information and disclaimers in part one =20 Title: Dreams? 4/12 =20 During the quiet trip to her hotel, Cassandra tried to think of a way to = separate Willow from her friends (and the Hellmouth) for the child's = training. The Immortal didn't want to be constantly interrupted by = demons or other assorted nasties throughout training. Worrying about = getting challenged by another Immortal, with Willow there and = vulnerable, was bad enough. =20 =20 By the time she got to her hotel room, she had reviewed every detail of = the conversation that had taken place at the Mansion -- every expression = and gesture. She realized that leaving town simply wouldn't work. It = looked like moving into the area for a couple of years was the only = choice she had. <Living on a Hellmouth is not my idea of fun! > She = knew that any attempt to take Willow to Europe for training was = hopeless. If she even suggested the idea, the child's friends and = protectors would protest. The dark-haired vampire would probably be = violent about his objections. Cassandra had a suspicion that, even if = she somehow talked Willow into leaving, Angel would track them down. =20 Despite her vehement objections to the Hellmouth, she agreed with the = Goddess' decision to send her here. The slender girl was lucky to not = have already met her first death; she desperately needed to be trained. = Cassandra considered various ways to conceal Willow's status as a = pre-Immortal from her friends. <She's weak from the dreams and all that = time under the binding spell. I'll suggest martial arts training to get = her strength back. > With a wicked little grin she decided to make that = vampire help train the child. Cassandra was willing to bet that he = would hover over Willow to keep her safe. As far as Cassandra was = concerned, his constant presence might as well be useful. <And if he = does that part of the training, they're less likely to guess I'm not = here just to train her in magic. If Willow is going to survive the Game = she'll need more than magic. > Cassandra thought about the protective = way the vampire looked at Willow. <I wonder if she knows he's in love = with her. >=20 =20 Cassandra dropped her bags on the floor , sat gracefully down in the = chair nearest the phone, and then dialed from memory.=20 =20 "Joe?" =20 "Cassandra. What do you need?" He asked in a surprised voice. Joe had = called her a few times to pass on possible leads, but she hadn't called = him since that first unexpected request for help. It was the first time = he had ever heard of a link that pulled a mentor to a student who hadn't = had their first death yet. Joe was anxious to hear how the story turned = out. "How did that last lead turn out? Anything?" =20 "You led me right to her. She's alive and still pre-Immortal." =20 "Good, I was afraid she had died, and we'd never find out why you lost = contact with her." =20 Cassandra quickly described Willow, and told Joe about the unusual town = the young woman was living in. <I'm not sure, but I think he's going to = pass out. I can almost see his jaw hanging open. > She knew that much = of what she was telling him was outside of his experience. She even = told him about her flashback. If it hadn't been for his knowledge of = Cassandra's own witchcraft and for what he'd seen of Duncan's experience = with a demon, she wouldn't have expected him to believe most of what she = was saying. Finally, she finished speaking and listened to the silence = on the other end to the line. =20 Joe's mind was reeling. As a Watcher, he knew there was more to the = world than the average person knew, but this was beyond even his = experience. For several moments he tried to think of something to say. = The only coherent question he could came up with was, "You told them = you're an Immortal?"=20 =20 "Yes, I didn't have much choice. Her dreams made it necessary for me to = explain what I am. Living on the Hellmouth they're accustomed to the = unusual, and they won't go blabbing to the tabloids. However, they are = used to the unusual being a threat." Cassandra's voice was calm. =20 =20 Joe asked, more calmly, "Why did you tell me all this? You could have = just told me that you found her." =20 "I'm not going to be able to get her to move away for training. Her = friends, especially the vampire, are very protective. They don't trust = me yet. I need you to bring some of the things I left in Europe to = Sunnydale. I don't want to trust anyone else with some of the items or = their location." =20 Joe agreed quickly, noting down the things she wanted. She told him = that a normal moving company would handle the rest of the things she = needed. His curiosity was in full gear; the Watcher wanted to meet the = unusual people Cassandra had described. He was also rather pleased to = have the Immortal's unexpected trust.=20 =20 Giles arrived promptly at nine the next morning. Cassandra met him in = the lobby; she decided to question the man while they drove. She = wanted to know more about the other people she'd encountered at the = Mansion.=20 =20 "That was Buffy, the Slayer, and Xander, a long time friend of Willow's" = Giles was consumed by his own curiosity, but he felt slightly = uncomfortable around Cassandra. Partially it was because he wasn't yet = sure if he could trust her, but he also couldn't figure out what to ask = her first. So he was rather glad that she was asking questions instead. = There was also something very reserved and regal about her, something = that made him feel it was inappropriate to question her. =20 "The Slayer? I've heard that term before, but I've never met someone who = was willing to explain it." Cassandra asked with genuine interest. Her = student appeared to have been living a very unusual life, with very = unusual friends. =20 Giles quickly explained the role of the chosen one, giving a brief = summary of Buffy's adventures as the Slayer. He also gave a succinct = description of Angel's life. "He and Willow seem to have become very = close friends over the past year. I don't know why; I wasn't aware of = how close they were until Willow became ill."