The Sleeping Buffy or A Cautionary Tale of Well-Meaning But Misguided Friends
Once upon a time there were two well-meaning but misguided friends. These friends grew up in a beautiful town near the sea. Despite having less than stellar parents who often failed to provide them the love and affection young children needed, the two friends still managed to realize how important it was to share your life with someone who touched your soul.
To the casual observer, the lovely town where the two friends lived was aptly called Sunnydale because of its physical beauty and wonderful weather. Unfortunately, first impressions are rarely accurate interpretations of the true nature of a thing. Sunnydale was actually a horrible place to live. It was filled with all manner of evil and unspeakable horrors. Demons haunted the night. Magic twisted good to evil and enticed even the most pure of hearts to bend the rules. Powers fought for control of the mystical energy that pervaded the land and it was a constant struggle for the populous to not only survive but also maintain their belief in the good of the world.
The Evil in Sunnydale was so pervasive that a Champion was sent to help save the lives of the innocents who found themselves living in the deceptive town. This Champion was a girl, a Chosen One. She was gifted with skills and powers to aid her in the charge of protecting her small part of the world from those that would seek to harm it. The young woman was strong of arm and a master of many weapon and fighting styles. She had an unnatural grace as well as enhanced senses. She received mystical dreams that helped her with her missions and she also had the guidance of a mentor who offered her all his knowledge and research skills in order to assist her in her battle against the forces of Evil. She even had an increased ability to take injury and heal from battle wounds. She was, in short, a superior being designed for battle against the Evils of the world.
When the Champion came to Sunnydale, she encountered the two well-meaning but misguided friends and developed a lasting relationship whereby she saved them on a regular basis and they provided her with a feeling of normalcy that was sorely missing in her life. For four years the trio played together while keeping a keen eye on impending doom. Together, they saved the world any number of times and the two well-meaning but misguided friends finally grew from children to adults. They discovered things about themselves that they never imagined in their youth. The young woman found herself to possess the ability to weave magics. She reveled in the exploration and enjoyed her new found powers. Meanwhile the young man found himself gifted with his hands. With his skills, wood became beautiful treasures or useful tools. The two well-meaning but misguided friends were happy and content. They had found their place in their small world.
Better yet, the two well-meaning but misguided friends found love. Although they faced trials and heartbreak earlier in their lives, both discovered happiness with a special person who helped make them better people. The young witch found herself in love with another young woman with special powers and an even more special heart. The lovely woman gave the young witch the uncomplicated love she had missed growing up with her cold and uninvolved parents. Also, the courageous young man found himself in love with a very direct yet physically affectionate young woman who made him feel manly and special. Unlike his drunken and uncaring parents, the forthright woman gave the young carpenter unquestionable and continuous assurances of her deep physical and emotional affections for him.
Like her friends, the Champion likewise grew to adulthood. She too attempted to find love. She repeatedly shared her heart with others but each time met with disaster or failure. Some were mere minor bumps in the road while others were horror stories of epic proportions resulting in death and destruction and threats to the entire world. In time, the Champion found herself in a relationship with someone who did not threaten the world or the lives of her friends or family. He offered her the very normal existence that everyone had been telling her that she wanted and deserved. Her lover was a strong young Farmer who had sought to better himself and the world by training to be a warrior who protected the world from the same Evils that the Champion had been fighting for years.
Because he had his own newly found happiness for comparison, the well-meaning but misguided young man noticed that the Farmer turned Soldier was beginning to feel the strain of loving the Champion. It was not that the Champion was not lovable. In truth, she was lovely of form and brave of heart. She was sorely misunderstood though by the young Soldier who pursued her. He could not understand her position as Champion. He thought of her sacred calling the same way he saw his job as a soldier. Unfortunately, they were not the same at all and the Soldier began to resent the way the Champion made him feel. It was these slow stirrings of discontent that the Carpenter noticed.
The well-meaning but misguided young man loved his friend and wanted her to be happy. He could not imagine how the Soldier did not invoke the same feelings in the Champion that his wonderfully direct and affectionate lover gave to him. The young man decided he needed to prove to both the Champion and to the Soldier that they were truly meant for each other. He wanted them both to see how lucky they were to have each other.
In order to prove that the Champion and the Soldier belonged together, the well-meaning but misguided young man sought a spell to show the two lovers the truth in their relationship. After a couple days of sneaking peeks at spell books while doing renovations at the local magic shop which was recently purchased by the Champion's Mentor, the young man found what he needed. It was a spell to prove True Love. He hid the book and the needed spell components in a bag and sneaked them to his new apartment. The young man then called his special friend and urged her to come and help him.
Because she loved her best friend and she also knew that the Champion needed to feel loved, the well-meaning but misguided young woman was only too happy to secretly meet at her friends home to discuss her friend's concerns.
"Hey Wills," the young man greeted when he pulled open the door and ushered his friend, the Witch, into his new apartment. She happily glanced around the room which had been recently decorated by the young man and his forthright lover.
"I really like the apartment, Xander," she told him as she investigated the rest of the room. The room reflected both the whimsical attitude of her friend but also the efficiency of his lover. It was a comfortable and friendly place.
Xander smiled. He was tickled that he now had a real home and was no longer forced to live in the dungeon-like space his own parents had grudgingly provided him. He thanked his friend but then jumped directly into the reason for his begging her to visit.
"Buffy and Riley are in danger," the well-meaning but misguided young man stated.
His friend was rightfully horrified because who would not be upset to hear that their best friend and her lover were in danger. The well-meaning but misguided young woman immediately started babbling and making demands about the danger, but in her excitement, she failed to allow her friend the chance to properly reply.
When the well-meaning but misguided young man finally succeeded in stemming the flow of excitement from his friend, he was able to explain the horror currently facing the couple.
"Riley doesn't believe that Buffy loves him."
The well-meaning but misguided young woman frowned. She didn't understand why this constituted a life or death emergency. She was more used to the life or death emergencies actually involving impending death of the grisly murder flavor. After all, they did grow up on a Hellmouth.
"I thought you said that it was an emergency," Willow reminded her well-meaning but misguided friend.
"It is," Xander countered. "Riley is a once in a lifetime kinda guy but he doesn't seem to think Buffy loves him like he loves her."
The well-meaning but misguided young Witch frowned. She still didn't understand how they were supposed to address this issue. She watched as her life long friend pulled the stolen spell book from its hiding place in the cabinet under the kitchen sink. He flipped the book open to the page he had marked with a folded piece of paper. Xander passed the book towards his friend and explained that he thought this spell would solve the problem before it actually became a real issue.
