Chapter 9
"Hey! That is so MY word!" Dawn protested.
"Is not."
"Is too."
"Ughh. Dawn, you're acting like an angsty teenager."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Yes, I quite agree with Dawn." Giles interrupted. "You're BOTH acting like kindergarteners now sit!"
They both sat.
"Now," Giles proceeded to explain to Buffy and Andrew all about Dawn and Glory.
"Wow! Can I use you in my comic book Willow?" Andrew asked excitedly.
"Okey dokey." Willow replied gleefully. "But only if you give me a cool name. Like Mortella or something."
"Actually," Giles said. "You already have one. Your real name is Divus Vetus Arboreus. It means "goddess of willow tree." I Imagine that's why your father nicknamed you Willow."
"Do you think he knew about Glory, or, my mother?"
"Probably not."
"However, you were not put on this earth to just have a cool name, Willow. You are here for one purpose. But your mission was not fulfilled, so I wonder what they want with you?" Giles said.
"They?"
"The monks that made you, and to be very general, evil. You see, normally when a person or object's mission is not fulfilled, they are destroyed. But you still exist, so what could they want with you?"
"But I thought we destroyed "them" when we did the thing with the ax and gave my power to all girls." Buffy said. "Oh no." Giles answered. "We basically destroyed the vampire race. But no world could exist without evil. There will always be evil, no matter how many vampires you kill."
"Well that's discouraging." Buffy said and frowned.
"I don't think so. I mean, your job is kind of like that thing everyone says. You know, about doing what good you can with the time you are given."
"That was very insightful of you, Xander." Buffy gave him a gentle nudge.
Xander blushed and smiled. "I do my best."
"So what, do you think someone's trying to open the portal again or something?" Buffy asked Giles.
"Possibly," He answered. "But it's hard to tell anything right now."
"So what exactly is the job description of a goddess?" Willow asked.
"How do you mean?" Giles replied.
"Well, do I have to make appearances at the town parades or wear a toga or anything?"
"I don't know. Would you like to?"
* * * * *
When Spike walked into the Magic Shop the next morning it looked completely empty. He closed the door and looked around.
"Oy!" He shouted. "Anybody here?"
* Silence *
"Hmm." He shrugged and made his way over to the couch.
"SURPRISE!" Buffy, Willow, Andrew, Giles, Dawn, Draco, and Xander yelled and jumped out from behind the couches.
"What are you trying to do?!? Kill a fellow?!?" Spike had a look of utter horror on his face.
"Oh shut up Spike it's your birthday party!" Buffy said cheerfully.
"What?"
"We figured since you didn't remember your birthday we could just throw you a party on today representing the actually birthday. So, happy birthday!" Buffy said.
"Uh, thanks, I guess." Spike said uncomfortably.
Andrew stepped forward. "We, uh, made you a card." He handed the card to Spike. The card had a hand drawn picture of Spike in a kilt and combat boots with leather wristbands. At the top there was a rainbow colored "Happy Birthday Spike" written.
Spike laughed. "Lovely. The kilt really accentuates my shape."
"Willow." Andrew motioned for Willow to come forward.
"Oh!" Willow quickly took a big purple box with a pink ribbon out from under the table and gave it to Spike. He proceeded to untie the big ribbon and open the box. He laughed when he saw what was inside.
A few years back Dawn had developed a passion for collecting Care Bears. Her collection was so extensive that she needed extra storage space so she put about half of it in Spike's lair. Every day that Spike spent staring at their demonic happy faces, his hate for Care Bears grew. One night, in a mad fit of rage, he shot one of Dawn's favorite bears in the eye with a crossbow. Dawn didn't talk to him for weeks and decided to store the bears at Willow's house, fearing for their safety. Dawn soon lost interest in Care Bears but never trusted Spike with her stuffed animals again.
Inside the box was a pink Care Bear, the same one he had shot in the eye. The bear was dressed in full motorcycle gang attire and had a pair of flashy sunglasses on.
"Lovely." Spike said.
* * * * * (That night)
As soon as she got off work at Linquiry (A computer company that sold organizer software to large businesses.) she changed into her pink Converse's and overalls. (Her usual outfit for her weekly photography class.) Willow opened to door to her Toyota Solara and plopped down on the seat. As she drove down the highway she listened to The Beatles' white album. When "Back in the USSR" came on she shouted along to the words happily. She drove up to the newly rebuilt Sunnydale Recreation Center. As she was walking up the cement path to the main entrance she heard a voice behind her.
"You know, it would be a lot easier to get in touch with you if you'd get an answering machine, Willow."
