TITLE: Falls the Shadow
SERIES: The Defenders Trilogy (03)
AUTHOR: Monique
EMAIL: Valjean131@aol.com
SUMMARY: Sequel to "We Are the Hollow Men"
The final chapter in the "Defenders, Inc." series
DISCLAIMER: Joss is God, we are but humble servants
RATING: Overall R (language & violence)
FEEDBACK: You bet your bippy! Sock it to me!
DISTRIBUTION: You know who you are, if you don't...
just ask
TIMELINE: Nine years after "Hollow Men"
THANKS: To Eileen who helped in so many ways
to make this a better story.

Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
and the existence
Between the essence
And the descent
Falls the Shadow

-T.S. Eliot "The Hollow Men"

"Rowan?" Willow called out the back door. She didn't get an answer, not that she really expected one - but hope springs eternal. She sighed and called out again. "Rowan!"

Only the gentle sounds of the forest greeted her. She had told her daughter not to go so deeply into the woods behind their house. Certainly, not so far that she couldn't hear when she was being called back inside.

Willow shook her head, closed the screen door behind her and went to fetch her daughter. The days were growing shorter as autumn came. The leaves on the trees were just beginning to turn, and the air held the slight chill of impending winter.

Wrapping her arms around herself for warmth, Willow followed the path that led from their backyard into the woods beyond. Rowan had taken to going deeper into the forest recently. It worried her, but Rowan was a stubborn child and loved nature. Besides, she was as stubborn as her parents were when it came to something that caught her interest.

Willow understood, but it was a bit harder for Rupert. He was overprotective, although she could hardly blame him for it.

Pushing those thoughts away, Willow scanned through the tall trees for her daughter. She had long ago learned to check in the trees *and* on the ground. Rowan had a love of climbing, and she often took to the heights to play.

But there, just off in the distance, she spied a small figure sitting in the fallen leaves; the red jacket standing out like a beacon in the brown forest.

Willow shook her head, sighed and veered off the path toward her daughter.

The little girl was small even for her eight years. Her auburn hair was short and wavy, and her eyes were a striking pale green with a darker green circling the iris.

She was sitting Indian-style in the leaves facing a large fallen tree. She sat, leaving forward, elbows on knees, chin in hands.

Willow recognized the place. It was her "ladybug log". Rowan had discovered it last fall.

As winter nears, the creatures find a fallen log or some such place to begin their hibernation. It's a beautiful sight, hundreds of the bright red bugs gathered together along the dark wood.

Willow walked carefully around the fallen tree and noticed that Rowan's eyes were closed and a beautiful smile graced her lips. She watched her daughter for a moment, before the child opened her eyes.

"Hi, Mom," the girl said brightly without looking away from the tree.

They'd always had a certain connection, were able, in vague ways, to sense each other, even at some distance.

Willow smiled back. "What are you doing, honey?"

Rowan sighed dreamily. "Listening."

"To what?"

"To the ladybugs," she answered still looking at the log before breaking her glance away and smiling up at her mother. "Did you know that ladybugs sing?"

Willow smiled and tilted her head.

"All of the animals sing," Rowan said closing her eyes again. "Can you hear them?"

Willow closed her eyes and tried to relax, to let the sounds find her. She heard the soft sound, hard to separate from the ambient noise of the world. Her connection to the animals was not as strong as her daughter's. She found she had to concentrate for a moment before she could access their plane.

Willow listened carefully and heard the soft trilling song coming from the fallen tree. Mother and daughter enjoyed the music for a moment, before Willow spoke again.

"It's time to go in, Ro," she said firmly.

Rowan sighed dramatically.

Willow stifled a giggle. "Uncle Xander's picking you up soon."

The little girl jumped to her feet. Xander was, aside from her parents, the girls' favorite person in the whole world. "Can I sleep over again?" she said bouncing up and down.

"We'll have to see. Your father and I have a meeting in town."

"Please?" she asked in her sweetest voice, with a smile to melt butter.

Willow sighed and laughed. "We'll ask your father. And Xander."

"Gem!" Rowan said as she bounded back to the house.

Willow just shook her head; she knew neither man could say no to the girl. It might not be so bad after all. She and Rupert would have the house to themselves for once, she thought with a wicked smile.

"Daddy!" Rowan yelled as she threw open the screen door with a crack.

"In the study," her father called back.

Still at full speed, Rowan ran into the study. Abruptly, she stopped, knelt down and put her head and hands on the floor. "Look what I can do!"

She proceeded to do a wobbly handstand.

"Rowan!" Giles called out as he grabbed her ankles before she came crashing down into his desk.

"Isn't this ripped?" the girl asked from her upside-down position.

"Very, uhm, ripped," Giles said dryly, still steadying her ankles.

"Okay, hold tight, daddy." Rowan pushed herself up onto her hands and walked a bit closer and grabbed her father's leg. "You're my tree!"

Giles chuckled. This was a game they often played, although starting upside-down was new. She would climb his legs to his waist, finally scrambling onto his back.

Giles grunted as she tried to right herself. "You're getting a bit heavy for this, Ro."

Ignoring him, she managed to get her head going in the right direction and squiggled her way up to his face, wrapping her legs around his waist.

She smiled brightly as he adjusted his grip to hold her more securely. "Hello," she bubbled.

He chuckled. "Hello, yourself," he said placing a kiss on her nose.

She titled her head to the side. "Do you hear the animals singing?"

Giles smiled back in confusion, as Willow joined them in the study. He looked to his wife for clarification; she merely shrugged.

"No," he said. "Daddy can't hear that."

"Oh," Rowan said sadly. "No music?"

Giles smiled. "I hear music when I look at you," he whispered.

Rowan smiled and then pursed her lips. "You do?"

Giles grinned and nodded. He kissed her again and let her slip down his chest, finally resting her on the ground. "Now go wash up, young lady."

"Can I stay over at Uncle Xander's? Mom said I could if you said it was okay."

Giles sighed.

"Please?" She made her little pouty-please face, and he was a goner.

"If it's all right with Xander," he acquiesced.

"Gem!" she cried happily, making a mad dash for the stairs.

"Do you think he'll mind?" Giles asked Willow as Rowan disappeared.

Willow walked further into the room and kissed her husband. "No, I think he loves having her over. One kid to another."

Giles nodded and leaned against this desk, a small frown coming to his face. "Singing animals?"

Willow smiled gently and sat down next to him, taking his hand in hers. "She's special."

Giles sighed. "I know. It's just..." He shook his head. "I want her to have a normal life."

"She is who she is, Rupert."

Giles nodded, but he still didn't like it. Rowan had inherited not only her mother's magickal abilities, but the soul of the Hollow Man had opened doors to both of them, especially Rowan. She had a connection with nature that went even beyond Willow's ability to communicate with the animals.

And it frightened him. The older she got, the stronger her powers became. He'd managed, for the most part, to keep her away from casting, but she was innately talented. And with talent came responsibilities.

He sighed deeply. He didn't want her burdened with any of those things. That was one of the main reasons they'd moved away from Sunnydale. That and the day Buffy was murdered.

"You worry too much, " Willow chastised him gently.

Giles sighed in response. "Sometimes, I think I can never do enough to protect her."

"Rupert," she said, reaching up to turn his face to meet hers. "You do all you can." She kissed him gently, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him. "And it's more than enough for me."

Giles took a deep breath and nodded, a small half-smile on his lips. He gazed at Willow, and the smile grew. He leaned down and kissed her. The years had done nothing to dampen the passion he felt for her. The strong swell of desire he felt at her kiss was as powerful as the day he'd married her.

He caressed her cheek as he deepened the kiss.

"Rupert, we have a meeting in half an hour," Willow reminded him regretfully.

Giles trailed down soft kisses down her neck. "But if Rowan stays at Xander's..." he whispered seductively.

"Mmmm. Good old Xander," Willow moaned.

Giles pulled back and met his wife's eyes. "Good old Xander," he echoed.

"Mo--oooom!" Rowan's voice came screaming down from upstairs. "I can't find my purple socks!"

Both parents sighed and then laughed.

"I'll be right up!" Willow called out, shaking her head. She kissed Rupert once more and pushed off the desk, starting upstairs.

Giles watched her go and suppressed a groan. This meeting couldn't be over soon enough.

Shortly after Rowan was born, they'd both taken positions with Defenders, Inc. as consultants. It paid fairly well and allowed them to be for the most part, stay-home parents. Tonight they had a meeting with Steve Diamond and a few others from various regions - a routine monthly tactical review.

Giles sighed as he sat back down at his desk to gather his notes. He was thankful they didn't have to go to Los Angeles anymore. He'd grown accustomed to the small mountain town. He liked the relative isolation and apparently the other members of Security Board enjoyed getting away from the city.

Willow still traveled. She was a teacher and was also often called in to provide magical help with the more difficult cases. Giles had all but retired after they left Sunnydale and moved to Ashland. He continued to consult, but Rowan was his focus.

They'd lived in Ashland for nearly two years. 'Has it been two years?' he asked himself, his eyes unconsciously traveling to the photograph on the bookshelf.

He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair as the memories of that day and those that followed coming back - waking nightmares.

***

Rowan had just turned six. Buffy hadn't been able to make it to her party, so she insisted on taking her out for ice cream a few days later.

Giles had taken the picture when Buffy came by to pick up Rowan. He'd become one of those annoyingly obsessive fathers who always have a video or still camera in their hands. Rowan loved it. She was a natural born ham.

Buffy and Rowan had posed, en vogue, as they had said, until Giles begged them to just stand there and be normal for once. With smug womanly smiles, they humored the man, finally relaxing into a natural pose. The photograph was wonderful, both girls smiling at him, their love for him shining through their eyes.

For Giles, it was special for so many reasons. Their smiles were just for him, his two daughters. One daughter of his body, one daughter of his destiny. He loved them both so much. And, although none of them knew it then, it would be the last picture anyone ever took of Buffy.

It had all happened so quickly.

Buffy and Rowan had gotten their ice cream and were walking back to Buffy's car when they heard the noises. Buffy's Slayer sense told her there was trouble ahead. The street was a bit out of the way and fearing for the girl's safety, she boosted Rowan up into a nearby tree.

"Don't make a sound," she told her. "'Til I get back." Rowan scrambled up into the branches and waited.

But Buffy didn't come back.

When the girls didn't come home an hour later, Giles began to worry. Somehow he knew something was wrong. Soon he went out to look for them, with Willow staying at home in case they returned or called.

He started at the ice cream parlor and then tracked their likely paths. In a nearby alley, he found evidence of a struggle - blood and part of Buffy's blouse.

His passions and fears got the better of his common sense, and he followed the trail the gang had left behind.

He found their lair easily. They were no match for a madman and his crossbow, and they were all dead within minutes.

He saw Buffy's body, brought here as some sort of sick trophy. He knelt down next to her, grateful that at least she hadn't been turned.

No great villain, no powerful nemesis, no world ending apocalypse killed the Slayer. Just a pathetic gang of local vampires. Typical, run-of-the-mill vampires. There were just too many of them, even for Buffy.

Buffy had become and always would be a daughter to him, and he loved her as though she were his own.

He wouldn't let himself grieve; he had to find Rowan. He had lost one child. He couldn't lose another.

He walked back down the same streets calling out her name, crying into the night.

Finally, he heard the soft sobs from above. He looked up, and like an angel in the heavens, there she was... alive.

Rowan had stayed in the tree, not making a sound for nearly four hours, until she heard her father call to her. Then and only then could she shed her tears for the woman who saved her life.

Two days after Buffy's funeral, they moved away from Sunnydale.

If Giles had had his way, they would have moved further. But Willow was an important teacher for the Defenders and couldn't leave it all behind. She loved Rowan as much as Giles did, but she still felt the need to help the cause, to fight the fight. And now, with Buffy gone, Willow felt the need even more strongly.

She knew Buffy would have understood, even if Rupert didn't.

Giles stared at the photograph; currents of regret still fresh in his veins.

The doorbell rang, pulling his attention back to the present.

"Would you get that?" Willow called from upstairs.

Giles sighed, pulled himself together and went to answer the door.

"Xander," Giles greeted him with a smile.

"Hi, Giles. Is the princess ready?" Xander asked with a grin, as he stepped inside.

"Her Majesty will be down in a minute," Giles replied with a matching grin. "Once she finds her purple socks, of course."

Xander laughed and nodded. "Ah. Of course."

"Thank you for taking her. Although, I have to warn you - she's going to try and stay the night. If you--"

"Say no more," Xander interrupted. "I'm glad to-"

"Uncle Xander!" Rowan squealed as she ran down the stairs.

"Where?" Xander said, spinning around and pretending to look for someone.

Rowan giggled and stopped in front of him. "You, silly."

"Oh, right. And you must be Princess Rowena," he said with a bow.

The little girl pursed her lips and stomped her foot. "Rowan!"

"Ah, yes. The beautiful Princess Rowan, your carriage awaits." He winked at her. "So move it, sister."

She grinned toothily and then stuck her tongue out at him, which he returned in kind and then made a face.

"Oh lord," Giles sighed.

Willow laughed and hugged Xander as Rowan grabbed her little suitcase.

