"How did any of this happen?" Buffy asked Willow her best friend in the hospital waiting room. She like others in the group had arrived at the library only to find an angry Faith demanding answers, a distressed Willow who was greatly concerned over a weak Xander. He was still suffering a lot of blood loss and it was an appearing Angel whose vampire senses informed them that Xander's body was dangerously low, and he needed to get to a hospital. Oz and Cordelia who had just appeared offered to take them in his van and so the group travelled there but none were in the mood for talking to each other.
Arriving at the hospital the nurses and doctors there confirmed that Xander's blood count was low, and he required a transfusion. The young man was set up in a hospital room and currently resting with a doctor stating that they would keep him in overnight for observation as a precaution. One never can be too careful in such a town like Sunnydale. The group had taken some seats in the waiting room with many of them wearing some sweats that Angel had located in a staff locker room. Understandably the girls didn't feel interested in wearing what clothes they had on changing in the bathroom. The vampire suspected that a mass burning of clothes owned by Sunnydale residents would be occurring in the next few days. He threw a cautious look at Joyce that she didn't return, the woman had arrived after Buffy had phoned her from the hospital and immediately arrived in concern for Buffy's friend. It was only when she arrived did Buffy finally speak up to Willow clearly wanting answers.
"It was a spell," Willow shifted uncomfortably playing with the sleeves on her top which Oz, her boyfriend knew was a sign that she was feeling guilty. "It just got out of hand."
"No shit it got out of hand Red!" Faith growled. "Understatement of the year!" Her patience worn thin with Willow's reticence and silence. The girl hadn't been forthcoming with any answers ducking behind Xander's medical state to avoid answering any of her questions. But now the boy was being taken care of and the redhead was going to start spilling her guts one way or another.
Willow looked at the brunette slayer and a mix of guilt, shame, and fear flashed across her face. "I didn't mean any of this. None of this was meant to happen," she exclaimed fighting back tears.
"Well thank you that makes me feel so much better," Cordelia muttered from her chair wearing a venomous glare with her arms folded over her chest. She wasn't leaving here until she received some answers.
"I'm so sorry," Willow wailed bursting into tears. "I didn't think any of this would happen. I didn't cause this on purpose I swear!"
"Just tell us what happened Willow," Buffy said. While she felt sympathy seeing her best friend crying and in near hysterical the girl wasn't providing any clear answers and explanations as to what had occurred this evening and why. Xander was resting and she didn't want to wait for him to wake up later only to be pumped for information. Willow had to be the one to explain the events of the evening.
The red head sensed that there wasn't any other option and finally gave in. She started from the very beginning and explained everything to the group. About her attraction to Xander and vice versa, about how the pair had been fighting their feelings for weeks but to no avail, about how she couldn't see an end or any other way and about how she had decided to cast a delusting spell to remove all attraction the pair felt for each other. She talked about how Spike had appeared during casting and during a scuffle with Xander had mixed all the ingredients causing the spell to cast be a lusting spell that would affect the whole town. She described the spell as best she could highlighting how it would create a strong and never-ending sexual desire in a person, how it would overpower a person's reason and logic causing them to display and act in 'irrational behaviour' as she put it causing Faith to almost want to throw the girl out of the window. She gave them a blow-by-blow account of how she and Xander escaped, their trip to Buffy's house and getting back to the school to end the spell. By the end of it she was crying and apologizing all over again.
"So let me get this straight," Cordelia began in an icy tone. "This all happened because you and my now very much ex-boyfriend Xander couldn't keep your hands to your shelves?" She let out a bark of laughter as she sat back. "You little tramp," she muttered unable to help herself.
Willow flinched at Cordelia's harsh language but took it as a sign of how upset the cheerleader was. Emotional as she was, she couldn't help but feel a surge of anger rise up from within her and spoke without thinking. "Well, you got your revenge haven't you don't think I didn't notice that you and my boyfriend turned up in his van or the fact that your panties were behind an amp in his van. Doesn't take a genius to know what you two were doing all night!" She shot a look at Oz who looked away with a jaw clenched hard. He was understandably shocked and dismayed at her revelations, but his stoic exterior didn't reveal his feelings very well.
"I was under a spell and had no control over myself," Cordelia fired back at the redhead as a matter of fact. "What was your excuse?"
"Bitch." Willow muttered. Cordelia merely smiled sweetly.
"And proud of it."
"Do you have any idea what I have been doing tonight Red? What any of us have been doing?" Faith spat at her. The thought of that little troll of a principal touching her and she not only allowed him but matched him. The memory of what had happened both shamed and disgusted her. Angel's eyebrows rose as Faith laid the gauntlet down. She had an icy and angry tone with the redhead and he himself would be lying if he didn't feel the same way as many others in this room did. Between all the euphoria and exhilaration, he experienced tonight it was a miracle that he hadn't lost his soul and become Angelus.
Willow looked uncomfortable as she did sick. "I am sorry okay there is nothing else I can say!"
"Sorry?" Faith snorted. "You think that sorry will cut it!? Just a quick sorry and we all shake hands?!" Faith was enraged and her first instinct this morning was to rip Willow's hair out and shove it down her throat. Right now, she hated her more than she ever hated anyone. Cordelia just shook her head trying to gain the upper hand on her head while for his part Oz tried to all the terrible, heart-breaking things off his face although despite his best efforts he suspected that it working. He like Cordelia was not only dealing with the tonight's revelations but the fact that for weeks Willow had been lying to him. Right in front of him and to his face. He knew that there were parts of Willow's heart that were stamped as property of Buffy Summers and property of Alexander Harris, but he had hoped that there was space for him. Sadly, he didn't know anymore.
