The Knowing 15

The darkness fell like a blanket around them. All but Illyria and Spike, the only two who could see in the dark. Willow spoke the opening lines of an incantation as Giles lit the candle in front of him and then passed the flame to Buffy on his left and so on and so on until every wick was lit with fire and the circle was closed with Ethan, Willow and Serena inside.

Serena had told them she thought she could show them where the souls were. The information was stored inside of her but she couldn't access it, she just knew it was there. Willow tried to read Serena for the information but she was too weak from the ordeal of being trapped inside of Ethan for a few days. She hadn't realized how much energy she had lost. So, of course, Ethan stepped in since it was his family they were searching for. It was a casual thing, he just needed to connect with her through meditation while the two of them sat back to back and locked arms. But leave it to Ethan to add some grunting and some unnecessary undulating.

Willow, Ethan and Serena held hands inside the circle while the group around them chanted and meditated, protecting them from mystical disturbances and evil intruders. Willow started sweating. The palms of her hands and the small of her back were soaked with perspiration and she felt woozy. But she kept those things to herself and pressed on, drawing on every last ounce of strength she had until she collapsed, unintentionally falling backwards into Giles' waiting arms. He just happened to sit directly behind her, much to Ethan's chagrin.

He pushed aside the candle as he watched her falling into him. Giles tucked one arm under Willow's knees and one arm around her back and he picked her up and carried her to the side of the room, instructing the others to keep the circle intact and he would take her place. He set her down softly on a sofa in the corner, gently wiped the sweat from her forehead and pushed her hair back from her face. She stirred and shifted, slowly gaining consciousness beneath his touch. When she realized what had happened she shot up, eager to get back to the spell. But he stopped her. "No, love, you mustn't. You're too weak. You've been through enough. Rest, will you?"

She folded back down again, her muscles tired, her head pounding. Willow began shivering as her body temperature plummeted. Giles tore off the thin suede button- down shirt he was wearing and wrapped her in it and covered her with a blanket before returning to the circle in a plain white tee. He stepped over the arms of the outer circle and situated himself in what had been Willow's spot, reluctantly holding Ethan's hand one side and Serena's on the other.

The room lit up as grey storm clouds swarmed above them inside the building. Serena could not believe what she was seeing. An actual storm. And indoors. Had they really done this? Was she really a part of this? They had prepared her for what would happen and told her that she had to keep steady, no matter what. It was a bad idea to involve her but they really didn't have a choice. For a civilian she held up pretty well. Thunder boomed all around and energy crackled in the air. If they bad been outside there would have been lightening but inside there was just a constant streak of energy pulsing beneath the clouds.

Each of the three inside the circle had a little glass box in front of them similar to the glass bottle Giles had stored Ethan's magic in. It was strong enough to store a soul, Wesley had told them. Angel's soul had been kept in one at one time when Angelus paid a visit to the gang in L.A. Ethan said he would try to be the catalyst for all three girls but if they were all located at once and tried to return through him at the same time it wouldn't work. If three were located at once then Serena and Giles might need to offer their bodies as the conductors that would pull the soul from the ether and transfer it to safety. When the storm raged above them more fiercely the de facto triumvirate inside the circle knew the time had come.

Ethan opened himself first, shouting the words that allowed a soul to enter and pass through him. He squeezed Giles and Serena's hands just as he spoke the words, signaling them that all souls had been found and all needed to be pulled out of the ether together. They each spoke the words and within seconds the three of them were levitating four inches above the ground, their bodies crackling with purple sparks and blue lights while the girls passed through them. In an instant it was over.

When everyone had pulled themselves together Wesley found Illyria sitting Indian style on the floor in front of the glass jars. She was trying to speak to the girls telepathically, trying to tell them that they didn't have to go back to their bodies. Though nobody could hear their responses Wesley gathered by Illyria's growing anger that they had told her they wanted their bodies back. They were witches, true, but none were nearly as strong as Willow. They had to depend on someone to retrieve their bodies for them. Giles hated seeing three lives depend on Ethan Rayne but there really wasn't anything he could do about it.

Serena sat in a daze on the sofa next to Willow. "Is that it," she asked, "Or is there more stuff I need to know?"

"Like what," Willow asked.

"You know, like...tooth fairy...Easter bunny..." Serena sat there, still as a statue, and continued to be confused.

Willow just smiled. "One thing at a time."

"Oh...ok," Serena said calmly. Nothing was going to faze her ever again. Nothing.

Giles joined them, handing each woman a glass of tea before he sat in the snug space between them. "Well," he said, "Now do you believe me?"

"Uh-huh," Serena agreed. "Sorry about the attitude the other night. I just...well...you know."

"Understood," Giles said. He turned to Willow. "And you, love, feeling better?"

"Well, yeah. Except..." Willow was afraid to say what she meant.

Giles turned to look at her when she stopped speaking. He leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, "Don't you dare think that just because we managed that spell without you that we don't need you here."

She smiled and took a deep breath. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ethan gathering up the souls. It was time. He was leaving. Now all she had to do was decided whether or not she was going with him.

Amy walked over to Giles and told him, "Angel just called. He needs reinforcements in Morocco. Buffy and the rest of us are going. Will you come into the ballroom and program the zappy-thing to send us over to him?"

