Prophecy's Curse (6/?)

[keeper444@xxxxxxxxx]

Sorry this has taken so long but what can I say besides RL sucks. I
promise there will be more soon, no really there will.
Take care.
Later
Alex
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Title: Prophecy's Curse (6/?)
Author: Alex P.
Feedback: Please any comments or suggestions to: keeper444@xxxxxxxxx
Archive: Whatever or whoever Just tell me
Summary: A year after "If Destiny Wills It" and a whole new threat has
come to town, that will test the Slayer and Great Sorceress's new found
powers. Part of a small series "The Return of Legends"
Spoilers: This is my own twisted little universe and, while there are
characters and Sunnydale from the show, their skills and places in these
stories are purely of my own demented imagination. Sorry if it offends
(not).  
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy, Willow, Giles, and any others from 
BTVS are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy etc. No
infringement of any kind intended and no money made. 
Warning: Contains scenes of a loving relationship between two consenting
women. If you have a problem with that (why are you here?) or it is
illegal where you live (I suggest you move to my end of the
gutter...quickly) then PLEASE DELETE THIS NOW !!!!!
Rating: Possible PG-13 to R in some places.
Pairing: B/W

Thanks to my beta Shyfox she's done the best she could with what I gave
her. Great work!!!

   [[thoughts]]
   ***flashbacks***
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Title: Prophecy's Curse (6/?)
Author: Alex P. 
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As the final echoes of Wesley's screams died out Willow turned and faced
her friends. She looked around and saw every emotion, from awe to abject
fear written clearly on their faces, and knew she needed to give them an 
explanation for her actions and her methods. 

The young witch knew from Cordelia's reactions after Spike, that both
she and her mate were looked on with a certain amount of fear by their
friends. 
A lot of this fear was generated by the shear power the two young women
now wielded since their acceptance of their destinies as The Chosen
Ones. 

Both Buffy and Willow had acknowledged that they needed to inform their
friends and allies of their new found powers, and the extent and
limitations of their uses. 
They knew they owed their friends whatever reassurances were necessary
to allay their fears. 

In short now that the traitor in their midst had been exposed, and dealt
with it was time to come clean, and let everyone know that despite their
seemingly limitless powers, the two were still Buffy and Willow and
subject to the same short-comings and in need of the same help as they
always were. 

They just had the means now to deal with the groups problems a little
better than before. 

They were also desperate to let their fellow Scoobies know that they
were free to ask either of them or both for what ever help they needed. 

As usual, before either could say anything their friend Xander opened
the subject, with his usual style and grace. 

"Whoa...a light show, and getting rid of Wes-man at the same time,"
their oldest friend exclaimed "Can you do that trick with my boss, oh
say six or seven times, then I can be an assistant manager at the donut
shop." 

They all laughed at Xander's reference to his part time job. The pay for
rookie cops wasn't that good. Well it was okay, if you didn't want to
have a place to live, to eat, or have a life, that includes a
girlfriend, soon to be wife. 

With the mood lightened considerably, Xander asked the question that was
nagging him ever since Cordilia had told him about the melting vampires. 

"What did you do with him?" the young man asked quietly, hoping in his
heart his friends had a favorable explanation, "You
didn't...like...uh...you know...well...kill him or nothing did ya'
Will?" 

With the question out in the open the tension in the room rose sharply,
each member of the group felt their hidden fears about what the two
young women had become, and if the great powers they had were in anyway
turning them into the very things that the group had joined together to
fight. 

Even Dr. Jeffrey could sense the sudden chill in the atmosphere as all
four of the assembled inner-circle watched, and waited anxiously for the
Slayer and her mate's answer to Xander's question. 

Buffy and Willow looked at each other for a moment then burst out
laughing as they received each other's thoughts. They hugged each other
tightly then returned to the couch. 
Like the young people they were, the two flopped down on the comfortable
piece of furniture. 

Willow sat back against the corner formed by the arm and the back of
Giles couch and brought one leg up to lay across the seat, then she
pulled her beloved back to sit between her legs. 
Buffy leaned back to rest against her lover and smiled as Willow rested
her chin on Buffy's shoulder. They were getting comfortable, knowing
that once they began answering, they wouldn't stop until their friends
were at least no longer afraid of them. It was going to be a long night. 

"No Xander, he isn't dead." Willow said giving her wife a sideways
glance and a mischievous smirk, "but I'm not really sure where he is." 

"Really Willow," Giles spoke up a little upset at the frivolous manner
in which they were acting "I know he is a worthless little git but if
you don't know where he is the how do you know he's not either dead or
dying?" 

"Weeelll...ya' see...it's kind of a wording thing." Willow admitted
timidly "Ya' see the language I used was kind of ambiguous and...so I uh
I well kind of maynothavesenthimexactlywhereIintended." 

They all sat there staring at each other waiting for someone that spoke
fluent Willow babble to translate. Xander's eyes suddenly nearly bulged
from their sockets when he realized the meaning of the red head's
statement. 

"Willlll...what did you do?" Xander asked drawing out his friends name
like he had when they were children, causing his life long friend blush
deep red while hiding her head behind her wife's shoulder and giggling.
"Come on little Will...tell the grown ups what you did with the
irritating little jerk." 

Willow peeked out from behind Buffy looking like a little girl playing
peek-a-boo. 
"Well for one thing, where ever he is, Wesley is totally naked," The
powerful witch said giggling like a mischievous little child, and
looking extremely cute in the process at least to her wife, "the spell
destroys the recipients clothing. 
It's kind of a mystic's practical joke, it's not meant to hurt and in
fact it won't work if there is any danger to the recipient, so I know
he's safe. 
The only problem is the name of places, and things, don't always
translate properly." 

