Chapter 22
Turning Towards HomeElizabeth moved forward. She didn’t ask how. She looked at one of the lights that was less bright. It’s sullen color and hint of wrongness made her look.
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Godfrey Somerset was watching everything he owned burn in flames of white fire. In spite of all the noise he heard a phone ringing in his bedroom. Godfrey Somerset’s bedside phone only rang when a certain number called. He leapt into the flames and found they were as hot as they looked. He screamed in agony but he continued - he had to reach the phone…
Godfrey Somerset woke up to the insistent ringing by his bedside. He was covered with sweat as he grabbed the handset.
“Hello?” he said shakily.
“Sir, there’s a partner’s only emergency meeting at the club in two hours,” Saunders said in a detached, shocked voice.
“What?” Somerset demanded. “What do the senior partners want?”
“We don’t know sir,” Saunders said with a small quaver in his voice. “They seem to have disappeared, along with the top two floors of every one of our buildings.”
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“I don’t think we can teach her much more,” Amelia said sipping her tea.
“It’s been all of nine days,” Rita said with a grimace.
“She’s bright,” Amelia said gently. “She’s been learning from her Tara without realizing it. She has the basics now and knows the dangers. After that it’s on the job training.”
“I know,” Rita said levelly. “She’s the fastest student we’ve ever had. But magic’s changed now. Burn a sprig of holly to Thespia now and you’ll just cough.”
“I never held with invoking anyway,” Amelia said primly. “Too easy to get something you weren’t looking for and get bashed about or worse. Magic users will have to think now.”
Rita sighed and looked out the window. Willow was sitting on the back lawn and smiling as she touched the earth. Rita knew that smile. She turned back to her old friend.
“Might as well bring the other one here,” Rita said with a sigh. “She’s reading her through the earth.”
“Amazing girl,” Amelia said with a small chuckle. “Most of your power users would never think of using the hedge witch path.”
“Things are changing,” Rita said sadly.
“They always are lass,” Amelia said with a distant grin.
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Somerset and the rest of the New York partners clustered around the table in the back room of the most exclusive country club in the tri-state area. They listened in shock to the report from London on the speaker phone.
“What does it mean?” a voice from Los Angeles asked.
“It means you need new senior partners,” a pleasant voice said. “Or rather, a new senior partner.”
Somerset and the rest looked up to see a handsome man step through the door of the room without opening it.
“Besides, Apep and his merry band were going to do me a favor,” he said with just the barest hint of menace. “Now I’ve got dozens of possible enemies and no one to sacrifice them to me.”
“We have a visitor here,” the London office said.
“Here too,” LA replied.
“I assume we all do,” Somerset said levelly. “Very well done, on an ethereal level. How about the more concrete aspects of partnership?”
“There you have me,” the man replied. “But I find my way around it.” He turned into a beautiful woman that Somerset had lusted after for years. “I just have to find the right way to ask.”
“What do we call you?” the Paris office asked.
“So many possibilities,” the man sighed. Briefly he turned into Patrick McGoohan. “Number One perhaps? Sorry,” he said returning to his original form. “I loved that show. No, I think my oldest name will work. I am the First.”
“The First what?” a voice in every office asked at roughly the same time.
The room became pitch black except for the faint red slits where the First had been. Then the eyes became too many blood red orbs in the darkness.
“Do you really want to know?” came from each orb.
“What do we get out of it?” Somerset asked calmly.
“You become my court after I am released,” the First said amiably as the lights returned to normal.
“And what do we have to do?” the Cairo office grumbled.
“Track down my enemies,” the First said mildly. “Oh, and help further the interests of education in a certain California town.”
Somerset felt the moments lengthen. Everyone was looking at their neighbors and the being that seemed to be able to be everywhere at least in a visible form. Somerset thought about the cases he had on his calendar and knew he could lose everyone of them without the more outré resources of his firm. He leaned forward.
“We’re lawyers,” he said easily. “Let’s talk.”
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Tara fidgeted as she waited in LAX for her flight. She opened her new leather travel wallet just a bit to make sure her passport and tickets were still there. She touched the blue passport and smiled softly.
“Two minutes and fifty one seconds,” Buffy said lazily.
“What?” Tara asked quickly putting away the wallet.
“Since the last time you checked,” Buffy explained. She smiled as Tara blushed.
