Witness by The Rainbow Writers

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, Giles, Dawn, Spike and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, together with the names, titles and back story are the sole copyright property of Joss Whedon, Fox and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the authors. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Please contact the authors for permission to reproduce this story on any other fan fiction site.
Distribution: The Rainbow Writer's Homepage: http://www.therainbowwriters.com/
Mystic Muse: http://mysticmuse.net
Spoilers: Season 6.
Feedback: All feedback is welcome.
Pairing: Willow/Other

Summary: Willow struggles with her rehabilitation in England.

Willow turned slightly in the large double bed when she heard the shower in the adjoining bathroom turn on filling the background silence with a rush of soothing noise. As her tired body began to completely wake up she realized that just as Buffy had been promising, a few hours sleep had made her feel less exhausted.

Boldly she opened her eyes trying to face the idea of getting up and out of bed. It was probably the worse move she could have made as the sudden addition of visual input made her very fragile sense of balance slide off side. She grasped her arm around her stomach as she tried to control the hard shiver that coursed through her body and made her insides turn with nausea.

"Lo?" Ruth went from asleep to awake in the blink of an eye or more specifically the turn of Willow's stomach. She put her arm out to the side looking at least to feel the redhead's physical presence and to find if the feeling she was picking up was merely a reflection of her own mood.

"Ru… I…" Willow gasped as she felt her body shudder and stiffen again as she tried to close her eyes and get control of the backlash that was filtering through her body after using so much magic in the recent adrenaline filled threats.

"It's okay." Ruth struggled to an upright position ignoring the fact that her head felt like she was still banging it against the wall. "Let me get you a pill." She turned and tried to focus on table.

"It hurts Ru." Willow managed to gasp again as she shifted uncontrollably on her side and felt her legs cramp up closer to her body.

"Breathe." Ruth encouraged as she slipped out of the bed and stumbled around to Willow's side of the bed, she dropped down onto her knees tried to help Willow ease into a better position.

"I'm…" The redhead took a slow breath in. "Trying." She felt herself break into a constant shivering motion.

"I know." Ruth encouraged her. "It's just a flare reaction, it'll pass." The dark haired woman explained though she knew Willow knew what was happening to her. "Focus on your breathing, in and out, in time with me, let your body do what it needs to, just think about breathing."

"Too much magic." Willow blinked slightly looking into dark navy eyes trying to focus as she pressed her breathing into slow in and out patterns.

"Yes." Ruth agreed. "But it's alright." She kept her voice calm and even. "You've been through a lot worse Lo, just focus on what you know, and what is natural, breathing is natural, in and out Elmo, in and out."

"Focus." Willow very shakily managed to reach her hand out clutching it around Ruth's. "Breathing." She tried to ignore the ravaging pain and just think of all the components that helped her to breathe.

"If you don't get that breathing sorted out then we can't finish our swim." Ruth closed her blue eyes and focused hard to make the world around the pair of them, shift slightly taking anything away that would in anyway inhibit the redhead's ability to breath, she thought the setting of a sun drenched sun lounger next to a crystal blue hotel pool. "And you know you want to beat me the next race round."

"Ru, you're too tired." Willow felt the condensation from the glass of lemonade she was holding sending trickles over her hand.

"It's pretty." Willow glanced around at the perfectly created surroundings as she felt the struggle within her ease and allowed her to find a more even cadence in her breaths. "How are you feeling?" She turned to look back at Ruth.

"Still lucky." Ruth smiled and reached out to gently guide the glass of lemonade in Willow's hands to her lips. "Drink, little sips." She encouraged.

"Little sips." Willow managed a slight smile as she closed her lips over the edge of the glass and began drinking.

"It may not taste much like lemonade, I'm a little out of practice." The shorthaired girl admitted, pleased as Willow drank a little. "I'm afraid it'll either help settle your stomach or force it to do what it feels it needs to." She added the warning gently.

"Funny it tastes like lemonade." Willow smiled more as she eased the glass back a bit. "I think I forgot just what using the magic was like."

"That's because you've been taught to compartmentalize your magic, what they fail to realize is that 'panic' isn't exactly a compartment." Ruth smiled.

"I guess it isn't is it?" Willow nodded. "I need to work on the whole focus prior to panic so that I can better deal with the backlash."

"Well you know no ones perfect Lo." Ruth smiled a little brighter. "Not even you." She winked.

"Mmmm I especially am not perfect when you put me in a red string bikini." Willow had to laugh when she looked down at the outfit she was in.

"Do you think it clashes with your hair?" Ruth asked truly not understanding the redhead's objection to the outfit.

"No, more that I'm almost naked." Willow blushed a little and sipped more lemonade.

"Oh that." Ruth blushed more than Willow. "Sorry, I apparently wasn't thinking completely clearer either."

"Do you… like it?" Willow felt her focus go completely away from her own physical discomfort.

"It was my subconscious choice of outfits Lo, it's not a case of whether or not I like it, its what I would picture you in were we truly here." Ruth admitted blushing more.

"So you think of me in this a lot?" Willow grinned as she put down the glass and urged Ruth to come closer to her but Ruth hung back a little and looked up.

"Well I've never specified a color in my mind before." She was honest as she smiled just slightly. "You know I think you're beautiful."

"I'm beginning to get that idea." Willow smiled as she tugged a little more urging the dark haired witch to lie down with her. "And I feel a lot better."

"How much better?" Ruth eased the tension in her arm and eased up beside Willow.

"Not so much like I'm going to puke till I turn inside out." The redhead admitted. "Or like I'm a big knot."

"Oh course it is, my amazing Cookie Monster is here to take care of me." Willow snuggled closer to her taking a few deep breaths.

"I've not been so much taking care of you as needing the rescuing." Ruth admitted as she slid her arm along behind Willow's head.

"But that's our division of labor, I rescue and you take care of me. It's working so far don't you think?" Willow looped her arm over the other witch's stomach.

"We can't change what happened Ru." Willow turned to look at Ruth. "And the most important thing is that we're here and we're safe now."

"Yes." Ruth nodded. "Think you're ready to cope with plan old British hotel room?" She asked softly.

"As long as you don't let go." Willow closed her eyes again and focused on her breathing.

"And why would I do that?" Ruth gradually eased back her mirage and rubbed her hand on Willow's arm when the room shifted back into place.

"Because I'm in badly fitting pajamas rather than a string bikini." Willow laughed lightly as she felt the weight of the world press down again but the experience was much more tolerable now.

The phone in Fred's breast pocket began to silently vibrate just as he was walking up the front walk to Giles' townhouse. With a tight sigh he dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out the slim black phone and flicked it open.

"Fred Waltham." He stopped and frowned slightly having not wanted or needed an interruption at this precise moment.

"Fred, its Liam. I have news." The voice that filled the line was staunchly British though rougher than the counselor's was. "Are you secure?"

"If you call stood on the front walk of Mr. Giles' house secure." Fred sighed. "What do you have for me?" He backed up the path a little choosing to stand up against the gatepost.

"Miss. Summers' accounts haven't had any action, not that I think she could even try as she's unlikely to get more than a hundred pounds out of her savings." Liam laughed lightly seemingly amused for a moment. "Now just for fun, because I am good like that, I put one on Mr. Giles as well. Seems that at 11:04 GMT he made a rather large withdrawal from a bank in London, then at 11:06 he made another withdrawal from a separate account in Sunnydale California. Followed by a third withdrawal from a secure account in Zurich at 11:09. Seeing an unlikely pattern here Fred?"

