Willow rotated her stiff neck as she clicked another Internet link. She
noticed Giles sleeping hunched over her desk. “Giles,” she said loudly.
The poor man jerked awake and looked around confused. “Go home and get some
sleep,” she ordered.

“What? Oh, yes. What time is it?” he asked. He pushed his glasses out of
the way to rub his tired eyes.

Glancing over her shoulder, Willow looked at the digital clock on her night
stand. “Three in the morning. Spike, you and Angel had better head out
before sunrise.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Spike said as he traced the line of text he was
reading with his fingertip. *Bloody words are running together again,* he
whined to himself as he started over.

Angel looked up from the books he was organizing. “I can stay, too.” *I’ll
be damned again if I let Spike stay alone with Willow.*

“You don’t have to stay. I’m sure Buffy has been looking for you,” she said
as she leaned back against her pillows. Her back was killing her.

“I doubt it, but I’ll call her later,” Angel said as he continued stacking
the books in different piles.

Giles stood and gathered his notes. “Well, I’m going to go home. Willow,
I’ll call the council and see if they have any further information on
Elemental Witches. Call me if anything further develops. I’ll stop by
later.”

“Okay.” When the Watcher reached the door, she stopped him. “Giles?”

He turned and looked at the red head. “Yes?”

She smiled one of her Willowy smiles. “Thank you.”

Giles smiled back. “You’re welcome, Willow.”

After Giles left , Willow stood and started twisting the knots out of her
aching back. Sitting in front of her computer for three hours did nothing
for her posture. “Well, if you guys insist on staying, we need to make some
arrangements,” she sighed as she heard one of her vertebrae pop.

“What kind of arrangements?” Spike asked as his blue eyes followed every
twist and turn of her slim body.

Willow stretched her arms over her head. “The windows for one thing. I
don’t feel like vacuuming you guys out of my carpet come sunrise.” She
pulled her foot back behind her so the sole of her bare foot touched her
butt. “And we also have to think about feeding you. As much as I love you
guys I don’t want to become a mid-day snack,” she said.

Angel noticed Spike following her every unintentionally inticing move.
“I’ll stop by Willie’s and pick up some supplies. Spike, you can pick up
your things and we’ll meet back here in an hour,” Angel suggested strongly.

“I’ll find some blankets and put them over the windows,” Willow said, moving
to her closet.

“I’m not sure she should be left alone,” Spike told Angel as his eyes still
traced her every move.

Angel wasn’t keen on Spike being alone with Willow. “I’m sure she’ll be
fine by herself for an hour, Spike.”

Spike turned his attention from the young witch to his sire. “And if I
hadn’t been there when she collapsed who knows what might have happened,”
Spike insisted.

Willow stared at the two vampires. They looked ready to go at each other’s
throats. “_She_ is standing right here.”

“Fine. Where’s your stuff and I’ll pick it up,” Angel relented.

Willow rolled her eyes and returned to her search for blankets.

“The O’Brien crypt in the cemetery.”

Angel grabbed his coat. “I’ll be back in less than an hour.”

“Don’t rush on my account,” Spike called out to his sire’s retreating back.

Shaking her head, Willow pulled a couple of heavy blankets from the top
shelf. She tossed them onto her bed and searched for a good shoe to use as
a hammer. Finding her one pair of high heels, she dug some tacks out of
her desk drawer. “Here,” she said tossing the shoe to Spike.

He caught the shoe and climbed to his feet. “Don’t think it will fit, pet.”

She shook out one of the blankets and positioned it over her window.
“Funny, Cinderella. Now start tacking.” She handed over the tacks. Spike
stood directly behind her and reached over her head to hammer the tack in
place. He “accidentally” brushed against her while trying to get the tack
in place.

Willow glared at his reflection in the glass. When they finally got the
window covered, they moved to her French doors.

Spike stared at her reflection in the glass panes. Her face seemed sad.
“You okay, pet?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said quietly.

