Closing the file, Willow went downstairs, opening the front door just as her parents walked up. She went with them into the living room and asked them how their day went. She told them that she had a wonderful afternoon, and that Xander would be stopping by tomorrow to study for a test on Monday.
Fighting off a yawn, Willow snuggled next to her Mom on the couch.
“Honey... Willow?” Mrs. Rosenberg said, looking down on her daughter who looked quite content to sleep where she was. ‘My baby,' she thought.
“Hmm,” she answered sleepily.
“Why don't you get some sleep, we have an early day tomorrow,” her mother suggested.
“Okay,” she responded, leaving the warmth and security of her mother's side. She stretched, and placed a quick kiss on both their cheeks and headed up to her room. Changing her clothes, she quickly slipped underneath the covers, looking out her bedroom window, she watched as moonbeams danced on the floor. Smiling inwardly, she let her mind drift to the picnic, letting the sights and sounds gently lull her to sleep.
Willow woke up bright and early the next morning. After taking a shower, she made her way downstairs. She found her parents at the kitchen table reading the newspaper, once she finished off a bowl of cereal she went into the living room and watched cartoons until her parents told her it was time to go.
The shopping excursion went well, her parents had asked her again to go with them to New York. She'd given them the same answer, she didn't want to leave school and alter her grades... even if the trip was only for a week.
They had arrived at the house in time to see Xander walking from the opposite direction.
“Hello Alexander,” Mr. Rosenberg said, as he got out of the car and began taking packages out of the back seat.
“Good afternoon Xander,” Mrs. Rosenberg added, smiling at the teenager.
“Hi Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg. Can I help with anything?” he asked, looking at Willow's parents with affection.
“No, we're fine. You two go on, Willow told us that you were coming by to study for a test tomorrow,” Mrs. Rosenberg replied, “but thank you for asking.”
“Yeah, MAJOR math test tomorrow. I wanna pick Willow's brain for awhile,” he said, taking Willow into a headlock and pantomiming opening the top of her head and peering in.
“Eww,” Willow replied, after Xander had let her go.
“Yes... well,” Mr. Rosenberg replied. He had never gotten used to Alexander's macabre sense of humor.
“Xander... let's go,” Willow said, dragging her friend into the house.
“Women... can't live without me,” he cried out behind him.
“I heard that Xander!” Willow replied.
“I don't know about that boy sometimes,” Willow's father said, shaking his head.
“Just sometimes dear?” Mrs. Rosenberg replied, a grin appearing on her face.
Willow's parents took the packages into the house knowing that the kids would be studying upstairs. If it had been any other boy except Xander, they would have seen them in the kitchen, with books strewn over the table. He was the exception to the rule they had about boys being upstairs in her room.
After studying for about an hour, Willow called for a break. Xander breathed in a sigh of relief, and was grateful for the rest.
“Wills... don't bite my head off or anything, but... who did you go out with yesterday?” he asked.
CHAPTER 17
Sighing, Willow knew this would come up. She was actually surprised that he had held out so long.
“Hey... you don't have to tell me if you don't want to...” he told her.
“It's not that I don't want to... um... I... I can't,” she replied, casting her eyes away from him. “It's too early to say anything. I'm not ready yet,” she explained, thinking, ‘Will I ever be ready to tell him?'
“Can't?” he looked around the room, making sure they were alone. “Why not? You're not in trouble are you?” he asked, concerned.
“Just what are you saying?” she asked dumbfounded.
“NOT that kind of trouble!” he exclaimed waving his hands in front of him, as if to ward off the look she had given him. “I mean, is it someone you're parents don't want you to see kind of thing?” he finished, anxiously awaiting her reply.
“No, it's not that... “ Willow replied, leaving the rest of the question unanswered.
“So... why can't you tell me?” he asked forlorned.
“Xander, can we not talk about this anymore? Please,” she uttered, hoping he would back down for the moment.
“Alright, I'll drop it... for now, but you know we can talk about it... or anything else, if you wanted... right?” he asked.
‘Not everything Xander,' she thought, pushing it aside. She smiled as she watched the lost puppy dog look appear on his face once again. She knew then why she had fallen for him, he could be a complete idiot at times, but she could count on him. “Yeah, I do... thanks Xander,” she replied.