The well-meaning but misguided young woman scanned the page. She grinned. The Witch no longer cared if the actual reason for their actions was a manufactured emergency. She saw an opportunity to use her special skills to help the Champion and thereby the world. She loved magic and embraced her powers any chance she got. She quickly read over the spell and compared the components her long time friend acquired. The young Witch was thrilled to see that the Carpenter had properly secured all the needed items. Swiftly, she prepared the ritual needs and set about working the spell that would aid the well-meaning but misguided friends in proving the strength and rightness of the Champion's relationship with the Soldier.
The Witch properly placed the three candles secured by her other friend. Each candle stood on a corner of an imagined triangle that combined in the creation of true love. Much like flowers of specific colors reflected certain feelings, the colors in the candles matched with the three types of love needed for the spell. The red signified passionate love. Commitment was represented by a blue candle. The final yellow candle acted on behalf of intimacy. By combining the forces of all three types of love, a person could achieve a true and consummate love. In turn, the Witch called upon the Erotes to bless the magics she gathered to influence her friend.
"Grant us your blessings Aphrodite and allow your Retinue to gift our intentions with their influence."
She started with the red candle. Flame flickered to life as she entreated the deity to lend his support.
"Father of passion, Eros, we call upon you to share your gift. You who embody the power of lust, beauty and intercourse, bless Buffy with the understanding of your influence in her heart."
The Witch moved to the yellow candle and touched match to wick.
"Brother of intimacy, Anteros, we call upon you to share your gift. You who champion the exchange of love, the sharing of self with an equal counterpart, of friendship and trust, bless Buffy with the understanding of your influence in her heart."
With the last life of the wooden match, Willow lit the blue candle with her final plea.
"King of marriage, Hymen, we call upon you to share your gift. You who validate the commitment of partners, bless Buffy with the understanding of your influence in her heart."
With a flick of her wrist, the blackened match died and was tossed aside. The well-meaning but misguided Witch placed one of the Champion's stakes in the center of the candle rimmed triangle. The redhead carefully shifted the wooden weapon so that the delicate scroll work of the warrior's name faced the ceiling. She offered a nod of appreciation to her companion for his careful carving of the name 'Buffy' on the surface. Willow was duly impressed with the wood work since penmanship had never been one of her friend's strong points.
The well-meaning but misguided young man handed the Witch the bowl with the remaining combined components. Willow offered a short request for intervention over the mixture of shredded Valerian root, lemon balm leaves, and crushed hops strobilus. Each component was a powerful herbal supplement associated with addressing anxiety, stress and insomnia. In the spell, they would act as the binding agent for the caster's request for intervention. Liberally, the Witch sprinkled the magical agents over the wooden stake before completing the final incantation.
"Two hearts undone by fear and fate,
Give strength of beat and bare its weight.
Let not the ghost of failures past,
To crush the hope of love to last.
To know in truth and sealed this day,
The consummate and purest way.
To know that hearts should join for life,
To still the worries, end the strife.
To sleep and dream, a rest of peace,
Conflicting gone and worries cease.
Until a brush of lips, a kiss
Can wake to love and tempted bliss."
As the well-meaning but misguided young woman finished her words, the three candles blazed to life with an unexpected force. The flames shot to the ceiling and scorched the previously unblemished white expanse. Wind whipped through the room causing a miniature tornado of root, leaves and strobilus that scattered around the entire room. The force of the wind knocked over the spell caster and her friend. Power beat down on the two friends and they momentarily lost consciousness. While they were unaware, three shadowy figures stepped from the flaring flames. They moved like mist wavering in the fire for just a heartbeat. The candles snuffed in a synchronized puff and the darkened forms dissipated with the trailing smoke from the spent candle wicks.
Awareness finally returned to the two well-meaning but misguided friends. When they picked themselves off the floor, they stared in awe at the destruction in the room. Furniture was tossed outward as if a giant force had exploded from the center of the casting triangle. The young man's and his forthright lover's things were strewn in a scattered mess and only the wooden stake and the three candles remained untouched by the violence and destruction.
Xander glanced nervously around at his previously comfortable and clean apartment.
"Was it supposed to do that?" he nervously inquired.
Willow bit her lower lip and likewise trailed her eyes over the destruction. She frowned. According to the spell book, the three candles were supposed to stay lit until the spell was completed.
"Um, I think we better go check on Buffy," the well-meaning but misguided Witch suggested nervously.
Her companion's face took on a horrified expression and he started muttering to himself. He rightly feared that something had gone wrong with the casting.
"I am sure the spell worked fine," the young woman assured her friend as she patted his arm. "We should just go and explain to Riley what he needs to prove their love for each other."
The two well-meaning but misguided friends soon hurried from the Carpenter's home in search of the Champion and her Soldier lover.
Meanwhile, across town, all was not well with the Champion. The pretty young warrior had been practicing some of her fighting skills in her newly assembled training room in the back of the magic shop when the spell took effect. One moment, the Champion was attacking the dummy her well-meaning but misguided friend assembled for her and the next moment, she was laying on the ground and staring at the ceiling.
She frowned in confusion. She had no idea how she had come to be staring at the ceiling. The Champion took rapid stock of her body. She was surprised to feel perfectly fine. In fact, she felt better than fine. The nagging ache in her right arm from an injury on patrol the night before was gone. The tension headache from worrying about her mother's health, her sister's safety and the weird vibes from her boyfriend were also gone. The Champion pushed herself into a sitting position and then rose to stand.
She whipped around when she heard a husky chuckle from across the room. The Champion's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
"You're right, Brother," a lanky youth complimented as he reached over and touched his sibling on his bare shoulder. "She is lovely."
The Champion continued to gape at the three unexpected guests. Each one appeared on the cusp of adulthood and were undeniably gorgeous. The shortest of the three boasted curly blond hair with bright blue eyes and a teasing dimple on one of his cheeks that creased as he grinned at the young woman. Beside the fair haired young man, the obvious brothers stood a few inches taller and identical in appearance. They had sun-kissed skin and wavy dark hair. Their dark eyes sparkled with amusement at the still silent and staring young woman.
Of course, it was little wonder that the Champion found herself flummoxed and unsure of how to properly respond to her guests. It wasn't enough that the three young men were beyond beautiful. It should also be noted that all three had huge wings protruding from their shoulders blades. The blond sported a set of feathered white wings much like the wings of angels in the stained glass images in the windows at the local Catholic church. Similarly, one of the brothers had feathered wings. Unlike the blond, his were as dark as his hair and reflected light just like a raven's feather. The other brother, the one who had spoken originally, had entirely different wings though. His appeared to be patterned after a blue swallowtail butterfly. A slight dusting of glitter fell to the floor as he stretched his wings and winked endearingly at the silent champion.
The wings were not the greatest reason for the Champion's utter shock though. Although exotic, the wings paled in comparison to the fact that all three gorgeous young men were wearing leather sandals on their feet and not a single other thing. No fig leaves or modesty shields covered their bodies. They were as naked as a newborn yet there was nothing childish about their bodies. The Champion's eyes darted from one body to the other. Each one sported sculpted lines and lean muscles as well as an endowment that made the Champion blush. As she tore her eyes from their exposed bodies, the butterfly-winged brother chuckled once more.
