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.

"Hello." Willow looked up from the book that she was curled up reading in the large recliner near her window.

"Oh... I forgot about the time." Willow looked at the clock sheepishly. "Let me grab my coat and gloves." She left her book on the sidetable and moved over to the closet. "Though I still don't get what all the fuss is about." She laughed lightly.

"Well the historical side of this great day is that the great noble British nation was saved from political disaster by the discovery of the gun powder plot. Brain child of the dastardly Guy Fawkes and his gang of cronies." Jayne filled in with a smile. "Which basically translates into big bonfire, lots of fireworks."

"Sounds like Fourth of July, but in the winter." Willow smiled as she pulled on her long dark wool jacket and leather gloves. "Though Ruth has been insanely excited about it."

"Ruth loves fireworks." Jayne replied. "Oh and the candyfloss and toffee apples too. She said to remind you to bring a hat." She turned in the doorway.

"She's such a worrier." Willow laughed as she grabbed the floppy striped wool hat Buffy had sent in her last care package before she followed the therapist downstairs.

In the main entrance hall the party of rehab witches was already gathered. A group of about five girls huddled around Sue while three stood with Rose. Fred stood by the front door watching over everyone with Morgana nearby doing her best to look uninterested.

Willow walked down through the front hall not really noticing when some of the newer girls flinched at her arrival. Their reaction to her was something she was growing accustomed too.

"Mini bus is here." Suddenly the front door pushed open and in paced Ruth. She was dressed in a short black leather jacket, that zipped right up to her neck but she had a multi-colored scarf wrapped around and around her neck. She had dark jeans on and her big books, though unusually she had her jeans tucked into them. She also had her leather gloves on and topped the outfit with a peaked cap with earflaps that at the moment were folded up against the side of her head. She clapped her hands together and scanned the group her eyes flicking up when the step under Willow's foot squeaked causing a broad grin flashed across her face.

Willow suddenly wondered if her outfit was appropriate, especially with the oversized white and pink sneakers that were peaking out under the bottoms of her long denim skirt.

"They're going to get trashed Lo." Ruth hurried over as the rest of the witches began filing out, the dark-haired girl's eyes also on Willow's footwear.

"What do you mean? Where does this thing happen?" Willow smiled down at her bright clean shoes.

"Rose! Rose!" Ruth grinned and looked round as the housekeeper moved towards them. "Are my wellies in the kitchen?"

"What is a welly?" Willow raised a curious eyebrow as Ruth darted out with Jayne chuckling softly nearby.

"The bright blue things Ruth wears when she's helping in the garden pet." Rose explained.

"Oh come on guys, you could have at least got the cute trainers off already." Ruth zipped back into the hall carrying the high-legged waterproof boots.

"They tried but I put a Vulcan pinch on them." Willow looked at what she was carrying.

"You are such a wuss." Ruth laughed as she pointed down and wiggled her blue socked toes revealing to the red head she had taken her prized boots off. "I get the wellies." She shook her head and passed her boots to Rose while she pushed her feet into the Wellington's.

"You get the boots." Ruth laughed harder. "We have the same size feet Lo and in my head it was a quick answer."

"Quicker than going back up to your room at any rate." Ruth explained. "And we need to get going, we're behind already."

"I know how you love these boots." Willow smiled at the shiny black boots. "Okay I get the hint, get into the boots I want fireworks." She laughed as she carefully pulled off her sneakers and eased into the well worn but stylish boots.

"Perfect." Ruth grinned she grabbed Willow's hand and pulled her towards the door.

The atmosphere in the large open park was literally buzzing. The crowd was hundreds deep and covered every age group from babies to those fastly approaching their centenaries. A cordoned off area housed a huge, as yet, unlit bonfire and there was a crowd of people already at least five deep around it. Many meters away at the opposite end of the field was another roped off area that was carefully patrolled and monitored. This was where the hundreds of fireworks were set ready to light the night sky with a rainbow of colors. At the entrance to the field was a funfair with bright lights and rides, added to those were side shows and coconut shys, gift stalls and food kiosks.

"Wow, has every British person come out tonight?" Willow looked around very wide-eyed at the crowds and set-up.

"Very funny." Willow giggled back as she half listened to Fred's reiteration of the rules before people began breaking off to do their own thing.

"Are you okay with this Lo?" Ruth was about to wander head long into the throng when she stopped and turned to Willow.

"Mmmmm..." Willow looked around at everything that was going on. The noises of people chatting, kids romping and music being pumped out of a large radio station kiosk threatened for a moment to overwhelm her senses. "Where are we going first?" She asked quietly as she tried to keep everything in perspective.

"No really, if you want me to run and buy some candy floss then we go back to the mini bus and watch through the windows that's ok." Ruth shook her head.

"No." Willow moved closer to the brunette and linked her arm into Ruth's. "Let's go get some candy floss." She tried the bravest smile she could find.

"Cool." Ruth urged her forward. "Oh look they have glow sticks." She pointed over to where a young man was selling the brightly colored luminous sticks demonstrating how you could bend them and shape them into necklaces or bracelets.

"I'm surprised Fred didn't insist we wear them as identity things around our heads." Ruth chuckled as she followed Willow's urging and watched on as Willow quickly bought two of the long glowing lines.

"Necklace." Willow clipped it together and wound it around the brunette's throat. "Very trendy. How do I wear mine?" She smiled and held the other one out.

"Definitely a halo." Ruth quickly shaped the other one and placed it lightly around Willow's hat pulling the long bobble through it.

"Perfect." Willow laughed as she looped her arm into Ruth's again. "This way we can find each other."

"Cool. So do you like candy floss?" Ruth queried as she dug both hands into her jean pockets trapping Willow's arm close to her body.

"Or we could spend the money on something else." Ruth looked around and spotted a flip the frog game. "Like this?" she broke into a fast walk dragging Willow along too.

"Oh but come on, you want to do this." Ruth picked up one of the gross rubber frogs that you had to balance on their lily pad and flick into a pool of water, trying to make them land on another lily pad. "You want to make me fly." She made the wet rubber frog dance a little.

