Chapter 32:
The three girls made their way through the streets, the sun was beating down on them as they made their way to the magic box. Tara, Willow and Saff were almost skipping through the town, the weather was so nice, and it made their moods improve. The witches trusted her, they had no reason not to. They knew more than anyone, including Saff herself, what the fear of losing friends over being in a relationship was like. Their conversation had turned to the most recent events, which didn't match the sunny weather, they were discussing the robot that had visited Sunnydale looking for Warren.
"That poor girl. She would never have stopped until she found him again and again" Tara said sadly, referring to Warren's robot that had recently come to town that Buffy and the others had had to deal with.
"Well, she was a robot. I really wish I could get my hands on her" Willow said, before quickly adding, "You know, to study how she was made. Strictly work, no play" Willow confirmed, going red at the implication she had wanted a robot for herself.
"I mean can you imagine being desperate enough to make a sex robot? And what was with the super strength thing? Unless he was into being held down I suppose…" Saffron considered. She looked at the other two girls, trailing off when he saw their faces. They didn't seem to want to discuss this any further and Saffron just shrugged.
"Are you excited for your birthday, Saffy?" Willow asked quickly, diverting the conversation from taking another turn. Both girls linked her arm on either side as she started to answer. Tara and Saffron winced slightly at the icy cold feeling on contact, but neither of them said anything.
"You know, just hoping a certain bitch of a slayer doesn't seek me out and finally kill me off this year. That's one birthday tradition I don't want a repeat of" Saffron said laughing, but she meant every word. A big part of her was nervous for her birthday. She had a weird feeling and she blamed Faith because of it. They rounded the corner and the Magic Box was in sight.
"Hey, I'm sure you have absolutely nothing to worry about!" Willow said, enthusiastically which made Saffron smile at her friend. They all quickened their pace as the store came into view.
"Famous last words Will" Saff replied, shaking her head slightly, still smiling. She had decided to be cautious this time, she planned on making it past her first day of turning 20. The three of them broke from linking arms so they could get through the front door of the shop. As they entered, they caught the end of a discussion between Buffy, Xander and Giles and the three girls stopped as they listened in.
"Why does bleach boy have to come to Saff's party?" Xander whined, taking a big bite out of a donut. He was finally okay with Saffron, but he wasn't okay with Spike. At all.
"You know why, Xander" Buffy warned him, giving him a look. She understood how he felt, but she saw the way the two cared for each other and she had decided to be supportive of her cousin, especially in front of the others who weren't so accepting.
"I dare say I actually, ah, agree with Xander for once" Giles said, "It is a surprise party, we could simply say that we forgot to mention it to him…" Giles trailed off as he cast an eye to the front of the shop and seeing the very girl they were planning a surprise party for. He took his glasses off and cleaned them vigorously.
"Surprise…" Will said with her hands up as she turned to Saffron. Saff rolled her eyes at them all, but smiled that they had still been planning her a party despite everything that had happened recently. Buffy turned to Xander and gave him a frown, she shoved his shoulder for revealing the party to Saffron as he complained and mentioned that Giles was the one that had said the words surprise party. Saffron crossed her arms and looked around the room.
"Well at least now I can shut this thing down. No party, guys. I don't want to attract attention to any of us" She hoped that they understood what she meant by that, but the others all complained at the same time. She didn't want to mention Dawn in case one of Glory's minions was hanging around.
"You're gonna be 20!"
"Saffy! It'll be fun!"
"Come on, we need this!"
"You have to celebrate, SP! We know how much you love to boo-gie!" Xander piped up, smiling at her. She finally gave in when she noticed they all really wanted her to have a party.
"Fine! But if anyone tries to kill me, I'm banning parties, full stop. Okay?" She warned them as they cheered. She shook her head and started to walk over to her Tarot reading table. She closed the curtains so customers knew not to disturb her just yet as she started to set everything up.
Saffron was shuffling her tarot cards slowly. She could hear the chatter in the store as it was another busy day. She decided she was going to open the curtain to show she was ready to take readings. She was going to open it earlier, but one customer had kept bugging her to do a reading so she had stubbornly kept the curtains closed for another thirty minutes to spite her. She didn't owe anyone a reading, especially someone who was rudely pressuring her. She got up to pull the curtain back, but something stopped her. A voice.
