You are what You Eat

Dawn sits at a cozy café. Reading the time on her phone she shrugs. As she lifts her head to gaze out the window looking into the chilly London street she has the feeling that maybe her lunch guest won't show. However, before her thoughts travel too far into the land of paranoia a red rose appears before her. Dawn turns her head to see the face of the boy whose arm holds a rose in front of her. "Sorry I'm late," the boy with the dark shaggy brown hair and dark chocolate eyes says before her. Dawn smiles and leans in. They kiss just before he takes a seat across from her setting the rose on the table. "It's alright, you're not that late," Dawn says turning off her phone.

--

Andrew sits in Giles's office reading through one of his books. He would have taken it up to his room, however Giles was very adamant that none of his books leave his office. A pencil twirls between the boys fingers and then flies across the room after Andrew swings it with excessive force. He looks in the direction of the thrown pencil and decides that he's had enough reading for the moment. "Time for sustenance," Andrew says as he gets up from the table and walks into the hallway.

At first Andrew walks right past the room filled with Willow's magical ingredients, however as he does his eyes catch something and he walks back to stare into the room. There in the corner is a small white mini-fridge. "Ah, yes… let's see what treats Willow keeps hidden away," Andrew says making a b-line for the fridge.

Andrew hunches over and opens the miniature white door. He peers inside and sees a small bowl with white substance inside. On top of the fridge there is a bag of potato chips. Andrew looks back and forth between the two and then grabs the bowl from the fridge, closes it and grabs the chips. "Dip… very cool." Andrew walks off carrying the chips and dip back into Giles's office.

--

BOY: "So Dawn, it's been a month now… I don't mean to push myself into your life or anything, but I'm starting to wonder if you might be homeless… or possibly just really ashamed of your relatives, really though I'd like to meet them anyway, at least see where you live maybe even hang out there instead of always meeting at out of the way coffee shops."

Dawn smiles off her boyfriend's joking tone. Two cups of coffee sit atop the table in the small café leaving rings on its surface as the red rose he brought her lies between them. Dawn blushes slightly knowing that she's purposely kept her friends and family hidden from her boyfriend and vice versa.

DAWN: "I'm sorry Alden, it's not that I don't want you to see where I live and meet my family, it's just that… well they're a little… eccentric."

ALDEN: "Since when is being a little eccentric a bad thing?"

Dawn just smiles knowing that Alden couldn't possibly understand, and even if she tried to explain he doubtfully would believe her.

--

The door to the mini-fridge opens and Willow peers inside. Confusion covers her face as she moves various things around in search of something. Her lips thin and her brow wrinkles as she realizes that it's not there. She closes the fridge and walks out of the room and into Giles's office.

Sitting at the table is Andrew back to work on his research. The chips and dip that he was eating earlier are no where in sight. Inquisitively Willow steps in the room and Andrew turns around in his chair to face her.

WILLOW: "Andrew, did you notice anyone go into the Magic Office?"

ANDREW: "No, why do you ask?"

WILLOW: "I'm missing an ingredient I need for a spell… I thought I put it in the fridge, but now it's gone."

ANDREW: "An ingredient you say… this ingredient wouldn't have been chip dip would it?"

WILLOW: "What, no it… Andrew tell me you didn't eat my ingredient."

--

Buffy sits at the breakfast counter in her kitchen with a cup of coffee in her hands. She stares into her mug watching the light cream swirl around in the dark liquid. She's so lost in thought that she doesn't see Spike walk up behind her. Buffy jumps a little when she's startled by Spike's hand on her shoulder. Her eyes rush up from the sight of her coffee to that of Spike's face.

SPIKE: "Little jumpy this morning… what's on your mind pet?"

BUFFY: "Sorry, I was just a little out of it I guess… I was just thinking about Avery."

SPIKE: "That so?"

BUFFY: "I just have this feeling about her, like I know… I know who she is… or will be to me, and I just can't…"

SPIKE: "Can't quite wrap your head around to the how of it."

BUFFY: "Exactly…"

The jingle of Buffy's phone once again cuts off her sentence. In slight annoyance Buffy starts to wonder how great of an idea it was to get cell phones. Spike flips open the phone for her as he notices her aggravated look and reads the message. 'From: Willow… Meeting, need to save Andrew."

BUFFY: "What does it say?"

SPIKE: "The little boy's gotten himself into a bind I guess, Red's calling a meeting."

--

Faith collapses on her bed in exhaustion after her long trip from New York to recruit a new slayer. She doesn't even bother taking off her shoes or closing the blinds to block out the afternoon sun. She just lies down and closes her eyes. Her make-shift sleep, however, is interrupted by the sound of her phone beeping at her. With a groan Faith sits up and opens her phone to read the message that's been sent to her from Willow. "This good-guy business really is a full time deal," Faith says before hauling herself out of bed and out the door.

