New Beginnings - Chapters 11 & 12
Oct. 7th, 2003 04:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psubratAuthor: PSUbrat
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: Buffy and Cecily have a chat...
Timeframe: 2 weeks after "Summers Blues"
The Magic Box was bustling with customers and Scoobies. They had been called in to help Anya with the annual Midsummer’s Day Sale. So between customers and employees, it was difficult to maneuver through the store. Buffy could see that the former demon was thriving in her element, beaming as she accepted payment after payment. She figured it was only a matter of time before Anya began the dance of capitalism, right there in front of all of the customers. Sometimes she wished she could have that much enthusiasm and zest for her job. It wasn’t that she didn’t love being the Chosen One, because there was a part of her that wouldn’t give it up for the world, but she envied Anya for being able to have it all - good friends, a loving boyfriend and a thriving business.
Lately though, she did feel like she was starting to have it all. She was getting paid for her slaying abilities. Her sister was behaving and they were growing closer. The house was finally looking like a home again since she and Dawn had put the finishing touches on the place last night. And she finally heard from Willow and Tara last night as well. Apparently, the Coven kept the two Wiccans busy day and night. She was happy that Willow was coming to terms with her powers but there was just something about Willow’s tone that had bothered her. Her friend hadn’t completely seemed like herself, but she had assured her that everything was fine. She was positive that if there really were something wrong, Willow would eventually tell her.
"Buffy," Anya called from behind the register. "Could you show Cecily where the extra eye of newt is?"
Buffy tilted her head and gave Anya a curious look. Who in the world was Anya talking about? Had she hired someone new and hadn’t told them? She did a quick visual sweep of the shop...Anya, Dawn, Xander and Halfrek. Nope. She knew everyone.
"Buffy, eye of newt, Cecily. Hop to it we have paying customers!"
"Anya, I’m not quite sure who you’re..."
"She’s referring to me," Halfrek said, coming towards the Slayer.
"You?" Buffy questioned.
"Yes, I decided that since I’m going to be human again, I want to go by my human name. Cecily."
Cecily. Buffy rolled the name around in her head. It had a familiar ring to it. She just couldn’t place it at the moment. Eventually it would come to her. "Okay Cecily, let’s go round up some eye of newt," she said, nodding and heading towards the basement door.
"I do appreciate your help Buffy," Cecily said as they descended the stairs into the darkness. "I know you don’t like me much because of Dawn’s wish, but I’d like to try to put that behind us. After all, I’m stuck here now and I want to be on friendly terms with Anya’s friends and co-workers."
Buffy gave the dark haired girl a knowing look as she said, "Uh huh. And I’m not living in a world full of demons."
The two stared at one another for a moment. "Okay. You got me," Cecily sighed. "Anya told me to say that. She just wants everyone to get along while we work here. Something about it being better for business..."
Buffy shook her head. Leave it to Anya to somehow tie everything back to making a profit. Oh well. "Don’t worry Hal-Cecily; I don’t hold it against you that you trapped us in my house during my birthday party...with a demon. Really," she said with a shrug. "You were just doing your job, right?"
"Exactly," Cecily said, eyeing Buffy suspiciously. Why didn’t she think the Slayer was being honest?
"Well, I guess we better look for that eye of newt before Anya has our heads." She began looking around the shelves while Cecily stood to the side. "I wish she would label these jars better," Buffy said absently. "I never could find anything down here, except a psychotic mummy hand during the hour that would never end."
Cecily frowned at Buffy not understanding what the girl was saying.
Buffy waved it off. "Never mind. I’m not very good with inventory. Anya knows that. Usually Spike is the one..." Her voice trailed off. Her mind took her back to the night that she had taken his coat out of the box. She wasn’t sure how long she had sat there rocking back and forth. She didn’t remember much from that night, but she had awakened the next morning to the sound of the alarm and Spike’s coat wrapped around her body.
Seeing the look on Buffy’s face, Cecily realized that there was more to the Buffy and Spike story than Anya had told her. She knew that Anya had been intimate with the vampire one night, out of need. She could understand that. Strange things can happen when you’re hurting. She decided to probe Buffy for more information on the platinum blond vampire who looked so familiar to her. "You and Spike were close?" She hesitantly asked.
"No," was Buffy’s quick response as she continued to look for the item. "I mean, we were involved at one time. But he’s gone now."
"Do you miss him?"
Buffy just looked over at Cecily with wide eyes. "Me? Miss the scourge of Europe? I don’t think so."
"You know Buffy," Cecily began. "It’s none of my business, but speaking from experience..."
"You’re right," Buffy snapped. "It is none of your business."
"You shouldn’t let what other people think affect the way you feel for him," Cecily continued despite the interruption. "I know first hand how it feels to love someone that your friends and family don’t approve of."
"What? Is this some kind of bonding moment between us?" Buffy asked with a glare, still searching for the eye of newt.
"Look, I’m just saying, if you love him then who cares what everyone else thinks? I loved this guy once, back in England..."
"You don’t sound British," Buffy interrupted again.
"That’s because I gave it up when I gave up being human. Anyway, as I was saying, I loved this guy once and my friends and family couldn’t stand him. He was really sweet but a horrible poet."