“Okay, enough of the mush,” he said grinning. “I don't believe I'm going to say this...” he sighed, “but let's get back to studying.”
They spent another two hours going over the material that would be on the test. Willow knew he'd pass... by how much, was another matter all together.
Her parents had asked Xander to stay over for dinner, which he politely refused, stating that he was going out with his parents, but thanked them just the same.
“Night Wills. See you tomorrow, thanks for the help,” he said.
“Bye Xander,” she replied waving as her father backed out of the driveway and drove him home, after Willow's father insisted it was the least he could do. Willow was thankful she didn't like the thought of Xander walking home so close to dusk.
The next day, Willow never had a chance to drop in on Giles. He had called her the night before to let her know that he wouldn't have time to see her. He was in the midst of preparing Buffy for a test to be put forth by the Council, and he needed to give her his utmost attention.
Willow had a feeling it could be dangerous, she had down loaded enough information on various endurance regimens she could think of. Giles didn't tell exactly what kind of test the Council was going to give, but Willow knew one thing for sure...
She didn't want to be in Buffy's shoes.
The week had gone by at a snail's pace. Here it was, Friday, and she had hardly seen Giles or Buffy the entire week.
‘I didn't think I'd miss Rupert this much,' she thought to herself as she left the school grounds and headed home.
The one person she had seen was Xander.
A bittersweet smile appeared on the teenager's face, when she recalled what had happened on Wednesday at school, as she walked down the tree-lined sidewalk. She had gone to her locker to pick up her math book when she heard someone shouting her name:
“WILLOW!!!”
She closed the locker door and looked down the hall to see Xander running towards her.
“Hey! Wills!” Xander knew people were staring at him. He didn't care, he was used to it, especially now, since it was common knowledge that he was going out with Cordelia.
“Xander... what's wrong?” she asked, when he finally reached her.
“Look...” Xander had said, barely suppressing the grin he was wearing, as he presented her with a piece of paper.
“At what?” she replied, taking it from him, scanning it quickly.
Xander watched as Willow's face broke out in a giant smile.
“Xander... you did it! You passed the test!”
He buffed his fingers on his shirt, a smirk on his face. “Yes... I did,” he told her. “Thanks to you Wills,” he pulled her into a hug. “Thanks to you.”
There was a time in her life, when she would have savored moments like this... this closeness to him.
When she thought it would be the only way she could ever hold him.
To bask in the love she felt for him.
It was at that moment, in that crowded hallway that she realized... she wasn't in love him anymore.
Of course she loved him, she always would. He'd always be an important part of her life, but after all this time, what he offered wasn't enough, and that had saddened her.
To finally let him go, after he had spent so much time in her heart.
But she knew someone who would... could offer her more than friendship alone.
CHAPTER 18
“Willow? Honey, is that you?” Mrs. Rosenberg asked, calling out from the kitchen.
“Yes Mom, it's me,” she replied.
“You've got a message on the answering machine. It seems kind of important,” her mother said as she wiped her hands with a paper towel.
“Okay... thanks,” she said, putting her bag down, as she went to listen to the message.
“Hello... uh... this is Rupert Giles, the high school librarian. Could you have Willow call me at school around 6 p.m.? I... um, I seem to be having difficulties with the computer in the library, and I'm hoping she might be able to assist me. She should have the number, thank you...”
There it was, short and to the point. She listened to it twice, it was the only time she had actually heard his voice since he'd called her last Sunday.
“So, are you going to call Mr. Giles?” her mother asked.
“What? I'm sorry Mother, I wasn't paying attention,” Willow responded, after saving the message.
“It's almost 6 p.m. If you're going to call him, you'll have to do it soon. He has a lovely voice... don't you think?” she asked her daughter, wondering what her reaction would be.
“Yes... he does,” Willow replied without thinking. “Umm... I've got the number written down in my room. I... I think I'll call from upstairs,” she said.
“Alright dear,” Mrs. Rosenberg said as she watched her daughter practically fly up the stairs. ‘Hmm, Rupert Giles?'
Willow picked up the phone and dialed Rupert's office number.
“Three... four... come on, be there. Five,” she said out-loud.
“Sunnydale High School Library, Rupert Giles speaking. May I help you?” came the voice she missed through the telephone line.