A realisation hit Buffy and she spun round to look at her mother and Angel. "You were at the house," she stated to Angel and her mother. "You were both at the house… oh god!" she clamped a hand over her mouth seeing their expressions. Her mother looked guilty as sin while for his part, Angel looked like someone had just clubbed his favourite baby fur seal. "You two were together… you two have been together!" That observation that made Buffy want tear out of the hospital at a million miles an hour. "I have to go," Buffy suddenly said.
"What?" Faith said looking totally confused at her slayer sister. She learns that her ex has fucked her mother and wants to leave without beating Willow into the carpet?!
Joyce recognised it as a very classic Summers response to uncomfortable information. Deny it, ignore it, and get the hell out of there. If you can beat the crap out of it on the way out, so much the better. "Buffy please," she began but Buffy shook her head.
"I-I can't be here. I have to go."
"Buffy," Angel uttered in that tone of voice that was exclusively used for her and her only. One that always fluttered the blonde's heart. But not right now.
"No, I- This is too much Angel! This is too much!" She moved and made her way for the door. Joyce rushed after her, but she was far too fast for her. She stood in the doorway and glanced back at Angel helplessly.
Clearly in no mood to hang around with any of these people and particularly Willow the second slayer had sworn a vile and bloody oath to gut Willow with a spoon if she came near her or even uttered a word to her before leaving. Loath to admit it the souled vampire, with a mastery of torture that only could be gained by over a century of experience, could think of far, far worse plans for the small girl. Plans involving chainsaws.
"I need to get out of here too," Cordelia declared keen to go on the longest shower ever known to humankind.
"Cordy," Oz tried to speak up and moved to stop her only to get a firm slap for his efforts.
"Don't touch me!" She fired at him. "Right now, I don't anyone or anything to touch me!" she growled at him before glaring at everyone in the room.
Willow tried to reach out to Oz. "Please Oz," she let out between sobs. "I can explain everything." While Faith and Cordelia had been all fire and anger, Oz had been quiet and difficult to read. They had been all fire: as out of control like a forest fire but Oz could never express himself like that. He didn't shout or get angry he was just silent. He shook his head and simply left unable to stand being in the same room as someone he cared for like Willow.
Willow cried fresh tears and sank into a chair. Both Angel and Joyce briefly met each other and in an almost silent agreement decided it best to leave the girl as they didn't trust to say anything they might regret leaving the girl in her misery.
There was no worse place for her now.
XXXXXXXXX
The too-bright light of morning filtered in through Harmony's closed blinds. Clamping her eyes closed immediately after opening them, she let out a grumpy moan realizing that her head pounded when she tried to move. With the exception of the awful headache, for some reason, her body felt deliciously sore in a way that her normal cheerleading workouts never managed. With her eyes closed, Harmony slowly started to drift back to sleep. Images played in her mind were not of hard muscle, broad shoulders, and the handsome face she'd often found in her dreams. But rather a short boy, lacking in statue and with confidence one would need a microscope to find. What is worse these images seemed more real and far more detailed than her imagination. She'd certainly never dreamt about Jonathon Levinson's package and certainly never imagined it being quite so impressive. Letting out a little throaty chuckle, she snuggled deeper into the covers barely acknowledging the fact that the sheets slid across bare skin instead of the surface of a nightgown or her favourite pyjamas. But her hand came into contact with something heavy and covered with the sheets lying next to her in her queen-sized bed. This caused her eyes to open wide. "Omigodomigodomigod! Please tell me that's not who I think it is," Harmony curled her fingers around the covers and inched them back to reveal a foot.
Throwing back the covers to the end of the bed, the blonde girl saw a) she was naked, b) so was he, and c) the he in question was definitely Jonathon Levinson. The boy seemed to be asleep in fact, he looked like he'd passed out and never got up again.
Harmony leapt out of bed, ignoring the twinge of pain as she did so. "Eew, eew, eew! There's a Jonathon in my bed!" If anyone saw him here now, they would shame her for life. Her reputation would ruined forever.
At the sounds of Harmony freaking out Jonathon woke up looking around his surroundings with confusion before he saw the naked blonde girl pacing back and forth in the room and his memory came back to him. "Err… hello!" he offered shyly gripping the bed sheets around himself.
"Don't speak to me!" Harmony cried out at him before going back to pacing naked across her bedroom floor, she tried to piece together how he came to be there. "I brought you here. I invited you in. Then we…we…," she suddenly recalled the reason for her sore muscles. "Oh my god!" She looked like she would hyperventilate so Jonathon chose this moment to speak up.
"I'm sorry," he offered tentatively to her.
"You should be!" she screamed at him then realised that she was naked in front of him and vainly covered her breasts and genitals from him. "You must have drugged me or something!"
"No, I didn't," Jonathon cried out at the accusation.
"Oh, please you must have!" she yelled at him. "Daddy's lawyer is going to have a field day with you!" she snarled at him causing him to shrink moving to get a robe on from behind her door.
"I promise you I didn't!" he said quickly. "Think about it when did I drug you? How would I even do so? You wouldn't even accept a hello from me let alone a drink from me." He said bitterly well aware of his social standings and place in the world.
