Part 13: Sparks Are Flying
(The Return Of Tall Dark And Stupid)

St. Wolf Residence
Sunnydale, California
23 November 1998

Robin Goodfellow walked up to the door to Steve St. Wolf's house, along with Duncan MacLeod, Amanda and Kenny, to see how the others who had returned that morning were doing. As Robin started to reach for the door, the doorknob turned, and the door opened from the inside, seemingly of its own accord. The three Immortals stopped short in surprise, but the fairy just sighed.

"Quit showing off, Arty," Goodfellow snapped as the quartet entered the living room.

Artemis just stood in the center of the living room with a small grin on her face. "I'm just trying to follow your example, Goodfellow."

"I notice you didn't say you were living up to it," Robin said with a wink.

"I'm not insane," the Goddess countered.

"Excuse me, but could we get some introductions here?" Amanda asked impatiently, leading Duncan to sigh in embarrassment.

Robin looked to Kenny and Amanda with an evil grin, and said, "Amanda, Kenny, Duncan, allow me to introduce Artemis, Greek Goddess of the Hunt, and Patron Goddess of the Amazons. Arty, these are Amanda, Kenny, and Duncan MacLeod, kinsman to Connor MacLeod, who I'm told you've already met, and former teacher of the Wanderer."

Duncan just nodded as a short bow, while Amanda and Kenny just stared at Artemis in open-jawed shock.

"Oh, I've heard of Duncan before," Artemis said casually with a friendly smile. "From discussions amongst the Amazons and the others, as well as through reports of his battle with Kronos a few years ago. You know, you and your kinsman aren't too far below Steven and the others on Strife and Discord's 'most hated' list."

"It's always good to be appreciated," Duncan quipped with a grin.

"You're THE Artemis?" Amanda asked, finally finding her voice. "The same. . ."

"The same Artemis represented in the statue that you liberated from Napoleon's collection in 1808?" The Goddess finished with an upraised eyebrow. "Yes, and I was most impressed with your talents that night, Amanda. I appreciated you taking it from that egomaniacal Frenchman."

"I don't suppose you could tell me what happened to it, could you?" the thief asked. "I had to leave it behind when the Union Army invaded Atlanta."

"I'd be glad to," Robin said before Artemis could reply. He pointed towards the gym and said, "It's the centerpiece of Arty's shrine, in the training room. But I wouldn't suggest trying to sneak it out of the gym. The Amazons are somewhat attached to it, especially Cordelia."

Amanda looked at Robin, and then to Artemis, who gave her a look that confirmed just as clearly that attempting a repeat performance would be bad for her health. She sighed and turned to Duncan, who was trying to hold in his laughter, as was the smaller Kenny.

"What's so funny, Duncan?"

The Highlander just chuckled, and said, "I just can't remember the last time someone had you pegged so quickly."

The two male Immortals and the fairy shared a good laugh at Amanda's expense, and she just glared. <I'll get even. I always do.>

Artemis looked at Robin, and asked, "I'm assuming you want to see Amy, Robin?"

"It *has* been three weeks, Arty," Robin pointed out. He ran a hand through his brown hair, and said, "How're they doing?"

"Steve and Buffy went upstairs to get some sleep, as did Xander and Cordelia," Artemis reported quickly. "Amy and Shaw have been in the training room since eight-thirty."

"That long?" the sprite asked with a spit. "What. ."

"None of your business," the Goddess snarled dangerously. At the hurt look in Robin's eyes, she relented a bit. "They talked, Robin. They finally sat down and had the discussion they should have had weeks ago." Artemis turned to Duncan, a thankful look on her face. "You were as responsible for this as Robin was, Duncan. You have my thanks."

"You're welcome, Artemis," the Scot said. He looked at the door, then to Artemis. "How is Shaw holding up?"

"She's still a bit frightened, but it's under control," the Olympian stated with a smile. "The talk they're having has finally made a connection between them, and they discovered that they both want a family relationship."

Artemis cocked her head for a second, and her mouth opened just the smallest bit in surprise, before settling into a grin. She looked at Robin, and said, "Give them another five minutes, and then you can go in, Robin."

Now Robin's face split into a wide smile, and he started to settle down onto the couch. The Immortals, seeing nothing else to do, began to do the same.

Sitting down, Robin turned to Artemis. "Sit down and relax, Arty."

"No, thank you," the Huntress said, giving him a smirk. "I have an old friend who dropped in on Olympus for a visit, and I don't want to keep her waiting. But I'll still be watching until the affair's over for certain."

"In other words," the fairy said ruefully, "you're making sure the Dipstick doesn't try anything else."

"Oh, that's taken care of, thanks to Shaw," Artemis promised with a full smile that held no sympathy for the God of War. "He's in for a hard time."

"What'd she do?"

"Sorry, but it's a surprise," she said just before teleporting out in a flash of light.

Robin watched the space for a minute, then shrugged to himself and settled back.

"Uh, Robin," Amanda said slowly, "just who could her 'old friend' be?"

"I dunno," the sprite said. "Can't be Aphrodite, she still lives on Olympus. Hmmmm.... maybe Freyja came in from Asgard. Or maybe Xena finally came back for a visit."

The three Immortals just stared at Robin, and Kenny, the first one to regain his composure, asked, "Did you say, Xena?"

"Yeah, you know, Xena," Robin said like he was discussing someone they all knew. "Amanda and Duncan met Gabrielle more than once, they didn't make the connection?"

"Xena was real?!?" Kenny asked dumbfoundedly. When Robin nodded, he said, "And I thought MacLeod had the weird shit happen to him."

"Minors shouldn't talk like that, Kenny," Robin said with a smirk. "Blow your cover."

"Oh, really. I'm eight hundred years old."

"Like I said, a minor."

"Oh, come on, how old are you?" Kenny asked, leading Amanda and Duncan to start laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Well, you know I'm a fairy, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"You know my full name, right?"

Kenny's eyebrows crinkled in confusion, and he thought about it, before his eyes went very wide in amazement. "You're. . ."

Robin moaned. "Yes, yes, and no."

"What?" Amanda asked, now just as confused as Kenny.

"Yes, I'm Robin Goodfellow. Yes, I'm THAT Robin Goodfellow," Robin said, ticking off his fingers. "And no, I am NOT Puck. He's a different guy. I did the deed, he got the credit."

"I knew William had to be drunk when he wrote that thing," Amanda muttered.

"You knew Will?" Robin asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Didn't you see the original production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream?'" the Immortal thief asked.

"No, I stormed out when I saw that Will had screwed up the names," the fairy said sourly. He looked at Amanda, and asked, "Were you there?"

Amanda looked offended, and said in a haughty tone, "Who do you think stole the items so Willie'd have his props for opening night?!?"

Robin thought back, and smiled. "Yeah, you did a good job getting that stuff."

"Thank you," Amanda said, somewhat mollified.

Robin looked at Duncan, and asked, "Well, what do you think? Should we go in?"

"Yes, I think it'd be all right now," MacLeod said as the four stood up to head for the training room.

*****

Shaw and Amy ended their hug, and both of them were still crying a bit, but Amy was smiling, while Shaw's face was more neutral, although Amy could clearly see the emotions showing in her eyes.

"You okay for now?" Amy asked.

Shaw nodded slightly, telling the witch, "Yes, Amy. This. . Amy, I was able to forget what is inside of me because of this. Thank you."

"Glad to do it," the blonde girl said. "And you're gonna make it. It'll be all over after the others get here and cast that spell for you."

"How long before they come?" the ranger asked softly.

"Let's see. ." Amy said, looking at her watch. Her jaw dropped, and she looked back at Shaw. "Uh, cuz, what time did I say we got here?"

"Approximately eight-thirty," Shaw said, a little bit of anxiety creeping into her voice. "What time is it?"

"Two eleven," Amy said in disbelief. "Man, we've been here for almost five hours!"

The Amazon looked to the older woman, and said, "That's how much I was into your story, Shaw. I didn't even realize it took that long. I just sat there and listened."

"And I am glad you did, Amy," Shaw told her as she stood up and began to remove her duster.

"What're you doing?" Amy asked.

"Removing my weapons," Shaw said matter-of-factly as she laid the coat over the top of the water cooler. It gave Amy her first good look at the arm claws Shaw had been given by the young Predator.

"Yuck," the teenager said, getting the half-elf to look at her. "Those look nasty."

Shaw unbuckled the claws and set then started to unbuckle the knife launchers when Amy asked, "What are those?"

Shaw took one of the daggers from her forearm sheath, and inserted it into the launcher, and explained the purpose. "It shoots the dagger, with a maximum range of between thirty and forty feet. They were helpful in the fight with the demon."

Shaw looked at Amy, and asked, "What manner of ta'narri was that? I never read anything about a headless demon on Toril. I can assure you, as a priestess, I have some knowledge of lower planar beings."

"Uh, Shaw," Amy asked, stunned. "Have you read the book about Sleepy Hollow?"

Shaw nodded absently, and started to remove the dagger when she stiffened. "Connor called him the Horseman," she said quietly. She turned to look at Amy, and said, "I thought he was a ghost. A spirit."

"Nope, he's really a demon. And you and Connor whooped his ass," Amy said with a smile. "He seemed a lot easier to beat than that ninja guy you fought two months ago."

"Hardly," the priestess said coldly. "Scorpion was still in human flesh, and he had human weaknesses. This one. . . I have never seen a foe that focused and determined to kill an opponent. But, that was also his weakness. He ignored me while focusing on Connor. In fact, Connor was the one who determined that. He told me to find the rest of you."

"Why didn't you?" Amy asked, sincerely surprised.

"Amy, Connor could not defeat the Horseman alone. The Horseman was able to recover from injuries even faster than an Immortal," Shaw explained. "I refused to leave him alone with that thing." A wistful smile made its way onto her face. "He said I was stubborn, smart-mouthed, and short tempered."

"What did you say to that?"

"He taught me well," the half-elf said, now grinning a little wider.

Amy burst out into laughter, and the cousins shared that moment of amusement before moving on.

"Think you could spare one of those knife launchers?" Amy asked with a grin. "They seem cool."

"No, I want to keep them," Shaw said, quickly adding, "but they seem to be simple enough that we could reproduce them ourselves. Does that idea seem to be sound?"

"Wait, you mean equip everyone with them?" Amy asked, thinking about it. When Shaw nodded emphatically, she said, "Damn. Imagine when the vamps get a load of those. Any other tricks?"

"The short sword Whistler gave me," Shaw said. "But I left it in the demon's body in New York when. . when I ran from Buffy and Steven."

"Hey, you were scared," Amy said, getting up and walking over to Shaw. "You know, Buffy thought you could have beaten her in a sword fight using that two handed style you used last night."

"I do not think so," Shaw said with a shake of her head. "Buffy is more than able to adapt to such a style."

"Well," Amy said, changing the subject, "we picked up the sword. Oh, you have another trophy for you collection."

"What? I have Richard Markham's blade in my bag," Shaw said, pointing out the sack on the floor next to the weight bench.

"No, I'm talking about the Horseman's blade," the witch said with a grin. "What are you gonna do with all those blades, anyway?"

Shaw shrugged and said, "Edgar and Alan will need swords, being Immortals. Scorpion's axe, I was going to talk to Steven to see if he wanted it for his armory. I can barely lift it, let alone wield it."

"No kidding," Amy said, giggling. She looked at the magical blade Shaw was still staring at, and asked, "How did you get that thing, anyway? You said. . . what's his name? The guy who carried Soulreaver."

"Aeurulieth," Shaw said, the elven name rolling off her tongue. "I stated the sword's history, including how it was passed from wielder to wielder."

"Like an inheritance thing," Amy said. "He passed it to you?"

Shaw nodded, and said, "He and Llednas discovered that she was with child, a daughter. He gifted me with the sword, saying that he hoped I would someday forgive him for not being there to stop Jazartho from. . ."

"It's okay," Amy whispered, putting a supporting hand on her shoulder.

"I know, Amy," the half-elven Slayerette whispered, turning around to face the younger one. "I never blamed him for what happened, Amy. I told him that, but he still seemed so heartbroken over what had happened. Once we parted, I never saw him or Llednas again."

"Was he one of your guy friends who died before you left?"

"No, as far as I know, he still lives," Shaw said quietly. "Qualeck died six years later, from a fever of some sort. Dargen perished fighting goblins with his clan, but he died well. The others, I do not know. It has been so long. But, I have put it behind me, Amy. As far as I am concerned, I would not feel so bad if I never saw Toril again. Earth is my home, and. . it is where I want to live."

Amy smiled, and said, "I'm glad. But just because you put the past behind you doesn't mean you have to forget it. I mean, it's where you grew up, it's where you found your Goddess, and Xander said you hoped to find out if your friends were okay."

"Yes, but I am finally starting to think about a future, I just am not sure how to go about it," Shaw told the witch. "I have a great deal to think about, and no experience help me with it."

"Then let us help, dummy," Amy said. "That's what friends are for. If you'll let us."

"But I want to help you when I can, but I do not know how to do it," Shaw said, shrugging helplessly. "I am not the type who wants to always be helped without giving something in return."

"Well, you help Giles with his paperwork, which lets him and Jenny spend more time together. You help Steve and Buffy out in training sessions. ."

"How?" Shaw asked, quite confused.

"Shaw, you point out where we improve, or where we need to get better," Amy explained to her. "I mean, you tell Xander and Cordy what they need to do to improve their skill, how to get better, and you're honest about it. We respect that you don't criticize us when you beat us, you tell us what we need to do to beat you."

"That is not long in coming, by my reckoning," Shaw said truthfully. "Buffy and I. . ."

"What?" Amy asked. "What about you and Buffy?"

"We. . we placed a wager on who would be the first to defeat me in a sparring session," Shaw said meekly.