Willow turned around and saw a skinny man with flaming red hair wearing a Nirvana tee shirt. Just as she had remembered him. "Oz!" She shrieked at hurried over to give him a big hug. He smiled and hugged her back.
"How did you find me?" She asked.
"Oh I just went over to the Magic Shop and asked Buffy. They said you had a photography class here. It's great to see you."
"Yeah you too! You know if you want to hang out I can just skip this class, it's drop-in anyway."
"Okay, you want to go get some coffee?"
"Yeah you want to take my car?" She asked. She didn't see any other cars in the parking lot.
He pondered for a moment. "Have you ever been on a Moped before?"
* * * * *
The next morning Buffy was busy preparing pancakes and a fruit platter for breakfast when Dawn came downstairs.
"Buffy can I go see the midnight screening of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at The Aquarius with my friends tonight? Jane just called and she said that Ellie and Sean are going to be there." Dawn asked cheerily.
"No. It's rated R and there's always hobos and scary people at the midnight shows."
"Please! Come on Buffy you let me see R rated movies all the time!"
"No."
The smile on Dawn's face was replaced with an expression of complete disgust.
"Buffy you never let me do anything! Just because you only see the vampires and evil people in this town and you think that vampires are the only men out there doesn't mean that every time I go out someone's going to go at me with an ax or something! You won't even let me go to a concert like everyone else because you think someone's going to force feed me LSD!" Dawn yelled and scowled at Buffy.
"Dawn, I'm just trying to protect you! When I was 17 there weren't as much drugs and bad people out there! Stop being such a self absorbed little brat! This isn't a matter of life and death you know!" Buffy repented.
"You're raising me in a distrusting environment!" Dawn yelled. She stomped across the room and slammed the door behind her, obviously unaware that she was still in her nightgown.
(Outside on the front porch)
Dawn grunted loudly with rage, then looked down at her nightgown.
"Dammit!"
She didn't want to go anywhere in her nightgown but also didn't want to risk ruining her perfect exit by going in again and changing, then leaving AGAIN. So instead she just sat down on the porch swing and scowled some more.
* * * * *
Inspirations from other works:
The care bear idea was Rekkha's. Merci beaucoup chica! You got me out of my 7 day slump! Angsty teens goes out to Jessie.
"Hey! That is so MY word!" Dawn protested.
"Is not."
"Is too."
"Ughh. Dawn, you're acting like an angsty teenager."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Yes, I quite agree with Dawn." Giles interrupted. "You're BOTH acting like kindergarteners now sit!"
They both sat.
"Now," Giles proceeded to explain to Buffy and Andrew all about Dawn and Glory.
"Wow! Can I use you in my comic book Willow?" Andrew asked excitedly.
"Okey dokey." Willow replied gleefully. "But only if you give me a cool name. Like Mortella or something."
"Actually," Giles said. "You already have one. Your real name is Divus Vetus Arboreus. It means "goddess of willow tree." I Imagine that's why your father nicknamed you Willow."
"Do you think he knew about Glory, or, my mother?"
"Probably not."
"However, you were not put on this earth to just have a cool name, Willow. You are here for one purpose. But your mission was not fulfilled, so I wonder what they want with you?" Giles said.
"They?"
"The monks that made you, and to be very general, evil. You see, normally when a person or object's mission is not fulfilled, they are destroyed. But you still exist, so what could they want with you?"
"But I thought we destroyed "them" when we did the thing with the ax and gave my power to all girls." Buffy said. "Oh no." Giles answered. "We basically destroyed the vampire race. But no world could exist without evil. There will always be evil, no matter how many vampires you kill."
"Well that's discouraging." Buffy said and frowned.
"I don't think so. I mean, your job is kind of like that thing everyone says. You know, about doing what good you can with the time you are given."
"That was very insightful of you, Xander." Buffy gave him a gentle nudge.
Xander blushed and smiled. "I do my best."
"So what, do you think someone's trying to open the portal again or something?" Buffy asked Giles.
"Possibly," He answered. "But it's hard to tell anything right now."
"So what exactly is the job description of a goddess?" Willow asked.
"How do you mean?" Giles replied.
"Well, do I have to make appearances at the town parades or wear a toga or anything?"
"I don't know. Would you like to?"
* * * * *
When Spike walked into the Magic Shop the next morning it looked completely empty. He closed the door and looked around.
"Oy!" He shouted. "Anybody here?"
* Silence *
"Hmm." He shrugged and made his way over to the couch.
