Thirteen Steps -5- Weak & Powerless
by Valyssia
Seven Virtues
[reviews]
Rating Note: Rated NC-17 for violence.
Description: Season 8 - Buffy and Willow get to spend a little time with the two people they failed the most in life. Lotsa regret and angst...
Warning: There's a wee bit of violence at the end of this story that may inspire curiosity. It leaves me a wee bit leery.
The answers are pretty simple...
1) Yes, it works.
2) No, you shouldn't try it. It takes a very specific touch to remedy the results.
3) If you decide to test it on someone you're on your own. I will not be held responsible for your stupidity nor should any of the fine people that manage this site.
In short, as the Mythbusters say: Do not attempt to do any of the things you see us do here tonight. We're trained professionals!
Disclaimer: Buffy, Willow and all things Slayer belong to Joss Whedon and the good folks at Mutant Enemy.
Feedback: Yes, please...
Buffy lay in bed holding Willow. This whole afternoon delight thing had become such the obsession for them that she knew the girls of the coven would soon begin to gossip given half a chance. Girls were like that...even the older ones.
Today they had barely made it out of the common area after lunch before things got too heated for them to be in public. A little tease here...a little prod there...a caress with the mind... Ya know, that's totally unfair! The passion was amazing... Like nothing she'd been around before. Maybe it's just that she...well...that whole sharing body's thing...wow! I don't think there's another person on the planet that I could feel this close to and the biggest part of it is that supernatural empathy she shares with me.
Willow was half asleep... I shouldn't be tired but with a full tummy and well... She pulled, tucking herself tighter to Buffy's side adjusting her leg where it had begun the inevitable sticking thing that skin on skin does. Head on her shoulder listening to that strong heart... I need to get up or resign to the inevitable. She reached up to run her hand through the Slayer's soft hair when a thump from the porch, and a knock erupting from the door startling them both.
"Who is the hell is that? Better not be Dawn..." Buffy grimaced softly.
"Special delivery for Miss Willow Rosenberg," an oddly familiar female voice, said in a flat tone, on the other side of the door.
Willow looked around trying to locate her clothes. She growled softly and kissed Buffy before getting up as she said, "Be right there... One moment, please."
"Alright Red...haven't got all day...places to go...people to screw with... Besides you!" Faith said, laughing to herself.
Buffy darted, up saying, "Shit!" as she rolled out of bed to find clothing. "Oh Faith is just going to think this is just rich. She'll have too much fun."
Willow dressed, pulled the covers up on the bed, grabbed the stray clothing off the floor and tried to make the place look halfway presentable in a minute or less. She surveyed as Buffy ran through the bathroom to wash up and went to the door. I failed miserably, she thought with a shrug heading into the bathroom herself, returning moments later.
Faith entered, taking the room in and with a deep breath flopped in a chair; this place absolutely reeks of sex...bet they don't even realize it. "Woah... Little Miss Tightly Wound not so tightly wound anymore? Good for you, Red." She gave Willow a quick wink and turned to Buffy. "Never figured B here as the type, but the look is good on her. Not so worn around the eyes," she said in an amused voice, vaguely drawing circles under her own eyes. Then her face erupted into a broad grin. Yeah... I knew this'd be fun if I just showed. I love the surprises.
"Brought you some goodies and I don't have all day. B can you help me with somethin' on the porch?" Faith looked at Buffy expectantly.
"Alright... Should I be frightened?" Buffy said in a dry tone following Faith out the door. "Okay... What the hell is that?" She stood taking in the thing that looked like a really heavy podium with... Well...was that a clamp? "Faith I don't think... Not sure I wanna know...comin' from you..." she fumbled, with a small grin and an embarrassed giggle.
Faith looked at the other slayer and said with a laugh, "Just help me get it inside and I'll work on the explaining."
The two women picked the item up, one on each end and carried it into the cabin.
"Ya shoulda seen me tryin' to get this over here alone. I think I scared a few of the girls. They may need therapy." Faith chuckled, setting her end down.