"You made a bet on sparring sessions?" Amy asked with a spreading grin. When Shaw nodded, Amy said, "Let me guess; you bet on me."

"No," the half-elf said with a blush. "Willow."

"Gee, thanks," Amy said jokingly. When Shaw looked at her, she held up her hands, saying, "Just kidding. She almost pulled it off when we got our report cards, remember?"

Shaw nodded, but didn't share Amy's smile. Amy's grin faded, and she softly asked, "What's wrong, cuz?"

"I told you what happened to me on that mission," Shaw said, before looking at the witch with teary eyes, "but this is worse, Amy. That pathetic. . .Amy, he violated me. What makes me the person I am. My mind, my emotions. . .my spirit."

"Shhhh, it's okay," Amy said, drawing Shaw into an embrace. "It's over, we beat him. We beat him bad. And you're not alone this time. You've got friends who can help you deal. Just let us in, and we'll help you."

"I have let you in, Amy," Shaw said softly. "I have let you in, I swear it."

"I know you have," Amy said with a soft voice. "I know."

The door to the gym opened, and the two cousins quickly released each other and whirled around to see who had interrupted a private moment. They settled down a bit when they saw it was Robin, Duncan, Amanda and Kenny.

Robin favored the two Slayerettes with a big smile, and asked, "You got one of those hugs left over for me?"

Amy looked at Shaw, and asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"He has not seen you for three weeks, Amy," Shaw said, giving Robin a look, appraising gaze. As his smile started to grow larger, she shrugged and added, "I see no reason he cannot wait a little longer."

"You may be right," Amy commented slyly, turning to Robin as the Immortals started chuckling. "What do you think?"

Robin frowned at her. "Actually, I was asking your cousin," he said smartly.

Shaw folded her arms, and coldly said, "I do not think so, Goodfellow."

Robin sighed, rolled his eyes, and glanced at Duncan. "See, MacLeod? She acts more and more like a Vulcan every day."

Shaw narrowed her eyes and snapped, "Go Puck yourself."

Robin whirled on her, his eyes wide and round as he started sputtering. Amy was also staring at the half-elf.

"Shaw!" Amy shouted quickly. "I can't believe you just cussed at him!"

"I did no such thing, Amy," Shaw said, looking smug.

"Yes, you did," Amy said, putting her hands on her hips. "You said the 'f' word!"

"No, I said the 'p' word," she countered, starting to smile a bit.

Amy looked as if she didn't understand, but the three Immortals were now laughing at Robin. Seconds later, Amy began giggling as well. The fairy frowned at the witch.

"Et tu, Amazon?" he asked crossly.

"Damn straight," the Amazon grinned. "Blood's thicker than water, fairy boy."

"But. . .but. . ."

"Sheesh, Robin, we were just kidding!" Amy snapped in good humor. "Can't you take a joke?"

Robin stopped sputtering, and sighed. "I missed you too, honey."

Amy walked up and she and Robin threw their arms around each other, kissing each other passionately. Amanda leaned over and asked, "Why can't you act that way more often, Duncan?"

"You never leave for three weeks," Duncan commented. "I'm never that lucky."

Amanda gave Duncan an evil stare under hooded eyes and hissed, "Keep digging yourself a hole, Duncan. See what happens when we get back to Seacouver."

Shaw had by now walked over to the trio of Immortals, while Robin and Amy were occupied with making up for lost time.

"Duncan?" she asked hesitantly.

Duncan smiled at her, and asked, "How are you doing, Shaw?"

"Better than I was," the half-elf said with a bowed head, before looking up at the Highlander. "Duncan, I am sorry for running. I was scared and confused. ."

"I understand, Shaw," MacLeod said, giving her a gentle squeeze of her arm. "I'm sorry I mentioned the coffee."

Shaw snorted. "It was not your fault, Duncan. The fault lies with Ares."

"Agreed," Duncan said, nodding as a smile came to his face. "So, I heard that you bailed out Connor again last night."

Shaw winced, but nodded. "The Horseman was a frightening opponent."

"The Horseman?" Duncan asked with a trace of caution in his voice. "Joe N'Gato told us it was a demon."

"Yes, the Headless Horseman," Shaw answered. "Ares ordered him to kill Connor, hoping to drive me nearly insane with grief and guilt."

"What happened?" Amanda asked, wondering how this girl could beat a demon so easily.

Shaw hesitated, but quietly said, "I entered the rage, Duncan. It was the only way to save Connor."

"I heard. But the way I see it," Duncan said, placing his hands on her shoulders, "it was to protect someone, rather than to survive. It may be that in time, you may be able to control it. Or, you may lose it entirely. But, I'm glad you're still with us."

"It would seem that you are 'stuck' with me, Duncan," the ranger said, pulling out the papers that Connor had given her. "Look at my maternal 'great-grandmother's' name."

Duncan looked through the sheets, and then at Shaw. "Connor's idea?"

"And James Stalking Rattler's, as well. Buffy tells me that you and Connor have 'adopted' me," Shaw said, getting Amanda to laugh. "He probably expects to get some enjoyment out of it at your expense. But I do not have the understanding of this type of humor."

"Well, Connor is in for one surprise," Duncan told her as he handed the papers back to her. "I approve. Wholeheartedly."

Duncan extended his hand, and said, "Welcome to the clan, Shaw Hunter."

Shaw just stared at his hand for a few seconds, and then took it. She quietly said, "Thank you, Duncan. I just am not sure what to make of it."

"Just accept it," Amanda said. "If there's one person who's more stubborn than me, it's Duncan."

Shaw looked at the platinum blonde thief, and asked, "You are Amanda?"

"Yes," she agreed with a smile as they shook hands. "Now, about my clothes..."

"Amanda!!" Duncan moaned, raising his eyes to the ceiling.

Amy and Robin walked by at that moment, holding hands. "It you'll excuse us," Robin said with a grin on his face, "we're getting a little privacy."

Amy looked at Shaw and asked, "You gonna be okay, cuz?"

Shaw nodded at her and said, "I will. Will you be back when the others arrive?"

"You bet," Amy said with a smile. "I'll be right here."

"I will see you then," the half-elf said, watching Amy and Robin walk out of the training room. She turned to Duncan and said, "I told her what happened to me, Duncan. The mission that we discussed."

Duncan's eyebrows rose, and the Scot asked, "How did it go?"

"She accepted it," Shaw said, her voice cracking a bit. "And. . . she told me the guilt was not my own. The Lady told me this as well. . ."

Shaw looked into Duncan's eyes, and told him, "I told her I love her, Duncan."

"I can see it in your eyes," MacLeod said, smiling at her. "I'm glad you figured out how you felt."

"My clothes?" Amanda asked from the side, drawing a moan from Duncan.

Shaw just nodded, and walked over to her sack. She started to remove some of the items inside of it, the first being the sword she'd taken from Richard Markham. Upon seeing that, Duncan whistled softly.

"Markham's?" he guessed.

Shaw nodded, setting the scabbarded blade on the weight bench, before reaching into the sack and pulling out the jeans and leotard she'd borrowed from Amanda. Amanda took in the poor condition the clothing was in, and she began to try to speak, but the words of horror at the condition of her two hundred dollar pair of jeans wouldn't come out. Duncan and Kenny started to chuckle at her discomfort, as well as the look of horror on her face.

"I am willing to replace the items, Amanda," Shaw said when Amanda couldn't take the clothes from her. "I was not expecting combat against Blade or the Horseman, let alone Ares himself."

"Uh, yeah. Uh. ."

"How about you give her the brands and sizes, and Shaw can get replacements for you," Duncan offered. "Sound good to you, Shaw?"

Shaw nodded agreeably. "Yes, Duncan," she said with determination. "Amanda, is this acceptable to you?"

Amanda took another second or two to answer. "Uh, never mind. I'll send the bill to Connor. He's the reason you got into that mess."

Shaw blinked, and looked at Duncan. "Take it, Shaw," he said with a grin.

Shaw shrugged and started to put the clothes back in the sack, but Amanda stopped her. "Keep 'em. You broke the jeans in, you can keep them. But you owe me one."

"Agreed," Shaw said, not liking the smile that suddenly came to Amanda's face. She looked at Kenny, and asked, "Am I likely to regret this?"

"No, you're guaranteed to regret this," the child Immortal said.

"Oh, come on. I'll think of something harmless," Amanda promised, even going so far as to cross her heart. "Why do you people always assume the worst?"

"Personal experience," Duncan and Kenny said in perfect unison.

Amanda glared at them, but Shaw decided not to ask.

"How has Kenny done?" Shaw asked, hoping for an answer that validated her trust in him. "He has aided you on patrols?"

"He's done well," MacLeod said with a trace of pride in his voice. "He's been exceptionally effective at playing bait."

"You have been leaving him alone?" the half-elf asked, not liking the sound of that.

"It's okay," Kenny said, shrugging. "Vamps don't expect a kid to be carrying a sword."

"And when they bend over to grab him," Amanda added with a smirk, "it leaves them less than able to defend themselves when he swings the sword. If they're in packs, it distracts them long enough to let us join the fun."

"He's pulled his weight every night, Shaw," Duncan said with conviction. "You were right; he has changed."

"I am glad of that," Shaw said with a small nod of approval. "Kenny, would you let me see your sword for a minute?"

Kenny looked at Amanda, who nodded. He took out his shortsword, and handed it to the half-elf.

Shaw reached under her sweater, and pulled out her holy symbol, letting it fall over her heart. She held the sword in her hands, and closed her eyes as she began to pray. A white light emitted from the unicorn pendant, forming a mist that trailed to the sword, and enveloped it. After a minute, Shaw stopped and opened her eyes. Looking at the sword as the glow faded, she nodded in satisfaction, and handed the blade to Kenny, hilt first.

"What'd you do?" he asked as he gingerly took the blade.

"I put a permanent religious blessing on it," the half-elf answered, looking a little fatigued. "It now has as much effectiveness against vampires as holy water or religious icons."

Kenny smiled as he realized that she had just done this for him out of kindness, and not for something in return. "Thanks."

"You are quite welcome, Kenny," Shaw said softly. "It was the least I could do to thank you for your help, particularly with Methos."

Duncan started laughing, and Shaw couldn't help but be caught up in it.

Amanda looked at Kenny, and asked, "What did you do to Methos?"

"Uh, I shot him," Kenny said with a blush.

"You shot Methos?!?" Amanda blurted.

"In the backside," Duncan added between laughs.

"In the butt?!?" Amanda croaked, and Kenny just nodded, unable to answer.

"With a tranquilizer," Shaw finished, trying to regain control of her mirth. "And I must say that he has good marksmanship."

Amanda just watched Kenny, and started smiling. "You remembered some of my training. Good."

Kenny just looked at her, and he and the thief joined the other two in their laughter.

After a few moments, the amusement settled down a bit, and Shaw sat down on the weight bench, a thoughtful look on her face. Kenny stopped laughing when he saw her watching him, searching his face for something.

Before he could ask what she wanted, she stood up, and said, "Duncan, could I speak with Kenny alone for a few moments?"

Duncan looked at Kenny, and then back at Shaw, and asked, "Are you sure?"

Shaw looked at Duncan with a neutral gaze, and asked, "I trust him, Duncan. I thought he had proven himself to you."

Duncan sighed. "I meant are you sure you want to be alone before the others get here."

Shaw's head fell, and she began muttering in a language that none of the Immortals could understand.

"Okay, what language is that?" Amanda asked.

"Espruar," Kenny said. When Duncan and Amanda looked at him, he nodded at her. "That's what she calls it."

"It's Elvish, I think," Duncan said, giving Shaw a disapproving look. To her, he said, "And even though I can't understand it, I know what she's saying. Or at least, I have a good idea."

Shaw stopped in mid-curse, and looked at Duncan, and her face began to turn pink.

"Well, what were you saying?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Something that would make Steven and Frank blush," was the reply.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kenny asked.

"Kenny," Duncan said with a sigh. "Steve was my student, and before that, he was a Green Beret in the US Army."

"And the Frank guy?" Kenny asked.

"A Navy SEAL," Amanda informed him. "Seems that Shaw can outcuss Army and Navy people."

"I apologize, Duncan," Shaw said softly, not looking at him.

Duncan chuckled softly, and said, "Apology accepted. Amanda, let's step out to give these two some privacy."

As they exited the training room, Amanda said, "I have to say, I'm a little disappointed. I thought you said she had a wicked sense of humor."

"She's in bad shape right now," Duncan said as they walked for the living room. "But I could show you an example of her humor when we get back to Seacouver."

"Oh, how?" Amanda asked, truly wanting to know.

The Highlander smiled and said, "Well, I have this tape that Mulder sent me in the mail three days after Halloween. . ."

*****

Amy and Robin sat down at the kitchen table, smiling at each other, and Amy said, "Is that an athame in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

"Happy doesn't cover it, sweetheart," Robin said, giving the witch a waggle of his eyebrows. "So, you two finally have the talk?"

Amy's smile vanished, and she looked at her hands, which were sitting on the table. "Oh, yeah," she muttered. "We had the talk."

"Didn't it go well?" the fairy asked with raised eyebrows. "It looked like you two were doing good when we walked in."

"We did do good, Robin," the witch said, looking around at the ceiling. "We had a bit of a screaming match, but we got everything out in the open. . . she said she loves me, Robin."

"I know she does," Robin said with a smile. "She finally figured it out?"

"Yeah. Seems you and Buffy knew it before we did," Amy said, her smile growing because of the sprite's infectious cheerfulness. "And. . .she told me what happened to her twenty-five years ago. Goddess, Robin, what happened to her. . ."

"Excuse me, but. ." Robin said, breaking the blonde Amazon's train of thought, "what in Oberon's name are you talking about?"

