A week had past since Willow and Spike moved in with Angel. A week in which
Willow went to school during the day, returned to the mansion to do homework
and go to sleep. She was tired all the time. She’d fallen asleep at the
dinner table more than once. While this constant exhaustion worried both
Spike and Angel, the journals indicated it was a normal process as the
elements infused themselves into every cell in her body. While she slept,
Angel and Spike would read the journals.

Once again Willow found herself on the dream plane, but instead of an empty
field she found a crowd of hundreds. Men and women surrounded her. Her
grandmother stepped from the crowd.

“Willow,” she said with a smile.

“Nana, who are all these people?” Willow asked as she looked at the sea of
faces.

“These are all the elementals that have ever been. They wanted to see the
Sha’zat, the cumulating of all their power. Don’t be afraid.”

A confused look fell over Willow’s expressive face. “I thought the power
passed from grandmother to granddaughter,” she whispered.

“In our family it does, but as there are four elements there are four
witches at a time. Two women and two men. It is the balance of things,”
Nana explained.

“Except for me.”

Her grandmother hesitated for a moment. “You are one of a kind, dear
Willow.”

“Do not lie to the girl, Emily,” a deep voice said from behind Willow.

She turned to face the stranger. He was tall, dark and handsome
personified. His long dark hair fell passed his shoulders and he towered
over her by at least half a foot. Willow tilted her head to look at him.
His dark eyes were cold. Willow shivered as if his stare penetrated her
very soul.

“Barnibus, you are not welcome here,” Nana said in a cold voice. “Leave
this place.”

Barnibus chuckled at the small woman before him. “This is the Sha’zat.
This little tree is supposed to defeat me?” He threw his head back and
laughed.

Willow could feel the wrongness of his presence in her dream plane. His
laughter sent a bristle of irritation up her spine. “Look, Barney.”

He glared at the little red head. “Barnibus,” he corrected.

“Whatever. You weren’t invited so why don’t you hall your sorry butt out of
here,” she said as she could feel power building inside her. She knew in
her heart that she could force him to leave, but an instinct told her not to
reveal her power too soon.

“Be warned, little girl. I will come for you. And you will die,” he
warned, pointing a finger in her face. Then he was gone.

Willow relaxed her tense muscles. “Who was that?” she asked.

Nana placed a hand on her shoulder. “That was Barnibus. He has been after
our powers since the beginning of time.”

“Well he doesn’t look that old,” Willow replied.

“As our power is reincarnated in a new witch so is he. He has taken
thousands of forms over the centuries,” Nana explained. “Did your mother
give you the second trunk?”

“Yes, but I haven’t had a chance to open it yet. I spend most of my time
sleeping.”

Nana hugged her granddaughter. “And so it should be. Soon that will stop.
You must be prepared. Read the books carefully. Some contain history and
some contain spells. Learn them both well, Willow. We must go.”

Willow held her tightly. “Okay, Nana. I love you.”

“We love you also,” the group said as a collective.

Willow opened her eyes. “Barnibus,” she said softly.

She kicked off the covers and rushed downstairs. She found Angel and Spike
seated before the fireplace reading. She moved to the unopened trunk.
“Spike, open the trunk,” she said as she stared at it.

Spike set aside the journal he was reading. “Sure thing, pet.” He kicked
the side and smiled as the latch popped open.

Willow knelt before the open trunk and began digging through the dusty books
inside. “Did either of you read anything about a Barnibus?” she asked as
she continued searching. She wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for.

“No, why?” Angel asked as he closed his book.

“I had another dream. There was this man there. Said his name was
Barnibus. Nana told me that as long as there have been elementals, he has
existed. Trying to steal our powers,” she explained. Her hand brushed
across a tome and a feeling of rightness came across her. She pulled the
book from the cluttered mess she was making.

“He was in your dream?” Spike asked concerned. “Did he say anything?”

Willow flipped through the book. “Yeah, he threatened to kill me,” she said
distractedly. She finally found the page she was searching for. “There.
That’s him.”

