Welcome back! It's another chapter up and out of my story!! I hope you've enjoyed the story so far, and thanks to the special few who have reviewed. Please, if you read this story, I wish to get more reviews! Hehe, what can I say? Thanks, and here it goes!
Disclaimer Do I own Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Sadly, no.
"AHHHHHHHH! This is the worst thing to ever happen!"
It was the next morning in the Summers' house, and the youngest girl was locked up inside of the bathroom. Buffy, running out from her bedroom in her blue fluffy bathrobe, slammed her fist against the door. "Dawn! Dawn, what's wrong? Open up!" With another hard slam, the door was forced open.
Surprised and taken back, Dawn stared at Buffy through blonde locks. A tear streaking down her chin, Buffy went over to her and took her hair in her fingers. "Dawn, what is this?"
Sobbing wildly, Dawn pushed her away. "I dyed it, okay? I wanted a new, sexy look."
"Dawn, the only thing good about your hair is that it looks terrible! Why did you do this? You're fifteen, you don't need to look sexy."
Running out from the bathroom, Dawn flew through the broken door. Buffy, staring down at the floor, met her eyes with a puddle of hair dye. 'Great...' she thought miserably.
She walked downstairs, where Willow and Tara were propped up on the couch, watching television. "Morning, Buffy." Willow smiled up at Buffy happily, her eyes sparkling. With a slight grunt, Buffy moved through the house to where she found a mop. After the mess was cleaned up, all of the girls in the house, besides Buffy, that is, were ready for the day.
"Buffy, I'm going to take Dawn to school, if that's alright." Tara called upstairs.
"That would be great, thanks!" Came the voice from upstairs.
Dawn, her hair wrapped up in a bun behind her head, hung her head low in embarrassment. 'What's in to Buffy lately?'
At the hospital
Anya's sleepy head was rested gently against Xander's muscular arm. He looked fondly at his fiancé, sighing in contentment and anxiety. The doctors had told him about his condition shortly after his surgery, and had been restless ever since. After quite a few more minutes, Anya's snores were stiffened and she was conscious. "'Morning, sweetie," Xander said with a sigh. He stroked her fair hair with his hand, his hot breath blowing onto Anya's face. She leaned in towards his weary face and kissed his lips. Smiling, they both looked into each others eyes, just happy to be together.
"What's going to happen now?" Anya whispered to him.
Looking down, he whispered back. "I don't know."
"Even though I defend most demons, I do not defend this one. He's ruined our wedding, and I'll make sure that...Buffy makes him pay."
Grinning sheepishly, Xander took her hand into his, rubbing the back of it. "Anya, our wedding isn't ruined. Just because I might not be able to stand (he strained at these words), doesn't mean that our wedding will be ruined. It will be perfect."
Still not totally convinced, Anya looked back at him, trying her best to smile, for his sake.
Later that day, at the Magic Box
Willow stood behind the counter, lifting magical objects off the shelves with her telekinetic powers. She was bored and restless, the same as all the other scoobies. Although Tara was also in the shop with her, she would make sure she did not see the witch practicing her art.
Tara was half-heartedly searching through various books on the demon of the previous two nights. Each book was represented with a Latin inscription on the cover of its leathery exterior. "Willow, there are no costumers, so why not help me find the demon."
Willow sighed, releasing a talisman from her magical grasp. "Well, I just hope today is a slow day because Xander was hurt, because then Anya is making no money." Willow closed the cash register, walking towards the table and sitting opposite Tara. "Okay, so what do we have here?"
Tara reached for another book and dropped it in front of Willow, barely looking up in the process. "I've narrowed it down to these books. Look for any demon with love powers."
Willow let the corners of her lips slide down into a frown. "Are you mad at me, baby?"
Tara knitted her eyebrows together. "No, no, I'm n-not mad at you. It's just I'm upset at what happened to Xander, and I really want to find this demon."
Despairingly, Willow nodded and continued to search through the book. After a few quiet moments, she let a gasp escape her lips. "Here! Here's something. There's a demon called a Rysterca. It has the ability to capture the most intimate feelings, whether past or present, of a certain person and make them realize and show them. Mostly, these feelings are of love. It can make a person 'in love' with another person, even if they truly are not in love with them." She looked up at Tara, who was now looking over Willow's shoulder. "It all fits. There was once a time when Xander was in love with Buffy. The demon must have realized this and made him show his feelings once again."
