* * *
Xander completely forgot about behaving, eventually. He didn't need to. Spike had started on about surfing and Xander got caught up in the conversation because it was something he had always wanted to do. And before he even realized it, he had agreed to accompany Spike on one of his many morning trips to the beach to catch some waves.
Anya had returned and demanded what exactly she would be doing at the beach, as all Xander's free time belonged to her. Spike suggested sun bathing and she looked delighted.
Tara and Willow were making no motions that indicated they were returning to the table and Spike surprised himself when he realized he'd stopped looking.
* * *
Buffy broke out into a wide grin when she spotted Xander at a table in the crowd. The smile dropped sharply when she realized who was with him. She froze. What the Hell? Was she ever going to get away from this vampire and his weird stalking behavior?
Everywhere she turned there he was. And he kept insisting that he wasn't up to anything! Of course he was. He was insinuating himself with her friends to get close enough to take another shot at her.
And he was ruining her night out.
Buffy stomped up to the table and slapped her purse down. Xander jumped a foot, “B-Buffy! Hey, long time no slay! Heh, I thought you couldn't make it tonight?”
Buffy gave him a broad, fake smile, “Just thought I'd stop by and see what my best friends are up to.” She sat down across from Spike.
Spike swallowed thickly, he could feel her hostility bleeding into the air. He felt his back muscles tense up and he glanced across the dance floor at Tara.
Her back was to him and when she turned he got her side profile. She was happy. She was laughing and dancing and he couldn't ruin this for her.
“So, Spike. Dru finally got sane and dumped your ass, huh?” Buffy kept that fake smile bright.
Spike started twisting a beer bottle car between his fingers, “Yeah, she left me about a year and a half ago. In Brazil.”
“So, you thought you could just find yourself a nice little human to be your whore. Does she let you drink from her, Spike? Is that how it works?”
Spike flicked the bottle cap over and over between his thumb and his forefinger, “No, it's nothing like that-“
“Yeah, because people are just so drawn to your winning personality.” The smile had finally fallen off Buffy's face and her voice was cold.
“She-I- It's not like that at all-“ Spike began rubbing the bottle cap more forcefully.
Xander sat next to Spike staring at Buffy. He wasn't quite sure how to feel but he really didn't want to be sitting at this table. He glanced over at Spike and nearly choked.
His eyes morbidly followed the path of the bottle cap edge as it cut skin. He felt prickled of cold sweat along his neck. Oh, God. Why won't she stop? What is he doing?
“Yeah, I completely believe you. You just have such an honest face. Well, I'll tell you something, Spike. Once we figure out a way to break this little thrall thing you have over her, she won't be anywhere near you. She won't want to be anywhere near you. Because if you think for one second that I believe someone that isn't as twisted and sick as you are would want to voluntarily be with you-“
“What's going on?” Tara voice was like a switch. It shut off the buzzing in his head that accompanied Buffy's words.
“Spike? Jesus Christ! What-?” Tara yanked up his sleeve further and bared his forearm.
The words 'BE GOOD' had been carved into it half a dozen times.
The blood had seeped down onto the table into a slow trickle and droplet by droplet made it's way to the floor.
Spike stared at it like he'd never seen it before. Tara realized with a sharp chill, that he had no idea he had been doing it. She whipped a headscarf out of her bag and wrapped around his arm.
Xander kept trying to swallow, but his throat felt like it had swollen to twice its normal size. He felt like he'd been trying to talk for hours but nothing had ever come out. He opened and closed his mouth and he still could push words out.
“What the Hell is going on?” Tara's voice had tears in it but it was quite clear, and unusually loud.
Buffy was staring at the blood soaked piece of fabric and didn't answer.
Tara had had enough; she coaxed Spike to his feet and began to gather their things.
Buffy finally found her voice, it sounded quite dead, though, and a little uncertain, “I won't play these games with you, Spike. They're beneath me. You're beneath me.”
Tara felt a solid wall of rage push forth but she forced it back. The first tenet of Wicca was 'If it harm none, do as ye will.' And she wanted very much to harm.
“Come one, Spike.” Tara fixed Buffy with a glare that could cut glass, “Let's go be beneath her together.”
