** Thanks for the amazing reviews, guys! I'm all a-glow... I*heart* our fandom :D Special thanks to Peta/Megan for the recommendation to BSV and the inspiration to add some bitey goodness to this story (look for it later, o impatient ones). Hope everyone has a stellar Independance day, I'll be thinking of you while I'm lounging idly on the beach...Though how I'll make it for 6 whole days with no Spuffy I have no idea...**
Chapter Eighteen ~ Witchcraft
“ Those fingers in my hair, that sly, come hither stare –
strips my conscious bare – it’s witchcraft.
And I’ve got no defense for it.
That heat is too intense for it.
What good would common sense for it do?
It’s witchcraft. Plain old wicked witchcraft.
And although I know it’s strictly taboo.
When you arouse the need in me, my heart says ‘yes, indeed’ in me –
Proceed with what you’re leading me too.
It’s such an ancient pitch, but one I’d never switch –
Cause there ain’t no nicer witch than you.”
~ Frank Sinatra
Buffy’s mind hurt from so much circular thinking. Even Bad Buffy Brain had been stunned into silence. Her head ached, her eyes burned and her stomach was a tangle of anxiety. There was nothing left for her to do but sleep it off, and hope the morning light would bring some clarity.
She reached over and flicked on her small bedside lamp. Digging in her nightstand she found the small bottle of Tylenol PM and gratefully downed 2 tablets with a gulp of bottled water. Hopefully now she could get a decent night’s rest.
Things always look better in the morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Goddess of Love stood at the foot of Buffy’s bed in all her enchanted glory. Her son stood by, watching her with awe as she worked her magic on the fabric of reality itself.
*Sometimes it just pays to bring in an outside contractor.*
He thought with amusement. After all these years he was still learning from her. It’d barely taken her an hour to come up with a devastating new plan of action. Aphrodite had taken the time to sit with the girl and tap into her desires, conscious and unconscious. Very quickly she’d hit upon the snag that was keeping the lovers apart.
“ She believes she wants a so-called ‘normal life’.”
She announced materializing on the roof of the Summer’s house alongside Eros. She smoothed her silken robes and patted her flowing hair back into perfect order. …As if she needed it.
“ I was able to confirm with the Akashik Records. The girl thinks of her Slayerhood as a burden. She was never trained properly, you see. She should have been raised with the knowledge of what she was, but she slipped under the radar of the Watcher’s Council somehow. She didn’t find out until the age of 16! It came as quite a shock as you can imagine.”
Eros nodded sympathetically, trying to envision such a destiny suddenly thrust upon an unsuspecting teenage girl.
“Her Watcher must have had his work cut out for him.”
“ Oh yes, indeed. The upshot of all this is that she wants back the life she had, thinking it will bring her happiness. That is why she refuses her vampire suitor and clings to a mortal lover.”
“ She has another lover?” He asked, shocked.
“ Didn’t you do any sort of research? Impetuous child… No matter, you may have overlooked him anyway. She has little connection with him beyond her fantasy of a quote ‘normal boyfriend’. And you should have seen that girl’s heart – such a mess! No wonder the poor dear is confused. She’s so thoroughly committed to this misguided ideal that she’s throwing away a chance at real happiness.”
She shook her head sympathetically, a frown upon her rosy lips.
“ And on a side note, our vampire is non-other than the infamous William the Bloody. Which isn’t helping matters one little bit. However much he tries to change, she doesn’t trust him, always believing he has ulterior motives.”
She stood up and began pacing the length of the roof, her flaxen curls glowing platinum in the moonlight. She turned to him, her perfect brows drawn together in thought.
“ This is serious business, Eros. Destiny is at work here – their souls and karma are deeply intertwined. The Powers want them together. They need each other you see, without their Love for each other they are lost.”
“ I had no idea what I was getting into, did I?”
Aphrodite smiled indulgently at her errant child.
“ You never do, Cherub.”
“ What will happen if we fail?”
“ We must not. It is Buffy’s Love that drives Spike towards positive change. At her side he will become a great warrior and serve the White, ultimately redeeming his own soul. And it is Spike’s Love that will make Buffy’s life worth living, it will give her something to cherish and fight for, it will make her the strongest Slayer in all the line.”
“ My Goddess…” Eros exclaimed in awe. And he had thought this a simple Love Match. Aphrodite nodded at him and then continued;
“ But without Buffy, Spike will fall back into his old ways - and at best drink himself into a stupor until he is foolishly killed – and at worst he could give even Angelus a run for his money.”
Eros hissed in shock.
“ It cannot be so – have you not seen his heartfire? It blazes like the sun, it is what called me here!”
