| Longer, Then Forever by Demonica Mills |
| Chapter #10 - Chapter 10 |
 Chapter 10 Buffy only ran to the middle of the yard. She stood there feeling lost as she took in the neighborhood around her. With a sob, she collapsed to her knees as she felt the familiar swirl of memories flood her mind and disappear before she could grasp them. She ran her hand over the teeth marks on her neck again. They weren’t the only marks on her neck, but they were the only ones she remembered getting. The beast had surprised her in her cave and pinned her down before she could react. It had lowered its mouth to her neck, letting its saliva drip down her face before sinking its teeth into her. For a moment she thought she was going to die and in that moment, she had been relieved, but a noise from outside the cave had startled the beast. She had been able to throw it off her while it had been distracted. When she stabbed it with her killing stick, it had turned to dust but not before it muttered “Slayer” at her. “Buffy?” She jerked her head up at the sound of Willow’s voice and a memory came to her. A memory came and stayed. “Buffy?” Willow said softly as she knelt down next to her. Buffy turned and grasped Willow’s arms. “C-cookies,” she said. Willow stared at her, bewildered. “You want…you want cookies?” Buffy shook her head, frustrated. “Cookies,” she insisted. “Buffy, come inside and we’ll get you cookies,” Willow said. Buffy sat back on her heels and covered her face with her hands. Her fingers wound themselves around the hair above her forehead. “Buffy, please, I don’t understand.” “What’s wrong?” Xander asked as he knelt beside them. Willow turned to face him. “She-she keeps saying ‘cookies,’ but I don’t know why?” “Is she hungry?” he asked. “I don’t know,” Willow’s voice reflected a tone of panic. “I offered her cookies, but she just keeps repeating it.” “So you just sat down next to her and she said ‘cookies’?” “YES!” Xander paused a moment. “Well, you do make really good chocolate chip cookies.” “Oh! Oh my goddess! I wonder if…Buffy,” she waited until the blonde was looking at her. “Do you remember when I made the cookies after I messed up the ‘will be done’ spell?” Buffy stared at her. “Um, I’m talking too fast, aren’t I? Uh, okay, so remember when I cast that spell? When Oz left? And, um, I made Giles blind and Xander was a demon magnet and, uh, you and Spike were engaged. And then, then I made chocolate chip cookies because I felt so guilty, is that it?” Willow tried. “Cookies,” Buffy repeated. “Oooooh, she doesn’t understand.” “We could act it out,” Xander joked. “That’s brilliant!” Willow cried. “I was joking!” “Let’s get her in the house,” Willow said. She stood and motioned for Buffy to follow. To Willow’s relief, she did. “You guys,” Willow said as she burst in through the back door. “I need us to act out the ‘will be done’ spell. I think Buffy had a memory.” “What?” Giles asked. “She keeps saying cookies and then Xander was like ‘oh well you make good chocolate chip cookies’ and remember how I made the cookies after the spell I messed up when Oz left? I think she remembered that.” Willow was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. “But she doesn’t remember enough words to tell us what she means so Xander and I thought that if we act it out, then she can tell us if that’s what she meant.” “O-Okay, so what do you want us to do?” Tara asked. Willow smiled at her girlfriend. “I need you to pretend to be a monster and chase Xander. Giles, um, pretend to be blind again, and Spike, you need to ask Buffy to marry you.” “Willow, are you sure this will work?” Giles asked. “Well, it can’t hurt to try, right?” Giles sighed. “Okay.” He covered his eyes with his left hand while he held his right hand in front of him. “Good lord, I can not see,” he deadpanned. “Can see why that career in the theatre never worked out fer you,” Spike said. Tara giggled uncharacteristically and then looked at Xander before raising her hands like claws and chasing after him. “Grr! Arrgh!” She laughed. Willow pushed Buffy gently toward Spike. Nervously, Spike paced the room a few times before dropping on one knee in front of Buffy. “Yes!” Buffy yelled. She turned and threw her arms around Willow’s neck. “Yes! Cookies!” “And the point of all that was what?” Xander asked, panting slightly as he leaned against the wall. “She remembered something,” Willow said. “Our Buffy is trying to come back to us.” XXX Dawn followed Brianna into the apartment building where she lived. “Come on in, no one’s home right now,” Brianna said as she walked through the front door. “Want a drink or something?” “No thanks,” Dawn muttered. “My room’s this way.” Dawn walked into Brianna’s room. The walls were painted a dark blue and the floors were a dark cherry wood, an overflowing ashtray sat on the nightstand next to the bed and there was a bookcase filled with odd books and trinkets. Dawn took in the sun and moon theme of the room as she walked over to the bookcase. “You’re into magic?” she asked, surprised. “Oh, yeah,” Brianna said, absentmindedly. “You?” “Well, my friend, Anya, owns the Magic Box and my friends, Willow and Tara, are practicing witches,” Dawn answered. “Coolness,” Brianna answered. “I go to the Magic Box all the time.” “Really? I never see you there.” Brianna grinned. “Well, that’s the point. I mean, it’s not like I can afford anything there.” “Do you…steal there?” “Why? You gonna tell your friend on me?” Brianna asked. Dawn thought about the few things she had taken from the Magic Box and hidden in her jewelry box. “No.” “You practice magic yourself?” “Not really. I mean, I tried once or twice but Spike doesn’t really like me messing with magic.” Brianna flopped down on her bed. “So tell me about this Spike guy. What’s he like? Is he hot?” “Spike?” Dawn sat down on the bed next to Brianna. “I used to have a crush on him, when I was younger. Now he’s kinda like a big brother to me, you know? He takes care of me.” “So, like, is he your sister’s boyfriend?” Dawn shook her head. “No, he wants to be but…Buffy’s love life is complicated.” “So how do you know him then?” Dawn shrugged. “He’s just always been around since I was, like, nine or ten. Him and Buffy used to hate each other and I think he used to show up just to bother her ‘cause our mom adored him. Then one day, I dunno, I guess his feelings for her just changed, but she still hated him.” “That sucks.” “Yeah…” Dawn trailed off. “Hey, wanna try a spell?” “What kind of spell?” “Nothing big. Come on, it will be fun,” Brianna said, sliding off the bed. “It’s not like we’re going to invoke any spirits or send anyone to Hell.” Brianna placed on hand on either side of Dawn’s lap and held her face inches away from Dawn’s. “Come on…it’ll be…” She brushed Dawn’s nose with her own. “Fun.” “I-I-I d-don’t…” “Relax, I don’t either.” Brianna pulled back. “Come on Dawn. Life is about having fun. Don’t you ever get to have fun?” Dawn was silent for a moment. “Don’t you want to have fun?” Brianna asked. She stood back and held out her hand to Dawn. “Come on, let’s have fun.” |