"Internet banking?" Fred offered. "Miss. Rosenberg is a computer genius, so where are they? I take it you have traced the computer she used."

"Freddy do you really think I'd be giving you the how if the why was as simple as Internet banking transfers?" Liam's voice grew colder. "They were all cash withdrawals. The London and US ones were at Cash Points and the Zurich in one of the high-end investment banks. There is no way that even the witch could manage that."

"Her name is Willow." Fred corrected almost sharply. "So what are you telling me exactly?"

"There are no leads. Whoever made the withdrawals likely has delivered the money to them now, we have nothing." Liam summed up the bad news. "Unless your 'Willow' decides to do something to make herself obvious."

"It's only been a few hours Liam, come on everyone's first reaction would be head for cover for a while, I'm just about to go and sweet talk that old watcher. We'll know something more soon for sure, and I've ensured we have at least one weapon on our side." Fred summed up. "Is that all you wanted?"

With a harder sigh Fred flipped the phone closed and slipped it back into his pocket. Stealing a moment to center, he breathed deeply and ruffled his hair a little out of its usually neat style. Asserting his best-concerned and flustered look, he walked back up the path and wrapped lightly on Giles' front door.

"Hello Mr. Waltham." Giles opened the door after peering out the security spy hole. "Please come in."

"Rupert." Fred stepped hurriedly in. "Are they here?" He asked quickly looking around the front hall.

"Are you telling me that your slayer and Willow slipped away last night without telling you to take Elizabeth?" Fred frowned harder. "This maybe worse than I had thought." He walked through into the sitting room.

"I beg your pardon? Take Elizabeth?" Giles' eyes widened as he followed the other man into the front room.

"I received a telephone call in the middle of the night from Ms. Tanner, she was very concerned about her niece as she appeared to be unwell. She had called the paramedics but wanted me to join her for their arrival. When I arrived however she explained to me that Miss. Summers and Miss. Rosenberg had taken Elizabeth." Fred sat down heavily.

"Well Mr. Waltham I'm quite sure that if Buffy and Willow felt the need to remove Elizabeth from that situation it was in order to protect her best interest. You yourself have pointed out several times how detrimental a stay in a crowded area like a hospital could be for Ruth." Giles tried to be calm as he sat down more gracefully. "Perhaps it was simply the melee of the paramedics arriving that has made them act so rashly."

"To be frank Rupert, why they did whatever they did does not interest me anywhere as much as where they may be." Fred explained. "Mr. Giles I know that I do not have to explain to you how important it is for both Willow and Elizabeth to observe the routine and regime the Manor has taught them, I am merely concerned for their well being." He paused and looked up at Giles, his eyes worried. "My hope was that they had had the sense to come here, or to have talked to you at least." He sighed.

"The last time I spoke with them they were going to talk to Ruth as you already alluded too, I'm afraid I've had no contact with them since that time very early this morning." Giles frowned slightly.

"So they did tell you that they were going to the hotel?" Fred sat up straighter and looked at Giles.

"Yes, it was a rather short lived conversation. Willow was feeling quite out of sorts and was anxious to talk to Ruth, I was very comforted when Buffy offered to accompany her over to the hotel." Giles nodded watching his reactions carefully.

"Rupert please," Fred looked down sadly again. "Are you positive that you or anyone else in this house has heard nothing from them since then?" He rubbed his hand on his thigh. "Please understand, I am only concerned for the girls, if Ruth was as unwell as her aunt suggested then she will need assistance."

"Of course you are concerned for them, they have been your primary concern for months now." Giles' look was one of apathy. "Do you really believe that either of them is that great a danger for being out of their daily routine?"

"I believe Willow probably has the self control necessary to sustain herself for a little while without enforced discipline, but Elizabeth…" He paused. "Ruth is a slightly different matter, her situation is slightly more complicated than Willow's. She has should we say some issues that have little to do with her magic use."

"I hope you will use this information in the strictest of confidences Mr. Waltham." Giles stood up and moved over closing the door to the hallway to cut them off from the rest of the house.

"Information?" Fred sat forward a little on his chair looking at Giles intently.

"The other day before all of this started I was talking with Buffy about how my cousin runs a small hotel in Dover. I was telling them how there is the best way to get out of England or get into it, we had seen a news cast on some refugees who were using the tunnel to enter the country. As they don't know Britain I would assume they would head there if they truly are attempting to allude you with Ruth as you say." The Watcher offered the information.

"You think they would leave the country?" Fred checked exactly what Giles was saying. "They would act that rashly? But surely Willow and Ruth's passports are in the Manor paper work that I have at my temporary office, without them they cannot possible leave the country."

"Fred if they are acting irrationally enough to force Ruth to leave her Aunt as you say while she is in an incapacitated state then I'm afraid I can't even begin to tell you how rashly Willow could act, especially if she resorts to using magic." Giles shook his head sadly his face worried and forlorn. "I'm trying to share with you what I think they will do."

"You understand Rupert I have to act on the information you have given me." Fred pushed up from his place.

"Yes, but I also trust that you will act in the best interests of them both as we are both aware with the trauma of the arson incident at the manor they are not truly in control of what they do." Giles looked at his seriously. "They are after all only little scared girls."

"In essence yes, but I am afraid the reality is that they are far more dangerous than that." Fred matched Giles' serious look. "Rupert, I cannot stress to you how important it is that you contact me if you have any word from them, our aim in all of this is to return them safely to people who can love, support and tend to them."

"I'll contact you as soon as I hear anything." Fred pushed up and offered his hand to Giles.

Buffy watched a little guilty as Willow barely finished off two crackers and a few mouthfuls of soup. Ruth, who was only a hair better, managed most of the soup. She herself had eaten a large order of roast beef with roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. It was probably the only thing she was really enjoying about being in England.

"Is there anything you guys could eat? I can go get it or get Anya to port it in?" Buffy tried hopefully.

"Not hungry." Ruth glanced up smiling gently at the kind offer. "But Lo you should eat more." She turned and touched Willow's arm gently.

"I'm not hungry." Willow shook her head lightly. "Maybe a bath would be good?" She looked at Ruth for her input.

"A good idea indeed." Ruth nodded. "If Buffy didn't steal all the bubbles." She smiled up at the Slayer. "Do you want me to run it?" She pushed up from the bed that she was sat up in.

"Thank you." Willow smiled seeing how anxious Ruth was to fulfill the tiny task in hopes of making her feel better. She waited until the other witch was in the bathroom and the water was running before she spoke. "What did Giles say?"

"He's pleased that we're safe, not overly happy about the thousand pounds Anya got for us." Buffy sat down on edge of the bed.

"Well it is a lot of money, even for the three of us. Unless she expected that we needed a totally new wardrobe or something." Willow tried to be upbeat. "Was there nothing else that you and him talked about?" She questioned softly.

"Just stuff Will, you know about my hunch and all that." Buffy tried to be as vague as possible.

"Buffy, turning sideways and flicking up the volume on the television doesn't make a great cover. I heard you say something about Dover and a swat team?" She tried not to show how truly afraid she was.

"Giles set Fred up, gave him a bogus lead that we were headed to Dover, he wanted to check if my hunch about Fred was anything like accurate. He had Anya zip over to the location he gave him, ten minutes later big black Mercedes times four showed up and turned the place over." The Slayer replied with a said sigh. "At least we rooted out our mole for sure." She tried to pick up a positive point.

"I can't believe that after all this time Fred has been there waiting for a time to hurt us." Willow visibly shivered. "I mean I never liked him a lot but he didn't seem like a Dr. Walsh or anything, just sorta staunch and British. Does Giles know what he wants with us?"