Angel and Spike looked over her shoulder and studied the illustration on the
page. The recognized the man in the picture and realized the stakes had
just been raised.

Part 10

“What are we going to do if Barnibus is really after her?” Spike asked his
sire.

Angel paced the length of the room. “I don’t know, Spike. We’ll have to
protect her.”

“How? You and I have both seen the most powerful sorcerers and witches fall
to his power,” Spike said as he lit another cigarette.

“We’ll think of something. The question is do we tell her?” Angel asked.

“If you two start keeping secrets from me, I’ll leave,” Willow said quietly
from the doorway.

Spike turned quickly to look at the young witch. “We don’t want to keep
secrets from you, luv,” he said.

“We just don’t want you to get hurt,” Angel added.

Willow crossed her arms over her chest. “How is keeping secrets going to
keep me from getting hurt?” she asked.

“It won’t,” Spike admitted. “We know who Barnibus is.”

“He steals powers,” Angel said.

“Knew that already. What else?” she asked.

Spike wouldn’t admit it, but he was afraid to lose her. “He is very
powerful. I’ve seen him take down many equally powerful sorcerers.”

Willow could see the fear in his eyes, and Angel’s too. She smiled at them.
“Well, I guess I’d better start practicing.”
*****
Giles sat on the couch watching Willow practice her spells. He had to admit
he was impressed by her control. She was attempting several difficult
spells. While they didn’t work as she wanted, they would be far beyond a
witch so young.

As the glass shattered on the floor in front of her, Willow released a groan
of frustration. “I know the power is in here somewhere,” she said.

Spike entered her circle and sat behind her. He kneaded the knots in her
shoulders. “Relax, pet. You’re stressing yourself out,” he whispered.

Willow closed her eyes and rotated her neck. In her mind she drew herself a
picture. The glass was whole and pure. The vessel slowly filled with
water. She heard a gasp from the outside world and she opened her eyes.
Hovering before her was the shattered glass, whole and filled with water.
She plucked it out of the air and took a deep drink. “Very cool.”

“I knew you could do it,” Spike said as he kissed her cheek. He got up to
leave her circle.

She grabbed his arm. “Don’t leave. My magick works better when you’re
close,” she said.

“Okay,” he said as he sat down. “What are we going to do next?”

Willow tipped the glass and spilled the water on the floor. With her finger
she traced a circle around the spreading liquid. As the water reached the
ground where she touched it, it stopped and held its form. “Show me Angel,”
she said.

Spike watched the pool of water as the image of his sire appeared. He was
reading a book. Spike looked over his shoulder to see Angel sitting across
the room, reading. “Can you see anybody with that thing?” he asked.

“Sure. Do you want to see what Drusilla’s up to?” she asked. If he said
yes, she knew her heart would break.

“No. Let’s see what the Slayer is up to,” he suggested.

Willow cleared the pool with a wave of her hand. “Show me Buffy.”

The blonde girl appeared in the shimmering water. She lay on her bed
looking at a picture. With a sigh she put the picture back on the
nightstand. “I miss you, Willow,” she said.

A tear rolled off Willow’s cheek and shattered the image on the floor. “I
miss you, too, Buffy,” she whispered. She snapped her fingers and the
water evaporated, returning to the air Willow had pulled it from.

Spike wrapped his arms around her. “Tired, pet?” he asked in her ear.

“No,” she replies, shaking her head.

“Then it’s time for sparring practice,” he said as he pulled her to her
feet. “Peaches, do you want to get the mats out?”

Angel put his book aside and went to retrieve the mats they used for
physical training. While the Watcher felt Willow should concentrate on her
magickal skills, Angel thought to ignore the physical aspect of her training
would put Willow at a disadvantage. Spike wanted to give Willow any
advantage they could.

While Spike and Angel moved aside furniture and set the mats out, Willow
stood behind Giles as he read. “Find anything interesting?” she asked.

“I’m certain the Council would kill to have these books,” he said as he
continued taking notes.

“Well, maybe I should make out my will so the Council have them when I die,”
she said. Giles looked at the teenager. Seeing his expression, she laughed.
“I meant when I’m like a hundred or so,” she clarified.

