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[honouredfool@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Title: Requiem 2/?
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns all the characters associated with BtVS 
and Angel. I won Mr. Roberts. And a very charming cat.
Feedback: I love feedback. It's addictive. Please help me by giving 
me more. :)
Notes: Continued thanks to Shyfox and everyone who was kind enough
to comment on chapter 1. I kind of stole Whistler and fit him to my 
needs. If I've said something inaccurate and this offends you please 
let me know. And if you hate Faith, sorry cause I really like her.

Chapter Two
A few hours later Mr. Roberts found himself in a tiny steel 
room in an unnamed place in an abandoned corner of the California 
desert. "Are you prepared to accept the blame?"
"Yes"
"Are you prepared to accept the blame?" he asked with a little 
more force.
"Yes"
"Are you prepared to accept the blame?" he pushed his face
right 
up into the prisoner's.
"Yes" the word stumbled out.
"Are you prepared to accept the blame?" he yelled.
"YES!" the prisoner screamed back at him, bursting into choked 
sobs.
"Good. Now you are ready." Faith looked up at her
interrogator 
with a confused stare. "We are leaving this place. You will be 
needed." Faith continued to stare up at the strange old man who had 
started to visit her a week after she got here, ostensibly to give
her 
"spiritual advice." 
"Wha?" She couldn't quite understand.
"We're leaving." He paused to pull her out of the chair with 
his massive hands. "Oh yes, and I love you."
For the first time in her life Faith believed someone who said that.
***
"You will help her then?" Mr. Roberts asked the Vampire.
"Of course I will. I live in the service of Light." Angel 
said.
"Thank you my son. The Queen will help, I know she will, even 
that little British fellow could be of some service. She has a long 
way to go."
"I'll do my best."
"You MUST succeed. Without her I have already lost and my
enemy 
beats me for the final time. None of us want that." He looked over 
Angel's shoulder to the would-be rogue huddled on the couch,
"Good-bye 
Faith, we shall meet again soon, and next time you can do all the 
yelling." Faith looked up from the couch nervously, 
"Where are you going?"
"Shush child, everything will be fine. I love you." She
smiled 
shyly at him.
"Goodbye old friend. I'll take good care." Angel turned and 
shut the door.
The old man Angel had once known as Whistler and everyone else 
called Mr. Owen Roberts sighed and leaned against the wall. Another 
part of his plan fell into place.
***

Two days after their bizarre encounter with Mr. Roberts the 
Scooby Gang were sitting around Giles' table discussing it when a 
knock was heard at the door. Xander stood to answer it but whoever
it 
was had already begun to open it.
"Hello all," greeted Mr. Roberts, "I imagine you've been 
talking about me. And I imagine now you're going to say Yes we have 
and until we can find out more we will just have to take you at your 
word because the evidence is too compelling to ignore yes?"
Buffy spoke up first, "That about covers it. This is against 
My better judgment though."
"That's alright, as long as you go along with me. Because for 
you I have a task that may prove more difficult to overcome than 
anything you've ever faced before," Mr. Roberts paused dramatically, 
"you need to teach Xander how to fight, and how to kill." This 
elicited a chuckle from everyone but Xander.
"Hey! I can fight!"
Cough "Four year old cousin." Cough. Someone coughed from 
Willow's direction.
"Right. That, Buffy is your task. Willow, you must continue 
to work on your magiks. You have incredible potential but you must 
learn to focus. I will work you later but for now I have a book of 
exercises that I used to teach Merlin that you can use. Anya, as of 
yet I don't see your place in all this. It's there, I can feel it
but 
I don't know the specifics perhaps you could help Rupert until I find 
it. Rupert."
"Yes Master?" Everyone looked at Giles. No one had expected 
him to say that. "It is in the records," he explained, "the earliest 
Watchers called the Son of Light Master."
"Yes, I had almost forgotten. Thank you Rupert. I need you
to 
do what your kind has always done, since I sent them into the world. 
Watch Giles, watch and listen. Protect your children as I protected 
mine so long ago." Finally Mr. Roberts turned to Tara who had been 
sort of hiding behind Willow. "And you fair one, we will be spending 
quite a bit of time together in the coming weeks. I must teach you 
things essential to your task. Things not taught in a millennium."
***

The Scooby gang trained for weeks.
"No, Xander, god you're going to kill someone."
"There's no need to-OOOF!"
"I told you."

"Luminos!" 
"Very good Willow but next time see if you can keep the light 
from being that bright. No sense in accidentally blinding yourself."

"Buffy, make sure he doesn't-Yes, that's exactly what I meant. 
Xander, pull yourself off the ground son. What did you just learn?"
"Never let down your guard?"
"Bingo."
"Keep going Buffy."

"Owen?"
"Yes Tara?"
"Is this right?"
"Exactly! What a wonderful job."

"Burn! Burn and Run!" 
"Willow, you must tell it how long to burn for. Don't say it 
aloud but think it as you say the word. That poor bastard is going
to 
burn forever."
"Oops."
"Indeed."

One day while Buffy was watching Mr. Roberts and Willow
practice 
a thought sprung unbidden to her head. <I love Willow.>
Mr. Roberts smiled faintly.

CRACK!
"Congratulations Xander."
"Thanks Mr. Roberts."
***

Willow was excited because Mr. Roberts had promised to teach her 
how to change her shape without the risk of staying in that shape, 
unlike certain witch-rats. Despite the pride she took in her 
accomplishments she was still a little peeved because Mr. Roberts 
monopolized the time of her beautiful girl with his lessons. Then
one 
night Mr. Roberts declared a celebration in honor of Xander, who had 
smashed his first board with his head that day.
"Hey Will do yah think you could peel yourself of Tara long
enough 
to help me with this salad?" Buffy called from the kitchen. 
"Come on, I haven't seen her barely at all in like months," she 
glared at Mr. Roberts, "someone's been hogging her." Another glare.
"I'll help you Buff." 
"Thanks Xan"
Giles noticed the way that Mr. Roberts had looked at Willow and 
Tara during the exchange. He moved in beside him, "Master, may I 
speak with you in the courtyard?"
"Of course Rupert." The Watcher and Mr. Roberts walked outside.
Giles swung quickly to face him.
"Which one is to die Master?"
"You watch very well don't you Rupert?" Mr. Roberts looked at 
him with a face of unhappy bemusement. "I can't tell you Rupert. It 
MUST happen and if I tell you, you won't be able to resist 
interfering. I'm sorry my son, but it must be so. Tell them to have 
fun Giles, let them cut loose for a night, they've all been working 
very hard."
"You're leaving then?" Giles asked accusingly
"I must Rupert. I have things that must be taken care of. And 
the pain is too great. The pain is always too great." With this Mr. 
Roberts turned and wandered off, leaving the Watcher alone with his 
thoughts, and worse, his speculations. He turned and went back 
inside.
"Mr. Giles, what happened to Owen?" Tara called from the couch. 
Of them all only she called him by his first name.
"He had to leave dear," Giles answered distractedly, "errands. 
He told me to let you all "cut loose" for the night, said you'd all 
been working very hard." With this he walked off to his room.
"Weird" Xander said, then "Hey who wants to see me smash a board 
with my head?"
"Oh, oh, me!" came the chorus of replies.
======================================================================


So there's chapter 2. I had a question, con one unilaterally 
declare themselves "Unofficial List _____" because I think I'm really 
deserving of the Unofficial List Hermit title, because I never leave 
my house, except to work and get food. :)

The Fool.
Dying to be unofficial list hermit.
"Want beer. Like beer. Beer good."
--Buffy in "Beer Bad"