Echoes
by Rainne
Part Four
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Giles was welcomed by the clamor of girls who all knew and loved him. He was a favorite among the seventh and eighth graders, who all thought he was better than Mel Gibson. He tolerated them all patiently, smiling at them as they fluttered about him. Tara was introduced to everyone at supper and rumors began to fly that she was Mr. Giles's girlfriend.
It was a Friday night, and the manor house rang with the shouts of children who were all but let to run amok on the weekends. There was dancing in the ballroom to earsplitting popular music for the older girls; the fourth graders were playing hide-and-go-seek on the second floor; several of the high schoolers were sparring in the foyer. Tara wandered through the chaos, marveling at everything she saw. The manor house itself was gorgeous, the children happy and well cared-for. She met Dakota in the small drawing room and grinned. "You guys have done a really impressive job here," she complimented.
"Thanks," Dakota replied with a smile. "Hey, want to see the workrooms upstairs?"
"The magick classrooms?"
"Yeah." Dakota laughed as she led Tara to the main staircase. "The kids call it the Hogwarts floor."
Tara laughed as well. "This I'm dying to see."
Dakota led Tara upstairs and gave her a full tour of the magick classes and then the book tower. "This is the room that got Nicki into such trouble," she explained. She walked over to one of the bookshelves and tugged on it; it swung open easily to reveal a dusty hidden passageway. "Apparently, there's an entire network of these tunnels all through the building. I haven't been all through it, but Nicole - Nicki's little partner in crime - tells me that there are at least two rooms that can only be accessed through these hallways."
"Wow!" Tara exclaimed, peering into the darkened space. "So that's how she got in here?"
Dakota nodded. "She didn't even find it on purpose. If she'd had the sense to get out of here when she realized where she was, I'd never have caught her. But no, she had to explore."
"She's really grown up," Tara offered.
Dakota laughed softly. "Faith told me. Turquoise hair and a new bite scar." She shook her head. "I don't know if Nicki's cut out for this."
"She's doing wonderfully," Tara said softly. "You should come see her sometime. She talks about you constantly."
"Yeah?" Dakota smiled. "You have to forgive me. I'm feeling my immortality these days." She sighed. "I think it's the little ones. They grow up so fast, and it's starting to sink in to me that all these girls are training to eventually go out and die. I think I understand why the Council guys were the way they were: they had to be, in order to keep doing this day after day without going insane."
Tara didn't know what to say. She settled for hugging Dakota tightly. "Everything will be okay," she promised. "The teams in Sunnydale are excellent. They're skilled and they're strong. They'll last a long time."
"I hope so," Dakota whispered. "I hope so."
The next morning, a flurry of activity met Tara when she came downstairs. It was still an hour before breakfast, but girls were moving around at breakneck speeds, carrying bags and boxes and shouting back and forth to one another. A young girl in a blue polo shirt and khaki cargo shorts bounded cheerfully up to Tara. "Hey, Miss Tara. I'm Emma Masters. My Slayer and I have been assigned to you for the trip."
"Trip?" Tara asked, confused.
"Yeah, to the henge. You know it's a two-day trip up the river, right?"
Tara shook her head. "No, I didn't know. I thought it was on the Academy grounds."
Emma grinned. "It is."
"Oh, wow," Tara marveled. "I had no idea the grounds were that vast."
"Oh, yeah, it's huge," Emma replied. "You'd be amazed."
"Maybe I should pack a bag," Tara mused.
Emma winked. "Maybe so. Kennedy and I will catch up with you after breakfast, okay?"
"Okay," Tara replied, and returned upstairs to prepare for the trip.
Breakfast was a noisy affair. Only fourteen students had been able to sign up to go - seven Partners and seven Potentials - and the ones who hadn't made it to the sign-up sheet in time were jealous. Shouts and catcalls rang back and forth through the huge dining hall until Faith stood up, instantly silencing the room.
She cleared her throat. "I know everyone's excited about the trip, and those of you who are staying behind are excited about a weekend with only Miss Maisri and the student monitors in charge. However, I know you all know how to behave, and the noise level in this room is unacceptable. This is your first and only warning." She sat down again. For a few minutes, the hall was deadly silent except for the clink of cutlery on plates; then the quiet buzz of conversation arose again, but this time at a tolerable volume.
Once breakfast was over, everyone going on the trip assembled on the south lawn. Each team of girls carried a canoe. Kennedy told Tara not to worry - she would ride in the canoe with them.
Giles caught up with Tara on the trek down to the riverside. "How do you like it so far?" he asked her.
The smile she turned on him was brilliant. "I love it. I want to stay."
He smiled back at her. "I'm sure you'd be welcome," he assured her. "We'd miss you in Sunnydale, though."
She blushed and ducked her head shyly. a habit she'd never been able to break. "I'd come visit," she said softly.
He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We wouldn't have it any other way."
