Chapter Five
The first up Jack wandered into the Summer's kitchen opening all the cupboards hunting for some cereal. With a teenager in the house there was bound to be the sweet tooth variety which he adored. He'd spent a rough night on the floor of the living room inches away from Samantha's sleeping form. Somehow it always seemed far more intimate when they had to share a sleeping space inside rather then out. There was a bang from upstairs then a succession of footsteps running down the stairs. Finally Dawn appeared in the doorway.
"Morning." Jack greeted closing the cupboard he had been looking in. "You wouldn't happen to have any fruit loops would you?"
"Sure do. Two cupboards down with the bowls and spoons." she got the milk out the refrigerator and settled herself by the breakfast counter. Her loud entrance had awoken the rest of Sg-1 who looked a little worse for wear. Sam and Daniel headed immediately for the coffee machine and Teal'c to the stool opposite Dawn. Each finding the food they wanted they all ended up around the breakfast bar.
"So have you got school today?" Sam asked the girl who was reading the back of the fruit loop box.
Swallowing a mouthful she knobbed her head. "Yeah." she answered not offering any further conversation.
"So won't your mom be pretty worried coming down stairs and finding all us here?" Daniel asked unsure of what to talk about to a teenage girl.
Dawn put her spoon down and shook her long brown hair over her shoulder, "She's dead."
"Oh I'm sorry." Daniel muttered giving his friends a look over her head.
"Why? It's not your fault. Anyway she wasn't my real mother. I don't have one."
"How is it possible that you do not have a mother?" Teal'c asked.
"I'm not human." Teal'c raised an eyebrow. Putting down her spoon she explained fully. "I'm this energy which an evil hell god Glory needed to open the door between dimensions so she could go back to where she was banished from never minding what horrors it would bring. So the monks who were guarding me had to make sure the Slayer would protect the key so using some of Buffy's energy they created me and a whole bunch of memories."
"Yet you are human now?" Teal'c continued while the others just looked at her fascinated.
"Well I bleed alright. Since I got created into a person Glory tied me to a top of a tower which her crazy minions built and sliced and diced me. Cause now my blood opened the lock." she resumed eating her cereal.
"What happen?" Daniel requested.
"They opened. And the only way to close them was to stop the flow of blood."
"You mean kill you." Sam stated horrified.
"But I take it Buffy saved the day since you and the world are here?" Daniel commented.
"Buffy and the little bit here have the same blood so she threw herself into the energy saving us all." Spike finished coming into the kitchen from the hallway completing the story.
"But she's alive and well now." Sam said
Spiked laughed his expression turning from that of mirth to deadly seriousness. "She was dead for 143 days before Willow and her little chums brought her back from what they thought was hell but that's what she's living in now."
"What do you mean?" Teal'c enquired.
"Buffy had been fighting evil for most of her life. Giving up everything for an ungrateful world. Killed the man she loved. Broke her mother's heart. Even her life… twice. First by bloody drowning, then jumping into the abyss. When a slayer dies the next one is suppose to take over but she can't put down the gauntlet. The only peace that woman has ever known was the ultimate. Heaven. And she was dragged out of it so she could wake up in her coffin and dig her way out of it."
Dawn clumsily got up and tried to storm past Spike who graded her by the arm. Looking down at her he brushed the hair from her face and kissed her lightly on the forehead. She smiled up at him, "Be a good little mindless drone at school today."
Warmed by his caring of her, her smile grew, "Promise. One mindless drone coming up." with that she left.
"Wow" Jack said returning to eating his fruit loops. "So what did you find out?"
Spiked just stared at him. "I'm working with the Slayer not you."
"Well why don't you tell me what you found out?" turning around he came face to face with her. She was scrubbed free of make-up looking as virginal as Sandra Dee - but he knew better. "I was just the telling the chain of command to your new play mates."
Pushing him lightly on the shoulder he got out her way watching the sway of her hips as she headed for some juice. Settling himself on the seat Dawn had vacated he took his flask out and onto the table.
"Seems that we've got a new religion springing up right under our feet. From what I've heard their using the Initiatives' old headquarters and a few of Adam's old followers are involved." Opening the flask he drank his breakfast his face changing in the process. Putting it back down, he wiped the back of his arm across his lips and sighed with relish. The spoon stopped between Jack's mouth and bowl. The women moved as far back as possible. Specks took his glasses off and cleaned them several times and Teal'c merely poured himself another bowl of cereal. Spiked decided he liked him.