This emotional shift concerned Spike. Willow was a happy person by nature.
She wasn’t one given to depression. Quickly and quietly he tacked the
blanket over the doors. He tossed the shoe back into her closet and took
her small hand in his. Leading her back to the bed, he closed her laptop
and set it on the floor. Spike climbed on her bed and pulled her down
beside him.

Willow rested her cheek against his strong chest and curled up next to him.
His arms wrapped around her small warm body. “You can tell me anything.
You know that, right?” he whispered into her fiery hair.

“Nana said this was my destiny. If a person has a destiny then there’s a
reason for it, right? I mean, Buffy’s destiny is to be the Slayer cuz there
are vampires to slay, right?” Willow asked.

“Don’t remind me. I’m on the losing end of that destiny,” he muttered.

“Spike, be serious.”

“When it comes to the Slayer I’m always serious.”

“Spike.”

He tightened his arms around her for a moment. “I guess, destinies usually
have reasons behind them.”

“Then why me?” She turned her head and propped her chin on his chest. “I
mean, I’m just Willow. I’m not supposed to have a destiny. I’m meant to be
destiny free. I’m just research girl. I do the computer thing. That’s it.
Destinies get you killed. Look at Joan of Arc. She was burned at the
stake when she was sixteen. Fat lot of good a destiny did her. She’s dead.
I don’t want a destiny, Spike. I was happy just being plain old Willow.
No destiny,” she babbled.

Spike smiled into her brilliant green eyes. “You do more than just research
for the Slayer. I’ve seen you in action. You can fight with the best of
them. And you have never, ever been just _plain_ old Willow. You are
beautiful, vibrant, sexy, intoxicating, smart...”

“You just want to get into my bed,” she giggled.

“I am in your bed,” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Willow rested her cheek against his chest again and hugged him tighter.
“Thank you, Spike.”

“Any time, Red,” he whispered and kissed the top of her head.

Part 6

Willow found herself in the field again. She looked around for her
grandmother. “Nana?” she called.

“She’s not here,” a voice said behind her.

Turning on her heel, she faced a tall woman with long auburn hair. “Who are
you?”

“My name is Meegan. I see you found your key,” she said pointing to the
pendant dangling around Willow’s neck.

Glancing down, Willow noticed the mulit-colored crystal was now clear.
“What happened to it?”

“In this plane the crystal has no color.”

“Okay. Oh, I didn’t find any key,” Willow explained.

Meegan frowned slightly. “You must have or you wouldn’t be wearing that
pendant and I wouldn’t be speaking to you now.”

“But Spike unlocked the trunk and the... Spike is my key, isn’t he?” she
asked, already knowing the answer.

Meegan nodded. “Yes, and you must protect him well,” she instructed.

Willow stared at the woman aghast. “Me? Protect Spike? You don’t know
Spike, do you?”

“It matters not. Every Elemental Witch has a key. It is vital that you
protect him at all costs,” Meegan stressed.

“Why?” she asked. “Not that I want anything bad to happen to Spike, of
course.”

“He is your key,” Meegan tried to explain.

“I got that part. What the hell is a ‘key’? And why is he so important?”

“The key will unlock worlds you have never dared imagine.”

“What would happen if something did happen to him?” Willow asked. She was
afraid to hear the answer.

“The fabric of time and space would tear itself asunder,” Meegan answered
dramatically.

“Really?” Willow asked with her mouth agape.

“No. But it sounds impressive, doesn’t it?” Meegan said with a laugh.

“You were an actress, weren’t you?”

Meegan pulled herself up straighter. “Yes, I was.”

“Figures, now what would really happen?” the teenager asked.

“Your powers would cease to grow. Without the key to unlock new things, you
get stuck were you are. Not to mention your heart would be broken,” Meegan
said quietly.

Willow stared at the older woman. “How did you know...”

“It is our destiny to fall in love with them. I don’t know why, it just
is.” Meegan started to fade away. “My time is done.”

