Days in the Sun
February 14th, 2024 – Spells (2)
Buffy waved goodbye as Willow and Tara drove away before closing the front door and returning to the living room, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. Spike’s idea made sense, but she still wasn’t sure she liked it.
Two days before, he had found Joyce Anne in the attic, doing by herself a somewhat complicated and potentially dangerous spell. Just a love spell, but as Buffy remembered from the early Scoobies years, no spell was ever completely safe. Their immediate answer had been to ground Joy for a year, and the teen was still complaining about it, even though she knew it would lead her nowhere. Then she and Spike had started talking about how Joy had been interested in everything magical for a very long time, and it was doubtful she would lose that interest if they simply forbade her to do any magic. Spike had been the one to propose finding mentors for Joy, so that she wouldn’t try anything too advanced or dangerous alone ever again. Willow and Tara had been the logical choices for this role, and they had invited them over today to discuss it. They had accepted, and all four of them had established a few rules about exactly what Joy would be allowed to do or not. Joy herself didn’t know about it yet, but she would know very soon that the two Witches had agreed.
Spike was still sitting on the sofa when she entered the living room where they had been discussing over chocolate and blood mugs. He was uncharacteristically quiet, a slight frown barring his forehead.
“Hey, no brooding allowed in this house”, she said playfully as she sat on his lap.
He rolled his eyes at her, replying with mock-grumpiness: “I do no such thing as brooding, Slayer. Just thinking.”
“Thinking about what?” she asked softly
As she rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, her own doubts melted away. Everything always seemed to get so much better as long as Spike was close.
“Just random thoughts, luv”, he said a bit hesitantly. “Like, if it was all planned that Lisa and Will would decide to be Slayers, maybe it was planned too that Jay would find another way to fight.”
Despite herself, Buffy tensed a little at his quiet words. She still wasn’t used to the idea of her two oldest children fighting what had been her fight, and she certainly didn’t like the thought that Joyce might join them, even with other means.
“Maybe she won’t even want to continue,” she replied without believing her own words. “Maybe it was just a one time thing.”
Spike pressed his lips to her hairline, and said softly: “Let’s go ask her, then, shall we?”
Joyce Anne had looked through her closet, as well as her sister’s, three times, and still she hadn’t found anything to wear. And Anthony was going to arrive in less than four hours now! There was just no way she would be ready on time! Especially if she kept panicking like this!
Taking deep slow breaths, she closed her eyes and tried to empty her mind. It was actually part of the fighting training her father had given her and her siblings for years, but she had discovered that it worked to help her focus any time she was a bit afraid, be it before an exam or before a first date. And tonight, it was a first date.
Yes, she was grounded. No, she wasn’t going to the Valentine’s Day party with all her friends and most of the school. But Anthony wasn’t going either. He was coming here, to have dinner with her – and her parents – and watch a movie. And she still had to find something nice to wear.
Her eyes still closed, she stuck a hand inside the closet and grabbed the first thing she touched. Pulling it out, she finally looked at what she would be wearing. Not too bad. Her dark green dress. She knew it complimented her eyes, and if she asked to borrow her mother’s emerald earrings…
A knock on the door startled her. “Come in.”
Both her parents appeared as the door swung open, and her mother instantly gave a frown at the state her room was in, clothes thrown all over the bed and floor.
“I was cleaning up,” she said quickly before Buffy could comment.
Nodding wordlessly, Buffy walked in, picking up a couple of shirts on her way, and sat down on the bed after clearing it up a little. Spike remained leaning against the door, arms crossed. Their faces, set in the same grim and determined mask, had Joyce Anne sigh softly as she had the distinct impression that more punishment was coming her way. Not that her parents were usually hard on their children, but she guessed her little spell a couple of days before had upset them both more than they let on, and even though she still argued about it she knew she had got off easy with the grounding. Turning the desk’s chair around, she sat down and waited for the sentence. All she hoped was that it wouldn’t take effect until after Anthony had come tonight.
Her parents exchanged a glance, and Spike cleared his throat, before saying:
“So far we’ve let you learn magic tricks on your own, and apparently it was a mistake.”
“Daddy, I …”
He raised his hand, and she stopped talking, biting her lower lip worriedly.
“We need to know something”, Buffy picked up. “And we need to know the truth, honey. Is magic just a game for you? Or is it more than that?”
Not really understanding where her mother was going with this, Joyce Anne couldn’t help frowning slightly.
“In other words,” her father added, “if we ask you to stop completely doing magic, can you honestly swear that you will?”
Her mouth opened, ready to promise everything they wanted, as long as she didn’t get punished any further. But it closed without a sound. If she swore right now never to do any magic ever again, she knew she would be lying. She just loved doing magic. She had always loved it, ever since Tara had taught her how to make a small ball of light when she was afraid in the dark. She had been six or seven then, spending the night at her aunts’ house, anxious being in a place she didn’t know. She wasn’t afraid of the dark any longer, but she still played with light balls, sometimes. And other little things she had picked up.