Amy's eyes went wide, and she exploded at the fairy. "What the Hell do you mean, 'What am I talking about?!?' Robin, she showed us three weeks ago!!"

Robin cringed back a bit at her wrath, and meekly said, "Uh, I was on vacation then."

Amy quickly lost her ire, and even more quickly went red for wrongly accusing him, and she turned very silent. She began to stammer out an apology, but Robin cut her off.

He took her hands in his own, and said, "I forgive you, sweetie. That is, provided you pay for our next date."

Amy just muttered, "Don't push your luck, Puck hater."

Robin started to sputter, but stopped at the twinkling humor in Amy's eyes. He rolled his eyes, and asked, "Okay, what happened to Shaw?"

"I want to wait to tell everyone," she said, her eyes looking haunted. "As far as what she showed us, well, you can read minds, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't do it lightly," Robin said with firm resolve. He squeezed her hands, and asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Amy took a deep breath, and said, "Okay, Robin. I'm thinking about what

I saw three weeks ago."

Robin stared at her, and a split second later, his eyes grew dark with anger and his jaw started to move, his teeth grinding.

Amy watched her boyfriend for a few seconds, and asked, "Robin? What's wrong?"

"I got four questions," Robin growled out through gritted teeth. "Who did it to her? Why did it happen? Where do I find him? And what should I do to the mother fucking son of a bitch who did that to her?"

"Robin. ."

"I spent centuries in the service of Oberon," Robin vowed with danger in his tone. "Believe me, I know all about payback. The bloodier, the better."

"Robin, Shaw wouldn't want you to do that," Amy said softly, trying to defuse the fairy's rage.

The fairy lost a small bit of his anger, but said, "He deserves it, Amy. To do something like that. ."

"He was insane 'cause of a magic accident," Amy replied softly, standing up. She walked over to the fridge, and pulled out a soda. She brought it over to the table, and sat back down. Taking a sip, she said, "Shaw didn't blame him, once she found out. She blamed herself for taking him out. He's been dead for over twenty years."

"NOT a problem," Robin said with darkness in his eyes. "Who'd he worship?"

"Uh, Shaw said someone named, Mystra," Amy told him.

Robin deflated. "Problem."

"Robin, let it go," Amy begged him. At the look of sympathy in his eyes, Amy continued. "Please, Robin. She's finally let go of some of her guilt over this, hating herself for something she couldn't handle. It took her Goddess talking to Shaw herself to convince her. Please don't do anything to screw that up. Please?"

"Millie talked to her?" the fairy asked, catching Amy off guard by the abrupt change of direction to the conversation. When Amy nodded, he let out a low whistle. "She must be important to Millie, then."

"Come again?" Amy asked. "What do you mean, she's important?"

"Amy, keep in mind, I know Millie. I knew her here, and I've been to Toril more than a few times over the centuries," Robin told the witch, who looked quite surprised. "She's an old friend. She loves all her servants, but she usually does the 'give you a sign' bit. She doesn't say 'hi' to just anyone. That she actually talked to your cousin. . ."

Amy just sat there, the only thing she could say being, "Wow." Amy shook her head to clear it, and said, "Robin, can you help me with something?"

"Of course, Amy. What is it?" he asked quickly.

"Well, Shaw. I just have problems figuring her out," the teen explained, shrugging to the fairy. "I mean, sometimes, I actually forget about the elf stuff, and I start to think she's human. But then, bang, she seems so different. I dunno, I just can't get it, you know?"

"Okay, it's not the elven half. I can tell you that much," Robin said with a grin. He waved his arm around, and said, "She was raised by human grandparents, with human values, and she serves a human Goddess. Granted, she shares some elven beliefs, but even those come more from Millie's outlook than the elven People. As far as thinking patterns go, the only thing that separates her from you is the elven genes. She'll be the first to admit that she's a lot closer to her human side than the elven side."

"Then why do I get mixed up?" the witch asked.

"It's because you're an Earth woman, and a 20th century one to boot," he said as an evil smirk came to him. "Not that I hold that against you. But Shaw, she's from a magical world, and one that's at the level of the 12th to 14th centuries here on Earth. Hell, they're just discovering what gunpowder can be used for. She's only seven months removed from a shitty life, and knowing that all the things she grew up with, that you and I know about and take for granted, are legends here, she has to hide what she is from nearly everyone, or it could ruin the new life she has."

"And she has to pretend to be someone she isn't," Amy said sadly. "The proper, formal, submissive religious exchange student."

"Well, she's not playing at proper, formal, or religious," Robin countered. "As far as submissive, she's slowly showing her true self to the world. You know the difference, just like the others do. You know the real her, and that's what's important. She could care less what anyone else thinks of her. And that's something else to keep in mind; as far as you guys go, she does care what you think about her. She's letting the emotions come out again, and that's because you've all been good influences on her."

"Oh? How's that?" Amy asked, interlocking her fingers and resting her chin on them.

"Okay, she's regained an ability to laugh at herself, and her sense of humor's emerging again, thanks to me and Xander. Just look at what she did to Xander and Cordelia at Halloween. Giles and Jenny have made her desire to learn stuff come back to life; you've seen it, she LOVES school, because she loves to learn. And she's got the entire world to learn about. Cordy's given her the hints on how an Earth woman should look, even if Shaw's using it to blend in, rather than trying to attract the boys."

Amy laughed at that comment, saying, "Cordelia said that Shaw should be a runway model in Europe."

"Miss Modesty? Please," Goodfellow said with a laugh.

Amy nodded in agreement. "Okay, how about the rest of us?"

"Well, Steve and Buffy are the bosses," Robin said right off the bat. "The leaders, and teachers in the fighting styles. Granted, Shaw questions Steve's orders a lot more often, and more quickly, than anyone else, but it's because she wants to get the idea more than disagree. Steve and Cordelia are like that in one way; they speak their minds, which is just like Shaw. And I'll kill you if you tell Steve I compared him to Cordy. Willow, and Xander too, they were the first ones to reach out to Shaw in friendship when she got here. Even though we knew she wasn't what she seemed, Will stood up for her and defended her, offering her help to Shaw even though our suspicions were right, to a point. It was a big deal to Shaw, to have someone like Willow trusting her without knowing who or what she was beforehand. Someone gave their trust freely, something she hadn't had for a very long time. Xander, too; he told her she was his friend less than an hour after meeting her. Once the truth came out, and he accepted her even knowing she wasn't fully human, she put him in almost the same class as Willow. As for you, you're the one thing she needed more than anything else; family. And I don't just mean the blood relation; through you, she realizes that she does have a connection to Earth, and that part of her roots are here, and look where it's led; she actually died for us, and a world that she didn't owe jack to. She's fallen in love with this world, and it's her home now."

Amy spent a lot of time considering his words, and finally said, "What about Oz?"

"Amy, Willow can't figure out Oz," Robin said with a chuckle. "Don't ask ME to. To put it in layman's terms, it's not so much race as it is upbringing. It's the way of life she knew for forty years, so it's gonna take some time for her to get to do things the Earth way."

Amy nodded, and said, "You've been to Toril, you said. You'd know, I guess."

"Yeah, and I know better than you might think," Robin said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amy asked. "Don't tell me you knew her!"

"Not her, but I saw some of her ancestors in action one visit," Robin said. He shook his head, "Not up close, but I could see what she did to that lizard. Sheesh, that crazy woman just opened a can of whoopass on that young dragon. I'll tell you this about her human side, Amy; Flamingarrows are not a clan you want to get on the bad side of."

He saw Amy staring at him, and asked, "What?"

"A dragon? A red dragon?" Amy asked in dull shock. "You saw that?"

"Yeah, a kid, but they're still nasty," Robin said. He shuddered, and told her, "Believe you me, it wasn't pretty."

"Robin, that was ALISON!!!" Amy shrieked out loud, making the fairy jump. "Shaw's great-grandma, the one from Earth! Hell, Shaw just told me that twenty minutes ago!"

"THAT'S who kicked that wyrm's scaly ass?!?" Robin asked, his eyes wide open. When Amy's smile confirmed it, he muttered, "Now I know where she gets her temper from."

Amy promptly burst into hysterics at his last comment, and Robin was at a total loss as to why.

"What's so funny?" he asked, and when Amy saw the puzzled look on his face, it only made her laugh even harder.

"WHAT?!?"

*****

As Duncan and Amanda walked out, Shaw walked over to Kenny, and said, "I am glad you are all right, Kenny."

"Thanks," he said, looking nervous.

Shaw sighed, and said, "You are concerned about the Quickening inside of me. I am sorry, Kenny, it will be removed inside of two hours, or so we believe. But I wanted to thank you for your help, and. . .to ask for more."

"What is it?" the Immortal asked, sitting on the floor.

Shaw sat down, crossing her legs, and said, "Have you decided what you want to do, after Duncan and Amanda leave for home?"

"No, I'm thinking about that," Kenny admitted. He shrugged, and said, "I mean, I don't want to stay here, and I'd just be an extra body in Seacouver. I don't know what else there is."

"How good are you, with a sword, Kenny? I know you cannot match power with other Immortals. To be honest, my size limits my power as well," the half-elf explained. "But for pure skill, how good are you?"

"Good enough, I guess," he said, thinking about it. "I'll never beat MacLeod, but I remember all of what Amanda showed me. She uses the craft and sneaky stuff more than MacLeod, he's the straight up and honorable type."

"Do you know enough to teach it to others?" Shaw asked, as an idea started to form in her head. "As far as skill goes, could you be a teacher?"

"You're joking, right?" Kenny asked, thinking she was playing a joke on him.

"No, Kenny. I am completely serious," Shaw said, standing up and starting to pace. "I. . I have two friends in Santa Carla, north of here. They are in need of a teacher."

"How long have they been Immies?"

"Since Thursday night," Shaw said ruefully. "They have made contact with Steven, but Santa Carla and Seacouver are too far away for them to receive lessons from us or Duncan. At least, the lessons they would need in swordsmanship."

"They kid Immortals, like me?" he asked.

"No, they are adults, but they have no experience in the way Immortals live their lives," the half-elf explained. "However, they have a decade's worth of experience in hunting vampires. They use other methods, like large water guns and archery, but they survived until they ran into a vampire that used guns. I thought I had lost two friends before I saw them healing."

"What do they do in the daytime?" Kenny asked. "I mean, they have to have a job or something."

"They own a comic book store," Shaw told him. "They have a mortal friend, Sam, who aids them in hunting. Sam's brother and sister-in-law have enhanced abilities from a vampire attack. Altogether, they are good, but with the Immortality factor, they need to learn that facet of their lives. Also, if you decide to join us in fighting these creatures, their greater experience will be invaluable. It would be an even exchange in teachings."

Kenny seemed to be considering her words, and said, "You really think MacLeod or St. Wolf would go along with this?"

"Kenny, Duncan now vouches for you," Shaw said, waving a hand towards the doors. "And you and Amanda seem to have repaired your relationship. The decision would be yours, of course. But. . ."

Shaw slowly stopped pacing, and said quietly, "Kenny, I do not have enough friends that I can stand to lose one. I count Edgar and Alan as good friends, and. . . you have earned my trust and friendship, as well. I do not give such things lightly, but know that you have mine."

Kenny watched her, and finally said, "I'll think about it. If I meet them, maybe we can talk about it."

"Thank you, Kenny," Shaw said with a smile. Suddenly, Shaw bent over with a shout, and Kenny stood up and looked for whatever approaching Immortal was setting off his senses.

He turned as the door opened, and Randi Jessup walked in, taking in the sight of the child Immortal, and the half-elf that was setting off her instincts. Shaw stood up and her eyes cleared as she caught sight of Randi.

"Shaw, I'm sorry," Randi said quickly, moving up and supporting Shaw. "I didn't know you got the Buzz, too. I would've said something."

Shaw didn't respond, but instead put her arms around Randi, saying, "I said I would see you soon, Randi."

Randi looked surprised by Shaw's show of emotion, but returned the embrace. They backed up from each other, and said, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said softly, smiling a bit. "Randi, this is Kenny."

"I know him," Randi said, nodding her head to him. "Been doing good on patrols. We've talked a bit."

"That is good," Shaw said. She looked at Kenny, and asked, "Kenny, can I have a moment with Randi, please? I appreciate your listening to me."

"It's okay," he said, heading for the door. "Like I said, I'll think about it."

Shaw nodded, and as he exited the training room, Randi asked, "What will he think about?"

"What he wishes to do after everyone goes home," Shaw replied, not elaborating. She walked over to the weight bench, and sat down.

Randi walked over, leaning over the top of the water cooler. "Okay, what's up? I know you're thinking about something," the nineteen-year-old Immortal asked. "C'mon, talk to me, girl."

Shaw looked at Randi, and asked, "I was talking with Amy, and we discussed what will happen, once the Quickening is taken out of me."

"Okay, what did you decide?" Randi asked, taking a seat next to the ranger.

"I am going to talk to Steven and Buffy, and. . I am going to ask them to let me stop fighting for a time," Shaw said to the young woman next to her. "I am simply sick of fighting and killing, and. . I need to recover from what has happened. Even so, part of me says to continue fighting, to show that you can trust me, even after this, and that. . I can trust myself. But, another part of me knows that this is the wrong reason to fight, and doing so would only put the rest of you in danger."

Shaw sighed, and looking straight ahead, asked, "Randi, am I being selfish, or am I being practical?"

"Practical, absolutely," Randi said without hesitation. "Shaw, after what's happened this weekend, you're burned out. You need a vacation." She paused for a second, and continued. "Okay, maybe not a vacation, but a lighter load. You know, you still train and do the research thing, but you get a break from the fighting. Hell, it'll save me and Buffy from Giles' research parties."

Shaw and Randi shared a short, pleasant laugh over that, and Randi smiled.