Aphrodite rubbed his arm soothingly and said gently;
“ But it is just that tender heart that makes him vulnerable. It’s what drew him to an unlife in the first place.” She frowned thoughtfully, turning away from him to continue her pacing.
“ And as for Buffy, she would remain a strong, capable Slayer – but with an unfilled heart and an empty life. It would be her undoing. She won’t last long without the boy.”
“What must we do?”
“ I’ve come up with a plan, Poppet. You’ve heard the expression ‘Careful what
you wish for?’ …”
He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her.
“Yes?”
“ The Slayer desires ‘normal’?” Aphrodite’s blue eyes twinkled wickedly.
“Then normal she shall have…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The morning light stirred her from a deep and restful sleep. She turned over into her pillow displacing the heavy masculine arm that was draped over her protectively. That felt sooo nice, she snuggled happily into the bare chest in front of her.
*Mmmm, Spike…*
Her sleep-fuddled brain manufactured. She sighed with contentment. All was right with the world.
*Wait.*
She peeled open one eye carefully.
*Spike?*
Not Spike. Large + Warm = Riley.
*Oh.*
She tried not to feel too disappointed, and looked up to see him smiling sleepily at her.
“ Good morning, Beautiful.”
She smiled back at him, warming slightly to his sudden appearance.
“ Morning. When did you get here? I didn’t even hear you come in.”
*Must have been the Tylenol PM. Wow, that’s some good stuff.*
“ What are you talking about, Buffy? I was here when we went to bed. Together.”
“ Oh.”
Buffy was feeling very perplexed at the moment. She pulled back the blankets and struggled into an upright position. That’s when she noticed she wasn’t in her own bedroom anymore…
*What the hell?*
She scanned the room quickly, relieved to find she was somewhere familiar at least.
“ Are you okay, Sweetie?”
Riley asked over his shoulder as he slipped out of bed and began rummaging around in the drawers of his dresser. He found a pair of green sweats and slipped them on over his boxers, along with a simple gray athletic shirt.
“ Yeah, I just thought…”
“ Good.” He said brightly, not noticing he was cutting her off. “ ‘Cause we don’t want to be late for class.”
“ Oh. Okay.”
She got out of bed and began picking her clothes up off the floor.
“ I’m gonna grab a quick shower then. Meet you at lunch?”
He smiled cheerfully at her and grabbed his towel off the hook on the closet door.
“ Yeah. Sounds good.”
Buffy finished dressing quickly – in clothes she didn’t remember wearing last night.
*Cute though.*
At least she could count on her own taste. Riley opened the door, then turned around and came back to her.
“ I can’t believe I almost forgot – ”
He scooped her up into his arms and kissed her soundly, leaving her breathless.
“ I never want to leave you without doing that.” He said putting her feet gently back on the ground, smiling sweetly. “ I always want you to know how much I love you.”
Her heart melted just a little.
“ How could I not? ”
She said, touched. He grinned boyishly at her and shouldered his towel.
“ I can’t wait for this summer, Buffy.”
“ Me either.”
She replied, trying not to sound as puzzled as she felt. She smiled brightly at him as he walked towards the door.
“ And, Honey – don’t forget your ring on the night stand again. I just hate to see you without it.”
He winked then turned down the hall, seeking his morning shower.
*What the hell is going on? Why do I have no idea what he’s talking about?*
Curiosity piqued, Buffy walked over to the oak night table on her side of the bed.
There glittering brightly in the early morning sunlight was a gorgeous diamond solitaire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Holy Crap.*
Buffy could not have been more shocked. This was hers? When did that happen?
“ Okay. Something seriously screwy is going on.”
She pocketed the ring and headed over to the dorms, hoping to catch Willow before class.
Ten minutes later she was knocking on the door to Tara and Willow’s room, anxiously going over the morning’s events in her mind. Tara answered the door smiling kindly at Buffy.
“ Hi Tara – I was just looking for Willow. I had something I needed to talk to her about before class.”
She looked politely puzzled.
“ I’m sorry, she isn’t here Buffy. She didn’t come by this morning.”
“ Come by?”
Buffy’s brow wrinkled with confusion.
“ No. I wasn’t expecting to see her till lunch.”
Buffy was crestfallen. She worried at her lower lip, thinking.
“ Oh. Okay. Well, do you know where I might find her?”
Tara looked even more perplexed.
“ Um, your room maybe?”
“ My room?”
*You mean the one I moved out of two months ago…*
“ Are you okay, Buffy?”
She looked genuinely concerned.
*Uh oh, better cover.*
Buffy plastered on a smile and tried to pass it off as a blonde moment.
