Disclaimers: Sadly, Joss owns this. Darn it.
Feedback: Need it. Want it. Must have it.
Author's Note: Hee hee, I just love to tease you guys . . . make smoochies seem soooo close and then BAM! Take 'em away. You have been good kiddies, so you'll get a longer chapter this time. Aww, don't fret . . . Spuffiness abounds this chapter; let your heart sing!
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Buffy twirled the plastic cord around her index finger, sighing. "Mmm hmm . . . sure, Giles. You want me to bring cloves, rosemary . . . are you sure you didn't accidentally read a recipe for spaghetti sauce?" She joked. "Yeah, um, okay. I'll be right over." She hung up the phone and made her way to the kitchen cupboard. Buffy spun the spice rack around until she found what she was looking for. She set the small jars on the counter, her thoughts drifting to Spike.
'After this . . . after we do the truth spell . . . everything will be different. If Spike's truly harmless, that is. If he's been lying . . . no, best not to think of that. Will he leave, I wonder? Probably . . . not like there's anything keeping him here, not like I'm giving him any reason to stay . . . especially after my little - emotional outburst last night.'
Buffy started to pace around the room, angrily. 'What gave them the right to interrupt like that, anyway? Haven't they ever heard of knocking?' *It's Giles' house . . .* a small voice in the back of her head reminded her. 'I wish Spike were here . . . he would know what to say to cheer me up. Spike! The truth spell!' She glanced up to the clock. 'Crap! I was supposed to be at Giles' ten minutes ago!'
Buffy grabbed her coat as well as the kitchen spices and headed out the front door, hoping that Giles wouldn't be too upset.
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Her hand hesitated over the door before Buffy finally gave a tentative knock.
"Err - anyone home? It's me, Buffy."
The front door swung wide open and she was suddenly face - to - face with a flustered Giles.
"Oh, Buffy, good. I just left a message on your machine; I was afraid you weren't going to come."
She gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I - um, we were out of cloves and I had to run to the grocery store."
"Well, as long as you're here . . ." Giles opened the door wider, realizing she was still on the front porch. "Come in, come in."
Buffy stepped inside the house, hanging her coat on the rack next to the door. She made her way into the living room, setting the jars on the coffee table.
"So, Giles, are we spell bound?"
"As soon as I get the supplies from my room, we can start." Her eyes followed him as he made his way up the stairs until he disappeared from her sight. Buffy turned to Spike, who was dozing in the chair next to her. Spike's head was slumped forward and his lips were parted slightly, a small trickle of drool spilling from the side of his mouth onto his black T- shirt.
She smiled at the sleeping vampire, enjoying seeing him so vulnerable. 'He looks so sweet and innocent.' Buffy leaned down and cupped his cheek with her hand in a gesture of affection. 'Wow, he has really smooth skin . . .'
"Buffy? Are you ready to start the spell?" Buffy's head jerked up as Giles came down the stairs.
"Um, yeah, sure."
She let her hand fall from Spike's cheek as she turned to face Giles. "So, what do we do?"
He studied the text in front of him. "You take these herbs," he gestured to the small pile of dried greens next to him, "And sprinkle them around Spike as I recite the incantation."
"That's so easy . . . it's like Truth Spells for Dummies." Buffy's eyes flicked over to the vampire in the chair. "Shouldn't he, um, be awake for this?"
"Hmm? Oh, for God's sake! Spike! Wake up!"
"What? What time is it?" Spike shifted and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, glancing at the clock angrily. "It's only 2 o' clock in the afternoon! You weren't supposed to wake me 'till six! Bloody hell, Rupert, you could have - Buffy." The anger in his voice melted away. "What are you doing here?"
"Giles needs me to help him with a spell he's doing."
He eyed her warily. "What kind of spell?"
"Umm . . . the truth kind."
"Truth spell? For me, I wager."
"Yeah, we have to find out it you're really neutered. He can't really trust you, so . . . he has to do the spell."
