Gods And Monsters

Chapter Ten:

Sighing in relief as the hot water hit her stiff back, Hel carefully stretched her sore muscles, closing her eyes and inhaling the steam. She tilted her head toward the steady pressure from the shower head, slicking back her drenched, black hair.

She glanced at the collection of various bottled soaps lining the narrow rack that was squeezed into the far left corner of the white tiled walls.

Reaching for one, she squirted a quarter-sized dollop of green apple scented shampoo into her palm and began combing it throughout her hair. Hel gently rubbed her scalp with her fingertips, lathering her whole head, then proceeded to thoroughly rinse all the shampoo out of her hair.

Picking up a bottle of body-wash, she quickly scrubbed her shoulders, underarms, limbs, and torso. She then stood there a moment longer and gazed down at the cloudy water that pooled in the tub, basking in the stream of heat.

Shutting off the shower, Hel pulled the towel down from the shower curtain rail. She wrapped her wet body, then smoothed back her clean, dripping hair with her hands.

Drawing aside the curtain, she stepped out of the tub and dried off. After briefly inspecting the tasteful clothing Willow gave to her, she stuck her arms through the straps of a black bra and clasped the hooks behind her back.

Hel slipped on a pair of matching underwear, and tugged a black, spaghetti-strapped camisole on over her head, then wriggled her legs into a pair of tight, distressed jeans that were torn at the knees. Without hesitation, she snatched Spike's black and grey plaid shirt from a hook on the back of the bathroom door.

She slipped her arms into the soft sleeves, and left the front unbuttoned. Squeezing the water from her hair with the towel, she then tossed it into the hamper and glanced over her reflection in the mirror above the sink.

Noticeably dark circles shadowed under her eyes, and her dry lips were paler than usual. Finally, Hel took a deep breath, and turned to unlock the door.

Grasping the brass doorknob, she braced herself, before giving a sharp twist and pulling the door wide open. She strode down the length of the hallway, arms wrapped around her midriff. The wooden steps creaked beneath the weight of her naked feet as she descended the staircase, trailing her hand lightly along the oak banister.

She rounded the corner, padding through the hall and into the kitchen.

Turning her head, an older woman with curly blond hair and kind blue eyes smiled warmly at her from behind the kitchen island. The embodiment of maternal if she'd ever seen it, this was presumably Buffy's mother. "Hel, right? Buffy told me you'd be down soon, and I thought you might be hungry."

She finished slicing an apple into wedges and placed them on a mint-green porcelain plate, every inch of which was already loaded with other fruits. These included black Concord grapes, blood orange and grapefruit slices, as well as kiwi coins.

"Is there anything else you'd like? Cereal? Toast? Scrambled eggs? Tea? Coffee?"

"Um..." Hel paused, taken aback. "A tea would be nice."

Her kind smile returned. "A tea it is." She filled a red kettle with water, placed it on a stovetop burner, and ignited a flame beneath it.

She pivoted back around. "Now, I have to go to work, but the tea bags are in here," she pointed to a cupboard door above the stove. "The milk is in the fridge," she gestured to a tall refrigerator against the far left wall, beside the kitchen side door. "And the sugar is just on the counter."

"Thank you, Miss Summers."

She waved off the 'thank you'. "Oh, it's my pleasure, dear. And please, call me Joyce. Also, do make yourself at home and help yourself to whatever; the TV, the fridge..."

With one last smile, Joyce left the room, heading for the front foyer.

After fixing her tea, Hel picked up the plateful of assorted fruit and made her way through an opening that led to the living room. She placed the plate on the rectangular, low-sitting coffee table and plopped down onto the couch cushions. She picked up the black remote from beside her, examining it curiously.

"How strange..." She muttered to herself under her breath.

Taking a wild guess, Hel pressed a small, round button at the top. The television screen in front of her went from black to bright in a split second.

Sunnydale news was on, and headlines rolled across the bottom of the frame:
"CRATER DISCOVERED IN FOREST: GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS CLOSED OFF SCENE FROM PUBLIC."

Her eyes widened in alarm, recognising the icon of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division was investigating again. After the events that took place in New Mexico, she knew it was only a matter of time before they found her.

Since she wasn't in the mood to consider how they would react to her presence on Midgard at that moment, she pressed another button at random. The channel switched to an unfamiliar TV show.

Hel reached for a wedge of apple, bringing it to her mouth and biting off half. It was deliciously tart and perfectly crisp. Whilst continuing to watch the show, she nibbled on fruit eagerly. The episode had just begun, and it seemed to be of the soap opera genre.

Intrigued, she dragged over a thick, pine-green blanket from the other end of the couch and tucked herself in, getting comfortable. Cozy and content, she finally allowed herself to relax as she sunk into the cushions.