"Thanks, Xander," she whispered and then noticed her daughter holding her back and looking up at her expectantly. "I don't think we asked Uncle Xander--"

"S'alright," he said and then turned his attention to Rowan. "You wouldn't want to stay the night at my place, would you?"

"Yes!" she said bouncing and then caught her mother's glare and quickly amended. "Please?"

"You're sure you don't mind?" Willow asked her best friend.

Xander shook his head. "Naw. We always have a good time, don't we, Ro?" he said waggling his eyebrows madly.

She giggled.

Giles let out a long breath, and Xander tensed slightly. He turned to the older man. "You gonna hold that against me the rest of my life?"

"Probably," Giles sighed again and then smiled and clapped the younger man on the shoulder.

"All right," Willow said, leaning down for a kiss. "Behave and nine o'clock - no later. Understand?"

Rowan smiled sweetly and nodded.

Giles knelt down and hugged his daughter. "Night, love," he whispered, giving her soft kiss.

"Bye, daddy," she said squeezing him back.

"Let's get this show on the road. Is that your bag, miss?" Xander asked in silly accent.

Rowan stood up and imperiously handed him the small suitcase.

Xander took it from her and pretended it was incredibly heavy, nearly pulling him to the floor with its weight. He grunted and made a great show of trying to pick it up again. Rowan giggled furiously as he dragged the bag to the door and down the steps.

Giles and Willow stood at the door and waved goodbye.

"Who's watching whom?" Giles muttered.

"She'll be fine," Willow said closing the door, as Giles continued to watch them get into the car through the small hall window. "And don't you think you've given him enough grief over that? He still feels terrible about it."

Giles sighed as the car drove away. "I suppose."

"Rupert, we've been over this."

Giles nodded, smiled and gathered his wife in his arms. "You're right." He bent down and nuzzled her neck. "As usual."

She sighed contentedly. "Rupert," she moaned ruefully. "The meeting."

He continued to place soft kisses on her neck.

"The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back," she reminded him.

He straightened and smiled. "Oh, well then... To quote Xander, let's get this show on the road."

Willow laughed and kissed him briefly. "I'm ready." She started to move away, but Giles wouldn't let go and pulled her back for one more kiss. A deep and passionate kiss that left her a more than a little breathless.

"Now, you're ready," he said with an exaggerated leer.

***

"Whatcha wanna do?" asked Xander, as he kicked himself into a headstand next to Rowan.

"Barbie?"

Xander coughed and fell out of his headstand. He glared at Rowan who was unsuccessfully stifling a laugh. "Very funny."

He leaned back against the wall and sighed. "Your daddy would kill me."

Rowan slowly tottered out of her headstand, guided by Xander's strong hand. She looked at him with big serious eyes. "He wouldn't do that."

Xander smiled. "No, of course not." He sighed. 'Yes, he would,' he thought to himself and remembered exactly why...

It was a little over a year ago. Xander had just been released from the army and moved to Ashland about six months earlier.

When his stint was up, he didn't re-up and decided to take part-time work with the Defenders and relocate to Ashland. Truth be told, Giles, Willow and Rowan were more his family than his biological family had ever been.

One day, they had asked him to baby-sit Rowan. Giles was still in his heightened over-protective mode, one of the continuing after effects of Buffy's death, not to be confused with his regular over-protective mode. Xander had assured him that he could look out for a seven year old girl. Giles was hesitant to leave her but gave in at Willow's insistence. She had to be out of town on business, and Giles had a meeting he had to attend.

The day had started off swimmingly. They were both having a ball. And then they decided to play G.I. Joe and Paratrooper Barbie.

At first, everything was fine. They'd gone up to the second floor of the small house Xander was renting and dropped Joe out of the widow. His shoot deployed, and he floated gently to the grass below. Then it was Barbie's turn. They'd managed to rig a make-shift shoot out an old bandana, and she made her jump. She went down a little faster than Joe, but the mission was deemed a success by all.

Xander went downstairs to retrieve the soldiers. Barbie landed right on the mark, while Joe had drifted a bit off course.

It took him a few minutes to find him, but finally he had them both and headed back upstairs. He'd made it about halfway up when he heard her scream. He ran up the steps and into the bedroom. His heart was pounding. "Rowan!"

The room was empty, and the sheet had been pulled off the bed. He ran to the window and saw her sprawled on the grass, the large white sheet partially covering her. "Hold on!" he yelled and barreled down the stairs.

One trip to the emergency room and one broken leg later, Xander sat by her hospital bed, his head in his hands, when he heard Giles' bellow down the hall. Xander swallowed hard and stood ready to meet his maker, or at least Giles' fist.

Rupert stormed into the room ready to start yelling again, but his eyes immediately fell on Rowan's small sleeping form in the big bed, and all the wind went out of his sails. He frowned and went to her side, his gaze traveling from the big cast on her leg up to the small bruise on her forehead.

He carefully took her hand and simply stared at her still form for a long moment.

"The doctor says she's going to be fine," Xander said softly.

Giles turned to glare at the younger man, when Rowan began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled weakly when she her saw her father gazing back down at her. "Hi," she said in a tiny voice.

Giles took a deep breath and leaned down. Smiling softly, he placed a tender kiss on her cheek. "Shhh, it's okay. Go back to sleep, love," he whispered. She closed her eyes and drifted off again. He reached out and carefully pushed the hair away from her face, his smile faded as his eyes fell upon her bruise again.

He kissed her one more time, set her hand down carefully and turned to face Xander. "Outside." he said curtly. Without waiting for an answer, he turned on his heels and opened the door. He held it open for Xander, who nervously cast a glance back at Rowan before leaving the room.

Giles looked back at his sleeping daughter once more before following Xander into the hall. He fixed the younger man with an icy glare. "What happened?" he said tightly.

Xander told him the story, stopping to apologize every few sentences. Giles shook his head and sighed heavily.

"Giles, I swear to God. I am so sorry. I--- It's completely my fault," Xander said.

"Yes it was," Giles said stiffly. Xander lowered his head. "But--It was an accident."

Xander looked up hopefully. "The doctor said she'll be good as new."

Giles nodded and let out long ragged breath. He turned to Xander and met him with stern eyes. "No -- more -- Barbie."

Xander actually laughed.

Back from his memory, Xander laughed again. "Anything but Barbie."

The loud blaring of the TV didn't seem to bother Xander. Of course, he was asleep. So, not much bothered him, including the fact that Rowan sat at his side gently sticking popcorn up his nose.

She was very meticulous in her task. She'd carefully search the large bowl resting in Xander's lap for a piece just the right size.

It was almost midnight when the lights flickered and a loud thud was accompanied by a jarring shove. Xander woke immediately, blowing the popcorn out of his nostrils and looking around in confusion. Everything was still for a moment. Rowan held onto his arm tightly. Then the shaking began again, slowly at first, just a minor shimmy.

Abruptly, the earth jerked beneath them.

Xander stood quickly, sending the popcorn flying as he grabbed onto Rowan and headed to the doorway leading to the hall.

The ground continued to quake - a constant shiver, punctuated by the occasional hard side to side thrust.

He cradled Rowan to his body, covering her head with his hand as he braced them against the door jam. "It's all right," he soothed her. "Almost over."

As if on cue, the shaking stopped.

"See," he said breathlessly. He tilted her head up to look into her big eyes. "You okay?"

She nodded bravely.

He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead. "We're okay," he said more to calm himself than her. "Popcorn's a goner though."

Rowan managed a laugh, and Xander rewarded her with another kiss.

He smiled at and touched her cheek lovingly. "That's my Princess."

She grinned. "Do you thing the lights'll go out?" she asked hopefully.

Xander shook his head in awe. Did anything rattle this kid? "You stay right here. I'll be back in jiff."

She nodded and sat down on the floor, her eyes alight with anticipation.

He smiled again and went to get a few important supplies should this be the foreshock to a larger quake.

***

"You all right?" Giles asked Willow, as they stood naked in the hall to their bedroom.

"Fine," she said letting out a deep breath. "I hate those."

Giles nodded, his jaw set, his muscles taut. "Me, too." He crossed back into their bedroom and grabbed their robes.

He grasped the phone and frowned when there wasn't a dial tone. He put the handset back in its cradle and grunted.

"I'm sure she's fine," Willow said gently. "It wasn't that bad." Sensing that her husband was winding himself up, she tried to lighten the mood. "What do you think? Five? Five-two?"

He grunted again and stared down at the phone.

"Rupert, she's fine. I can feel it. Don't worry. Xander can take care of her."

He sighed heavily. "I know. It's just..." he let his sentence trail off into oblivion. "Old habits die hard."

"This isn't Sunnydale," she said taking his hand. "And Rowan isn't Buffy."

He let out a long breath and nodded, but inside he couldn't let go of the fear that clutched his heart. In his experience, earthquakes had always been harbingers of an evil to come. He wasn't going to take any chances.

"Honey, we've been through dozens of these," Willow said soothingly. "The only damage we had last time was your grandmother's lamp and some might even have considered that a mercy killing."

Giles ignored her and frowned at the phone again. He picked it up the phone and dialed as soon as he heard the tone. When he got only a busy signal, he frowned and redialed, but miss-hit one of the keys. "Damn it," he grumbled.

Willow's small hand covered his and took the phone. "I'll call him."

Giles sighed and nodded as he began to dress. "All right."

Willow dialed Xander's number. He answered on the second ring. "Xander?"

"Wills, you guys okay?" he asked.

"We're fine. Is everything all right there?"

"Ro's fine," he said casting a quick glance at the small girl. "But the next time you guys decide to have a 'night-off' - take it easy on the rest of us. I know the earth's supposed to move, but--"

Willow laughed in spite of herself, but stopped as she felt Giles over her shoulder. "She's fine," she told her husband.

He nodded. "Tell him we'll be there within the half hour." Giles proceeded to gather his clothes and finish dressing.

Willow smiled softly. It was no use arguing with him. "Xander," she said into the phone.

"I heard. We'll be here. You want to talk to her?"

"Sure," Willow said with a smile.

"Just a sec."

Willow heard a bit of shuffling. "Mommy?"

"Hi honey," Willow said gently. "You okay?"

"Okay," Rowan said brightly. "Did you feel it?"

Willow laughed. "Yes, honey we felt it."

"It was like..." she held the phone away and jiggled. "Whoa... and popcorn went *everywhere*!"

"What's she saying?" Giles said quickly. "Is she all right?"

Willow waved a placating hand at her husband and nodded. "Daddy and I'll be there soon. You just do whatever Uncle Xander tells you to, okay?"

"Okay."

"We love you, honey."

"Love you, too."

"We'll see you soon. Bye, baby."

"Bye, mommy."

***

They arrived at Xander's about twenty minutes later. Giles knocked heavily on the front door.

"That was fast. How many stop signs did you run?" Xander quipped.

Giles ignored him. "Rowan?" he called out as he stepped into the hallway. He saw her sitting on the floor, a deck of cards at her feet and a huge football helmet strapped to her head.

"Daddy?" she cried out, pushing the helmet back so she could see.

Giles let out the breath he'd been holding and knelt down in front of her. He unsnapped the chin guard and pulled the helmet off. Once she was free of it, he enveloped her in a hug.

Rowan wasn't afraid of the earthquake, but she felt her father's anxiety and immediately tensed.

"She was great," Xander told Willow as he watched Giles hold Rowan. A stab of envy went through his body. Giles was a lucky man.

Willow smiled at her dear friend. "Thank you." She stepped forward as Giles stood still holding Rowan in his arms.

"Ready to go home, honey?" Willow asked as she kissed her daughter's cheek.

Rowan nodded and buried her head in Giles' shoulder. He continued to say soft things in her ear, and touch her hair tenderly.

"You're all right?" Willow asked Xander, seeing the strange look in his eyes.

He shook himself out of the thoughts of jealousy and smiled wanly. "Fine," he said with a forced smile.

"You want to come with us?" Willow asked gently.

Xander shook his head and smiled a bit embarrassed by her offer.

"We'll call you tomorrow?" she asked. "You'll at least come to dinner, won't you?"

"Sure," he answered with a grateful smile. "G'night, Ro."

"Bye, Uncle Xander" she said with a sleepy wave, her face still nestled against her father's shoulder. The excitement and the late hour were finally taking their toll.

Giles stopped and met Xander's eyes. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

The younger man nodded and watched the family leave, and as always, taking a little part him with them.

Willow rolled over in her sleep. Her arm fell against the bed covers, and she instinctively came awake. She opened her eyes and sighed - the other side of the bed was empty... again.

She pulled on her robe and walked quietly down the hall to Rowan's room. The door was slightly ajar - the dim nightlight casting a soft glow across the room. Giles was, as she knew he would be, sitting in a chair by their daughter's bed, watching her sleep.

Willow stood in the doorway feeling, not for the first time, somehow apart - alone.

She knew when she'd committed to the Defenders that she would have to travel, to spend time away. She knew sacrifices would have to be made. Her responsibilities, her travel, all these things would take her away from home, away from her family.

Most of the time, she could accept the cost, was willing to pay the price. If it meant keeping the evil at bay, protecting the innocents, it was worth it. But there were times, times when she knew she'd lost something precious in the bargain.

She lost time... time with her husband, time with her daughter. A laugh, a smile, a tear - gone in an instant - kept only in the memory of those who were there.