That stopped her a little as she turned to face him. She regarded his face as he looked down. He looked chest fallen, disappointed and sad. Maybe she had jumped the gun. "Well clearly it was a freak incident!" she told him making it clear he should agree.
"Like the scavenger hunt with Xander Harris and Cordelia Chase on valentines day?" he offered causing her to nod in agreement. There had always been something strange about that day. I mean why on earth would she get involved in a scavenger hunt with Xander Harris of all people?! Let him not be found for all she cared!
"Exactly!" she agreed with him. "We were clearly hit by lighting! But you are never to tell anyone about this ever in your life!" She warned him pointing to him.
He knew this would be the case and nodded sullenly. It had been too good to be true. That for one moment he had shared something special with someone his age and she had shared something with him. They had been together in ways he had never expected and ways he never felt possible. He couldn't quite believe it. But alas it was all a dream. Once again life was being cruel to him. Particularly cruel this time.
Harmony couldn't help but feel a little bad at seeing the boy get up from the bed. He'd touched her in ways no one else ever had, promised her pleasure, and delivered it in spades eking out every bit of wanton response she possessed. A memory returned to her. Cordelia's declaration that Harmony was nothing more than a sheep. A mere follower, a brainless sheep and nothing more. Harmony had taken no notice of it or at least tried to but every once and then it had entered her head. Moments like now. Well maybe it was time to show Cordelia Chase that she was wrong.
Harmony stopped him with a hand on his arm surprising Jonathon as he stopped in his tracks. Harmony shrugged at his look of surprise. "It's every girl's right to change her mind," she shrugged playfully. He looked shocked and opened his mouth to speak but she brought a finger to his lips before leaning in to kiss him. It was a sweet kiss but with a hint of the lust they had shared last night. He couldn't help but moan as she pressed herself against him as they kissed softly. Her hands moved to where he was holding up the bedsheets covering himself and she took them out of his hands letting them drop to the ground. He felt so self-conscious as he stood there naked in front of her, but she took a step back removed her robe. Jonathan couldn't help but glance at her nude body, taking the time to look, something that he hadn't done last night.
She walked up to him and took his hands leading him back to the bed. Pushing him back down on the bed noting he was trembling with nerves. He was looking at her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world which turned her on massively. Leaning down to kiss him she got on top of him wanting to experience him worshipping her again.
XXXXXXX
With the events relating to Spike and Willow's mixed-up spell occurring on a Friday the entire group was able to keep their distance from each other. However, Sunnydale was only so big and so it was no real surprise when on the next night Angel turned a street of Sunnydale and ran into Buffy as she was patrolling rounding the corner of Revello Drive.
"Buffy!" Angel uttered as he saw her.
She looked at him wide eyes not prepared to face him. "Leave me alone!" the girl simply stated.
"Buffy! Wait! Would you just listen?" The vampire replied.
"What's there to listen to?" she yelled, wheeling around on Angel. "How my mother is in bed?"
Angel had to grit his teeth on that one. Loving Buffy Summers required a lot of patience. "What happened between your mother and I and the others wasn't our fault," he added to the girl who was walking away. "She had no more control over what happened than you did while under the spell." The last part with added with a little emphasis that her stopped her in her tracks.
She turned around slowly facing him with a guarded expression. "What do you mean by that?" He could her hands were lightly clenched into fists, and a slight tension in his shoulders and his spine, betraying either anger or fear at what he was implying.
"I was able to pick up Spike's scent on you as well as a few others," he added looking away slightly before turning back to face her. "But mainly it was Spike's scent. It was all over you. I'm guessing you and he were together."
Buffy was a mass of conflicting emotions. She was worried; worried about the effect tonight would have on her relationship with Angel and her friendship with Xander and Willow. She was disgusted by her own actions and embarrassed by them. But the overwhelming emotion at the moment was anger. Blinding anger at herself, at her friends, at the world. Buffy felt like she could rant for hours about how much she hated Spike and everything about him. She knew of the horrors he had caused before he got his soul back; the deaths, misery, and chaos left in his wake. However, there was also the overwhelming pleasure he gave her. Rather than feel lost, depressed, and sad Spike had instead made her feel desired, wanted and craved. God, she wished she could bring him back only to stake all over again. "So, I guess we are even then," she said, the animosity in her voice as she replied thick enough to cut with a chainsaw.
"It's not about being even," Angel let out in frustration before taking a sigh. "Look I went around to your house earlier."
Buffy's snort interrupted him. "What back for seconds?"
Angel could hardly believe what she had just said. "To talk to you!" he told her. "But your mother said that you were staying at Giles's place. Why?"
"I just don't want to be around her in that place knowing what the pair of you did," Buffy simply stated. There was no way she could see herself currently sleep in the same house as the place where her mother and Angel had sex spell or no spell. Her mind's eye assaulted her with images of them kissing furiously forcing her to swallow hard before she choked on the swell of pain that flared inside her chest at the thought of Angel kissing another woman especially her mother. Or that he might have liked it. Or want more.
"We had no control," Angel stated, and the logical part of Buffy agreed with him. She had experienced the same affects as both of them and she knew that they would have no power to stop it however the irrational side of her couldn't help but keep her anger. "It was a mistake and I'm sorry." He looked as he used to, before Angelus had reared his ugly head, like she's the longing of his heart but it was too much. "I'm willing to overlook and forget what you occurred with Spike," he declared despite the fowl bitter taste in Angel's mouth of thinking about his Buffy and his rival Spike in that way.
