Echoes

By Rainne

Copyright © 2003

Djgirl1978@bellsouth.net

Part One

The dog days of summer were at their miserable peak on a certain day in Southern California, and the heat was making Willow Summers, nee Rosenberg more irritable than usual. Willow, as a general rule, was not an irritable sort of person; however, the normal rules of operation had been recently suspended in the Summers household. This is how it came to pass that on this particular day, Willow was alone on the back porch of the house on Revello Drive, eating a popsicle and trying to control her raging hormones.

Buffy, to no one's surprise, had escaped the house shortly after breakfast, claiming Watcher duties. Willow had to laugh, at least to herself, every time she thought of Buffy as a Watcher. The two concepts, at one time completely antithetical, now meshed in a new form that was uniquely and completely Buffy. She leaned back in her lounge chair and let her mind drift, thinking about all the things that had happened since Giles had agreed to father their child.

Three days after arriving in Sunnydale, Nicki Roland had nearly gotten herself killed goofing around on patrol with Buffy. She would bear a bite-scar on her neck for the rest of her life, and her outlook had altered drastically, much to everyone's relief. After that, she had thrown herself into her magick training and into research with the Scoobies, making herself a valuable member of the team.

Three months later, Dawn had returned to Sunnydale, officially Partnering Janna Markham. Judging by their body language, Buffy and Willow privately thought the girls' partnership might be more than just professional, but had decided not to say anything until the subject was brought up to them. The two girls stayed with Buffy and Willow long enough to find an apartment of their own, and then set up housekeeping themselves.

Two months after that, Willow had awakened one morning with an overpowering nausea. It repeated itself for two days, at which point a home test confirmed that efforts had been successful: Willow was pregnant. Slightly less than a month later, the Slayer-Partner team of Kerry Roberts and Kate Miglione arrived in Sunnydale with a proposition from the Academy that Buffy found impossible to refuse.

The title of Watcher was revived and applied to Buffy, who became the first officially retired Slayer in history. She turned her efforts now to working with and training the new girls. She still researched, she still trained herself, and she continued to patrol twice a week, but for the first time in a long time, Buffy was really, deeply happy. Buffy was also now drawing a sizable paycheck from the funds that had once belonged to the Watcher's Council.

Three Slayers and two Partners now patrolled the Hellmouth, and suddenly Sunnydale was a much safer place to be. And then the calls started coming in. The first one came from Willy the Snitch, who showed up at the house on Revello one morning with an envelope. Willow, fresh from a particularly unpleasant bout of morning sickness, had been less than pleased to find Willy on the porch, but invited him in anyway. He simply shook his head, asking her to give the envelope to "the head Slayer."

"She's not the Slayer any more," Willow had said, but Willy shook his head.

"Once the Slayer, always the Slayer," the slick little man told her. "Just give her that, please. She'll know what to do with it."

The envelope, it turned out, contained a plea for assistance from a coven of witches in south Florida. A nest of vampires had set up housekeeping on South Beach and were snacking on the tourists. Buffy dispatched both teams to Miami to take care of the problem. A day and a half later, Maria Ortega and Virginia Marcos arrived in Sunnydale.

Faith called that night. "You're not the active Slayer any more, B," Faith told her candidly in a tone that brooked no argument. "You're twenty-five years old. As far as Slayers go, that's pretty much old age. It's time for you to step back and let the younger girls patrol the Hellmouth. Send teams out like you need to, but keep one with you at all times."

"I can't just sit back, Faith," Buffy told her. "I'm the Slayer. Even if I am semi-retired. I have to do this."

"You won't be the Slayer for long, then," Faith snapped back in a voice Buffy had never heard her use before. "Ask Giles. Make him tell you. Ask him who the longest-lived Slayer in history is. And then decide whether or not you want to keep on patrolling."

Buffy had asked Giles that very same night, and was stunned by his answer. "The longest-lived Slayer in history? Why, Buffy, I thought you knew... it's you."

Buffy had stopped patrolling completely after that, except for an occasional foray out to observe one of the teams in action. Otherwise, she focused herself completely on research and on training the girls in the gym they'd built next door to the Magic Box.

The gym began quickly to take up a lot of Buffy's time, especially once she started offering self-defense classes to the general public. Between teaching regular students, researching, and training the teams, she had very little time to miss patrolling—even if patrolling had been the type of thing that she would really miss. Plus, at five months, Willow was beginning to show, and the couple was beginning to make the changed in their home and in their lives that were necessary for the advent of the new baby.

Dawn's old room had been cleaned out, and Buffy painted the walls and ceiling sky blue. Then she added sponged-on clouds on the ceiling, some birds, grass at the baseboards, and even a tree. Willow had been delighted with the finished product. They had purchased a baby bed, dresser and changing table, and Xander had surprised them with a handmade rocking chair.

The dispatched teams returned from Miami after two weeks, sun-bronzed and jubilant. Not only had they dusted every vampire in the nest, but they had at Janna's suggestion also gone out and made contacts in the demon underworld there. These contacts had promised to keep them informed of any activity in their area that would need to be dealt with by a Slayer. They had also agreed to pass on the Slayer Central contact information to individuals in other areas who would do the same.

Calls began to come in, requests for Slayer assistance from around the world. Siobhan Kennedy, Callie Westford, and their Partners Ebony Brooks and Tiffany Moore, arrived in Sunnydale another month after that. Willow, now seven months gone, no longer suffered from morning sickness, but she also no longer fit into most of her old clothes. She started to experience the violent mood swings that chased Buffy out of the house. Buffy, however, soon learned that escape never helped, as Willow was apt to be ticked with her for running when she finally came home.

Giles and Tara had begun researching Rothschear's manuscripts, the ones which had caused Willow such trouble when they were in England. They were searching for the spells that Willow/Rothschear had used to activate the Slayers. It was Tara's theory that such a spell could be used to activate a Slayer when one was needed; such an activation could even be done when girls graduated from the Academy. That way, when a Slayer was permanently injured or became, like Buffy had, too old to safely patrol, she could retire and take on the status of Watcher instead. Giles had strongly concurred with Tara and they had begun to research.

Xander and Anya were finally getting married, after several years of false starts. Xander had proposed shortly before Willow discovered that she was pregnant. Buffy and Tara had been chosen as bridesmaids, and Willow and Giles as "groomspeople." Anya had been gently persuaded to schedule the wedding for after the baby's birth.

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway brought Willow out of her reverie. She struggled up out of her lounge chair, one hand on her distended belly, and started through the house. She opened the front door just as a dark-haired figure was reaching up to ring the bell. "Faith!"

Faith jumped. "Holy shit, Red! You almost gave me a heart attack."

"You're a vampire, Faith," Willow responded dryly. "You can't have a heart attack. Come inside."

"I coulda still wet myself or fell out or something," Faith grumbled cheerfully as she entered, dropping her knapsack on the floor of the foyer. "Damn, girl, look at you! How far along are you?"

"Just at eight months," Willow replied, moving into the living room and sinking down onto the sofa with a groan. "Eight months, and I could not possibly be more ready for this to be over."

"I bet," Faith said sympathetically, settling herself on the other end of the couch. "Is it a girl or a boy?"

