FIC: Stormchaser (2/?)

["M.L. Tankesly" <Shadowlander1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Stormchaser (2/?)
Author: Shadowlander
Email: Shadowlander1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx - or - Tankesly@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Rating: PG -17
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in the Buffy universe, as much as I
would really like to, and no profit of any kind is being made.
Spoilers: Still none - all of these takes place in an alternate
universe where really strange stuff seems to happen.
Pairing: Buffy/Willow
Summary: Let's see Buffy is looking for answers and Willow is having
strange dreams of her own.
Notes: This story is still dedicated to Rodrigo, who I made out to be a
slave driver in my last dedication - but isn't. He just has this
overwhelming need for me to type faster. :)

STORMCHASER (2/?)

Sunnydale High

When Rupert Giles pulled into the school parking lot, to begin yet
another battle in the war against the forces of darkness {not to mention
illiteracy}, he was surprised to find his Slayer waiting, rather
impatiently, for him. Slowly putting his auto into park, he briefly
went over the possible reasons for Buffy Summers to be standing in front
of his vehicle; on a Wednesday morning, roughly forty-five minutes
before classes were scheduled to begin, with a look of irration in her
face. Rapidly he narrowed it down to three possible scenarios to her
somewhat odd behavior, and it was truly out of character for the young
woman to be anywhere near the school this early in the morning. Neither
one, the world was about to end in one big fiery ball, unless the Slayer
intervened in time. Which Giles dismissed almost as soon as the thought
crossed his mind, if such an event was about to happen, changes were he
would have known about it already. Two, Buffy had come across something
while on patrol last night that needed his immediate attention. Which
was also unlikely, mainly do to the fact that Giles had accompanied the
young woman on her tour through Sunnydale's many graveyards - and had
been found the entire ordeal numbly boring beyond all reason. The last
option, somewhat chilled the Watcher/Librarian to the bone, perhaps the
stress of her sacred duty - and inability to find sensible slaying shoes
- had finally cracked the young woman, causing her to stalk British
Librarians in high school parking lots.

"Rubbish." He said under his breath, coming to the conclusion that he
had been spending way too much time in the company of Alexander
Harris. The boy was most definitely rubbing off on Giles in the most
annoying way. shaking his head to clear it of the unruly thoughts, he
begins to gather up his kit in the seat next to him, only to be startled
by the driver's side door suddenly being flung open.

"Will you get out of the car all ready!" Buffy hissed leaning in to
give him the evil eye.

****************************
Meanwhile, at the same time just outside of town.

"Wills, breakfast!" Marco Garibaldi called out, putting the final
touches on his carefully simmering omelet by adding a healthy amount of
mushrooms and cheese before folding the entire thing in half and easily
sliding it out of the pan and onto a waiting plate. "Your omelet,
madam." He playfully said handing over the plate to the young redhead
that chose that moment to walk into the kitchen.

Not quite awake, Willow took the plate absently as she passed doing a
double take once she reached the corner table and realized what she had
in her hands. "I hate when you do that." She grumbled lowly putting
down the plate and taking her seat at the table.

"No you don't," Marco chuckled placing a kiss on the top of her head as
he walked by to take his own place at the table.

For as long as Willow could remember Marco had always been there for
her. He always know where she was, what she was doing, and usually with
whom. To most teenagers having their movements so easily tracked would
be mortifying, the teen years being when most young people start to
experiment and test their surroundings, trying to find their place in
the world. To Willow it was just her "half brother" being himself,
Marco was a strong psi, border line telepath actually, so one just got
used to such behavior. Marco just couldn't shut-off what made him
unique among their people, no more then he could change the colour of
the fine black fur that covered his body. Looking at him, Willow
assumed most would find him to be a terrifying sight, a giant black
panther that decided to stand up on two legs one fine day to see what
all the fuss was about. To her, he was just Marco, her big brother,
protector, fellow mischief maker, and confidant all rolled into one. It
was he who took in the tiny halfling all those years ago when she had
been abandoned by her family. It was Marco who had taught her about her
heritage, taught her the ways of her people - the ones who made their
homes in the shadows, not the sun-walkers who had left her to die a
dumpster behind a nameless hotel in some forgotten town. It was also
Marco, who had encouraged her to learn about the sun-walkers, who made
up the other half of her heritage. Sometimes Willow wished she carried
one type of blood in her veins, instead of the dual heritage of a
sun-walker/shadow-walker mix. It was so hard trying to balance both
sides of herself, the one that could go out among the 'humans' and pass
for one of them without much trouble, and the other that longed to prowl
the night with her 'wild' cousins who roamed the earth on all fours.

