls." Giles replied as he pulled on to the road. "Sleep well?"
"Had to slay the Frog King this morning, but otherwise good." Buffy said. When Willow glanced at her, looking confused, she just gave her a playful shrug and smile as she continued talk to Giles. "So, what's this witch like?"
"She's, uh, she's... interesting." Giles said.
"Uh, interesting how?" Willow asked.
"Uh, just... interesting. She's not, uh, not my... style. Don't worry, it's nothing of concern. And I'm sure she'll be a great teacher."
Willow sighed and looked... Buffy wasn't sure there was actually a word to describe her expression. She reached over and took her hand, giving it a light squeeze of comfort. Willow gave her a small smile of thanks and they rode the rest of the way to Giles's apartment in silence.
Entering the apartment it looked no different than usual, and she saw no sign of the visiting witch. Then she heard movement in the kitchen, looked that way, and froze. There was a young woman there with purple hair, and wearing all black, doing some dishes at the sink. Her bare arms were also covered in tattoos. Her right arm, from shoulder to wrist, and her left from shoulder to elbow. If she was the visiting witch, Giles's remarks in the car made a lot of sense.
"Hikaru, I've brought her." Giles said, walking farther into the apartment.
The woman at the sink set aside her dish towel and made her way around to where they were. Everything about her was a surprise. Her dress, her hair, her tattoos, her age, and the fact she was Asian. Buffy knew she'd come from England, so she'd been expecting someone... well, like a magically inclined Giles. Given Willow's silence, Buffy figured she was just as surprised.
And now that she was closer, Buffy could see that her right arm was covered in what looked like flowers, skulls, and butterflies. Her left arm was... a tombstone? It looked like something was written on it, a name probably, but she couldn't read it from where she was. It was all a... a lot to take in, just how much she didn't match with anything she'd expected.
"Hikaru Himura." Hikaru said, holding out a hand towards the two of them.
"Oh, ah. Willow. Rosenberg." Willow said after a second's hesitation, taking her hand to shake it.
"Buffy Summers." Buffy said, when it was her turn to shake hands.
"So, you're the current Slayer?" Hikaru asked, releasing her hand.
"Uh, I am. Well, one of them."
"One of?"
"Uh, yeah. There's three of us right now. Long story."
"Buffy died about a year and a half ago," Giles said, "and her replacement got turned into a vampire last spring, and is one of the two vampires Jenny and Willow ensouled during the Endless Night, so still serves the Council as a Slayer. Her replacement is... out there, somewhere, too."
"Apparently not that long after all." Buffy quipped.
Hikaru gave a faint smirk and shook her head. "Mr. Giles said you were untraditional." she said, causing Buffy to glance over at him with a raised eyebrow. "I take it you're here as moral support for your girlfriend?"
Buffy looked back at her and nodded. "Yeah. That and, I want to try and... understand more about the danger she's in. I don't really 'get' magic stuff."
"That's good. Support, especially your support, will help her. However, I'll need some time alone with her, first." Hikaru said. She turned to Willow, then. "Your Ms. Calendar said she gave you the Solomonărie trials to test you before she started teaching you. I'm not familiar with them, or their results. What I do know is the standard Council battery of tests. I'll need to run you through those before we can do anything else."
Willow nodded. "Yeah, ok."
"And why do you need to do that alone?" asked Buffy.
"For safety." Hikaru answered her. "Hers, mine, yours. Another presence can disrupt the tests. At best, that would give me false results, which would make my training ineffective."
"It's ok, Buffy. I did this with Ms. Calendar." Willow reassured her. Buffy frowned, she didn't want to leave Willow alone, but nodded, knowing she didn't have a choice. Hikaru then lead Willow deeper into the apartment, to the spare room she was using, and closed the door. Buffy took a seat on a stool at the counter by the kitchen to wait.
"She'll be ok, Buffy." Giles said, walking into the kitchen and starting water for some tea. "This stage is just testing, so Hikaru can understand Willow's skill level, potential, and weaknesses. It'll help her to teach her better."
"She's not what I expected." Buffy said. "She doesn't look much older than us."
"She's not what I expected, either. And yes, she's only a few years older than you. But she has years of experience. She's been practicing magic since she was eight, has known she is a Conduit since the age of eleven."
Buffy was about to say something when a loud bang sounded from the room Hikaru and Willow had gone into. Buffy immediately jumped up and started moving, but Giles cleared his throat and she stopped.
"They're ok. The testing can be... noisy. And interrupting them would be worse than anything that will happen during testing."
Buffy looked from him to the closed door a couple times, then sighed and returned to her seat. "I'm not good at waiting, Giles." she said.
"I am well aware." he said dryly, drawing a scowl from her. "If you want something to help pass the time, I'm still researching your L.A. demons, as well as the demon Jenny saw."
"The one that tried to possess Will?"
"Yes. All I've got to go on currently is the physical description. So it's proving rather... elusive."