"I... I..." Willow realized just what the little game entailed and she felt herself tense. "I have frog fear." She stepped back away from the little plastic creature.

"Oh shit sorry." Ruth dropped the toy and moved back with the redhead "That... sorry I didn't know." The raven-haired girl frowned hard.

"No, no." Willow waved her hand trying not to react too badly. "It's not real frog just plastic frog... can we play something else?" She offered trying to make it up to Ruth.

"There's hook a duck." Ruth pointed to a different game. "Little plastic ducks with loops on their head, you have a long pole with a hook on and you use it to hook one out. They have different colored spots on their bottoms to let you know what prize you get. Or there is the same game over there but with beetles to attract the boys more." The witch gave her companion the options.

"Let's hoop a duck." Willow smiled relaxing as she turned away from the frogs. "See if we can win you a stuffy."

"Winning a soft toy is a given, its the size of the toy that counts." Ruth laughed and walked up to the red and yellow striped stall. Willow followed her over and handed a five-pound note over to the operator.

"Can you trade up?" She questioned looking at the array of different sized stuffed animals.

"Trade up?" Ruth shook her head, as for some reason the stall man gave Ruth the four pounds change and passed Willow the hooked stick. "You're not going to need too, I want that toy." She pointed to a medium sized Elmo. "So you have to get a duck with a blue bum."

"A blue bum?" Willow looked at them swirling by. "Can I cheat?" She wiggled her fingers jokingly.

"Okay." Willow hung her stick out and poised waiting as the ducks swirled by over and over. She was ignorant to the stall owner who seemed to be impatient for her to pick one as she let them fly by again and again. "Almost ready... Almost ready..." Willow watched them her tongue sticking out of her lips a little as she concentrated. "That one!" She hooked the head of a little duck triumphantly.

"Okay lets see what you got." The owner came over and unhooked the duck flipping it over. "You got blue little lady, what'll it be." He showed Willow the blue spot on the ducks underside.

"Elmo please!" Willow clapped happily as she pointed to the stuffed red monster.

He leaned over and eased Elmo from the display and handed it over. Ruth stood by watching shaking her head smiling happily.

"Did you cheat?" Ruth chuckled as she took the toy and squeezed it, rubbing its nose against hers.

"Some trust please." Willow pouted. "I waited for the duck who called out... I have a blue butt, I have a blue butt!"

"I think I'll call him, Elmo, what do you think?" Ruth grinned and laughed as she made Elmo dance.

"So what are you going to win me?" Willow moved over to wind her arm around Ruth's.

"I can try anything you like." Ruth carefully unzipped her jacket a little way and stuff Elmo down inside it pulling the zipper back up under his furry red chin.

"Yep could do, I mean how hard is throwing a hoop onto some pegs?" Ruth shrugged. "Ooh you can win an inflatable hammer too. Now wouldn't that come in handy… Morgana! Where are you!" She laughed.

"Be nice." Willow laughed. "She's been staying away from you lately. No need to beat her with a rubber hammer."

"Hey we could really piss Fred off and I could win you a goldfish." Ruth's eyes sparkled.

"Let's not push our luck, he's letting us wander without a tether." Willow laughed again. "Come on I want a bear." She bumped into Ruth's hip.

"A bear, but why do you want a little tiny bear, I bet I could win you the biggest one." Ruth gave the stock of the stall a once over seeing that the bears ranged from hand sized to ones big enough to dwarf both of them.

"No cheating." Willow turned appraising the other booths as Ruth stepped up to the line.

"Yes Lo." Ruth stepped up into place. There came a few tight breaths, a curse and then concentrated breathing as Ruth had her go. It seemed to take quite a while, and then armed with her winnings, Ruth nudged Willow, her hands held behind her back.

"Well...." Ruth pulled one hand round from behind her and held up a little pink bear, no bigger than her hand dressed in flowered overalls.

"Well I'm glad because I bought her off the guy. I won you him." Ruth sidestepped and grinned pointing to a large soft toy snow tiger that was posed on the stall edge beside her.

"Ru!" Willow hugged the little bear to her body as she leaned down to the tiger. "How? He's huge?"

"Well like I told you my dad was a farmer. Aiming and hooping stuff, comes kinda natural." She shrugged.

"Thank you." Willow pulled him up. "I'll call him Bonfire and Mini Ru." She held up the bear.

"Lo, he's like half as big as you. I think we might have to run him back to the mini bus before the fireworks start." Ruth eyed the oversized tiger.

"Can you run him back? I can get us candy floss and a drink." Willow formulated a small plan hoping that Ruth would bite.

"I'll be right here." She pointed to the food booth stuck in between the kiosks. "Promise."

"Cool, I'll be back." Of course what the dark haired witch hadn't thought about was that the tiger was indeed about half the size of Willow which made him over half the size of her. Slowly she managed to man handle it away.

"Okay not much time." Willow moved quickly over to one of the kiosks and within a few moments she'd purchased what had caught her eye as she'd been trying not to look while Ru played the ring game. Not wanting to break her promise she moved over into the long food line waiting for her turn.

"Cor is it me or is it getting colder?" Ruth jogged back over reaching up to flip her earflaps down.

"It's chilly." Willow nodded happy that the other witch was back. "Is Bonfire tucked up?"

"Strapped in safe as houses." Ruth nodded. "Didn't make it to the end of the queue yet I see."

"I swear these people make such a huge amount of money at these things." Ruth agreed. "What do you fancy?"

"Mmmm hot chocolate." Willow smiled softly. "And to steal some of your candy floss."

"Sounds good to me. Are the boots warm enough by the way?" Ruth and Willow shuffled forward in the queue.

"Very comfy, you might have just lost your boots." The redhead teased as she stamped in them. "Though they make me tall don't you think?"

"Ladies and gentleman, the bonfire is about to be lit and the firework display will begin approximately fifteen minutes later." The PA system announced as the girls shuffled forward a little more.