Back upstairs in the shop, the crowd began to thin. Dawn was up front standing around waiting to assist anyone who needed her help when the bells on the door chimed again. She turned to see who had come in. It was Steven. Ever since their first date, he had started to come into the shop for a few minutes each day, just to see her. Through the crowd, he found her. She smiled and slowly made her way over to him.
"Hi," he said as she approached him.
"Hey," Dawn said with a shy smile. Even though they had been dating for over a month, she still found herself so nervous and shy around him. Her palms would get all sweaty and her stomach would do back flips. It was unnerving sometimes.
"I brought you these," he said, taking the flowers out from behind his back.
"Thanks," she gasped as she took them from him. They were beautiful. "I’m just gonna go put these in water."
He followed her to counter where she found a vase. While she went to the bathroom to put water in it, he took a seat on the stool.
"Good afternoon, Steven," Anya said cheerily.
He returned her greeting with a nod.
Xander made his way over to the counter and stood next to Anya. "Steven," he said, in an even tone. "What brings you to the Magic Box today? As if I couldn’t guess..." Ever since Giles had left, Xander had tried to act as the young Summers’ father figure.
"Hello Mr. Harris," Steven said, smiling his best fake smile. "I’m here to see Dawn. Just for a few minutes, if that’s okay with you?" He hated acting like a good mannered boy, but he would do what needed to be done.
"That’s fine, Steven," Anya grinned. "But just remember she’s working off her debt and we’re very busy right now."
"Can you two just back off please?" Dawn asked, rolling her eyes at Anya and Xander. "You’re embarrassing me!"
Giving Dawn a stern look, Xander put his arm around Anya and guided her over to a group of customers who were looking at the newest display.
As Anya and Xander walked away from the two teenagers, Steven asked, "Do you want to go out tonight? We could go for a walk and get ice cream or something."
"Sure," Dawn said giggling. She tried to play it cool but instead she thought she sounded like a babbling idiot.
"Ah-hah! Here it is!" Buffy exclaimed, holding the jar of eyeballs up in triumph. Now she wanted to get back upstairs and away from this woman as fast as possible. "Cecily, I really appreciate what you’re trying to say here but guess what? I really don’t care what...." A chill went down her spine as she realized what the woman had said. "Wait, did you say he was a horrible poet?"
"The worst," Cecily said laughing. "Who uses the word effulgent in a poem?"
"Good question," Buffy almost whispered. Things were starting to click in her head. "What ever happened to him? Did you two get married?"
"Heavens no! My father had other ideas. As for poor William, I have no idea what happened to him. He disappeared the night that I told him he was beneath me..."
The last jar, containing eye of newt, crashed to the floor. Glass, liquid and eyeballs went everywhere.
"Buffy!" Cecily cried. "Are you okay? You look pale!"
"I-I’m fine," she said quickly, trying to recover from the shock. "My hands, it just slipped. I think the jar was wet. I don’t feel so well." She turned and ran up the steps, never stopping until she was well away from the Magic Box. Only then did she bring herself to a halt. Tears threatened her dazed eyes.
What was that all about?" Anya asked as they watched Buffy run out of the shop. "And where is that eye of newt that I sent her and Cecily to look for? She just can’t leave. We have customers who are paying money. Xander! You have to go after her!"
"No," Dawn said, looking at Anya. "I’ll go." Then she turned to Steven. "I’ll see you tonight?"
He nodded back at her and got up to follow her out. "I’ll help you look for your sister first if you want."
"No," she responded. "I’ll be okay. See you tonight." They both left the shop, heading in different directions.
Cecily emerged from the basement bewildered at what had just transpired. "Anya, you’re going to have to order more eye of newt."
"What do you mean order more? According to the records, there’s one more jar down there...and what’s wrong with Buffy?"
"Was," Cecily corrected.
"Was...? What do you mean was?" The former demon demanded.
"It slipped out of Buffy’s hands," Cecily explained. "We were talking and then all of a sudden the jar slipped and fell. She didn’t look well. She said she felt ill."
Anya just stared at her friend. "You mean to tell me Buffy broke the last jar?" She asked incredulously. "She’s going to have to pay for that. It’s not cheap, you know."
"Way to go with the concern, Anya," Xander stated.
"What? Well it is expensive!" Anya exclaimed.
Xander sighed heavily and walked back over to the customer he had been assisting.
"Buffy," Dawn gasped as she finally caught up with her sister in front of their house. She put her hand on Buffy’s shoulder and turned her around. "What’s wrong? Are you okay?"
Buffy stood on the sidewalk just staring at Dawn blankly. Why hadn’t she put two and two together before? She should have known. Wait. Why should she care? It’s not like Spike belonged to her.
"Buffy," Dawn said softly. "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing."
"What do you mean nothing? You flew out of the Magic Box looking like you had seen a ghost."
"I don’t feel well. That’s all."
"You’re an awful liar, Buffy. Come on, what happened?"