“Wait!” Willow called before she disappeared completely.

Meegan pulled herself back to the dream plane. “Yes?”

“Am I going to be getting a lot of these visits?” she asked.

Meegan smiled at the young girl. “When there is important information you
must know, someone will be here to deliver it.”

“What if I have questions?”

“You will find the answers when you need them. You are strong, Willow,” she
said as she started to fade again. “Perhaps the strongest Elemental that
ever existed.”

Willow stared at the empty space where Meegan once stood.
****
Willow opened her eyes and stared at her reflection in the mirror. *These
dreams are really becoming annoying. Can’t you people tell me something
useful? Something I can use? Like what the hell is going to happen to me?
I hate this. Why does it have to be me? I really don’t want a destiny,*
Willow rambled in her head. She shifted her gaze to Spike’s reflection in
the mirror. She wanted to reach out and brush his dark curls, but...

Willow sat up and let out a small scream as she fell off the bed. Quickly,
she got to her knees and peered over the edge of the bed.

Spike woke immediately at her scream. “What is it? What happened?”

Angel crawled across the floor from where he was sleeping. “Willow? Are
you okay?”

She could only point at the mirror and make a few vowel sounds. The two
vampires looked at the mirror and saw Willow’s frightened expression staring
back at them.

“What? What did you see?” Spike asked as he moved to the floor beside her.
He brushed her wild hair from her face.

Willow turned her head to look at the blonde vampire. Her gaze shifted to
just over his left shoulder. “Oh, Goddess. What the hell is going on?” she
cried as she backed away from Spike. She practically crawled into Angel’s
lap.

Spike dropped his hand into his lap. *She’s afraid of me,* he thought
sadly. His blue eyes moved to his sire who was holding her trembling body.

Angel tried to quiet the terrified red head. “What is it, Willow? What do
you see?” he asked quietly.

“You don’t see it?” Willow asked as she turned to look at Angel.

“See what?”

Her green eyes returned to Spike. She studied the solid planes of his face
and shifted to the spot over his shoulder. Angel felt her body relax and
heard her heart rate start to return to normal. When she pushed away from
him, he let her go. Willow got to her feet and walked over to where Spike
still knelt dejectedly.

“Who are you?” she asked.

~You know who I am.~ Willow heard in her head.

A smile slowly spread across her face. “Yes, I do. But why?”

~I have always been here. ~

“Willow? Who are you talking to?” Angel asked.

Willow fell to her knees beside Spike. His eyes stared at the floor. She
lifted his face to look at her. Slowly she pressed her lips to his.
Pulling back slightly, she smiled at him. “I think I like you better as a
blonde. Gives you that Billy Idol bad boy thing.”

Spike stared at her confused. “What are you talking about? You’ve never
seen me without blonde hair.”

“Willow, what’s going on?” Angel asked.

She looked at him over her shoulder. “His soul.”

“His soul?”

“My soul? I don’t have a soul. Only the pouf there has a soul,” Spike
said.

Willow stared intently into his eyes. “Yes, you do. And I can see him. I
saw it earlier. Reflected in the window. I didn’t even think anything of
it. When I woke up I saw it again in the mirror. I wanted to brush my
fingers against you curly chestnut hair. Then I realized that you don’t
have brown hair and vampires don’t have reflections. So I kind of freaked.
I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You can see my soul?” Spike asked.

She nodded. “I can see Angel’s aura, too. You don’t have one. I guess,
it’s the soul that give a person an aura.”

“I think we should call Giles,” Angel suggested as Spike and Willow
continued to stare at each other intently.

“What time is it?” Willow asked.

“Seven.”

“Let him sleep. Maybe some answers are in those journals,” Willow said as
she stroked Spike’s cheek.

Part 7

Buffy bounced up the porch steps and knocked on the front door.  She peaked  through the windows while she
waited.  She hadn’t heard from Willow all  morning and was getting worried.  Buffy’s blue eyes widened in surprise
when  she saw Angel descend the stairs.  *What’s he doing here?* she wondered as  he unlocked the door.