“Yes, of course. I’m sure the Council would appreciate that.”

“I do appreciate your help, Giles. I know that it has been taking you away
from Buffy’s training. I’m surprised the Council hasn’t sent a Watcher to
watch me,” she laughed.

“Actually, they did suggest that,” he said adjusting his glasses. “I told
them I would ask you about it.”

Willow shrugged. “I don’t care. As long as they don’t try and harm Spike
or Angel.”

“Of course. I will let them know.” He returned to the heavy book of
Elemental history he was reading.

“Let who know what?” Spike asked as he walked over to the studious pair.

“The Council wants to send a Watcher to watch me. I told Giles I didn’t
care what they did as long as you and Angel wouldn’t be hurt,” Willow
explained as she began to stretch.

“Oh, bloody hell. You mean we’re going to have two of them hanging around,”
he groaned.

“If they send someone, I would return to my duties as Buffy’s Watcher,”
Giles said, slightly irritated.

“Didn’t mean it like that. Couldn’t they transfer you to Willow and get
Slutty a new Watcher?” Spike asked. He winced as Willow smacked him across
the back of the head. “Ow.”

“Oh I didn’t hit you that hard, you big baby. Come on. It’s time to
practice,” she said as she pulled him over to the mats.

Angel pulled his shoes off as Willow and Spike did the same. “Okay, this
time NO magick,” he said.

“I said I was sorry,” Willow pouted. She honestly didn’t mean to set Angel
on fire last time.

Part 11

Willow groaned as Spike’s hand slid along her back. She winced slightly as
he hit a tender spot. “Ow.”

“Sorry, pet,” he said as he tried to avoid that spot.

“I know that Angel is holding back, but it sure doesn’t feel like it,” she
moaned into her pillow.

Spike continued working on loosening her muscles. “You got a few good shots
in, too,” he chuckled. He could still picture his sire’s face when Willow
gave him a round house kick to the head. Angel fell on his back and Willow
immediately went into a round of babbling apologies.

“I did, didn’t I,” she said smugly.

“Of course it’s more effective if you don’t apologize after you deck him,”
Spike said. He moved farther down her body and started on her legs. Her
workouts were starting to give Willow some muscle definition. While she
wasn’t flabby before, she lacked muscle tone.

“Oh, shut up.” She lost herself in the feel of Spike’s cool fingers against
her skin.

Spike finished her cool down massage and slapped her firm butt. “Done.”

“Five more minutes,” she whined.

Spike shook his head at her. “No.”

Realizing she wasn’t going to get anywhere, she sat up and crossed her legs.
“Okay, now what?”

“What do you mean now what?” he asked as he wiped the massage oil from his
hands.

“What do you want to do now?”

“Pet, when was the last time you slept?”

“I slept a couple of hours last night,” she said. She had a body full of
energy and couldn’t seem to sit still. It was complete one eighty from the
week before when all she could do was sleep. “Let’s go to the Bronze.”

“It’s four in the morning. The Bronze is closed. And you have school
tomorrow,” Spike reminded her.

“I can’t sleep. I need something to do,” she said as she began pacing the
room.

“Have you been drinking coffee?” he asked.

“No. I’m just really hyper.”

“So I see.”

“Please, Spike. I need to do something,” she said as she bounced around the
room. She had so much energy to burn.

He could tell unless she found something to burn off her excess energy she
would be bouncing off the walls in about five minutes. He hated these
energy build ups she went through. Usually they happened after her workouts
when she couldn’t use her magick. “Fine,” he relented. “Let’s go
downstairs and we can dance.”

“Swing?” she asked with her wide innocent eyes.

“Fine,” he sighed. *The things I’ll do for her.*

Willow squealed and jumped up and down. “Let me change,” she said as she
ran to her closet. She pulled out a 1940s styled dress she’d found in a
thrift shop. She slipped the dress over her sports bra and exercise shorts.
After she zipped it up, she searched for her shoes.

As she dug through her shoe collection, Spike headed downstairs to select
the music.

“How is she?” Angel asked as he leaned against the door frame.