"Is the one you may call the eye here?" A masculine voice asked. He spat the word 'you' with disdain. It sounded as if it was near the till. Saffron moved closer to the curtain and peaked through the gap in the curtains to see what was going on. Giles answered him, telling him that he had plenty of salamander eyes in jars on the counter. The customer shook his head and repeated his question. A cold chill froze Saffron to the spot. His intentions weren't good. He scanned the room and Saffron gasped when she saw his face. The man was dressed all in white, from his shoes to the beret on his head. The only thing that wasn't white was a small logo embroidered on his white polo top, which was a stitched yellow eye. His face was what she had paid the most attention to, however. His face looked as if it had melted, and it glowed a bright white light. She blinked at the light, it was so bright it made green patterns on the inside of her eyelids. When she looked back, it was a normal human face. Almost attractive, she thought with a frown. The man continued to scan the room before angrily slamming his fist into the nearby table which snapped as if it was a twig. He seemed frustrated his eye wasn't there. The customers all scattered and left as Saffron stayed rooted to the spot, watching through the gap between the curtain. Giles started to walk towards him but stopped short. Most of the Scoobies were now behind the counter. Xander was looking for anything they could use as a weapon. Buffy ran over from the back room where she had been training and quickly took the man on. He was incredibly strong, but still no match for Buffy. She threw in some kicks for good measure as he started to make a run for it to the exit. He stopped briefly when he saw an eye peaking through the curtain but looked behind him and rushed out of the door.
"And stay out!" Xander shouted as the man ran down the street.
"Unless you bring money and want to exchange it for any merchandise!" Anya added, shouting after the man. Willow pulled a face at what Anya said, but turned to the rest of the group to see what they were all thinking.
"What do you reckon he meant? The eye?" Buffy looked to Giles for clues. The man was grieving for the loss of another expensive piece of furniture as he looked at the table that was now two tables.
"Well he said I might call it that, so perhaps a-an idol of sorts? A deity or, well it could just be an average demon. I'll-"
"Consult the books" Everyone chorused, guessing what Giles was about to say before he said it.
"Well yes" He said, looking a bit deflated. This soon changed as his eyes lit up at the dusty volumes he found on the shelf that he was excited to get stuck into.
"Did you see his shirt? Maybe he's the real eye and he wants to find out who's been committing identity theft" Xander said, trying to make a joke. The others all grabbed a book each, ready to join in on the research party.
"Who or what could it be?"
"Me" Saffron said, finally coming out from behind her curtain as everyone stared at her, a sudden realisation on their faces. Drusilla had called her the eye before she left. She had the sight; she must be the eye. It was her he was after.
xoxoxo
It was a dark, stormy night. The murky clouds swirled with the deep blue hues of the night sky. No stars could be seen as the sky was completely blanketed in the thick rain clouds. The rain hadn't long since finished pouring for the evening and usually it would be a welcome break from the stifling heat of California, but it was so out of place it made the atmosphere even more odd. The graveyard was silent. Too silent. The only noise that could be heard were the footprints of the heavy, black boots on the soft ground. The silence was unnerving, and this was the reason she stumbled and fell onto a fresh grave. The thick mound of dirt cushioned her fall, but it wasn't a pleasant place to stop for a rest.
"Shit. Sorry, uh…" She checked the name of the gravestone, "Mr. Michael Thompson. Thanks for catching my fall, such a gentleman" She whispered to the mound of now flattened earth, as if she was expecting a reply. She stood up slowly and started dusting herself off. A twig snapped behind her and she froze. Mr Thompson couldn't save her now. A chilling shiver ran down her spine as she didn't dare look behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck were raised and she pulled her leather jacket around her to warm herself up. She tried to plan a route out of this, but it seemed hopeless. She could tell her every move was being watched.
She sprung into movement quickly, if they had blinked, they would have missed her. But they never blink. She walked quickly to her destination, which turned into a sprint that champion athletes would have been jealous of. She rounded the corner and counted the third crypt on the left. If she just made it there, she should be safe. She still couldn't dare look behind her, her hands were shaking as she fumbled with the familiar door to try and gain access.
