Disclaimer: His hands are ice cold, and as each second passes, I know he is
slipping from me. "Jack, you can't leave me, we're soul mates." I would
cry, but my tears freeze on my cheeks. He looks up at me, half of his body
submerged in the cold ocean, the other half clinging to the door I am now
currently lying on. "Lily, I'm sorry, but you have to go on without me.
You're so incredibly intelligent, beautiful, mystifying. You're stories are
so wonderful, I don't know how you could even want some poor artist like me
around." I smile at the guy. "No Jack, I love you more than life itself.
And those stories I write, I just stole the characters from Joss Whedon's
'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'." "What, you STOLE those wonderful characters,"
he's getting pretty angry, "Well, fuck you up your ass, you loser!" With
that, he slips into the ocean, leaving me forever.
Rating: R (I know, it's only been cursing. But, (ooh ooh ooh, spoiler) there will be some B/S action in the future)
Summary: After a horrifying incident, Buffy leaves Sunnydale, vowing never to return. Well, we all know she can't stay away forever.
Author's Notes: See see see, I told you I'd have it up by Thursday, even though it's 11:00 PM at my home, but it's still technically Thursday. Whoo hoo! Oh, just to avoid future confusion, I've placed the current time period in 2008, six years from now. The flash backs will take place in 2002. I know, it's confusing. Anyway, I have a very low sense of self worth, so reviews help boost up my confidence. :) Love you all, and please don't pet the kittens.
PS: If you couldn't tell, the disclaimer was stolen from Titanic, and the one from chapter three was taken from the awesome movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. I have no soul.
Chapter Five- The Power of Spices
Anya held a cup of chai tea to her lips and took a long sip, never taking her eyes off the young woman sitting across from her. The spiciness of the tea did nothing to sooth the feelings that permeated through the living room. She could feel Buffy, her presence and the emotions her body gave off. All the anger, pain, sadness, and hardness showed in her once clear aura. The retired vengeance demon sighed, put her cup of tea on the coffee table, and looked at her old friend.
"When did you get back?" Anya asked after a long, uncomfortable silence.
"Today. A few hours ago." She shifted in the overstuffed green chair, turning all her attention to the pictures on the side table. Pictures of the family, of Anya and Xander's children, of their friends.
Phoenix smiled sadly at the photos, then began to look around the living room. It was a cozy environment: large, comfortable chairs and sofas, bright colors, children's toys scattered about.
"How long have you been living here?" Phoenix enquired, her eyes finally settling on the woman.
Anya smiled. "We moved in after our wedding, five years ago. Giles sold it to us. I found out I was pregnant three weeks before the wedding, and we needed to find a bigger place to live than the old apartment."
"How many kids do you have?"
The beaming demon pointed to the pictures on the coffee table. "Two. Gillian's almost five, and little Ryan is just a year old."
Her face melted when she saw Buffy's sad expression. "Honey, what's wrong?"
She shook her head, trying to push the tears away. "I was right. I was right when I decided to leave," her body shook as she began to cry heavily. "You guys are happier without me around."
Gasping, Anya sat up. "Buffy-"
"Phoenix."
"What?"
She looked at her friend, tears streaming down her face. "My name is Phoenix."
This is gonna be hard, Anya sighed to herself. "Sorry. Phoenix, I don't know where you got the idea that-"
A pair of small feet banging down the stairs interrupted her. Phoenix turned around, and came face to face with the sweetest child in the world.
Long, curly black hair pulled away from her face in a Pollyanna ponytail. She wore a light blue and green plaid sundress with white sandals. Her round, rosy, angelic face was a combination of her parents, and long lashes framed her dark green eyes.
"Mommy, are we. . ." she paused, looking at the stranger in the living room. "Who's this lady?"
Anya stood up, trying hard to explain it to the precocious four year old. "This is an old friend of Mommy's. Her name is Phoenix. Phoenix, this is Gillian."
The two smiled at each other, then Gillian walked over to her mommy and pulled her down. "She's very sad. She's got black polka dots in her aura," whispered the young girl.