"Good thing we're almost there." Willow looked forward as the person ahead gave their order and within a few moments she was able to give theirs.

"Where do you want to watch the fireworks from?" Ruth glanced around the field when people began milling.

"This is your show, I'm a tourist." Willow collected their things. "Cotton candy." She held out the bag filled with blue and pink candy.

"Great." Ruth immediately worked her way in and pulled out a large helping. "Want some?" She pulled some free of the larger piece and offered it to Willow.

"Thank you." Willow took a small portion of it and popped it into her mouth. "Yummy." She smiled as the sugar melted against her tongue.

"I tend to watch from over there." Ruth went back to her earlier comment and pointed to the distant point away from the bonfire.

"Perfect." Willow nodded and let the brunette lead her over to the predetermined area. "Do they just throw a match on it and poof?" She questioned sipping her steamy hot chocolate.

"Actually Lo, I usually slip out and go around the perimeter of the field, I... I don't go anywhere near the bonfire." She pointed back towards the gate.

"I can try anything. I'm in my super boots." Willow giggled as they scooted further away.

It seemed a little odd going against the flow of people and then to be suddenly in a dark open track. Ruth reached into her pocket and pulled out her faithful torch, flicking it on she led the redhead around the side of the field.

"We should get a good view of the fireworks from here." Willow noted as they made their way further away from the main group.

"You don't mind being this far away, from the fire that is?" Ruth checked when they were near to her usual spot.

"Big raging fires aren't my favorite, and being in crowds isn't so hot either." Willow admitted sipping her drink.

"Have to agree with at least one of those points." Ruth nodded and shone the torch around a little. "There used to be... ah here it is." The bright light beam flashed over a tree stump.

"You've got it all figured out." Willow sat down beside the other slim woman as in the distance the bonfire was lit and a glow came over the horizon. "So do you make resolutions or anything?"

"No, I look at the pretty fireworks and think, mmmm maybe life isn't all shit." Ruth spoke with a mock seriousness. "Oh and usually make myself sick on candy floss and jacket potatoes."

"I don't think life is." Willow whispered looking up at the stars in the sky. "And to prove it, I got you a present." She dug into her pocket and held up a little white plastic bag.

"You have to open it and see silly Ru." Willow shook the bag and encouraged her.

Ruth took the bag and opened it, digging her small hand into it quickly and pulling out the contents.

"Oh Lo, wow." Ruth let the leather thong trail over her leather gloves, as the silver sun pendant on it rested in her palm. "Thank you". She turned to Willow with sparkling eyes. "Look Elmo." She dangled the necklace in front of the toy still stuffed in her jacket.

"I just wanted to get you something to say thank you, for sharing all this with me. Being such a great friend the last few months." Willow smiled softly.

"I don't know about the great friend bit." Ruth began to unwind her impossibly long scarf to reveal her neck. "You wanna do the honors?"

"Yes and yes you are." Willow underlined in a confident voice as she clipped it into place. "I think I would have gone insane in the place along time ago if not for you."

"You'd have been ok without me," Ruth smiled and helped the sun sit properly at the base of her throat. "But it wouldn't have been anywhere near as exciting." She loosely slung her scarf back into place.

Just as Ruth spoke there was a soft thumping noise and the tiny glittering tail of a rocket could be seen in the sky.

"I think red." Ruth contradicted as the firework exploded into a brilliant shower of green sparks.

"Yellow and blue." Ruth called out as two more soft thumps announced more rockets heading heavenwards.

"Green and purple." Willow contradicted just as they burst out one blue and one purple. "Half and half." She laughed again.

"Where are they now?" A tall figure dressed in a dark raincoat wearing a dark hat stood next to Fred, not watching as fireworks zoomed up into the sky around them.

"In the field, you can see the glow sticks they bought." Fred didn't look over, he knew exactly where the two witches were. "Despite my objections we are giving them 'space' as you requested."

"And what of our little antagonist?" Dark shielded eyes scanned the throng of people. "Is she still providing our little dream maker with that edge of irritation." The figure slipped hands into his coat pockets and pulled out a pipe and a lighter. Raising it to his lips, he lit the tobacco and drew on it waiting for his answer.

"Exactly as you wanted." Fred nodded. "Though you underestimate their respect for one another." He flicked a stray piece of lint from his thick wool jacket.

"Neither has done anything more than reception year girls would do running in the yard." Fred looked up as a series of gold fireworks exploded into large blooms.

"Then perhaps its time to turn up the heat." The man turned his face briefly toward the bonfire. "Have they made any more noises about dividing them?"

"Small ones. I've convinced Jayne to alter her records to indicate a lessening in their contact with one another. As far as they are concerned they had a small undamaging falling out." Fred filled in the information.

"Perhaps its time to let our dream maker and our murderer know that their days together are numbered." A slow smile spread across thin lips.

"Are you sure that is a wise idea?" Fred finally turned towards the speaker next to him.

"Bad girls can only play at being good for so long my dear Fredrick." The speaker reached out and patted a gloved hand on Fred's shoulder.

"I'm afraid your attempt at displacement is going to lead to unwanted consequences." Fred put up a vague objection.

"She's stronger now, more physically ready for the infusion. This time she won't burn out and she is fiercely loyal to the dream maker, though not in the way you would like." Fred held dark eyes. "Her love for the bright one was too strong to just throw away."

"How and why she is loyal doesn't concern us." The speaker shook his head. "Just so long as if we remove one the other will take measures to follow." The man's dark eyes traced two rockets as they raced skyward one trailing the other but on exactly the same course.

"You're playing a dangerous game, her following could lay wake to half of the British Isles." Fred hissed not looking at the sky at all now.

"But just think of the ride my dear boy, think of the ride." With a wild gleam in his eye the older man turned away and merged into the crowd.

Morgana looked up as Fred took the short call and then excused himself from their one on one session. Sitting back she breathed a sigh of relief as she hoped that maybe most of her session would be eaten up by the mysterious call. Picking at her nails she looked around the stuffy office and a slow smile spread across her face as she noticed that the usually locked cabinet was open in the back corner.