Finally, sensing Willow's presence, Giles looked up and smiled dolefully before returning his gaze back the sleeping child.

Rupert was there. He was always there. For her. For Rowan. He'd spent his life putting duty above all else, and now his only duty was to love his family.

And that he did.

Willow, for all her powers, even her special connection with Rowan, sometimes felt like an outsider. Giles and Rowan shared something she wasn't a part of, something only grown through time shared.

Everything was a balance, and the pendulum swings back and forth. But tonight, just for a while, it seemed so very far away.

Willow watched them both for a moment more before slipping back into the hallway and disappearing down the hall. She climbed back into bed, knowing he'd be back before too long... when he was ready.

Giles hadn't been able to sleep. His mind was racing, filed with unwanted thoughts. Memories like haunting ghosts - ill-formed and just out of reach. Parts of the whole, incomplete and taunting. One fleeting image drifting along the edge of consciousness, just beyond his grasp, replaced by another cloudy thought - a storm just over the horizon.

Needing some sort of peace, to push away the unease that coursed through his body, Giles went to the one place he felt safe - by his daughter's side.

He watched her sleep, that enchanted sleep only children seem to have. Their mouths caressed with a smile, the soft sound of their breathing as their dreams hold them.

He'd always been such a lonely man. He'd spent so much of his life trying not to feel, trying not to let himself be vulnerable and then he met his Slayer and her Slayerettes. Grudgingly, he let them work their way into his heart, and he was forever changed.

Willow had given him a second chance at life, and he'd taken it - greedy for each moment.

And then Rowan had come, like a gift from the heavens.

He never thought he could love someone as much as he loved Willow. But from the first moment he laid eyes on his child, he knew he'd never know anything more pure, more absolute.

Everyday it filled him. Everyday it made him whole.

He'd often come to watch her sleep. The need to protect her, to see her sometimes was so powerful it overwhelmed him. But there was something else too, something far more subtle.

In way he didn't even realize it himself. He came to watch her and yet, somehow, to feel her watching over him. Maybe it was just his imagination, or magic, or simply the power of love. But he could feel her, feel her life and feel it touching him, guiding him.

The grown man took shelter in the love of a small child.

Rowan sighed softly in her sleep and rolled onto her side, her tiny arm flopping over the side of the bed.

Giles stood up carefully, the wooden chair creaking as he moved. Gently, he took hold of her wrist and carefully tucked her arm back under the covers. He pulled the blanket up, making sure she was snug, and leaned down to kiss her tenderly.

He stood over her, watching for a moment longer - one last assurance, one last measure of peace.

Sighing softly, he smiled contentedly and returned to his wife and their bed.

It was awake. After an eternity imprisoned in the darkness, a thin stream of light appeared. A break in the walls of its prison - the earth had granted its release.

An evil banished too long ago to remember; it had lived in the dark, existing only in its own memory, reliving its triumphs and cursing those who had imprisoned it.

Soon it would feel pleasure again. Soon it would feel pain. Soon it would be free.

***

Giles heard the screen door slam closed with a crack. "Rowan!" he called out, knowing she was already dashing off into the woods to play.

He shook his head and smiled, returning to his afternoon reading.

They'd spent the morning as a family, the way he'd always dreamt back in his lonely old bachelor days. Just enjoying the simple pleasures. They'd run their errands together, stopped for hot chocolate, taken a long walk in the park, reveling in the crisp clean air of the mountains in the fall.

He sighed contentedly as he let the book slide onto his lap. He leaned back against the soft leather of his chair and closed his eyes.

The night had been restless, the energy and anxiety from the earthquake kept everyone on edge. But here in the lazy afternoon, he finally relaxed, and it wasn't long before sleep claimed him.

***

Willow busied herself in the kitchen. They had invited Xander over for dinner, and with Xander coming, you'd better have enough food.

She laughed to herself as she watched Rowan skip happily down the backyard path.

Willow smiled and sighed as she started to prepare dinner.

***

Rowan hummed cheerfully as she walked down the wooded path. She wanted to check on her ladybugs, afraid that they might have been frightened by the earthquake.

She spied the fallen tree and peeled off the narrow path.

A small, sad frown came over her face as she approached the log. It was empty.

"Poor little buggies," she said with a sigh. She looked around hoping to spot them on some nearby stump. But they were gone.

She saw one of her favorite climbing trees and decided to scramble up its into branches. Maybe she could see them from there.

With a mixture of agility and reckless abandon, Rowan climbed high into the tree. The leaves were turning, and as the sun shone through, they lit up like fire - the yellows, oranges and reds bright and glowing. Wrapped up in the immersion of color, she forgot about the ladybugs and smiled at the beauty surrounding her.

She stayed in the tree for a few minutes, letting the cool air and bright colors bathe her. Sighing happily, she easily climbed back down, planning on retrieving a few of the fallen leaves to give to her parents. She picked through the colors, choosing only the brightest and loveliest.

She held her leaves up to the bright autumn sun and smiled. Their colors reminded her of her lost ladybugs, and she frowned in remembrance. What if they were frightened?

She closed her eyes, hoping to hear their song and follow their soft music. As she concentrated, she heard a strange sort of groan. Something was in pain.

She opened her eyes and turned around slowly scanning the forest for the poor creature. She tilted her head to the side and bit her lower lip.

She let the sound pull her deeper into the wilderness. With each step, she traveled further from the woods known to her. Spurred on by soft moaning, Rowan kept walking, deeper into the forest, further away from the safety of her home.

The sound grew louder, and yet, still seemed no more than a whisper. Then in the distance, she saw a great tree. It was old and majestic, reaching high into the bright blue sky above.

"Wow." Inexorably drawn to the great Oak, she walked quickly toward it.

It towered above her; it's huge branches creating a cool shade below. She had always loved trees, loved to climb them, to sit in their shade. And in all of her eight years, she had never seen a tree quite like this.

She reached out and placed her tiny hand against the rough bark. "Oh," she gasped. It was the tree. It was hurt. The moaning was coming from the tree.

She walked around its large base, finally seeing the wound. The strong trunk had been recently split and sap leaked like blood from the cut. One of its main roots had been broken, as the earth around it had shifted.

Rowan sighed in sympathy and rubbed the side of the great Oak gently. The moving of the ground had pulled one of the roots away from the base, splitting the wood, leaving a gaping hole, nearly one foot across.

Rowan tried to peer into the darkness but couldn't see more than a few inches into the hole.

She frowned again and cocked her head to the side. The tree... it was, it was almost like it was talking to her. She could hear the words, but she didn't understand what it was saying.

She touched the tree again with both hands. The sound grew louder, but still she couldn't understand. Maybe if she could touch it, inside, she would know what it was trying to tell her.

With a brash courage saved only for the insane and small children, she reached inside the gaping hole at the base of the tree.

"Rowan!" Her mother's call echoed through the woods.

She jumped back away from the tree.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yeee-eees?" she yelled.

"Time to come back inside!" Willow called out, as she stood just on the edge of the forest.

"Moooo-oooommm!" she cried in that wonderfully beset upon way small children can.

"Rooooooowwwaaannn!" her mother imitated.

The girl giggled. "Okay!" she called back. "I'm coming!"

She glanced once more at the tree and patted the bark gently. "I'll be back tomorrow," she whispered before hurrying back toward home. "I'll help you then, okay?"

***

It felt the child.

Soon, it would be free. Free to walk the earth again.

Soon.

Rowan ran back up the path to her house and threw open the screen door with a bang.

"Ro!" Willow called from the kitchen.

Her daughter bounced happily into the room, waving her prized leaves.

"Ro, please don't slam that door. Your father already replaced it once," Willow said gently, as she opened the oven to check on dinner.

"Okay," Rowan sighed, then remembered her find. "Like my leaves?" she asked brightly.

Willow laughed and put down her oven mitt. "Let me see." She took the leaves and admired them. They were truly gorgeous. She smiled down at the girl, handing the leaves back to her. "Beautiful. Now, go wash up for dinner. Uncle Xander will be here soon."

Rowan took off like a shot. "Gotta show daddy first!" she cried as she skittered down the hall to the study.

Giles was standing at the bookshelves, looking for a particular volume of prophecy for a paper he was writing, when he heard his own personal tornado blow in.

"Show daddy what?" he asked taking a large book of the shelf and turning to face his daughter.

"These," she said proudly holding out her leaves for inspection.

"Oh?" he said with a smile. Giles put down the large book and took the offered leaves. He made a great show of studying them. He sat in his favorite chair, adjusted his glasses several times, and made the non-committal grunting sounds that he knew drove her crazy.

He could see her out of the corner of his eye, shifting her weight anxiously, her lips pursed in a miniature version of his exasperated expression.

With a laugh, he took off his glasses and smiled at her. "I think it's safe to say that these are the most beautiful leaves I have ever seen."

Rowan's face nearly glowed. "They're for you."

Giles knew he shouldn't be driven close to tears by a few crumbly leaves, and yet... here he was feeling a lump in his throat.

Misunderstanding his expression, Rowan frowned. "Don't you want them?"

He looked into his daughter's eyes and smiled, reaching out to pull her into his lap. "Oh honey, very much," he said kissing her. "And thank you."

She smiled proudly again. "They were the best ones I could find on the ground. Way up in the top of the tree, I saw some, but I couldn't rea--" her voice trailed off knowing she'd really stuck her foot in it.

"Rowan," Giles said sternly. "Haven't we talked about you climbing without mommy or me there?"

"Yes."

"And?" he prompted.

"It's a bad thing?" she offered in small, resigned voice.

Giles sighed. "Not bad, darling, but dangerous. You're too small right now, and you don't want to worry mommy or daddy, do you?"

"But it's so beautiful," she said closing her eyes and remembering. "Like being inside a sunset."

Giles took a deep breath and shook his head. She was an amazing child. He cleared his throat. "Nonetheless-"

The doorbell rang, and suddenly reprieved, Rowan practically flew out of his lap and ran toward the door.

Giles sighed and followed in her wake.

Rowan peeked through the thin hall window and waved.

Giles opened the door. "Xander."

"Hi, Giles," the younger man said with a grin as he stepped inside. "Now, where's the food?"

"Uncle Xander?" Rowan said a bit put out at not being the first thing he asked about.

"Looks kinda boney, but it'll do," he said sweeping the girl into his arms and nibbling on her arm, receiving a gaggle of giggles for his efforts.

***

After dinner, everyone retired to the living room. They were all stuffed to the gills, and everyone but Willow could barely move.

"Brandy?" she offered.

Xander groaned. "Too full."

"Half a glass, love," Giles said as he leaned back in his chair.

Willow disappeared into the kitchen to get the drinks.

"You never really told us, how was San Francisco last week?" Giles asked casually.

Xander shrugged. "Hilly... Wasn't too bad a job."

Rupert nodded, knowing Xander was keeping the conversation vague for Rowan's sake. The younger man was also working part-time for the Defenders and had returned just last week from an assignment up north.

Rowan, who was finally slowing down, crawled into her father's lap. She squiggled around for a moment like a cat, before settling in. She rested her head on Giles' chest, one small hand tucked in between their bodies, and the other gently holding onto his sweater.

Giles' arms went round her small form, cradling her softly. "No damage to your house last night?" he asked Xander as he absently stroked Rowan's hair.

"Naw," Xander said.

Willow returned with the brandy. Handing one to Rupert, she took a spot on the sofa next to Xander.

"I'm still finding popcorn, but other than that," he shook his head. "You guys? Anything priceless lost?"

Instinctively, Willow looked at Rowan and smiled. "Nope," she said happily. "We've got everything."

She glanced at Xander, who knew exactly what she meant.

Nodding, the younger man smiled too. "That you do."

The Land Rover crunched gravel under its tires as it pulled into the driveway. The passenger door flew open, and Rowan, backpack flung over her shoulder, practically ran into the house.

Willow got the dry cleaning out the back and followed her daughter inside.

"Can I have the newspaper?" Rowan yelled from the kitchen.

Willow laid the clothes carefully over the back of a chair and watched her daughter closely. She was always bursting with energy, but she was almost bouncing up and down in anticipation. "What do you need it for?"

Rowan played with the various sections. "Oh, I saw this tree in the woods, and it was all split, and there was big hole in, and I thought, cause newspapers are made from trees that I could make a bandage and fill the hole, kind of," Rowan burst out in one breath.

Willow stifled her giggle, knowing it was best not to put a damper on a child's imagination. "If your father's done with it."

"Gem," Rowan said brightly. "Dad?!" she called out loudly. "Dad?"

Giles was just coming down the stairs. "Coming," he said with a yawn.

"Can I have the paper?" she asked anxiously.

"School project?" he asked.

"No, it's a medical emergency," she said solemnly.

He looked nervously to Willow for answers, but she only smiled reassuringly.

"All right," Giles said, still confused.

"Thanks!" she said starting to dash out the back door.

"Wait a minute! How was school?" Giles asked as he put the kettle on. "Learn anything interesting?"

"Tons of cool stuff! Like light refraction and about lasers and beams and how lava is like liquid rock. Isn't that too ripped?" she said excitedly.

"Terribly," Giles said with a grin.

Rowan grinned and grabbed the paper. "I'll tell you all about later, okay? I've gotta fix the tree!"

