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jesterladyficThis chapter's title comes from James Houston
Chapter Five:
“You’ve got a nice roundhouse, luv!” Spike praised. Veronica dropped to the floor and started panting. “It’s not just Buffy’s bod; you’ve added your own flavor.”
“How can you tell? Isn’t a kick just a kick?”
“No.” Spike shook his head. “I know Buffy’s moves. You make her move
differently.”
“That’s…nice,” Veronica said hesitantly. “Slightly creepy.”
“It’s rather like Passions on supernatural crack,” Spike agreed
gloomily. “But enough about that. Let’s take you out to the bloody real world.”
“I promised my dad on pain of death I would not die,” Veronica reminded him.
“That’s all on you, buddy.”
“Been doing this for over a century, pet. You got your specialties, I got
mine.”
“Then lead on into the night.”
“Take you to the tame cemetery.”
They walked along in silence.
Spike liked the feisty teenager. She didn’t take crap which he admired. He
kept his senses open, realizing he had to be extra careful to protect her. He still
didn’t know why he was protecting humans, but then life had never been about black
and white for him. He liked to live in the gray.
***
Veronica felt more comfortable around Spike for some reason. She realized
that was odd since he was a vampire, but he’d been the first one she’d seen in this
crazy, new world and he felt more solid to her. He also seemed to be the only one
who would admit to anything.
“Harris will have a hernia once he knows you’re out with me,” he remarked
gleefully.
“I get the whole vampires are evil thing, but he’s so passionate he’s going
to strain something,” Veronica observed.
“I have tried to kill him several times. Holds a grudge or somewhat.”
“Or somewhat,” Veronica said wryly. “I guess I don’t see why there’s a
problem. But I don’t have the history or the know-how about this world, so I’ll keep
my opinions to myself.”
“History’s painful, Private Eye. I spent over a century making mayhem and
loving every second of it. You don’t wanna know the things I’ve done. Slayer’s
sworn against my kind. Makes the trust part difficult, yeah?”
“But she does trust you,” Veronica argued. “What about the whole ‘Spike has
to protect my sister thing?’ The pattern makes sense, my friend.”
“Buffy doesn’t know what she bloody wants,” Spike answered. “It’s an
emergency now, an emergency next week. But come quiet times and Spike’s the villain
again. She doesn’t want help in day to day life. Doesn’t realize it’s not about
help. She doesn’t even know that’s where her strength lies - in those around her.
Tried telling her that, but then I got out a shotgun and her mum got sick and her
wanker boyfriend staked me.”
“I think I’m going to leave that one alone,” Veronica said in the awkward
silence that followed.
Spike stopped short again and hastily changed the subject.
“Right, now. You’ve got Slayer abilities. Close your eyes; use your
senses. Tell me what you feel.”
Veronica concentrated. It took her a long time, but she had already noticed
her heightened senses and was more acclimated to them now. She began to see or sense
tiny variations in the way she viewed the world. She could feel a slight tingle that
she realized she associated with Spike and had just not been aware of it. But there
was something else, something that felt darker and colder and she also felt the need
to find it, destroy it.
“There’s something out there.”
“Nice job,” Spike commended. “There’s a vamp. Smells like a fledgling, so I’ll let you try and take it on. I’m right here, so don’t get your knickers twisted.”
“One more thing that I can do I can never tell anyone about.” Veronica sighed and strode forward, following her senses.
The vampire soon spotted her and grinned, his feral grin smudged with dirt from his newly risen struggle.
“Easy does it, pet.”
Veronica concentrated on her body and the stake in her hand. The vamp
launched himself toward her and she dodged out of the way, kicking his back as he
passed.
He stumbled, but quickly recovered before she could plunge the stake in. He
grabbed her arm and she winced with the pain.
“You’re stronger, luv.”
Throwing her arms back, she forced him to break his hold and then followed
with a quick jump kick combination Spike had taught her.
She almost wanted to stop and marvel that she’d managed it when the vamp
flipped back to his feet.
“Stake!” Spike called out.