"Now what do we have here?" She pushed up out of her chair and moved over pulling the drawer open silently. A neat row of brown folders carefully labeled with each of the resident's names stared back at her.

"Elizabeth Ruth Mann." Morgana pulled out the thick file with a giddy laugh. "You think you're so much better than me do you? Let's see the real reason your here at hotel boring."

"Elmo! Elmo!" Ruth shouted as she thundered up the stairs and down the corridor throwing open the study door without thinking or remembering the redhead had a private session with Fred in there. She held a white sheet of paper in her hand as she came to a skidding halt on the rug in the middle of the room.

"Ru?" Willow tumbled out of the handstand she was in as her concentration broke upon the brunette's arrival. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Oh God sorry." She watched Willow tumble, the grin that had been plastered on her face faltered slightly.

"Sorry Fred." Ruth cast a very quick glance at the therapist who was sat on the far chair looking disinterested. She flicked her attention back to Willow and thrust out the paper again.

"No, please you've already ruined two hours of meditation." He grumbled picking up his tea.

"Ru, that's amazing." Willow leaned forward and hugged her. "I'm so happy for you."

"Oh God I know, I can't believe it." Ruth held tightly to the redhead and bobbed a little in her arms. "Apparently someone wrote her and told her how well I was doing."

"Fred, did you do something nice?" Willow looked over at the therapist still grinning.

"We have to get Mrs. Lauder to make a special dinner." Willow turned back to Ruth.

Ruth pushed up the sleeve of her blue shirt and checked her watch. With a heavy sigh she looked over to the large clock on the wall over the front door. The minute hand slowly shrugged past the twelve and the first of seven long chimes rang out.

The letter had said she would arrive at 3, If she'd turned up at four it would have been because of traffic, five would probably have meant she was lost, six that she was late leaving and had underestimated the time it would take and the traffic was bad… seven… Ruth watched the second hand tick around, she didn't know what seven could mean.

The short dark haired witch pushed up from the step where she sat and began a soft pacing of the front hall, to and from the main doors. Her specially polished boots squeaking on the super clean floor.

Everyone but Morgana, Fred and Rose were out at the movies As far as she knew even Willow had gone arguing that Ruth's aunt would want time alone with her before she met the crowd. Morgana had stayed behind because she was feeling ill which had in turn meant that Fred had had to stay.

"I guess I just needed a little alone time." Morgana patted her stomach lightly. "Must be feeling better than you though."

"Hey that's the spirit." Morgana smiled broadly. "Who needs family anyway right? Who wants to share all the goodly recovery with the people who are supposed to care about you?"

"Sure she is, her and that Tara girl are going to pop up arm in arm and come for a visit." Morgana laughed as she crossed over to the stairs and walked up a few. "Maybe you can get Willow to raise your Dad and you can have a big old family reunion."

In a hard fall Morgana went down managing to catch herself a little before she totally hit the stairs.

"Let go of me bitch." She kicked her leg away. "It's not my fault you're such a reject your family wants nothing to do with you." She snarled.

"Look Ruthie, I'm sorry the truth hurts but that doesn't make it a lie." Morgana sneered at her. "You'd be better off accepting it and moving on with your life. Maybe spend a bit more time in your room moaning over Willow."

"Shut your ugly mouth." Ruth's eyes narrowed as she pushed herself up and turned on her step.

"You don't like to hear the truth do you?" Morgana pushed up a bit trying to stand. "You think your little doe eyes and dyke dreams are going to come true reject?"

"I know you're going to die a lonely ugly hag whose still addicted to her fantasy world." Morgana baited her.

"Yeah but did you know…" Ruth launched forward a little catching Morgana around the throat with her small hand. "That fantasies can go one of two ways." Her eyes grew darker. "I can look into your mind little girl I can read what's in there and I can make your worst nightmare become so real, so vivid..." Her arm shook slightly.

Behind them Morgana heard the front door open as giggling sounded to announce the return of the rest of the house.

"Ruth, please... please..." Morgana choked out the plea as she pulled her knees up kicking into the brunette's body to push her backwards. "Ruth..." She reached out with her hand almost as if she was trying to stop the witch's fall as she pitched backwards off the steep stairs.

"Ru!" Willow had just emerged through the door when she saw the slow motion scene.

Without even thinking about what she was doing her hand shot out and a cushion of invisible air came up to catch the brunette and hold her suspended. Her sneakers squeaked on the floor as she ran over basically coming up behind the flailing witch to catch her and ease her slowly down back to her footing.

"Are you okay?" Willow looked at her friend not even aware her eyes were pitch black.

"Just what in heavens name is going on out here?" Fred appeared on the top landing.

"Lo, close your eyes." Ruth whispered quickly shifting her body to put it in-between Willow and Fred's line of vision.

"What?" Willow squeaked as she saw the momentary startled look in the navy eyes as Ruth's words cleared. She squeezed her eyes shut realizing now the course of power she felt in her body.

"Elizabeth? Willow? What s going on her? I feel magick." Fred's frown grew more severe as he began to descend the stairs.

"No words, no ingredients, she just willed it to happen!" Another added in as they all took a collective step away.

Jayne secured the door behind the group as Sue moved forward to offer comfort to the girl who had first spoken.

"Who cares about the magick, Ruth tried to kill me." Morgana pushed up and huddled closer to Fred. "She's dangerous."

"Jayne can you take Morgana to the medical room, make sure she is ok. Mrs. Lauder." Fred spoke to Rose who had appeared. "Could you take the girls into the dining room calm them a little. Sue if you would be so kind as to take Willow into the study. I'll be there shortly. Elizabeth, my office, now."

"This has nothing to do with Willow. All she did was save me from cracking my head open when that BITCH…" She shouted for effect. "Pushed me down the stairs." She snapped as soon as there was only the four of them in the room.

"Please, I just want to know what happened Elizabeth." Fred tried to calm the brunette down. "You're upsetting Willow." He tried what he assumed would be an effective tactic.

