Parts: 21-30
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~Part: 21~
Willow had eventually had to go to class, and while she went to learn about geometry and biology and struggle through gym class, Giles continued searching through books, and Jenny continued to try to persuade people online. They were searching for anything that could help. Giles had found a book that discussed assorted shortcomings of other gypsy spells, and he was searching through it in hopes that it would give an idea what sort of thing to look for with the soul curse. He was simply appalled by some of the dreadful clauses and conditions that had been placed in some of these spells.
Jenny was attempting to convince her uncle to send her a copy of the curse. She had told him there was a prophecy that might mean the curse would be broken, which would be a terrible thing, especially for the Kalderash clan. If it could be averted, was it not worth that chance?
She was hoping that the curse could remain intact, and that no- one would have to learn that she wasn't who she'd claimed to be. That nobody would learn that her real name was Janna Kalderash, and that she had been sent to make certain that Angelus continued to suffer. She had come here to watch him, to make certain the curse held and his existence was torment, but.. didn't that mean the curse had to stay in effect? How could he suffer if the spell was broken? Nor did she think it meant she wasn't allowed to try to find some semblance of happiness, which she thought she might have a chance for with Giles.
She had also gotten the strangest impression that Willow had been hiding something. That she had somehow known more than she was telling. But that was a ridiculous idea, not only was Willow terrible at keeping secrets, how would she have learned anything about this anyhow? Walked up to the insane vampire and asked her? The idea was absurd. Obviously, she had been spending to much time worrying about her own secret, she was suspecting everyone of hiding things now.
No, she was much more concerned about the fact that Buffy was having this odd sort of almost relationship with Angel. Buffy was a Slayer, it was her chosen destiny to fight evil, to kill demons and vampires, not take them to dances and go to movies with them. Angel had a horribly bloody past, how could he make Buffy happy? Did he even deserve a chance for happiness with the blonde girl? The part of her that was loyal to her family was most insistent that he should never have a chance at happiness, should never know a moments peace. The part of her that was Jenny Calander, a computer teacher that Angel had saved wasn't so certain. Angel with his soul seemed like a decent enough person, for a vampire. Why did his whole existence need to be an agonizing torment?
There was something nagging at her mind though, something from the stories that her grandmother, now no longer among them, had once told her. Gran had told stories of the clan's history, of their powerful workings and their cunning exploits. There had been something that she had said about the cursing of the vampire Angelus. Something about... how had it gone? 'Cursed with his soul, that his every moment be agony and pain for him', yes, those had been her words. How would the spell insure that every moment was agony? What would happen if for just a moment, Angel wasn't in pain and torment?
Something deep inside, her magic or intuition perhaps, had a feeling that there was trouble here. That this warning about Angel's soul was serious, that it was an effort to prevent disaster. That if they couldn't prevent it, there would be horrible things to come. She also had the feeling that the whole 'eternal torment' thing was part of it. If there was something about Angel being in eternal torment, would his experiencing a moment where he wasn't in torment break the spell? Could it be that simple? She began to pray that it wasn't, especially when she considered some of the glances that Buffy had been giving Angel. The vampire was handsome, even Jenny had to admit that, and Buffy had feelings for him. Buffy had passionate teenage feelings and desires, and one of them was to not see the vampire that she cared for suffering.
She needed to read the spell, to learn if there was something so simple in the wording. If the spell could be broken that easily... there had to be something that could be done. Some way to fix it, change the wording... maybe anchor the soul independently of the curse, so that even if the curse was broken, he wouldn't become evil again? hmm that sounded like a good thing to work on, especially with the possibility that his soul could be.. separated from him. She shivered at the idea.
~Part: 22~
Willow knew that she should be focusing on her geometry. She should be paying attention to her classes, and not thinking about her talk with Dru while they watched the meteor shower. But her mind kept turning back to last night. Both the poetry reading where she'd sat with Spike, yes, she had finally learned his name, and her talk with Dru. Dru was definitely a bit loopy, but not that bad, certainly she was no harder to understand than Harmony or Cordelia could be at times. Dru had seemed rather friendly. She had acted like Willow was her friend, and had asked for Willow to help her try to keep Angel and Buffy apart.
Part of Willow agreed with the dark haired vampiress: The Slayer and a vampire together was just all sorts of wrong. Another part of her, the part that was Buffy's friend didn't want to try to break up her friend's sort of relationship. But... if Buffy was the yellow dragon that would eat Angel's soul, that meant that it would be very bad for them to stay together. The whole thing was making Willow's head hurt. She decided that as a compromise, she would try to push Buffy towards Scott or Owen, at least until they could find more on Angel's curse.
Buffy would probably be just as happy with Scott or Owen as she was with Angel, probably happier since she wouldn't accidentally hurt them with her cross if they got to close. Besides, didn't she always say that she just wanted a normal life? No offense towards Angel, but dating a 242 year old vampire was NOT normal. Scott was pretty normal, and Owen was also pretty normal, in a shy poet sort of way. If it hadn't been so obvious that he had a thing for Buffy, and for the fact that she couldn't talk coherently to boys, she might have considered trying to have coffee or something with Owen.