"Eat." Came the gentle encouragement, bring her out of her silent
musings. Looking into the golden eyes across from her, Willow cuts into
the side of her omelet with her folk, pushing aside melancholy
thoughts. She learned along time ago to except her 'uniqueness' among
the pack, it kept things interesting as Grandfather would say.

"Did you sleep okay? I heard you call out last night." Marco
questioned his golden eyes studying what, by all appearances, was a
young human seated across from him. He could feel the direction her
thoughts had taken moments ago. Such thoughts had deeply troubled his
little sister over the past few months, as her approaching adulthood
weighed heavily on her young mind. It wasn't easy growing up, it was
one of the few traits that the humans shared with his kind. He had no
delusions that it was any easier on Willow, especially with her dual
heritage pulling at her from different directions. He also knew that
things were about to get a lot more difficult for Willow in the very
near future. There was a reason he had asked her to move with him to
Sunnydale, away from the extended family of the pack, to finish up her
junior and senior year of high school among the sun-walkers. Willow was
destined for something big, Marco had known it for a long time, every
since that day seventeen years ago when a vision led him to an infant
child abandoned by frightened parents, who had little understanding of
why their only child had somehow gained fur and a set of fangs.

"I was dreaming about that nut vampire again." Willow replied with a
growl. "That crazy leech was having..I don't know?...a tea party, I
think! All night, she kept going on and on about the stars singing to
her and killing the nasty old Slayer, whatever THAT is?!" she continued
stabbing at the remains of her breakfast. "And she wants me to help
her! Kept calling me her little kitten! Her new little pet! I'll
kitten her, just let her try to collar me. I got something for her."
She growled darkly, her green eyes flashing with anger and something not
quite human.

"Drusilla," Marco's voice cut into her grumbling. "She's going to be
trouble, don't underestimate her, she's as dangerous as they come.
Don't try to take her on alone, she's almost as powerful as I am and
she's a lot crazier then I'll ever be........not a very good
combination." His words brought a knowing smile to both of their
faces. "As for the Slayer, that one's easy. The Slayer is the
sun-walker's chosen one to kill vampires. I'm not sure exactly how it
works, never had much to do with any of them, they come and go so fast.
I do know that there is a Slayer here, a powerful one at that. Not
really trained up here." He continued tapping the side of his dark head
with one claw. "But has the potential for it. I think Drusilla know
this too, and is looking for a way to destroy the Slayer before she
becomes a real threat to the leeches." Marco said finishing off his own
breakfast.

"Does that make this Slayer friend or foe?" Willow wondered, cocking
her head to one side in thought.

"I'm not sure........things are muddled where she is concerned. Ideally
she is a good alley, we both hate leeches and really have no desire to
see the world end anytime soon. Then there is Drusilla. She's the real
wild card in all this, if she's messing with your dreams, changes are
she's playing with the Slayer's too. Can't really be sure how the
Slayer will react until we come face to face." Marco paused for a
moment noting the time. "But all of that is going to have to
wait......you're going to be late for school."

***************************
Later
Sunnydale High Library

"Er....hello?"
Willow called out letting the door swing closed behind her as she
cautiously stepped into the library. Something about the large room
void of any living beings at the moment, tugged at the back of her mind
calling at her base instincts. Telling her that this was a place that
held great power and knowledge and unfortunately, like the rest of the
town, wreaked of evil. Although, in truth the library did seem to smell
a bit better then the rest of Sunnydale, but Willow dismissed it as the
effects of the hellmouth the whole city had been built upon. 'Only
sun-walkers would built a town over a hellmouth,' she thought ruefully,
before being distracted by a new scent. "What the?....." She whispered
to herself turning back toward the doors, just as they opened to reveal
Buffy Summers deep in a conversation with her Watcher. Quickly stepping
out of the way, Willow takes a moment to study the two, they didn't seem
to be aware of her at all. 'Odd, the girl doesn't small like a
sun-walker.' She absently noted. 'And they both smell of leeches
and...' Willow was brought out of her silent musings when Buffy's
'spider sense' finally kicked in and she released her and Giles were
not alone.

Turning around to face the possible threat......she only stares in shock
at the site of the figure from her nightmare calmly standing before
her. For her part, Willow didn't know what to make of the blonde girl's
rapid change of emotions. First there was; caution, then recognition,
and then shock?? Which made no sense at all, she was sure she would
remember someone like the funny smelling sun-walker before her. If
nothing more, then because of the strange little scent she had, she was
thrown into even more confusion when Buffy finally found her voice and
said.

"You!!!!"

*****************
End Part Two