information and disclaimers in part one =20 Title: Dreams? 10/11 The Mansion was completely silent after the initial yell of surprise. = The three new arrivals were standing in a shocked tableau by the front = door. Giles and Buffy were staring at the body, while Xander stared at = the bloody sword, which he had knocked to the floor. He'd tripped over = the body coming in and had nearly been knocked over by the others when = they came in. The blow had caused the ruined carpet to partially = unroll, revealing the headless corpse. Buffy, eyes still startled, = shook herself as Willow and the others came into the room. Noticing her = friends' shocked and confused expressions, Willow motioned for Angel and = Cass to stay behind. She wanted to handle this herself; it was, after = all, her story to tell. The two hesitated for a moment, then nodded, = and went back into the kitchen. Buffy completely missed the by-play. = She was focused on making sure that Willow was all right. The Slayer = rushed across to the redhead, visually checking Willow for injuries as = she moved. Fortunately, between Immortal healing and a shower the young = witch showed no obvious signs of trouble. However, the Slayer's sixth = sense, the one that let her know that there was trouble in the area, was = on full alert. Something was wrong. =20 "Are you all right? What happened?" She hugged Willow, partially = reassured that her friend was okay --- at least there was no blood. The = Slayer didn't completely relax though. Willow was unharmed but clearly = tired and dazed, and the redhead was getting that little line between = the eyebrows that she got when she was upset or frightened. Something = big had happened . . . but what? =20 "I'm fine." Buffy looked at her skeptically; Willow smiled and = continued. "I'm just a little shaken up. Why don't we go into the = kitchen, and I'll explain. It's kind of messy in here." Willow = indicated the battered room and the corpse in one sweeping glance. = Buffy nodded and followed. Opening the door to the kitchen both young = women realized that Giles and Xander weren't behind them. Both men were = still at the front door, staring at the unexpected corpse. =20 =20 <You would think they would be a little more used to finding bodies by = now. Especially Giles, > Willow thought with amusement. "Xander? = Giles?" Both men jumped, looking up at her. "Everything's okay. Come = into the kitchen, and I'll explain." Her steady voice managed to = conceal her own inner turmoil. She needed to seem calm and confident = for her friends. Having them panic didn't sound like a very good idea. = <Deal with the wiggins later --- reassure friends now. > =20 Willow sat, looking across the table at the others. The young witch = was nervous . . . there was no way to tell how the others would react to = this new change. She was also still a little dazed and was have = trouble pulling her thoughts together. Angel came up behind her and = rested a hand on her shoulder. His support and love seemed to flow into = her like a tangible thing. Her thoughts cleared, and she calmed. <I = can handle this. > Cassandra stood to the side, leaning against the = sink. The Immortal's face was expressionless. =20 =20 Willow decided to be blunt. She was too tired to draw things out, even = with Angel supporting her. "Okay. I killed the man out in the living = room. " =20 =20 "WHAT?!" =20 Willow was fairly sure that people in Oregon and Mexico could hear = Buffy's stunned yell. Giles and Xander just sat there with their mouths = hanging open. Their Willow had KILLED someone? =20 She rushed through the rest of the story, not giving them a chance to = say anything. "I came home. No one was here. I was checking my email, = heard a sound, turned around, and this guy attacked me with a sword. I = threw a couple of magics at him. He stabbed me a couple of times. I = killed him with Cassandra's practice sword. <Thank Goddess she keeps it = sharp, even for practice! > "I died and got his Quickening at about = the same time. Then I woke up, no wounds, and Angel was here. = Cassandra got home, and we all cleaned up." =20 She stopped to take a breath. Xander found his tongue while she paused. = "You died!? Are you okay?" He looked decidedly stunned.=20 =20 "I'm fine, Xander. I'm Immortal. I can die and come back . . . well, I = can as long as my head isn't cut off. That's what that guy was trying = to do. I guess he thought I would be an easy target . . . that's why he = followed me." =20 Buffy was listening to Willow, but she was watching Cassandra. Since = she was closely studying the Immortal, she'd noticed something that = filled her with rage. There wasn't the slightest bit of surprise on the = Immortal's face. Angel was wincing at Willow's dry recitation, but = Cassandra wasn't reacting at all. Maybe the guy out the living room = had been a surprise, specifically, but Willow's Immortality hadn't been = new. Cassandra had known that something like this was going to happen. = And she'd neglected to warn or tell anyone. Buffy jumped out of her = chair, angrily flinging herself across the table, and pinned Cassandra = against the cabinets before the Immortal had a chance to react. "You = Bitch!" The Slayer's eyes were filled with almost incoherent fury at = the danger her friend had unknowingly been in. Giles quickly joined = her, feeling the same rage that his Slayer felt. =20 =20 Between the two of them Cassandra was quickly being throttled. <This