Owen wasn't on her mind anymore though. Neither was Xander, whom she'd had a crush on forever. Her dreams were filled with Spike now. He was handsome, sexy and mysterious, and he had the whole bad boy rebel image going. He was definitely worth starring in a few dreams, although he would surely have someone of his own, someone just as interesting and attractive as he was. Willow was certain that his whole dangerous impression wasn't all show, he had the feeling of danger about him, and there was something about his eyes.. they seemed older than his face. Kind of like Angel's did, or like Dru's had last night.
Willow suddenly felt a cold suspicion flow through her, leaving her feeling chilled and completely awake. Could Spike be a vampire? She had only seen him twice, and both times were after dark, but that wasn't enough to go on. Yes, he was pale, but not everyone went to beaches and courted sunburn, she didn't and she wasn't a vampire. Maybe she should try to read some more of that book on Angelus after school tonight.
She left the researching to Giles and Jenny..umm, Miss Calander. She was certain that they wouldn't mind the time alone, they seemed to have their own sort of relationship going on. They could use the time together. She had a vampire to read up on. There would be more about Dru, and she might even find something about the curse in there as well.
She went home, going up to her empty room in her empty house. She sat down, and pulled the book out from under her dresser. She continued reading about Angelus. The more she read the more she understood why it would be bad for him to lose his soul. He had been ruthless, arrogant. He'd left a trail of death and destruction as he'd traveled with his Sire, Darla. Willow was startled to recognize Darla as the blond vampire that had been dressed as a Catholic school-girl during the harvest. Hadn't Buffy said that Angel had killed her? Staked her in the back with a pool cue? That had to have been..harsh.
She found the point where he'd turned Dru. She read how Angelus had slaughtered her family and chased her to a convent, how he'd slaughtered the nun's and turned Dru inside the convent sanctuary, as if mocking the power of God. How he'd broken her mind, and left her unstable, claiming that the moon sang, and the stars spoke to her.
It was enough to give person nightmares, and she understood how the Watcher's Council had been so afraid of him. Angel wasn't anything like that, not in any important ways at least. He didn't torture people to death for annoying him, he wasn't feasting on the blood of people, leaving death and chaos at all the high class social events. Yes, he was handsome, and intelligent, but..he wasn't the same as Angelus. Thankfully.
Willow turned the page, reading about how there was tension between Darla and Angelus and Dru. Apparently, Darla had been jealous of the time Angelus had spent with his childe. The answer to this had been... oh dear, they had turned found someone, and Angelus or Dru had turned the young man to be Dru's playmate. His name had been William Exeter, and there was a picture and a brief description. He'd been an aspiring poet, of a decent family and well educated. The picture looked almost familiar.
Willow pulled out a sheet of typing paper, and carefully traced over the shape of William's face. She didn't draw in his wire framed glasses, and made his hair very short and pale, instead of what was probably light brown. Something was teasing at her mind. She put a simple collar on the picture, like a tee shirt would have, and darkened in the section that would be the shirt. She then very carefully put a small scar over his eyebrow, and looked at the resulting picture.
Spike's face was on the paper, looking thoughtful, the very same expression he'd had before he'd told her about his friend, the broken hearted poet.
~Part: 23~
Willow sat there for a long time thinking. Spike was a vampire. Spike was William, who was either the childe of Dru or Angelus, the book had been unclear on that. He'd had a history with Dru, and probably with Darla and maybe even Angelus. He was a soulless vampire, and he was here in Sunnydale, probably with Dru. Possibly involved with Dru. How could she compare to that? She'd met Dru, and the woman..vampire.. Dru was lovely. Probably also strong and passionate as well. Darla was dead, so she wouldn't be competition... assuming that there was even a chance that Spike was interested.
What was she to him? Was she a distraction? Some sort of game to amuse himself? She didn't want to think that, he'd seemed like he'd enjoyed talking to her, like he wanted to spend time with her. He hadn't threatened her, or tried, well, anything at all with her. Maybe he could be interested in her.. or maybe she was deluding herself because of a hopeless crush on a sexy dangerous stranger.
Willow sighed to herself. Things were getting very complicated. What was she certain of? First off, Dru was a vampire. She'd talked with Dru, and thought the vampiress had seemed pretty nice. Dru was Angelus' childe and didn't want Buffy with Angel. Buffy and Angel had this whole complex thing going. She thought that Spike was incredibly sexy. She was worried about Dru. She was worried about the idea that Angel could lose his soul. Angelus was described as very bad and dangerous. She was getting a headache trying to figure this all out.
