__Whistling In The Dark__
By Beadtific



The next few hours were a flurry of activity. After the brilliant light had bathed the entire clinic room, Angela had gone into a frenzy of checking both Buffy and Giles. Forcing herself to be calm, she scanned each patient's aura and was astonished to find both Bond wounds completely healed. There was no sign of leftover mystical connection in either person.

She turned, dumfounded, to Willow, who had a serene Mona Lisa smile hovering over her lips, but intense excitement in her eyes. She looked like someone who was clamping her lips over a joyful shout. Angela began to have the distinct impression she was missing something.

"They're totally healed. It's as if they were never severed. Actually, as if they'd never been Bonded. I don't understand what happened. Please don't mistake me; I'm terribly glad they are healed; I just don't understand why, or how. Or *why* Mr. Giles will not wake up!"

Willow's smile deepened. "Did you hear what Buffy said? The Powers That Be sent an agent to heal her, so that they could Bond again as soon as possible. The same agent told Buffy he spoke to Giles, so I can only assume he did the same cure for him."

Angela shook her head, "I'm sorry, I was concentrating on making sure they were all right." She turned to Buffy, "Do forgive me for tuning you out, dear. I was trying to read your aura."

"No big," she said, in a rushed voice, "when can we go in Willow? I'm ready."

"Go in?" Angela asked, once more in the dark. Willow told her of her plan, and watched as Angela's already fair-skinned face paled of what color she possessed.

"You can't be serious."

"I've done it before, Angela. I went into Buffy's mind. Really, I can handle this. Besides, we were sort of *instructed* to do it by this Robson guy, Buffy's visitor?

"David Robson? The watcher?" Angela squeaked. "He's dead."

"He did mention that," Buffy said in exasperation. "And he seemed fine - not like the First Evil at all. He could touch things - how else could he have healed me?"

Angela looked in concern and bewilderment at the gathered young people, all seeming so certain and confidant. "I don't think you understand just how delicate and complex a procedure it is to just connect with a person's mind like that. It could be terribly dangerous, to both of you. And Mr. Giles."

"Yes, it could," said a voice from the doorway. "Which is why I shall anchor Miss Rosenberg and Miss Summers myself. If they will have me."

Everyone turned and looked at the intruder. Dawn noticed her sister tensing up, and moved closer to her, offering what comfort she could, despite having no idea what was going on. She noticed Xander moved to stand next to a deadly calm looking Willow. The teen was glad she wasn't on the other end of one of *those* Willow-looks.

Buffy's chin went up. "Why are you here?" She gritted out between her clenched teeth. Willow noticed that Buffy had moved to protect as much of Giles as she could with her own body.

"I've come to apologize, Miss Summers. I was terribly wrong to treat you so rudely when you arrived here. Whether I was feeling overprotective for my friend or not, my behavior to you was inexcusable, rude and often quite clumsy."

Buffy nodded, grimly acknowledging the apology. "It didn't help matters that we didn't follow your rules, either," she said as charitably as she could. Veronica Harkness inclined her head graciously.

"It didn't help that I goaded Giles so much that he had a nightmare. I should have never let my temper get the better of me. It is my hope that you'll allow me assist you, because I'd like to make up for failing you both." She laughed, embarrassed, and took a deep breath to continue, "That, and I was told, in no uncertain terms, to 'get my skinny arse down to the clinic and do something useful, instead of flitting about putting people's teeth on edge."' Everyone gaped at the High Priestess, wondering who dared to speak to her like that.

"I've had a visitor," she continued, humbly determined. "A Mr. David Robson." There was a collective gasp of recognition, and Veronica smiled tremulously, wrapping her arms around her thin shoulders, "He did say he'd made the rounds. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by things like this, given my experience and vocation, but it's terribly unsettling, while you're meditating, to have an former lover, and a deceased one at that, pop into your mind, tell you off for being a stupid cow, issue a few *commands* from the Powers That Be, and then cleanse your aura without so much as a 'how do you do?'"

Veronica suddenly snapped off her ramblings with an effort, and fidgeted a little under the intense scrutiny of the group, "He did say to tell you, Willow, to add a bit more rosemary to your watcher locator spell; it will find the potential watchers with the best facility for retaining knowledge first."

Willow's eyes widened slightly, "Rosemary for remembrance," she said softly. She glanced significantly at Buffy, who relaxed a little further, sighed and drew faint patterns on the back of Giles' hand. The message was the same as what Robson had given to the slayer.

"And love, protection and clear thinking. All of which couldn't hurt, right?" Veronica smiled tentatively, glancing between the slayer and her former student. Willow smiled tentatively back. Buffy kept her head down.

"May I help then?" Veronica's words hung in the air a long moment. Everyone looked at Buffy. She glared back at them and then drooped a little. Xander took the opportunity to give his friend a little nudge.

"She babbles when she's nervous, Buff, that means she can't be *all* bad, right?" Her head stayed down, but her lips quirked a little.

"The evil rarely babble," Dawn confirmed, chiming in. "They sneer, hold forth, pontificate, have witty - yet creepy - repartee, but they rarely babble."

Buffy's eye roll was punctuated by several soft snorts of amusement around the room, including Angela's.

"I never thought I'd see our High Priestess reduced to such a state," the auburn haired witch observed, cluing in to the group's gentle peer pressure. "It must be a sign of something."

Buffy looked a question pointedly at Willow. "I have to do a protection spell from inside someone else's consciousness, and if we encounter resistance from Giles, I could use all the help I can get," she said, gently but firmly. "Besides, I've only been 'in' before carrying just me. I think we should give Veronica a shot."