Her mother straightened herself up, trying to hide the joy in her face. Her powers are coming along nicely. "It's rude to whisper, Jilly."
Gillian turned to Phoenix, then jumped into her lap. "I'm sorry. Mommy's teaching me how to put on a façade of politeness in order to make a sale. Isn't that right, Mommy?" The little girl looked at her mother.
Anya rolled her eyes. "Yes, Jilly, that's right." Gotta teach her about being subtle. "What did you want, baby?"
"Oh," said the child, who jumped off her new friend's lap. "I wanted to know if tonight is Spaghetti Night."
"It is, Jilly."
She began to hop around the room. "YES! Auntie Pillow said she's gonna teach me how to levitate a pencil. Then, I'm gonna talk to Auntie Tara's tummy, and play Playstation with Uncle Billy." She ran to the stairs, made it halfway, then came back down. "You should come too, Phoenix. You could meet my family. They're really nice." With that, she ran upstairs.
Phoenix turned towards Anya, a questioning look on her face. "Auntie Pillow? Uncle Billy?"
Anya laughed to herself while sitting down. "Willow and Spike. Cute little names she calls them." Anya reached for her tea. "Every Wednesday, Willow, Tara, Giles, Olivia, and Spike come over for dinner. We have our Scooby meeting later that night."
Phoenix smiled sadly. "How is everyone?"
"Great. I mean, everyone's fine."
"What about you and Xander?"
She sat up, very excited to talk about her favorite subject. "Well, Xander started up his own construction firm and is making a ton of money. And we expanded the Magic Box two years ago; we've had that much business. Tara's thinking about making a mail-order service and a website so we can go globally."
"Tara works there now?"
Anya nodded. "When she got inseminated, she wanted to find a simple job to do so she wouldn't be sitting at home all day. Xander was the one who suggested it, even though I didn't want to hire some pregnant lady who would get paid $12.50 an hour for doing nothing."
Phoenix's ears pricked up. "Tara's PREGNANT?"
"Yeah, she got inseminated, like I said." Anya leaned in towards her friend. "A lot of things happened while you were gone. Willow's a teacher; Giles is married and has a little boy. . . Hell, even Spike and Xander became friends."
A look of hurt rested on the girl's face. "I know. I had to leave. I. . . I j-just couldn't stay."
Anya walked over to Phoenix and kneeled down, cupping the girl's face in her hands. "This is me being sincere, I've worked on it. Please don't leave again."
"Well, what am I supposed to do, just come back in and pretend everything's ok? I'm different, everyone else is different, why should I come back?"
The demon took her hands away, then sat on the coffee table across from Phoenix. "Something bad is going on. I don't know what, I always ignore Giles when he does those boring speeches, but it's something really bad. Giles seems to think that only you can stop it, what with you being the Slayer and all. We even hired a private investigator to find you; that's how much we need you."
"I know all about the investigator. He found me and convinced me to come back. Why else would I be here?"
Anya shrugged. "I don't know, but you're here anyway. So, stop moping and buck up, you have a demon to kill."
BUZZZ! The egg timer in the kitchen halted whatever Phoenix was about to say. The two women got up and walked to the kitchen. As Phoenix sat on a barstool, Anya opened the oven and pulled out the most delicious-looking loaf of garlic bread she had ever seen before.
"Oh my GOD! That looks incredible." Phoenix mouth began to water.
A plan began to form quickly in Anya's mind. "Well, I just have to put some parmesan cheese on, pop it back in the oven, and it'll be ready for dinner," a slight smile formed in the corners of her mouth, "If you wanted, you could stay for dinner. I always make too much food."
Phoenix shook her head out of the food-induced daze. "Oh no no NO! I am NOT staying for dinner." The surprise melted away, and was replaced by sadness. "I can't face them. When I left, you all had to clean up after me. I'm surprised you even let me into your house." Then, Phoenix began to get worried; "You're not going to tell anyone I'm back, are you? They can't know I'm here!"
I've got you now, darling. Anya sheepishly smiled at her friend while grating some cheese on the bread. "Well, you could stay here for dinner, and no one would know you're here."
"How in the hell would you do that?"