"We don't know," Willow replied, grinning. "We decided we wanted to be surprised."

"Picked out names yet?"

"Either Robert Alexander or Roberta Dawn," Willow replied, rubbing absently at her belly where the baby was kicking. "Robert is a variant of Rupert, so that's where that came from."

"Very cool," Faith approved. They sat quietly for a moment, and then Faith suddenly shook her head. "This is crazy. Surreal, almost."

"What's that?" Willow inquired.

"Us. Me, you, sitting here, like this. Seven years ago you wouldn't have gotten close to me without a machete. And I wouldn't blame you. But here we sit, alone in your house, on the couch; you're about to be a mom, I'm running a school full of girls, and we're just sitting here talking about your baby." She shook her head. "I would never have thought it was possible."

Willow smiled gently. "People change. They grow up. They learn from their mistakes." She extended a hand to Faith. "And people forgive." She squeezed Faith's hand, then let it go and settled in a bit more comfortable. "So, what brings you all the way to Sunnydale?"

"The Academy, what else?" Faith responded, rolling her eyes. "I wanted to check up on the girls, especially Nicki, dig through the books, and maybe have Giles come and look at something." She leaned forward now, her eyes glittering with excitement. "We've found a... like a miniature Stonehenge, out in the woods. It's got this crazy energy vibe about it and none of us can figure it out."

"You should take Tara, too," Willow suggested. "She's really powerful."

"Tara? Oh, your witch friend. She's still around?"

Willow nodded. "She is. She's been a huge help to us."

"Well, I'll take her if she wants to come," Faith said promptly. "Two heads are better than one."

"Why don't we head down to the shop, then?" Willow suggested. "Unless you're tired—did you want to take a nap?"

Faith shook her head. "Nah, I'm five by five. I slept on the plane."

Willow locked the house and handed Faith the keys to the new Xterra which stood in the driveway. "I don't fit behind the wheel any more," she explained as she moved around to the passenger side.

"You sure it's not twins?"

Willow groaned. "Oh, God, I hope not." She rubbed at her temples. "That would be all I'd need."

"Lookin' to have an only child?"

"No... Well... We haven't really talked about it." Willow's hand moved to slowly stroke her belly, smiling as she felt a lazy sort of push from the inside. "Oh, she's stretching."

They paused at a stop sign and Faith raised an eyebrow. "She?"

Willow blushed and grinned sheepishly. "Don't tell Buffy. I'm kind of hoping for a girl."

Faith grinned back. "No shame in it," she assured Willow. She steered the Xterra carefully into a spot outside the Magic Box and climbed out to gape at the storefronts. "When did they put a gym in?"

Willow smiled broadly. "That's Buffy's gym," she announced proudly as Faith helped her out of the vehicle. "She trains the girls there and teaches self-defense classes."

"No shit. That's great!" Faith, with a huge grin, made for the front door of the gym. With Willow behind her, she paused just inside the doorway. Buffy had her back to the door, instructing a wide-eyed class of youngsters. Faith slid her backpack off and gave Willow a wicked grin. She turned then and launched herself across the room at Buffy.

Buffy saw the eyes of her students shift a half-second before her Slayer senses screamed a warning. She spun immediately into a defensive posture just in time to block a punch from Faith. The children scattered, racing to the relative safety of Willow's side as the two Slayers rolled across the mats and came up battle-ready. Willow came up to the side of the mats. "It's okay, kids," she assured them. "They're just sparring. Watch them and learn." The kids all nodded solemnly and stared.

Buffy swept Faith's feet out from under her with a kick and leapt onto the vampire, straddling her waist. Faith rolled them until she was on top. Buffy punched her in the face, knocking her back, and then they were both on their feet again, circling each other. They exchanged a few more bouts of hand-to-hand before Faith kicked Buffy into the wall next to the weapons rack.

"Faith," Buffy greeted her, catching her breath. She wiped blood from the corner of her mouth. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, B," Faith responded with a grin through her own split lip. "Lucky for me you still hit like you used to."

"Care to test that with something a little stronger?" Buffy taunted.

Faith raised an eyebrow at the impressive array of bladed weapons on the rack next to Buffy. "You lookin' to wind up in the hospital?"

In response, Buffy pulled down the two quarterstaves which framed the display. She tossed one to Faith and took up a ready stance with her own. They circled one another for a moment and then reentered combat. For a few moments, the only sounds to be heard in the gym were the clack of wood on wood and the soft grunts of the combatants. Then Faith got a lucky shot in, smacking Buffy hard across the lower back and knocking her to the mat. Faith dropped to her knees astride Buffy's shoulders and gently placed one hand on either side of the golden head. "Snap," she whispered. "Vamps one, Buffy zero. Now do you see why I wanted you to keep a team here? I never beat you before, B." She stared into Buffy's eyes with a quiet intensity. "We live large and burn out fast, B. Like stars going nova. Boom."

They stayed in that position for a long moment, the tension between them almost palpable, before Buffy finally nodded. "Message received, Faith," she said softly.

"Okay, then," Faith nodded. She stood and offered Buffy a hand up. "I want that baby to grow up with both its mothers."

Buffy grinned then and hugged Faith. "Good to see you, Faith. No Dakota? You're here on business, then."

Faith nodded. "Nothing apocalyptic, though," she said quickly. "Not this week, anyway."

They shared a laugh, and then Faith moved to sit on the bench near the door with Willow while Buffy regathered her scattered students and finished teaching her class.

Part Two

Class ended, children were retrieved by parents, and before long, Buffy, Willow and Faith were the only people in the gym. Buffy locked the front door and hung a sign in its window which read "We are next door at the Magic Box." She then led Willow and Faith into the back office and through a doorway which led into the old training room behind the magic shop. Converted and heavily warded, this room now served as a magickal workroom for the Partners.

Faith felt the skin on the back of her neck prickle as she felt the set-spells and wards in the room. "Wild," she murmured to herself. It was something quite similar to the feeling she'd had at the henge. Could there be set-spells on the stone circle? Giles or Tara might know. The prickle went away when they entered the sunny front room of the Magic Box.

"Hey, Giles!" Buffy exclaimed as the entered the shop. "Look who's here to pick your brain!"

Giles looked up and smiled at the sight of the three women. "Faith! How lovely to see you."

"Faith?" Nicki's tousled and bright turquoise head popped over the railing of the upper catwalk. "Hey, Miss Faith!"

"Nicki? What did you do to your—never mind. Have you been behaving?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "I love it here, Miss Faith. Can I stay?"

Faith glanced at Giles and grinned. "We'll see, Nick. You go on back to work for now."

"Okay!" The shocking hair disappeared again.

"You let her do that?" Faith asked Giles with a grin.

He looked disgusted. "I didn't let her do anything. She came back from a night at a friend's house that way. And it doesn't wash out, either."

"Good God." Faith hoisted herself up onto the counter. "Whatcha got her doin' up there?"

"Cataloguing the demonology texts," Giles responded. "You'd be very surprised, Faith. Ungodly hair color notwithstanding, she's matured a lot over the past year."

