Rating: R
Summary: A search for Buffy's daughter, sequel to Betrayal
Disclaimer: All characters and aspects of the fictional environment are property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, et al. There is no intent, or remote possibility, of anyone profiting from this.
Distribution: If you'd like it ask and I'll let you take it.
Feedback: Please
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~Part: 1~
Willow sat on the bench and felt the warmth of the sun. The day was beautiful, it usually was. Every year for the last fifteen, she'd sat right here. This year she was alone, Dawn hadn't called. Willow made a mental note to stop by the University in LA to see how she was doing.
While she'd been sitting, she'd heard people pass back and forth on the path behind her. She looked up when she felt someone stop.
"Tara, "she said with surprise, "I didn't expect you. It's so good to see you."
She rose and embraced the woman and then gestured for her to sit down.
Tara was hesitant as always, "I thought that you'd be here today and we haven't seen each other for such a long time. I thought I'd take a chance."
Willow smiled, "you don't know how good it is to see you. How long …"
"Over a year, "Tara offered. "at Dawn's award dinner in LA. It was so nice of her to invite me."
"You know how much she thinks of you," Willow said, "you were so important for her when…"
Willow looked out across the grass to the two gray stones.
"I only did what any friend would have done."
Willow squeezed her hand; "neither of us would have made it without you."
Tara squeezed back then looked away.
"Fifteen years, "Willow said with a sigh, "I can't believe it. I can see her as clearly as if I saw her yesterday."
"I know, "Tara said softly, "some people will always be with you no matter what you do or how things change."
They sat in silence for a few minutes alone with their thoughts.
Willow broke the silence, "how is Ruth? "she asked.
Tara relaxed her hand and slid it from Willow's," she's fine, tenured now you know."
"That's great, "Willow said, "and the children?"
Tara smiled broadly, "they're fine, Sarah just turned eleven and Alison is a proud second grader."
"I envy you so much some times, "Willow said wistfully.
"Living in a small college town, a nice family and an associate professorship, it seems so perfect."
Tara laughed, "when the girls are fighting and Ruth is in one of her 'look at all I sacrificed for you' moods, I'd trade you for the apartment in San Francisco and the flat in London and the …."
"All empty rooms, "Willow said with a trace of bitterness, "that's all they are."
Tara hesitated for a moment then spoke, "have you seen him lately?"
Willow sighed, "we spent two weeks in London about six months ago. It was good, but …"
"I know," Tara said, "two different worlds."
Willow nodded, "and the son of a bitch never ages. You don't think of that when you're twenty-one and everything is perky and firm. We definitely keep the lights out these days."
"But I thought he could see in the dark."
Willow smiled wryly, "I know, but it makes me feel better and he goes along with it."
They paused and looked out across the monuments again.
"How's Dawn doing?" Tara asked.
"I was going to ask you, "Willow replied.
"I haven't been very good about keeping in touch with her, "she admitted uneasily.
"She's been kind of distant for the last year or so. I should be ashamed of myself for not trying harder, but she always seems to be so busy with her research. I don 't know, I feel guilty when I talk to her and guilty when I don't."
"I know, "Tara agreed, "she stopped calling except on birthdays and Christmas, and I started calling her less and less. I think it's been three months since I talked to her. It was Sarah's birthday."
"That does it," Willow said firmly, "from here it's direct to LA. I'll stay for a week and spend time with her. Why don't you and the girls come up too?"
Tara grinned, "call me when you get there and maybe we can all come up on the weekend."
Willow nodded.
After a moment, she gathered herself and stood. She picked up two small bunches of daffodils from the bench beside her.
Tara looked at her inquiringly; Willow shook her head and started off across the grass.
When she reached the two gray stones marked 'Summers' she knelt.
She put one bunch of flowers in the holder in front of each. Then she bowed her head.
Just as it had happened every year, she was back in the hospital.
Xander had found her. Eight or ten of them must have attacked her. She managed to dust most of them, but she'd lost too much blood in the end.
The hospital called her and she came with Spike and Dawn. Xander was a wreck. He blamed himself for not being with her and for not finding her sooner, but mostly for still being alive.
They had her cleaned up and she looked tired and pale, but not like she was dying. The doctors couldn't understand how she'd survived this long; they didn't understand her tremendous will.
I took Dawn in to see her. She smiled at her and squeezed her hand. Dawn was devastated she couldn't stop crying. I took her out into the waiting room to Xander and Spike, and then returned.
The Council was right. She did have less than a year left when we left London. Despite the warning, there had been nothing I could do to prevent it. She wouldn't stop being the Slayer and doing what she had to do. I couldn't be with her every hour of the day and neither could Xander. If we had been there, we both would have been dead as well, and where would Dawn have been then?
Giles was right too. She gradually forgot about Andrew and JW. At odd moments, it seemed a toy or a sound or a smell'd remind her, but it would soon pass.
It wouldn't pass for Dawn. She couldn't understand how Buffy and I go on with our lives without knowing where JW was and without getting her back. It was always there with her, not always on the surface, but there.
I sat next to the bed and held her hand. I could hear her breathing slow and her grip loosen. Then, I felt her pull on my hand. It wasn't strong, but she did pull. I leaned close and she whispered.
"Will, I loved her. I loved JW. I did. Please ….."
