The text has been borrowed from the episode No Place From Home I don't own
it or any of the characters. All belongs to Joss Whedon and Co.
Buffy woke early the next morning. She had wanted to go back in and talk to him but she hadn't been able to face him after what she had said. She really had been queen bitch. Cordelia would have been proud of her. Buffy flushed a little at that thought. Even Cordelia wouldn't have been that cruel. And to top it all of her mom was still sick. Buffy dragged her self out of bed. She'd go and do a little cooking see if she could help cheer herself and her mom up.
One look at Buffy told Dawn that something was wrong. She was pretty sure that her sister wasn't worried about Riley. Contrary to popular belief she did know what went on when Buffy and Riley were 'training'. "Hey," said Dawn, "How you doing?"
Buffy took a second to register Dawn's presence, "Oh hey. Just you know. Usual."
Dawn looked at her and Buffy flushed guiltily under her sisters gaze, "What's up? Trouble with Riley?"
Buffy looked at Dawn wondering when her baby sister had gotten so damn observant, "No, I just didn't sleep well last night. A little groggy today."
Dawn rolled her eyes, "Fine if you don't want to talk about it, but there is no need to lie to me."
Buffy smiled, "Since when did you care? You normally cause my bad moods not sympathise with them."
Dawn smirked, "I'm a female it's my pergative to change my mind."
"Prerogative."
"Whatever. Besides if I'm nice maybe I could go with you to Giles' today for his grand opening at the magic shop."
Buffy glared, "All right but I swear if you break anything, touching anything, breath on anything in the wrong way I will kill you. And it's only to stop you bothering mom while she's sick."
Dawn went a little pale, "Can we not talk about that please. It makes ME feel sick."
Buffy put a piece of French toast on as plate as her mother walked into the room looking even paler than Dawn did. "Hey mom, you feeling okay?"
"Oh the headaches they said would go away came back and brought some friends along with."
Buffy was worried, her mom never got sick. She wanted to fix it somehow, she wasn't used to not being able to fix things that went wrong. "Well breakfast is served. We have to go to Giles' shop opening." Buffy knew that she was going to regret taking Dawn with her but she was way too worried about what she had said to Spike to refuse her sister.
Dawn had broken something within twenty minutes of them walking through the door. Not only that. The younger Summers had laughed herself silly at Giles' outfit, okay she herself had too but internally, and then she had offended Riley by saying that he was pasty pale and mentioning a private conversation between Buffy and her mom, when Buffy had said that she had to think of a way of stopping Riley from wanting to patrol anymore. Riley had looked embarrassed, glared at Buffy and then headed for the workout room. Willow telling her to go easy on Dawn had been the last straw. Buffy had left the glowing orb to be examined and left. They were heading home and Dawn was still prattling on about how knocking over the fifty dollar statuette hadn't been her fault as Buffy had obviously gotten a double dose of reflexes.
The sight of Joyce Summers obviously with a terrible headache finished off the argument. Leaving her mom in Dawn's dubious care Buffy was at the hospital collecting pills galore. On her way out Buffy spotted the intern who had looked after Dawn the other day. He was pushing a trolley with a flailing man on it. "Hey, Ben right?"
The guy looked at her in confusion for a few seconds as though trying to place her, "Oh yeah right. Buffy. You're mom was in as was your sister Doctor Dawn."
Buffy smiled a little, "Yeah. That's right. Just getting a prescription."
Buffy was cut off as the man on the trolley began to flail wildly and began had to lean on him to get him still, "You're hurting the nice intern who's here to help you. I need nine cc's of Phenobarbital." Buffy pushed the man down with one hand, "Or not. You know not to be rampantly sexist in the workplace but you've got some serious muscles for a girl."
Buffy flushed, she knew it was stupid of her to show how strong she was really but Ben seemed like a nice guy and the flailing man was being a pain. "Oh.I.uh."
Ben smiled at her obvious look of embarrassment and threw her a lifeline, "Radioactive spider bite?"
Buffy smiled back, "How did you guess?"
Whatever Ben had been about to say was cut off as the man grabbed Buffy by the wrist, "Doesn't help; doesn't make a damn bite of difference." Buffy realised in horror that it was the night watch man who'd found the glowing orb. "Don't think you're above it missy, they come through your family. They get to your family."
Buffy dropped the pills on the floor as the implication of this statement set in, "My family? What do you mean?" But the man was wheeled away before Buffy could ask any more questions. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Ben Buffy dropped off her mums prescription and headed straight to Spike's crypt.
One of the monks of Dagon, Simon, sat on the floor pouring over a map. He had to find out exactly where they had sent the key. Thomnus and Theodore. A lump came to his throat. They had told him to run, find the key, and warn its carer. They were dead, the Beast had killed them. It would still be looking for him , he had to do this quickly. He had to protect the key. For his friends. A pounding stopped him. "The Beast."