“ I’m sorry - I spent the night at Riley’s and I didn’t get much sleep…” Tara pinked slightly at this admission. “ I mean I didn’t sleep well. I guess I just assumed she would be with you.”
Tara beamed brightly at her, feeling complimented.
“ That’s okay. It’s nice that you would assume that – I guess that makes us an official couple then.”
Buffy smiled with false cheer, her brain on overload.
“ Yeah. Absolutely it does. I guess I’ll just run over to our room, and then I think it’s time for some serious coffee.”
The other girl smiled sweetly back at her.
“ Okay, I’ll see you guys at lunch then.”
“ Great. Bye.”
“ Bye, Buffy.”
Tara closed the door gently on a very confused Slayer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy dashed over to Stevenson Hall as quickly as she could, her mind a whirl of confusion. Was she dreaming? But everything seemed so real. Then maybe last night was the dream – that somehow seemed more likely… Her and Spike, making out? Half naked in the graveyard? That couldn’t be REAL, right? But then why was it so easy to remember the feel of his mouth on hers? Or the touch of his hands, cool and commanding on her body? Buffy felt fractures beginning to develop in her sanity…
*I need to talk to Willow, NOW.*
She knocked lightly on the door to her room, praying feverishly.
*Please, PLEASE be here…*
Willow answered the door, looking surprised to find Buffy on the other side.
*Thank God!*
“ Buffy? Why’d you knock?”
“ Um, I forgot my key? I’m having a really weird morning, Wil.”
Willow’s face was all concern as she looked at her friend. Buffy was obviously very upset.
“ What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
Buffy walked into the room she’d moved out of two months ago to find her belongings magically returned, just as if she’d never left. Somehow she didn’t think dorm gnomes were responsible. She looked around nervously, chewing her thumbnail.
“ Yeah, I guess – I don’t know. Do you have time to talk now? I kinda need you.”
Willow sat down on her own bed across from her, brow furrowed with alarm.
“ I’ll make time. You look really freaked, Buffy. What’s up? ”
Buffy sat down heavily on her bed, worrying at her nail anxiously.
“ Could you um, tell me about my life? ‘Cause I seem to have completely forgotten it.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“ What? What’s going on? What do you mean…”
“ I mean I woke up at Riley’s this morning. But I went to bed at MY house. I have an engagement ring I don’t ever remember getting. I thought I moved back home two months ago…And I won’t even begin to describe the events of the last couple of days to you – ‘cause you wouldn’t believe me. Hell, I don’t even believe me.”
Willow looked dumbfounded. But she immediately rallied like a trooper for a possible explanation.
“ Do you think it’s some kind of spell? …Or maybe you’re just working too hard lately?”
Buffy shrugged and threw up her hands in exasperation.
“ I dunno, Wil. But my memories of how things were, like pre-dawn today – are as vivid and real as sitting here with you right now. I don’t know WHAT to think! Could a spell do all this?”
“ Mess with your mind? Oh heck yeah. Magic can make you believe anything – at least for a little while. And you should know, right? Cause of my whole wacky ‘do my will’ spell. Making you think you were in love with Spike…”
Willow flicked her wrist in a dismissive gesture, chuckling.
“ Yeah, ridiculous…”
Buffy laughed weakly, a series of images flashing through her mind from last night – all extremely graphic and painfully real.
*If you only knew…*
“ It might be nothing, Buffy – I mean why would anybody wanna do this to you anyway?
It doesn’t make any sense.”
“ Maybe just to mess with the Slayer? I dunno…”
Willow looked confused.
“ But how would this affect Faith?”
It was Buffy’s turn to look confused.
“ Huh?!”
Willow’s voice was puzzled.
“ How would you being all wonky in the head affect the Slayer?”
Buffy’s eyebrows met her hairline as she made a sudden mental connection.
“ Faith’s THE SLAYER?!”
*** Mwahahahahaha - can you believe I left it there? I'm so evil. *grins* But I promise a nice, juicy udate as soon as I get back (by Tuesday). Meanwhile, if you're feeling bored over the weekend allow me to shamelessly plug my other story " Learning Curve" (which you can find here). It's a short bit of smutty Spuffy fun. I also recommend " And Here We Go Round Again" by Peta, " Just a Little Spell" by Patti, " One Perfect Night" by Spikeslovebite, "Roomies" by Brat and if you haven't read Lizrrrbeathan yet - ya really oughta - http://www.lizerrrbeathan.com/LizerrrbeathanFanfic.html " Life After Wartime" will make you laugh AND cry, it's just wonderful. There, that should get you through the weekend. And if I didn't list your story, please don't be offended, these are the ones I'm reading currently. It doesn't mean I don't love ya fer chrissakes! Snuggles to all, Rosie xoxoxox***
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