Starting to understand, Tara chimed in. "That could mean that the demon could make any of us show how much we love someone." Looking thoughtful for a moment, she scratched her head considerately. "I wonder if Buffy knew that."
Flailing her arms in the air, Willow stood up. "Oh! Buffy! Call Buffy!" She went to the phone exasperatedly and dialed the number.
Buffy, still at home, managing the chores to be done around the house, picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Buffy? It's me. We have information on the demon." After minutes beyond minutes of explanation, Buffy spoke.
"Thanks, Will. I'll be there soon."
True to her word, Buffy was there in twenty minutes. Her hair was laid around her shoulders sweetly, and her eyes shone with determination. She walked up to the table and sat down, not even saying hello.
Looking between the two of them, Tara and Willow looked worriedly at their friend. Her behavior as odd as it was, they knew better than to ask what was wrong. Sighing, Willow returned to the counter. Tara, deciding to leave the very powerful slayer to herself, went to the back of the shop to get more books on the discovered demon.
Buffy yawned, not having much sleep the prior night. Repeating the words from the book, her voice was a monotone drone. "The Rysterca is a love demon. Although the demon may seem evil indeed, it is good by nature. It's main purpose in its dimension is to provoke unwanted feelings between two beings. It usually comes to a certain location to solve one's problems with emotions." Slamming the book shut, Buffy let out a shriek of impatience. "This isn't helping! It doesn't tell us how to destroy the demon!"
Bashfully, Tara came back to the table. "M-maybe we don't need to kill the d-demon."
Glaring, Buffy turned to her. Feeling immediately guilty, she softened her expression. Tara was only trying to help, and Buffy was acting like a bitch. (well, its true!) Combing her fingers through her hair, she laid her head in her hand. "Emotions. Feelings. Why couldn't it just be a demon with a reason for mischief!" Sighing once more, she closed her eyes. 'Love IS mischief.'
Out of the blue, Willow asked no one in particular, "If the demon makes us love one another, then how come Xander only loved Buffy for a moment?"
Turning towards her Wicca friend, Buffy stroked her hair through her fingers. "Who knows? Maybe the demon didn't have a lasting effect on Xander. We just need to learn how to stop the Rysterca. It may be trying to do good, but this could get ugly."
Coincidently, a vibe went through the room. Like a stroke of unlucky magics, Tara started to feel the 'love' everyone was feeling. Her eyes glazing over, she looked towards Willow. In turn, Willow looked towards Tara. Realization sweeping over her, Buffy decided to leave the room, rolling her eyes. She entered the training room, where she and Giles had spent many training sessions together. Out of grief for missing her former tutor, tears formed in her green eyes.
Through the back door came a flaming figure, one who was wearing an old overcoat, currently on fire. Screaming and running, Spike finally put the fire out, and stood near the flustered slayer. Wiping the ashes off of himself, he looked into her crying eyes. "Buffy, what's wrong?"
Agitated, Buffy remembered the previous night, and how she felt about Spike. "NO!" She screamed, facing away from him. Looking quite bedazzled (great word), Spike put a hand on her back. She ran away from him, and started to punch and kick at the punching bag in the corner of the room. "I'm-not-feeling-this-way-I-can't-feel-this-WAY!" With one last punch, the bag was thrown off the ceiling. Tired and weakened, Buffy fell to the floor, but instead landed in Spike's arms. They sat on the floor, Buffy weeping and Spike pulling the hair out of her tearful eyes.
The door to the training room was opened, and Tara and Willow came through, after hearing the noises coming from the back. Both looking heated and messy, they looked over the scene, seeing Buffy rolled up in a heap on the floor, shaking uncontrollably. They ran to her side, and quickly, Tara did a Calming Incantation. Soon, Buffy was asleep. Willow and Tara carried her over to the couch, where she slept soundly.
Whispering quietly, both of the witches returned to the Magic Box, leaving the sleeping girl in peace and Spike to find his way out. Willow turned towards her fellow witch, a look of sorrow on her face. "This is Rysterca's work. Buffy is suffering. This has to stop."
Nodding in agreement, Tara reached for the phone and started to dial. "Yes, Rupert Giles, please."
Whoo! Now THAT was a tough chapter. I had some difficulty writing it, so I hope everyone appreciated it!! My eyes hurt me now.