Buffy looked at her sister. She knew there was no getting around it. Dawn would pester her until she told her what was wrong. She sighed and lowered her head. She felt silly for even feeling this way. So what if Cecily had been the one Spike had loved the night he died. "Dawn," she finally started as she lifted her head to look at her sister. "Do you remember when I asked Spike to tell me about how he killed those other slayers?"
Dawn nodded with a frown, not knowing exactly where this was going.
"Well, he told me, but he also told me how he became a vampire."
"Buffy, what does this have to do with anything?"
"Everything," Buffy said. "Just listen. The night Drusilla turned him - he’d been at a party. He had written poetry for a woman he was in love with, but she had ridiculed him in front of everyone."
"And?" Dawn asked, gesturing with her hands.
"And...her name was Cecily." Buffy stood there waiting for Dawn to make the connection.
"Just like Halfrek’s human name." Suddenly Dawn looked at Buffy with wide eyes. "You don’t think it’s that Cecily, do you? I mean, what are the odds? She’s not even British."
"I thought that too. But I’m positive it’s her."
"How?"
"She said something. A phrase. The same phrase that I used on Spike after he tried to kiss me that night."
"Buffy, you’re not making any sense."
"Dawn, the woman that Spike was in love with, she blew him off. Told him that he was beneath her...Cecily used those same words to the man that she was in love with - a really bad poet that her friends and family didn’t approve of. Does this man sound familiar to you?"
"Spike," Dawn whispered in awe.
Author: PSUbrat
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: Dawn's latest power surfaces as Buffy refuses to admit her feelings for Spike...
Timeframe: Immediately following "Your Beauty Effulgent"
"Maybe she knows where Spike is," Dawn said, the excitement building in her voice. "We should go ask her right now!" The teenager turned to make her way back to the Magic Box.
"No!" Buffy exclaimed as she put her hand on her sister’s shoulder and spun her around. "She doesn’t know where he is; and besides, she has no idea that Spike is William." She was certain that Cecily was the woman that Spike loved before he died. All of the evidence pointed to that conclusion. How would Spike react to this news, if he ever decided to come back? She tried to push the thought from her mind.
Dawn stared at her sister’s face. She could tell that Buffy was emotionally overwhelmed by the revelation. "Are you afraid that if Spike comes back and finds out that Halfrek is Cecily, he’ll instantly forget about you and want her back?"
Buffy was shocked by her sister’s bluntness. She took a step back and glared at her. "I don’t care what Spike does!"
"Yes you do," Dawn whispered back to her. "Otherwise you wouldn’t be taking his coat out of the box and sleeping in it every night."
"I don’t do that!"
"Yes you do Buffy, I’ve seen it. Why can’t you just admit to yourself that you’re in love with him?"
"I’m not having this conversation with you," Buffy growled as she stomped up the steps and into the house.
Lilah hesitated as she neared the semi-open office door. The nameplate on the door read Gavin Park. Should she knock? No. That would mean she had respect for this man. Instead, she opened the door wider and sauntered into the well-lighted corner office. The senior partners had chosen Gavin to head up the Sunnydale office. To say she was angry was an understatement. She knew that he had somehow weaseled his way into this coveted assignment on the Hellmouth. "Congratulations Gavin," she said as she leaned against the wall with a smile.
"Come now," he grinned. "I know you don’t really mean that." He continued to pack up his desk, savoring the look of disdain on Lilah’s face.
"No. Really Gavin," she purred. "Great job. You must have really impressed the senior partners. What did you do? Shine their shoes? Knit them sweaters?" She crossed her arms against her chest and smirked at him.
Gavin looked up from packing to return her smirk. He knew that his promotion was eating her up inside and he wanted to enjoy every second of it. "Lilah, you poor unfortunate soul. Whatever will you do without my help?"
She knew he was goading her. He was pushing all of the right buttons. She wanted to reach out and throttle him. Instead, she smiled sweetly and strolled over to his desk. "You know what, Gavin? You can be as smug as you want. But I know, in the end, you’ll fail and I’ll have to come pick up the pieces."
The smug smile he had on his lips faded as he clenched his jaw, making his cheekbones more pronounced. He came around his desk and stood in front of her. "And what makes you think I’ll fail?" He demanded staring at her intently.
"Because Gavin," she cooed. "You don’t have what it takes to handle the Slayer, the boy or the other one."
"Oh, and you do?"
She smiled coyly at him and batted her eyelashes.
"Get over yourself, Lilah. My name is not Lindsey McDonald. Now if you’ll excuse me, I do have a lot of packing to do." With that, he turned his back to her, picked up an empty box and proceeded to the corner bookcase to empty it.
"Bastard," she whispered to herself as she left the office. She’d show him. She’d show them all what a huge mistake they’d made. She made her way to her office and picked up the phone.
"Hello," the decidedly British voice on the other end of the line said.
"It’s me. Listen. I don’t have a lot of time to explain. I need you to meet me down at the bar tonight."
"What makes you think I’d meet you anywhere?"
"Because. It involves Connor...and Buffy."
There was a slight pause and then a deep breath. "What time?"
Dawn followed Buffy into the house. There was no way she was going to let her sister just stomp off without facing her feelings. She felt that it was about time Buffy came to grips with the truth and she was going to be just the person to help her with that. Buffy was already in the kitchen pulling out the ice cream when Dawn caught up with her. "Buffy what are you doing?"