=20 =20 "So Willow has been helping Buffy since the Slayer arrived here? = Magically?" =20 "Mostly in research, actually. Willow isn't a very strong witch, and = she knows only rudimentary magic." =20 Cassandra seriously doubted that Willow was magically weak, remembering = what she had picked up during their shared Quickening. <But he's = unaware of it. > Discovering that Willow lacked training was no = surprise. Discovering what experience Willow actually had would have to = wait until they were alone. Just as Giles built up the courage to ask = her a question they arrived at his apartment. =20 =20 Willow watched Giles leave with a happy smile on her face. Despite the = fact that she had slept only a short time the night before she felt = bouncy and energetic, almost euphoric. She had a sudden urge to skip = around the room. Both the dreams and the binding spell, which Giles had = removed last night, had been tiring for the young witch, and now she was = completely free of them. Furthermore, she now had the teacher she'd = been longing for. <No more trying to learn out of a book with incomplete = instructions! Yippee! > Willow bounced happily. =20 =20 She had frequently complained to Angel, during long discussions on = magic, that the spells in the books she had gotten a hold of were only = partial. Not only that, much magic wasn't done with a spell at all, and = had to be taught directly. The only two pieces of major magic she had = ever attempted were the restoration of his soul and the traumatic rescue = out of Hell. The second had been successful only through raw luck -- = just beginners luck and a friend's determination. She'd been horribly = weak afterwards and had told everyone she had the flu. Angel had hidden = in her basement, undiscovered since her parents were once again out of = town. Buffy had wanted to come over but reminders of contagion had kept = her away.=20 =20 The only other magic she could reliably do was float and propel small = objects. A few times she had managed to do spirit walks and peek at = other realities when meditating. She couldn't always do it. Last night, = even through the binding spell, she had been able to see Cassandra's = strong aura. The woman seemed to glow. <She's very strong, and I can = tell she knows a lot. > =20 =20 Despite her own excitement and joy, Willow hadn't missed her closest = friend's concern. <How can I convince Angel that we can trust her? I = know her. She didn't try to lie about being Immortal. > Willow paused = to wonder about this new addition to her knowledge of the weird and = unusual. This was definitely better than another new kind of demon. = <Though those headhunters she talked about don't sound very nice. I = wonder how old she is. > Her mind rambled over various topics, from = magic, to Angel, back to magic again, and then finally back to = Cassandra's past, carried along on the bubbling energy left in the wake = of the binding spell. =20 =20 The idea of long life wasn't new to Willow, even if it was an 'unlife' = in Angel's case. They had spoken all night once about the strangeness = of seeing society and technology change around you. He described what = his time had been like. His perspective on history fascinated Willow. = < I wonder what things she has seen change. > =20 Willow's thoughts strayed away from Cassandra and began to focus on = Angel. He had been so - sweet - when he had gotten worried about her = last night. A warm feeling settled around the redhead as she thought of = Angel. He had been the most wonderful friend the past six weeks. She = knew she wouldn't have kept her sanity without his help. That had been = one benefit of the binding spell; it had gotten Angel to return from LA. = <I missed him so much; email isn't the same. > =20 =20 Her thoughts drifted away from his mind and she stared thinking about = his dark eyes and occasional smiles. <He's gorgeous. What would it be = like to kiss him? > The warm feeling suddenly increased to a tingle = that sent a shiver down her back. Blushing, Willow suddenly realized = how she was thinking about her best friend. <Bad Willow! Angel is your = friend. He sees you as a friend. > Willow repeated this to herself = while she resolutely tried to shake the warm, wobbly feeling she'd = gotten at the idea of kissing Angel. < Dark eyes. Sexy mouth. Stop = it, Willow! > Fortunately for the redhead's peace of mind, the sound of = Giles' car pulling up distracted her from these thoughts, returning her = to happy anticipation. =20 =20 Willow was nearly incoherent with excitement when Cassandra and Giles = came in; finally, she would get beyond fragmented basics in magic. = Then, suddenly, she felt shy as she realized the Goddesses had basically = dragged Cassandra to Sunnydale. < Maybe she doesn't want to teach me? = > =20 "Is it, do you, I mean do really want to teach me? I mean, I'll = understand if you don't want to." Willow blushed, biting her lower lip. = She felt like an incredible opportunity was going to disappear forever, = and she had volunteered to let it go. Her stomach knotted, the euphoria = dissolving. Both she and Giles turned to look at the older witch.=20 =20 Cassandra smiled at her reassuringly. <Nice girl. Thoughtful. > "If = you want to learn, then I want to teach you. If I really didn't want to = do this I would have gone home when the pull of our link got cut off." =20 Willow bounced a little and her face lit up. " Thank you!" She made a = visible effort to calm herself down. "Um, when do we start?"=20 =20 "We'll save actual lessons for after I get a house to live in, but if = you want to go for a walk we can get started now." She turned to Giles, = "I would prefer it if you would stay here." =20 Giles frowned and suspicion returned to his face. "Why?" His voice was = completely flat. =20 "Giles!" Willow exclaimed, protesting his overprotective attitude. = Angel's worrying was bad enough; she didn't need Giles doing it too.=20 =20 <Protective, aren't we. > "Because you'll distract her. Willow will = need to concentrate." Willow was already putting her coat on Cassandra = noted with a bit of amusement. She managed not to smile. =20 He relaxed at Cassandra's logical explanation. It also helped that = Willow, who had contact with Cassandra's mind, seemed to trust the woman = completely. Her belief that Cassandra meant her no harm seemed to = overwhelm his instinct to distrust. =20 As they headed down the street, Willow asked Cassandra, "Where do you = want to go?" =20 =20 "Someplace with space -- outdoors -- and no other people. If that's = possible." =20 Willow suggested the graveyard. It was daytime, and without vampires = the graveyard would be fairly unoccupied. to be continued . . . =20