"What?" Buffy frowned at him unsure of what he was trying to say.
"We can make it work, we can move past this, we can go back to the way it was." He's acting strange. Not sounding like himself. She has seen many different sides of Angel from mysterious to kind to distant to loving but now he sounded desperate. He knew very much how he sounded and how he was going back on everything they had done and said since his return from hell. They were meant to be keeping their distance, meant to be just friends but how could they be friends when the feelings in their hearts where so strong? They could only deny them so much. In Angel's eyes, Buffy is the sum of all things soft and pure in the world. His salvation, redemption, and the light at the end of a very dark and ugly tunnel known as his life.
Buffy took a step back from him. One second, they were arguing about his sleeping with her mother if only due to a spell and now he was declaring his love for her. This wasn't what was meant to happen. Now or ever. Since he had returned there had been no commitments or promises. They had been tip toeing around each other desperately pretending to be fine with keeping each other at arm's length but now it would seem that Angel was laying his cards on the table. But she couldn't do it. There was a time when she would have jumped at the chance, given into his offer, and done anything to recreate the past. However, there was too damage done to even accept that. She backed away shaking his head. "I can't do this," she stated. There was a time when she thought that she and Angel were strong enough together to take on the world, rewrite the rules and overcome everything. But those days were far gone.
"Buffy," he said. "I love_"
She cut him off before he could finish. "Don't! Don't do that! We're not friends. We never were. What I want from you I can never have. What has been done can never be undone. I know it was a spell, but it doesn't change the fact that it hurts."
"I don't accept that," Angel replied.
"You have to," Buffy replied. "We're done because we have to be done. This is just as good as excuse as any. We can't be together Angel and you know that."
He takes a step toward her, but she backs away and suddenly it feels like there is an ocean between them. That nagging little voice in his head that had been for weeks whispering fowl utterances of 'she's not your girl anymore' was suddenly louder and taunting him right in his ear. There relationship was truly in the past now. Buried with a tombstone.
She simply turned walking away and left him in the street.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
On the Monday morning at the High School Willow was waiting around the corner from Oz's locker, peeking around every few seconds to see if he's arrived, looking very worried. Giles came up behind her. "Willow," she turned to face him. "May I have a word with you in my office?"
"Right now? Can we ummm do it later?" she asked him before gesturing in the direction of Oz's locker. "Oz hasn't been to his locker. There may be books in there that he needs, but still, he doesn't come." She goes back to glancing at the locker.
"Mrs Rosenberg," Giles said in a tone every bit a teacher speaking to a student causing Willow to turn to him and frown in confusion. "I wasn't actually asking." He said and pointed to his office leading the way. Willow followed him unsure of what was happening.
At the entrance Xander walked into High school after spending much of the weekend at home after being discharged. He sadly seen enough of hospitals and doctor since learning about the hellmouth and existence of the supernatural and had no desire to stay there any longer than he needed to. Willow had informed him that she had revealed all to the gang even about their smooches hence why his attempts to call Cordelia had been met with stone faced silence. He frowned as he noticed that there was a long line of students down a corridor and walked along them to see what all the fuss was about. It led to the nurse's office where they was a large sign reading 'GET TESTED FOR SEXUAL TRANMISSIONED DISEASES!' Clearly students were taking the offer seriously. In light of situation, it was understandable however with Xander there was no need as he missed out on all the… social interaction. Shaking his head he went in the opposite direction.
Now in the Library Willow was receiving a very angry and British lecture. She had entered the library with great trepidation somewhat relieved at first that the others were not there. Instead, it was Giles who had rushed back from his Watcher's retreat when he received news about the spell. However, any hope of the librarian understanding and sympathising with her issues was laid to rest very quickly. "Off all the bloody stupid actions you could have taken!" said the older man pacing back and forth clearly frustrated by all that he had heard. "I might have expected something like this from Xander but credit to the boy even he is not stupid enough to this kind of stunt!"
"I didn't mean for anything of this to happen!" Wailed Willow sitting at the table in the centre of the room and feeling really sorry for herself. "I was only planning to cast a delusting spell on myself and Xander not a lusting spell on the whole town!"
"Precisely!" Giles growled. "You were casting a spell on yourself and one of your closest friends without any ideas on the consequences. Delusting or lusting it doesn't matter it is a spell that affects a person's mind and alters a person's will and reasoning. You had no idea on the long-term effects that such a spell may cause on either of you. Such spells have been known to change a person's personality overnight and what's worse you did all without Xander's permission! Indeed, even tricking the boy into helping you!" He shook his head in disgust before he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. It had been a trying couple of hours since he had received reports of some strange phenomenon that had taken over Sunnydale. He had naturally raced back only to find the town and the group in a state of disarray. Serious damage had been done that was some serious repair work. "Now in part thanks to your actions people have been seriously traumatised over what happened."
"Well, I am sure there is a memory spell we can look into and cast," muttered the witch hoping her suggestion would find favour.
