BRRRRRRRRRRRRRING!

*slam*

I groaned. Getting up at dawn every morning only to stay up late every night (with only a few days of rest punctuating the monotony) made me, to quote Buffy, 'violently dislike' alarm clocks. I've broken three in as many months.

Rolling out of bed, I grabbed my clothes and a towel and made my way into the shower. As hot water soothed my battered body, I let the thoughts of the past twelve weeks wash over my mind. Three months -- one-fourth of a year -- had past since I first crossed the threshold of this place. It seemed so long, but in reality was so very short.

Kaleell's house is huge. An indoor gym maintained with the newest and best equipment. A ballroom, guest wing and palatial dinning room meant for entertaining large congregations of people. A library stocked with a supply of books that even Giles, who once had access to the watcher collection, would marvel at. My own rooms were splendid, consisting of two outer rooms, my bedroom and bathroom. Everything I could ever want was at my finger tips.

The grounds were just as magnificent as the house. Gardens surrounded the home, but I hadn't had a chance to see them in bloom yet. However, the snow dusted trees, bushes and ground were just as beautiful as any flower in their own right. Evergreen forests covered the edges of the property. I couldn't wait to explore them in the spring when they are full of life. A small lake was also nestled in the far reaches of the property, frozen solid in the midst of winter. At her first opportunity, Kaleell had forced me to go ice skating and once I got the hang of it (and a few bruises along the way), it was fun.

The weirdest thing about the house was that it was staffed completely with demons of one sort or another. In fact, the only human besides myself was the signore, who dropped by from time to time from Milan to make sure everything was going smoothly. (He mostly preferred to live in the city, where he was close to the affairs Kaleell needed him to manage.) When I first arrived at the house, it freaked me out to see all of the different species, but Kaleell reassured me. All of those who worked in the home were benign, usually former servants of those who had gotten on the wrong side of her temper. Those who worked in her home needed to be under her protection. Spike later confirmed her story by explaining that certain types of demons were weak -- often enslaved and mistreated by others. If by chance, they were freed, they'd only become slaves again because they did not know how to be independent. I had nothing to fear from them.

Yet there was one person in the home that did give me the creeps: Darien. To my naked eye, he seemed perfect. Darien was good looking, polite and obviously well educated, but there was just something about him that made me shiver. I received bad vibes from him, I guess. He just made me feel uneasy.

However, Kaleell noticed my blatant discomfort and confronted me. When I explained to her my discomfort, I had expected her to launch into a spiel praising her lover's merits, but she did not. Kaleell merely told me that no matter what, he would never be a danger to me because she would kill him if it ever came to that. Her casual manner toward murdering her lover disturbed me, but I knew it to be the truth. Kaleell was sworn to protect me; she wasn't one to break her promises. Ever since, she has made sure that Darien is kept away from me, unless it is necessary.

I'm glad that she believes that their is some weight behind my instincts.

Life has pretty much settled into a routine again. Wake up, breakfast, train, lunch, study, dinner, spend time with Spike. Again. And again. Well, maybe not that repetitive, but close. Kaleell planned side trips for us as often as possible: shopping excursions in Milan, a trip to Rome to explore the ruins of antiquity, skiing... Her sporadic activities were always fun, though Spike mostly had to be left at home.

Spike. Ever since we have made up, we have spent more and more time with each other. Sigh. Actually, to tell the truth, since we moved to Italy, I've clung to him. With all of this overwhelming change -- within myself and around me -- he has been the one person who I can count on. Not Buffy, Giles, Xander, Oz, Amy or even Angel, but Spike. A ruthless demon that has tried to kill me and probably still would if circumstances hadn't thrown us together. Spike is the only one who can be here for me. He's the only one who understands what I am going through, to some extent. He knows what it is like to have your body change, to enter a brand new world. Even if his demon relished it, where I dread it, his understanding comforts me is some twisted, maudlin way.

Spike has kept me sane.

Turning off the water, I stepped out of the shower and wiped the excess water from my skin with towel. I slipped into some light workout clothes and paid careful attention that I tied all of my hair back. In my first week here, Kaleell had taught me the hard way that hair, if kept long, had to be tied back completely. My scalp had throbbed for days afterward where she has yanked it. Of course, if the pain wasn't enough, she told me, there were always people who would steal my hair to use with magics against me -- voodoo dolls, mostly. Needless to say, I always kept it up afterwards, making my locks hard to get at.