Angel opened the door,  making sure to avoid the sunlight streaming into the  hallway.  “Buffy,” he greeted as he closed
the door behind her.

“Angel?  What are you doing here?” Buffy asked.

“I’m helping Willow with something,” he replied cryptically.

“With what?”  She wasn’t sure she was comfortable with her ex-boyfriend  hanging out with her friends without her.  *And
why didn’t Willow ask me for  help?*

“That’s something Willow needs to tell you,” Angel hesitated.

If there was anything Buffy Summers hated it was being left out of the loop.
“Where is she?”

“Upstairs.  In her bedroom,” he said, extending his arm towards the stairs.

“Spike!” Willow screamed.  “No! Stop!”

The Slayer bolted up the stairs followed quickly by Angel.  Angel tried to  catch Buffy before she entered the room, but
was two strides too late.  She  burst through the door and paused only a moment to locate her enemy.  Spike  straddled
the squirming red head.  His head was buried in her neck.  Without  another thought she launched herself at the blonde
vampire.

“Buffy, don’t,” Angel called out.

Spike spotted the Slayer coming at him from the corner of his eye.  Just as  her body collide with his, he released his
hold on Willow.  The two blondes  fell to the floor.  Buffy reached under the bed where she knew Willow kept  her slaying
supplies.  Her fingers brushed a stake and she raised it over  her head.

Willow lay stunned.  One moment Spike was tickling her to death and the next  Buffy ripped him from her
bed.  *Buffy!*  She saw the wooden stake in her  friend’s hand.  Instinct took over her body.  “Buffy!  No!” she screamed
as  she held out her hand to stop her.

Buffy felt a force strike her in the chest and she flew across the room.   The plaster cracked as her head struck the
wall.  She dropped to the floor  with a jarring thud.  Dazed she stared in shocked at the frightened red  head.  “What the
hell is going on?” she demanded once she got enough air in  her lungs to speak.

Willow scrambled off the bed and rushed to her fallen friend.  “I’m sorry,  Buffy.  I couldn’t let you hurt him,” she said as
she reached out to touch  the Slayer’s arm.

Buffy backed away from Willow’s touch.  “You’re protecting Spike?” she  asked, astonished.

Willow dropped her hand in her lap.  “Yes,” she answered as she stared  directly into Buffy’s eyes.

The blonde slowly got to her feet and glanced at the two vampires then back  to Willow.  “I don’t know what’s going on
here, but I don’t like it.”

“Buffy, I can explain,” Willow pleaded.

“I don’t want to hear it right now.  I’m leaving before I say something I’ll  regret later,“ she said as she stormed out of the
room and out of the house.

Willow stared dejectedly at the carpet.  “I hate this,” she whispered.  “I  don’t want this.”

Spike knelt beside her and gathered her into his arms.  “It will be okay,  luv.  She’s just surprised to see me,” he said
trying to lighten the mood.

Angel squeezed her shoulder.  “Spike’s right.  It will be okay.  She’ll calm  down and...”

Willow pulled away from them.  “You don’t get it.  I could have killed her!”  she screamed.  She brought her hands to her
head to stop the wild thoughts  echoing through her brain.

The two vampires took a step towards her, but stopped short as a wall of  fire surrounded her to protect her.  Spike
hesitated for only a split second  before he stepped through the flames.  He wrapped his strong arms around
her  ridged body.

“I could have killed her, Spike,” she whispered into his chest.

“But you didn’t,” he whispered back.

She turned her face up towards his.  “I wanted to.  She was going to stake  you and I wanted her dead.”

“Your life has been turned upside down, pet,” he said gently as he stroked  her hair.  “I promise you, it will be okay.”

Slowly Willow relaxed into his embrace.  As her body and mind let go of the  emotional termoil the flames died.  Willow
looked at the ring of charred  carpeting.  “My parents are going to kill me when they get home.”