So have you, Faith thought, taking in the new streaks of silver at the Watcher's temples and the new lines creasing his face. The thought suddenly entered her mind that he was aging. He must be fifty-five or sixty by now, she thought, and determined to find out for sure soon. In the meantime, Giles was asking her what had brought her back to Sunnydale. She pushed her thoughts aside. "It's this." She rummaged in her backpack and retrieved a packet of photographs.

"Oh, my," he breathed as he flipped through them.

She nodded. "It's obviously a stone circle, like Stonehenge, but it's smaller, and there's this crazy vibe about it. When I came through the training room, I prickled all over the same way. It's crazy."

Giles looked thoughtful. "There are a number of set-spells and permanent wards on that room. It could be the same with this circle. Is there anything else you can tell me about it?"

"It's twenty feet in diameter," Faith replied, consulting a set of notes, "giving it an area of three hundred fourteen feet. Approximately. Each of the stones is nine and a half feet tall, roughly four feet wide and four feet thick. There's an altar stone in the center of the circle, too," she added, flipping to a particular photograph and pointing to details as she spoke. "It's got a depression in the center of it, reminds me of a kitchen sink, and these crazy grooves that run down to the edge, here. If you pour water into the depression, the water lands here," she added, pointing to what appeared to be a low spot in the ground.

"Is there anything there?" Giles asked.

Faith nodded. "Krista dug down a couple of feet and found this." She flipped to another photograph. It was the same view, but the earth in the low spot had obviously been freshly turned and in that low spot sat a basin of what appeared to be pure gold.

"Is that...?" Giles inquired breathlessly, touching the photograph gently.

"As far as we can tell, yes. One hundred percent pure."

I'm not entirely sure," Tara mused, flipping idly through the photographs. "I mean, it could be anything, really. The only thing—well, not the only thing, but the main thing—that gets me is this basin." She glanced up at Giles. "I may be wrong, but it speaks to me of sun-god worship. I mean, ceremonial basins like this are usually silver. You know?"

Giles nodded. "I agree. I thought the same thing. And what do you make of these channels?"

Tara pursed her lips, studying the images. "As I see it, some kind of ceremonial liquid was poured into the depression. Probably wine or water as an offering to whatever deity they worshipped. It was probably blessed, then let to drain into the basin."

"Well, I coulda told you that," Faith exclaimed.

Giles cocked an eyebrow at her. "Faith, why don't you go train or look in on some of the girls or... something."

Buffy laughed. "Translated from Giles to English, that would mean 'Get out of here before I strangle you,' right?" she teased. "Come on, Faith, let's go next door and kick each other's asses for awhile."

The two Slayers stood to go, but Willow stayed in her seat at the research table. At Buffy's quizzical look, she smiled weakly. Faith noticed that she was just a touch pale as she spoke. "You go ahead, honey. I'll just... sit here. For awhile."

Instantly, Buffy and Giles were at the redhead's side. Buffy had Willow's wrist, checking her pulse, as Giles felt her forehead and cheeks. Willow simply sighed and submitted to their ministrations.

"No fever," Giles stated.

"Her pulse is a little high," Buffy replied. "Wills, baby, do you wanna lay down on the couch in the office?"

"No, Buffy. I'm fine. I promise. I'm just a little tired. I'm just gonna sit here and rest, okay?"

Slayer and Watcher shared a significant look, and finally Buffy leaned down and kissed Willow gently. "Okay, sweetie. Yell if you need anything, okay?"

"I will, baby," Willow replied, smiling softly.

Buffy and Faith moved into the gym next door and Buffy flopped down on one of the training mats. Faith dropped gracefully down next to her and eyeballed her. "What's wrong with her?" she asked quietly.

Buffy sighed. "She almost miscarried in the fifth month," she replied. "She was in the hospital for over a week and on bed rest until two weeks ago. When the doctor finally let her get up, he warned her that if she doesn't take it easy, and I mean really super easy, she could go into labor early."

"Holy shit, B," Faith breathed. "That's harsh."

Buffy nodded glumly. "At this point, according to yesterday's sonogram, she could deliver now and the baby would live. Probably spend time in an incubator, but would live. The problem is that an early delivery could kill Willow."

"What?"

Buffy sat up briefly, then flopped back down again. "They're going to have to deliver by C-section. She... she's not really built for babies. Natural delivery could kill her."

Faith blinked in astonishment. "Your specialist didn't say anything about this before the procedure?"

Buffy goggled at Faith. "What procedure?"

"The IVF, moron," Faith snapped. "You know, when Willow got pregnant?"

Buffy blushed.

Faith's jaw dropped. "You didn't."

Buffy nodded.

"Holy shit, B," Faith exclaimed. "And it didn't make things weird between the three of you?"

Buffy shook her head. "Surprisingly enough, no. We were all perfectly okay with everything. I... I think, in a strange way, it's brought us closer together." She paused for a moment, then said quietly, "We're finally a family."

They didn't find anything in research that day or the next, and by the third day, Faith was going stir crazy. Fortunately for the sanity of everyone around her, a call came in about a Vahrall demon menacing a small community in northeastern Pennsylvania. Faith took Kerry and Kate—the K-team—with her and headed off. The Scoobies breathed a sigh of relief.

The day after Faith and the K-team left, Nicki found the first reference in the Black Chronicles that pointed to possible prehistoric sun-god worship in Europe and specifically among the Celts. It wasn't much, but it was a start, and it gave Giles a direction to look in.

Research was suspended for a day when Willow began having early contractions and had to be hospitalized, and then returned to strict bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. Her obstetrician told her firmly that she was not to step foot out of bed for any reason except a trip to the bathroom until it came time for the baby to be born. Giles and Buffy brought her home and put her to bed immediately. Unable to do anything else, Willow set about researching as best she could from the bed. By the time Faith and the girls limped back, the search had been narrowed considerably.

"We're pretty sure it's some kind of offshoot cult," Tara explained as she unwrapped the haphazard bandage around Kate's calf. "Most of that area in pre-Roman times was devoted to goddess-worship, though they did worship a god as well. This cult, though, seems to focus on the god only."

"Prehistoric monotheists," Faith mused, then glared around her at the shocked expressions she got from everyone. "What? I can know big words."

"So, are there any references to this cult being magick users?" Kerry wanted to know.

"Only in the nature-and-herb magick sense," Nicki told her. "Not the heavy mojo like what we learn. At least, not according to the books."

"The type of magick Nicki is referring to would actually be more appropriately defined as sorcery," Giles interjected. "And, as she said, there is no record of these cults being involved in the use of sorcerous magick."

"Would you be able to find out anything more if you went to the circle itself?" Faith inquired.

Tara glanced at Giles with a thoughtful expression. "Maybe," she mused. "It'd be better than just looking at the pictures. And we could check out this vibe you've mentioned."

Giles nodded in agreement and Faith grinned. "Sweet. Pack your bags, yo! We're going to England."

Part Three

Giles, Tara and Faith left for England three days later. Willow, on bed rest, was unable to see them off at the airport. Buffy closed the gym, calling all her students to let them know that she would reopen after the baby was born. They were all sympathetic and concerned—Willow was a fixture at the gym and they all knew her as well as they knew Buffy. The junior-high age class had thrown her a baby shower and several of the high schoolers had taken it in turns to come to the house and help out when Willow had been confined to bed the first time, after the near-miscarriage.