"Besides, maybe you can figure out something that's been driving Jenny and Willow nuts," she offered.

"What?" Shaw asked, not believing that the two witches couldn't come up with a solution to something.

"Well, it starts like this. . ." Randi said, quickly lining out the events that had transpired in San Francisco, and Shaw listened intently to her descriptions of what had been learned about Randi's brother, Brian. Shaw took on a thoughtful look before Randi had finished, and when the college freshman did end her story, she asked, "Any ideas?"

"As to Brian's destiny, or as to why Jenny and Willow cannot figure out why the shield keeps 'biting' them, as you call it?"

"Well, both, if you can figure it out," Jessup said with a smile. She saw the look on Shaw's face, and asked, "What are you thinking?"

"Something from legends of my homeworld," the half-elf answered, standing up and pacing a bit. She turned to Randi, and said, "He has proven what I said about him when I met him, Randi. He is very special."

"Any ideas as to the shield?" the Immortal asked with interest.

"Yes, but I want to do some research in the library, before forming a theory," she said. She sat back down, and said, "Randi, after Jenny and Willow remove the spell, I think I will be sleeping for the majority of the next two or three days. After this, perhaps on Friday, if Willow or the other witches have not solved this puzzle, we can arrange to meet and discuss it. It will be good to see Brian again."

"You like him, don't you?" Randi asked, already knowing the answer to that question.

"I have always had a affinity for children, Randi," Shaw said with a sad smile. "Especially children as unique as Brian and. . ."

Randi was puzzled when Shaw trailed off, but didn't press the point. She said, "I'm glad you're back. We were worried about you."

"I was concerned about you as well," Shaw said, looking at Randi. "Randi, are Steven and Buffy awake?"

"No, they're in bed. They'll be back down when the others get here. It'll be in a half hour or so."

Randi and Shaw stood up, and Randi said, "Wanna come out and meet them when they get here?"

Shaw smiled and nodded. "Yes," she said, and looking at the elder Jessup. "Randi, I am not good at saying things, or putting emotions into words, but. . . thank you. For being my friend."

"You're welcome, girlfriend," Randi said, as the two Slayerettes hugged each other once again, and left the training room to await the arrival of the others.

*****

Shaw and Randi had joined Duncan, Amanda, and Kenny in the living room, and a few minutes later Amy and Robin came out of the kitchen. Amy looked over at Shaw and made a "come here" gesture. Shaw rose from the couch and walked over to the couple.

"Yes, Amy?" the half-elf asked softly.

Amy smiled and said, "Remember when you told me about Alison kicking the dragon's butt? Seems that a certain fairy was there with a ringside seat."

Shaw looked at Robin, who said, "Yeah. Outside of Berdusk, about 1900 our time. Your grannie was NOT someone to tick off if you wanted to live a long life."

"Neither was Grandfather," Shaw said with a sad smile, which slowly faded. "Amy, did you tell Robin what Ares said he would do?"

"About your grandparents?" Amy asked. When Shaw nodded silently and hugged herself, the witch told Robin, "Ares said he'd bring her grandparents back from the dead if she agreed to join him."

Robin's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and he asked, "Is he still alive?"

"That's not funny, Robin," Amy said with a trace of anger. She gave him a light slap to the head, and told him, "We left him in one piece."

"Although he will need seat cushions for a short time," Shaw added, and she and Amy shared a laugh. Shaw's, however, was a bit strained.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Robin asked the half-elf.

"I am tired, Robin," Shaw answered in a low voice. "When this is done, I need some sleep."

"Try a lot of sleep," Amy said as she grinned at her cousin. "But you've earned it."

Shaw nodded distractedly, and suddenly turned towards the front door, seeming to concentrate as if she were trying to see through the wood.

"Shaw, what is it?" Amy asked, not getting an answer. She looked at Randi, who shook her head. <Okay, not an Immortal.>

Suddenly, Shaw broke for the door, and everyone was caught off guard, and Amy called her name out, but to no avail. Shaw ripped the door open, and went outside without bothering to pull the door closed behind her.

Amy, Robin and Randi took off after her, while Duncan was a bit more casual, motioning for Amanda and Kenny to stay seated. As he neared the door, Randi walked back in, a bemused grin on her face.

"Sorry, guys," she said, shaking her head. "False alarm."

"Why did she run?" Duncan asked.

"Looks like Oz's van needs a new muffler," the junior Immortal said to the others. "Those ears of hers picked it up a block away. Heck, my ears are hurting."

Shaw ran outside, having heard a familiar sound. Sure enough, a few seconds later Oz's van pulled up to the curb next door to Steve's house without the muffler. Shaw started to move forward again, but stopped, clenching and unclenching her fists.

The witch and fairy quickly came outside, but Randi, seeing the situation, turned around and walked back in to calm the others.

"Dammit, Shaw, you scared the crap out of us!" Amy snapped in frustration. "I'm only seventeen, I don't need to have a stroke!"

Shaw looked back and forth between the van and Amy, and she went pink in the face. "I am sorry, Amy."

Amy sighed as Robin chuckled at her, and said, "It's okay. I understand."

Willow and Oz had exited the van by this point, and were walking up. Willow's face was lit up in a smile at the sight of Shaw, while Oz's face was, as usual, unreadable.

Shaw's own face broke into a thin smile as she walked quickly towards the auburn-haired witch. She felt her eyes tear up as she and Willow quickly caught each other in a tight hug.

"We were so worried about you," Willow told Shaw. "I'm glad you're back."

"Never again," Shaw said as tears streamed down her face. "I will never do something so stupid ever again, Willow."

"Hey, you were wigged. We understand," the redhead assured her.

They let go of each other, and Willow smiled at her. "Giles says you beat up on Ares for the rest of us."

"It was a team effort, Willow," Shaw said, gaining control of her tears. "Amy, Cordelia and Xander kept him from taking me. If they had not been there. . . I might be dead now, Willow, if not worse."

"I just wish we could get him for doing this to you," the petite Amazon said.

"Rest assured, Willow, he will pay," Shaw said, her tone suddenly colder. "I used a lesson that Cordelia tried to teach me. Let us say, it is my first attempt at this."

Willow looked over at Oz, who was standing to the side. Shaw nodded a greeting to him.

"Oz, it is good to see you again," the half-elf said warmly.

"You too," he replied with a tight smile. "You hanging in there?"

"Yes, but the sooner I have this Quickening removed, the sooner I can sleep," she said. She looked at the ground, then at Oz again. "Oz, Cain said something. ."

"I know," the werewolf said calmly. "We're cool."

"No, Oz. Oz, Willow. . ." Shaw said, searching for the words, "I need to speak with you about this, at length. But for now, I can tell you this; when I have magic that is strong enough, perhaps in a few years, there. . ."

Shaw sighed, and continued. "There is a ritual I could perform, a ceremony. . .to remove any form of lycanthropy from an individual. I will not be able to do it for some time, but I have witnessed the ritual, and assisted in four in my time on Toril."

Oz looked a bit confused, and he looked at Willow, who looked simply flabbergasted.

"Shaw, are you saying. . . you could cure Oz?!?" she blurted.

"Possibly. It is not a guarantee, but a chance," the half-elf said. "I would have mentioned this sooner, had I known. I simply wish I had not found out in this manner."

"Hey, you respected his privacy, Shaw," Willow said, trying to recover from this news. "But you could cure him?"

"The ritual is successful seven to eight times out of ten," Shaw told them. She looked at Oz, and said, "Oz, there are risks involved, and as I said, it is not always successful. And as Willow could tell you, magical forces here are somewhat different from Toril, where I have seen this done. It is not a choice to be made lightly. If you wish, I can go into detail at a later date, perhaps next week, to give you all of the information I have on this ritual. I would do this for you, if you so choose, not only as a priestess of Mielikki, but as your friend."

Willow looked at the guitarist, who just stood there, apparently thinking about everything he'd just been told. Finally, he made a comment.

"Whoa."

Shaw looked to Willow, and said, "I assume that is the equivalent of pure, dumbfounded shock for him."

"That's the closest he'll ever come to fainting," the Amazon added with a grin. "You don't have a problem with it?"

"No, Willow. I just feel sorry for you that the two of you must spend three nights apart every month," the ranger said sympathetically. "And another thing, I know he has the resistance to normal weapons, rapid healing when he changes, perhaps other benefits in his normal form." She turned back to Oz, and said, "You would stand to lose those abilities if I do this. That is another thing you must consider. But I do have to ask you; are you pathological, or maledictive?"

Oz's eyes went blank, and Willow giggled. "He was bitten, Shaw," she said.

"I see. If he had been pathological, this whole discussion would have been wasted," Shaw said to both of them.

"So much for Jordy," Oz muttered.

Shaw cocked an eyebrow, and Willow said, "Jordy is the werewolf who bit Oz. He's Oz's cousin, and he was born that way."

At the looks shared by Willow and Oz, Shaw sighed. "What is the punchline?" she asked.

"Jordy's only three years old," Willow said with a giggle.

"You were bitten by a three year old werewolf?" Shaw asked, the priestess now being the shocked one.

Oz shrugged. "Doesn't like to be tickled."

"Serves you right," Shaw said, getting a laugh from Willow and the corner of his mouth going upward from Oz.

"So, you ready to get the Quickening out?" Willow asked, going back to the original topic of discussion.

"Yes, Willow. Do you know how long before Jenny and Giles arrive?" Shaw asked, looking in the direction of the school. "I do want to see them as well."

"About fifteen minutes. We'll start then," Willow told her. "The entire thing will only take about two or three minutes. So you won't have to go through our magic for that long."

"That makes me feel so much better," Shaw muttered dryly. "Shall we wait in the house for them?"

"Yeah, let's," Willow said, as the three turned and went into Steve's living room.

*****

As they walked back in, they saw the Buffy and Steve had come back downstairs, and they could hear Xander and Cordelia arguing upstairs. Shaw just shook her head, muttering in Common how some things never changed. She looked at Buffy, who caught the glance and walked over.

"Buffy, I want to apologize for earlier," Shaw said. "I. . .can I talk to you privately, before Giles and Jenny arrive?"

"Sure," Buffy said, switching her gaze from Shaw to Steve. "Honey, can we use your office?"

"Go ahead," St. Wolf said. "Take your time if you need to."

The two women nodded and headed for the office, and Buffy held the door open for Shaw. As they walked in, Shaw made her way for one of the chairs, and the Slayer did the same. Buffy waited for Shaw to settle herself, and after a few seconds the half-elf began to speak.

"Buffy, I am sorry for what I said earlier," she started out, staring at the floor. "I did not mean it, save for wanting to be with the rest of the team on that mission. Can you forgive me for that?"

"Shaw, I blew up at you," Buffy reminded her, putting a hand on Shaw's knee. "I was pissed to find out Angel was in New York, and I took it out on you. I guess we both lost it for a second. I'm not mad at you. I was hurt a bit, but I guess it hurt you too. I'm sorry for it."

Shaw nodded in silence, and now looked at Buffy. "Buffy, I talked with Amy, and Randi, and. . . will you let me have the time I need away from fighting? I need it Buffy, please."

Buffy blinked, caught off guard at her question. <She's *asking* for downtime?!? Steve and I won't even have to tell her she needs it, she knows it.>

Buffy waited a second or two, and said, "I was going to talk to Steve, and I figured we'd have to order you to do it. But this is better, I guess. You do need the downtime, Shaw."

"I know, Buffy," Shaw answered. She folded her hands together, and said, "Amy and Randi mentioned that I might be allowed to help out with research. Is that possible?"

"Yeah, I think so," the Immortal said with a smile not shared by the other. "I think you need to take this week off, even from school, 'cause you need to sack out. After that, I figure some time from training, and we'd probably take it easy at first, and go from there. How does that sound?"

"When Giles offered me a place here, I told him that I wanted some time away from the fighting," Shaw said quietly.

Buffy's mouth opened a bit, and she asked, "Then why didn't you take it?"

Shaw looked up, and answered, "Because I made a commitment to you, to our team. I did not think accepting a place here and immediately letting all of you handle everything was right. And. . . and, I wanted so much to be part of something again, to try to make things up for hiding the truth at the beginning, that I put duty ahead of my own desires. It is the way I

am, Buffy. But now, I need this. As much as I dislike the thought of not doing my share, I need to stop."

"You put the team first," Buffy said.

Shaw nodded, and looked back at the Slayer. "Buffy, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" she said curiously.

"Before you left," Shaw started, "Steven said that I had earned a measure of trust and respect from the rest of you." She hesitated, clearly scared, as she asked, "Have I lost that?"

Buffy's mouth opened, but she quickly recovered and sighed. "No, Shaw, you haven't," she promised. She stood up, and paced back and forth, with the half-elf watching her every step. "Shaw, if anything, our respect for you has gone up, knowing what you're going through, and from what we've guessed since you showed us your back."

She stopped, and looked at the ranger, and continued. "We don't know what happened. ."

"Amy does," Shaw whispered, but Buffy heard it. "I told her, Buffy. She said she would tell you for me. All I ask is that you let her tell you when she wishes to do so."

Buffy's eyes were wide, and it took her a few seconds to recover. "You told her?" she asked, and when Shaw uttered a soft "yes," she smiled. "I'm glad, girl. You finally got it out. I knew it bothered you, and that you were hurt over this. How did she take it?"

"She helped me see things in a way I never thought possible, Buffy," Shaw said, tearing up. "She. . ."

Shaw turned to the Slayer, and wept, "It was not my fault, Buffy. Amy had me call the Lady, and She told me Amy was right. I. . ."

Shaw broke down, burying her face in her hands, crying as Buffy took a seat next to her, stunned at this kind of emotions pouring from her.

