MOH-MOH
Chapter 01
Author's Note:
In response to a challenge posted by thatspark on Elysian Fields. Okay. This is my first challenge response. I saw this challenge posted forever ago and thought it would make for a fun little story. Deal with me as I drag us through Buffy, the Scoobies, and Spike facing off against the worse moh-moh you can imagine… Furbies.
Disclaimer:
Sadly, I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any characters from the show. It, along with some quotes that may be used from the series' episodes belongs to Joss Whedon and company and I make no money from the writing of this story. Grrr! Argh!
CHAPTER 01
Dah-kah-oo-nye
After Season 5 Episode 5 "No Place Like Home"
Buffy huffed heavily, her sandals sliding on the sidewalk and scuffing the surface as she drug her feet. It was too much. She was the slayer, punching things in the face and staring down big bads is what she did, but her new problems didn't have faces to punch.
Her mom was sick and the doctors still didn't know what was going on. If that wasn't bad enough, her sister was apparently placed in her family by some mystical monks so she would protect some kind of mystical key. Mystical monks and mystical keys. Psh. What startled her the most was the vivid memory she held of watching her mom and dad walk through their front door in California and introduce Buffy to her new baby sister.
That was real, wasn't it? Apparently not.
She huffed again and kicked a small rock that fell loose from the sidewalk. Not only did she worry, but now she felt like crap. The spell given to her by Giles brought forth her sister's true nature and caused her to act out, speaking to Dawn in a way she never should have. Key, no key. It didn't matter. That was her sister and she loved her.
Buffy's eyes shifted up, noticing she was over half way home from the new Magic Box. Giles' grand opening was beyond successful, so much so that her poor watcher was over run with customers and he had jumped at the opportunity to hire Anya. Now that girl loved money. She smirked at the memory of watching Anya shift through their profits before their day was even over while she scanned the other storefronts.
Sunnydale had your usual small town establishments. Besides the one Wal-Mart and a small mall, everything else was mainly mom and pop shops that lined the streets. Her eyes quickly zeroed in on a small toy shop. Its display showed a small amount of homemade wooden toys mixed in with the newer toys that were mass produced in large factories across the country. Smack dab in the middle of the window was a giant poster advertising the newest trend in electronic toys, a Furby.
Last Christmas that was at the top of Dawn's list. While Buffy asked for new and stylish yet slayer-appropriate clothes, Dawn wanted what all her friends were getting, a Furby. She had gone out with her mother and they scoured all of the stores, but the little creatures sold out quickly during the holiday season. Her younger sister didn't mention her disappointment, but it was easily read on her face despite her excitement over getting her very own stake, for self defense only, obviously.
Without over thinking it, Buffy ducked into the toy store, the small bell over its swinging door chimming to alert its owner of a new customer. Her eyes bounced around the small shop, taking in all of the displays and searching for the Furbies. She found the isle easily, but was quickly disappointed when she shelves were bare. The owner must be making a fortune on the craze caused by the tiny robotic pets.
The slayer nearly jumped out of her skin when a warm hand was placed on her shoulder from behind. She jumped and spun around, barely keeping herself from dropping into a defensive crouch as if the elderly woman attached to the wrinkled hand posed some kind of physical threat to her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, dear." The woman pulled her hand back and smiled gently. "My name is Ethel. My husband and I run this here shop." She put her hand out to shake with her introduction.
"Buffy." She took the woman's hand and shook it carefully, noticing the frailty of her skin. "I'm just looking for a Furby for my little sister, but it seems you're out."
"Yup. We just got a new shipment in a day ago and they flew off the shelves like hot cakes!" The excitement in her voice was evident and Buffy couldn't help but smile.
"They do seem to be popular." She felt a small wave of disappointment wash over her, not realizing until that moment how much she wanted the gift for Dawn. "Looks like I'll just have to keep my eye out for one."
Just as Buffy was turning to leave, the shop owner reached out to her again, grabbing her attention.
"Nonsense, dear. I have two in the back. We were saving them for our grand-babies, but we can always pull another one from the next shipment." Her thin and wrinkled lips stretched across her teeth in a smile. It showed her age, but also felt sincere.
"Seriously? You're sure it wouldn't be any trouble?"
"Absolutely and it's no trouble at all." Ethel turned slowly and began walking towards the back of the store. "Come this way and you can pick which one you want."
Buffy nodded even though the woman couldn't see her and began to follow her back. The store was very small and packed full of toys. Behind a curtain that Ethel pulled to the side was a small storage space stacked to the ceiling with boxes. It was actually surprising to the slayer as she wondered how the elderly couple handle such large boxes.
The woman pulled down a small cardboard box and opened it with ease before showing Buffy two small boxes with the word "Furby" written across them in bubbly font. One was all blue except for its beak-like mouth and its eyes and the other was in the same fashion but in all pink.
It was an easy choice as she pointed towards the pink one. The one Dawn originally wanted was pink and white, but she believed her little sister would love this one just as much.
Ethel smiled easily before placing the blue one back in the box and handing the pink one over to Buffy. They wordlessly left the back room and met at the front counter.
The shop owner wrote in a small book before typing the amount into an older cash register. The buttons clicked heavily and the receipt paper pushed from the top in a typewriter fashion.
Wanting to surprise her sister and give her something to open, Buffy glanced around the counter. "Do you gift wrap here?"
The woman nodded and took the box before quickly and efficiently wrapping it in a sparkly piece of baby blue wrapping paper. The skillful way in which she folded the paper and the quickness of the act caused Buffy to believe she had done this many times in her life.
She placed the now wrapped box back on the counter and funds were exchanged. Buffy would have easily paid extra for the kindness of the woman, but she merely paid the cost of the original item. After getting her change and picking up the box she gave Ethel a giant grin.
"Thank you so much. This means the world to me and I'm positive my sister will love it."
Ethel nodded and returned her smile. "Of course, dear. Every child deserves a friend." And with that, Buffy left the small toy store behind, now even more eager to get home to her mom and Dawn.