FIC: These Roads We Travel (5/?)

[Kimber <kacoe@xxxxxxx>]

Hello there, Scooby Gang!

Here is the latest installment of These Roads We Travel. Story number 5 in The Road
Series. This chapter answers a lot of questions and speculation that has been going
around the list. Special thanks to the studly Pat Kelly for breaking through my block and
his help with some of the details.

Without further adeu. . .on to the story!!!

TITLE: These Roads We Travel (5/?)
AUTHOR: Kimber (kacoe@xxxxxxx)
DISCLAIMER: All BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
SUMMARY: The long awaited next story in "The Road Series".
SPOILERS: Everything is fair game.
DISTRIBUTION: The usual suspects. Anyone else, e-mail me please.
AUTHOR?S NOTES: This comes because I've had so many great responses to the series and
many people begging for another. Be careful what you wish for.

{{Indicates flashbacks}}
-----------

///Kimber voice over: Previously on These Roads We Travel, Willow was struck with a
realization and having a tough time with the possible ramifications. Just because I
could, I put off her finding out for a whole chapter. Personally, I'd blame Shadow for my
descent into corruption and mayhem. . .er, um. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Here's where we
last saw Willow:

"Take it easy, Will."

"Take it easy? Take it easy? I'm dead. . .am I dead?. . .oh God, I'm not dead, am I?
Cause I have a sixteen year old daughter that needs me and Buffy, Buffy doesn't know how
to cook! And she doesn't know when Laurel's doctor's appointments are and. . .and I think
there's a load of laundry in the washer. . .the last time Buffy did laundry everything
turned out pink! And Giles still isn't fully recovered from the fall he took last year, he
needs me and?"

Jesse placed his hand on her shoulder. "Willow, breathe."

"Breathe? Dead people don't breath, Jesse they. . .well, they don't do anything. . .cause
they're dead!" She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. She closed her eyes
and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm calm. . .somewhat." she opened her eyes and looked at
him. "You can tell me the truth, I can handle it, really. Am I dead?"

Jesse looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "Well. . ." He hedged.\\\

--------

"Jesse!" Willow scolded. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were taking
procrastination lessons from?"

"Okay, okay. Look, Willow, it's a bit more complicated than asking 'am I or aren't I?'.
I mean, there are a lot of ways to define 'dead'."

-------

"Papa! Just spit it out already!" Laurel was sitting on the couch in Giles' apartment.
She and Faith had stopped by to tell him about Buffy's change of heart and he surprised
them with some news of his own.

"Come on, G-man." Faith was pacing in front of the couch.

"Faith, has it ever struck you as, um, curious that you're my age when you came to
Sunnydale and you still insist on calling me, ah, G-man?"

"That's just who you are, G. And I wouldn't be me if I didn't call you that." She winked
at him. "Now quit stalling and tell us what you found out about the spell Red did."

Giles smiled at Faith's sentiment and cleared his throat. "Yes, well. There are a lot of
ways to define dead. It's fascinating really. Some people can refer to themselves as
dead meaning, inside, void of emotion. Others such as vampires are referred to as
'undead' meaning they're dead but their bodies are still animated."

"Mom's not a vampire. Is she?" Laurel reached out for Faith's hand.

Faith sat down on the couch next to her. "Quit scaring the kid, Giles. Get to the part
about Red already."

"Yes, well. The spell that Willow attempted seems to have been, um, successful to a
degree."

"What kind of spell was she trying to do?" Laurel asked.

Faith looked up at Giles and gave him a look of warning, then turned to Laurel. "It's not
important right now. What's important is getting everything out of Giles." She turned
her attention back to him. "Which is like pulling teeth sometimes."

"Yes, well." Giles reached for his cane and got out of his chair. He walked over to the
bookshelf. "This brings us to volume seven of the Garzian texts. Faith, if you remember
correctly, this is the volume that Xander, uh, liberated from my collection before he took
his station."