"Look how cute she blushes, Eros," he teased as he nudged his brother in the arm with his elbow. He bent a bit and stared over the Champion's shoulder. "Oh, and the other blushes at the same time. How wonderful," he added as he clapped his hands with glee.
The Champion glanced over her shoulder to where the young man was staring.
"OH MY GOD!" the Champion exclaimed as her first utterance when her hazel eyes fell upon her body which was collapsed on the floor beside the practice dummy. Unconsciously, her head tilted down to check her body and make sure that she was actually standing where she thought she was. Her gaze flew back to the fallen body when she confirmed that she was actually in both places at once.
"It's okay," the soft, melodic voice of the blond assured the Champion as he stepped closer and reached for her arm. His fingers gently grasp her elbow and nudged her attention back from the fallen form. He offered her a sympathetic smile which only added to his angelic appearance.
"You're just taking a little nap," the winged man added as his wings flexed and diverted the Champion's attention momentarily from her fallen body.
With her eyes wide and touched with a hint of panic, Buffy finally found her wits once more. "What is going on here? Who are you?" she demanded. The warrior glanced once more at her other self. "Why am I in two places at once? You didn't hit me with a funky stick ray did you?"
The butterfly winged young man chuckled as he too stepped close to the Champion and patted her on the arm.
"AND WHERE ARE YOUR FREAKING CLOTHES!" the Champion demanded as her eyes strayed once more down the closest young man's torso to be greeted once more with a vision to make the most jaded of women swoon.
The black winged brother sighed.
"Please forgive us, Blessed Chosen One," the elder brother spoke as he stepped forward. The air around him shimmered for a moment and he then stood before the Champion clothed in a short, white toga that covered all the private parts but still left uncovered a large portion of his well formed chest and legs. "One falls out of practice with the delicate sensibilities of humanity after a few hundred years."
The now clothed brother shifted his attention from the petite warrior to the winged blond. The blond nodded once in understanding and then he too shimmered a moment. In the blink of an eye, the fair haired youth was also clothed in a toga that matched his companion's dress in every way. The three clothed individuals now turned to the final naked young man.
"No way," the butterfly winged young man griped as he crossed his arms over his impressive chest and pouted. His brother narrowed his gaze in displeasure over his siblings refusal but their blond friend just rolled his eyes.
The Champion fought a giggle at the petulant expression on the handsome youth's face. His stance reminded her of a small child in the middle of a silent sulk after their parent forbid them a coveted treat.
"Anteros," warned his sibling with a hint of anger in his tone.
Anteros huffed.
"Fine," he muttered before he closed his eyes and concentrated. His form shimmered for a heartbeat. When the magic faded, Anteros stood dressed in a shredded pair of faded blue jeans that closely matched the fainter blue found near the bottom of his black and blue wings. The Champion smiled at the unbuttoned jean that drew her eyes towards the trail of dark hair that traveled from his navel to disappear behind denim. Strangely enough, the jeans seemed almost more provocative than being nude had been.
The Champion blushed again at the strange path her mind was wandering. Wishing to cover her less than pure thoughts, the young woman turned and thanked the other brother.
"Of course, Chosen One. We would never wish to distress one of the Warriors of the Light."
"Bit late for that," the Champion growled unhappily as she glanced once more towards her prone form.
"No worries, Buffy," the jean clad flirt stressed as he stepped forward and took her arm. He led her towards the pile of mats and dragged her down beside him as he flopped into a reclining position. Buffy sighed and allowed herself to be maneuvered to a more comfortable position. She watched in fascination as the wings on Anteros' back flicked naturally out of the way so that he could sit back and not crush them. Unconsciously, the Champion reached towards the pretty wings but then stilled her movement with a guilty start. She clasped her hands in her lap and stared at the ground in an attempt to keep from showing her interest in the pretty fluttering appendages.
"You can touch them, if you want," Anteros offered with a grin as one of his wings shifted around his bare shoulder and brushed lightly against Buffy's forearm. "You won't hurt them. They are a lot tougher than they appear. Have to be to allow me flight, right?"
Hesitantly, the Champion brushed her fingertips against the delicate seeming wings. Despite their appearance, they felt solid and strong. They were more like well worn leather than the papery lace of a true butterfly wing. A light dusting of white, black and blue glittery powder brushed off on her fingers when she poked at the deceptively strong bit of muscle and tissue that made up Anteros' wings. He grinned and sighed in contentment as her fingers brushed further across the strange skin.
"Oh, sorry," Buffy apologized when she realized she was petting a part of the stranger's body. Once more, she blushed.
"No problem," the handsome youth promised. "We all love to be touched. It goes hand in hand with who we are."
"Um, yeah," the Champion countered as she shifted her attention back towards the other two youth. The blond had perched himself on the top of her pummel horse while the dark winged brother was poking around along the wall and checking out her weapons collection. He seemed duly impressed with the wide array of deadly tools easily available.
"So what exactly are you?"
"I'm Eros," answered the brother by the weapons. "Your buddy is my younger sibling, Anteros."
The handsome youth waved towards their third.
"Our companion is Hymen."
Eros stated the names like he expected the Champion to recognize them. She just stared back without a single bit of comprehension. The winged man sighed.
"So much for classical educations," he muttered before moving to sit on the floor near the Champion and his younger brother. He sunk gracefully to the ground with his legs crossed. Like his brother's butterfly wings, Eros' feathered ones folded back and out of his way without a thought as he sat. Buffy watched the lights shimmer on the dark feathers for a moment. The colors danced before her eyes and she had to shake her head to clear it of haze.
"We are members of The Erotes," he offered but still received no recognition. He sighed once more before adding "Part of Aphrodite's Court. You might have heard us referred to as cupids."
The Champion frowned. Although the young warrior would be the first to admit that she wasn't big into research and books, she did recognize the name Aphrodite. Her eyebrows crunched together and her nose crinkled in thought.
"Isn't she like a Greek Queen or something."
Anteros chuckled.
"Or something," he confirmed with a companionable grin.
His older brother cringed.
"Mother would not be amused," Eros chastised but his brother only shrugged in his regular good-natured manner.
"Mother takes everything much too seriously," his sibling countered.
"Aphrodite is the goddess of beauty, love, pleasure and procreation," Hymen offered helpfully from his position across the room. Unlike the two brothers, the blond was not as emotionally invested in the relationship with Aphrodite. They were her children. He was a cherub in her order but not her direct linage. Although he could not help but love the goddess, it was not the same type of affection as Eros and Anteros held for the her.
"Oh," the confused Champion replied. She waited for a moment in silence. "So why are you here?"