"Fix what--" Giles started, but she was already down the hall. He sighed. "All right, But-" She threw open the backdoor. "Don't stay out late! And no climbing!" he yelled after her. He shook his head ruefully and turned to Willow. "What's she planning?"

Willow smiled. "Apparently, there's this sick tree..."

***

Rowan walked quickly through the woods. She passed by her ladybug log - still empty - and lamented the fate of the poor little creatures. She might not be able to help them, but she could at least try and help the tree.

Before too long, she could see the large Oak towering in the distance.

"Hello, tree," she said brightly. "I brought this for you." She extended the newspaper. "I know it's not exactly the right thing, but it's made *of* tree so I thought I could kinda make a big band-aid out it."

She frowned a bit, almost expecting an answer. She placed her tiny hand against the rough bark and could hear the gentle moaning.

She wadded up the newspaper in tight balls and put them inside the gaping hole at the tree's base.

Once she ran out of paper, she leaned in and kissed the tree. "I hope you get all better," she said soothingly as she stroked the wood.

She stepped back and admired her handiwork. The hole was nearly filled. She smiled and looked up into the massive branches extending into the afternoon sky.

She took another step backward to get a better view of the tree.

***

Giles leaned on the kitchen-island as he waited for the water to boil. He cast an uneasy glance out the back window and down the path before turning back to Willow.

She was stretching to reach the second shelf of the cabinet as she put some of the dishes away. He couldn't help but admire her firm backside as she stood on tiptoes.

"Damn architects," she grumbled. "Five-four is not short."

Giles chuckled. "Need some help?"

"No," she grunted.

Giles laughed again and came up behind his wife. "Sure?" he whispered into her ear.

Willow sighed. "Rupert."

"Yes, love?" he asked as his arms went round her waist.

"I--I don't n-need your help," she protested halfheartedly as he nibbled on the nape of her neck.

"S'why I'm helping myself," he quipped between kisses.

Willow giggled and turned around, still encircled by his strong arms. She looked up into his eyes and arched an eyebrow. "Are you?"

Giles nodded seductively and bent to take her lips in a gentle kiss. He moaned softly as her hands slid up his chest.

He pulled away and smiled down at his wife. "Better than putting dishes away?"

She grinned as her hands kept moving up his body, her fingers tangling in his hair and pulling him back down for another kiss.

Finally she pulled back, and grinned. "Much better."

***

As Rowan placed her foot down on the drying leaves, the earth suddenly gave way beneath her. She gave a soft scream as she fell, the ground seeming to open under her.

She landed on something hard, falling to her knees and rolling off to the side. She coughed as dirt and leaves cascaded down on top of her.

***

Giles grinned wickedly and went in for another kiss when Willow's eyes went round with fear, and she gasped.

"What is it?" he asked as she tensed in his arms.

Her eyes calmed almost immediately. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Rowan," she whispered, trying to concentrate on her daughter.

Giles' body went taut. "What?"

Willow's eyes opened again, and most of the tension went out of her body, but she was still a little shaken. She shook her head. "It was just... I'm not sure. She's all right. I can feel her. She's okay. Just startled."

Giles glared down at his wife, his hazel eyes brewing with intensity.

Willow smiled comfortingly. "She's okay," she assured him.

Giles nodded, but he was damn well going to see for himself.

***

Finally, the stream of dirt stopped collapsing into the hole. Rowan took a deep breath and tried to stand. She felt something under her hand - cold and smooth, but it was too dark to see clearly. She felt a tingling in her hand and quickly scurried away.

The skeleton lay obscured by fallen debris, the leg bone slightly askew from the child's unknowing touch.

Her knee was a little sore, but she wasn't hurt badly. She looked up at the hole above her.

She'd fallen about ten feet. One of the large roots of the Oak had been damaged in the earthquake and had left the ground above this cave unstable.

She tried to look around, but aside from the thin stream of sunlight, the cave was dark and forbidding. It was like someone had dug into the granite, making this pocket beneath the ground.

Rowan didn't like the feeling, the darkness, or stale air. She moved out of the shadows and into the warm spot of sunlight.

Spying a group of smaller roots that had fallen like vines down into the cavern, she wondered if she could climb up them.

***

The darkness lifted, and the sun shone in again. With it, came freedom from this prison.

The Shadow, that existed in darkness but needed light to live, slid from the blackness against the cavern walls and into the sun.

The child's touch was the key to its cage. Finally, open. Finally, to be free again.

Unseen, it crossed the threshold, from dark to light. Without form, without shape, it slid across the cold stone that had held it captive. It tasted the warmth of the sun and slipped unnoticed into the child's shadow.

Soon it would walk the earth again.

"Rowan!" Giles called out into the forest.

Willow came up behind him. "Let's try her ladybug log. She was there the other day."

Giles nodded, a frown marring his features. He broke away from the narrow dirt path and hurried his steps as he went further into the woods.

"Rowan!" Willow called out, just a few paces behind her husband. Her special connection with Rowan told her that the girl was all right, but Rupert's anxiety was catching.

Before long, they came upon the fallen tree, but no Rowan. Giles came to a stop and turned to Willow, his eyes intense.

"She's all right," Willow assured him again.

Giles swallowed hard, trying to accept her word for it, to let that calm him. But the unease he'd felt for since the earthquake, coupled with his natural protectiveness, made for one worried father.

Willow reached out and took his hand, squeezing it lovingly.

Giles tried to smile, but it wouldn't come, not until he was sure his daughter was safe.

"Rowan!" he called out again.

"Here," came a small voice in the distance.

Giles ran toward the sound. "Where are you?"

"Over here!"

Giles pushed his way through the smaller trees. "I can't see you!" Just as he finished his sentence, he saw her small head emerge out of the ground about ten yards ahead. "What the--," he mumbled. "Ro!"

He took off at a run again, Willow not far behind. The closer he got, the more of Rowan emerged from the ground. He could see that she was pulling herself out of some kind of hole, using vines like ropes.

He skidded to halt a few feet away, unsure of what had caused the ground to open or how large the area was. He stepped forward carefully and reached out hand to Rowan.

"Grab on, honey," he said, relieved that she seemed all right.

Rowan looked up and grasped her father's large hand. With ease, he yanked her the rest of the way out and into his strong arms.

He carried her a few paces away from the hole before setting her carefully onto the ground. He knelt down and hugged tightly. "Ro, are you all right?"

He held onto her arms and put her at arm's length, as his worried eyes scanned her for injuries.

"I'm okay," she said, but she couldn't help but tremble a little, more from look in Giles' eyes than the than reaction to the fall.

Willow knelt down and touched her daughter's cheek. "Baby, are you all right?"

Rowan nodded; her mouth was open and she was panting slightly from the exertion of climbing out of the hole.

Giles noticed the cut on her knee. "Your leg," he said tightly. Her pants were torn, revealing an abrasion and small cut.

Rowan looked down. "It's not too bad."

Willow smiled and kissed her cheek. Giles continued to frown and stare at the blood. "What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know. I was just looking at the tree and..." she gestured to the large Oak. "And then I fell in the hole."

Giles ran his hands along her arms. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

She shook her head and turned toward the opening in the ground. She started to move toward it, but Giles held her back. "Stay back here, darling."

"What do you think it is?" Willow asked as she inspected her daughter's knee.

"I don't know. A sink hole of some kind," Giles said, as he tried to see into the darkness. "I'll check it out tomorrow." He turned back to his family. "Let's get you cleaned up." He swept Rowan into his arms and gave her a tentative smile.

She returned it with a confident grin of her own. "Can I have Winnie the Pooh band-aids?"

Giles chuckled and nodded.

Willow put her arm around her husband, as he carried their daughter back to the house.

***

It was lost inside the child.

The shadow amidst the substance. The essence beneath the surface. It waited.

The disorientation was comforting and somehow familiar, as it grew accustomed to its new host. Drifting among her thoughts, random and confused. It let the tides of her emotions pull it along.

Soon, it would be in control. Soon, the tide would answer to it. All would be as it was, as it should be, as it always should have been.

***

Giles carried Rowan upstairs to the master bath. He set her down carefully and knelt down to look at her injured knee.

Willow opened the medicine cabinet and took out the disinfectant and other supplies.

Giles frowned, but was glad the cut didn't look like it would need stitches.

"Come on, Love," he said with a smile. "Let's fix you up." He started to undo the button on her pants.

"Da-ad," she said pushing his hands away. "I can do it myself. Sheesh."

"Pardon me," he apologized and stepped back.

"This is gonna sting a bit," Willow warned, as she put the wash cloth on the cut.

Rowan hissed a bit and scrunched up her face. Giles winced in sympathy.

"Almost done," Willow said soothingly as she finished cleaning out the wound.

Giles stood back a bit and watched as Willow tended to their daughter. "What happened, exactly? Did you do anyting? Touch anything?"

She frowned and rubbed her hand. "I don't know. I was just walking and then ka-plooie!" she said dramatically as she threw her arms up in the air.

Giles chuckled. "Ka-plooie?"

"Yup," she answered sincerely, continuing to absently rub her hand.

Giles' frown returned, as he took hold of her tiny arm. "Did you hurt your hand?"

"No."

"You keep rubbing it." He scanned up and down, but could find nothing amiss.

She just shrugged.

"All done," Willow announced as she smiled at her daughter and gave her a kiss.

Willow's face darkened, and she ran her slim fingers down Rowan's arm to her hand. "Tingly?" she asked softly.

Rowan nodded. "Not so much anymore."

Willow smiled and stroked her cheek. "Well, Pooh will protect you now," she said gesturing to the large Winnie the Pooh band-aid now adorning her daughter's knee.

Rowan grinned happily.

"Why don't you go change into some clean clothes?" Willow suggested.

"Rightie-Oh," the girl said as she bounded out the door.

Giles waited until she was down the hall before turning to his wife. "What is it?" he demanded nervously.

"Probably nothing. She could have done it to herself, I suppose."

"Done what?"

"Her arm. There were traces... just tiny bits of... magic," Willow said absently trying to place the sensation.

"Magic?" Rupert had started to hate the stuff. In his experience, it seldom meant anything good. Willow, however, was of a different mind. She used it regularly in her work and was comfortable with it presence.

"Nothing bad. Minor stuff. Probably nothing," she said trying to assuage his growing anxiety. "She uses small spells all the time."

"What?" he choked out.

Okay, wrong thing to say. "Not consciously. She's... well, when she listens to the animals for instance... it's just part of her. This was probably something like that." She looked into his eyes and recognized the fear and helplessness taking root.

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. "Don't worry. She's fine. We were pretty lucky considering."

Giles sighed and nodded. She was right, of course. Rowan could have been seriously injured and had managed to get out of the mess with only a cut and a few small bruises. He should feel relieved. But he didn't. Not in the least.

The next day, after Willow had dropped Rowan off at school, she had to travel on business to San Diego. It was only a day trip, but she hated the leaving more and more.

She'd tried to soothe Giles' jangled nerves before she left, but to little avail. He grinned and kissed her goodbye, but she could taste the trepidation in his kiss. She was fairly certain that the magicks she had felt the other day were protective, but once Rupert got bee in bonnet about something, there was nothing to be done with him. She hoped he could find some comfort in research. Hopefully, he'd find some interesting artifact in the hole and lose his unease in the joys of history.

***

Giles prepared his pack with enough supplies to cordon off the dangerous area and to establish a professional archaeological dig. If there was one thing Rupert Giles was, it was prepared.

He glanced at his watch, reminding himself to allow enough time to change before picking Rowan up at school in the afternoon.

Giles walked through the woods, his easy gait in countermeasure to the unease he felt inside. He may not have his wife's preternatural senses, but years as a Watcher hadn't left him without some intuition.

Particularly since Buffy's death, he'd become more suspicious of things out of the norm. Especially when it came to his family.

His family. Even now, ten years later, it still amazed him. A beautiful, amazing wife and an incredible child - his family. Just the passing thought of them lifted the clouds from his heart.

He smiled to himself as he saw Rowan's patient in the distance. The great Oak stood out even among its towering neighbors.

He slowed his steps and took up a long stick to test the ground in front of him for stability. He carefully made his way around the hole, finally assured that the earth surrounding it was stable.

He set down his pack and scanned the area for any unusual outcroppings. Aside from Rowan's newspaper band-aid which was starting to poke out of the hole in the tree, the forest looked as it always did.

Giles lay down in the fallen leaves and slid on his belly toward the mouth of the hole. He clicked on his flashlight and extended his arm down to shine the light into the cave.

The area wasn't very large, about ten by ten. He shone his flashlight along the rough-hewn walls; the granite appeared to have been carved out with rudimentary tools, but he'd need a closer inspection to be sure.

Taking a rope from his pack, Giles tied it to the base of the Oak and threw the end down into the hole. Carefully, he lowered himself down into the darkness.

His first impression seemed to be accurate. The hard granite had been painstakingly chiseled out, and judging from the marks on the walls, small hand held tools had been used. Some one, more likely many, had worked long and hard to hollow out the great boulder.

The large root of the Oak had traveled across the top of the cave, like a giant arm sitting atop the cave. The earthquake had broken the wood and cracked the stone plates that were laid on top of the hole, a make shift door.

He saw the large broken shards of granite littering the ground and wondered how Rowan had managed to escape without serious injury. Just one of the pieces of stone could have crushed her easily.