“Rupert! It's me... Willow,” she said, barely keeping the gleeful tone from her voice.
“Ah... Miss Rosenberg. Thank you for calling back on such short notice,” he replied.
‘Miss Rosenberg? What's going on?' she wondered. “Giles... is there something wrong?” she asked.
“Yes, as... as a matter of fact there is. I'm... I'm, uh, having the most dreadful time with that infernal computer, I was wondering if you might be able to come by... and look at it for me? You wouldn't need to bring you're kit, you could use the one from last week,” he asked.
“Right now?” she asked.
“If that's not an inconvenience for you...?”
“No, it's okay,” she replied.
“Um... I... I'm sorry, I can't offer to pick you up...” he started.
“That's alright, I can ask my Dad...”
“Thank you Miss Rosenberg, I really must go... good-bye,” he said as he hung up the phone.
Looking at the receiver, the teenager couldn't understand what had happened. She went over the conversation, hoping to gleam some nugget of information that would clear things up for her.
‘Kit? What is he talking about?' she asked herself. The only kit she had used last week was the... “The first aid kit,” she said out-loud. “Oh... my gosh! Rupert's in trouble!”
CHAPTER 19
Rushing to her closet, Willow grabbed a backpack from the floor. Checking the compartments to see if she had everything she needed.
“Okay... crucifix... small bottle of Holy water... stakes. Gotta call Buffy and Xander,” she said to herself.
She left a message with Xander's mother to have him meet her at the library as soon as he could.
Luckily, Buffy was at home, she filled her in on the situation.
“I'm on my way... and Willow?” Buffy said.
“Yes,” she replied anxious to get to the library.
“Don't go in by yourself... wait for me or Xander,” she told her friend.
“Umm... okay,” she answered, crossing her fingers behind her back.
“I'll get there as soon as I can... bye,” the Slayer said as she hung up the phone and ran out of the house to the library. ‘This doesn't look good. If anything happens to Giles... they'll wish they'd stayed dead the first time around,' Buffy thought to herself.
Running out of her bedroom, the backpack slung over her left shoulder, Willow hit the brakes as soon as she reached the stairs. She couldn't let her parents see her acting suspiciously they would know something was wrong. And she didn't want to have to lie to them.
Besides, she wasn't very good at it. She had a tendency of looking everywhere else, except at the person she was speaking with, whenever she lied.
“Stay calm,” she muttered to herself, and slowly walked down the stairs.
She heard the news coming from the living room. Going in, she saw her parents on the couch watching television.
“Daddy? Could you give me a ride to school, please?” she asked.
“School... now?” he replied, looking at the clock on the wall.
“Yes, please,” she said.
“Mr. Giles, the school librarian left a message for Willow. Seems he's having a problem with the computer, isn't that right dear?” Mrs. Rosenberg asked.
“That's right,” she answered, wanting to physically haul her father off the couch and into the car, she was wasting time.
“Can't this wait until Monday?” he asked.
“NO! No, it... it can't,” she replied, she could feel her self-control begin to slip.
Willow's mother looked at her daughter, she could sense something was wrong. She turned to her husband and said: “It's okay, take her. You won't be long, will you?”
“I hope not,” she answered.
“All right, let's go. Where are my keys?” he asked, only to see them dangling from his daughter's hand.
Mrs. Rosenberg watched them leave the house. She had faith in her daughter she knew Willow had a good head on her shoulders. “If anything happens to her Mr. Giles, you'll have to deal with me.”
Willow was trying to mentally push her father into driving faster, every minute that passed made her edgier. Her heart was pounding she needed to know how Rupert was doing. The thought that he might be injured... unable to defend himself was driving her crazy.
When they finally arrived at the front of the school, Willow opened her door before her father had come to a complete stop.
“What's the hurry?” he asked.
“It's important Daddy, I've got to go,” she said.
Shaking his head, Mr. Rosenberg called out to her as he watched her run up the steps, “See you later.”
Pulling the door open, Willow ran down the hallway that led to the library. Swinging her backpack off her shoulder, she slipped her arms through the straps, giving her the appearance of wearing a bulletproof vest.
Her hands reached into the front compartment, taking the crucifix out, as she stopped short of the entrance.
