Xander knocks… no reply. Slowly he pushes Buffy’s bedroom door open prepared to complain about the irritating potentials who’ve taken over the kitchen. The door squeaks as it opens. Xander gazes into the room and as he does what he was planning to say falls flat on his lips. All he can do is stand agape at the sight before him.
“Buffy, what are you doing?” He blurts out loudly. His eyes are frozen to her naked form lying there beside Spike with only a white sheet to cover them. Buffy and Spike had been asleep, but Xander’s words have now woken them. Now Buffy pulls the sheet up to cover herself better as she sees her best friend standing there before her.
“Xander…” Buffy says with a fearful tone. She glances behind her at the vampire who’s wrapped his arm around her waist. When she looks back at the door Xander walks away with disbelief plastered across his face. Quickly Buffy get’s up and throws on a pair of jeans and a tank top and follows Xander down the hall. Within seconds Spike is right behind her pulling his shirt on as he makes his way down the stairs. “Xander wait…” Buffy calls out, and Xander stops at the end of the stairs to face her.
--
The Day Before…
Eshana could feel her pain from continents away. Vengeance demon by trade, Eshana specializes in mending broken hearts, usually though inflicting pain upon those who broke said hearts, but she's known to grant any wish that would mend one even if it didn’t involve causing pain and suffering. Everyone had their niche in the business and that was hers.
Eshana finds herself drawn to the lovely little southern Californian town of Sunnydale from the pain of one particularly strong woman. Eshana wonders to herself how a woman so strong could have so much hurt. Her pain is so intense that it greatly overshadows the evil energy which radiates from Hellmouth. Something big is coming, she knows it, everyone knows it, but that didn’t mean she was going to stop doing her job, and if anyone deserved her services it was Buffy Summers.
She had slipped into the Summer’s home easily enough. Everyone there was so consumed with thoughts of the impending battle that her presence was easily overlooked. It was as if she were just another potential slayer. Of course having done a tiny little spell before entering the home didn’t hurt either. Once inside it became apparent to Eshana very quickly that there was something between this Buffy Summers and another occupant in the house. Every time the bleached blonde individual was near her soon to be wish recipient the air became thick with all sorts of unexpressed emotions and unresolved conflict. Eshana spends the whole day there simply observing the two of them. She sees the little glances that pass between them, looks of opportunities lost and of a romance that has never had the ability to reach its pull potential.
Long after the sun has set and all glimpses of a crimson sky have turned to black Eshana plans to make her move. Buffy has now returned from patrol and Eshana watches the young blonde leader meander through the house. She can feel the pain from her broken heart deep in her bones as if it were screaming at her. How can no one else see it when it’s so obvious? She can tell that the tiny blonde has put up walls and tried to trap the pain inside, but it isn’t enough. Buffy Summers wants to be loved and she wants to be loved by him, Eshana knows it as surely as she knows that the sun will rise in the morning.
Things are starting to settle down within the residence now. The potentials squirm around in living room attempting to get comfortable on the hard wood floor. Xander twists and turns on the couch and Andrew is curled up in one of the chairs trying to sleep in a very unnatural position. Eshana looks them all over and then slowly walks up the stairs. She knows the vampire has vanished to the basement long ago and that in two of the upstairs bedrooms she would find Willow in one and Dawn sleeping in the other. She walks past them and makes her way to the last bedroom at the end of the hall. There is still a soft glow of light from under the door. With a soft knock Eshana pushes the door open and finds Buffy standing at her dresser.
Buffy turns toward the door as she hears it open and sees who she believes to be a dark haired and tanned potential.
“Buffy, can I talk to you for a minute?” Eshana asks.
“Uh, yeah… what do you need… um…”
“…Eshana.”
“Right, sorry…”
“Its okay, you’ve got a lot going on here. I don’t think anyone gives you enough credit for how much you hold things together.”
“Yeah well… it’s all part of the job ya know.”
“That’s actually what I want to talk about… the whole slayer gig; it must interfere with your personal life a lot huh?”
“Fighting the forces of darkness doesn’t leave a lot of time for relationships, no, but it’s not all bad, you make time for things sometimes.”
“Like Spike…” The question catches Buffy off guard.
“…Uh… look, if you’re worried that you’re gonna be the next slayer and that your life is going to get turned upside down… don’t worry… I’m not planning on dying anytime soon.”
“I’m sorry, I um… I didn’t mean to… I just see how you are around him; you really used to care about him didn’t you?”
“Spike and I… I don’t know… it’s complicated, and I wish that I had more time to figure it out, but I don’t… We’re in the middle of something big and that’s what being a slayer is all about. It’s not about giving things up; it’s about putting what’s important first… We’ll get through this battle. We always do.”
“Thanks, that’s exactly what I needed to hear,” Eshana says while smiling at Buffy. She still had it, getting a wish out of her had been even easier then she thought it would be. Buffy smiles back and Eshana and watches as the young girl exits the room. There's something odd about that potential but Buffy dismisses the thought and gets ready for bed.
Eshana closes the door behind her with a soft smile crawling across her face as she walks into the hall. I wish I had more time to figure it out. Eshana’s face turns to that of her vengeance demon visage “wish granted,” she says.
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!