Of Times Past

Sequel to- A Matter of Time & A Little More Time

The `Time' series

Author: Veronica

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~Part: 51~

The warmth of the sunlight rested upon her face as she lay there, eyes remaining closed as she thought to herself, `Morning already?'. She contemplated the idea of getting up, but really didn't want to….until she heard a voice trying to rouse her.

"Willow? Willow, wake up."

With a huge sigh, the red head covered her eyes from the offending light and sat up. She slowly moved her hand away to allow her eyes to gradually adjust to the brightness as she groggily tried to look around and get her bearings. But as her eyes became accustomed to the light, she noticed that she was no longer in her room, nor her bed.

"Hey, Willow." And she turned her eyes toward the voice as a smile came to her lips.

"Anya!" she said excitedly as she tried to stand. Anya couldn't help but laugh at Willow's predicament, and came over to help. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Me too! I wanted to see you one last time…you know, the way I look now." She crinkled her brows together. "You wouldn't happen to know what sex I'll be, would ya?"

"Nope….I wanted it to be a surprise. Sorry."

"That's okay." Anya said, with a wave of her hand. "Mostly just curiosity. I wasn't told if I'd be a boy or girl. Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"I'm wonderful! Although I have to admit that I'm looking forward to the end." She pointed to her bulging belly. "It's getting kinda hard to do anything and I'm always tired."

"Oh, Willow, you look so beautiful! I wish I could've had the chance to go through the whole pregnancy thing." She sighed. "Just one of many regrets, I guess."

"If it's any consolation, I think you would've been a wonderful mother." Willow said reassuringly.

"Really?" she asked, beaming with pride as the red head nodded.

"And hey, you are getting a second chance."

"You're right." Anya agreed. "I guess the `on the bright side' saying is true." And both laughed. "How did Xander take the news? About me?" she asked cautiously.

"Fine. At first he thought I was joking, but when he realized I wasn't……he seemed so happy to hear the news."

"I'm glad." She looked closely at her friend. "How are you and Buffy getting along? I know it wasn't good before." But only received a shrug in response. "Well, no matter what, I think whatever you've said or done is probably the right thing. After all, aside from Giles, you were the one with the brains and always did what was right. Well, except for that magick binge you went on….oh, and when you tried to destroy the world, and when you destroyed my shop." She finished as Willow rolled her eyes.

"I don't know about that anymore, Anya. What I've done feels right…..but it doesn't at the same time. You know what I mean?"

"Look, Willow, Buffy has always had a big chip on her shoulder….frankly, I thought it was time she was taken down a peg or two. It's time for her to know that she's no better than anyone else, even more so now since she's not the only slayer on the planet."

"I know, but it doesn't make it feel any better. We were friends for so long."

"Yes, you were. And she's the one who chose to throw it all away because she didn't want to grow up." Anya reached out a hand and rubbed Willow's arm soothingly. "It's not your fault. Carol keeps telling me that things happen for a reason…. And I think she's right."

"That's not exactly the most angelic thing for you to say." Willow snickered.

"Yeah well, I guess there's still a little demon left in me after all." She shrugged a shoulder. "I know that for a long time you and I didn't always see things eye to eye."

"Hmph, no kidding."

"But when put yourself in harms way to talk to D'Hoffran on my behalf…….that's when I knew what it was like to have a real friend. I wasn't just a member of the group because I used to be with Xander…..I was someone important-a friend. Thank you, Willow."

"I wouldn't have missed what we had for the world." She took Anya's hand and squeezed. "It was an honor knowing you."

"Hi, Willow." Said an unexpected voice from behind, causing the red head to jump. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." She said as Willow turned around.

"Carol! You're here too?"

"Of course. Where else would I be at a time like this?" she chuckled as tears sprang to Willow's eyes.

"It's time for me to go, Willow." Said Anya. "Please, remember me."

"How could I not? Especially when you're going to be a big part of my life." She said, and pulled the girl into a hug.

"I love you…mom." Anya giggled, and slowly dissipated into a cloud of smoke that seemed to be absorbed by Willow's body. The red head looked to her empty arms as Carol came to her and rest a hand on her stomach.

"Not to worry, Willow. She's home now." And Willow placed her hands on her stomach as well. "And it's time for you to wake up." The red head looked to Carol.

"But, can't I stay and visit with you a little while longer?" she practically pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but not this time. Don't worry, I'll always be around. But for right now, there's something you have to do that's more important than visiting with me."

"What could be more important?"

"You'll see…and you will agree with me." Carol laughed. "Come now, close your eyes." She said as she placed a hand over Willow's eyes. "Everything will be fine."

Willow began to feel a little light-headed as the darkness surrounded her, and the feeling of floating in nothingness overcame her. Pain hit her in the back, as though someone took a sledge hammer and struck her with it. She gasped and opened her eyes as the pain seemed unrelenting and she clutched the bed sheet, moaning softly.

Within moments the pain subsided, and she forced herself to breath normally again as she tried to sit up and tap Giles' shoulder.

"Giles, wake up." She said, but received no reply. "Giles! Wake up!" she yelled, and he immediately sat bolt up-right.

"What, what? What's the matter? Are you hungry?"

"It's time." She replied calmly.

"Time? Time for what? What time is it?" he asked, not able to comprehend her meaning.

"Well, the time is four twenty-two, and it's time for us to have a baby."

"What baby?" he yawned.

"Our baby." She smiled as she watched him stretch the kinks out, and then turn his head to blearily look at her with a blank expression. She watched his eyes slowly widen and mouth open while the gears in his brain began to turn as it started to soak in the new information.

"You mean, our baby? That one in there?" he pointed.

"The one and only." She giggled as he looked around like a mad man and pulled his covers off.

"Just s-stay calm." He said as he stood. "Remain calm and everything will be alright." He ran to the door, opened it and yelled; "XANDER!!!" He closed the door and went to the closet and grabbed Willow's robe, then ran back to the bedroom door and opened it. "XANDER!!!" He again closed the door and went to the now standing Willow and put her robe on and bent down to place her slippers on her feet. But upon trying to stand and turn too quickly, he tripped and landed on the floor.

"Oh, Giles! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, luv." He tried to sound reassuring as he scrambled to his feet and ran back to the door. "XAN-AAARAHHHHH!"

"AAAHHHH!" replied Xander as he jumped back about two feet from the scare he got when the door opened. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Willow's having a baby!"

"No kidding." The young man said with sarcasm. "Just figure that out after nine months?"

"Now, Xander! S-she's having the baby now!"

"Now?" his eyes bugged out. "Now? As in `now'? That now?"

"Yes yes yes! Now!"

"Ohmigod! BUFFYYYYYY!!!" he looked back to Giles. "What do I do? What do I do? BUFFYYYY!" he yelled over his shoulder to the open door. "Wait, hospital. We need to get her to the hospital." He finished as Wesley and Buffy burst into the room.

"What on earth is going on? First I heard yelling, then doors slamming and then more yelling." The blonde looked around at the two men wearing a panicky expression on their faces. "What's the……" but was cut off at the sound of Willow gasping and turned her eyes to see the red head leaning on the edge of the dresser for support, face contorted in pain.

"Ooooooh." Xander moaned, and Buffy slapped him on the arm.

"Xander, this is no time for sympathy pains. Okay everybody, keep calm and don't panic." She looked to Wesley. "Wes, I need you to take care of things here while we're gone. Xander, I need you to go and bring the mini van around to the front and turn the heater on."

"Right! I can do that!" and the brunette turned and ran from the room.

"Giles, you need to help Willow to the van while I grab her bags."

"Her bags are by the closet." Giles said as he pointed to them and then made his way to his wife and placed an arm around her. "Breathe, dearest." He told her softly as he rubbed her lower back and waited for the pain to subside. "We'll meet you in the van, Buffy."

"Alright. Just be careful going down the stairs…..oh, and watch for the ice outside." And she turned with the bags and left. Within a few moments Willow's breathing returned to normal.

"Are you ready?" asked the watcher with genuine concern in his voice.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She looked to him and grinned. "In a little while we'll be `mom and dad'." And he couldn't help but return her smile with a look of pride etched in his features.

"If you two are ready, I'll give you a hand getting to the van."

"Thank you, Wesley. Your help would be most appreciated." Replied Giles as the younger man extended his hand for Willow to take. The three carefully went down the steep staircase and once at the bottom, Wesley quickly ran and grabbed the coats. He handed Giles his and then he placed Willow's upon her shoulders as Andrew came through the front door shivering-wearing only his pajamas and slippers and holding a bag.

"Andrew! What on earth are you doing?" Giles admonished.

"I woke up from all the noise, and when I went to find out what was going on, I ran into Xander. He told me Willow's having the baby and he's bringing the van around, so I went and put sand on the walk from the door to the van to make sure Willow didn't slip."

"That was very kind of you, Andrew. Please, I do hope you accept my apologies." Said Giles to him, but the young man held up a hand.

"No, it's okay. I totally understand." He looked to Willow. "How are you doing?"

"I'm a little nervous, but otherwise I'm fine."