"I don't think so, but he's on the case big time." Buffy tried to be reassuring. "If it helps he really doesn't think the Council know anything about it."

"Hey that's a good thing for sure, I mean usually they are the evil behind the scenes want to suck your brains out type right?" Willow twirled the spoon in her soup.

"Or at least protecting the thing that wants to do something bad to you." Buffy nodded. "How you doing?" She asked softly looking at the small soup bowl.

"Tetchy, I had a bit of a physical dip when you were in the shower but Ru helped sort it out. It's just hard." The redhead looked down into her soup.

"More using the magic out of panic, not truly being one hundred percent in control of it. I have to work on my spontaneous use." Willow pushed the bowl away and leaned heavily on the small table.

"No not in a bad way, more in a protect myself and others in a reasonable fashion way." Willow smiled very slightly as she tried to instill some confidence in her abilities. "No over the top I owe you pain thing, just get everyone safe and secure."

"I trust you." The Slayer said very softly, patting her best friend's arm. "And Ruth?" She glanced quickly toward the bathroom.

"She's not used to being a Scooby." The redhead offered by way of explanation. "I think it's all been really overwhelming for her, she doesn't really put much stock in the value of what she can do."

"I meant more…" Buffy dropped her voice. "That stuff in the hotel Willow, that wasn't…" She paused. "Normal." She added worry lacing her voice.

"Oh that." Willow's face fell. "Its called sensory overload." She let the words sink in seeing not a lot of recognition on Buffy's face. "Remember when you suddenly could read everyone's mind and it got so overwhelming?" She saw the Slayer nod. "Well when Ruth is tired and emotionally stretched it leaves her more open for people's emotions and thoughts to push into her head without her wanting them and it hurts her a lot."

"Looked kinda like she was doing the hurting bit herself, I mean walls, they hurt." Buffy pointed to her head frowning.

"I know they do." Willow leaned back and wound her arms around her body. "She… it's a way for her to deal with the pain… not a good one but a way."

"She needs you." Buffy smiled softly. "Needs us all." She summed up. "She's one of us now, you know that right?" She tried to make Willow see she wasn't trying to be judgmental. Hell, she'd done enough self torturing to give Ruth a little leeway.

"I won't let anyone hurt her." Willow nodded. "I won't let anyone hurt anyone I love, not again."

"Told her what?" Willow questioned not quite sure she understood what Buffy was referring too.

"That you love her?" Buffy clarified with a soft chuckle charmed by something so simple as her best friend being so, so Willowish.

"Oh… ohhhhhhhh that." The redhead couldn't help it when a warm and emotional smile crept onto her face. "Yes, she feels the same." She added softly.

"Buffy, you are evil." Willow stood up going scarlet. "I'm taking my bath now Missy Evil."

"I thought we agree that after the 'beer bad, girl pretty' incident you were going to give up intoxicants? Unless you're trying to find another girl to grope?" She teased knowing this was a point of embarrassment for the Slayer.

"Will!" Buffy squeaked. "I've apologized about that like a million times." It was the Slayer's turn to go red, though she expertly regained her composure as she moved to the door. "And no, I was more leaving so you could do the groping." She winked.

"Again I say you're evil." Willow couldn't help but smile at her best friend as the door closed behind her. She eased the door to the bathroom open to see that the dark haired witch was sitting on the side of the bathtub carefully tending to the water level and bubbles. "Is it ready? It smells lovely."

"More or less, I've done it warm, not hot, and about three quarters full." Ruth turned her head and looked at Willow. "Did I hear the door?" She added softly.

"Buffy decided to go downstairs and check out the bar." Willow explained softly. "She's a little concerned about giving us private time." She tried to phrase it as best as she could without dropping herself into something embarrassing.

"Oh I'm sorry." Ruth frowned. "I didn't mean to make her feel pushed out, did she want to run your bath?" The young witch misunderstood the redhead's meaning somewhat.

"Buffy run me a bath?" Willow asked the question with an amused look as she walked closer. "No Ru, it's more that she really wants us to have time just the two of us to sort through all that's been going on and well…" She hesitated. "To have time just the two of us, without her being in the way of anything we might want to say or do."

Ruth reached out and turned off the tap and then stood up to meet Willow as she approached. She reached out and with her wet fingertips tucked red hair behind Willow's ear.

"You could stay and talk with me." Willow smiled as she felt damp skin twirl around her ear. "Then we could run you one."

"I used up the bubbles." Ruth pointed to the empty plastic bottle in the small white trash can with her free hand as the other rubbed over Willow's small earlobe.

"Darn hotel sized bottles." Willow's eyes dipped closed a bit. "You need to have bubbles, we could share them." Her voice was thick and soft.

"I'm not sure they'd survive a whole Willow wash." Ruth chuckled as she moved closer and wrapped her free hand around Willow pulling her closer for a brief friendly hug.

"Ru, I didn't mean it that way." Willow hugged her back her voice going even softer. "I meant more in a shared bath way."

"Oh." Ruth breathed tilting her head and resting it against the redhead's body. "Are you sure?"

"Not if you don't want too, I mean I don't want to rush you or anything… not that I expect anything rushable to happen or anything. Just that it would be nice to snuggle up with you and relax and not think about all the really crazy stuff that is going on or all the stuff that has been hurting you. Just to be together and relax." Willow reached up to cup Ruth's head. "Just to be Ru and Lo."

"Lo and Ru." Ruth echoed. "I'm kinda shy." She admitted after a long moment of just standing there together. "About my body." She added making sure Willow understood. "You'd be… that is, I don't think anyone else has ever really seen it." She wanted to just press her face into Willow's shoulder and be able to disappear as a bright red blush spread over her cheeks.

"I can turn my head, wait till you're under the bubbles if you'd feel better, I mean even though I know you are totally beautiful and wow I'd be so lucky." Willow's words sped up, as did her heart rate.

"No, no." Ruth shook her head. "I mean, not if you don't mind." She stressed. "I'm kinda looking forward to finding out how many freckles you have." She pulled back a little and moved her hands back to her own body, reaching for the edge of her tight fitting black T-shirt.

"Too many to count." Willow smiled and began to slowly undo the buttons on her top as well.

"I know some big numbers." Ruth laughed as she pulled the cotton free of her body, leaving her in just her black jeans and a black sports top.

"You'd need to know some exponentially big numbers in my case." Willow shrugged out of the top feeling her nervousness sidetracked as she slowly undressed down to her underwear, only then did she start to feel a bit anxious again.

"Christmas trees." Ruth suddenly announced as she glanced at Willow and saw the small green trees on the short white panties. "Wow, I… I'd forgotten it was Christmas yesterday." She admitted smiling at the pleasant reminder.

"They're lovely, really comfy." Willow glanced down at herself and smiled back. "I wonder who stuffed them in my stocking."

"That would be the girl with the Christmas obsession." Ruth raised her hand and pushed down her black jeans, stepping out of them revealing tight fitting black shorts.

"I'm thinking for a Christmas obsessed girl you should have something festive on under there." Willow looked at the plain black shorts. "I guess we should get in before it goes cold." She reached up to the clip at her back and slowly unhooked it.

"Lo wait!" Ruth put out her hand to stop Willow before she let the bra slip free.

"Sorry, oh Goddess I'm sorry. Here we are eye of the hurricane and all that, me scaring you with the big black magic and now I'm jumping to get naked with you." She screwed up her face as she lashed out at her own actions.