Then she was gone.
There was a terrible scene when I told them she was gone. Xander and Dawn had to be sedated. Spike grew very quiet, but was a tremendous support to me and to all of us in the following days.
Much later, I found out that he'd methodically hunted down and destroyed every surviving vampire involved in the attack. He never said a thing about it and I never told him I knew.
After the funeral, things seemed to slowly approach normal. Tara was a godsend; she was so good with Dawn. I realized it was hard on her, being with Spike and me, but she was terrific.
Dawn's obsession with JW gradually disappeared, much to my relief.
The last thought is always the day a few weeks later after I'd returned to school. I found a note in my campus mailbox to come to the office of one of my Professors. I knocked and entered. I hardly recognized the pale and wasted figure sitting at the desk.
Giles, I said, what are you doing here?
He told me that he was prevented from coming to the funeral, but he'd managed a trip to California and managed to escape his 'minders' for the afternoon.
Please, he asked, it did happen as I said didn't it? She forgot about… everything. She wasn't upset at … the end?
I could see the fear in his eyes, the fear that his betrayal had made the last days of the person he loved the most in all the world unhappy, full of regret and empty of joy.
At the end, I said, she said I love him tell Giles I love him.
He trembled with relief and thanked me.
I left the room without another word.
She rose and put a hand on each stone, "goodbye Joyce goodbye Buffy."
She walked back to the bench.
~~~*~~~
"We'll be cruising at thirty thousand feet until we begin our approach to Heathrow, so enjoy the flight folks."
Dawn was only listening to the pilot's voice with half her attention; she was focused on the file of documents and photos on her lap. She picked up the top one and read.
Record of Birth: Jennifer Willow Summers McKay - Female
Father: Andrew Alistair McKay - Edinburgh Scotland U.K.
Mother: Buffy Anne Summers McKay - Sunnydale California USA
Place: Guys Hospital - London England U.K.
Physician: Mary Fergis - OB GYN Resident on call.
She circled the Physicians name, leaned back and closed her eyes.
~Part: 2~
As Willow walked through the deserted corridors, her confidence in the memory of her last visit to Dawn began to fade. She smiled in relief as she turned a corner and saw the door marked 'Authorized Personnel Only - D. Summers'. She pushed through the door and turned into the first office.
A young man with receding hair and a neat beard sat at a desk and looked up from the bound report he was reading.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm here to see Dr. Summers, is she around?" Willow asked.
The man's gaze lingered and then he slowly smiled, "I recognize you, from the picture on her desk.
He rose and offered his hand, "I'm Dawn's research assistant John Forbes."
Willow took his hand, "I'm Willow, pleased to meet you."
"Willow, I should have remembered. I asked her about the picture once. She told me it was of her two big sisters Willow and Buffy."
"I can't believe she still has that old picture, "Willow said.
She continued, "I just flew in and I hoped to surprise her, that's why I didn't call. Is she in the lab?"
John looked uncomfortable, "she's not here, and she wasn't at her apartment last night."
Willow gave him an inquiring look.
"No, there's nothing like that between us, I checked with the manager and I kept calling her. She's always told me where she would be. Some of the research is pretty fluid and we might need her direction. To tell the truth, I'm worried."
"She didn't say anything about going anywhere, maybe back to Sunnydale?"
"No, not a word, I don't think she liked Sunnydale much. She never wanted to talk about it or growing up there."
"Do you mind if I look in her office? Maybe there's something there that'll tell us where she is."
"No, please it's this way, "he said leading her down the corridor and through a door at the end. He flipped on the lights revealing a simple room filled with bookshelves with a large wooden table and chair against the far wall.
Willow walked across to the table and sat in the chair. She began to check the small stack of papers neatly placed in the center of the table.
"Why don't you look through those, I have a figures to check in the lab. I'll be back in a little while, "John said as he left the office.
A few minutes later, Willow finished with the papers. There wasn't a hint of where Dawn had gone.
She noticed the computer headset hanging on the wall next to the darkened flat screen monitor. She put it on and adjusted it to her head.
"Power," she said and the screen came to life. Of course, there was a password screen. Dawn knew the value of her research.
Willow thought for a moment then she checked the brand and model number listed on the corner of the screen.
"Admin xxxdf, "she said and the screen dissolved into an administrator's over ride screen.
It's good to have friends in high places, she thought to herself, especially the kind that design operating systems.
"Scroll files, "she said and lines of print slowly rolled up the screen. The file names were what she expected, mostly biological abbreviations with the letters 'expt', except for one.
"Open file 'where in the world'," she directed. The screen went to black then a red box popped up with the words 'special security password needed' and the number 5.
"Dawn, "Willow said, the only reaction was the flicker of the number to 4.
She looked around for a clue and noticed the picture John had mentioned.
Dawn was in the center with Willow on her left and Buffy on her right. They were all in matching dresses. Buffy was holding a bouquet low partially shielding her protruding stomach. It was a picture taken at Buffy's wedding.
Wedding, Willow and Buffy reduced to one the tries left on the password screen.
She hesitated; she knew that five misses at the password would lock the system beyond her ability to unlock it. Her eyes returned to the picture.
"JW," she said and lines of text and a chart appeared on the screen.