--

Fat purple lips adorn Andrew's puffing face while Willow's eyes are buried in a book beside him. Both Giles and Andrew look over Willow's shoulder at the text she reads which reveals the potion that will reverse the poisonous effects of what Andrew has consumed. The gang starts to arrive and shuffle into the room, as they enter Andrew's baffling appearance stands out to each of them.

XANDER: "Whoa, Andrew… you ah don't look so great there buddy."

SPIKE: "Have a run in with a bees nest?"

WILLOW: "More like Dyedre demon insides."

GILES: "Mashed liver to be precise."

FAITH: "Wait, you're saying that Andrew ate that?"

ANDREW: "It did taste a little… off."

BUFFY: "Andrew, why would you do something so stupid?"

GILES: "Yes, why did you decide to eat the Dyedre liver?"

ANDREW: "I saw the potato chips… I thought it was dip."

XANDER: "So… that's what's making him look like a purple puffer fish?"

GILES: "Yes… while Dyedre organs are often used in potions they're highly poisonous if ingested."

BUFFY: "Okay, so how do we fix it… what's the antidote?"

WILLOW: "I'm looking that up right now… oh boy, that's not good."

ANDREW: "Not good? What's not good?"

WILLOW: "The antidote, some of the ingredients are… well rare… but not impossible to find."

BUFFY: "Okay so let's hear them."

WILLOW: "Well most of these I think Giles and I will be able to find at the magic shop in town… some I might even have here, but the biggies we need to get are Fairy dust and the crystal horn of a Dyedre demon."

GILES: "With a little skill Fairy dust should be attainable in the Numinous Forest."

XANDER: "The Num-ni-i-what?"

GILES: "Numinous Forest, it's a mystical forest a few miles outside of town."

BUFFY: "Okay so what about this crystal horn thingy?"

SPIKE: "I might know of a bloke… deals in certain rarities, he'd know how to get a hold of one."

BUFFY: "Okay, good… Willow, Giles, get all the other ingredients together that you need, Spike and I will go after this crystal-y-thing, and Xander you and Faith can hit up the Mystical Forest… Andrew… just stay here."

--

Dawn walks down the street hand and hand with the tall dark haired boy beside her. The sun is setting behind them giving the space around their shadows an orange glow. The pair comes to a stop outside the Council building and Dawn turns to face Alden.

DAWN: "Well… this is my stop."

ALDEN: "Right… well maybe next time you'll let me walk you all the way to your door."

DAWN: "…I really will let you in eventually… I'm just not sure you're ready yet."

ALDEN: "I don't know about that Dawn… gimme a chance, I just might surprise you."

Dawn just smiles looking up into the dark brown orbs before her. Her hand touches the side of his face and Alden leans in to give her a kiss. They pull away smiling and Alden leaves walking into the sunset. Dawn watches him for a moment then turns to walk the rest of the way home.

--

The sun shines the dimmest amount of light across the road as Xander parks and turns off the engine of his borrowed council car. Faith sits beside him in the passenger seat of the car looking over a map which Giles has quickly jotted directions and information down on to. Exiting the car they set off into the darkening night, their feet padding on dying grass as they near the Numinous Forest.

The trees that surround them are void of leaves in the crisp November air, and while there is a forest before them, it looks dead and far from mystical. Xander and Faith glance at each other in confusion.

XANDER: "Are you sure this is it?"

FAITH: "That's what the map says… it says we have to enter between the two tall trees."

XANDER: "Ah, so very specific."

Xander and Faith look up; before them stand two lifeless trees that stretch high into the sky glooming over all the rest. Xander shrugs and walks in their direction with Faith following behind him. As Xander nears the space between the trees he hesitantly steps over the imaginary line between them, as he does he disappears and Faith hurries after him.

On the other side of the rippling atmosphere Xander has stepped into another world. From this side of the looking glass everything about the forest is flourishing. The trees are bursting with foliage, and the sun shines through them with a warm glow. The sounds of birds chirping and animals scurrying across the ground fill the air, and tiny flowers bloom all around them. The forest is like something straight out of a fairytale.

--

Prowling in the shadows of the semi-lit road Spike leads Buffy down the street and into a dark alleyway. They move past building after building, all under the safety that the shadows offer from the setting sun. His twisting and turning, moving in various directions has Buffy lost already, all she can do is follow and try to keep up. After blocks of movement Spike finally stops, as Buffy stands beside him she sees that he's standing above a manhole. "Down there, that's it," he says as he bends down to lift the heavy circular disk from its place.