"I'm getting the feeling you've already cried to Amy," Buffy said. Shaw just nodded, not giving a vocal answer. Buffy laid a hand across Shaw's back, and said, "I understand about the guilt, Shaw. And if your Goddess say's you're okay, who else's approval do you need? We know you were scared, and we're cool with it."

Shaw slowly stopped crying, and eventually asked, "And trust?"

"Shaw, we do trust you, especially after what happened with the Horseman," she said. She shivered, and said, "Shaw, you actually controlled that rage, you weren't totally out of it. And while running was a mistake, you were worried about us. I guess you had the right reasons, you just made a boo-boo. We do trust you, but we do worry about you."

"How, Buffy?" Shaw asked, not seeming frightened by the Slayer's comment, but interested.

"Well, I was worried you'd say, 'let me fight' to make up for this, but you want to get away from this," Buffy said. She smiled at Shaw, telling the half-elf, "What I think we'd be worried about is that you might try to come back too hard, too soon. You're just gonna need to take this one day at a time, and go with the flow while you're getting over what happened."

"Thank you, Buffy," Shaw said thankfully, wiping her face and swallowing. "I appreciate your advice. I hope you will let me know if I am forgetting it."

"You betcha," she said with a grin. "Somebody's gotta keep your head on straight."

"Buffy, about my back," the half-elf said, letting out a very long sigh of exhaustion. "Willow knew about the scars two months ago, but. . . even before I told Amy, you were the first person who did not know of this that I told of the scars. Twenty-five years, and I never mentioned it."

"Why me?" Buffy asked.

Shaw shrugged, and said, "I am not completely certain myself, Buffy. I. . . I trusted you to help me with it."

"Well, you took that step, Shaw. I know it was hard on you, but we understood why you waited."

"I would not have taken that step without your encouragement," Shaw told Buffy as she got up. "Thank you, Buffy."

"You're welcome, Shaw," Buffy said as the two of them walked out of the office.

Jenny and Giles arrived as expected, and walked in to the entire team, who had finally gathered and were more than chomping at the bit to end this situation once and for all. Giles spent a few minutes talking with Steve and Buffy, while Jenny went over to say "hello" to Shaw. However, Shaw seemed distracted, and only muttered the same to the gypsy. She looked over at Giles, who seemed to have a look of comprehension as to why Shaw had acted this way after being so open with the others, but let it pass for the time being.

Steve called for everyone's attention, and when he had it, he said, "Okay, let's get this over with. Shaw, Jenny, Willow and Duncan will head into the training room to cast the spell. The rest of us will wait out here. No training session tonight, Duncan's team will handle patrols. Get some sleep, and hit school in the morning."

There was a chorus of groans from Buffy, Xander, Amy and Cordelia, while the others just laughed. Steve looked at Shaw, and asked, "You ready, Shaw?"

"Whenever you decide to finish your speech, Steven," Shaw commented dryly.

With a sigh, St. Wolf said, "Okay, go ahead. We'll see you in a few minutes.

Shaw started to head for the training room at a brisk pace, with Duncan following behind the two witches. As Shaw came within three paces of the doors, a burst of light stopped the four in their tracks. When the light cleared, Ares was standing in Steve St. Wolf's living room.

Shaw's face twisted into a red mask of fury, and she started forward with balled fists when Steve shouted her name, stopping her charge.

"What do you want, Ares?" the Wanderer snapped, fingering Demon Slayer as Buffy did the same with its companion blade.

"I'm not here to fight!" Ares shouted, raising his hands up. "I came to talk."

"The time for talking is past, Brother," Artemis said as she appeared in the empty space between the God of War and the half-elven warrior. "What right do you have to be here, Ares? You should be somewhere else right now."

"Now, wait a minute, sis," Ares said frantically, "Zeus gave me permission to come here."

"Well, I didn't," Steve said angrily. "Now get out before I call your brother and invite HIM to join the party."

Ares gritted his teeth, and looked ready to berate Steve, but Artemis took away any chance of that.

"You made an agreement, Brother," the Goddess of the Hunt told him. "If I were you, I'd get started now before Zeus hears that you have made him foresworn."

"He said I could come!" Ares said, the panic in his voice plain to the assembled Slayerettes. He took in their seeing his moment of weakness, and tried to collect himself. "He gave me permission to try to get the agreement modified. He felt that I was forced into this, even if his word is binding."

"Just as you forced me into near insanity, Ares?" Shaw snapped, all but charging the Olympian who had caused this. "Not that we believe your claim, even if I were inclined to alter your punishment."

"Shaw," Artemis said, turning to her, "Ares would not use, Zeus' name if my Father had not given him permission. He would not dare lie about this." Artemis turned to her brother and said, "Not that I think you deserve any less."

Shaw stared directly at Ares, and asked him, "I am allowed to modify this agreement?"

"Yes!" Ares all but cried, now looking hopeful.

"Very well," Shaw said, shrugging nonchalantly, "give me five, perhaps ten minutes, and I will think of something worse."

"But... but..."

"Please do not interrupt, Ares," Shaw said, tapping her chin with her index finger. "After all, you did perform the greatest violation one could commit."

"PLEASE!!!" the God of War shrieked, looking pitifully meek for a deity.

"Shaw," Steve said, now breaking in, "what is this punishment he has to go through? You can skip over the first few parts, we know about those. Good work, by the way. Now tell us the part you didn't translate."

"Steven, it is somewhat graphic. Perhaps the younger ones should leave. ."

"Shaw, out with it," Steve ordered.

"Very well, it is your decision," Shaw told him, staring directly at Ares. She took a deep breath, and said, "Ares will go to the Third Circle of Hell, and engage in sexual intercourse with the most sexually hungry demon in that Circle of Hell, for twenty-four consecutive hours without respite."

Ares' face went even paler as Shaw said it in English, while she just continued to stare at him with a look of pure venom, and Artemis was watching Ares with a look of satisfaction that he would pay this extreme a price for his actions. But the Slayerettes, Duncan, Amanda, and Kenny had looks of shock, or in some cases, illness. And, as usual, one member of Sunnydale’s most infamous couple expressed their probable feelings on the matter.

"Ewwwwwwwww!!!!" Cordelia shrieked, shivering all over.

"What do you mean, 'ew?'" Xander asked with less than enthusiastic humor. "I thought you'd be proud of her."

Cordelia looked even sicker. "Proud of her?!? For what?!?"

"Cordy, she's playing matchmaker for the Gods," her boyfriend said. "Granted, she could've picked somebody better to get a date for. . ."

"Shut up, Xander," the brunette pleaded.

"Oh, come on, Cordelia. ."

"SHUT UP!!!" everyone shouted.

Xander cringed at the volume. <Sheesh. And I thought Blade was a tough crowd.>

Steve looked at the furious half-elf and asked, "Shaw, have you studied the U. S. Constitution at school, yet?"

"No, Steven," Shaw responded, not looking away from the petrified Olympian. "But I have read certain parts of it. Why do you ask?"

"Did you skip over the parts about cruel and unusual punishment?" St. Wolf asked.

Now, Shaw did turn on the Wanderer, sparks flying in her eyes. With an angry voice, she snapped, "After what he has done to me, after what he has done to ALL of us, can any punishment he suffers be cruel or unusual?!?"

"Well, it certainly qualifies as unusual," Robin said, rubbing his chin. He looked at Shaw, and asked, "Do you actually spend time thinking this stuff up?"

To his surprise, the half-elf looked disgusted.

"Of course not," she said quickly. "I am much better at improvising. This was the best that I could come up with on the spur of the moment. I was more concerned with getting us out of the alley alive at that point."

"I'd hate to see what you could come up with if you weren't distracted," Robin said frightfully.

"It is not like I forced him into this," Shaw said, looking back at Ares. "I gave him a second choice."

"What--" Xander started to ask before getting a smack on the head.

"DON'T ASK HER!!!" Cordelia shouted.

Despite looking less than pleased with the possibility of knowing, Steve said, "Shaw, now."

The ranger shrugged as if it were no great matter to her. "I would use Soulreaver to cut off his genitals, and proceed to stuff his penis down his throat and shove his testicles up his ass."

Xander leaned over to Cordelia, and asked, "Can I say it this time?"

"Say what?" the Amazon asked, holding her stomach.

"Ewwwwwwwwwww!!!!"

"What he said," Oz added.

Artemis was giggling at the two scenarios laid out by the Dark Quickeninged half-elf, and Ares looked about ready to faint, is such a thing was possible for a God. He looked at her, and said, "Of course you're enjoying this."

"I just like the idea that you picked on a mortal with the means to strike back at you," the Patron of the Amazons said, losing her smile very quickly. "One would have thought that you'd have learned THAT lesson from Xena."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," St. Wolf said, looking from one Olympian to the other, "especially after what you've done to Shaw, Connor, and the rest of humanity, but I have to agree with you."

"WHAT?!?" Artemis and Ares shouted in complete shock.

"You agree with Ares?" Shaw asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"Shaw, as much as I think he deserves to be punished for hurting you, there is a difference between justice and cruelty," Steve said, not without a great deal of compassion in his voice. "Are you going to make him go through with this?"

"Why should he not go through with this?" she demanded, looking at the others, seeing that they were also less than thrilled with the idea of Ares going to Hell.

Giles cleared his throat, and asked, "Shaw, are you aware that for every Earth day, one hundred years passes in Hell?"

"Is that all," Shaw muttered. Looking at Giles, she said, "No, Giles, I did not. What is your point?"

"He'd spend the equivalent of one hundred years in Hell."

"He is a God," Shaw reminded the Watcher. "What does time matter to one such as him?"

"She does bring up a good point," Robin offered with a chuckle.

Steve glared at the fairy. "You're not helping, Robin."

"Sorry," he said, drawing a smack from Amy.

"Are you telling me that you support Him after all that we have gone through because of this?" Shaw asked Steve, walking over to him. "You would rather see him get away with this, knowing that he could do something like this again, and that he would not have to suffer as he has made others suffer?!?"

Steve looked her in the eye, and said, "Shaw, I know you're going through a great deal of pain right now, but you have to ask yourself if this is any better than what he's done. It's your decision, and whatever you decide, you're going to have to live with it. Remember that, but also know that we will stand by whatever you choose, even if we don't agree with it."

Shaw locked gazes with Steve for nearly two minutes, her jaw clenched and her fists closed. When she showed no sign of making any form of statement, a soft voice spoke up.

"Steve, let me talk to her," Jenny said.

Everyone turned to her, and Steve said, "I beg your pardon?"

"Let me talk to her, Steve," the computer teacher repeated. She looked at Shaw, and said, "Shaw, I can't say I know what you've gone through over the last four days, but I can see how you're feeling. But you have to think about whether or not you're thinking rationally. Can you honestly say that you would make this decision if you didn't have the problems you have now, with the Quickening of two evil Immortals inside of you?"

For the first time, there was a flicker of uncertainty in the priestess' eyes, and her jaw loosened a bit.

<She's thinking about it,> Steve thought. <How did she do it?>

"Steve," Jenny said again, breaking his train of thought, "can I talk to her in private? I think if she talked it out with someone, without pressure from everyone else, especially the jackass responsible for this, maybe she'll relent."

Shaw's eyes grew angry again, but she didn't respond. Steve looked her over, and asked, "How about it?"

"Complete privacy, Steven," the elven warrior hissed. "No observations of ANY type. From NO one."

"Isn't that going to be hard, with a telepathic fairy and two Greek Gods in the room?" Buffy asked.

"No, Buffy," Artemis said. "They can use the training room. Since it is holy ground dedicated to me, my power can keep anyone from listening in. And I swear in Zeus' name that I will not listen in either. Is that good enough for you, Shaw?"

"Your word is good enough, Lady Artemis," Shaw said with a trace of friendliness in her tone. "You, unlike a certain incompetent, pathetic, impotent example of divinity, can be trusted."

"Lady Goddess, that's Shaw's version of a yes," Cordelia said quickly.

"I figured as much," Artemis grinned at her while enjoying the look of anger on Ares' face. "Something wrong, Brother dear?"

"I am not impotent!" he snapped with an orange glow in his eyes.

The Scoobies started laughing, and he snapped, "What's so funny?"

"The fact that you didn't counter the other things she called you, you incompetent, pathetic example of divinity," Robin pointed out to the laughs of the others.

"Don't piss me off, Goodfellow," the God of War snarled.

"Don't forget what happened the last time you got on my wrong side, Dipwod," the fairy countered. He waggled a finger at the God, and said, "And keep in mind, the restrictions on my magic count for fighting evil, but that also includes evil intent. You try to use the ittiest, bittiest smidgen of Power, and I'll go midieval on you. That's why Shaw kicked your ass, by the way."

"Oh, how's that?" the God smirked.

Shaw turned around and hissed, "Any of my friends can, as Robin just said, 'go midieval.' But they would never defeat me if they did."

"Oh, really? Why is that?"

Shaw leaned in close, and with evil intent dancing in her eyes, she said, "Remember where I come from, Ares. Remember who I worship, Ares. For the others, going midieval is an act. For me, it is a way of life. "

"English translation?" Xander asked Robin.

"Simple," Goodfellow said with a smile. "You can go midieval, but Shaw IS midieval."

"Cool catchphrase," Oz commented.

"Uh, Robin," Willow asked, looking at Ares, "What happened the last time you met Ares?"

"Oh, he backed the wrong side in a war," Artemis said. "Robin came up with an amazing method for ending it."

"What's that?" Amanda asked.

"I never liked Troy," Robin said with a shrug.

The others, save for Artemis, Ares and Shaw, all stared at him in shock at what he was hinting. He shrugged again and said, "Hey, anyone can use brute force. I'm an artist."

Jenny looked at Shaw, and said, "Well, Shaw?"

Shaw nodded cautiously and the two walked by the twin Greek Gods into the training room.

