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Part SevenThe three original Slayerettes dropped Cale off at the Bronze — “Still the shabby old dump it’s always been. It’s nice to see some things never change,” Cordy said witheringly.
Xander asked, “Curious about something, Will. Remember what Giles said about throwing out the rulebook? And Kendra’s insistence on her secret identity? In other words, why isn’t Emily living in the shadows like a good little Slayer?”
Willow giggled. “That, as they say, is ‘a custom more honored in the breach than the observance.’ Turns out about a third of the Slayers insist on personal lives of some sort. The Watchers would still rather the Slayer stake all night and sleep all day, but they realize when it won’t work. With Emily, it wouldn’t’ve.”
“So, what do old farts do in this town for entertainment?” Cordelia asked.
“I wouldn’t know,” Willow laughed. “I’m not an old fart yet. But you’re right, there’s not much to do in this town if you’re between 24 and 55. Let’s just go back to my place.”
The area she drove them to looked surprisingly familiar. Xander turned to her. “Will, you didn’t.”
“I did. Not only do I have Giles’ old job — both of them — I live in his old house!” They got out of the car and Willow opened the front door.
“Nostalgic much?” Cordelia asked.
“You love that word, don’t you, honey?”
“It take you ten years to figure that out, Einstein? So,” she said soberly, “what have you heard from Giles recently?” as they walked in and sat down on the couch.
“He hasn’t improved,” Willow said bleakly. “Can’t see, can’t remember the night at the warehouse, can’t move anything below his neck, but at least he’s conscious. Ironic, isn’t it? The great computer-hater, and now the only way he can communicate is by computer. Which reminds me — I should fill him in on what’s going on. He might see an angle here that I don’t.” She took off her jacket and walked over to her computer station. Cordelia noticed the necklace Willow wore.
“That’s the Orb, isn’t it?”
“Hasn’t left my neck in ten years. You know, I’ve discovered some properties to the Thesulan Orb no one else ever suspected. It’s saved my life more than once. It glows and burns fiercely when any undead are nearby. None of the others have done that, and am I in full lecture mode or what? Your room’s upstairs to the left. Go get unpacked and I’ll see what Giles has to say.” She turned on the voice-box and began speaking into the computer. “Computer: Rupert Giles: London, England …”
Xander and Cordy dragged Cordy’s luggage upstairs into the guest bedroom, where she promptly stripped to her undergarments. “Cordy!” He laughed. “We don’t have time for that now!” Then he got to his feet and grabbed his wife. “Well, maybe we do …”
She pushed him away. “Is that all you ever think of?” He nodded vigorously. “Me, too. But I have to change and freshen up. You go get with Witchy Willow Watcher Woman. I’ll join you when I’m done.” She walked across the hall and closed the bathroom door behind her. Xander walked back down the stairs.
The computer was speaking to Willow, “–ond prophecy seems the key.”
“I agree with you. I just wish I had your talent for languages. This thing’s an unholy mess of Greek, Latin, English, and three other languages.” She sighed. “Looks like another all-nighter with the dictionaries. How did you do it, Giles?”
“Lots of caffeine.” The computer voice chuckled. “It was getting to be so intense I was considering giving up drinking tea entirely and simply taking it intravenously.”
“Think they’d do that?” She noticed Xander eavesdropping and motioned for him to approach.
“Hey G-Man, how’s it going?”
“Mr. Harris!” the computer voice exclaimed delightedly. “I haven’t heard your voice in months. I trust you are treating Willow with all the respect she is due as a Watcher?”
“I’m treating her just like I treated you.” Xander deliberately set up the line.
“The world is doomed.” Willow and Xander laughed uproariously. “Listen, I need to rest. Give my regards to your wife, Mr. Harris. I will be praying for your success. Goodbye —” And with the word, an abrupt click the connection had been terminated.