At the river, canoes were packed and the girls all gathered together to listen to directions. Krista Leichtermann, the Potential who had discovered the circle, spoke. "The circle is seven hours from here, upriver," she announced. "There are three sets of rapids between here and there which will be somewhat difficult, but not too hard for any of you. I have an air horn." She demonstrated with a blast on the horn. "When you hear two short blasts, this means that we will be stopping. I also have whistles, one for each team." She held up a bag. "Each team will carry a whistle. If you capsize or get into trouble, you will blow the whistle. If you hear a whistle, you will immediately stop where you are until you hear one long blast on the horn, which will tell you that we will all gather wherever I am. If you are within visual range of a team which blows its whistle, you will move immediately to render assistance. Are there any questions?"
There were none, and Krista continued. "There is to be no horseplay!" she ordered. "This is a serious mission to investigate supernatural phenomenon. You will behave as you would in the field. Anyone who cannot do this is welcome to return to the manor." There was a long moment of silence, then Krista smiled. "Then let us go!"
The sounds of splashing began as girls and canoes entered the water.
---
"Willow? Honey?"
Willow blinked, coming slowly out of a deep sleep. "Mmm?"
Buffy sat on the edge of the bed, tenderly stroking Willow's cheek. "Honey? I'm gonna run down to the supermarket, okay?"
"Mmkay."
"I've put the phone here on the night table," Buffy said gently. "If you need anything, call my cell. Okay?"
"Mmkay. Love you."
"I love you, too, sweetie." Buffy kissed Willow tenderly, then slipped out of the bedroom. She grabbed her cell phone and the keys to the Xterra off the coffee table and headed out.
Willow came out of a deep sleep to the accompaniment of unpleasant cramps in her stomach. She massaged her belly, trying to ease the spasms, and smiled when the baby kicked in protest. She yawned and stretched luxuriously, and then gasped as another cramp rippled across her stomach. This one, however, was accompanied by a sudden surge of wetness flooding between her legs. "Oh, God!" she exclaimed. She snatched the phone off the bedside table.
Buffy was standing in the baby aisle, examining the different varieties of baby food available, when her cell phone went off at her waist. She flipped it open without glancing at the caller ID. "Summers."
"Buffy?"
Buffy froze at the breathless sound of the voice coming through the line. "Wills?"
"Buffy, you need to come home right now. My water just broke."
"I'm on my way," Buffy exclaimed and bolted from the store. She called the obstetrician from the car and made sure that he would meet them at the hospital. Then she hung up and called another number.
"Magic Box, Xander speaking."
"Xand! I'm getting Wills and we're going to the hospital. Her water just broke."
"I'm on it," he replied, hanging up. He began making phone calls.
Buffy pulled the Xterra across the grass and right up to the front door. She burst in and ran upstairs to find Willow sliding her feet into shoes. The Slayer retrieved Willow's hospital bag, then helped her lover down the stairs and into the car.
"I wish Giles was here," Willow said sadly as they pulled out onto the street.
"I do, too, babe," Buffy agreed, squeezing Willow's hand as she maneuvered them through traffic. "Xander's calling over there, though. He'll be back as soon as he can."
---
"What do you mean, he's not there?" Xander exclaimed. "He called and said he was there!"
"No, Mr. Harris, that's not what I mean," Louisa Velasquez, Potential on phone duty, explained into the transatlantic line. "I mean he's not here right now. They've all gone down to the henge. It's a two day trip. They won't be back until probably very late tomorrow."
"You can't get them on the cell phone?"
"No reception out there, Mr. Harris. I'm really sorry. I promise, as soon as he steps foot on land, I'll give him your message. I swear it."
Xander sighed. "If it's all you got, it'll have to do. I gotta go - I gotta get to the hospital."
"Good luck, Mr. Harris," Louisa said as she hung up. She turned then to face her partner, Brittany Cage. "Baby."
"Ooh, how exciting," Brittany exclaimed. "Whose?"
"Miss Willow and Miss Buffy."
"Sweet!"
---
"Just relax, baby, okay? Everything is gonna be okay." Buffy smoothed back Willow's sweat-dampened hair and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Dr. Nichols is here, okay? And he says you're gonna be just fine."
Willow's hand clamped down on Buffy's wrist. "Remember what you promised me."
The doctor came bustling in before Buffy could respond, a wide smile on his face. "Well, well, Willow and Buffy! I thought we'd set this up for next week."
"Sorry, Dr. Nick," Willow gasped. "I just couldn't wait."
"Well, all right, then," he said, snapping on a pair of rubber gloves. "Let's just see where we are, shall we?"
---
Janna and Dawn burst into the waiting room, Siobhan and Ebony on their heels. "What's going on? What have you heard?"
Xander looked up. "Nothing yet. They've only been in for about two hours. Buffy came out about forty-five minutes ago and said they were gonna try for the C-section, but they weren't sure they were gonna be able to do it."
Ebony gasped. "But Buffy said -"
He nodded, his face wan. "The natural birth is incredibly dangerous for her."
Siobhan moved to the corner and dropped to her knees facing a chair. Pulling her rosary out of her pocket, she began to pray quietly in Latin. "Ave Maria, gratia plena..."
One by one, the others sat down around the room and added their own silent prayers to Siobhan's audible ones.