Children of the Earth (4/10) Part 2 -- **The Buffyverse Fanfic Board**

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Date Posted: 21:48:44 08/08/02 Thu
Author: WillowX
Author Host/IP: AC9DEEA4.ipt.aol.com / 172.157.238.164
Subject: Children of the Earth (4/10) Part 2

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Los Angeles was just as it was a few weeks ago when I last visited, loud and overcrowded. I took a cab from the bus station to Angel�s hotel. The ride was long and monotonous�like everything these days.

�You�re Willow, right?� The black gentleman sitting behind the counter said when I entered the hotel.

�Yes. And�I�m sorry. I forgot your name.� I say a little embarrassed.

�Gunn. My name is Gunn.� He responded.

�Hi Gunn. I was sort of looking for Angel.� Just as the words exited my lips I heard the sound of the familiar deep voice.

�Willow!� I look up to see Angel coming down the steps. Now�you know how sometimes something bad happens but for a moment you forget, not that you forget actually but that the thought is not present at the time in your mind, and then something triggers your memory and it�s as if it just happened all over again? It was like. His initial expression was that of happy surprise but quickly morphed into pain. Seeing me again reminded him of her. I remember Buffy telling me once that Angel cried in front of her. I couldn�t believe it. He always looked so strong. I�d never seen him cry. Not even the first time I told him. But now this strong man was kneeling before me, hugging my hips, with tears in his eyes. It took all the strength I had to hold back my own tears. And that�s when I remembered.

�Willow�this is the jacket I gave her.� The leather jacket that still had her scent that accompanied me on my trip was like a dagger piercing Angel�s heart. He was in so much pain. I had no idea that her death had affected him so. I knew then I had made the right choice. He would surely help me bring her back.

�Oh God Angel. I forgot. I forgot that this�umm� wait.. I�ll take it off.� He looked at me as I scrambled to remove the jacket.

�No�it�s ok. You were her best friend. It�s fitting that you have it now.� He conceded.

�Willow!!!� The familiar happy voice cheered from the other end of the room. Looking over I see Cordelia. She actually looked happy to see me, but when she saw Angel at my feet, she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. She was at a loss for words.

�I need your help Angel.� I said determined not to cry. He stood slowly wiping the tears from his eyes.

�Hey�I�m going to go upstairs to � um�check on Fred. Maybe she needs more�tacos of something.� Gun said and quickly exited what I guess appeared to him to be a private matter.

The three of us sat in silence in the lobby of the hotel for a few minutes. None of us knew how to begin, what to say first, how to break the ice�except for Cordelia that is.

�So�how is Xander?� She asked.

�He�s ok I guess. As well as can be expected.� I replied.

�Is he still with Anyanka?� She asked sarcastically.

�Her name is Anya, Cordy, and yes they are still together.�

�You can call her Anya if you want, but once a demon always a demon.� Cordy always says what�s on her mind and never thinks about it until the words have already trickled out of her mouth. �Except for you Angel � OFCOURSE!� She added in at the end once she realized what she had truly said. I looked at him as she said this. He didn�t look insulted. I guess he was used to her already or preoccupied with curiosity over my visit.

�Why are you here Willow?� Angel asked cutting to the chase.

�I dream with her every night, Angel. In my dreams she�s calling me, begging me to save her. We have no idea what happened to her exactly but she died closing a hell dimension and I think she�s trapped there.�

�What do you want to do about it?� Cordy asked.

�Well�I�ve been researching for several weeks now, ever since it happened, and I�ve found several resurrection spells. The one I think will work, however, I cannot perform by myself. I need your help.� I say looking at Angel.

�Why me?� He asked.

�Because it requires the deceased�s soul mate to perform it.� There was a hush in the room as we looked at each other. Several minutes went by as we all considered what was just said. All the implications it involved. But alas�what won at the end�was our common love for her.

�When do you want to do it?� He asked. I guess that was his way of saying yes.

�As soon as possible! There are just a couple of things about the spell that I need to figure out first. It�s hard. No one has performed this spell for centuries.� I explain.

�There is a very powerful Sorceress who lives here in L.A. Actually, I think she�s supposed to be the most powerful one to live in these parts. Cordy can take you there tomorrow if you want.� Angel offered as assistance.

�Ohhh you�ll get to see my new car.� Cordy added.

