Something New
Chapter 15
Something New
Chapter 15
�I-I�m not sure about this.� Tara said.
�It�s fine.� Willow assured with a smile. �We�re way past this. Might I remind you that I even managed to make Spike and Buffy fall in love? Maybe not on purpose � or maybe I did want to do it on purpose, because I thought they were meant for each other.�
�Willow, that�s not good magick.� Tara said quietly. �Manipulating love is dangerous.�
�Okay, so I admit, I didn�t do it on purpose, and I did make a mistake. But, hey. If I weren�t such a darn good witch Spike would still be in his crypt, plotting plan after plan to kill us all. Now he�s� well, he�s unconscious now, but he�s gonna be just fine when we take down these guys. Don�t you wanna help him?�
�O-of course I do.� Tara bumbled. �But I�m nervous.�
�Oh, don�t be. All we do is say the spell and blow the power at exactly the same moment.� Willow took a baggie of green herbs that had been crushed into a powder and poured it on Tara�s palm. �There�s yours.� She got out another baggie, dumping the brown and yellow powder into her own hand. �And here�s mine. Okay. Wanna go over the enchantment again?�
�Um, no.� Tara said. �I remember it.�
Willow closed her eyes and Tara followed.
�Thespia, we walk in shadow, walk in blindness. You are the protector of the night.�
�Thespia, goddess, ruler of all darkness, we implore you, open a window to the world of the underbeing.�
Tara nervously moved her hand to dump the herbs, looking for a good place to hide them when Willow opened her eyes. �Oh, Tara.� Willow said. �You have to blow them. Like birthday candles. You can�t just toss them in.� Willow smiled. �Good thing I caught that, huh? Let�s try it again.�
Tara nodded, feeling incredibly scared now as she looked over the map of Sunnydale. When she blew the herbs she knew that all of the demons would be illuminated, including one little dot right inside of their dorm room. And then Willow would know the truth.
�Tara, baby?� Willow asked. �Are you feeling okay?�
Tara almost jumped. �No� not really. I feel kind of sick, like my insides are squiggly? I think I should lie down.�
�O-okay.� Willow agreed. �Let�s just do this really quick. It�s important. To Spike. Unless you�re gonna throw up.�
Tara was hit by guilt, and suddenly did feel sick, but not even to throw up. She shook her head silently. She�d just have to tell Willow and tell her to deal with it. After all, Spike was a demon, and he had a son, and he was okay. Certainly she could be forgiven. It�s not like she�d ever killed someone.
�Thespia, we walk in shadow, walk in blindness. You are the protector of the night.� Tara recited in a firm voice, trying not to sound so scared.
Willow recited her half of the spell, her eyes opened and Tara knew that she couldn�t get out. She brought her palm to her lips, knowing that she was rolling the dice of life or death, and blew.
Willow looked down at the scattered herbs as they mixed. A gold cloud was released, glowing in it�s own light and covering the entire map, then it dissipated , leaving only small bits of light to mark demons, all in different colors.
Tara held her breath and look at the map of the school, right where there dorm was. And she saw it.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not a single spark or the faintest glow. It was too good to be true, and it made her head spin. She wasn�t a demon? Or maybe the spell just didn�t show her.