“I can’t promise that,” she admitted, her eyes dropping to the floor. “All I can promise is not to try anything that could hurt anyone. But I need to do magic. It’s just… I need to, that’s all.”
They wanted the truth, that was it. And if it got her in more trouble, at least she wasn’t lying. There was a little pause, then her mother said, very softly:
“If you want to learn, and I mean really learn, not just play, Willow and Tara are willing to teach you.”
Joyce Anne’s widening eyes lifted from the floor and traveled back and forth between her parents, trying to decide whether it was a joke, or a test, or… they couldn’t be serious, could they?
“Really?” she asked hesitantly. “I can do real magic?”
“Only with their supervision,” Spike said with a nod and the hint of a smile. “And you are to listen to them if they say you can’t do something.”
Now certain it wasn’t a game, Joyce Anne beamed. Rising from her chair, she went to give her mother a hug, then her father, repeating to both her thanks and promises not to break their trust. Only when they had left did she realize that she still wasn’t any closer to be ready for her date, but oddly enough it didn’t seem so important anymore.
Long ago, Spike and his Slayer had agreed not to celebrate Valentine’s Day, for the double reason that it was just a more commercial than romantic holiday, and that it brought back unpleasant memories to both of them. They had other special days in the year that more than made up for it. The day they had escaped the Council, the day they had made love for the first time without a spell over them, the day Spike had returned to Sunnydale, the day they had closed the Hellmouth permanently… Never anything fancy, never extravagant gifts, but they celebrated these little landmarks of their history in their own way.
Tonight, though, they had a guest, so the dinner would take place in the dining room, with the pretty china and, as Jay had insisted, by candlelight. To go with the setting, and this time it was his Slayer who had insisted, Spike had had to dress up. A little. Nice pants instead of jeans, and Buffy had even made him tuck in his shirt, under the approving eye of their daughter. Whipped, there was no denying it. But then, who wouldn’t be? Buffy wore that nice little black dress he loved so much, and her hair cascaded over her shoulders in a way that always made him want to smile. Jay was radiant too, in a modest enough green dress, her mother’s earrings and necklace adding their sparkle to that of her eyes and smile.
All they needed now was the boy Spike planned to spend his evening torturing, and in exactly one minute he would be late, which meant more torture for…The doorbell chimed, and Spike almost cursed. The damn kid had to be on time, had he? He was about to get to the hall to start his scare-the-wannabe-boyfriend game, but Buffy caught his wrist before he could leave the dining room.
“None of that tonight,” she said chidingly. “You invited him for dinner, so you will behave.”
“I have no idea what you mean, luv,” he lied with an innocent smile.
She chuckled lightly, and shook her head. “Yes, you know what I’m talking about. And unless you want to deal with an angry Slayer, I suggest you play nice.”
He started pouting, then grinned slyly as he pulled her close to him, hands stroking her hips softly.
“I invited him for dinner,” he agreed, “but nothing more. Does that mean I can scare him after dessert?”
Before she could forbid that too, he had covered her mouth with his, and he was soon pretty confident that she had forgotten all about her warnings. They were however rudely interrupted by Jay’s insistent coughing. When their lips separated, they found in front of them a very mortified looking young lady, with a bouquet of roses in her hands, and behind her a slightly blushing young man.
“Mom, dad, this is Anthony,” Jay stated calmly, though her eyes promised retribution for the embarrassment of walking on her kissing parents with her date by her side.
“Glad to meet you, Anthony,” Buffy said with a gracious smile, as if nothing had happened.
“Me too, Mrs. Summers,” he replied as he handed her flowers. “Thank you very much for inviting me tonight.”
Spike’s eyes narrowed slightly. The kid dared offer flowers to his wife? Who did he think he was? Oh, this was going to be a fun evening, indeed.
Both Buffy and Jay left toward the kitchen, presumably to place the flowers in vases, and Spike caught the worried look his daughter was throwing him as she abandoned her date with him. And she was so right to be worried…
To Spike’s surprise, however, the kid didn’t pick up the hostility waves he was sending in his direction. Instead, he smiled, and extended his hand.
“It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Summers,” he said as his grin widened. “When I was a kid I used to love your stories. I had all your books. Still have them, actually.”
Baffled, Spike shook the proffered hand. Not only the kid wasn’t scared senseless, but he was one of his fans? The two ladies returned, both apparently relieved that no blood had been shed yet, and soon they were all seated at the dinner table, Spike still too bemused to put in motion his plans of torture. Before dessert, he was horrified to discover he actually liked the kid and couldn’t find a single flaw in him. When they moved to the living room and Anthony showed them what (excellent) movies he had rented, Spike wasn’t sure whether to laugh, cry, or run away screaming. It was just unfair. How in hell was he supposed to torture this one?
The characters and names used in these stories do not belong to me. All copyrights remain with Fox and Mutant Enemy. No profit is made from this fanfiction.