"Yeah, I remember."

"So I was looking though the translation of the spell and it seems to me that she got it
right to a point. She was researching the biological and magical ramifications of being
Immortal. She was attempting to find out how it was that her cells and Buffy's stopped
replicating. To do this, she had to focus a lot of magickal energy into herself. This
could have adversely affected the cells and begun the reversing process of immortality."

"Wait. She can die? Like anyone else?" Laurel was confused. "It can't be. The Powers
That Be gave them immortality."

Giles tried to explain it to her. "Laurel. You have to understand. . ."

"No, Papa. Did she lie? Cause you know mom and Faith were on patrol last week and this
wicked fang gang came outta no where and mom got hurt real bad and she was bleeding and
everything but she said she was okay cause she was immortal and that nothing could kill
her and. . ."

"Laurel, breathe." Faith placed her hand on Laurel's shoulder. "I'll be damned if I you
didn't just channel your mother."

Laurel smiled. "Thanks." She turned to Giles. "Papa. . ."

"Yes, well. Willow, as I said, was researching the cause of the immortality in she and
Buffy. She could have possibly focused entirely too much magick on the task of
replicating cells again. When she was immortal, the cells never died, therefore non of
them were able to replicate. Buffy and Willow have both been immortal for almost
seventeen years now. The sudden biological change back to replicating was too much and
she just. . .blew up into millions of pieces." He paused a moment so they could digest
the information. "That's not to say that she's dead. It could simply mean that she's,
um, in pieces and hasn't figured out a way to bring herself together again."

"But, Papa, that still doesn't explain why she was doing the spell in the first place."

"She was trying to recreate the conditions under which she and Buffy became immortal,
Laurel."

"Giles!" Faith interrupted. She looked at her watch. "I think we'd better get back or
you're mom's gonna have the whole town looking for us, kid. We'll finish this another
time."

Laurel shook her head. "No. Why won't you tell me? What's the big secret, Faith? What
was mom trying to do?"

Giles sat down next to her and took her hand. "Laurel, I can't and neither can Faith.
This is simply something your mother must explain to you. It's not our place. As if she
weren't furious enough with me for helping Willow with the spell, I simply couldn't
jeopardize her being angry at me for something else. I hope you can understand."

Laurel was about to protest, but she knew he was right. She'd been talking to Buffy for
six months about forgiving Giles. While she still refused to do it, she'd finally gotten
Buffy to agree on being in the same room with him and she wasn't about to let all her hard
work go to waste. "Alright, Papa. I understand." She hugged him. "I don't like it, but
I understand."

-------

"So define dead, oh wise one." Willow smirked at him.

"Hey, don't get all snippy with me young lady. I'm only trying to help. You brought me
here after all." Jesse feigned a pout.

"How did I bring you here? And where is here exactly? And you still haven't answered my
dead question. I swear, I thought Angel was the king of cryptic." Willow shook her head.

"Tell me about your daughter, Will."

"Jesse, no changing subjects!"

"Trust me, I'm asking for a reason." He smiled.

"Well, okay." They started walking again and Willow began to smile. "Laurel. Laurel is
probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. Well, besides Buffy of course. She's
just. . .I don't know how to explain it. She's the best of Buffy and I wrapped up in a
whole other person. She's athletic and willful the way Buffy is, she has a knack for
computers and school work the way I do. She's my height and she has my red hair and deep
green eyes, but her personality is almost all Buffy through and through. She babbles when
she gets upset or nervous and if she's mad you'd better watch out. . ." Willow giggled.
"She definitely has Buffy's temper."

"How else is she like Buffy?"

"She's fiercely overprotective with anyone she cares about. Any time Buffy disagreed with
Giles over something or said something that Laurel thought was an insult, she'd jump to
his defense. It took us a long time to explain to her that that's just the way Buffy's
and Giles' relationship works. He tells her what to do, she disagrees, and they argue."
She shrugged. "It's tough when Buffy and Laurel disagree on something though. Those two
are so pig headed sometimes."

