Buffy continued rummaging through her closet and the mountain of clothes that had accumulated there over months. Denim jackets and old black skirts skittered onto her bed, socks and the occasional pair of panties landing beside her door along with everything else that needed to be washed.
Cleaning her house had been no easy job, but less than an hour into it, Buffy learned how to multitask her duties. While dishes were washing, she vacuumed the couches and carpets and scrubbed the floors. During the oven's self-cleaning process, Buffy washed the windows inside and out. She changed light bulbs and tidied up various knick-knacks to the sound of the washing machine and dryer tumbling and scrubbing away.
It didn't take long for Buffy to decide that her room's cleaning would be best left as an optional chore. After all, she was doing all this cleaning for the sake of Dawn, and her room was hardly any concern of her little sister.
Still, her triumphant gaze from her front door, looking around at the newly polished rooms had left her with an hour or so before Dawn got home from school. It surprised Buffy to know that she had finished so quickly, but it also disappointed her to know that it wasn't over yet. Heavy-legged and slightly sluggish, Buffy had ascended the stairs and made her way down the hall. Stopping at her doorway, she discovered that things weren't so bad in the poster-decorated room, and had headed straight for her closet.
The process continued on in the meanwhile as Buffy threw shirts, shoes, and the occasional hair clip everywhere. Reaching into the still moderately sized pile, Buffy pulled out her maroon leather jacket, and quickly noticed the pockets it possessed. "Aha! Lint bunnies beware" Buffy smiled, having a little fun with her temporary occupation as her hands dove into the left hand pocket, finding nothing. Expecting to find nothing again, Buffy's hand sunk into the right hand pocket, and stopped when it touched something cool, smooth, and seemingly metallic. Gripping its rounded edges, she pulled it out of the deep pocket, heart skipping a beat when she saw what had been hidden in her closet for what had probably been an eon or two.
A flask, dulled of its lustre during manufacture but still almost brand new, lay in the grip of her hand, slender fingers wrapping around the ergonomically designed edges. A shocked, slightly lost girl was staring back at her in the reflection, and Buffy turned it over once or twice to make sure the object was actually laying there.
Spike seemed to be haunting Buffy from every corner of her conscious world, and even beyond there. In her dreams she occasionally saw the blonde vampire, simply standing in the midst of a fast-paced world, the edges of his sculpted body slightly blurred, but existent nonetheless. Still, it was different for him to show up in the material world, whether it was he himself, or just symbols of the vampire.
This was three times in one anomaly of a day that she had been reminded of Spike. The same vampire she had succumbed to so many nights in a row she had lost count after thirty. First, it was Passions, the beautifully scrawled word mocking her on the television screen. Then came the tattered old blanket she had found while cleaning, perhaps Spike's, perhaps her own, but a sign of him either way. Now, the flask, its perfect shape allowing her reflection to gape back at her, simply staring into oblivion.
Buffy tossed the flask back into her closet, not thinking enough to throw it out, and shoved the door shut, locking away the memories of a lightning-haired vampire.
A rush of urges flew through Buffy's bloodstream as she glanced out the window and into what was surely a fresh-scented environment, unlike the air in her room that had suddenly become stale and frozen. Slaying wouldn't be a bad idea, though at this time of day there were no free-roaming vampires. She would also enjoy the taste of liquor mingled with a dance-club atmosphere. The Bronze. Yet another treat available only during the wee hours of nightfall.
It walls, occasionally covered with the newest décor for a popular night club, had seen so many triumphs and sorrows, so much laughter and pain in the five years running that Buffy and her friends had used it as a hangout. Dawn, and perhaps even Willow might be up for a night out, dancing to hypnotic music and drowning whatever sorrows they might have in a pool of flavoured alcohol; Coke in Dawn's case.
Deciding finally that she would mention it to either girl as soon as Dawn got home, Buffy picked up the last of her laundry and headed to the basement. As soon as the washing machine was purring like Miss Kitty Fantastico, a kitten who brought back happy yet dreary memories of Willow and Tara, Buffy headed upstairs for something to eat. Cleaning all day without a break had made her quite hungry.
