Spike recalled the location of the demon market and they set off to find it.
It wasn't hard to find the entrance to the demon market. It was located in an alley between the town's Starbucks and Krispy Kreme stores. Entering it had been the real problem.
A wall in the alley was enchanted, it made Willow giddy with excitement, almost like they were entering platform 9 and 3/4. However, not just anyone could run through it to enter the market, as the witches and wizards did in the book.
Here in Sunnydale, one had to be accepted to get inside.
This had been the tricky part. According to Spike, there was a guard in the alley and he got to say who goes through the wall and who doesn't. Without its permission, the wall will be nothing but a wall.
When the three arrived, the witch and the Slayer were rightly surprised to see a pug that was wearing a cute black suit and sitting on a box that was on top of a trash bin.
"Hello, Frank," Spike greeted pleasantly.
"Spike, haven't seen you in a while. The fuck you doing here?" the pug asked.
"We need to get in the market. Looking for some Pallé and hoping someone has one there," the vampire explained.
"We?" The talking dog turned to the vampire's companions and barked in terror at the sight of one of them. "Jezzus chripes! You're taking the Slayer inside?! Are you insane?"
"I wish I could say that I was. But no, I'm in my right mind," Spike smirked and that had been the most Spike-like expression he had since this whole cookie incident had started.
"You have a death wish then?"
"Not yet, old friend."
"Then, I have no idea why you'd want her in there! You know this place is one of the best-kept secrets of our kind. You don't just bring her ilk in there," the dog said, sneering at Buffy.
That earned a glare from the red-haired witch. Cordelia-like Buffy or not, no one was allowed to insult her friend like that.
"She could go rabid and start killing the customers." The pug stated.
"Hey!" the Slayer exclaimed, feeling offended at that statement.
"I assure you I will keep her under control. She gave me her word that she will not kill anyone that doesn't attack or try to kill her first."
"And the witch? You know how the boss feels about their kind. They usually aren't good for business, they tend to absorb the magic that's freely running inside the store."
Willow never supported animal cruelty, but the dog was slowly giving her a lot of reasons to make an exception.
Would it be animal cruelty, if the subject for cruelty was a demon dog?
"Then give her one those magic bangles that you have and let us go on our way," Spike said, sounding as irritated as his companions were feeling, and looking more and more like the vampire that everyone knew, "Seriously, Frank, by questioning me, it makes me think that you don't trust me."
The vampire growled.
The talking dog whimpered before answering.
"I do trust you, man. But I gotta abide by the boss's rules."
"Then give her a ring and tell her about all this instead of forcing me to play 20 questions with you."
Upon hearing this, the pug hurriedly jumped off his perch and rushed to some other boxes at the side. A minute later, the three could hear the dog having a one-sided conversation with someone.
"Yeah, he brought the Slayer and a witch with him... Uh-huh. Said he'd take care of it... Don't know... Uh-huh... But what about... Okay... Uh-huh... Uh-huh... Okay... Sure, thing boss."
The dog stepped out of the boxes with a bangle on his teeth.
Spike bent down and accepted the bracelet before offering it to Willow.
"Please wear it, Ms. Willow," he said.
The witch did as she was asked and wore the accessory on her left wrist before asking the vampire what it was for.
"The place is made out of concentrated magic. Witches and warlocks tend to get high on the stuff and it would be dangerous for any witch of your caliber. This will prevent that from happening," he explained, earning a grateful nod from the redhead.
"Encaanté," the dog uttered, catching the pair's attention. Then the mutt turned to face Spike. "Boss said you have an hour to look for what you need and told me to warn you that if anything happens, it'll be on your head."
The vampire nodded before he turned to his companions and gestured at the wall.
"Follow my lead," he said before rushing to the wall and vanishing from their sight.
The two humans looked alarmed.
"Don't worry, just do what he did and you'll be okay. We haven't had an accident in a while," the dog said, before attempting to climb back on his boxed pedestal.
The two humans turned to face each other looking slightly concerned about the insufficient instructions. But their resolve took over and instead they held each other's hands before running after the vampire through the wall with their eyes closed.
It felt weird when they passed through the wall. It was like sand and mud passed through their skin and insides. Fortunately, the feeling passed quickly and the two stopped upon colliding on something solid.
"It's not advisable to run with your eyes closed," their vampire told them as he released the pair from his arms. His accent returning to the classy one he was using earlier.
The humans opened their eyes and were greeted by the most unbelievable sight.
It looked like the group was transported to another world.
When they heard the vampire say demon market, they took it literally and thought Walmart with demons selling and purchasing goods that could cause the world to end.
This was not what they expected.