"I’m eating ice cream," Buffy said nonchalantly. "What does it look like I’m doing?"
"Hiding," Dawn said, staring at her sister.
"What?" Buffy demanded as she speared the ice cream with her spoon.
"Buffy you’re hiding from your feelings for Spike. Just admit it already."
"Dawn you’ve finally gone insane. I do not have any feelings for Spike whatsoever so just get off this train before I totally derail you."
"I’m not going anywhere Buffy. How long are you going to do this to yourself? How long are you going to drive me crazy? Why do you think Spike left to begin with, huh?"
She could feel the anger welling up inside of her. "This conversation is over," she said, trying to keep her emotions in check. "I think you better get back to the Magic Box before Anya sends out the cavalry." She picked up the ice cream and started for the living room.
"Like I said...I’m not going anywhere," Dawn insisted as she reached out and turned her sister around to face her. "We’re going to talk about Spike, whether you like it or..."
Suddenly, the room darkened and the air next to Buffy and Dawn began to hum and ripple. The two girls took a step back and shielded themselves with their arms. Electricity flowed around the ripple as it grew in size.
"What’s happening?" Buffy yelled above the increased humming sound.
"I don’t know," Dawn screamed back with widening eyes. "Oh my god! Buffy! I think it’s a portal!"
Hesitantly Buffy moved from in front of the portal to behind it. She could see her sister clearly, as if there was nothing there. She reached out to touch the air but it didn’t feel any differently from the air to her left or right. She saw Dawn reach out to do the same from the front. "Dawn! No!"
Dawn pulled her hand back with a jerk at the sound of Buffy’s voice. Her sister was back at her side now. "W-What do you think it is?" She asked.
"I think it’s like you said, a portal."
"Duh, Buffy...But what’s on the other side?"
"I’m not sure, but it looks like a dorm room or something." Once again, Buffy reached out to touch the air. It hummed and felt warm to the touch. She looked over at her sister.
"We should see where it goes!"
"Absolutely not," Buffy shot back at her. "We have no idea where this goes. It could go to a different world or something."
Dawn walked over to the portal and put her hand through.
"Dawn," Buffy shouted. But it was too late. Dawn had walked through.
Buffy’s watcher-to-be tried desperately to walk without falling. He was extremely pissed - and that didn’t mean he was angry. The boys had taken him down to the pub for his last night in London and proceeded to make him drink pint after pint. "Bloody hell!" He yelped, as he tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and went sprawling to the ground. He lay there for a few seconds hoping that the world would stop spinning. He heard laughter coming from somewhere around him. He managed to pull himself up to his knees to look around. Over to his left Garrick and Geoffrey were grinning madly at him.
"Mate," Geoffrey laughed. "You’re so bloody pissed, you’re never going to make your flight tomorrow."
"Sod off," he said to his friend. This brought a whole new round of guffaws from the other two.
Garrick walked over to him and helped pull him to his feet. "You know, we’re really going to miss having you around, mate."
"Right," Geoffrey added. "Who else is going to get us into scrums over football?"
"Ha, ha, bloody ha," he said, still swaying on his feet as they started walking again. "I’ll have you know that ManU will prevail!"
"Right, mate," Garrick teased. "And I’m Buffy Summers."
"What did you say?" The man asked in a much more sober tone now.
"He said that there’s no way Manchester United could dance their way out of a paper sack."
He eyed Garrick suspiciously. "He did not. He said something about Buffy."
"Oh no," Geoffrey sighed. "Now you’ve done it. Garrick you shouldn’t have brought up her name. Now he’s going to start blubbering again."
"Sorry Geoff," Garrick said wincing. "I just thought I’d tease the ponce a bit is all."
"Right then. Help me get him up the stairs before the git starts singing again."
Too late. The man had already started humming a catchy little ditty.
"Dawn!" Buffy shouted. "Get back here now!"
"Buffy this is so cool," Dawn exclaimed as she bounced on the bed and looked around the room. "This definitely isn’t Sunnydale."
"Don’t make me come in there and drag you out!"
"Sheesh. Non-adventurous much." She got up and walked around the room trying to understand her surroundings. As she looked out the window, she could see that it was nighttime. The room was similar to that of a dorm room. It had a bed, a dresser, a closet, and lots of books. There were also a couple of suitcases sitting by the door. "I think it’s some type of university or something," she explained as she looked back through the portal at Buffy.
"Dawn, I really think..."
"Buffy," Dawn squealed. "There’s a picture of you on the desk, and there’s some type of journal here." Just then, she heard voices coming closer to the door.
"Dawn someone’s coming! Get back here now!"
Dawn looked around to see if she could grab something to prove to herself that this had really happened. She looked down at the book on the desk. "A Watcher’s Guide to Slaying...what the...?"
The lock on the door tumbled over and the doorknob began to turn. Quickly she picked up the book and dove through the portal. As soon as she crossed the threshold back into Sunnydale, the portal closed. Stunned, she pulled herself to her feet and stared at her sister.