~~~*~~~
Alice Stuart looked up as the visitor closed the door. She was a stranger, tall and pretty in the standard issue hospital white coat.
She peered at Alice's ID badge, "Ms. Stuart could you point out the OB records from 2000 to 2005? I was told they'd been transcribed to new media."
American or Canadian, Alice thought to herself and someone important judging by her superior attitude.
Alice directed her to the inactive archives and quickly ran through the viewer operation.
Dawn ran through the records her faith in the power of a white coat and a confident attitude reinforced by the ease of her access to the Guy's Hospital records.
She found JW's birth entry and notations of three more routine baby checks and then nothing else. She reversed and checked the records again. The third time she noticed the missing time blocks. Certain records for Dr. Fergis had been removed. It was only the fact that the data had been transcribed that made it possible for her to see it.
She sat back disappointed, all this way and no real information gained, she thought to herself.
She sat up and began to flip through the records noting the pediatrician associated with Dr. Fergis' babies. It seemed a Charles Norton handled the vast majority of the cases.
She leaned forward and ran through Dr. Norton's records. She smiled as she found the first entry for JW. An entry two years after the first one was what she was looking for. Transfer of JW's records at the request of another pediatrician. She noted the name and the address and smiled again. This was the proof, now she knew where her niece was.
~~~*~~~
After a half-hour's work, Willow thought she understood the special file. Dawn had compiled a formula to profile unusual occurrences in an area and come up with a score. Then she'd hired a news-clearing house to exercise the formula for Sunnydale California from 1994 to 2000.
Later, she'd had a service collect unusual crime and natural and unnatural disaster news from around the world; the object being to find a current area that matched the Sunnydale profile; a place where demons and vampires were active, somewhere in need of a Slayer, a place where JW might be.
Willow noted the top three locales, one in Norway, and another in Russia and the last in Australia.
"Any luck, "John asked entering the office.
Willow shook her head, "I'm going over to her apartment, I'll let you know if I find anything."
~Part: 3~
Willow punched in the door code and entered when the door slid open. She walked slowly through the apartment trying to feel Dawn's presence. She finished in the small bedroom she'd used as a study. Sitting at the desk, Willow began to systematically search the desktop and drawers.
After an hour spent fruitlessly searching, she rose and walked slowly into the simply furnished bedroom. He sat on the bed and noticed a copy of the same picture that she had seen in Dawns office. She picked it up.
Buffy looked so happy; she was thrilled about the baby. Dawn, she remembered, was even more thrilled than Buffy. Willow stretched out and immediately sat back up. He rummaged under the pillow and pulled out a worn hard covered notebook.
Willow held it in both hands and it opened to a folded envelope. She unfolded it. It was addressed to Dawn postmarked about three months ago. She didn't recognize the name in the return address, but there was something vaguely familiar about the address itself. There was something in it, Willow pulled out a single sheet of paper and read.
'Dear Dr. Summers,
A few days ago, I read an article in the paper about your research. The personal information included said that you had lived in Sunnydale as a child and that you had an older sister named Buffy who passed away some years ago. That struck a chord with me. We moved into our home about five years ago. A few months after we moved in, we renovated one of the bedrooms. During the work, we found a notebook hidden in a hollow spot in one of the walls. It was a diary written by a Buffy Summers. Near the end, it made a reference to Sunnydale. We checked and found out that your parents Hank and Joyce had owned the house almost twenty years ago. We checked the Sunnydale phone book, but couldn't find any Summers listed. I remembered all this when I read the article. I think the book must have belonged to your sister. We would want you to have it.
I hope you find it a comfort,
Jane Hanson
PS - I only read enough of the book to find your sisters name and the Sunnydale reference.'
Willow opened the book and began to read.
~~~*~~~
"Spike, "the rather tipsy demon said, "I see one of your girlfriends is in town."
"What the hell are you going on about? Been drinking gasoline again?" Spike replied.
"Gave it up, it was either that or cigarettes and I love to smoke, "he said blowing out a cloud of acrid blue smoke. "One of my cousins works at the Westminster Hotel and noticed a familiar name in the electronic register."
"OK, "Spike said angrily, "get on with it. Who the bloody hell was it?"
"The illustrious Dr. Summers, "the demon said with a smile wide enough to show four of his six rows of teeth.
~~~*~~~
Willow looked up from the book. It was Buffy's journal a record of her fifteenth year ending when she left for Sunnydale. At first it was any teenager's diary. It was filled with crushes, petty jealousies and all the usual crises of a typical girl's life. Then things began to change. She felt stronger and faster with heightened senses. She eventually accepted the changes and began to settle back into her normal life, until they came.
The Vice-Principal came to her English class and said there were some people to see her. He took her to his office and left her with the two men in dark suits. They knew about the changes and they explained why they'd happened and what she was.
Willow's heart ached when she read Buffy's own record of the pressure that was applied to her. The guilt she would feel when her mother and her friends died horrible deaths, deaths she could have prevented if she had only trained and applied herself.
The record ended with her realization that she would never again lead a normal life; the feelings of sadness, loss and loneliness were almost too much to bear.
Willow's contemplation of the journal was interrupted by a persistent beep. She slipped her port-a-fon over her ear and the beeping stopped.
"Hello."
"Pet, it's me," Spike said.