As soon as he had formed the thought, the metal covering over what once had been a door flew off and a woman in a red dress came in. She was slim and pretty, but appearances could be deceiving. He would have smiled at the irony of that thought had it not been for the panic that he was feeling. The woman fixed her eyes on him, "There you are. I have been looking all over for you."
Later on, Simon wished that he had died with the others. He hurt all over. She was ranting. she did that a lot. "You know when you think about it I'm the victim here. First up I don't even want to be here, and I'm not talking about this room this city this state or this planet. I'm talking about the whole mortal coil thing you know it's disgusting. The food, the clothes, the people, I could crap a better existence than this. But now, and feel free to tell me if this next part gets a little too personal cause I'm told I have boundary issues, but I'm hurt. Yes, by you're incredibly selfish behaviour. News flash hair do. It's not always about you. All I want is the key.why.why can't you tell me where the key is? Oh, forgive me monky. Sometimes I get so anxious, like there's something swelling up inside and it's making me crazy that I forget," The Beast ripped duck tape off his face, "That there's all that duck tape on your face. Now, tell me where the key is." The Beast pushed her knuckles into his eyes. Simon wanted to scream but he hadn't the energy. Taking them away she held his face, "It's okay, it's okay, the stutters sexy keep it coming."
Simon fought to make the words come out of his mouth, he said in his own language, "Kill me.kill me," and he truly wished that she would do it.
The Best just seemed to be enraged, she replied, in the same language, "We're in the new world now so for God's sake, speak American."
Simon wet his lips trying to speak, "I will tell you ."
The thing in front of him smiled, "Yes?"
For a second he was tempted to just tell her, she might have ended his pain if he had, but he couldn't his friends hadn't and they had given their lives, "Nothing!"
The Beast looked as though she was about to cry, "Fine. You know what I wish. I wish that you could feel what I'm feeling right now." E-Theman that she had tied up in the corner spoke hesitantly, "Lady whoever you are whatever you're on please."
She ignored him, "Cause I don't know how much more of this I can take."
Simon wished that he could help the man somehow. Get him out of this place, but he knew that he couldn't. He also knew that once the best had finished with the man he would be worse than dead. He couldn't help him, the Beast needed him, and she would take what she needed. The man spoke again. He was telling the Beast about his family, hoping that she would show him some mercy. But Simon knew that she wouldn't she didn't really know anything about mercy. She didn't need to. As far as she was concerned, where she came from it didn't exist.
The Beast didn't even seem to notice him properly, "I bet this is fun for you isn't it. Say it you like to torture me. Why? You don't even own the damn thing and I want it I need it and I've gotta have it now and you keep refusing to tell me where the key is and it typical, it's typical. Typical." Simon watched as the Beast began to move as though she was high, "The whole mortal meat sack comes complete with stink and bile, sweat and protein. Yes, I said humans.not now mommy's talking. Wiggling, piling, prowling, crawling, clowning, cavorting, and over and over and over and over until something gotta sit down on the top and make this poor thing stop." Simon knew what was coming. It was probably what she was going to do to him in the end. The Beast leant over the man and accompanied by beams of light inserted her fingers into his temples. The man bucked and writhed in agony as the Beast pulled the energy she needed out of him. Simon couldn't scream or cry out or do anything, he was transfixed with horror and pain, barely registering as she stood up and spoke.and walked towards him, "That is so much better."
After deliberating for a few seconds, Buffy pushed the door open and walked inside. "Spike? Spike? Are you here?"
Spike seemed to melt out of the darkness at the back of the crypt, "Where else would I be Slayer?"
He was dressed as usual, black jeans and t-shirt. For the first time Buffy noticed how incredibly hot he was. Quickly concentrating back on the topic at hand Buffy spoke, "I need your help. I need you to tell me if there's anything new in town. Anything new? Anything playing with magic?" Spike looked at her but did not speak, "Look Spike I'm sorry about last night I didn't mean it. I was just mad at you, like I nearly always am. But I need you to tell me if you know anything." Spike didn't say anything again. Buffy was starting to get desperate, "Please Spike."
Spike wanted to help her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. That he would do anything that she asked if she would just give him a chance. But he didn't believe that she was really sorry. After what she said, he didn't believe that she could be sorry for it. He started to believe it when she started to cry.
Buffy was desperate. And she was sorry. Spike had always helped her before when she had come to him. Granted he had sometimes wanted paying but still, he had always been there to help her when she had needed him. Why wouldn't he help her now? But she knew why. She had hurt him. She felt the tears slide down her cheeks as she turned away and headed for the door.
