Tara woke up a few mornings later to British cursing through the open bedroom window, a recent luxury thanks to the gem. Tara groaned and got up. She watched Spike pace furiously around the bird feeder yelling at the mess on the ground.
Coming downstairs she met Spike in the kitchen.
“Those little bastards are mocking me! Look! Look at the that one!” He pointed to the bird feeder where, indeed, one brave squirrel had already taken up residence since Spike's departure.
“It's staring at me! Look how slowly it's picking up that sunflower seed! It's doing it deliberately.” Spike crossed his arms in a huff, “This is the last draw. I'm going to do something permanent about those little fur-coated rats!”
“No more guns! It gives me nightmares to hear you blowing up them up, you know that!” Tara started filling the kettle.
“No, that only takes care of individual squirrels. Unless I skin one and nail it to the tree to warn all the others off…” Spike looked contemplative.
“No! A world of no! I want to have my herb garden out there and you're not turning it into 'Lord of the Flies'! Just go the S.P.C.A and get some humane traps.” Tara picked out two bags of Tangerine Orange Zinger and put them in the mugs.
“I could build a trap.” Spike looked pensive again.
Tara got some frightening mental images of small guillotines and little gas chambers and sighed. Spike was getting a new hobby not a day too soon.
“So what are you doing today?” She asked, changing the subject. Some things were best left not addressed.
“Hmm? Oh, Xander and I are going to the beach, can you tape 'Passions' since you're going to be home? We might stay out later than usual.”
Tara smiled, her back turned to him, and it was all going according to plan, “Doesn't Xander have to work He just got that job at Starbucks.” She asked innocently.
“He got fired again. He couldn't figure out the difference between a cappuccino and a latte. Apparently that's important, bloody useless place that.” Spike was clearly disgusted with the rapid dismissal of his new friend.
Tara felt a bit guilty about using Xander current status among the unemployed to her advantage, but it was the only believable way to keep Spike out of the house without taking him herself.
* * *
Spike couldn't figure out why Xander kept stalling. Everything was a potential point of interest. So far they had stopped at three different garage sales and Xander hadn't even bought anything, he just looked about for half an hour.
Then they had to stop at Wal-Mart. After poking around for forty-five minutes, Xander bought a Snapple and a bottle of shampoo. Spike was beginning to feel like a chauffer.
When they finally got to the house, Xander wouldn't let him out of the car, out of nowhere the boy come up with this speech about how much their new friendship meant to him because he didn't really have very many male peers or role models and how proud he was of Spike for all the changes he'd made in his unlife.
Spike stuttered back some self-conscious responses, completely floored, when all at once he was rushed from the car into the house as though the hounds of Hell were at their heels.
The house was dark, which totally confused and worried Spike, Tara should have been home by now and she had promised to tape his show. He was about to bring this up to Xander when all the lights snapped on and he was scared out of his Birkenstocks when everyone yelled, “SURPRISE!”
He just sort of stood there blinking, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Everyone was moving around him, and eventually moving him to the table for the special dinner they had made.
Eventually, Spike settled down, though he was still completely chuffed they'd all come to a party for him.
The cake had been made by Willow and bore the words, 'Happy Not Killing People For Another Six Months'. She apologized that she couldn't come up with a shorter message. Spike was fine with the one she had. The cake was his favourite, chocolate fudge with butter cream frosting.
The presents nearly made him tear up. Joyce had given him the piano from her house! It smelled a lot like her and a little bit like the Slayer, but he was O.K with that. He immediately sat down to play a piece for them. He chose Fur Elise because it was Joyce's favourite. Everyone looked very impressed and clapped when he finished.
Xander said finding out Spike played the piano was like learning Pinochet used to knit. Willow slapped him good-naturedly and then Spike opened Tara's present. A gleaming black acoustic guitar greeted him. He stared at it a few minutes before picking it up.
“The guy in the shop said it used to belong to Johnny Cash. I don't know if I believe that, but it was the nicest one they had.” Tara said quietly.
Spike carefully put the guitar back in its case and scooped her up in bear hug.
Willow presented him with a shiny new harmonica in the key of C and Spike was very pleased. Xander had gotten him some bongos and Anya presented him with an Irish Tin Whistle.
“It was the most economical instrument I could find.” She said proudly.
Xander slapped his forehead, “Anya! You aren't supposed to be thinking things like that when you buy someone a gift, let alone saying it out loud!”
“But how can I be sure I'll get an equally financially suitable present in return for an expensive present? I don't even celebrate my birthday since I don't remember when it is and Christmas is still months away! If you ask me, inventing a reason for presents is something I'm going to have to try myself.” Anya gave a laughing Spike a sparkling smile, “Maybe we could celebrate the day I lost my powers.”
Xander covered his face, “We haven't gotten to the generosity part of being human yet.” He said apologetically. Spike didn't seem to care but he did seem highly amused.
* * *
When Buffy approached her friends she over heard a very spirited conversation about cake and presents and what a good time they had had. She felt a bit put out.
“You guys went to a party?” Buffy sat down next to them on the bench. They both immediately got that pained, secretive look. Buffy knew what it was about, “Spike had a party, didn't he?” She asked flatly, “And you had fun?”
“I didn't mean to, Willow made me!” Xander burst out nervously.
Willow rolled her eyes and elbowed him for good measure before facing Buffy, “It was a 'Happy Not Killing People For Another Six Months' party at Spike and Tara's.” She confessed, not at all sure how to feel.
“So, he's at a year and a half now?” Buffy asked, looking at the ground. All her friends had been invited, she thought a little sullenly.
“Yeah, he's doing great! Tara gave him a guitar and your mom gave him that old piano you guy's had. It was sort of a musical theme-“
“MY MOM was there?” Buffy asked incredulously. Great, her mom was a friend with all the cool kids and Buffy was left patrolling alone.
Thinking about it a bit more, it certainly was no surprise she wasn't given an engraved invitation. But suddenly, she wanted to give him a present. She knew it sounded a bit like buying her way into his good graces, Buffy knew how well that worked, her father was an expert at it. But she wanted to give him something to say she was proud of him, too. And to apologize for the scene at the Bronze. And to say maybe they could be friends.
And this would have to be a pretty sweet present.
* * *
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