�Thanks. That sounds good. Tomorrow then.� I felt relieved and afraid at the same time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The sky was dark and gloomy and the air smelled like rain. Do you know the smell I�m referring to? It�s moist and soothing and reminds me of lazy rainy afternoons spent in bed reading. I used to love to read when it rained. The trickling sound of the water on the windows was like a sweet lullaby. For years the sound of rain always brought me peace. Now nothing does.

I�m standing in front of the hotel waiting for Cordelia. Angel and Cordelia have been so kind to me. I had forgotten how much I missed them�even Cordy.

�Hey Willow. My car is this way.� She said heading across the street.

�You really don�t have to take me, I can take a bus you know.�

�Don�t be silly, now we can have some girl time without Mr. Big and Bruiting hovering around like a perv.� I smile a little. Cordelia always did have a way with words. Once we sat in the car the interrogation began. When did �girl time� turn into �cross examination� time?

�So�gay now, huh?� Great� that�s all I needed, to have the �gay now� talk with Cordelia.

�Couldn�t be gayer.� I say in a matter of fact way.

�Well I wish I could say the look agrees with you�but�I�ve never seen you look so pasty. Jeez Willow, when Buffy comes back she�s gonna wonder if you�re the one that was dead!�

�Can we change the subject?� I ask irritated. Why it is Cordelia always manages to irritate me even when she�s attempting to be nice is beyond me.

�Sure. So�you excited about the spell?�

�I just hope it works.�

�You miss her, don�t you?� She said softly. My eyes swelled up with tears again.

�Let me guess, another subject change?� She says and I nod in agreement. Realizing that maybe �girl time� was not such a good idea in the first place she reaches over and turns on the radio. We didn�t speak again until we had arrived at the Sorceress� house.

�Ok Will. This is it. I�ll have my cell phone on, call me whenever you�re done.� I get off the car and turn to thank her but she doesn�t give me the chance. �I�m sorry if it hurt that I brought her up. I can�t imagine how it feels to have lost your best friend. I hope that the day I go, someone loves me enough to mourn me the way you mourn her.� Those words touched me.

�Thank you Cordy, for everything.� She nodded and drove off.

The house was a small ordinary California home. The closer I got the more ordinary it appeared. It seems somehow unreal that the strongest Sorceress of the western hemisphere lives in such a humble home. It�s true, I guess, things are not always what they seem.

When I reach the front door I hear a loud holler. �COME AROUND THE BACK!� Cautiously I head back down the front steps and around the corner, down the side of the house until I reach the garden in the back. The garden is filled with large trees, bushes, and exotic flowers. In the center is a small round patio table with four chairs and at the table sat this large grandma looking old woman. She was dressed in a purple sleeping gown and her hair was picked up in a messy bun. The sky was still dark and it was drizzling a little. What kind of person would sit out in the rain?

�I like the rain my child. I find it comforting. The constant sound of rain drops.� What? Huh? How did she? Wow!

�Please have a seat. I was expecting you.� She said in low voice.

I take a seat directly across from her. My hair is damp from the rain and I�m beginning to feel a little chilly. She is staring at me intently, waiting for me to speak, studying my moves.

�Did�uh�did Angel say I was coming?� I ask confused.

�No. Angelus did not inform me of your impending visit. Hmmmm� so this is the little girl whose grief has spun a dark cloud over the Hellmouth.� My eyes widen in shock. What is she talking about?

�What do you mean?�

�You�re powerful my child and in touch with the earth the moon and the sun. I felt you. I�ve been feeling you for weeks. I�m surprised it took you so long to come here. The pain in your soul is overwhelming.�

�That�s why I�m here.�

�No it�s not. You seek answers to questions I dare not discuss. Be gone before it�s too late.� She said in an insolent tone. I don�t understand. First she asked me to sit down and now she�s telling me to leave.

�What? What do you mean? How do you know what I�m gonna ask?�

�The same way I knew you were coming.�

�I can�t leave yet. I need answers. I need to know if the spell Angel will perform will work.�

�Angelus� spell will be unsuccessful.� She said with assurance.

�Not Angelus�Angel.� Her cryptic conversation is beginning to weigh heavy on my patience.

�Angelus�.Angel�Angel�.Angelus. It�s the same person.� She chuckles a little before she continues, �You humans are all the same, always trying to classify things in terms of white or black, right or wrong, good or evil. The truth of the matter, my child, is that nothing is ever only white or only black, no one is ever always right or always wrong, and nobody is all good or all evil, not even demons. It�s a mixture of the two, a combination, a balance of powers. The trick of it is�which part you allow to have the most control.� She stops again and looks at me closely. �There is evil in you, just beneath the surface, I can see it.�

�Evil? In �me?� I ask shocked.