"Don't worry, you'll do great. Just relax and do what the doctor tells you and everything will be okay. Anyway, you guys should get going or she'll end up having the baby here." He snickered as they headed towards the door. "And make sure you call me when the baby's born. There are a lot of people here who are dying to find out what the outcome will be." He finished as they passed by him and out the door.

~~~*~~~

So far the drive to the hospital had been an easy one, and given the time of morning there were no other vehicles on the road but theirs. A gasp escaped Willow, and upon hearing this Xander pushed harder on the gas pedal to speed up the trip.

"You have been timing them, right, Giles?" Buffy asked over her shoulder.

"Three minutes, twelve seconds between contractions." Replied the older man while holding the red head's hand and looking at his watch. Suddenly his attention was taken as lights flashed through the windows and a siren began to blare. "Bloody hell!"

"Oh god." Said the young man as he slowed the van down to a stop.

"Don't worry. We'll get things straightened out with the officer and be on our way in no time." Buffy said reassuringly as they waited for the policeman to make his way to the drivers window. "You'll see, everything will be alright." She finished as Xander jumped from the sound of a flashlight tapping against his window.

"Sorry about the speed, officer." Said the young man as he rolled down the window.

"American." He said with disgust. "I might have known. Mind telling me why you thought it was a smart idea to speed down the wrong side of the road?"

"Wrong side of the road?" Xander gulped, but only received a nod in response.

"Xander, you idiot!"

"Hey! It's not like you noticed either, Buffy." He turned back to the officer. "Look, I'm sorry about that but I'm in a bit of a hurry here. We're having a baby and we really need to get to the hospital and I wasn't really thinking about what side of the road we should be driving on." He finished, and the officer looked to Buffy sitting in the passenger seat staring at him expectantly.

"If you don't mind me saying so, miss, but you look awfully fit for someone who's about to have a baby." He snickered.

"It's not me, it's……." but was interrupted by a voice from the seat behind her.

"Oh Goddess!" Upon hearing another voice further back in the van, the officer turned on his flashlight and shone it behind Xander onto a very pregnant red head.

"Willow? Dearest? What's wrong?" asked Giles, and Willow slowly turned her head to look at him.

"My water just broke."

"Oh dear lord!" muttered the officer, who looked about ready to faint.

~Part: 52~

Willow was gently being placed in a wheel chair as Xander ran into the hospital to let them know she was here. Buffy carried the bags while Giles wheeled Willow through the front doors and stopped at the receptionist's desk, then turned to speak to the man behind him.

"I would like to personally thank you for escorting us to the hospital." He finished, extending a hand to the officer.

"It was my pleasure!" he said as he shook Giles hand rather enthusiastically. "I was happy to do so! And might I add congratulations to that. It's not everyday we get to so something like this." He beamed and puffed out his chest. "Wait till the guys at the station hear about this." He looked to Giles seriously. "You will call the department when the little one comes about? I'd love to know whether you had a boy or girl."

"I will be sure to call. After all, you were the one who aided us in our speedy arrival to the hospital. Officer……………?"

"Oh! Terribly sorry, my manners. Jacob Gibbons, sir."

"Well, Mr. Gibbons, you will be the first call we make."

"Thank you, sir!"

"Officer?" came Willow's voice. "I just wanted to say thanks." She smiled at him.

"Truly, mum, it was my pleasure. Good luck to ya, and congratulations." And he turned to leave.

"What about the speeding ticket?" Xander asked, and received a kick from Buffy. "Ow!"

"What speeding ticket?" said the officer with a wink, and then walked out the doors to his car.

"Okay, enough with the hitting thing! First you punch me in the arm………" but Buffy cut Xander off.

"Willow said her water broke, and you handed her a sweater that was left in the van."

"I was only trying to help." He pouted.

"News flash, Xander. Putting the sweater between her legs won't stop the baby from coming out if it wants too! Sheesh!" Buffy threw her hands in the air and walked away.

~~~*~~~

"Everything will be alright, dearest. You are doing just fine." Said Giles as he wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Everything's fine. Everything's fine." She panted out as the pain subsided once more.

"The doctor said it wouldn't be long now. Just a little while longer, luv." He said comfortingly.

"A little longer." She nodded. "Just a little bit longer." She looked at him, exhaustion clearly evident. "I'm so tired."

"I know you are, luv. But it won't be much longer now." He tucked her hair behind her ear. "Would you like to see Buffy or Xander for a minute?" he asked, and she gave a slight nod of her head. She watched Giles disappear through the door, and moments later a nervous looking Xander appeared and came to her, taking her hand in his.

"I'm glad you're here." She said softly.

"Hey! My bestest bud is about to make me an uncle. Where else would I be at a time like that?" he snickered "I'm always here for you, Willster. Never forget that."

"I won't."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm tired. The contractions-they hurt." She said, and Xander looked to the doctor on the other side of the room.

"Hey, doc? Isn't there anything you can do for the pain?"

"I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do. As of this time she is too close to delivery for an epidural." The man finished as Xander felt a hand start to tighten in his.

"It's okay, it's okay." He whispered to the red head as her eyes closed and her breathing became ragged. His mind was at a total loss as to what to say, so he said the only thing he could think of to comfort her. "I know it hurts, I totally understand the pain you're in." her eyes snapped open.

Pain ripped through Xander, causing him to slowly lean over the bed rail for support before sinking to the floor in a squatting position…….all the while, Willow still held onto his hand.

"Now…..you….know the……pain…. I'm in!" she said through clenched teeth. The pain soon left and Xander used the bed rails to pull himself back up and let go of Willow's hand.

"I suppose I should have warned you. Labor is quite painful and causes the patient to squeeze rather hard." Said the doctor to Xander. "Would you like me to take a look at your hand?"

"Uh, no." the young man said quickly as he reached up and held his wrist. "See? Nothing broken." He wiggled his fingers. "Ow. Just a little sore, that's all.' And he left the room before the man had a chance to push him about it further.

"Xander? That was a rather short visit. Is Willow alright?" asked Giles in concern.

"S-she made m-me feel her labor." He stammered out.

"Perhaps I should go back in there."

"Yeah! Perhaps you should!" he turned to Buffy. "It was horrible, Buff." He moaned.

"Well, duh! If it was fun, they wouldn't have called it labor." She rolled her eyes as Giles stood up to leave.

"G-man. A word of advice……….don't tell her you understand her pain." Giles shook his head and left.

~~~*~~~

"That's it, Mrs. Giles. Push. You're doing a wonderful job." Said the nurse as Willow squeezed her eyes shut and pushed. "Thatta a girl, mum. Push."

"And there's the head." Said the doctor. "Just relax for a minute, and when the next contraction hits I want you to push with everything you've got. Do you understand?" but only received a nod in response. "Remember your breathing…….in through the nose, out through the mouth. In, then out." The doctor quieted and looked to Giles. "Sir? I was talking to Mrs. Giles."

"What? Oh, yes. Quite right." He said in embarrassment. "Willow, luv? It is almost over and I'm right here, by your side. You have nothing to worry about; we shall get through this together."

"We? We'll get through this? I don't remember `me' being spelled with a `w'!" she said vehemently, and then scrunched her eyes. "A- another con…..traction." she said between breaths.

"Bear down and push, mum. That's it, keep going."

The red head pushed for what seemed like an eternity while Giles leaned over and whispered soothing words in her ear. But the words meant nothing…….so busy concentrating on her task was she, that she couldn't understand anything he said.

She tried to focus on them, but couldn't without taking her mind away from what she was doing, when suddenly a funny feeling came over her-an almost emptiness. She turned her attention to Giles, but his eyes were glued elsewhere. Confusion wracked her brain until she heard a noise from somewhere across the room.

A baby's cry. Willow closed her eyes and relaxed as she soaked up the sound that was music to her ears.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Giles. It's a boy."

"A-a boy? It's a boy." Giles turned to Willow, leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Willow? Did you hear that? It's a boy! We have a son." He whispered the last four words as he caressed her cheek.

"If you like," the doctor spoke up. "You may go tell the others. It will be a minute until he is clean and wrapped. Oh, and I was also wondering if you had thought of a name yet?"

"Well, actually………" Giles started to say, but Willow spoke up.

"Yes, I have."

~~~*~~~

"It's a boy!" Giles shouted as he burst through the doors to tell the others. "It's a boy." The hall was filled with whoops and hurrahs while Giles tried to catch his breath, and Buffy and Xander enveloped the older man.

"Oh, Giles! I'm so happy for you." Buffy said, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Way to go G-man! Congrats."

"Thank you, Buffy, Xander."

"Oh, hey! I have to call the police station! What was the officer's name again?"

"Gibbons." Replied Giles, and watched as Buffy turned and ran down the hall to the pay phone.

"So? How's Willow?"

"Willow is fine. Somewhat tired, but this is to be expected."

"Wow, I'm an `uncle'." Said the young man with a goofy grin on his face. "Oh man! I don't even have any cigars."

"It is quite alright, Xander." The older man reassured him. "They are not a requirement." And he turned his eyes towards Buffy. He couldn't help the smile as he saw the blonde suddenly pull the phone away from her ear and start laughing.

"But, Giles. Babies and cigars-its tradition. You can't break with tradition……i-it's like bad luck or something."

"We've survived through countless forms of apocalypse, so I feel rather certain that we will also survive any sort of `bad luck' that should befall us." He turned his attention to the approaching slayer.

"This is amazing, Giles." Buffy wipe her tears away with the back of her hand. "I'm so at a loss for words right now."

"Well, isn't that a first?" Said the brunette jokingly before turning to Giles. "So, when do we get to see her?"

"Now if you like." All three turned to the voice by the doors. "But only for a couple of minutes. Mrs. Giles needs her rest." The nurse finished. The three headed for the room, and thanked the nurse as they passed, then stood by Willow's bedside staring down at the little bundle in her arms.

"Hi guys." She said softly.

"Wills, he so beautiful….and so small." Said Buffy.

"He looks like a little old man……..with a really bad sunburn." Said Xander, causing Giles to glare at him.

"Rupert? Would you like to hold your son?" Willow asked softly as she gazed up at him. "Go on, you'll be okay." And she smiled as he nervously slid his hands underneath the baby, lifted him, and carefully cradled him in his arms.

"Willow." He said as he looked at his son with pride. "He is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

"Ten fingers, and ten toes, and everything else is just where it should be." She giggled. "I checked just to make sure."

"So, Willster. What do we call him?"

"Yeah, Wills. What's his name?"