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: Buffy and Cecily have a chat...
Timeframe: 2 weeks after "Summers Blues"
- 11 -
Your Beauty Effulgent
Your Beauty Effulgent
The Magic Box was bustling with customers and Scoobies. They had been called in to help Anya with the annual Midsummer’s Day Sale. So between customers and employees, it was difficult to maneuver through the store. Buffy could see that the former demon was thriving in her element, beaming as she accepted payment after payment. She figured it was only a matter of time before Anya began the dance of capitalism, right there in front of all of the customers. Sometimes she wished she could have that much enthusiasm and zest for her job. It wasn’t that she didn’t love being the Chosen One, because there was a part of her that wouldn’t give it up for the world, but she envied Anya for being able to have it all - good friends, a loving boyfriend and a thriving business.
Lately though, she did feel like she was starting to have it all. She was getting paid for her slaying abilities. Her sister was behaving and they were growing closer. The house was finally looking like a home again since she and Dawn had put the finishing touches on the place last night. And she finally heard from Willow and Tara last night as well. Apparently, the Coven kept the two Wiccans busy day and night. She was happy that Willow was coming to terms with her powers but there was just something about Willow’s tone that had bothered her. Her friend hadn’t completely seemed like herself, but she had assured her that everything was fine. She was positive that if there really were something wrong, Willow would eventually tell her.
"Buffy," Anya called from behind the register. "Could you show Cecily where the extra eye of newt is?"
Buffy tilted her head and gave Anya a curious look. Who in the world was Anya talking about? Had she hired someone new and hadn’t told them? She did a quick visual sweep of the shop...Anya, Dawn, Xander and Halfrek. Nope. She knew everyone.
"Buffy, eye of newt, Cecily. Hop to it we have paying customers!"
"Anya, I’m not quite sure who you’re..."
"She’s referring to me," Halfrek said, coming towards the Slayer.
"You?" Buffy questioned.
"Yes, I decided that since I’m going to be human again, I want to go by my human name. Cecily."
Cecily. Buffy rolled the name around in her head. It had a familiar ring to it. She just couldn’t place it at the moment. Eventually it would come to her. "Okay Cecily, let’s go round up some eye of newt," she said, nodding and heading towards the basement door.
******
"I do appreciate your help Buffy," Cecily said as they descended the stairs into the darkness. "I know you don’t like me much because of Dawn’s wish, but I’d like to try to put that behind us. After all, I’m stuck here now and I want to be on friendly terms with Anya’s friends and co-workers."
Buffy gave the dark haired girl a knowing look as she said, "Uh huh. And I’m not living in a world full of demons."
The two stared at one another for a moment. "Okay. You got me," Cecily sighed. "Anya told me to say that. She just wants everyone to get along while we work here. Something about it being better for business..."
Buffy shook her head. Leave it to Anya to somehow tie everything back to making a profit. Oh well. "Don’t worry Hal-Cecily; I don’t hold it against you that you trapped us in my house during my birthday party...with a demon. Really," she said with a shrug. "You were just doing your job, right?"
"Exactly," Cecily said, eyeing Buffy suspiciously. Why didn’t she think the Slayer was being honest?
"Well, I guess we better look for that eye of newt before Anya has our heads." She began looking around the shelves while Cecily stood to the side. "I wish she would label these jars better," Buffy said absently. "I never could find anything down here, except a psychotic mummy hand during the hour that would never end."
Cecily frowned at Buffy not understanding what the girl was saying.
Buffy waved it off. "Never mind. I’m not very good with inventory. Anya knows that. Usually Spike is the one..." Her voice trailed off. Her mind took her back to the night that she had taken his coat out of the box. She wasn’t sure how long she had sat there rocking back and forth. She didn’t remember much from that night, but she had awakened the next morning to the sound of the alarm and Spike’s coat wrapped around her body.
Seeing the look on Buffy’s face, Cecily realized that there was more to the Buffy and Spike story than Anya had told her. She knew that Anya had been intimate with the vampire one night, out of need. She could understand that. Strange things can happen when you’re hurting. She decided to probe Buffy for more information on the platinum blond vampire who looked so familiar to her. "You and Spike were close?" She hesitantly asked.
"No," was Buffy’s quick response as she continued to look for the item. "I mean, we were involved at one time. But he’s gone now."
"Do you miss him?"
Buffy just looked over at Cecily with wide eyes. "Me? Miss the scourge of Europe? I don’t think so."
"You know Buffy," Cecily began. "It’s none of my business, but speaking from experience..."
"You’re right," Buffy snapped. "It is none of your business."
"You shouldn’t let what other people think affect the way you feel for him," Cecily continued despite the interruption. "I know first hand how it feels to love someone that your friends and family don’t approve of."
"What? Is this some kind of bonding moment between us?" Buffy asked with a glare, still searching for the eye of newt.
"Look, I’m just saying, if you love him then who cares what everyone else thinks? I loved this guy once, back in England..."
"You don’t sound British," Buffy interrupted again.
"That’s because I gave it up when I gave up being human. Anyway, as I was saying, I loved this guy once and my friends and family couldn’t stand him. He was really sweet but a horrible poet."