Pushing that thought away, Giles took a deep breath and wrinkled his nose. The air was still a bit stale, another testament to length of time the cave had been sealed. It was not unlike the stench in a few ancient burial chambers he'd seen in his day.

With that in mind, he scanned the cave for any signs of its makers. There were no markings on the walls, no adornment of any kind. He turned slowly, letting the beam from his flashlight pass along the outer edge of the cave.

The light caught something pale, and Giles approached the object carefully. A pile of decaying rags and bones - a human skeleton. So this *was* some sort of burial chamber. Without disturbing the remains, Giles knelt down for a closer look.

Resting just beneath the skull was a brightly colored beaded necklace and large pendant. Reaching into this pocket, Giles retrieved his small pad and drew a rough sketch of the ornament. It was obviously Native American in origin, but there were several tribes it could belong to.

Satisfied with his drawing, Giles made a few more notes. He observed that the skull had a large fracture in the front, the apparent cause of death. But if this were a crypt of some kind, it was highly unusual for there to be no artifacts, no tributes.

Giles searched the rest of the floor for any other clues, but found none. A hand-carved granite cave, a skeleton and not much else. It was quite a/the mystery. Time to hit the books.

Excited at the idea of a difficult puzzle, Giles grabbed the rope and hauled himself out of the cave. He untied the line and used some twine and flags from his pack to mark off the area. He didn't want anyone else accidentally stumbling into the hole.

Satisfied that the area was secure, he gathered his things and headed back to his house. He had time enough for a bit of research before he had to pick Rowan up at school.

***

The time flew by. He hadn't found anything concrete, but had narrowed the tribe to either Yokut or Miwok. The talisman the dead man wore was still a mystery, but there would be plenty of time for more reading later.

Rowan wasn't thrilled about being kept away from her tree, but Giles assured her the patient was doing fine. He told her she could play in the backyard, but not to go into the woods without him.

Deciding that moping was the best way to pass the time, Rowan sat on the back steps and sighed. She wanted to go see her Oak, she wanted to climb up into its huge branches, she wanted to do something, anything other than sit around the house.

She heard the screen door open and felt her father step out. "Ro," he said gently. "Why don't you play inside for a while?"

She just sighed. Such a big sigh for such a small child. He smiled and shook his head. "You could always do homework."

"I will," she said distractedly.

Giles touched her hair affectionately. "Okay. Mom's gone for dinner, so it's just us. What do want? Pizza?"

"Ohh. With pepperonis?" she bubbled, beaming up at him.

"With pepperonis," he agreed, pleased to see her smiling again. Giles bent down and kissed the top of her head before going back inside to his books.

The prospect of pizza brightened the dull afternoon considerably. Rowan started humming a mindless little tune as she scrunched down on the bottom step to watch a parade of ants.

She gazed at the tiny creatures, making up all sorts of crazy scenarios for their long trek across the ground. Suddenly, a ladybug landed near her foot, and her face broke out into a huge grin. "Buggie!" she said happily.

She reached down, putting her tiny finger in the path of the creature. It crawled forward onto her hand. She sat back up and watched it walk along her finger, turning her hand over as it started down her palm.

Slowly, her hand began to curl into a fist. She tried to stop it, but found she had no control over her own hand. She watched in horror as her fingers closed over the small bug, capturing it, and slowly, crushing it.

Rowan's eyes went wide as she heard the tiny shell of the bug crack in her hand. She gasped as she realized she'd killed it. Her hand finally responded to her command and opened. The tiny bug was flat against her palm. Dead.

Horrified and confused, Rowan stared down at her hand. She didn't understand what had just happened. She would never kill anything, and yet...

Tears welling in her eyes, she ran inside the house, stumbling up the stairs and into her bathroom. She turned on the faucet and let the water wash away the terrible evidence of her crime.

Guilt, shame and disorientation warred inside her. She killed it, but she didn't mean to. She tried not to, but her hand had just closed around it all by itself.

It was so awful, the feeling of taking a life. Her face wet with tears, she fell onto her bed and cried.

Giles knocked on Rowan's door. "Pizza's here," he said as he poked his head inside. "Why don't--" his voice trailed off as he saw her sprawled out on her bed, face down, softly crying. "Rowan?"

He crossed quickly to her side and sat down on the edge of the bed. "What's wrong, love?" he asked as he gently rubbed her back.

Rowan rolled over, her face red and streaked with tears. "Darling, what is it?" Giles asked in dismay as he pulled her into his arms, settling her on his lap.

The girl sniffled back more tears and ran a hand roughly over face, but she continued to cry. Her father gently swept the tears back as he soothed her. "Shhh," he whispered. "It's all right. Shhhh."

The tiny girl looked up, her eyes filled with sadness and confusion. "I-I" she hiccuped. "I'm a bad person," she sobbed, her body trembling against his chest.

"No, no, no," he said as he rocked her gently, his hand caressing her hair. "Never - impossible. Tell me what happened, Ro."

Rowan swallowed and stuck out her lower lip. Her chin trembled as she tried to speak. "I didn't mean to do it, I swear, Daddy. I didn't mean to."

Hearing the pain in her voice made his stomach sink. "Didn't mean to do what?" he asked.

The trembling chin shook uncontrollably, fresh tears spilling out of her bloodshot eyes. "I killed it."

Giles tensed, but fought down the sensation of panic. "Killed what, darling?"

"Buggie!!!" she wailed.

Giles laughed in relief. "Oh, Ro." He pulled her into a tighter hug. "It's all right, love. It's all right." He held her for a minute while she calmed. "I'm sure it was an accident."

"I didn't mean to do it," she said sadly.

"You see? An accident," he said with a smile. "You're not a bad person, love. Never you." He kissed her forehead and gazed down at his child.

Rowan sniffled and looked into her father's eyes. "I'm not?"

Giles chuckled. "No. You're not."

Rowan actually smiled. It was still tinged with sadness, but a smile nonetheless. She knew her father would never lie to her. If he said something, it was true.

"Feeling better?" he asked tenderly.

She nodded, and her smile grew a bit firmer. Daddy always made it better.

"You feel up to some dinner?" he asked smoothing her hair away from her face.

"Yeah."

Giles grinned. "Good. Come on," he said as he set her down on the floor and stood. He looked down at her one more time. She had the strangest look in her eye as she stared up at him. "What?"

She reached out and took his hand, her heart in her eyes. She looked at him with the adoration reserved for fathers only. She smiled up at him. "Nothing," she said softly.

He frowned in bemused confusion and kissed her tiny hand. "Piggy back, my lady?" he offered.

She giggled, jumped onto the bed and flung herself onto his back without missing a beat.

Chuckling, Giles carried his princess downstairs for pizza.

***

Early the next afternoon, Willow snuggled her husband's lap, trying to make up for lost time, as it were. Her small fingers idly played with the buttons of his shirt, as Giles filled her in on his latest research project.

"I'm not sure if the amulet it Miwok or Yokut. Both fascinating tribes really. Still so primitive, even as civilization began to grow around them. Did you know that in 1746, a Dutchman named--"

"Rupert."

"Hmm?"

"Didn't you miss me?" she asked coyly.

Giles tilted his head and grinned. "You were only gone one day."

"Oh?" she said as she wiggled in his lap. Giles groaned as her bottom rubbed against him. "Are you sure you didn't miss me?" she whispered softly into his ear.

"N-not a b-bit," he gasped as she took his earlobe between her teeth.

"Mmmm, pity," she purred, her fingers slowly unbuttoning his shirt. Giles closed his eyes, holding her body tightly to his. One hand slid down her leg and began to lightly caress her thigh.

Just as things were getting interesting, the damn phone rang.

"Let the machine get it," Giles grunted, as Willow wriggled seductively again.

"Might be important," she said between kisses.

"So's this," he said, diving down to capture her mouth. But the phone rang again, loudly.

Willow pulled away, and Giles sighed dramatically. She reached out and grabbed the handset. "Giles residence." She listened to the other voice, as Rupert placed small kisses down her neck.

"You can't be serious," Willow said, her body tensing as she climbed off her husband's lap.

Looking at her frowning face, Giles stood too.

Willow listened, her frown deepening. "Yes," she said tightly. "But surely... Yes, I understand... No.... We'll be right there... Yes, thank you." She hung up the phone and sighed deeply.

"Well?" he prompted.

Willow shook her head in confusion. "That was Ms. Tomlinson."

"Rowan's principal?"

She nodded, her eyes downcast, lost in thought. "She said that Rowan pushed a girl off the jungle gym."

"What?" Giles cried in disbelief. Willow glanced back up and met his starled. She smiled gently.

"I know."

"Is Rowan all right?" Giles asked quickly.

"She's fine. The other girl broke her collarbone."

Giles sighed in relief. "I'm sure it was just an accident."

Willow's worried eyes looked up at her husband. "Ms. Tomlinson doesn't think so. Neither do the six witnesses that saw her do it."

***

Rowan sat quietly on the wooden bench in the main school office.

"Ro, are you okay, sweetie?" Willow asked as she went to her daughter's side.

The girl looked up, her big pale green eyes swimming in confusion and anxiety. She shook her head and Willow hugged her tightly. "What happened?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Giles?" the woman in her mid-forties asked.

"Ms. Tomlinson," Giles said extending his hand. "There must be some mistake--"

She smiled sadly. "May I speak to you both for a minute? In my office?"

Willow gave Rowan a quick kiss and stood as Giles leaned down and touched the girl's cheek. "Don't worry, Love." He smiled at his downcast child. "We'll be right back."

The couple followed Ms. Tomlinson into her office. She gestured for them to have a seat. Willow took a chair, but Giles remained standing.

Ms. Tomlinson smiled weakly. "I wish I had a better explanation for you... Rowan's always been a model student... But you understand. We'll have to suspend her."

"Suspend her?" Giles blurted out loudly, shocked.

"Just for a day. But I'm afraid it's school policy when one child hurts another."

"It must have been an accident," Willow said calmly. "Rowan would never intentionally hurt anyone."

"If it weren't for the witnesses... I'd agree with you, but---" the principal started.

"What witnesses? Other children? I don't understand," Giles began, his agitation clear. Willow gently touched his arm. He sighed and tried to compose himself. "What happened, exactly?"

"Rowan and the other girl, Melissa, were playing atop the jungle gym, when apparently, without any provocation... Rowan came up behind her and shoved her off."

"Impossible!" Giles bellowed.

"Mr. Giles, I know this is hard to accept, but--"

"The girl must have slipped--" he continued.

"No, she didn't," Ms. Tomlinson said evenly. "Rowan pushed her. The witnesses all agree on that point. I know it's shocking. Rowan has always been so... sweet and kind to all the other students." She paused a moment to let that sink in. "Has everything been all right at home?"

"What are you inferring?" Giles spat.

"Rupert!" Willow interrupted and silenced him with a glare, before turning back to the other woman. "Everything's fine. Nothing unusual." Willow frowned. "I don't understand. What did Rowan say?"

"That's just it. Nothing. She hasn't said a word. Not to any of us." She smiled sympathetically.

Willow nodded and tried to return the smile. "Thank you. Can we take her home now?"

"Of course. I'm sure everything will be fine. Rowan's a wonderful child," she said as she escorted them to the door.

"Thank you," Willow repeated as she took Giles by the arm.

"Rowan," Rupert said extending his hand to the child. "Let's go."

Slowly, she stood and took hold of her father's hand. She held on to it tightly, seeking shelter in his strength.

***

The taste of fear. How it had missed that delicacy.

The wave of panic, the struggle, the wonderful the futility of their struggle.

Anxiety, confusion... merely the beginning.

The dawn.

"Are you okay, honey?" Willow asked as she sat down next to Rowan on the sofa in their living room. The little girl just looked down at her hands.

Giles, who was still agitated from the meeting with the principal, stalked around the room.

Willow looked down at her daughter in concern. Rowan was never without words. Whatever had happened scared her. She could feel the anxiety vibrating out of her daughter. And her husband wasn't helping any.

"Rupert," she scolded. "Would you stop that?"

"What?"

"Would you just sit down?"

Giles grunted, but followed Willow's gaze back to Rowan. The girl looked so small. He pushed away his own feelings and sat down on her other side. "Ro," he started softly. When she didn't look at him, he reached out and tilted her chin up.

The look of fear in her eyes made his heart jump. Instinctively, he pulled her into his lap. "It's all right, love. Just tell us what happened."

Rowan leaned her head against his chest, wishing it would all just go away. She squeezed her eyes shut, but all she could see was Melissa falling. She shuddered at the memory, and Giles' arms tightened around her.

"Honey," Willow said gently. "We want to help, but you have to tell us what happened, okay?" She took the girl's tiny hand in hers. "We won't be mad. I promise."

Finally, the child nodded.

"Good," Willow said with a tender smile. "Now, what happened, honey?"

Rowan took a deep steadying breath. She looked at her parents and knew they'd be ashamed of her.

"Did you push the girl?" Giles asked carefully.

Again, she nodded.

Giles and Willow exchanged quick, nervous glances. "But why, honey?" Willow asked. "Did she do something? Say something to upset you?"

Rowan shook her head.

"I don't understand. Why did you push her?" Willow asked calmly, without a trace of accusation in her voice.

