Buffy turned off her alarm clock crawling out of bed. She stretched with a big yawn as she wrapped her robe around her. It was a working day and she didn’t shower with Spike last night so she would need to do so after everyone left for the morning. She glanced at the note on the table with a grin, “Hope you slept ok. You seemed a bit uneasy when I left you this morning. Don’t forget to mention the research party after your work at 6. I’ll start the process before you get out of work and will make sure Dawn gets fed. Love you.”
She put the note away and hopped down the stairs. She knew Spike had already taken the ball with him as he promised he would. She took a whiff from the kitchen noticing the smell of pancakes filling the air as she saw Dawn with her headphones over her head singing away as she flipped pancakes.
Buffy grinned at her and took out the syrup and strawberries setting them on the table noticing Tara and Willow were already digging in to their pancakes. She wished she had the gift for cooking like Dawn seemed to but knew her gift was slaying, not cooking.
She sat down as Dawn flopped pancakes on both plates and started to dig in. Buffy finished her bite speaking up, “Spike and I found a weird silver ball last night while patrolling. We are calling a research party to see what it is and if it means anything. It’s lightweight and feels warm to the touch although it was cold outside. We think a friend of Spike’s dropped it but can’t prove it. We kind of had a run in with a demon named Skuttle who talked with Spike a while. Finally after what seemed like forever he stated he was leaving Sunnydale since we don’t keep farms. Imagine the nerve of some demons.”
Buffy started chewing on her breakfast while Willow chirped up, “I guess if there’s one thing Sunnydale isn’t big on, it’s the farm thing. We have a few little farms but nothing that would satisfy the appetite of a livestock-eating demon. At least he doesn’t eat humans.”
Buffy nodded with her mouth full. Dawn finished up her breakfast putting the plate in the sink as she finished drinking her orange juice. She heard Xander shout from the door, “I’m running later today Dawnie. You ready?”
Dawn yelled in reply and then grabbed her backpack stating, “I’ll meet Spike and you guys over at the Magic Shop after school today instead of home. See you after 6 Buffy.”
She then raced out the door to get to school on time. Buffy finished eating as Willow and Tara left and she went upstairs to take her shower getting ready for her 11 to 6 shift of the day.
By the time Buffy came home from work, she had already left her house after showering before heading to the Magic Box. She hated the way she smelt of grease and the fake meat that the chicken joint used and knew it had to bother Spike although he had never admitted it.
She walked back to the Magic Box flinging her still wet hair from her face to take in the sight through the window. She found Spike relaxing at the table drinking down a mug of blood while Xander munched on chips. Willow and Tara were sitting side by side working together to translate a text using Willow’s laptop for assistance. She glanced noticing Anya was ignoring the group working with a few customers on something they were looking for. Dawn was sitting by herself at the edge of the table with her headphones covering her ears tapping out a rhythm with her foot while working on what appeared to be her math homework.
Buffy held back taking in the image for a few minutes not wanting to ruin the tone it set. No one was fighting or doing silly bickering. And it seemed peaceful.
Finally Buffy gave in, opening the door hearing the familiar jingle of the bells as she crossed into the room. Spike smiled up at her whispering, “Welcome home sweetheart” as he leaned over handing out a few books he had chosen.
He was currently reading one in a demon language that Buffy couldn’t understand. She had no idea he knew so many languages as she had seen him read over the past few months. Between him and Anya, she could almost imagine that every language ever created could be read and if not, then definitely Willow and Spike’s computer language translator could manage it. They had spent the last few months while Willow was working on detoxing and learning to survive without serious magic (Willow had performed a few simple spells but had kept her magic use down to bare minimum) creating this amazing language translator. Spike translated while Willow inputted and it was able to handle many languages that Spike had known. Not them all since some were not necessary to be translating since they did not write but a lot were inputted into the computer. Buffy didn’t know how to use it but Willow seemed to use it a lot with Tara.
Buffy picked up her book that Spike had chosen for her, idly glancing at the pictures hoping the silver ball would be obvious but with no such luck, she relaxed into the chair putting her feet on the table where Spike had inched his feet sideways leaving her room and started reading.
