Angel grumbled before easing his foot off the gas pedal slightly.
"We need to make fast time," he shot back at Gunn.
"Not going to do any of us any good if we get pulled over by the cops," Gunn retorted. "You're going goddamn twenty over the limit. Slow down, for all our sakes."
"We would be better able to save Miss Rosenberg if we were in one piece," Wesley agreed shakily from the back. Angel let out another frustrated growl before slowing down to the speed limit.
"Happy?" he snapped at them.
"Yes," Gunn replied. "And not make those noises at me. I didn't kidnap Red. I'm just making sure we're all in a position to help the little lady out."
Angel gripped the steering wheel harder.
"I know," he muttered in defeat. "But I can't help but feel like there's some sort of race going on. I feel more urgent as the hours go by. We're racing against something. And it has to do with Willow."
The other two quieted.
"Do you suppose some connection between you and Willow has sprung up?" Wesley finally ventured. Angel gave a hollow laugh.
"Sprung up?" he scoffed. "It's always been there. Ever since she gave me back my soul. But I never said anything about it. An unobtrusive way of keeping an eye on things in Sunnydale. And Willow's feeling pressed, something's happening."
Angel turned angry eyes out the front window.
"Something bad is happening."
***
"Okay, now this I could have lived without!"
Dawn laughed at the face Xander was making. He held out Connor's dirty diaper in between his fingers. He kept the thing far away from himself as he made his way to the trashcan. He threw it in, going immediately to wash his hands.
Dawn continued to giggle at his antics, picking up the happily clean baby.
"And the scary thing is that you're getting good at it," she added, handing the baby over to Xander. The man made a face.
"This was all part of Cordelia's evil plan," he grumbled, making a silly face at the baby. "She pawns off the baby to me, making it seem like she's trying to calm me down, but in reality, she's just avoiding diaper duty."
Dawn giggled again, planting a kiss on the baby's forehead. "Maybe," she agreed. "But maybe she just knew this would be good for you. No blow-ups for about three days now. I'm all kinds of proud."
Xander ducked his head, smiling sheepishly at her. "I was overdoing it, wasn't I?" he sighed. "But I can't help it. Want Wills back home and safe."
"We all want that," Dawn told him. "But yelling wasn't helping much. Angel and the others are after her. And they'll find her. I know they will. Willow's going to be just fine."
Xander sighed again, switching Connor to the other arm. "She better be."
***
"I don't drive."
Jeff gave her an incredulous look.
"You don't drive?" he repeated. "You don't like to drive or you can't drive?"
"Both," she sniffled. "I don't like driving, because I had a friend Cordelia and after being in the car with her, I never wanted to be behind a wheel. And I can't because I never got my license, due to aforementioned fear instilled by Cordy."
"Cordy? Xander? Buffy?" Edge arched a brow at her. "Got any friends with normal names?"
"I don't know," she shrugged. "There is this weird blonde guy I know. Calls himself Edge. What kind of stupid ass name is that?"
Edge glared at her, grabbing her ankle and prying the shoe off.
"No one to save you this time," he chortled, tickling her foot mercilessly. Willow squealed and tried kick the man off.
"Rainbow!" she cried, giggling between gasps. "Save me!"
"And who am I to refuse a pretty lady?" Jeff returned with a smile. Jeff pulled Willow out of Edge's grasp, planting her on his lap as he elbowed Edge repeatedly. The blonde man avoided most blows, latching onto the redhead's other foot and pulling.
Matt and Christian exchanged exasperated looks before Matt turned around to referee the Willow tug-of-war.
***
Angel sighed, looking at the sleeping humans in the car.
"Don't worry Willow," he muttered under his breath. "I'm coming to save you."
***
Tara sighed, looking over at the drunken figure of Spike. The blonde witch was on Spike duty, and it wasn't pleasant. But Buffy had just finished her on four-hour watch and now it was time for Tara to take care of the vampire.
She sighed again, brushing some hair off his sleeping face. Spike had taken the kidnapping like he took everything else, by getting drunk and staying that way. After he almost got skewered alive by that Gorthat demon two nights ago, Buffy put him under house arrest.
So here she was, watching him while he mumbled in his drunken stupor. Tara leaned back against the basement wall, eyes never leaving the vampire. He really needed to lay off the drinking. It was going to get him killed, for real this time. Spike was quite abrasive and offensive when drunk. Okay, he was like that all the time, but he was less able to fend for himself when drunk.
Willow's kidnapping had been rough on everyone. Tara included. Her nerves were getting frayed. Every little noise made her jump. Her nails were chewed down and her hair a mess. She didn't even remember to eat unless that girl Fred forcibly reminded her. And she hadn't slept in a long time. She just couldn't get calm enough. If only she knew Willow was okay, then maybe things would be better. But that wasn't happening any time soon.
"Angel called."
Tara looked up the staircase, taking in the figure of Lorne, the karaoke demon. He made his way down the stairs, grimacing and shaking his head at the sight of Spike passed out in the corner.
"That whole line is messed up," the demon lamented. "Angel handles stress by growling and breaking things, he handles it through liquor. Well, at least it's a less expensive coping mechanism than Angelcakes."
Tara let out a hollow laugh, turning to look at Spike once more. "Vampires with psychological problems," she giggled. "Like that's a new phenomena."
Lorne shook his head, a slight smirk on his face. "Angel called," he repeated. "He's closer to finding Willow."