“I’m just so glad the coven decided to ask me over early,” Tara said smiling.
“Yeah,” Buffy agreed. “I’d hate to think of the damage you’d do to the bed after a month away from Willow. A week is going to be bad enough.”
“I’d suggest that you set the mattress on the floor,” Anya said helpfully. “Some of those old English beds might cave in given the frantic nature of the sex you’ll be having.”
“Safety first,” Buffy said brightly.
“Exactly!” Anya agreed.
“We will not be having frantic sex!” Tara said finally finding her voice.
“A bit louder, they didn’t hear you in the next terminal,” Xander said arriving with coffee. “Remember, it’s not nice to torment the desperate.”
“I was giving good safety tips,” Anya protested.
“I was tormenting the desperate,” Buffy admitted cheerfully.
“I’ll be hiding under this seat until they call my flight,” Tara said blushing. She looked at Buffy with a rueful smile. “You really are evil.”
“I hope there’s not too much delay,” Anya said looking at the departure board. “Clarice seems to have an okay grasp of business but her husband is too much like Giles.”
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay working with Clarice and Harold?” Tara asked worriedly.
“I think that makes an even dozen times you’ve asked that in the last twenty four hours,” Xander said gently. “We’ll be fine.”
“I had no idea I was so carefully observed,” Tara said. “Do you want me to wear a radio tracking collar too?”
“Only if it gets video too!” Xander replied with a grin even as he ducked from the anticipated (and realized) backhands from both Buffy and his wife.
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“I don’t believe he really said that!” Elizabeth gasped.
I CAN, the voice replied.
Elizabeth looked back at the passing stream of miniature stars. One stood out like a beacon.
NOT THAT ONE, LIZ! The voice said hurriedly.
“Why not?” Elizabeth asked.
LET’S JUST SAY TARA SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ANYA’S ADVICE AND LEAVE IT AT THAT, OKAY?
“Oh,” Elizabeth said with a faint blush. “Was it a brass bed?”
YES
“That explains why they look sheepish when ever one shows up on TV,” Elizabeth said with a grin.
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Buffy stood up and stretched as she went to answer the doorbell. She looked out and saw Xander looking pensively at something in his hands.
“What have you got?” Buffy asked opening the door.
“I, ah-here,” Xander said handing her several papers. Buffy looked at the first one.
“You’re invited to bid on a construction job?” Buffy asked brightly. “Xan, that’s fantastic!”
“Look at the address,” Xander said reservedly.
“It’s…it’s familiar,” Buffy said in a puzzled voice.
“You graduated from there,” Xander replied.
“What?” Buffy said in a shocked voice. She looked down at the rest of the papers. “A new high school over the Hellmouth?”
“And they came to me for part of the job,” Xander said tiredly.
“You’re a great carpenter,” Buffy said. “And you were an assistant foreman.”
“I haven’t opened the business cards all of you got for me,” Xander said. “But I got this in the mail today. And not at the Post Office Box.”
“Oh,” Buffy said softly.
“They’re hiring nearly everybody in town,” Xander went on. “Look at the completion date.”
“September?” Buffy looked at Xander. “Is it possible?”
“Theoretically,” Xander explained. “If you’re spending the kind of money they are.”
“Who is ‘they’?” Buffy said carefully.
“An unknown philanthropist who wants the school done in time for the new school year,” Xander explained. “Too much of this didn’t add up. So I figured there’s a new big bad on the horizon.”
“I think its time to ask my tutor for some help,” Buffy said quietly.
“How’s that going?” Xander asked.
“I can apply some of the credits from college and cram for the rest,” Buffy said with a small smile. “I’d be eligible to apply in September.”
“Officer Buffy,” Xander said with a small smile. “What do we do?”
“Ask for help,” Buffy said thoughtfully.
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Thumb-banger: Hi
RedWitch970: Hi back
Thumb-banger: How r u?
RedWitch970: Fine. How are you?
Thumb-banger: Ooky
Thumb-banger: That’s OK.
RedWitch970: Is the keyboard being especially mean?
Thumb-banger: Yes
RedWitch970: How is Blonde Bopper?