"Guys, I'd like you to say `hello' to Rupert Alexander Giles Jr. Alex for short."

"Did you say Alexander?" the young man asked and stared at the red head as she nodded confirmation. Xander beamed and turned to Giles. "Giles? C-can I hold him? Please?" Though Giles was a little reluctant to give up the infant, he did allow Xander to take the baby from his arms. "Hi, Alex." He said softly. "I'm your Uncle Xander."

Present Day

She leaned back and closed the book, wiping the tears from her eyes as Angel took the book and set it on the stand beside her. He remained silent as he watched her, a small, sad smile gracing the corners of her mouth.

"I wish you could have seen the look on Xander's face when I told him the name." She chuckled softly. "It was priceless."

"He must have been so proud."

"He was." She looked to him.

"You smile, but your eyes don't shine."

"I'm a little old for shining, don't you think?"

"I'm serious." He took her hand. "Do you wish you could go back sometimes?"

"No." she shook her head. "I miss my youth; my frail body is a constant reminder of my age……but no. I lived it once; I can see no need to do so again." She patted his hand. "Besides, I relive each moment with every word I read…..it's like being there all over again anyway."

"I know, but………" he let the sentence trail off.

"But what?"

"I still wish you had of agreed to my suggestion all those years ago. If you had, you wouldn't be in pain nor would you…….." but Willow raised a hand and interrupted.

"We've been all through this before. I wouldn't be in pain and I wouldn't be old and there would be no death." She tilted her head to the side a little. "Nor would I have spent many a morning sitting by the window watching the sunrise with a hot cup of tea. Or taking walks in the park, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face as you slept. No," she shook her head. "I am proud of every line and wrinkle-it show's that I've lived, and when the time comes I will welcome it. Death is, after all, a part of life, Angel. I do not fear it." Angel sighed at her words.

"Would you like some tea?"

"That sounds wonderful." She said. "Could you add a spoon of honey to it as well?"

"Of course. Anything for you." He smiled at her. "Rest now, I'll be back in a few minutes." And he left the room as she closed her eyes and sat alone in quiet contemplation of times past.

~Part: 53

Present Day

Angel approached the door, but paused upon hearing the sound of soft giggling from in the room. The sound made him happy, for it was something he didn't get to hear often anymore. Just from the way it sounded, it was like she had placed a hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle the noise…..but he could tell nonetheless-and smiled.

"Hey." He said as he opened the door. "And how are we today?"

"Fine." She replied with a wide grin. "I was just looking through my photo album." She finished as Angel went to her vanity and grabbed her hair brush before making his way to the bed. She turned so that her legs hung over the edge and her feet rested on the floor, all the while keeping the album in her hands as Angel climbed onto the bed behind her.

"Care to tell me the story behind some of them?" he asked as he started carefully running the brush down the length of her silver tresses while Willow re-opened the book. Angel raised a brow as he peeked over her shoulder and looked at the first page. "Uh, how many copies of that picture do you have?"

"Just one." She snickered as she stared down at the many pictures of Alex….all looking exactly the same. "They're all different pictures-Rupert kind of went snap happy with the camera. Alex was only two days old in these pictures, so there wasn't really any posing, and needless to say, they all look alike." She turned the page. "That's Jenna holding him." She pointed to the next. "And that's Patty with him."

"Let me guess……all the girls insisted on having their pictures taken with him?"

"Yup." She nodded. "You have no idea how much film we went through just for that." She looked down at the album. "I'm glad we did though." Angel could hear a little sadness in her voice.

"Some of those girls aren't around anymore, are they?" He asked and she shook her head slightly.

"No." she ran her fingers over Erin's picture. "Some aren't." she mentally shook herself and turned a few pages and pointed to a picture of Giles asleep on a couch with the baby lying on his chest. "I had just finished feeding Alex a little while before this. Rupert wanted to hold him for a while before putting him in the cradle, so he stretched out and began humming to him. Next time I looked in, they were both sleeping."

"And you couldn't resist taking a picture."

"Who could?" he could hear the smile in her words.

"What's with the look on Xander's face?" he asked, pointing to another one.

"Oh!" she laughed. "It was the first time Xander held Alex while he was messing his diaper." She pointed to another of Buffy holding the baby with open mouthed horror. "Alex had just thrown up on her, and it was running down her back." She laughed again. "She could handle demon goo, but baby barf was a whole other matter."

"You had a picture taken of a vase of flowers?" he asked curiously, looking to another.

"Yup. It was from The Cardiff County Police Station. Buffy called them to let the officer that escorted us to the hospital know we had a boy. The next day the flowers showed up, along with a cute little brown teddy bear and a card congratulating us. I kept the card and put it in a box with all the other little keepsakes of Alex's years."

"Did you keep the…………?" but he left the question unfinished.

"Yes, I did. I kept the card you sent as well." She reassured him. "It's in the box with the other mementoes." She said as Angel moved so that he was sitting beside her. "Along with the `angel' pin you sent." He wrapped an arm around her and she leaned her head against him and sighed. "When I look at the pictures I can remember everything like it was just yesterday, down to the tiniest details. But when I close them, it seems like……."

"A lifetime ago?"

"It was a lifetime ago." She turned her head to look at him.

"Would you like to read me another chapter?"

"How about a few." She chuckled as she opened the drawer to her night stand and placed the album inside, then sat back to make herself comfortable.

"I don't really think you're up to anything like that."

"Oh, I think I'll be alright." She said, continuing to chuckle about something only she was privy to.

"Willow, I really……."

"Oh, hush." She said playfully as she grabbed the book and began leafing through the pages. "Ahhh, here we are. Dear Diary," she began. "Rupert and I had a baby boy, and we named him Rupert Alexander Giles Jr. We came home from the hospital only a couple of days ago, so I'm still pretty stiff and sore. I'm also tired, what with having to get up for the midnight feedings, but every time I look at Alex I realize just how much he's worth it. Write more later."

"Dear Diary. Rupert has been running around with a camera ever since we came home from the hospital…..and it's starting to drive me nuts. I have a real hard time staying mad at him though, after all, he is a proud papa. Write more later."

"Dear Diary………" but Angel interrupted before she could continue.

"Uh, what's with all the really short entries?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, with just coming from the hospital I had a little time to write. Problem was, I didn't have a lot of energy for anything longer than little tidbits, so I wrote down what I thought was important at the time. Some are a little longer, but not by much as time goes on. Between trying to handle my job `and' a baby, well…….."

"I see."

"Shall I continue?" she asked, and received a silent nod. "Good. Dear Diary. Alex is asleep right now, so I thought I'd take a couple minutes to write before I lay down for a nap myself. I swear, if it weren't for the fact that I breast feed I'd never get to hold Alex. If it's not Rupert or Xander holding him, then it's a toss up as to which of the students is. Jenna seems really taken with him. I have a feeling there will be another baby at the castle sometime in the near future. Buffy looks, but doesn't hold Alex anymore…..not after the last time when he threw up on her. It was quite funny seeing the look on her face. I think I'm gonna lay down now. Write more as soon as I can."

"Dear Diary. Xander went out and bought Alex a baseball hat. Its miles too big, but Xander says not to worry and that `Slugger' will grow into it. Yeah, in a couple of years maybe. (Note that I wrote that with sarcasm) He also bought him a bat and a baseball glove so that he can teach him how to play. Going a little overboard I think, considering Alex can't even sit up by himself yet. I guess it's a guy thing. Well, write more soon."

"Dear Diary. Alex has just started cutting teeth. Needless to say, breastfeeding now takes place from a bottle. Although, now I have to get up and warm the milk, whereas I didn't have to before. Due to his teething, sleep has become kinda rare for me. Rupert tries to help with warming the milk during the night-which is a sweet thing to do-but now both of us are exhausted instead of just me. Rupert doesn't complain or anything, and says he's only too happy to help in any way he can, but the exhaustion is starting to take its toll on him. Though he's normally the first to admit that he's not as young as he used to be, but when it comes to Alex, I think he'd even try to walk on water for him. I keep telling him he needs to take it easy, but he won't listen. Men! They think they know what's best! Sheesh. Write soon."

"Dear Diary. His first tooth popped through! It's the front bottom tooth! I don't have time to write anything else, but I had to write this down. Bye."

"Dear Diary. Jenna and Andrew have been spending quite a bit of time with Alex as of late. Not that I mind or anything. I think they are thinking about having a baby themselves now, so I make sure to tell them exactly what things are like. You know, diapers, sleepless nights and teething, diaper rash. I don't want to scare them off from having children; I just want to make sure that they know exactly what they would be getting themselves into. So far, it hasn't looked like its scared them off the idea, though they haven't talked to me about it yet either. I guess we'll have to wait and see. More soon."

"Dear Diary. It was absolute hell. Alex cut three teeth in one week, but at least those three are in and Alex is back to normal. Last night he slept through the entire night, and because of it, so did Rupert and I. (Thank the Goddess!) I'm still feeling dragged, but better than I have for some time now. Nighty-night."

"Dear Diary. Alex has started reaching for Pooh! Today he was under his jungle gym and reached for it. I can't tell you how exciting that was. Ooops, gotta go."

Willow was about to start the next paragraph when Angel cut in.

"Uh, poo?"

"Poo what?"

"He reached for poo?"

"Uh huh. Pooh. You know, Winnie the Pooh?"

"Oh." A look of dawning crossed his features. "I should have figured that one out."

"Dear Diary. Alex rolled for the first time, and then pushed his chest up off the matt! This was such an amazing day! Rupert, who always seems to have a camera ready, took a snapshot of it. Actually, he took a few…..from different angles. Although if this picture thing keeps up, I'll have at least ten albums filled before Alex reaches a year."

"Dear Diary. Today he said mum! Well, actually it was mumumumumum, but who cares! Close enough!"