Well, I think I'm going to sleep now. Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed. It means a lot to me. It keeps me going. Well, until next time, this is Heidi saying, BUFFY AND SPIKE FOREVER!
Disclaimer Do I own Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Sadly, no.
"AHHHHHHHH! This is the worst thing to ever happen!"
It was the next morning in the Summers' house, and the youngest girl was locked up inside of the bathroom. Buffy, running out from her bedroom in her blue fluffy bathrobe, slammed her fist against the door. "Dawn! Dawn, what's wrong? Open up!" With another hard slam, the door was forced open.
Surprised and taken back, Dawn stared at Buffy through blonde locks. A tear streaking down her chin, Buffy went over to her and took her hair in her fingers. "Dawn, what is this?"
Sobbing wildly, Dawn pushed her away. "I dyed it, okay? I wanted a new, sexy look."
"Dawn, the only thing good about your hair is that it looks terrible! Why did you do this? You're fifteen, you don't need to look sexy."
Running out from the bathroom, Dawn flew through the broken door. Buffy, staring down at the floor, met her eyes with a puddle of hair dye. 'Great...' she thought miserably.
She walked downstairs, where Willow and Tara were propped up on the couch, watching television. "Morning, Buffy." Willow smiled up at Buffy happily, her eyes sparkling. With a slight grunt, Buffy moved through the house to where she found a mop. After the mess was cleaned up, all of the girls in the house, besides Buffy, that is, were ready for the day.
"Buffy, I'm going to take Dawn to school, if that's alright." Tara called upstairs.
"That would be great, thanks!" Came the voice from upstairs.
Dawn, her hair wrapped up in a bun behind her head, hung her head low in embarrassment. 'What's in to Buffy lately?'
At the hospital
Anya's sleepy head was rested gently against Xander's muscular arm. He looked fondly at his fiancé, sighing in contentment and anxiety. The doctors had told him about his condition shortly after his surgery, and had been restless ever since. After quite a few more minutes, Anya's snores were stiffened and she was conscious. "'Morning, sweetie," Xander said with a sigh. He stroked her fair hair with his hand, his hot breath blowing onto Anya's face. She leaned in towards his weary face and kissed his lips. Smiling, they both looked into each others eyes, just happy to be together.
"What's going to happen now?" Anya whispered to him.
Looking down, he whispered back. "I don't know."
"Even though I defend most demons, I do not defend this one. He's ruined our wedding, and I'll make sure that...Buffy makes him pay."
Grinning sheepishly, Xander took her hand into his, rubbing the back of it. "Anya, our wedding isn't ruined. Just because I might not be able to stand (he strained at these words), doesn't mean that our wedding will be ruined. It will be perfect."
Still not totally convinced, Anya looked back at him, trying her best to smile, for his sake.
Later that day, at the Magic Box
Willow stood behind the counter, lifting magical objects off the shelves with her telekinetic powers. She was bored and restless, the same as all the other scoobies. Although Tara was also in the shop with her, she would make sure she did not see the witch practicing her art.
Tara was half-heartedly searching through various books on the demon of the previous two nights. Each book was represented with a Latin inscription on the cover of its leathery exterior. "Willow, there are no costumers, so why not help me find the demon."
Willow sighed, releasing a talisman from her magical grasp. "Well, I just hope today is a slow day because Xander was hurt, because then Anya is making no money." Willow closed the cash register, walking towards the table and sitting opposite Tara. "Okay, so what do we have here?"
Tara reached for another book and dropped it in front of Willow, barely looking up in the process. "I've narrowed it down to these books. Look for any demon with love powers."
Willow let the corners of her lips slide down into a frown. "Are you mad at me, baby?"
Tara knitted her eyebrows together. "No, no, I'm n-not mad at you. It's just I'm upset at what happened to Xander, and I really want to find this demon."
Despairingly, Willow nodded and continued to search through the book. After a few quiet moments, she let a gasp escape her lips. "Here! Here's something. There's a demon called a Rysterca. It has the ability to capture the most intimate feelings, whether past or present, of a certain person and make them realize and show them. Mostly, these feelings are of love. It can make a person 'in love' with another person, even if they truly are not in love with them." She looked up at Tara, who was now looking over Willow's shoulder. "It all fits. There was once a time when Xander was in love with Buffy. The demon must have realized this and made him show his feelings once again."