Willow flopped over on her bed, pulling the pillow over her face. She didn't know what was going on. Spike was probably a vampire. He might be plotting some sort of game involving her, or maybe just maybe he liked her. She definitely liked Spike so far. Dru was saying that the dragon would eat Angel's soul, and that Buffy was the dragon. Buffy wanted to kill Dru because Dru had talked to Angel. Scott and Owen both had things for Buffy. Buffy didn't like being the Slayer because she wanted a normal life. Her thoughts were going around and around in her head, leading her nowhere.
She sighed, knowing that the whole mess wouldn't go away if she ignored it. She couldn't do anything about Buffy being the Slayer and wanting a normal life. She could make certain that Buffy knew that Scott and Owen, both fairly normal human guys were interested. She could try to learn if there was some clause that might let Angel's soul go away. She might run into Dru again, and then she could ask if it was something the gypsies did that would let the dragon eat the soul of her Angel. As for Spike... she would just have to see if she ran into him again. She didn't know if she wanted to see him again because of her feelings for him or hoped not to see him again in case it was all some plot or diversion so that he could kill the Slayer. Well, that wasn't quite true. The truth was that she both wanted to run into him because she was interested and was afraid that it was all a game to him.
She really hoped that he might actually like her, even if only a little. Even if it was too much to hope that he might dream about her the way she was dreaming about him. She could admit to herself that she was having improbable lusty thoughts about Spike. Even if he was a vampire, she was still having her naughty thoughts. She would just have to see what developed, and if he made any efforts to either use her against Buffy or to hurt her, or if he made any efforts to let her know about the possibility that he was a vampire.
Buffy had once told her to try the philosophy of Carpe Diem - Seize the Day, because you never know what tomorrow would bring. Well, it hadn't worked very well then, but she intended to try again. She was going to see how things turned out with Spike, vampire or not. After all, Buffy had no room to talk if he was, because Angel was a vampire himself. Right..she would have to see what Spike did, if he was a vampire, if he was involved with Dru..if he could possibly want his very own Willow.
She fell asleep at a reasonable time that night, and dreamed of vampires. She dreamed of the horrible things Angelus had done. She dreamed of Dru, asking her to keep her not-daddy safe from the dragon that wanted to eat his soul in fire and gold. She dreamed of Spike... dreamed of him as a vampire, rejecting her for Dru, dreamed of him killing her, dreamed of him taking her as his own in scenes that would have been too heated, too steamy for even the trashiest romance novel. She even dreamed that he wasn't a vampire at all, just a pale skinned British guy.. that still wanted her. She dreamed many things, all focused either on the book she had been reading, or on the events of the past few nights.
~Part: 24~
Willow had nothing of particular interest on Thursday at school. There was a quiz in biology, and she had a study group during lunch so she could help some of the other students with the geometry. One of the football players, a big guy named Keifer slipped her a Hershey bar as a thank you for the tutoring. He was actually a much nicer guy than he wanted people to know, and very grateful that she was willing to help him pass his class. He also had a girlfriend at another school.
No, the part of the day that Willow was looking forward to was the poetry reading at the Espresso Pump. She enjoyed the poetry, even if she didn't have anywhere near the confidence to read things in front of an audience, or a talent for poetry for that matter. Spike might be there as well.
Spike fully intended to be there. He wanted to spend time with Willow, wanted her to like him. Maybe he could ask if she had any plans for the weekend, he could suggest something... Dru was smiling, like she knew a secret. As Spike was searching for his other boot, he noticed that smile, and for some reason, it was worrying him.
"Dru? What's the smile about, ducks? The stars tell you about something interesting? Tea party go well?" He wasn't certain he'd like the answer, but he had always been curious, possibly too curious.
Dru smiled at him. "I have help to keep the taffy girl away from my not daddy. She promised to try to keep the dragon from eating his soul....we watched the stars and ate the little letters." Suddenly, Dru paused, and looked puzzled by something. "Spike, what's a Twinkie?"
Spike froze, wondering where Dru had gone. He had a feeling that it was important. Who or maybe he should ask what had she been talking to? Where had Twinkies come into things? "Twinkies are these little snack things, with a cream filling... probably rot your teeth out." He frowned, wondering where his boot could have gone. "Dru, have you seen my boot around here?"
"It's hiding over there, under the pipes. I found a fire fairy last night, and we watched the stars fall. She's nice. Go listen to the poetry, I promised tea and cakes for Nancy and Cathy." Dru smiled at her Spikey. He felt worried about the tree, and wanted her to spend time with him this weekend.
Spike pulled his boot out from under the piping, shook it to make certain it was empty and put it on his foot. Dru had talked to 'a fire fairy' about her not daddy and his soul. She said the fairy would help with the taffy girl... the Slayer? How would this fairy help with the slayer? Did he really need to worry about that when he could think of Willow instead? Maybe he should try to think of how to keep Willow from learning that he was a vampire and running for the Slayer to stake him. Hmm not getting staked was always a good thing.