Returning to the chair she'd chosen, Faith flopped back into it, tossing the pack she wore over one shoulder to the floor with a hard thump. "Christ! That shit's heavy. You wouldn't believe the crap I went through. Wood had to help me through with the remote shooting rig. We both gripped it for dear life as we stepped in. Thought for sure we'd lose hold and it'd kill some old farmer in Maine or something." She sat sort of panting and fanning herself for a moment when Willow interrupted.
"Faith I just asked for gunpowder. What is all this stuff?" Willow queried, raising an eyebrow and taking a seat on the frumpy old loveseat near Faith. She motioned for Buffy to come, pulling the Slayer up to her.
Faith shot Willow a smile and spoke in a gruff voice, "Well Red... I couldn't have ya taking a stray round for the cause so I set ya up safe, see. We got all the right toys to make sure nothing bad happens or as many as I could lay my hands on. Got the Watcher's Platinum Visa and I went chargin'. Like the new boots?" She flopped her feet on the table with a thud.
Buffy looked amused as she spoke, "Yeah... They suit you...combat boots...makes just about anything you wear look more flattering."
"Good of you to think of me, Faith," the witch said with a look of severe skepticism.
"Alright so enough with the niceties...let's get with the demonstration... Like I said...don't have all day. I need to know I can leave you two alone and not read about you in the paper or worse...see you on the evening news." Faith stood up and produced a Beretta 92F in a clamshell holster from the small of her back. She pulled the weapon out, taking care to point it away from the other women.
"You brought us a gun? We're in England, Faith. You know how many laws this breaks? We could go to jail...ummmm...well...forever." Willow eyed the weapon with open distaste, looking utterly mortified.
Faith looked at Willow and her face softened. "Look Red... I'm not trying to cause ya any trouble. I just don't think you've thought this through. You're gonna to have to test this ammunition you're trying to neutralize and testing it with a hammer and punch will get people killed. The best way is with this and that," she said in a gentle voice, gesturing vaguely at the test fire rig. "That way you can be away from the gun safely should it fail to fire. Just walk away, come back in thirty and eject the round. If it hasn't gone off by then, odds are really good it never will. I'm looking out for you...not the bad guy." Faith finished by pulling her hands up, the Beretta hung from her right index finger by the trigger guard. Wonder how many times I'll have to remind her of that?
Willow followed what Faith said and a more relaxed look came over her face, despite the gun. "Thank you."
"You have a point...thanks, Faith," Buffy said taking in the change in the other slayer's attitude.
Faith looked at the other two women for a few moments, making certain they'd relaxed, before she spoke again, "Okay so... I need to make sure you both know how to handle a gun so... I won't bite... Scoot over and give me a little room." She nudged a space between the Buffy and Willow on the loveseat. "Let's start with condition one. That's a way of sayin' there's a live round in the chamber; hammer's back and the safety's on."
Flipping a lever on the slide of the gun with her thumb, Faith turned the gun sideways, still pointing it at the floor in front of them, to show them that her finger was nowhere near the trigger. "That was the safety and this thing's now ready to fire. Never point a gun at anything living unless ya plan to kill. Period...loaded or unloaded," she said in a firm voice.
Rotating her wrist so the gun was now upright, Faith pressed a button on the grip and the magazine dropped out of the gun, hitting the floor with a clunk. "Mag release button," she said helpfully. "Alright so there's still a live round in the chamber, so we draw back the slide and remove it." She pulled back on the slide with her thumb and forefinger.
The round ejected, hitting the floor with a small clack. She locked the slide open and showed both women that they could see the chamber was empty. " Be careful to only grip the slide in these grooves at the back when you open the chamber. This bitch 'll bite the piss out of ya, if you get sloppy." She finished the demonstration, handing the now 'safe' gun to Buffy, as she bent to collect the stray round and place it on the table.
"Play with it a minute and get used to it while I use your bathroom. Hey, ya got anything to drink?" Faith clomped off into the bathroom as she spoke.
Willow said in a strained voice, "Well that was a little more than I ever cared to know about guns." The witch got up eyeing the weapon with contempt and move to the back room to get bottled water for the group.
Buffy cleared her throat before she replied, "So I guess I should get with the learning, eh?" She began to go through the motions Faith had shown her, but left the magazine happily on the floor.