Tara sighed and leaned back against the wall. "He always is," she lamented.
"No, he really is close," Lorne insisted. "They pulled into a gas station last night. The attendant told them that they had just missed Red by ten minutes."
Tara's head shot up, leaping to her feet. "Are you serious?"
"Scout's honor," Lorne swore. "Well, I was never a scout, but I promise I'm not lying. You're going to get your friend back, and soon."
Tara let out a squeal before yanking the green demon in for a celebratory dance.
***
Willow couldn't believe her eyes. She stared at the large building, a sense of awe in her.
"It's just the Empire State Building," Edge muttered, coming up to stand next to her. "It's not that big of a deal."
"It is to me," Willow shot back, shoving him playfully. "I've never been to New York."
"Well, sightseeing can wait until later," Matt stated firmly, leading both of them back to the car. "We're getting to Lita first of all."
Willow nodded, climbing into the backseat with Matt and Edge. Christian sat in the front seat, tapping his fingers nervously against the window. Jeff was driving and Willow wasn't sure if she liked that much. First, he was in the front and that was away from her. And secondly, Jeff was almost as bad a driver as Matt was. Maybe it was a family thing.
Matt shifted uncomfortably next to her. So close and yet so far away. Lita was in this city; they were there with the money. But that wasn't the end of it. No, the end would be when Lita was all better and his arms.
Willow understood his feelings. The anticipation was almost as bad as the fear. She knew how that felt. She was always damn impatient for an apocalypse to start when she knew about it. The sooner it started, the sooner they ended it. But waiting was a pain in the ass.
She bumped his shoulder, giving him a small smile when he turned to face her. He returned it slightly, allowing her to put her chin on his arm.
"Everything is going to be okay," she soothed him. "Nothing is going to stop us from getting to Lita."
Matt smiled again before turning back to look out the window.
"I sure hope so."
***
"What the hell would they be doing in New York?"
Angel shook his head, peaking out from under his blanket.
"I don't know," he answered Gunn. "I have no idea why they would even head to the East coast."
"Shouldn't they have headed for the border?" Wesley mused. "Mexico would have made a better choice than the Canada, but either way. They should have headed out of the country."
"They don't seem like the most normal criminals," Angel shrugged. "Maybe they new to this."
"Well, I've never done anything like this and even I know they should have head to the border," Wesley muttered stubbornly. He folded his arms across his chest and looked out the window.
"Maybe we don't have the whole story," Gunn shrugged. "Maybe there's something we don't know about."
"It doesn't matter," Angel interjected. "Either way, we're only here for one thing. Willow, and I am not leaving without her."
***
Lita felt that comfort again. It was closer than ever before. Almost tangible, like she could almost reach out a hand and touch it. And it kept getter closer and closer.
Lita sighed and shifted onto her back. She closed her eyes and an image hit her suddenly. A redheaded girl with green eyes and sweet smile. She had this girl many times in her life. Ever since Lita was younger this girl had been there. Whenever Lita was hitting rock bottom, when things weren't going her way, she would close her eyes and this girl would come to her. Lita wished she knew who the girl was, but she never got a clue as to her identity. She just always saw her, and in various different forms. Seen her as a child, teenager, and an adult. Lita had been shocked when the girl began appearing with shorter hair. The girl had always had long hair, but suddenly, she just chopped it off. It looked good on her, but Lita liked her hair long. It was getting back there now, longer than she had seen it in years. She looked good.
Lita wondered why she was seeing this girl now. She hadn't seen the girl for about a year now. Even when she had needed comfort Lita couldn't find her. It was like the girl had no comfort to give for that time period. Made Lita sad to think that if she really existed, something very sad must have happened to her.
But she was back now, and Lita felt the comfort once more. Something inside of her knew that the girl was near at hand. That she was coming to help. And Lita could not wait.
She opened her eyes and looked around the room. Trish and Stephanie were seated rather uncomfortably in two chairs, sleeping.
She chucked a pillow at them, startling them awake. "Wake up," she instructed. "The boys are here."
***
Willow stood nervously in the calling room. Her eyes swept over the interior. There was nothing too fancy there. Just an ordinary room with couches and stuff. And the huge summoning mirror in front of her. Pretty average stuff for a witch doctor. The mirror was beautiful and to think all it would take to go home was to activate it . . .
But no, she was not going to do that. Because if she did that, she would have to use magic. And using magic was a no-no. And she didn't really want to go home just yet for that matter. It was just being in a place with so much magic just lying around . . .
She popped the top of her water bottle and took a big swig. She closed her eyes and rested the bottle against her forehead. The condensation beads trickled onto her face, streaming down her nose. Where the hell were the boys?
Oh yeah, they went to go check on their friends. Matt had nearly jumped out of the car when they arrived at the strange magic clinic. He raced through the door and disappeared. Christian and Edge followed at a much slower pace. Jeff actually walked her inside and left her with the witch doctor before heading to see his friends. He had asked her to go along with him, but Willow figured they needed a moment.
And she was scared of facing Lita. Willow wasn't quite sure why she had been dreaming of the redhead, but that didn't mean she didn't want to find out. Just that the prospect of finding out made Willow nervous.
So she stayed with the witch doctor, which didn't turn out to be any better of a choice. Willow never felt so tempted in all her life. Just to reach out and touch some of the objects, to feel the power in them.
She took another swig of water, folding her free arm around her waist. She tapped her foot, eyes intent of the door. Why weren't they back yet? They had a freaking supplier to call!