Buffy woke early the next morning. She had wanted to go back in and talk to him but she hadn't been able to face him after what she had said. She really had been queen bitch. Cordelia would have been proud of her. Buffy flushed a little at that thought. Even Cordelia wouldn't have been that cruel. And to top it all of her mom was still sick. Buffy dragged her self out of bed. She'd go and do a little cooking see if she could help cheer herself and her mom up.
One look at Buffy told Dawn that something was wrong. She was pretty sure that her sister wasn't worried about Riley. Contrary to popular belief she did know what went on when Buffy and Riley were 'training'. "Hey," said Dawn, "How you doing?"
Buffy took a second to register Dawn's presence, "Oh hey. Just you know. Usual."
Dawn looked at her and Buffy flushed guiltily under her sisters gaze, "What's up? Trouble with Riley?"
Buffy looked at Dawn wondering when her baby sister had gotten so damn observant, "No, I just didn't sleep well last night. A little groggy today."
Dawn rolled her eyes, "Fine if you don't want to talk about it, but there is no need to lie to me."
Buffy smiled, "Since when did you care? You normally cause my bad moods not sympathise with them."
Dawn smirked, "I'm a female it's my pergative to change my mind."
"Prerogative."
"Whatever. Besides if I'm nice maybe I could go with you to Giles' today for his grand opening at the magic shop."
Buffy glared, "All right but I swear if you break anything, touching anything, breath on anything in the wrong way I will kill you. And it's only to stop you bothering mom while she's sick."
Dawn went a little pale, "Can we not talk about that please. It makes ME feel sick."
Buffy put a piece of French toast on as plate as her mother walked into the room looking even paler than Dawn did. "Hey mom, you feeling okay?"
"Oh the headaches they said would go away came back and brought some friends along with."
Buffy was worried, her mom never got sick. She wanted to fix it somehow, she wasn't used to not being able to fix things that went wrong. "Well breakfast is served. We have to go to Giles' shop opening." Buffy knew that she was going to regret taking Dawn with her but she was way too worried about what she had said to Spike to refuse her sister.
Dawn had broken something within twenty minutes of them walking through the door. Not only that. The younger Summers had laughed herself silly at Giles' outfit, okay she herself had too but internally, and then she had offended Riley by saying that he was pasty pale and mentioning a private conversation between Buffy and her mom, when Buffy had said that she had to think of a way of stopping Riley from wanting to patrol anymore. Riley had looked embarrassed, glared at Buffy and then headed for the workout room. Willow telling her to go easy on Dawn had been the last straw. Buffy had left the glowing orb to be examined and left. They were heading home and Dawn was still prattling on about how knocking over the fifty dollar statuette hadn't been her fault as Buffy had obviously gotten a double dose of reflexes.
The sight of Joyce Summers obviously with a terrible headache finished off the argument. Leaving her mom in Dawn's dubious care Buffy was at the hospital collecting pills galore. On her way out Buffy spotted the intern who had looked after Dawn the other day. He was pushing a trolley with a flailing man on it. "Hey, Ben right?"
The guy looked at her in confusion for a few seconds as though trying to place her, "Oh yeah right. Buffy. You're mom was in as was your sister Doctor Dawn."
Buffy smiled a little, "Yeah. That's right. Just getting a prescription."
Buffy was cut off as the man on the trolley began to flail wildly and began had to lean on him to get him still, "You're hurting the nice intern who's here to help you. I need nine cc's of Phenobarbital." Buffy pushed the man down with one hand, "Or not. You know not to be rampantly sexist in the workplace but you've got some serious muscles for a girl."
Buffy flushed, she knew it was stupid of her to show how strong she was really but Ben seemed like a nice guy and the flailing man was being a pain. "Oh.I.uh."
Ben smiled at her obvious look of embarrassment and threw her a lifeline, "Radioactive spider bite?"
Buffy smiled back, "How did you guess?"
Whatever Ben had been about to say was cut off as the man grabbed Buffy by the wrist, "Doesn't help; doesn't make a damn bite of difference." Buffy realised in horror that it was the night watch man who'd found the glowing orb. "Don't think you're above it missy, they come through your family. They get to your family."
Buffy dropped the pills on the floor as the implication of this statement set in, "My family? What do you mean?" But the man was wheeled away before Buffy could ask any more questions. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Ben Buffy dropped off her mums prescription and headed straight to Spike's crypt.
One of the monks of Dagon, Simon, sat on the floor pouring over a map. He had to find out exactly where they had sent the key. Thomnus and Theodore. A lump came to his throat. They had told him to run, find the key, and warn its carer. They were dead, the Beast had killed them. It would still be looking for him , he had to do this quickly. He had to protect the key. For his friends. A pounding stopped him. "The Beast."