"Hi, what's up?"
"Did you know Dawn was here in London?"
Willow didn't answer.
"Luv are you there?"
"Did you ask her what she's doing?"
"No, I haven't seen her yet. Someone told me she was at the Westminster."
"Spike, can you meet me at the apartment tomorrow?" Willow asked.
"You're coming here?"
"Can you meet me?"
"Sure, do you want me to ask Dawn to come too?"
"No, I don't want you to go near her."
"Do you know why she's here?"
"I think she's trying to save someone."
"Save someone, who, and from what?"
"A fifteen year old girl she doesn't know from a short and painful life."
~Part: 4~
Andrew checked the clock, still a few minutes left, he thought, wouldn't want to get off on the wrong foot.
The library door opened and his heart stood still for a moment. She was so like her mother, he thought as he took in her slim figure and attractive features. Except for his contribution, he thought as she ran a hand nervously through her medium length red hair.
“Could you come into my office Miss Wilson?”
He ushered her into the small room and closed the door behind them.
~~~*~~~
Willow clicked the box marked clear and then clicked on a later time in the departure list. The computer blinked back, ‘confirmed 1 seat business class, flt 445 LAX to Heathrow’.
After making her original reservation on Dawn’s computer, she was getting ready to leave the apartment, when it hit her.
Dawn had kept the search secret from her, Tara and Spike. Her assistant in the Lab had no idea she'd even left the city let alone the country. Willow knew Dawn better than anyone else in the world, and she knew it was out of character not to talk something like this over with someone. Dawn needed a sounding board for her thoughts and plans, she always had and Willow was pretty sure she hadn’t changed. That meant that she had to change her reservation, she had a stop to make before she left for London.
~~~*~~~
“Will, what a surprise, come on in, “Xander said with a wide grin.
A few minutes later, they were seated in the living room.
“I’m sorry Sally and the boys aren’t here, they’ll be so disappointed that they missed you.
“Me too, but this isn’t really a social call.”
He frowned and shrugged his shoulders, “I know, I was down there last week, fifteen years, I can’t believe it.”
“That’s not it; we need to talk about Dawn, “she said.
“I don’t know what..”
“Cut it out, you never could lie to me about anything, “she said with a half smile.
He sat back in his chair, “is she gone?”
Willow nodded.
“I wasn’t sure she’d really go through with it, “he said.
He absently stroked the area next to his artificial eye; Willow knew it was a sign of uncertainty and concern.
“Don’t look at me like that, “he said in response to her angry appearance. It’s just...It’s hard to explain.”
He sighed and settled back in his chair.
“It started when you brought Buffy back home; you remember how upset Dawn was about JW.”
Willow nodded.
“You told her there were things she didn’t know, that JW was in a safe place, that it only hurt Buffy to bring it up.”
Willow nodded again.
“She did things your way, she didn’t bring up JW and she did her share to take car of Buffy, but she never forgot. In fact, the more Buffy’s memories faded, the harder Dawn held on.”
He sat forward, “do you remember when you sent all the clothes and things that you brought back to the charity second hand shop? The baby things I mean.”
“I remember, “Willow said.
“Well she went down there and bought back all that she could. She put it all in a pink box she kept in her closet and some nights she’d lock herself away and lie with the little clothes and blankets in her bed and wonder and cry. She wondered what had become of JW, but she also wondered how we all could act like she’d never existed.”
“But Xander you know what...”
He interrupted her, his face coloring with emotion, “no Will, I didn’t know and she didn’t know, you were the only one who did know, except maybe for....him.”
“Wait a minute; Spike was there when we needed him.”
“So was I and so was Dawn and so was Tara, but you made all the decisions for everyone.”
“I ..ah .. I only tried to do the right thing, “she said haltingly.
She was close to tears. He reached over and took her hands.
“I’m sorry Will, maybe I should have said this all a long time ago; seeing Dawn and talking about JW just brought it all back.”
“You don’t know the truth, I couldn’t tell anyone, “she said tears rolling down her cheeks unheeded.
“Will, “he said softly, “don’t you see, you didn’t have to do it alone, take all the pressure and try and protect all of us. It cost you so much.”
Willow thought of her life and the gradual isolation she’d experienced since...since then. She hardly saw Tara, had neglected Dawn and she was shaken to realize that she hadn’t seen Xander face to face in nearly five years.
Was it better to withdraw into work than face the guilt of secrets kept too long and promises never made?
He held her as she cried and remembered. He was ten and sixteen and twenty and she was the most precious thing in the world to him.
When she stopped, he held out a handful of Kleenex and helped repair the damage.
“I’m kinda glad you stopped when you did, I’m not sure what might have happened, but I know I couldn’t afford alimony or child support,” he said with his patented half grin.
She smiled, but saw in his face just for a moment the reflection of that stomach wrenching, bone deep, soul to soul longing that was always there deep inside her.
A few moments later, he sat back and took her hands again.
“Will, I’ll tell you everything I know, but you have to promise not to treat her like a little girl and do what you think is best for her. She’s a grown woman and a very strong and intelligent one at that. Don’t take it all on yourself again, other people love Dawn and love you too, remember.”