"And why am I in two?" she added as her eyes stole once more towards her slumbering body.
"We were called upon to help you know your heart," Eros explained.
Buffy frowned. The Champion felt that she knew her heart already and was a bit offended that the three young godlings thought they needed to help her with something she thought was clear. On the other hand, the young warrior was happy that the three gorgeous visitors didn't seem hellbent on any type of horrible destruction. All too often those were the only types of visits from supernatural beings that she encountered. She sighed and Anteros patted her once more on the arm. Cheerfully, he stated that his brother could explain everything so Buffy offered him her attention.
Eros revealed that the Champion's well-meaning but misguided friends cast a spell which invoked their aid. Anger prickled Buffy's thoughts. She didn't understand why her friends always felt the need to interfere with her life. The warrior loved the two well-meaning but misguided friends dearly but she could not comprehend their actions at times. She sighed and then asked how the visitors were supposed to help her know her heart.
"Oh, that's simple," Eros explained. "We are here to keep you company until loves kiss wakes you. We can help you see the truths in the reality and the potentiality of your relationships."
The Champion glanced towards her body once more. She shook her head in disgust.
"So, I am here until the other me is kissed awake?"
Anteros nodded happily.
"Do I look like a Disney Princess?" Buffy muttered to no one in particular.
Anteros chuckled.
"More like the knight in shining armor, Chosen One but yes, a bit like the fairytale," the godling of companionate love expressed.
"Just be glad your friends cast the spell for the Disney-like version," Hymen offered helpfully. "Least that way, you don't have to wait nine months and wake up a new mother with a baby at each breast."
The Champion leveled a horrified expression towards the blond. The three winged men smiled at the cute way the young woman's nose crinkled up in disgust. Before Anteros could tease the Champion about her expression, the door to the training room clattered open and the Champion's two well-meaning but misguided friends clamored into the room. They rushed towards the young warrior's fallen form. When the Champion moved to intercept them, she reeled back in horror when the friends passed directly through her body and never even noticed her presence.
The Champion squealed in horror and began patting herself to confirm that she was actually solid. Her motions confirmed what she had previously discovered. She appeared to be solid in relationship to herself, the Erotes, and the physical environment. A gentle hand fell over her frantic gesture and soothed her motions.
"No need to panic," Anteros soothed with his large hands rubbing warmth into her shaking limbs. He continued to murmur soft words of comfort. A sense of quiet calm radiated from Anteros' gentle touch. The godling's brother moved beside them and likewise touched the distressed Champion. His fingertip trailed over her exposed arm and Buffy stopped moving. Her eyes grew large and her breath hitched as her skin birthed gooseflesh under the erotic god's light caress.
"There is nothing wrong with you," Eros explained as his finger trailed once more over the Champion's exposed forearm skin. The godling frowned when the teen pulled away from his arousing touch. The deity of passionate love did not understand why the Champion felt fear or possibly revulsion from the wonder of his person. Humans had sought his favor for so long that he was startled to find someone rejecting the thrill his touch could offer. Normally, it was all he could do to keep them from pursuing him with an abandon that endangered the weaker creatures. Deciding to observe the Champion a bit more to better understand her aversion to passion, Eros sought to offer words of logic and explanation to assist his brother in calming the distressed young warrior.
"We are in the Between. You are both here and there. It is like you exist in the moment inside a blink. The You that is here is in the physical world but not really a part of it. You can observe what passes but not directly interact with the beings of the world. Imagine that you are stuck in the times when their eyes are momentarily closed."
Buffy frowned and pulled away from Anteros' comforting touches. She crossed her arms over her chest while shifting her attention between the Erotes and her well-meaning but misguided friends. All three godlings were watching her with expressions of concern. The Champion could easily see their desire to ease her worries. She offered them a pained smile before glancing once more at the duo who were kneeling by her sleeping body. She watched as the well-meaning but misguided Witch shook her arm in an attempt to wake her. The three godlings and the Champion flinched when the well-meaning but misguided Carpenter yelled obnoxiously at the sleeping form while likewise adding his own gruff shaking to her shoulder.
Hymen snorted.
"They cast the spell but expect her to wake up that easily," he muttered with a roll of his eyes that actually brought a tiny smile to the Champion's face.
"Yup. That seems about par for the course for them," Buffy admitted with an answering roll of her eyes. Buffy frowned. "Par for the course... is that some kinda sports thingy?"
Anteros chuckled and nodded.
"Great. My life has been reduced to entertaining winged studs in the moment everyone is blinking and making stupid sports comments," the Champion lamented with a groan. She rolled her eyes once more. "Oh, this should be good," she muttered as the well-meaning but misguided Witch opened the door to the front of the store and called for the Champion's Mentor.
The Mentor turned Shopkeeper hurried into the training room and stopped when he saw the fallen warrior. The Mentor froze for only a moment before he began firing questions at the two sheepish would-be matchmakers. The well-meaning but misguided Witch became indignant over the scolding she received from the older man. He accused her of using her magical talents for frivolous and potentially harmful means. In return, the redhead accused the Mentor of being jealous of her talents and drive.
"Hmm, wonder if he should have said something like that to Willow a year ago when she magicked us all into horrid predicaments?" Buffy murmured with a thoughtful expression on her face as her Mentor continued to berate the redhead about her irresponsible behavior.
"This isn't the first spell your friend has cast on you without your wishes?" Hymen asked curiously as he hoped down from the pummel horse and slid smoothly across the floor. The blond godling didn't even flinch when his form passed unhindered through the arguing Witch and older man on his way to the sleeping form of the Champion. The god of commitment and marriage knelt beside the fallen warrior and lightly touched the side of her face near her left temple. He closed his eyes and hummed softly. A shiver ran through his body before he opened his now silver tinted eyes again.
"Nice friend," Hymen muttered with a twinge of disgust as his wings unfurled and lifted him to a standing position with a simple flutter. The otherworldly glow of silver faded from his eyes until they returned to their normal state. He glanced towards the silent Champion and his fellow godlings. His expression held a level of respect as well as a touch of sympathy that had not been present previously. Hymen moved silently across the space until he was within reach of Eros. The blond brushed his fingertip over the other godlings forehead. Eros closed his eyes. He shook his head three times then opened his eyes once more. His expression also adopted a more sympathetic mien.
Unlike Hymen, Eros did not need to touch his brother to share the visions the blond had snagged from the sleeping Champion's mind. He needed only meet Anteros' gaze and the images flowed between the siblings. Anteros nodded in understanding when the shared vision ended. His hand once more patted the Champion's arm and he offered another soft series of encouragements.
The moment of sympathetic solidarity ended when the Mentor finally finished berating the well-meaning but misguided friends and ordered them to contact the Soldier so that he could put an end to the silly nonsense. Anteros drew the Champion once more towards the stacked mats so they could sit more comfortably but they did not have long to wait. As luck would have it, the Soldier had been on the way to the Magic Shop when the well-meaning but misguided Carpenter sent him a message to his beeper.