"Soooo, Will," Xander teasing her like always, now that he realized that
while she was the Great Sorceress, she was still, and would always be
his life long friend, "where did you send the twerp really?" 

"It's kind of complicated, but Wesley's either in England at
Stonehenge," Willow explained shyly "or he's in Nebraska, at Carhenge." 

The room exploded with laughter at the young woman's confession, and the
true comedy of the situation was revealed. 

"You what?!!!" Giles blurted out yelling to be heard over the loud
laughter, "How could you possibly do that? I mean mistake England for
Nebraska, or...or the glorious splender and wonder of Stonehenge for
that glorified junkyard in the middle of no where?!!" 

"It's not my fault Giles really," Willow shouted innocently holding her
hands up in surrender "I had to try to think, and cast in visuals, and
when I thought of Stonehenge my mind went back to a show on the
Discovery chanel, and wham he was gone. 
I don't know if he went to the original place I meant, or to the picture
that was in my mind at the time. It's all cable's fault they shouldn't
show things like that as educational. Yeah I'm gonna write them a really
nasty note tonight." 

"Yeah right Will," Xander threw in sarcastically "I can see the head of
programming now as he reads: 

 Sir. 
    I wish to lodge a complaint, I am a practicing witch known,
as the Great Sorceress, and because of your program on that ridiculous
place called Carhenge, I may have teleported a man to the wrong place. I
must protest. Oh, and can't you do something about that crocodile
person, I worry about him. 

Oh that'll get action..." 

The young man's speech was halted by his renewed uncontrolled laughter. 

"Eeeeww.." Cordilia let out suddenly drawing everyone's attention, "I
just thought of Wesley naked, eeeeww. Really bad visual place believe
me." 

"Yikes! You got a point Cordy," Buffy snorted in disgust "can you
imagine Wesley, and the look on his weaselly face where ever he is,
naked, and screaming like a girl. 
He'll be lucky if they don't lock him up some where, let alone believe
any story he tries to tell them. 
I can just hear it. 'Really officer a witch put a curse on me and sent
me here like this.' Yeah, they'll buy that." 

With Buffy's vivid image of what was happening to the man that had lied
to them, manipulated them, and betrayed them, being humiliated and
arrested, locked away for psychiatric examination, the whole group burst
out laughing. 

They had a good laugh at the traitor's expense. The total ridiculousness
of the situation even got a sincere chuckle from the normally serious,
Dr. Jeffrey. 

It was almost beyond his imagination that anyone could take the trials,
and tribulations that these people went through and still have any sense
of humor left. Yet here they were laughing at a cosmic, bad practical
joke as if nothing had happened. 

He knew he would probably never understand the small, eclectic band of
battle scarred warriors, but he was sure glad he was given a chance to
join them, and was now given the privilege of calling all of them his
friends. 

Watching them now as the laughter died down to a low chuckle, he could
only shake his head in wonder at this group thrown together by the
fates. The one time monk sent up a prayer to his God to ask for his
divine protection for the Slayer and her friends. 

Once everything was back to normal, Buffy turned to look at Giles and
decided it was time to ask once again her question. 

"So Giles-y," Buffy began her tone falsely bright "Now that we've
handled all the pressing old business, and everyone has been brought up
to speed. Don't you think it's time to get back to the business at
hand?" Buffy looked over at the man she considered far more than just a
watcher and mentor, after all they'd been through and after all the
times he had held her, trying to sooth her over whatever problems she
had from the loss of some high school crush up to and including the
murder of a friend. 

No, when her parents had divorced and her father had more or less
abandoned her, then when people she trusted had turned on her because
she loved Willow it was Giles that had held both of them trying to ease
their pain. 

No, that was not a friend or a teacher or even a mentor. That by any
definition of the word was her "Dad". 

Not her father, anyone that could create sperm could be a father, but he
was her "dad", the man that was there for her and loved her
unconditionally, even loving his child enough to discipline her when she
deserved and needed it. 

The stoic Englishman was much more than a friend and she decided it was
about time to show him and everyone else in the room just how she felt. 

A smile crept across her lips as the perfect answer came to her, the
perfect way to let everyone know in no uncertain terms exactly what the
relationship was between Buffy Summers and Rupert 
Giles. 

"Now *dad* it's time to fess up." Buffy said loud enough for everyone
there could hear "You need to fill us in on who or what this Kaziglu Bey
is and what he has to do with the elusive "Prince of Darkness". 

Giles sat there stunned for a few minutes looking at his Slayer trying
to be sure he really heard her call him "Dad", when she turned that
beatific smile to him and he saw the hopeful gleam in her eyes Giles
realized that she not only meant to refer to him as dad but how much it
mean to her that he accept her gesture in the same manor and depth of
emotion that she had. 
This was like an answer to a prayer for Giles and when he returned
Buffy's smile of quiet complete acceptance, he was so happy he felt his
heart about to burst out of his chest, but on he surface neither of them
acknowledged any more than superficial changes in their conversation. 

"Yes Buffy I think you have the right idea." he said more in answer to
her mention of his status than to the actual question, "If you will all
pay close attention, this is a long and convoluted tail and it is one I
really don't wish to repeat often." 

"Okay, dad." Willow answered letting both Giles and her wife know that
she hadn't missed their exchange. 

Xander just smiled at all of them. 

[[Yes!]] he told himself [[it's about time we all realized we're just
one big, almost, happy family]] 

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END 6
TBC 
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There y'all go for now be back soon.
~A~