He told her that Dawn had fallen into the habit of talking to him about JW almost from the beginning. It was something they had together just the two of them. Then after Buffy died, they used that connection to work through their grief. She depended on the belief that a piece of Buffy was out there somewhere and one day she’d find her. Over the years, this idea of finding JW was something they would talk over whenever they had the chance.
It wasn’t until she received her sister’s journal that she started to search. She didn’t want to see Buffy’s daughter go through the same trauma that she did. Willow was right about the computer program and the search for the next ‘Sunnydale”. He didn’t know which of the three places was the one, but he did know what Dawn was doing in England. She was going to try and track JW through her medical records starting from her birth records at Guy’s Hospital.
“You’re going to London?” he asked as they stood by the door.
“Tonight, “she answered.
“Is he there?”
“Yes, I asked him to meet me tomorrow. He’ll help.”
Xander looked away.
“He loves me.”
“I know, “he said with a sigh.
He kissed her on the cheek, “tell him I said hello.”
~~~*~~~
Andrew sat behind his desk and stared at the closed door. She’d been gone for ten minutes and he didn’t want to move, not yet.
He’d told himself how it would be, the day he told her what was expected and that he was her watcher. He was prepared for the surprise and the emotions and the denial. He’d been trained in exactly what to do and say. In the end, it wasn’t any of that.
It was her eyes, they were her mother’s.
~Part: 5~
Willow was glad the apartment door was unlocked. She hadn’t been able to sleep on the flight and wasn’t sure she’d have had the strength to find and turn the old brass key.
She shouldered her single bag and pushed in.
He was in the living room, lounge she’d have to remember to say now, and looked up as she dropped her bag and closed the door.
“You look like bloody hell Pet, “he said.
“Thanks Spike, that’s just what I needed.”
“Sorry, “he said with a grin as he came toward her.
They kissed as Willow leaned in accepting his support, physical and emotional.
“I’m so tired, I can’t even think, “she sighed softly.
At this, he picked her up and carried her out of the room and into the master bedroom.
Laying her gently on the bed, he straightened up, “you stay here and I’ll run a bath for you, lavender bubbles?”
She smiled and nodded as she felt her muscles begin to loosen; it felt as if she’d been wired for days.
Listening to the water running into the Jacuzzi in the master bath, she reluctantly rose and started to undress.
A few minutes later, she pushed the bathroom door open and was greeted by billows of fragrant steam.
She took a deep breath and sighed, ‘I could stand here all night and …”
“Too bad pet, you have a previous engagement, ‘Spike said as he emerged very naked from the swirling vapor.
“I suppose I don’t have to ask if you’re glad to see me, ‘she said with a grin glancing down.
“Hold on you saucy bit, first things first, ‘ and with that he swept her up in his arms and deposited them both in the near scalding tub.
After a few moments to acclimatize to the heat, the stress began to drain from her body.
When Spike, seated behind with her back to his chest, started to scrub her with a large sponge perfumed with the lavender bath oil, she almost purred.
Later, he stood after tucking her in and watched her sleep. He smiled remembering her awkward attempts at love making while he dried her off racing to finish before she collapsed completely.
“No, later pet, ‘he said chuckling as he gently pulled her hand away, “plenty of time for that when you’re up and about.”
“But it’s so …. needy, “she said as her eyes drooped shut and he pulled up the duvet.
~~~*~~~
It was a grey office in a small grey building and Dawn thought the little man probably was hired because his complexion matched.
“Dr. Summers, all your paperwork appears to be in order. We don’t see much of international researchers outside Sydney or Melbourne. Just to satisfy my own curiosity, why would an experimental biologist be interested in small town Australians?”
She smiled her brightest smile, “ first, I think any reason to come here to your amazing country is a good reason and second, I think there are some really fascinating possibilities for genetics research in that population. The inhabitants are all from a relatively restricted gene pool, the UK, and the environment couldn’t be more different from their ancestor’s. Combined with corresponding research in the UK on related individuals who stayed, I think we can measure the environmental effects on genetic material.”
“Hold on Doctor, I don’t see any clinical approvals for blood testing or..”
“For DNA, all I need are some sterile swabs and a person willing to open their mouth, “she added.
Still with a doubtful look, the man handed over a set of official letters and a small laminated card with Dawn’s photo. This was her researcher’s ID and showed she had governmental approval for interviews and collection of samples by noninvasive techniques.
A few minutes later, she stood outside her hired car and waited with the windows down for the interior heat to dissipate. Looking up at a road sign, she saw Graceville 100 KM and she smiled.
~~~*~~~
“He’s right you know, “Spike said to her surprise.
Over morning coffee, she’d been telling him about her visit with Xander.
“So you think I take too much on myself and act like some kind of control freak?” she said angrily.
His half smile irritated her further, “are you going to answer me?”
“Yes dear, “he said mildly, “what ever you say dear.”
“Uhhhhhhh, “she groaned gritting her teeth.
“Take a breath pet, “he said putting a hand on her arm.
“It’s one of the things you do, being strong for other people and being the responsible one. It’s a tremendous strength, but sometimes ….”
Willow bowed her head, “I take it too far, try to protect everyone?”
He nodded.
“Protecting the people you love and wanting them to be safe and happy, not the worst character trait I’ve ever run into, “ he said gently.