Spike glanced up at his sire. “Hyper. Thank you very much.”

Angel walked over to the stereo. Looking over Spike’s shoulder, he read the
discs selected. “Benny Goodman, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Tommy Dorsey?”

“She wants to dance. This is all your fault, you know,” Spike said as he
put the discs in the changer.

“You’re the one who taught her to swing dance,” Angel reminded him.

“And you’re the one who gets her all worked up,” Spike shot back.

“I figured it would tire her out, not get her all hyped up.”

“I’m ready,” Willow said as she ran into the room. Spike rolled his eyes
and set the stereo to play. As the jazz music started pouring out of the
speakers, he grabbed Willow’s hand and pulled her closer to him.

Angel leaned against the wall and watched the two of them move to the music.
Willow’s skirt twirled this way and that. He smiled as Spike swung her
behind his back and caught her knees to bring her back in front of him. He
remember the first time they tried that trick. Spike had dropped her on her
head. His childe had been mortified, but Willow just lay on the floor
holding her head and giggling.

At one point in their dance, Spike twirled Willow away from him and she
turned to face Angel. With a sassy sway in her hips she walked over to him.
Angel saw her intent and just shook his head. She countered by nodding.
Grabbing his hand she pulled him into the middle of the floor. She
continued to smile as she began dancing with the still vampire. She grabbed
his hand and used him as balance as she danced around him.

Spike laughed at his sire. He stood like a pole while Willow danced around
him. Angel glared at his childe. With a final shake of his head, he
grabbed Willow by the waist and lifted her high into the air. She squealed
in delight as he brought her legs to his right hip, lifted her up again and
swung her to his left hip. On the final lift she separated her legs so she
straddled his hips and locked her feet behind him. He spun her around and
she let her head fall back.

Angel and Spike continued to take turns dancing with Willow until she
finally collapsed into a panting heap on the couch. They flopped down
beside her. “I didn’t know you could dance, Angel,” she said between gasps
of air.

“Who do you think taught blondie over there?” he asked.

“Some cheep tart that I didn’t really want to know about,” she said. “How
come you never danced when Buffy dragged you to the Bronze?”

“That’s not dancing,” Angel said.

“No, it’s vertical sex with clothes on,” Spike added.

Willow laughed. She enjoyed these quiet times when they just talked. It
was relaxing and got her mind off the future. A future she wasn’t sure
she’d live to see. “Well, I think I’m going to take a shower and lay down
for a while,” she said. She jogged up the stairs to her room.

“If you need help, just let me know,” Spike called after her.

“You think she’ll sleep?” Angel asked.

“No. She’ll probably read until it’s time for school. She doesn’t sleep
more than a few hours at a time,” Spike said quietly.

“All the journals indicated that it was normal. Part of the power, I
guess.”

“I know, but it makes me feel my age,” he said with a chuckle.

“Tell me about it,” Angel said.

Part 12

Willow caught the folded scrap of paper before it fell to the ground. The
warning bell prevented her from reading it right away. She slipped the note
into her pocket and grabbed her lab book from her locker. She closed the
metal door and rushed to her chemistry class.

She slid into her seat just as the final bell rang. Pulling the note from
her pocket, she unfolded it in her lap so the teacher wouldn’t see.
*Willow, I am so sorry for the way I acted. Please forgive me. I guess I
kind of freaked when I heard you scream then saw Spike ‘attacking’ you. I
miss you. Buffy,* Willow read silently. She lifted her eyes to where
Buffy was sitting in front of her. The Slayer was turned in her seat so she
could see the front of the class room as well as Willow. She smiled at
Buffy.

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief and smiled back. The last two weeks had
been hell for the Slayer. She missed her friend, but had a hard time
admitting she was wrong. Buffy was glad she finally did.

When the bell sounded the end of class, Buffy waited for Willow to put her
text book away. “Willow, I am sorry,” she apologized.

“I’m sorry, too, Buf. I’ve missed you.” The two girls embraced in a hug.
“I’ve been going through so much lately.”

“You seem more energetic this week,” Buffy said as she picked up her books.