"SURPRISE!" Buffy, Willow, Andrew, Giles, Dawn, Draco, and Xander yelled and jumped out from behind the couches.
"What are you trying to do?!? Kill a fellow?!?" Spike had a look of utter horror on his face.
"Oh shut up Spike it's your birthday party!" Buffy said cheerfully.
"What?"
"We figured since you didn't remember your birthday we could just throw you a party on today representing the actually birthday. So, happy birthday!" Buffy said.
"Uh, thanks, I guess." Spike said uncomfortably.
Andrew stepped forward. "We, uh, made you a card." He handed the card to Spike. The card had a hand drawn picture of Spike in a kilt and combat boots with leather wristbands. At the top there was a rainbow colored "Happy Birthday Spike" written.
Spike laughed. "Lovely. The kilt really accentuates my shape."
"Willow." Andrew motioned for Willow to come forward.
"Oh!" Willow quickly took a big purple box with a pink ribbon out from under the table and gave it to Spike. He proceeded to untie the big ribbon and open the box. He laughed when he saw what was inside.
A few years back Dawn had developed a passion for collecting Care Bears. Her collection was so extensive that she needed extra storage space so she put about half of it in Spike's lair. Every day that Spike spent staring at their demonic happy faces, his hate for Care Bears grew. One night, in a mad fit of rage, he shot one of Dawn's favorite bears in the eye with a crossbow. Dawn didn't talk to him for weeks and decided to store the bears at Willow's house, fearing for their safety. Dawn soon lost interest in Care Bears but never trusted Spike with her stuffed animals again.
Inside the box was a pink Care Bear, the same one he had shot in the eye. The bear was dressed in full motorcycle gang attire and had a pair of flashy sunglasses on.
"Lovely." Spike said.
* * * * * (That night)
As soon as she got off work at Linquiry (A computer company that sold organizer software to large businesses.) she changed into her pink Converse's and overalls. (Her usual outfit for her weekly photography class.) Willow opened to door to her Toyota Solara and plopped down on the seat. As she drove down the highway she listened to The Beatles' white album. When "Back in the USSR" came on she shouted along to the words happily. She drove up to the newly rebuilt Sunnydale Recreation Center. As she was walking up the cement path to the main entrance she heard a voice behind her.
"You know, it would be a lot easier to get in touch with you if you'd get an answering machine, Willow."
Willow turned around and saw a skinny man with flaming red hair wearing a Nirvana tee shirt. Just as she had remembered him. "Oz!" She shrieked at hurried over to give him a big hug. He smiled and hugged her back.
"How did you find me?" She asked.
"Oh I just went over to the Magic Shop and asked Buffy. They said you had a photography class here. It's great to see you."
"Yeah you too! You know if you want to hang out I can just skip this class, it's drop-in anyway."
"Okay, you want to go get some coffee?"
"Yeah you want to take my car?" She asked. She didn't see any other cars in the parking lot.
He pondered for a moment. "Have you ever been on a Moped before?"
* * * * *
The next morning Buffy was busy preparing pancakes and a fruit platter for breakfast when Dawn came downstairs.
"Buffy can I go see the midnight screening of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at The Aquarius with my friends tonight? Jane just called and she said that Ellie and Sean are going to be there." Dawn asked cheerily.
"No. It's rated R and there's always hobos and scary people at the midnight shows."
"Please! Come on Buffy you let me see R rated movies all the time!"
"No."
The smile on Dawn's face was replaced with an expression of complete disgust.
"Buffy you never let me do anything! Just because you only see the vampires and evil people in this town and you think that vampires are the only men out there doesn't mean that every time I go out someone's going to go at me with an ax or something! You won't even let me go to a concert like everyone else because you think someone's going to force feed me LSD!" Dawn yelled and scowled at Buffy.
"Dawn, I'm just trying to protect you! When I was 17 there weren't as much drugs and bad people out there! Stop being such a self absorbed little brat! This isn't a matter of life and death you know!" Buffy repented.
"You're raising me in a distrusting environment!" Dawn yelled. She stomped across the room and slammed the door behind her, obviously unaware that she was still in her nightgown.
(Outside on the front porch)
Dawn grunted loudly with rage, then looked down at her nightgown.
"Dammit!"
She didn't want to go anywhere in her nightgown but also didn't want to risk ruining her perfect exit by going in again and changing, then leaving AGAIN. So instead she just sat down on the porch swing and scowled some more.
* * * * *
Inspirations from other works:
The care bear idea was Rekkha's. Merci beaucoup chica! You got me out of my 7 day slump! Angsty teens goes out to Jessie.