Anya put the cheese grater aside, and popped the loaf back in the oven. She turned around, and went to the "liquor cabinet" above the refrigerator. "You can never tell Xander about this, he doesn't like it that I do stuff like this," she said firmly, and pulled out a dictionary-sized hardback book. "I quit being a vengeance demon before I married Xander. He didn't want his children to think Mommy's job was to castrate men and give them gonorrhea and things like that. So I quit," she sat on the bar stool next to Phoenix, and set the book down on the counter, "But, he doesn't know I still have my powers."
She began flipping through the book, until she came to the page she wanted. "This is a curse that will make you invisible to everyone, except for me. Then, you can hang around tonight and decide what to do." Phoenix shot up from her seat. "NO! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO PUT A CURSE ON ME, AND I AM NOT GOING TO BE INVISIBLE AGAIN!" screamed the ex-Slayer.
Anya began to protest, when she heard little Ryan cry from his playpen. She hurried back to the living room, and picked up the boy. Phoenix slowly followed her friend, and watched as Anya rocked Ryan back and forth to put him to sleep. He nuzzled his curly blond head into his mother's chest, and slowly fell back asleep.
"Honey," she whispered, putting Ryan back into his playpen, "You wouldn't be invisible for a long time. I'm thinking three hours, tops. Hang around the house; see if you want everyone to know you're here. I would be the only one able to hear or see you, so if you wanted the spell taken off, I'd do it, quickly. Please think about it."
The multi-colored hair girl looked into the playpen, and began to feel secure as she watched the little boy sleep. Only a few hours, and it'd be taken off quickly. . . Phoenix sighed.
"Do it quick before I change my mind."
Anya squealed with delight, then pulled her friend back into the kitchen.
"Sit on the stool, and don't move," commanded the demon. She hurried back to the cabinet and pulled out a few spices and magic charms. The spices were spread in a circle around Phoenix, and the charm cleaned her aura of any impurities that might tweak the spell.
"Now, close your eyes, and don't move a muscle until I tell you to." Anya slowly began to speak in her demon dialect, every word foreign to Phoenix. She then read the part in English. "Encompass this creature in the world of darkness, hid from the inhabitants of this dimension. Oh, Hecate, make the world blind to your daughter."
A shiver went through her body. Seconds passed.
"Don't move, I just have to check. . . Yeah, the spell worked, you're invisible."
Before Phoenix could answer, they heard a car pull up to the house.
"Just in time to test it out. Xander's home."
Rating: R (I know, it's only been cursing. But, (ooh ooh ooh, spoiler) there will be some B/S action in the future)
Summary: After a horrifying incident, Buffy leaves Sunnydale, vowing never to return. Well, we all know she can't stay away forever.
Author's Notes: See see see, I told you I'd have it up by Thursday, even though it's 11:00 PM at my home, but it's still technically Thursday. Whoo hoo! Oh, just to avoid future confusion, I've placed the current time period in 2008, six years from now. The flash backs will take place in 2002. I know, it's confusing. Anyway, I have a very low sense of self worth, so reviews help boost up my confidence. :) Love you all, and please don't pet the kittens.
PS: If you couldn't tell, the disclaimer was stolen from Titanic, and the one from chapter three was taken from the awesome movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. I have no soul.
Chapter Five- The Power of Spices
Anya held a cup of chai tea to her lips and took a long sip, never taking her eyes off the young woman sitting across from her. The spiciness of the tea did nothing to sooth the feelings that permeated through the living room. She could feel Buffy, her presence and the emotions her body gave off. All the anger, pain, sadness, and hardness showed in her once clear aura. The retired vengeance demon sighed, put her cup of tea on the coffee table, and looked at her old friend.
"When did you get back?" Anya asked after a long, uncomfortable silence.
"Today. A few hours ago." She shifted in the overstuffed green chair, turning all her attention to the pictures on the side table. Pictures of the family, of Anya and Xander's children, of their friends.
Phoenix smiled sadly at the photos, then began to look around the living room. It was a cozy environment: large, comfortable chairs and sofas, bright colors, children's toys scattered about.