"Shit, shit, shit! Let me in" She slammed her hands into the door in frustration, she must have miscounted in her panic. She had little time to reach the right one now. It felt like she had already lost. She made one last feeble attempt at opening the door, before she turned to face the music. She hoped it would be quick. She leant back against the crypt door, holding her breath as she awaited her fate.
The door behind her opened inwards and she fell back and landed hard on her back. She looked up as a muscled, bleach-blonde man loomed over her. He was leather-clad and all in black with a cigarette between his lips. He tilted his head to examine her, clearly confused at the way she had entered his crypt. He leaned over to wrench the door shut before turning back to her.
"You could have said it was you, pet. I thought it was Harmony on the bloody lam again" He said, not noticing how spooked Saffron was. He leaned in to take her arm and help her up. She hadn't managed to speak yet, it was as if the fear had stolen her voice. She silently walked over to the sofa and sat on the edge, shifting every so often, unable to get comfortable. Spike closed the fridge and she jumped violently. He looked at her with concern, finally realising something was wrong. "Honeysuckle?" He asked kneeling in front of her, "Saff?" He tried instead.
"They're after me"
"Who? Who's after you, love?" His expression became more serious, he wanted to protect her if someone was targeting her.
"The men- the men in white"
"We've been over this, not every vampire is after you, love. You're not that bloody biteable"
"N-no the men in white, they think I'm the eye. Or, well, not the eye. They want me dead" She explained. She managed to elaborate further, to explain to him exactly what had happened at the Magic box earlier that day and the research telling them it was a part of some kind of cult. She could tell she was being followed as she walked through the streets to get to the crypt and she didn't know if they were just watching or they wanted more. She had stood up and started pacing as she told her story, she was nervous just thinking about it. Spike had tried to get her to sit, the moving about was doing his head in but she just kept talking. She was scared. She always talked too much when she was like this.
"Sit down" Spike loudly cut through another account of how the trees had eyes as she walked past them, "Sit. Down." He ordered again as she just stood there. She finally listened to him, moving towards the couch, biting the skin around her nails as she went. He sat next to her, in his usual place, "I think I know how I can cheer you up" He whispered in her ear. He moved her hand from her face, saving the skin around her nails from a fate worse than death.
"I'm not in the mood… I know, shocker" she said when he raised his eyebrows, before adding, "Sort of afraid for my life here"
"No, not that. Although, later… when you're out of death's clutches" He added, winking slightly. He reached into his pocket and took out a small package. She quickly took the package and unwrapped it, looking up at him confused as she started to see flashes of silver. She tore the paper away and it revealed a lighter. A silver lighter, the kind spike used was now in her hands. She clasped the cold metal and smiled at it. It was beautiful. She looked up at Spike and grinned, temporarily forgetting that people were trying to kill her. It was perfect. He took it from her hands and flipped it over, revealing it had been engraved.
S.V.P., her initials.
She smiled wider and launched herself at him, a hug that would have surely crushed his bones if he had been human. She whispered her thank yous and peppered his face in tiny kisses to show her appreciation before turning back to the small silver gift. She smiled, feeling the weight of it in her hands.
"How about we christen it, Honey?" He took two cigarettes from his own pack and handed her over one. She flicked the side, igniting the flame as they both leaned in to light up. Eyes both bright as they stared into each other's through the light of the flame. This is what love feels like. The truest form.
Spike did everything he could to try and distract her from her worries. She had been staring over at the door for half of the night, and her gift for the other half. He eventually decided that a movie would have to do. He had started to collect videos he thought she might like. Some were from the dump, but most were stolen from video rental stores whenever he got the chance. Her face seemed to light up when she saw a new one and he loved seeing the excitement light up her face too much to stop. Even if some of the videos were girly flicks he had no intention of actually watching.