I stole downstairs to the kitchen to eat breakfast. I found Spike already sitting there, sipping blood out of a mug. Since we came here, he has started keeping the same hours as I do so he can help with my studies.

"Good Morning," I greeted him, as I settled down at the table.

"Morning," Spike grumbled in return. He wasn't a morning person.

I ignored his grumpiness, but decided to let him drink his meal in peace. The kitchen staff had prepared ham, eggs and hash browns that morning and had placed them on the table along with the usual fare of fresh fruit and muffins. Grabbing my plate, I put a slice of ham and some hash browns on my plate. I then took a muffin and a few strawberries and poured myself some juice. Before Italy, I usually ate the minimal at breakfast, but now my appetite was amazing. As the intensity of my preparations increased, I ate more and more. I could not believe how much I could eat, compared to the past. Oh well, at least I wasn't gaining any weight.

Outside of the kitchen, I heard two voices talking rapidly in Italian. Though I had picked up a great deal of the language in three months, I could only pick up a few words here and there. However it was obvious that the two people were in the middle of a heated argument. After a minute, the voices died down, only to be followed by the sound of Kaleell and the signore entering the room.

"Buongiorno," the signore greeted.

"Good morning," Kaleell said.

"Buenos fuckin' dias," Spike returned, head tilted back. He seemed to be fascinated with the stucco above his head.

I laughed. "Just ignore him, signore. He's not a morning person."

The signore nodded. "Yes, I know."

I smiled. The small statured man had never hid how much he disliked to be in the presence of a vampire, especially one that had killed two slayers. He always took extra pains to make sure that his beloved cross visibly dangled around his neck.

Kaleell sat down next to Spike, leaving the farthest seat away from vampire for her retainer. The two fixed their plates and poured themselves cups of coffee. The tension in the room between the two was palatable -- it could have been cut with a dull blade. Both ate their breakfasts in silence, while I was too scared, and Spike cared too little, to break it.

Feeling uncomfortable, I gulped down my meal as fast as I could without making a pig of myself. I finished in no time at all and gathered together my dishes so that I could put them in the sink and make my exit. But it wasn't that easy. As I rose to leave, Kaleell grabbed my arm and eased me back down into my chair.

"I'm sorry," Kaleell sighed. "The signore has brought us some rather stressful news."

For the first time that morning, Spike perked up. He set his mug down on the table and stiffened noticeably. But he still stared at the ceiling.

"Okay," I told her, trying not to panic. "Care to share?"

"I was getting there," she returned. "It seems that my peers have requested an audience with you."

Spike's head snapped forward. "An audience? If it happens to resemble a good old fashioned vampire audience, then Willow is not going."

Kaleell winced. "I'm afraid that they are very alike."

"Then she's bloody well not going," Spike told her. His tone held no room for argument.

"You think I want her to go?" Kaleell asked him. "She is going. If we don't take her to them voluntarily, then they'll come here and take her by force. It won't turn out pleasantly for any of us if it comes down to force."

"Bloody hell!" Spike swore and began pacing. "You'll just have to tell them that she's not ready!"

As I watched Spike's reaction, my head began to spin. If Spike thought it was bad, then it had to be. "Um, guys? Care to explain? Because I'm really lost."

"Of course you are, lamb," Darien's voice drifted from behind me.

"Darien," Kaleell hissed, her eyes taking on a demonic glow. "If you had anything to do with this, you'll wish you hadn't."

Darien moved into the room and set his hand on her shoulder. "Relax, dearest. I just found out a few minutes ago when I overheard you announce this newest tidbit."

She shrugged off his hand and still glared at him. "You had better not be lying to me, Darien. I'm not in the mood to be playing games."

He laughed. "If I wanted to play games, it would not be with Willow. I have better things to do than to play with my future. I'm not dumb, Kaleell. I know who she is and what it all comes down to. You know me better than that."

Kaleell took a deep breath, calming her self. "I do know you better than that. I'm just on edge."

He shrugged. "You have you're reasons. But," he looked at me, "you might want to explain everything to Willow, before the anxiety drives her mad."