Buffy was bored. It had only been a few minutes since she had finished her meal and cleaned up from it in a most efficient manner, and still she was bored. Glancing around the kitchen, finding that its emptiness was something matched by every other room in the home, except that containing a redheaded ex-Wicca, Buffy let out a long sigh. Perhaps this was why her days free from the Doublemeat Palace were few in number. Without work, what would she do with her days except attempt to entertain a broken-minded Willow?
Glancing at the clock, which now read 3:30, Buffy began to tap her fingernails in an unwritten tune against the ceramic countertop. She had expected Dawn to be home by now. Then again, teenage sisters were very rarely predictable; a theory that had been both tested and proven many times in Buffy's generation. Sighing, the Slayer let her head fall with her fingers to the counter, her cheek resting against the pleasantly cool surface. Blonde locks spilled everywhere, marring the once perfect ivory surface.
Fashionably late for some unannounced cue, sounds from the front of her home startled Buffy only moments after placing her head down. It seemed that Dawn had made the decision to come home after all. Straightening her hair out, Buffy stood up from the counter, pushing the stool back in and turning toward the front entrance. Skipping with a pride-filled step, Buffy couldn't wait to see the look on Dawn's face as she gazed around at the newly groomed home.
Buffy, however, was the one to get a shock. Standing at the front door was indeed the brunette she adorned with the title 'sister', but at either side of her were two boys. One looked about in his mid teens, somewhere around Dawn's age. The other was more mature in his features, perhaps leaning toward being a young adult; much like Buffy.
They were both very clean cut. Black hair gelled into messy perfection, slightly spiky in some regions. The younger boy was wearing black jeans, loosely fitting of course, and a black tank top with a red button up shirt, not unlike what Spike would wear. His eyes were a piercing blue, his lips crimson, and his cheeks defined but not in a bragging manner.
The older one was almost the same in his choice of clothing; only he bore darker blue jeans instead of black ones, and a blue button up shirt instead of a red one. His eyes cut through the world like a pair of emeralds, his green eyes the only feature on him that set him apart from the other boy.
These two were definitely brothers, and definitely football players. Most likely wide receivers by their muscular yet lean builds. Not as lean as Spike, but not as brawny as Angel, Buffy thought to herself. Either way, they had faces to make girls melt in their shoes.
"Hey, Dawn" Buffy's breath slid over the first word as it usually did when she was in a compromising situation, the name of her sister simply sliding out afterward.
Dawn spun to face her sister's tone, her hair following in a mass of auburn ribbons. A wide smile spread across the teen's face as her gaze met the Slayer's, pearly whites showing in the curve of her lips. "Hi Buffy…" her facial expression could not be torn down as Dawn stepped a little in front of the boys. "Um, I hope you don't mind, but I brought a little company over" her voice was barely hiding the excited undertones.
In all truth, Buffy was a little disappointed in spite of the two boys standing at their front door. She had hoped to show off the wonderful cleanliness of their home, but with company over, the perfection would probably be destroyed, or simply fade away. Still, Buffy decided to grin and bear it. "No, it's no problem" she said with a shrug.
Dawn stepped forward and to the side, so she was now standing to the right of where they boys stood. Dawn leaned against the door frame that lead into their dining room where Buffy was standing, her back resting against one of the chairs. Dawn waved her hand toward the youngest one first "This is Phoenix…" she smiled as the boy lifted his hand in a polite gesture, the movement accompanied by an obviously shy "hey".
Buffy nodded to the boy, giving a salutation of equal calibre, and Dawn moved on. "And, um, this is Dakota. He's Phoenix's brother. He's in college, over where you and… everyone else… used to be" Dawn paused when she was about to mention Tara and Riley, among other people. Buffy nodded, apparently supposed to assume that Phoenix was from Sunnydale High. It also seemed as if she was to be impressed by the boys.
She was, a little. Dakota gave a nod, his hand exploring the outer regions of his pockets only to give the same acknowledgment to Buffy as his brother had. "Hey. I'm Buffy, as Dawn already mentioned. Would you guys like anything to eat or drink?" taking on the role that she supposed her mother would have in the same situation, Buffy put on an already smiling visage, warm and welcoming, though she wasn't thoroughly interested in the situation. Everyone nodded at Buffy's request, and she got to work taking down orders as Dawn settled in with everyone else.