"It's not that." Ruth shook her head and crossed to the bathroom door. She pushed it closed and locked it. "I don't want to share this moment with anyone, not even your best friend." She moved back to Willow and put her hand over the one that Willow held around herself, tucking her fingers under the slim white bra strap. "You can let go." She whispered.

Willow did just that feeling the once taut material go slack around her and then be guided away.

"Oh Lo." Pulling the bra free and dropping it onto the white bath mat before stepping closer again and closing her arms around Willow's now naked back, her hands splaying out over the redhead's pronounced shoulder blades. "I… thank you." She breathed.

"I love you Ru, that means you don't have to say that ever." Willow reached up holding her back.

"Not even if I really mean it." Ruth pulled back slightly and then glanced down, letting her eyes trace nervously over creamy white skin. She forced herself to swallow. "Which I do."

"Mmmm I'm not sure what you'd be thankful for, that's still a training bra." Willow giggled nervously.

"But that means I can buy you all the prettiest ones." Ruth countered. "I…" She glanced down at the oh so boring and practical black sports top she wore. "I'm kinda conservative that way for myself." She admitted laughing.

"I can work on that, you'd be surprised how sexy and still sporty these things can be." Willow smiled at her as she looked down at Ruth's more ample cleavage.

Ruth rather self consciously closed one hand over the other arm, running it up and down it lightly as Willow looked at her, her fingers moving absently over age worn scars.

"Only if you feel comfortable." Willow's voice was soft and comforting. "But I should tell you that right now I'm standing here thinking I am the luckiest girl right now in the world as I get to be this close to you and see how very beautiful you are."

"I'm not." Ruth stopped and reached out tracing a finger round Willow's collarbone. "You believe that don't you?" She whispered her voice full of awe.

"I do." Willow nodded feeling the warm trail that Ru's fingertip left on her skin. "I look at you and it's like wow… wow in a my brain goes on hiatus and I can't really express how wonderful you make me feel or how beautiful you are."

"The bath really is going to be getting cold." Ruth laughed almost as if to cause a distraction, but Willow's eyes never left her body. She smiled again and slowly pulled the sports top off, letting it drop to the floor. "Boring, practical, and impossible to get off in a hurry." She chuckled.

"We don't need to rush anything Ru." Willow bit her lip slightly as she tried to keep from staring at the dark haired witch's perfect cream colored skin. "I don't want to ever rush anything with you."

"We won't." Ruth vowed. She glanced over at Willow again, her eyes drawn naturally down to the Christmas panties again. She looked at the redhead for a moment and then laughed suddenly.

"What?" Willow giggled as she heard the comfortable sound come from Ruth's mouth.

"Two things actually." Ruth admitted. "Firstly, I'm thinking what part of me was doing the shopping when I bought those." She laughed more. "And second…" She stopped and blushed again.

"Second." Ruth swallowed and shook her head again, as if she'd never expected either to be thinking this or admitting to thinking it. "I'm standing here thinking, does she shave? Trim? Bikini line or what?" She blushed hard.

"RU!" The redhead went a dark deep shade matching her hair. "If you have to know I used to wax but that's sorta like a foreign concept in England so for the last while shaving and trimming."

"I'm sorry." She apologized but her bright smile didn't fade. "I don't know where the thought came from." She chuckled and stepped closer to the tub. "Are we getting in?" She asked looking at the bubble filled tub.

"I think we should before you go from being the cookie monster to the cheeky monster." Willow teased but her face was filled with a happy smile, in a quick move she pulled off her panties and stepped in sinking into the hot water.

Ruth took a slight breath, seeming to steal a little courage before pushing down her shorts and climbed in opposite Willow sinking down into the bubbles, with her knees drawn up to her chest. She blinked navy eyes up and across to Willow.

"Very nice." Willow agreed looking across the rising steam at her new girlfriend.

"So Willow, Buffy and the English witch are hiding out somewhere in a hotel in Oxford?" Xander frowned hard as he glanced at Giles. "And we have no idea who wants them, why they want them or how far they are prepared to go to get them?" He checked he had all the details straight before he allowed himself to over react.

"They have money and a way of contacting us." Giles tried to make the situation sound a little better.

"But Buffy's the slayer, she's not like some secret service girl who is used to doing this I mean she's not exactly miss inconspicuous is she?" Dawn frowned. "Anya should take them all back to Sunnydale." She glanced at the demon.

"Okay how many times do I have to say this, it's not like Zip zap now we're in California. Well I mean it is, but only for me, I'm not a personal Lear jet or anything." Anya put her hands on her hips frowning. "And I'm the only one who has actually helped already."

"Please, this really isn't productive." Giles shook his head and sighed. "Buffy seems quite convinced, and I have to now agree with her, that Fred is a double agent as it were, working for both the council and whoever is behind this move against Willow and Ruth."

"Unless it is the Council." Xander said conspiratorially. "I mean they can be nasty mean types." He added glancing around.

"Are you sure it's not the Council?" Dawn asked of the Watcher her frown more pronounced.

"Oh yes." Giles looked at him shaking his head, "Quentin dear chap are you trying to capture and kill Ruth Mann and send Willow completely insane? Now there's a splendid idea of a way forward."

"Actually Giles it makes sense." Dawn piped in softly. "If you ask them and they are all like 'hey we had no idea' and then go after Fred we know it wasn't them. If they are all like 'mmm yes well we did it' then we well know it's them, and if they say 'we had no idea, you're insane Mr. Giles' then we still know they did it. I mean when then came after Buffy the last time they were somewhat up front right?"

"But nothing about this has been done in an up front manner." Giles pointed out. "As you so rightly said Dawn, the Council are not ashamed of the things they do, they do not creep round the back door to rob you, they would simply break down the front one and then blame you for having poor wood and security." He shook his head again and removed his glasses. "The Council are not behind it this time." He said more assuredly. "The question is who is."

"Maybe you should ask them, I mean they are the ones who had set up the whole witchy rehabilitation thing. They're bound to know anyone who would be interested in Willow and Ruth." Dawn tried to be positive. "They might not be behind it but I'm sure they have to know something about it."

"Again I beg to differ." Giles leaned back in his chair. "The magic centers have been in operation for a little over a century, it is in no way a 'new' thing, and it's running is more done on an individual basis. There are four in the country you see, all run by their own board, the head of this branch is Mr. Waltham, so he truly is the worst person, or the best to be the mole."

"Okay so the Slayer isn't here but I'm still thinking someone needs to pull a Willy beat on him to get information." Xander smacked his fist into his other hand. "He's the mole so he has to be the one who knows who he's working for right?"

"I must object to a plan that has physical violence as its main stay." Giles sat up a little straighter and looked at Xander almost admonishingly.

"Enough, all of this is beside the point that never in such a game of strategy do you compromise your one and only lead." He shook his head.

"He means you don't let the mole know he's been dug up." Anya slotted in smiling.

"Great, so we have a lead we can't use and no other information to go on. How is any of this helping us? I mean by the sounds of it I'd be better off looking up magic in the yellow pages and going around asking the other witches what they know." Xander huffed his way to sit into one of the chairs.

"Dawn I know you raved about her cookies but it's not really the time to think with your stomach." The carpenter shook his head lightly.

"I'm not talking about cookies or beating her up." Dawn looked horrified right back. "I mean ask her about Fred, about what she might know, I mean she might know where he keeps stuff, files and stuff on Willow and Ruth maybe."

"Not everything got burnt in the fire, he can't have had time to clean it all out." Xander stood up actually feeling like they might have found an opening.

"And even if he did get it out the kind old lady might know where we can steal it from." Anya perked up too.

