I own nothing. None of the text. None of the characters. All are the
property of Joss Whedon and Co. The French words are as close a translation
as I could find, it means 'to pull back the curtains'.
Spike couldn't just let her leave like that. He walked up behind her quickly. And grabbed her arm. He knew that he should still be mad at her. But he couldn't.he loved her. Idiot that he was. He loved her. She could hurt him and he didn't know if he would ever reach his limit. He knew that she shouldn't really be jealous of Riley. He had seen the way they were together. The Slayer didn't rely on him. She didn't need him, she sometimes barely even noticed if he was around or not, and the boy knew it. Spike had seen it in his eyes. Riley wasn't the guy for the Slayer Spike knew it, Riley knew it. Spike would just have to wait until the Slayer realised it. Spike pulled her body close to him as he buried his face in her hair.
Buffy didn't hesitate when Spike put his arms around her. She wanted him to hold her, to tell her how much he loved her even if she couldn't say it back to him. Buffy breathed in deeply. She loved his scent. Burying her face in his chest she cried softly. Feeling him kiss her on the top of the head, she lifted her head and kissed him. It was her turn to kiss him. To show him that she didn't really think what she had said to him. Buffy rubbed her hands over the blonde vampires chest and shoulders as she kissed him gently. Pushing her tongue past his teeth, he moaned into her mouth.
Spike held onto her and ran his hands up and down her back. After a few seconds he very gently pushed her away from him. Buffy looked confused and hurt. Spike quickly smiled and said, "Maybe you'd better tell me what's wrong pet before we get caught up in other things."
Buffy smiled a little but pushed herself back into his arms as she started talking, "There was a guy at the hospital when I went to get my mom's pills. He seemed a little nuts but, he said that there was something that could get to me through my family. The doctor's don't know what's wrong with my mom and so I thought that maybe it could be supernatural, magic. I wanted to know if you had heard of anything new that's come to Sunnydale. Oh and the night watch man, that was the guy at the hospital, I saw him last night he was absolutely fine, no crazies. But he found this glow ball, he thought that it was mine and I have the guys working on it. Wow I go on don't I?"
Spike smiled, "A bit pet. The only thing I heard happened about two months ago, just about the same time as Dracula. So, even though it was weird I wrote it off as something to do with him. But now.maybe there is something in it. As for the, what did you call it? Glow ball? I've no idea, never heard of anything like it. Does that cover everything?"
Buffy smirked at him, "Everything except details about the weird things."
Spike nodded his head, "Well, the old factory district on the west side had a bit of a disturbance. Apparently, some monks appeared out of nowhere set themselves up there, but within about two days they were gone. No idea what it was all about. My only thought it that perhaps they were spell casting and after it was done they did what most bad guys don't have the brains to do around here and ran."
Buffy frowned for a second, "Only one small flaw. If they did cast a spell on my mom, what was their plan? If as you say they left town what was the point? To worry me yeah okay, but why? To what end? Most of the bad guys set up a diversion to do something not for nothing."
Spike shrugged apologetically, "No idea pet."
Buffy put her head in her hands, "It's my mom, and I have to do something."
Spike went over and pulled her into a hug. The tears had started again and he just let them come. She probably needed to cry he decided, she was always being strong, she needed to let go now and again, "It's okay Slayer, we'll figure this out."
Buffy looked up, "We?"
Spike smiled, "Of course 'we' you nit. Who am I going to have feed me hot chocolate and marshmallows? Your mom needs to get well soon."
Buffy left the crypt feeling better than she had when she had arrived. At least she had a starting point now. These monks. Buffy headed back to the magic shop for an update, she also wanted to drop a few hints as to the monks and her suspicions about her mom.
Well she managed to tell Giles the update, he had almost begged her for an update. The shop, worryingly empty this morning had suddenly filled up. A lot. There were people everywhere. Anya seemed to be in her element. She was taking money off people and then on Xander's instruction telling them to have a nice day. Buffy didn't think about this for too long, a thousand year old ex-demon, who punished men telling them to have a nice day? It just made her head spin. She managed to get herself sat comfortably behind the counter. Sorry Giles, sympathetic and all but Mom ill is a priority. Buffy was looking for spell that could be used to make someone sick. She had asked Willow but she had never heard of anything like it. Willow had heard of spells to kill but never to simply make someone headachy. There was, unfortunately nothing in the books.
Anya thought Buffy was very silly, why didn't she let the academic types do the research. Buffy could have been helping her, not that Anya really wanted her to but the offer would be nice. Deciding to offer some help Anya spoke, she wasn't serving anyone right then anyway, she was rescuing a package that Willow had tried to gift wrap. It looked like the paper had been shredded before she had even started, "You know Buffy," Buffy looked up at Anya a little irritated at being interrupted, "There was this French sorcerer back the in the sixteenth I-don't-know-what called um." The name escaped her, "Gutierre?" Giles asked. Anya smiled and nodded, "So cute in his little knickers. Anyway he had this one spell the demons just hated called 'ouvrir les rideaux'."