"Well, Robin," Artemis said, while staring at her brother, "what do you think?"

"I wouldn't hold out too much hope," the sprite said evilly. "If I were Ares, I'd be 'porting to the local minimart for some condoms. Of course, a dozen roses and a box of chocolates might help too."

"You are truly sick," the God of War said with a sneer.

Robin looked at the Slayerettes, and said, "Keep in mind who's saying this about me."

"Well, he's right," Amy said with a grin. "You are sick."

"You know me so well," he grinned.

*****

Jenny closed the door behind her, and watched as Shaw walked to the center of the training room, and then turned around. Shaw folded her arms, staring at the Amazon.

"Why did you want to talk to me?" Shaw asked.

"Because we're afraid that you're making a terrible mistake with Ares," Jenny said gently. She walked forward, stopping about five feet from Shaw, and said, "Shaw, do you realize what will happen if he goes to Hell?"

"I may be a maiden, Jenny, but I am not naive in such matters," the half-elf said coldly. "I was specific about what he would do. HOW he does it is Ares' decision."

"And when the twenty-four hours are up? Do you really think he'll get out of Hell?" the gypsy asked. Before Shaw could answer, she asked more questions. "Do you think the demons in Hell would honor your agreement by letting him leave? And what will his state of mind be by the time he's at the end of something that you can see scares him?"

"I want him to be scared, Jenny!" Shaw blurted, tears starting to fall. "What part of this do you find so hard to comprehend? He has violated everything I hold dear! He violated my mind, my emotions, and he tried to take my soul away from the Lady, Jenny! I left to avoid endangering the first family I have had in half a lifetime, and it was because of HIM! But instead, because of me, she and all of you were put into danger instead of being kept out of it! And then, he tried to kill Connor, he tried to kill Amy, Xander, Cordelia. . . he deserves to be punished!"

"I know, Shaw," Jenny said, using a soft tone in stark contrast to Shaw's violent outbursts. "But there is a fine line between justice and revenge. You have to ask yourself if you are crossing that line. Shaw, we wouldn't want you to try to get revenge for us."

"It was not for you!" the half-elf screamed, as tears and sparks flowed evenly from her eyes. "I did it for my Grandparents!!!"

Now, Jenny was caught by surprise. "What do you mean, Shaw?"

Shaw stopped, closing her eyes and gaining control of her temper. Slowly, her breathing became normal, and she said, "He said that if I joined him, he would return my Grandparents to the living."

"He offered to do that for you?" Jenny asked, moving towards Shaw.

"It was not an offer," she returned harshly, "it was a threat!"

Jenny cocked her head, and asked, "What do you mean by 'threat?'"

Shaw looked at the Romany, as if trying to figure out a way to explain it. She quietly said, "Jenny, you lost an uncle to Angelus, did you not?"

"Yes, I did," the teacher replied, not knowing why Shaw had brought this subject to the fore. "Why are you asking me about that?"

"Jenny," Shaw said, looking at the floor, "if you had the chance to bring him back, would you do it?"

The question was the last thing that she would have expected, and she wasn't sure what she would want.

"I--- I don't know, Shaw," she answered honestly, knowing that was the type of answer the ranger wanted. "It would give me the chance to have him in my life again."

Shaw looked at Jenny, a look of determination on her face, as she said, very slowly, "And if you knew, without any doubt whatsoever, that doing that would take him away from your version of Heaven? If you knew, with one hundred percent certainty, that your uncle was at the side of his God, in your Heaven, would you bring him back? Would you take him away from the greatest reward that one could ever hope to have?"

Jenny thought over the question, looking at it from Shaw's point of view, and remembering Joe N'Gato and Kendra's explanations about Shaw's beliefs concerning the afterlife, and then she looked at it from her point of view and was somehow not surprised to come to the same conclusion.

"No, Shaw. I wouldn't bring him back," she admitted.

"THAT is why I made Ares agree to this," Shaw said, her anger subsiding now that she knew that Jenny understood her mind. "I made him agree to this because of all that he has done to us, and what he would have done to them."

"I understand you're in mourning over them. ."

Shaw turned away and it stopped Jenny from finishing her thought. Jenny walked towards Shaw, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Shaw, what is it?" she asked with concern.

"I am no longer mourning them, Jenny," the half-elf said softly. "I let them go. Today, I realized that I have let them go. It has been twenty-five years, and they have earned their rewards. That is why I am so enraged by this, that Ares would even think that I would ever disgrace their memories like that. When he made that offer. . . I wanted to kill him."

By now, Shaw was shaking a bit, and Jenny felt her own heart ache, knowing the pain of losing a loved one. She pulled on Shaw's shoulder, and turned her around, and saw the half-elf's lower lip trembling.

"Jenny, what kind of person am I to cause someone to think I could ever want to do that to my Grandparents," she asked the teacher. "How could he think that?"

"Because of how much you love them," Jenny said with a smile. She lowered her head to Shaw's and told her, "We can see it. We see it in your eyes when you talk about them. If mere mortals like us can see it, certainly a God, no matter how much a bastard he is, can see it as well."

"Do you now see why I did this?" she asked.

"Yes, but we still worry that you might be going to far," the Gypsy told Shaw. Shaw's face clouded over, and Jenny tried another tack. "I know what revenge can do to people. When Angel lost his soul, it was because I didn't tell them that it could happen. I didn't know, but I kept my true identity from Rupert and Buffy. . . and almost lost them in the process. I don't know what would have happened if Steve hadn't come, and Giles and Buffy had asked for my help in the matter."

Seeing some weakening of Shaw's resolve, Jenny went one step further. "Shaw, you swore you would never use revenge again. I know you meant against vampires, but I would think that you would include all beings in this promise. You had so much self-anger inside of you for so long, and you finally let go of it. Do you want to have it again, after all the work you've done to become the person you are capable of becoming?"

Shaw was trembling at her questions and observations, and she couldn't meet the other woman's gaze. She lowered her head, and said, "You would let him get away with this?"

"No, but the punishment can't be excessive," Jenny offered. "It's your decision, but ask yourself this; would your Grandparents or your Goddess want you to avenge something? You tried to avenge your Grandparents when they were killed, and you realized that it was a mistake. Do you want to potentially make another one? Truly think about this. Would those you look up to, who you love, do this?"

Shaw turned away again, looking up and straight ahead at the wall for more than five minutes, making Jenny wonder what she was thinking, when Shaw spoke up.

"Would you ask Ares and Artemis to come in, Jenny?" she asked.

"Shaw. ."

"I have made my decision," she said, cutting Jenny off.

Jenny watched her back, and turned to the doors. She opened them, and every single head in the living room turned to her.

"Shaw wants to see Artemis and Ares," she said.

"She has made a decision?" Artemis asked, to which Jenny nodded.

"Yes, Lady Goddess."

The two Gods quickly teleported into the room, and Shaw turned around, a look of anger in her eyes as she stared down the God of War.

Shuffling nervously on his feet, he asked, "Well?"

"Our agreement is binding and non-negotiable," Shaw stated. As Ares started to blubber out, she added, "However, your punishment will be modified, provided you agree to whatever I dictate."

Ares stopped, wondering if he was in for something worse than what he HAD agreed to, but nodded, figuring a slim chance was better than no chance.

"Very well," the half-elf snapped. She walked up to a point between Ares and Artemis, with Jenny standing off to the side. She looked at Artemis and said, "Lady Artemis, Ares indicated that you could contact the Lady of the Forest? I know that he stated it would be difficult, but can it be done?"

"Oh, I think I could swing it," Artemis said with a smile, which Jenny shared without Shaw seeing it. "It might take some time."

"I know," the half-elf said. "Ares, if I were like you, I would come up with the most devastating, horrific torture that my mind could come up with. Be thankful that I am NOT like you, no matter what you have tried to do to me."

She moved up a couple of paces, and said, "If, in a period of ten years, the Lady Artemis cannot contact the Lady Mielikki, you will be free of any punishment in this matter. But, if she should make contact, the Lady of the Forest will decide your punishment. It will be Her decision, not mine."

Ares and Artemis looked positively stunned by her proclamation, while Jenny fought to keep a smile from growing larger on her face.

"Thank. ."

"I am not finished," Shaw snapped. She pointed at her stomach, and said, "If any part of the Quickenings inside of me are the essence of your priest, remove it now. Remove it, and only that part. He was your priest, I would say that you have an obligation to restore his spirit or soul, and give him his rightful place at your side on Olympus."

Ares' jaw dropped as she said that, and he said, "He served me for over two thousand years."

"Would you not say he has earned his reward, then?" Shaw asked.

Ares had no choice but to nod. He gestured, and Shaw felt something come out of her, which balled into a bluish-white ball of energy, and the God of War gestured again, and the energy disappeared. "He's back on Olympus. Thank you."

Shaw stalked up to Ares and snarled, "Do not thank me, Ares. Pray. Pray that the Lady is more merciful to you for this than I would have been, if I were not more like my friends. Now be gone, but not before I tell you exactly what I think of you. No threats, no insults, no attacks. Only the plain, unadorned truth."

"Oh, what's that?" Ares asked as he rolled his eyes.

Shaw spit a very large wad of phlegm into Ares' right eye. She then turned on her heel and started to walk away. Ares started to growl, but Artemis shook her head grimly. With a loud "Gaaah!" he teleported out.

Shaw just watched as the light faded, and the three beings left in the training room stood silent for a few moments.

"Lady Artemis," Shaw asked with a dry whisper, "will he get away with this?"

Artemis walked over to Shaw and said, "No, Shaw Hunter. Your Lady will see justice done in this matter. You have my word on that."

"Justice, or retribution?"

"Justice, young one," the Goddess promised, placing her hands on Shaw's shoulders. With a look at Jenny, she asked, "Will you be all right from here on out, Jenny?"

"Yes, Lady Goddess," Jenny answered with a smile. "We can handle the rest."

Artemis nodded, and made ready to teleport, but Shaw said, "Lady Artemis?"

She looked at the half-elf, and said, "Yes, Shaw?"

"Thank you," she whispered, just loud enough for Artemis to hear.

Artemis planted a soft kiss on Shaw's forehead, and said, "You're welcome."

With that, the Goddess of the Hunt vanished from the training room.

Jenny slowly walked over to Shaw, who turned her head to the Amazon.

"Jenny," she said softly, "would you accept some advice from me?"

"Yes," Jenny answered, folding her arms.

"These visits you receive from Artemis? Never take them for granted, for it shows that you and the others are truly blessed."

"That's advice I think I can remember," Jenny said with a smile. "Are you all right, Shaw?"

"I am glad this is done with," Shaw said, letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Shaw turned towards the Amazons' shrine, and said, "Jenny, thank you for making me see things clearly. You were right, I would not have done that to anyone under normal circumstances. I. . . I cannot repay you enough for this."

"Yes, you can," Jenny said, drawing a look of keen interest from Shaw. "You can repay us by not feeling as if we blame you for this, and letting yourself heal."

"That is easier said than done, Jenny," Shaw softly replied to her. "But I will try."

Shaw swallowed, and asked, "Jenny, did I make the right choice?"

"As far as one could be made, I'd say yes," Calendar said, smiling fully. "And I'm proud of you for it. And I think that the others will be, too. I'll go get Willow and Duncan, and we'll finish this."

Shaw's eyes glistened a bit, and Jenny took heart that the Slayerette was glad for her approval.

<It means she cares what we think about her. The hard part will be convincing her.>

Jenny walked out into the living room, and all heads turned to her. Steve stood up and said, "Well?"

"Ares will be in for a hard time," Jenny said with a grin, "when Mielikki gets Her hands on Him."

"Mielikki?" Duncan asked curiously.

"Shaw remanded his punishment to Her," the Romany explained to the surprised group. "She even put a ten year limit on the time She could levy the punishment."

"How did you do it?" Giles asked in wonder. "How did you convince her?"

Jenny's smile faded, and she said, "Let's just say I used someone's experiences with family and revenge as an example."

Giles shared a knowing look with his lover, and nodded thoughtfully. "I understand, Jenny."

"Duncan, Willow, let's get started," Jenny commanded. "I think someone's waited long enough."

"Hell, yeah," Willow said, getting up from Oz's lap.

"With pleasure," Duncan said, standing up to head into the training room.

As the two witches and Immortal headed into the other room, Amy turned to Robin.

"Did you see that coming?" she asked.

"Nope, I thought Ares was gonna be somebody's wife," Robin answered. He smiled at Amy and said, "That girl impresses the hell out of me sometimes. Just when you think you've got her figured out, she surprises you."

"You have no idea," Amy said silently.

Shaw looked over to the trio as they entered the gym, and headed over to them to get whatever instructions they needed to give her.

"Okay, Duncan," Jenny said, pointing near the doors, "stand about four or five feet in front of the door. Take off the coat, and leave the sword off to the side. I don't think metal will effect the spell, but I don't want to take any chances."

"Got it," MacLeod said, proceeding to follow Jenny's instructions.

"Okay," Willow said, taking Shaw's wrist, "you're over here."

Willow led Shaw over to a spot near the weapons rack, which held their practice weapons, such as kendo sticks, staffs, and similar items. Jenny reached into her pocket and pulled out two scrolls, and handed one to Willow.

"Okay," the elder witch said, "Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to cast the spell to remove the Quickening from Shaw, and Willow will cast the spell to focus it and send it into Duncan. It'll be done in less than three minutes."

While Jenny was giving out the details, Willow had taken out some chalk, and had drawn out a circle on the floor. When she looked up, she saw Shaw staring at it.

"Shaw, what's wrong?" the Wiccan asked.

"That is for a containment circle," the half-elf observed.

"Yeah, to keep the Quickening from flying all over the training room," Willow said, standing off and brushing off her hands. She saw Shaw looking very nervous, and asked, "Shaw, what is it?"