Veronica quickly thrust the stake into the vamp’s chest. He clutched at the
wound but nothing happened.
“Little more to the right.”
She tried again and this time there was a cloud of dust. She stared at the
vampire vacated spot on the ground.
“Fancy some more?”
Spike grinned in much the same way the other vampire had. But, she decided, on him it was sexier.
“Yeah,” she breathed.
She liked being a private investigator, but slaying vampires on the side
wouldn’t be too bad. Provided she had superpowers.
Veronica slew four vampires in the next hour and Spike decided it was time
they got back.
“Thanks,” she said softly as they walked home. “Well, for saving my life and
all.”
“Sounds like a hard thing for you to say,” Spike discerned. “You’re used to
being the one on top, yeah?”
“Sounds wrong when you put it like that. But, yeah, I’m used to being
capable. But that last vamp…”
“Knew what he was doing and would’ve been feasting on that dainty, little
neck.”
“About sums it up.”
“No worries, I was there. Knight in bloody armor, I am.”
“A colorful knight,” Veronica amended. “I think that’s my favorite kind.”
“Your bloke seems colorful enough. Scottie filled my head with stories on
the ride down.”
“Logan’s colorful, all right. I don’t really know if that’s such a good
thing right now.”
“Why’s that?”
“Things in Neptune aren’t really going that well and Logan’s a big part of
that. It’s not really his fault, but he’s not handling it well. I get afraid of
what might happen to him or what might happen because of him.”
“So tell him.”
“You always that direct?”
“Believe me, when you’ve lived as long as I have, keeping back mamby pamby
emotions is not the way to go. You’ve only got a short span on this mortal coil,
luv. Don’t waste any of it being a ponce.”
“So, I should tell Logan how I feel.” Veronica pondered that a moment. “I
feel like I’m trying to reform the bad boy. What if he’s not reformable? Is the
whole thing just a physical attraction or a bond over shared dysfunction?”
“People have been in love over less.”
“In love? We’re just seniors in high school.”
“Who’ve apparently been to hell and back. Together. That matures you.
Brings you closer. Don’t throw away the good just cause it doesn’t come in the
packaging you think is right.”
“I know the packaging I always wanted. Things got messed up and then somehow
Logan and I ended up together. We needed each other, but what if it was just a
situational thing?”
“Well, don’t over-moralize it in your head. Bloody stupid thing to do. Talk
to the boy. He’s got a say too.”
“He’s got a say,” Veronica repeated. “Okay, enough heavy thoughts to cloud
my head or Buffy’s head, whichever it is.”
“Your head, pet. Her head is even more cluttered than yours, I promise.”
“I think you should give her more credit,” Veronica mused. “She might not
understand what she feels, but there’s obviously something between you two.”
“Don’t say it!” Spike warned. “It’s wrong anyway, vamp and Slayer. Been
tried before and it’s a royal, sodding mess.”
“Didn’t you just tell me that the packaging wasn’t the important thing?”
“Not quite the same. More issues are at stake here.”
“I think it’s just two people who can’t come to their senses and realize
they’re important to each other.”
“I know how important she is!” Spike said loudly. “She’s all I bloody think
about, dream about. I’m drowning in her. But she’ll never get off her high horse
and realize it. I don’t even want to change, yeah? I wanna be evil and even if I
didn’t I don’t know how to change. I’m stuck in limbo with the stupid chip and the
love of the Slayer and a blood diet and years of instinct.”
“Sounds like you have some things to work out.” Veronica felt slightly
embarrassed. “I don’t want to butt in on obviously tricky ground. I might sprain my
ankle and that wouldn’t help me with my borrowed sacred duty very much.”
“Don’t mind me.” Spike sighed. “Always been a bit of a nancy-boy.
Something about you makes me talk, Private Eye. Not sure if that’s good or bad, but
thanks for the pep talk. Just remember what I said about Scottie.”
“I’ll remember.”
Veronica was having the oddest night of her life. And last night she'd been
body-snatched.
“Vamp,” Spike breathed quietly next to her.
