[Reviews - 40]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 2814 times

- Text Size +




And With This Power

Chapter Five: Old Habits Die Hard

Buffy walked in to the Magic Box, Dawn following closely behind. “Aw, come on, Buffy…it’s not like I need to do the homework…” Dawn pouted.

“Yes, you do.” Buffy looked up to see all of her friends sitting at the table with books surrounding them. “Oh, are we researching?”

“Yep,” Xander said, expressing the ‘p’.

“What’s the new demon?” Dawn asked. Buffy sent her a deadly glare, and Dawn turned away. “Right…homework.”

Buffy knew that she couldn’t avoid evil all together this year. She’d love to, but it didn’t work that way. Because she took away most of the bad happenings by stopping the Trio, new evil would levitate to Sunnydale. That’s how forces balanced out good and evil.

Sighing she stood a few feet from the table. “There’s something I have to talk to you guys about-” she started, but was cut off by Spike running through the doors with a blanket over his head. As the smoking of his flesh stopped, he walked over, giving Buffy a small smile.

Good, now he could be there too.

“What were you saying?” Giles asked, hating the interruption.

“It’s about…you guys bringing me back.”

Willow and Xander shared a small smile, but Buffy cut them off before they could speak. “I wasn’t in hell.” There, that was blunt enough. “It was Heaven. I was happy there. But I don’t blame you guys- and I’m not angry. You thought you were saving me.” She thought to herself for a second. “And I think you may have.”

None of them knew what that last line meant, but they were still in shock about the news of where she was. Spike looked more outraged, but still concerned. She started walking out the door and turned to them with a smile. Half of them were in tears, but she kept her small grin. “Just do me a favor, and don’t do it again,” she said jokingly, trying to keep the mood light, and walked out the door.

Spike took this opportunity to follow her out in to the shadows. “Buffy?”

She turned to face him, and walked back so she wasn’t in the sun. “Hey.”

“You okay, pet?”

She sighed but gave a small nod. “Yeah. I am.”

She walked over, sitting on a few empty crates with him. “Buffy, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” She narrows her eyebrows a little.

“You’re different. You seem…happier. An’ not just that.” He sighs and decides that since she’s here, he may as well continue. “What happened to you in Heaven?”

She seems a little startled; he can read her that easily?

“W-what do ya mean?”

“I mean…so far you’ve been able to stop every bad evil that comes along without question. Not only that, but you treat me as if…”

“You’re a man?” She finishes.

“Yeah,” he says looking down.

“Isn’t that what you said I made you feel like? A man, not a monster?”

“Well…yah. But now you act like I don’t even have a demon in me,” he says standing up. Not that he’s complaining, he just didn’t understand why she changed her attitude all of a sudden.

“You don’t,” she says without hesitation.

“Hello, I’m a vam-”

“Spike,” she says to calm him down. “The demon in you…you have control of it. I can see it.”

“Buffy…”

“Spike, we can have this conversation a thousand times. You’ve changed. I can see it. End. Of. Story.” Silently, she gets up and begins to walk away.

“Buffy,” he calls to her.

Without turning around, she stops. “Yeah?”

“Do you love me?” He asks, as a smirk threatens to play across his lips.

This makes her turn fully to face him. How does she answer that? She does love him. But the thing is, starting to love him only began the night she found out he had a soul.

But she also had to remind herself that Spike really stayed the same, with or without the soul. So, yes. She loved him.

This couldn’t be the answer she gave him, though. It was too soon. She kept a straight face as she turned and walked away without answering.

[Later, Willow and Tara’s room]

“Sweetie, I’m just saying that maybe you shouldn’t use as much magic…” Tara explained softly. Willow sat down on the bed with a confused look on her face.

“But…” She didn’t really have an argument for this.

“Baby, I’m not saying that you need to quit using it. I just think you’re using it a little too much. You’re powerful; I understand that. But you n-need to try and do things the normal way before using magic,” Tara suggested.

Willow just remained quiet, as Buffy stood in the hallway listening. Slowly she made her way downstairs and into the basement.

“Slayer,” Andrew called out when he saw her. “How dare you enter thy lair without permission!”

Buffy just rolled her eyes and moved a chair so she was sitting in front of them.

“I’m hungry,” Jonathon whined again.

“We just fed you,” Buffy answered with raised eyebrows, and then went to say what she had to. “You two were about to get mixed up with the wrong guy.”

“Warren would never do anything to hurt us!” Andrew exclaimed, and then quickly quieted.

“He would,” Buffy persisted softly. “Thing is…we could use your help.”

Jonathon and Andrew exchange glances and then smile a little.

“You mean like we get to join your gang?” Andrew asked hopefully.

“Can you prove yourself worthy?” She doesn’t even wait for a reply before turning to Jonathon. “I need your help.”

“Really? I mean- uh- with what?” Jonathon inquires.

“You’re in to magic, spells, and whatnot. So is Willow. Thing is, you have something she doesn’t. Control. I need you to…coach her, I guess you could say.”

“And what will my partner in crime receive for doing such a task?” Andrew asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I guess you’ll both have to find out. Jonathon, can you help her?”

“Well, I could try…I’ve never done any kind of magic control training before…”

“Good. Never better time to start.”

“Buffy?” She turns around to face Jonathon. “Does this mean you’re not gonna kill us?”

“I didn’t take you from Warren to kill you.” She sighs and begins walking up the steps. As she slowly disappears, she adds, “I’m giving you another chance.”

[Kitchen]

“Xander, why can’t we just tell them?” Anya whispers loudly.

“Ahn, we’ve been over this. I don’t think now’s the right time,” Xander explained.

“When will it be the right time, Xander?”

Buffy appears through the doorway, pretending to not know what they were talking about. “Hey, Buff,” Xander says a little shakily.

“Hey Xander, Anya.”

“Hello, Buffy,” Anya greets. “Wouldn’t it be nice to get some non-death related topics to discuss?”

“Ahn…” Xander warns.

Buffy shrugs. “Actually, she’s kind of right, Xand. All people talk about lately is me dying or me coming back.”

“Right. That’s why I think now would be the perfect time to announce our-” Xander claps a hand over her mouth, and Buffy shrugs again.

“Engagement?” She finishes for Anya, and the couple looked at her strangely. “Oh, come on guys. It’s wicked obvious, and I just think it’s about time.” They continue to stare before Xander gives a final nervous laugh.

“Well, as much as I love to talk about happy things,” Buffy said looking down. “How am I doing on the money situation now?”

“Not good at all,” Anya answers.

“Ahn…”

“Xander, she asked. I’m not going to lie. Buffy, I suggest you get a job. The good-paying kind.”

“Like the Doublemeat Palace?” Buffy asks with a large groan.

“I was going to suggest the Magic Box,” Anya says cheerfully. Buffy’s eyes widen. The only thing worse than the DP was the Magic Box.

“No…I think I’ll check out the fast food industry for now,” Buffy said. Seeing Anya’s hurt look, she added, “I tend to lose money a lot.”

“Oh. Well, in that case, you won’t be working for me.”

“Ahn…”

[Later, living room]

“How are you doing, Buffy?” Giles asked softly.

“Good. In fact, I’m better than good. I’m great,” Buffy answered.

“Well, I must say that you’ve done incredibly well since you’ve been back.”

“Yep. You know me. Can’t keep dwelling on the past,” she said with a forced smile. Having to live the loss of Heaven all over again was still kind of painful.

“Good, Buffy.” Buffy just eyes him for a second and wanders if he still plans to leave. No, because she can be stronger this time. She can make him stay.

Or like always, she could try.





You must login (register) to review.