ON A DARK & STORMY NIGHT
CHAPTER 4: GETTING CHANTY
** * *
"Spike!"
Buffy checked her watch. Time was slipping. She'd been through most of the house, but not a trace of him. And by now she had only twenty minutes left to set things up and start chanting before the amulet's moment of appearance would come.
She sighed. Time to get on with it. She would set things up, get the amulet and look for Spike afterwards. Maybe after that had all gone down well, and she had the amulet, things would automatically get back to normal, and he'd fall out of a wall or something. She'd seen stranger things.
She took out a candle from her inside pocket and checked a few doors as she walked through the hallway of the third floor of the house. 'Big place' she thought. One room she passed was especially empty. Not even furniture or much debris lying around. Not too big or small, only one entrance so she could see things coming... 'Well unless they start popping out of thin air again,' she mused.
Giles had said it wouldn't matter which room she took as long as she was in the house. The ritual would draw the amulet to her. She put the candle down in the middle of the room. Then she took out some chalk and drew a circle on the floor. 'Always with the circles', she thought. She was glad she'd had the foresight to bring matches and not just depend on Spike's lighter. As she lit the candle, she wondered where he was, and if he was alright. She knew he could handle himself, but still... Was he trapped somehow? In another dimension? Was he still in the house, thinking SHE had disappeared? All about equally possible.
She blew out the match as the candle burned. It was odd to think how short a time ago she would have killed him sooner than turn her back on him. But the last few months he had proven himself. And in ways that were not just about sucking up to her....
She never would have known he'd nearly died at Glory's hands protecting Dawn and her, if she hadn't managed to find out by pretending to be the bot. There was no gain in it for him. All the stuff he'd done before, trying to impress her on patrol, trying to bring her 'leads' and fight with her..it could still be seen as selfish since he wanted her and he could have been doing it only to get what he wanted. But this...
So she'd kissed him. On a whim really. But he'd looked so hurt, so vulnerable...and the revelation that he'd suffered all that just for her....and now didn't even want her to know.. Well that was a different story wasn't it? So, she'd accepted his feelings as true and himself as trustworthy..leaving Dawn in his care, enlisting his help in the whole Glory war. Which had turned out to be a pretty good move considering how that went.
If it hadn't been for him....she'd rather not think about that.
But she had wound up owing him. Everyone had wound up owing him. Ah, she had seen it so clearly in his face in those couple of days. He'd die for her. Without hesitation or regret. Strange. Still she couldn't blame herself for not believing him before. Honestly, Spike of all people.
She sat down in the circle and drew some more symbols on the ground, carefully trying to copy the documents.
Yes, Spike of all people. And after the Glory mess was over, color everyone happy of course, but it also had everyone heading back to daily life. Which had hit her hard. The big gaping hole her mother's death had left in their lives became more and more clear. She was now the parent, having to earn a living, taking care of Dawn, prove herself to social services as a guardian, trying to make ends meet..and keep up the Slaying.
And she hadn't really succeeded especially when money got tight. She'd had to drop out of college, not being able to afford it anymore, time wise or money wise. She'd tried working with Xander's crew and even at the Magic Shop. Didn't go well. Granted, she'd been under attack that day, but still, that stuff wasn't for her. Just wouldn't have worked out.
Her friends were supportive but that often turned into well-meant speeches and suggestions how to do things better. Sometimes she didn't want to hear all that. So that's when she'd gone to Spike. Especially on that day, after the mummy hand debacle. She'd gotten a little drunk, which hadn't ended all that well for her stomach, but it was the first time she'd consciously noticed she sought him out when she felt blah.
They'd patrolled together more and more and it had been great venting to him. He didn't give speeches, he didn't put pressure on her or feel sorry for her. It had been nice to be around him. He wasn't acting so obsessie anymore, and had his 'sod the world' attitude, which was refreshing sometimes, though she'd never tell him that.
Yet he'd still been nice and caring towards her. And slowly she knew she'd kind of taken to it. She'd started training with him too. Giles had grumbled a little but after the Glory thing even he'd had to admit Spike had been on the level. And had his good sides. And he was almost as strong as she was, making him an ideal training partner.