Rowan looked up and met her mother's green eyes. "I don't know," she said in a tiny voice before burying her head against her father's chest.

"There must have been some reason, darling," Giles prompted. "Whatever it is, you can tell us."

"I don't know why," she whined. "I don't know!"

"Shhh," Willow soothed. "Shhh. It's all right." She met her husband's worried look with one of her own, but managed to keep all the tension out of her voice. "Why don't you go upstairs for awhile?"

Giles was as loathe to let her go as she was to leave, but slowly, she slid off his lap. Her tiny shoulders slumped forward, she made her way upstairs.

Giles frowned and watched her leave. He turned back to his wife. "What do you think?"

She shook her head. "It doesn't make any sense." Willow slid across the sofa and into her husband's arms.

"You think she's hiding something from us?" Giles asked uneasily as he looked at the doorway leading to the stairs.

"I don't know, I don't think so. But she's frightened," Willow said equally unnerved. "Very frightened."

"Of what?" Giles said tightly. "And why won't she tell us?"

"I wish I knew, honey," Willow said, resting her head on his shoulder.

Giles sighed heavily. "If she won't talk to us---" His voice trailed off, at a loss.

Willow straightened, an idea popping into her head. "If she won't talk to us, maybe she'll talk to someone else."

"Who?"

"A friend. Someone who isn't a parent. Someone who's screwed up worse than this," she said with a small smile.

Giles chuckled. "Xander."

***

"Can I come in?" Xander asked as he poked his head inside Rowan's bedroom door. The girl was curled up on her bed, hugging a stuffed animal tightly to her chest. She didn't look up but nodded her permission.

Xander pushed down the sadness he felt at seeing his best girl like this. "How's Mr. Gordo doing?" he tried to ask casually.

Buffy had given the toy as a birthday gift to Rowan the day she was born. Xander knew Rowan pretty well and knew that she didn't cling to the stuffed pig unless things were bad. The girl seemed to associate the thing with strength, protection - Buffy.

It reminded Xander of Buffy too, but it wasn't the comfort it was for the girl. It was a reminder of times past and of painful regrets. A part of him would always bleed for being gone when she was killed - it was a wound that never seemed to heal.

Rowan merely held the stuffed animal tightly and looked at Xander with big, pale green eyes.

"So, I hear you got suspended," he said, flopping down onto the bed.

Rowan nodded.

"I was suspended once. Well more than once, but there was one time," he said with a chuckle. "Your mom and I were on the playground and Aunt Cordelia came up blabbing about something. Funny, I can't even remember what it was." He regarded the tiny girl. "I bet, in a few years you won't even remember what started this fight you got into."

Rowan just stared down at the pig.

"Anyway, she said something, and I got really mad and I pushed her," he continued. "I didn't mean to do it, you know. But I was just so mad. And sometimes we do stuff like that. We don't really mean to, but--" He watched the child carefully. This tack was getting him exactly nowhere.

"You know, I love you, right?" he said scooching up the bed, so he was sitting next to her. She nodded slowly. "And we're pals right? Bestest bud?"

Again the girl nodded. "You never told your dad and mom about that teeny-tiny fender bender we had, right?"

She shook her head.

"So you know you can tell me anything. And if you don't want me to, I won't tell. I swear."

Rowan just continued to look down into her clasped hands.

Xander sighed and leaned back and closed his eyes.

Rowan finally spoke; her voice barely a whisper. "I'm bad."

Xander opened his eyes and smiled at the girl. "No, you're not. Trust me. You are not bad."

The girl turned and looked him straight in the eyes. "There's good and there's evil, right?"

Xander nodded, unnerved by her question.

She looked down. "I'm evil," she whispered in a small scared voice.

Xander shook his head and took the girl by the arms. "Rowan, listen to me. You are not evil. You're a good person. A good person who did a bad thing. But you are not evil."

He recognized the spark of hope in her eyes and smiled gently. "You are the goodest person I know."

"Goodest isn't a word," she giggled.

Xander chuckled. "You are your father's child," he mumbled. "You know what I mean. You're the one who's always helping people and animals and plants... and everything. You look up good in the dictionary, and there's a picture of Rowan Giles."

She shook her head. "Then why did I hurt Melissa?"

Xander looked at her thoughtfully. "I don't know. I was kinda hoping you could tell me."

She frowned and looked back down at Mr. Gordo. "I don't know happened. I didn't want to do it," she added quickly.

Xander smiled reassuringly.

"I--I don't know. It was like a movie. I did it. I mean I pushed her," the tears started to well up again. "But I tried not to. I really did."

Xander pulled the girl into a hug. "It's okay. It's okay," he soothed.

***

"Do you think he's getting anywhere?" Giles asked nervously.

Willow sighed. "He's been up there for almost an hour. I guess that's a good sign."

"Could I have missed something? Do you think--," he sat down again, his handsome face colored with doubt. "Did I do something?"

"Rupert," Willow said gently, touching her husband's cheek. "You are a wonderful father."

Giles tried to smile, but just shook his head. He was about to speak when a loud thump from upstairs interrupted him.

"What was that?" he asked nervously.

"I don't know," Willow said as she stood and headed for the stairs, Giles close on her heels.

They sprinted up the steps and threw open the door to Rowan's room.

The girl was still on her bed, but was rolling around in a fit of giggles as she watched Uncle Xander.

Xander had pulled his sweater partly over his head, and retracted his arms into the sleeves. He waved the half-empty sleeves around madly as he crashed repeatedly into her closet doors. "Who turned out the lights? Ooof! Ooof!" he kept babbling.

Rowan's laughter was soon joined by Giles' and Willow. Xander Harris to the rescue.

***

Fear, confusion, guilt.

A prelude to the darkness yet to come.

Willow pulled back the covers and joined her husband in bed. He was leaning against the headboard, a book spread out across his lap. His glasses were perched on the end of his nose, but his eyes were looking right through the pages.

She settled in next to him, his arm instinctively going around her shoulders and pulling her to him. "What are you reading?" she asked.

"Hmm? Oh, it's a thesis on the Yokut Indians," he said with a sigh.

"That interesting, huh?" she said with a smirk.

He sighed and smiled. "Actually, it is. My mind... was elsewhere."

"She's all right," Willow soothed. "She was sound asleep when I just looked in."

"I know," he said as he put the book on the nightstand and took off his glasses. "It's just--"

"You worry," she said with a grin. "It's one of the reasons I love you."

Giles chuckled and pulled her closer. "You must love me a great deal."

Willow ran a finger along his jaw line. "Oh, I do," she purred.

Giles grinned and looked down into her face, and was struck by her beauty, as much today as the first time he saw her.

"Would you like to know how much?" she asked seductively.

Giles felt the blood rush to his groin. Even after ten years of marriage, one touch, one look from Willow was enough to set his blood on fire.

Pushing the covers back, Willow moved to straddle his thighs. His hands rested lightly on her hips as she ran hers gently up his arms.

She leaned forward and kissed the corner of his mouth, just the barest caress. "So very much," she whispered. She felt him begin to harden beneath her. Their bodies had always responded to each other, and the years had only enhanced their love-making.

She placed a soft kiss along his strong chin, tracing her way down his neck. Giles closed his eyes and gave himself over to the wonderful sensations.

Willow kissed his chest, just at the notch above the sternum, and began to slowly undo the buttons of his pajama top. The sprinkling of golden hair that covered his chest always aroused her, and the gray that mingled there now only made her love him that much more.

As she opened the material to her touch, she leaned in and placed soft nipping kisses along his exposed skin. She smiled against him as he took in a sharp breath when she licked at his now hardened nipple.

His hands still rested on her hips, but his fingers began a slow sensuous message, easing her up and down, back and forth, just barely rubbing her along his erection.

As the last button was undone, she eased the cloth of his shirt away from his chest. Willow continued down his body, sliding herself back down the bed. She hated to lose the feel of him pressed to her heat, but knew other pleasures waited.

Her small hands danced along the muscles of his stomach, tracing old scars. She gazed up into his eyes, an expression of the deep love only soul mates possess passed between them.

Willow continued to slide down his body, pushing the sheets back behind her and down to the foot of the bed.

Giles' hands moved up her waist, finally coming to rest again on her slim shoulders as she leaned forward.

Willow kept her legs on either side of his, as she rested her bottom just above his knees. She licked her lips as she dipped her head down. The tent his erection made in his pajama bottoms strained toward her.

Opening her mouth wide, she let out a long warm breath; one that permeated the thin material, and Giles gasped at the feeling - all at once hot and moist.

Leaning forward just that much more, she bit down lightly on the bulge in his lap.

"Unhhh," he grunted, his breath quickening.

Her teeth barely grazed along the outline of his arousal. Then she surged forward and took one his nipples into her mouth, her teeth nibbling at the sensative flesh.

Giles swallowed hard and leaned his head back against the headboard.

Willow flicked his aching nipple once again, before reaching out and pulling at the drawstring to his pajama bottoms.

She silently urged him to lift his hips as she slid the pants down his thighs. She scooted off the side, until she pulled them all the way down and tossed them onto the floor.

Turning back, she marveled at the power his body had over hers. The sight of him, erect, straining for her touch, sent a wave of heat between her legs. Instinctively, she reached down and touched herself, her short nightgown resting on her thighs. A soft moan escaped her lips.

It was a sound Giles knew well and a smile spread across his face even before he opened his eyes. The image of Willow pleasuring herself always drove him mad. He watched her touch herself; the way her mouth was slightly open, her eyes closed, head titled back. He could feel his cock surge.

Feeling his gaze on her, Willow opened her eyes and met his. Giles reached for her arm and drew her hand away from her sex. He grinned and took her hand to his mouth.

He pulled her fingers, wet with arousal, toward his lips. He closed his eyes, savoring each moment, the taste of her like a nectar. Hungrily, he licked each finger clean. Finally finished, he released her hand with satisfied grin.

Willow smiled slyly as she, in turn, licked her own fingers, knowing it would make him ache with need.

Grinning, she slipped in between his knees and bent down. With a quick tongue, she licked at the taut skin below his cock. She felt him tighten with pleasure.

Loving the feel of the silky skin, the throbbing of his pulse, the hard length of him, Willow took his cock into her mouth.

Giles let out a hard breath, the warmth of her mouth, the feel of her tongue sending him to the edge. He gasped for breath and grappled with his control.

Willow paused, letting him calm for the briefest of moments, before taking him deep into her throat. She felt him tense, could see his hands grip the bed as he tried to reclaim command of his body.

Slowly, she slid him back out, until just the tip remained inside her mouth. One hand reached out and caressed his thigh, even as the other wrapped itself around the base of his erection.

With a painfully slow rhythm, she slid him in and out, her tongue wrapping around him, gently rubbing the along the pulsing vein on the sensitive underside.

As the pace of his breathing increased, so did her movements. She could feel him pushing ever closer to the edge.

With barely time to spare, she released him. His orgasm nearly run to the brink, slowly started to ebb. Giles opened his eyes, meeting hers. His hazel eyes were dark and dripping with passion. He tried to catch his breath as Willow grinned slyly at him.

Carefully, she moved forward on the bed. As she straddled his erection, she pulled her nightgown off. Giles reflexively reached out and cupped her breasts. Squeezing them gently, he relished the feel of her silken skin, her soft flesh against his rough hands.

Willow moaned at his touch and reached down to grab his erection. She guided it to her opening.

Giles continued to massage her breasts, the feel of her body urging his closer.

Willow rubbed the swollen head of his cock along the wet folds of her sex, barely brushing her clit with each pass.

Giles groaned and grunted as he kept himself from thrusting up into her.

Coating him with her arousal, Willow slowly inched forward. She eased his cock to gently probe her center. His eyes locked onto hers as she pushed just the tip inside.

Slowly, Willow lowered herself down onto him, sighing as he filled her.

Gently, she raised herself up and then down, burying him deep within her body, deeper still into her soul.

As her rhythm slowly increased, Giles' hands slid down to her waist, his hips bucking up to meet her downward thrust. Willow braced herself on his shoulders, as their bodies collided.

Soon Willow felt her muscles begin to clench as her orgasm started. The flush of heat swept across her stomach and dipped down as she cried out, the burst of white behind her eyes pushing everything away.

Already on the brink, Giles lost himself as she tightened around him. Thrusting up one final time, he gasped as she wrung his climax from him. He continued to move inside her, his own orgasm pulsing with the same rhythm as his wife's.

Eventually, Giles pulled Willow's limp body to his, the beat of her heart against his chest a love song for him alone.

After a few minutes, the world came back into focus, and the lovers sighed. A passion spent, a need met, a love renewed for eternity.

"Canwe? Canwe? Canwe?" Rowan pleaded.

Giles sighed and looked up from his book. "After lunch," he said, again.

"But--"

"Rowan," he said sternly. "After. Lunch."

She groaned and swallowed another protest.

"Your tree will still be there."

"Couldn't I just-" the girl tried again, but a steely glare from her father cut off that suggestion. "Oookaaay," she said rolling her eyes.

Giles returned to his book. With a sigh, Rowan wandered aimlessly around the small study. She went to the shelves and dragged her fingers along the spines of the books. She spun around and flopped into the big wingback reading chair. She sat there, the picture of boredom and impatience, swinging her legs back and forth almost maniacally as she stared at her father willing him to be done.