Thumb-banger: Ooky
Thumb-banger: Sorry
RedWitch970: I got it. I can decipher Xander speak
Thumb-banger: I’m glad some one can decode me
RedWitch970: T says hi
Thumb-banger: Hi T. Just checking up on things. I’ve got to get going Will.
RedWitch970: How late are you?
Thumb-banger: 2 hours. Long story
RedWitch970: Go home, Xan!!!!
Thumb-banger: Going bye
RedWitch970: Bye
“What is it?” Tara asked.
“Something’s going on in Sunnydale,” Willow said worriedly. “I’m going to bring up the secure phone program.”
“On the computer?” Tara asked.
“Yeah,” Dawn answered.
“In twenty minutes they’re going to call here,” Willow explained.
“How do you know that?” Tara asked.
“Xander used our old Computer Basics class communication code,” Willow replied.
“Buffy told me about that,” Dawn said. “You three would gossip by computer during class.”
“It wasn’t gossip!” Willow insisted. “It was, um, stuff. Important stuff.”
“Xander is going to do this computer thing?” Tara asked worriedly.
“I set it up on his computer,” Willow said reassuringly. “All he has to do is launch it.”
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“Most ingenious,” Harold said looking at the computer screen. “Where do you put the handset?”
“You speak into the mike,” Anya said pointing at the device on top of the computer.
“And we hear you in England,” Willow’s voice replied. “Hi guys.”
“Hey Will,” Xander said with a relieved smile. “It worked.”
“I set it up,” Willow said proudly.
“You also set up Doom,” Xander replied with a smirk.
“That was user error!” Willow insisted.
“Hi guys,” Tara said softly. “What’s up?”
“I got a bid solicitation,” Xander said hesitantly. “Without being listed.”
“Maybe somebody told the bidders how good you are,” Tara suggested.
“That’s what I thought,” Anya said. “But the contract doesn’t feel right. It’s on the wrong stock and there’s places where the typeface seem to be off.”
“And the big worry is it’s for the high school,” Buffy pointed out. “Right back over the Hellmouth.”
“They want it done in time for school to start,” Xander interjected. “The contract keeps harping on September.”
“When?” Tara asked suddenly.
“By the twenty first,” Clarice said looking at the contract in her hands.
“The Autumnal Equinox is the twenty second,” Tara said distantly.
“The darkness grows longer,” Harold said as if quoting.
“Very big day for magic,” Willow said in a worried tone. “What about the contract?”
“I don’t see anything here,” Clarice said looking at the document.
“Wait a minute,” Willow said thousands of miles away. “Who would usually be reading this contract if we were looking for a magic loophole?”
“You,” Xander replied instantly.
“Well, since Clarice and I share a pair of X chromosomes,” Willow said thinking out loud. “And the other person who would look at it would be Tara who has the same pair of X chromosomes, thank goodness, so let’s give it to our Y guy.”
“Here,” Clarice said handing over the contract. “By the by, I like your Y.”
“I’m writing that one down,” Anya said grabbing a pen.
“Thank you, my love,” Harold said kissing his wife. “Let’s see-yowch!”
“What happened?” Willow and Tara called out in England.
“Bloody great blue spark,” Harold said crossly. “It seems our contract doesn’t want to be read by a male with magic.”
“Some of the words moved,” Xander said. “Just for a second.”
“I didn’t see that,” Buffy said with a frown. “Oh, girl eyes. Right.”
“Okay,” Willow said thoughtfully. “Xan, is it a good contract?”
“Well, I’m still learning the costing and scheduling part of the business but it appears otherwise pretty good, if you don’t look at the magic sparks and words,” Xander said thoughtfully.
“And we could use somebody on the inside,” Buffy mused.
“Who would be protected,” Anya said meeting Buffy’s eyes. “What did the Chief say?”
“Hernandez got stonewalled at Sunnydale City Hall,” Buffy replied. “But he called a friend at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. Turns out the non-profit company funding this was just started a couple of days ago. One of the people on the company’s board of directors made the DA see red. Her name is Lilah Morgan. She works for Wolfram and Hart.”
“The law firm?” Tara asked. “The bad one?”
“Yeah,” Buffy answered.
“So we’re not looking at civic minded philanthropists,” Xander said tiredly.
“Xan, are you up to this?” Willow asked.
Buffy saw Xander take Anya’s hand. To the Slayer the ring on his hand seemed to glow for a second as it touched Anya’s.