She nodded slightly. She could feel it much stronger this time and gripped
her stake.
***
“This is the office,” Keith said as he walked in and turned on the lights. Buffy followed him in. “This is where you as Veronica would sit.” He motioned to the receptionist desk. “But since I barely let her work here anymore, you shouldn’t have to do too much.”
“How come?” Buffy leaned against the desk as he opened his office door.
“That almost-getting-killed thing?”
“Yeah, that.” Keith beckoned her to come into his office as he booted up the
laptop. He went to the Prying Eyez website and pulled up the lists Veronica and
Buffy had each written. “We’ll start here, a little cross checking, see what these
people have in common.”
“Why is Veronica’s high school history teacher on this list?” Buffy queried.
Keith rolled his eyes.
“My daughter has the unfortunate talent of getting those in authority in
trouble with the authorities. We didn’t agree on that particular one for awhile.”
“She was right?”
“No, I was,” he said nonchalantly. “But that’s probably what made her drive
the knife home as hard as she did. That and the statutory rape.”
Buffy was getting a better picture of Veronica’s life. It didn’t make hers
look easy, no, Buffy’s life looked harder than ever. But it did help her to not feel
as isolated.
“I’ll be working on this,” Keith said. “You feel up to making some phone
calls?”
“Oh, phone work. Um, hope they don’t mind ditz. Not really good on the
phone, here.”
“Sometimes ditz really is best,” Keith assured her.
Buffy crossed her fingers and they both started to work.
Occasionally the phone would ring, but Buffy was grateful Keith answered it.
She was starting to realize how good she wasn’t with people. Too much time with
monsters or something.
Hours passed and Buffy started to get really bored. It didn’t matter who she
spoke with, nobody Veronica knew seemed to know her as well. It just didn’t make
sense. Keith had no better luck and it was two disgruntled people who locked up the
office and went back to the Mars apartment.
The doorbell rang just as they were sitting down to dinner.
“Hi, honey, I’m home.”
“Come in, Logan,” Keith said, obviously not thrilled to see the boy. “How
was your trip?”
“Buses are interesting. I’ll go out on a limb and say there are many crazy
people who frequent them. Next time I’ll call for a helicopter.”
“Want some dinner?”
“Only if I’ll be intruding.” Logan sat down with a wry wink at Buffy.
He was young, she thought. But she pitied him. It was probably hard for
Logan to see Veronica’s body all of a sudden and know that it wasn’t her in there.
The meal was awkward. Buffy could tell that Veronica was the usual buffer
between the two and she wasn’t able to fill that role. She tried her best to keep
the conversation going, but she felt awkward herself. After all, she barely knew
either of them. She wondered how Veronica and Logan were able to keep their
relationship going at all. Veronica was obviously close to both of them, but they
did not appreciate each other. She sensed Keith had the usual, ‘not thinking Logan
was good enough for his daughter’ chip, but something else was going on as well.
Resentment and years of cockiness exhumed off of Logan.
Buffy was exhausted just thinking about it.
“Anybody calls you, just let me know,” Logan told her. “We can fend them off
together.”
***
“Someone named Mac just called me,” Buffy said into the phone about three
days after her last conversation with Logan.
“Sweet girl.”
“A friend of mine?”
“Most definitely, though there is some sort of technical arrangement as well
that I’ve never been able to figure out. Still, definitely someone who could tell
you aren’t your lovely self.”
“What are we doing about it, boyfriend?”
“We’re being…delicate. School starts in two days, let’s try and hold off an
unrehearsed performance until then. I want my little star to shine bright on her
debut.”
“Your cocky ass is something that I would like to kick very hard,” Buffy
informed him.
But she couldn’t help smiling. Logan was definitely not all jackass, but he
put on grandiose far too well.
“Sounds like a picnic, but rain check for now, k?”
“Logan, give me a serious line.”
“Text Mac back, be extremely witty and say you’ll get back to her cause
you’re on a case. We’ll see her at school and everything will be jim dandy.”