�You feeling okay?� Willow looked at her girlfriend, and Tara nodded, still feeling dizzy, but relieved. �Look,� Willow pointed, smiling. �That�s Buffy�s house. And there�s Spike. Err, maybe Spike and Jamie? Huh. Two lights.�
Tara frowned, looking at Buffy�s house. To herself she thought she saw three glows. White, blue and green, but then the blue and green combined close together, and she figured it must have been a play of light in her head. She shrugged. �James is half demon, right?�
�Oh, yeah.� Willow nodded, and looked over the page to find a demon cluster. It was hard. There were a few. She sighed, realizing that it was Sunnydale, after all. �I think this is harder than it looks. Which is an underground facility and which are just demons bars, or demon gangs, or demon ballet recitals?�
Tara looked over the page. �Look. This one is right near Claybourne cemetery, and into the woods.� She tapped the map. �Also, there aren�t any demons around them for quite a ways, and these ones are all in a row. What kind of demons stay in a row?�
�Huh.� Willow looked at the page. �They must be in those cages Spike talked about.�
�I guess so.� Tara agreed. �And there�s a big circle of demons.�
�That�s weird.� Willow said. �Circular holding cells?�
�Or dead demons.�
*****
�Get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, *GASP* get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, * GASP* get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, *GASP* get up, get up, get up, *gasp* get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up. WAKE UP! Get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, *GASP* get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, *gasp* get up, get up, get up, get up!�
Spike swatted at the annoying bouncing midget trying to wake him up, it�s repeated phrase no longer making sense until it took a breath and started again.
The vampire growled, pulling a pillow over his head and absently flinging a spare at the pest.
It�d be a cold day in hell when he got up before noon.
James pouted and fell neatly off of the bed, straightening himself out and kicking the mattress for good measure, then scurried upstairs for breakfast.
Buffy immediately kissed James, and he squirmed away moodily. �Well I think someone needs to stop staying up all night long.�
�I didn�t.� James protested, still angry. �Daddy hit me in the head with a pillow.�
�Aw, sorry.� Buffy sympathized, hugging James� head to her stomach gently. �Spike�s up?�
�No.� James pouted. �I tried to get him up and all he did was swear at me and then he went back to sleep.�
�Sorry.� Buffy repeated. �He�s not exactly gonna be awake for a while longer.�
�Duh.� James shook his head and went to messily pour cereal.
�Want me to go hit Spike for you?� Buffy asked.
�Put �im over your knee.� Dawn opted gleefully. �Spike would always use a spanking.�
�If I were mom, you�d so be grounded.� Buffy said. �In fact, I�d keep you locked away in a tower. Or just kill you outright.�
�Sugar.� James voiced his pleasure over the bowl of cereal, which was fill ed to the brim and spilling over with milk, and he happily spooned away big scoops of his sugary cereal.
Buffy shook her head and went downstairs to stand near Spike for a long moment, the blonde still in bed, sheets twisted around his waist with on booted foot dangling off of the bed, his arms still up at the pillow over his head, though his hands were laxed, not gripping the fabric any longer and clearly deep asleep, and unaccountable for his actions.
She went back upstairs, as though triumphant, shutting the door. �I hit him, but those tranquilizers really work. I don�t think he felt it, just like I don�t think he meant to swear at you, or hit you with a pillow. See, he�s still asleep. You probably woke him up, barely, but he was cranky, and he wasn�t thinking straight.�
�He�s a meanie.� James repeated, eating his cereal undeterred.
�Wouldn�t you be cranky too if I let you stay up all night long and woke you up two minutes later for breakfast?�
�Hmm. Dunno, let�s try it.�
�Nice try.� Buffy shook her head. �You�d be snoring in your cereal bowl. And by the way, you don�t need that much milk.�
�Don�t cristitize me.� James scowled. �You need the extra milk to make sure all the cereal bits are dead. They frees-dry shrimps and squidgies and chomp them up into little cereal pieces.�
�No they don�t.�
�Yes they do, Dawn says so.� James proclaimed, as though Dawn were a sparkling fountain of fact and truth. ��Cept they grinds all the fishy chunks into a mushy goo, blood an� bones an� all, and then they try it, and it turns into a powder, and theys adds sugar and wheat and stuffs and food collaring. Then they cook �em, and that�s how they make Frosted Fish Flakes.�
�When do you ever find the time to fill his head with this stuff?� Buffy glared at her sister.