“It’s okay to say no,” Buffy heard herself say out loud.
“Are you going to be there with us?” Xander asked.
“Yes,” Buffy said softly.
“Every step of the way,” Willow added.
“Maybe, um, by long distance, you know, for the first steps,” Tara pointed out.
“Okay, what do we do?” Xander asked calmly.
“We don’t wait,” Buffy said firmly. “We look like we’re oblivious but we get ready to stop this whoever it is at least two weeks before the equinox. Earlier if we get a chance.”
“Good,” Anya said. “Then I can concentrate on our new business model in the fourth quarter.”
“What do you need us to do?” Willow asked.
“Will, can we do something about the contract?” Buffy asked.
“We’re going to need a Kinko’s,” Willow said half a world away.
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“Here,” a burly electrician said handing the harried looking man in the expensive suit a contract.
“Here’s mine,” another builder said as they seemed to suddenly surround the suit.
“C’mon, c’mon,” a woman in a T-shirt that said ‘Wanda’s Wonder Welding’ said impatiently. “We’re burning daylight.”
Form after form filled the suited man’s hands. He kept looking for the young carpenter his boss had mentioned but in the sea of coveralls and hardhats everyone seemed to be the same.
“Where’s the architect?” the young man he was waiting for asked. The man frowned. He didn’t remember Harris handing in his contract in the frenzy. The suit decided not to worry about it. The clerks could check the signatures later.
“Right over there, Mr. Harris,” the suit replied. “Come with me, everyone.”
As he led them off Wanda slowed down and looked at Xander.
“You know this weasel?” she asked quietly.
“Nope,” Xander replied with a small grin.
“Just why did I hand in your contract and you hand in mine?” she asked. “I mean the mob scene was kind of fun, but was it worth breakfast for everybody?”
“Gets the job off to a good start,” Xander said with a real smile.
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Elizabeth saw the lights pick up speed ever so slightly.
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“I don’t like them,” Buffy said flatly.
“I don’t care if you like them,” Hernandez said firmly. “You’re learning to shoot.”
“Fine,” Buffy said crossly. “But do I have to wear the ear muffs?”
“Yes!”
“Even if I bought these cute bright colored-”
“Wear those too under the muffs.”
“This is going to look so lame,” Buffy muttered.
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Willow and Tara were back to back, with Dawn between them holding a box that rippled with magic. A gargoyle flew at them, low and fast. On the opposite side a veiled man with a sword rushed forward. A plastic chair flew into the legs of the swordsman as the gargoyle fell out of the sky and bounced.
“Yes!” Dawn hissed as she opened the lid. A bright flare of light shot straight up into the blue Devon sky.
“Well, that was embarrassing,” the gargoyle said brushing himself off. “Sorry about the lawn.”
“Quite all right, Timothy” Rita said politely. “Lemonade?”
“Thank you,” the gargoyle said. The swordsman finally got disentangled from the chair.
“That was cheating,” he said primly taking off his fencing mask and revealing a teenager a year younger than Dawn.
“You were an attacker,” Willow countered. “There is no cheating in a real fight.”
“She beat you, Robert,” Amelia said from the shade of a tree. “The salle is not the real world.”
“Gram, I thought you were supposed to be on my side,” Robert complained.
“Now, which one of you cast the protective spell on Dawn?”
“I did,” Tara replied. “The original one. Willow added the redirection part.”
“It responds to the level of power near Dawn,” Willow explained. “How much power did it redirect?”
“Topped out at twelve kilowatts,” Rita said with a frown. “Batteries must be low.”
“How much is twelve kilowatts?” Dawn asked with a frown.
“Depends on the application,” Willow said looking at Rita. “I’m sure it was done in a safe way.”
“Got it!” Robert shouted grabbing the box from Dawn. “No one said the fight was over!”
There was a loud snap and Robert jerked. His spasm tossed the box into the air where it floated gently to the ground. The boy flexed his hands and fingers still in their fencing gloves. He glared at his grandmother.
“Sorry!” Amelia said quickly. “I forgot to disable the grandchild spell.”
“Just what do you usually keep in that box?” Robert asked.
“Mementos,” Amelia said with a smile. “Special ones.”
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“Hello Spike,” a voice rasped.