She sighed and wiped her face with her hands. "Willow, an audience, is not quite that. It's a presentation of sorts. You'll be placed in front of the leaders and tested in all areas: you command of the magics, your fighting skills and your knowledge."

"And that's a problem because... ?" I asked nervously. "I'll take the tests, they'll see that I need more training and will send me back here, right?" Kaleell's eyes dropped to the plate in front of her. "Right?" I rose out of my chair.

Spike wrapped a hand around my arm, pulling me around the table and into his embrace. "Luv, at an audience, the summoned is matched against the strongest, smartest and most talented competitors."

"So?" I grumbled.

He pulled me tighter into his arms. "The losers are generally killed, pet."

"What?!" I shrieked, pulling out of his arms. "But there's no way I can defeat those people!"

He nodded and pulled me back to him. "I'm not going to lie to you, Willow. It's unlikely that you will be able to win." He pushed me away and gazed into my eyes. "But I will not let them hurt you in any way. I'll bathe in the blood of any pillock that dares lay a hand on you."

"You won't be able to stop them, Spike," Kaleell commented softly. "There's too many of them and they're too powerful."

"So what are you going to do then, oh powerful and mighty one?" Spike demanded. "Hand her over to the fuckin' wolves? I don't think so, pet. I've heard the rumors and legends about the Executioner. I know who you are. You're just goin' to give up without a bloody fight? There is too much at stake for Willow to die now. She means too much to the world...and to me."

"I'd never thought I'd agree with a vampire," Darien commented. "But he's right. I cannot believe that the woman who is most feared in vampire circles and is even legend among them, is going to go down without a fight."

The room was silent for a few moments, but Kaleell's voice rung out strongly breaking it. "Who said I was going to go down without a fight? I was merely stating facts. Spike, I want you to work with Willow this morning. Teach her all of the dirty tricks that you know to help her survive. I know I've put it off in the past because I wanted her to master the normal techniques, but this is not about technique, it's about survival."

"That's more like it, pet," Spike commented.

"Willow, I need you to try your best to absorb everything in the next few weeks. We're lucky that we found out in enough time that we're able to prepare." Kaleell sighed. "Don't give up and I know you will be able to do it."

I nodded.

"Signore, please try to find out who pushed for the audience and who resisted. Compose a list of our enemies, our allies and those that remained neutral."

"Right away, signorina." He pushed away from the table and exited the kitchen.

Kaleell turned and looked at Darien. "Are you in or are you out? If you're out stay completely out, but if you're in, you can help Spike. I know you have a few tricks up your sleeve too."

He nodded. "I like this world, Kaleell. You know I don't want to see it collapse into darkness."

"Okay," she said, walking over to me. She bent down and whispered in my ear. "I know you don't like being around him, but he won't bite. If I had any choice, I'd keep you two apart, but he'll be able to teach you a few things. He's a good fighter." She straightened. "If you need me, I'll be in the study trying to find out who Willow will be matched against. I have a few sources that I can contact. The more we know, the better." Kaleell turned and walked out of the room.

I tried to comprehend everything that had happened, but it overwhelmed my brain. Instead, I just rooted out the vital pieces of information and pushed the rest aside to be processed later. I stood and pulled Spike up.

"And the shit hits that fan," I commented drily as we made our way to the sparring room. Darien was close behind.

"It always does, luv."

*****

21 January 2000

I have very little time to spare, so I will be brief and to the point. The last few days have been a nightmare. Four days ago the signore brought us news that Willow has been summoned for an audience by my peers. Ever since then we have been on a crash course training and trying to find out more information behind the summons.

The problem is that the Savior is not ready. While she has learned a lot in my time with her, she will not be able to face the challenges of those that have had centuries, in some cases, to perfect their skills. She is only in the beginning stages of training and is only moderate at everything I have taught her, which is leagues beyond what any of us expected her to do.

Actually, I lied. The problem is not that Willow is not ready, it is that my peers know she is not ready. They know she is still learning and fitting into her immortality. An audience at this point can end in her death and most likely will. Everyone know this, thus someone (or a group) with a lot of influence -- enough to call an audience -- must be plotting something. Someone must want to get rid of her. So far every source that I have knows nothing or what they have known has lead to a dead end. However the signore has been able to turn up some possibilities. I can only hope that someone will know something.

Hope is all I have left.