"Neutered? I'm not impotent, ya know. I prefer the term 'temporarily incapacitated'."
A grin spread across Buffy's face. "Incapacitated - hmm . . . no. I think neutered fits you to a T. I mean, you're like a harmless, fluffy, little kitten now."
He growled. "Watch it, Slayer, or I'll -"
"Spike? Little word of advice; the intimidation thing doesn't really work when you've got drool on your chin."
"Huh?" He reached down to wipe the saliva from his face, embarrassed. "Right then," he said, eager to change the subject. "Watcher? Is the spell ready?"
"It's been ready for the past five minutes . . . if you two will stop bickering for a moment, we can get this over with. Now, Buffy, retrieve the spices," Giles instructed, his eyes never leaving the book. "Now, I need you to walk counterclockwise around Spike, sprinkling the herbs around him in a circular pattern. Understood?"
"Gotcha."
He cleared his throat, signaling that he was about to begin. "Let your deceitful tongue be broken, let no untruths be spoken . . ."
'Blah blah blah,' Buffy thought as she walked around Spike, leaving a trail of spice. 'I wonder if it'll work? Wait - did Giles say clockwise or counterclockwise? I hope I'm doing this right - it's not like I'm magically inclined or anything. Why couldn't he just get Willow to do it?'
"Buffy! You can stop now . . ."
"Oh! Is it finished? Did it work?" She leaned towards Spike, examining him.
"With this particular spell, there's no way of telling, from the exterior, that is, if it has taken effect. There's only one way to find out."
Giles took a seat on the couch, turning to Spike. Buffy sat down next to her Watcher, intrigued.
"What is your name?" He asked.
"William LeFont, William the Bloody, Spike."
"How old are you?"
"One hundred and twenty-one." Spike was surprised at how the words seemed to flow from his mouth, out of his control.
"Where were you born?"
"London, England."
"When did you first arrive in Sunnydale?"
"Two years ago . . . nearly three. Look, are you gonna ask any questions about the chip, or do you just want my life story?"
Giles ignored him. "Why did you come here?"
"Two reasons - to get closer to the Hellmouth so Dru could heal, and to kill the Slayer."
"After you failed to kill Buffy, what did you do?"
"Brood, sulk . . . think up methods of revenge ending in her demise."
"Did you ever manage to get your revenge?"
"Hell, no. Slayer beat me down . . . and after that . . ."
"Yes? What happened then?"
"The soddin' chip happened. Damn soldier boys . . ."
"You are referring to the Initiative, I take it."
"Yeah . . . them and their underground lair; what their whole prod and probe experiments. It's sick, really."
"So, after you were chipped, how did you discover that you couldn't harm humans?"
"I went looking for Buffy at her dorm room; found her little friend, instead. Tried to bite her, of course, but the pain was too intense. Initiative goons came after me a second time, and I escaped . . . I went out looking for someone to eat, but it was the same with everyone I found. Shooting pains, anytime I tried to feed." He paused. "S'that all? Because I'd really like to catch up on my beauty sleep."
Giles looked up from the notes that he had been taking. "Yes, I believe so. Of course, I will need Willow to validate this information for me . . . and to make sure that the spell did, in fact, work."
He grabbed his jacket from the rack, draping it over one arm. "Buffy, I'm going down to the dorm to visit Willow . . . we'll be back in about fifteen minutes. Can you handle -"
"I'll be fine . . . Just a warning, though; you keep this up and I'm gonna start charging."
Giles smiled and opened the door, turning to leave.
"How long does it last?"
"Hmm?"
"The truth spell, Giles. How long does it last?"
He spun around to face Buffy. "Well, it depends, really. Anywhere from twenty minutes to a whole day . . . the book is rather vague. Um, why do you want to know?"
"Oh . . . nothing."
Buffy smirked, fighting the urge to start cackling like a madwoman. This was going to be fun.