A trio of shadows circled the former vampire. With his human senses he could barely catch their scent. The voice though triggered memories of Angelus and Darla hurrying fearfully away from an ancient pile of stone in the sewers of Vienna in the days following the Anschluss.
“How can you stand that heartbeat?” the voice asked.
“It’s got a rhythm you just can’t beat,” Spike said pulling out his lighter. In the flare of the light the forms winced but held their ground. Spike lit the cigarette but did not inhale. “What are you lot doing in this one horse town?”
“We have an offer, human,” the true vampire sneered.
“I’m listening,” Spike said with a shrug.
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The lights began to speed up. Elizabeth hesitated at one light.
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“I’m glad you’re keeping her in shape,” Giles said with a small smile.
“I don’t want to get on the wrong side of the witches, that’s all,” Buffy insisted as she teased the end of the peacock feather over Miss Kitty’s back. The small black and white cat exploded upward before Buffy could pull the feather away. The Slayer and her opponent went at it for minutes before Miss Kitty stopped and began to wash. Buffy leaned back in the chair. With a leap Miss Kitty claimed her lap.
“Only until patrol,” Buffy warned as she rubbed the cat behind the ears.
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“They miss her,” Elizabeth sighed. “So do I.”
MISS KITTY’S FINE.
“Good.”
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“Is that what we’re looking for?” Anya asked holding up a book.
“Yes, the truest expression of pure vampirism,” Giles said thoughtfully. “These are what the vampires looked like before they had to come into this world through a human’s corpse.”
“They call themselves Uber vampires,” Spike said with a snort. “They were mixed up with a very Uber crowd.”
“One that lasted twelve years?” Giles asked.
“Yeah,” Spike grinned. “These twits never got over being used by a bunch of humans crazier than they were.”
“They look like bad copies of the orcs from Lord Of The Rings,” Buffy said with a moue of distaste. “Now those were scary.”
“Perhaps evil didn’t have as big a budget,” Giles said dryly.
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“Tara, you have a visitor,” Rita said from the door of the cottage.
Tara put down her book of herbal remedies and came to the door. A hint of close familiarity touched her just before she reached it and she recognized the feeling.
“Hello Wes,” Tara said gently.
“Hello,” Wesley said with a wan smile. “I’m terribly sorry, but I need your help.”
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“Welcome,” Quentin Travers said politely. “How can I help two of Sunnydale’s most powerful witches?”
“I have to say that’s a nicer greeting than I thought we were going to get,” Willow said sitting down in the leather club chair.
“Things have changed,” Travers said with a thin smile.
“Lots of spells failing recently?” Tara asked carefully.
“Prophecies going blank?” Willow wondered.
“Both, and more,” Travers said leaning forward. “Over five thousand volumes in our library have become old to very ancient examples of blank writing surfaces.”
“That’s horrible!” Willow said at the thought of five thousand suddenly empty books.
“We did find one prophecy that survived,” Travers said. “Very old and rather succinct. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes!” Willow said instantly. “I mean, ah, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Not at all,” Travers said. “This way.”
The witches followed him out of the office and down the corridor. Several yards into the journey Travers pointed to a window.
“Late fifteenth century,” he said proudly. “Miss Maclay, I believe you might find some of the architectural features of this drafty old place rather interesting.”
“I’d like to return when I have time to study them,” Tara said politely.
“All right, listen carefully!” Travers said suddenly whispering. “This is the only place we can talk. I’m going to be put out to pasture at the meeting next week. I know what you want, and despite my, well my problems with Giles and his Slayer I think it is for the best. Others on the Council disagree strongly.”
“Why the sudden helpfulness?” Willow asked carefully.
“You’ll see,” Travers said darkly. Then he pointed to a sconce in the room they were entering. “Those sconces, for instance are early Victorian attempts to match the recurring themes in the other rooms.”
“I see what you mean about interesting,” Tara said looking at the sconces thoughtfully. “I’m definitely coming back.”
“Now unfortunately we come to the cold hard twenty-first century,” Travers said stopping at a metal door. “Controlled environment.”
“For preserving the books?” Willow asked as the door opened and she felt the dry air on her face.
“Possibly a few of the librarians as well,” Travers said with a brief smile. “Ah, Miss Braithwaite. Please bring us the Scroll of St. Pandwyna.”