"Well, if I remember correctly, you have quite a stubborn streak yourself, Will."

She couldn't disagree. "Yeah, I do. Especially when it comes to the people I love. I'd
even risk my?" She stopped in her tracks and looked at him in shock. She was beginning
to remember. Everything came rushing back at once and thousands of images flashed in her
mind.


{{{"Giles, it can't be! I won't let it happen. Ever!"

"Willow, I'm sorry but all signs point to it being the case. I wish there were something
I could do."

"There has to be something!" Willow slammed the book closed on the desk, which caused
Faith to wake up from her nap on the couch.

"What's up, Red?" Faith sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Tell him it's not possible." She pointed to Giles. "These books and prophesies and
vampires and demons. I can't take it anymore, and I'll be damned if *my* daughter is
going to be forced into it the way you and Buffy were."

"Giles, what's got her all worked up in a lather?" Faith got off the couch and
stretched. "What's the evil of the week and when do we kill it?"

"I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that, Faith. There's a prophesy I've been
researching for some time. It tells of the coming of the final Chosen One, the last
Slayer. She is to give her life in the final battle of good versus evil."

"Cool. So when does she arrive and how do we help?"

"Faith." Willow's voice was thick with emotion.

Faith put two and two together and finally caught on. "No. No way." She shook her head
and walked up to Giles. "Not the kid. There's no way in hell I'll allow that.
Patrolling with us is one thing, she has a choice, but. . ."

"It doesn't seem as though any of us has a choice." Giles took his glasses off and walked
over to the phone. "I'll call the Council and find out where the current Slayer is
located. If I remember correctly, we sent her to Europe to dispatch of an unruly group of
fire demons who were taking pleasure in torching the local shrubbery."

"If I loose her, I don't know. . ." Willow stopped herself. Following that thought could
only cause heartache.

"Hey, no talk like that, Red. We'll find a way to stop it."}}}


Willow blinked back the tears that were falling silently down her cheeks and all Jesse
could do is look on and let it happen; let her remember every detail. She felt the
terror and the panic of finding out her daughter was going to be the next Slayer all over
again as if it were the first time. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself, but
more memories began to flood her mind.


{{{"Willow, you must listen to reason."

"No, Giles. I have to do this. I found the spell and the meditation in the Garzian text
Xander took. It's not that hard really. All I have to do is focus my magic inward and
figure out what makes me immortal. I know my cells stopped replicating, you know, cause
they don't die anymore, I just need to find the cause. No big."

"I don't think you realize the possible consequences of this. I insist on researching it
more before you put your life in danger. Buffy would never forgive me if?"

"Buffy's not going to find out, Giles." Willow stated as a very matter of fact. "Ever,
if I can help it. Is that understood?"

"Willow, I beg you to reconsider. The task you are undertaking is?"

"It's to save my daughter's life, Giles, and Buffy's. If there's any way I can stop this,
well, I'll use my last breath to do it if I have to."

"Willow, please tell me you haven't already attempted the meditation." From the look on
her face, Giles knew she had. He was at his wits end. There wasn't anything he could say
to change her mind. The only thing left now was to work with her and make sure she didn't
get hurt or worse. "Alright, fine, if you insist on doing this then at least allow me to
assist you."

She thought for a moment then nodded her head in agreement.

***a few weeks later***

"Buffy, is Willow there?" Giles had made plans with Willow to do more research on the
spell. They agreed to meet at his house while Buffy and Faith were on patrol and Laurel
was off with some friends. That was over two hours ago.

"No, she hasn't been around all afternoon. I thought she was with you?"

Giles rubbed his temples. "Oh, dear."

"I really hate it when you say that, Giles. It only means trouble. What's going on?"

"Well, I ah, made plans with her to go over, some um, information and. . ."

"Giles! Just. . .stop stalling and tell me what's going on."