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To be continued . . .
Feedback: Need it. Want it. Must have it.
Author's Note: Hee hee, I just love to tease you guys . . . make smoochies seem soooo close and then BAM! Take 'em away. You have been good kiddies, so you'll get a longer chapter this time. Aww, don't fret . . . Spuffiness abounds this chapter; let your heart sing!
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Buffy twirled the plastic cord around her index finger, sighing. "Mmm hmm . . . sure, Giles. You want me to bring cloves, rosemary . . . are you sure you didn't accidentally read a recipe for spaghetti sauce?" She joked. "Yeah, um, okay. I'll be right over." She hung up the phone and made her way to the kitchen cupboard. Buffy spun the spice rack around until she found what she was looking for. She set the small jars on the counter, her thoughts drifting to Spike.
'After this . . . after we do the truth spell . . . everything will be different. If Spike's truly harmless, that is. If he's been lying . . . no, best not to think of that. Will he leave, I wonder? Probably . . . not like there's anything keeping him here, not like I'm giving him any reason to stay . . . especially after my little - emotional outburst last night.'
Buffy started to pace around the room, angrily. 'What gave them the right to interrupt like that, anyway? Haven't they ever heard of knocking?' *It's Giles' house . . .* a small voice in the back of her head reminded her. 'I wish Spike were here . . . he would know what to say to cheer me up. Spike! The truth spell!' She glanced up to the clock. 'Crap! I was supposed to be at Giles' ten minutes ago!'
Buffy grabbed her coat as well as the kitchen spices and headed out the front door, hoping that Giles wouldn't be too upset.
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Her hand hesitated over the door before Buffy finally gave a tentative knock.
"Err - anyone home? It's me, Buffy."
The front door swung wide open and she was suddenly face - to - face with a flustered Giles.
"Oh, Buffy, good. I just left a message on your machine; I was afraid you weren't going to come."
She gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I - um, we were out of cloves and I had to run to the grocery store."
"Well, as long as you're here . . ." Giles opened the door wider, realizing she was still on the front porch. "Come in, come in."
Buffy stepped inside the house, hanging her coat on the rack next to the door. She made her way into the living room, setting the jars on the coffee table.
"So, Giles, are we spell bound?"
"As soon as I get the supplies from my room, we can start." Her eyes followed him as he made his way up the stairs until he disappeared from her sight. Buffy turned to Spike, who was dozing in the chair next to her. Spike's head was slumped forward and his lips were parted slightly, a small trickle of drool spilling from the side of his mouth onto his black T- shirt.
She smiled at the sleeping vampire, enjoying seeing him so vulnerable. 'He looks so sweet and innocent.' Buffy leaned down and cupped his cheek with her hand in a gesture of affection. 'Wow, he has really smooth skin . . .'
"Buffy? Are you ready to start the spell?" Buffy's head jerked up as Giles came down the stairs.
"Um, yeah, sure."
She let her hand fall from Spike's cheek as she turned to face Giles. "So, what do we do?"
He studied the text in front of him. "You take these herbs," he gestured to the small pile of dried greens next to him, "And sprinkle them around Spike as I recite the incantation."
"That's so easy . . . it's like Truth Spells for Dummies." Buffy's eyes flicked over to the vampire in the chair. "Shouldn't he, um, be awake for this?"
"Hmm? Oh, for God's sake! Spike! Wake up!"
"What? What time is it?" Spike shifted and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, glancing at the clock angrily. "It's only 2 o' clock in the afternoon! You weren't supposed to wake me 'till six! Bloody hell, Rupert, you could have - Buffy." The anger in his voice melted away. "What are you doing here?"
"Giles needs me to help him with a spell he's doing."
He eyed her warily. "What kind of spell?"
"Umm . . . the truth kind."
"Truth spell? For me, I wager."
"Yeah, we have to find out it you're really neutered. He can't really trust you, so . . . he has to do the spell."