After seeing her three friends off at the airport, Buffy came home and curled up in bed next to her lover. Willow, who had been dozing, woke when Buffy pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Hey."

"Hey, back," Buffy murmured. "How you feeling?"

"Tired," Willow replied honestly. She bit her lower lip, then confessed, "And scared."

Buffy pulled Willow closer to her, murmuring soothing phrases in her ear and stroking her hair gently. She closed her eyes against the tears that wanted to fall, silently cursing her own helplessness and the knowledge that this was one peril she could not protect her love against. "Everything's gonna turn out fine, Wills," she said with more confidence than she actually felt. "You'll see. You'll have this baby, and we'll raise it, me and you and Giles. I'll teach it how to fight and you'll teach it to be a hacker and Giles'll teach it to talk all Britishy. It'll have your hair and Giles's eyes and both of your brains, and be so smart it graduates high school when it's twelve years old."

Willow laughed. "I suppose it'll grow up to be President."

Buffy recoiled at that thought. "Our kid, a politician? No way! Nope, our kid's gonna be a computer guru. The next Bill Gates, right here!" She patted Willow's belly gently, smiling at the fluttering kick from within.

Willow laughed and kissed Buffy thoroughly. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Hmm," Buffy grinned, pretending to contemplate the question. "Not recently."

"Well, then, let me rectify that little oversight. Buffy Summers, I love you with all my heart, more than I could ever express. I love you so much I sometimes feel like I'll explode if I can't touch you. You're my life."

Buffy blinked back tears. "Oh, God, Wills," she gasped. "I love you, too. Oh, God, I love you." She pulled the witch as tightly against her as she could, reveling in the softness of Willow's skin and the scent of raspberries in her hair. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Willow looked up at her suddenly. "Buffy, promise me something."

"Anything, babe, you know that."

Willow took a deep breath. "Promise me that if something happens to me, you won't let it destroy you."

"What?"

"Let me finish." Willow's face was urgent. "I need to know that if something happens... if I die... you'll go on. For the baby's sake."

The color by now had drained completely from Buffy's face. "Willow, nothing's gonna-"

"Promise me!" Willow repeated fiercely, her eyes blazing. "Buffy Anne Summers, you promise me this! I have to know that you'll be okay. Our baby's gonna need you!"

Tears by now were streaking down both women's faces. "Willow, I can't!" Buffy sobbed. "How could I, with my heart and soul gone?"

"I will always be with you," Willow whispered to her. "Always. But I have to know that you'll be able to pick up and carry on—for the baby. I have to know!"

The Slayer took a deep, shuddering breath. "Okay, Willow. For the baby. I... I promise."

Willow finally let out a sob. "Thank you, Buffy," she whispered, burying her face in the crook of the Slayer's shoulder. "Thank you."

They lay together, holding each other desperately for a long time, before Willow's breathing evened out as she finally fell back to sleep. But Buffy lay awake for a long time afterwards, listening to Willow breathe and sending out heartfelt pleas in her mind to whatever gods might be taking requests from Slayers that day. Please, God or whoever You are... if You're listening... please don't take her from me. I need her so much. She's my rock, my strength, my anchor... she's my life, my heart and soul. Please keep her safe, keep our baby safe. I've kept Your world safe for You; it seems like You could do this for me in return. Please? After a time, though, Buffy drifted off to sleep as well.

On their arrival in London, Giles, Faith and Tara were met by Dakota and two uniformed student teams. Dakota and Faith shared an enthusiastic embrace before Dakota returned to scanning the crowd. "Three new Potentials were on your flight," she informed Faith, "and three new Partner trainees come in, in about half an hour."

"Good grief!" Faith exclaimed.

"And I had a call yesterday from Eric Waters of the Louisiana CPS. He's got ten girls on a waiting list and wants to know when we're gonna start accepting boys."

Faith laughed. "Did you tell him on the twenty-first of never?"

Dakota grinned, then waved at a lost-looking teenage girl. "Hey! Are you Maggie Jackson?"

"Yes!" the girl replied, hurrying over, looking both nervous and relieved. "You must be Dakota Walsh." At Dakota's affirmative, the girl turned and waved at two girls who stood nearby. "Cara! Caitlin! Over here!" The others trotted over, and Maggie introduced them. "Cara Morgan, Caitlin Fore, Miss Walsh."

Greetings were exchanged and everyone was introduced to everyone else, and then one student team was dispatched to take the new arrivals to retrieve their luggage. The other team went with Dakota to meet the plane that was bringing in the three new Partner trainees.

When they all met up in the car park by the school van, Dakota strode up wearing a distinctly nervous look on her face. The student team with her looked amused. The three new Partner trainees trailing behind her looked excited—and identical. At the sight of three identical freckled faces with identical wide grins under identically unruly, carrot-orange hair, Giles couldn't hold back his grin.

"Everyone," Dakota announced, "allow me to introduce Austin, Dallas and Houston O'Brien, of Vulture Gap, Texas."

"Population three hundred sixty-nine," Austin-or-Dallas-or-Houston chimed in.

"Minus us three," Houston-or-Austin-or-Dallas added.

"Which makes three hundred sixty-six," concluded Dallas-or-Houston-or-Austin.

The ride back to the Academy was eventful, as the twelve-year-old triplets occupied themselves in the back seat of the van by singing "One Million Bottles of Beer on the Wall," "The Wheels on the Bus," and various songs they said they'd learned at summer camp. Some of these songs were obviously a child's version of bawdy pub songs. Giles, Tara and Faith, near the front of the van, were all struggling to maintain straight faces. They were undone, though, by the song that the three untrained but enthusiastic voices began to sing as they started down the long driveway toward the manor house.

"God bless my underwear / my only pair / stand beside it and guide it so it won't get a rip or a tear / through the washer to the dryer to the clothesline in the yard / God bless my underwear / my only pair / God bless my underwear / my only pair!"

Giles, Tara and Faith, exchanging glances all through the song, burst into hysterical laughter just as the perimeter guards rode down into the road to stop the van. The triplets, in the back seat, looked highly pleased with themselves. Dakota just rolled her eyes.

Dawn and Janna brought Chinese for supper three nights after Giles and Tara left for England. They also brought a new release DVD from the rental store, and they crowded into the master bedroom with Willow and Buffy to chow down on Chinese take-out and ridicule the movie. When it was over, though, conversation turned to serious topics.

Dawn ran a hand through her hair, which she'd recently had cut into a very attractive pageboy, and took a deep breath. "We've got something we need to talk to you about," she said finally. "I know you guys are gonna be okay with it, but we wanted to tell you before we told anyone else."

Buffy winked at Willow and grinned. "Are you gonna tell us you're together?"

Dawn gaped at her. "You knew?"

Janna chortled, elbowing Dawn and putting her palm out. "Pay up." When Dawn, with a scowl, handed Janna a ten-dollar bill, the young Slayer grinned widely at the older. "I told her you already knew."

Buffy laughed. "We had our suspicions," she admitted. "I think it's great."

"Me, too," Willow agreed with a smile.

Janna grinned some more. "It's funny. When I was here before, I remember meeting Dawn very briefly. I remember the impression that I got was loads of brown hair and these piercing blue eyes that haunted my dreams at night." She sighed dramatically, and Dawn guffawed.