Xander appeared out of no where. "Giles. . .trouble. . .Willow. Breaker's woods!"

"Xander!" He had to grab onto the table because the sudden flash of light startled him.

"No time, G-man. Let's go."

Giles returned to the conversation with Buffy. "Buffy. . ."

"I heard. I'm on my way. You two *so* have some explaining to do." Buffy hung up the
phone.

"Yes, alright." The watcher sighed and hung up the phone. He grabbed his keys from the
table and turned to Xander.

Xander shook his head. "Nope, sorry Giles. No time to drive. We're taking my
transportation system." He grabbed Giles around the waist and gave him a goofy grin.
"Trust me, I don't like this any more than you do, but it's the only way to get you there
in one piece. Hang on." He put his head back and they disappeared in a flash of white
light.

***Breakers Woods***

Xander and Giles reappeared in a clearing. "Where is she?" Giles said, looking around.

"Over there." Xander pointed to another clearing about fifty feet away. There was a warm
light breaking through the trees. "Damn. I must have overshot."

----------

Willow Rosenberg was on a journey. A journey unlike any she'd ever been on before. She
was deep in meditation and focusing all of her energy on the biological system that made
her breathe, made her blood flow, her hair get longer and more importantly, the cells that
gave her life. The cells that stopped replicating when she and Buffy were struck by the
bolt of lightening in England and rendered them immortal. She was determined to find out
how it worked, why and if she could do the process herself to save her daughter's life.

Willow reasoned that if Laurel could become Immortal, then she'd never be called as a
Slayer. She knew enough about her immortality and the Powers That Be to know that they
would never allow two Immortal Slayer's to exist. Time was running out and the research
sessions with Giles only reinforced her theory. They found out that at any given time,
there are only a certain number of immortals walking the earth and the balance was in
direct correlation with the amount of evil that existed. An immortal Slayer would throw
off the balance and therefore, Laurel would be passed up and the next Slayer would be
called.

Willow looked around with her mind's eye. This was almost familiar territory. The last
time she attempted something like this, it was when she and Buffy had to fight the demon
King Arthur. The only difference was that now she was taking a trip into her body, not
her mind.

She could see the intricate network of her veins and hear the blood pumping through them.
<Not close enough.> She thought. <Need to get smaller.> She focused and after a few
moments she was down to the cellular level. She looked around and immediately noticed
that they didn't look like anything she'd ever seen under a microscope.

Each cell had a yellow/gold protective film on it. It was almost as if they were sprayed
with glow in the dark paint. Their movement was graceful and fluid, but she also noticed
that they followed a traffic pattern. No new cells broke into the line and none of the
existing cells faded away. It was just as she'd suspected, they stopped generating.

Her idea was simple. Get close enough to them to find out what the yellow/gold film was
made out of. If she could do that, then there had to be a way for her to do the process
on Laurel herself. She began to concentrate again and slowly moved closer and closer to
the cells. The answer she was looking for was just within her reach. All she had to do
was reverse the process of immortality and then be there to cause them to take on the film
again.

She'd done enough research to know that it would take a lot of concentrated magick along
with the potion she made and drank before she started meditating. There was only a small
window of opportunity to do this and get it right, she just hoped that it would work.
This would be her one and only chance.

Something was wrong, horribly wrong. The cells weren't going back to immortal fast
enough. It was taking too much time and Willow knew that if she stayed too long she may
never make it back. That just wouldn't do. She had to make it back for Laurel, and for
Buffy. She concentrated even harder and the cells began to take on the yellow/gold color
again, only it was as if someone pushed the fast forward button on her internal VCR. It
was going so fast that she lost control and instead of retaining the color, the cells went
beyond the yellow into a bright blinding white and suddenly there was a flash as every
cell in her body exploded outward like shards of glass when a bullet goes through a
windowpane. Willow's world went black.}}}


--
Your humble bard,
~~Kimber

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