"Neutered? I'm not impotent, ya know. I prefer the term 'temporarily incapacitated'."
A grin spread across Buffy's face. "Incapacitated - hmm . . . no. I think neutered fits you to a T. I mean, you're like a harmless, fluffy, little kitten now."
He growled. "Watch it, Slayer, or I'll -"
"Spike? Little word of advice; the intimidation thing doesn't really work when you've got drool on your chin."
"Huh?" He reached down to wipe the saliva from his face, embarrassed. "Right then," he said, eager to change the subject. "Watcher? Is the spell ready?"
"It's been ready for the past five minutes . . . if you two will stop bickering for a moment, we can get this over with. Now, Buffy, retrieve the spices," Giles instructed, his eyes never leaving the book. "Now, I need you to walk counterclockwise around Spike, sprinkling the herbs around him in a circular pattern. Understood?"
"Gotcha."
He cleared his throat, signaling that he was about to begin. "Let your deceitful tongue be broken, let no untruths be spoken . . ."
'Blah blah blah,' Buffy thought as she walked around Spike, leaving a trail of spice. 'I wonder if it'll work? Wait - did Giles say clockwise or counterclockwise? I hope I'm doing this right - it's not like I'm magically inclined or anything. Why couldn't he just get Willow to do it?'
"Buffy! You can stop now . . ."
"Oh! Is it finished? Did it work?" She leaned towards Spike, examining him.
"With this particular spell, there's no way of telling, from the exterior, that is, if it has taken effect. There's only one way to find out."
Giles took a seat on the couch, turning to Spike. Buffy sat down next to her Watcher, intrigued.
"What is your name?" He asked.
"William LeFont, William the Bloody, Spike."
"How old are you?"
"One hundred and twenty-one." Spike was surprised at how the words seemed to flow from his mouth, out of his control.
"Where were you born?"
"London, England."
"When did you first arrive in Sunnydale?"
"Two years ago . . . nearly three. Look, are you gonna ask any questions about the chip, or do you just want my life story?"
Giles ignored him. "Why did you come here?"
"Two reasons - to get closer to the Hellmouth so Dru could heal, and to kill the Slayer."
"After you failed to kill Buffy, what did you do?"
"Brood, sulk . . . think up methods of revenge ending in her demise."
"Did you ever manage to get your revenge?"
"Hell, no. Slayer beat me down . . . and after that . . ."
"Yes? What happened then?"
"The soddin' chip happened. Damn soldier boys . . ."
"You are referring to the Initiative, I take it."
"Yeah . . . them and their underground lair; what their whole prod and probe experiments. It's sick, really."
"So, after you were chipped, how did you discover that you couldn't harm humans?"
"I went looking for Buffy at her dorm room; found her little friend, instead. Tried to bite her, of course, but the pain was too intense. Initiative goons came after me a second time, and I escaped . . . I went out looking for someone to eat, but it was the same with everyone I found. Shooting pains, anytime I tried to feed." He paused. "S'that all? Because I'd really like to catch up on my beauty sleep."
Giles looked up from the notes that he had been taking. "Yes, I believe so. Of course, I will need Willow to validate this information for me . . . and to make sure that the spell did, in fact, work."
He grabbed his jacket from the rack, draping it over one arm. "Buffy, I'm going down to the dorm to visit Willow . . . we'll be back in about fifteen minutes. Can you handle -"
"I'll be fine . . . Just a warning, though; you keep this up and I'm gonna start charging."
Giles smiled and opened the door, turning to leave.
"How long does it last?"
"Hmm?"
"The truth spell, Giles. How long does it last?"
He spun around to face Buffy. "Well, it depends, really. Anywhere from twenty minutes to a whole day . . . the book is rather vague. Um, why do you want to know?"
"Oh . . . nothing."
Buffy smirked, fighting the urge to start cackling like a madwoman. This was going to be fun.
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To be continued . . .