"Yup, you should. I hate those things way lots more than I hate motorcycles," Willow called back to the Slayer.
"Yeah... I can see that, Will. I'll take this part so you don't even have to touch it." Buffy looked at the gun, considering it for a moment when Faith came back in the room.
"So you got the basics, B?" Faith said looking at the other slayer.
Buffy confirmed, "Think so."
"I knew you two would hate this, but I didn't want ya to get hurt. This really is the best way," Faith said flopping back on the couch next to Buffy.
Buffy nodded and watched as Willow reentered the room with the water.
"Right... So now that Red's back where we can all see her. Come sit. I won't hurt ya. Look I know this hasta be wicked stressful for ya, but..." she motioned to Willow to come join them by patting the cushion next to her. "I want ya next to us...keeps the stupid shit factor much lower. You sorta have to really try to shoot somethin' that's right beside ya," Faith concluded in a gentle voice.
"Buffy pick up the clip and chamber a round," Faith directed once Willow was seated. "Keep your finger on the metal strap in front of the trigger when you do this. There's no chance the gun will go off, if you never touch the trigger." She spoke in an even tone, as she helpfully adjusted the other slayer's grip on the gun, "Like this, B. You've got a little hand, so you'll have to rotate your grip."
Buffy put the clip in, looking at it to see how it fit. Holding the gun at an angle toward the floor in front of them, she placed her finger on the trigger strap and pulled back the slide. The round cycled into place.
"Okay now put the safety on. The gun can't fire with that on," Faith said in a calm voice. She looked at Buffy and smiled, "See you got it. No big. Now if you take the safety off the gun will fire when you pull the trigger. We won't be doing that."
Buffy was obviously nervous, she looked at Willow and smiled sheepishly.
"Alright, make it safe again B... Eject the clip and empty the chamber. Make sure you inspect it to see if it's clear every time you pick the thing up. More accidents happen 'cause some social tard doesn't check and then claims he didn't know the gun was loaded. Those folks make me want to shoot people..." Faith smiled and watched that Buffy was handling the gun safely.
Buffy smirked, as she went through the motions of unloading the gun, and half laughing said, "So why do I find it even less comforting, now that I know you not only don't mind guns, but seem really familiar with them?"
Faith gave the other slayer and her witch a mischievous look. Smiling like she might have eaten something particularly rich, she said a silky voice, "B nothing new here, girl. I've been handling guns most of my life. I always felt that they cheapened things. Made 'em too impersonal...but really they're like any other tool... I can kill most things a dozen ways with a claw hammer too...'cept vamps then there's still just the two...and you have to hit them hella hard to put the handle through their chest..."
Drifting off for a moment, dreamily and snapping back, Faith concluded, "S'okay though I can fix your roof with one too...girl's gotta have skills... It's all good...settle down... I'm with the fixing these days. Better for what's left of my soul." She punctuated the sentiment by smiling warmly at the other two women.
Buffy shook her head, looking over at the other slayer, handing her the gun.
"One more thing," Faith said as she checked the chamber, flipping the slide lock lever on the gun. The slide slid into place with a clack. "This thing is double action. What that means is...if you have a round in it...the hammer doesn't have to be back for it to fire. You just have to squeeze the trigger. "
Faith stood up and motioned for the other two to follow her, "Now this thing..." she demonstrated clamping the gun in place and how they could actually change the angle at which the gun sat. "I'd fire into a pond if it were me. Water does a really good job of slowin' bullets down."
"Oh...Kay...Faith think I got it," Buffy confirmed watching the other slayer cross the room, she returned to the couch and motioned for Willow to join her.
Faith walked over to the bag she'd brought, emptying the contents. "Here's the presents I brought you, Red. She pulled out ten boxes of ammunition. "That's 500 rounds of 9 mill...if you can't figure it out by then, you need to find another plan. And there's this..." Faith pulled out a large thick, clear plastic box and passed it to Willow.
"Is this bulletproof, Faith?" Willow said, eyeing the box with interest as she took her perch on the loveseat again.