"Dear Diary. Alex was on his hands and knees today and started rocking back and forth! It won't be long now before he's crawling, and then into everything. In two weeks, he goes for his first vaccination needle. I'm a bundle of nerves about it already. Write soon."

"Dear Diary. Yesterday Alex got his needle. He didn't cry at all…..but I did. It was horrible watching the doctor stick my son with a skinny piece of metal. Okay, I know it was necessary, but the least the doctor could've done was show some amount of compassion. Instead, he swabbed his leg, stuck the needle in and that was it. No emotions, no nothing. Argh!"

"Dear Diary. Alex is crawling now…….and so is Xander. When I put Alex on the mats, Xander is almost always there crawling around and making animal sounds. It's quite funny watching him. Xander will be on his hands and knees and Alex crawls along underneath him, then turns around and does it again…..and again and again. It's funny. When Alex sees Xander he starts squealing and babbling until Xander comes over to play with him, and Xander's only too happy to oblige. Write soon."

"Dear Diary. You know something? I think Patty has developed a small crush on Xander. I've seen her sneaking looks at him here and there, especially when Xander's full attention is on Alex so he doesn't notice it. I wonder if he's ready for a relationship yet? It has been a few years since Anya's death after all. I guess we'll have to wait and see what-if anything-comes of this. More soon."

"Dear Diary. Jenna and Andrew have taken Alex out for another walk around the grounds. This is his second walk today cause earlier Rupert and Xander took him out around the grounds too. They must have done some kind of bonding thing or something, cause shortly after they came back they told me they had to go out and do something. Rupert then put Alex down for his nap, and then he and Xander took off and wouldn't say a word to me about where they were going or what they would be doing. Guess I'll find out when they get back."

"Dear Diary. I finally found out what Rupert and Xander were up to the other day. Today a set of monkey bars and swing set arrived, complete with slide and a teeter totter. The guys decided to put it together themselves, so I went out to check on their progress. I'm glad I didn't take Alex with me given the kind of language I was hearing. Although, if they ever get the thing put together it would be a small miracle, and it will be a wonderful little playground for Alex…..if the men manage not to kill each other before they get it finished. Write soon."

"Dear Diary. I'm happy to report that the playground is now put together, though the men didn't come out of it unscathed. Battered fingers and bruises grace their arms, but neither cares now that they see how happy Alex is in his baby swing. He loves it! I knew he would…..what kids don't like swings. Right now Xander keeps going down the slide and landing flat on the ground-Alex is laughing at him. I have to admit, Alex's laugh is so contagious, and everyone around him can't help but laugh too! I wish I could write how happy Rupert is……he's like a kid again when he with his son, and it's so wonderful to see that. He's not quite so serious and stuffy anymore, and I have Alex to thank for that. Life is more wonderful than I ever could have imagined. I'll write again soon."

"Willow? Why don't we take a break and I'll make you something to eat?"

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll read more after lunch." She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "My eyes appear to need a small break anyway." She giggled.

"What would you like?"

"Frankly, I would like some Ziti………but soup will do just fine." She smiled at him.

"Alright, I'll be back in a little while. Rest now." He finished and watched as she laid her head back and closed her eyes. Angel slipped out of the room, and once downstairs he grabbed his jacket and an umbrella to shield him against the sun. Quietly leaving the house, he walked down the street to the little Italian restaurant they used to frequent, to place an order of Ziti for take out.

~Part: 54~

Present Day

Willow wiped her mouth with the napkin and sighed in contentment as Angel removed the dirty dishes and set them on the dresser.

"I can't believe you went out and got me Ziti." She looked to the window. "And with the sun up." She looked back to him and wagged a finger. "That's dangerous, and you of all people should know better."

"I know." He paused. "How was it?"

"Oh, it was delicious! Sam makes the best Ziti. Although I don't remember his portions being so large. I couldn't even finish it."

"When he found out who it was being ordered for, he made it special for you. Sam told me to say hi, and that he misses your patronage."

"Oh, that man is such a sweetie. How is he anyway?" she asked.

"He's fine, says business is good." He moved to sit beside her. "Feel better?"

"I'm absolutely stuffed." She snickered. "I do miss eating there. And I miss the conversations with him…..even though I couldn't understand a word he said because of his accent." She laughed as she reached for her book and placed her glasses on her nose. "Ready for more?"

"I'm all ears." He said, making himself comfortable.

"Good, glad to hear it. Now, let's see….. Dear Diary. Jenna and Andrew baby sat today for Rupert and I…..not that it took any arm twisting for them to do it. We didn't really do anything much, but it was nice to do something with just the two of us. We held hands and walked along the grounds, and Rupert picked a small bouquet of wild flowers for me. It was a beautiful day, even the sun was shining…….which is a rarity here most of the time. Then we sat and snuggled beneath a huge tree and talked. Not about anything important, just fluff, but it was nice. We didn't stay out long or anything, just for a couple of hours out in the fresh air alone together. When we got back, they had put Alex down for a nap, but asked if they could take him for a walk a little later on. Write soon."

"Dear Diary. Alex is now able to stand up by holding onto furniture and pulling himself up. He did it for the first time today. My little boy is growing up right before my eyes. I don't know whether to be happy or sad about it. Can you believe it? In two months he'll be a year old. Where the hell did the time go? I mean, already the girls have been out doing some Christmas shopping, and Rupert, Xander and Andrew are talking about going out and cutting down a tree next week. Time has slipped right before my eyes. And that's not all. Next month will it not only be Christmas, but our Anniversary as well. And Jenna and Andrew's too. The realization has me kinda bummed. None of this is affecting Rupert in any way, and I don't want to bring it up to him and chance making him feel this way too. He's so happy."

"Dear Diary. Rupert, Xander and Andrew got the tree here yesterday, although Andrew ended up with tree sap in his hair. Today the decorating began. Alex tried his best to help out with the tinsel (which seems to be his favorite decoration) so needless to say that there are some rather large clumps of tinsel on some of the lower branches. Rupert picked him up to let Alex put some on the higher branches too. After Xander put the star on top, Rupert- holding Alex- and everyone else stepped back to look as Xander plugged in the lights. Alex squealed with excitement and bounced in Rupert's arms when the tree lit up. We all laughed as he clapped his hands.

Although, since then we've had to put up a few baby gates around the tree to keep him away from it. The gates go all the way around, with three feet between the gate and tree. Alex is not happy that he can't reach it anymore. Already, gifts have started appearing under the tree, and a lot of them are for Alex. I did happen to notice Patty setting one under the tree. After she left I went over to see who it was for….it was for Xander. I also noticed that she didn't put who it was from. Ahhh, puppy love……I remember those days well. Buffy will be arriving in a couple days to spend Christmas with us again this year and Wes is going to spend Christmas with his family again. More soon."

"Dear Diary. Buffy arrived yesterday. Rupert was so happy to see her and so were Xander and the girls. Andrew, on the other hand……..well, nuff said. I miss my friendship with her, and I know she misses it too, but I think we've both become comfortable with the way things are now between us. Neither one of us seems to be near as stressed as we used to be. I guess, in a small way, it's kinda sad that we let our friendship deteriorate the way it did. Don't get me wrong, I still believe that the way I handled things was right, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't think things will ever be right between her and I again….ever.

I think we're too used to the way things are now, and have found a comfortable way of dealing with it. We talk, but it's not on the same level as it used to be. And we don't really get into the whole `feelings' aspect of conversations anymore either…..nothing that's personal. I guess the best way to put it would be…..business associates who enjoy friendly chatter now and again. What's funny is, if someone had've told me this would happen five years ago…..even three years ago, I would've called them a liar. Oh well, you know the old saying about spilled milk. More soon."

"Dear Diary. Well, it's Christmas and Alex had a blast. After almost everyone opened their gifts, Patty handed Xander one and when he asked who it was from, she said there was no name on it. Then the poor girl blushed and went back to the tree. Right now Rupert and Xander are trying to figure out the instructions for putting together a little tykes `Handyman Work Centre'. So far I've heard a colourful stream of `bugger this' and `bloody hell's' and `damn it all'. It's quite comical watching them try to put his toys together. I couldn't resist taking pictures of them; though Rupert did scowl at me for it, even Xander gave me a dirty look for not catching them at their best. All I could do was laugh! Right now Alex is in the dining area eating breakfast while I sit here writing and watching my two favorite men in the whole world fight with a toddler's toy. Write soon."

"Dear Diary. Well didn't I receive the shock of a lifetime!!!! It was our anniversary yesterday, and Rupert made reservations for dinner. We had asked Erin to baby sit for us while we were out and she agreed very enthusiastically. After dressing we went down to the main hall, where Jenna and Andrew stood, all dressed and ready to leave for an anniversary night out as well. The four of us did our `congratulations' thing and headed out; Rupert and I took the mini van while the young couple took the Audi. Once we parked and went into the restaurant, there was Jenna and Andrew waiting to be seated.

We laughed about it for a moment until the matre'd seated them. When it was our turn, we were led to a table…..and thankfully we were a number of tables away from Jenna and Andrew. Rupert had pre- ordered dinner and the wine while he was on the phone making the reservation, which I thought was a sweet thing to do. Dinner itself was really nice and romantic with the candlight on the table. Problem is, when he looked at me I could see just how much he loves me……..but I don't love him the way I should. In my heart I don't think it's fair; he deserves so much better than this-better than what I can give him.

But tonight, there was a twinkle in his eye that I haven't seen since Alex was born. He smiled at me and took my hand, then he took a deep breath and said; "Willow, dearest. I've been pondering this for quite some time now, and I would like to hear what you think. Willow? How do you feel about the idea of having another child?" I was totally stunned and lost my ability at speech. I just sat there like an idiot, staring at him. I've never told him that I'd love the idea of another baby cause, frankly, I didn't think he'd want another one.