"So let me understand this, you are suggesting we enlist Mrs. Lauder's help in a plan that includes breaking and entering, theft and possible criminal damage?" The Watcher checked the details.

"What other choice do we have?" Dawn looked at him and shrugged. "That or you go and ask the Council if they are evil." She reminded him of the other plan.

"Or…" Anya looked at him with a grin. "I could just go and get another thousand pounds from your accounts and get a private dick onto it."

"I beg you all please stop." Giles held up his hand. "Let me go get her number."

Anya smoothed out the bottom of her skirt and looked around as Giles approached the large stately front door and used the lion head brass knocker.

"I'm not sure all of us should have come." She pointed out looking at Dawn and Xander.

"I believe if you will cast your mind back that I suggested that I should come on my own tomorrow morning." Giles sighed as footsteps could be heard approaching the door.

"Miss. Emerson, Miss. Summers, Mr. Harris and Mr. Giles, please come in, I think we're in for a heavy frost tonight judging by the air temperature out there." Rose Lauder smiled and beckoned the small group into the front lobby.

"Just a bit colder than we're used too." Dawn smiled at the friendly older woman and walked in. Xander and Anya shuffled in quietly behind her.

"The matter sounded important on the phone, why don't you all come into the front room, I have a fire burning and some tea in the pot, you can tell me how I can help you." The older woman guided them carefully through.

"Thank you so much." Giles followed in first turning to give the others soft glares of warning that they should behave and let him speak most of the time if not all. "The matter is in fact quite important I'm afraid." He let her pour out the tea for them all and set up everyone's preference before continuing. "It's about Willow and Ruth."

"I noticed their absence and thought that your Slayer must be watching over them, what can I help you with? Do they need more cleansing brew?" Rose replied sitting down with her china cup and saucer.

"Cleansing brew would be greatly helpful, but I'm afraid their absence is slightly more worrying than just Buffy watching them as you said. We have reason to believe that the arson of the manor was in fact a deliberate attempt to injure one or both of them." His voice was serious.

"Mr. Giles, Fred has already informed me that Morgana committed that terrible event and indeed paid so heavily for it. Sadly I have no trouble believing it, she and Ruthie never did get along, even before Willow arrived and captured Ruthie's devotion." The housekeeper replied softly.

"I sincerely wish that it was a simple case of jealous, I'm afraid that it appears Morgana had been put to the task by someone else." Giles fed her information carefully seeing if she would offer anything without more details.

"Put up to the task?" Rose arched an eyebrow. "I don't know what you know that I don't Mr. Giles, but Morgana was hardly one of the, should we say, innocent young ladies that we had at the manor. What exactly makes you think she was put up to the task? I mean it doesn't take much skill or bravery to sneak into a place you know well and douse it with petrol and set fire to it."

"If the young woman had used petrol I'm quite sure we wouldn't be here having this conversation with you. The fire report states that there was no combustible material in the room where the fire began and at this point they have sent samples off to MI5 in case there was a plastic explosive." Giles' raised an eyebrow.

"There isn't anyway Morgana could have got her hands on plastic explosives Mr. Giles, she was a mere child, not a terrorist." She arched her eyebrow again. "But the report must be wrong, because there is no way other than the conventional ones that she could have started a fire."

"Which leads me to believe that Morgana was given assistance with magical means that will not show up on any fire report." Giles took a sip of his cooling tea.

"Mr. Giles do you know how much power it would take magically to cause a fire this extreme?" Rose eyed him somewhat suspiciously. "Morgana could never have started that fire with anything other than a lighter and flammable liquid." She stopped and looked between the four of them for a long moment. "Are you suggesting that I helped her?" She squeaked somewhat horrified.

"Oh course not Mrs. Lauder, we would never had come here to make such accusations of you." Giles shook his head adamantly and put down his cup. "It was just that Willow has always spoken so highly of you that we were hopeful you could assist us in better understanding some things and perhaps help us to figure out who wants to hurt them."

"I see." Rose took a breath and smiled once more. "Forgive me." She added softly. "You see…" She stopped and made herself more comfortable. "For a moment I thought you might have done some research or something on me, found out a little and jumped to conclusions." She continued. "I was a manor girl you see." She explained. "A long time ago," She leaned forward and put her cup down. "I had power, nothing like Willow you understand, but enough to well burn a Manor down." She smiled again chuckling slightly. "And you have no idea how I may have wanted to do that in my youth." She stopped noticing she was beginning to ramble. "Willow wasn't liked at the Manor Mr. Giles, you know that. The girls, other than Ruthie of course, were frightened of her, she did come with a rather large label." She said as kindly as she could. "But other than Morgana none of the girls showed any malevolence towards Ruth. She's a veteran, more like a piece of furniture than one of the girls." She stopped again. "I'm probably not being very helpful am I?" She apologized.

"Actually you are as we had collectively come to the same conclusion. Now what I am about to say might come as equally shocking but has Mr. Waltham ever said or done anything that you would class as out of the ordinary?" Giles adjusted his glasses nervously as he voiced the question.

"Fred is the epitome of normality." Rose replied. "I most certainly neither trust him, nor like him."

"I have recently acquired information that suggests he is working both for the Council and for whatever group or organization that assisted Morgana's attack and whoever it is that has forced Buffy to take both Willow and Ruth into hiding." Giles laid his cards on the table.

"Fred working as a double agent, it's so preposterous that you are probably onto something." Rose shook her head softly. "How can I help you?"

"What we need to know right now is who possibly that other side is and how we can find them. Is there anywhere that you know Mr. Waltham kept private papers or information?" Giles was relieved to see how well she took the accusation though it filled him with a measure more of worry.

"As far as I know he kept all of his paperwork in his filing cabinet in his office, which he just had moved to his home after the fire." She replied. "One thing Mr. Waltham is, is organized and methodical."

"Fred, Fred, where exactly do you think you are going?" A soft voice spoke softly to the young man as he pulled open his car door. The young counselor had just walked out of a gas station and was carrying a bag of potato chips and a can of coke.

"I…" The voice obviously surprised him. "I was just coming to see you." He replied as he was joined in his car.

"Planning on moving in were you?" He nodded at the rucksack that laid on the back seat badly stuffed full of clothes.

"What?" Fred looked over his shoulder too. "Oh that, oh no." He looked back out of the windshield. "Just laundry."

"You think I blame Rippers little ruse on you? Tut, tut Fred, I'm hurt, well I would be if I was the type but as it is I'm not." Slightly yellow stained teeth caught the light. "He's been in the game a long time Fred, he has an idea of what it takes to stay ahead. And that Slayer of his because she's pretty everyone expects her to be all fight and no brain, but she's not as dense as you'd think. It is unfortunate that they have worked out your role so quickly, but it was somewhat unavoidable." The figure lit up a cigarette. "Did you think I would some how blame you for your exposure? Perhaps punish you in some way?"

"It's not just that." Fred admitted. "I'm worried, this is all getting so heavy." He admitted shifting a little in his seat. "I meant swat teams and phone tapping?" He rubbed his fingers into his forehead. "Isn't it going to far?"

"Fred." There came a pause and a heavy sigh. "You know how very powerful Willow and Ruth are." The explanation began softly. "You know what the Council wants to do with that power? They want to stifle it Fred, they want to turn to young creative and powerful women into restricted puppets, who can't do anything without a chant or a cleansing brew to restrain their innate power. Does Willow deserve that?" He asked pointedly and waited for the head shake he knew he would get.