"Would I get ya anything else?" Faith said with a wink. "You could lock that lid down, blow up a whole box of that ammo in there and it might make a mess of the box, but it wouldn't kill ya... Unless you were touched enough to sit on top of it and I never took ya for stupid, Red." She smiled warmly and sat back down in the chair.
"The final thing I brought was a few special tools, to help you remove the primer from a shell, if the urge struck ya to go all science nerdy on this project. Be really careful though... Don't try it unless you've tried and failed to fire the round and it's sat for a really long time." She grinned at Willow snickered a little to try and break the tension.
Willow couldn't help but smile back.
"I like your plan, Red. It's got style and with you in the driver's seat I think it'll get done...save a lot of lives in the process. Just play safe while you figure the details, okay," Faith said in an encouraging voice.
The other slayer watched as Willow and Buffy took each other's hands. "It's cool you guys figured it out. Crazy how long it took ya, but cool ya finally got it. You two have always been good together. Knew you could be better, but... Big part of why I focused on ya so much when my head wasn't on straight, Willow. Sorry for that," she said, grinning sheepishly at the redhead when she finished.
Willow nodded and returned the smile Faith was giving her.
Faith caught Buffy's gaze as she asked, "B, Giles said you wanted to talk to me? What else can I do you for?"
Buffy's expression turned pensive as she spoke, "Well it's just that Will and I've been working the magicks together... Turns out, we work really well that way." She smiled sweetly at Willow, and turned back to regard Faith as she continued, "So if this little plan is to take shape. I need you to be my General...the girls will need someone to rally behind, and I should be a bit busy making sure you don't get shot for the effort."
Faith looked impressed, "You seriously want me to lead the charge?"
"Can't think of anyone better, Faith," Buffy nodded.
Willow said with a smile, "You're the best choice Faith. You know how to lead and the girls will respect you. You come with credibility. You were right next to us when we faced the First."
"What makes the most sense is for Wills, me and the Alpha Team to work as a separate unit...we'll be the ones cleaning up the mess these guys have managed to make. There's bound to be all sorts of interesting 'projects' lying around. There always are... We'll be in for the main fight, but once that's done, take the girls and move out," Buffy spoke with a distant look on her face, like she was thinking aloud.
"Yeah... That'd be my guess too. If you see something that seems unusual, just leave it be. Make sure you pass that on to the girls too. Someone could really get hurt," Willow confirmed with a worried look on her face.
"Okay... Well... You got it, B. Thanks, Red. I should jet. Wood's gonna wonder what the hell happened to me. I told him it'd take a while but you know how boys get," Faith smirked as she finished.
Willow looked inquisitive. "So you two are still together?"
"Oh yeah...five by five... It's been good for me. He's a great guy. Been about a year now... One hell of a record for my part... I tried to use him and lose him, but he was like a really bad penny. I finally just gave up and settled in. Love the bastard now..." Faith made a disgusted face and then broke into another warm smile. "We're not heavy with the exclusive thing...he knows I'll come home."
"You can just send word when you're done with the goodie bag and I'll come pick it back up. Don't want to two getting busted..." Faith made her way to the door. "So, show me out?"
"Sure can," Buffy said getting up and offering Willow a hand.
They walked Faith back to the circle and sent her off.
Buffy almost died when Willow actually hugged her.
Returning to the room Buffy grabbed the test fire rig and tossed it over her shoulder taking it to the backroom. "Out of sight is better for this thing," she offered as she moved carefully through the room with it.
Willow followed her and couldn't resist the urge to try and lift the rig. She failed miserably and looked at Buffy in amusement.
Buffy smiled and swept Willow off her feet without a single sound. She carried the witch into the main room of the cabin and laid her gently on the bed, "I should get rid of this crap before I finish that thought."
Willow said in a soft voice, "Actually Buffy...we should start. I want to get this down so we don't have to worry about it. Let's go outside like Faith suggested. We can take one box of ammo and the bulletproof box and try it one cartridge at a time until we find the right touch. Are you up to it?" The witch rose out of bed and went over to where Faith had dropped the supplies and began to pile them back into the bag.
