"Dignity is not getting back on the horse, but being able to smack the
horse after it throws you off."
Michael Schwarts
Count Protestant of the Majestic
About 30 minutes earlier
"Will!" Buffy jumped from her chair and embraced her friend in a tight hug.
Willow smiled as she hugged her back.
It felt good to be able to do that again, especially after spending a week without any interaction at all. Before Willow knew it, Xander had joined in, then Dawn, even Anya.
"Are you feeling alright? Are you hungry? How about a drink?" Buffy flooded her with questions as she stepped away.
Willow couldn't help but give a wide grin as she replied, "I'm fine, really."
"Uh, Willow, there's something we've been meaning to ask you," Anya said timidly, "We're not going to find any 'surprises' on the floor or under the bed, are we?"
Willow's grin quickly faded as her face gained a look of confusion, "huh?"
"Y'know, since you haven't been able to use the bathroom?"
Xander quickly nudged Anya in the arm his elbow, a desperate attempt to quiet her down.
Willow wasn't exactly sure what to say, but before she could reply, Buffy interrupted, "So, what do you know about this new apocalypse?"
Carefully thinking before she answered, "I've, uh, been reading, and I over heard you guys talking about Tunekai. So I thought it would be helpful if we knew what were up against." Okay, it wasn't a [I]total[/I] lie. It's just giving a different perspective, Willow thought to herself. She didn't want them to know about Tara, about her interaction with Kristine. What would they think of her? That she was selfish and only willing to help because she could get Tara back? No. It wasn't true, Willow would've helped no matter what, and it would kill her inside to think her friends perceive her as selfish.
"So, what'd you find out?" Anya asked as she sat down in her seat.
Willow pulled out a chair, "Well, Tunekai's a Sun God, and from what it looks like, he's trying to make a second coming, and soon."
Xander cocked his eyebrow, "Sun God? Jesus, that's never good. Last time we fought a God, Buffy died. And all this dying can't be good for her."
Buffy rolled her eyes, then refocused her attention to Willow, "Go on."
"Well, he's planning to somehow come back. Y'know, make himself whole again. But in order to do that, he needs some kind of following. To do the ritual that brings him back," Willow hesitated, "The vampires."
Dawn piped up, "Bt from what I know about vampires, they just don't go around helping people, obviously. What's in it for them?"
Willow dropped her eyes to the floor, searching for the right words to say, but before she could answer Buffy chimed in once again, "Oh God, he's gonna set the sun isn't he?"
"Can he do that?" Xander asked in disbelief.
"Xander. The keyword here is 'God.' God's can pretty much do whatever they want; Set the sun, destroy the world, get free coffee," Willow replied.
"How do we stop it?" Buffy asked.
Anya offered, "I'm guessing we stop the ritual. I mean, if this ritual's what's going to bring him back, then we stop the vamps from doing it. Duh, jeez, how long have you guys been doing this again?"
Xander looked a little sheepish. As did Buffy and Willow.
"K, so we just need to find out where they're doing it, then we bust up the party and go bronzing, right?" Buffy asked.
"Well," Anya traced the rim of her glass with her finger, "If you hadn't staked that vamp, we could've just followed her..and found out where it was going to be. I guess we're just go-"
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Buffy looked a little annoyed, "Lemme get that."
Arg! Who could be knocking on the door this time of night? And especially when we're in the middle of an apocalypse? Can we say "rude"? This guy's gonna get an earful, he's just probably selling-
"Spike!"
"Please Buffy," he replied, "Call me William."
About 30 minutes earlier
"Will!" Buffy jumped from her chair and embraced her friend in a tight hug.
Willow smiled as she hugged her back.
It felt good to be able to do that again, especially after spending a week without any interaction at all. Before Willow knew it, Xander had joined in, then Dawn, even Anya.
"Are you feeling alright? Are you hungry? How about a drink?" Buffy flooded her with questions as she stepped away.
Willow couldn't help but give a wide grin as she replied, "I'm fine, really."
"Uh, Willow, there's something we've been meaning to ask you," Anya said timidly, "We're not going to find any 'surprises' on the floor or under the bed, are we?"
Willow's grin quickly faded as her face gained a look of confusion, "huh?"
"Y'know, since you haven't been able to use the bathroom?"
Xander quickly nudged Anya in the arm his elbow, a desperate attempt to quiet her down.
Willow wasn't exactly sure what to say, but before she could reply, Buffy interrupted, "So, what do you know about this new apocalypse?"
Carefully thinking before she answered, "I've, uh, been reading, and I over heard you guys talking about Tunekai. So I thought it would be helpful if we knew what were up against." Okay, it wasn't a [I]total[/I] lie. It's just giving a different perspective, Willow thought to herself. She didn't want them to know about Tara, about her interaction with Kristine. What would they think of her? That she was selfish and only willing to help because she could get Tara back? No. It wasn't true, Willow would've helped no matter what, and it would kill her inside to think her friends perceive her as selfish.
"So, what'd you find out?" Anya asked as she sat down in her seat.
Willow pulled out a chair, "Well, Tunekai's a Sun God, and from what it looks like, he's trying to make a second coming, and soon."
Xander cocked his eyebrow, "Sun God? Jesus, that's never good. Last time we fought a God, Buffy died. And all this dying can't be good for her."
Buffy rolled her eyes, then refocused her attention to Willow, "Go on."
"Well, he's planning to somehow come back. Y'know, make himself whole again. But in order to do that, he needs some kind of following. To do the ritual that brings him back," Willow hesitated, "The vampires."
Dawn piped up, "Bt from what I know about vampires, they just don't go around helping people, obviously. What's in it for them?"
Willow dropped her eyes to the floor, searching for the right words to say, but before she could answer Buffy chimed in once again, "Oh God, he's gonna set the sun isn't he?"
"Can he do that?" Xander asked in disbelief.
"Xander. The keyword here is 'God.' God's can pretty much do whatever they want; Set the sun, destroy the world, get free coffee," Willow replied.
"How do we stop it?" Buffy asked.
Anya offered, "I'm guessing we stop the ritual. I mean, if this ritual's what's going to bring him back, then we stop the vamps from doing it. Duh, jeez, how long have you guys been doing this again?"
Xander looked a little sheepish. As did Buffy and Willow.
"K, so we just need to find out where they're doing it, then we bust up the party and go bronzing, right?" Buffy asked.
"Well," Anya traced the rim of her glass with her finger, "If you hadn't staked that vamp, we could've just followed her..and found out where it was going to be. I guess we're just go-"
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Buffy looked a little annoyed, "Lemme get that."
Arg! Who could be knocking on the door this time of night? And especially when we're in the middle of an apocalypse? Can we say "rude"? This guy's gonna get an earful, he's just probably selling-
"Spike!"
"Please Buffy," he replied, "Call me William."