Once Spike makes his way down to the ground below the street he helps Buffy down. As her feet land on the stone floor of the tunnel she turns around coming face to face with Spike. Mere inches from her face his close proximity makes her breath catch in her throat. For a second neither is sure what to do. Spike's eyes wander down to her lips and then he leans in to give her a deep bruising kiss only to pull away after a few moments to continue on with their quest to save Andrew.

Buffy's still in shock when Spike turns from her to look down the tunnel, he walks a few steps then stops.

SPIKE: "This is it."

BUFFY: "Spike, there's nothing there."

SPIKE: "Demon, love… it's hidden, you can't sense it."

Spike grabs Buffy by the hand and takes two steps forward. They both disappear.

--

Xander and Faith move down the trampled path in the Numinous Forest. With each step the feeling of magic grows stronger and the sky grows darker. Through the thick coverage of the plants around them they see a soft glow and the sound of tiny laughter. Xander and Faith glance at each other then proceed toward the warm glow cautiously. They push their way through the foliage and after a moment step into an open area. Before them is a large oak tree that glows with the homes of tiny creatures living inside it. Before them there is a field of poppy-like flowers that even in the darkness bloom with brilliant color. All across the field are glowing, fluttering fairies.

For a moment Faith and Xander watch the creatures fly about, then Xander takes a step forward and as his foot snaps a twig the fairies hide. The open space falls dark as the light from the fairies vanishes "No, its okay," Faith says and the fairies peak their heads out from around flowers and the leaves of the large oak tree.

FAITH: "We're not going to hurt you."

XANDER: "Right… we just need a little of your fairy dust."

A few of the fairies come out from their hiding spots and float over to Faith, they move around her eying her up. One of them lands on her shoulder and both Faith and Xander are able to get a good look at the tiny naked glowing woman with wings as big as her body; Then the fairies near Faith and grab pieces of her hair. All the fairies come out and swarm around the two poking at them and tugging at their clothing in curiosity. Both Faith and Xander become covered in Fairy dust as the swarming increases and the fairies fly faster. Their tugging gets harder and soon Xander and Faith find themselves swatting the fairies away. When that doesn't work they make their way back to the path and start running toward the car.

--

Buffy and Spike step into a demon bar as they do all heads turn to face them. Spike makes a b-line for the bar and Buffy follows behind him. At first all the demons around him appear to stare them down, but once Spike reaches the bar it becomes obvious that they know Spike and seem to be on good terms with him. "Spike," The bulky bald bartender demon before them says. His skin is a grayish blue color and atop his head leading down his neck are two rows of short horns.

SPIKE: "A'rassk'mn'va, how are things."

A'VA: "Things are going very well… business is booming. What about you… it's been a long while since we've seen you around these parts. You still doting around with that crazy bird?"

SPIKE: "no… no I've moved on to something new now."

The bartender peers at Buffy over Spike's shoulder and gives Spike a look of approval that makes Buffy roll her eyes.

SPIKE: "Look, I need to cash in on a favor."

A'VA: "Anything for you Spike… what is it?"

SPIKE: "I need the crystal from a Dyedre demon."

A'VA: "That's a very expensive favor."

SPIKE: "I know, but it's very important. Can you help me out here mate?"

A'VA: "… You're lucky, I happen to have one in the back… but we're even after this."

Spike and Buffy follow the demon around the bar and into a back room. Once the door is shut behind Buffy the lights are turned on to reveal a room three times the size of the bar. From floor to ceiling are shelves filled with jars and various body parts and other undistinguishable things.

--

Andrew's skin has now turned a dark orange; however his lips are still purple as are the ends of his fingers. Willow hands him a serum in a long test tube and Andrew examines it. It's clear and sparkles a little which helps reassure Andrew as he takes the vile to his lips and drowns the whole thing. Willow, Andrew and Giles are the only one's in the room as Faith and Xander left to clean themselves up immediately after Willow harvested the dust from their bodies. Buffy and Spike headed up stairs quickly as well knowing that they hadn't seen Dawn all day.

WILLOW: There, you should be better by morning... hopefully this will teach you not to eat anything that you don't know what it is."

--

In the depths of Volternas's cave Kennedy stands before the anxious demon. The light radiating off his body casts shadows across her face.

VOLTERNAS: "We've waited long enough…"

KENNEDY: "Because you haven't been at full strength since that last attack when you freed me… Next week. It will be just long enough for them to have almost forgotten that we're here. We'll catch them off guard."

VOLTERNAS: "…you're right. We'll attack right when they've forgotten of us… that will get into their heads, and that is so very much what I want."

A/N: Thanks Again to my readers. Lots going on this Chapter and more to come next in 8.10 Normal. I've started school and have 18credits with two jobs, so forgive me if chapters start getting a little more spaced out. I'll try and get atleast one up a week.

Dawn has a mysterious boyfriend? What do Kennedy and Volt have planned? More Spuffyness? Find out soon.