"How long have you been living here?" Phoenix enquired, her eyes finally settling on the woman.
Anya smiled. "We moved in after our wedding, five years ago. Giles sold it to us. I found out I was pregnant three weeks before the wedding, and we needed to find a bigger place to live than the old apartment."
"How many kids do you have?"
The beaming demon pointed to the pictures on the coffee table. "Two. Gillian's almost five, and little Ryan is just a year old."
Her face melted when she saw Buffy's sad expression. "Honey, what's wrong?"
She shook her head, trying to push the tears away. "I was right. I was right when I decided to leave," her body shook as she began to cry heavily. "You guys are happier without me around."
Gasping, Anya sat up. "Buffy-"
"Phoenix."
"What?"
She looked at her friend, tears streaming down her face. "My name is Phoenix."
This is gonna be hard, Anya sighed to herself. "Sorry. Phoenix, I don't know where you got the idea that-"
A pair of small feet banging down the stairs interrupted her. Phoenix turned around, and came face to face with the sweetest child in the world.
Long, curly black hair pulled away from her face in a Pollyanna ponytail. She wore a light blue and green plaid sundress with white sandals. Her round, rosy, angelic face was a combination of her parents, and long lashes framed her dark green eyes.
"Mommy, are we. . ." she paused, looking at the stranger in the living room. "Who's this lady?"
Anya stood up, trying hard to explain it to the precocious four year old. "This is an old friend of Mommy's. Her name is Phoenix. Phoenix, this is Gillian."
The two smiled at each other, then Gillian walked over to her mommy and pulled her down. "She's very sad. She's got black polka dots in her aura," whispered the young girl.
Her mother straightened herself up, trying to hide the joy in her face. Her powers are coming along nicely. "It's rude to whisper, Jilly."
Gillian turned to Phoenix, then jumped into her lap. "I'm sorry. Mommy's teaching me how to put on a façade of politeness in order to make a sale. Isn't that right, Mommy?" The little girl looked at her mother.
Anya rolled her eyes. "Yes, Jilly, that's right." Gotta teach her about being subtle. "What did you want, baby?"
"Oh," said the child, who jumped off her new friend's lap. "I wanted to know if tonight is Spaghetti Night."
"It is, Jilly."
She began to hop around the room. "YES! Auntie Pillow said she's gonna teach me how to levitate a pencil. Then, I'm gonna talk to Auntie Tara's tummy, and play Playstation with Uncle Billy." She ran to the stairs, made it halfway, then came back down. "You should come too, Phoenix. You could meet my family. They're really nice." With that, she ran upstairs.
Phoenix turned towards Anya, a questioning look on her face. "Auntie Pillow? Uncle Billy?"
Anya laughed to herself while sitting down. "Willow and Spike. Cute little names she calls them." Anya reached for her tea. "Every Wednesday, Willow, Tara, Giles, Olivia, and Spike come over for dinner. We have our Scooby meeting later that night."
Phoenix smiled sadly. "How is everyone?"
"Great. I mean, everyone's fine."
"What about you and Xander?"
She sat up, very excited to talk about her favorite subject. "Well, Xander started up his own construction firm and is making a ton of money. And we expanded the Magic Box two years ago; we've had that much business. Tara's thinking about making a mail-order service and a website so we can go globally."
"Tara works there now?"
Anya nodded. "When she got inseminated, she wanted to find a simple job to do so she wouldn't be sitting at home all day. Xander was the one who suggested it, even though I didn't want to hire some pregnant lady who would get paid $12.50 an hour for doing nothing."
Phoenix's ears pricked up. "Tara's PREGNANT?"
"Yeah, she got inseminated, like I said." Anya leaned in towards her friend. "A lot of things happened while you were gone. Willow's a teacher; Giles is married and has a little boy. . . Hell, even Spike and Xander became friends."
A look of hurt rested on the girl's face. "I know. I had to leave. I. . . I j-just couldn't stay."
Anya walked over to Phoenix and kneeled down, cupping the girl's face in her hands. "This is me being sincere, I've worked on it. Please don't leave again."
"Well, what am I supposed to do, just come back in and pretend everything's ok? I'm different, everyone else is different, why should I come back?"