The Soldier rushed into the room. He took one look at the fallen Champion and rushed to her side. He demanded an explanation. After a moment of embarrassed silence, the well-meaning but misguided Carpenter explained that they had cast a temporary spell on the Champion and that they just needed him to break it. The Soldier had frowned. He was no magic user. He did not know how to wake his lover.
Hymen rolled his eyes.
"Is he always this thick?" he muttered to his companions.
"Be nice," Eros commanded softly when he noticed the pinched expression on the face of the non-sleeping Champion. The blond shifted his gaze towards the young woman and offered an apology. She simply nodded in easy acceptance. She wasn't really concerned about the godling's opinion. Most of her attention was centered on her well-meaning but misguided friends who were rushing to explain to the Soldier how his kiss would wake the Champion from the sleeping spell.
Although skeptical, the Soldier leaned over and pressed his lips against the lax lips of the Champion's sleeping body.
Across the room, Buffy raised her fingertip to brush against the slight tingle on her lips but she frowned when her body did not awaken. She watched in horror as the Soldier reared back from her fallen body.
"It didn't work," the Soldier accused the horrified Witch and Carpenter. He stood from his kneeling position by his fallen lover.
"What have you done?" the Soldier barked in anger.
"It should have worked," whined the Carpenter who tried to comfort the Soldier while deflecting blame from himself. "We only cast the spell to prove how much you loved each other."
The Soldier sighed.
"Well, all you proved was how right I was. It's not like you and Anya. Buffy just doesn't really love me," Riley stated as he turned and walked from the room.
The two well meaning but misguided friends stared at the defeated back of the Soldier as he left and felt sorry for the pain they caused him. It was only when the door closed behind the dejected Soldier and they looked back at the sleeping Champion that they realized what a true dilemma they had created.
"She's still asleep," worried the Carpenter.
"You don't say," muttered the Mentor in annoyance. The older man removed his glasses and tapped them against his hip. The older man began to mutter in anger at the idiotic fools that surrounded him. He then called the two well-meaning but misguided friends into following him back into the shop so that they could try to find another solution.
When the door slammed shut behind the three departing figures, Eros stood. He moved towards the silent yet awake form of the Champion. He glanced towards the closed door in disgust.
"I am sorry that your Soldier was not able to break the spell," he offered sincerely.
Buffy's eyes shifted from the closed door to face the three handsome godlings. Her hand fell where the fingers were brushing against the lingering sensation of the kiss. There had been power in it. Enough power that the Champion had felt it even in the place Between but it hadn't been what was needed to break the spell.
"He was wrong, you know," the Champion stated in a whisper. "I do love him."
Anteros stood and drew the Buffy's hand into his own. He offered her a comforting squeeze but it was his brother who answered her statement.
"We know that you love him. We never doubted it," Eros soothed as he frowned in annoyance at the fallen body of the Champion that was still laying on the floor. "Your relationship was love but it was not True Love. It wasn't even something that had the potential to be True Love. Reality... Potentiality... either will work but it must be True to break the spell."
Eros glared towards the closed door to the magic shop.
"Are they just going to leave you sleeping on the ground?" he muttered in disgust. He stomped across the floor and gathered the sleeping form of the Champion into his arms. Buffy felt a shiver of arousal skim over her body as she watched the god of passionate love lift her sleeping body like a hero on the cover of some cheesy romance novel. His wings fluttered and moved him smoothly across the room to place her sleeping form on the extra mats along the wall.
"Someone is going to notice that the sleeping Slayer isn't where they left her," Hymen offered logically.
Eros snorted.
"Don't care," he stated in reply as he gently lowered the sleeping Champion onto the cushioned material. "You don't leave a hero laying in the dirt of the floor while she still have breath in her body. The earth is for the dead not the enspelled."
Eros brushed Buffy's long hair out of her face before stepping back from her sleeping form. He smiled affectionately at the sleeping body as his fingertips trailed along her hairline and across her cheek. A wash of blood followed the touch and both Champions were soon flushed. Once more, the conscious Champion shivered at the erotic touch.
"Please stop doing that," she muttered as she tightened her hands into fists to help combat the desire Eros' touch provoked in both her forms.
Eros snatched back his hand and cast a guilty glance towards the awake Buffy.
"Sorry," he offered sincerely. "Occupational hazard."
Buffy nodded in understanding but she still took a hesitant step backwards when he moved towards her. The Champion bumped into Anteros. The god of companionate love wrapped his arms around the young woman in a protective hug and the wash of erotic haze faded and was replaced with a feeling of comfort and familiarity. It was like she had slipped into a favorite sweater on a winter day. It pushed away the unwanted feelings and provided her with a relaxing moment.
The Champion suddenly stiffened and pushed out of the hug. She shoved at the warm feeling just like she did the erotic one.
"You're doing the same thing," she accused with an expression of betrayal plain on her face.
"Occupational hazard?" Anteros offered as an excuse. If it was a good enough excuse for his brother, the friendly godling figured it would work for him too.
"Not funny," the Champion countered as she took a step farther from the butterfly winged godling. She backed up against the wall so that she could see all three otherworldly beings at one time.
"Okay... you need to stop with the Occupational Hazards or I am gonna make you all a hazard of my occupation."
Although Anteros started to chuckle at her threat, he quickly stifled the impulse when he met the Champion's now cold and determined gaze. An angry Slayer was not someone to take lightly even for a godling. His amusement died on his lips and he nodded in agreement. Buffy received similar nods of agreement from the other two members of the Erotes. The Champion directed her annoyed gaze at Eros.
"Okay, you agreed that I love Riley. Make with the explain-y as to why I am still asleep after he kissed me," she demanded as she cast a quick glance at her still sleeping body.
"It isn't enough to just share love to break the spell, Chosen One," Eros explained as he folded his wings behind him and dropped to the floor. The god of passion settled into a sitting position with his legs crossed like a young child during story-time in kindergarten. He purposefully placed himself in a position that conveyed that he was conceding control to the standing Champion. It was a subtle acknowledgment of a deference to her power and the dark haired cupid easily avoided the smirk of victory when he noticed Buffy's shoulders relax and her arms uncross as she unconsciously calmed since he removed himself from a threat category.
"The spell calls for True Love's kiss to break it," Eros went on to explain. "You need to share a kiss with someone with whom you already share True Love or with someone with whom you have the potential to share True Love. You do love Riley. We do not deny that. It is just not the right kind of love to meet the needs of the spell-break."
"You shared commitment with Riley," Hymen offered helpfully as he too dropped to the floor beside his companion. He leaned his head against Eros' shoulder and offered the Champion a winsome smile. The young woman had to force herself to resist smiling at the beguiling expression on the gorgeous blond.