Shrugging a gray striped button up shirt over his tee shirt, Spike left the area they'd converted to living quarters. His thoughts were focused on Willow: the sparkle in her green eyes, the shine of her red hair, her smooth pale skin, the delicious way that she looked when she blushed. He paused to grab a small, brown wrapped package from a piece of machinery as he left to go see her. It was Thursday; there would be another poetry reading.
He was trying to deny it, but in a little corner of him mind, there were verses forming, comparing the sparkle of Willow's eyes to fine emeralds, comparing her smile to the light of the sun. She was so.. Willow, and there was something about her that made him want to pick up a pen and try to write poetry praising her virtues and beauty. He was doing his best to pretend that that little corner of his mind had left with his heartbeat. So far, his willpower was losing, but at least he hadn't wrote any of it down, yet.
It would be far safer to stick with presents. Gifts of actual objects, flowers, chocolate.. tonight, he was taking her a small bag of coffee, a nice gourmet flavor with a hint of almond, the same thing she'd been drinking Tuesday. If he gave her things, she would know he was interested, but it wouldn't expose his bad verses. He wouldn't be risking quite as much potential embarrassment. Sighing, he had to admit that Willow was making him feel emotions he hadn't experienced since he'd been alive. He was longing for her; admiring her... he was petrified that she'd reject him, for one of a number of reasons. Maybe she didn't like bad boys, maybe he scared her, maybe she didn't like blond, maybe she had someone - no, he'd heard her talking to the Slayer, she didn't have anyone. Maybe she'd find out what he was and run screaming... he was nervous, and worried about how she would react. It was an uncomfortable feeling.
Right, there was the local coffee house, and with luck, Willow would be inside. Probably tucked out of the main area again. He squared his shoulders, telling himself that he was Spike, he was the big bad, he didn't get nervous. With that mantra going through his mind, he entered the building.
~Part: 25~
Willow was sitting at the same little table that she'd been at on Tuesday, when Spike had actually told her his name. She wanted to see him again, and wasn't certain what he wanted from her or with her. Not that she hadn't entertained a few fantasies answering those questions, but seriously.. why was he in Sunnydale? He was attractive, and interesting and yeah, she definitely wanted him. Willow tried to make herself think logically about the matter, instead of going off along naughty tangents.
So.. if he talked to her again, if he seemed interested..what should she do? Well, she definitely was interested, so she wanted to spend time with him. Maybe she could suggest something for them to do? What could she suggest... suddenly, a thought occurred to Willow, and the resulting smile was full of mischief. He wanted to pretend that he was human? Let's act like he's human... she would suggest a normal daytime get together, like a lunch picnic..at the beach. It should be interesting to see how he reacted to that one.
She was watching the entrance, hoping that he would show up. Now that she actually had a plan.. oh, please let him show up..and want to sit with Willow. She noticed that there were some empty seats tonight; he wouldn't have to sit with her if he didn't want to. Oh, what if he'd only sat with her because she'd had the only empty seat? What if he didn't want to spend time with her after all? What if...
Spike came into the coffee house, carrying a small brown package, something wrapped in brown paper. He glanced around the room, as if looking for something..maybe someone? He located Willow, and she could feel his eyes on her, could tell from here just how blue they were. Hesitantly, Willow lifted her hand in a shy little wave. Smiling, Spike made his way over to her table, and sat in the empty chair across from her.
"Evening Willow. I brought you a prezzie." With those words, he slid the package across the table towards Willow.
Willow was astonished. Not only did he want to sit with her, he was bringing her a present? She could hardly wait to open it.. she hardly ever got presents from anyone. Glancing shyly at him to see if it was okay, Willow slid her finger under the tape, carefully separating the tape from the paper and beginning a slow process of unwrapping. He was watching her, with a smile as she opened his present. There was a hint of something else in his eyes, not confident at all, something..almost nervous? That had to be her imagination, why would he be nervous?
Carefully opening her present, she found a half-pound bag of the almond coffee that she'd been drinking Tuesday. He'd actually noticed what type of coffee she was drinking. He'd given her some of the coffee as a present.. he was watching her, waiting. She blushed slightly, and looked up to his blue eyes. "Thank you, it's my favorite."
Spike grinned at her, looking considerably less nervous, if he'd actually been nervous to begin with. He looked a bit more relaxed in his seat. "So.. got any plans for the weekend?"
Willow blinked a moment in surprise. He was asking..was he asking her out? Oh, wow.. he was asking her out! Wait..plan, she had a plan. Smiling shyly, Willow answered him. "I was planning to go to the beach for lunch on Saturday, at about one.... but other than that, I didn't have anything in mind."
She was watching him carefully, trying to determine what sort of interest he had. Was it 'I want a snack' interest, or 'I want a girlfriend' interest? He gave a small shudder at her mention of lunch at the beach. She wouldn't have noticed it unless she'd been watching for a reaction. So, she had been right. Spike was William that had been turned to be with Angelus' childe Dru. He was a vampire..he definitely wouldn't want lunch at the sunny beach. What would he do now? How would he respond? Would he make an excuse? Maybe he'd suggest something else they could do together?
