Curse for Two.
Disclaimer: Kids… I am not making any money off of this so please just enjoy. Peace, love, and Chocolate!
Chapter 3-Secrets of the parallel universe
IF ONLY OUR SECRETS COULD STAY WITH US FOREVER. TO HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE THAT ONLY A FEW OTHERS IN THE WORLD HAVE. THE KNOWLEDGE OF THINGS BEYOND OUR MERE MORTAL PERCEPTION IS AWESOME. I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD UNDERSTAND. I SHOULD TELL WILLOW. I MIGHT. Buffy sat in front of a boring history lecture swimming in her new found fascination with witchcraft. Her professor wasn't the only one who noticed her fishy expressions.
"Buffy why aren't you paying attention?" Willow asked in a concerned voice. Buffy jerked her head up front where her professor gave her a shrewd stare. Buffy moved her pen around on her clean sheet of notebook paper to appear like she was contemplating the actual lecture rather than the mystical powers of the universe.
"Sorry"
As soon as the lecture was over, Buffy sped out of there like a bat out of hell. If bats ever lived in hell in which they wouldn't have been very comfortable, b/c black absorbs heat. Willow started at the trail of smoke she left behind with just one thought. Where is she going?
"Ah, Buffy you've returned." Giles commented as Buffy entered the still stuffy store.
"Yep, that's me. hit the books Buffy. more like hit the nearest video store Buffy. Has 'Feminine Arts' arrived from the mother country yet?"
"Yes it has and it is a truly fascinating read. I've only had a moment to look it over, but it has journals collected over the years on witches of historical congregations spread over Europe and North America." Giles over the past 4-5 weeks had been trying to decide on exactly what kind of person Ms. Summers was. Indeed she looked like an ex-cheerleader, but there was something about her that made his mind puzzle at the very sight of her.
Buffy over the past few weeks had discovered a new passion. Her eyes devoured the textbooks on spells and Wicca groups. Buffy knew when she had poured into her first book that she was hooked. She thought it might have been a fluke, but when she started to tackle some of the more advanced reads then she knew she was addicted like a drug.
She had almost forgotten about her heartbreak that was Angel. Every night when she went home it still hurt and the pain of rejection shook her and haunted her dreams. The only comfort she found was in the small unexplainable attraction to witchcraft. The heartache she felt that would try to consume her during the day and night, she poured into the stories and histories of witchcraft.
She plowed into the books and sat there till dark reading and taking an occasional sip of her Café latte. When she read she never got hungry except for more books and she rarely left the large round table in the center of that dusty old Magic Shop with in a 5-7 hour period.
Giles put on his coat and as he pulled the cash drawer he noticed the blond bookworm still at work on his lastest copy of "Witches and Hearsay". "I'm afraid it's closing time for today Buffy. You may come around tomorrow if you like." Giles piped up.
Buffy perked her head up, away from burning of Madaline Stoe to acknowledge him and went straight back. DRATS! SHE WAS JUST ABOUT TO TRANSFORM INTO A TOAD AND PUT A CURSE ON THE FOOLISH BURNING MOB. I SHOULD PROBABLY LEAVE HIM TO HIS CLEANING! "Sorry Giles, I'll be out of your way." She placed the book gently back on the shelf and put on her jacket that had taken a long nap on her chair. She grabbed up her belongings and walked over to the cash register where Giles was standing.
"Things been going all successful en all?" Buffy inquired.
"Yes we have been awful busy lately." Giles turned to say something else and continue a bit of light chit-chat, but Buffy had already exited the building quickly. He turned and shook his head. There was something about her that just didn't sit with him right, but he didn't give it another moment's thought as two young teenage boys were just entering the store and he was just about to lock the door.
Buffy's growing interest in the arts began to comfort the lonely Giles. He had no family save for a few cousin spread distantly across the globe. He welcomed Buffy's presence like warm sunshine. He watched over her work and asked questions about the latest book she was devouring. He didn't get too close her for he didn't want to give the impression of a old pervert. Buffy never thought of him that way.
Buffy enjoyed Giles' wit and British accent. When he was being too serious or took forever to say the simplest thing she laughed and made some equally witty comeback and like tennis back and forth their banters would roll until they ended up laughing.
Her father left before she was born and her mom had nearly sold her soul for Buffy's and her own well being. Joyce Summers was so grateful when Buffy got a full ride to UC-Sunnydale. So Giles was like a father to her.
For months Buffy had been stopping by the Magic Box everyday to inhale book after book of witchcraft. She quickly learned Latin. Buffy though tempted, never tried a single spell. She was scared and when she asked herself why, she could never come up with a very good one.
Giles took notice and wanted to help, but he wanted her to be ready so he waited until she asked for his help.
"Hey Giles, how's it hanging?' Buffy entered the shop with a huge stack of books and a large coke.
"Hanging as usual, Buffy. Don't you Americans ever use proper English?"
"That's why we're on this side of the ocean, Nancy boy." Giles turned his nose up and that brought Buffy to giggles. "I was wondering if you'd help me with something."
"Oh so you want the Nancy boy's help now.I see." Buffy rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. She had considered bringing this up weeks ago, but never really found the courage to ask. She just couldn't wait anymore and to be quite frank she really didn't know what she was waiting for.
