- Text Size +

Author's Chapter Notes:
Buffy considers Willow's Taramares and has a conversation with Faith.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Buffy Thoughts


Buffy glanced at the clock as she heard Willow slip out of the room next door and quietly pad down the hall. Buffy sighed when she saw the time. It was five am and Willow was already moving around. She and Xander had decided last night after they left Willow's room that Buffy would take the first shift of “Willow watch”. She had been awake for two hours; since she heard Willow and Kennedy’s muted conversation. She was glad she didn’t require a lot of sleep; Will’s problem could require lack of sleep.

She waited a few moments then slipped into the hall just in time to see Willow heading downstairs. Buffy debated on whether or not she should let Willow know she was up. She decided to check the kitchen and go from there. The back door was closing as Buffy reached the kitchen so she headed to the atrium to see where Will was headed before approaching her. As she looked out the atrium windows, she saw Willow heading for what the gang had affectionately dubbed ‘Willow’s Tree’. She watched as Will sat under the tree and figured that Willow didn't want company. Idly, Buffy thought that maybe she, Xander and Willow should come up with a plan on how to tell when Will needed a friend and when she needed alone time. Maybe they could have it for all of them, not just Will. It was a distinct possibility that, even after their "babysitting" conversation from last night, Willow just needed quiet time and really didn't need or want to be babysat. It was probably a way overdue conversation, but perhaps it would allow all of them more quiet time when needed. Buffy sighed as she settled in to wait for Willow to return to the house.

She thought about Willow’s dreams. She wasn’t entirely convinced that these weren’t dreams borne of Willow feeling she betrayed Tara with someone she didn’t love, but there was no doubt they had Willow seriously wigged. She wondered if Willow ought to talk to more than just Giles or the coven about it. Maybe she needed some professional help.

Buffy hadn’t had a chance to broach the idea to Giles yesterday; she had meant to do it after dinner but discussing Cleveland with Faith had taken longer than she thought it would. Giles had been talking to Buffy about possibly going to Cleveland to help out with the Hellmouth there. After much debate and not a little whining, Buffy had made it very clear that she didn’t want to go. She was feeling very much been-there-done-that-got-the-t-shirt about it. She knew Giles was right. She should go. She was just so tired. She had been The Slayer for so long. Now that she wasn’t the only slayer, she wanted to spend some time being Buffy Summers instead of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She loved that she could spend the day with Willow and Xander. She loved that she could hang out with Dawn.

When Faith came to her and said she was getting restless and wanted to go to Cleveland, Buffy hadn’t thought twice and offered to bow out of the duty. She and Faith had talked and decided that Faith would get in touch with Vi and Rona to see if they wanted to get off “slayer retrieval” and get back to slaying. Buffy had suggested that Faith ask Kennedy to go too. Faith had seemed surprised but Buffy covered by saying she thought Kennedy was getting twitchy sitting around. Giles had already sent two watchers to Cleveland to help in whatever way they could. Robin was in Cleveland and had been seeking out and training new slayers there. Buffy had no doubt that Robin was a big part of the reason that Faith was so antsy to go and she was more than happy to send Faith off.

By the time she and Faith had finished their conversation, Xander was looking for her to tell her about Willow’s latest dream and the two of them had headed up to talk to Will. Then she and Xander had talked trying to figure out the best way to help Willow. By the time they’d come up with their ‘Willow watch’ plan, Giles was in bed and snoring loud enough to rattle the windows.

Buffy sighed as she watched the sunrise. She noticed Xander in the middle of the construction site, looking at blueprints and making notes. Smiling, she marveled at the self-assured young man he had become from the self-deprecating boy he had been. ‘Now he just needs to figure out what to do about Dawn,’ she thought.

“Yo, B, been looking all over for you,” Faith said, startling Buffy from her reverie.

“Hey, Faith. What’s the what?”

“Talked to Vi last night and she and Rona are in. Kennedy said she’d think about it but she’s going to have to think quick. I talked to Robin last night, too. He said sooner rather than later. Something big is brewing and he needs some help so I’m heading out today. I called Vi again and she said she and Rona’ll meet me in New York and we’ll go on to Cleveland together from there.”