Spike looked thoughtful at her suggestion. "Much as I'm tempted, I have to pass on lunch at the beach. I need to get my car worked on, and the only spot they had open.. well, I can't make a one-ish lunch date. Hmm there's a little public concert thing on the beach at about nine in the evening, some local bands... I should be able to pick you up and we could go to that, if you'd like?"
Willow beamed with delight. He did want to go out with her! And okay, vampire, but still... he was gorgeous and interesting, and he seemed to like her. Maybe he hadn't come out and told her yet, but.. she'd give him time. After all, that probably wasn't the best way to start a relationship, telling the other person that you were an undead blood drinking person that would spontaneously combust in the sunlight. He was watching her, and Willow realized that she hadn't answered him. "Umm the concert sounds good. Shall I meet you here, and then we can go to the concert?"
"Sounds like a plan. Now, I have no idea if these bands are any good.. but I thought maybe.. we could go find out. I'll pick you up here at 8:30?"
~Part: 26~
Friday's classes dragged on for Willow. Buffy was feeling excited, and kept telling her how exciting her plans were, how happy she was. Scott had asked her out, and they were going to go to a little restaurant for dinner and then a concert tonight at the beach. Willow got to hear all about that news in exhaustive detail, on several occasion through the day. Willow had encouraged this, mentioning that Buffy had said that she wanted a nice normal guy. She had made a few remarks about how nice it would be for Buffy to have a nice normal dinner with a guy for once.
It wasn't until she had her computer class that the potential danger of Buffy's plans occurred to Willow. There was only one concert at the beach tonight. Scott was taking Buffy to it, but.. Spike was also taking Willow. Would Buffy sense Spike, try to do something about Willow being there with a vampire? Maybe there would be to many people, and Buffy either wouldn't sense him or would be unable to pinpoint who the vampire was? She was certain that it would be bad to hope for some sort of demony diversion to keep Buffy from interrupting Willow's date.
Her best hope was that Scott would keep Buffy so occupied that she wouldn't have time to investigate some odd feeling from that way in the crowd. Hmmmm would she have to try to keep Spike away from Buffy? If he was tying to hide his vampirism from her, he should want to avoid contact with the slayer, but if his whole goal was to use Willow to get close enough to hurt Buffy... she would find out soon enough. A sudden thought made her frown in curiosity..did Spike know that Buffy was the slayer? Most vampires and demons seemed to have no trouble identifying her, but...
Well, she would find out how to keep Buffy and Spike separated soon enough. Scott would probably help keep Buffy focused, purely by wanting to stay with her. Hopefully, Spike would stay with her, not try to fight Buffy.. or eat the other concert goers. All she had to do now was figure out what to wear to the concert.
Across town, Dru was amused. Spike had talked to the little tree, and come back muttering about beaches and picnics and concerts. Was there going to be another lovely concert with all the smiling funny tasting people? Spike had eaten one of them once, and spent hours watching his hand with this odd smile on his face. They had done stilly things, and so had anyone that ate them. Do not eat the flower's children for vegetables are not good for vampires.
Spike was taking the little tree to concert tonight. He hadn't told her why he didn't want to play on the sunny beach. Spike was trying to hide his other face from her, to keep her from knowing all of him. She didn't think it would work for very long, the tree was very smart.
Miss Edith was whispering to her. Whispering that the taffy girl had caught a boy in her stickiness. This boy was trying to impress the taffy girl, and he was taking her away for the evening. For a moment, Dru wondered why Miss Edith was telling her this. Why did it matter if the taffy girl had another boy caught in her thrall? Then, she realized that if the taffy girl and her boy were away, she could go find her Angel. She could talk to her angel without having to hide from the taffy girl that wanted to kill her.
Dru laughed in delight. Spike was taking the little tree to hear the music, and the taffy girl would be away from not-daddy. She could talk to him safely, and maybe... hmmm if she knew that the taffy girl wouldn't be able to interrupt, maybe she could actually make her not-daddy listen to her. He kept trying to disappear when she talked to him. At this rate, she would have to hit him on the head and chain him down to make him listen to her. Her daddy would have liked that, but he would have been very angry with her for hitting him. But he wasn't her daddy anymore, he was an angel now, with a shiny soul and everything...
Yes, Spike would take his tree to the concert, and maybe they would talk. The tree would feel better if she knew that Spikey wanted her for his very own. The poor boy would be with the sticky taffy girl. Dru shivered at the idea of anyone wanting to spend their night with the sticky taffy. Best of all, she could go talk to her Angel in safety, because the dragon wouldn't be hunting for her. Tonight would be good.
~Part: 27~
Finally, it was time for Willow to go to the Espresso Pump to meet Spike. They had made plans to go to the concert. After what had felt like hours of debate, Willow had settled on a light green sundress that had a print of little leaves over it. She had added a pair of small gold hoop earrings, and a gold chain with a small locket that she'd been given for her birthday one year. It had a willow tree engraved on it's front, and was designed to hold two small pictures inside. It didn't have any pictures in it, but she had always liked it. After a bit more debate, she had left her hair loose.