For one thing, it wasn't a demonic version of Walmart with big aisles of nasty end of the world items and equipment for sale. Instead, there were stalls with a demon or two selling normal things like fruits, vegetables, and meat (pig, cow, and chicken). The two also saw some selling trinkets and charms that Willow was certain were harmless and only for protection. Others sold clothes and shoes that were made for demons because no one would make a camisole in that size.
Overall, the place was more like a Sunday bazaar but with a demonic clientele.
But what struck the pair most was the fact that the sun was up and their vampire companion wasn't burning.
"N-not the real sun, it's more like a giant light bulb that's big enough to light this whole area in Sunnydale," Spike explained after seeing the panic look directed at him.
"Anyway, it's best if we try not to attract attention," the vampire said.
"Too late," Buffy stated as she gestured to the crowd of frightened demons looking their way.
"Dear lord," Spike muttered as he too saw the look that the market-goers were directing at his companions.
He knew this would happen.
This was a demon market and demons of the non-aggressive kind only went here. But that did not mean they would not feel threatened to see the Slayer in the place where they considered a haven for them to shop and get their goods from. He could already see some parents with demon children hiding their kids behind them all while baring their claws and preparing for an attack. Stall owners were also doing the same.
He was certain that if he didn't do anything they would attack and obviously, only Buffy and the witch could fight back.
It wasn't the first time that Spike cursed his new disability, and it didn't make it easier for him to accept it, especially when he was faced with situations where he needed to fight his way through things.
He nervously turned to his companions and hoped they had a better idea than fighting a hoard of demon market-goers.
To his surprise, Buffy stepped in front of the group and faced the demons.
She's going to attack them! Spike thought in panic.
"Ms. Buff-"
"Hi!" Buffy said, "Please don't mind us, we're here to shop like you guys! As long as no one attacks us and tries to kill me and my friends, I won't do anything to hurt anyone. Please enjoy your shopping because there are tons of amazing things this place has to offer!"
The Slayer sounded so sincere that it calmed the majority of the crowd. A few moments later, everyone went back to their shopping.
"Wow!" Willow said, looking amazed at her friend.
Buffy, feeling really proud of herself, turned to her vampire.
"Well, that's that. Let's go find this pallet thing," Buffy told her companions.
"That was amazing, Ms. Buffy," Spike said with an awed expression.
This made the Slayer smile brightly at the vampire. "Thank you!" she responded before hooking an arm with his. "Let start looking for this Pally-thing."
Again, if vampires blushed-Willow knew it would be happening to their guide. She chose not to comment on how close her friend was getting to their undead companion and how wigged she was at the sight. Instead, she focused her attention on the stalls that they passed as the vampire led their group through the market.
She was amazed because, upon closer inspection, she found that some of the items that were sold were spell ingredients that were extremely expensive when purchased at the local magic shop.
Maybe when everything is done. I can come back here and purchase some of them. She thought.
"Willow!" She heard the Slayer call, "Stop drooling over that stuff and get a move on! We only have an hour to find what we need and you're not helping anyone!"
The witch glared at the Slayer but followed the pair begrudgingly.
It didn't take long for the group to learn that only one demon was selling the plant they needed and he owned an actual store within the magically hidden market they were in. When they found that shop, Willow was surprised that it looked like the Magic Shop in town, but was slightly bigger and had a more demonic clientele.
A Slayer, a witch, and a vampire walk into a demon store.
Willow thought as she saw that their group had caused almost half of the store goers to leave the small shop. This also earned them a glare from the store owner.
"Spike, to what do I owe the displeasure," the owner, some sort of reptilian demon, asked with a hiss.
"Need a bunch of Pallé for a concoction to cure the Slayer and her mates," Spike said.
"You think I'd sell anything to a Slayer? You're out of your mind, vampire," the demon said, hissing loudly at the vampire.
"I actually have it on good authority that I am indeed out of my mind and a tad, not myself at the moment. However, that doesn't change the fact that we still need that plant, sir," Spike said, politely.
The demon hissed louder. "I ain't selling you anything! Now get out of my store!"
Spike merely sighed and shrugged. "I tried," he told Buffy, before stepping back to give the Slayer more room.
"You really won't sell us anything?" Buffy asked using a really sweet voice that meant trouble.
"Sorry, Slayer. I ain't stupid enough to sell stuff to your kind," the demon answered, "Who knows what you'll do with that plant."
Buffy looked thoughtful, before turning to face her vampire.
"Are there any other uses for this pallet plant thing?" she asked her companions.
He didn't bother correcting her mispronunciation to the plant's name and instead, he answered her inquiry, "I'm not certain. It's not usually an ingredient one uses for potion-making, much less for spells."
