132 Ficlet: Respite and Relaxation (Ensemble)
Title Respite and Recreation: Five Times Late Season Seven Wasn’t So Gloomy
Author Bruttimabuoni
Rating PG
Word Count 500
Prompt 132: Sweet, Surprised, Short, Smart, Shiny (bingo?)
Characters/Pairing (if any) Giles, Willow, Buffy, Faith, Spike/Buffy
Giles shifted his head on the lumpy cushion doing duty as a pillow, failing to sleep. Why in the name of all holiness hadn’t he rented his own flat in Sunnydale?
Ah yes. Bringers. Deadly danger.
Sound reasoning, dammit. And Giles was the protector of the Potential Slayers; he embodied the knowledge of the Council; a last link in the sacred Watcher chain.
These were important things to remember.
They did not however prevent him from wanting to throttle the little wretches, and whoever it was who’d sent them soaring on a sugar high with sweets at bedtime.
Bloody kids.
*
Fred’s phone call had felt like a lifeline to Willow. Re-ensouling Angel, that was her territory.
Orb, bells, herbs, Latin, demons defeated. Check. The power of the spell was gloriously memorable. She felt so strong, yet in control. No darkness here.
LA was... different than expected though. Faith was a shock, yet somehow inevitable. The real surprise was Fred, though. Hugely changed from her post-Pylea self, so cute and pretty. Really interesting ideas about portal physics too, and she appreciated magic. Willow wasn’t going to mess with infidelity again. But... so tempting.
For now, she left it at, “Good bells.”
*
Dawn looked at Giles, who looked at Xander.
Buffy glared at them, hands on hips. “Who’s Slayer here?”
“You are,” they said, grudgingly in unison.
“So, in future, what are we going to do?”
Giles intoned, “We are going to consider your Slayer needs at all times in case you decide to give us to the Bringers in retribution.”
“And?”
“We are never going to talk over your head again, though we are unnecessarily tall.” Xander’s contribution.
“AND?”
Dawn mumbled into her scarf, but the words were clear enough. “And we’ll never hide chocolate in the high kitchen cupboards again.”
*
Faith grimaced at the books. “I’m not an idiot, y’know. But I just don’t see that we’re getting anywhere with all these books. And I’m not making a real researchy contribution. Anyone else want to go and beat something bloody?”
“Something evil, I hope?”
“Yes, Principal. I may not have book smarts, but I only beat on evil things these days.”
“Well, I do have the book smarts. But I’m getting rusty. May I join you for a nice evening’s bludgeoning?”
Tasty. For the first time in years, Faith fluttered her eyelashes at a guy. “Why yes, sir. You may.”
*
Buffy descended the basement stairs. Maybe for the last time. “Still playing with big shiny?”
Spike stood up. “Trying to work out what it’ll do tomorrow. Bit twitchy, to be honest.”
“I don’t want to waste tonight worrying. Might be...” Oops. Buffy stopped, but Spike caught her thought.
“The last. I know.”
Spike nervous? So not what Buffy wanted right now. She removed the amulet from his hand, and led him towards the uncomfortable cot.
“So let’s make it memorable, okay?” She took the lead, but he followed willingly.
Both remembered that night for a long time. Forever, in truth.
Author Bruttimabuoni
Rating PG
Word Count 500
Prompt 132: Sweet, Surprised, Short, Smart, Shiny (bingo?)
Characters/Pairing (if any) Giles, Willow, Buffy, Faith, Spike/Buffy
Giles shifted his head on the lumpy cushion doing duty as a pillow, failing to sleep. Why in the name of all holiness hadn’t he rented his own flat in Sunnydale?
Ah yes. Bringers. Deadly danger.
Sound reasoning, dammit. And Giles was the protector of the Potential Slayers; he embodied the knowledge of the Council; a last link in the sacred Watcher chain.
These were important things to remember.
They did not however prevent him from wanting to throttle the little wretches, and whoever it was who’d sent them soaring on a sugar high with sweets at bedtime.
Bloody kids.
*
Fred’s phone call had felt like a lifeline to Willow. Re-ensouling Angel, that was her territory.
Orb, bells, herbs, Latin, demons defeated. Check. The power of the spell was gloriously memorable. She felt so strong, yet in control. No darkness here.
LA was... different than expected though. Faith was a shock, yet somehow inevitable. The real surprise was Fred, though. Hugely changed from her post-Pylea self, so cute and pretty. Really interesting ideas about portal physics too, and she appreciated magic. Willow wasn’t going to mess with infidelity again. But... so tempting.
For now, she left it at, “Good bells.”
*
Dawn looked at Giles, who looked at Xander.
Buffy glared at them, hands on hips. “Who’s Slayer here?”
“You are,” they said, grudgingly in unison.
“So, in future, what are we going to do?”
Giles intoned, “We are going to consider your Slayer needs at all times in case you decide to give us to the Bringers in retribution.”
“And?”
“We are never going to talk over your head again, though we are unnecessarily tall.” Xander’s contribution.
“AND?”
Dawn mumbled into her scarf, but the words were clear enough. “And we’ll never hide chocolate in the high kitchen cupboards again.”
*
Faith grimaced at the books. “I’m not an idiot, y’know. But I just don’t see that we’re getting anywhere with all these books. And I’m not making a real researchy contribution. Anyone else want to go and beat something bloody?”
“Something evil, I hope?”
“Yes, Principal. I may not have book smarts, but I only beat on evil things these days.”
“Well, I do have the book smarts. But I’m getting rusty. May I join you for a nice evening’s bludgeoning?”
Tasty. For the first time in years, Faith fluttered her eyelashes at a guy. “Why yes, sir. You may.”
*
Buffy descended the basement stairs. Maybe for the last time. “Still playing with big shiny?”
Spike stood up. “Trying to work out what it’ll do tomorrow. Bit twitchy, to be honest.”
“I don’t want to waste tonight worrying. Might be...” Oops. Buffy stopped, but Spike caught her thought.
“The last. I know.”
Spike nervous? So not what Buffy wanted right now. She removed the amulet from his hand, and led him towards the uncomfortable cot.
“So let’s make it memorable, okay?” She took the lead, but he followed willingly.
Both remembered that night for a long time. Forever, in truth.