"Hey guys," Willow said nervously looking at the crop of potential watchers seated before her. "Hi Dawnie," she added with a wave.
Dawn blushed and looked down. "Um, hi," she said meekly.
"So, I'm going to teach you to be watchers. Even though I've, um, never really been one myself." Willow felt like she was going to throw up. "But I have been a teacher before!" she shouted, trying to regain the surely waning confidence of her pupils. "I taught high school computer class when I was only a junior, myself!"
The students were distracted and inattentive. They were giggling and whispering to each other. Hoping a display of magic might quiet them, Willow raised her hands and shouted. Suddenly, Willow's clothes disappeared and the class erupted with laughter. Willow, turning red as her hair, ran from the room.
+++++++++++
"It's alright, sweetie," came Kennedy's soothing voice.
Willow opened her eyes. The window was open and Willow could see out over the green tree tops and blue ocean. The sound of waterfalls soothed the witch's frazzled nerves.
"Another bad dream?" Kennedy asked as she dried her hair.
"Naked in front of the class."
"Only you could have a dream like that in a place as beautiful as this."
Willow smiled. "I think some of the girls are bothered by us. They keep looking at me like I'm going to do bad touch or something."
"That in the dream or the class?"
"The class," Willow said, sitting up.
"Then you're imagining it." Kennedy sat next to Willow and hugged her. "If only you could see you the way they did. All this self doubt would go away."
Willow smiled. "Maybe, but then I'd be different and they'd start seeing me differently."
"It's too early for philosophy, Wills," Kennedy said.
+++++++++++
"Hey Dawnie," Willow smiled.
"Hey back," Dawn smiled as she sat at the front table. "Are we going to do fun stuff today?"
"We do fun stuff everyday," Willow said, disappointed that anyone could think otherwise. "Well, except for a few of the lessons Giles planned."
"Did Giles plan today's?" Dawn asked.
Willow frowned. "Everyone take your books out," she called to the class, avoiding Dawn’s question.
"Guess that answers that," Dawn frowned.
"This morning's lesson is on the board," Willow said, waving her hand. Words appeared on the large dry-erase board behind her. Quickly they changed and the class gave a giggle. Willow furrowed her brow. "Change it back, Owen," she said without looking up.
Owen Mortimer sat in the back of the class. His pale, frail, and downright gaunt appearance was only exacerbated by his constantly black wardrobe. His blue eyes would have seemed dreamy were they not framed by the dark bags under his eyes. His high cheekbones and reddish blonde hair suggested that he would be quite attractive had he not looked so sickly.
Willow frequently had trouble from the young man. At sixteen, he was a more powerful Wicca than most of his classmates would ever be. Born in Wales and raised in Scotland, Owen was the last scion of an ancient clan of powerful Welsh mystics. Willow was probably a bit light on the rod with him for two reasons. First, Owen's puppy-love attraction to Willow, which started when they met in Westbury, England three years earlier, was actually quite endearing. Second, he lost his parents when he was only twelve. Plus, his Scottish accent was too cute for words.
"What did it say?" Willow whispered inconspicuously to Dawn.
"He changed 10 am to 'Owen and Willow's Wedding'," Dawn whispered back. "At noon, you took off for your Honeymoon in Paris."
"Nice," Willow nodded. "Don't tell Kennedy about this. I don't want her starting a fight with him again." Willow looked up at Owen. "That's your one freebie for today. Any more, and you're in trouble."
Owen shrugged.
"As you all can see," Willow said to the class. "You're training with Kennedy in the afternoon, then facing a vampire this evening."
"Willow," a girl named Amanda asked, raising her hand. "What if we mistake Owen for a vampire and accidentally stake him? I mean, he's pretty pale."
Amanda's book lit up in flames in front of her.
"You kind of asked for that," Willow said to Amanda. "So you figure out how to put the book out. And you'll be going against the vamps one at a time, so there will be no staking of Owen or any other people."
"It's just a glamour," Kelly, the Jamaican girl next to Amanda said, grabbing the supposedly burning book. "I can tell cuz there's no heat."
+++++++++++
"Watcher's pet!" Owen laughed as he passed Dawn and Willow eating at lunch.
"Jealous?" Dawn said.