“Just remember, ‘ he continued, “Dawn is a grown woman and as protective as you feel toward her, as much as you feel you owe to Buffy, she feels the same about the girl.”
Willow hesitated then sighed, “do you think I should stop and let her go on her own and try to find JW?”
“Hell no, “he said firmly, “remember this is a Slayer situation. The girl wouldn’t have been called unless there was danger, Hellmouth kind of danger. If Dawn’s walking into another Sunnydale, she shouldn’t be doing it alone.”
He could see her change before his eyes; all the uncertainties were gone, there was a mission now.
“Do you think your friend at the Westminster could get us into her room, you did say that she hadn’t checked out?”
He grinned and nodded, this was his Willow the confident and tough woman who’d never give up.
~~~*~~~
Dawn trembled as she stood in the dim alcove next to the office of the Graceville Secondary School. She took slow breaths trying to calm her body. The shock had been immediate and numbing. Just a few moments from announcing her presence to the Head Mistress with a request to interview a cross section of students, she saw him. He passed not ten feet from her, Andrew McKay.
She blinked and looked again as he hurried down the hall. He was older, but it was him. That son of a bitch, she thought as she melted back into the shadows. The reality of what he’d done to her sister and to JW came back as if it had happened yesterday. Rape, kidnapping, maybe murder, she never could pin Willow down on exactly what happened to Giles; but she knew if he were alive he’d never have let this happen.
Ten minutes later, she was in her car parked across the street from the school. She was parked on an angle that should make her invisible behind the glare of the sun of the wind screen. It wasn’t that she thought he’d recognize her after all these years. They’d never spent much time together before…. She felt the anger wash over herself again, her knuckles white where she gripped the steering wheel. She was sure of two things, first that she’d rescue JW and second that she’d not leave him alive when they were gone. She smiled, she could hear Willow and Xander telling her that she was just reacting to the initial shock, that she’d change her mind when she calmed down. She held out her hand flat, palm down, it was steady as a rock. The assurance she could do these thing was a cold hard thing deep inside. It was made up of every tear, every regret, every event in her life she could never share with Buffy and JW. She’d built it bit by bit and year by year, it was a powerful thing.
~~~*~~~
‘Suitcase is gone, “Spike said after checking the closet, “I reckon she’s got the hospital information and gone after her.”
Willow looked up from the desk she was methodically searching, “I was afraid of that, her lap top is gone and the right stuff is missing from the bathroom.”
“Ok pet, “Spike said dropping into the chair next to her, “we’ve just got to figure out where.”
“Easy for you to say, she’s not likely to have left much in the way of clues. Remember, the front desk thinks she’s still here in London.”
“What were the choices?” Spike asked waving away her objections.
Willow say back, “Ok, it’s either Norway, northern Russia or some backwater in Australia.”
Spike stood up and began to pace, “any bills for caviar, fur hats or mink knickers lying about?”
Willow had to grin, “not a lot of anything ‘lying about’. She cleaned up pretty well.”
She gestured at a grey cylinder about the size of a waste basket with a slit in the lid.
“These chemical mist shredders are standard equipment in all hotels that cater to businessmen. Drop a sheet of paper in and poof, no evidence.”
Spike followed her gesture and stared at the device. He moved his head from side to side as he slowly walked toward it.
“Luv, can you take the lid off this thing?”
“I think so, if you deactivate it first, what is it?”
“De whatever it is and let me at it, “ he said squatting down next to the machine.
Willow pushed a few buttons and the thing gave a very faint his, “I think the top just lifts off.”
Spike lifted the lid off carefully with one hand and quickly thrust the other hand inside. He withdrew the hand and opened it to reveal a scrap of paper.
“I could see something hung up at the edge of the slot in the top, lets see what we’ve got.”
He smoothed out the scrap and immediately began to grin. She reached for it, but he snatched his hand away.
“A question Ms Clever boots, what’s the daily ration of sun like at this time of year in Norway and bloody mother Russia?”
“What the hell are you talking about, “she said with irritation.
“Ok, I’ll answer. Me and mine are very conscious of the rise and fall of night throughout the world, saves on embarrassing bursting into flames incidents. Right now, you’d be lucky to see two hours of daylight in either place.”
He held out the slip of paper, “so why does our health conscious young friend need a large bottle of maximum strength sun screen?”
Willow stared at him dumbfounded.
“Bleeding sun, desert, camels and kangaroos, it’s the land down under, Oz, Aus-bloody-stralia.”
~~~*~~~
For the second time that day, Dawn had a shock that reached down to
her soul. But this was a very different kind of shock. She
watched transfixed as the red head with the familiar face and her sister’s
walk crossed the road.
~Part: 6~
“Don’t be a bloody fool, “Andrew McKay said under his breath as he reviewed the summary of local strange and violent happenings supplied by his contacts in the police and at the local newspaper.
He went back to the top of the page and reread the sections he’d missed when his thoughts had drifted back to his meeting with Allie, that was what she called herself now, Alice ‘Allie’ Wilson, transformed in a few minutes from a normal fifteen year old to a Slayer with, almost literally, the weight of the world on her shoulders.
“You’re here because you’ve been called like all the Slayers before you, “he’d explained to the doubting girl.
He’d gotten her reluctant attention with his description of the changes in her speed, strength and reflexes and resistance as he explained the task she was to set them to.