Angel was in awe of Willow’s effect on his wayward childe.  Even with  Drusilla, he’d never seen Spike be so gentle and
loving.

“What happened?” Giles asked from the doorway.

“I guess you could say I had a temper tantrum,” Willow said from Spike’s  embrace.

The Watcher nodded as he entered the room.  Angel had explained what  happened that morning over the
phone.  Willow had traveled the gambit of  emotions in the past twenty-four hours so Giles wasn’t surprised that
she  had snapped.  He was relieved to see it hadn’t lasted long.  With the  information the Council had faxed to him,  he
knew that an Elemental temper  tantrum could be quite deadly.  He walked over to the desk and set a stack  of papers
on it.  “I spoke with the Council this morning and they faxed me  copies of what documents they could find.”

Willow and Spike sat on the bed while Angel moved to investigate the papers  Giles brought.  “What did the Council
have to say about it?” Angel asked.

“Other than asking for a detailed report, not much.  As I said before, all  accounts of Elemental Witches has been
legend.  No real documentation.    There is one legend which has shown up in multiple references.  It is the  legend of
the Sha’zat.”

“The Sha’zat?” Willow asked.

“It means Final,” Giles explained.  “According to legend, one witch controls  one element.  The elements rotate in a
random pattern.   There  could be  five fire witches before one air witch is born.  The grandmother never knows  what
her granddaughter will control until the crystal is removed from the  box.   This continues until the Sha’zat is born.  The
Sha’zat will control  all the elements and be the only one to possess Akasha.  The fifth and final  element.”

Willow leaned into Spike.  “This destiny stuff is getting worse and worse,”  she muttered.  “Why does the Sha’zat control
all of the elements?”

Giles searched the pages on the desk.  Pulling one from the pile, he scanned  the faded words.  “The Sha’zat will be the
cumulation of all.  She will  possess all the powers of the earth to protect it.  She will battle to keep  the forces of
darkness from overtaking the world.”

“Is that all,” Willow said dryly.  “Is there any particular evil I have to  defeat or is it just evil in general?”

Giles sighed.  “It doesn’t say.”

“Willow?” a voice called from downstairs.

Willow flopped back on her bed.  “Great.  My parents are home.  I’d ask if  this day could get any worse, but this is the
Hellmouth and I know it  would.”

Part 8

Sheila Rosenberg pushed open her daughter’s bedroom door. She was surprised
to see three men in her bedroom. Two of them looked to be in their
mid-twenties, but the third one appeared much older. “Willow?”

Willow had heard the door swing open. With the emotional roller coaster
she’d ridden all day, she didn’t feel up to another go-around with her
mother. Her arm rested over her tired eyes. “I know I’m not supposed to
have boys in my room, Mom.”

Sheila couldn’t help but notice the burn marks in the carpeting as she
stepped into the room. “It’s happening, isn’t it?” she asked already
knowing the answer.

“No, Mom. I’m not rebelling and I’m not having sex,” Willow sighed. She
felt Spike squeeze her knee. She lifted her arm slightly to see him wink at
her. She smiled slightly before lowering her arm.

“That’s right. Your birthday is tomorrow,” Sheila muttered, ignoring her
daughter’s comments as she walked around the black ring. “How does eighteen
years go by so fast?”

“Starts by not being there,” Willow muttered under her breath.

“I just wish you’d inherited a different element,” her mother continued.

Spike felt Willow’s body stiffen against his leg. He watched her mother
carefully. His hand moved from her knee to her back as she sat up. Slowly
she rose to her feet. “You knew? You knew this was going to happen to me
and you didn’t say anything?” Willow asked quietly.

Sheila avoided her daughter’s accusing stare. “We didn’t want to say
anything when you were younger.”

“We? Dad knew, too?”

“We wanted you to have a normal childhood,” Sheila tried to explain. “We
were going to tell you when you got older.”