Buffy frowned, "Rotate many foodstuffs."
Willow smiled, "Pull the curtain back." Anya smiled "A spell to see spells, well a trance to see spells actually, but you get the idea. Try that."
Buffy looked at Anya like the ex-demon had just suggested she dress up as a bunny and surprise the little kids, "What do you mean 'see spells'."
Giles looked thoughtful, Buffy was surprised he wasn't cleaning his glasses, it might have had something to do with the fact that his hands were full of boxes, "Well all spells leave behind a trace signature it's just not perceptible to the human eye. In this case it could be the image of a hand choking your mother."
"Or a cloud of mist around her." Anya's interest in this conversation was waning they'd figure it out they always did.
Willow's eyes lit up, "Or maybe the shape of the demon that's doing the spell?"
"Possible." Willow looked pleased at Giles confirmation making Buffy smile.
"Ok," Buffy was ready to try anything at this point even taking advice form the former vengeance demon, "So I'll do what.monsieur silk-knickers did. I'll go home I'll get trancey and I'll see what's effecting my mom."
They had argued with her over it of course, telling her that it was dangerous unless you knew what you were doing. She didn't care. It was her mom. She was not to risk her mom for anything. Buffy had thought about calling Spike for help, he'd been around for a while he might know what to do if something went wrong. But it was still daylight and she didn't know how she would explain his presence to anyone else should they see him. Riley called round without warning sometimes. That was all she needed. After arguing with Dawn, who wanted to watch, Buffy settled her self down.
The room was floating, no, she was floating. Her feet weren't touching the floor. Buffy opened her eyes and the darkness outside stunned her. She could have sworn that she had only been sitting there a moment. But her clock said it had been two and a half hours. Buffy moved, well she stood but she seemed to do it without actually having to do anything. Her whole body moved when she told it to but it didn't feel like her limbs were moving.
Buffy walked down the stairs and looked around, it was like looking at everything through a thin mist, but in a good way. Buffy's attention was focused as soon as se heard her mother calling her, "Buffy" "Mom," Buffy began inspecting her mother while at the same time trying to carry on a normal sounding conversation. "You going out." "Well either modern medicines working or I just took the world's best placebo either way, I'm going out for a couple of hours." There was nothing. Why was there nothing, why couldn't she see anything? Had the trance failed? She didn't think so but she couldn't see anything on her mother, unconsciously Buffy said, "Nothing." Joyce Summers frowned, "What?" "There's nothing." Joyce smiled in maternal concern, "Are you sure that you're okay? You seem a little out of it." Buffy tried to focus, but something caught her eye. The picture on the wall was moving. No it wasn't moving, it was vanishing more particularly Dawn. Dawn was vanishing. Joyce touched her daughters' arm to get her attention, "Hey?" Buffy looked at her mom, "Oh yeah I'm fine. You go, have a good time." "You're so grown up." Joyce touched Buffy's face and left.
Buffy moved through the house looking at other pictures of Dawn. No matter which one she looked at the image of her sister kept vanishing. What did this mean? Buffy forced her mind to see clearly. Did it mean that Dawn wasn't here? It had to mean something like that. And if Dawn wasn't here what was? Was Dawn possessed with something, meaning that her sister wasn't here? Buffy walked into her sister's room. All the furniture kept vanishing, showing what looked like a storage room instead. This made no sense. "Buffy." Why would the furniture be disappearing? "Buffy." The pictures and the furniture, but why? "Buffy!" The sound of 'Dawn's' voice penetrated her mind. "Buffy, who said you could come in my room?" Dawn kept flashing in and out of Buffy's vision. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't her sister. It might have possessed her, or it might have something to do with the monk. Whatever it was, it was in her house and it wasn't Dawn. Buffy looked at it with hatred in her eyes, "You're not my sister."
Spike had been worried about Buffy. She was acting overly stressed about this. He had headed over to her house and climbed the tree outside, moving like a shadow. Seeing Buffy sitting on the floor her body relaxed with incense burning, he had guessed almost immediately, what was going on. A trance, Spike knew what trances looked like. Drusilla had used them in one way or another for over a hundred years in his presence. He had also seen what had happened once in the early years when the she hadn't been able to get out of one. Whatever had motivated Buffy to try trances had to be serious, something to do with Joyce? Spike moved around the house keeping an eye on Buffy through the various windows. It became apparent, as she peered at a picture of her sister and mum, that she was seeing something he was not. He followed her back upstairs and watched. As soon as he heard what Buffy said to her sister, his eyes went wide.