�Yes, but the good in you will never allow it to prevail. Don�t look so alarmed my child. There is evil in everyone.�

�But I don�t understand. The spell won�t work because there is evil in Angel.�

�No No No! You�re not paying attention. The spell requires the deceased soul mate to perform it.� Now she�s not making any sense. That was the least of my concerns.

�But Angel is Buffy�s soul mate.� I answer with assurance.

She smiles and shakes her head at me. �Tsk Tsk Tsk�. that he is not.�

I felt the weight of the world land on my shoulders. All hope had been sucked out of me all at once. She died all over again.

�If not Angel who then?�

�Be gone now. I�ve said all that I can say. Go home and grieve. Time will heal all wounds.�

�No no no no no no no! I need answers! She�s a warrior! She�s trapped in hell. She needs my help. I need to help her.� The urgency of the matter was evident in my voice. I was pleading with her.

�I cannot help you my child.� She said coldly.

�You can�t or you won�t?�

�Both! Now leave!� She answered sternly, got up from her chair and began walking in the direction of the house. I felt the anger run through me like a train. Like a force I had no control over. In a split second the sky above me became black and the drizzling quickly turned into a storm. The wind was blowing strong and the many trees of her garden were swaying back and forth, almost as if attempting to humbly bow before the wind. The energy pumping through my body was incredible, fueled with pain and anger.

�I WON�T LEAVE! NOW SIT DOWN!� Reaching out with my power I pull her body back and dump her into the chair. The gusts of wind had undone her hair. It was long and red with few streaks of gray in them. Suddenly she turned to me, eyes black.

�Are you pulling rank on me little girl?� She said in an eerie calm voice. Just then I felt a force hit my chest and blow my body across the yard. I would of made it all the way back to Angel�s place hadn�t it been for the hard walls of her humble little home. When my back hit the concrete I felt all the air escape from my lungs. I was suspended in air for a few seconds from the sheer force of her blow but quickly fell face down into a puddle of dirty water on the ground. My lungs screamed for air and the familiar taste of blood lingered on my lips. The sounds of thunder and heavy rain encased me. In between gasps and pants I look up to see the Sorceress standing tall before me�.pissed as hell!

�You are powerful but stupid. Your anger will cause you great pain.� I couldn�t respond. I couldn�t breath. I couldn�t even move. My body ached all over. The pouring rain was making it hard to see or hear clearly. I had failed. I had failed her again. The only thing left to do was cry and I cried like I�ve never cried before in my life.

�Please please� don�t hurt me. Please I didn�t mean to�I just can�t. I can�t live like this. She calls to me in my sleep, begging me to save her. She�s in pain. She�s suffering in Hell!! She doesn�t deserve that. She was the Chosen One. She protected us, defended us, and sacrificed herself for us.� I pause to gather the strength to scream over the sound of the sky crying. �PLEASE!!!! I need her!! The world needs her!!� I finished in one long breath. My face felt hot and my eyes were nearly swollen shut from my tears.

She swayed past me with a small limp. �Get up. Come inside. I�ll make you some tea.�

�I �I can�t move.� I said softly, still sobbing. She waves her hand in the air and instantly the rain stopped. I looked up at her in fear but she was extending her hand to help me get up.

�Such a bad temper for such a little girl.� She said as she helped me into her home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We sat at the kitchen table for a while observing each other. It was a small kitchen filled with knick knacks and trinkets, so cluttered and disorganized. I am cold and hurt. My hair and clothes are soaking wet. There are a few dried blood stains at the entrance of my nose and by my lip, where it split, but I haven�t got the strength to wipe the blood away. She�s looking at me with an amused grin. What could possibly be so funny?

�You are, my dear, very amusing indeed.� She said finally breaking the silence.

�Stop doing that. Stop listening to my thoughts.� I say in a low voice.

�I can�t help it. It�s all you do. Think think think think think! You would hope that with all the thought you put in to everything you�d make less mistakes.�

�Which mistake are you referring to? Coming here or trying to overpower you?� I ask.

She chuckles, �You have spunk. I like that. What is your name child?�

�Willow.�

�Pleased to meet you Willow. My name is Hope.� How ironic those words were to me. That�s exactly what I came in search of�hope.

�Will you help me?� I ask softly.

