Crown and Key
By Sandra and William Johnson
Chapter Sixteen
Sunlight streamed through the window and rested upon Lara Croft’s sleeping form. Xander Harris admired the way the white sheets enfolded her nubile form and he smiled goofily as he ran over the events of the previous evening. After all this time, he’d finally found a normal woman. Xander shrugged, “Well, normal compared to the last few women I’ve hooked up with, and I doubt I’ll get eaten by her or catch some funky syphilis.” He whispered. Xander gazed upon Lara for a few minutes more, then headed into the kitchen to fix breakfast.
Lara smiled as she noticed Xander leave. He certainly was an intriguing character. Lara sat up, the sheet slipping from her naked body as she moved to pick her discarded clothes from the floor. Slipping into them, Lara reflected on the events that brought her to Sunnydale. Giles had certainly found some very interesting associates. Bringing the Crown here had definitely been the right move.
Lara stood and looked at herself in the mirror as she fixed her hair into its traditional braid. Lara hummed to herself and smiled, then jumped in surprise as her cell phone went off.
Lara pulled it from her waist, “Croft here.”
“Lara, glad you’re awake.” Giles voice came over the phone
“Rupert, what is it?”
“Well, some things developed here after you and Xander departed last night.”
“Everyone alright?”
“They’re fine Lara. However, I could use a ride, and some help. If you don’t mind, could you bring Xander to Buffy’s and pick me up as well? We need to deliver something to the High School.”
“Of course. Will an hour do?”
“It should. And Lara? Say nothing of this to Buffy.”
“OK Rupert, though, I don’t like keeping secrets from her.”
“It’s for her own good Lara. See you in an hour.”
“Bye”
Lara closed her phone and placed it back on her hip. She left the bedroom and made her way towards the kitchen.
“Something cooking?” Xander asked as he looked up from the large skillet he had placed on the stove.
“You mean besides breakfast?” She replied, a smile playing around the corners of her lips. Xander laughed jovially at her comment.
“Yeah, that’s it. Are eggs okay? I didn’t know what you liked to eat, and my last live in girlfriend’s tastes in food tended to run towards the moldy cheese sort.”
“Eggs are fine.” Lara replied, choosing to overlook the comment about his latest love interest. She placed her palm lightly over his and looked deeply into his brown eyes. “ Thank you for breakfast, but can I take a raincheck? Apparently Rupert has some things he needs at the High School and is without a mode of transportation.”
“Sure thing.” Xander replied with a slight raise of his eyebrows. “But I thought that the work on the school wasn’t supposed to be finished till September? Are my guys that ahead of schedule?”
Lara fumbled for an excuse. “He could have said drop off for all I know. I wasn’t exactly up and at em when he called. After all, we did have a rather exhausting evening.” She smiled at him playfully and leaned in to plant a kiss on his astonished cheek. “See you back at Buffy’s later today.”
“Sure. I’ll bring the eggs!” he called after her as the front door slammed. Smiling softly to himself, Xander contorted his body till his right arm was resting just below the back of his left shoulder. “Exhausting? I think we deserve a pat on the back for that one!”
* * * *
Lara glanced strangely at the odd shaped, heavy bundle of blankets she and Oz had helped Giles haul out of Buffy’s basement and into the back of her Humvee. “Should I even ask?”
Oz looked at her carefully. “My experience? Nah.” An impish grin slid across his face as she leaned over and unlocked the passenger side door of the car. Giles climbed silently in beside her.
“So, uh, why are we putting Spike in the school basement?” Jonathan asked from his position on the floor of the car as Lara pulled into traffic.
“He needs to be kept away from Buffy.” Giles said with a slight nod of his head. Lara looked strangely at the reflection of the small boy on the floor of her car. “Mind my asking why you’ve become friends with my carpet?”