As she finished the last symbol, she frowned a little to herself. Yes, she was worried about him. He was, to her at least, part of the Scoobie clan. He'd earned it. She didn't know how he could even be capable of anything good, but then there were plenty of humans with souls who did evil all the time. 'Makes you wonder about souls at all,' she thought.
And now, with this house going all creepy on them, she'd apparently been able to see him as he had been. As a human. Goodness, not exactly the wild scoundrel he tried so hard to be these days. All Victorian and proper. Kind of cute in a dorky way. Oh, how she would tease him mercilessly with this one!
She smiled at the prospect. Then she stopped her drawing for a moment. When she was totally honest with herself, the knowledge he had this thing for her also had become actually a pleasant side effect to being around him.
Sometimes she'd catch him looking at her as she shook her hair, brushed some dust of her boots...or bent over to pick up a stake, she thought with a little smile. She'd catch him looking but she wouldn't let him know. And she'd hold this or that pose maybe a second longer....
Probably just a girl naturally feeling flattered by a guy's attention, even an undead former enemy. But still....just the other day it had hit her how much going to train and patrol with Spike was something she looked forward to during a hard day's work.
In the night, she was free. Training, patrolling, just chatting or playing games. From trivial questions about TV shows (sometimes with that awful looking but really nice demon Clem), to 'who could throw the stake deeper into the tree', or 'who can catch the most vamps in one night'.
Yeah. It had been nice.
"Maybe a little too nice?" a voice said in front of her. She looked up and saw Xander. "Really Buff, is he a 'bud' now? Or your faithful sidekick? Boyfriend material? Or more like your loyal dog?"
Buffy glared. "I'm not saying this again. Get. Out. I have work to do and this 'every ghost's a shrink' bit is really getting SO old!"
"Yeah, you're kinda good with the not seeing things aren't you? You focus completely on his wanting you, but what about you.."
Buffy interrupted him with an annoyed sigh. "Okay," she said. "I'm just going to use a different tactic now. This always seems to work for Dawn."
She closed her eyes, put her hands over her ears and shrieked at the top of her lungs: "Get out, get out, GET OUUUTTT!!"
When she looked up, she was alone again.
"Well, that IS effective," she mumbled. "Of course I know it works on ME. But really, wimpy ghosts here."
She picked up the documents and looked at her watch. "Okay, Spikey, I really hope you're okay, but I have to start this now."
She cleared her throat and noted she could at least take comfort in the thought no one was here to watch her do this. She started to chant in the monotonous melody that Giles had taught her, singing the words she didn't understand. The candle seemed to burn a little brighter as she went on.
Then, slowly, the light of it changed in color, and several lights and shapes seemed to spring forth from the flame, dancing in the air above it. Over the next 2 minutes of chanting this intensified until at the center of it all the lights seemed to clot together, creating a white light almost too bright to look at.
She started to chant louder as strange sounds almost started to drown her out. She didn't really know if it mattered how loud she was but instinctively she tried to remain audible. Then, in the heart of the bright lights she saw something take shape.
Okay, that was it. She could barely make out it's shape but there was no time to wait until she could. This was the tricky bit. She had to keep on singing, without pause and grab it before it would disappear again.
It was possible someone else at one of the other possible appearing points was trying this now as well, and her failure to get it could lead to them succeeding.
She kept on repeating the chant, while slowly getting up to her feet, then she braced herself, starting the cycle of the ancient verse again and jumped forwards, reaching out with her hands.
She closed her eyes against the light and in midair she felt her hands grab onto something. Then she hit the wooden boards of the floor as she landed. Old and rotten as they were, they were no match for the speed she had. With a slight yelp, she felt herself go through it, crashing into the room below her on the second floor with a loud noise of smashing old wood.
"Ohhhh, I hate magic rituals," she moaned as she shoved some wooden bits and dust off her face. She looked up and saw a bewildered Spike standing there, looking at her with some surprise. Judging by that expression it really was Spike and not another apparition. 'Well, give thanks for small favors', she thought. She wasn't in the mood for more pseudo-psycho babble.
"Buffy? You ....you fell through the ceiling!"
She moaned. "Thanks, I noticed that."