“Does all this have anything to do with my biological parents?” she asked.
That was a change in procedure the Council had agreed on, using genuine adoption, with specially selected parents, for the all Slayers and potentials of the current generation. They’d dressed it up in psychological concern for the Slayer’s emotional well being, but he was convinced it was surrender to the explosion in the availability of personal information in the public domain.
He assured her that it had nothing to do with her late parents, who as far as she knew were killed in a car crash when she was an infant.
There’d been some of her mother’s resolve and more than a little of her stubbornness in her demands for a fuller explanation. He’d assured her that as they began their training, physical and mental, the picture would become much clearer.
With an irritated sigh, he moved back to the start of the page again and forced himself to read and absorb the unpleasant details before him.
Half way down the page he stopped. He reread the short passage and skipped back to one he’d read a few moments earlier. With an increasing sense of dread, he moved ahead skimming the rest of the pages. When he was finished, he pulled a pad toward him and made a few notes, referring back to five separate articles.
He put down his pen and sat back in his chair. He’d missed the first two instances; luckily the third one caught his eye. He’d breathed a sigh of relief when he counted only five.
Things were much closer then he’d thought. Five ritual murders complete with mystical symbols, torture and complete loss of blood. Five of the ten needed to open the hellmouth.
~~~*~~~
Spike smoked as the overcast thickened and they waited for her taxi.
“The only bleeding place they’ll let you smoke any more is outside, and then only sometimes, “he said bitterly as he paced the sidewalk outside the apartment building.
“You’re sure you can’t come with me?” Willow asked again.
He shook his head, “passports, open windows and walks through sunny airports are not for me luv. I have my ways. You’ll be seeing me no more than a day after you get there.”
He slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. Turning toward her, he slipped the other arm under her coat and patted her bottom.
“Be ready when I get there, you’re too easy to get used to.”
She wiggled her rear, “don’t worry, just make sure you are.”
He began to lightly stroke her and then slipped his hand under the waist band of her pants. She melted into him as his fingers ran over the cool silk.
“Taxi sir, madam, “the doorman called discretely.
With an embarrassed flurry of movement, they kissed and he bundled her into the car.
“We pick up right where we left off, right, “he said leaning into the window for a last word.
She leaned to him with a final kiss, ‘I’ll be waiting. ‘she added as the cab pulled away.
~~~*~~~
“What brings you in so bright and early?” Mary Simmons, the school office manager asked.
Andrew grimaced and patted his perfectly flat stomach, “Librarian’s spread, occupational hazard. The games staff said I could use the training room in the mornings. Too many scones and tea cakes, “he said intentionally deepening his Scottish burr as he picked up the day’s in house mail and turned for the Library.”
“It’s a wonder, ‘she said, “a good Scotsman here before his time and the bloody Americans don’t even make an appearance.
“Americans, “he asked idly as he ran his eye down the excused absence list, “we were to be graced with the presence of our cousins from across the sea?”
Mary picked up her cup of tea and relaxed back in her chair, “some scientist probably trying to see if we all act like that git the Crocodile Hunter.”
He nodded absently as he ruffled through the rest of the papers.
“Funny name too, reminded me of a shampoo or body wash, ‘she said with a grin. “Get your hair squeaky clean with a tube of Summers Dawn.”
He looked up in shock.
“That was the way it came listed by the Health and Welfare folks, you know last name first, a rather pretty name when you think of it, Dr. Dawn Summers.”
She looked up to gage his reaction and frowned when she saw that he had gone.
Don’t need any bloody exercise if he can rabbit off like that, she thought as she turned back to her tea.
~~~*~~~
Sara blinked as the hood was snatched from her head and she was pushed forward violently. Before her eyes had acclimatized to the light, she collided with another person and they both fell.
“Where are we?” she asked as she made out the face of the girl she’d collided with.
“Don’t know, “the other one said in a frightened voice.
Sara looked at her new surroundings. It was a ten by ten room with a steel door and a dim light in the center of the ceiling. There were three other girls seated along the walls, they all looked tired and frightened. She helped the fourth girl up and asked, ‘why are we here?”
“I don’t know, but I have a really bad feeling. When you were shoved through, I heard a voice say ‘number ten, she’s the last.”
~~~*~~~
Dawn opened the car door and got out. She stood looking at the door, 234 Smith Way, a half hour before; she’d watched Alice Wilson go through that very door.
She squared her shoulders and took the first step up the front path.
~Part: 7~
“Miss Rosenberg?” the young woman in the blue uniform asked as Willow took her turn at the hire car counter at Sydney airport.
“Yes, “she said curious as to how they’d identified her, “I’ve a car reserved for the week.”
She handed over her credit card and driver’s license to a second young woman who commenced the scanning and key rattling that went with any modern purchase.
The first girl held out a folded sheet of paper, ‘this message was called in this morning, ‘she said.
Willow unfolded it and read, ‘I’ll be a little later than I thought bad connections. You might as well head out and I’ll catch up.’ It was signed with an ‘S’.
She put down the note and noticed the three girls behind the counter looking away quickly. What the hell is going on, she thought, as one of them burst into a fit of giggling.