Buffy smiled and responded, "Of course, I'll rest easier knowing that your plan will work. We can play with it until supper if you are able to hold out," as she went over to help Willow clean up.
"Yeah... I'll be fine. Wow! Faith is different than I remember her. I mean the whole gun thing...scary...but once I understood... Wow!" Willow said in a rush half tripping over her own words.
"Breathe Will... Yeah I noticed. I think she was genuinely worried that we'd get hurt," Buffy replied, considering what Faith had said.
Willow looked thoughtfully at the bulletproof box as she spoke, "I'm not sure how we managed to keep her outta jail, but it might be good thing we did. This isn't something you'd just pick up...she had this made. The truly impressive part is how quickly she had it made."
"Oh...I'm sure there's a story there...in fact I'd bet, more than one. Not sure I wanna know...clueless is prolly, the better," Buffy retorted with a smirk.
Willow chuckled at Buffy and pulled her into a hug. Stepping back to consider her, she looked pensively into the Slayer's eyes. "We should go see Miss Hartness before we start. These are some pretty advanced magicks we plan to work and well...she'll know even if we don't tell her. That and it could get pretty noisy. She might have an idea how to fix that. I could, but I sorta need all the concentration I have for the one thing...splitting my focus would make it worse."
"Not a bad idea," Buffy responded picking up the bag to take it into the back room. Lifting it, she noticed a lump in the outside pocket. She opened the pocket to discover what it might be; dipping her hand in, she withdrew a trigger lock with a handwritten note attached to the key describing the proper way to use it. She looked back at Willow and remarked, "Yeah, I'd say Faith's changed a bit."
"It would seem so... I don't recall her ever being that thoughtful before," Willow said as she watched Buffy install the lock.
Buffy handed Willow the key, took the bag to the back room and the couple set off to find Miss Hartness.
"Yeah...I think after everything...what Faith really needed was just a place to belong. Mighta been better for her in the beginning, if I'd been able to make her feel that way, but..." Buffy said as they walked across the lawn.
Willow looked pensively at the Slayer and replied, "I never got to know her that well so...I really can't say...but if anyone made her feel outta place...well it was a 'we' thing...not an 'I'."
"I got to know her a lot better than I wanted to. Feel pretty bad for putting it that way, but it's the truth," Buffy spoke, looking distant and withdrawn.
Willow stopped, dragging Buffy to a halt with her. She took the things out of her hand, setting them down, she pulled the Slayer into another tight hug as she spoke, "Look Buffy, you have no reason to blame yourself for anything that happened back then. Faith came to us already wounded. She was in pain and very reckless. I don't think we could have changed anything for her. It's impossible to know for sure, but..."
"Yeah there was definitely that, but...it's never simple... Faith was, and still is, a lot like me. I sorta get to see myself from the other side of a mirror with her. When she showed up none of us reacted well, including me. There was more than enough jealousy, running on all sides, to make it too interesting. Jealousy is one of those things we can't help feel...but nothing good ever comes of it. As emotions go...it rates...really destructive and completely useless... Then with the disappointment and the anger when she betrayed us... It's just not a simple subject for me. Sorta coming around full circle with it now..." the Slayer said, returning the hug. She released Willow, bent to pick up the stuff she'd been carrying and started to walk.
"Yeah...I wasn't totally blameless, either...suppose I still have some issues to figure out too. Mostly, it's that Faith makes me nervous because she hurt all of us in some way or another. Back then...you're right...it was the jealousy thing. It'll get better, though. I promise." Willow concluded, in a reassuring tone as they rounded the front of Miss Hartness' cabin. Knocking on the office door, she awaited an answer, and found none.
"I know it will," Buffy said as she shifted the load she was carrying and took Willow's hand again. "Well, looks like she's not here. Where else would she be?"
Willow shrugged. "No clue... Let's wander around a bit. Maybe we'll find her."
"You lead..." Buffy said patiently.
Willow smiled and said, "I could really use a cup of coffee so I say we start there."
"Sounds good to me," the Slayer replied.
The couple wandered around, stopping by the common room first. They finally found Miss Hartness stepping out of one of the buildings the coven worked in.