“You know I never understood that. What does that mean? Who’s Jim Dandy and
why would anyone want to be him or like him or have things done by him? How does he
get a saying named after him anyway?”
“You could always put Keith on the job,” Logan said, chuckling. “Betcha he
could find out- give him a break from all the sordid sex he’s forced to watch.”
“All men are pigs then,” Buffy said with a realization that it wasn’t just
Spike.
“You’re surprised? Oh, my delicate blossom.”
“Shut up or I will kick your ass.”
“Pick you up for school then. Ta.”
Buffy hung up the phone, shaking her head. And again she was heading back to
high school. At least it wasn’t her high school.
When Logan picked her up for her first day she only hoped she didn’t screw up
Veronica’s senior year for her.
“Metal detectors are new, but not surprising,” Logan said with an odd pride
in his voice. Buffy looked at him askance. “Welcome to Neptune High.”
“I really was glad when I was done with high school,” Buffy groaned. “At
least this isn’t a Hellmouth.”
“Well…not literally anyway.”
“Not helping.”
“Then come this way and I’ll introduce you to all your friends. Play nice.”
“Okay, you need to stop acting like a jonesed up dad taking his wittle girl
to her first day of preschool.”
“You just bring out all this concern,” Logan said with a too sweet tone.
He took her hand and led her into her homeroom.
“Veronica, where have you been? I told you when you started with him that I
got all the quality time and he got all the favor asking.”
“Hi…Wallace,” Buffy stammered slightly. “I’ve been working. On a case.
With my dad. Doing detective work.”
“And you got slipped something?” Wallace teased.
“Is he offending you? Shall I defend your honor?” Logan asked sarcastically.
“I defend my own honor, thanks,” Buffy said and pushed him aside slightly.
“What’s life like now, Wallace?”
“Hammered down with exams and work. Anyone who ever said being a teenager
was easy never had Alicia Fennel on his back about a scholarship.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling. My m- I’m stressed about it too.”
Logan shook his head. Buffy glared at him. She knew she just wasn’t
Veronica. She could mostly pass, but he couldn't possibly understand how hard this
was. So what if he missed his girlfriend? She missed her body!
Buffy breathed a sigh of relief when the day was over. She and Logan hopped
into his Xterra and he drove off.
***
Wallace and Mac watched the yellow beast with twin feelings of confusion.
“You getting that vibe?” Wallace asked.
“Yeah, like a creepy, other worldly feeling.”
“Veronica’s mass weird today.”
“Something must be going on.”
“Whatever it is, Logan’s in on it.”
“Probably instigated it too.”
“Let’s keep a watch on that sitch.”
“I know a guy at Radio Shack.”
***
“I always thought it was slightly distasteful to actually shout Eureka,” Willow exclaimed to Giles. “But that might be the only word that really fits. I think I figured out the spell’s purpose. It’s spelled out in its core by the castor.”
“Do tell,” Giles said after she’d paused. “I’m quite interested.”
“It’s a more unusual form of magic which is why I didn’t recognize it. It’s
not formal, more renegade-like. But whoever cast the spell really loves to make
trouble. There was vengeance there, but this was mostly about doing it for the hell
of it. For the love of it.”
“Which means we have a slight problem.” Giles took off his glasses and
leaned forward.
“What problem? Figuring it out is good.” Willow looked disappointed.
“It is good, thank you. It means I know what we’re dealing with, chaos
magic. And there’s only one person I know of with a personal connection to Buffy and
this kind of affinity with chaos.”
“Oh.” Realization sunk in for Willow. “Isn’t he all locked up?”
“Since we're forced to put up with Spike every day, it’s painfully obvious
one can escape from the Initiative. We’re just going to have to assume that Ethan
escaped somehow.”
“We have to find out if it’s true. Can we call Riley? Did he leave a
forwarding address like at the post office?”
“I doubt it. We need to call Buffy and see if she knows how to get in touch
with him. We must find out Ethan’s whereabouts because there’s no doubt in my mind
he’s behind the whole thing.”
“Well, maybe we’ll interrupt her while she’s doing her homework and make her
happy,” Willow said as she reached for the phone.