"She's such a bullshit artist," the young Partner observed dryly.

Janna glared at her girlfriend. "I'm a poet, thank you very much." She cleared her throat, turning back to Willow and Buffy, who by now were both trying very hard to keep straight faces. "Anyway. Imagine my surprise when I got to the Academy to find Faith and Dakota both gone, discipline and morale going to hell in a handbasket, and a handful of new Slayers and Partners preparing to stage a coup. And this one here in the thick of it." She sighed and fluttered her eyelashes. "It was luuuuuurve."

Buffy and Willow both burst out laughing. Janna grinned triumphantly. Dawn simply rolled her eyes. "Whatever, babe," she said softly, her eyes radiating her love to her girl. "Whatever."

Willow smiled, watching her lover banter easily back and forth with Dawn and Janna, content to simply bask in the joy of family. She gently caressed her stomach, feeling the baby push back against her fingers. She winced slightly as a cramp took her belly, the sighed softly as it eased. She loved being pregnant, but she was very, very ready for this baby to be born. She snuggled back into her pillow, listening to her family tease and joke with each other, and slowly drifted off to sleep. Buffy watched Willow drift away and gently stroked her hair, then the three of them quietly gathered up the empty food containers and slipped downstairs.

Part Four

Giles was welcomed by the clamor of girls who all knew and loved him. He was a favorite among the seventh and eighth graders, who all thought he was better than Mel Gibson. He tolerated them all patiently, smiling at them as they fluttered about him. Tara was introduced to everyone at supper and rumors began to fly that she was Mr. Giles's girlfriend.

It was a Friday night, and the manor house rang with the shouts of children who were all but let to run amok on the weekends. There was dancing in the ballroom to earsplitting popular music for the older girls; the fourth graders were playing hide-and-go-seek on the second floor; several of the high schoolers were sparring in the foyer. Tara wandered through the chaos, marveling at everything she saw. The manor house itself was gorgeous, the children happy and well cared-for. She met Dakota in the small drawing room and grinned. "You guys have done a really impressive job here," she complimented.

"Thanks," Dakota replied with a smile. "Hey, want to see the workrooms upstairs?"

"The magick classrooms?"

"Yeah." Dakota laughed as she led Tara to the main staircase. "The kids call it the Hogwarts floor."

Tara laughed as well. "This I'm dying to see."

Dakota led Tara upstairs and gave her a full tour of the magick classes and then the book tower. "This is the room that got Nicki into such trouble," she explained. She walked over to one of the bookshelves and tugged on it; it swung open easily to reveal a dusty hidden passageway. "Apparently, there's an entire network of these tunnels all through the building. I haven't been all through it, but Nicole—Nicki's little partner in crime—tells me that there are at least two rooms that can only be accessed through these hallways."

"Wow!" Tara exclaimed, peering into the darkened space. "So that's how she got in here?"

Dakota nodded. "She didn't even find it on purpose. If she'd had the sense to get out of here when she realized where she was, I'd never have caught her. But no, she had to explore."

"She's really grown up," Tara offered.

Dakota laughed softly. "Faith told me. Turquoise hair and a new bite scar." She shook her head. "I don't know if Nicki's cut out for this."

"She's doing wonderfully," Tara said softly. "You should come see her sometime. She talks about you constantly."

"Yeah?" Dakota smiled. "You have to forgive me. I'm feeling my immortality these days." She sighed. "I think it's the little ones. They grow up so fast, and it's starting to sink in to me that all these girls are training to eventually go out and die. I think I understand why the Council guys were the way they were: they had to be, in order to keep doing this day after day without going insane."

Tara didn't know what to say. She settled for hugging Dakota tightly. "Everything will be okay," she promised. "The teams in Sunnydale are excellent. They're skilled and they're strong. They'll last a long time."

"I hope so," Dakota whispered. "I hope so."

The next morning, a flurry of activity met Tara when she came downstairs. It was still an hour before breakfast, but girls were moving around at breakneck speeds, carrying bags and boxes and shouting back and forth to one another. A young girl in a blue polo shirt and khaki cargo shorts bounded cheerfully up to Tara. "Hey, Miss Tara. I'm Emma Masters. My Slayer and I have been assigned to you for the trip."

"Trip?" Tara asked, confused.

"Yeah, to the henge. You know it's a two-day trip up the river, right?"

Tara shook her head. "No, I didn't know. I thought it was on the Academy grounds."

Emma grinned. "It is."

"Oh, wow," Tara marveled. "I had no idea the grounds were that vast."

"Oh, yeah, it's huge," Emma replied. "You'd be amazed."

"Maybe I should pack a bag," Tara mused.

Emma winked. "Maybe so. Kennedy and I will catch up with you after breakfast, okay?"

"Okay," Tara replied, and returned upstairs to prepare for the trip.

Breakfast was a noisy affair. Only fourteen students had been able to sign up to go—seven Partners and seven Potentials—and the ones who hadn't made it to the sign-up sheet in time were jealous. Shouts and catcalls rang back and forth through the huge dining hall until Faith stood up, instantly silencing the room.

She cleared her throat. "I know everyone's excited about the trip, and those of you who are staying behind are excited about a weekend with only Miss Maisri and the student monitors in charge. However, I know you all know how to behave, and the noise level in this room is unacceptable. This is your first and only warning." She sat down again. For a few minutes, the hall was deadly silent except for the clink of cutlery on plates; then the quiet buzz of conversation arose again, but this time at a tolerable volume.

Once breakfast was over, everyone going on the trip assembled on the south lawn. Each team of girls carried a canoe. Kennedy told Tara not to worry—she would ride in the canoe with them.

Giles caught up with Tara on the trek down to the riverside. "How do you like it so far?" he asked her.

The smile she turned on him was brilliant. "I love it. I want to stay."

He smiled back at her. "I'm sure you'd be welcome," he assured her. "We'd miss you in Sunnydale, though."

She blushed and ducked her head shyly. a habit she'd never been able to break. "I'd come visit," she said softly.

He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We wouldn't have it any other way."

At the river, canoes were packed and the girls all gathered together to listen to directions. Krista Leichtermann, the Potential who had discovered the circle, spoke. "The circle is seven hours from here, upriver," she announced. "There are three sets of rapids between here and there which will be somewhat difficult, but not too hard for any of you. I have an air horn." She demonstrated with a blast on the horn. "When you hear two short blasts, this means that we will be stopping. I also have whistles, one for each team." She held up a bag. "Each team will carry a whistle. If you capsize or get into trouble, you will blow the whistle. If you hear a whistle, you will immediately stop where you are until you hear one long blast on the horn, which will tell you that we will all gather wherever I am. If you are within visual range of a team which blows its whistle, you will move immediately to render assistance. Are there any questions?"

There were none, and Krista continued. "There is to be no horseplay!" she ordered. "This is a serious mission to investigate supernatural phenomenon. You will behave as you would in the field. Anyone who cannot do this is welcome to return to the manor." There was a long moment of silence, then Krista smiled. "Then let us go!"

The sounds of splashing began as girls and canoes entered the water.

"Willow? Honey?"

Willow blinked, coming slowly out of a deep sleep. "Mmm?"