She was now waiting for Spike, sitting at a little table, right by the window. If he showed up, he would see her sitting there. Willow had arrived there a bit early, which gave her plenty of time to worry and think of all the things that could happen, if he showed up, and all sorts of reasons why he might not show up, ranging from Buffy found and dusted him, to he has a girlfriend (like Dru), to the idea that he'd never intended to be here in the first place.
She was pondering what to do if it had all been a cruel joke when there was the squeal of brakes outside, catching the attention of many people. Someone was definitely not a safe and considerate driver, and they were close to here. Glancing out the window, Willow saw an older car, black, with the windows spray painted black, and parked - or at least stopped, at an angle, the front right tire actually up on the curb. It looked as if whoever had been driving had narrowly missed hitting the parking meter. The driver's side door opened, and Spike stepped out, looking completely unconcerned about the shocked looks he was getting from several people.
Willow smothered a giggle, and stood up from her seat. Still trying not to laugh, she walked out the door, ready to go to the concert. "Hi Spike. Umm, you certainly made an entrance..."
Spike looked at her, and simply stood there for a few moments before speaking. His blue eyes had widened at the sight of her, and his gaze didn't waver from her. After a few moments of standing there, watching her, he held out his hand, speaking to her. " 'Ello Red. You look marvelous tonight. Let me give you a hand here..."
In a manner befitting a gentleman, Spike held out his arm and escorted Willow to the passenger side of his car, and he opened he door for her, so that all she had to do was sit down in the car. Willow was still smiling, but had managed to stop her half smothered giggles. He then carefully shut the car door for her, and glared at the still gaping crowd. "What, none of you ever saw someone pick up a lady for a date? It's rude to stare, you bloody pillocks."
That said, he went around to the drivers' side, and hopped into the car, flashing a smile at Willow, who had carefully fastened her seatbelt. "Seatbelt, Red? Should I be insulted?"
Willow blushed at his question. "Umm I heard you.. park your car. I thought maybe it might be good to have the seatbelt on.. maybe prevent the evening from being cut short by whiplash?"
Willow could feel her face warm as she blushed. For the millionth time, she wished that she didn't blush so easily. As and alternative to watching Spike watch her blush, she looked at the floor of his car. She hadn't been certain what to expect from the outside of the car, but she'd been a bit nervous. The floor was surprisingly uncluttered. There was a box full of music tapes, and she could see some of the name of the artists on them. Sex Pistols, Billy Idol, something with a dark red paper and no visible words.. Curious, she opened the lid a bit more, looking to see what else he had. There were more tapes, from a great variety of people: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, one by Elvis Presley, someone called ChumbaWumba, a few names that she didn't recognize, Beethoven, Bach, Madonna, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Poison, Def Leopard.
"So.. umm the concert at the beach. Shall we, y'know, umm go to the beach now?" Willow looked up from her examination of the tape box, still blushing. She smiled, trying to look confident about the situation.
"Right.. concert at the beach.. that was what we were planning on doing this evening." Spike had this little smirk on his face. Still wearing that smirky little grin, he started the car, and backed away from the coffee shop.
Willow realized with sudden worry that she couldn't see out the windows because of the spray paint. He'd probably done it to keep the sunlight out, but.. oh dear. Maybe it would be best not to see out the windows as he drove. The engine roared as he headed off, presumably to the beach. Willow hoped that she wouldn't get carsick from Spike's driving.
~Part: 28~
Spike was half certain that this could only be a dream. He'd been pleased when Willow had let him talk her into a Friday evening concert instead of a Saturday afternoon picnic, but this wasn't quite what he'd expected. He'd gone to pick her up, driving with his usual unconcern for normal traffic patterns and the mental state of anyone watching him. He'd arrived at the coffee shop, and she'd stepped outside. The sight of her.. she looked glorious. Dressed in this flowing little dress that hinted at her curves without actually showing more than a hint of cleavage. Her skin was pale and smooth...her eyes were gleaming, although it had been with amusement at his arrival. Her long red tresses and a necklace that fell just below her collarbones were the only concealment for her throat, and it was a lovely throat indeed. Pale smooth skin over a slender column, her pulse easily discernable... she looked amazing, and smelled delightfully of Willow..she smelled delicious.
There had been a part of him that had wanted to taste her right there in front of the coffee shop, to sink his teeth into that pale throat and let everyone know that she was HIS. The problem was that she wasn't his yet, and trying something like that would certainly be bad, not only for his chances with Willow but also for his long- term survival. He had just stared at her, memorizing the sight of her.
Then, he'd actually remembered to move, and he'd helped her into the car. They'd drove off towards the beach, and he was reminding himself over and over that his Willow was mortal, she was young, he should restrain himself, there would be no carrying her off and ravishing her. No matter how tempting the idea was.