Anteros moved to join the others on the floor as he added that the Champion also shared a small token of friendship with the Soldier. It had been a meager offering of friendship borne more from a shared purpose than a true interest in each other but it had still been a shallow type of friendship. He dropped gracefully to the ground lounged back on the palms of his hands with his jean encased legs stretched out in front of him.
"What you didn't share was passion," Eros added honestly.
Buffy frowned.
"That's not true," the Champion insisted. "We had sex."
Eros offered a sad smile to the young woman.
"Physical intimacy can involve passion," the godling confirmed. "It doesn't always. Sex unto itself does not denote true passion. It is a physical act. Good exercise. Pleasurable even. The passion comes in the rendering of the heart. Unfortunately, your relationship with Riley lacks the spark and fire of a truly passionate exchange. Neither one of you felt that all consuming fire for the other, either physically or emotionally."
Buffy shook her head and tried to deny that her relationship with Riley did have passion. Eros countered her argument.
"Physical attraction does not always mean passion. Again, it can contribute to passion but it is not the only part of it. You were not consumed by your young man and if he was honest with himself, neither was he consumed with you."
Eros closed his eyes and hummed a bit. The air around him shimmered. Hymen lifted his head away from Eros' pulsing shoulder while Anteros shifted a bit further from his sibling in response to the power flowing through the other godling. When Eros opened his eyes once more, they glowed with an eery silver light. It was a more powerful and pulsing glow than Hymen's previous pulse of light and power.
"Despite his misguided belief in his own passion, your young Soldier would have sought physical passion with others. He is unable to understand why you are so passionate about your Calling but you cannot share that passion with him. He sees it as a failing in you instead of a failing in your mutual suitability. He erroneously believes that your passions are linked only to duty and death. In fact, he would seek the little deaths on the fangs of others in what he thinks is an attempt to understand your passion. Like you, he does not understand the many facets of love. He believes he is committed to you yet he would have cheated. He would have left you and found another lover much like he left his commitment to the military last year. He speaks the words but does not hold them in his heart. His commitment is much weaker than yours. You both lack passion for each other. Your friendship and intimacy are weak. Your love is not True in Actuality nor is it True in Potentiality."
The silver faded from Eros' eyes.
"I am sorry," the godling offered as his shoulders slumped as the magical vision released him from its grasp. Anteros and Hymen both reached out to steady their slightly wavering companion.
When the Champion expressed her concern for the god of passion, Hymen explained that the visions of the future were much harder to navigate than the visions of the past. He assured the young woman that Eros would be fine but that he would need a bit of time to recover from his delving into the ever changing myriad of possibilities that were the future. Hymen shared that it took almost no energy for them to see the images of her past but to look into the future required both more energy and more skill. Every decision an individual made created new patterns and potentials which could drown a less powerful mind and warp one unprepared for the constantly shifting threads.
The Champion cast another glance at her sleeping body and asked what they did next.
"We wait," Hymen replied simply.
Wait they did. For hours and hours, the three godlings and the Champion sat together in the training room. The young woman settled against the wall near her body and listened to bold tales from the Erotes about brave young men and women who had been dead for centuries. Eros shared his own story of the trials his wife had to face in order for them to finally be together. Hymen described a number of the important weddings he had attended and blessed. Anteros magically provided the foursome with drink and food to further the companionable time and the three young men finally coaxed the Chosen One to share some of her adventures with them.
Buffy had just finished describing the fun of blowing up the mayor along with her high school library when the door into the magic shop swung open. Her two well-meaning but misguided friends filed into the room behind her Mentor. The fourth person to enter though forced the Champion to catch her breath.
Angel had come to break the spell.
Relief flooded Buffy's body as she watched her first love approach her sleeping figure. She held her breath as the dark haired vampire knelt beside her body. His large hand gently brushed her hair away from her cheeks. Angel lowered his head and pressed his lips against the sleeping Champion's mouth. As before, a tingle shimmered over the lips of the awake Champion who was watching from the Between.
The Champion's breath rushed from her body as she watched her first love push himself up from his knees. He towered over the sleeping young woman with an expression of grief written clearly on his face.
"But that should have worked!" Buffy cried as Angel stepped back from her en-spelled body and shook his head sadly. Without a word, the vampire turned and left the room.
"Where is he going? Why didn't it work?" the Champion demanded in increasing distress.
In fact, the young woman became so upset that her sleeping body quivered in reflected agitation. As the Champion's level of agitation grew, her body started to shake as it was overtaken by a seizure. Her well-meaning but misguided friends rushed to the sleeping body and attempted to aid her unresponsive but shaking body. They clamored and shouted in frustration when they found themselves helpless to intervene in the unexpected attack.
This time, it was Hymen who reached out to comfort the distressed teen. He wrapped his arms and his feathered wings around them both and pulled her into the warm cocoon of protection.
"Shhhhh," he soothed as feathers tickled around the Champion's body. His hands clutched the teen in a hug while he murmured words intended to calm the distraught young woman. Magic pulsed from Hymen's body and wings. His eyes glowed silver as he effectively blocked the connection between the awake body in the Between and the sleeping body in Reality.
"Calm your breathing," he prompted as he struggled to maintain the magical shield between body and mental essence. "Deep breath in, hold it, then release slowly. Concentrate on calming yourself so that you do not harm your body further with your mental distress."
The Champion struggled to follow the softly whispered words of direction offered by Hymen. She rested her head against his shoulder and focused on his words and her own reactions. After an extended time wrapped in the godling's protective embrace, Buffy finally succeeded in calming herself. Her heart rate and respiration lowered and she once more regained control of her erratic emotions. The warrior murmured a shaky thanks to the blond before she attempted to step back from the magical cocoon. Hymen released her without an argument. His wings swept back and the golden glow on his skin dissipated.
Hymen sagged in relief as he released the magics that had protected the Champion's body.
"Am I okay?" Buffy asked as she glanced towards her now calm body before casting back towards Hymen. She reached out and steadied him. "Are you okay?"
The blond offered the Champion a tired smile and admitted to being a bit tired.
"That was more magic than I have expelled in the last hundred years," Hymen admitted sheepishly.
"Sorry."
The blond godling offered a tired smile as he stretched his wings and rolled his head.
"Don't be. It feels good to flex our powers after such a long time. And the sleeping you is fine," the godling added.
Hymen sighed in contentment. The spell had taken power but hadn't been mentally taxing like Eros' foray into Riley's future potentialities. It was more like the feeling after a great workout. The godling practically glowed with post-magic bliss and he languidly settled back on the ground. Anteros moved closer to his friend and allowed him to lean against his shoulder.
The Champion cast one more look at her body before joining the three men on the floor. She settled into place and wrapped her arms around her bent knees. She lay her cheek against her one knee and glanced about the room one more time.