Spike couldn't just let her leave like that. He walked up behind her quickly. And grabbed her arm. He knew that he should still be mad at her. But he couldn't.he loved her. Idiot that he was. He loved her. She could hurt him and he didn't know if he would ever reach his limit. He knew that she shouldn't really be jealous of Riley. He had seen the way they were together. The Slayer didn't rely on him. She didn't need him, she sometimes barely even noticed if he was around or not, and the boy knew it. Spike had seen it in his eyes. Riley wasn't the guy for the Slayer Spike knew it, Riley knew it. Spike would just have to wait until the Slayer realised it. Spike pulled her body close to him as he buried his face in her hair.
Buffy didn't hesitate when Spike put his arms around her. She wanted him to hold her, to tell her how much he loved her even if she couldn't say it back to him. Buffy breathed in deeply. She loved his scent. Burying her face in his chest she cried softly. Feeling him kiss her on the top of the head, she lifted her head and kissed him. It was her turn to kiss him. To show him that she didn't really think what she had said to him. Buffy rubbed her hands over the blonde vampires chest and shoulders as she kissed him gently. Pushing her tongue past his teeth, he moaned into her mouth.
Spike held onto her and ran his hands up and down her back. After a few seconds he very gently pushed her away from him. Buffy looked confused and hurt. Spike quickly smiled and said, "Maybe you'd better tell me what's wrong pet before we get caught up in other things."
Buffy smiled a little but pushed herself back into his arms as she started talking, "There was a guy at the hospital when I went to get my mom's pills. He seemed a little nuts but, he said that there was something that could get to me through my family. The doctor's don't know what's wrong with my mom and so I thought that maybe it could be supernatural, magic. I wanted to know if you had heard of anything new that's come to Sunnydale. Oh and the night watch man, that was the guy at the hospital, I saw him last night he was absolutely fine, no crazies. But he found this glow ball, he thought that it was mine and I have the guys working on it. Wow I go on don't I?"
Spike smiled, "A bit pet. The only thing I heard happened about two months ago, just about the same time as Dracula. So, even though it was weird I wrote it off as something to do with him. But now.maybe there is something in it. As for the, what did you call it? Glow ball? I've no idea, never heard of anything like it. Does that cover everything?"
Buffy smirked at him, "Everything except details about the weird things."
Spike nodded his head, "Well, the old factory district on the west side had a bit of a disturbance. Apparently, some monks appeared out of nowhere set themselves up there, but within about two days they were gone. No idea what it was all about. My only thought it that perhaps they were spell casting and after it was done they did what most bad guys don't have the brains to do around here and ran."
Buffy frowned for a second, "Only one small flaw. If they did cast a spell on my mom, what was their plan? If as you say they left town what was the point? To worry me yeah okay, but why? To what end? Most of the bad guys set up a diversion to do something not for nothing."
Spike shrugged apologetically, "No idea pet."
Buffy put her head in her hands, "It's my mom, and I have to do something."
Spike went over and pulled her into a hug. The tears had started again and he just let them come. She probably needed to cry he decided, she was always being strong, she needed to let go now and again, "It's okay Slayer, we'll figure this out."
Buffy looked up, "We?"
Spike smiled, "Of course 'we' you nit. Who am I going to have feed me hot chocolate and marshmallows? Your mom needs to get well soon."
Buffy left the crypt feeling better than she had when she had arrived. At least she had a starting point now. These monks. Buffy headed back to the magic shop for an update, she also wanted to drop a few hints as to the monks and her suspicions about her mom.
Well she managed to tell Giles the update, he had almost begged her for an update. The shop, worryingly empty this morning had suddenly filled up. A lot. There were people everywhere. Anya seemed to be in her element. She was taking money off people and then on Xander's instruction telling them to have a nice day. Buffy didn't think about this for too long, a thousand year old ex-demon, who punished men telling them to have a nice day? It just made her head spin. She managed to get herself sat comfortably behind the counter. Sorry Giles, sympathetic and all but Mom ill is a priority. Buffy was looking for spell that could be used to make someone sick. She had asked Willow but she had never heard of anything like it. Willow had heard of spells to kill but never to simply make someone headachy. There was, unfortunately nothing in the books.
Anya thought Buffy was very silly, why didn't she let the academic types do the research. Buffy could have been helping her, not that Anya really wanted her to but the offer would be nice. Deciding to offer some help Anya spoke, she wasn't serving anyone right then anyway, she was rescuing a package that Willow had tried to gift wrap. It looked like the paper had been shredded before she had even started, "You know Buffy," Buffy looked up at Anya a little irritated at being interrupted, "There was this French sorcerer back the in the sixteenth I-don't-know-what called um." The name escaped her, "Gutierre?" Giles asked. Anya smiled and nodded, "So cute in his little knickers. Anyway he had this one spell the demons just hated called 'ouvrir les rideaux'."