Buffy sat on the edge of the bed, tenderly stroking Willow's cheek. "Honey? I'm gonna run down to the supermarket, okay?"

"Mmkay."

"I've put the phone here on the night table," Buffy said gently. "If you need anything, call my cell. Okay?"

"Mmkay. Love you."

"I love you, too, sweetie." Buffy kissed Willow tenderly, then slipped out of the bedroom. She grabbed her cell phone and the keys to the Xterra off the coffee table and headed out.

Willow came out of a deep sleep to the accompaniment of unpleasant cramps in her stomach. She massaged her belly, trying to ease the spasms, and smiled when the baby kicked in protest. She yawned and stretched luxuriously, and then gasped as another cramp rippled across her stomach. This one, however, was accompanied by a sudden surge of wetness flooding between her legs. "Oh, God!" she exclaimed. She snatched the phone off the bedside table.

Buffy was standing in the baby aisle, examining the different varieties of baby food available, when her cell phone went off at her waist. She flipped it open without glancing at the caller ID. "Summers."

"Buffy?"

Buffy froze at the breathless sound of the voice coming through the line. "Wills?"

"Buffy, you need to come home right now. My water just broke."

"I'm on my way," Buffy exclaimed and bolted from the store. She called the obstetrician from the car and made sure that he would meet them at the hospital. Then she hung up and called another number.

"Magic Box, Xander speaking."

"Xand! I'm getting Wills and we're going to the hospital. Her water just broke."

"I'm on it," he replied, hanging up. He began making phone calls.

Buffy pulled the Xterra across the grass and right up to the front door. She burst in and ran upstairs to find Willow sliding her feet into shoes. The Slayer retrieved Willow's hospital bag, then helped her lover down the stairs and into the car.

"I wish Giles was here," Willow said sadly as they pulled out onto the street.

"I do, too, babe," Buffy agreed, squeezing Willow's hand as she maneuvered them through traffic. "Xander's calling over there, though. He'll be back as soon as he can."

"What do you mean, he's not there?" Xander exclaimed. "He called and said he was there!"

"No, Mr. Harris, that's not what I mean," Louisa Velasquez, Potential on phone duty, explained into the transatlantic line. "I mean he's not here right now. They've all gone down to the henge. It's a two day trip. They won't be back until probably very late tomorrow."

"You can't get them on the cell phone?"

"No reception out there, Mr. Harris. I'm really sorry. I promise, as soon as he steps foot on land, I'll give him your message. I swear it."

Xander sighed. "If it's all you got, it'll have to do. I gotta go—I gotta get to the hospital."

"Good luck, Mr. Harris," Louisa said as she hung up. She turned then to face her partner, Brittany Cage. "Baby."

"Ooh, how exciting," Brittany exclaimed. "Whose?"

"Miss Willow and Miss Buffy."

"Sweet!"

"Just relax, baby, okay? Everything is gonna be okay." Buffy smoothed back Willow's sweat-dampened hair and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Dr. Nichols is here, okay? And he says you're gonna be just fine."

Willow's hand clamped down on Buffy's wrist. "Remember what you promised me."

The doctor came bustling in before Buffy could respond, a wide smile on his face. "Well, well, Willow and Buffy! I thought we'd set this up for next week."

"Sorry, Dr. Nick," Willow gasped. "I just couldn't wait."

"Well, all right, then," he said, snapping on a pair of rubber gloves. "Let's just see where we are, shall we?"

Janna and Dawn burst into the waiting room, Siobhan and Ebony on their heels. "What's going on? What have you heard?"

Xander looked up. "Nothing yet. They've only been in for about two hours. Buffy came out about forty-five minutes ago and said they were gonna try for the C-section, but they weren't sure they were gonna be able to do it."

Ebony gasped. "But Buffy said -"

He nodded, his face wan. "The natural birth is incredibly dangerous for her."

Siobhan moved to the corner and dropped to her knees facing a chair. Pulling her rosary out of her pocket, she began to pray quietly in Latin. "Ave Maria, gratia plena..."

One by one, the others sat down around the room and added their own silent prayers to Siobhan's audible ones.

Part Five

"It's beautiful," Tara gasped as the sun came up over the tiny henge. "Oh, Giles, look!"

He stood behind her quietly, watching as the first rays of the dawn struck the golden basin at the foot of the altar. He stepped forward then, into the circle, and felt the hairs on his arms raise as he came into the range of the spells. "Oh, my."

She followed him, gasping as well at the sensation. "It sounds like bees," she commented.

"Indeed," he agreed. It did. It was a sort of subaudible hum, felt more than heard, but it was indeed reminiscent of bees. He walked over to the altar, examining the grooves. "Now, what do you imagine -"

"Blood," she interrupted him, her eyes fixed on the altar. "They sacrificed the victims... the blood went into the little depression, then through the grooves and into the basin."

"How do you know?" he asked, intrigued.

"I can feel it. Giles... this is an evil place."

He urged her to step out of the circle, then focused his own energies on the wards. He began to slowly pick apart the spells that had been placed on the circle and came out of it gasping half an hour later. "My God!" he exclaimed. "They were worshiping vampires!"

"What?" Faith exclaimed from behind them. "Are you serious?"

Giles turned to face the two daywalkers, who had come from the camp just as he spoke. "Quite serious," he told her. "The spells make it very clear that whoever set them was worshipping vampires. The spells are meant to attract them." He eyeballed her. "I'm surprised you hadn't felt the pull."

"She probably didn't realize it, since she was made here," Dakota mused. "I noticed it as soon as I arrived, but there were other things to do and I eventually put it out of my mind."

"Can the spells be removed?" Faith inquired. "I'm not sure having a navigational vampire beacon on Academy grounds is such a hot idea."

"No, it's not," Dakota agreed.

Giles and Tara exchanged a glance. "Are you capable?" he asked.

She squared her shoulders and nodded. "I can do it."

He turned back to the vampires. "I'm going to need some supplies."

Siobhan hadn't moved in over three hours except for her fingers working at her beads and her lips, which continued to form the words of the Ave Maria and the Pater Noster long after her voice had given out. Ebony and Janna, unable to take the stress, had gone out on patrol together the moment the sun went down. Dawn was acting as liaison between the birthing room and the waiting room, where a growing crowd of students and acquaintances waited in tense silence. Xander's cell phone rang every half hour as Maria and Virginia, on assignment in Vancouver, called for updates.

Giles and Tara sat cross-legged, facing one another across the golden basin. Inside the basin, a mixture of herbs burned sweetly. Tara called the quarters down and Giles invoked the deities.

"Come now a cleansing wind," Tara intoned. "Come now the wind and cleanse this place, drive the evil from it that it may once again be pure." At her words, a powerful wind blew through the circle, blowing leaves about and ruffling her and Giles's clothing.

"Come now a cleansing fire," Giles commanded. "Come now the fire and purify this place, drive the evil from it that it may once again be new." As he finished speaking, a bolt of lightning fell from the clear sky, striking the altar dead center and leaving a strong scent of ozone in the air.

"Come now a cleansing water," Tara cried, taking up the spell. "Come now the water and wash this place, drive the evil from it that it may once again be sacred." A gentle rainfall began and then abruptly ended, leaving the altar, the menhirs and the casters slightly damp.