It took me a minute to regain my senses, and I let the idea roll around in my brain when suddenly we heard a squeal from somewhere in the restaurant. We looked around and saw Jenna and Andrew hugging, Jenna with tears in her eyes. She looked around and spotted us before she came running over to tell us the news. She's pregnant! I knew it I knew it! Didn't I say that I didn't think it would be long before there was another baby at the castle? I did!

Jenna and I hugged as Andrew came over, and he and Rupert shook hands. After a couple of moments of letting things calm down, I calmly made the announcement. "Jenna, Andrew? I want you two to be the first to know…..Rupert and I have decided to try for another child." Well, didn't Rupert's eyes nearly pop out! He then grabbed me in a hug and shouted in the middle of the restaurant; "She said yes!" I think the patrons thought that I had accepted a marriage proposal from Rupert because everyone began clapping. It made for quite an exciting evening. Rupert suggested after we got home that we start right away…..I didn't have the heart to tell him that I took my birth control pill that morning. Write soon."

"You mean………..?"

"Hush. How are you supposed to listen if you're talking?" Willow scolded.

"Sorry. Please continue."

"Thank you." She replied, and returned her eyes to the pages in front of her. "Dear Diary. Given Jenna's news, it was decided that she should no longer be participating in defense class for obvious reasons, and has decided that her new vocation would be to help Andrew in the kitchen. Rupert has been walking around on cloud nine ever since I agreed that we should have another child….even Xander is excited at the prospect of becoming and uncle again. Buffy, on the other hand, hasn't said much. I don't know if she's upset with our relationship, or maybe she's simply wishing she could have the same thing.

Honestly, I don't know if Buffy could fully give her heart to anyone long enough for something like this. I wish she could. At times I see the longing in her eyes when she looks at Alex, but I think that the `too many bad relationship' experiences will interfere with her trying again. It's kinda sad when I think about it. I feel a little sorry for her. But then again-who knows what the future will bring? Maybe one day she will find someone. All I can do is sit back and hope. Not that her and I will ever talk about this kind of thing….. I don't think we could if we wanted to. Think I'll stop writing, cause I'm starting to bum myself out. Write more soon."

"Dear Diary. We just celebrated Alex's first birthday. Andrew made the cake-actually, it was cakes. With the amount of people here, we needed more than one…..but only one had the candle in it. Each cake was a different sport, from a hockey net to a baseball glove, soccer ball, football and a basket ball. Jenna, however, did not eat any of the cake due to the morning sickness she was going through. Poor kid, I can totally sympathize with her…..but soon the worst of it will be over.

Rupert helped him blow out the candle and then sat Alex on his lap and helped him to open his presents. Alex doesn't really understand the whole `presents' thing yet……but he's happy once Rupert unwraps them and hands him the toys. Next year he'll have it all figured out. This has been a truly amazing year for all of us. Even the sect-true to their word, have not involved themselves in any way other than financially….except for supplying the girls with Christmas money. I didn't tell Rupert, but before Wes left, I handed him a Christmas card and told him to send it to them as sort of a `thank you' and to wish them a Merry Christmas."

"Dear Diary. After two years of training, Patty has passed and is now a Watcher! She has come such a long way, and I am very proud of her. Although she is still fairly shy, she doesn't shrink when someone talks to her, or run away and hide. Given her personality, I don't think she'll ever have a slayer though. She would be better off either teaching or sitting at a desk, which is really too bad.

On a sadder note, Anna did not pass. When I talked to her about it, she said she would still like to be a watcher; it's just that it was so hard to remember all the demons she had to know for the final exam. She said she kinda drew a blank when she turned the test over and looked at it. She is, however, willing to take the test again, which is good, but I've decided to tutor her. There were only seven demons that she got really confused on and, personally, I think she'll make a great watcher and will do well with a slayer. Besides, I can understand her dilemma; tests don't always bring out the best in people. I was one of the lucky ones, tests never bothered me. More again soon."

"Dear Diary. With girls filtering in at different times, almost all of them are at a different stage in learning…..consequently; we have the final exam happening every couple of weeks. Yesterday, three more girls passed. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. Now things won't be quite so hectic for me, Rupert, Xander and Wes. So far, we have a grand total of four new watchers, and seven slayers that need watchers. Ellen, Jane and Kelly will each be given a slayer; Rupert will take one as well as Xander and Wes.

We have decided to try Patty with one just to see first hand how she will do out in the field, though I told Rupert and Wes that I was a little reluctant to do so. Poor Patty. She was so shocked when Wes told her, but when Xander patted her on the back and told her she'd do fine; she smiled and said she'd do her best. I shook my head at her words…..it's really baffling what a girl would do to win a guys affection. Does Xander even see this? Pardon the pun but, has he truly turned a blind eye to it? Or does he choose not to see it? I'm thinking that maybe it would be a good idea to sit down and talk to him about it. Anyway, their first excursion happens tomorrow night as a group, after that they go out on their own with a slayer. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. More as soon as I can."

"Dear Diary. All went well and everyone came back safe and sound, I'm happy to report. Surprisingly, Patty liked it, and her and Tanya (her slayer) hit it off well. When I asked about her, Rupert told me not to worry and that she took to it rather well….like a duck to water. I guess I was wrong about her….maybe she isn't the type to be behind a desk after all. Not that I'm not happy about it-we need all the `active' watcher's we can get……..guess I'm still a little `wowsers' about it, that's all. Write soon." And Willow closed the book.

"I think it's time for a break, my love. The chapters start getting longer again from here. I'll read the next one tomorrow."

"I think that's a good idea." He took her book and set it on the stand. "How are you feeling?" he asked, knowing she was tired.

"I could use a bit of a nap." She replied, removing the glasses from her nose and putting atop the book. "But not a very long one. Okay?"

"You got it. I'll be downstairs if you need anything." He said, covering her shoulders as she shuffled down the bed a little and rolled to her side. As he left the room, he could hear that same hauntingly familiar tune, and quietly closed the door. He quickly made his way down the staircase and over to the phone, lifted the receiver from the cradle and dialed.

*Hello?*

"Hi, this is Angel. I was just wondering how long it would be until my item is ready."

*Uh, let me take a look here. You said your name was Angel, right?*

"Yes." He replied, and heard papers rustling on the other end.

*Ahhh, here we are. The item requested will be at least another week before it is finished.*

"Another week? You've got to be kidding me! I need that finished ASAP. You have no idea how important this is to me. I don't care what it takes, or how much it cost. Get it done."

*I'm sorry, sir. But the specifications you have put on it are difficult. The exterior is finished, but it will take time to figure out how to arrange the tines for that specific……*

"I understand." Said Angel, interrupting the man. "Another week it is. I'll call back then, but when I do, I expect it to be finished. Do you understand? This is very important to me."

*Yes, sir. It will be completed by your next call.*

"Thank you." Angel hung up the phone with a sigh.

~Part: 55~

"Are you sure you're up to this? It's been a couple of days since the last time you read from it."

"Oh, Angel! You worry too much."

"And with good reason."

"You have nothing to worry about; I took my medication just like the doctor ordered. Now, make yourself comfy. This next chapter is a little long." She finished as she removed the strand of ribbon marking the page.

"You won't stop until we get through this book, will you?"

"Nope, I won't. Now, are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to sit?"

"Okay, okay. I'll sit." He said as he climbed on the bed beside her. "I'm ready. Lay it on me." He said, causing her to chuckle at him.

"Dear Diary. It started off as a good year, with lots of hope and promise. It's taken me a while to write because after what happened, I just couldn't bring myself to put it down on paper. Firstly…………………"

* * * * Past, 2007 * * * *

"You're sure this is what you want to do? There's no doubt in your mind about it?"

"I'm sure, Mrs. Giles."

"You know, Patty, no one will look down on you if you decide otherwise."

"I know that, Mrs. Giles. I swear, this is what I want to do. Tanya and I get along really well, and she has confidence in me and my abilities to be her watcher." Patty looked down at her hands resting on her lap. "Don't you?"

"Uh, don't I what?"

"Have confidence in my abilities."

"Of course I do. It's just that……uh, how should I put this?"

"You thought I'd do better behind a desk."

"It's just that…….(sigh) you've come a long way and I am proud of you, make no mistake about that. You did incredibly well and have scored the highest mark in the course, but……"

"But?"

"You've done well, and have gained a lot of confidence in your own abilities, but you are still not quite, ummm."

"I'm shy. I know that, Mrs. Giles. But you have to understand something. When we went out as a group, Mr. Giles allowed me to take the lead for a little while. And you know what? I felt great….I felt important. I wasn't shy or cringing in fear or anything. I was out there to do a job and to do the best I could at it. And I did. Okay, at first when they told me I was going out, sure, I was scared to death. But once I was out there, the fear left and I knew what I had to do. I can't explain it any better than that."

"Patty,"

"No! I can do this…..I want to do this." She finished, going a little red with embarrassment under Willow's gaze.

"Alright. But you have to understand my concern in this matter."

"I do, and you have every reason to wonder. But I know I can do this."

"Okay, you win." Willow watched the girl smile victoriously at her words. "Now, I do have another question for you, and I'm not quite sure how to ask it."

"I can take it. What is it?"

"You didn't make your decision based on your feelings for Mr. Harris, did you?" asked Willow, and Patty's went as wide as saucers. "I know." Willow nodded.

"But how………..?"

"It wasn't hard to spot. We are called `Watchers' for a reason."

"Does he……?"

"Know? No, he doesn't. But this is the reason for my concern. I don't want you having a slayer and going out on patrols if the reason is because you want to impress a man and get him to notice you." Willow watched the girl shake her head at the statement.

"No, he's not the reason. Well, yeah. He was the reason at first- you're right about that. But once I was out there it wasn't about him anymore; it was about me. Mrs. Giles? What I'm doing….it feels right."