"Don't you even think about it!" Giles told the girl stepping toward the girl while pushing down 'Ripper's' urge to just grab her and thrash the witch until she listened. Heaven knows, given the way the past few days had gone, the composed and reflective Watcher would almost certainly be of greater assistance than the more pro-actively action-oriented 'Ripper.' "Don't you think magic has caused enough damage?! Messing again with people's minds and ripping information out of their heads is not the answer!" Giles' voice was cold and hard enough to chisel marble, and the redhead girl was cringing slightly under his glare. "I can see I made a grievous error in allowing you freedom in exploring the magical arts and you require far more supervision on the matter than I first thought."
"Supervision?!" exclaimed Willow in disbelief in what she was hearing.
"Yes supervision!" the Englishman repeated. "Magic is extremely dangerous, Willow as this little episode has demonstrated therefore, I ask for a complete record of any spells or enchantments you may have previously cast. A list of all books and materials you may have on the matter and a pledge that you will not cast anything without prior approval from myself."
"I don't need you to hold my hand," Willow insisted, her face growing slightly red. "I don't do anything really hard, and I learn a ton! This just got out of hand!" She protested.
Her reaction wasn't too surprising, Giles thought to himself. If there's one thing Willow never handles well, it's people suggesting she might not be able to handle something. "That's not the point," Giles said. "Magic is more than just spells and ingredients. There's a state of mind to it, a balance of the spirit that's necessary to keep things from spinning out of control. And by rushing towards magic to fix your problems you have demonstrated that you have no control on the matter."
Willow looked shellshocked and incredibly frustrated. If only Spike hadn't medalled with her spell, she would have cast the delusting spell and none of this would have happened. The universe seemingly was playing a massive trick on her. It simply wasn't fair. Eager to simply get out of the library and away from the conversation she agreed to Giles's terms listing the various magical equipment in her procession, the range of books and papers she had on the subject and promising to hand over one's that had once been Jenny Calendar's. Rushing out of the library after it was done, she ran straight into Oz. "Oz!" she cried out for in false joy trying to keep how upset she was feeling in the inside. For his part the local werewolf looked uncomfortable at being in front of the redhead. "Wow! Look at us, running into each other, as two people who go to the same school are so likely to do now and then."
"Hey," he simply says before he moves to go past her and on his way.
"Oz, wait. Please?" she says grabbing his arm and he stops reluctantly giving her his attention. "What I did... When I think that I hurt you..."
"Yeah. You said all this stuff already," Oz replied as a matter of fact. Right now, seeing Willow again hurt, an aching gnawing pain in his chest. It felt like Willow had ripped something out of him when they broke up, leaving just a jagged, angry wound with bleeding, ragged edges. It wasn't the lust spell as he knew that technically wasn't her fault it was the kissing of Xander and the fact that she never told him about that. Seeing her again in the school halls a place where they spent time together was just too confusing.
"Right, but... I wanna make it up to you. I mean, if you let me, I wanna try." She offered stepping loser and taking his hand.
"Just... You can leave me alone," he said taking his hand and stepping away from her. Keeping her at a distance was the key. "I need to figure things out."
"But maybe if we talk about it, we could... please Oz I just need someone to talk to right now," she admitted desperate to tell someone of what had just occurred between herself and Giles.
She seemed upset but it was with fresh pain in her eyes. It wasn't just about meeting him or reaching out to him that was causing her discomfort and pain it was something else. Once again he was reminded that in Willow's world he was one of many elements and not the main focal point. "Look..." the young man began in an even tone. "I'm sorry this is hard for you. But I told you what I need. So, I can't help feeling like the reason you want to talk is so you can feel better about yourself. That's not my problem." Willow was left feeling completely helpless as Oz simply went back going on his way leaving her standing there.
Elsewhere in the high school Xander wandered down the halls of Sunnydale he was minding his own business but that still didn't stop someone from slamming him painfully into a set of lockers. "Whoa hey!" he cried out as someone gripped his arms tightly holding him there. His attacker then got in his face and his eyes widened as he realised who it was. It was Faith the vampire slayer looking very angry.
"I'm just going to say it once Xander," she snarled at the scared young man all teeth and deadly intent. "It never happened, and you saw nothing!" It was very clear in what she was referring to.
"Right!" he squeaked like a mouse.
"Say it!" she growled.
"It never happened, and I saw nothing," he repeated, and she regarded him for a second before releasing him. He nearly fell to the fall rubbing his arms pretty sure he was going to have bruises. The brunette slayer gave him another deadly look scowling before turning and stalking down the hall away from him. She was however stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Principal Synder coming from round a corner. The pair both froze as they saw each other all tense and uneasy before Faith ended the stale mate by spinning around and moving quickly in the opposite direction silently vowing not to return to the school for a few weeks. At the same time Synder moved quickly to pester and annoy a student for hanging around the school hall trying desperately to project an air of authority while vowing redecorate every inch of his office.
Xander watched the pair with interest before he felt a little queasy at the idea and shook his head before returning on looking for the person he was interested in finding. He eventually found her in the gym slamming her fists repeatedly in a punching bag. "Hey!" He spoke up announcing his presence to the blond slayer who had his back to him. For once she seemed to be making use of the school gym and not working out in the library. He sometimes wondered what other students and teachers thought when they entered a saw the little blond working out in the middle of school library. He chalked that up to one of the main influences of the hellmouth, people don't ask too many questions.
"Hey!" Buffy said turning around panting slightly. She had been training since she arrived at school having had a free period and was in such a mood that she had happily skipped her next class to continue. Anything to keep her distracted. Distracted from the twisted ball of Hellmouthy confusion her life had become. "Good to see you up and about. You looked pretty fragile last I saw you."
