Title: "Dominoes"
Spoilers: After the season finale, "Graves". Set in the beginning of season seven.
Rating: PG (so far)
Disclaimer: Joss, Mutant Enemy, Greenwolf, and UPN own the show and it's characters. So there. For this chapter, I don't own the characters Loraine and George either.
Summary: B/S (and others) and post-"Graves" fiasco, set in season 7. My first fanfic. Ever.
*italic text indicates thought and stress in dialogue.
Feedback: *giggles* Thanks for the reviews so far.. it turns out that feedback is like writing gas for me. hint hint. :P Then again, I know there's certainly room for improvement. So.. nitpicks welcome.


Dawn accompanied Willow as she unlocked the front door of the Summer's house. Anya and Giles had to stick around for the shop, and to research. They both passed over the threshold and called for Buffy.

Dawn: "Huh. She's not home. Go figure."

Willow: "This is some fishy business. Fishy and then some. Maybe she went back to the shop?"

Dawn: "Or maybe not. She seemed pretty distant when she left."

The teen shrugged and expectantly sought the intelligence of her elder. Willow huffed.

Willow: "I guess we're going back then."


Anya vehemently calculated away the store's monthly stock of camel liver scrapings as Giles researched with similar fervor.

Giles: "I was thinking-"

Anya: "Yes. That is surprising."

Giles: "Wel- Was that sarcasm?"

She nodded, and he ahemed.

Giles: "As I was saying.. perhaps Willow could perform a search spell for Xander. It should be sufficient enough practice for England. Are you familar with the 'Schau Ort buchstabiert'?"

Anya: "Oh of course. I believe that would require only a few simple ingredients."


Spike's instinct, for whatever reason, was to face the sun rather than pathetically dodge the 390 billion billion megawatts of light. So he shut his eyes and waited for the burning sensation.

Spike: Right. Of course. What now?

He wasn't dust. He couldn't see any brilliant light through his eyelids. His forehead charred as did his shoulders, but the rest of him remained solid. Spike opened his eyes. The sun was eclipsed by a familar figure. He held back a very befitting grin, and backed sideways into the shadows.

Buffy closed the door behind her.

Buffy: "What were you doing? And why are you here Xander?"

Xander: Ooookayy. What do I do now?

His faced stumbled with guilt, thanks to Buffy's presence.

Spike: "Back to Earth, are we Buffy?"

She glared and crossed her arms.

Spike: "He was just stopping by to chat."

The vampire said this matter-of-factly-like, and infuriated Xander. Yet the younger lad was smart enough to hold back the truth, given his recent revelation to Buffy.

Buffy: "Right."

Spike: "More importantly, why are you here Slay-- Buffy?"

This time, Spike was smirkless. His expression actually appeared to mimic that of concern and care. Buffy was, in turn, swooning behind her guard. Yet this time, she wasn't confused by her emotions.

Buffy: I can't do this now.

Her true face flashed for a millisecond, a millisecond Spike caught a glimpse of.

Buffy: "Nevermind. Come on Xander, let's get back to the shop."

Xander followed like a child caught red-handed playing with lizards. Accordingly, he still wanted to rip off the tail. Yet he was as whipped as Spike, and so he abided.


The bell rang as the Magic Box's door swung open to both Wiccan and whiner. The Wiccan shrugged.

Willow: "Hey guys. It turns out that Buffy's gone too."

Dawn: "Well.. she's just not at home. Geez, you'd think they'd leave a note or something."

..

Dawn coughed.

Giles: "Willow.. we've set up the 'Schau Ort buchstabiert' so we would be able to locate Xander. It shant be a terribly complicated spell, so we'll--"

The bell rang again as Buffy and Xander entered the store.

Buffy: "I really hate that bell."

Dawn: "Where were you, Buffy? We were looking everyplace."

Dawn very deliberately left out Xander in the query. If she included his name, it would drip with spite.

Buffy: "I found Xander at Spike's."

Xander was suddenly intensely interested in a Bonobo skull sitting on a shelf. The group went clueless when anything Spike related was brought up, and so they appropriately danced around the allusion.. much to Xander's appeal.

Willow: "Oh, well.. good thing you did. We were getting worried."

Anya: "Would you like a donut? We have donuts."

Buffy: "Ooo! Did you get Boston Crème?"


Anya paused before the carved wooden front door of the Summers' residence. Her face scrunched up in fear of rejection, and her index finger hesitatingly hovered near the doorbell. She drove the feeling into the pit of her abdominals and away from her facade, and pressed the button. She waited patiently, and before long Willow stood before her.

Willow: "Anya? What's wrong?"

Anya frowned despite herself.

Anya: "Actually.... I.. I was wondering if I could 'hang' with you guys."

Anya: "Like friends do."

Putting herself out there was twisting her demon insides. The first time she was human, there wasn't much room for friendship. All that concerned her was Olaf Olaf Olaf. The second time around.. Xander Xander Xander. She had acquaintances in the demon realm, sure. Yet... never any friendship. Anya realized that now, and awkwardly searched for it among the Scoobies. She always cared for them, but it was always as if she was only around for Xander. Willow's brain clicked and she understood.

Willow: "Oh! Hey! Sure.. come on in! You're always welcome. You should know that."

The former high school bookworm gave her a geniunely warm smile, and nothing more needed to be said. Anya was really her friend. A good friend.. and this was something she needed. She felt grateful for it. Willow's eyes got soggy, and Anya fought back tears.. those silly tears.


The worn parchment bound in a thick leather book was barely readable. Giles was brimming with pride once he decoded the minute paragraph of Estonian prophecies. It spoke of the "segadus", or "turmoil". Rather, it spoke of a means to end it. The "Aafrika Tahtma Rahuldama" (the demon wish-granter in Africa) will cause many "segadus" in it's day, yet will only grant one wish that would eventually cause the end of this turmoil. Giles processed his thoughts aloud, quietly, sitting at the dimly lit desk of his still-owned apartment.

Giles: "Kaheks? Ah yes... of course.. in the year of.. in the year of two and thousand two. Two thousand and two.. astonishing. The prophecy.. this can't be.."

He whipped off his glasses an threw them onto the desk, then squinted to jot down the mathematical equations of the prophecy.

Giles: "..the prophecy is referring to the vampire.. yes.. the vampire in question!? The.. the ender of turmoil.. and.. if correctly.. yes of course!"

He replaced his glasses and began to read the entirety of his work.

Giles: In the year of two thousand and two, the blood luster will lust no more. He will murder.. oh no..

He fixed his mistake, and cursed himself for his primitive Estonian translation abilities.

Giles: The lesser human moiety will slain the demon entity, and reinstate the original essence. He will earn the Chosen's One's.. heart?

Giles: "Bloody hell."

Giles: Spike's got a soul.