"Where did everyone go?" she asked when she noticed that Xander, Giles and Willow were not longer in the room.
"They went to research other possible solutions since the vampire could not awaken you. They have been gone for a while. It took some time for you to calm fully," Anteros offered. He refrained from adding that none of the three had noticed that the Champion's body had moved nor had they speculated on other possible folks who could kiss the sleeping Champion. They had jumped directly to other means of dissolving the spell.
Buffy swallowed and clutched her legs closer against her chest. She turned her head towards Eros.
"So Angel doesn't love me right either," she whispered in a heart breaking little voice.
Eros shook his head ever so slightly to prove his lack of true love for the Champion.
"You shared a great passion for each other," he offered in consolation.
"You were committed to him," Hymen also stated.
Buffy sighed.
"He wasn't committed to me though, right?"
Hymen nodded in agreement.
"He saw it as the more noble endeavor to leave you but his actions showed that he was not willing to place the rigors of a relationship with you as the priority in his existence. He felt his passions too deeply for it. His passion for you as well as his passion for redemption. They eclipsed his ability to commit to your relationship in the manner you were willing to offer."
Buffy glanced towards Anteros.
"I guess you are going to say we were never friends," the Champion stated sadly.
The intimacy godling offered his apology then confirmed her observation. The lack of friendship and intimacy was actually present on both their sides but Anteros admitted that Buffy had originally been willing to try to share. She just stopped when there was no real reciprocation from the older vampire.
Buffy groaned.
"I hate when Spike is right," she muttered angrily.
Eros laughed.
His amused outburst drew the others' immediate attention.
"What is so funny, Brother?"
"I find Spike entertaining," Eros stated.
"You find Spike, William the Bloody, entertaining?" the Champion asked in disbelief.
Eros grinned.
"Of course. How could I not? Many men have drawn my attention during their lives. We may no longer be worshiped as we once were but that does not mean we do not feel the pull of those who embody our greatest strengths and attributes. Your Spike, if he had been born in another time, would have been a prime candidate for me to scoop up as an acolyte. His passion is fearsome in its intensity."
Eros sighed happily.
"He would have made a wonderful conduit with the proper training. Even without a mutual covenant, he still leaks sips of passion that curls my feathers. I have enjoyed his revelry for well over a century."
The Champion frowned. She could not understand why the handsome godling found such joy in the horrible acts of passionate violence Spike had employed through the years. She questioned Eros pride in Spike's passion for death and battle.
"Not all passion is of the wonderful warm smiles and throbbing hearts of romantic poetry. Passion can be harsh. It can cut like a sword. Most wars are started by men of great passions. Most atrocities reaped on a global scale are the result of passion. Death and destruction are the handmaidens of beings of unchecked passions."
"Unchecked passion is a pretty good description of Spike," Buffy commented with a roll of her eyes.
Eros tilted his head a bit to the side and a sly spark lit his eyes.
"Perhaps he just needs the right person to teach him how to properly direct his passion," he suggested.
"Spike never does what he is told," the Champion countered.
Eros shook his head.
"True but yet untrue," the godling replied. "Perhaps he does not act on direct verbal directions. On the other hand, he throws all his existance into being what those he loves needs. He was a caregiver for his human mother. He was a caregiver, provider, lover, and protector for his dark princess. He was a willing protege for Angelus."
Eros lowered his head a bit so that he could meet the Champion's gaze directly.
"Perhaps if the one he loved needed him to be a hero then heroic he would be?"
"Somehow I doubt Drusilla needs a hero," Buffy countered.
"Perhaps one needs to realize that loves can change. Even after over a century, a heart can be stolen when rejection is paired with destiny."
Buffy frowned. She didn't understand exactly what Eros was trying to tell her. She decided to latch onto one part of the conversation and question it.
"So you are saying that demons can properly love?"
Anteros snorted.
"Why would you have to ask that?" he questioned. "Have you not seen examples of demons loving with both of your vampires?"
The Champion pressed her lips together but did not deny the claim that she had two vampires.
"Angel had a soul. Of course he could love."
Hymen shook his head.
"It isn't the soul that loves. It is the consciousness. The body and the mind. The soul just helps direct the love in certain matters. Those with missing souls or damaged ones have trouble loving in a manner that most humans find acceptable but it doesn't mean they don't love," the blond explained evenly.
Buffy silently contemplated her newly confirmed fact about love and souls. She never doubted the veracity of their statements. Even if it differed from what Giles and Angel had previously told her, the Champion rightly assumed that gods who specialized in all types of love would know more about the subject. A slightly amused smile slipped onto the Champion's lips. It was nice to learn that she had been right when she was sixteen. She had used Drusilla's life to barter for the lives of Ford's idiot friends. Fleetingly, she wondered why she ever allowed Giles and Angel to change her original opinion. The smile died on her mouth as she realized that she put too much emphasis on what others told her instead of her own observations and thoughts.
Once more, the Champion pulled her legs against her chest and leaned her head on her knee. She frowned in concentration as she seriously considered all the times she allowed others to direct her actions as well as her thoughts. She realized that she had even allowed others to dictate how and who she loved. Willow had prodded her with both her relationship with Angel and with Riley. Although Xander had protested her feelings for Angel, he had embraced her feelings for Riley. The Champion banged her forehead on her knees. She was even in this current predicament because of her friends interfering in her love life.
The Champion sighed and finally lifted her head to face her three companions. Eros offered her a knowing smile as if he knew what she had just realized and agreed with her. Anteros shared an encouraging grin with her and Hymen looked at her with a calm understanding as if he was truly interested in what she had just decided. Buffy couldn't help but smile. It was flattering to have not only three handsome men but three gods actually looking at her with an interest in her thoughts. She hoped that she was ultimately worth their regard.
Before the Champion could make known her internal observation, the door from the magic shop opened and a single body slipped into the room.
"Bloody idiots, the lot of 'em," the interloper cursed as he glanced around the room. The Vampire frowned. He moved across the training room and stopped by the sleeping form of the Champion. He glanced about the room although his eyes found nothing. He tilted his head slightly as he scanned the space where the Erotes and the Champion who sat in the Between.
"Who ever is here better not be plannin' on causin' problems," Spike issued in warning as he shifted his eyes once more around the room. When nothing happened in response to his threat, the Vampire's head shifted ever so slightly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Slayer?" Spike murmured in confusion as he opened his eyes once more and glanced about the room.
"Can he see us?" the Champion whispered to Anteros as she watched the bleached blond Vampire look right at them.
"Nope."
"Then why is he looking at us?"
Eros chuckled but offered no answer. It was his belief that the bleach blond Vampire was hyper-aware of the Champion but he didn't want to spook the young woman with his most likely unwanted observation.
Spike finally shook his head when nothing happened in the silent room. He glanced back at the sleeping body of the Slayer. Without a word, he dropped down beside her and sighed. The Vampire shifted until his back was against the wall.