******
Back upstairs in the shop, the crowd began to thin. Dawn was up front standing around waiting to assist anyone who needed her help when the bells on the door chimed again. She turned to see who had come in. It was Steven. Ever since their first date, he had started to come into the shop for a few minutes each day, just to see her. Through the crowd, he found her. She smiled and slowly made her way over to him.
"Hi," he said as she approached him.
"Hey," Dawn said with a shy smile. Even though they had been dating for over a month, she still found herself so nervous and shy around him. Her palms would get all sweaty and her stomach would do back flips. It was unnerving sometimes.
"I brought you these," he said, taking the flowers out from behind his back.
"Thanks," she gasped as she took them from him. They were beautiful. "I’m just gonna go put these in water."
He followed her to counter where she found a vase. While she went to the bathroom to put water in it, he took a seat on the stool.
"Good afternoon, Steven," Anya said cheerily.
He returned her greeting with a nod.
Xander made his way over to the counter and stood next to Anya. "Steven," he said, in an even tone. "What brings you to the Magic Box today? As if I couldn’t guess..." Ever since Giles had left, Xander had tried to act as the young Summers’ father figure.
"Hello Mr. Harris," Steven said, smiling his best fake smile. "I’m here to see Dawn. Just for a few minutes, if that’s okay with you?" He hated acting like a good mannered boy, but he would do what needed to be done.
"That’s fine, Steven," Anya grinned. "But just remember she’s working off her debt and we’re very busy right now."
"Can you two just back off please?" Dawn asked, rolling her eyes at Anya and Xander. "You’re embarrassing me!"
Giving Dawn a stern look, Xander put his arm around Anya and guided her over to a group of customers who were looking at the newest display.
As Anya and Xander walked away from the two teenagers, Steven asked, "Do you want to go out tonight? We could go for a walk and get ice cream or something."
"Sure," Dawn said giggling. She tried to play it cool but instead she thought she sounded like a babbling idiot.
******
"Ah-hah! Here it is!" Buffy exclaimed, holding the jar of eyeballs up in triumph. Now she wanted to get back upstairs and away from this woman as fast as possible. "Cecily, I really appreciate what you’re trying to say here but guess what? I really don’t care what...." A chill went down her spine as she realized what the woman had said. "Wait, did you say he was a horrible poet?"
"The worst," Cecily said laughing. "Who uses the word effulgent in a poem?"
"Good question," Buffy almost whispered. Things were starting to click in her head. "What ever happened to him? Did you two get married?"
"Heavens no! My father had other ideas. As for poor William, I have no idea what happened to him. He disappeared the night that I told him he was beneath me..."
The last jar, containing eye of newt, crashed to the floor. Glass, liquid and eyeballs went everywhere.
"Buffy!" Cecily cried. "Are you okay? You look pale!"
"I-I’m fine," she said quickly, trying to recover from the shock. "My hands, it just slipped. I think the jar was wet. I don’t feel so well." She turned and ran up the steps, never stopping until she was well away from the Magic Box. Only then did she bring herself to a halt. Tears threatened her dazed eyes.
******
What was that all about?" Anya asked as they watched Buffy run out of the shop. "And where is that eye of newt that I sent her and Cecily to look for? She just can’t leave. We have customers who are paying money. Xander! You have to go after her!"
"No," Dawn said, looking at Anya. "I’ll go." Then she turned to Steven. "I’ll see you tonight?"
He nodded back at her and got up to follow her out. "I’ll help you look for your sister first if you want."
"No," she responded. "I’ll be okay. See you tonight." They both left the shop, heading in different directions.
Cecily emerged from the basement bewildered at what had just transpired. "Anya, you’re going to have to order more eye of newt."
"What do you mean order more? According to the records, there’s one more jar down there...and what’s wrong with Buffy?"
"Was," Cecily corrected.
"Was...? What do you mean was?" The former demon demanded.
"It slipped out of Buffy’s hands," Cecily explained. "We were talking and then all of a sudden the jar slipped and fell. She didn’t look well. She said she felt ill."
Anya just stared at her friend. "You mean to tell me Buffy broke the last jar?" She asked incredulously. "She’s going to have to pay for that. It’s not cheap, you know."
"Way to go with the concern, Anya," Xander stated.
"What? Well it is expensive!" Anya exclaimed.
Xander sighed heavily and walked back over to the customer he had been assisting.
******
"Buffy," Dawn gasped as she finally caught up with her sister in front of their house. She put her hand on Buffy’s shoulder and turned her around. "What’s wrong? Are you okay?"
Buffy stood on the sidewalk just staring at Dawn blankly. Why hadn’t she put two and two together before? She should have known. Wait. Why should she care? It’s not like Spike belonged to her.
"Buffy," Dawn said softly. "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing."
"What do you mean nothing? You flew out of the Magic Box looking like you had seen a ghost."
"I don’t feel well. That’s all."
"You’re an awful liar, Buffy. Come on, what happened?"
Buffy looked at her sister. She knew there was no getting around it. Dawn would pester her until she told her what was wrong. She sighed and lowered her head. She felt silly for even feeling this way. So what if Cecily had been the one Spike had loved the night he died. "Dawn," she finally started as she lifted her head to look at her sister. "Do you remember when I asked Spike to tell me about how he killed those other slayers?"