"Don't you have some homework to do?" he asked without looking up.

"Nope. Did it."

It was Giles' turn to sigh. Without school to burn off some of her energy, Rowan was like an electric wire. He was thrilled to have his bubbly child back after the painful silence he'd endured yesterday, but he did have work to do.

As if on cue, he heard Willow's car pull into the driveway. "Why don't you--" he started, but Rowan was already running to the door like a canon shot.

He heard her chattering like a little bird and could even imagine her flitting about her mother, as she begged and cajoled.

"All right, honey," Willow said as she closed the as she came down the hallway. "Let me just give these to your father."

She stepped into the doorway of the study with a grin.

"That didn't take long," Giles said with a smile, as he stood to take her packages.

"Mr. Trimble had them ready. Even had Cavanaugh's Treastise," she said pointing to one of the bundles.

"Wonderful," he said his eyes growing large with delight.

Willow loved how he'd never lost his childlike excitement over a good research project.

"Mom!" Rowan yelled from the kitchen.

Willow grinned and shook her head. "We've got a tree-call to make."

Giles nodded, a wry smile coming to his lips. "So I've heard. All morning."

"It's a beautiful day, care to join us?"

He sighed. "I really do have---" he glanced down at the books and back to his wife... his beautiful wife. "I'd love to."

"Mom!" Rowan whined as she came to the door. "Come on."

"All right, all right. We're coming."

"Daddy, too?" the girl squealed happily.

"Daddy, too," Willow said with smile up at her husband.

***

The air was crisp, and the sky a bright blue, as Willow and Giles walked hand in hand into the forest; Rowan skipping along just ahead of them.

Willow leaned against her husband, and he slipped an arm over her shoulder. It was at times like this that the past ceased to exist. A perfect day, a perfect family. No haunting memories, no fears for the future. Giles smiled contentedly as Willow's arm snaked around his waist.

Rowan was slowly getting farther and farther ahead. "Rowan," he called out. "Wait for us."

Rowan skidded to a stop and looked back up the path. Deciding there was little else to do but wait for her parents and that just standing there was way too boring - she began to spin and spin and spin.

"Ohhh," she said as she turned round and round. "I'm getting dizzy."

Her parents chuckled as they came to her side, and she abruptly stopped and stumbled to the side. She giggled as she regained her balance. "I'm gonna barf," she said.

"Rowan," Willow chided.

"I'm kidding," she said with a roll of her eyes. "You guys are so slow."

"We're old," Giles said.

"Speak for yourself," Willow said with a grin as she pulled away from her husband.

"Oh?" he said, a challenge clear in his tone.

"Think you can keep up?" Willow asked with a wink.

Giles arched an eyebrow and grinned. "Oh, I think I can," he said sexily. "Try me," he said with a grin.

"Rupert," Willow said in a mock scolding tone. "Here? In the woods?"

His eyes flashed, and his grin widened.

Willow returned his grin and then took off running. Giles laughed and started after her. Rowan watched them run ahead and sighed. "My parents are so weird."

Not far up the path, Giles had caught Willow and pulled her into a hug. "Gotcha!" he said happily.

Willow laughed, and Giles frowned. "Were you fiddling about?"

Willow arched an eyebrow. "The world may never know."

Soon Rowan passed them and dashed toward the large Oak.

"Whoa! Ro!" Giles called out as he reached forward and grabbed her. "Be careful. See those ropes? I want you to promise me that you'll stay on this side of them."

She nodded, but Giles wasn't convinced of her sincerity. "It's very important."

"Okay, daddy." Giles looked at her sternly. "I promise." Finally, satisfied he grinned and let her go.

"Hello, tree," she said happily as she approached the Oak.

Her parents watched her carefully. "Any theories yet?" Willow asked.

"The amulet is definitely Yokut. I have a call in to John Rainwater at the University. I'm hoping he can shed some light onto its purpose," Giles said as he kept his eyes glued to his daughter.

Rowan stopped as she neared the roped off area. Her eyes drifted from the large tree to the gaping hole in the ground.

Willow pulled Giles closer. "I know you'll figure it out. You always do."

Rupert smiled and looked down at her. Her faith in him always made his heart swell. He glanced back over to Rowan who hadn't continued toward her tree, but rather stood still near the rope barrier, gazing down into the cave.

He was expecting her to take that extra step closer, she always did. Her natural curiosity was one of her greatest strengths, but it could be dangerous too. He watched her back as she continued to stand perfectly still, her attention completely focused on the hole.

"Aren't you going to check on your patient?" Willow asked brightly.

The child simply continued to stare into the hole.

"Rowan?" No reaction.

Giles and Willow exchanged worried glances before quickly moving to their daughter's side.

The girl was staring frozen with fear into the hole, her tiny body trembling.

"Rowan," Giles said softly. Again she didn't respond. The look of abject fear on her face, her quivering chin and round eyes, sent a wave of ice water through his veins. Carefully, he took hold of her shaking hand. "Rowan."

The contact seemed to break her from the trance. She turned to look at her father in confusion and stumbled back from the pit.

"What is it?" Willow asked nervously.

Rowan turned her big round eyes to her mother and shook her head. "I... I... don't like this hole."

Willow smiled gently. "It's all right, honey."

Giles looked into the cave and frowned before turning back to Rowan. "You're safe, love."

She looked at him oddly for a moment, before nodding.

He smiled and stood, still holding her hand. "Why don't we go back to the house?" he suggested.

"Come on, honey," Willow said taking Rowan by the hand. "The tree's okay, and I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry."

Rowan just nodded. "Let's make some lunch. You wanna help me?" her mother asked cheerfully.

Rowan nodded, her face still a bit tight with fear and confusion.

"Good." She started to lead her daughter back to the path. Giles let go of Rowan's hand as he looked back at the hole, a dark frown covering his face.

"Rupert?"

"Coming," he replied. He turned and quickly caught up with them and took Rowan's other hand.

She looked up at him, her pale eyes still tinged with fear. He smiled back, hoping his own eyes didn't betray his feelings.

Lunch was somewhat subdued, according to the Giles' family standards. Rowan was too quiet, and both parents were silently concerned about the episode by the tree.

The child had always seemed to be an unstoppable talking juggernaut during meals, barely managing to chew, much less actually eat anything. But today, she pushed her food around her plate, manufactured topics, and forced her smiles.

As in the morning hours, Rowan was a shadow to her father, sitting in his favorite chair, following him from room to room. But unlike earlier in the day, the girl was quiet, internal, and still.

Giles found himself stealing glances at her tiny form as she sat, dwarfed by his large reading chair. Ironically, it was her silence that disturbed his research now, just as her incessant chatter had in the morning.

Giles redoubled his efforts to concentrate on the book before him. He knew there was something critical, something terrible important about the dead man in the cave, if he could just figure it out.

He idly noticed Rowan frown, a look of boredom painting her expressive face, as he stood from his desk chair and turned to the bookcase behind his desk. Searching through the many volumes, Giles found the one he was looking for, his nimble fingers flipping to the desired page.

Rowan slid out the big chair and stood up, bored out of her mind and yet still unnerved by the strange feelings she had in the forest.

She watched her father turn away and lose himself in a large book. She sighed and scanned his desk for something to help pass the time and take her mind off the cave.

Same old stuff.

She picked up the ashtray she'd made in 2nd grade. 'So stupid,' she thought. 'He doesn't even smoke.'

She rolled her eyes, amazed at how immature she'd been those twelve long months ago.

Her eyes continued to scan the desk - papers, lamp, mail spindle, books, pens--

Her eyes slowly drifted back the mail spindle. A brass spike that stood out among the other items. There was a small white piece of paper resting at the bottom. A message received, a task completed.

She gazed at the shiny metal object; her eyes drawn to the sharp tip, as it caught the soft light from his desk lamp. Like a jewel, the tapered point glistened. Her tiny hand began slowly moving towards it.

It was happening again.

Rowan didn't want to touch it. She knew it was sharp, but felt compelled, beyond reason, to reach out for the metal tine.

Her hand hovered over the sharp spike for a moment.

Rowan felt the control sweep from her body, but not as before, not as it had with the ladybug. Not slowly. This was abrupt, wrested from her without warning, just like yesterday. Just like it was with Melissa.

She saw her hand move, knew it was her own body, but couldn't stop it, couldn't control it. She tried to cry out, but found she couldn't even do that - her voice as well as her will had been taken away from her.

Panic beating at the edge of her consciousness, Rowan watched helplessly as she slowly, methodically lowered her own hand down onto the spike.

As the point pierced her skin, she wanted to scream, tried to scream, but couldn't. As her tiny hand slowly impaled itself onto the cold metal, she could only watch, eyes wide, her panic, pain and fear trapped inside a body that would not answer.

But stronger than the pain, was the fear - the uncontrollable terror of losing control of her own body.

She watched, as her own hand methodically slid down the spindle, blood beginning to spill from the wound.

"Oh my God!" Willow cried from the doorway.

Giles spun toward the sound of his wife's voice. Willow stood frozen, and he followed her horrified gaze.

"Rowan!" he gasped.

Both parents seemed to free themselves from the paralyzing shock at the same time.

Rowan's mouth was open in a silent scream as her terrified eyes found her father's, begging and so awfully afraid. The child continued to press her hand down, slowly, painfully.

"Oh, God," he said lunging forward and staring at his child's hand, bleeding and skewered with the brass spindle.

As abruptly as she lost control, the world came rushing back to the girl. And she screamed. Sharp and loud.

Giles grabbed Ro's hand and tried to hold it still as Rowan began to sob and shake. Willow was at their side in a breath.

Willow looked at her husband; her confusion, fear, and helplessness mirroring his own. "Shhhh, it's all right, honey," Willow soothed.

He looked at the metal tine and her bloody hand, he wanted to pull it out, but realized he shouldn't. He took his handkerchief from his pocket and tried to steady his trembling hand.

"W-we-we should l-leave it in?" Giles stammered, trying to gain control again. "Right?"

Willow nodded knowing they could do more damage if they tried to remove the spike now.

"Shhh, love," Giles said softly as he carefully wrapped her small hand in the cloth.

"What's happening?" Rowan cried.

"It's all right, baby," Willow soothed. "You're going to be okay." Willow pushed down her own surging panic. She'd felt something, a change in their special connection. She'd come to the study to check on Rowan. 'If only I'd reacted more quickly," she thought angrily.

"Take it out," Rowan wailed. "It hurts."

"I know it does, baby," Giles said sadly as he pulled his daughter into his arms. "We have to leave it. Just for now. Just for a little while. Okay? Can you be extra brave for daddy?"

The girl nodded, her chin trembling with the effort to stay calm.

"That's my girl," Giles whispered as he kissed her. "My brave girl."

"What happened?" Willow asked as she stroked Rowan's cheek.

Giles shook his head. "Call Dr. Williams."

Willow kissed the girl and rubbed the tears from her eyes. "It's all right, honey. You're going to be okay."

Rupert wished he could believe her words of comfort. He cradled Rowan to his chest, sure his heart might burst through at any moment.

Willow phoned their family doctor and, thankfully, he was in and available. Too many years of emergency rooms had made them both skittish of hospitals. They trusted Dr. Williams, and trust was hard to come by for the Giles family.

Rupert continued to utter soft words and stroke his daughter, who was slowly starting to stop crying, but her eyes never left her injured hand.

"What's wrong with me?" Rowan whispered.

Giles wanted to so much to have an answer, but all he could do was hold her.

"Let's go," Willow announced as she hung up the phone. "He's there."

Giles nodded and carried their child to the car, ever careful of her hand. Willow slid into the driver's seat, as he kept Rowan in his lap.

"What the hell happened, Rupert?" Willow asked angrily as she started the car.

"I don't know," he rasped. He looked down at his child, silent tears streaming down her face, her tiny hand covered with a now crimson handkerchief and felt his world begin to spin out of control. "I don't know."

"There doesn't seem to be any permanent injury," Dr. Williams explained. "The x-rays came back negative, and I don't think there's any ligament damage. In a few weeks, her hand should be as good as new."

Willow sighed and glanced at the door to the exam room where Rupert and Rowan waited. "Thank you," she said with a weak smile.

"You said she did this to herself?" he asked gently.

Willow frowned and nodded.

"There are children who, for whatever reason, begin to hurt themselves. It's usually a sign of some underlying trauma or... Has anything unusual happened recently? Are you and Rupert--"

"No! No, of course not--"

"I'm not casting blame, Willow. And I'm not child psychologist, but healthy, happy children don't do things like this."

"I know," she said softly, looking at the closed door. "She did have a bit of a fall the other day, but she didn't hit her head or...."

"Hmmm. Well, I'm sure whatever the cause...you and Rupert can handle it," he said reassuringly. "But if you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

"Thank you."

He smiled kindly and nodded, opening the door to the exam room. Giles still had Rowan in his lap; he hadn't let go of her since they'd arrived. The girl was quiet, resting her head against his chest.

She felt so safe in her father's arms, but she knew whatever was wrong, was wrong deep inside her.

Rupert looked up, his eyes clouded with worry.

Willow smiled gently. "We can take her home now."