Sighing, the slender redhead dejectedly took a seat on a couch. She leaned her head back, closing her eyes briefly. The couch was made of leather, and very cool to the touch. And Willow was grateful for that. It was like she burning up with temptation. She probably should have just stayed in the car.
The door to the room finally opened and in walked the boys with the witch doctor. She offered them a weak smile, noting the obvious relief on their faces. Willow took that to mean they had made it in time. Lita would be all right. Willow felt much better at that. She had felt the woman's pain, and no one should be in that kind of pain.
Jeff wandered over to her, a big smile on his face.
"Payment accepted and we're getting the ingredient," he informed her happily. Willow regarded him with wide eyes, her gaze switching to the summoning mirror. The witch doctor stood in front of it, preparing to summon.
"Maybe I should just wait outside," the former witch stammered, trying to hastily make it to her feet. Jeff took her by the arm, helping her up with a frown on his face.
"Are you okay?"
"Just peachy," she grinned at him rather forcedly. "It's just, too much magic. Too much temptation. I should leave before-"
But by then the witch doctor had done the summoning. Willow fell into Jeff's arms, squeezing herself into his chest. She tried to quell the response of her body to the magic. It rippled along her skin and seemed to set her blood on fire. Willow bit back a cry, clenching her hands into fists to prevent herself from doing . . .anything.
Jeff hugged her back tightly, trying to move her away from the mirror. She stumbled alongside with him. She needed to get out of this room right now!
"It is over little one," came the voice of the witch doctor. "You can remain in the room. The magic will recede as of now."
She stilled, realizing that witch doctor spoke the truth. The magic had receded, but she was still shaking.
"I think she needs to leave right now," Jeff tossed back at the witch doctor, moving both of them to the door. Willow shook her head, pulling back from him a bit.
"It's okay," she told him. "I can handle it now. Just a shock to the system."
He looked like he wanted to argue, but eventually let her go. The others watched her with concern, Edge coming up immediately to give her a hug.
"We forgot," he muttered in apology.
"That's okay," she murmured back to him. "You had other things to worry about."
He gave her a half-grin, turning back to the mirror when the witch doctor cleared her thought. Willow stepped back, grateful to feel Jeff at her back. He moved an arm around her waist and she leaned back into him. She could do this.
The mirror was clouded, as if a storm brewed inside of it. She watched as a figure slowly took form in the swirling mass. It got closer and closer, until finally, it stepped out of the mirror and into the room.
"I bring the antidote, where's my money-"
"Hey!" Willow erupted out of Jeff's arms to stand right in front of the blue creature from the mirror.
"I know you!" she declared. The creature looked taken back, relaxing when he saw whom it was.
"How is Rupert?" he asked with a smile.
"In England," she shrugged. "How's Irene?"
"She is doing wonderful," he smiled widely. "As soon as I finish this transaction, I get to take her on a holiday. Hard to get days off in this line of work."
"Wait a minute!" Matt interrupted their conversation. He shot Willow an incredulous look.
"You know him?"
"Well, yeah," she laughed. "I met him back when I was in high school. He's a friend of Giles, the old school librarian. We met under some extremely funny circumstances that have nothing to do with our present situation, so let's continue."
Christian shook his head, trying to understand the ramblings he just heard.
"You met him in high school?" he repeated slowly.
Willow nodded, rolling her eyes.
"Besides the point right now," she made some ushering motions with her hands. "On with the potion and the saving of Lita."
That shook people out of their shocks. The transaction was made quickly, both sides ending it with a handshake. The witch doctor took the ingredient immediately, heading right for Lita. Matt followed right on her heels. The other three followed at a slower pace, pulling Willow along with them.
"Who's Irene?"
***
"Why would they go to New York?"
Cordelia shrugged, eyes flickering over to where Xander sat with Connor on his lap. Anya sat next to him, playing with the baby and squealing every now and then. They would make great parents, if not strange ones.
"I don't think we're dealing with ordinary bank robbers," the brunette finally responding, looking over at Fred.
"Are there normal bank robbers?" Fred asked innocently. "I think to rob a bank you have to be pretty abnormal."
Cordelia shot her friend a wry grin.
"You might be right about that," she giggled, cutting herself off with a sigh.
"But I can't help but wonder."
***
Angel grumbled, sitting rather sourly on the hood of his car. He watched as Wesley tried to scry for Willow once more. They were rather slowly making their way to the redhead. Apparently their quarry had finally stopped. But Wesley's magic skills weren't that advanced, they were making their way rather slowly to the redhead.
"Won't be long now," Wesley muttered. "I've got her narrowed down to an eight block radius. And then we'll cut it down from there."
Angel gave the barest of nods before jumping back behind the wheel.
"Let's go."
***
Willow felt relaxed, for the first time in a little while. She closed her eyes and stretched a bit, running her hands over the covers of her bed. Well, not her bed, but the bed the witch doctor was kind enough to lend her.
The boys were with their girls again. Apparently Trish and Stephanie had heard of her and were anxious to meet her. Lita was still out so the explanation of the hostage would have to wait until later. Which Willow was kind of grateful for. The idea of meeting Lita made her nervous, for reasons she couldn't understand.
Willow shook her head, switching to lay on her other side. Lita was going to be just fine, the witch doctor had assured them of that. And that was a good thing. Except, now the whole mess was over. What the hell were they going to do?