Dawn nodded with a frown, not knowing exactly where this was going.
"Well, he told me, but he also told me how he became a vampire."
"Buffy, what does this have to do with anything?"
"Everything," Buffy said. "Just listen. The night Drusilla turned him - he’d been at a party. He had written poetry for a woman he was in love with, but she had ridiculed him in front of everyone."
"And?" Dawn asked, gesturing with her hands.
"And...her name was Cecily." Buffy stood there waiting for Dawn to make the connection.
"Just like Halfrek’s human name." Suddenly Dawn looked at Buffy with wide eyes. "You don’t think it’s that Cecily, do you? I mean, what are the odds? She’s not even British."
"I thought that too. But I’m positive it’s her."
"How?"
"She said something. A phrase. The same phrase that I used on Spike after he tried to kiss me that night."
"Buffy, you’re not making any sense."
"Dawn, the woman that Spike was in love with, she blew him off. Told him that he was beneath her...Cecily used those same words to the man that she was in love with - a really bad poet that her friends and family didn’t approve of. Does this man sound familiar to you?"
"Spike," Dawn whispered in awe.
Author: PSUbrat
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: Dawn's latest power surfaces as Buffy refuses to admit her feelings for Spike...
Timeframe: Immediately following "Your Beauty Effulgent"
- 12 -
Denial
Denial
"Maybe she knows where Spike is," Dawn said, the excitement building in her voice. "We should go ask her right now!" The teenager turned to make her way back to the Magic Box.
"No!" Buffy exclaimed as she put her hand on her sister’s shoulder and spun her around. "She doesn’t know where he is; and besides, she has no idea that Spike is William." She was certain that Cecily was the woman that Spike loved before he died. All of the evidence pointed to that conclusion. How would Spike react to this news, if he ever decided to come back? She tried to push the thought from her mind.
Dawn stared at her sister’s face. She could tell that Buffy was emotionally overwhelmed by the revelation. "Are you afraid that if Spike comes back and finds out that Halfrek is Cecily, he’ll instantly forget about you and want her back?"
Buffy was shocked by her sister’s bluntness. She took a step back and glared at her. "I don’t care what Spike does!"
"Yes you do," Dawn whispered back to her. "Otherwise you wouldn’t be taking his coat out of the box and sleeping in it every night."
"I don’t do that!"
"Yes you do Buffy, I’ve seen it. Why can’t you just admit to yourself that you’re in love with him?"
"I’m not having this conversation with you," Buffy growled as she stomped up the steps and into the house.
******
Lilah hesitated as she neared the semi-open office door. The nameplate on the door read Gavin Park. Should she knock? No. That would mean she had respect for this man. Instead, she opened the door wider and sauntered into the well-lighted corner office. The senior partners had chosen Gavin to head up the Sunnydale office. To say she was angry was an understatement. She knew that he had somehow weaseled his way into this coveted assignment on the Hellmouth. "Congratulations Gavin," she said as she leaned against the wall with a smile.
"Come now," he grinned. "I know you don’t really mean that." He continued to pack up his desk, savoring the look of disdain on Lilah’s face.
"No. Really Gavin," she purred. "Great job. You must have really impressed the senior partners. What did you do? Shine their shoes? Knit them sweaters?" She crossed her arms against her chest and smirked at him.
Gavin looked up from packing to return her smirk. He knew that his promotion was eating her up inside and he wanted to enjoy every second of it. "Lilah, you poor unfortunate soul. Whatever will you do without my help?"
She knew he was goading her. He was pushing all of the right buttons. She wanted to reach out and throttle him. Instead, she smiled sweetly and strolled over to his desk. "You know what, Gavin? You can be as smug as you want. But I know, in the end, you’ll fail and I’ll have to come pick up the pieces."
The smug smile he had on his lips faded as he clenched his jaw, making his cheekbones more pronounced. He came around his desk and stood in front of her. "And what makes you think I’ll fail?" He demanded staring at her intently.
"Because Gavin," she cooed. "You don’t have what it takes to handle the Slayer, the boy or the other one."
"Oh, and you do?"
She smiled coyly at him and batted her eyelashes.
"Get over yourself, Lilah. My name is not Lindsey McDonald. Now if you’ll excuse me, I do have a lot of packing to do." With that, he turned his back to her, picked up an empty box and proceeded to the corner bookcase to empty it.
"Bastard," she whispered to herself as she left the office. She’d show him. She’d show them all what a huge mistake they’d made. She made her way to her office and picked up the phone.
"Hello," the decidedly British voice on the other end of the line said.
"It’s me. Listen. I don’t have a lot of time to explain. I need you to meet me down at the bar tonight."
"What makes you think I’d meet you anywhere?"
"Because. It involves Connor...and Buffy."
There was a slight pause and then a deep breath. "What time?"
******
Dawn followed Buffy into the house. There was no way she was going to let her sister just stomp off without facing her feelings. She felt that it was about time Buffy came to grips with the truth and she was going to be just the person to help her with that. Buffy was already in the kitchen pulling out the ice cream when Dawn caught up with her. "Buffy what are you doing?"