"Blood loss does that to a person," Xander simply stated while walking up to her. She was so beautiful. Even now as she looked so miserable, her hair done up in a simple ponytail, her clothing lacking her normal flair, she was gorgeous. She wore no jewellery, nor any make-up. "I er… was told by Willow everything she told you guys at the hospital. And I passed on to Giles everything I knew and had seen when he came there the next day."
Buffy nodded silently thinking of what that meant. "Everything you saw huh?" She repeated numb.
"Well not everything," he added. He didn't tell Giles about what he saw with Synder and Faith nor did he mention what he saw Spike and Buffy doing before Spike bit him. "I kept it… fairly vague in some areas."
Buffy snorted and went back to punishing the punch bag. "You should have. Angel already knows and given my reputation and likes it won't take much for the others to work who I was having fun with." She spat out the last part like it was poison as she repeatedly slammed her fists against the bag which groaned under the force of her hits.
"Buff," he said gently. "Don't do this to yourself."
"No Xander! Don't you get it! You were right all along!" she said with venom and self-loathing. "A guy really does have to be undead for me to be interested!" She said to a comment he once made when she rejected him causing him to flinch. Just the thought of the bleached blond vampire Spike and her lust for him made her sick to her stomach. When the arrogant Brit wouldn't stop talking, Buffy's iron fist found his chin before she could stop herself, but Spike could take it. When he punched her back, Buffy felt more alive than she had in months. Unlike anyone else, Spike could take all of Buffy's supernatural abuse, surprising her by how much she needed to let out all the melancholy she'd been holding in. Every measure of sorrow she had been holding back for an entire year—ever since her relationship with Angel imploded—was let out through her bloody fists. Only, thanks to Willow's spell at some point, lost in the fog of fury, the pair fighting in an alley ended their violent clash with violent kissing… violent grinding… And the frustrated slayer didn't hate it. Was this what she craved? Violence and lust rolled into one? Chaos and fire? Was she really this screwed up?
"You weren't yourself! You didn't have any control!" Xander carried on getting in the way of her and the punching bag forcing her to stop and listen to me. "Trust me I saw some pretty crazy combos that night. No one was being pretty picky. It wasn't a love spell but a lust spell. People have desires and wants but they don't act on them. This spell just made you act on a few impulses, but it doesn't mean anything." Seeing her like this was not easy for Xander. He knew he was more than a little guilty of putting her above others. How dare she ever make a mistake, be afraid, or have a moment of selfishness! But here she was with self-loathing, and it was his job to bring her back from it. "Buffy if it had been anyone else there, I am sure you would have done similar things. Just because it was Spike doesn't make a difference. Heck you nearly came on to me."
"More than nearly," she admitted causing them both to look uncomfortable for a moment. "I literally threw myself at you and you managed to resist. That's twice I have done something like that and both times you managed not to give in."
"It was touch and go both times," he confessed and was glad that she gave him a little smile. Maybe it was time to change the subject. "Have you spoken to Willow?" he asked her gently.
She shook her head. "I can't not just yet… I know she didn't plan all of this but it's too soon like a cut or something. Hence why I'm training here. I saw Giles giving her a stern lecture earlier in the library."
Xander nodded slightly. "I know what that feels like," he replied reliving some of the Englishman's words like the time he fell asleep while wolf sitting Oz. "I guess we all just need a little time."
"What about you and Cordelia?" the slayer asked her friend to which he stuffed his hands in his pockets and let out a huff.
"I don't think there is a me and Cordelia. I've left messages everywhere." Xander said sadly very much sulking. "She's not answering my calls, and it doesn't even look like she's going to come to school."
Buffy chewed her lip a little before speaking up. "I saw her last night."
"You did? What did you say? What did she say?" Xander asked eagerly. Any new news had to be better than the current state he was in.
"It was brief, and I probably wasn't in the best frame of mind. I tried to reason with her..." Buffy drifted off. "I mean I don't know why, you cou..." At his look, she discontinued that line of conversation. It was still way too soon to ask those kind of questions. "But... I got interrupted by some vamps... When I'd dealt with them, she'd already gone."
Sighing, Xander thought about it. "Typical Hellmouth... won't even let my friends state the case on my behalf."
"She'll come round... Just give her time." Buffy thought about her own share of heartache. 'Think he's got a point about the Hellmouth being at fault... stupid thing, with it's annoying undead population and it's stupid hell dimensions.' That's the one good thing about living on the Hellmouth, there was always an outside force to blame. If Buffy lived somewhere else, she might have cursed fate, cursed herself, or cursed anything and anyone that come in her path. Luckily for everyone and everything, Buffy lived on the Hellmouth.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Joyce Summers stepped out of her jeep and glanced around her surroundings not used to being in this part of Sunnydale having had no need previously. She looked at the mansion that stood before her. The windows were mostly boarded up and the plants around the building were overgrowing but it did look quite impressive and gothic. One wing of the mansion was skeletal and charred from a fire started by pranksters on Halloween five or six years ago. The entire family had been killed and the heirs to the estate never got around to doing anything about rebuilding. It was not the first time that people had died there. A long history of unexplained events was connected with the place going back to its earliest occupancy in the 1920s. These days, stories abounded about the lights in the old mansion and the ghosts that inhabited its lonely halls.