As soon as he had formed the thought, the metal covering over what once had been a door flew off and a woman in a red dress came in. She was slim and pretty, but appearances could be deceiving. He would have smiled at the irony of that thought had it not been for the panic that he was feeling. The woman fixed her eyes on him, "There you are. I have been looking all over for you."
Later on, Simon wished that he had died with the others. He hurt all over. She was ranting. she did that a lot. "You know when you think about it I'm the victim here. First up I don't even want to be here, and I'm not talking about this room this city this state or this planet. I'm talking about the whole mortal coil thing you know it's disgusting. The food, the clothes, the people, I could crap a better existence than this. But now, and feel free to tell me if this next part gets a little too personal cause I'm told I have boundary issues, but I'm hurt. Yes, by you're incredibly selfish behaviour. News flash hair do. It's not always about you. All I want is the key.why.why can't you tell me where the key is? Oh, forgive me monky. Sometimes I get so anxious, like there's something swelling up inside and it's making me crazy that I forget," The Beast ripped duck tape off his face, "That there's all that duck tape on your face. Now, tell me where the key is." The Beast pushed her knuckles into his eyes. Simon wanted to scream but he hadn't the energy. Taking them away she held his face, "It's okay, it's okay, the stutters sexy keep it coming."
Simon fought to make the words come out of his mouth, he said in his own language, "Kill me.kill me," and he truly wished that she would do it.
The Best just seemed to be enraged, she replied, in the same language, "We're in the new world now so for God's sake, speak American."
Simon wet his lips trying to speak, "I will tell you ."
The thing in front of him smiled, "Yes?"
For a second he was tempted to just tell her, she might have ended his pain if he had, but he couldn't his friends hadn't and they had given their lives, "Nothing!"
The Beast looked as though she was about to cry, "Fine. You know what I wish. I wish that you could feel what I'm feeling right now." E-Theman that she had tied up in the corner spoke hesitantly, "Lady whoever you are whatever you're on please."
She ignored him, "Cause I don't know how much more of this I can take."
Simon wished that he could help the man somehow. Get him out of this place, but he knew that he couldn't. He also knew that once the best had finished with the man he would be worse than dead. He couldn't help him, the Beast needed him, and she would take what she needed. The man spoke again. He was telling the Beast about his family, hoping that she would show him some mercy. But Simon knew that she wouldn't she didn't really know anything about mercy. She didn't need to. As far as she was concerned, where she came from it didn't exist.
The Beast didn't even seem to notice him properly, "I bet this is fun for you isn't it. Say it you like to torture me. Why? You don't even own the damn thing and I want it I need it and I've gotta have it now and you keep refusing to tell me where the key is and it typical, it's typical. Typical." Simon watched as the Beast began to move as though she was high, "The whole mortal meat sack comes complete with stink and bile, sweat and protein. Yes, I said humans.not now mommy's talking. Wiggling, piling, prowling, crawling, clowning, cavorting, and over and over and over and over until something gotta sit down on the top and make this poor thing stop." Simon knew what was coming. It was probably what she was going to do to him in the end. The Beast leant over the man and accompanied by beams of light inserted her fingers into his temples. The man bucked and writhed in agony as the Beast pulled the energy she needed out of him. Simon couldn't scream or cry out or do anything, he was transfixed with horror and pain, barely registering as she stood up and spoke.and walked towards him, "That is so much better."
After deliberating for a few seconds, Buffy pushed the door open and walked inside. "Spike? Spike? Are you here?"
Spike seemed to melt out of the darkness at the back of the crypt, "Where else would I be Slayer?"
He was dressed as usual, black jeans and t-shirt. For the first time Buffy noticed how incredibly hot he was. Quickly concentrating back on the topic at hand Buffy spoke, "I need your help. I need you to tell me if there's anything new in town. Anything new? Anything playing with magic?" Spike looked at her but did not speak, "Look Spike I'm sorry about last night I didn't mean it. I was just mad at you, like I nearly always am. But I need you to tell me if you know anything." Spike didn't say anything again. Buffy was starting to get desperate, "Please Spike."
Spike wanted to help her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. That he would do anything that she asked if she would just give him a chance. But he didn't believe that she was really sorry. After what she said, he didn't believe that she could be sorry for it. He started to believe it when she started to cry.
Buffy was desperate. And she was sorry. Spike had always helped her before when she had come to him. Granted he had sometimes wanted paying but still, he had always been there to help her when she had needed him. Why wouldn't he help her now? But she knew why. She had hurt him. She felt the tears slide down her cheeks as she turned away and headed for the door.