"No horror, I've had enough of jump-scares for one day" She said over her shoulder as she fixed them some drinks. He was looking through the collection, trying to find one that would keep her attention enough to forget about the threat, but not so much that she wouldn't pay him plenty of attention as well. She said he could pick, she just wanted to sit on the sofa and do nothing. She was tired, on edge and just needed her boyfriend close to her. They finally settled in, drinks in their hands and a movie on the box. They curled up together and Saff was visibly starting to relax in his presence, yawning and she nestling closer to him.
There was a knock at the door. The eerie sound echoed through the crypt. Both of them jolted, sitting upright. The pair looked at each other, clearly spooked. No one ever knocked. Spike stalked over and wrenched the door open to reveal… absolutely nothing. He sighed and returned to the sofa, slamming the door behind him and sitting back with a thud. He settled close to Saffron, leaning his head to rest on top of hers as they relaxed into each other once more. They almost managed to reach the end of the film before another knock rang out.
"What is this knock-a-door-bloody-run?" He shouted into the quiet night. He slammed the door once again, exhaling his frustration as he turned back to her. He paused for a split second when he saw her face, she was scared. He didn't think he had ever seen that look placed so prominently on her face before. He never wanted to see it again either.
Spike ushered his love to the lower level of the crypt, her eyes wouldn't move from the door and he felt her worry as much as his own. Saffron shakily laid out some clothes for the next day, they were going for a meal with Joyce and the others. Spike was invited this year and Joyce was talking about smuggling him some pigs blood in a hip flask. It was safe to say that Joyce approved of their relationship. Of their love. They were set to meet the others at lunch time for her birthday tradition before she went to her 'surprise' party. Spike was taking the underground route to the restaurant and Joyce had requested a table that was downstairs, with all curtains closed. She cited a sun allergy which made Saffron smile. Spike had never known such platonic care, especially since he had been sired, he truly saw Joyce as a treasure. As family.
Saffron didn't really want to go, she wanted to hide here in Spike's arms and he could tell. But he didn't want her to miss something so important. A day to celebrate her. His whispered laments, between soft kisses on her exposed skin, told her she was strong. That she shouldn't stop living her life because of a threat. She had looked death in the eye and won many times, he joked that she had cheated death more times than he had taken lives. This earned him a harsh look, that softened when she realised he was trying to distract her with humour. The way she always tried to do for him. He pulled her into his side, the bed swallowing them up in a nest of blankets. It was safety and warmth and she wouldn't have it any other way. If this was her last moment, she could go happily by his side.
xoxoxo
The party was going surprisingly well. Too well, Saffron thought to herself. She had a strange feeling. She had been enjoying her friends company, her party was in the front room of Revello and plenty of people were walking around and dancing. They'd had cake and presents and now they were partying until the sun came up (partially because when the sun did come up, Saff wanted to go to bed with Spike). Spike had an arm around her, he had noticed the watcher, well, watching and he wanted to show that he was definitely staying at the party. He leaned in, planting a kiss on the side of her head which made her beam up at him. She sighed happily, she had never had a party go this well. She was surrounded by people happy and wanting her around, she could feel it. So why was there that doubt in the back of her mind? Her smile had dropped and Spike was acutely aware that her mind was wandering somewhere it didn't need to. He cleared his throat, acting a gentleman as he moved from her side.
"Wanna dance, love?" Spike asked, holding his hand out for her to take. This snapped her out of whatever she had been thinking as she looked back to him, focusing her eyes properly this time.
"What like fight me? Now?" She asked, confused, "I wanna party" She pouted. Spike rolled his eyes and took her hand in his, bringing her to the middle of the room that was now a dancefloor. He started to dance to the loud music and she smiled widely and started to jump about in time with him. Saffron had convinced a band she liked called Tea for Tigers, an L.A punk band she had seen a few times, to play when she had found out about her 'surprise' party. She couldn't trust the others taste in music. The pair were having a good time dancing wildly to the music and Spike hadn't had this much fun in public for a while. He didn't care what anyone else thought, he was just glad Saff was having a good time. It had been a task convincing her to come to her own party. She had been adamant that something was coming after her.
From across the room, Willow, Tara, Buffy and Xander were watching the pair laughing and jumping around. Buffy couldn't help smiling at her cousin, she seemed happier than she'd seen her in, well, ever.