�What you want to do is not right. You will upset the natural order of things. These sort of spells have consequences, sometimes good and sometimes bad. But more specifically, this spell can change you forever. This will happen. You will change. Are you prepared for such a journey?�

�Yes. I am. I must rescue her�regardless of the cost.� My words were forceful and determined. There was no changing my mind and she knew it.

�Ok. Then go on. Your spell will be successful.�

�Wait. I need you to tell me who her soul mate is.�

�You�re not listening again. You must learn to listen� listening will be the key. I said YOUR spell will be successful.� I sat in shocked silence for a few minutes as she fully appreciated the expression on my face. She smiled broadly, leaned in really close, and whispered, �Why do you think it hurts so much? Why do you suppose you�ve endeavored down this path? Why does her death cause you so much pain? I saw it the minute you walked up to me outside. There is a great tear running down the center of you.� She explained.

�I�m�.her soul mate?� I ask cautiously, my voice barely above a whisper.

�That you are.� She finished.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I nearly fell of my bed. Suddenly everything became clear. A light was shone in a place where only darkness reigned before. Why would she possibly keep this a secret from me? What was she so afraid of? I listened intently as she continued to speak.

�When I arrived back at the hotel I told Angel that the Sorceress advised that the spell would not work. I was afraid of hurting him with the truth. I found out later from Cordy that after I left Angel too disappeared for a few months on a spiritual retreat to work out his grief. I never told Tara the truth. I couldn�t believe it myself. I performed the spell� and at first when you didn�t rise I thought that Hope was wrong. I felt double the pain. Pain because I couldn�t bring you back and pain because I was not your soul mate after all. You could imagine my surprise when we found you wondering in the alleys. A few weeks after the resurrection spell was cast Tara found my journal and learned the truth. I guess I should have been mad at her for reading them�but how could I. She�d just learned that I was meant to be with someone else. She found out that I loved you before you did. We had a huge fight that night and when she went to sleep�. I did a spell that made her forget, but a few weeks ago when all the forgetting spells I had done to her were broken, she remembered the truth.� She finished.

�Will�I can�t believe you kept this from me for so long.� I say in a low tone.

�I was afraid, Buffy, I was afraid of scaring you. You had just told me you loved me�after almost six years. And what?? I was supposed to bust out with �Great�guess what?? We�re cosmically married!!� I needed to know that it was real. That we were real.� She said all flustered. My head was spinning from all the information.

�Now everything makes sense.� I say calmly, �Remember when I met Angel last month? The first thing he asked was not how I was, but, who had performed the spell. I was a little bitter at the time but I told him you did. He looked at me for while and grinned. It was a strange grin. We talked about this and that, nothing of importance. But when he left he kissed me goodbye. I�ve kissed Angel a thousand times and hundreds of those times they were goodbye kisses. But that kiss� that day� was the only one that truly felt like a goodbye.� She was looking at me with a scared expression on her face and it dawned on me how very hard this confession was to her. She was afraid I would reject her. I layed on my bed again and patted the pillow next to me.

�Come here beautiful.� I said to her enticing her to come over. Slowly she climbed into bed next to me and curled up into what seems to be our most comfortable position. With her head firmly laying on my chest I stroked her hair softly.

�We are very real Will and if possible I love you more today than ever.� She didn�t respond verbally, but I felt her warm tears as they soaked my shirt. My brain was on overdrive again. So many questions have arisen from her confession. What will happen to us next? How have we changed? Is this why Spike can hit me? I didn�t burden her with any of them. Not now, it was too soon. We laid there for a while in each other�s arms and it occurred to me� this moment, this minute, and every second in it, will leave an imprint in my life forever.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

How did this happen? How did the greatest criminal mind of the twenty first century end up huddled in a cheap motel watching old reruns of �I love Lucy�? I�ll tell you how� I�ll tell you how�traders, slayers, vampires and witches! That�s how! It�s all their fault!

Just then�the phone rang. My heart is pounding. I hate these calls�

�Hhh..Hello?� I croak.

�What is the status of the situation?� The deep voice barked over the phone.

�The Vampire came to me yesterday. He wants me to remove his chip.�

He chuckled evilly, �Excellent. Excellent. Everything is occurring exactly as I have foreseen.� Hmm� he sounds pleased. This would be a good time to let him down easy.

�I�ve been in hiding all week from the Slayer. As soon as the heat dies down I�ll proceed with the plans for the Witch.�

�It�s too late. It has already begun. The Witch�s death will not be enough. They both must die now.�

To be continued in Chapter 5 �Old Friends, New Enemies�

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