Starting to understand, Tara chimed in. "That could mean that the demon could make any of us show how much we love someone." Looking thoughtful for a moment, she scratched her head considerately. "I wonder if Buffy knew that."
Flailing her arms in the air, Willow stood up. "Oh! Buffy! Call Buffy!" She went to the phone exasperatedly and dialed the number.
Buffy, still at home, managing the chores to be done around the house, picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Buffy? It's me. We have information on the demon." After minutes beyond minutes of explanation, Buffy spoke.
"Thanks, Will. I'll be there soon."
True to her word, Buffy was there in twenty minutes. Her hair was laid around her shoulders sweetly, and her eyes shone with determination. She walked up to the table and sat down, not even saying hello.
Looking between the two of them, Tara and Willow looked worriedly at their friend. Her behavior as odd as it was, they knew better than to ask what was wrong. Sighing, Willow returned to the counter. Tara, deciding to leave the very powerful slayer to herself, went to the back of the shop to get more books on the discovered demon.
Buffy yawned, not having much sleep the prior night. Repeating the words from the book, her voice was a monotone drone. "The Rysterca is a love demon. Although the demon may seem evil indeed, it is good by nature. It's main purpose in its dimension is to provoke unwanted feelings between two beings. It usually comes to a certain location to solve one's problems with emotions." Slamming the book shut, Buffy let out a shriek of impatience. "This isn't helping! It doesn't tell us how to destroy the demon!"
Bashfully, Tara came back to the table. "M-maybe we don't need to kill the d-demon."
Glaring, Buffy turned to her. Feeling immediately guilty, she softened her expression. Tara was only trying to help, and Buffy was acting like a bitch. (well, its true!) Combing her fingers through her hair, she laid her head in her hand. "Emotions. Feelings. Why couldn't it just be a demon with a reason for mischief!" Sighing once more, she closed her eyes. 'Love IS mischief.'
Out of the blue, Willow asked no one in particular, "If the demon makes us love one another, then how come Xander only loved Buffy for a moment?"
Turning towards her Wicca friend, Buffy stroked her hair through her fingers. "Who knows? Maybe the demon didn't have a lasting effect on Xander. We just need to learn how to stop the Rysterca. It may be trying to do good, but this could get ugly."
Coincidently, a vibe went through the room. Like a stroke of unlucky magics, Tara started to feel the 'love' everyone was feeling. Her eyes glazing over, she looked towards Willow. In turn, Willow looked towards Tara. Realization sweeping over her, Buffy decided to leave the room, rolling her eyes. She entered the training room, where she and Giles had spent many training sessions together. Out of grief for missing her former tutor, tears formed in her green eyes.
Through the back door came a flaming figure, one who was wearing an old overcoat, currently on fire. Screaming and running, Spike finally put the fire out, and stood near the flustered slayer. Wiping the ashes off of himself, he looked into her crying eyes. "Buffy, what's wrong?"
Agitated, Buffy remembered the previous night, and how she felt about Spike. "NO!" She screamed, facing away from him. Looking quite bedazzled (great word), Spike put a hand on her back. She ran away from him, and started to punch and kick at the punching bag in the corner of the room. "I'm-not-feeling-this-way-I-can't-feel-this-WAY!" With one last punch, the bag was thrown off the ceiling. Tired and weakened, Buffy fell to the floor, but instead landed in Spike's arms. They sat on the floor, Buffy weeping and Spike pulling the hair out of her tearful eyes.
The door to the training room was opened, and Tara and Willow came through, after hearing the noises coming from the back. Both looking heated and messy, they looked over the scene, seeing Buffy rolled up in a heap on the floor, shaking uncontrollably. They ran to her side, and quickly, Tara did a Calming Incantation. Soon, Buffy was asleep. Willow and Tara carried her over to the couch, where she slept soundly.
Whispering quietly, both of the witches returned to the Magic Box, leaving the sleeping girl in peace and Spike to find his way out. Willow turned towards her fellow witch, a look of sorrow on her face. "This is Rysterca's work. Buffy is suffering. This has to stop."
Nodding in agreement, Tara reached for the phone and started to dial. "Yes, Rupert Giles, please."
Whoo! Now THAT was a tough chapter. I had some difficulty writing it, so I hope everyone appreciated it!! My eyes hurt me now.
Well, I think I'm going to sleep now. Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed. It means a lot to me. It keeps me going. Well, until next time, this is Heidi saying, BUFFY AND SPIKE FOREVER!