The Immortal Slayer - Chapter 6
"So, I take it you don't like Cordelia?" Angel asked on the way home, with a small grin."What makes you say that?" Willow replied, thinking with an inward groan that he must've heard her in the library.
"Well, no one likes Cordelia. And I heard that comment in the library. She really gets under your skin, doesn't she?"
"Yes, she does. But I don't want to get into it, and we're at my house anyways, and I have homework and research and…stuff, so this is me with the good byes. Bye." Willow hurriedly ended the walk and rushed through the door. Shutting it, she leaned against the other side, wondering why Xander couldn't be as observant as Angel.
Slowly she headed up the stairs and to her room, trying to fight the feeling of depression slowly beginning to grow inside her. Xander was never going to notice her, and she needed to accept that. Overcome with the need for sleep, she didn't bother checking her website. She simply got into her pajamas, curled up in bed and quickly fell asleep.
***
Willow awoke the next morning, a sense of contentment coursing through her body, the after-effects of a very good dream. Slowly she stretched her arms above her head and let out a large yawn. Snuggling back into the covers she ignored the fact that it was time to get out of bed. As her alarm started blaring, she reluctantly gave in to reality. Quickly turning it off she threw back the covers and sat up, pain coursing through her head as she did so. "Aah!" she let out a small yell in surprise, wondering what could be pulling her hair. Standing up she felt the pain subside and realized she had been sitting on her hair.
Willow let a small smile play across her lips, no big. She had pulled her own hair. Starting off towards the bathroom realization hit her. Her hair wasn't long enough for her to sit on. Grabbing the doorframe she twisted, trying to see the hair she knew shouldn't be there. She barely caught a glimpse before closing her eyes in disbelief, trying to will away the newly grown hair. Rushing to the mirror only confirmed what Willow had hoped wasn't true. Her hair had grown during the night, and was now barely above her knees.
Grabbing the phone she dialed Buffy's number instinctively, needing her best friend to help make sense of this. As the phone rang, she prayed Buffy would answer and not her mom.
"Hello."
"Buffy, please get over here." Willow cried into the phone hysterically.
"Willow, what's wrong? What's going on?" Buffy asked, concerned. Willow never panicked like this.
"My hair. It's…it's… you have to see this to believe it. Please hurry."
"Okay, Wills. Calm down. I'm on my way."
Willow sat back down on the edge of the bed, holding her hair in one hand. She simply stared at it, trying to fight the queasy feeling her stomach had. As the initial shock wore off Willow began to get dressed, realizing she couldn't hide in her room all day. Putting on her shoes Willow heard the doorbell and ran to answer it, a renewed state of panic pulsing through her.
"Buffy, help me." Willow pleaded, throwing the door open.
Buffy froze in shock, mouth agape, as she looked upon her best friend. Eyes wild and hair not tamed and definitely not chin length, Willow looked as though she had passed panic and had now moved on to hysteria. This hair, Buffy thought in astonishment, was almost a living embodiment sloping across Willow's shuddering shoulders in a wild entangled mess. Closing her mouth quickly upon a new tremble in Willow's lip Buffy stepped inside the house, her fingers reaching out to touch the crimson abundance before saying "Willow! What happened to your hair? Did you grow it with magic or something?"
"No. I don't know what's going on. That's why I called you."
"There's more. Definitely more." Buffy circled the girl, "We have to get it out of your face, sit down and I'll braid it or something…then we'll head to the library and see if Giles can help us out."
***
Arriving at the library, Buffy and Willow headed over to the table where Giles was sitting. Hearing their entrance Giles looked up, preparing to greet the girls until he saw the looks on their faces. "Buffy, Willow, what's the matt-…" He stopped mid-sentence as Willow turned around and showed him the thick braid hanging down her back. "What's going on?"
"That's what we want to know." Buffy replied, rolling her eyes.
"I went to bed last night, normal Willow hair. I wake up this morning and it's like super-Willow hair or something. I mean, it's cool and all, but that's a lot of hair in one night." She said with animated facial expressions and lots of arm waving.
"Yes Willow, I can see that. Uhm…"Giles paused, unsure of how to ask his question. "Isn't the Immortal Slayer supposed to have long red hair?" Giles asked slowly, reaching for a book.
"Wait, no. Willow cannot be the Universal Slayer. Do you realize what you're saying? That's crazy. There is no way. Besides, how could she unite all the slayers?" Buffy replied, slightly frantic. She mainly didn't want her best friend to have that huge a responsibility, but there was also a small tinge of jealousy.
Rather than feeling reassured, Willow was actually a bit annoyed at her friend's comments. No matter how irrational it may be, Willow felt like she was being dumped on when what she needed was support. "I don't know any of the other slayers besides Buffy and Faith. Plus, I didn't unite anyone and I'm definitely not immortal or anything."
"Yes, but the Immortal Slayer isn't supposed to be immortal yet, and you already have a natural talent for magic, and you now have long red hair. How many different people have posted on your website?" Giles said, somewhat in disbelief that he was saying it.
Buffy was alternating her stare between Giles and Willow, unsure of what to do.
Sitting down at the computer Willow pulled up her website and began counting the names of people who had been posting pretty regularly. There were around twelve names, all implying something to do with slaying. Willow slowly looked up at Giles, a weak argument crossing her lips, "But I'm the sidekick."
Giles smiled at the young girl's protest, "I'm afraid not Willow. I believe you could be the Immortal Slayer."
Willow looked up to Buffy, trying to find reassurance that wasn't there. "Buffy, you're a slayer. Tell him, I'm not the Immortal Slayer."
Buffy simply stared at her friend, still in shock. Then looked back up to Giles. "I..."she started, unsure of how to go on. Looking back at Willow she continued, "I posted on the site too, before I knew it was yours. I just happened across it and it was really cool. And when you showed it to us I was so surprised I didn't say anything. I figured it wouldn't matter…" She let her sentence trail off.
"So I did unite all the slayers then." Willow let out a sigh as she rested her head on her hands. Raising her head back up to make eye contact with first Buffy and then Giles a grim look of acceptance crossed her face. "I'm the Immortal Slayer."