"What the hell is he?" Jack demanded pointing his spoon at him.
"He's a vampire but don't worry he's been fixed." Buffy answered.
"Hey. I'm just as bad as I've always been and you know it Slayer." he made his voiced dangerously low the way he knew could make her knees go weak. Deep and rough the way she liked it. Shaking his head his features turned back into their human form, "If it wasn't for this bloody chip in my head things would be a lot more interesting." But the she merely laughed.
Her curiosity roused Sam took her original seat again, "Chip?"
"Yeah the military thought to take a hand in handling the unholy and ended up getting their fingers burnt but before their mighty downfall they managed to put a behaviour modification chip in my head. So this big bad wolf can't eat any more little red riding hoods. Don't think you can get it out for me, love? I could make it worth your while." he added suggestively running his cold finger tips along her arm causing a wave of goose-bumps to follow.
"Spike, why don't you go for a walk." He smiled, Buffy was jealous.
"I don't think it would be good for my complexion." he smirked looking over at the Colonel to see if he got his joke but Jack was looking at him with such venom that Spike felt he was about to go up in a smoke. Right Sam your women, got ya, he communicated with his eyes to the other man. Jack didn't give any sign of acknowledgement but turned his attention to his very soggy fruit loops and pushed the bowl away.
"Xander and Anya should be here in a while with some clothes for you." Buffy continued. "I've got to train and then go to work." she huffed stretching in her night clothes giving quite a performance which the guys were having trouble ignoring.
Daniel coughed getting her attention, "Last night you called me the 'watcher type." care to explain."
"Sure a watcher is from the watcher council. The self-appointed sanctimonious guardians of the Slayer. You get one and he teaches you how to control your Slayer abilities and help you fight the bad guys, like a mentor."
"So where's yours?" he asked.
"England, he didn't think he was needed anymore and that he'd taught me everything he could."
"He's the one who owns the magic shop." Spike put in. "I'm going to watch some cartoons." getting up he past her coming within inches of Buffy's body as only the undead could. Their eyes met awareness flaring between them for a second and then he was gone.
"Dawn." she whispered and then in a stronger voice, "Dawn!"
"She's already left." Jack said.
Stomping over to the counter she started cleaning up taking her frustration at the news out on the dishes. Willow came in fully dressed reading an old brown leathered book.
"I made the pancake mixture yesterday so if Dawnie gets up we can get started." she smiled then frowned at the sight of Buffy.
"She's already left." Jack said again.
"but we were going…" before she could finish Buffy left going upstairs to get dressed ignoring Xander and Anya as they entered the kitchen.
"What's up with the Buffmister?" Xander asked putting down the box of clothes he was carrying.
"We were going to have a family breakfast thing this morning and like usual Dawn went out before we got up. So…." she huffed knowing they knew the rest.
"Take it she didn't take it well." Xander said, it wasn't a question.
"When is she going to stop punishing Buffy for dying, it wasn't her fault." Anya put in looking earnestly at Xander as if he could solve any problem in the world.
"Well we brought you some clothes and stuff. Hope you find something that fits." Xander said handing the box to Teal'c who had just stood up. Taking the box into the living room Sg-1 followed leaving the Scooby's to mull over their family trouble.
~*~
Upstairs Buffy sat against her bed her head resting against her knees. Sometimes it was just too hard to remember why she even tried anymore. She just felt so broken. She loved Dawn but they kept running in different directions from each other. And Spike …. She sighed wistfully. She missed him but knew she could never go back to him. Her life was just so mucked up. Looking up she saw herself in her bedroom mirror. Short hair, slim, pretty, warm and Alive. Disgusting and alive. Slowly she got up and dressed each motion purely practice no thought involved. Brushing her hair she picked up the picture of her mother, "I wish you were here." with that she left her room ready to face and fight another day.
A/N ~ Sorry about all the angst. I'm feeling very emotional right now. Not!! Really can you get away from it in Buffy! Hope you like this and telling me you do is okay. Oh……this is TBC.
p.s. sorry to everyone who saw my little check list on what's going to happen next, as you can guess I didn't mean you to. So sorry!!!!