Buffy frowned, "Rotate many foodstuffs."
Willow smiled, "Pull the curtain back." Anya smiled "A spell to see spells, well a trance to see spells actually, but you get the idea. Try that."
Buffy looked at Anya like the ex-demon had just suggested she dress up as a bunny and surprise the little kids, "What do you mean 'see spells'."
Giles looked thoughtful, Buffy was surprised he wasn't cleaning his glasses, it might have had something to do with the fact that his hands were full of boxes, "Well all spells leave behind a trace signature it's just not perceptible to the human eye. In this case it could be the image of a hand choking your mother."
"Or a cloud of mist around her." Anya's interest in this conversation was waning they'd figure it out they always did.
Willow's eyes lit up, "Or maybe the shape of the demon that's doing the spell?"
"Possible." Willow looked pleased at Giles confirmation making Buffy smile.
"Ok," Buffy was ready to try anything at this point even taking advice form the former vengeance demon, "So I'll do what.monsieur silk-knickers did. I'll go home I'll get trancey and I'll see what's effecting my mom."
They had argued with her over it of course, telling her that it was dangerous unless you knew what you were doing. She didn't care. It was her mom. She was not to risk her mom for anything. Buffy had thought about calling Spike for help, he'd been around for a while he might know what to do if something went wrong. But it was still daylight and she didn't know how she would explain his presence to anyone else should they see him. Riley called round without warning sometimes. That was all she needed. After arguing with Dawn, who wanted to watch, Buffy settled her self down.
The room was floating, no, she was floating. Her feet weren't touching the floor. Buffy opened her eyes and the darkness outside stunned her. She could have sworn that she had only been sitting there a moment. But her clock said it had been two and a half hours. Buffy moved, well she stood but she seemed to do it without actually having to do anything. Her whole body moved when she told it to but it didn't feel like her limbs were moving.
Buffy walked down the stairs and looked around, it was like looking at everything through a thin mist, but in a good way. Buffy's attention was focused as soon as se heard her mother calling her, "Buffy" "Mom," Buffy began inspecting her mother while at the same time trying to carry on a normal sounding conversation. "You going out." "Well either modern medicines working or I just took the world's best placebo either way, I'm going out for a couple of hours." There was nothing. Why was there nothing, why couldn't she see anything? Had the trance failed? She didn't think so but she couldn't see anything on her mother, unconsciously Buffy said, "Nothing." Joyce Summers frowned, "What?" "There's nothing." Joyce smiled in maternal concern, "Are you sure that you're okay? You seem a little out of it." Buffy tried to focus, but something caught her eye. The picture on the wall was moving. No it wasn't moving, it was vanishing more particularly Dawn. Dawn was vanishing. Joyce touched her daughters' arm to get her attention, "Hey?" Buffy looked at her mom, "Oh yeah I'm fine. You go, have a good time." "You're so grown up." Joyce touched Buffy's face and left.
Buffy moved through the house looking at other pictures of Dawn. No matter which one she looked at the image of her sister kept vanishing. What did this mean? Buffy forced her mind to see clearly. Did it mean that Dawn wasn't here? It had to mean something like that. And if Dawn wasn't here what was? Was Dawn possessed with something, meaning that her sister wasn't here? Buffy walked into her sister's room. All the furniture kept vanishing, showing what looked like a storage room instead. This made no sense. "Buffy." Why would the furniture be disappearing? "Buffy." The pictures and the furniture, but why? "Buffy!" The sound of 'Dawn's' voice penetrated her mind. "Buffy, who said you could come in my room?" Dawn kept flashing in and out of Buffy's vision. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't her sister. It might have possessed her, or it might have something to do with the monk. Whatever it was, it was in her house and it wasn't Dawn. Buffy looked at it with hatred in her eyes, "You're not my sister."
Spike had been worried about Buffy. She was acting overly stressed about this. He had headed over to her house and climbed the tree outside, moving like a shadow. Seeing Buffy sitting on the floor her body relaxed with incense burning, he had guessed almost immediately, what was going on. A trance, Spike knew what trances looked like. Drusilla had used them in one way or another for over a hundred years in his presence. He had also seen what had happened once in the early years when the she hadn't been able to get out of one. Whatever had motivated Buffy to try trances had to be serious, something to do with Joyce? Spike moved around the house keeping an eye on Buffy through the various windows. It became apparent, as she peered at a picture of her sister and mum, that she was seeing something he was not. He followed her back upstairs and watched. As soon as he heard what Buffy said to her sister, his eyes went wide.