"You have to admit, they're sweet together" Willow said, grinning at how her friend seemed to glow with happiness in Spike's presence. Tara nodded, her and Willow were happy again too – they had had a fight when Willow found out that Tara knew first but made up quickly. The girls held hands and looked at each other lovingly as Xander responded.
"Yeah, in a he's your average murderer about to pick her as his next victim kinda way" Xander crossed his arms, not willing to see any good in their relationship.
"Look, I wasn't happy about it, but you can't deny their feelings, Xander. At least she's happy" Buffy said. She hadn't come to terms with it completely, but her and Spike had an understanding now. Xander thought about this, he still couldn't stomach the thought of one of his best friends being with Spike. But he let it go, seeing as it was Saff's birthday.
Giles watched the pair from the corner of the room, sipping slowly on his whiskey. They did seem to be enamoured with each other in a way he had only seen once before. He shook his head from that thought, as he had expected that hadn't ended well either. But he could see there was definitely something between them.
Suddenly, every entrance to the house was smashed into, loud noise making it hard to know where to look, how to protect themselves. A large group of men in white robes and berets appeared, various weapons in their hands as their eyes scanned the room for their target. The people that had been enjoying the party all backed away from the men the best they could. Buffy sighed, ready to take on whatever this was. Spike grabbed Saff's hand and pulled her to the middle of the room with the rest of the Scoobies. He kept one eye on her and the other on the possible threat. He couldn't lose her.
"Look, can't you have a night off? This was supposed to be mine" Buffy pouted as she reached for the weapon she had kept with her. Just in case.
"We have come for the imposter" The man, apparently the spokesperson for the group, said from behind his all-white mask. He was dressed slightly differently from the others and the hood of his cloak had fallen to reveal dark, long hair that they instantly recognised as the man from earlier.
"Look, nobody's going anywhere with you lot looking like that. You all look like members of the KKK. Fuck off" Saffron shouted. Spike frowned at her, she needed to keep quiet. He couldn't lose her. He placed a hand on her waist, for protection and to remind her he was right there with her.
"She speaks with command, as if her eye were the truth. The arrogance is potent as she recruits her comrades to the cause. A false cause that-"
"Why are you speaking like that? It's the millennium, kids, we talk like totally better than that now" Spike's grip on her waist tightened as she spoke, she seemed to be riling them up on purpose and he wasn't sure why. Neither was she.
"We are the Order. We serve the true eye. May He be the judgement as we smite it down on His behalf"
"Over my undead body, mate" Spike said loudly, standing in front of Saffron protectively.
"Seriously, I don't give one about your Order of the Phoenix or whatever is going on here. Your eye probably is true and bright and I'm sure you serve it like really well" She said from behind of Spike. The members of the group kept looking around the room, evaluating the party-goers, trying to make sure they had the right one.
"We are here for the false prophet, the one that disrespects the true eye!" The main one who had been doing the talking got angry and walked up to where Spike was stood in front of Saffron.
"Can I just ask? Is the creepy phantom of the opera mask a fashion statement or to stop blinding everyone in your presence? Cos, you guys might wanna focus less on the eyes and more on what's going on with your faces. Perhaps a doctor or something?" All of the people in the masks turned to face her. They were in no doubt now that she was the false prophet, as they put it. Only it would see the light, it was their strength against it. They all stood in a defensive stance, ready to fight her. The Scoobies, and Spike, matched their stance. Ready to fight for her. Suddenly, all of the masked intruders put the palms of their hands over their eyes, or the eye holes of their masks, and all spoke at the same time, as if they were praying.
"O Leander! O Leander! May your eye see us through. May your presence guide us against this evil. For thine is the glory, the power and the sight. Rid us of thee, honeysuckle blight" by the end, their voices spoke as one. "Glory?" Xander mouthed and Giles shook his head to show it was a coincidence. Something really bad was going on. Spike tensed his jaw as they mentioned honeysuckle, he was ready to fight them. They removed their hands and light came from all of their eyes. They stared at Saffron and she took a step back.