Chapter Five:
“You’ve got a nice roundhouse, luv!” Spike praised. Veronica dropped to the floor and started panting. “It’s not just Buffy’s bod; you’ve added your own flavor.”
“How can you tell? Isn’t a kick just a kick?”
“No.” Spike shook his head. “I know Buffy’s moves. You make her move
differently.”
“That’s…nice,” Veronica said hesitantly. “Slightly creepy.”
“It’s rather like Passions on supernatural crack,” Spike agreed
gloomily. “But enough about that. Let’s take you out to the bloody real world.”
“I promised my dad on pain of death I would not die,” Veronica reminded him.
“That’s all on you, buddy.”
“Been doing this for over a century, pet. You got your specialties, I got
mine.”
“Then lead on into the night.”
“Take you to the tame cemetery.”
They walked along in silence.
Spike liked the feisty teenager. She didn’t take crap which he admired. He
kept his senses open, realizing he had to be extra careful to protect her. He still
didn’t know why he was protecting humans, but then life had never been about black
and white for him. He liked to live in the gray.
***
Veronica felt more comfortable around Spike for some reason. She realized
that was odd since he was a vampire, but he’d been the first one she’d seen in this
crazy, new world and he felt more solid to her. He also seemed to be the only one
who would admit to anything.
“Harris will have a hernia once he knows you’re out with me,” he remarked
gleefully.
“I get the whole vampires are evil thing, but he’s so passionate he’s going
to strain something,” Veronica observed.
“I have tried to kill him several times. Holds a grudge or somewhat.”
“Or somewhat,” Veronica said wryly. “I guess I don’t see why there’s a
problem. But I don’t have the history or the know-how about this world, so I’ll keep
my opinions to myself.”
“History’s painful, Private Eye. I spent over a century making mayhem and
loving every second of it. You don’t wanna know the things I’ve done. Slayer’s
sworn against my kind. Makes the trust part difficult, yeah?”
“But she does trust you,” Veronica argued. “What about the whole ‘Spike has
to protect my sister thing?’ The pattern makes sense, my friend.”
“Buffy doesn’t know what she bloody wants,” Spike answered. “It’s an
emergency now, an emergency next week. But come quiet times and Spike’s the villain
again. She doesn’t want help in day to day life. Doesn’t realize it’s not about
help. She doesn’t even know that’s where her strength lies - in those around her.
Tried telling her that, but then I got out a shotgun and her mum got sick and her
wanker boyfriend staked me.”
“I think I’m going to leave that one alone,” Veronica said in the awkward
silence that followed.
Spike stopped short again and hastily changed the subject.
“Right, now. You’ve got Slayer abilities. Close your eyes; use your
senses. Tell me what you feel.”
Veronica concentrated. It took her a long time, but she had already noticed
her heightened senses and was more acclimated to them now. She began to see or sense
tiny variations in the way she viewed the world. She could feel a slight tingle that
she realized she associated with Spike and had just not been aware of it. But there
was something else, something that felt darker and colder and she also felt the need
to find it, destroy it.
“There’s something out there.”
“Nice job,” Spike commended. “There’s a vamp. Smells like a fledgling, so I’ll let you try and take it on. I’m right here, so don’t get your knickers twisted.”
“One more thing that I can do I can never tell anyone about.” Veronica sighed and strode forward, following her senses.
The vampire soon spotted her and grinned, his feral grin smudged with dirt from his newly risen struggle.
“Easy does it, pet.”
Veronica concentrated on her body and the stake in her hand. The vamp
launched himself toward her and she dodged out of the way, kicking his back as he
passed.
He stumbled, but quickly recovered before she could plunge the stake in. He
grabbed her arm and she winced with the pain.
“You’re stronger, luv.”
Throwing her arms back, she forced him to break his hold and then followed
with a quick jump kick combination Spike had taught her.
She almost wanted to stop and marvel that she’d managed it when the vamp
flipped back to his feet.
“Stake!” Spike called out.
