Author: WTSnuggles Later that very same night: "She's a Doctor?" Giles looked up from a large open book retching for a cup of tea resting at his side. They were comfortably sat in their private study in Haven. Books lined two sides of the large room. The third wall had a number of swords and staffs hanging, along with two sealed black cabinets. A large fire blazed in the in the middle of the fourth wall with a water picture above the fire of a winters scene. Two comfy sates were in front of the fire with a table in-between, covered with even more books and papers. Willow nodded wiping her brow as she finished cleaning her sword, her staff placed at her feet. Willows class had been a acceptable one that tonight, even the four new slayers had shown promise, well at least they still had all their body parts. Unfortunately you could not say the same for some for the furniture, and Xander had yet another black eye to add to his growing collection. "Yes, Dr Tara Watson, she is in her late twenties, in good health and spirits, loves reading, riding, music, and the theatre, a passion to help and heel. Bit of a gardener, a very beautiful lady. Oh and she seems to be an empath, a powerful one from what I felt briefly today." "Empath... are you sure?" Giles looked up shock ringing in his voice and a look of extreme interest on his noble face. Walking over Willow gracefully sat opposite Giles tucking her legs under her giving him one elegantly raised eyebrow. "Yes, of course you're sure," Giles said quickly. "A very unusual gift and one that appears to be under control?" Giles questioned. Willow nodded too the question as she was reaching for her cooling tea. "Very few empaths live beyond probity," informed Giles. "Many go insane or commit suicide within the first 5 years of the gift surfacing. It is strange that we do not know of her if she has that much control. Empathic powers tend to run in the family although it can skip generations at a time that is why there are very few. I have a book on the subject around here somewhere you might want to read it." Giles looked over at Willow. "Tara Watson seemed a remarkable woman very stable in her manor, we share a lot of common interests. I am looking forward to learning more about her," Willow remarked. "The book you spoke of would be a start." Giles raised from his comfy spot, and quickly made his way over to one of the many shelves of books. "Let me see, Curses, Werewolfs, Hell mouths Through The Ages, are here we are my dear, Empaths and Telepathy." "I would be very interested in meeting this Dr Tara Watson." Giles handed Willow the rather thin volume and resumed his seat. "I can assure you my dear Giles, that if all goes well, it will be my pleasure to introduce you." Willow started to flip through the book. Empaths and Telepath are truly rare in the human world one perhaps in two million will show signs of the gifts, unfortunately madness in normally the result. Only one in three million are truly gifted and can control there power. On very rare occasions empaths are gifted with telepathy as well. In my studies I have found that the gift... At that moment a soft knock and the door to the study opened and a young woman of about sixteen years of age entered. "Ms Holmes... Grace has... well Grace has... and Anya sent me to tell... she was feeding Scorch and he kind of got loose..." Jane spoke in a rush shifting from foot to foot. "Loose?" Giles squeaked removing his glass for a quick clean before replacing them and glaring at Jane. Willow Holmes jump up dropping her book at her side. "How in the world..." "Grace is new, and she thought that he needed a bit of exercise so she em... let him out for a run," Jane said quickly looking more then a little pale. "I haven't had the time yet to show the new members around, so they don't know about the caverns below." Willow rushed past the young woman at the door and down the corridor, Giles at her heels. Jane waited a few moments and quickly ran after them. Oil lamps in front of them and having recruited some of the young slayers and watches to help they were heading out of the mansion. With food at the ready they looked at Willow. "Scorch... Scorch... here boy," Buffy suddenly shouted through the darkness. Anya rolled her eyes. "Oh that is going to help." Xander suddenly appeared with a sandwich in one hand and a oil lamp in the other. "I can see the headlines. Large monster spotted in London. One hundred pounds reward." "That is not funny Xander," Came the annoyed voice of Willow Holmes. "Spilt into teams, make sure he does not leave the grounds. If you haven't spotted him or heard anything within the next two hours return to Haven, you four take the training grounds." Each group was given a place to search within moments they were off. A few hours later and after a lot of cursing. "He went this way, this is were he landed. Thankfully he has remain in the grounds, follow me and try to be quiet." Willow hurried forward. "About time, my feet are killing me," complained Anya leaning against a nearby tree. "Lets see how fast you can track him, when Scorch can fly." "This is the way to the lake, perhaps he wanted a swim," pondered Anya as Buffy, Giles, and Xander followed behind Willow along the forest path. Bushes and tress had been uprooted as if a large animal had rushed through them. After a few minutes of following the trail, the trees became thinner and through them a large lake appeared the moon lighting the still water. "It does not look like..." Giles began when a ripple appeared in the still water and then a large wave moved as a even large object suddenly broke the surface, water rained down as the large and powerful creature took flight. The moon reflected of large wings as the creature came to land on the waters edge. A long tail with small scales remained in the water as the creature contentedly lay in the moonlight. Large yellow eyes scanned the water and the trees, as a whiff of smoke gentle streamed from two large nostrils. Willow let out a relieved breath. "Scorch... you bad boy." Buffy rolled her eyes heaven would. "Willow... maybe you should think of getting a dog or perhaps a nice little kitty cat? Something you can perhaps take for a walk." "There is nothing wrong with Scorch, he is a little on the large side I will admit. I could not leave him to die, he was the only one that hatched, he is a good dragon, aren't you boy. Holmes little baby." Willow loving whispered with love in her voice Anya flopped down on a nearby rock. "Holmes' big, bad I can fry you alive in a blink of an eye baby. Perhaps he needs a friend to keep him company... you know a sexy friend." "No," all three, Buffy, Giles and Xander yelled together. "One is more then enough." Xander glared at his girlfriend. "There is plenty of room in the caverns below Haven, he can fly in the great hall, eat and swim in the rivers running below London, no one knows that they even exist. I take him for a run every other night in the grounds, he loves the lake." Willow handed Xander her oil lamp and started off towards her runaway pet. "At least this time we do not have to pay the local farmer for a herd of sheep," Giles softly said to Buffy at his side earning a giggle in response. It was quiet a sight to see as one human leading a large and happy dragon back to the mansion with four humans following behind trying not to get hit by one very long tail. |