Buffy and Spike charged at the same time as they did. The rest of the party cleared out and left the Scoobies to it, Dawn and Joyce were ushered out with them. Willow and Tara quickly held hands and started reciting a spell. Anya, Xander and Giles started to fight to stop them getting to saff. Saffron grabbed a lamp from the corner of the room and hit one of the hooded figures over the head with it. The figure barely even winced as they continued to walk towards her and grab her by the neck. She struggled as the figure in the white beret lifted her off her feet, by her neck, and against the wall. She started to panic as the corners of her eyes went fuzzy, she knew she was going to pass out. She panicked and pulled off the mask as she tried to stop them from holding her up. The light made her wince and she turned to look away, still struggling to breathe. Buffy came and pulled the hooded figure off her quickly and Spike threw him to the floor. Everyone was struggling to keep the group back from Saffron, each had a weapon and were trying to fight the best they could. Spike was furious that they were targeting her and fought as hard as he could, glad that these didn't appear to be human. The one he was fighting had realised that his opponent was a vampire, and had taken out a small, sharpened piece of wood. He started aiming wildly for Spike's heart, ripping into his shirt.
"Oi, that's my fucking favourite!" He shouted, changing into his game face in anger.
The hooded figure was about to plunge it into his chest, but a scream made him pause. Saffron looked at them angrily, their faces contorted into a mixture of shock and pain when they saw her eyes. They all seemed to stop what they were doing before disappearing before them.
"Why didn't you bleeding do that in the first place, love?" Spike asked looking at his girlfriend, although he was relieved that he wasn't dust. He got to his feet, scowling at the damage done to his favourite shirt. Saffron frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but Xander interrupted her.
"Was-was that you?"
"No… I think it was 'the true eye'. I don't have special powers that make people disappear, or I wouldn't have had to suffer seeing Harmony in high school" She did quotation marks when she mentioned the true eye. She was worried now, something was after her. Could this 'true eye' also be the corrupted?
"So… did we win?" Willow asked
"I guess. We're not dead" Xander shrugged.
"Let's take it as a win then"
"Did any of them look corrupted to you?" Saffron asked the room and nobody seemed to remember her destiny except Giles and Spike. She rolled her eyes at the blank faces in the room.
"But why would they want to kill you?" Xander wondered out loud as Anya gave him a look. The look made Saffron smile, Anya was usually the one that had to be looked at for something she said.
"Big prophecy? Empathic nature? Has everyone forgotten?" she looked around the room, exasperated. They had the luxury of forgetting, she guessed.
"Is it not obvious, Xander? They believe that Saffron is not who she claims. They believe that their idol possesses the true sight"
"Also, never claimed to be the eye or the sight or anything, really. The label was sort of thrust upon me" She added.
"Well, it was a good job I was here then" Buffy smiled triumphantly, but then started to frown. Not only was she worried about Dawn but now she remembered she was worried about Saffron too. Saff crossed her arms, pretending to sulk, "Mom, no fair, Buffy killed my destined enemy! It was supposed to be my turn!" She whined in a fake American accent, imitating a toddler having a tantrum. Buffy laughed and hugged her cousin, reminding her that nobody actually killed any of the masked party crashers. She turned to Spike, gesturing she wanted to step outside.
"Happy fucking Birthday to me" She muttered as she walked side-by-side, her hand intertwined with Spike's, on their way for a cigarette. He rubbed his thumb in a small circle on her hand to try and provide her with some comfort as they stepped out of the front door and into the night. She needed to calm her nerves.
xoxoxo
Saffron knocked on his door, taking a final drag of her cigarette before he managed to get to the door, knowing it could start an argument. It swung open, he was expecting her.
"I do wish you wouldn't smoke those things, Saffron" Giles said as she flicked the end into the night. She could feel he wasn't so much telling her off, he only cared.
"Don't start on me, G. You know what I'm gonna say" She shrugged, a smile playing on her lips, "Pot, kettle, black… ring any bells?"
"Yes, ah, well then let's say it is from past experience that I know they are not good for you" Giles replied with a small smile at the corner of his lips. It was so familiar, Saffron had to shake herself and remember that she wasn't back to the easier days of a couple years ago where her and Giles would spend plenty of time together drinking tea and talking. He had been a link close enough to England to be important to her, but nothing like her own accent that made her miss her past too much. She missed how simple things had been with her father-figure.