"So other than what we need it for, this hard to acquire demon plant is useless?" Buffy questioned.
"I can't be certain, bu-but I think so," Spike answered, feeling nervous at the Slayer's sudden interrogation.
Luckily for him, her attention shifted back to the demon shop owner.
"You heard what he said?" Buffy asked the demon.
"Yeah, what of it?" was its response.
The blonde slowly and menacingly approached the counter where the reptilian demon stood.
"That means we're not going to do anything other than making that pallet drink," Buffy pointed out.
"Palléték," Willow corrected.
Buffy rolled her eyes at that.
Freaking know it all. She thought.
"Other than making that Palléték drink. So, I think it's only fair that you sell us the plant," Buffy told the demon.
"No," the demon said firmly, "I ain't interested in selling anything to you or that half-breed." It gestured at Spike. "I don't care if you're using it to wipe your butts. I have pride and I am not tarnishing it by selling to a Slayer of my kind! So leave my shop bitch!"
The room's temperature dropped suddenly after the reptilian demon said those words.
This scared the witch and the vampire. They knew that this demon was not going to live another day after what it had just said to their companion. And if Buffy attacked, they were certain that the rest of the demon population outside the store would retaliate.
So much for not causing trouble. Willow and Spike thought as they continued to watch anxiously for a reaction from their Slayer.
Of course, the Slayer's reaction was something they all did not expect.
She giggled.
And that instantly put all occupants in the room on edge.
Buffy kept giggling as she leaned on the counter in front of the demon.
"What the fuck are you laughing at?" the demon hissed.
Instead of answering, the Slayer gestured to the demon with her finger to come closer.
Not wanting to be intimidated by such a small thing, the demon leaned down until it came face to face with the Slayer. Buffy moved closer until she was close enough to the location on where the demon's ear would have been had it been human, and whispered something.
Out of the remaining visitors of the store, only the vampire heard what the Slayer had said to the reptilian beast, and the surprised and amused look he had on his face never left until Buffy stood back up and crossed her arms.
"Well?"
The demon looked scared and practically rushed to the back part of his store. Moments later he came back with a large jar of dried leaves and handed it to the Slayer.
"Take it!"
"Aww, thanks! I knew you'd come around," Buffy said with a smug tone, "How much do we owe you?"
"None! Just take the damn thing and leave!"
"Nope!" The Slayer replied, popping the "p". "As much as I like free stuff, I think I'd rather pay for this. So, price. Give. Now."
The demon gulped loudly, sensing the implied threat in the statement.
I'm buggered if I charge her, and I'm buggered if I don't. The demon thought.
(O.O)
Buffy had a skip in her step and was humming as she and her companions made their way back to Giles' flat. She was happy and very proud of herself. Not only had she successfully been able to get the ingredient that they needed to cure their altered personalities back to how they should be, but she was also able to do it without breaking her promise to Spike about not attacking anyone in that place.
Who said Slayers were only good for hitting people? Yup, she sure proved those idiots from the Council wrong! She did not need to hit anyone to get what she wanted and she didn't even need to threaten that creepy reptile monster with certain death for it to do what she needed either.
That's right! All she needed at the time was her normal, shop haggling self, and boom, she got the beast to give in to her demands and give her the ingredient at a highly discounted price!
Alright, maybe there was a bit of threatening, but she didn't threaten to kill the demon! She only said she was calling the owner of the mystical market and was filing a complaint against the lizard monster if he didn't sell her what she needed.
Fortunately, that was all it took for her to get the big guy to break and sell her the stuff they needed.
And all that made her happy. Spike said he was proud of her was just a bonus. Speaking of Spike, Buffy stole a glance at her vampire companion and smiled at the sight.
He didn't confidently walk or saunter as he usually did. The slight slouch posture that he had as he walked with them, made him smaller and more vulnerable, and it made her feel even more protective towards the shyer version of her vampire. His normally slicked hair was no longer present, and the curls that were showing on his head made her hands itch to touch and play with them. Not to mention, his normal predator eyes looked so young and innocent, overall it made the Slayer want to just take him home and shelter him with love and affection.
She liked this new Spike.
But, since she was more honest with herself, she liked the old Spike as well. She was just more inclined to be with this Spike since she was certain that he wouldn't tear her throat if she let her guard down.
Maybe I should ask Willow to hold off on the cure and let Spike stay like this a bit longer? She thought absentmindedly.
"Buffy?" a voice interrupted her musing.
Buffy Summers looked up and for the first time since Willow's spell, she saw Riley Finn.
TBC
(O.O)