Veronica quickly thrust the stake into the vamp’s chest. He clutched at the
wound but nothing happened.
“Little more to the right.”
She tried again and this time there was a cloud of dust. She stared at the
vampire vacated spot on the ground.
“Fancy some more?”
Spike grinned in much the same way the other vampire had. But, she decided, on him it was sexier.
“Yeah,” she breathed.
She liked being a private investigator, but slaying vampires on the side
wouldn’t be too bad. Provided she had superpowers.
Veronica slew four vampires in the next hour and Spike decided it was time
they got back.
“Thanks,” she said softly as they walked home. “Well, for saving my life and
all.”
“Sounds like a hard thing for you to say,” Spike discerned. “You’re used to
being the one on top, yeah?”
“Sounds wrong when you put it like that. But, yeah, I’m used to being
capable. But that last vamp…”
“Knew what he was doing and would’ve been feasting on that dainty, little
neck.”
“About sums it up.”
“No worries, I was there. Knight in bloody armor, I am.”
“A colorful knight,” Veronica amended. “I think that’s my favorite kind.”
“Your bloke seems colorful enough. Scottie filled my head with stories on
the ride down.”
“Logan’s colorful, all right. I don’t really know if that’s such a good
thing right now.”
“Why’s that?”
“Things in Neptune aren’t really going that well and Logan’s a big part of
that. It’s not really his fault, but he’s not handling it well. I get afraid of
what might happen to him or what might happen because of him.”
“So tell him.”
“You always that direct?”
“Believe me, when you’ve lived as long as I have, keeping back mamby pamby
emotions is not the way to go. You’ve only got a short span on this mortal coil,
luv. Don’t waste any of it being a ponce.”
“So, I should tell Logan how I feel.” Veronica pondered that a moment. “I
feel like I’m trying to reform the bad boy. What if he’s not reformable? Is the
whole thing just a physical attraction or a bond over shared dysfunction?”
“People have been in love over less.”
“In love? We’re just seniors in high school.”
“Who’ve apparently been to hell and back. Together. That matures you.
Brings you closer. Don’t throw away the good just cause it doesn’t come in the
packaging you think is right.”
“I know the packaging I always wanted. Things got messed up and then somehow
Logan and I ended up together. We needed each other, but what if it was just a
situational thing?”
“Well, don’t over-moralize it in your head. Bloody stupid thing to do. Talk
to the boy. He’s got a say too.”
“He’s got a say,” Veronica repeated. “Okay, enough heavy thoughts to cloud
my head or Buffy’s head, whichever it is.”
“Your head, pet. Her head is even more cluttered than yours, I promise.”
“I think you should give her more credit,” Veronica mused. “She might not
understand what she feels, but there’s obviously something between you two.”
“Don’t say it!” Spike warned. “It’s wrong anyway, vamp and Slayer. Been
tried before and it’s a royal, sodding mess.”
“Didn’t you just tell me that the packaging wasn’t the important thing?”
“Not quite the same. More issues are at stake here.”
“I think it’s just two people who can’t come to their senses and realize
they’re important to each other.”
“I know how important she is!” Spike said loudly. “She’s all I bloody think
about, dream about. I’m drowning in her. But she’ll never get off her high horse
and realize it. I don’t even want to change, yeah? I wanna be evil and even if I
didn’t I don’t know how to change. I’m stuck in limbo with the stupid chip and the
love of the Slayer and a blood diet and years of instinct.”
“Sounds like you have some things to work out.” Veronica felt slightly
embarrassed. “I don’t want to butt in on obviously tricky ground. I might sprain my
ankle and that wouldn’t help me with my borrowed sacred duty very much.”
“Don’t mind me.” Spike sighed. “Always been a bit of a nancy-boy.
Something about you makes me talk, Private Eye. Not sure if that’s good or bad, but
thanks for the pep talk. Just remember what I said about Scottie.”
“I’ll remember.”
Veronica was having the oddest night of her life. And last night she'd been
body-snatched.
“Vamp,” Spike breathed quietly next to her.
She nodded slightly. She could feel it much stronger this time and gripped
her stake.