"The poor child lost her first love to an idiot with a gun, released the true power within her only to be taken from everything she knew and loved and be thrown into the equivalent of a magical prison. The Council are scared of her and fear her, instead of teaching her about her strength and trusting her to have the self control to manage her power efficiently." He summed up and took a long draw on his cigarette.

"And Elizabeth." He began again. "Left an orphan by sad and tragic twists of fates, thought insane by her only living relative and locked up by the Council because she has a gift that they know nothing about. She craves love and guidance, and she is offered rules and restrictions. Fred." He turned to look at the young man. "You know we offer them more than that, in our plan they have freedom, they have support, they have each other." He outlined. "Have you forgotten that?"

"No of course not, that's why I agreed to help you from the start." Fred underlined. "But is all this really necessary." He frowned again. "Willow really is a very reasonable young woman, we could try…"

"Is that what you were going to do?" Fred's companion glanced over his shoulder at the bag again. "Were you going to 'talk' to the girls."

"And was my name going to be mentioned at all?" The question came almost casually.

"I hadn't thought that far." Fred was honest. "I'm just worried about Willow and Elizabeth, they are both still very fragile."

"But you see here we have a little problem." The man leaned back in his seat a little more. "You see Ripper and I won't agree on this in the slightest, in fact he'll probably hear my name and start mumbling all sort of profanities." Again there was a low hollow laugh. "We have a chequered past you see, though god alone knows what makes him think he's so superior to me. Sorry forgive me I was going off on a tangent for a moment there."

"Then I don't mention you." Fred offered. "I explain what you want to do, explain that it is for the best." The young man twisted more in his seat to look at his companion. "He truly cares for Willow, he wants the best for her, it took the Council a while to convince him that sending her to the Manor was the right thing, he wanted her to go to coven in Wiltshire to train and learn there."

"Yes well I'm not sure that Ripper likes the Council anymore than he likes me, well no maybe a little more than he does me." The man reflected. "But not a great deal more." He underlined. "You do know I can't let you expose me don't you Mr. Waltham, more than a few people would like to know my whereabouts, not least the American military and the Council." He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and sighed again.

"Oh I know that." He reached out and flicked open the door and got out, pausing to dip his head back. "Take care Mr. Waltham." He nodded and stepped back slamming the car door.

Anya let out a deep breath as she materialized in the car with an armful of manila folders, a few loose papers and a Rolodex.

"From now on one of you has to become a demon so that you can creep around in weird dark houses and steal peoples stuff." She glared at Giles who was in the driver's seat. "Because I am so breaking rules here with all this fluttery teleporting for nothing to do with my own gain."

"You could look at it as vengeance against Fred because he's a bad man." Dawn sat up from her place in the back.

"Dawn, vengeance is me ripping off his skin and using his ears for party favors at an underworld party. Stealing his carefully labeled files and messing up his 'system' is just being annoying. This is so beneath me." Anya tsked and shook her head. "Would you believe he had a file marked 'Non-Manor Receipts' and one if you even can fathom is marked 'Covert Information to Pass to Mr. X'."

"Oh he is, I also took the 'W. Rosenberg', 'E. Mann' and a file called 'Symbiosis'." She flapped one at Giles. "You do know what Symbiosis is don't you?"

"Please Anya, not everyone in the car has Xander's IQ." Giles scowled. "We should get back to the house and see what these actually tell us." He put the car into gear and pulled away.

Ruth tried to turn over as quietly as she could in case Willow was sleeping beside her. In the other bed Buffy was sprawled out on her back, taking up possibly as much of the bed as she could. It wasn't that the Slayer's snoring was keeping the dark haired witch awake, though she was, snoring that is, quite loudly too, but that wasn't really the reason sleep was alluding Ruth. The young English witch just didn't feel relaxed, that was it and Buffy's content snoring was just enough to keep her on edge.

"I'm sorry, I can go roll her over. She's much quieter on her side." Willow whispered when she felt Ruth turn.

"No, I mean it's fine, she's not really loud." Ruth turned back over to face the redhead.

"Ru, I was her roommate for our freshman year. I am well aware how loud she can be." Willow smiled in the dimly lit room. "Are you not tired?" She reached out and interlaced her fingers into the other witch's under the covers.

"I am." Ruth replied finding herself smile as she felt Willow take her hand. "Just can't sleep." She explained. "Why aren't you in the land of nod?"

"You know me, I don't nod so much." The redhead squeezed her hand. "You need to sleep though, come here." She tugged lightly urging Ruth closer.

"You need to sleep too." Ruth shifted a little closer sighing softly. "You've had a hard day."

"I know but I have more of a chance of sleeping if you're all snuggled up and having nice dreams." Willow wrapped her arm around the dark haired witch's body.

"It's a little busy here to have nice dreams." Ruth admitted somewhat guiltily as she rested her head on Willow's shoulder and slid her hand across over the redhead's stomach, her short fingers playing with the soft cotton of her T-shirt.

"I can fix that." Willow closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated to put a barrier up around the room that would block everything out. The concentrated focused effort was easy. "Well expect the Buffy factor, unless you want me to mute her too?"

"I didn't mean for you to do that." Ruth said softly tipping her head up to look into green eyes. "And Buffy is fine, she's slid back into that you know background hum that I miss if it's taken away."

"Good. So is it quiet enough for you to sleep now?" Willow checked reaching up her hand to run her fingers through short dark hair.

"That I could take away that worry." Ruth replied softly as she moved her hand from Willow's stomach to rest on her temple.

"Oh that worry." The redhead smiled softly. "We will take it away when I know for sure that you're safe and there isn't any other crazy people out there wanting to hurt you."

"I don't understand what anyone could want." Ruth admitted. "I mean it's not like I'm powerful like you or the savior of the world like Buffy." The dark haired girl glanced over to the other bed for a moment. "I'm just me." Ruth slid her fingertips down Willow's cheek. "But Lo, if it is me they want then maybe…" She looked away from the green haired witch for a second.

"No!" Willow's response wasn't loud but it was firm. "I don't care what their reasons could be they aren't good ones, and they have no right to make you afraid or make you worried. That I know above anything else."

"But I don't want you hurting or worrying either." Ruth reasoned. "Because I love you." She added gently.

"I love you too, which is why I'm totally willing to worry if it means keeping you safe Ru. Whatever this is we're going to beat it." Willow vowed.

"I could get used to hearing you say that." The dark haired witch admitted blinking her navy eyes up at Willow.

"It's a really nice thing to say and to hear." Willow nodded and twirled her fingers over and over in short curls.

"Me too, it was really wonderful to be so close to you." The redhead's voice dropped lower as well.

"Exactly." Ruth nodded. "And you're even more beautiful naked than I could ever have imagined, not that I have even tried to imagine." She added quickly. "And you'll be glad to hear I got to four hundred and am still counting."

"Only to four hundred? I bet that's because you only saw the front. I have lots on my back." Willow giggled as her worry eased away more and more as she did just focus and enjoyed the closeness between them.

"No, no, I didn't mean that to sound pushy." Ruth frowned. "Oh God I sounded all I want you didn't I?" She panicked slightly.

"Ru, there is nothing wrong with being all 'I want you'." Willow reached up and cupped the other witch's cheek. "It's nice to be wanted."

"I do want you." Ruth admitted leaning her head into Willow's hand. "Very much."

"Mmmm see, that's so nice to hear." Willow rubbed her thumb over Ruth's chin. "I have a secret, I want you too."

"Mmmm it is nice to hear isn't it." She grinned. "I just want you to know that I'm ready to go at whatever pace you set Lo, there is no such things as too slow there's just happy comfy Lo speed."