Shaw shook her head, and said, "Let us do this. Quickly."

Willow gave her a look, and said, "Okay. You walk in, the circle springs up, and we'll start casting."

Shaw nodded, and with visible hesitation, walked forward, her eyes shut tight. She walked in, and the witches and priestess could feel the barrier blink into existence.

Jenny unrolled her portion of the spell and began chanting. As she chanted, Shaw grabbed at her stomach, and as the mystical forces built up, Willow could see Shaw's eyes glowing with a bluish-white light. The glow spread to cover her eyes, shooting out like the beams from a pair of headlights. Shaw opened her mouth in a silent scream, and light began pouring out from there, as well.

Willow felt her heart would stop, when Shaw screamed at the top of her lungs, and lightning began flying out of Shaw's eyes and mouth. She almost forgot to begin her half of the spell, and had to scramble to do her part.

As the lightning flew out, she began chanting her side of the enchantment, and the Quickening energy began to coalesce into a whirling, twisting ball of pure electrical energy. When the last vestiges of sparks exited Shaw, she slumped against the invisible wall, sliding down and sobbing softly.

Willow reached the climax of her portion, and shouted, "Now, Jenny!"

Jenny quickly lowered the wall, and the energy of the two Quickenings shot out, straight at Duncan. Two bolts ripped into the Immortal, and he staggered just the slightest bit as he cried out slightly. A third bolt moved him back a step, and with a flourish the final bolt of energy fired straight into his chest. He twisted around a bit, but kept his footing, and with great breaths, he slowly recovered his equilibrium.

Willow dove over to the half-elf lying on the floor, shaking and curling up on herself, leaning over Shaw and laying a hand on her arm.

"Shaw, it's over," she said softly, trying to be gentle but still remain loud enough for her to hear. "We're all done."

Shaw kept shaking, but hissed, "I can see the true reason for the circle, Willow."

"What's that?" she asked in confusion.

"So that I could not kick Jenny's ass for not telling me how painful it would be," the half-elf said by way of a reply.

Willow looked at Jenny, worried. Jenny just said, "She's joking. She's just too exhausted to come up with something better than Xander."

Shaw was shaking harder, and Willow looked down at her in greater concern, but relaxed when she saw the slight smile on the ranger's face.

"Shaw, you okay?" the redhead asked.

"Hurts," she said quietly, attempting to stand. When she failed on her first attempt, Willow helped her up. "Thank you, Willow."

"Come on, let's get you home," Willow said, as they started towards the door.

Shaw looked up, and saw Duncan standing there, smoke still trailing from his clothes. "Duncan, are you all right?"

"All right?" Jenny echoed with a laugh. "He didn't even take more than one step backwards."

"I thought that Connor was supposed to be the showoff," Shaw remarked while looking at the Highlander. She released herself from Willow's grip, and hugged Duncan, muttering, "Thank you, Duncan. For everything."

Knowing full well what she meant by "everything," Duncan grinned. "You're welcome, Shaw."

Willow took Shaw by the shoulder again, and guided her out on stiff legs, despite her growing strength of limb.

Jenny waited with Duncan, and he looked to her.

"You know she's in for a hard time, Jenny," MacLeod said to her. "Nightmares will likely be the least of it."

"I know, Duncan," Jenny said with a tear. With a sigh, she added, "She's going to be away from the fighting, but she wants it. Goddess knows she's more than earned it."

"Jenny, I'd say she's earned the right to lay down her sword for good, and just be allowed to live her life and let others do the fighting," Duncan told her as he turned to look towards the living room. "To let herself enjoy some of the things she's given to other people."

"And what would be the first thing she said, if you told her that?" Jenny responded. "She'd say, 'But there would not be anyone to take my place. And that would leave others without someone to give them those things.'"

"You do a very good impression of her," Duncan joked as they moved to follow the other two.

"Duncan, why did she hesitate to enter the circle?" the Gypsy asked. "For a second, it looked like she'd refuse to go in."

"Don't think she didn't want this removed from her, Jenny," Duncan said firmly. He sighed, and said, "It was the circle, not the spell."

Jenny thought about it, and whispered, "Claustrophobe?"

"Yes, and Steve knows about it," the Scotsman said, "so you don't have to keep it a secret."

Shaw and Willow walked out into the living room, and Buffy was the first to see the easier cast to Shaw's face, and she went over to see how she was.

"All done?" Buffy asked with a smile.

Shaw nodded, leaning into Willow for support, and said, "Yes, Buffy. I need to ask a favor of you, however."

"Name it, Hunter," the Slayer said.

"Soulreaver," the half-elf mumbled, turning back a bit to the training room, and seeing Duncan and Jenny coming out, "I will not be using it, as we have discussed. Would you and Steven consent to keep it for me, and allow the others to use it on patrols until the time comes when I start fighting again."

Buffy and Willow stared at her in shock, and Buffy said in a mechanical voice, "You're asking for me and Steve to keep your magic sword and let the others play with it?"

"Yes, Buffy," Shaw said, standing up under her own power, even if said power was strictly limited. "Buffy, that is what the sword was forged for. It has been used for that purpose for over a thousand years. It will help to keep the others alive, and safe, and I see no reason why it should sit in my room when it could be used by the rest of us, to protect each other. It. . . . it would make me feel more secure to know that the others had this extra protection, Buffy."

"You do realize that this will cause problems," Steve said, joining the three women.

"You mean Xander and Cordelia arguing over it?"

"Of course," St. Wolf replied. "I don't want to be around when that happens."

"HEY!" Xander and Cordelia snapped.

"Oh, we'll just have them flip a coin or something," Amy said from the couch where she sat next to Robin. She got up, and walked over to Shaw. "You ready to head out, cuz?"

Shaw nodded, and said, "It will be good to be in my own home again."

"Uh, we were gonna have you stay at Robin's place," Amy said uncertainly.

Shaw's head turned over towards Robin, and she asked, "Would you care to repeat that?"

"We figured you could get some sleep, and we'd take you home in the morning. Don't want to scare the crap out of Ulric when he gets home and finds us in his house," Robin said. When Shaw looked ready to object, Amy broke in.

"Shaw," she said quietly, "we just want to keep an eye on you. Me and Robin would be in his living room, so you wouldn't panic when you woke up, thinking you're all alone or something."

Shaw thought about it, and said, "Very well, Amy. Thank you."

"No problem," Amy said, giving Shaw a quick hug.

Robin joined them and said, "Besides, you're not my type, no offense."

Shaw looked from him to Amy, and back again. "Then why are you dating Amy? She is not your type either."

Everyone's eyebrows rose at that, and Amy said, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Two months ago, when I told you who I was, Robin said that I was just like you," Shaw answered with a puzzled frown. "If that is true, and I am not his type, then neither are you."

Amy turned slowly to Robin, and asked, "Well, Robin? How about it?"

"Well, I meant it as an insult at the time," the fairy said, and everyone started laughing at him. "What?!?"

"Oh, so comparing someone to me is an insult, now?" the witch demanded, folding her arms and tapping her foot on the floor.

"Oh, great," Steve said, "There goes my living room."

"But... but..." Robin stammered before stopping and looking at the flashing eyes of the blonde teenager. "Nothing I say's gonna get me out of this, is it?"

"Nope," Amy said.

"I say anything, it'll just dig me deeper, won't it?" he asked, not expecting a good answer.

"Yep."

"Would you accept my shutting up and getting in the car?" he asked meekly.

Amy thought about it, and nodded. "Move it, Puckhead."

Robin started stammering again, as Shaw and Amy headed for the door, Amy supporting Shaw by wrapping an arm around her shoulders. The Merry Wanderer just kept stammering, before recovering what dignity he had, and looking at the others.

"Am I going to regret this?" he asked.

"What?" Randi asked with a grin, looking at the cousins walking outside. "Having Shaw stay at your place so that she has someone there for her when she wakes up so she's not alone?"

"No, I meant those two starting to act like relatives," he clarified.

The assembled Slayerettes, as well as Duncan, Amanda, and Kenny, looked at each other, and then back at Robin.

"Hell, yes," they answered as one.

"I was afraid of that."

*****

Part 14: Long Talks
(Questions, Answers, And More Questions)

Goodfellow Residence
Sunnydale, California
23 November 1998

Amy walked out of Robin's bedroom, and walked over to the couch. As she sat down next to Robin, she leaned back and just stared off into space.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Robin asked with a smile. "Although I'd go as high as a nickel."

A smile crept onto Amy's face as she sat there. "Smartass."

"If a lame comment like that cheers you up, you've got a lot on your mind," Robin commented, moving closer to her. She leaned over and snuggled into his shoulder, and he softly said, "You're still worried about her."

"Yeah," the witch answered quietly. As he put an arm around her, she told him, "She crashed as soon as she laid down. She was that close to just falling over. And everyone thinks the big part's over, but she's got a lot of shit to get over. She needs our help, but I'm just not sure how to do it."

"Just be there for her," Goodfellow said, squeezing Amy a bit. "And there's enough of us to handle the job. But there's something else on your mind. Let's hear it."

"Okay," Amy said, sitting forward and leaving Robin's embrace. She laid her arms on her legs, and began talking. "I told you that she told me what happened to her way back when."

"Yeah, I know," the fairy said as he sat up straight, sensing that this was important to Amy. "What about it?"

Amy looked at the ceiling and sighed. "Well, I promised her I'd tell all of you, so she didn't have to. She relived the whole thing for me Robin. She wanted me to understand so much, she went through the whole thing. Getting the mission, the last letter she ever got from her grandparents, meeting the other Harpers, the mission itself. . . she didn't tell me what happened afterwards, but I know enough. But. . . there's things she shouldn't have to let the others know. But I told her I'd think about it, and I figure you'd know about it already."

Now Robin laid his left hand on Amy's knee. "Something personal for Shaw?"

"Oh, yeah," Amy said dully. She looked at Robin, and asked, "What do you know about elven ears?"

Robin blinked, and said, "Okay, let's start with the obvious; they're pointed. . ."

"Robin. . ."

"They're sensitive; about twenty percent better hearing than your average human. Shaw, I'd say she's at about fifteen percent, being half human. . ."

"Robin."

The fairy rubbed his chin. "Then there are the differences between elves from different dimensions. . ."

"Robin!" Amy snapped.

"Whoa, excuse me!" the fairy hissed. "You did ask."

"Tell me something that Shaw would keep *secret* about her ears," the Amazon ordered her boyfriend. "Something even I wouldn't be told."

"Well, there's the fact. . ." Robin said before stopping with an "urk." He stared at Amy, who was quietly watching him, before saying in a very hushed voice, "She told you that?!?"

"Without realizing it," she admitted weakly. "Robin, go ahead and zip through my head, and maybe you can help me figure this out. Okay?"

Robin watched her, and nodded. He stared at her for several seconds, and finally leaned back with an expression of shock on his face. To Amy's surprise, there were actually tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Robin?" she asked, turning sideways on the couch and crossing her legs on the cushion.

"Remember what I said earlier, about her impressing the hell out of me?" he asked her.

"Yeah," the girl said. "What about it?"

"I didn't know jack shit about what should impress me," he confessed, now looking at his girlfriend. "The kid's lucky to be alive, let alone sane. Hell, Amy, let alone the person she is now."

"She did go temp crazy, Robin," Amy reminded him.

"And the fact that is *was* only temporary. . ." Robin shook his head ruefully. "Amy, I'm telling you, we knew she was strong-willed, but this kind of steel just doesn't come along every century. I mean, Gods above, Amy, if I compare her to the people who took shit like this, this being only one incident, with all the stuff she HASN'T told us about. . ."

"Compare her to who?" the witch asked with a sincere need to know. "Robin, I gotta know if she'll get through this. Who can you compare her to?"

"You really wanna know?" Robin asked her. When her eyes started to darken, he pointed at her. "Hey, don't get that way with me, sweetie. I'll tell you who she compares to, maybe she's not equal to them, but she comes damn close."

Amy settled down, and letting out a breath she said, "Okay. Go ahead."

"To start off; Moses." At Amy's raised eyebrows, he said, "The fx in 'The Ten Commandments' doesn't begin to come close to the stuff he went through for his people, believe you me."

"Okay, I'll take your word for it," she said. At the cross look from Robin, she held up her hands. "No more smart comments, I promise."

"Cool," Robin said. He rubbed his chin, and said, "Okay, next up; Xena. Everything on that show *really* happened, and if you don't believe me, ask Gabrielle. Hercules; Hera killed his family, brutally killed them, so he could relate to Shaw VERY well. Saladin; he watched as the Christians, led by King Richard, invaded his homeland to take Jerusalem. And of course, there's Joanie. I don't have to tell you what SHE went through, but I can tell you that she knew what her fate would be, and she stuck it out all the way to the end."

Amy just listened in stunned silence, as Robin made comparisons between various people and her cousin sleeping deeply in the next room.

"You really think so?" Amy asked quietly.

"Remember what Shaw told us in the library," Robin reminded her. "She said that Joanie herself compared the two of them together. What more proof could you want?"

With a soft sigh, Amy slumped back in the couch. She thought for a few seconds, and asked, "So do I tell them?"

"Shaw said she'd prefer it," Robin said, leaning back himself. He let Amy lay her head on his shoulder, and told her, "You just need to consider whether or not it's for the others to know."

"Okay," the blonde witch said, smiling. "I'll think about it."

"Good. In the meantime," the sprite said, standing up and reaching for a bag on the floor, "I rented us some movies. So we could keep awake in case she wakes up."

"Let's see," Amy said, grabbing the bag. She scanned the titles, and sent a sidelong glance at the grinning fairy. "Are you trying to tell me something, Mr. Goodfellow?"

