"Are you ready?" Angel asked Buffy who had just finished her hot chocolate.

"Yeah." Buffy and Angel scooted out from the booth, as did Orin and Caela.

When Orin offered his hand to help her out, Caela noticed a pale slice of a scar in the palm just below his thumb. "How did this happen?" She questioned as she continued to walk, tracing the scar with her fingertips.

"Oh." Dog bite. Accidentle really. I actually swung my hand back, right into it's mouth, which was, lucky me, full of razor sharp teeth, and got it snagged on his tooth. I was young and not paying attention. I couldn't wait to find the berrie bushes."

"Berrie bushes?" Caela's brow scrunched up in confusion.

"Yeah. My family owns some land a few miles away from here that has some wl herrie bushes growing in the woods." They waitied behind Angel, who had demanded upon, paid the bill. "Every year we all go there and pick some and make pies. It's really fun." Finally, they stepped out of the restuaraunt.

Caela's eyes lit up with an idea. "Oh, Orin!" She latched a hand onto his arm, stopping him and everyone else with her urgentcy. "Can you take me," she looked to the other two, "and Buffy and Angel, to go berrie picking?" Her face was filled with excitement that it would strangle his heart if he were to cause it to cease.

"Of course." They started to walk to the car again. "Just let me know when and I'll--"

"Now. Today. Please, Orin. I can not wait. It sounds like so much fun. I have never been berrie picking where I live, in Ireland, it is usually too cold for me to find such delights."

Orin was chuckling not just from her eagerness but because of her formality.

"Okay. I will take you. But I'm not sure out man, Angel, here and Buffy would want to do something so trivial." It wasn't just his way at including the others in the decision but letting them know that their opinion did count just as much, if not more. Orin was never sure if it was just because of Angel's age that made him feel that Angel was the leader, to him, of this little sharade that they were said to go through with. Either way, Angel's say went without question for Orin.

"Let's go!" Angel announced as they piled back into the car.

"Come on. I'll show you my fort." Excited, Orin helped Caela out of the car.

Once Caela had her feet firmly planted on the dirt she stared at him with ammusement in her eyes, holding in a dangerously close giggle.

"What?" Orin didn't understand what she was thinking.

"Not a thing." She managed to swallow most of the laughter that was burning inside and settled with a slight smile.

"I was the ruler of over three forths of Frankford Forest," he said. "Our family dog was name Frankford," Orin quickly explained the odd name.

"Ah." Now, Caela cracked into a fit of laughter.

"Laugh it up, Irish." His voice turned to something that was still damned proud of what he did in his childhood with his siblings and cousins, but he knew it would only make her laugh more. And he was enjoying the sound of it. "I will have you know that I was a fearless warrior in my time." He wagged a finger in her face.

Caela tried to show him respect by closing her mouth and clamping her teeth shut to keep the laughter in. Of course, that finger and teh gleam in his eyes just did it. She started all over again. Her breath was hitched the wave of it hit her so hard.

Angel and Buffy stood a few yards behind them. Listening to Caela and Orin, reveling in the thought that Caela was able to laugh. She had always seemed down, even with Orin, since her arrival. But their thoughts were immediately torn to shreds. They looked to one another, their minds thinking the same. Caela was going to lose the only thing, the only person, that made her happy. Angel and Buffy knew what that felt like, and Buffy remembered what it did to her. She didn't deal with it well at all. She had ran away. Tossed what was left in her life in the trash and ran away. Neither of them wanted Caela to go through something so difficult. She was so young. So fragile. So special to all of them. And in some ways, all the ways that counted anyway, she was their sister and loved by both of them.

"Come on, you." Orin interupted their nightmarish thoughts and scowled at Caela's remaining giggles. "I'll show you around."

They came to a clearing after a few minutes of walking through the wood. The clearing was quite large, big enough to perhaps have a medium sized battle between kids. There was a large oak tree, one that appeared to be at least a hundred years old, maybe two, that stood, what appeared to be, at the peak of the clearing. A single branch reacher out to hover a few feet within the opening dirt, weeds and small plants and bushes.

Orin continued to explain the history of which his family came to the land that they stood on at that very moment, while Caela tuned him out. Not purposely, but because he attention was drawn to the oak tree more intently when a raven, dark black of color and enormous to it's full quality, that had landed on the lengthened branch. It perched itself high and proud, and not moving, on the branch.

"Faisneachd."

Orin turned to the sound of her voice. Her language was obviously not english, but that wasn't the only thing that put him at a loss. She was pale and rigid as she stared at the bird. Orin followed her gaze and put a hand on her shoulder, in fear that he might have to catch her if she fainted. "What?" His own voice shook when he took another look at the raven.

"Faisneachd." Buffy and Angel had come up to flank their sides. Angel put an hand on the back of her head, cupping it. He, too, thought she looked dangerously close to passing out.

"Angel, what is she saying?" Buffy had seen her in sort of trance before and she knew that Caela was not going to answer until long after the happening had passed.

"Prophecy," Angel breathed out. His tone was shakey as he turned to look at the very same bird and oak. Buffy followed in suit.

Final Part

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