"Well, then. You have my support. You do understand that I wasn't trying to be mean about this? But I did need to know."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now that that's all cleared up, can I ask a personal question? Girl to girl."

"You want to know how long, don't you?" Patty replied, and snickered as Willow touched her nose with her index finger then pointed to her.

"You got it."

"Mrs. Giles? Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"I believe it can happen."

"Well, it happened. I was in love with Mr. Harris from the first moment I saw him."

"That long?" Patty nodded. "Wow! Was I ever off with the timeline. I thought it was something recent."

"No, ma'am, it's not. But I also know that he doesn't return the feelings. To him, I'm just a student and a friend."

"Yeah, well, Xander never was any good at picking up on a girl's emotions….subtle or blatant." She snickered as she remembered back to her high school days. "At any rate, a small word of advice; don't give up on the idea. He may not be ready to see it yet, but some day…………" she let the sentence trail off as the young girl smiled.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." She looked to her watch. "Off you go, dinner will be ready in about forty minutes." * * * * * * * *

"So, dearest. How did your conversation with Patty turn out?"

"It was fine, better than I thought it would be……and also quite informative." She said as she watched Giles bounce a laughing Alex on his knee. "She's in love with Xander." She blurted, and the bouncing stopped abruptly.

"I beg your pardon? I appear to have misheard you."

"No, you heard right. She's in love with Xander."

"Oh." Alex began tugging at his tie. "A-and you know this b- because?"

"I asked her."

"You what?"

"I asked her."

"Willow, that is none of your business to know." He scolded.

"It is when I think her choice of vocation is decided upon her feelings towards someone else."

"And was it?" he asked with curiosity while Alex made a grab for his glasses; which was effectively blocked.

"Yup, it was-at first."

"What do you mean, `at first'?" he resumed bouncing the toddler.

"I mean that that was exactly how she made her decision at first. But after she was out, it suddenly clicked that this is really what she wanted to do; not for Xander or anyone else-just her."

"Do you think this will pose any sort of problem in the future?"

"No. Xander-as usual-is totally oblivious. And hey, even if he does figure it out, I don't see any harm. She's a watcher, not a slayer."

"Being a watcher can be just as dangerous, Willow. Make no mistakes about that."

"I know, but…….."

"You want to see Xander happy." It was a statement.

"He deserves it, ya know? And Patty, I think, would be good for him."

"Yes, but be that as it may, only Xander can truly be the judge of who is right for him." He looked to his son. "And I do believe that it is a certain little man's bedtime." He stood and headed to the stairs. "I shant be more than a few minutes." He said, and was off, leaving Willow to think about what he had said.

~Part: 56~

Everyone sat around the dinner table, happy chatter filling the room as the meal was being placed before all. Jenna didn't wait until everyone's meal was set down before she dived right in, causing Andrew to smile affectionately at her.

"I take it that you're feeling better today?" Willow asked.

"Actually, I feel great. This is the first time in a long time I've gone all day without feeling sick." Replied the young woman, and then shoved a forkful of roast beef into her mouth. "I can't believe how good this tastes."

"Trust me, I know how you feel." the red head laughed and turned to Patty. "Rupert tells me that you and Tanya are going out tonight?"

"Yup. Mr. Giles said that since I did so well, there's no need for me to go out with the entire group like last time."

"Not to worry, Willster. I'll be with her and Tanya for tonight, then after that-if I think she's does well enough, they will be on their own from here on out." Xander looked to Patty and smiled. "And considering the way you held yourself last week, I think you'll do great." The young watcher said nothing as she blushed at his words. "Just remember, you're the one in charge-not me. I'm only there to watch and offer any suggestion if I think it's necessary, that's it that's all. The rest will be up to you."

"Yes, Mr. Harris."

"Tonight," Giles spoke up. "I'll be taking Jane and Erin with me." He looked to the two girls. "So I hope you two have rested up, as this will determine if you are ready to do this on your own as well."

"We did, Mr. Giles. And we're ready." Said Erin as Jane could only nod vigorously due to a mouthful of food.

"That is wonderful to hear. Now, tomorrow night I will take Kelly and Mary while Xander will take Ellen and Sharon. For those of you without a watcher to guide you, it has been decided that, for the time being, Xander, Mr. Pryce and I will take the responsibility until such time that more watchers are trained."

"Rupert? You're going to have another slayer?"

"Only until another watcher can take my place, dearest." He took a sip of his tea. "Might I ask how Anna is doing under your tutelage?"

"Actually, she's doing great. And frankly, there wasn't really anything to tutor her on. Her biggest problem is freezing up when she gets the test. When I named a demon she was able to tell me all about it-strengths, weaknesses; all of it without a problem. She just doesn't test that well." Willow looked at the plate in front of her.

"Willow, what is the matter?" he asked.

"Well, I just don't think that the test is really fair when it comes to deciding who gets to be a watcher and who doesn't."

"And why is that?"

"Well, first off, think back to all those years in Sunnydale."

"Alright. Now tell me what it is that I am supposed to be thinking of."

"How many times did the name of a demon get mentioned; and even though the name of it sounded familiar to you, you still had to look it up in a book to know everything about it?"

"Many times, I'm afraid. And yes, I do see your point, but you must also understand that memorizing as many demons as possible is an incredible asset in the long run. While it is true that not every demon will be remembered, there will always be a time when something will come along, the girls will remember and the books will not be needed for that specific case."

"But what we're asking the girls to remember is an awful lot. I mean, look at Xander and I. We learned mostly from experience, ten years worth, and look at us now. I mean," she lowered her voice so that none of the girls at the table could hear. "Given how long a slayer will actually live, I'm betting that Xander and I know more than they ever will."

"Willow, you misunderstand the whole premise of the testing. It is not about judging the abilities of a potential watcher……it is about giving them an extra advantage. The more they know and understand each danger they come across, the better they will be for it. And most importantly, they will be alive as well as-God willing- their slayer." He reached over and took her hand. "Believe me; these new watchers have it much easier now than they would have had if the old council were still in operation."

"I-I suppose you're right." she conceded. "It's just that Anna knows what she needs to….she just can't do the test."

"You think she could handle doing patrols with a slayer?"

"I do, I really think she can." she finished, and watched as Giles drew his brows together in thought.

"Wesley? Would you mind taking Jane and Erin out for me?"

"No, not at all. Is there something else that requires your attention?" Wes inquired.

"Yes." He looked to Willow. "I will be pairing Anna with Ann, and will take them out on patrol tonight."

"I say, that would be splendid!" Wes said excitedly, and looked to a shocked Anna. "Congratulations, my dear."

"Does this mean I'm going to be a watcher?" she quietly asked a beaming Willow.

"It does. And if all goes well, you and Ann will be a team." Willow finished as a sharp squeal echoed in the room. Everyone at the table looked to see Ann jump from her seat, run to the other side of the table and hug Anna excitedly.

Xander burst out laughing as did Willow, and Giles picked up his tea cup and sipped-hoping to hide the huge grin on his face. The watcher let the excitement go on for another minute before standing and clearing his throat, trying to get everyone's attention.

"Now, if everyone will settle down and takes their seats once again." He said, and waited as they did what they were told, then turned expectant eyes to him. "Thank you. Now it is currently," he looked to his watch. "Seven eighteen pm. I would like to see all of you finish your dinner and prepare yourselves. We will leave for patrol at nine o'clock sharp, so I would like to see all of you ready and in the main hall at Eight Forty-Five. Once everyone has gathered, I have a small speech prepared that I should like to give." He held his hands up to silence any groans, and continued. "It is a small speech, but it is an important one; one you should all pay close attention to…….your lives may just depend on it. Now please, enjoy the rest of your meal." He reseated himself and they all resumed eating….in silence.

"Uh, Giles? About that last part-really great dinner conversation there, big guy." Said Xander with a wink.

* * * * * * * *

Willow quietly stood outside the door not wanting to disturb Giles as he put Alex in the crib. She couldn't help but smile as she listened to him softly singing the toddler to sleep. `He always did have a beautiful voice.' She thought to herself as she moved away from the door and went downstairs.

After grabbing her book, the red head went to the couch and sat down, tucking her legs underneath her and getting comfortable. It wasn't a long wait before Xander showed up and sat beside her.

"Hey, Willster."

"Hey, Xand." She looked up from her book. "Almost ready to go?"

"Yeah, got a few minutes while I wait for the girls, thought I'd sit and relax before having to listen to Giles `oh so moving' speech." He snickered.

"You should be used to his speeches by now; we've had enough of them over the years."

"Maybe, but it doesn't mean I look forward to them any more than before."

"Ahhh, Xander, there you are." Said the approaching watcher.

"Hey, Giles."

"I see that the girls have not as yet arrived." Replied the older man as he looked around the room.

"Not yet, but they'll be here-and on time too, I bet." Said Xander. "They seem really eager to get out there."

"They're no different than we were." Willow spoke up. "Look at us when we first found out about slayers and vampires. We couldn't get out the door quick enough to help."

"That's true, but how many stupid chances did we take too?"

"Okay, lots. But we also know better now, and that is something that we'll be teaching the girls about."

"Voice of experience thing. Eh, Willster?"

"If that's what it takes, then that's what we use. Besides, they have to learn that this isn't a game and isn't for fun…..lives depend on what they do and how they react with every situation. And it's not just their lives-sometimes it involves the lives of the entire world. I mean, look at some of the stuff we've faced over the years……Glory for one, the Master, a-and me." She stuttered out. "Then there was the first. There's so much out there that many of these girls have never had to deal with yet." She finished.

"'Yet' being the appropriate word at the moment." Supplied Giles. "This will all be covered in my speech to them, I assure you."

"Yay." Xander said under his breath as he turned towards the chatter from the young girls now entering the room.