"Ru?" Willow kept her head down as she whispered the unspoken question, her head was swimming, she wasn't sure what was going on, she wasn't really sure what she'd done now it had all happened so fast.

"I'm... I'm sorry Lo, I didn't mean to upset you." Ruth's face crumpled slightly.

"Willow, Fred should be the one talking to Elizabeth right now." Sue took a step closer to the redhead.

"She, she said stuff, about my family about why my aunt didn't come." Ruth ignored Sue's move as she admitted to Willow what had happened.

"You didn't try to choke her did you?" Willow whispered and looked up, her eyes still dark.

"Elizabeth come upstairs to my office, we can phone your aunt see what's happened." Fred encouraged.

Ruth turned confused eyes up to him blinking tears out of them as she looked back at Willow.

"I'm sorry she didn't come." Willow whispered before she turned and ran off towards the back hall.

"Lo!" Ruth called as Willow fled. Fred jogged down the steps before Ruth could take off after her and held her in place. He glanced up at Sue. "Go after her." He instructed.

"Sue, she's perfectly safe." Fred barked the order at her. "Go calm her down." Somewhat reluctantly the woman walked off after the redhead. "Now what is going on?" He questioned Ruth in a firm voice.

"I told you she baited me, she said a whole bunch of stuff." Ruth shrugged knowing that trying to explain herself wasn't going to get her very far.

"So you decided you'd choke her? How logical a choice is that Elizabeth?" Fred shook his head.

"You can not use nightmare spells as a scare tactic when people push you." He chastised her. "What spell did Willow cast?"

"She told you, it was a simple levitation spell to stop me falling when your precious Morgana kicked me down the stairs." Ruth snapped at him and stared at the therapist for a moment.

"She saved your life, I'm not about to punish her for that." Fred answered her in a calm tone.

"You're scared of her too aren't you!" She whispered the gleam in her flickering slightly as a slightly strange look filled her face. "I can feel it, taste it."

"Elizabeth, you may think you know Miss. Rosenberg but there is much that you are unaware of. A healthy dose of fear is not anything to be ashamed of where she is concerned." Fred stepped back a bit from her. "I think maybe we should phone your aunt." He added as he retreated. Ruth looked at him long and hard and slowly shook her head.

"Perhaps a cleansing brew, help you clear your mind." He reached up and patted the slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. "We could go check on Willow if you want, make sure she's okay?" He couldn't keep the navy eyes that stared into him.

"No, no its okay Freddy, you run off and get that stiff drink you so need, and maybe change your pants." Ruth smiled smugly at him.

"You're confined to your quarters Elizabeth until we fully confirm what has gone on." Fred reached up and adjusted his tie.

"I would expect no less." With that Ruth pushed up the stairs and stalked to her room.

Ruth took a light breath and looked down at the note in her hand, the simple words;

"Lo, I'm outside, if you want to see me open the door" looked back at her for a moment before she bent down and pushed the slip of paper under Willow's closed bedroom door. It was a calculated risk as there was a light still visible under the bookcase door but that didn't mean the redhead was still awake. Ruth decided she would wait until the timed lights went out and then would back track down to her room.

With a tiny creak the bookcase swung back, Willow was standing off to the side a bit her eyes red and puffy from crying as she looked briefly up and then down again.

"Hi." Ruth put up her hand in greeting before sliding her hands into her pockets. "I just wanted to come and apologize." The shorter witch began looking down at the bare floor.

"Apologize? No, Ru I'm sorry. I got you into so much trouble throwing all my big ugly power around." Willow shook her head. "Now everyone is afraid and Fred is yelling at you."

"I was in trouble already." Ruth shook her head. "And, and I wanted to clarify something with you. I wasn't trying to choke Morgana, I don't 'do' violence. I'm kinda well avoid on the physical."

"I know, it was a stupid question my head was all spiny. I could feel how upset you were and this little voice in my head was doing the yeah choke her, choking is a good way." Willow sniffled and pulled turning away back into the room.

"I'm sorry." Ruth apologized again. "Are you ok? I mean after the spell and everything."

"It was nothing, I've been floating pencils since high school you're just a bit bigger." Willow sat down on the bed and put her hands in her lap.

"And I wanted to explained something." Ruth stepped into the room more. "But that doesn't matter...." She moved and knelt on the floor by the bed. "Lo, what's wrong?" She asked softly.

"You don't do violence Ru, you're a sweet caring woman. I... I've done violence." Willow blinked as she looked up from her hands.

"I might not have done violence Lo, but I've done really bad things." Ruth said looking into green eyes.

"Your eyes don't go black." Willow reached up and ran a soft finger down Ruth's cheek. "You haven't done the things I have Ru."

"You don't know what I've done." Ruth whispered her eyes closing as Willow's finger trailed down her face.

"You're eyes aren't black." Willow shook her head softly. "Whatever you've done Ru, you haven't crossed the line."

"I'm still not afraid of you Lo." Ruth blinked her blue eyes open and looked into Willow's green ones.

"You should be, Tara was." Willow's voice caught on the blonde's name as a sob clutched her slim body.

"But Tara was light, she was beauty and nature channeled." Ruth challenged softly. "I'm not." She summed up.

"I'm so sorry your Aunt didn't come." The redhead whispered in a tiny voice. "I know how much you wanted to see her."

"What do you mean? She wrote to you, I'm sure it was just..." The look on the brunette's face made Willow stop her words.

"It was Morgana, but please, don't ask me to explain how I know." Ruth said still looking away.

"So you know she's right." Ruth pulled back out of reach. "I'm a freak, a reject something unnatural that shouldn't be here."

"You're not." Willow shook her head. "You have powers Ruth, that doesn't make you unnatural. They are the most natural thing in the world, it's how we use them that is important."

"Well I'm doing great so far." Ruth snarled and pushed up and backed up in the room towards the hidden door.

"No." Willow followed her moving around to block her exit. "You are doing great. I've known people with your type of powers Ru and he did horrible, horrible things. You don't do those things."

"Is killing my father and having my brother taken away horrible enough for you?" Ruth snapped at her.