Willow rolled her eyes. “You don’t know the half of it. I can’t sleep more
than a couple of hours. I feel so bad for Angel and Spike. It’s like I’ve
got a constant supply of caffeine running through me. I know they must be
tired of me.”

“Giles said that Spike has been behaving himself,” Buffy said as they walked
down the hall.

Willow paused to look at her friend. “I know you don’t like Spike, but he
is very important to me. And he hasn’t killed anyone, lately.”

“I suppose that’s something. Giles also said that you have a destiny.” The
two continued walking.

“Yeah, and let just say you so have my sympathy. This destiny stuff sucks
big time,” Willow said. They turned into the library.

Willow stopped short. Something wasn’t right.

Buffy looked at her friend. “Wills, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Just something doesn’t feel right,” she said in a low voice.

Giles walked out of his office. “Willow, I’m glad you’re here. The Council
sent a Watcher for you,” he said. A tall dark man exited the office behind
him.

All of Willow’s defenses went on the alert. She had an instinctual dislike
for this man. “What’s the return policy on Watchers?” she asked.

Giles looked at the red head confused. “I don’t understand. I thought you
said you didn’t mind if the Council sent a Watcher for you,” he said.

Willow shifted her focus on the man behind Giles. The dark colors of his
aura disturbed her. “Giles, can I talk to you and Buffy privately?” she
asked. She didn’t want either one of her friends near this man.

The stranger shifted restlessly. This wasn’t working the way he thought it
would. He gathered energy and released it at the red head.

Willow threw up a wall of water as the fireball hurtled towards her. The
flames dies out as it hit the liquid. With a wave of her hand the wall
disappeared. She pushed her hands out in front of her and forced the air to
compress.

He flew back against a bookcase as the force through him back. Regaining
his feet he created another fireball and threw it at the Watcher. Willow
threw up a barrier around the Watcher. With her powers diverted, he saw
his chance to attack her. He tossed another fireball at her.

Willow only had a split second to deflect the flames as the came towards
her. Her shield wasn’t as strong as she’d have liked it. She fell back
against the check out desk.

Buffy leaped over the table and flew at the stranger. She hit him across
the jaw and he fell into a heap. “Why do sorcerers always lack physical
stamina?” she asked as she kicked the unconscious man.

Giles staggered to his feet. “Let’s just be thankful they do,” he said. He
turned to thank Willow for saving his life. She sat on the floor leaning
against the checkout desk. “Willow? Are you okay?” he asked as he rushed
over to her.

Buffy quickly joined her Watcher. “Willow? Are you hurt?”

Willow held her arm across her stomach. She tilted her head back against
the counter. She pulled her hand away. Her hand was sticky with blood.
She looked down at her wound. “Man, this was my favorite shirt,” she
whined.

Buffy and Giles pulled her to her feet. Willow leaned heavily against the
counter as Giles inspected her injury. Buffy rushed to get the first aid
kit Giles kept in the office. When she returned to the main room, she
paused. “Where did he go?” she asked.

Giles and Willow looked at the spot where the supposed Watcher had fallen.
“Back to where he came from, I suppose,” Willow said. “Barney sent him.”

“How do you know?” Giles asked as he opened the white metal box. He removed
the economy size anti-bacterial ointment he kept there.

“He’s testing me. Trying to see if I’m ready,” she said. She winced
slightly as Giles pulled her shirt up. “I hope he waits a while. If this
is any indication, I’m definitely going to die.”

Buffy handed Giles a square of cotton gauze. “Don’t talk like that, Will.
We’ll help you get ready.”

“Thanks, Buff.” She looked down at the white square on her stomach. “Spike
is going to freak out when he sees this.”

“What do you mean?” Buffy asked as she picked up Willow’s back pack.

“I’m lucky to get out of the house to go to school. I know he doesn’t want
anything bad to happen to me, but he’s going to go into over protective mode
over this,” she explained.

“Well, I’ll walk you home and help explain things.”

“Thanks.”

“What are friends for?” Buffy asked, putting her arm around Willow’s
shoulder.
 

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