***
“This is the office,” Keith said as he walked in and turned on the lights. Buffy followed him in. “This is where you as Veronica would sit.” He motioned to the receptionist desk. “But since I barely let her work here anymore, you shouldn’t have to do too much.”
“How come?” Buffy leaned against the desk as he opened his office door.
“That almost-getting-killed thing?”
“Yeah, that.” Keith beckoned her to come into his office as he booted up the
laptop. He went to the Prying Eyez website and pulled up the lists Veronica and
Buffy had each written. “We’ll start here, a little cross checking, see what these
people have in common.”
“Why is Veronica’s high school history teacher on this list?” Buffy queried.
Keith rolled his eyes.
“My daughter has the unfortunate talent of getting those in authority in
trouble with the authorities. We didn’t agree on that particular one for awhile.”
“She was right?”
“No, I was,” he said nonchalantly. “But that’s probably what made her drive
the knife home as hard as she did. That and the statutory rape.”
Buffy was getting a better picture of Veronica’s life. It didn’t make hers
look easy, no, Buffy’s life looked harder than ever. But it did help her to not feel
as isolated.
“I’ll be working on this,” Keith said. “You feel up to making some phone
calls?”
“Oh, phone work. Um, hope they don’t mind ditz. Not really good on the
phone, here.”
“Sometimes ditz really is best,” Keith assured her.
Buffy crossed her fingers and they both started to work.
Occasionally the phone would ring, but Buffy was grateful Keith answered it.
She was starting to realize how good she wasn’t with people. Too much time with
monsters or something.
Hours passed and Buffy started to get really bored. It didn’t matter who she
spoke with, nobody Veronica knew seemed to know her as well. It just didn’t make
sense. Keith had no better luck and it was two disgruntled people who locked up the
office and went back to the Mars apartment.
The doorbell rang just as they were sitting down to dinner.
“Hi, honey, I’m home.”
“Come in, Logan,” Keith said, obviously not thrilled to see the boy. “How
was your trip?”
“Buses are interesting. I’ll go out on a limb and say there are many crazy
people who frequent them. Next time I’ll call for a helicopter.”
“Want some dinner?”
“Only if I’ll be intruding.” Logan sat down with a wry wink at Buffy.
He was young, she thought. But she pitied him. It was probably hard for
Logan to see Veronica’s body all of a sudden and know that it wasn’t her in there.
The meal was awkward. Buffy could tell that Veronica was the usual buffer
between the two and she wasn’t able to fill that role. She tried her best to keep
the conversation going, but she felt awkward herself. After all, she barely knew
either of them. She wondered how Veronica and Logan were able to keep their
relationship going at all. Veronica was obviously close to both of them, but they
did not appreciate each other. She sensed Keith had the usual, ‘not thinking Logan
was good enough for his daughter’ chip, but something else was going on as well.
Resentment and years of cockiness exhumed off of Logan.
Buffy was exhausted just thinking about it.
“Anybody calls you, just let me know,” Logan told her. “We can fend them off
together.”
***
“Someone named Mac just called me,” Buffy said into the phone about three
days after her last conversation with Logan.
“Sweet girl.”
“A friend of mine?”
“Most definitely, though there is some sort of technical arrangement as well
that I’ve never been able to figure out. Still, definitely someone who could tell
you aren’t your lovely self.”
“What are we doing about it, boyfriend?”
“We’re being…delicate. School starts in two days, let’s try and hold off an
unrehearsed performance until then. I want my little star to shine bright on her
debut.”
“Your cocky ass is something that I would like to kick very hard,” Buffy
informed him.
But she couldn’t help smiling. Logan was definitely not all jackass, but he
put on grandiose far too well.
“Sounds like a picnic, but rain check for now, k?”
“Logan, give me a serious line.”
“Text Mac back, be extremely witty and say you’ll get back to her cause
you’re on a case. We’ll see her at school and everything will be jim dandy.”
“You know I never understood that. What does that mean? Who’s Jim Dandy and
why would anyone want to be him or like him or have things done by him? How does he
get a saying named after him anyway?”