“Short conversation,” Xander commented. “Too bad his body can’t be in the same shape as his mind.” He noticed something on the screen. “Isn’t that Ms. Calendar’s —”
“Yes. I’ve installed it on every computer I’ve had, and I’ve read through it so often I’ve got the damn spell memorized. I could probably recite it backwards.” Xander started to say something; she cut him off. “And that is something I don’t want to talk about.”
“Not even if I tickle you?” he said and leapt on her. After a minute of outraged laughter, she wriggled out from under him.
“Not even then.” As she finished laughing, she continued, “Xander, are you ever going to act your age?”
“Never!” he howled.
“Good. Nice to know some things never change. I can only act like this when I’m talking to you, you know. With Emily I have to be so responsible. Where’s Cordy?”
“Upstairs freshening up.”
“Oh, good, we’ve got an hour or two.” They sat down on the couch and talked.
* * *
Willow closed the dictionaries and breathed a long sigh of relief. After a second, Cordelia closed hers. Xander kept searching the Italian dictionary. Cordy hit his elbow. “We’re done.”
“Give me a minute,” he mumbled. “I’m looking at this picture —” Cordy looked over his shoulder at the picture and slapped it out of his hands. “Wha– Oh, that’s right. Forgot I wasn’t sixteen anymore.”
Intuitively, Willow ruffled his hair and said, “That’s okay, Xander. You’ll always be a horny sixteen-year old to me.”
His face broke into a big goofy grin. “Gee, thanks, Will. And you’ll always be my best study buddy.”
Cordelia said, “And this byplay will always be nauseating.” She smiled as she said it, though. Cordelia had long since learned that her husband needed to feel like a kid sometimes, as he had before — and Willow was the only person who could do that for him. At one point she would have been jealous, but there was no reason to be now. Xander and Willow loved each other in a way that far transcended romance, and Cordelia counted herself lucky to share in the reflection of their soulmate-hood.
When Willow and Xander were done laughing, they turned to the translation. Willow spread it on the coffee table and the three hunched over it. The Watcher said, “Now this part definitely refers to the new Master drawing the leakage from the Hellmouth into herself. If this happens, Elsza won’t need to open it to bring Hell on Earth; she’ll be able to wreak the havoc all by herself. Demons aren’t exactly known for their cooperative attitudes. The Companions’ sacrifice will apparently not be of their lives, but of something equally as valuable. I still can’t figure out this part about the Slayer’s soul. It mentions the Slayer’s soul returning without ever mentioning that it leaves. Any ideas?”
“It could be any, or all, of us making this sacrifice,” Cordelia said. “Me, or Xander, or Regan, or Cale. What do we have to sacrifice?”
“That could be anything from, from, your marriage to Regan’s shoes.” She smiled. “At least we know it won’t be her driving ability. That wouldn’t be a sacrifice.” There was a knock at the door. Willow opened it and found Emily standing there. She dragged the Slayer inside. Xander and Cordy looked up at her and said hello.
“How’d it go?” she asked.
“Only one tonight, a rookie at the graveyard. It couldn’t have taken longer than five seconds. Regan was so pissappointed. After fifteen more minutes she gave up in disgust and said she was going to the Bronze. I looked around a bit more, but my senses were so dead it was like there wasn’t a vamp in miles.”
“Maybe there wasn’t.” Xander said. “Look at this, Will.” He pointed to a section that mentioned ‘the Demons’ gathering.’ “Maybe the vampires are all huddled around this Master chick, jockeying for position.”
“That would explain why I haven’t seen anything but newbies for the past few weeks,” Emily said. “Except —”
Cordy said quietly, “The ones that attacked us tonight weren’t new. First, their fashion sense was so Nineties. Second, their faces were straight human. How did they know we’d be there?”
“The Master’s spy network —” Emily began.
The Watcher said, “No. Not if all the experienced vampires are gathering around the Master.” She sighed. “You’d better get home, Emily.” The Slayer quietly slipped out the front door. She turned to her fellow Slayerettes and said, “You ready for a long night?” They nodded. “Cordy, you’ll miss your beauty sleep!”
“When you’re as beautiful as I am, you don’t need sleep!” Xander kissed his wife. Then they started working.