Chapter 20
The problems come with the fact that Buffy is not back the next day or even the one after that, and we don’t hear anything from her either.
The banister is rebuilt.
We go ahead and replace the coffee table with one that has decidedly less glass.
Tito and his crew have been hard at work replacing pipes and repairing drywall where they’ve had to cut bits out to get to the pipes. We’ll have to repaint next, but that’s an expense for another time.
Giles debates calling Angel’s office again for an update but errs on the side of giving Buffy her privacy. Dawn, however, does call before she goes to school with us thinking she’s on the phone with Janice, until she throws the phone at the couch and starts ranting about how Cordelia and Wesley can’t tell her anything.
Giles tries giving her a hug, “We have to give her space.”
“What if she doesn’t come back?” Dawn says.
“That’s never going to happen.” I tell her, “She loves you and cares for you deeply.”
Dawn snorts and goes upstairs to finish getting ready.
Giles sighs, “I didn’t think she’d be so careless and selfish.” He says, softly.
“She’s not thinking clearly.” I point out, “And who knows how long for her it’s been only her.”
We can’t get Dawn to wind down before she leaves for school and I half expect to find her home already when I get back from classes because Giles has had a call from the school about her getting in a big argument with someone from misplacing the fallout. She hasn’t, and is not, however, and after greetings Giles hits me with:
“How’s Willow been lately?”
“Fine.” I say.
He hums at that and gives me a look that says he doesn’t believe me.
“I know the two of you talked about the ritual.” I put in. I’m sure Willow wasn’t telling me everything he said, “at least mostly.” I amend.
He nods, “I’m concerned about her.” He says, “How has she been with her magic?”
That’s a loaded question.
“Your expression tells me a lot.” He remarks.
I have to sigh, “I am a little worried that she’s…I don’t want to say being careless—it conflicts with the fact that I trust her.”
Giles nods, “I can understand that.” He says, “but I believe you have a right to be scared.”
“Scared?”
“The spell she did, as well intentioned as it was—was very dangerous, anything involving sacrifice is—and the consequences reach far and wide not just a thaumogenesis creature.”
“What do you mean?” I ask him.
His face goes darker but before he can say anything Willow walks in, remarking how hungry she is and I set to looking for something to reheat for her.
“What?” Willow asks Giles given he’s looking at her a little strangely.
“Just thinking.” He says.
She pulls a face, “Everything is fine.”
“Glad to hear it.” He says, and gives a slight cough, “Has Buffy mentioned any plans since she’s been back?”
“Plans?” I query.
“Go back to college.” Giles says, “Or look for work?”
“We were letting her settle back into being alive before we asked her about those things.” I put in.
Giles purses his lips.
“If she got paid by The Council.” Willow puts in, curt, “Maybe she’d find things a little easier.”
“Uh…yes.” Giles says, “Well…we’ve already been through that.”
“Yes, and it’s the twenty first century now.” Willow continues, “Women have the right to vote and own their own things, open their own bank accounts. The times they are a-changing.”
Giles pinches the bridge of his nose, “It’s not me that has to be convinced.” He remarks.
“When do we get to talk to his royal highness Quentin about it then?” Willow asks.
“I, uh, don’t think that it’s a good idea if you talk to them—” Giles remarks, “Quentin is going to come over to verify that Buffy is alive.” He continues, “Buffy and I can speak with them about compensation.”
Willow seems vaguely satisfied with this but then moreso when Giles adds:
“I’ll gladly take a pay cut if it means she can have an easier way to survive.”
Considering he sneakily paid the plumber I wonder exactly what his payrate is, though he did get at least a year’s worth of backpay in a lump sum, and the exchange rate from England to the US is in their favor.
We go into less tense topics, for a little while: class, homework, research and then the Mm’Fashnik’s possible hirers and what would prompt anyone around here to rob a bank—aside from, you know, money.
“What about that locator spell?” Willow asks.
Giles frowns.
“It’s not frivolous magic.” Willow points out, “What if whoever it was does more things because they’re an agent of chaos or something.”
“Who’s an agent of chaos?” Dawn asks, as she comes through the back door.
“No one.” I say.
“That we know of.” Willow remarks, fake menacing.
Dawn rolls her eyes and goes to the pantry for snacks. She doesn’t even ask about Buffy before going upstairs to, theoretically, do homework.
“You’re going to tell us not to do the spell.” Willow says to Giles.
“I don’t know if it’s even—”
“You did the other locator spell.” Willow tells me, “and we’ve done the demon one. I’m sure it would’ve worked had you not been scared you were part demon. It’s just a combo. Find where that particular demon has been. We could use the map again.”
“That would only work if they were still in Sunnydale.” Giles remarks, “and what kind of bank robbers would stay in the town they stole from?”
“We could find their hideout at least.” Willow suggests, “The Mm’Fashnik is bound to have been there. Right?”
Giles muses on this, “Perhaps it should wait until Buffy gets back—” he says, “We don’t want to go off into this without our full strength.”
Willow starts to say something about the spell, again, but I cut her off, “Let’s sort out dinner for today, and we can worry about that tomorrow; besides I have an idea for some protection spells using the remnants of the last locator spell that would be good to have before we go after any one else.”
She nods, placated, and it makes me a little unnerved that what caused that was the idea of doing magic of a different sort, and not Giles’ good thoughts that Buffy should be here before we do an in deep locator spell—if something goes wrong it could tell whoever hired the demon where we were. The demon showed up here, so they might know already, or he could have tracked Buffy down himself and that information has gone to the grave with him. I hope that’s the truth. If they already know where we are and are after getting rid of the Slayer why have they not struck again? Maybe it is a good idea to find out where they are before they come back when it’s just Dawn and Janice here or something like that.