�It�s not my fault your spawn believes everything I say.� Dawn retorted. �Even when I�m sarcastic. He�s only got two brain cells between you and Spike, and you didn�t donate.�
�Don�t be so mean to James.�
�Yeah, don�t be mean to me, Fish Flaker.�
�There�s no such thing as Frosted Fish Flakes.� Dawn rolled her eyes. �I suppose I should tell you. It�s Frosted Frog Flakes.�
�Cool!� James took a bigger spoonful, eagerly eating the Frog Flakes.
*****
James and Dawn were watching TV when Spike finally got up, immediately bumping into a table. �Shi�� Spike touched his bruised hip, biting back the word as he gots looks, then received the cold shoulder. Still feeling only 10%, he managed to put a mug of blood in the microwave, and then sat down, resting his head on folded arms.
Dawn came into the kitchen, casually getting a glass of water. �Sleepy?�
�Still drugged.� Spike mumbled, his lips also feeling somewhat numb and his throat dry. �Stupid soldiers.�
�Buffy was out all night looking for you.� Dawn informed.
�Yeah?� Spike squinted at her.
�Yeah. She called Giles when you didn�t come back but he said that you were probably just stuck indoors from the sun. Then Xander, Willow and Tara went to look for you. So did Giles and mom. And Buffy beat up a whole bunch of demons and dragged one back home by his ear and forced him to tell where you went.�
�Clem?� Spike asked.
Dawn nodded. �So you should be lucky that my mom loves you so much, and that Buffy cares enough to bother with you.�
�Thanks ever so.�
�Try not to sound so sarcastic.�
�I feel like I just drank a whole brewery.�
�You smell like you did, too.� Dawn agreed. �But worse.�
�You�re very comforting.� Spike said. �I was almost worried that I�d get too clean hanging around you lot.�
�Even Buffy isn�t powerful enough to give vampires good hygiene.� Dawn shook her head. �But you�d better try to scrape off some of that gunk and get that smell out before mom comes home, or you really will be given a bath. At least shoved into a shower for, like, two hours.�
Spike tried to sit up, more alert, but the sleep wouldn�t leave his body. �Thanks. I�ll try to do that� sometime.�
Dawn looked him over with scrutiny. �I swear, Spike, you�re either scared of water or scared to know what you look like without demon goo or blood or dirt all over you. I have never seen you be clean and stay clean. You always get messy again somehow. Hasn�t anyone ever told you about scrubbing?�
�Why don�t you show me?�
�Ew,� Dawn made a face. �You could at least try to make an effort. At this rate, you�ll happily have cut down your wardrobe again to one ripped pair of pants and one unraveling shirt. Keep up the good work, tard.�
Spike squinted after her when she left, unsure whether he should be outrageously offended or not. Tard. What a stupid bloody word.
He smelled his shirt, and it really was kind of overpowering. It smelled like it�d been soaking in the sewers for hours. Probably had. With some disgust he took off the shirt right there, not wanting his blood or anything else to be further contaminated. He�d have to wash everything separate, unless he hated Joyce, and if that didn�t save them than they�d have to be thrown out. No, burned. No, thrown out. No doubt burning them would only release the poisonous gasses.
Spike briefly considered just going back to sleep for another twelve hours when the microwave went off, and he got up. The cup was hot, the fluid was hotter, nearly burning, and that woke him up a lot. Vampire coffee. He guzzled it down, the flavor and power of it hitting him all at once.
Dawn watched Spike go by, then turned to James. �There, now he�s gonna go shower and wake up, thanks to us.�
�He hit me with a piwwow.� James grumbled.
�Don�t be such a baby.�
�Hard.� James added. �You�re never been hitted in the face with a pillow that was thrown by Spike. I thought I broked my nose.�
�I think you�d know if you broke your nose.�
�Oh yeah, well I might�ve.�
�No, cause you�d be crying. It�s hurts.� Dawn assured. �Lucky for me, I�ve never had one, but Buffy�s broken her nose twice. Why do you think it�s that funny shape?�
�Mommy�s pretty.� James pouted. �She does not have a funny-shaped nose.�
�Yeah, and Santa Claus and the Tooth fairy exist. Look, James, not to upset you, but I think we need to have a heart-to-heart.�
�What�s a tooth fairy?�
*****
Buffy finally got home, a little early as she wanted to see if Spike were okay.