She was about to ask how they’d recognized her when she turned the folded sheet over. On the back it read, ‘message for customer Willow Rosenberg London / Sydney flight today, caller said you can’t miss her, she’ll be the sexiest red head in the place.’
A red faced Willow thanked the clerk for her keys and looked for the pick up area.
The girl who’d handed her the note called after her, “Miss.”
Willow returned to the counter. The girl leaned closer and lowered her voice, “I’m the one who took the call this morning and ….” She looked around at the others and leaned closer, “is this S as dead sexy as he sounds?”
Willow smiled and whispered, “more.”
~~~*~~~
Andrew pulled off the road and onto the dry hard ground surrounding the little house. He opened the car door and paused as the heat swirled momentarily held at bay by the remnants of conditioned air.
He approached the house; it was in poor repair and nearly colorless in faded paint. He knocked on the warped screen door with no response.
Circling the house, he stopped on the baked clay of the backyard. He could make out a small figure standing by a large solitary rock some distance away. With a grunt, he started for the figure.
When he got closer, he realized the figure was Horace and that he was daubing bright paint onto the rock.
He stood silently twenty feet behind the old native Australian and watched him paint. He recognized some of the symbols and figures but others were completely new to him.
He walked closer when the old man finally put down his materials and turned in his direction.
“Good day Horace, something to help us?” he asked gesturing toward the rock.
The white head nodded, “we can only hope, we’ll surely be needing all the help we can get.”
“How have things been?” Andrew asked.
“Things are changing fast, something’s coming and very soon, “he said pointing off to the east.
Andrew could just make out some wisps of what looked like steam.
“That’s from the Dwelling?”
Horace nodded, “started about two days ago, been getting stronger ever since.”
Andrew immediately fixed on the significance of the timing; the police theorized that the first ritual killing happened two days ago.
As they walked back to the house, Andrew admired the old man’s effortless gait as he covered the distance. Looks like he could walk halfway across the country, he thought, hell, he probably has.
They shared a drink as he told Horace about the five killings and the coincidence of the first and the incresed activity at the Devil’s Dwelling depression.
“It’s the ………, “Andrew said using a word Andrew had never heard before and couldn’t have pronounced if he’d wanted to.
Catching his puzzled look, Horace added, “Hellmouth, I guess you’d say in English.”
Watching the Dwelling was a sacred duty to Horace. Andrew had been quite surprised when a high official of the Watcher’s Council made a lightning visit just to perform the introductions. From that point on, they’d formed a team to keep one eye on the demon trouble spot and the other on the new Slayer’s development. Unfortunately it appeared as if the demons were in the lead.
“You’re working with her now?” Horace asked.
“Yes, I’ve tried to accelerate things as best I can. She’s strong and determined like her mother.”
“and perhaps a bit like her father as well, ‘ the old man said with a quiet smile.
~~~*~~~
“You know why we’re here, right?” the vampire said as he examined the group gathered in what was once the dining room of an abandoned hotel that was a monument to the overestimation of the tourist potential of the region in the 1970’s.
There were perhaps twenty other vampires and another twenty demons of all sizes and shapes.
A dark green creature with an impressive set of curved teeth nodded, “opening the hellmouth.”
“Take this world, ‘a yellow faced being spoke up.”
“Take the sweet and tender Slayer, ‘a vampire added with a lascivious grin.
“No, no, “the vampire who spoke first interrupted angrily, ‘you’re all wrong.”
“Why are we here?” he asked again, but this time there was an extra timbre to his voice and his eyes flashed not the usual yellow, but a cold hard red.
The largest and most ferocious looking demon came forward and knelt, “to serve Him.”
In a few moments the room was filled with kneeling creatures and the air reverberated to the chant, “Him, Him, Him…”
~~~*~~~
“Mrs. Wilson, I can’t thank you enough for helping out with this information, ‘Dawn said. She was seated in the comfortable living room of the Wilson home. Mrs. Wilson, a handsome blond woman of about forty sat in a chair opposite her and smiled. Allie sat at the opposite end of the couch from Dawn, taking in everything through Buffy’s eyes.
Dawn had been surprised by her likeness to Buffy, she’d expected there to be some resemblance, but with the exception of the hair and three inches in height, she was almost her sister’s double at the age of fifteen.
She’d been surprised at the openness she’d encountered. There was no secret about Allie’s adoption and the Wilson’s divorce some five years later.
“I’d like to see my Dad more, but now that he lives in the UK,” her already sad face fell further, “with his wife and new family….”
Allie let her answer drift off.
Dawn looked down at the old experimental survey form she’d brought from California and realized all the questions had been asked.
She rose and gathered her things.
“Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it.” She turned to Allie, “I think you had some interesting things to say, do you mind if I come by to see you while I’m here collecting data?”
Allie smiled, ‘that’d be OK,” and her mother nodded.
~~~*~~~
Willow drove through the night, it was a desolate, lonely and yet beautiful landscape. She was anxious to see Dawn and she had to admit, even more anxious to see JW.
Without attributing any significance to it, she registered a faint orange glow in the sky toward the east as she approached Graceville. Because of the scarcity of traffic, she also noticed the ancient land rover that passed her going east; she didn’t notice the elderly white haired native Australian man driving. She also didn’t notice the shadow that followed also traveling east as if a large object had crossed in front of the moon.
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