"Keep the wound clean and come back for a follow-up in a few days." The doctor reached out and caressed Rowan's hair as Rupert carried her to the door. "Take care of yourself, sweetheart."

The girl nodded slightly. Rupert smiled his thanks, as the doctor watched them leave.

***

Giles finally relinquished his precious burden, setting her down gently onto her bed. Willow went around to the other side and sat down on the edge. She reached forward and tenderly brushed a stray lock of hair away from her daughter's face.

"You ready to talk, honey?" she asked softly. The child frowned sadly and looked down.

"Rowan, we need you to tell us what happened," Giles said a bit sternly. He met Willow's chastising glance and let out a long breath. "Please?"

There was a long moment of silence before the child spoke, her voice barely a whisper. "It makes me do things."

Both parents' hearts constricted at the words. Panic shot through their bodies like a wildfire, and each pushed it down. Things they thought they'd left behind had come to haunt them again. The words, the sound of her voice... it was all too painfully familiar.

Willow was the first to recover. "It? What do you mean 'it'? It makes you do things?"

"I don't want to do them. I try to stop it, but it won't let me." The child stared down at her hand.

"What 'it' Rowan? What wouldn't let you?" Giles prompted.

Slowly, Rowan raised her head and looked at her father. Her eyes were filled with fear and fresh tears. She whispered the words, as though afraid to give them life, as if by speaking them she made it all true. "It's inside me."

Willow gasped softly, and Rowan turned to her. Her mother tried to smile. "Do you know what it is?"

The child's face held a kind of pained resignation. Rowan looked down again and then met her mother's eyes. "It's evil."

***

Giles and Willow stood just outside the doorway to Rowan's room. After much reassurance from her parents that everything would be all right, Rowan finally managed to fall asleep.

"We shouldn't leave her alone," Willow said quietly.

"I think she'll be all right for a while. Whatever this thing is, it's power seems limited to one occurrence a day. The first day was the ladybug," Giles explained.

"Ladybug?"

"I didn't think anything of it at the time. But Rowan said she killed one of her ladybugs. I thought it was an accident," Giles said bitterly.

Willow took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "How could you know?"

Giles ignored her comfort and continued. "The next day was the incident at the school and today..." He frowned deeply, his hazel eyes intense. "I should have seen the pattern. Seeing patterns is what I do! What bloody good am I if I fail to see what's right before my eyes? I can't afford to fail. Not now... " his voice broke and he took a sobbing breath.

"Rupert, we will stop this. Whatever it is, we will find a way."

Giles nodded and glanced back inside the bedroom. Rowan seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He sighed heavily, took off his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Willow tugged at his hand. "Let's go downstairs."

He nodded again, stealing one more glance at their child, before allowing his wife to lead him to the stairs.

Willow slipped her arm around his waist, wishing there were something she could say to ease his worry. Rupert was a strong man, but she knew he was vulnerable, even fragile, when it came to Rowan.

Losing Buffy had changed Rupert. They say when you lose a child it hollows you out.

Willow loved Buffy, too, but for Giles it was more - it was his duty, his destiny, his responsibility. But even more than that, she was his family. She was the daughter he always wanted and never thought he'd have. A part of him had died with her, and if it weren't for Rowan...

How he adored their child. All the love he had for Buffy, he gave twice over to Rowan. Knowing she was in danger, in pain, was like cutting out his heart.

They'd tried so hard to protect her. To keep her safe from all the dark things in the world. Willow couldn't help but wonder if somehow she'd brought this upon her family.

Giles had wanted to leave every part of thier old life behind. But Willow hadn't let him. What if somehow, the mere fact that she still touched upon that world, had made them a target?

How could she live with that?

She could feel the tremors in her daughter's soul, the thin strand of fear wrapping itself around her. "We'll find a way," Willow repeated firmly.

Giles nodded and closed his eyes. They would find a way. They had to.

"Thank you for coming," Giles said, as he extended his hand to the tall man at the door.

"Bad penny," he said with a rueful smile, shaking Giles' hand and stepping into the entry hall.

John Rainwater had been a friend of the Giles' since the incident with the Hus, the Chumash spirit, they'd fought that Thanksgiving so many years ago. Rupert and John had kept up a correspondence and when Giles had relocated to Ashland, they'd spent many hours discussing the occult and Native American mythology.

"I'm not sure where to begin," Giles said with a sigh.

"I'd like to see the cave, but first, may I see Rowan?"

Rupert nodded, indicating the living room.

Willow, Xander and Rowan were spread out on the floor in the middle of game of Monopoly.

"Fork it over, sister," Xander said with a grin as he wiggled his empty hand in front Rowan.

With a dramatic sigh, the girl paid up.

"Livin' large," Xander said, as he rubbed the play money against his cheek.

"Darling, John's here," Rupert said as they entered. Willow smiled and went to the man, giving him a strong hug.

"Thank you," she sighed against his chest.

He smiled down at her with genuine affection. "I hope I can help." He released her and nodded to Xander. "Good to see you again."

The younger man smiled in return. "You, too."

Rowan grinned. "Hi!"

John grinned. "Hello Rowan. Don't I get a hug?"

The girl giggled and ran to his arms, but skidded to a halt a few feet in front of him, a frown coming over her face.

John reached out to her, but Rowan stepped back.

"Ro, you know John," Giles said in confusion. "He's a friend."

Rowan's eyes went dark, her small mouth curling up in a sneer as she stepped forward. "He is Yokut," the girl hissed. "Kut na-zish tah-ah-kwo-dih." She spat at his feet, a wicked grin crossing her face.

A terrible silence fell over the room. John's face blanched briefly before he recovered.

Finally, Willow slowly knelt down next to her daughter. "What does that mean, honey?"

Rowan's face went blank and then, abruptly, her eyes began to well with tears. "I don't know." She looked up at John. "I'm sorry."

The man smiled gently. "It's all right, child."

"Uhm, it's your turn, Wills," Xander said in an attempt at normalcy and diversion.

"Oh, right," Willow said as she returned to the game. "Come on, honey. John and Daddy have business to discuss."

Rowan, her face still worried, slowly made her way back to the game board.

"We're.. uhm.. going for a walk. We won't be long," Giles said, his eyes never leaving Rowan.

"We'll be fine," Willow assured him.

"Some finer than others," Xander quipped. "Get back over here... Uncle Xander's feeling lucky!"

Giles nodded and turned to John. "Let's walk, shall we?"

John smiled, casting a glance back at Rowan, who studiously avoided any eye contact.

Once they were out the back door, Giles finally spoke. "What did she say, John?"

He let out a deep sigh before turning to face Giles. His eyes were dark and his face grim. "She said 'Now I will destroy you all'."

"Dear God," Rupert gasped.

The taller man nodded absently, his mind racing through possible explanations. "Let's see this amulet of yours," John said quickly. "I'm afraid time may be working against us."

"What do you mean?" Giles demanded.

John shook his head. Giles wanted answers, but knew Rainwater was as stubborn as they came. When and if he was sure, he would share what he knew.

They traveled the wooded path through the forest to the area Giles had cordoned off.

John stood at the edge of the cave carefully taking in the surroundings. He mumbled a few words of prayer and nodded to Giles.

Rupert lowered himself down into the hole, John following close behind. "Of course, everything is exactly as I found it," Giles said, as he pointed his flashlight toward the skeleton.

John silently observed the rough-hewn walls before moving cautiously over to the body. He said another prayer as he knelt down and shone his light on the amulet. He must have sensed Giles' curious look. "A few words to appease the spirits of the dead and request guidance from my ancestors."

He was silent for a few minutes. "You say the earthquake opened the cave?"

"Yes, I believe so," Giles said. "Rowan was out here playing a-and fell in."

"She was the first?"

"Yes," Rupert said nervously. "What does that mean? The first?"

John ignored Giles' question. "The sun was bright this day?"

Giles frowned. "Yes, but I don't--"

John noticed that the leg bone was slightly askew. "You say you moved nothing?"

"That's right."

John stood abruptly. "I must talk to the Elder," he said flatly as he headed for the rope to climb out.

Giles grabbed his arm. "John, what's going on?"

The man turned, his eyes piercing. "Rupert, listen to me. I cannot be certain, but I believe your family is in grave danger. Perhaps we all are."

"What kind of danger? What does the amulet mean? What the hell is going on?" Giles demanded, his grip tightening.

"I must seek the Elder." He held Giles' glare. "I must be sure."

"Please? John--" Giles begged helplessly. "She's my daughter. What's happening to her?"

John frowned. "I'll return soon, Rupert. You have my word."

Giles reluctantly released his grip, and John quickly pulled himself out of the cave. Giles watched him disappear, wishing he had given a hint, anything. Giles sighed heavily and turned back to shine his light on the dead man.

The rest of the afternoon passed calmly. Except for Xander's hissy-fit when Willow foreclosed on Marvin Gardens.

Rupert sat behind his desk, trying to research, but the giggles from across the room kept pulling his attention away. As he watched them, he could almost forget the danger.

Willow sat on the floor in front of the sofa with Rowan and Xander perched behind, braiding her hair.

"So, Rowan. Tell me darling," Xander said in a silly hairstylist voice. "Should we perm or just tease?"

The girl giggled and continued to braid Willow's hair. "We're braiding."

"We are? I was making slip knots!" he said in mock surprise.

"Ow," Rowan hissed and looked down at her bandaged hand.

"You all right?" Xander asked with a frown. Giles had joined them near the sofa.

Rowan nodded her head, but continued to stare at her injury.

Willow had turned around and took hold of the girl's hand. "You probably shouldn't use it for a while, honey."

"Is it cause I'm a witch?" Rowan asked suddenly.

"Is-is what, cause you're a witch?" Willow asked nervously. She could feel the anxiety coming off Rupert in waves.

"What do you mean, darling?" Giles asked tightly.

"Why is it making me do these things?" She looked up at her father, trusting him to have the answers. "Is it cuz I'm a witch that I'm doing the bad things?"

"No, honey," Willow said quickly. "It's not that."

"Then why?" Rowan asked thoughtfully, her gaze moving from her mother to her father.

He smiled ruefully and reached out to touch her cheek tenderly. "We'll find out. I promise you."

Rowan smiled up at him with complete and utter trust. Soothed, she began to relax a bit.

For the adults, the room was silent and leaden. Each burdened by the weight of their own fears.

"Well, I can't speak for you two, but my nails are a mess!" Xander said out of the blue. "They are in desperate need of a buff."

Willow grinned and Xander met her eyes and smiled. Rowan burst out with the giggles. Instantly, the girl's laughter lit the room and hope returned.

The doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Giles said.

He opened the door, smiling to himself as the gentle laughter followed him down the hall.

The smile fell away as he saw the dark expression on John's face. "What is it?" he asked without preamble.

John sighed and frowned. "We must talk," he said as he crossed the threshold. He heard the sounds coming from the living room. "Willow, too."

Giles felt his chest begin to constrict at the intensity in the other man's voice. He nodded curtly, gesturing for John to wait in the study. Giles took a steadying breath and walked back down the hall, the soft laughter now a reminder of what was threatened.

"Willow?" he said with a bleak smile. "John's here. Would you join us for a minute?"

Willow's eyes went round for a moment. She knew Rupert was frightened and that John was not the bearer of good news. She nodded and turned to look at Rowan.

"We'll be fine," Xander assured her. "Won't we?" He pulled the girl into his lap and made a blowfish face. Immediately, the girl giggled again, but it was a bit forced. Afraid of losing control again, Rowan tried not to think about Mr. Rainwater, but no matter how hard she tried, she knew, the worst was yet to come.

Willow smiled her thanks and joined her husband. She took his hand, and he squeezed it tightly as they made their way back to the study.

"What is it?" Willow asked nervously.

John looked at them sadly. "I wasn't sure. I... the amulet was familiar, but I wanted to speak with the Elder. To be certain."

"Certain of what?" Giles said anxiously. "What's going on?"

"Many, many years ago - generations. There was a Yokut tribe that lived on these lands. They struggled to find their way, and times were difficult. They began to fight amongst themselves. Brother against brother, until the tribe was on the brink of destruction. The medicine man, Takawi, was very powerful and believed that the evil spirits were to blame."

"The tribe was small and in order to survive they had to purge themselves of the evil. Takawi's magic was very strong. He cast a spell to rid the people of the evil and take it into his own soul. He believed he was strong enough, great enough to control the spirits."

"He was strong. The people were at peace again. The Yokut were saved. But it did not last. Takawi changed. The evil inside him grew, the pieces of darkness coalesced. He could not control it. Soon it controlled him."

"It?" Willow asked softly, remembering too well what Rowan had said just yesterday.

"We called it the Shadow, for it was all things dark and evil. No redeeming qualities, Only pure malevolence. It's only desire is to cause pain, to feel pain and anguish... and death."

Giles gripped Willow's hand even tighter.

John continued his story. "Soon Takawi was no longer Takawi. He was the Shadow. Day by day, it took control of him, made him do things. Hurt and kill. He mutilated himself, so badly that his wounds became infected, and he died shortly after."

Giles and Willow struggled to stay calm against the awful vision of their daughter pushing her hand on the spike.

"They thought the Shadow was gone with Takawi's death, but soon another was infected. He too killed and maimed, until he too died. The next to be taken was killed by the tribal Elders, his body burned. But the Shadow was not