She knew she should wait outside for Buffy and Xander, but her feelings for Giles were clouding her judgment.
“Come on Buffy. Where are you?” she whispered.
Willow slowly pushed the door open with the tip of her shoe. Once it was open wide enough for her to slip in, she did.
She could see the light coming from Rupert's office.
Keeping low to the floor she made her way to it. She held the crucifix out in front of her, hoping it would provide some protection against whatever Giles was facing.
She thought she saw something, some kind of movement.
She looked to her left, and saw only the magazine racks and books.
A few more feet and she would be close enough to attempt a peek inside.
She never saw the blow to the back of her head coming, as she collapsed to the floor unconscious.
The crucifix flew out of her hand and skidded across the floor.
“Take her inside,” the voice said.
CHAPTER 20
After Giles had phoned Willow, he had taken another beating. He wasn't sure how long he'd remained conscious before he finally passed out from the pain, temporarily removing him from the situation he found himself in.
He had been surprised by the attack.
He had just walked into his office when he was struck from behind. The blow propelled him into his desk, knocking over the lamp, and scattering the books he had been reading to the floor.
He managed to elbow his attacker in the stomach when he had been placed in a chokehold. He listened for the man gasping for air, before he acted.
He reached up, and grabbing his assailant's head brought it down on the desk... hard. The satisfying sound of cartilage breaking and the sight of blood pouring out, let him know that he had broken the man's nose.
“Mne noze... mne noze!”
Giles took the momentarily lapse in the man's concentration to clasp both his hands together and hit him behind the neck. A smirk appeared on his face as he watched the man slump to the ground out cold.
Turning around, he was greeted with the site of four other men waiting to come in.
Taking a deep breath, he gestured them forward. “Who's next?” he said, a predatory look on his face. He managed to take out two more before they were able to subdue him.
Giles felt the sting of a slap across his face, as he drifted to awareness through a cloud of pain.
Giles had taken the beatings they inflicted on him, and only when they threatened to go to Willow's house, did he break down and finally make the call. He hoped Willow had understood what he had tried to convey to her, and that she would contact the others, rather than attempting anything by herself.
‘If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself,' he thought.
“Wake up,” a voice told him. “WAKE UP!” Giles' head jerked violently to one side as he took another blow to the face.
“Wha... what do you want?” he managed to say, as blood ran from his mouth.
“Right now? Nothing, I just like hitting you that's all,” came the reply.
“Put her over there... BE careful. I have plans for her,” the leader of the group said, when two men carried the unconscious teenager into Giles' office.
‘Put who where?' Giles wondered. Wincing as he strained to lift his head, Giles tried to focus on what was happening in his cramped office. Looking through his nearly swollen shut eye the blood drained from his face as he watched his beloved Willow being put on the floor. ‘Merciful God in heaven... NO!' he thought. “WHAT have you DONE to her!” he shouted, aggravating the ringing in his ears, as he fought against the binds that secured him to his chair. He grimaced each time he moved his now useless wrist, which he believed had been broken during his attempts to ward off his attackers.
“So, you're awake... good,” the voice came from behind him.
“If you harm her... I'll KILL you,” Giles said in deadly earnest, as he continued to struggle not only with his bonds but with Ripper as well. Ripper would systematically rip each of these men apart for touching what was his.
“Stop that... or I'll gut her right now!” the voice told Giles, imbedding the point of a deadly looking hunting knife in the middle of his desk. “Makes no difference to me.”
The gleaming knife took the fight out of him. He couldn't risk Willow's life, he tried to get a look at her from where he was sitting, but it was no use. He started to move when someone grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head back.
“Don't you move... not one inch,” the voice breathed in his ear. “I know you care for her... Watcher. So, if you know what's good for the kid, you'll be a good boy and sit tight, Okay?” the end of the conversation was punctuated by a slap to Giles' face.
“Please... don't hurt her, I beg you!” Giles pleaded with his capturers. Giles heard the shuffling of shoes.
“She's entered the building, she should be here any minute.”
“All right, you know what to do. If he gives you any problems... kill the bitch,” the leader said before turning his attention back to Giles. “Oh... by the way, you've failed. You can't keep her from harm, no matter what you do, but then... you've had that problem before... haven't you... Watcher?”