She cautiously made her way to the entrance and peered inside. "Hello?" she called out but saw no one. "Hello is anyone there?" She waited to hear some noise and relaxed when there was no return of sound. She looked around the room and frowned slightly. There was a large stone hearth surrounding a fireplace. Even now, there were logs burning with low blue flames. Thick candles of yellow and red were scattered throughout the room, their wicks dark with drippy wax surrounding them on the tabletops. An antique couch with a gold and burgundy pattern had matching throw pillows, but these were on the floor on top of a furry white rug. A small pile of books that looked even older than the couch was stacked nearby.
She didn't know what to expect entering a vampire's lair in the middle of the day. Would he be hanging from the ceiling or sleeping in a coffin? Her questions were answered when she saw Angel emerge from another room. She felt a traitorous throb between her legs as she remembered him, eyes staring into hers, totally focused on her his cool hard body balanced above her on one arm, his cock deeper inside her than anyone had ever been before. He'd made her scream till her throat was sore. It had been the most exciting and passionate night of her life, and she didn't regret it. What the hell she was going to do about it now though… well start talking for one thing. "Hello Angel," she offered knowing she should probably say more.
"Joyce," he replied looking as uncomfortable as she was.
"I'm sorry to, uh... Well, I would have called, but you know," she trailed off unsure of what else to say.
"Please, you're always welcome," he replied gesturing to come in and take a seat on the couch in the middle of the room.
"My goodness, your place is amazing," she commented trying to keep things light while looking around at the walls. Anything to stop herself from looking at his handsome face.
"Yeah, I like a lot of space," he replied, very much playing her same game, and keeping everything light just small talk. "I don't get out much during the day."
"No, you wouldn't," she said understanding before her gaze paused on a set of manacles that are fastened to a wall. She shook her head and focused on her purpose on coming here in the first place. Guilt and self-hatred was better things to focus on. "I thought we should… discuss what happened… and how best to move forward."
He nodded. "We were under a spell," he stated. "Our minds and emotions altered so we had no control over our actions."
"Try telling that to Buffy," she muttered in frustration. Her only child had stormed out of the house unable to stay there a minute longer because of what her mother had done. Buffy was gone. Had she left Sunnydale completely like before the summer? Probably not. No Buffy wouldn't put her though that kind of hellish torture again.
"I know I saw her."
Joyce's eyes whipped on Angel zeroed in on what he just said. "You saw her?! When? Where?"
"She was out on patrol, and she told me she is staying at Giles's place," Angel explained, and Joyce sunk her face into her hands in relief letting out a long sigh of tension. Thank God her daughter was still in town. She was one minute away from calling the police and filing a missing person's report. "She isn't coping very well with… what happened," Angel confessed. "She no longer wants anything to do with me."
Joyce shifted uneasy. She couldn't pretend she wasn't unhappy with that news. It made Joyce shiver just to think about her daughter with… such a creature like Angel. Sure, he was handsome beyond words and in the love making department… a god. But he was also a vampire. The same creature that Joyce had been warned about, the same creature that Joyce had gotten a glimpse of when she drank some of his blood. She had seen the monster that lurked from within the handsome exterior and was in no doubt it was a monster. It was so beyond a terrible idea of her daughter being so close to such a monster as to be physically painful to her. Her daughter didn't deserve a monster that drank blood and only lived in the shadows. She deserved a knight in shining armour with perfect hair and perfect teeth. She deserved someone who would love her and cherish her for the amazing gift that she was, not some monster to claim her as a prize. She looked away at the idea before frowning when she noticed some bags at the bottom of the stairs. They were half packed with clothes.
"You're leaving!" she said looking at him with anger at seeing the bags. "You actually doing it and leaving!" She growled at him. Just like every other man in her life. He got what he wanted and was leaving her.
"I told you Buffy made it clear that we are over. There is nothing here for me anymore," Angel replied calmly.
"Or nothing you want to deal with!" She fired back at him. "Nothing you want to take responsibility for anyway! Just leave me to deal with the mess!" He came across as a hero, a champion but in reality, he was just like all the other men who had disappointed her.
"Joyce it's for the best," Angel stated trying to believe it was.
"For you no doubt!" Joyce standing up glaring at him. "So easy for you just head off and fight the battles somewhere else. The big fights that are written in stone and remembered for all time. When no cares about the real battles, the ones that occur between families, between a mother and a daughter. History doesn't care about those. No one does."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Rounding a corner at the High school Xander spotted Cordelia and quickly disentangled himself from Buffy and strode across the quad to meet up with her. "So much for giving her time," Buffy muttered to herself before speaking up. "Good luck... I'll see you in class." Buffy yelled after him. Xander paid her no mind as he moved to his target and his goal on speaking on Cordelia. She had clearly put enough in her appearance as she looked like a million dollars, all glamour and beauty. Maybe it was just to remind him that she was way out of his league and if that was the reason… it worked.
"Cordelia, we have to talk," he said coming up to her.
"We really don't," she uttered making no slow her pace as she continued walking.
"I left messages, but you didn't respond," he told her as he tried to explain. "I would have gone round to your house, but I thought you would have wanted some space."
"But now you think I want to discuss what you did in public!?" She said gesturing around the great outdoors they were standing in with various students walking past. She looked angry now, leather jacket, leather skirt, furious scowl. It reminded him that she always looked beautiful when she was angry. An angry argumentative Cordelia was a stunning, passionate Cordelia.