The whole mess was a lot more complicated than anyone had given thought to. Willow had to go home, she was a kidnapped person there. But she sure as hell wasn't going to allow the boys to end up in jail. Which meant she would need one hell of a story to cover this up.
And as for the boys, where were they going to go now? Would they leave the country or move quietly to another state? Had they even thought of that? Would she ever see Jeff again? What did that matter? He was her kidnapper, but still. Would she ever see any of them again?
Willow rolled onto her stomach and punched her pillow viciously. Things were so complicated in her life. Couldn't just for once something be just plain black and white? Why couldn't her kidnappers be thieves bursting with greed? Why did they have to be so nice and make friends with her? Why did she let herself fall for one of them?
"Shut up brain," she muttered to herself. "You're thinking too much again."
"Now that is an unique complaint," came an amused voice from the door. She didn't have to turn to see who it was. She recognized that sweet Southern accent.
"How's Lita?" she asked, staying with her head in her pillow. Her words came out rather muffled, but Jeff understood anyway.
"She's still sleeping," he answered, coming to sit on the bed with her. "And she'll be all better by sometime tomorrow. To think we went through all that and she's going to be better in a few hours."
"Magical potions work rather fast," she shrugged. Jeff gave her a strange look, which she missed because her head was still in the pillow.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently, hand going to rest on her back. Willow just gave a slight shrug of her shoulders.
"Just thinking about what happens next," she answered, finally moving onto her side to look at him. "You know, now that this is all over, where do we go? I mean, I know I go home, but I'm worried about you guys. You do have a plan for that, don't you?"
He nodded, swallowing the sadness he felt at her statement about going home.
"We've got this nice little house picked out," he assured her. "It's in North Carolina, around the same place we all grew up. We'll be okay Willow, you don't have to worry."
She nodded silently, almost to herself.
"I don't want to worry," she admitted. "That's where the stupid brain comes in. It won't let me stop worrying. Just keeps asking question after question."
"Like what?"
She blushed, rising into a sitting position.
"Stuff," she answered vaguely. "Anyway, I thought the girlfriends wanted to meet me. Where are they?"
"Off getting reacquainted with their boyfriends," Jeff gave her a suggestive smile. Willow gave a little giggle, scooting sideways until he could sit right next to her.
"And I thought I would be more important than a booty call," she shook her head theatrically.
"Well, I'm here," he offered her. "That should be worth something."
She nodded, blushing slightly again. Her eyes went to fix on her room door. Things had been weird for the past week, but they were about to get weirder.
She turned, looking Jeff in the eye.
"I have something to tell you," she told him. "And it's going to sound kind of stupid, but bear with me?"
He nodded, hands covering hers.
"You can tell me anything."
***
Buffy sat perched on a tombstone, looking over the cemetery rather listlessly. It's like the Slayer had been running on autopilot for the past week. She was just too worried about Willow to concentrate on her sacred duty. And that's probably why her friends insisted she have company on her patrols.
She glanced over to her companion. He had heard of Willow's disappearance and had been on the first flight out. But even Giles's presence couldn't help soothe her nerves. She wanted Willow back and safe in Sunnydale. Safe in Sunnydale. Wasn't that some sort of oxymoron?
"She'll be just fine Buffy," came the voice of her former Watcher. Giles turned to give the blonde a half smile.
"She is one of the strongest people I know," he assured her. "If anyone could keep her head in this, it would be Willow."
Buffy nodded, giving a bitter laugh.
"She would probably help the kidnappers if it would get her home faster," the blonde giggled mirthlessly.
"What is the matter Buffy?" Giles asked her softly. "I sense your worry for Willow goes deeper than you tell."
"It's just, we didn't tell you," she shrugged her shoulders. "Willow gave up magic, because she got addicted to it. And she's been magic free for a month now. But in that situation, being all on her own with four armed men . . ."
"She would be horribly tempted," Giles finished for her. He took off his glasses and wiped at them worriedly.
"All lot happened since I left, hasn't it?" he asked, almost as if to himself. Buffy nodded wordlessly.
"Well, still doesn't change my mind," he continued. "In fact, it only deepens my resolve. If Willow could just quit magic, cold turkey, then she was a lot stronger than I ever gave her credit for. She will be fine Buffy."
Buffy nodded, watching the dirt of a fresh grave start to shift. She hopped off her tombstone and wandered over to wait on the fledging.
"She has to be."
***
"Got it yet?" Angel asked, peering over Wesley's shoulder as the man tried to locate Willow. Wesley nodded, folding up his map.
"Narrowed down to two blocks," he informed them. "We should reach Miss Rosenburg before sunrise."
"Then let's get to it," Gunn declared, clapping his friends on the back.
"Come on boys! We've got a damsel in distress to save."
***
Willow was again astonished how weird this whole escapade was turning out to be. First she was in a hold-up, after which the robbers took her hostage. She was terrified at first, until she discovered their secret. She told them hers and they all rushed to New York to save a redhead in peril.
And now she was kissing one of those kidnappers. The one with purple, blue, and some green hair. Things turn out in the weirdest ways.
She kind of liked it. Okay, she really liked it. Hello! She was getting smoochies!
Willow hoped this wouldn't end any time soon.
***
Willow listened to the sounds of Jeff's light breathing. He didn't snore like some of his friends, something she was grateful for. Not that they had sex or anything, but still, snoring gets on her nerves. That's why she stopped having sleepovers with Jesse and Xander at thirteen. Well, that and puberty. Her mother wasn't too pleased with the idea of her only daughter bunking with two boys. Willow always wondered about that. Her mom didn't care enough to spend time with her, but still, she had the strictest rules.