Tara blinked a couple of times as the blonde, who showed no signs of needing preserving, smiled at her and walked away in a most active manner. She returned with an illuminated sheet of vellum and placed it in front of Tara.
“It’s a very fine example of the illustrated manuscript from the tenth century,” Miss Braithwaite said in a musical alto as she leaned just so over the manuscript. “The curve of the letters is especially eye catching.”
“A-hem!” Willow coughed dryly. Tara blushed.
“It’s, um, very well preserved,” Tara said quickly.
“Not a lot of call for it,” Travers said. “It was found in a rather frantic search through some of the older books. I believe it had been used as a book mark in the late eighteenth century.”
“In the time of the end of the menace of the night there shall be two-” Tara said as she translated the Latin. She frowned. “Warriors?”
“The Latin is actually killers or Slayers,” Travers pointed out.
“Oh,” Tara said. “I should have guessed that.”
“Instead of one,” Willow said taking up the translation. “They shall battle the father of the vile ones in a sun dappled dale in a far land. Their lieges will beset and betray them and their teachers.”
“I can see why this might be…troubling,” Tara said carefully.
“Quite,” Travers agreed dryly.
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“Are you sure you want to do this?” Willow asked as they stopped in front of a house just outside Cambridge.
“More like I have to,” Tara said unhappily. “You don’t have to come.”
“I know,” Willow said. “This is about that spell you did in LA. I’ve got your back. At least for now, cause I want your front and both sides later.”
“I love you, you oversexed redhead.”
With that Tara kissed Willow. Then she left the comforting closeness of the car and walked up to the picturesque house. Tara knocked on the door with what she hoped was a confident sounding knock. A few seconds later Roger Pryce opened the door. Tara’s first impression was how much he had aged, then she realized it was more a matter of how long it had been since Wesley had seen his father.
“Yes?” Roger said with a glare.
“I’m Tara Maclay,” Tara said evenly. “I’m a friend of your son’s.”
“I’ll get Terrence,” he said.
“I meant Wesley,” Tara said tersely.
“Then I must ask you to leave,” Roger said bitterly. “Neither he nor his friends are welcome here.”
“Sir-”
“Not another word!” Roger barked.
“Hold!” Tara snapped. Roger froze in place. Tara pushed her face up to his across the threshold. “You get several more words, you cold hearted son of a bitch! Your son still loves you, though for God’s sake I can’t tell why, you miserable piece of shit. He’s done more than you ever will with your useless fucking Council of Watchers. But I have to say the worst mistakes he’s made can be laid at this doorstep. I’d suggest talking
to and not at your son before he does something stupid and heroic and gets himself killed.”
“You’re Summers’ witch!” Roger panted as Tara released him.
Tara felt a moment of fear and a strong projection of a house on a deserted farm in Yorkshire. Tara held her face rigid as she walked away.
Willow saw the look on her lover’s face and saw the door slam behind Tara. Willow reached out and took Tara’s hand just as her lover offered it. They hugged briefly and Willow could feel Tara’s tension. They hurried into the car. Tara was silent as they drove away, Willow managing to remember to drive on what was to her the wrong side of the road. Tara looked at her at the first stop sign.
“I’ve got to call Giles,” she said urgently. “Something’s wrong.”
“What kind of wrong?” Willow asked worriedly.
“Something to do with Buffy,” Tara replied. “I don’t know what.”
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Elizabeth felt the space around her tremble and the lights went out. She held her breath and felt her heart race in the utter darkness. Suddenly the lights reappeared.
YOU DON’T KNOW THIS PART.
Elizabeth could feel the pain and anger in the voice.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
NOT HERE. I’M NEVER OKAY HERE.
“Is there anything I can do?” Elizabeth asked earnestly.
LET’S GET YOU HOME the voice said with a forced easiness.
Elizabeth noticed the lights seemed to be missing in a roughly human shaped area. She made a point to concentrate on a light nearby and let her guide have a moment alone.
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“You can’t win,” he said with a beautiful smile.
“Wanna bet?” Buffy replied with a grin.
Miss Kitty yawned when Buffy moved in her sleep, pulling on the blanket and waking the cat. The cat saw the smile on the human’s face and knew that was a good sign. She stretched, yawned again and closed her eyes as she started to purr softly.