* * *
Willow found them a short time later on a park bench near the campus. Tara was seated upright and Spike was curled up with his head on her lap.
Tara was stroking his hair and seemed to be explaining things, “Spike, I understand that you were angry and being angry is O.K. Buffy probably deserved it. But you can't turn your anger inward like that, it's dangerous and self-destructive and it doesn't stop the anger.”
“But you were having a good time. I didn't want to ruin it.” Spike's voice sounded thick and Willow's chest ached a bit when she realized he must have been crying.
“Buffy did that all by herself.” Tara remarked darkly.
Willow walked up slowly, “Can I sit down? I want to join the 'Beneath Buffy Club', too.”
Spike shifted his legs and sat up to make room, “I have one rule.” He said quietly and turned to her. Willow could the red tinge to his eyes that confirmed her suspicions.
“O.K, I'm good with rules. Never break those babies. I toe the line and follow the straight and narrow and-“
“Red, you're babbling again.” Spike smiled a bit and Willow was heartened.
“Sorry, I do that. So what's the initiation rule? Do you want me to run her panties up the flagpole? 'Cause I'm pretty upset with her, too and I'd feel totally comfortable with doing that.”
“No, pet. You can't keep my girl here a secret from your mates anymore. You tell them she's not just your little friend from Wicca Group. She's worth more than that, a lot more. She's no one's dirty little secret.” Spike's eyes narrowed and his mouth thinned.
Willow looked down at her knees, “You're right. Tara, I'm sorry. I-I-I was just so worried about what they'd say, you know? It'd be like, 'So, your boyfriend leaves and you're gay now?'”
“Well, isn't that what happened?” Tara asked softly from Spike's other side.
Willow heart skipped it's usual beats whenever Tara spoke to her, she couldn't help the soft smile that spread across her face at the heady feeling, “Yeah, I guess that is what happened.”
She and Tara smiled at each other for a few moments and Spike leaned back and put one arm around each of them.
Then, without warning, a small group of soldiers with heavy weaponry wearing camouflage fatigues burst out of the shrubbery.
The two groups stared at one another for a few seconds.
Then, one tall solder came forward, “Everything's alright, civilians, and there's nothing to see here. Carry about your business.”
And the soldiers quietly dispersed across the campus.
The three people on the bench blinked.
Willow finally spoke up, “That was weird.”
Tara shook herself out of a daze, “Yeah. Hey, want to sleep over? We can rent movies and make ourselves sick on Chinese take-out and Ben & Jerry's.”
“That sounds perfect.” Willow stood up and the other two followed.
“So, it's been awhile since our last Princess Bride marathon.”
“That it has, pet.”
“Oooh, and it's been more than a year since Ever After.”
Their conversation was swallowed up in the night and they quickly forgot the soldiers and, eventually the horrible start to the evening. But Tara had a black list. It wasn't very long, but Buffy was now on it. And on it she would stay.
* * *
After Tara and Spike had left and Willow had deserted them shortly after, Buffy sat alone at the table. Xander had simply walked out. She wasn't sure what was going on with him. Anya naturally followed.
Buffy picked up the bottle cap. It had flecks of dried blood still on it. She felt a strange tightness in her chest. She realized it was remorse. No matter how hard she tried to justify it in her mind, and she played it over and over, she was sorry.
He had tried to kill her in the past, but she was sorry she had hurt his feelings. It didn't make any sense. But Buffy knew there was a line somewhere she'd stepped over.
He'd tried to warn her about Parker. She didn't know how he knew that was going to happen, but he had. Her mind began construing bizarre conspiracies between Spike and Parker and she shut it down. She was too tired.
She was tired of trying to figure out what the Psych notes were for, because obviously they were for Tara. Buffy had seen the girl in her class after the first week.
She was tired.
“It's Buffy, right?”
Buffy looked up distractedly. The T.A. from her Psychology class was standing next to the table.
“Yeah. I have to go.” She said suddenly, getting up and picking up her purse. She nearly ran into a second tall, young man in her haste to get out the door.
“Yeah, you're getting far with her, man.” Forrest dropped a glass on the table.
“Shut up. “Riley rolled his eyes and sat down. So he'd misread some signals. That didn't mean anything. The girl was a bit quirky and he could work with that.
* * *
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