"Get out of the way Lo." Ruth's voice trembled in her throat, her upper body shaking.

"You're eyes don't turn black, you never killed anyone. Not on purpose. Not because you wanted too." Willow shook her head not believing what she was being told. "Not with magic... and you couldn't do it with these." She grabbed Ruth's shaking hands.

"Don't, don't touch me." Ruth pulled her hands back. "I don't want to hurt you." Her voice became slightly panicked. "I just need to go, I need to...." Unconsciously Ruth slid her free hand over her back pocket tapping it lightly, a deep frown creasing her brow when her fingers traced flatly over where there should have been a familiar raised shape.

"You don't need to do anything but talk to me." Willow encouraged her. "Please Ru, talk to me."

"I could never hate you." Willow shook her head and she moved to hug her friend. "Ru, trust me I've done so much worse, so much worse."

"I... I had a brother..." Ruth began sniffing hard as she cut off her tears mid flow. "He was younger than me." She back up slightly until she felt the lip of Willow's study chair against her leg, she eased herself down into it. "Justin." Willow bent down in front of her and nodded for her to continue. "He was seven when he contracted cancer. They knew from the start it was incurable, that we were gonna loose him. They couldn't tell us when, or how, but they knew it wouldn't be long. Mum had already gone by then and dad did his best but life's hard you know." She looked down at her hands. Willow nodded again reaching up to put her hands over Ruth's. "He got sicker and sicker, and he was in so much pain and I couldn't make him better. But then I thought about it, When I touched him, if I tried really hard If I thought about it I could see what he felt what he was thinking what he wanted and over time I could work with that create it for him in his head."

"That's why you started playing with reality?" Willow whispered not trying to cut her off but just to show she understood.

"I could make him happy and not in pain." Ruth felt her eyes fill with tears as she nodded. "I could make him the same as all the other boys in his mind. But the doctors, they diagnosed him as delirious. They took him away." She blinked heavy tears onto her cheeks. "He died all alone with a bunch of strangers because I pushed him there." She sobbed hard. "Alone, scared and in pain because of me."

"I gave him nothing. I took him out of the arms of his family and threw him into an institution." Ruth's voice turned angry full of self-hatred and loathing.

"I let him die alone, and then a year and a half later I killed my father." She continued to object.

"Things were bad, all the time after Justin died. I spent less and less time here and more in a better place, a place I created. A place where nothing bad happened you know where everyone was safe and okay." She looked at the redhead and Willow nodded that she understood. "But then I started having bad thoughts." Ruth's eyes became a little shadowed. "That's one of the problems with fantasies, they can go one of two ways." She blinked up at Willow somewhat distantly.

"I felt alone, I felt abandoned, Dad just kept bust all the time, I felt he didn't love me because of what I had done to Justin. I wanted him to show me he cared, I wanted to know he loved me. So I looked." Ruth admitted in a guilty whisper.

"To see his biggest fear, to find out all the things he kept hidden inside and then I don't know what happened or how it happened." Ruth's breath shortened and her heartbeat noticeably sped up.

"I was there looking around, all these nightmares all these images of things happening, bad things to Justin, to me, accidents, being taken away, all these horrible things." Ruth's breaths were very short now, her hands sweaty and her bright eyes flickered around the room unfocused. "And there was this image, over and over of a fire, a raging fire and it was in our house. I was there and I couldn't get out. I could see myself screaming 'help me Daddy, help me'. I could feel the heat of the flames around me all in his head. But then, I as I drew my hands back from him I realized the heat didn't disappear, the roaring of the flames hadn't stopped and when I opened my eyes all I could see was angry hot reds and yellows and thick thick black smoke all around me choking me." Ruth pressed her hand up against her throat literally gasping.

"You're not there Ru, it's just a memory." Willow leaned up more moving her hand down from her throat.

"I woke Daddy up, the whole room was ablaze. He tried to get to the door but he couldn't, he smashed the window and told me to jump." Her body shivered with the memory. "I wouldn't. I stood there screaming that I didn't want to jump. I didn't want to leave him."

"He put you out the window didn't he? He beat his nightmare Ru, he saved his little girl." Willow rubbed her fingers down Ruth's cheek.

"I woke up in the hospital the next with my aunt beside me." Ruth dropped her head.

"I made it happen. I created the fire." Ruth refused for a long moment to give into the comfort offered.

"Let me prove something to you." Willow pulled back a bit. "See the fireplace, light the logs." She pointed to the hearth that was loaded with kindling and wood.

"No, make fire with your magic." Willow shook her head. "If you can make fire, make it there."

"How could you have caused that fire if you can't make fire now when you are a hundred times stronger?" Willow put forward the logical argument.

"You couldn't." Willow shook her head. "You don't do physical magic. You do magic in here." She reached up and gently rubbed Ruth's temple.

"Rose tries to tell me that the fire must have been already burning, that my father's vision fear was born out of the fact that his sleeping brain had picked up the smell of the smoke and created the rest." Ruth fought to breathe more normally.

"Yes, Ru. His nightmare turned into you burning and him not being able to save you, that's why you saw it." Willow nodded. "If you could make fire Ru you'd just have to do this." She threw a look back at the fireplace and the logs broke into a heavy flame.

"And if you'd created it." Willow blinked again and the flames disappeared. "You'd have been able to control it." She held Ruth's hand tight. "You didn't kill your father."

"You remember Tara's birthday when I gave you the tapestry and you asked how I had managed to capture everything about Tara so vividly." Ruth looked at Willow. "It's because I feel her within you. I mean I don't push or force or anything." Ruth was quick to underline. "She's just there."

"I think I knew that." Willow nodded. "That you could tell, that you can see. You always know what I'm feeling, even when I don't know exactly myself."

"I never look anymore, not unless I'm asked, except for tonight." Ruth dropped her head guiltily again.

"Morgana has a mean streak in her." Willow made it a little better. "And very little magic."

"I know, but." Ruth frowned. "It's almost as if it's not her mean streak." Blue eyes closed as if trying to recapture the flashing imagery that had earlier given her the information she wanted to know.