"Very," Owen smiled. He headed across the room and sat with a few other teenage boys.
"Younger guys are a nightmare," Dawn said with a smile.
"So are younger girls," Willow said. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"Oh, come on. You and Kennedy are perfect.”
"No relationship is perfect, Dawnie. If you let yourself believe they're supposed to be, that's when really bad things happen. Like loneliness, and old age, and cats."
"You have a cat," Dawn said.
"That's right. Cat. Singular. I'm talking about Cats. Many cats. More than two. We're talking 8, 9, 10 cats. And no partner. It's very not of the good."
"So what's wrong with you and Kennedy," Dawn said.
"Nothing. I shouldn't have said anything."
"This is Dawn the friend time. I won't be Dawn the pupil for another 45 minutes. If you can't tell me, then you can't tell anyone here, really. Then it's all bottled up inside and bad things happen. Like cats and all that other stuff you said."
Willow smiled. "Our problems are mostly the same ol', same ol'."
"She doesn't give good head?"
"Dawn!"
"Hey, I'm a growing girl. Almost legal, even."
Willow blushed. "No, I mean it's this. Our lives. Once we get this group of watchers and slayers trained, I don't want to do this anymore. Kennedy wants to get the girls trained, then go out in the field again. But I don't know if I can still live with that. Before, there was no choice. But now, with so many slayers, we don't have to. Why should I worry if my partner's coming home if I don't have to? If anything ever happened to her, I . . . I'm not sure I could handle it."
"Ick," Dawn said. "Dark Willow is also very not of the good."
"If Kennedy could get that message."
"It was kind of like that at first for Buffy, too," Dawn said. "At first she actually enjoyed the newfound strength. Then there was this feeling of responsibility. Slayer fatigue should set in within a couple years or so."
"I'm not sure I can wait that long.”
"Well, as the girl with no soul mate, I have to say you'd be a dope to break up with someone because of her career."
"No one said breaking up. It's just stressful. That's all." Willow looked at her watch, then at the plate in front of her. "I have to eat this now."
+++++++++++
"Remember," Kennedy said sternly as she walked back and forth in front of the gathered Watchers-in-Training. "You're not slayers. You don't have slayer strength. You don't want to trade punches with a vamp. You want to stick to your weapons, use your weapons, and kill the vamp quickly. Understand?"
There was a murmur that seemed to indicate they understood.
"I asked you if you understand," Kennedy said loudly. "Give me a yes or a no!"
"Yes!" the group yelled.
"Good," Kennedy said. "First up is . . . Kelly Martin?" Kelly stood and Kennedy looked at her. "You related to the actress Kellie Martin?"
The very dark-skinned Jamaican girl cocked her head. “Do I look like I’m related to that skinny white woman?!”
"No," Kennedy said. "Which is good. I hate that chick. Totally ruined ER. Any ways, you're up. Into the pen." Kennedy nodded to a door that led down a ladder and into a large pen. The pen was made to look like the jungle outside.
"We're up here if you need help," Willow said.
"But don't let that make you cocky," Kennedy snarled.
Kelly entered the pen.
"You don't have to be so hard on them," Willow whispered.
"Most slayers, first time in the field, they freeze up. If that happens to someone without slayer powers, they're dead. They've got to feel this is real, Will. Get that safety-net feeling out of their system."
"I just hate when you act like a . . . never mind."
"No," Kennedy said with a grin. "Say it."
"A typical bull dyke," Willow said, somewhat embarrassed of herself.
"I know. That's why I . . ." Kennedy's eyes shot toward the pen. "Pull it!" she shouted.
Kelly turned frantically as a vampire behind her snarled. It quickly jerked back and away from her. A nylon chord was tied to the vamp’s chest. Kennedy’s aids pulled it back, yanking the vamp away just before it bit Kelly.
"Heads up in there, Martin!" Kennedy yelled. "That blood sucker was close enough to lick your back."
"Sorry," Kelly called.
"Don't be sorry," Kennedy yelled. "Be aware!"
"Maybe the vamp was just a glamour," Amanda yelled derisively.
"The rest of you heard a joke," Kennedy said. "I heard Amanda volunteering to go next. Step up to the pen, smart mouth."