After three hours, three pizzas and a few bags of chips as well as a table full of empty cans of soda, an empty mug of blood as well as a few empty coffee cups, no one had gotten anywhere. It was obvious that the books weren’t going to help.
Anya wasn’t helping and instead was working on inventory. Giles had requested some information from her about her current inventory so she was carrying boxes to and from in order to find out what she needed to order, if anything.
Dawn was reading a book Spike had deemed researchable but minor since it was filled with mystical items rather than demons and vampires. It was an encyclopedia of sorts but she was having no luck even in that. Dawn glanced up closing her book stating it was pointless. Spike shrugged in agreement placing his guide to enchanted items on the table and Xander munched on the last piece of pizza declaring his research a bust. The only one who found anything remotely similar had been Buffy but hers had been a glowing crystal ball not a silver ball. It was said to trap demons into an enchanted world that didn’t really exist. She found it interesting but the group had agreed it was not what they were looking for since it was see-through not silver in color.
Xander frowned as he stood up going to collect Anya to head home. It was 9:30 and he was itching to get home to get some alone time with his wife. A few weeks ago, they had been married and Buffy had been so happy for them thinking if they could make it in this messed up world, then perhaps she could as well someday.
Dawn collected her school items realizing it was done for the night as Spike helped put the books they already researched into a shelf so that they would know where to start tomorrow. Willow glanced towards Buffy asking, “Should we contact Giles with this?”
Buffy sadly shook her head, “No. We have to learn to depend on ourselves and besides I think at this point we have more resources than him. We have a 120 year old vampire with history as his life, Anya who was a vengeance demon for over 1,200 years with all that information in her head, plus you a powerful witch with amazing research abilities who created that program that has helped us out a million times already. Plus we have Tara who keeps us motivated and who offers a sense of realism. Even Dawn is getting good at helping out with minor things. I don’t think there is anything Giles can offer that our group can’t.”
Willow smiled with a gentle nod as she put her hand on Buffy’s shoulder. Spike wrapped his arm around Buffy’s shoulder as he placed the other around Tara’s head with a smirk, “Ready to get this show on the road ladies? Shall we walk you home before we head out for patrol?”
Buffy giggled turning around as he unwrapped his arm from Tara’s neck and wrapped them around Buffy and placed a kiss on her lips. It didn’t last long as Dawn cleared her throat behind them, “Can’t you wait 10 minutes. While you are running around in the cemetery, you guys can make out without a live audience!”
Willow giggled, “We are probably better than the dead audience they will have that wishes them to join their existence.”
Tara rolled her eyes with a gentle smile but fell in step with the group as they walked towards the house. Dawn hopped around cheerfully chatting among the group as Spike and Buffy discussed going back to the cemetery they found the ball in to see if anyone had missed it and while Tara and Willow discussed going to a college dance that was being held in a week.
When they reached the house, Dawn went upstairs to hop online before bed while Tara and Willow disappeared upstairs as well to finish their discussion. Buffy lifted the silver ball from her pocket turning it around in her fingers. It just looked so simple that surely it couldn’t be magical. As she studied it, she turned it around and around in her hand comparing it to the crystal ball image she saw in her book.
It looked similar. It was the same size, same shape, but it was silver and no victims were swirling inside of it as the description had said would occur. She sighed holding it out in her hand balancing it when something caught her eye.
She noticed a weird inscription ball etched in so it was hard to see. Spike turned on the overhead light and Buffy held it at an angle as she muddled out the words that seemed weird. Spike chuckled and read them out loud stating, “They are in Latin. Patefacio ianua ut orbis terrarum quod nemo can animadverto. It means…”
He was cut off as the room began to swirl. Spike hung on tightly to Buffy who grasped on to Spike for support and the two of them found themselves plunged to the ground that was cold, and very damp.
The ball that had been left behind rolled under the table. It had changed to a crystal ball that clearly showed three faces we recognized: Spike, Buffy and Skuttle as well as three we did not: a demon which looked human minus the red tint to his skin and two purple horned demons, a man and woman. The ball glowed as their faces bounced around inside the ball then suddenly the ball stopped glowing and turned back to its silver form as though nothing happened.
Meanwhile, Buffy stood up brushing off herself while her boots sunk into mud.