The redhead turned on her side, looking right into his face. Kissing had turned into cuddling, which eventually ended up with them falling asleep. Of course, Willow had woken rather quickly. She had some sense of urgency in the bottom of her stomach. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was pushing her to go see Lita. Right now.
Sighing, the redhead carefully extracted herself from Jeff's arms, trying not to wake the man. She silently slid off the bed and stood over him watching. He really was handsome. Hard to believe he was interested in her. Willow didn't get the handsome, sexy guys. That was Buffy's territory.
Willow shook her head, clearing the thoughts from her mind. She didn't have time for self-doubt. She only had little time left here with Jeff and the others. She might as well make the most of it.
She leaned over, planting a kiss on the corner of his mouth. It would really be sad when she went back home. But there wasn't anything to be done about it. She had to go back. If not for her friends back home, but her friends here. She had to go back and make sure the police would never catch up to them. And that meant lying a hell of a lot.
She crept to the door, slowly opening it and slipping out. In the hallway, she pulled the door shut as lightly as possible. Hearing the soft click, she straightened and made her way down the hallway.
***
Angel looked down the street, growling. But he wasn't angry this time. This time it was in anticipation.
Wesley was slowly eliminating each house on the street. They would find Willow in a matter of minutes.
***
Willow knocked lightly on the closed door. She heard some shuffling and some grumbling before the door was finally opened. Matt blinked at the sudden light from the hallway, his confused eyes settling on the redhead in front of him.
"Willow?" he mumbled, as if to himself. "What are you- oh right. Come on in."
She gave him a little smile, sliding past him into the room. And there she was, lying on the bed, deep in slumber. Willow's heart started hammering loudly in her chest. This was it.
"I'm going go pretend to do something," Matt spoke up. "If she wakes up, tell her I'll be right back."
Willow nodded, barely even hearing his words. She watched as Matt leaned over Lita, kissing her much in the same manner Willow had just kissed Jeff. She watched silently as he moved past her, reaching out to squeeze her hand in comfort before slipping out the door.
Willow turned wide green eyes to the sleeping girl on the bed. She looked exactly like she had in the dream. Long, vibrant red hair, tumbling out onto her pillow. There was that large blue and green tattoo on her shoulder, Willow still couldn't figure out what it was.
She was breathing lightly, less laboured than before. Willow moved closer to the bed, hands wringing in front of her. Her eyes swept over the redhead and Willow felt her heart clenching again.
What the hell was going on with this girl? Who was she? Willow couldn't figure it out. All she knew was that now that she was better, Willow felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Sighing, Willow climbed onto the bed with Lita, not really even noticing she had done so. Willow sank down on the bed, curling against the sleeping girl. Her eyes closed and she wrapped an arm around Lita.
And then Willow saw.
***
Matt wandered down the hallway, peeking to check on his friends as he went. Jeff wasn't in his room, but Matt could guess whose room his brother was sleeping in. He checked in on Christian and Trish, found the two of them still very awake. They were quite angry with him for a moment. He smirked and told them to lock the door next time.
Edge and Stephanie were sleeping. He could only pick out a tangle of legs, arms, and brown and blonde hair. He closed the door quietly, not wanting to disturb them. He knew exactly what the guys were feeling. After being so long without Lita, just seeing her was so uplifting.
Finally, he peeked his head in Willow's room, and sure enough Jeff was sleeping on the bed. Matt smiled to himself, shaking his head slightly. His brother's crush was adorable to say the least, but extremely ill timed. Willow was going home soon and they would be heading to North Carolina. Not the most opportune time to start a romance.
He wandered down to the entrance hall, making for the kitchen. He stopped when he heard some voices outside the front door. Matt frowned to himself, not sure about what to do. Wondering if he should go get the witch doctor, Matt turned down to where he knew her room was.
And then the door burst open.
***
"This is the house," Wesley stated with absolute certainty. Angel looked at the building and recognized one thing immediately.
"Magic," he growled, eyes narrowing. "The robbers are into magic."
"Well, that makes things harder," Gunn sighed. "But whatever. They got magic, we've got some magic. And no pissed off vampire. Let's go get our girl."
"Maybe we should be slightly more subtle then to just break down the-"
Wesley's suggestion was cut off when Gunn and Angel kicked in the door together. The British man sighed and rolled his eyes.
Gunn stepped gleefully through the shambles of the door. He entered the building and then turned around to smile at his friends.
"Angel, English, why don't you two come on in?"
***
It was hard for her to tell what was going on at first. Willow picked out voices and some people, but wasn't sure about them at first. Finally, she was able to make out the complete scene. And then Willow was more confused than ever.
What the hell was she seeing her mother and her grandmother for?
It was a much younger Sheila she was seeing, but Willow knew beyond a doubt it was her. Willow had seen pictures of her mother when she was a teenager. There weren't that many. Not many after her mother's sixteen birthday and absolutely none for the year her mother was twenty. But this was Sheila Rosenburg, then Sheila Davies. And that was Willow's grandmother Anna. Both seemed agitated.
"You have to do it!" Anna barked at her cringing daughter. "Isn't it enough that you brought this shame on your father and I? What will it help matters if everyone found out?"