"You know a lot." Willow reassured her. "Though... Ru... if you've seen Tara... then have you seen the bad things?" She dropped her head a little.

"I've seen everything you love, hate, fear, crave." Ruth replied softly. "I saw it the first day you came. You might not remember, but I shook your hand you were too raw to filter things then."

"And like I said, I'm not afraid of you, I never have been." Ruth looked up into Willow's eyes.

"Oh yes." Willow nodded. "I just... I didn't want to be." She frowned a little. "I feel shaky."

"It is." Ruth agreed she got up slowly and moved over to the bed. "Can I just say something Lo?"

"You're wrong to be so frightened of sleep." Ruth stated moving back the covers and slipping inside the warmth they offered.

"I see her dying." Willow whispered as she got under the covers. "Over and over before me."

"But if you let yourself, you'll see her loving you instead. And you're wrong to think she'd be ashamed of you." Ruth pointed out. "She isn't."

"You talk to spirits too?" Willow asked the question not in jest but with a serious undertone.

"What does she say when she talks to you?" Willow's voice was steady though her body shook under the covers.

"Strange things, things about stars and crackers, and how she will always be yours." Ruth smirked at little as the relayed the information.

"Tell her I love her and I'm sorry I let her die." Willow took a deep breath and then exhaled the words out.

"She loves you too and she has pancakes waiting for when you join her." Ruth closed her eyes. "But she accepts that's gonna be a while."

"I'm captain of the footie team Ellie, there's a seat in the front row just for you to watch." Willow whispered as she closed her eyes not focusing on her own words as Ruth's settled in her ears. Ruth turned over in the bed and opened her eyes looking at Willow.

"We could be so bad for each other." She whispered waiting until Willow opened her eyes again. "You know that don't you?"

"Tara wouldn't talk to you if she thought you'd hurt me." Willow didn't open her eyes, she didn't want to break whatever natural magic was happening around them.

"Justin wouldn't talk to strangers." Ruth closed her eyes again bringing her face to lie so that their noses were millimeters apart on the pillow.

"I think we just have to have faith that they see things we don't right now." Willow reached under the covers and linked her hand into the other witch's. "Sweet dreams Ru."

"Sweet Dreams Lo." The dark haired witch breathed out the words as she started to sink into a deep sleep.

Willow didn't even flinch at the large oak door before her as she knocked politely and waited for the customary offer to enter. Still cleaning her hands on the small cloth she'd carried from the kitchen where she'd been cutting vegetables for dinner. She wasn't expecting much of anything to come from Fred's call to speak with her.

"Did I interrupt anything important?" Fred asked as he pointed to the chair for Willow to sit.

"I finally got Rose to agree to make stir fry for dinner." Willow smiled gently as she sat down. "I was cutting bean sprouts."

"I'm just bringing a bit of choice. A little difference from the jacket potatoes and roast beef night after night." Willow folded up the towel in her lap.

"I know, I was giving you my reasoning for being more involved." The redhead crossed her legs. "So what's up?"

"I have something I want to discuss with you." Fred got up and walked to the door pushing it closed until it clicked into place. He moved slowly back and perched on the edge of the desk fairly close to the redhead.

"Oh." Willow felt the seriousness of his move creep into her somewhat jovial move.

"I'm not telling you anything you don't know when I remind you that it was nearly a fortnight ago that Ruth had her unfortunate run in with Morgana." Fred reached back and picked up the paperweight on the desk turning it round in his hand slowly.

"Which was not completely not Ruth's fault." Willow stuck up for the brunette. "You know how antagonistic Morgana likes to be."

"Please Willow, it's all right." Fred held up his hand. "You don't have to defend your little friend or make an attempt for me to re-examine the happening."

"Then what do you need to talk to me about?" Willow swallowed and tried to stay focused as Fred leaned over his table and picked up the piece of paper near his chair.

"It's the official feedback on the report I had to send to the Council on the matter." Fred folded the paper and slipped it into his top pocket.

"I'm sure they were excited to know someone like Morgana almost ruined Ruth's and my records." Willow immediately took the moral high ground.

"Hardly." Fred pushed up and walked back round his desk. "I'm not going to dress this up with pretty words Willow." He sat down. "This establishment is designed for the care and rehabilitation of ten witches. The Council are suggesting that the problem may be that we are trying to cater for more than we were designed." He glanced up across the table at the redhead.

"I know I'm the extra, but that was their determination." Willow rested her hand on the wooden arm of the chair.

"Did you know that this is Elizabeth's third time with us?" He looked down as he asked the soft question.

"They can't possibly be thinking of moving Ruth out." Willow shook her head jumping ahead of him. "She has more power than the other nine witches in the house. She has almost as much power as I do."

"The Council think that Ruth's particular needs maybe be best met somewhere other than here." Fred crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair.

"Ruth has other problems you might not be aware of Willow." Fred lightly bounced his foot up and down.

"Other problems that need to be addressed mostly in terms of the magic." Willow countered.

"Other problems that may, in some people's opinion, be better catered to for example in a hospital." Fred clarified.

"That's stupid." Willow pushed up to stand. "How is she going to get any help when the first time she mentions magic or demons they fill her full of drugs and straight jacket her?"

"Please what, be reasonable while the Council is considering handing her a sentence that will ruin her life?" Willow put her hand on the back of the chair.

"I've managed to convince them to give us until New Year Willow." Fred explained. "I wanted to call you in here, to see if there was some way, anyway you could help me to help her. Help her to help herself."

"In what way? What do they think she needs?" Willow slipped around to sit again when she heard that Fred was on their side.

"To slip back into the background." Fred pointed out. "Ruth has a way of drawing attention to herself without even trying, because she's a return patient she's an easy scape goat."

"I mean stay out of trouble." Fred leaned forward again. "I'm even willing to let you two have more time together if you think it will help."

"It would." Willow nodded. "Fred honestly you know Ruth and I aren't like the others, there is nothing harder than trying to mesh with people who are scared of you or like Morgana jealous."