The first up Jack wandered into the Summer's kitchen opening all the cupboards hunting for some cereal. With a teenager in the house there was bound to be the sweet tooth variety which he adored. He'd spent a rough night on the floor of the living room inches away from Samantha's sleeping form. Somehow it always seemed far more intimate when they had to share a sleeping space inside rather then out. There was a bang from upstairs then a succession of footsteps running down the stairs. Finally Dawn appeared in the doorway.
"Morning." Jack greeted closing the cupboard he had been looking in. "You wouldn't happen to have any fruit loops would you?"
"Sure do. Two cupboards down with the bowls and spoons." she got the milk out the refrigerator and settled herself by the breakfast counter. Her loud entrance had awoken the rest of Sg-1 who looked a little worse for wear. Sam and Daniel headed immediately for the coffee machine and Teal'c to the stool opposite Dawn. Each finding the food they wanted they all ended up around the breakfast bar.
"So have you got school today?" Sam asked the girl who was reading the back of the fruit loop box.
Swallowing a mouthful she knobbed her head. "Yeah." she answered not offering any further conversation.
"So won't your mom be pretty worried coming down stairs and finding all us here?" Daniel asked unsure of what to talk about to a teenage girl.
Dawn put her spoon down and shook her long brown hair over her shoulder, "She's dead."
"Oh I'm sorry." Daniel muttered giving his friends a look over her head.
"Why? It's not your fault. Anyway she wasn't my real mother. I don't have one."
"How is it possible that you do not have a mother?" Teal'c asked.
"I'm not human." Teal'c raised an eyebrow. Putting down her spoon she explained fully. "I'm this energy which an evil hell god Glory needed to open the door between dimensions so she could go back to where she was banished from never minding what horrors it would bring. So the monks who were guarding me had to make sure the Slayer would protect the key so using some of Buffy's energy they created me and a whole bunch of memories."
"Yet you are human now?" Teal'c continued while the others just looked at her fascinated.
"Well I bleed alright. Since I got created into a person Glory tied me to a top of a tower which her crazy minions built and sliced and diced me. Cause now my blood opened the lock." she resumed eating her cereal.
"What happen?" Daniel requested.
"They opened. And the only way to close them was to stop the flow of blood."
"You mean kill you." Sam stated horrified.
"But I take it Buffy saved the day since you and the world are here?" Daniel commented.
"Buffy and the little bit here have the same blood so she threw herself into the energy saving us all." Spike finished coming into the kitchen from the hallway completing the story.
"But she's alive and well now." Sam said
Spiked laughed his expression turning from that of mirth to deadly seriousness. "She was dead for 143 days before Willow and her little chums brought her back from what they thought was hell but that's what she's living in now."
"What do you mean?" Teal'c enquired.
"Buffy had been fighting evil for most of her life. Giving up everything for an ungrateful world. Killed the man she loved. Broke her mother's heart. Even her life… twice. First by bloody drowning, then jumping into the abyss. When a slayer dies the next one is suppose to take over but she can't put down the gauntlet. The only peace that woman has ever known was the ultimate. Heaven. And she was dragged out of it so she could wake up in her coffin and dig her way out of it."
Dawn clumsily got up and tried to storm past Spike who graded her by the arm. Looking down at her he brushed the hair from her face and kissed her lightly on the forehead. She smiled up at him, "Be a good little mindless drone at school today."
Warmed by his caring of her, her smile grew, "Promise. One mindless drone coming up." with that she left.
"Wow" Jack said returning to eating his fruit loops. "So what did you find out?"
Spiked just stared at him. "I'm working with the Slayer not you."
"Well why don't you tell me what you found out?" turning around he came face to face with her. She was scrubbed free of make-up looking as virginal as Sandra Dee - but he knew better. "I was just the telling the chain of command to your new play mates."
Pushing him lightly on the shoulder he got out her way watching the sway of her hips as she headed for some juice. Settling himself on the seat Dawn had vacated he took his flask out and onto the table.
"Seems that we've got a new religion springing up right under our feet. From what I've heard their using the Initiatives' old headquarters and a few of Adam's old followers are involved." Opening the flask he drank his breakfast his face changing in the process. Putting it back down, he wiped the back of his arm across his lips and sighed with relish. The spoon stopped between Jack's mouth and bowl. The women moved as far back as possible. Specks took his glasses off and cleaned them several times and Teal'c merely poured himself another bowl of cereal. Spiked decided he liked him.