Giles smiled at Serena and said, "Don't ask." He stood up and followed Amy out of the dining hall and into the ballroom.

Serena finally broke out of her numb stare and got up and searched for her purse and car keys. "I'm glad you're alive, Willow," she said when she had found all of her things. "You're my first ray of hope...I wish all of my cases from now on turn out to have happy endings. You have no idea what it's like to see the things I see every day. I know you guys fight monsters, but my battles are all about humanity. I see people doing things that your demons and monsters do. It makes me sick."

"I know. But at least you know you can come to us, now, for help."

"You...you're staying?" Serena asked tentatively.

Willow didn't even realize what she had said. Come to us. Had she meant her and Ethan? She wasn't sure herself, not until Serena asked. Willow stood up and walked her down the long hall and to the front door. "Thanks for everything," she said and gave the woman a hug.

"You're welcome. Tell Ethan I'll be outside waiting. He asked for a ride...is that ok?" After all, he was Willow's husband.

Willow just shook her head affirmatively and smiled. She watched Serena get into her car and then she closed the door and then turned her back to lean against it.

"Penny for your thoughts." Ethan appeared out of nowhere. Had he been waiting to get her alone?

"Ethan," she started.

But he interrupted her. "Room 126."

"What?"

"Take a stroll, love. You'll find your things, complete with my signature on the divorce papers, all sprawled out in the farthest room from Ripper's suite I could find." He moved closer to her.

"Make nice, now. Don't you two kids go jumping into...oh, never mind, Ripper looks like he hasn't had a decent shag in years."

She was speechless. Stunned. Eventually she spoke. "When did you..." she began but he stopped her again.

"The night we came to Ripper for help. I knew, little one. This is where you belong," he said with a smile.

"How?"

Ethan took her in his arms and kissed her tenderly. "Magic," he whispered in her ear.



Charles, Wesley, Illyria, Buffy, Dawn, Faith, Spike and Amy were all gathering weapons and books. One by one they stepped into the teleport machine and Giles sent them to Angel. Buffy was last. She went to Giles and hugged him. "I'll call," she said.

"Do you really need a bathing suit to avert an apocalypse?" Giles asked motioning toward the duffle bag Buffy had draped over her shoulder.

"Busted," she said and shrugged.

"You are evil and must be banished," he said and placed a fatherly kiss on her forehead. After all the things Buffy and the others had said to Willow he was surprised that they all took off and allowed him some private time to settle things with her. He typed a few things into the computer after Buffy stepped into the chamber. The lights flashed inside the machine and she was gone.



Willow watched as Serena and Ethan drove away together in the Benz with the glass soul boxes safely tucked away in a padded trunk in the back seat. Ethan had insisted that he handle it from there. He didn't want Willow to go through any more pain. He would take care of it all. Willow wasn't sure if he'd enlisted Serena's help or not, though she knew he didn't need it. He was powerful. More powerful than Giles would ever give him credit for. More powerful than he could even imagine. His magic had grown by leaps and bounds when he'd started using it for good instead of evil.

When the dust settled after the taillights disappeared at the end of the road Willow locked the door and went to the ballroom to find Giles. But he wasn't there. In fact nobody was there. The place was completely empty. She heard the distinct whistle of a tea kettle wafting through the house and smiled. After a brief pause she wandered down the hall to the kitchen and found him pouring two more glasses of tea.

"Separate rooms, of course. For now, at least," he said as if they'd already been in negotiations for her return.

"Naturally," she agreed. "Separate floors, even."

"That can be arranged," he said and sliced a piece of lemon into her tea. "There will be no mention of Ethan from this moment forward. By either of us."

"I won't even tell you if it's raining outside," she said and moved closer. It was her turn to make a rule. "No apologies?" She wasn't sure of that one. She still didn't feel as though she'd said enough about the past few years of their lives that they'd spent apart.

"I should think not," he said as if it were the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. He thought for a moment before adding, "In fact I insist. The minute you start apologizing I'm throwing your arse out on the street." He handed her the glass of tea.

"Deal," she said. She stared at him for a moment, the rugged handsomeness of his face, the line of his jaw. She put the tea down and moved even closer to him. "Giles?"

He was getting nervous now. Breathless, even, and still avoiding her gaze. "Uhm...yes?"

"Do you want to know why I left?" The coy, flirtatious moment had turned serious.

"Not particularly," he said. By this time their lips were almost touching as they stood practically nose to nose breathing in and out in sync.

"I don't love him," she said moving closer.

"But you're in love with him," he said.

"That will fade. Love doesn't." Willow ran her hand down his arm from his shoulder, over his bicep, finally ending with her fingers intertwined with his.

His insides started fluttering about and his heart actually skipped a beat. Giles slowly removed his glasses and set them down on the counter. He squeezed her hand before he let go and wrapped his arms around her. She put her head on his shoulder and he rested his chin against her. "Keep your memories as secrets, love. Not because they'll hurt me but because they're yours," he said. "Cherish them if you like." He pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Because by this time next year I will have blown them all out of the water," he said with a mischievous grin. He whisked her off of her feet and held her in his arms as though he were going to carry her over a threshold. Giles closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers.

~~The End~~



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