The slayer threw up her hands, and looked directly at Veronica. "Okay, okay, I'm outnumbered." She walked over to the High Priestess, who looked small and vulnerable. "I don't know what was up with you when we first arrived here, looking for help, but we didn't deserve it. But if you're here, wanting and willing to help, and have an apology to boot, I'm not going to turn you down. I have just one question; have you done this before - anchored two people going mind walking?"

Veronica gulped a little. "Once, successfully, as an anchor."

"I'm thinking there's a number in the unsuccessful column."

"One," Veronica whispered.

"W-what happened?" Willow asked, suddenly far more nervous than she had been.

"I was inside the patient with a family member, in an emergency situation. I had no anchor. The patient we were trying to revive did not wish to wake up."

"And?" Buffy's voice was strident with tension.

"He started to die while we were in his mind - instead of convincing him he had something to live for - he decided to die. His sister emerged brain damaged, and I got this, " She touched the streak of white in her hair. "I channeled a great deal of white magic trying to get us out. After I thought we were clear of the patient's' mind, I fainted. I was able to get myself out, but I think Sally, the sister, was still trying to get her brother to come with us, to live, when I took us out of there. I felt him surrender to death and panicked. When I woke up, I had this badge of failure."

Willow was ashen faced. "That's why you don't want me to go in alone - in case something bad happens."

Veronica smiled painfully, "I have no reason to believe anything will, but yes, the situation may not be all that you expect, and if I'm not mistaken, you're going to cast a protection spell before you depart Rupert's mind?" Willow nodded. "Well, even with your level of power, mind walking and casting at the same time is exhausting. If you need it, you will be able to draw directly on my strength, as well.

"If it comes to that," Dawn said, "you can have mine too. I *am* a former glowing ball of energy, you know."

"Dawn," three voices admonished simultaneously - sister and best friends united in protecting the baby of the family.

"I want to *do* something," the teenager said, standing firm.

"We all do, Dawnster," Xander said soothingly, slipping an arm around her shoulders.

"You can help me get together the information on the protection spell," Willow said, drawing a breath and taking charge, "you know Giles and Buffy better than anyone in the coven. I need to talk to Veronica about how this anchoring thing works. Go help Angela look up the strongest protection spells she can find, let her pick your brain to customize the spell to the two of them and meet me here in an hour."

Buffy smiled at them encouragingly, "Be Research Girl and Donut Dude of Surprising Insights, It would mean a lot to me, and Giles, too, I know, to work on the spell. Sort of an engagement present."

"A WHAT? When did…" Xander's squeak of surprise was not manly and trailed off to random splutters. Buffy nodded, and he enveloped her in a hug. He glanced around at a very unsurprised Willow and Dawn. "Am I the only one who didn't know?"

Buffy smiled an apology, "Sorry about that, you were just not in the room when I was in blurt mode. I promise I'll tell you all about it later."

Xander smiled deeply at his old friend and took her hand, "Just want you to be happy, Buff. Both of you."

"Yeah," she said softly, squeezing his hand. "I know."

"Well," Xander said with a dramatic sigh, "I was afraid I was going to have to ask Giles what his intentions towards you were, but it looks now I don't have to.

"That's probably why he popped the question so soon; to avoid conversations like that."

Angela and Dawn took Xander's arms and led him to the cottage door. Anidea struck, and he drug the entire group to a halt. Before he could open his mouth, Buffy was ready for him.

"If you're even *thinking* of throwing a bachelor party for him, don't tell me, so that in no way I can share the blame."

"Right," he smiled loopily again and went quietly.

Veronica cleared her throat discreetly. "Congratulations, Buffy," she said, a puzzling sadness in her eyes making her smile not quite complete. "Shall we get started on getting the groom back?" She turned to Willow, "Shall we go over the spell? I hate to sound like, well, *me* but it can be a dangerous procedure. I hope you both understand that."

Both young women nodded. "Oh, you got the message across, alright, Miss Harkness," Buffy said, "Scoobies just do a lot of whistling in the dark."

Veronica blushed, "Oh, I do wish you'd stop calling me that. Veronica, please. No more 'Headmistress of Pain', I promise."

"We'll make a Scooby of you yet, Veronica," Willow teased.

"Er, what *is* a Scooby?" the puzzled witch asked.

* * * * *

Giles had no concept of how long he'd been waiting. Looking around, he supposed he couldn't have picked a nicer spot. He was sitting in the coven garden overlooking the sea below - a place he'd often come to read, or sit and think after Buffy died. The wind was soft and the air warm. He wondered where he would be if Robson hadn't healed the Bond wound. Probably reviewing one of his many failures. He'd hate for Buffy to walk in on one of those. Or Willow, evidently, since they were coming together. He blanched when he thought of some of the nightmarish memories he'd been experiencing - and what the girl's reactions might be - then shook his head to ward them off. 'No sense in becoming the Grim Watcher of Doom, again, unless absolutely necessary,' he warned himself.

Trouble was, as happy as he was to know that he and Buffy could re-Bond, and that they were actually *meant* to re-Bond, he couldn't help but feel a he couldn't quite put his finger on it. To have something that was so essentially private be a part of the new order of the council was off-putting. He wanted something that was just *theirs*. Not that he was going to suggest that they forgo the Bond - far from it - he just felt a little sad. The sadness of having one more thing destined in his life.

He laughed. "Here I am, about to have my fiancee rescue me from the depths of my own mind, form a mystical Bond with me that will enhance both our lives and one day marry me, and here I sit, on a lovely imaginary cliff, on a lovely imaginary day, working myself into a funk because I was meant to have this gift? Rupert Giles, you really are a prat."

"You know, I've always meant to ask you what that meant."

Giles whirled around, and there she was, standing not ten feet away, sunlight on her hair, smiling at him. Willow was a few feet beyond, ostentatiously examining one of his imaginary trees.

"Buffy. Dearest."

* * *