"But Mama-" Sheila's plea was cut off when Anna struck out, slapping the young woman viciously. Willow sucked in her breath rapidly. She had never even seen her mother and grandmother fight. But physical assault? What was wrong with Grams?
"No more!" Anna yelled. "It is already done! You're getting rid of it, and we will never speak of it again!"
Anna left Sheila then, stomping out of the room, slamming a door shut behind her. Willow watched as her mother sunk to the floor in tears, cradling her reddening cheek.
And then the scene faded out and Willow stood watching her mother again in pain. But it was a very different kind. There was a doctor and nurse there, as well as Anna. Sheila lay propped up on a bed, screaming and grunting. Willow took one look at the scene and decided her mother was giving birth.
But didn't Sheila look a bit younger than twenty-five, the age she knew her mother bore her? And this didn't look like a hospital room. Willow knew she had been born in Sunnydale General. What was going on?
Willow watched as her mother worked her way through the delivery. Her screams made Willow cringe inside. If this was labour, then she wasn't going to do it. Okay, maybe she would do it once, and doped up so she would barely feel anything. But only once. It just looked too damn painful.
Finally, it was over. Willow gave a sigh of relief. It seemed to go on forever, but Willow knew she was getting the fast-forwarded version. But the baby was fine. Willow got a good look at it. A girl, crying pitifully in the doctor's hands. Willow frowned to herself as she looked at the baby. She didn't have a birthmark on her ankle, and this baby did.
"Let me just hold her once Mama!" came the plea from Sheila. Her red hair was plastered to her forehead in sweat and her eyes were bloodshot. She had a desperate look to her. Sheila stretched her arms out to the doctor and he made to give her the baby. But Anna stepped in.
"If you hold her, you won't be able to let go," Anna explained to Sheila. "It's better this way."
And with that, Anna led the doctor and the baby out of the room. Sheila was left crying in the arms of the nurse.
***
Willow jerked awake after that. What the hell was that? She put a shaking hand to her forehead. Her mother having a child, and then Grams taking it away? Where did that come from?
Her green eyes slid to the sleeping figure next to her. Lita, the images came from Lita. Willow lifted her chin defiantly, fighting back the tears and panic welling up in her chest. The other redhead slept on, oblivious to her presence. Lita's chin troubled a bit in her sleep and Willow felt like crying. That was something her mother did a lot.
But that didn't mean a thing. The whole vision/hallucination or whatever the hell is was, it hadn't been very clear. Willow couldn't go jumping to crazy conclusions. She hadn't seen anything that concrete, except . . .
Willow bit her lip, trying to even out her breathing. She gently got off the bed, making her way to the footboard. Her eyes remained locked on Lita, making sure the woman remained asleep.
She reached out with shaking hands, pulling the covers off Lita's feet. Willow fought desperately to keep her calm as she pushed up Lita's right pant leg a bit, revealing her ankle.
And revealing a familiar birthmark on her ankle.
Willow's hand went to her mouth, trying to stifle her own cry of discovery. Her eyes watered as she took a jerking step away from the bed. She wanted to leave the room right then, to run all the way home. This wasn't happening.
And a large crashing noise startled her out of her thoughts. Willow's head whipped around, eyes going to the closed bedroom door. What the hell was that?
"What the hell was that?"
The soft exclamation came from the bed. Willow froze immediately, eyes widening and breath failing her. Very slowly, Willow turned around to find a very awake Lita sitting up on her bed.
And Willow started to cry.
***
Lita didn't know what was going on. First she had this horrible dream where some young woman was forced to give up her baby by her parents for whatever reason, and then a loud crashing noise echoed through the walls. She had woken immediately, noticing the slender redhead in the room with her.
"What the hell was that?" Lita asked innocently. The girl seemed to tense up and then turned around. Lita was stunned at the sight of her.
It was her! The girl from her visions or whatever they were. That little girl she had seen her entire life. And she was standing a few feet away from her bed!
Lita never felt so flustered and confused in her life. What was going on?
She watched helplessly as the other redhead burst into tears.
"Don't cry!" Lita cried in panic, scrambling out of her bed. The redhead was briefly distracted when she realized all the pain was gone. Lita figured that meant she was healed. That was great, but would have to wait for another time.
"Who are you?" she asked the other redhead, walking closer. The smaller girl seemed to be at a loss for words, gulping back her sobs. She opened her mouth to speak when another blast sounded out. Only this time, it sounded like thunder.
They exchanged a look and then both raced for the door.
***
Angel stepped over the remains of the door, entering the house now that Gunn had granted him an invitation. His eyes went immediately to the staircase in front of him and he moved to it.
"Who the hell are you?" came a demanded from the hall. A tall dark-haired man stepped in the vampire's path, blocking his access to the staircase. It took Angel two seconds to recognize him. One of the kidnappers.
The vampire let loose a snarl, allowing his true face to come the front. The man's eyes widened and he backed up a step. Angel sneered and followed him.
Grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, Angel lifted the man up into the air.
"No one messes with my friends," he growled at him. And then Angel reared back with his fist and let the scum have it.
***
Jeff had been sleeping quite peacefully, until he heard it. It was like some sort of a gunshot blast, echoing through the walls.
He jerked awake, stumbling out of bed. His mind registered one thing first. Willow wasn't there with him. Becoming slightly concerned, Jeff made his way out of the room, stumbling into the hallway.
Outside, there was a blinking Stephanie and Edge walking out of a room, pulling on their nightclothes. Trish and Christian tumbled out of another room, grumbling about interruptions. He grinned at the sight of them. Someone looked like they had been in the middle of something.