"I want to try a spell. I've been reading the books for weeks and perfecting each syllable. I know I can learn. Will you help me?" Buffy pleaded with her eyes. Giles felt a joy fill his heart. He could greatly relate to his professors at Oxford who awaited his request for their assistance and the joy they must have felt watching young Giles grow to the point where he could go to his elders for advice.
Buffy started in the back office of the shop under Giles' supervision. She began by learning the arts, the forces and how to control her emotions. After quickly mastering that she moved on to levitation and potions. Levitation was extremely difficult for her. Sometimes she could fly her pen all around the room with complete control, then other times her pen wouldn't get off the ground. Usually that happened whenever she thought about Angel. She would scold herself inwardly when that happened for her to regain control over her feelings.
The thing that really impressed Giles was how strong and quickly she was learning. Rapidly she grasped concepts that had taken him twice as long to comprehend. He thought she might have some Wicca roots, but then he caught a glimpse of her floating pen issue and figured she was no inner Wicca.
Willow hadn't seen much of Buffy over the past few months. For a while Willow believed she was seeing someone else when she missed class or when she came home late with no explanation as to where she had been, but Buffy told her bolted eye that there was no one swooning or snoggin the Buffester. Willow still asked frequently, but Buffy gave her the same reason. "Went somewhere." Buffy desperately wanted to explain to her childhood bud that she was reading and casting spells, but something within her just wanted to keep this selfishly to herself.
Her heartache healed a little bit each night, b/c instead of thinking about Angel when she laid herself down to sleep she thought about some incredible Wicca or Warlock she had just read about or some new demons that secretly live among the humans.
Buffy sat down at her mom's house on a bright sunny weekend when she got a call from her mom asking Buffy to come home the tears started to burn her eyes. WHY DOES THE SUN ALWAYS SHINE WHEN BAD STUFF HAPPENS? Joyce noticed her daughter's worry and concern.
"It'll be all right honey. we'll just have to tighten the belt. I'm going to take on another job other than the gallery." Joyce patted her daughter's knee in hopes of soothing not only her, but Joyce herself.
"But mom you've been working so much at the gallery, how are you going to find the time to work another job?"
"We'll make it work. The house insurance just went up and as you know taxes went up. I'm going to have to take another job."
"No you don't. I will get a job. I can work instead of hanging out or doing whatever," trying not to mention Giles and her new obsession with magic. She felt a twinge of sadness when she realized that she wouldn't be able to spend as much time at the Magic Box, but she would have to do something to help out. After all her mom couldn't do it and she was the only option.
"Honey, are you sure you can manage with your studies and all?"
"Yep, no worries. I'm out to get a job." Her mom smiled proudly at her daughter as she left the house with a grin and determination written all over her face.
"So many worries." Buffy sighed as she plopped down on her bed in her dorm room later that week.
"No luck finding a job?" Willow asked looking at her from her desk where she was writing her Chemistry paper.
"I've filled out so many applications my hands hurt form writing so much. No one wants to hire a college student who needs a job fast."
"Where have you applied?" Willow asked as she popped a Cheeto in her mouth.
"Department stores, the mall, and about every other store in the town. No one will hire me."
"How about someplace more where we hang out like the Espresso Pump?"
A beautiful bright light bulb switched on inside Buffy's mind. Her eyes danced with delight at her idea and she inwardly thumped herself on the head for not thinking of it sooner. She quickly brushed her teeth and her hair and bid Willow good-night.
"Oh Buffy, I'm glad you're here. I found the most interesting texts on various orders of witches and warlocks in the stacks that I'd like you to take a look at." Giles greeted Buffy as she came in the next day.
"That's great Giles, but I was wondering if you would be willing to hire me as a cashier or I could clean or really whatever you need? I just really need a job."
"Why do you need a job that badly? I thought you had a full ride to UC-Sunnydale."
"I do, but my mom and I have been one our own forever and taxes have jumped up about a mile and our house insurance is sky rocketing so it's either my mom gets another job which she doesn't have time for or I get a job. Could you find a place for me in your shop? Wow Giles you're beginning to rub off on me."
"Of course, I could train you now if you had time."
"Oh yeah I do and thanks for helping me out."
"We'll work out the details later." He smiled at her and began to show her the backroom and the stacks where she learned just how big of a pack rat Giles truly is.
So everyday with the exception of Sundays, Buffy worked at the Magic Box for 3-10. She learned more about ingredients to conjure protection spells or love spells. She had to answer so many questions about what ingredients go with a delusting spell and so many others. Giles helped her learn more about the business of owning a magic shop. She found she liked it and had a knack for it.
Buffy looked forward to work everyday. She walked in there humming and started without a grudge or complaint. The different people she met were refreshing for the once quiet shy nobody she had been in high school. Many were not real witches or warlocks, most were groupies.
Buffy was clearing the shelves one cloudy afternoon when she heard the entrance bell ring loudly. She could smell smoke and alcohol in the air. She looked up over the counter to find a tall man dressed in black wearing a leather duster. His short bleached blond hair all squiggly. She could only see that much, b/c his back was to her as she cleared her throat.
"How can I help you?"
He turned around and with a smirk on his face whispered "'ello luv."
AN: So what do you guys think? I'm going to be reposting the next couple of chapters very soon and maybe writing some new stuff. Thanks be to all who review;) You are my bread and butter; b/c there is no way I could make any kind of money on this ridiculous thing.