The demon took her hands away, then sat on the coffee table across from Phoenix. "Something bad is going on. I don't know what, I always ignore Giles when he does those boring speeches, but it's something really bad. Giles seems to think that only you can stop it, what with you being the Slayer and all. We even hired a private investigator to find you; that's how much we need you."
"I know all about the investigator. He found me and convinced me to come back. Why else would I be here?"
Anya shrugged. "I don't know, but you're here anyway. So, stop moping and buck up, you have a demon to kill."
BUZZZ! The egg timer in the kitchen halted whatever Phoenix was about to say. The two women got up and walked to the kitchen. As Phoenix sat on a barstool, Anya opened the oven and pulled out the most delicious-looking loaf of garlic bread she had ever seen before.
"Oh my GOD! That looks incredible." Phoenix mouth began to water.
A plan began to form quickly in Anya's mind. "Well, I just have to put some parmesan cheese on, pop it back in the oven, and it'll be ready for dinner," a slight smile formed in the corners of her mouth, "If you wanted, you could stay for dinner. I always make too much food."
Phoenix shook her head out of the food-induced daze. "Oh no no NO! I am NOT staying for dinner." The surprise melted away, and was replaced by sadness. "I can't face them. When I left, you all had to clean up after me. I'm surprised you even let me into your house." Then, Phoenix began to get worried; "You're not going to tell anyone I'm back, are you? They can't know I'm here!"
I've got you now, darling. Anya sheepishly smiled at her friend while grating some cheese on the bread. "Well, you could stay here for dinner, and no one would know you're here."
"How in the hell would you do that?"
Anya put the cheese grater aside, and popped the loaf back in the oven. She turned around, and went to the "liquor cabinet" above the refrigerator. "You can never tell Xander about this, he doesn't like it that I do stuff like this," she said firmly, and pulled out a dictionary-sized hardback book. "I quit being a vengeance demon before I married Xander. He didn't want his children to think Mommy's job was to castrate men and give them gonorrhea and things like that. So I quit," she sat on the bar stool next to Phoenix, and set the book down on the counter, "But, he doesn't know I still have my powers."
She began flipping through the book, until she came to the page she wanted. "This is a curse that will make you invisible to everyone, except for me. Then, you can hang around tonight and decide what to do." Phoenix shot up from her seat. "NO! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO PUT A CURSE ON ME, AND I AM NOT GOING TO BE INVISIBLE AGAIN!" screamed the ex-Slayer.
Anya began to protest, when she heard little Ryan cry from his playpen. She hurried back to the living room, and picked up the boy. Phoenix slowly followed her friend, and watched as Anya rocked Ryan back and forth to put him to sleep. He nuzzled his curly blond head into his mother's chest, and slowly fell back asleep.
"Honey," she whispered, putting Ryan back into his playpen, "You wouldn't be invisible for a long time. I'm thinking three hours, tops. Hang around the house; see if you want everyone to know you're here. I would be the only one able to hear or see you, so if you wanted the spell taken off, I'd do it, quickly. Please think about it."
The multi-colored hair girl looked into the playpen, and began to feel secure as she watched the little boy sleep. Only a few hours, and it'd be taken off quickly. . . Phoenix sighed.
"Do it quick before I change my mind."
Anya squealed with delight, then pulled her friend back into the kitchen.
"Sit on the stool, and don't move," commanded the demon. She hurried back to the cabinet and pulled out a few spices and magic charms. The spices were spread in a circle around Phoenix, and the charm cleaned her aura of any impurities that might tweak the spell.
"Now, close your eyes, and don't move a muscle until I tell you to." Anya slowly began to speak in her demon dialect, every word foreign to Phoenix. She then read the part in English. "Encompass this creature in the world of darkness, hid from the inhabitants of this dimension. Oh, Hecate, make the world blind to your daughter."
A shiver went through her body. Seconds passed.
"Don't move, I just have to check. . . Yeah, the spell worked, you're invisible."
Before Phoenix could answer, they heard a car pull up to the house.
"Just in time to test it out. Xander's home."