"Please come with me girls," the older witch directed as she walked briskly across the lawn toward her office.
Entering the building she offered them a seat and spoke in an even tone, "We've just brought Amy back to her natural form. My apologies for rushing us off like I did, but it concerned me for you to be so close to her this soon, Willow."
Willow's face grew dark and pensive, as she returned a nod and took a seat.
Buffy put the things she was carrying on the floor and took a chair next to Willow, reclaiming her hand.
"I will have your meal delivered to you tonight. I would like to try and make Amy as comfortable as possible at first. You can appreciate this, surely Willow," Miss Hartness spoke in a soothing voice trying to comfort the younger witch.
Willow met the Miss Hartness' gaze and replied in a flat even voice, "Of course."
"Right then, what can I do for you girls?" Miss Hartness said with a pleasant smile.
Willow explained the project she wished to undertake with a surprising economy of phasing.
"Ahhh... That's a very interesting idea, dear. Yes, I may have just the thing," Miss Hartness rose from her desk to retrieve a small, rectangular, silk covered box from one of the cluttered shelves. "You should find this helpful," she said placing the box within reach of the girls.
Curiosity overcame Buffy, she opened the box, immediately pulling out a gilded brass tuning fork, "Thank you," she said, but her voice didn't sound out. "Oh hell!" an image of The Gentlemen flitted across her mind before she looked up to see Miss Hartness telling her to put it away.
"Alright, you now know what the object does. Next time it might be better to just ask, dear. It will stifle any noise within three meters," Miss Hartness spoke with a subtle hint of amusement in her voice.
A broad grin stretched across Buffy's face, looking mildly embarrassed, she replied, "Sorry, I was curious. That's pretty nifty. Should work well..."
"Yes, that's perfect. We'll make sure you get it back once we're finished. I'd like to begin. Thank you for your time." Willow got up and started for the door.
"Be careful, ladies. Best wished to you," Miss Hartness said as she watched the two girls take their supplies and leave.
"Hope you don't mind a bit of a walk. I want to stay as far from the coven as we can," Willow said heading directly for the woods behind Miss Hartness' cabin.
Buffy followed her, speaking in a cheerful voice, in hopes of improving her partner's mood, "Not a bit... It's actually a great day for it. Should be fun."
"Okay...I want to circle around the coven and make our way back to the other side of the forest, closer to our cabin before we start. I wish I'd known their plans. I would've never gone wandering around if I had," Willow said with a concerned look on her face.
Buffy spoke in a reassuring tone, "I'm sure it'll be fine. How sensitive could Amy be? It's like you said...she was never a very good a witch."
"I'm not sure... I really don't have any clue how far her powers progressed naturally. All I saw was the corruption. I know her mother was pretty powerful." Willow picked up the pace a little as she spoke.
Buffy hurried a bit to catch up as she replied, "Yeah...but they'd still have her powers bound, right?"
"Yeah... I'm sure they would. Maybe I'm just worried about nothing. She just makes me nervous, is all. I hope they can help her." Willow concluded slowing down and looking a bit more relaxed.
Buffy reclaimed the witch's hand and spoke in a gentle voice, "I understand the nervous, but... There's no point in getting all upset over the things you can't change."
"Like you said earlier...it's just hard." Willow replied, stopping to take Buffy into her arms.
Buffy arrested the witch long enough to set their things down so she could give her a proper hug. "I know it is," she said, caressing Willow's back.
Collecting their things, they began to walk in silence, enjoying the air and the sunshine. Willow stopped at the base of a steep hill, looking up, she motioned to Buffy and they started to climb.
Once at the top Willow spoke again, "I was hoping for this. We can setup in the valley and there'll be less chance of badness."
"Sounds like a good plan," Buffy said. She walked down the hill, setting the tuning fork and the box with one round in it, in the valley. Returning to her witch she said, "We should sit behind this tree. More with the protect-y-ness..."
Willow smiled and sat down, pulling Buffy down with her, "Good idea," she said in a soft calming voice. "Relax sweetie...let's start...listen to me...focus on me... I'm the only thing here...breathe...slow..." she pushed a little and Buffy relaxed completely, letting her guide the movement. She moved them down the hill and into the box then gently they began to strip the phosphorus molecules out of the bullet.