"I was wondering if I should schedule Ruth and Morgana more time together, to see if they could find some kind of bond, perhaps the three of you?" Fred asked for the redhead's opinion.

"That would be insane." Willow shook her head right away. "Morgana is not a nice person Fred, I mean I don't want to be mean, but she's mean."

"Mean?" Fred frowned. "I don't know where you got that information from Willow, but I wouldn't say she was mean."

"She enjoys making people upset Fred, I knew someone like that once and she turned very mean. She tried to kill my friends and me. I know mean when I see it." Willow didn't waiver from her appraisal.

"Morgana would never hurt anyone, underneath she is just a very lonely, misunderstood young lady." He stuck up for her.

"And I'm an American drama queen." Willow rolled her eyes lightly. "Fred, watch how she is. You're too busy giving her the benefit of the doubt."

"Morgana isn't the one facing the problem Willow." The young man turned the attention around.

"Give Ruth and I more freedom, apart from everyone else we're fine." Willow realized what he was saying. "She can start some of my lessons, the tai chi and the judo. I think it would help her a lot."

"I have to trust you on this one Willow, any decision we make for Elizabeth is on my shoulders." He leaned forward again his voice serious.

"Let me look at the rotation and see what I can come up with." Fred nodded after a moment. "Thank you Willow."

"Willow I hope you take this meeting as the compliment I mean it to be." Fred said softly.

"I do, thank you." The redhead smiled softly. "It's nice to know you trust my judgment."

"You've come a long way Willow, you deserve something in return." Fred smiled slowly.

"Could I push for maybe one thing?" Willow looked at him wondering if she was maybe pressing her luck.

"I'm not sure if you have them in Britain but we have these transportable basketball hoops. That way you can wheel it in and out of the garage without having a hoop attached to the house. If we had one of those...." She smirked a little.

Ruth didn't care that she was going to miss dinner, her shower had just been too good to pass up on and she so needed to wash the thick mud of her tired body. Horse riding was great, but not when it was muddy and cold and definitely not when you fell off into a puddle of icy water.

"Knock, knock." Willow called not able to actually knock with the large covered tray she carried.

"Lo!" Ruth greeted brightly as she jogged over to the door, twisting the towel more securely around her body. "I thought I'd missed supper for sure." The raven-haired girl's eyes widened.

"You did, but you have a friend in the kitchen." Willow smiled as she carried the tray in and moved over to put it on the small table by the window. "How were the scary horses?"

"Tall, you wouldn't have liked them." Ruth grinned as she perched on the edge of the bed rubbing her short hair with a spare towel, the dark locks stuck out oddly like porcupine bristles.

"I don't know how you can ride them." Willow shivered as she uncovered the tray. "We have stir fry, rice and chocolate pudding."

"No, no its just you know I've seen that fear of yours. You know the burnt wok, and you singing something about burning the pasta, dressed as Madam Butterfly." Ruth chuckled cheekily.

"You're funny, those two things have nothing to do with one another and you know it." Willow rolled her eyes again. "So you going to eat?"

"Did you, that's great. You know you could be useful and grab my hair gel and style my mop before it dries like this." Ruth instructed as she dug her fork into the plate of food.

"Make me dinner, style my hair. Am I your maid?" Willow teased as she moved over to grab the tube of sparkly blue gel.

"Well you know the job is vacant if you fancy it." Ruth chuckled around her mouthful.

"Cheeky." Willow put a big dollop in her palm and then reached up to work it in. "I could give you a Mohawk." She teased.

"You'd have to..." Ruth's vice trailed off slightly as Willow worked her fingers through her short hair.

"Just eat your dinner, I'll tell you when you're done." Willow swallowed a bit as she felt the familiar trail of magic and knew exactly what the stillness in the brunette's words meant.

"You know this is really good." Ruth barely missed a beat when encouraged on by the redhead.

"Rose wasn't sure but she did a great job I think." Willow relaxed as the moment of worry passed away.

"She did, you should help cook more often." Ruth munched on, eating a few more mouthfuls without comment.

"Well I could try." Willow smiled as she manhandled Ruth's hair into its usual chaos and then moved over to take her seat again.

"Thanks." Ruth smiled and then leaned back finishing her meal. "Any idea what you're going to try and talk her into next time?"

"So shouldn't I be worried?" Ruth glanced at Willow as she brought forward the chocolate pudding bowl and swirled her spoon in it.

"No, because we have options." Willow smiled softly as she picked up the second pudding on the tray and took a small mouthful.

"Options are good. I like options. Is more pudding one of them?" She grinned but to be honest the dark haired woman was making little headway with the dessert.

"You can finish mine." Willow put it down again. "Because we're going to get to spend more time together."

"Fred's going to arrange it. The Council is causing trouble." Willow's voice was softer.

"Did you smoke anything weird or drink too much wine in the kitchen or anything Lo?" Ruth grinned at her friend.

"The Morgana report came back." Willow wanted to keep up with the banter but she knew she had to be honest.

"I tried to tell Fred that she's mean and antagonistic but he said that's not the point. The Council wants to move you to a different facility." Willow gave her the outline.

"But I convinced him that that was the worst idea possible." Willow spoke quickly trying to make it better. "So he's going to let us spend more time together, do classes together and work to convince the Council this is where you need to be because this time you're going to make it." She reached out and put her hand over Ruth's.

"We have until New Years to show the Council that this is where you belong while you're getting better." Willow smiled softly.

"New Years." Willow nodded. "Maybe by then you and I can tell them to screw it and be well enough to get out of here for good. Whatcha think?" She blinked green eyes worried that Ruth might not share her ambitions.

"I think you're the best friend I've every had." Ruth whispered with a soft smile.

"Now come on eat your pudding." Willow smiled back squeezing her hand. "I told you it was nothing to worry about."

"Bet you didn't make the pudding." Ruth smirked putting a large spoonful in her mouth finally feeling up to enjoying the chocolate treat.

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Witness

By The Rainbow Writers

Copyright © 2003

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