"What the hell is he?" Jack demanded pointing his spoon at him.
"He's a vampire but don't worry he's been fixed." Buffy answered.
"Hey. I'm just as bad as I've always been and you know it Slayer." he made his voiced dangerously low the way he knew could make her knees go weak. Deep and rough the way she liked it. Shaking his head his features turned back into their human form, "If it wasn't for this bloody chip in my head things would be a lot more interesting." But the she merely laughed.
Her curiosity roused Sam took her original seat again, "Chip?"
"Yeah the military thought to take a hand in handling the unholy and ended up getting their fingers burnt but before their mighty downfall they managed to put a behaviour modification chip in my head. So this big bad wolf can't eat any more little red riding hoods. Don't think you can get it out for me, love? I could make it worth your while." he added suggestively running his cold finger tips along her arm causing a wave of goose-bumps to follow.
"Spike, why don't you go for a walk." He smiled, Buffy was jealous.
"I don't think it would be good for my complexion." he smirked looking over at the Colonel to see if he got his joke but Jack was looking at him with such venom that Spike felt he was about to go up in a smoke. Right Sam your women, got ya, he communicated with his eyes to the other man. Jack didn't give any sign of acknowledgement but turned his attention to his very soggy fruit loops and pushed the bowl away.
"Xander and Anya should be here in a while with some clothes for you." Buffy continued. "I've got to train and then go to work." she huffed stretching in her night clothes giving quite a performance which the guys were having trouble ignoring.
Daniel coughed getting her attention, "Last night you called me the 'watcher type." care to explain."
"Sure a watcher is from the watcher council. The self-appointed sanctimonious guardians of the Slayer. You get one and he teaches you how to control your Slayer abilities and help you fight the bad guys, like a mentor."
"So where's yours?" he asked.
"England, he didn't think he was needed anymore and that he'd taught me everything he could."
"He's the one who owns the magic shop." Spike put in. "I'm going to watch some cartoons." getting up he past her coming within inches of Buffy's body as only the undead could. Their eyes met awareness flaring between them for a second and then he was gone.
"Dawn." she whispered and then in a stronger voice, "Dawn!"
"She's already left." Jack said.
Stomping over to the counter she started cleaning up taking her frustration at the news out on the dishes. Willow came in fully dressed reading an old brown leathered book.
"I made the pancake mixture yesterday so if Dawnie gets up we can get started." she smiled then frowned at the sight of Buffy.
"She's already left." Jack said again.
"but we were going…" before she could finish Buffy left going upstairs to get dressed ignoring Xander and Anya as they entered the kitchen.
"What's up with the Buffmister?" Xander asked putting down the box of clothes he was carrying.
"We were going to have a family breakfast thing this morning and like usual Dawn went out before we got up. So…." she huffed knowing they knew the rest.
"Take it she didn't take it well." Xander said, it wasn't a question.
"When is she going to stop punishing Buffy for dying, it wasn't her fault." Anya put in looking earnestly at Xander as if he could solve any problem in the world.
"Well we brought you some clothes and stuff. Hope you find something that fits." Xander said handing the box to Teal'c who had just stood up. Taking the box into the living room Sg-1 followed leaving the Scooby's to mull over their family trouble.
~*~
Upstairs Buffy sat against her bed her head resting against her knees. Sometimes it was just too hard to remember why she even tried anymore. She just felt so broken. She loved Dawn but they kept running in different directions from each other. And Spike …. She sighed wistfully. She missed him but knew she could never go back to him. Her life was just so mucked up. Looking up she saw herself in her bedroom mirror. Short hair, slim, pretty, warm and Alive. Disgusting and alive. Slowly she got up and dressed each motion purely practice no thought involved. Brushing her hair she picked up the picture of her mother, "I wish you were here." with that she left her room ready to face and fight another day.
A/N ~ Sorry about all the angst. I'm feeling very emotional right now. Not!! Really can you get away from it in Buffy! Hope you like this and telling me you do is okay. Oh……this is TBC.
p.s. sorry to everyone who saw my little check list on what's going to happen next, as you can guess I didn't mean you to. So sorry!!!!