"You know, I think your soddin' friends make a better muck for you than any beastie ever could, pet," William the Bloody offered as he tilted his head back and contemplated the ceiling. "Not sure why your Watcher hasn't knocked them into next week before this. It's not like they don't deserve it."
Spike sighed.
"Course, I know why you don't knock 'em around. Would go against your whole Chosen One attitude, wouldn't it?"
The Vampire reached out and brushed the Champion's hair away from her face. He gently stroked his fingers along her hairline a couple times before he sighed again. He once more tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling.
"They're in there tearing through books, tryin' to find a way to fix you," Spike offered as if he was having a regular conversation. He even paused to give the sleeping Champion a chance to reply even though it was obvious she was not going to do so. "Course, wouldn't need to do a thing if they hadn't gone playin' in things in the first place. Magic always has consequences, Kitten. Would have thought Red learned that after the entire engagement, blind, and demon magnet shenanigans. Guess the Witch isn't as smart as everyone thinks, huh?"
Spike rubbed his hand through his hair and his shoulders slumped.
"Sorry this happened to you, Slayer. You deserve better."
Of course, the sleeping Champion was still unable to answer to the Vampire's comment.
"Also sorry your boy toy wasn't able to fix you."
Spike frowned.
"Well, actually, I'm not. Captain Cardboard doesn't deserve you. You need someone who can match your passion, Slayer. Not some demon hunter wannabe."
"Not sure what was up with Peaches though, Slayer. Would have thought your whole epic love thing you had going would have woken you right up."
Once again, Spike rubbed his hand through his hair. He shifted slightly so that he could brush his hand along the Champion's hair once more.
"Never did think Old Angelus was worthy of you either. Too damn sneaky and calculating for a warrior like you. You need someone who can follow your lead and support you. Not someone who needs you to stroke his ego."
Spike snorted.
"Not that you could stroke much else for him without unleashing a world of hurt on yourself."
Spike knocked the back of his head against the wall a few times.
"Wish I could help you, Slayer. Not likin' the new, silent version. Miss your sass and snark, I do. Think you might wanna wake up soon? I'll let you take a free shot at my nose even. Not sure what I'll do without you around to keep me in line. Even a chipped Vamp could get in a world of trouble without the right kinda person watching their every move."
Across the room, the Champion giggled.
"He doesn't even shut up when no one is around to answer him," Buffy commented. The Champion's eyes suddenly got big.
"What the hell is he doing?" the young woman asked as she stood up and glared at the dark clothed Vampire as he shifted to kneel beside the sleeping Slayer. Her gut clenched as she watched the Vampire brush his fingers along her cheek then start to lean forward.
Eros followed her motion so he was standing beside her. Anteros and Hymen followed his lead.
"What he always does, Chosen One. Whatever he can in the name of love," the god of Passionate love offered as he reached out and squeezed the Champion's arm before stepping away.
"It's all about Potentialities," Hymen promised evenly as he too stepped back.
"Good luck," Anteros whispered as he offered the Champion a quick hug.
Buffy's lips tingled and her eyes flew from the three handsome godlings who were surrounding her to the Vampire who was pressing his lips against her sleeping body. The tingle spread rapidly from her lips until her whole body pulsed. Buffy groaned and closed her eyes against the rushing sensation. In less than a heartbeat, she opened her eyes to stare into concerned blue eyes that were watching her much too closely.
"Well, I'll be damned," the Vampire muttered as he leaned back on his heels. A look of utter disbelief colored his face. He warily watched the Champion as she stared silently at him in return. A huge smile broke across his lips and he missed the unexpected snap of Buffy's fist until it collided with his face. The force of the blow knocked the Vampire onto his rear end and he was left staring up at the now standing Slayer.
"Have a nice nap, Pet?" Spike inquired as he shifted the broken cartilage in his nose back into the proper position with a strangely happy grin.
Buffy stared at him for a just a moment.
"Might not have been a fairy tale but I had a real enlightening dream," the Champion returned as she offered him a hand to assist him to stand.
"Never been much for fairy tales myself. All those bad guys getting their arses handed to 'em by some nancyboy prince in tights. Where's the blood? Where's the guts? Where's the rightful indignation on behalf of the downtrodden evil side. Just not my cup of tea," Spike scoffed as he took the offered hand and allowed the Slayer to pull him to his feet.
Buffy released the Vampire's hand with a giggle.
"Oh sure, Spike. You hate all those goody goodies falling in love, huh?"
Spike scowled but didn't refute the statement.
The Champion turned and took two steps towards the door to the magic shop. She stopped and turned back.
"Aren't you coming?" she asked with a smile.
Spike frowned for a moment as he tried to interpret the smile on Buffy's face. His head canted to the side ever so slightly as he silently contemplated the newly awakened Slayer. The frown faded to a soft smile that made the Champion's breath catch for a second.
"I'll follow where-ever you lead, Slayer," he easily replied.
The Champion simply grinned in return.
"I'd expect nothing less," was all she said as she turned and headed towards a much needed confrontation with her well-meaning but misguided friends. Her Vampire chuckled dryly before following her like a good shadow. As he fell into step, the Champion smiled. The Erotes had promised the spell was all about potentialities. Her heart skipped a beat and her grin widened. She may have been recently asleep but now her eyes were opened. Since she was now awake, perhaps it was time for her to enjoy some new possibilities.
Authors note:
The Erotes were the lesser gods of love who served under Aphrodite. There were a number of them but I thought Eros, Hymen and Anteros were the most fitting to represent the three sides of Robert Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love. Sternberg theorized that combining passionate love, intimacy/friendship, and commitment would lead to consummate love. Consummate Love is the pinnacle of love; it would be what romantics like to call true love. Combinations of the three elements and the elements themselves are other examples of types of love. The three corners make up Liking, Infatuation, and Empty Love. Combining two of the elements can give you Fatuous Love, Companionate Love, and Romantic Love. Those six types of love are all missing a piece of that which makes Consummate Love the truest form of love. (How sad is it that I actually pulled out my Theory and Systems book from college to double check the names of the types of love... see knew there was a reason I kept those stupid textbooks for so long)
Anyway, we see Buffy and Spike be friends in season 7. We see Buffy and Spike share passion in season 6 and Spike is committed to her from the time he figures out what he feels until burning up in the Hellmouth. I figure if that doesn't qualify as Consummate Love (at least on Spike's part), then nothing would. That is my logic and I am sticking to it. I hope that the Erotes would feel the same way.
Also, please forgive my lame poetry incantation. William the Bloody and I could hang out together and enjoy iambic meter as well as our sad attempts to rhyme everything. I don't suggest attempting a true love spell with any of my rambling though. It would most likely only induce sleep on the part of the person waiting for the spell to actually work. -Me