Finding Her Way Home
by rebelrsr
Chapter 10
[reviews]
Disclaimer: All things Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and lots of people in expensive suits. I'm not making any money here, just trying to create a happier Buffyverse for my favorite characters.
Spoilers, etc.: "Dopplegangland," "Something Blue" and everything after "The Gift."
A/N: Character thoughts are enclosed by **. Flashbacks are enclosed by //. Thanks to Zenithar and Zigpal for the beta and encouragement! I couldn't do it without you.
A/N2: I promise pure Wiffy soon. The plot got a bit more complicated than planned...
Archiving: By permission only.
Eventually, the pain faded. It was replaced by a cold, crawling sensation, as if millions of ice ants scuttled through her brain. Willow dropped to the floor, holding her head. Power flared, trying to build, but the young witch was too unsettled for even the wild magic to gain purchase. After an eternity, everything stopped. The change was so unexpected Willow wasn't sure how much time had passed before she noticed it. The teen huddled on the cold stone floor, freezing from the inside out. She didn't even try to stand. Her limbs and mind were numb.
"Willow?" Jennifer's tired voice asked. Warmth burst in one area as the older woman gently touched her daughter's ashen cheek. Receiving no response, she carefully released the magical barrier sealing them into the Circle. "Kirstan!" It wasn't much of a shout, but the witch knew the ex-Slayer would be able to hear. Kneeling next to the incapacitated girl, Jennifer pulled her into her arms, trying to warm the frozen skin.
Seconds later, an armed Kirstan halted outside the Circle. "Jenny?"
"It's me, baby." She met worried green eyes and smiled slightly. "I promise. It really is me. When we met, I thought you were the most arrogant, self-centered, pain in the ass on the planet. And I told you how I felt, right in the middle of the Council's training center."
Relaxing her guard a little, the brunette stepped across the inset glass. "Is she going to be OK?"
"Yeah. The spell is invasive, to say the least. I found some magical footprints in her mind." She lifted the girl in her arms toward her wife. "Can you take her? We need to get her warmed up, quickly."
Without hesitation, the other woman gently picked up the tiny redhead. "Where do you want me to put her?" she asked, already striding toward the staircase.
Jennifer followed more slowly, drained from the casting. "It's a magical cold. Blankets and other 'normal' things won't help. I'm going to crash soon. Get Drew to set up a minor warding and use a warming spell."
"Is it safe to bring the others into this?" Kirstan asked, turning briefly to look at the older witch.
"We don't have a choice, sweetie. This is going to take all of us, just to help her survive."
***
Willow woke slowly. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find one of her sisters in full lotus on the floor next to the bed. The sleepy contentment fled as memory returned. Aware of her surroundings now, the witch could see the circle cast around her and the girl on the floor. A golden sheet of power blanketed her body, and the former Scooby sensed the energy helping to regulate her body temperature. It wasn't a complex spell, but she didn't want to startle the caster. Gently clearing her throat, the redhead said quietly, "Good morning."
"Good morning, Willow." Drew smiled. "Feeling better?"
"A little, I think." The witch stretched under her energy blanket. "Much better. No more headache, and, now that Kirstan isn't lugging me around like a sack of potatoes, my stomach has settled."
The younger redhead laughed. "She did that to you already? Wow. That must be a record, even for this family."
"I take it, then, I'm not the only stubborn pain in the ass in the building?" It felt nice to joke with her sister. Despite the warm welcome by the Hirsch family, there hadn't been a lot of time to do the 'getting to know' you thing.
"Hardly." Willow chuckled at the dry tone. "Secretly, I think Mom gets a kick out of showing us she's still got what it takes."
The older girl tried to sit up, but found the magical sheet covering her kept her basically pinned to the bed. "Hey, Drew? I thought the spell was just to keep me warm, but am I not supposed to move?"
"What?" the younger girl asked in confusion. Then realizing her sister's plight, she smirked. "Oh, no. Sorry." Mumbling a spell, Drew released the spell. "So, I saw you hitting on Alex the other night. She likes to play the field. Want me to teach you how to do that? I mean, it might come in handy."
Blushing furiously, Willow grasped the pillow behind her head and swung at the giggling girl on the floor. "Evil witch!" she gasped, pulling back for another blow.
Unfortunately for the witch in the bed, she'd forgotten that Drew had both Slayer and magical potential. While not in full possession of the primal forces of the Slayer line, the younger girl moved like lightening. Before she knew it, Willow folded under the girl's retaliation. Shrieks of laughter and the dull thud of pillows contacting bodies filled the air.
Finally, Willow collapsed back on the bed. "Enough. I yield. I name thee Pillow Fight Champion of..." she hesitated. "What day is it?" Then, shrugging, "Who cares. You're the Champ."