Jonathan tossed her a half smile in the rearview mirror. “I’m on the lamb. I can’t go back to the bighouse. That place changes a man, and not for the better.” He grimaced, thinking of Andrew and how he had abandoned him down in Mexico. “As soon as I’m finished here, I really should get him to consider turning ourselves in.” He thought to himself.
Oz placed a comforting hand on Jonathan’s shoulder. “It’s okay man. You were in there for what, two months?”
Jonathan blushed as Lara made a sharp left and swore under her breath. “Bloody pedestrians” she thought to herself as another person ran out into the middle of the road.
“Actually, it was more like two hours before Anya phased us out, but it still was life changing.” Jonathan said softly. He looked down at his hands and was ashamed at the havoc he and his friends had wreaked. Well, it wasn’t really havoc, it was more like major annoyance; at least major annoyance for your average Sunnydale resident.
“Yes, well, I’m afraid we may need assistance keeping Spike, uh, quiet during the last phase of the transportation.” Giles said as he climbed out of the car and into the school parking lot.
“Want me to smack him around if he gets too loud? “ Jonathan inquired.
“Actually, I was going to ask Lara to do that, but if you insist…” Giles’ voice trailed off. Jonathan looked hopefully at the dark haired beauty. “Go ahead. Yell if you need me.” She replied, knowing fully that should the vampire come to during his final trip, Jonathan would be calling for reinforcements at the first available opportunity.
Jonathan, however, was in heaven. His face lit up like a Christmas tree as he reached into his pocket and removed a small red velvet bag. He cupped his hand under the opening and let the contents pour out. To Lara’s eyes, it resembled ordinary sand.
“Benedicta nominee pacem.” Jonathan chanted softly as he sprinkled the sand over Spike’s unconscious form. The body in the blankets seemed to go slack.
“What’s with the fancy sand?” Lara asked as she grabbed what she hoped was a leg and started dragging the unconscious vampire toward the back stairs of the school.
“I got it from the Sandman.”
“The what?” Lara asked skeptically.
“Yeah, you now.” Jonathan said as he and Oz hoisted Spike’s upper torso off the ground. “The guy with the bag of magic sand that goes around sprinkling it in your eyes and making you sleep.”
“He exists?”
“Sure. He takes up residence in Mexico. But the sand doesn’t exactly make you sleep.”
Lara looked warily over her shoulder. “Really?”
“Well, it sort of induces a catatonic coma, but only for two weeks or so. Then the effects wear off…”Jonathan’s voice trailed off when he realized that no one was paying any attention at this point to what he was saying. Instead, he concentrated on the inside of the new High School. It looked surprisingly the way he remembered it. At least the basement did.
“She was going to bring me here, you know. When it opened up this summer. Show me where the whole Scooby Gang began.” A soft, feminine voice whispered in his ear. Jonathan looked to his right. Standing next to him was an extremely beautiful girl, but not in the conventional way. She was tall and curvy, with straight long dusky blond hair and large, green, sleepy looking eyes. Her smile was sweet and soft, and very intuitive. Jonathan knew her at once, and hardly believed what he saw.
“Don’t say a word, Jonathan.” The girl spoke. “I know it wasn’t you who shot me. Willow knows it too. She has forgiven you. She can’t forgive herself. Just like you.” She smiled. Jonathan continued to look at her as he walked.
“She used to tell me about you. Willow always considered you a friend of hers in High School. She even said to me once, ‘Tara, it’s a shame Jonathan left UC Sunnydale after that superstar spell. You would have really liked him.’ I always agreed with her, but you know Willow. She was always the smart one. The brainy type.” Tara’s eyes lit up playfully. “In fact, weren’t you the one who started calling her Brainy Smurf?”
Jonathan chuckled at that memory.
“Look, the real reason I’m here is because I know what you’re going through. The guilt. Well, I don’t really know because I never participated in a crime ring or got someone shot, but I can understand. You want to make up for it. I can tell you how.”