"I haven't thought about pace or speed to be honest Ru, I just know that I feel happy and loved when I'm with you. I know that I love you and want you to feel happy and content too. So it needs to be a Ru pace and speed too." Willow leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"This whole holiday hasn't exactly gone as I had thought it would." Ruth admitted trying not to sound to regretful. "I never thought I would say this, but I miss the Manor."

"I agree completely. We should be curled up in your little comfy bed." Willow mused softly. "The most important thing is that we are together."

"We are." Ruth nodded and snuggled in closer, without thinking about it she shifted her leg up and slid it over Willow's.

"So is there anything you want to have brought in tomorrow. Buffy volunteered to brave the sales and get us a DVD player and some movies or do you want a Playstation 2?" Willow slid her hand down and massaged over Ru's bare thigh.

"If you get a Playstation 2 then we can watch DVD's on it too." Ruth grinned and pulled her leg up a little high purely so that Willow didn't have to reach down so far.

"See my little thinker." Willow squeezed her hand over warm flesh under the blankets. "What games do you want? If we let Buffy pick she'll get something with lots of fighting so that she can bitch about the inaccuracies."

"I was thinking something cute, you know like the Simpson's racing or something?" Ruth snuggled her upper body as close to Willow as she could.

"And some love story DVD's, maybe some high girl on girl action to make Buffy squirm." The redhead giggled.

"If you two want me to get a separate room you can just say." Buffy's disgruntled sleepy voice announced that she was momentarily awake as she rolled over and started snoring almost immediately.

"Does she do that a lot?" Ruth asked as she heard Buffy resume snoring. "The wake up for seconds thing."

"Oh yeah, it's a slayer thing I think. She checks for something not right and would spring into action but as it's just as chatting she goes right back to sleep." Willow smiled as she heard her best friend. "She won't remember saying anything in the morning either. Once at school she woke up talking about wanting popcorn, so I told her it was on its way and she laid right back down happily."

"That's cute." Ruth admitted. "I think it's amazing how you are so close after so long and having been through so much."

"So am I, you know more than anyone does how worried I was about losing them all." Willow hugged closer to Ruth.

"You could never lose them, they love you." Ruth underlined again instantly. "I bet Rupert and the rest of the gang are working hard to get as much information as they possibly can as we speak, well maybe not as we cuddle, but you know." She smiled.

"Everything will be tones better in the morning." Willow agreed tucking her head close to Ruth's and closed her eyes.

Giles unlocked the front door and ushered everyone in, the temperature had dropped dramatically that evening and a hard frost covered the ground and the trees, making them pretty and yet strangely haunting in the dim light.

"You have mail." Dawn pointed at the answering machine that was flashing on and off. "Well okay not mail but you know what I meant." She stripped off her jacket and took the Rolodex off Anya as she too got out of her outdoor clothes.

Giles quickly flicked it on as he locked the door and slid the security chain into place. After the computerized beep Fred's voice filled the small speaker.

"Mr. Giles, I need to talk with you, I was hoping to catch you in but as you are not there I will call back later, I feel it is imperative that we meet."

"The mole wants to talk to you, sounds a bit more than interesting." Xander raised an eyebrow as he hung up his jacket.

"Well at least it's a good sign that he doesn't know I robbed him yet." Anya carried the file folders through to the lounge.

"He might have watched you and be coming to beat you up." Dawn flashed Anya a wicked grin.

"I'm an immortal vengeance demon he can't beat me up, silly child." The demon shook her head and sat down. "I get dibs on the Willow file."

"Oh goodie that leaves me either notes to a bad man or symbiosis." Dawn seemed to pause thoughtfully.

"I'll take those." Giles lifted the notes from Dawn's hand. "There may be a code involved, I have more of a chance of understanding it. Why don't you make a nice cup of tea?" He smiled at the teenager.

"Can't I at least go through the Rolodex for clues?" Dawn huffed as the other files were taken away. "I'm not just a waitress you know."

Giles glanced over to the young woman and was about to direct her back to the kitchen until he met her eyes and saw how much she wanted to help.

"Of course." He smiled gently as Dawn sat down on the floor nursing the Rolodex.

"Are you sure you guys don't want breakfast?" Buffy paused again in the doorway looking over to where Ruth and Willow were still snuggled in the second queen bed.

"No we're fine. You can steal us some cookies if they have any." Willow smiled at the blonde who she could tell was desperate to get down to the huge buffet and fill the slayer-sized hole in her stomach.

"Is she always this energetic in the mornings?" Ruth asked softly as she struggled a little to sit up.

"Unfortunately yes, I think it's a slayer thing. As soon as she's conscious it's a mad rush to get food." Willow helped Ruth move upright by disentangling her arms from around the dark haired witch.

"Sorry I didn't mean to disturb you." Ruth apologized. "My back was just doing that up, up get up thing."

"No it's fine, I don't think we can spend the whole day in bed can we?" Willow smiled as she joined her in a somewhat upright position. "Besides if we're still in bed when Buffy gets back she really might start getting a complex."

"Hadn't thought about that." Ruth breathed out softly. "You seemed a little restless last night." She reached out and cupped Willow's cheek lightly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just not great with the sleeping thing." Willow reminded her trying not to let the overwhelming worry that was looming just outside the hotel doors crush in on what she was trying to make a good day.

"How did you sleep?" Willow questioned not really trying to evade the question but trying to really answer it.

"It's better by just having you here, having you safe." Willow admitted putting her hand over Ruth's on the comforter. "Maybe I should have asked Buffy to get you some toast or something, you didn't eat very much last night. Oh and I should recharge your pendant?"

"I think it's okay." Ruth shook her head. "How about you go and get me a lilt from the vending machine on the next floor?" She smiled softly. "You know I love the totally tropical taste." She sniggered.

"Perfect." Willow leaned in and kissed the other witch's cheek before moving up to stand and pulling on a bulky sweater. "Anything else?"

"I don't think so." Ruth shook her head and watched as the redhead moved towards the door. "Oh Lo!" She called smiling more. "I love you."

"I love you too Ru." Willow beamed as she skipped to the door and blew the dark haired witch a kiss before she trotted out.

Ruth smiled for a long moment after the door had closed. Even though she was tired and more than a little achy, not to mention all the frightening things that were going on around them, there was just something so right about waking up with Willow, something so safe and so comfortable.

The smaller witch slipped out of the bed and stretched up to her full height, before dropping down to the floor, to do a few small stretches for her aching muscles. She was about to go and brush her teeth and really try to wake up when the telephone on the bedside table began ringing.

For a long moment Ruth just stared stupidly at it as if not comprehending that it needed her attention. She got up and with a frown picked up the receiver.

"Hello Elizabeth." A highly synthesized voice filled the line. "May I suggest that you listen carefully to what I am going to tell you. Do you understand?"

"Good. Now to show you that you are not in control I will inform you that at this moment your Slayer is very busy eating her third omelet and her fourth cup of coffee. The other witch is being conveniently distracted at the vending machine, she has two cans of Lilt." The voice stopped listening intently to her silence for a moment. "If that is not enough to convince you then I will inform you that we have your Aunt in our custody. Are you willing to do what I tell you too?"

"Are you willing to do what I tell you or should I bring pain to one of the three ladies I mentioned earlier?" The voice was monotone and filled with static.