But any smart remark he had was cut off when another boom erupted from down the stairs. This time it was like a roll of thunder. Blue light rippled up the stairs and down the hall. The five friends stared dumbfounded at one another.
"What is going on?"
The question came from further down the hall. Jeff watched as Willow and Lita edged to the group. Normally, he would have pulled his redheaded friend in for a hug. It was so damn good to see her awake and about. But right now, his attention was on downstairs.
There were quite a few shouts and curses coming from the hall. Jeff froze when he heard Matt's voice drift up the stairs. As a group, the seven of them made for the stairs.
***
Angel was going to hit him. And he was damn well going to enjoy it. He reared back with his fist and hit the slime ball kidnapper right in the jaw.
But then some invisible barrier met his fist. A violent reaction was set off, throwing the vampire off of the human. Angel flew back a few feet, eyes noting the blue current that rippled throughout the house.
So this place was a Sanctuary.
He picked himself off the floor, noting with irritation that the kidnapper was more or less unharmed. The man looked a little confused, and more than a little scared.
Gunn and Wesley helped him to his feet, stilling when they heard the approaching footsteps from down the entryway.
"I do not permit violence here," came a strict voice. A tall woman with black hair emerged from the shadows. She had ice blue eyes that were flickering angrily as she regarded the vampire in front of her. Angel sniffed and then groaned.
"Witch doctor," he muttered in explanation for his friends. Wesley looked apologetic while Gunn continued to glare daggers at the dark-haired kidnapper.
"Where is Red?" the ex gang member demanded. The man's eyes widened, shooting an apprehensive look up the stairs.
That was all Angel needed. Ignoring the witch doctor and his friends, he made for the stairs. Only to be interrupted by the dark-haired kidnapper.
"You're not going up there," he growled at Angel. The vampire snarled, letting his true face come up again.
"And what are you going to do to stop me boy?" he demanded.
"There will be no violence in my house!" came the witch doctor again. "Now, you will introduce yourself and explain yourself immediately!"
"We are deeply sorry for intruding on your Sanctuary," Wesley began to stammer. But Angel didn't hear much of it. He heard the footsteps first. Then he caught a glimpse of red hair and finally, he felt some of the tension leave his body.
"Willow!"
***
Willow made her way down the steps, well aware that Jeff was trying to pull her behind him. She didn't have time for his sweet, if not unnecessary, attempts to protect her. Something was going on downstairs. And from the looks of it, Matt was neck deep in it.
She skittered down the steps, Jeff's hand on her back. She didn't really see any of them at first. The first thing she heard was the British stammering, which made her pause briefly. Then she saw two men in front of the stairs. She recognized Matt from behind, and as for the other...
"Willow!"
The redhead faltered, causing the others to run into her. There was a chain reaction of sorts, as the six other people collided with each other. But Willow didn't even register it.
"Angel!"
***
Jeff watched, more than a little hurt, as Willow flew down the steps and into the arms of a dark-haired man. He looked on remorsefully as the redhead and the man blathered on rather happily.
Matt shot a glance back up at them, shrugging his shoulders. He leaned forward, tapping Willow on her shoulder.
"Who's your friend?" Matt asked simply. "And why did he want to deck me on sight?"
Willow tensed, pulling herself out of the man's arms. She gave him an angry look.
"You tried to hit him?" she demanded incredulously.
The man sputtered for a second, glancing confusedly between the redhead and Matt.
"He kidnapped you!" he declared finally. "The four of them held up a bank and kidnapped you!"
"Well, that doesn't mean you can just go around hitting people Angel," Willow reprimanded him. Jeff stood on the steps, exchanging confused looks with his friends. He turned back to watch the redhead continue to scold the man, broadening her scolding to two men next to the witch doctor. She was gesturing to the front door and actually wagging her finger at them.
Finally, Lita made her way to the bottom to the stairs. She passed Matt, briefly hugging her boyfriend before turning to the others.
"Can someone please explain to me what's going on?"
***
"I cannot believe you guys robbed a bank," Lita shook her head, turning to frown at her male friends. Three of them ducked their heads sheepishly while Matt just shrugged.
"Sell my soul if I could have saved you," he stated simply. The tall redhead smiled and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck.
"I wouldn't go around saying that stuff man," came the interruption from Gunn. "Someone just might take you up on that. And then things just go downhill from there."
"And you sound as if you know that from experience," Trish mused. Gunn shot her a sideways grin.
"Who says I don't?"
Angel turned his back to his friend, ignoring the easy banter between the groups. His eyes were focused on Willow, perched primly in Jeff's lap.
"I don't get it."
Willow rolled her eyes, climbing off Jeff's lap to move closer to the vampire. "It's a long and complicated story Angel," she explained, shooting a glance at Lita. "One I haven't quite figured out myself. But they're really not bad people."
Angel nodded, face remaining stone still. "I still don't like them," he informed his friend. Edge and Christian made faces at the vampire's back at that remark. Willow hid a grin behind her hand, shaking her head at them.
"You don't have to like them," she sighed. "You just have to help me."
Angel frowned. "I like that idea less," he grumbled.
"Oh, lighten up Angel," was Wesley's input. "You have to admit. We were slightly wrong about these folk."
"I admit nothing," the vampire shot back. "You still abducted an innocent girl, making her loved ones fear for her very life."