Not even breathing hard, Drew tossed the pillow in her hands back onto the bed. "I never doubted it, sister mine.
"I think arrogance is a Slayer trait," Willow complained. Resting from the aborted fight, she chanced a look inward at the barrier containing her potential. Yesterday's festivities had damaged the wall, but it was still mostly holding. In a few places, large holes had appeared, and power poured from the breaches. It was enough to sober the young witch. Returning to the outer world, Willow sat up. "Drew, where are Kirstan and Jennifer?"
Looking startled at the sudden change in mood, the younger girl replied, "Mom's in the training barn and Mama was taking a nap when I came up. That was a few hours ago, though."
"OK. I need to shower and find some food." A brief grin flitted across her lips. "I wasn't in any shape to eat yesterday. Could you see if," she hesitated. It still felt wrong to call the two women who were her parents by anything other than their names. "Could you see if Mom and Mama can meet me somewhere? I'm pretty sure talking is of the good."
***
Tara stared in shock at the smaller blonde. "Willow's growth is part of a prophecy? Did Giles have any more information?"
"Not really," the Slayer mumbled. "When she did the resurrection spell, she opened a gate. Something evil snuck in before the gate got closed." Spying a bench, Buffy dropped onto it. "The book or whatever the prophesy was in is in really bad shape. Giles is going to check with the Council."
"Hmmm. I wonder..." The witch sat down next to Buffy. "Who's the witch that can help Willow?"
"I...Fuck, Tara, I don't know," the younger girl exclaimed. "My God, what was I thinking. I let Giles ramble on about the book with the prophesy and I never got the name." She bounded off the bench and started pacing furiously. "Helping Will should be my biggest priority now. It's my fault all this happened."
Watching the Slayer moving back and forth in front of her, Tara made a decision. The situation was bad, to be sure, but something more was going on. The witch had seen the diminutive blonde face a Hell God with less histrionics. Unfocusing her eyes and drawing in a ribbon of power, she looked at Buffy's aura. The witch nearly lost the view in surprise. *Oh, Buffy,* the older girl lamented, *how long have you loved her?* A lot of things made sense, now. The Slayer's hesitation to, as she said, interrupt when Tara and Willow had been watching TV or a movie; the way she's brightened whenever Willow was around. *I can't believe I never made the connection before.*
Pushing the knowledge aside for later examination, Tara tried to find a way to calm the other girl. "Buffy? It's an easy fix. I can just call Mr. Giles tonight or in the morning. In fact, since I'm not going to class, I could do it right now and then contact the witch."
The Slayer stopped abruptly. "Yeah. OK. I was going to do a little research, Slayer-style." Seeing Tara's confusion, she elaborated. "I'm going to Willie's and beat some information out of him."
"I'm not usually big with the violence, Buffy, but maybe it will give us some idea what to expect." She smiled slightly. "Since I've got a bit more to work on, how about I head over to your place? I'll call Mr. Giles and then do some magical research of my own."
"That sounds perfect." Buffy rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I'm sorry — about earlier. I can't seem to pull it together."
Quickly standing and pulling the smaller girl into a hug, Tara murmured, "Sweetie, it's OK. We're going to get through this." The witch had a new thought. "Buffy, do you think those friends of yours in L.A. might have more information about what's going on?"
Leaning into the embrace, the Slayer absorbed the question like a blow. *Fuck, I really need to wake up. First I forget to ask Giles for the name and then I don't remember I need Tara to go help Angel*. The shorter blonde stepped away, out of Tara's arms. "Maybe. That's something else I forgot."
Seeing the blonde witch start to speak, she hurriedly went on. "I called Angel earlier. They're kinda having their own big crisis right now." Blushing a little and looking at the ground, Buffy said, "I was hoping you could go to L.A. today and do a little spell for them."
The Slayer's body language warned the "little spell" probably wasn't so little. "Sweetie, what exactly do they need me to do?"
"Restore Angel's soul," came the mumbled response.
"Buffy!" The Slayer's head shot up at the tone. "That's the 'little spell?'"
Meeting the exasperated blue eyes, the eldest Summers said, "Yeah. Willow used the Romanii Curse the last time. There's a box at home with all the stuff you'll need."
"Oh, for Goddess sake!" Tara moved away, back to the nervous Slayer.
"Tara, I know it's a lot to ask, but maybe they have another book or something that can help us." She paused, then sighed. She was so tired. Maybe there was nothing they could do to stop this evil coming to town. If Willow hadn't been right in the middle of the intrigue, Buffy might have just shrugged and given in. But she'd do anything to get Willow the help she needed. In a firmer voice, she said, "After you get rid of Angelus, I need you to bring Faith back from L.A. I want some backup for this fight."