"Come now a cleansing earth," Giles entreated. "Come now the earth and sanctify this place, drive the evil from it that it may once again be whole." As soon as the words left his mouth, a veritable herd of butterflies poured out of the surrounding woods. The butterflies flittered throughout the circle, filling the air, and then just as suddenly returned to the forest from whence they had come.

Tara and Giles stood now and joined hands over the basin. "Come now a cleansing spirit," they both cried out in unison. "Come now the spirit and heal this place, drive the evil from it that it may once again be a place of Light. So mote it be!"

For a brief moment, all was silence. Then suddenly their joined hands were surrounded in a nimbus of silver light which grew to encompass the entire circle. There was the sound of a bell tolling and then, with a blinding flash, the light was gone. A moment later, the normal sounds of the surrounding forest resumed.

Faith and Dakota looked at each other. Dakota spoke first, but fervently enough for both of them. "Holy crap."

"It's time," the nurse said.

"Wait!" Willow panted. She turned frantic eyes on Buffy. "I love you. Buffy, I love you so much."

Buffy leaned down and kissed Willow hard. "I love you, too, Wills." She stroked the witch's damp hair back from her sweaty brow. "I'll see you when you wake up."

The nurse injected something into the IV and, moments later, Willow was unconscious. The medical personnel burst into action. Buffy refused to leave her place at Willow's side, but she did move further up toward the head of the bed as the Caesarian was performed. She didn't know what was going on, but she did know that everything she heard terrified her.

Her eyes darted from person to person as comments were tossed back and forth, orders given and stats announced. The doctor spared a moment to tell her that the cord was wrapped around the baby's neck, and then he was working again. but mere moments later, she heard a healthy shriek and the doctor lifted a squalling, furious, beautiful baby girl up in his hands. He invited Buffy to cut the cord, but she declined, wide-eyed and nervous. The nurse took the baby, cleaned her and checked her Apgar signs, then wrapped her in a blanket and brought her to Buffy.

The Slayer's hands were shaking as she took her daughter into her arms. The unfocused eyes that stared solemnly and unblinkingly up at her were a vibrant green. She ran her hand over the downy cap of golden auburn hair. "Hey, Bobbie," she whispered to the new life in her arms. "I love you."

One of the monitors suddenly went crazy, shrieking an alarm, and the medical people jumped back into action. Buffy was bodily removed from the room with orders from the doctor to take the baby to the waiting room, show her off, get a Coke, whatever, but get out of the way.

Numb with fear, Buffy carried the baby down the hall to the waiting room. Siobhan's voice stopped when Buffy entered the room. The blonde Slayer stood in the doorway for a moment, staring around at the crowd of faces, and then suddenly focused on Xander and Dawn. "It's a girl," she whispered.

There was dead silence for a long moment. Then Xander choked out the question. "Willow?"

Buffy's face was dead white. "I don't know. They made me leave. They wouldn't tell me."

Siobhan's beads began to click again. "Pater noster, qui es in coelis..."

After a moment, the somber group crowded together to see the new baby and to lend their strength to Buffy.

It was a merry group that launched its canoes, heading back downriver toward the Academy. The girls shouted back and forth at each other joyfully, enjoying themselves in the aftermath of a successful mission. They stopped twice to swim and once to eat, and arrived back at the manor shortly after moonrise.

There was a night game of baseball in progress on the south lawn as the travelers began to straggle up to the manor. The shortstop, spying them, called a time out and raced across the lawn. "Mr. Giles! Mr. Giles!"

Giles glanced up at the dark-haired figure barreling up to him. "Yes?"

"Mr. Giles," she told him breathlessly. "Call came in for you this morning early. Miss Willow, sir. The baby."

"Oh, no... oh, God, no... not early labor." Giles's face paled. He turned to Dakota, who was standing next to him. "I've got to get back there now."

Dakota sprinted for her office.

The earliest flight they could get didn't leave Heathrow for four hours, and there was only one seat available on it. Tara told Giles to go. "I'll be fine here," she told him, and he didn't press her, promising to call as soon as he knew something.

Dakota drove Giles to the airport and waited with him until his flight was called. They took turns as they waited calling every number they had, but no one was at home or answering cell phones. Just before Giles finally boarded his flight, Dakota grabbed his hand. "Giles."

"Yes, Dakota?"

"I... we... we've never talked about this kind of thing, but... will you let me pray for you?"

His eyes grew damp. "Yes, Dakota," he whispered. "I would like that."

She took both his hands in hers, closed her eyes, and went searching for a God she hadn't even thought of since becoming a vampire. It only took a few seconds for her to find Him, and she took a deep breath. Then, in a shaking voice, she began to pray fervently for Giles's safety, Willow's life, and the baby's health. It only took a few minutes, and then she reached up and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Go with God, my friend," she said quietly.

He laid a gentle hand on her cheek. "Thank you," he said sincerely, before turning and boarding his flight.

Faith met Dakota in the entry hall when she got back from London. Her eyes were haunted. Dakota heard the ringing silence in halls that usually echoed with life and laughter and felt the cold hand of fear grip her heart. "Faith...?"

"Kotie, baby..." Faith led Dakota to a bench and made her sit down. Then she knelt, facing her lover. "We just had a call from Anya about ten minutes ago."

"Anya?"

"Xander's fiancée."

Dakota swallowed hard and braced herself. "What did she say?"

"It's a girl," Faith said. "Roberta Dawn. Nine pounds, four ounces; twenty-one inches long. She... she's perfectly healthy and will probably be at home by the time Giles gets there."

Dakota felt the blood drain from her face. She could barely hear her own voice as she forced the words out. "And... Willow?"

The expression on Faith's face was all the answer Dakota needed. She crumpled into her lover's arms and began to weep.

Part Six

The baby was crying when Giles entered the front door at Revello Drive. The sound broke his heart anew. He followed the cries upstairs to the nursery that Willow had so loved. There he stood in the doorway and watched as Buffy changed the baby's diaper, soothing her with her words, and then cradled the baby in her arms. There was a long silence, broken only by the little one's indignant hiccups, and then he heard Buffy's voice softly begin to sing.

The grief and loss in her voice compelled him forward. He touched her shoulder gently and she turned to face him. Her expression was shattered and her broken heart was wide open in her eyes. He drew her to him, one arm around her and the other helping to support the baby.

She sagged against him, weeping desperately, her hand clutching at the fabric of his shirt. "What am I gonna do, now, Giles?" she begged him. "What am I gonna do now?"

He held her while she cried, knowing there was nothing he could do to ease her pain. When she had finally cried herself out, he took the baby from her. "Introduce me," he encouraged Buffy softly.

She gave him a weak, watery smile. "Rupert Giles, your daughter, Roberta Dawn. Bobbie, this is your daddy."

There was no funeral, only a graveside service. The priest from the Catholic church Siobhan attended agreed to do the service. He said a great many comforting things about eternal life and God's love and wisdom, and then he allowed everyone to speak who wanted to.

Xander spoke first, his eyes riveted to the closed casket. "On the first day of kindergarten, Willow cried because she broke the yellow crayon," he told everyone. "She was the most sensitive, kindhearted, courageous and loving person I ever knew. My life is that much less now for her loss."