"Nothing like an attempted assassination to bring family back together, right?" Saff said lightly, although she was still recovering if she was honest. At the time, she had this surge of confidence as if she felt she could take them all on, which just wasn't true. She was so thankful that everyone was there with her, or she would definitely have no chance.
"You see us as, ah, family?"
"I, uh, did" a horrible silence filled the room, Giles stared at the girl, unsure what could be said. Instead he pulled her into a hug. It was stiff at first, cautious. But both of them needed the hug though, and eventually relaxed. Forgetting the English stereotype for now.
"Weird about the 'O Leander!' shite wasn't it? Wasn't the plant we looked at an Oleander?"
"I believe this O Leander character is toying with you. He may well be the corrupted one the prophecy speaks of, but to find out we must-"
"Hit the books!" She finished for him and they shared a smile that neither of them had seen of the other in a while.
"I was going to say one of those Google searches, but I, ah, guess we could look into some of the older volumes"
Giles had opened a book, pointing out that it was the oldest and closest to the prophecies that were also littering the table in his living room. Piles of dusty books and papers were stacked across the room. It was hard to differentiate the Glory readings from the Corrupted. Saffron flipped through a few, but thought it best not to mess up his piles in case they meant something.
He read quietly for a while, but snapped the book closed suddenly. His head whipped up and he stared directly at Saffron. The noise brought Saff's attention to him, but this stare wasn't his. He wasn't blinking for starters. His eyes went different colours, bright white but purple ran through it as if his eyes were now a lava lamp. The purple lava-like pattern lit up the brightest, she was almost hypnotised by it. There was no pupil, his whole eye was this colour now. Without reading, Giles started to recite something, his eyesight never wavering from Saffron's eyes.
"First: The order of the Eye. They were set up to legitimise the claim to be the 'true eye'. Once accepted, they believe their cause is righteous. Let the True Sight instead fill their hearts and minds with the truth.
Second: The test. The true eye must face the test, feeling it is proof that they have the pure connection and can protect world from the Corrupted One. Feel it but overcome. The pure of heart must conquer, with their sight providing the balm to the people.
The third and final stage: 'the reckoning of the corrupted one', this is as the apocalypse nears and one must defeat their shadow self to balance the elements once more. One's death must leave the other to survive as they mirror their destinies. Only one path can prevail." Giles finished as abruptly as he started, his face draining of colour as he held his head. He rubbed it distractedly and Saff brought him some water to try and help. Giles had no recollection of what was said, but thankfully Saffron had written it down. She knew he would ask, and when his eyes went a strange colour she knew it was best to either grab a pen or a weapon. He promised to study it in time for their next prophecy-reading session. Apparently, those were back on again.
"G, now we're all with the making up, can I ask you a very small favour?" She smiled sweetly after he had appeared to be recovering. She batted her eyes, trying to convince him. She stopped short of influencing him slightly, wanting their relationship to be better again.
"Ah, well, yes, I just need to lie down" he said, rubbing his head as he slowly walked up the stairs. Saffron smiled brightly and set to work.
She awkwardly kicked the door of the crypt, her only way of knocking. Her hands were full, she couldn't manage to reach to open it. The door swung open to reveal Spike's face, lit up by the moonlight. His cheekbones cast a shadow on his face and his eyebrow crooked in a way that only he could make attractive as he looked down at what was in her hands. He frowned, unsure what was going on. The tray in her hands was wobbling and she had various bags hanging from her arms that somehow she had managed to carry through the night, dodging various nasties as she went.
"Am I invited in?" She asked with an expectant smile.
"You don't need the invitation" He replied, squinting with suspicion.
"No but in decent society, we are in the business of waiting for one"
"Come in, pet" He shook his head, bemused as he walked in, leaving the door open for her. Leaving her there to haul everything she had brought over the threshold.
"You moving in?" He asked, eyeing all the bags she had brought and the tray she was trying to balance carefully as she walked across the room.
"No, something much better!"
"And what might that be?"