"Everyone, please gather round." Giles motioned to them. Wes came in behind the girls, and he and Xander moved to stand by Giles, facing the girls. "Firstly, Wesley, Xander and I are going along strictly for observatory reasons, that is all. Patty, Anna and Jane- it is you who will be in charge." This caused the three girls to smile. "But make no mistake; this in itself is no easy task. And as for the slayers, you are to do what you are told by your watcher."

"Does this mean Jane is my boss?" Erin asked, a slight frown appearing on her features.

"If I told you not to patrol tonight," said Xander. "What would you do, Erin?"

"Well, I'd stay home." She replied.

"And why is that?" asked Wes.

"B-because Mr. Harris told me too."

"And you would listen because?"

"He's a co-founder……and a watcher." She said quietly, head down.

"Could you say it louder for the rest to hear please?" asked Giles.

"Because he's a watcher."

"Exactly. Off duty, Jane may be your friend-but ultimately, she is still your watcher and you two are to function accordingly. Friendship can be a great asset….but if you are not careful, it can also hinder your performance. Please be sure to keep that in mind?"

"Yes, Mr. Giles."

"Good." Giles looked to all the girls, a stern expression on his face telling them he meant business. "First and foremost, remember; this is real with real consequences. If you make a mistake-albeit even a small one, someone could die. All life depends on the very choices you make….never let yourself forget this."

"Yes, sir." They said in unison.

"Uh, sir?" Ann raised a hand.

"Yes? You have a question?" Wes asked.

"Yes, Mr. Pryce. Rona was saying that normally a slayer doesn't live very long, and that Ms. Summers and Faith are kinda the exception. Is that true?"

"It's true." Said Xander. "A slayer's life is usually only a couple of years. And most of you don't know this, but even Buffy wasn't immune to death. She is the oldest living slayer, yes-but the oldest living slayer also died twice." The girls gasped and he held up his hands to keep them silent. "I revived her the first time, and I won't bother getting into the story about the second one." He saw Willow look to her hands. "At the time Buffy was the slayer she was the only one-there was no one else. Yes, another was called, but had Buffy not been revived we would have gone months without a slayer until the new one showed up."

"What none of you realize is that at the time we had very little in the way of choices." Giles cut in. "The reason Buffy is still alive is because she wasn't alone-she had all of us. We helped every step of the way to the best of our ability."

"Not only that," supplied Wes. "But slayers now have something that all the slayers before you never had; a watcher with the same strength and knowledge as you. In the times before, a watcher trained his slayer, offered advice and nothing more-hence the word `Watcher'. Mr. Giles and I were the first in many generations to get out into the battlefield and fight alongside our slayers." He looked to the three newest watchers. "You have a power that we did not, which will not only aid you, but your slayer as well."

"Bear one thing in mind, you work as a team. If you can't, then you shouldn't be here. I'm not just blowing smoke here; this is all coming to you from more than ten years worth of experience. If you thought passing your courses was hard, than you're in for a real surprise. School is going to seem like a cake-walk compared to what's really out there. Believe me, I know." Xander warned.

"Xander is quite correct. There are dangers out there you will face that you can't even begin to comprehend." Giles said gravely. "On more than one occasion, we-the founders- have faced Armageddon, literally. And now is the time for you to prove that you can do what you have spent all this time being prepared for. You are the next generation, and will pave the way for the future generations to follow. You are the hope….you are our future."

~Part: 57~

The excursion had been a successful one for the three new watchers and their slayers. Willow's fears about Patty had been finally put to rest as she was told by Xander how well she did. Not only did she do well, but she excelled in it and the red head couldn't have been happier-or more proud. And just as Willow knew she would, Giles reported that Anna did just as well and has been given permission do patrols with her slayer Ann-without supervision.

Although sadly enough, the happy emotions they were feeling was short lived for them all. Three days later Wes accompanied Ellen and Sharon for their patrol, but they had only been gone for less than four hours before returning-all looking a little worse for wear…..and with a very upset Wesley.

Wes had the girls go to their rooms, and took a second to compose himself before telling them that there will be a meeting first thing in the morning with regards to how they should handle the newest situation with Sharon.

The next morning, all four of them assembled themselves in the library as Wes- as calmly as possible, told them of the events that had taken place the evening before. Gasps echoed in the room as he explained precisely what had happened, while the girl in question waited just outside the room.

So now the four founders of the New Order of Watchers sat in the library, all of them gathered around one end of the large table as a young woman sat alone at the other end, head bowed. Sharon sat silently, barely even bothering to listen as Wesley-to her ears- droned on about responsibility and the possible consequences her actions could have caused.

"How on earth do you expect to fulfill your obligations in the New Order properly if you do not follow orders? What I saw last night was a blatant disregard of all your teachings as well as a deplorable lack of respect; not only to me, but to your own watcher as well." Wes said. "If this behavior should continue, then I will have no other alternative but to assign Ellen to another slayer." "You can't do that." Was her belligerent reply.

"Indeed, he most certainly can." Giles spoke up. "You are what I believe is termed a `loose cannon', and if you cannot conduct yourself properly and adhere to the rules and policies, those of which we all have to follow," he indicated the group. "Then I'm afraid that I can see no further reason as to your staying here any longer."

"You took matters into your own hands last night. Do you realize how serious this is? Do you even know what could have happened?" said Xander.

"You're all making this out to be some sort of a big deal. Nothing went wrong, and no one got hurt."

"You just don't get it, do you?" Willow said angrily. "It doesn't matter that no one got hurt….the point is that someone could have. You purposely disobeyed your watcher's orders! And why? Because you wanted to do things your own way."

"You wanna know what I think? I think your rules suck! I saw an opportunity and I took it. And guess what….it worked!" Sharon spat out at the red head. "You know something; your wonderful rules don't always work out. There are other ways, you know."

"Do you have a death wish or something? Cause that's exactly what could have happened to you…..or worse, your watcher." Supplied Xander.

"Bite me." She said offhandedly.

"Well, missy," Willow hissed as she stood and leaned across the table. "Let me tell you a little something about the rules. You see, Faith thought the same way you do, and do you know where that attitude got her? JAIL! That's right, jail. She didn't think she needed a watcher either, and ended up killing two humans. Does that sound like a smart move to you? Like it or not, vigilantism will get you know where but in trouble."

"Sooo," Sharon said as a grin spread across her face. "Faith went to jail, huh?" she looked Willow directly in the eyes. "Where did you end up after your little murder spree?" and chuckled as she watched the red head pale a little at the question, and sit. "Didn't think I knew, did ya?"

"That will be quite enough." Giles said

"You'd be surprised at what the girls around here will talk about when they think you can't hear them. You wouldn't believe the things I've heard." Sharon laughed.

"I said that's enough!" yelled the oldest watcher. He took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing. "Pack your things this instant, young lady. It is obvious from your attitude and behavior that you are of no use to us here." This caused Sharon to look at Giles.

"Are you kicking me out?"

"Indeed," said Wes. "We are. We will supply you with a ticket to wherever it is that you wish to go, but nothing else."

"You can't do this to me!" she looked around the group in astonishment. "You can't!"

"We can, and we did." Xander glared. "Now, get your stuff while I call the airport and make the arrangements. This is the only time this question gets asked……where do you want to go?"

"New York." She said softly, still in shock. Within seconds her gaze hardened as she took in the group before her, all standing at the other end of the table. "I know all about you, more about you," she pointed, indicating everyone. "Than you think." She tapped the side of her head with her finger. "The beauty of having a photographic memory." She laughed. "Didn't know that about me, did ya? I guess this makes you kinda lacking in the research department, doesn't it? For being watchers, you're not very thorough. I listen and I remember…..I know all about your dirty little secrets." She looked to Giles and Wes. "I gotta say, your watcher journals were quite informative." She laughed as the four watchers stared at her in disbelief.

"You went into our offices and read our journals?" asked Wes, and the young slayer shrugged a shoulder.

"It's not `breaking and entering' when you don't lock your doors." She smiled menacingly. "I know too much about all of you. Kick me out and I'll go to every government and embassy I can find and spill the beans about you. I'm sure they'd be interested in hearing about a secret agency that houses young girls with super powers. I'm betting the armies would love to hear about it too." She finished smugly.

* * * * Present Day * * * *

"You've got to be kidding me! She really did that?" Angel asked in astonishment.

"It's all here in black and white. Well, actually it was a blue pen, so I guess that makes it `blue' and white." Willow chuckled.

"She really made that threat?"

"I wouldn't have written it down if it wasn't true."

"So what did you do about it?"

"The only thing we could do. Listen………" she looked down at the page. "None of us could believe what we were hearing. This was so totally unexpected and out of the blue, and all we did was stand there for a moment looking at her stupidly. It was like we were frozen or something, and all the while she was standing there with this smirk on her face….like she knew she had us. It took a moment for my head to really register what was going on, and once my brain came out of its fog, an idea popped in. And as much as I hated doing it, she left me with very little choice at the time."

* * * * Past, 2007 * * * *

"And what exactly is it that you think you know about us?" Giles asked as calmly as possible, with the hope of gathering information.

"You mean, besides your little excursion into the dark arts when you were a teenager? Or would you like me to get into the other things about you, Ripper?" she looked to Wes. "And how about you're little coalition with, let's see….." she snapped her fingers. "Lilah, that's it!" she turned to Willow. "And how about your trip to the `dark side'? You know, I'm betting the army would love to get a hold of you. A little brain washing and you'd make an awesome weapon." She turned to Xander. "And you? You're nothing but a one-eyed freak that went out on suicide missions trying to make yourself feel like a hero, when all you really are is a zero." She finished, a self satisfied smile gracing her lips. "So you see, I know too damn much about you and everything you've done. There's nothing you can do to me that won't put you at risk too."