"Cordy," he said, and she wanted to scream at him that he had no right to use her nickname. He gave up that right when he kissed Willow, and he would never get to use it again as he didn't deserve to call her that. "I just want you to know_" he began clearly about to launch into some meaning speech that he had no doubt created in his head probably from a bunch of films he had seen and practiced in front of a mirror. She wasn't about to let him speak, all he ever did was babble on and say annoying things occasionally managing to say something sweet that would warm her heart.
Not this time.
"Xander," she stopped him before he could even begin. "Stay away from me." It wasn't said with a slap or with anger nor with hatred. It was almost soft but no less than a command. How do you come back from that. For once the teen was speechless as he stared at Cordelia before nodding and moving away. She watched him go with an emotionless expression before carrying on her way. He wasn't about to worm his way back into her life. You had one chance with Cordelia Chase, and he blew it. Besides in her chemistry class was the person she was most interested in seeing.
There he was looking all relaxed and detached from everyday life as ever. Reliable Oz as ever. "Hi," she said moving to an empty chair next to him.
"Hi," he offered. If he was slightly surprised at her sitting next to him which he was truth be told it didn't come up on her face. "I'd ask how you're doing…" he trailed off not bothering to even finish that sentence.
"But it's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Cordelia replied tonelessly finishing the sentence for him. "Most people are running around in denial about what happened and who they did it with while I have the added sting that it was caused by my boyfriend and his cheating lips… I'm way past pathetic."
"You're a lot of things, but I'm pretty sure pathetic so not one of them," Oz pointed out before frowning ever so slightly. "So, you aren't in denial then?" she looked at him while getting out some books. "Not in denial about what you did and who you did it with?"
"Very quick to analysis my statement," she smirked at him.
"One of my many skills," Oz nodded calmly, giving Cordelia a flicker of a smile. Cordelia laughed. It was just a short laugh but a laugh none the less. He was quite charming in his own way not trying to be funny all the time like Xander. What was going on here were they flirting or just talking? Was she flirting with Oz? It was better than sitting in house burning pictures of her and Xander she guessed. Or maybe it was because thanks to the lust spell she had seen a different side of him. A side she had never considered before. Mature, handsome, naked and… sexy Oz. A man who had pleasured her and then some much of Friday night. A man who was mature and genuine enough for her to know that he wouldn't go bragging about it to his band mates or the whole school. But really this was Oz! He was much too short to date, for one thing – she liked to look up – and though he was hardly the ugliest guy in school she'd always gone for beefy jock types – after all, even Xander looked good in Speedos.
"Hey, so, if I'm being way too forward or anything, just yell at me or whatever, but do you want to talk about it? Not it as in… us but the whole, you know…" Oz gestured vaguely, trying to communicate without actually saying anything outright. He could listen to Cordelia talk about it if she wanted, but he wasn't ready to talk. Suddenly he felt nervous and fidgety which was very unusual. Other students crumbled at the sight of a test, but he always managed to keep his cool and ace them despite sometimes not even trying. Right now, however he was nervous around Cordelia. What should he be saying to her? No point apologising for something that wasn't either of their faults.
"Not really," she admitted before glancing at him. "Do you want to talk about it? Mr. Stoic?"
"Not really," he replied. He wasn't really ready to face up to what Willow and Xander did either but thought he would make the effort. "Figured you'd end up talking enough for the both of us after all I'm the silent one."
"Not so silent," Cordelia said looking at her textbook with a slight grin and he gave her a raised eyebrow. He knew what she was referring to and she knew it too. Class was for some reason difficult for both of them to focus on. Difficult when he caught a whiff of her perfume and the sight of her tanned legs in her mini skirt. Difficult when she recalled their hot kisses they shared and his fingers all over her body. She wanted to be the pen in his hand so badly. Class and school was over when the bell rang and by some unspoken to agreement they walked together to his van. Cordelia flinched slightly at seeing it recalling everything that took place inside it.
"I… ummm had it steam cleaned," Oz stated as he opened the door to it well aware of how awkward it must be for her to see the vehicle.
"I can wear flats," Cordelia declared out loud randomly causing him to look at her curiously. "I'm just saying I can wear flats! I mean I do own a few pairs!" At his bemused expression she relented. "Fine! Maybe you can wear lifts!" This caused him to shake his head a little bemused at her. "At least with you we don't have to work on your fashion sense." The quiet guitarist was quite comfortable with his own style, and even Cordelia had to admit, it worked for him. Besides, it was hard for her to argue with anyone who knew more about nail polish than she did.
"Amen to that," he remarked before politely grinning at her. "You could always try dressing like me," he teased her trying to picture her in one of his bowling shirts it caused her frown. "We don't have much in common," Oz said expressing his doubts.
"Question about nail polish? what's better, Passion Pink, or Strawberry Dreams?"
"Trick question," Oz said coolly. "They're actually the same thing bottled by two different companies. And they're both pretty low-quality. No real shine to them."
"See we have something," she smiled at him. A winning smile if ever he saw one.
"I'll think about it," was the best he could offer. She grinned giving him a 100% pure Cordelia Chase grin before turning around and leaving with a plenty of sway and swagger to her hips. He raised an eyebrow at her departing form while checking out her ass before shaking her head.