"Good girl." The voice awarded her. "You will hang up the phone and immediately walk out of the room closing the door behind you. Take nothing and leave nothing, disturb nothing. You will turn left and walk to the emergency stairs, do not be concerned with the alarm warnings they have been deactivated. You will then walk down to the main floor door. It has a window, there will be a blanket folded near the door. Place it over your head completely and step outside. If you do as you're told we won't hurt any of them as of yet."

"This scenario works on compliance Miss. Mann. If you do what you have been instructed to do there is no need to react to your resistance. If you resist I will force you to comply, I have nothing to swear to as these are established facts." The voice was bland but authoritative.

"I..." Ruth glanced up at the closed door, and then at the windows, whose heavy drapes still fell closed. "It may take me a while to get out." She tried.

"It will take you fifty three seconds walking at a normal pace to make it from your position right now by the bed to the bottom floor where the blanket is. There will be no stalling Miss. Mann. The Slayer has crosshairs on her forehead, your witch could have a blade to her throat and your Aunt is in a very dangerous position indeed. Do you really want to start trying to outthink me already? I don't suggest you try." The voice warned her.

"Okay." Ruth agreed without further delay. "Just please, don't hurt them, any of them." She added as the phone clicked dead.

Her hands shaking violently Ruth put the receiver back down. She pushed up on legs that barely held her weight and stumbled forward to the door, her heart racing wildly as she pulled it open and stepped out into the blinding bright corridor beyond. Her footfalls were automatic as she made it down the corridor to the emergency exit. Pushing the bar down she staggered through the door praying that flashing lights and blaring alarms would jolt her. The stairway beyond was deathly silent.

Trying to breath Ruth forced herself step by step down the open stairs arriving at the bottom moments later to find a gray woolen blanket folded up by the external door. Feeling sick to the pit of her stomach she reached down and picked it up. The harsh unwashed wool irritated her soft skin almost immediately as she lifted it up and over her head.

Shuffling forward, with her hand extended to save her head yet another painful knock Ruth found the door and pushed it open stepping into the coldness beyond. The frozen air of the winter morning stung her bare legs instantly.

"Take her now." The hiss of a male voice somewhere in the world beyond was just audible as a pair of strong hands closed around her lower calves at the same time other arms came around her upper body. Her thin frame was lifted easily up and off her feet before she was almost propelled forward into a slightly warmer area and landed on a soft but bare mattress. The loud metallic slams of two doors confirmed that she was inside some sort of vehicle and she could hear muffled conversation in front of her as another door closed before the whole world she was now enclosed in started to move off at a great speed.

Willow laughed to herself as she lift came to a stop at her floor and she meandered her way back to the room. Using the electronic card to open the door she was still chuckling as she went inside.

"I met the sweetest little guy at the vending machine, he's here with his daughter. He only has custody every other holiday so he's staying in town over Christmas to see…" She turned and looked at the bed instantly seeing that it was empty. She instantly backtracked to the bathroom, pushing open the slightly closed door. "Ru?" She questioned when she saw it was empty the two cans of pop dropping out of her hands and rolling across the tiles. "Ru?" She ran to the window pulling back the drapes for some reason and seeing nothing.

Taking a quick stock of the room she saw that the dark haired witch's clothing was still carefully folded and sitting on the chair next to the bed. The bed itself wasn't made either, something Ruth almost always immediately did as soon as she was up and conscious.

Turning back to the door she felt a wave of panic and constriction strike her as with the torrent of emotion within her the magic in her body shot out. Almost feeling as if she'd left her own skin, she felt her senses shoot down the hall, down the stairwell and to the exterior door before she felt the trail dimming.

Without a concern she flung the door open and walked out just as the lift was dragged to a stop at her floor so that she could step in. An elderly gentleman in the elevator already tried to comment about how oddly the machine was working suddenly but when he saw the resolved look on the redhead's face he quickly shut up and cowered to the far end of the lift.

With a groan the machine landed at the lobby and Willow stepped out, stalking across the tiles of the almost deserted front desk area. A bellman unwisely tried to cross her path and was immediately expelled back into a high backed chair so hard it made the seat rattle back onto its back legs before it settled down safely.

Buffy wasn't sure why her slayer senses suddenly went into over drive, so much so that her hand stopped on its way to her mouth with a spoonful of oatmeal. Dropping the spoon back into the nearly empty bowl she pushed up from her chair and turned all in one easy motion, her eyes falling instantly on Willow. Even from this distance the Slayer could tell that all was not well with her best friend.

"This is not going to happen again." Willow's slightly hollow voice rang out as the front doors of the hotel were flung open making her exit from the building easier.

"Willow wait!" Buffy put on a burst of speed to try and catch up with her friend. "What's going on?"

"Ru is gone, someone took her." Willow turned and looked sideways at the Slayer stilling her forward progress momentarily. "I'm getting her back now. This ends."

"Maybe she went to the spa or the pool." Buffy offered frowning slightly at the redhead's demeanor.

"In her underwear and a tank top?" Willow barked at the Slayer. "I'm telling you someone took her, I'm getting her back."

"Okay Willow." Buffy dug her hand into her pocket. "Let me get the car." She glanced behind her to the large car park.

"You don't need to get it." Willow pointed outside and the car materialized in front of the doors causing the doorman to leap back.

"Will, you have to calm down." Buffy stated clearly as she stepped out and pulled the mini's door open. "If someone took her we can get her back, how far can they have got?" She left Willow's door open for her to get in and jogged around to her side. She was about to pull her door open when she stopped. "Shit." She cursed angrily staring down at two flat tires.

"This is wasting time." Willow waved her hands and the tires re-inflated up to full pressure. "Get in now." She instructed sending the driver's door flying open.

Buffy more or less threw herself inside the small car slamming the door hard behind her and pulling her safety belt across her body. She pushed the key hard into the ignition and turned it causing the engine to spark and then die almost instantly. She tried it a second and a third time with exactly the same result.

"Okay so now I really believe this is a set up." Buffy slammed her hand hard into the steering wheel.

"I can fix this." Willow concentrated her eyes going a darker tinge as she concentrated for a few moments. "Turn it now." She instructed.

Buffy immediately did as instructed and the engine sparked into life eagerly, slamming her foot on the gas the mini lurched forward and squealed its way down the drive and onto the road beyond traveling maybe four meters before coming to a stuttering stop. Buffy stared at the dashboard dumbfounded.

"We have no gas." She shook her head. "But she was full when Anya gave her to us, we can't have done more than twenty miles since then."

"They're slowing us down, I'm going to lose the trace." Willow cursed the words as she pushed out of the car and stood up her hands going out to her side. "We do this my way now." She started to lift up.

"No Will, no!" Buffy jumped out of the car and pushed herself up and over the bonnet landing beside her best friend. She grabbed Willow's arm and literally pulled her down feeling the strength it took to do so. "Stop this!" She demanded.

"Buffy, I have to get her back. They'll hurt her and she can't defend herself. I can't let them hurt her." Willow looked at her best friend and frowned.

"I know, but we can't do it this way." Buffy shook her head. "No magic, Ruth wouldn't want you doing this to yourself."

"Willow we don't have a clue who this is, what they want, where they have taken her, we can't do this on our own, this isn't like fighting vampires or demons, this is something, someone else." Buffy tried to reason. "We should go back to the hotel, call Giles." She offered a plan of action.

"I don't need to know all that, I need to keep her safe." Willow growled as she began to realize that Buffy was a major obstacle to her getting to where Ruth was right now.

Seeing the look Buffy tried to think fast, she had to find a way to diffuse this and quickly. She knew there was no way she could take on an angry magical Willow.

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Witness

By The Rainbow Writers

Copyright © 2003

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