Giles spoke next. "Willow was an invaluable member of our team," he said softly. "But more than that, she was a precious, beloved soul. She was truly the best of all of us."

Buffy, the baby in her arms, stepped forward then and laid a gentle hand on the glossy wood. "She was my life, my heart and my soul," she said simply, then stepped back again.

Anya spoke then. "I... I don't know much about things like this," she began haltingly, "but I found this poem and Xander said it would be okay to read it. It's by W. H. Auden." She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and began to read.

When she was done, there was a long moment of silence as everyone waited to see if anyone else would speak. Just as the priest was about to give the final blessing, a rustle of fabric caught everyone's attention. They all turned to see what it was. At the foot of the coffin, the entire uniformed student body of the Academy had risen from their seats. Nicki Roland, in the front row, took one step forward. She bowed to Buffy and Bobbie. "The students of the Academy wish to formally offer their condolences for the loss of Miss Willow. She was much beloved by all of us, and we all feel keenly her absence." She stepped back to her place and faced the coffin again.

From somewhere inside the crowd of girls, Quontavia West's clear voice came ringing out. "Swing low, sweet chariot," she sang, and was joined by the rest of the students on the response line, "Comin' for to carry me home." They repeated the combination, and then Quontavia sang the verse alone. "I looked over Jordan, and what did I see, comin' for to carry me home? A band of angels a-comin' after me, comin' for to carry me home."

The throbbing final note died away into the silence, and then a low hum began to emanate from the girls. It paused briefly as they all took a breath and then, perfectly in unison, the entire student body began to sing.

Once the echoes of their voices had died away, the student body turned as one to salute Buffy, fists over hearts. The priest then delivered the final blessing and the gathered mourners began to disperse. Buffy stood beside the casket until only left with her were Xander, Anya and Giles, who was holding the baby. Xander reached out with a gentle hand and opened the casket.

She lay there, peaceful, her eyes closed and her hands crossed at her waist. "She looks like she's sleeping," Buffy whispered. Her hair, grown long again in the last couple of years, gleamed copper fire in the setting sun where it lay across her shoulders. Buffy reached out and gently stroked Willow's cheek with the backs of her fingers. Willow's skin was soft, as always, and the scent of her favorite perfume hung in the air. The Slayer couldn't speak, though she desperately wanted to. The tears ran down her face as she touched her lover's skin for the last time. Finally she withdrew her hand, dropped to her knees and wept.

Epilogue—Part Seven

It's been said that time heals all wounds and, like all clichés, this one has its own grain of truth. No matter how badly something hurts, given enough time, the pain will go away. This is not to say that one ever forgets or that an old wound can't once in awhile cause an unexpected twinge; but for the most part, eventually, life goes on.

Giles moved in with Buffy after the funeral so that they could raise Bobbie together. No one knew when they first began sharing a bed, but they finally married when the little one was three, shortly after Xander and Anya's second son was born. They had one child together, a son with Buffy's eyes and Giles's height. They named him William.

Xander and Anya married three months after Willow was buried. They had three sons: Alexander William, Steven James, and Giles Thomas. Alex became a doctor, Stevie joined the Marine Corps, and Little Giles became a pro football player.

Tara stayed at the Academy, teaching magick and occasionally other subjects as well. She never did get involved with anyone. I think she lost heart after Willow died. I always knew she carried a torch for Willow, but I never really realized how strong it was until after Will was gone.

Anya's was the first death after Willow. Little Giles was twenty-two, playing for Notre Dame, when the cancer got her. It was a real shock to all of us; six months after her diagnosis, she was gone.

Giles went next, at the ripe age of eighty-four. None of us were surprised when Buffy followed him less than four months later. After Willow's death, he was what kept Buffy going. We buried her between them and with every honor we could think of to give her. She was fifty-six.

Xander was ninety-two and blind when he finally slipped away. He died at home, in bed, surrounded by his three children, seven grandchildren, and even one great-grandson. When we buried the last Scooby, they were all laid together finally, in death as they were in life.

I stood before their graves after Xander's funeral with Bobbie Dee Giles Cavanaugh, who looked exactly like Willow except for Giles's dark hair, and she asked me what I was thinking. "I don't really know," I told her. "You know, when I first became a vampire, it never really occurred to me that being immortal meant I was going to outlive all of them. Of course, back then, we were all gonna live forever."

Bobbie Dee, whose oldest son was getting ready to graduate from high school, laughed. "I know that feeling," she told me. "It seems like you're immortal when you're twenty-five."

I nodded. I looked up into the brilliant blue sky. "It looked just like this on the day we buried your mother," I told her suddenly, wondering why I was saying it. "You were all of six days old and Giles was holding you because Buffy was crying too hard. The entire Academy came, you know. Siobhan, who was one of the Slayers at the time, got a Catholic priest to come and do the service. The girls all sang 'Amazing Grace.' They practiced so hard because they wanted it to be perfect and beautiful. And it was. It just never really occurred to anyone until afterward that Willow was Jewish."

Bobbie Dee burst out laughing. "Oh, no."

I nodded. "Oh, yes. It was a beautiful Christian burial. Her parents would have been horrified." I paused and shook my head. "I think they were in Cancun."

Bobbie Dee shook her head. "Say no more." She knew her grandparents well.

I hugged her. "You should go," I told her. "They'll be looking for you."

She nodded and kissed my cheek. "I love you, Dakota. I'll call next week, okay?"

I nodded and watched her walk away, then turned my attention to the headstones before me.

I wept, standing there alone at their graves, for them and for myself. And then she was there with me, wrapping her arms around me, sharing my grief. At last we put our pain away together, and I looked into her eyes. "I love you, Faith."

"I love you, too, babe," she told me with a kiss.

I looked down at the row of headstones again and thought of the small cemetery on the Academy grounds where several Slayers and Partners were buried. Janna and Dawn were both buried there, as well as Kate, Kerry, Siobhan and Ebony. There was a memorial stone there for Tara, whose ashes we had scattered at the henge up the river, at her request, as well as other stones for those lost in the line of duty whose bodies we had been unable to retrieve. And soon there would be another memorial as well. "Did you bring the box?" She handed me a cigar box and I began to fill it with a bit of earth from each grave.

When I was done, we turned and left. I haven't been back. Faith has, a few times, but I can't bring myself to go. Too much of my heart is buried in Restfield Cemetery.

Sometimes it makes me sad to think that only Faith and I remember things that happened back then. It makes me sadder still to think of the many things that only I remember. I am the only person walking this planet today who knows what the first rays of the sun looked like when they fell across Buffy's face at dawn. Nobody besides me knows how it felt to hold Willow at night. I'm the only one who remembers the sounds they made, the texture of their skin, the way they smelled.

I love Faith. I always will. But there are times when I would give up every second of the eternity I'll share with her for one opportunity to see Buffy and Willow again.

Sometimes I think I do. Once in a great while, a particularly apt Slayer will come into the Academy, and she'll have that way about her that Buffy had, or one of the Partners will have red hair and an extraordinary talent for magick. But I know that those echoes of the past are just that: echoes.

I miss them.

I miss them so much.