Taking a crossbow and a small axe, Amanda stepped down into the pen, passing Kelly who was coming out. "You can't smell glamours," Kelly joked as they passed each other. "And that vamp stunk."
"I'll keep my nostrils open," Amanda said with a slight smile. "Wish me luck."
"Luck," Kelly called as she exited the pen.
Amanda walked slowly through the pen. Kelly's tip had actually been a good one. Amanda was sniffing the air. Quickly she turned and fired the crossbow. The vamp caught the arrow and grabbed the crossbow. Amanda backed away and released the crossbow. No longer having the resistance of Amanda pulling the crossbow, the vamp stumbled back. Amanda quickly pulled the small axe from her belt. As the vamp tried to regain balance, Amanda hacked down, nailing the vamp in the arm. It bellowed. She quickly swung again, hitting the neck. Two more strong hacks, and she had the head off. The vamp was dust.
"'at a girl, Mandy!" Kennedy yelled. "'at a girl! Did you all see that? That's how it's done to a tee. When you sense the vamp, you attack. Don't wait to get a great shot. Just get a shot. He grabs a crossbow, let it go. Don't fight. They have the strength, not you. Then she goes right to the axe and hacks away. When you get the upper hand, keep it. Keep hacking ‘til he's dust in your lungs."
Willow frowned as she saw Kennedy help Amanda from the pen. On the surface, she was pissed that Kennedy was acting like Willow's watchers were Kennedy's slayers. They were Willow's students. Willow didn't like the way Kennedy was instructing them. Deep down, however, Willow knew it was the same disagreement. She did not want this life. Not if she didn't have to. They were in a position where they could retire. They could relax. They lived in paradise, but not one day was spent sitting on the beach, drinking fruity alcoholic beverages and making love.
+++++++++++
"We need a vacation," Willow said as she walked with Kennedy back to their room.
"What?" Kennedy said. "Wills, we're in the middle of waterfalls and beaches and-"
"And when's the last time enjoyed any of that?" Willow said sourly. "All we do is train people and kill stuff."
"People need training and stuff needs killing.”
"But that can't be our entire life. I want to go skinny dipping and drink Mai Tai's and spend an entire month making love and cuddling. Is that too much to ask?"
"No. It really isn't. Vacation it is. Next month maybe."
"I can't wait a month.”
"You're going to have to. Vacation I can do. Just up and leave, that I can't do."
"Why do we have to do this at all?!" Willow knew she even was being petulant. But she had to get this out. Whenever she brought this up, Kennedy dismissed her complaints so quickly and thoughtlessly that Willow felt like she'd never really said it. "With so many other slayers in the world, why do you have to do it? Why can't it just be love and smoochies and happily ever after. You've never answered that. Not really, any way."
Kennedy stopped walking and looked at Willow. She felt like an idiot for not feeling Willow's frustration before this. Then again, Willow was the one tuned into the universe and the earth and people's auras and feelings and all that crap. Yep, Kennedy thought. I'm definitely the guy in this relationship.
"Willow, there have never been this many people fighting demons. Never in history. If we all pitch in, every single one of us, we might . . . I don't know. Win. Really win. Vanquish it. But . . . but also, there's you."
Willow looked at Kenned oddly. "Me?"
"I love you. So much you can't imagine it. I want to love you and keep you safe and protect you. Now that I know what's out there, I know that I'm not really protecting you unless I'm protecting you from that."
Willow smiled. "I don't want you to protect me. I want you. That's all. I want you."
Kennedy scratched Willow's head. "Come on," she said with a suggestive smile. "Maybe we can't make love all day just yet. But we can still make love all night."
+++++++++++
Willow's head lay snugly on Kennedy's tummy, her eyes fixed on Kennedy's belly button ring. "Should I get a tongue ring?" Willow asked with a smile.
"You tell me," Kennedy laughed.
"I should get a tongue ring," Willow said with a smile.
"Glad to hear it. You should get it at least a week before we go on vacation.”
"Won't I be too sore to talk in front of my classes?"
"I'll take over your classes. It's for a good cause."
Willow looked up at Kennedy and smiled.
"What?" Kennedy said.
"Nothing. It's just, I'm thinking, we're going to be alright. Every now and then, we both have to give a little. That's why we're going to be alright."
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