Words and phrases were turning themselves over in a corner of his mind, comparing her skin to porcelain and pearls, her eyes to precious gems and summer leaves.... her smile to the sunrise. There was consideration of meter and should there be a rhyme pattern? Perhaps a sonnet in the traditional form? Could mere words capture her grace and charm on paper? He could feel his fingers itching for a pen, a quill even, so that he could try to put words to her grace. He resisted the urge, instead offering his hand to Willow, half lifting her from the car. He let his hand stay on hers, feeling how fragile the bones of her hand felt to him, how her hand fit just so in his.
Willow and Spike made it to the beach without any accidents or collisions with anything, either stationary or moving. This was a pleasant surprise to Willow. Spike drove fast, the music had been loud, although since it had been something that Willow had enjoyed, she didn't plan to complain about that. She couldn't see out the windows, and she had found herself desperately hoping that Spike could.
They had arrived at the beach. Safely, in one piece, and with no carsickness on Willow's part. That was a tolerable start for the evening as far as Willow was concerned. Spike opened the car door for her and gave her a hand out, an oddly gentlemanly behavior, one that reminded her that he had once been a well educated poet instead of the bad boy rebel vampire that stood before her. Willow smiled at him, although she was fairly certain that he knew it was partly relief that the car ride was over.
Spike leaned in and spoke quietly, the breath of his words tickling her ear. "Relax, Red. I've never accidentally killed anyone with my driving. Wouldn't dream of starting with you."
Willow had to giggle a bit at the phrasing he'd used. He'd never accidentally killed someone with his driving... what about killing them on purpose? Oh, that was a bad thought, definitely not something she should be laughing about. He still had her hand in his, and it gave her this odd fluttery feeling in her stomach, not quite the same as ordinary nervousness. They began to walk towards the concert area, and Spike still held her hand in his. She could feel that while his hand wasn't hugely bigger than hers, it was larger, and his hand had a few hard calluses in a few places. She wasn't quite certain where they had come from, nor was she quite certain that she wanted to ask, but it was a nice feeling to let her hand rest inside of his.
They carefully made their way to the concert, still holding hands. Willow still had this delighted little smile on her face, and her eyes were shining with happiness. They could hear the final sound checks as they arrived at the concert area, and the first band was preparing to perform. Both were hoping that this evening would go well, hoping that this could be the start of something wonderful.
~Part: 29~
The evening was going wonderfully for Willow. She and Spike were listening to the music, far enough from the stage that there was enough room that they could dance a bit. Some of the other couples that had come to the concert were taking advantage of that fact, and after a bit, Spike asked her to dance with him, on the sand.
The most amazing guy she'd ever met had asked her on a date and wanted to dance with her. What could she do but accept? Well, that and give him a small grin and a murmur that she really wasn't a very good dancer. It was the most exhilarating thing she'd ever done. They danced to the music, fast songs and an occasional slower number. She could feel herself flushing from the exertion, and she was quite certain that Spike had been checking her neck out a few times... It was wonderful, like a dream come true...
Buffy and Scott had arrived early for the concert, and that had enabled them to have spots up close to the stage. There were no seats, but they had managed to get close to the band, and there was no room for much beyond a little swaying, possibly a bit of jumping if the band was good. They had been there through the sound checks, and watched the band put their things together on the stage. Buffy was excited, she would actually have a normal evening. She would have an evening where she was just Buffy, not the Slayer, an evening free of Slaying, or vampires and demons.
She wanted to just be Buffy... to just enjoy an evening with Scott, who seemed like a pretty nice guy. She wanted to pretend that she was normal, that everything was normal in her life. As long as nobody started screaming in panic, she just might be able to manage it. Tonight would be good for her.
Dru smoothed her hair and headed out the door of the factory. She wanted to find her angel and have a talk with him. She had a feeling that he would be looking through the cemeteries, since the dragon had gone away for the night. Which would leave him all alone, with nobody to interrupt her little conversation. Smiling at the thought, she spotted him, moving amidst the headstones. He was hunting anything that could be a danger to his chosen home, prowling like a great dark cat. Maybe she could find out if she could still make him purr....
"Hello my angel. I think you should talk to your princess." Her words floated through the darkness, and she smiled as he jumped slightly, and spun around to look at her.
"Dru..what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be hiding from the Slayer?" Angel's voice almost hid his confusion at seeing her.
Dru looked at him, her head tilted a bit as if she were listening to some soft noise. "Miss Edith told me that the sticky taffy girl went away to listen to music with a boy. I can talk to you now, nobody will interrupt us. Did you have questions, my angel? The stars and the moon whisper their secrets to me... The fire fairy promised to help me, you know."
Angel looked at her, his eyes troubled. "What fire fairy? What did the fairy promise to help you do?"