�Hi honey.� Joyce greeted. �Was school good?�
�I lived.� Buffy shrugged. �Is Spike awake?�
�No.� Joyce pursed her lips. �He�s sleeping. He was up this morning, but when I got home he was exhausted. I don�t think those drugs are very forgiving.�
�No, they�re not meant to be.� Buffy agreed, going into the kitchen. �Did he eat?�
�Yes.� Joyce said. �I could guess due to the amount of blood packets in the garbage. Also, Giles called, yet again. Should I give him your office hours?�
�Sorry. What�s the big wig?�
�He said that Willow told him she�d worked the spell and that she was organizing a meeting � he made it clear for Spike to attend. It seems important.� Joyce told her. �What spell?�
�A spell to locate demon activity.� Buffy replied. �We�re gonna locate the Initiative. And we�re gonna stop it. Or at the very least, force them to leave Spike alone. We�ll plead his case if we have to. Giles would never let me just kill them al, but it would be so much more effective than begging them. Please, sir. Please don�t hurt my vampire. He�s a good boy, honest.�
�You should put a little faith in yourself.� Joyce encouraged. �I trust you�ll find a solution. Asking them to release Spike is good, and if that doesn�t work, well, before you kill them, can�t Willow do a spell that fills up the whole place with taffy?�
Buffy laughed despite herself. �I don�t think ancient Samarians wrote taffy spells.�
�Hmm. Well something to stick them to the walls like the bugs that they are.� Joyce said. �Disgusting insects.�
�I agree.� Buffy said firmly. �And we�ll stop them. As soon as we can figure out how to tunnel underground.�
*****
Spike woke up from his sleep, reaching for warmth, but feeling none. He sat up, seeing James glaring at him as much as angry pout could be considered a glare.
�S�wrong pet? Come �ere.� Spike patted the bed. �Lots of room.�
�No way.� James refused. �You�ll just hit me again.�
Spike�s face fell. �What?�
James picked up the pillow that had fallen on the floor, tossing it at Spike. �You hit me in the head this morning, you stupid dummy.�
Spike looked over the pillow, faintly remembering tossing it offhandedly at something that had pestered him for what seemed like hours, and had probably been James jealously trying to get attention.
�Aw, sorry pet.� Spike sympathized. �I didn�t know it was you. Or that I even �urt you.�
�It did hurt. It hurt my nose.�
�Sorry, luv, I didn�t mean to.�
�Sure you didn�t. You flunged it right at me.�
�I�m sorry.� Spike repeated again. �Promise I�ll never �it you again. Not on purpose. Never.�
�Never ever?�
�No. Not as long as I live.� Spike solemnly vowed. �Come �ere. Did I really hit you?�
�Yes! And it hurt.� James said, sitting down on the bed and crawling over to sit next to Spike, happy to voice his complaints. �And you called me names, too. Like �stupid chit�.�
�Oh. I had a dream about a dumb girl I met in Brazil who obsessed over me, wanted to be a vampire, and wanted to be my girlfriend. I told her I was already dating, and she got real mad. She was really annoying. So I finally� paid a ferry to ship her off to Timbuktu.�
�Where�s that?�
�Somewhere where unwanted things go, I guess. Like annoying, whining girls. I�ve never been there meself.�
�And she wanted to be your girlfriend?�
Spike nodded.
�And kiss and hold hands and do gross stuff?�
�Something like that.�
�Ewww! �
�Yup. So you can see why I sent her away.�
�You should�ve sunked tha ferry.�
Spike chuckled. �Maybe.�
�Should�ve.� James said, leaning back, and Spike ruffled his hair, fixing it into little spikes.