“Wow. That’s quick. But hey, if you’re cool with it . . . ”

“Five by five, B. Tired of sitting around here, yanno? I need to be moving . . . kicking ass and taking no names.” Faith’s actions underscored her words; her whole body seemed to be in perpetual motion. She was rolling her shoulders and neck and her feet seemed to have taken on a life of their own.

“Coolness. Is there anything you need me to do?”

“Yeah . . . ship some of my ‘special’ weapons to Robin’s place. I can’t take ‘em on the plane. Andrew’s got the private plane in Zimbabwe or something, picking up new slayers, so I'm gonna have to go commercial. Don’t wanna risk that exoneration that the Watcher’s Council swung for me.”

“No big “ leave me the address and a list and I’ll get them out.”

“Cool. Here’s the info where you can send the stuff and reach all of us for now “ Robin’s apartment,” Faith said, handing Buffy a slip of paper with a slightly wolfish grin. “I’m gonna go pack up and rattle K’s cage. Flight’s at six tomorrow morning. I wanna be gone for London by four this afternoon.”

Buffy nodded. “Ok. I'll go find Giles and let him know to put the watchers on call and get your flights arranged. Catch me before you go.”

“Will do,” she said, heading out.

Buffy shook her head, amazed at how far she and Faith had come. She looked out the window and saw Angel walking across the grass. Stunned, she shook her head and blinked. No Angel. Weird wishful thinking. Buffy puzzled on it for a moment, let it go and headed back into the kitchen “ she was hungry and had seen Willow and Xander headed that way.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Although I quite agree with Xander, appalling as that sounds, there’s no reason not to tell Buffy.”

“Tell Buffy what?” she asked, walking into the kitchen on the heels of Giles’ statement.

“I had another dream this morning,” Willow said as Buffy poured herself some orange juice and popped a bagel into the toaster.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me? You told me about the others?” Buffy asked, wondering what the problem was.

“This one was different.”

Buffy listened as Willow related the story of her latest dreams. A dream about Tara and Angel. Angel again. Two thoughts of him in ten minutes. Weird. Buffy struggled to keep control. Angel had gone missing and was presumed dead almost a month ago. Last week she had received a letter from a lawyer in L.A. that Angel had written. An “if I don't survive” letter that had left almost as many questions as it had answered. She missed him terribly, even though they hadn’t seen each other in over a year. She had always believed that one day they’d be able to work it out and be together. After she was done baking. She took a deep breath, not wanting to think about their conversation before the big battle with the First. She still felt like cookie dough, unfinished, and a part of her felt that without Angel she would never be done. 'Now Will's dreaming about Angel, too,' she thought. “Okay, added weirdness. So what are we thinking?” she asked, pulling herself together.

“Well, a spell or enchantment of some sort is the obvious answer. There are, however, more questions posed by that answer, I’m afraid.” Giles said, removing his glasses and cleaning them with his handkerchief.

Buffy nodded and discounted her therapy theory; if Giles thought so, then it wasn’t just Will's problem. “Okay, this needs to stop. It’s gone from an inconvenience for Will to an interesting puzzle to let’s-figure-out-what- the-hell-is-going-on. Something could be seriously wrong. If we were still in Sunnydale this would probably make some sort of weird sense. But we’re not and it doesn’t even make that. So what’s the plan?”

“Research, of course. We’ll check the library - see if there are any spells that do . . . well . . . whatever is being done to Willow. Willow, whilst we’re in the library, perhaps you should go to the coven and see if they have any information that may point us in a particular direction,” Giles said as he stood up. He rinsed his plate and put it in the dishwasher along with some others that were in the sink.

Buffy saw a look pass from Willow to Xander. ‘I wonder what that’s about,’ she thought.

Xander clapped his hands together and said, with what was obviously fake enthusiasm, “Okay, research mode. Oh boy! It’s been so long, I wonder if I’ll remember how to pretend I’m actually looking at anything I understand.” He grinned his lopsided grin. “Willow, to the coven. The rest of us, the library calls.”

Buffy grinned and headed toward the library with Giles and Xander. Yeah, this is where she belonged “ not Cleveland.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter End Notes:
Next Week: Dawn's Theory
You must login (register) to review.
The Foyer - faq - Contact Us