** **
TBC!
CHAPTER 4: GETTING CHANTY
** * *
"Spike!"
Buffy checked her watch. Time was slipping. She'd been through most of the house, but not a trace of him. And by now she had only twenty minutes left to set things up and start chanting before the amulet's moment of appearance would come.
She sighed. Time to get on with it. She would set things up, get the amulet and look for Spike afterwards. Maybe after that had all gone down well, and she had the amulet, things would automatically get back to normal, and he'd fall out of a wall or something. She'd seen stranger things.
She took out a candle from her inside pocket and checked a few doors as she walked through the hallway of the third floor of the house. 'Big place' she thought. One room she passed was especially empty. Not even furniture or much debris lying around. Not too big or small, only one entrance so she could see things coming... 'Well unless they start popping out of thin air again,' she mused.
Giles had said it wouldn't matter which room she took as long as she was in the house. The ritual would draw the amulet to her. She put the candle down in the middle of the room. Then she took out some chalk and drew a circle on the floor. 'Always with the circles', she thought. She was glad she'd had the foresight to bring matches and not just depend on Spike's lighter. As she lit the candle, she wondered where he was, and if he was alright. She knew he could handle himself, but still... Was he trapped somehow? In another dimension? Was he still in the house, thinking SHE had disappeared? All about equally possible.
She blew out the match as the candle burned. It was odd to think how short a time ago she would have killed him sooner than turn her back on him. But the last few months he had proven himself. And in ways that were not just about sucking up to her....
She never would have known he'd nearly died at Glory's hands protecting Dawn and her, if she hadn't managed to find out by pretending to be the bot. There was no gain in it for him. All the stuff he'd done before, trying to impress her on patrol, trying to bring her 'leads' and fight with her..it could still be seen as selfish since he wanted her and he could have been doing it only to get what he wanted. But this...
So she'd kissed him. On a whim really. But he'd looked so hurt, so vulnerable...and the revelation that he'd suffered all that just for her....and now didn't even want her to know.. Well that was a different story wasn't it? So, she'd accepted his feelings as true and himself as trustworthy..leaving Dawn in his care, enlisting his help in the whole Glory war. Which had turned out to be a pretty good move considering how that went.
If it hadn't been for him....she'd rather not think about that.
But she had wound up owing him. Everyone had wound up owing him. Ah, she had seen it so clearly in his face in those couple of days. He'd die for her. Without hesitation or regret. Strange. Still she couldn't blame herself for not believing him before. Honestly, Spike of all people.
She sat down in the circle and drew some more symbols on the ground, carefully trying to copy the documents.
Yes, Spike of all people. And after the Glory mess was over, color everyone happy of course, but it also had everyone heading back to daily life. Which had hit her hard. The big gaping hole her mother's death had left in their lives became more and more clear. She was now the parent, having to earn a living, taking care of Dawn, prove herself to social services as a guardian, trying to make ends meet..and keep up the Slaying.
And she hadn't really succeeded especially when money got tight. She'd had to drop out of college, not being able to afford it anymore, time wise or money wise. She'd tried working with Xander's crew and even at the Magic Shop. Didn't go well. Granted, she'd been under attack that day, but still, that stuff wasn't for her. Just wouldn't have worked out.
Her friends were supportive but that often turned into well-meant speeches and suggestions how to do things better. Sometimes she didn't want to hear all that. So that's when she'd gone to Spike. Especially on that day, after the mummy hand debacle. She'd gotten a little drunk, which hadn't ended all that well for her stomach, but it was the first time she'd consciously noticed she sought him out when she felt blah.
They'd patrolled together more and more and it had been great venting to him. He didn't give speeches, he didn't put pressure on her or feel sorry for her. It had been nice to be around him. He wasn't acting so obsessie anymore, and had his 'sod the world' attitude, which was refreshing sometimes, though she'd never tell him that.
Yet he'd still been nice and caring towards her. And slowly she knew she'd kind of taken to it. She'd started training with him too. Giles had grumbled a little but after the Glory thing even he'd had to admit Spike had been on the level. And had his good sides. And he was almost as strong as she was, making him an ideal training partner.