Buffy nodded. "Alright. It's something. I'll help." she said.
The quickness with which she agreed to research told Giles just how worried she actually was. He grabbed a plate from the cupboard, piled it with cookies, and then lead Buffy into the living room and the pile of books he had gathered. He placed the cookies on the table and then handed her a copy of Delfyr's Demon Compendium.
"I think I saw one of your L.A. demons in there this morning." he told her. "I've marked the page."
Buffy saw a bit of string sticking out from the book and opened to that page. There were no drawings to see, just small neatly printed text. She skimmed through it and was about half way down the page when she got to a description that sounded familiar. It matched the bigger dudes, the guards, from Ken's factory place.
"Yeah, this description sounds like the guard guys." she said, glancing back up at the entry name. They were Vorshak demons, apparently. She then read through the entry on them more closely. Rare. Almost never seen on Earth. Preferred to stay in their own dimension. Worked as... jailors in demon prisons?
"That place was a prison?" Buffy asked, looking up at Giles.
"It may have been at one time." Giles answered as he paged through his own book. "Though from your description it wasn't being used as such any longer. This... Ken fellow you mentioned, may have repurposed the facility."
"And these Vorshak guys just came bundled with the office space?"
"Potentially. I still haven't found an entry that matches your description of him. It's possible he was working alone, an independent operation."
"So no one else out there abducting ki-" she cut off as loud crack like thunder shook the apartment. It drew her mind immediately back to Willow and it took her a moment to get her focus back on her question. "So, so no one else is abducting kids for slave labor?"
"It's still a possibility. He may have had associates. Once I find him I'll know more. But there is a good chance he was a one off situation."
"That would be good, but I have my doubts. I had to leave a lot of people behind when Anne and I escaped. There's no way Ken could have captured them all. Not with the time difference."
Giles frowned. "Yes, I was thinking along the same lines. A hundred years in a day, you said?" he asked, and Buffy nodded. "At that rate everyone you saw had to have been taken within probably 18 hours of your arrival. That many people missing in a day would be noticed, even in L.A. and even among the homeless."
"And Ken was working with that blood bank. They told him who would be useful. No way they could refer that many a day." Buffy sighed as she closed the book she held. "So there are likely more people than Ken...."
"It's highly probable." agreed Giles. "And likely they're located in different cities. Each with their own portal to the factory you saw."
Buffy sat and thought for a bit. She was still bothered by the people she'd had to leave. She'd reasoned it was acceptable because it was more important to stop more being taken. But she hadn't stopped it, not entirely. With Ken gone the teens in L.A. were safe, but who knew how many cities around the world had their own Ken and their own portal?
"What about Kendra and the Council?" Buffy asked, as the thought suddenly occurred to her that they might know someone who knows something. "Do they have any information about this kind of thing? Kendra travels a lot more than I do."
"Hmm, it's an idea." Giles agreed as his kettle started to whistle. He got up and made his way into the kitchen as he continued to speak. "It's late afternoon back in England, I'll give Sam a call. See if he's heard of anything like your experience."
"Has the Council let Kendra out of quarantine, yet?" Buffy asked him. She'd called to check on her a few days before she'd left for L.A. and found out the Council had basically locked her up while testing her. They wanted to make sure that her personality was unchanged by what had happened. They'd also been researching the curse that restored her soul.
"Not that I'd heard." Giles replied. "Though I haven't spoken to Sam in a couple weeks."
"I get being a little cautious, but this is ridiculous. She's been back in England almost two months. Angel and Drusilla are proof the curse works."
"She's a Slayer, they have cause to be extra cautious." Giles told be as he return to the room carrying two cups, one he set down in front of Buffy.
"Tea?" she asked him, arching her brows at him.
"Mm, no. Yours is hot chocolate."
"Ooh. Thank you muchly." she said, grabbing a cookie to dunk. "And yeah, I suppose. I just hope they let her out soon. If it was me I'd be going crazy."
Buffy returned to her books while snacking on the cookies and hot chocolate, while Giles got the phone and called England, and Sam. When he came back a few minutes later he informed her that Sam had not heard of any similar incidents, but would check the archives. And that Kendra was being released from quarantine tomorrow.
"Good. Glad they finally saw reason." Buffy said. The two then sat and dug through the books, stopping only occasionally when a loud sound or strong shaking from Willow's testing disrupted the morning. It was shortly after noon by the time the guest room door opened again, and Willow emerged looking completely worn out, Hikaru trailing behind her.
"That was... exhausting." Willow said, slumping down onto the couch and grabbing a cookie. "I wasn't nearly this tired... after Ms. Calendar's tests."
"So, can you help her?" Buffy asked Hikaru.
The witch nodded. "I can. Your girlfriend has a lot of potential, and is decently skilled for all the longer she's been practicing. But she has some emotion and control issues we'll need to work on. But not today. We'll start tomorrow, after she's had some more rest."