Willow's Legacy
by Didge
Willow's Legacy
[reviews]
Willow's Legacy
A/N: This is the first of my stories that I have posted and it is likely to be a long one as I'm hoping to cover all seven seasons of Buffy and beyond. I've used the AU which I've created in some of my other stories and I'm hoping that by posting this story first it will save some explanations later on. I've had the basic idea running through my head for a while and finally decided to see if it will work or not so any comments will be taken on board. Anyway on with the story.
Chapter 1
Dawn stood at the foot of a grave with her arm around her sixteen year old daughter. She looked up at the headstone and once again read the familiar inscription. "Willow & Buffy Rosenberg--Summers Together Always". Had it really been twelve months since her sister and sister-in-law had been killed, it didn't seem that long. Every day she still expected them to call round or to see them walking hand in hand around the campus. With a sigh Dawn looked down at the grave where a young red headed girl the same age as her daughter was arranging flowers. There was a bunch of red and white roses which she knew were from Xander and a bunch of red roses with a single white rose which she knew were from Giles. She smiled gently at some past memory of happier times and noticed that the young girl had finished arranging the flowers and was just knelt looking at the grave. "Are you ready to go Jen?" she asked quietly. The young red head looked up with tears in her eyes then stood up and with their arms around each other the three women left the cemetery.
As they walked up the path towards Dawn's front door the young red head, still with tears in her eyes, looked up at the older woman. "Why did it happen Auntie Dawn? Why with all the danger they faced, all the years of fighting evil, why was it some stupid drunken driver who killed them?" "I don't know Jenny, I really don't." Dawn replied sadly. "Well it's not fare." Jenny pulled away from Dawn, ran into the house and straight up to her room. "I'll go up to her Mom," the young brunette held in Dawns other arm told her mother. "No Joy. Give her five minutes and then take her up a drink and ask her to come down. There's something I want to talk to her about." Dawn had finally made a decision.
Dawn was sitting in her favourite chair sipping a cup of herbal tea when the two teenagers finally came into the lounge. Jenny had stopped crying but her eyes were still red and Joy wasn't her usual bouncy self. "Joy said you wanted to talk to me?" Jenny looked across at her Aunt. "Yes, sit down please I want to talk to you both." The two girls sat on the sofa opposite Dawn. "Now just after you were born Jen your mother gave me something to keep in trust for you. She told me to give it to you when I thought you were ready or when you needed it. I think now is the time." Dawn reached down and placed a large chest on the table between them. "Inside this chest are some journals your mother wrote when she was expecting you and when she gave them to me Willow made certain stipulations which have to be met before you can read them. The main one was that you shouldn't be alone when you read them. I know you won't want me there every time you read these books and I think they will be of interest to Joy as well and so I want a promise from you Jen." She looked directly at the red head. "Do you promise to always keep the books in the chest and return any book your reading to the chest when you are done?" Jenny started to reply but Dawn held up her hand to stop her. "Bear in mind that your mother was a very powerful witch and if you break your promise I will know and you'll only be allowed to read them when I'm there." "I promise," whispered Jenny as she reached out and gently stroked the chest. "Now you Joy." Dawn looked across at her daughter. "The chest is locked by magic. I will tell you, just you, the spell to open it, you're to keep it to yourself and not tell Jenny but anytime Jenny wants the chest opened, any time, you're to open it for her and don't forget what I just told Jen about your Auntie Willow." "I promise Mom." "Well I'll open the chest for you and then I'll go and get a meal ready while you two have a look at the contents and then after dinner I'll tell you the spell and you can take the chest up to your room if you want to." Dawn brushed her hand over the chest as she muttered a phrase under her breath. There was a click and the top of the chest opened slightly, she then walked out of the room into the kitchen.
Jenny looked across at Joy and then reached out and lifted the lid of the chest. Inside were several books, about A4 size, and on the top was a letter addressed to her. Jenny picked up the letter and started to read it while Joy put her arm around her cousin and read over her shoulder.
"Hi baby, I'm very sorry about this but if you are reading this letter then I know that I am dead. Please don't be too sad darling because I hope that with all the good things Buffy and I have done in our lives that I will be in a good place and know that I will always be watching over you." As they read both girls felt their eyes begin to fill with tears. "I wrote these journals when I was carrying you because I didn't know if I would ever get the chance to tell you all about the things that have happened in my life, particularly the wonderful people I've known and loved. This is the history of your Family. Not a blow by blow account of everything that we have faced, if you want to know that ask Grandpa Giles to show you his 'Watcher' Diaries. This is mostly what I felt as my 'Family' lived through years battling against some of the evil in this world. I've asked your Auntie Dawn to look after them for you and to let you read them when she thinks that the time is right. I ask you; please don't read them on your own. Some of the things that happened weren't very nice and I've tried to be completely honest in these books. Let Joy read them with you. This is about her Family too and I know how much you will look out for each other. I'll bet you will be more like sisters than cousins. If you have any questions about the things you read don't be afraid to ask. I'm sure your Auntie Dawn, Uncle Xander or Grandpa Giles will explain things and help you to understand but one thing I beg you, don't ask Buffy, my death will hit her very hard and I don't want to cause her any more pain by raking up old memories. Well I think that's all I can tell you about these books, read them, learn all about your Family and please don't be too sad. We had a good life and don't forget I always love you. Unconditionally. May the Goddess watch over you baby. Your loving Mother.