Before she had a chance to react, Willow was at her side with her fingers wrapped around the young woman's arm. Sharon looked from her arm to Willow's face, only to stare into two inky black pools replacing the normal emerald green she was used to seeing. The girl also discovered that she was paralyzed and could no longer move; not from terror, but from some force holding her in place.

"Oh yes, there is." Said the red head with meaning as she placed her free hand on the girl's chest, and mumbled some words under her breath. Sharon could barely breathe as she watched some sort of green mist traveling from her chest and move up Willow's arm. It felt as though there was a huge weight on her chest, and she tried desperately to suck in air.

"W-what did you do to me?" she asked between gasps when the hand on her chest left, though the other still held her arm firmly.

"You shouldn't worry so much about what I did to you…..you should worry more about what I'm going to do next." A slow grin appeared on her face as she placed her hand on the girl's forehead, and for the first time in a very long while, Sharon was afraid.

The other three in the room remained where they were, making sure not to disturb the witch. Though they had no idea what she was doing, any interference could botch whatever it was she was trying to accomplish-and that in itself could pose a danger.

They saw a slight pinkish tinge surrounding the girl's head- almost like an aura, and Sharon's eyes widened in horror as they began sweeping around the room frantically. Once Willow finally let go, the girl began to slowly back away from them, fear in her eyes as she stared at them and pointed, all the while, still moving away.

"I-I know what you are, all of you." She said in a terrified tone and looked to a window as she passed by it. "I know what's out there. I know what they want." Once she backed herself into the corner of the room, she lowered herself to the floor and brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them protectively. "S-stay away from me! Don't any of you come near me or I'll kill you! I know what you are!" she hollered as she rocked back and forth.

"Willow, what did you do to her?"

"What I had to do, Xander." She looked to him. "Could you please call a doctor?"

"Is she okay." He looked at the girl sitting in the corner, cringing in fear. "Is she hurt?"

"Xander…..not that kind of doctor." She said softly as tears slid down her cheeks.

~Part: 58~

Curiosity had gotten the best of them, and now all of the girls were gathered around outside the library to watch the flurry of activity that was going on after the arrival of a doctor and a couple of his attendants.

It was surprising for them to see one of the attendants passing by with a straight jacket in his hands. Ellen had told them about the event of last night, so all they knew was that this had something to do with Sharon………but a straight jacket?

Sure, Sharon was the meanest person they knew-hell, she could have given the `old' Carol a run for her money in her early days. But only crazy people wore a straight jacket; and to their knowledge, Sharon wasn't crazy. Was she?

"Stay away from me!" they heard her scream from somewhere in the room. "I'll kill you if you come near me. NO! STOP! Don't touch me!" They watched as Wesley walked towards them, but then nothing after that as he shut the door to block their view.

The girls all looked to one another and began to whisper, but the whispers were immediately silenced when they suddenly heard screams coming from the other side of the closed door.

A couple of minutes later the door flew open and an attendant ran out, holding his arm just above the wrist as what looked like blood flowed between his fingers. The girls just stared in open mouthed shock as he ran to the main hall and out the front door, only to return with a gurney and a first aid kit sitting on top.

"Okay, girls. The show's over, time to go back to your rooms." They turned to see Andrew walking towards them.

"B-but, Mr. Wells, what's going on?" asked Erin, voicing the question for all.

"It doesn't matter what's going on in there. Mr. Giles buzzed me and asked that I send all of you to your rooms. Now, get going."

"What's wrong with Sharon?"

"That's not my place to say anything. If you want answers, then you should ask either Mr. Giles or Mr. Pryce. If they decide you need to know, then they will be the one's to tell you. Now please, just do what Mr. Giles asked." he said firmly as Jenna came to stand by his side, and the girls slowly headed towards the staircase and up to the rooms.

"I wonder what's going on in there." Jenna said to herself as she looked to the closed door.

"I don't think I wanna know."

"Aren't you the least bit curious?" she asked.

"Nope. Over the years I've found out that sometimes not knowing is better." He looked to the door, then back to Jenna. "And I think this is one of those times." He wrapped an arm around her. "C'mon, let's get back to the kitchen. We've still got breakfast to set out. Where's Alex?"

"Oh, he's with Beatrice. Do you think anyone's even going to eat this morning?"

"Yet another thing I don't know." He chuckled and winked at her. "But it would be best to have it ready anyway." He said as he gave her slightly bulging belly a little rub, and she nodded in agreement. "I love you."

"Who? Me or the baby?" She laughed.

"Both…. but it's you I said it to." And he kissed her cheek.

* * * * * * * * *

It had taken both attendants to hold down the hysterical girl while the doctor administered the sedative, and now they watched and waited as the drug slowly began taking effect.

As her body finally began to relax and her shoulders slumped, the doctor gave the go ahead and the attendants carefully put her in the straight jacket. They then lifted and placed her on the gurney- making sure to strap her in, then both took a few minutes to take care of the injured arm she had bitten.

"You think I don't know." She said, looking directly at the doctor as she slurred her words. "I know what's out there." She lazily turned her eyes around the room as she rolled her head to the side. "Shadows all around-hiding in every corner. Dark places-they like the dark." She looked back to the doctor. "Your worst nightmares are real, ya know. I've seen them. I know what they want and how they will get it." her eyes narrowed to slits. "The will come for you too. Always coming-never going."

"And just how long has she been this way?" the doctor asked.

"Just since this morning." Giles replied. "We have no idea what it is exactly that has set her off." Willow and Xander came to stand beside him.

"You!" Sharon looked at the red head. "You did it. Got inside my head and played with my thoughts. Put a blender in there and mixed them up." She looked to the doctor and whispered loudly. "She's a witch! Evil! Must tie her to a stake and burn her. That's how you kill a witch…..only fire works." Her eyes darted around. "Monsters. Vampires." Her eyes settled on him again as she said calmly; "Can't dance. If you have a party with dancing, vampires will come." She giggled. "They can look like angels, but they have no wings. I could tell-beautiful face, but it was a mask."

"She seems rather fixated on things of a darker and quite disturbing nature." Said the doctor as he stared at the young woman.

"She loves horror movies." Xander said quickly. "Vampires seem to be her favorite."

"Could you please tell me a little about her? It may help in finding out the cause of what's happened here."

"I don't know what I can tell you. She's always been somewhat mean spirited, right from the day she came to us. Sharon does not get along well with others and is quite high-strung." Said Giles, and Wes took over answering.

"Unless there were classes or meals, the young lady stayed to herself. Somewhat of a `loner' I believe is the term. We've tried our best to bring her out, but I'm afraid her attitude leaned more towards hostile when it came to social situations, so we made sure that she had her own room. Academically, she did well and was receiving the grades this school expects from its students."

"And what exactly is this type of school?" he asked as he jotted down notes on his pad.

"Aside from the obvious `school for girls', we not only teach the regular educational requirements, but also-as part of our curriculum, we teach ancient history and touch on the basics in archeology and ancient languages." Wes finished, and the doctor's head snapped up.

"Really? That's very interesting."

"In what way, exactly?"

"In the way that my daughter would love the idea of transferring to your school. Ancient languages has always been a favorite subject of hers."

"My, that is interesting. But at the moment, I'm afraid we have no openings available."

"Well, it appears as though you have one now." He nodded towards the young girl strapped to the gurney.

"Sir, I'm sorry. But this unfortunate occurrence has changed nothing as this school is at its maximum capacity." The man looked disappointed. "But, however, we will take down any information on your daughter and as soon as a space becomes available, we shall take her information under serious consideration and we will then contact you." Wes finished and the man smiled, pleased, and shook his hand.

"That would be smashing! Thank you."

"It is no trouble, I assure you. I'll have my secretary contact you with the number so that you may fax it directly to my office."

"Wonderful. I'm sure my daughter will be ecstatic to hear about this. She might even decide to get her hands dirty and learn a little on archeology as well." Said the doctor excitedly, until the girl on the gurney took their attention.

"Dirt, don't like the dirt. That's where they come from. First a hand, then the face. Dirt is all over it, and every time it moves the dirt falls off-sometimes in clumps. Sometimes there are worms too. Slimy little things sitting on its head. Other bugs too, until it shakes its head and they fall off. They like the dark too. Worms are evil, they eat dogs and stalk the girls they fall in love with. Just like snakes, but snakes don't love you unless you're evil too, they just eat people and then blow up inside schools."

"I think its time we got her to the hospital."

"Might I ask a favor? Is it possible for us to see her now and then? We are, after all, terribly worried about her."

"Of course, Mr. Pryce. I will take care of the arrangements myself."

"Thank you very much. Here, why don't I see you out? You and I can then further discuss any other questions that you may have regarding Sharon." The two followed the gurney out of the room; and Wesley made sure to close the door behind him.

"Are you two alright?" Giles asked as he placed an arm around Willow.

"I'm a little shaky, but I'll be okay." Xander smiled weakly.

"No, no I'm not okay. I-I just turned one of my students into a loon." She sagged against Giles and broke down as Giles led her to a chair and sat her down. "I didn't know what else to do. I t-took her powers away, but somehow I knew that wouldn't have stopped her from going to anyone if she wanted to." She wiped the tears with the back of her hand and sniffed.

"Why did you not just erase her memory? Surly that might have been the better alternative in this situation."

"Yeah, just like you did with us a few years ago."

"And what would happen if something was said and it triggered a memory of what she read? I couldn't take that chance. I can't spend the rest of my life erasing her memories every time they decide to come back."

"Given time I'm sure……."

"What time? We didn't have any time. You heard her for yourself." She looked up into his face. "I was in her mind, and I know what she was thinking-I saw and felt everything. Trust me when I tell you that this is the best thing for her. She was dangerous, Rupert, even without her strength she was dangerous."

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