"Celebrating!" She said excitedly, as she crouched over all of the things she had left on the couch as she sifted through everything she needed.
"I thought you'd have had enough of all the celebration after your uh, 'never to be repeated shitshow of a party'" Spike mimicked what she had said after they ha recovered from her party. She whipped around and had a cone-shaped party hat on her head and a wide grin on her face. No prizes for most ridiculously dressed, but she came very close. Spike stared, eyes wide. He didn't know what was going on.
"Happy Death-day!" She shouted excitedly, having lit a candle on the tray bake she had made. He stared at her and then the cake. And then back again.
"Have you gone buggering mad?"
"No, I double checked the date and everything! It's not fair we celebrate my birthday, or enjoy a good beat-Saffron-up-day, and never do anything for you!"
"You didn't have to..."
"I wanted to"
"No, really. You didn't have to" He said pointing at the ridiculous hat on her head.
"Oh, don't worry! You've got one too. Now, blow out the candle would you? I think you're gonna end up eating melted wax if you don't" He leant in to blow it out. Humouring her. And he caught a whiff of the cake. He frowned and sniffed again. Before looking up to her.
"What's… what's in this love?"
"Secret family recipe…" She said, tapping her nose as he gave her another look, "…well it's new to the family. In fact, first time it's probably ever been made. I'm calling it the vampire's red velvet"
"Blood?"
"Mhm, mixed it in with the milk and eggs" She beamed, passing him a spoon for the cake, "You should see Giles' kitchen, it looks as if there's been a massacre" she giggled and then frowned at herself for laughing.
"You'd do all that… for me?"
"It was okay, I dialled down the guilt I felt using the animal products. I mean, I feel it now but, since it's your special day…" she tailed off, rubbing her head and willing the pain to subside, "I'll give you the recipe… I probably won't be able to make it again" She admitted. She had taken a lot of pain killers for her head, but nothing was easing the discomfort that came from using blood in her cooking. Except maybe the small smile on Spike's face at what she had done for him.
Spike let out a low throaty chuckle as he pulled her in close. He told her that she was the best Death-day present he could wish for. He lifted her chin up towards him as she moved to press her lips to his, he smirked instead leaving languid kisses across her jaw and down her neck. She bit back a small moan, knowing a way to tease him back.
"Even better than real presents?" She asked breathily as his hands started to roam. He nodded, nipping at her neck slightly. "Well, I'll not bother with them then, we can just sit here and-"
"Alright, that's enough of the romantic bollocks, where's my gift love?" He abruptly stopped and moved to look her in the eye. She smiled, still recovering from the feel of his lips on her skin, and rooted in one of the bags, producing two neatly wrapped presents. She had asked Anya to help her wrap everything, seeing as that was her hidden talent. Spike snatched the gifts and tore into them, revealing a CD case, that read 'punk mix' and a red shirt that looked almost identical to the one that had been rendered unwearable from the fight on Saffron's birthday.
"I mean, it's not much… I just tried to get things I hoped you'd like" she shrugged, feeling embarrassed now he had opened them. She wished she could give him everything he had ever wanted. But the CD and the shirt would have to do. For now.
"They're perfect" He smiled warmly at her, flipping the case over and reading the songs she had included for him, written in sparkly gel pens that made him smile further. A mix of old and new songs that she hoped he'd appreciate. Spike had never felt this before, or if he had, it had been so long ago he had forgotten. He wasn't often thought of, but he should have known that she would remember. Only her.
The pair curled up on the sofa together, Saff had put the cd in the boombox she had brought with her as spike only had a record-player and she hadn't quite mastered burning things onto them yet. They squabbled over Spike not wearing a party hat and he removed hers, while he distracted her with a kiss. They eventually settled down, their hands running over each other's skin tenderly and Spike kissed her neck softly as he tried to keep the picture of this scene in mind. A moment so perfect there should be songs made about it. Or perhaps a poem. She hummed along to a song as he relaxed into the side of her neck. She held him for a long time, as the sun set and rose again. Her hands weaved between strands of bleach blonde as they relaxed further into each other. He held her as close as he could, running his hands over her softly. They were content together. It was the best Death-day Spike had ever had. Because she was there.