is = getting old. Why couldn't I train an orphan with no friends? Just once?! = > =20 "Let her GO!" The yell startled the two enough that they let the = Immortal go. Cassandra slumped, gasping for air, and rubbing her = throat. She looked at her student gratefully. =20 With the fading of that initial shock, Willow's reaction time had begun = to recover. She stalked around the table, grabbed Buffy's arm and = firmly pulled her back to the table. The redhead then did the same to = Giles. They stood by the table, still looking rather startled. Willow = only rarely brought out the resolve face, and a slight but unmistakable = frision of magic was running through the air of the kitchen. "SIT = DOWN!" They sat. Quickly. =20 =20 Willow took a deep breath, then sat down calmly. Cassandra cleared her = throat and quickly rushed through the same explanation that she had = given Angel. Buffy and Giles clearly wanted to interrupt at a couple of = points, but Willow firmly stared them down. Cassandra used the help to = good advantage. She threw in a couple examples of earlier Immortals who = had taken insane risks when they learned before their first death that = they would become Immortal . . . including one idiot who managed to get = himself beheaded. With a pointed look at Willow, the Immortal calmly = pointed out that they were on the Hellmouth, and taking risks here was = even worse than anywhere else. The slender girl grimaced but said = nothing. =20 Xander finally managed to find his tongue. "But why didn't you tell one = of us?" Although his eyes were decidedly accusatory, his voice was = level. =20 <Good question. Finally, someone around here is thinking before they = strangle me. > Cassandra thought. "Would any of you been able to avoid = telling her once you knew?" A small grin crossing her face, Cass looked = the group over. "If I hadn't been able to work in weapons training as = easily as I did, I probably would have told Giles." This seemed to = satisfy them. The group was still stunned but not angry. Except Angel. = He was still glaring a little. He had accepted the logic of = Cassandra's arguments, but he was still unhappy about being lied to. =20 =20 Willow looked over at Cassandra and sighed with relief. At least this = part of the transition was over. Her teacher looked back at her = sympathetically. =20 <Almost forgot something. > Gesturing for Willow to follow, the older = Immortal walked back out to the fireplace. The other's followed, = trailing after the redhead. Angel stayed right at her side, arm around = her shoulders. Cassandra depressed a small stone on one side of the = fireplace and a panel slid away. Angel made a small sound of surprise. = In all the time he'd lived here he'd never found that compartment.=20 =20 Willow looked over Cass's shoulder, curiosity eating her up despite the = number of surprises the day had already brought. A long, wrapped = bundle was tucked into the compartment, hidden safely away. Her teacher = lifted the object out with one hand and gave it to Willow. =20 =20 "This is yours." =20 Quickly, Willow untied the cords that held the cloth closed. Then her = jaw dropped. It was a sword. This was as unlike the practice swords = they been using as possible. Although it wasn't heavily ornamented, it = was a work of art. It was smallish for a medieval sword, but the sword = was just the right size and balance for the small girl. Cassandra had = polished and sharpened it, and it gleamed in the low light of the living = room. The grip and the guard of the hilt were polished steel; two gold = covered finger guards curved gracefully out of the guard. The round = polished steel of the pommel was stamped with a symbol she didn't = recognize. =20 "This sword is a little small for me, but I thought of it when you = became my student. Joe bought it out when he brought my other things. = This is the sword you will practice with most of the time. I want you = to be able to fight with other weapons as well, but this is your primary = weapon. Keep it very close to you at all times. Near your hand at = home, even when you sleep, and outside of the house you wear it." =20 Willow looked up, startled at the firmness that had come into = Cassandra's voice. =20 =20 Her teacher's face was very serious. "A challenger won't wait for you = to arm yourself, and Immortals don't need an invitation." =20 =20 Willow looked over at the gruesome bundle near the door. Cassandra = noticed the look. "Precisely." <At least she has learned that home = isn't safe ground . . . at least not this home. A hard but essential = lesson to learn. >=20 =20 Willow sagged a little, the stress of the morning and the shock of the = night before hitting her again. Cassandra watched, then turned and = began ushering the others out. "Angel, go tuck Willow in bed. She's = exhausted." Willow moved to put the sword down. Cassandra calmly put = the sword back in the tired girl's hands. "Even when you sleep, " she = repeated firmly. "Go rest. It will be easier to deal with when you're = not as tired." =20 =20 Cassandra stood and watched Willow and Angel walk away. The others took = the hint and moved to leave. Then the Immortal turned her attention = back to the body. Giles was still near the door. "Giles, help me get = rid of this thing. Oh, and would you help me find a new place for = Willow, Angel and I to stay. One on holy ground." =20 ---------------------------------------------- to be continued . . .