Buffy had played the part of perfect sister and delighted hostess until the night's end. Not a single protest was murmured when Dawn 'accidentally' sat her and Dakota together, sticking them as close to each other as possible on the tan couch, and then again when they had stopped at the Doublemeat Palace for a discount dinner. Buffy's voice couldn't be heard when Dawn and Phoenix became intimately close. Or at least, what could be called intimately close for two teenagers in their situation.
Still, she breathed a silent, drawn out sigh of relief when the two boys left for the evening. She didn't blame Dawn for trying to open her eyes to other men. Buffy was actually quite pleased to see that Spike hadn't been the last man to be interested in her. But Dakota just wasn't what Buffy was looking for. On the other hand, it had become quite obvious to Buffy throughout the night that she was what Dakota was looking for. He was quite enthusiastic about starting something with her it seemed.
When the front door finally shut, Dawn didn't pause an instant before turning toward Buffy, her eyes wide and excited. "Oh my God. Aren't they amazing!" Her words tumbled out, both a statement and a question. Not wanting to spoil her sister's enthusiasm, obviously not blind as to what was going on with her and Phoenix, Buffy simply nodded, attempting to look equally interested. "Yeah, they both seemed like awesome guys… I guess you met Phoenix at school, right?"
Dawn nodded, her eyes giving away the fact that the black-haired boy had obviously caught her heart. "Yep. He's on the football and track teams" she giggled, giddy and overly happy. "Dakota is quite the athlete, too… You guys really seemed to be hitting it off".
Oh God. If I gave Dawn that impression, I wonder what he must be thinking. Oh God. Buffy's thoughts were a jumbled heap of contradiction, not even close to the nature of her reaction to Dawn's giddiness. Buffy's heart and mind were saying one thing, and only a small part of her was endorsing the two boys who had just left their home.
"Yeah, he seemed like a great guy" Buffy said with forced enthusiasm, wondering if Dawn might pick it out.
She didn't though, and simply went on smiling. "I thought you might like him. He kind of reminded me of a mix between Angel and Riley, with the charm of Ben. Remember him?" when Buffy nodded, Dawn continued "I mean, I haven't known him that long. It's just… uh, that's how he came off to me". As Dawn's explanation finished, Buffy decided that her sister had done homework on Dakota, despite what she said.
Giving a long, drawn-out yawn, using it to escape any further conversation about the guys who didn't hold too much emotionally for her, Buffy glanced at a clock down the hallway. "Wow, it's 10:00? That went a little too quickly" with raised eyebrows, her green orbs then drifted toward the staircase, toward freedom. "I think I might head up to bed, I'm kind of tired". Buffy didn't bother to mention why she was so tired, glancing around at the clean surfaces surrounding her. Instead, she simply started up the stairs, giving Dawn a kiss on the forehead before doing so.
She was stopped though, by the sound of her sister. "Buffy?" blonde hair was flicked out of the Slayer's face as she turned to her sister, who was leaning against the banister. "Um, I noticed that you cleaned. It looks nice". Finally, Dawn really had noticed the effort. Buffy laughed softly before giving a slight nod with her smile. "Thanks… night Dawn". Dawn smiled, beginning to take off her jacket. "Night".
On her way up the stairs, Buffy decided to poke her head into Willow's room to make sure that her best friend was okay. What she saw broke her heart, and brought tears to her eyes in almost the same moment.
Willow was curled up on her left side, facing the doorway. She was now in a pair of turquoise pyjamas with cupcakes and clouds dancing about, the sheets only half covering her. Her porcelain hand was stretched out across the pillow beside her, and on the white cushion was a picture of Tara. Finishing off the tragically picturesque scene was the fact that Willow was smiling. Red locks of liquorice were slightly covering the curve of her lips, but it was available to anyone willing to glance hard enough. Admiring the setting only a moment longer, Buffy pulled the bedroom door shut, and made her way off for a silent, peaceful sleep.
*in case anyone was wondering, the word 'haint' is something I got from the book To Kill a Mockingbird, and essentially, it means 'ghost'