She leaned in close, so close Jonathan imagined he could feel her breath on his neck. “There’s this seal. Here, in the basement. The construction crew doesn’t know about it, it’s buried way under the foundation. If you and Andrew uncover it, you can show it to Buffy and she can let you guys fill my spot in the gang. Sort of an instant friends-amends type of deal.”
Jonathan’s eyes lit up at the prospect as he and the others gently laid Spike on the cold concrete. They were all engrossed in some conversation involving Oz’s new found ability to control the wolf. No one even mentioned how Jonathan had introduced Oz to the shaman who had taught him how to keep cool, as well as given him the potions that allowed him not to wolf out totally around Willow.
“They’ll all want to be around you. You’ll be the hero, Jonathan. And you will have earned it on your own.” Tara smiled. “All you have to do is this.” She whispered in his ear the instructions. As she pulled away, she looked him in the eye and smiled. “Tell Willow I’ll see her soon.” She said as she stepped back
“Jonathan? Are you OK man?” Oz asked, and Jonathan whirled around, his back to Tara, to look at Oz.
“Yea…yea, I’m ok. Just thinking about things.”
“Cool. Let’s go then, Giles and Lara are already leaving.”
Jonathan looked back and nodded at Tara, who smiled again, and then followed Oz back out of the High School Basement.
“Very good, “The first said, the image of Tara shifting to that of Warren once Jonathan had passed out of sight, “The seeds of my victory have now been sown. They even brought me a nice new tool to use.” The First leaned down, now appearing as Buffy, her hands motioning as if petting Spike’s hair. “Of course, had that been anyone else, they never would have believed I was Tara. I never could get the speech patterns of those fortunate souls in Heaven just right. No wonder Angel never bought the entire Jenny Calendar masquerade.”
*****
Lara looked at Giles as the two guys finally finished their High School reminiscing and climbed into the Hummer, “So, where to next?”
Giles held his glasses in his hand, wiping the sweat from his brow on his sleeve, “Where else? Back to Buffy’s.”
“I should have known.” Lara smiled and pulled out of the parking lot.
“Uh, guys? I think we need to talk first.” Jonathan piped up, again sitting on the floor.
“About?” Oz asked.
“Well, when I found Kendra…I mean Adora, on the side of the road, she had that crown. It’s still in my bag in Buffy’s basement. You might want to stop and get it first.”
Lara slammed on the brakes, causing several cars behind her to narrowly miss her rear bumper. She stared at Jonathan in disbelief along with Giles and Oz, “Let me get this straight. YOU have the crown?”
Jonathan shrugged, “Well, yea. Why? Were you looking for it?”
Oz playfully smacked Jonathan in the back of the head, “Well duh. Nice job Jono”
Jonathan beamed, liking this and thinking to himself, “I guess Tara was right”. Lara pulled back into traffic, speeding their way back to Buffy’s. “I think I like this hero stuff,” Jonathan said with a smile.
Lara looked over quickly at Giles, “You know, Adam and Adora are still in the basement. Why don’t I give Dawn a call and have her have one of them grab the bag.”
“Good idea Lara” Giles answered. “Have Dawn tell both of them to meet us outside. Actually, scratch that. Have them get the bag and have Dawn gather the gang. Then we’ll see what secrets this crown has to reveal to us.”
Lara smiled, “Call Buffy” she said, and her cell phone obediently dialed the number.
“Summers residence” Dawn’s cheerful voice chirped from the phone.
Lara began to pass on Giles’ plan to Dawn, who gleefully accepted her duty as messenger.
Oz piped up as Lara’s call ended, “Not to be a party pooper, but, how you gonna do that? Will’s still a recovering Magic Addict.”
Giles looked directly at Oz, and then Jonathan, “Well, I DID teach Willow all she originally knew. And, we also have a rather powerful warlock in our midst.”
Jonathan blushed under the attention. “You want MY help?”
“Looks that way, “ Lara said as she parked in Buffy’s driveway.
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