"I’m eating ice cream," Buffy said nonchalantly. "What does it look like I’m doing?"
"Hiding," Dawn said, staring at her sister.
"What?" Buffy demanded as she speared the ice cream with her spoon.
"Buffy you’re hiding from your feelings for Spike. Just admit it already."
"Dawn you’ve finally gone insane. I do not have any feelings for Spike whatsoever so just get off this train before I totally derail you."
"I’m not going anywhere Buffy. How long are you going to do this to yourself? How long are you going to drive me crazy? Why do you think Spike left to begin with, huh?"
She could feel the anger welling up inside of her. "This conversation is over," she said, trying to keep her emotions in check. "I think you better get back to the Magic Box before Anya sends out the cavalry." She picked up the ice cream and started for the living room.
"Like I said...I’m not going anywhere," Dawn insisted as she reached out and turned her sister around to face her. "We’re going to talk about Spike, whether you like it or..."
Suddenly, the room darkened and the air next to Buffy and Dawn began to hum and ripple. The two girls took a step back and shielded themselves with their arms. Electricity flowed around the ripple as it grew in size.
"What’s happening?" Buffy yelled above the increased humming sound.
"I don’t know," Dawn screamed back with widening eyes. "Oh my god! Buffy! I think it’s a portal!"
Hesitantly Buffy moved from in front of the portal to behind it. She could see her sister clearly, as if there was nothing there. She reached out to touch the air but it didn’t feel any differently from the air to her left or right. She saw Dawn reach out to do the same from the front. "Dawn! No!"
Dawn pulled her hand back with a jerk at the sound of Buffy’s voice. Her sister was back at her side now. "W-What do you think it is?" She asked.
"I think it’s like you said, a portal."
"Duh, Buffy...But what’s on the other side?"
"I’m not sure, but it looks like a dorm room or something." Once again, Buffy reached out to touch the air. It hummed and felt warm to the touch. She looked over at her sister.
"We should see where it goes!"
"Absolutely not," Buffy shot back at her. "We have no idea where this goes. It could go to a different world or something."
Dawn walked over to the portal and put her hand through.
"Dawn," Buffy shouted. But it was too late. Dawn had walked through.
******
Buffy’s watcher-to-be tried desperately to walk without falling. He was extremely pissed - and that didn’t mean he was angry. The boys had taken him down to the pub for his last night in London and proceeded to make him drink pint after pint. "Bloody hell!" He yelped, as he tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and went sprawling to the ground. He lay there for a few seconds hoping that the world would stop spinning. He heard laughter coming from somewhere around him. He managed to pull himself up to his knees to look around. Over to his left Garrick and Geoffrey were grinning madly at him.
"Mate," Geoffrey laughed. "You’re so bloody pissed, you’re never going to make your flight tomorrow."
"Sod off," he said to his friend. This brought a whole new round of guffaws from the other two.
Garrick walked over to him and helped pull him to his feet. "You know, we’re really going to miss having you around, mate."
"Right," Geoffrey added. "Who else is going to get us into scrums over football?"
"Ha, ha, bloody ha," he said, still swaying on his feet as they started walking again. "I’ll have you know that ManU will prevail!"
"Right, mate," Garrick teased. "And I’m Buffy Summers."
"What did you say?" The man asked in a much more sober tone now.
"He said that there’s no way Manchester United could dance their way out of a paper sack."
He eyed Garrick suspiciously. "He did not. He said something about Buffy."
"Oh no," Geoffrey sighed. "Now you’ve done it. Garrick you shouldn’t have brought up her name. Now he’s going to start blubbering again."
"Sorry Geoff," Garrick said wincing. "I just thought I’d tease the ponce a bit is all."
"Right then. Help me get him up the stairs before the git starts singing again."
Too late. The man had already started humming a catchy little ditty.
******
"Dawn!" Buffy shouted. "Get back here now!"
"Buffy this is so cool," Dawn exclaimed as she bounced on the bed and looked around the room. "This definitely isn’t Sunnydale."
"Don’t make me come in there and drag you out!"
"Sheesh. Non-adventurous much." She got up and walked around the room trying to understand her surroundings. As she looked out the window, she could see that it was nighttime. The room was similar to that of a dorm room. It had a bed, a dresser, a closet, and lots of books. There were also a couple of suitcases sitting by the door. "I think it’s some type of university or something," she explained as she looked back through the portal at Buffy.
"Dawn, I really think..."
"Buffy," Dawn squealed. "There’s a picture of you on the desk, and there’s some type of journal here." Just then, she heard voices coming closer to the door.
"Dawn someone’s coming! Get back here now!"
Dawn looked around to see if she could grab something to prove to herself that this had really happened. She looked down at the book on the desk. "A Watcher’s Guide to Slaying...what the...?"
The lock on the door tumbled over and the doorknob began to turn. Quickly she picked up the book and dove through the portal. As soon as she crossed the threshold back into Sunnydale, the portal closed. Stunned, she pulled herself to her feet and stared at her sister.