As she finished the last symbol, she frowned a little to herself. Yes, she was worried about him. He was, to her at least, part of the Scoobie clan. He'd earned it. She didn't know how he could even be capable of anything good, but then there were plenty of humans with souls who did evil all the time. 'Makes you wonder about souls at all,' she thought.
And now, with this house going all creepy on them, she'd apparently been able to see him as he had been. As a human. Goodness, not exactly the wild scoundrel he tried so hard to be these days. All Victorian and proper. Kind of cute in a dorky way. Oh, how she would tease him mercilessly with this one!
She smiled at the prospect. Then she stopped her drawing for a moment. When she was totally honest with herself, the knowledge he had this thing for her also had become actually a pleasant side effect to being around him.
Sometimes she'd catch him looking at her as she shook her hair, brushed some dust of her boots...or bent over to pick up a stake, she thought with a little smile. She'd catch him looking but she wouldn't let him know. And she'd hold this or that pose maybe a second longer....
Probably just a girl naturally feeling flattered by a guy's attention, even an undead former enemy. But still....just the other day it had hit her how much going to train and patrol with Spike was something she looked forward to during a hard day's work.
In the night, she was free. Training, patrolling, just chatting or playing games. From trivial questions about TV shows (sometimes with that awful looking but really nice demon Clem), to 'who could throw the stake deeper into the tree', or 'who can catch the most vamps in one night'.
Yeah. It had been nice.
"Maybe a little too nice?" a voice said in front of her. She looked up and saw Xander. "Really Buff, is he a 'bud' now? Or your faithful sidekick? Boyfriend material? Or more like your loyal dog?"
Buffy glared. "I'm not saying this again. Get. Out. I have work to do and this 'every ghost's a shrink' bit is really getting SO old!"
"Yeah, you're kinda good with the not seeing things aren't you? You focus completely on his wanting you, but what about you.."
Buffy interrupted him with an annoyed sigh. "Okay," she said. "I'm just going to use a different tactic now. This always seems to work for Dawn."
She closed her eyes, put her hands over her ears and shrieked at the top of her lungs: "Get out, get out, GET OUUUTTT!!"
When she looked up, she was alone again.
"Well, that IS effective," she mumbled. "Of course I know it works on ME. But really, wimpy ghosts here."
She picked up the documents and looked at her watch. "Okay, Spikey, I really hope you're okay, but I have to start this now."
She cleared her throat and noted she could at least take comfort in the thought no one was here to watch her do this. She started to chant in the monotonous melody that Giles had taught her, singing the words she didn't understand. The candle seemed to burn a little brighter as she went on.
Then, slowly, the light of it changed in color, and several lights and shapes seemed to spring forth from the flame, dancing in the air above it. Over the next 2 minutes of chanting this intensified until at the center of it all the lights seemed to clot together, creating a white light almost too bright to look at.
She started to chant louder as strange sounds almost started to drown her out. She didn't really know if it mattered how loud she was but instinctively she tried to remain audible. Then, in the heart of the bright lights she saw something take shape.
Okay, that was it. She could barely make out it's shape but there was no time to wait until she could. This was the tricky bit. She had to keep on singing, without pause and grab it before it would disappear again.
It was possible someone else at one of the other possible appearing points was trying this now as well, and her failure to get it could lead to them succeeding.
She kept on repeating the chant, while slowly getting up to her feet, then she braced herself, starting the cycle of the ancient verse again and jumped forwards, reaching out with her hands.
She closed her eyes against the light and in midair she felt her hands grab onto something. Then she hit the wooden boards of the floor as she landed. Old and rotten as they were, they were no match for the speed she had. With a slight yelp, she felt herself go through it, crashing into the room below her on the second floor with a loud noise of smashing old wood.
"Ohhhh, I hate magic rituals," she moaned as she shoved some wooden bits and dust off her face. She looked up and saw a bewildered Spike standing there, looking at her with some surprise. Judging by that expression it really was Spike and not another apparition. 'Well, give thanks for small favors', she thought. She wasn't in the mood for more pseudo-psycho babble.
"Buffy? You ....you fell through the ceiling!"
She moaned. "Thanks, I noticed that."
** **
TBC!