There was a bright flash of light as the bullet exploded violently.
It shocked the hell out of Buffy and felt like she'd been snapped back into her body, like her spirit was attached with a bungee cord. Her eyes opened and she had a dizzy...queasy feeling come over her...she choked and nearly wretched...
Willow worked to soothe Buffy despite her own uneasiness. "Yeah...that can suck badly... It's hard to get used to even when you've had it happen hundreds of times. Breathe Buffy...look at me," she pulled the shaken woman up close to her. "I should have given you more warning. I'm sorry, love," she said, rubbing her Slayer's back.
"Well that hurt," Buffy worked to focus. "Gimme a minute and I'll go put another round in the box. I take it this is going to go this way for awhile?"
"'Fraid so... We have to find the right balance. Once we do... It'll be cake...with the yummy cream filling... Just be patient and don't tense up. I know that's a nearly impossible request, but you have to focus on me. Remember the working under pressure exercise? Do the same thing...only this time we're dealing with pain. Both sensations are just as capable of making your brain go all wonky," Willow finished in a soothing voice.
Buffy smiled and said, "Yeah but the pleasure thing...much more fun. Okay...go again?" Leaning in to kiss Willow, she stood up to walk down the hill with the replacement round. Making her way down she examined the box, though there was a small dent, and the inside was charred, it wasn't really damaged. She replaced the round and closed it securely. Returning to Willow, she said, "Box is working like a charm. Let's try again."
They continued to try with no success until the alarm went off on Willow's wristwatch.
Willow stood and offered Buffy her hand, "Supper time. We can come back to this tomorrow morning. I think we almost have it. Just a bit gentler...and it'll all be of the good..."
"We'll have to develop speed and the ability to focus on many objects at once next. That's where I'm really going to really need you to help...having two minds working to steady this will be much better. It'll take less time to get good enough to work it. If it were just me...I could do it alone, but it might take six months to develop the skill. I mean I could do it now...but with the tragic explosion...this is really delicate." The witch started down the hill to get their things.
"We should scout out some water and work in a similar location, but with a pond near so we can test fire like Faith suggested. I think she had the right idea," Buffy said, raising her voice so Willow could hear her.
Returning, Willow replied, "I agree... I just don't want to be too far away. You have to carry that rig wherever we end up and I'd rather not see you kill yourself."
Buffy smirked, "It's not that heavy... Doesn't weigh much more than you...it's just clumsier and less pleasant to lift, but...no big."
They made their way back to the cabin and washed up for dinner.
A knock issued from the cabin door and Buffy went to answer. Three young witches entered, carrying trays of food and drink. "Oh...hi Maggie. How's my sis settling in?"
"Dawn's doing just fine. She sends her best," Maggie said in a cheery voice, handing Buffy a letter. "Miss Hartness sent this."
"Thanks for bringing us dinner. I should let you go so you can eat too," Buffy said, showing them out.
"Oh good... I'm starved. I take it I missed the girls?" Willow said in a cheerful voice, walking out of the bathroom toward Buffy. She accepted the letter.
"What's it say?" Buffy inquired as she took a tray and sat down on the loveseat.
Joining her, Willow replied, "Not much...she just wants to see us again in the morning."
"So whatcha wanna do tonight?" Buffy queried between bites.
"Dunno..." the witch said furrowing her brow. "Actually I wouldn't mind seeing Giles again. That would get us out of here for the moment and I expect you'd like to talk to Satsu. You might even manage to get Bernadine washed as you threatened, providing you can put up with the Slayerettes long enough."
Buffy considered this for a moment, "Well that sounds like a working plan. I can bring Bernie up to the cabin to get you. We'll slip out, leaving them none the wiser. Then what?"
"I think you could use some more work on that pleasure principle, focusy thing... Or we could actually unpack." Willow said with a wicked laugh.
The Slayer grinned, "So is this a multiple guess test? If so...'A' Please... In fact make mine multiple 'A's."