ULTERIOR MOTIVES (15/?)
 

Willow leaned against Spike, her head on his chest. They were sitting
underneath a tree beside the river. She hadn't felt like leaving yet. It
seemed so final. Tara's ashes had been spread. Once she left, the book would
be closed on that chapter in her life. She knew that she would never forget
Tara, never forget the love that they had shared, but she wasn't stupid. With
time, the hurt would fade. Tara would become a distant memory. An image that
made her smile yet also made her sad. She knew that Tara would not want her
to be sad, to be unhappy. But, she couldn't just smile and act as if nothing
had happened. Her lover had died. It hurt.
 

Buffy sat beside Spike and Willow, the tree behind her back. She looked at
the river, thinking how brave Willow was. She knew that she was the slayer,
that she had all this power that she didn't even comprehend, but deep down,
she was scared. It was easy to seem courageous when you had something akin to
superpowers. Compared to Willow, she was so weak. There were so many times
that she would have simply given up if it hadn't been for her best friend.
Now, when Willow was hurting so badly, she didn't know what to do to make it
all better. She was trying, though. She had accepted Spike, seeing that he
seemed to give Willow something that the redhead needed. She still didn't
trust him, not completely, but he was good for Willow. Willow had been
staying with her since they had found Tara, not able to handle being alone in
an empty house. Buffy looked at her friend, watching the silent tears slide
down her pretty face. She caught Willow's hand, squeezing it as she let
Willow know that she wasn't alone.
 

Spike rested his cheek against Willow's hair, his fingers moving slowly along
her palm. His shirt was wet from her tears, the material sticking to his
chest. He felt the slayer move beside them, his eyes glancing down and seeing
her hand find Willow's free one. He looked at the blonde, his eyes narrowing
as he saw her watching Willow, her hazel eyes confused. He didn't trust
Buffy. For some reason, she had opened her home to him. Not two weeks before,
she had accused him of having a crush on her. Now, she was letting him
console her best friend as if he were part of their group. She was either
playing some weird game or she cared for Willow so much that she could forget
that he was an enemy just to keep the redhead happy. Her playing a game would
be easier than dealing with her love for Willow.
 

He had killed Tara without a second thought, knowing that he could get close
to Willow with her out of the way. Also, she was easy to play, using her
doubts against her to get rid of that damn chip. He hadn't liked the girl,
had no guilt for killing her. True, he felt bad for putting Willow through
her death. He had hoped that she would have lost any feeling for the girl
before he had to kill her. As it was, he'd been forced into playing his card
a bit earlier than planned. In the end, it had worked out perfectly. He had
been given the chance to help Willow through her death, feeling only a slight
pang of guilt for murdering the girl. He hadn't counted on the depths of
Buffy's friendship or on the self centered little bitch realizing there was
someone else in the world long enough to try to console Willow. Trust her to
make him change his plans, again. Reluctantly, he had to admit that she had
been good with Willow, able to be there for the redhead when he was forced to
remain hidden from the sun. Between the two of them, Willow had twenty-four
hour support.
 

He rested his head back against Willow, enjoying the warmth of her hand in
his. Anya knew that the chip was no longer working. Surprisingly, the
ex-demon had kept his secret. He knew that she would not tell anyone, that
she was leaving it up to him to be truthful. And he would, one day. When he
knew without a doubt that she loved him, that she would be with him
regardless of any consequence. Until then, he would wait. He would give her
some time to grieve for her little witch, not wanting to rush her or make her
suspicious. But, soon, he would set his plan in motion. He would seduce his
red haired goddess, make her realize that she loved him and needed him. Then,
finally, they could begin their lives together.

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