Willow moved closer to her mother. “What happened, Mom? Couldn’t fit me
into the schedule?”

“It never seemed the right time,” her mother said.

“I guess it’s hard to find the time when you’re never home,” Willow snapped.

“Don’t take that tone with your mother,” Ira reprimanded. He glanced at the
scorch mark and glared at his wife. “Ira, I’m sure she’ll have the power of
air or water, but I doubt she’ll have fire. It’s too powerful for our
little Willow,” he mimicked his wife’s words. “I knew that red hair had to
mean something.”

“Don’t start with me, Ira. Besides my mother had red hair and she was a
water witch,” Sheila snapped at him.

“How long before she burns the house down?” he demanded.

Willow stared in shock at her parents. Here they were keeping a huge secret
from her and they were fighting with each other. Typical. She felt a
calming touch on her shoulder. A glance told her it was Spike’s soul,
William. Her anger evaporated. “Don’t worry about it, Dad. I’ll move
out.” She took a step back as her mother tried to embrace her.

“Willow, this is a very dangerous power. Your great-great grandmother
burned down three houses in her first year with that power. She almost died
in one of the fires,” she tried to explain.

Studying the aura surrounding her mother, Willow tried to interpret the
colors flowing in violent swirls. Whatever they meant, Sheila Rosenberg
was certainly agitated. “Well, I won’t have worry about that once my water
element kicks in.”

“You only get one element. Didn’t your grandmother explain that to you?”
Sheila asked.

“No one has explained much of anything to me, but I have three of the
elements so far. I expect the other two to show up any day now.” Willow
walked over to her closet and started pulling clothes to pack.

“Three?” Sheila pressed her hands to her cheeks. “Oh, my. You are the
Sha’zat?”

“Yep.” She dropped an arm full of clothes onto the bed. “Spike, I don’t
suppose I could move in with you until I find a place of my own?” she asked.

“Of course, but it will be a little cramped,” he said as he watched her
parents carefully. He noticed that they weren’t trying to stop her.

“You both can stay with me for as long as you want,” Angel offered.

“I hope you have good fire insurance,” Ira warned.

Angel’s dark eyes narrowed at Willow’s father’s coldness. He couldn’t
believe that such a warm and loving girl came from such cold and unfeeling
parents. “Not an issue.”

Willow glanced at Spike to see if the offer was acceptable to him. Spike
nodded his agreement. “Thank you, Angel. We can pack up my stuff and move
tonight.” She turned to her parents. “I’m taking the trunk.”

“Of course. It has always been yours. There’s a second trunk in the
garage,” Sheila said.

“Sheila, we need to get ready to head to Nepal,” Ira reminded his wife. She
nodded silently and left the room with her husband.

When the door shut behind them, Spike nearly came unglued. “I can’t bloody
believe it. Their only daughter is moving out and they don’t say a bloody
word about it,” he fumed.

“For once, Spike, we are in total agreement,” Angel said as he glared at the
door.

Willow smiled at their reaction. She looked at the Watcher who had remained
silent. “What about you, Giles? Do you hate my parents, too?” she asked
with a smile.

Giles tossed the broken pencil in his hand onto the desk. “Well, I can’t
say I’m nominating them for parents of the year,” he muttered. “Would you
like me to rent a moving truck?”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m not really going to take much. Just my books
and clothes really. I can borrow the car.” She moved to where Spike and
Angel paced the length of the room. She stopped their restless movements
and pulled them into a hug. “Don’t hate them too much. It’s just the way
they are. Sometimes I wonder why they even had me,” she said.

Spike tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear. “Well, I’m glad they did.”

“Me, too,” Angel said as he squeezed her hand.

She smiled at them. “You know that’s twice you’ve agreed with each other.
Better be careful or it might get to be habit.”

“Not a bloody chance.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

“Well, we still have a while before sunset so let’s research and pack,” she
said as she returned to the pile of clothes on her bed.
 

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