"Whatever could you mean by that, Ms. Madison?" Robin asked with false innocence.

"Oh, let's see," she said, pulling out one tape at a time. "Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare in Love, Ghost, Titanic. . .the *Director's Cut* of Titanic, and. . . oh, yeah. Being a guy, you had to get an action flick. Mask of Zorro."

"Now wait a minute," Robin protested, taking the last one, "think about this; the original Zorro, in this case Anthony Hopkins, trains the new Zorro, Antonio Banderas, who falls in love with the woman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, who happens to be the daughter of the original Zorro, although Antonio and Catherine don't know it at first."

Amy considered it, and said, "And nothing gets blown up?"

"Well, a couple of gold mines. . ."

"Uh huh," Amy laughed, shaking her head. "Okay you convinced me. What's up first?"

They made it through Mask of Zorro, which Amy enjoyed (much to Robin's surprise), Ghost ("a classic," Amy said), and they were halfway through Titanic when a loud thud came from Robin's bedroom. Without hesitation, Amy sprang to her feet and ran for the bedroom, whereas Robin got up and slowly walked after her while lamenting the loss of the romantic atmosphere.

He walked to the doorway, and saw Amy talking with the clearly upset Shaw. They were talking about Shaw's friends from the town of Santa Carla, but Shaw didn't seem convinced by Amy's reassurances.

"Amy, I saw them," Shaw protested through weak sobs. "Lying on the floor, the vampires standing over them."

"And you shot the vamps, and Edgar and Alan came back. They're Immortals now," Amy said with strong conviction. "You gave 'em orders to call Steve, and they'll be here Sunday afternoon."

"But I do not remember!" Shaw snapped. "I do not remember that!"

"What DO you remember?" Amy pressed softly. "What's next?"

"I. . the gas station," Shaw said, confused. She shook her head, telling Amy, "when Kenny needed my assistance."

The half-elf looked at Amy, asking in fear, "Why can I not remember, Amy?"

"I don't know," Amy said quite softly, hugging the ranger close to her. "But we'll figure it out."

"Maybe I can help, you two," Robin offered, startling the cousins. "Shaw, there is a way I might be able to find out what's up with your memories, but it's up to you."

Shaw stared at him, finally asking, "You are talking about telepathy?"

"Yep," the fairy nodded, before letting out a sigh. Entering the room, he said, "I know you don't like it, and I don't do it to anyone without permission. Your choice, kid."

"Do it, Robin," Shaw said without reservation, surprising both of the others. "Robin, I do not like this, not being able to remember things."

"Okay," the Prankster said softly, leaning against the wall. "Here goes nothing."

He stared at Shaw, his eyes narrowing while she felt the touch in her mind. Finally, he ceased tensing up, and after a minute his eyes widened, and the feeling faded.

"Robin, what is it?" Amy asked, not liking the look on Robin's face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not trying to freak you two, but good news or bad news first?" the fairy requested.

"Just tell me, Robin," Shaw answered, a trace of fear in her voice. "Please."

"Okay," Robin sighed. He shoved his hands into his front pants pockets, and said, "There's no trace of any Quickenings, or any trace of McGwire's memories that you were seeing. But, a lot of stuff's still in your head."

"What?" Amy asked, holding Shaw's hand. "Just say it, Robin."

"Languages, fighting skills, other stuff. I just peeked, so I don't know everything," Goodfellow explained to the stunned women. "Now listen; these aren't exactly memories, they're skills, learned talents. And somehow, they're in Shaw's thought patterns."

"In plain Thorass, Goodfellow," Shaw crossly said.

"When the Quickie was inside of you, it was like you had two minds inside your body," he started. He walked forward a bit, and said, "But now, the stuff that you used from McGwire, it's like YOU learned the stuff. Like you learning English or karate, the stuff 'feels' like you. There is NO trace of that Immortal in you. Zip, zero, nada. It's all Shaw Hunter."

Both Amy and Shaw looked somewhat reassured, but Amy looked at him again. "What about her memories?"

"That's the bad news," Robin said with sadness the girls could hear in his voice. "I thought, maybe they're blocked or repressed. But, they've been erased. Like words off a blackboard. There's. . . there's nothing there to remember."

"What. . . what have I forgotten?" Shaw asked, not to Robin or anyone in particular.

As her eyes started to tear up, Robin said, "There might be a way, kid. Telepathy ain't an option, but if I talk to Jenny, maybe I can come up with something. But it's just not likely; like I said, the memories are just gone. I'm sorry, Shaw."

Shaw shook her head. "You tried, Robin," she said quietly. She let out a loud yawn, and said, "Thank you."

"Okay," Robin said with a smile. He looked at Amy, and asked, "Can I talk to her for a second?"

Amy nodded, and got up after giving Shaw's hand a gentle squeeze. She walked out and closed the door behind him. Robin just stayed where he was, and Shaw watched him.

"Do you remember telling her?" he asked.

Shaw nodded, and tears began falling. "Yes, Robin, I remember. That is something I am glad of."

"Good," he told her. "I'm gonna go talk to Jenny, see if we can figure something out. Go back to sleep, but Amy'll be here if you need her."

Shaw nodded, and said, "Thank you, Robin."

"No problem, Spockette," he said, turning and heading out. However, as he was pulling the door shut, Shaw snapped something in Elvish before the door was shut. Once he pulled it shut, he stopped and sputtered wildly.

"I am NOT a pervert!!" he shouted.

Amy asked, "Say what?"

"She called me a pervert for having two women in my bedroom at the same time!"

"Well, you did," Amy pointed out with a grin.

"Not like THAT!" Robin blurted out.

"Oh, I'm sure it was completely innocent," she said as she folded her arms. "Serves you right for calling her 'Spockette.'"

"Hey, she gave me the headache," Robin said grumpily. "She could've at least warned me about the mental block." Seeing Amy's look, he told her, "Her empathy and will make it hard to read her. Enough power can get through, but damn, it hurts."

"So now what?" the Amazon asked.

A look of anger passed over Robin's face, but he quickly buried it. "Well, I'M going to Jenny's. It's ten o'clock, they may still be up. YOU, you're stuck with rewinding Titanic. That way, we can start over when I get back."

*****

Giles/Calendar Residence
Sunnydale, California
Late hours
23 November 1998

Jenny Calendar walked over to the door, wincing at the heavy knocking that had woken her up. Giles was still sleeping, the couple having decided to call it an early night.

<Of course, the fact that Giles snores means I'm the first one up in the morning,> Jenny thought with irritation as she tied the sash to her robe. She looked through the peephole, and after an initial burst of surprise, opened the door to reveal Robin Goodfellow.

"Robin, it's late."

"I figured you'd be awake," he said, noticing Jenny standing there in her robe. "Sorry, but we need to talk about Shaw."

Jenny's face became concerned, and she stepped to the side to let him in. He walked in, and started looking around, admiring the changes in the apartment.

"Good job, Jenny," Robin said off handedly. "Nice touches to the place."

Closing the door, Jenny said, "Thank you." After a pause, she asked, "Robin, how is she?"

"She's a wee bit scared, but she's okay," the fairy offered, removing an old book on the occult from the shelf, and leafing through it. "But I need to ask you something about that spell you cast."

Jenny took a seat, and said, "Of course, Robin. What do you want to know?"

"Oh, how about. ." Robin turned around, with a less than pleasant look on his face. "How about you tell me what's going down with you and Millie."

"Millie?" Jenny asked, puzzlement rampant on her face.

Now Robin smiled, showing teeth. "Yeah, Millie. You know her; buxom girl, brown curly hair, favors blades out of Arabian Nights, has a MAJOR unicorn fetish. Old friend of mine."

Rather than the denial or defensiveness he'd expected from the Gypsy, Jenny just let out a tired sigh.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"The spell you cast," he responded, setting the book back on the shelf. "You see, every magic has its signature. Not only the caster, but the source of the magic as well. Sort of like the mystical handwriting on the wall."

"Or a fingerprint," Jenny added.

"Yep," Robin said. He sat down on the far end of the couch, and said, "So, imagine my surprise when our half-elf wakes up, sans a couple days' worth of memories, and when I take a peek, lo and behold, I sense not only your signature in the gaps, but Millie's too. Not Arty's, since it was her spell. Care to explain?"

"Do you remember the mystery woman eliminating vampires while the others were chasing Shaw?"

"Yeah, they thought. . ." Robin said before putting two and two together. "That was Millie?"

"Yes, Robin," Jenny confirmed. "When I tried to call Artemis last night, Mielikki came instead, since She was the one covering our backs."

"Are you sure it was Millie?" Robin asked with a bit of skepticism. "She say anything that could prove Her identity?"

"She refused to call Shaw by any name other than her real one," Jenny said with a grin. "She also called you an 'old friend.' And there is the matter of Her being the one who really gave the Lady Goddess that nickname you drive her insane with."

"Crazy Finns have big mouths," Robin muttered. "Never could let me have fun without taking her share of the credit. How'd she come back to Earth?"

"You'd have to ask her, or Artemis," Jenny said helplessly. "But Mielikki gave me the spell to erase memories that She felt Shaw shouldn't have to suffer through. You know how she feels already about leaving. Mielikki felt she shouldn't have to live with things that weren't her fault."

"It was Millie's idea?" Goodfellow asked, looking straight into Jenny's eyes. "This is how She wanted it?"

"Yes, Robin, it was."

Robin nodded thoughtfully, and leaned forward, thinking. "Jenny, there's something been bugging me about this."

"What is it?" Jenny asked.

"Well, a big chunk of what Shaw's missing is the twenty-four or so hours between Santa Carla and Portland," the fairy said. He waved his hands a bit, and said, "It doesn't take twenty-four hours to get that far. I mean, she didn't sleep or anything that we know of. But that's one of the blank areas, and I know she would've mentioned something before the spell. We know pretty much everything else."

Jenny thought about it, and said, "I don't know, Robin. What will you do about this spell, now that you do know?"

"Are you kidding? I'm not telling," Robin said, standing up. "Remember the Big Vow I gave to Arty and Obe? I'd give it here, in a heartbeat. But you know what Millie's being here means."

"Shaw might get a visit from the Goddess she loves so much?"

"Well, maybe. But what I meant was," Robin said evilly, with the smile to match, "is that it's not going to take ten years for Tall Dark and Stupid to pay for what he did."

This one time, Jenny's Romany heritage truly surfaced for everyone to see, as a small, mystery-filled smile came to her face. A smile that those who knew about Gypsies would realize that this woman was thinking evil thoughts.

*****

Johansen Residence
Sunnydale, California
24 November 1998

Ulric Johansen was putting on the wool coat he wore to handle the cool weather of late fall, preparing to leave for work, when a knock sounded at his front door. Picking up his car keys, Ulric walked over to the door. He stopped, and shifted his perceptions to the protection spells that Shaw had laid upon his house in her time here. He quickly determined that there was no threat; in fact, one of the presences on the porch was Shaw herself.

A burst of silent relief passed through the Catholic priest; he'd been worried when the child had called him from the place she went to virtually every day to train and work with those who battled the forces of darkness he knew to exist in Sunnydale. Her explanation had been that something had happened, and that she had to leave town. She had only asked that he call and inform Principal Snyder that she was ill, to cover her absence.

He knew she hated deception, and that she didn't like asking him to do the same, but he realized that sometimes it was better to look at what was best for the world in general.

<And this child is fighting for a world she has taken as her own,> he thought, hoping that she'd pulled through whatever threat she'd faced.

Cautiously, he opened the door, and found Shaw huddling inside of a black duster, a look of pure exhaustion, beyond mere physical fatigue, in her bloodshot hazel eyes. It reminded him of young men he'd talked with during the Gulf War, when he had been called as a reservist Chaplain serving the Allied Forces in Arabia. What she looked to be suffering from was quite simply an unmatched case of combat fatigue.

Standing behind Shaw were two young people, a blonde-haired young woman in her late teens, and a brown-haired young man in his early twenties.

Shaw stepped across the threshold, and quietly said, "Ulric, I am so sorry for leaving."

Before Ulric could answer, the young woman followed the half-elf in, quickly followed by the young man. The teenager put gentle hands on Shaw's shoulders, and said, "Shhhhh. Let's get you to bed."

Shaw looked hesitant, but deferred to the girl's judgment.

"All right, Amy," she whispered drowsily, before turning towards her bedroom. "This way."

Ulric felt his eyebrows rise; so THIS was the cousin Shaw had spoken of so often, and so tenderly, in their common conversations about her activities. However, beyond the details of her activities, she had kept the identities of her other comrades secret from him, not only for their protection, but his as well.

As Amy led Shaw into her room, Ulric turned to the waiting young man next to him.

"Please, take a seat," the priest said, waving towards the couch. As the men sat down, Ulric in his armchair, he asked, "So, may I ask what happened, young man? What happened to the child?"

The man sighed sadly, and answered, "She got messed with, by a guy I *really* don't like. She should be the one to give you the details, but here's the skinny; Shaw got a bad guy's spirit put inside of her, she had to fight it trying to drive her nuts, while running cross-country trying to find a cure, and in the end, took out a big-time demon to save Connor's life, and helping some of the others, who'd gone to bring her home, kick the crap out of the jerk responsible for this entire mess."

"Does she still have this spirit inside of her?" Ulric asked with deep concern.

"No, it's been sent to its proper afterlife, at Shaw's request," the other said, rubbing his face. "She told the Dipwod of War to take it back to Olympus where it belonged."

Ulric sat there, stunned into silence. After a few seconds, he asked, "Could you give me the identity of the person responsible for Shaw's situation?"

"Ares," came the answer without the slightest reluctance.

"The Greek God of War?" Ulric asked softly, rubbing his chin.

"You don't believe me," the seated man observed.

"Young man, I am from Finland," Ulric said politely, felling a little pertu