“You could always put Keith on the job,” Logan said, chuckling. “Betcha he
could find out- give him a break from all the sordid sex he’s forced to watch.”
“All men are pigs then,” Buffy said with a realization that it wasn’t just
Spike.
“You’re surprised? Oh, my delicate blossom.”
“Shut up or I will kick your ass.”
“Pick you up for school then. Ta.”
Buffy hung up the phone, shaking her head. And again she was heading back to
high school. At least it wasn’t her high school.
When Logan picked her up for her first day she only hoped she didn’t screw up
Veronica’s senior year for her.
“Metal detectors are new, but not surprising,” Logan said with an odd pride
in his voice. Buffy looked at him askance. “Welcome to Neptune High.”
“I really was glad when I was done with high school,” Buffy groaned. “At
least this isn’t a Hellmouth.”
“Well…not literally anyway.”
“Not helping.”
“Then come this way and I’ll introduce you to all your friends. Play nice.”
“Okay, you need to stop acting like a jonesed up dad taking his wittle girl
to her first day of preschool.”
“You just bring out all this concern,” Logan said with a too sweet tone.
He took her hand and led her into her homeroom.
“Veronica, where have you been? I told you when you started with him that I
got all the quality time and he got all the favor asking.”
“Hi…Wallace,” Buffy stammered slightly. “I’ve been working. On a case.
With my dad. Doing detective work.”
“And you got slipped something?” Wallace teased.
“Is he offending you? Shall I defend your honor?” Logan asked sarcastically.
“I defend my own honor, thanks,” Buffy said and pushed him aside slightly.
“What’s life like now, Wallace?”
“Hammered down with exams and work. Anyone who ever said being a teenager
was easy never had Alicia Fennel on his back about a scholarship.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling. My m- I’m stressed about it too.”
Logan shook his head. Buffy glared at him. She knew she just wasn’t
Veronica. She could mostly pass, but he couldn't possibly understand how hard this
was. So what if he missed his girlfriend? She missed her body!
Buffy breathed a sigh of relief when the day was over. She and Logan hopped
into his Xterra and he drove off.
***
Wallace and Mac watched the yellow beast with twin feelings of confusion.
“You getting that vibe?” Wallace asked.
“Yeah, like a creepy, other worldly feeling.”
“Veronica’s mass weird today.”
“Something must be going on.”
“Whatever it is, Logan’s in on it.”
“Probably instigated it too.”
“Let’s keep a watch on that sitch.”
“I know a guy at Radio Shack.”
***
“I always thought it was slightly distasteful to actually shout Eureka,” Willow exclaimed to Giles. “But that might be the only word that really fits. I think I figured out the spell’s purpose. It’s spelled out in its core by the castor.”
“Do tell,” Giles said after she’d paused. “I’m quite interested.”
“It’s a more unusual form of magic which is why I didn’t recognize it. It’s
not formal, more renegade-like. But whoever cast the spell really loves to make
trouble. There was vengeance there, but this was mostly about doing it for the hell
of it. For the love of it.”
“Which means we have a slight problem.” Giles took off his glasses and
leaned forward.
“What problem? Figuring it out is good.” Willow looked disappointed.
“It is good, thank you. It means I know what we’re dealing with, chaos
magic. And there’s only one person I know of with a personal connection to Buffy and
this kind of affinity with chaos.”
“Oh.” Realization sunk in for Willow. “Isn’t he all locked up?”
“Since we're forced to put up with Spike every day, it’s painfully obvious
one can escape from the Initiative. We’re just going to have to assume that Ethan
escaped somehow.”
“We have to find out if it’s true. Can we call Riley? Did he leave a
forwarding address like at the post office?”
“I doubt it. We need to call Buffy and see if she knows how to get in touch
with him. We must find out Ethan’s whereabouts because there’s no doubt in my mind
he’s behind the whole thing.”
“Well, maybe we’ll interrupt her while she’s doing her homework and make her
happy,” Willow said as she reached for the phone.