Tears were running down both girls faces as they finished reading the letter and neither of them said anything, they just turned and hugged each other as their emotions washed over them. Finally as they calmed down they broke apart and Jenny replaced the letter in the chest, picked up the first volume and opened it and the two girls began to read.
Chapter 2
"I am writing this my darling daughter while you are still growing inside me. I want you to know who you are, who your parents are and who and what your Family is and I don't know if I will be alive when the right time comes to tell you these things. I know this sounds a bit melodramatic but as you read these volumes you will realise, I hope, how lucky we've been to reach even this point in our lives and who knows what the future holds? You will realise as you grow my darling, please excuse me calling you this but we haven't decided on a name for you yet, any way you will realise as you grow my darling that your family life isn't exactly the same as other children. For one thing you haven't got a father. There was no man involved in your conception so it's no good trying to trace someone who doesn't exist. If you have your D.N.A. checked you will only find my own and Buffy's. This is how I know that you will be our daughter even though you are only a few weeks old. You were conceived with the help of magic and in the total love which Buffy and I have for each other. If you want to know the details then you must seek out and ask Rupert Giles or your Auntie Dawn, they can tell you how and why you were born."
"I've just realised as I write this that if you ever read these books then you will be at least sixteen, this is one of the conditions I am going to place on you being given these books, and I will be dead so how have the last sixteen years been? I hope they have been happy ones for you because know this, even though you haven't been born yet you are already truly loved by both your parents. I don't know how we are going to handle the parent thing, what with you having two mothers so I will refer to myself as your mother, since I am carrying you and Buffy will just be Buffy, she always has been 'just Buffy' anyway. Anyway, your family. On my side you will have a Grandmother and a Grandfather, I don't know if you will know them because we don't really get on and on Buffy's side you may have a Grandfather, we haven't heard from him in years but you never know. Well these are your biological family but don't worry if you don't meet them because as we have found out over the years your 'Real' Family isn't who you are related too by blood, your 'Real' Family are the people who stand by you when you need them, the people who look out for you and help you without conditions being placed on their help."
"So who is your Real Family? Starting with the oldest there is Rupert Giles. Giles was Buffy's 'Watcher', I'm sure you know what a Watcher is by now, but he also took the rest of us under his wing and he was more like a Father to us, particularly Xander and myself. If you ever have any doubts, fears or problems go to Giles, he won't judge you. He may be disappointed with you if you've done something stupid but he will always help, unconditionally, and if you have done something stupid he'll expect you not to do it again.
The next oldest is Alexander L Harris, I'm not going to tell you what the L stands for, if Xander tells you himself you can count yourself a very lucky person because not a lot of people know (I'm not even sure if Buffy knows). Xander may seem stubborn at times and he may do stupid things which may upset you but know that he will always love you and he will be the first one to stand by you if you are in any trouble. He is the 'Heart' of our family, the main one who keeps us all together and you never realise how important he is to us all until for some reason he's not there, then things start to fall apart.
Next on the list is Buffy's sister Dawn (I suppose it will be Auntie Dawn). It's a bit complicated to explain why I haven't included Dawn as a 'Blood' relative but I'm sure you will have found out by now. If you haven't Giles will explain it to you. As I write this Dawn is currently training to be a Watcher and as a Watcher she could be sent anywhere in the world so I don't know how much contact you will have with her but with her intelligence and abilities if the Council don't keep her local then I think that they will all require certifying as insane, as I am a member of that Council I don't think any of us are that mad.
Lastly there is the new addition to our Family. Dawn's new baby was born two months ago and she is beautiful, just as I know you are going to be. They have called her Joyce after Buffy and Dawn's mother (who would have been your Grandmother) and I hope you are going to be best friends as you grow up but as I said earlier Family isn't who you are related to Family is who you love.
There may be other members who join your Family over the years, 'Aunts', 'Uncles', 'Nieces', 'Nephews', 'Cousins', 'Brothers' and 'Sisters' (as you read these books you will find out about some past 'Relatives' like Oz and Tara) but I don't know who they will be. The only person I really wish was here to help you is Buffy's Mom, she was a Mother to us all in the early days as Giles was a Father to us and I am sure she would love you and guide you as she did all of us but she can't be here so the rest of us will just have to remember her and try to make up for her absence.
Anyway that is your Family. If I haven't made it clear to you what I am talking about or if it doesn't make much sense to you don't be afraid to ask any of them to explain.
I'm now going to tell you the history of your Family. This wont be a list of the things that we did or anything like that. If you want to know the 'Official' version ask Giles to let you see his Watcher Diaries. This will be mostly an account of my view of people and things which we have done over the years. How I met Buffy. How after too many years and many false starts we finally realised that we loved each other and how we finally found true happiness with each other".