The guys got slightly guilty faces at that. Willow shook her head, retaking her spot with Jeff.
"We can't change that Angel," she told the vampire. "But we have a chance to change some other wrongs here. Angel, I'm not asking you to agree with me. I'm asking you to help me."
The vampire sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I don't really have much of a choice, do I?"
***
Xander made his way over to the front door, keeping baby Connor tucked under one arm. He pulled the door open, barely avoiding the blanketed individual that ran in after he did so.
"Deadboy?" Xander called after the smoking figure.
"Um, what's with the baby?"
His heart stopped, he swear it did. Xander turned slowly, facing the other arrivals on the front porch. A beautiful smile was shot his way. Green eyes twinkled in amusement as Willow took in his stunned face.
"Hi Xander. Miss me?"
***
It took about an hour to convince Xander to let her go. After that, it was a three-way assault by Anya, Buffy, and Dawn. The three women refused to let her go, squeezing her in a massive group hug. And then Giles came in, hugging and kissing the top of her head. Spike wandered in with Tara, both blondes embracing their recovered friend.
After a long while of hugs and tears, the group settled down to hear the entire story. They were sceptical at first, especially Xander, but eventually Willow was able to convince them. And then it left one thing.
"What are you going to do?"
Willow sighed before looking at her friends with determination in her eyes.
"I have a plan."
***
It had been rather funny to see Jonathan, Andrew, and Warren be carted off to jail by the police. The morons had kept all the money in Warren's basement, which made pinning that particular robbery on them easy. Willow knew it wasn't nice to frame people, but it wasn't like the three nerds weren't guilty of bank robbery anyway.
The cops had been quite eager to accept Willow's tale of the story, since it made their jobs easier. And they got an arrest out of it as well. For once, the Sunnydale PD didn't come out looking like the incompetent fools they were. Everyone was happy.
Well, everyone but her friends. They couldn't seem to agree with her on everything. They wanted to keep her where they could see her, but that wasn't going to work out. Not after all that had happened. Not after all that had been revealed. After all, Willow did have a newfound sister to contend with. . .
She had double-checked of course. She didn't want to make any mistakes about it. Willow pulled all the appropriate papers before she made the final declaration, but in her heart, she hadn't needed to. She knew what Lita was to her; it just made sense, considering all that had happened. The whole psychic connection was strange and definitely needed to be addressed, but that could wait for later. Willow had important things to do.
Her bags were packed within a week. No one had been too happy about it, but they eventually understood. Willow had to go, not only for Lita, but also for Jeff, the strange man who had captured her heart. A lot had been left unsaid before she made her way back to Sunnydale, things that needed to be taken care of. And Willow was going to do just that.
"Are you sure about this?" Xander asked her at the airport. "Because you can back out at any time. We'll be there for you."
"I know," she smiled at him, enveloping her friend into a hug. "I know."
And that was all she had to say to him. Willow knew what was in his heart; it was in hers as well. She loved Xander like a brother, his safety was important to her. And her safety was important to him. They had never been separated for such a long time before, but things changed. Sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better.
And Willow felt like this would be for the better.
She had kissed them all goodbye, wiping away the few tears. She boarded her plane slowly, turning around several times to wave at her friends. They remained in a huddle, holding onto each other as she slipped away from their lives. The only consolation they had was that she would come visit. She would always come to visit.
Willow settled into her plane seat with much more anticipation than sadness. She would see her friends here again, but she wouldn't be here anymore. Sunnydale held no more promise for her. It was time to move on.
And she couldn't be happier about it.
***
Epilogue
Sheila Rosenburg shifted nervously as her husband neared the house. It was a nice home, big and comfy by the looks of it. It was a ranch of some sorts, acres of land stretching out behind the house. She could see some horses dotting the field. Sheila had always loved horses. But even they couldn't calm her.
For the twentieth time she found herself asking why she had come. She should have just stayed away. Too much had been done for this to go well at all. But Willow had been so adamant . . .
Ira pulled up to the porch, turning off the car silently. He gave his wife's hand a squeeze before getting out of the car. Sheila watched as the front door of the house opened and her daughter stepped out. Willow bounded down the steps, allowing her father to pull her in for a hug. They exchanged some words and then laughed before separating. Willow pointed around the house, at a sort of stable. Sheila could see some people wandering around there. Ira nodded before taking off in a trot, making his way to them.
Willow walked quietly over to her mother's car side. She tapped her fingernails lightly on the window and then looked at Sheila expectantly. Sheila sighed and then opened her car door. She got out, pulling Willow in for a brief hug.
"I can't do this," she confided in her daughter. Willow hugged her back, kissing her cheek lightly.
"Of course you can Mom," Willow assured her. "You want to do this too. It's been long enough."
Sheila sighed again, allowing her daughter to lead her into the house. They walked past the elaborate stairwell and into a parlour room. Sheila wondered briefly how this place had been paid for. Did Willow's friend rob a bank or something?
"Mom," Willow was tugging on her hand. Sheila turned around, noticing the other woman seated on one of the sofas. She looked up at Sheila with beautiful hazel eyes. There were tears there, tears and fear. Sheila knew how she felt.
"Mom, this is Lita."
The introduction had been unnecessary. Sheila felt her heart constrict when tears did roll down Lita's cheek. She moved to her without thinking, enveloping the girl into a hug.
"Hush baby," she whispered to the emotional girl. "Hush now, don't cry. Mama's here now."
And this time, she was here to stay.
END