Dru grinned, an expression full of mischief. "She promised me that she would try to keep the dragon from eating your soul. I saw it happening.. the dragon ate your shiny soul all up in fire and gold... and then you went away and my Daddy brought pain and screams and suffering. But the fairy won't kill the dragon." Dru pouted a bit, trying to understand why the fairy was reluctant to get rid of the dragon, before it suddenly made sense. "You remember all the stories, my angel. The fairy works her magic, and then the knight can kill the dragon and save the day. But my tarnished knight only wants the tree, and my prince had run away from me. My prince has become a poor traveling knight. The dragon hunts over the mouth, and leaves ashes and blood behind." She began to sway, listening to some secret music.
Angel repeated her words, trying to draw some meaning out of them. "The dragon hunts over the mouth... and leaves ashes and blood." He suddenly looked at her, his eyes wide, as if the secrets she had spoken had finally unfolded for him. The only other thing he said before bolting from the cemetery was a half heard comment " Giles needs to know..."
Dru watched him go with a small pout on her face. As she started back to the factory, she began muttering unhappily to herself - or possibly to the stars. "Won't I ever get a chance to have a nice long talk with my Angel? Maybe I need to get those chains after all. Humph ..off to talk to the big owl.. what can HE tell my Angel that I can't? Did the owl warn him about the dragon? No, that was me. Did the owl tell him that we aren't here to cause trouble? No, that was me again. Did the owl tell him the sticky taffy was away? No, the taffy girl didn't even tell him, I did. He needs to listen to his princess more."
~Part: 30~
Angel headed for the library, certain that Giles would be there trying to find if there was any reference to a dragon in the assorted books of prophecy. He wasn't too surprised that the computer teacher, Jenny Calander was there as well, frowning at something on the computer.
"I ran into Dru again. She had a bit more to say about a few things. She mentioned the dragon again." Angel spoke, fairly certain what would happen as his words broke the quiet of the library. He wasn't disappointed.
Jenny squeaked in surprise with a hint of fear. She spun that chair around, looking at him with wide frightened eyes, eyes that looked like they held some secret of her own. He could hear her heartbeat racing.. Giles had a racing pulse as well, and also looked clearly startled.
" Ahh.. what did Dru have to say? I must say, perhaps Xander is right.. a bell around your neck.." Giles was tying to recover from his surprise.
Angel moved deeper into the library, hiding the little feeling of purely predatory glee that he could surprise them so easily. "She said that the dragon hunts over the mouth, and leaves blood and ashes behind it. She said that it would eat my soul in fire and gold, and her Daddy would return, bringing fire and screams and pain. She also said that a fire fairy had promised to help her keep the dragon away from me."
Jenny had regained some composure. "Can you translate any of that into regular english?"
Angel gave a little half smile. "Actually, I can translate some of that. The part about her Daddy returning.. she's saying that she had a vision about Angelus coming back, and bringing fire, pain and screams. Sounds like the old times all over again. Someone or maybe something has promised to try to prevent the dragon from finding me.. that can only mean that she has an ally, and that this ally is going to try to keep me separated form the Dragon. I'm also fairly certain hat the dragon is a symbol for something else, possibly a person."
Giles gave a sigh of relief, and began to put some of the thick books back on the shelves. "That does narrow the search a bit. By chance do we know what the dragon hunts? Or perhaps what this mouth could... be... oh, dear, does she mean the Hellmouth?" Giles face was a study in dismay.
"What other dangerous mouth would there be something hunting over? That means the dragon is right here in Sunnydale. Also, this dragon is something dangerous." Angel looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I'm going to continue a patrol. I haven't seen Buffy out tonight, is she okay?"
Jenny looked at him, her expression unreadable. " I think she had a date tonight. Something about a concert on the beach."
Angel looked at her, seeking to discover if she was serious. She was.. Buffy had a date...with someone else. He turned and walked away from the library, his mind spinning in many directions. Buffy had a date..that wasn't with him... he could hear Jenny's voice 'something about a concert on the beach' and he could hear Dru's words as well ' the sticky Taffy girl went away to listen to music with a boy'. Dru had spoke of the taffy girl right after he had mentioned the Slayer. Dru had known that Buffy had a date, so she'd gone seeking him out to warn him about the dragon.
What else had Dru mentioned? A Fire fairy... that wouldn't kill the dragon. Her tarnished knight wanting a tree... those two things didn't make any sense. The only possible explanation was that Dru was talking in symbols and images again. He was certain that she hadn't been this insane before... Before he'd regained his soul and abandoned his children. Before he'd left his princess... could William be her tarnished knight? Were both of the other members of his family here?
Maybe he'd just go to the beach and make certain that there wasn't any danger to Buffy. If there was a concert there would be a large number of people in one spot.. all a hungry vampire could ask for. Yes, he should definitely patrol the beach and make certain that the concert was safe.
He had always liked simple violence as a cure for confusion. The difference was that now that he had his soul, he was a good deal more picky about whom he was violent towards. No more killing innocents, no torture because he was bored... He'd changed a great deal. He wondered if William would even want to see him again, if he was indeed Dru's 'tarnished knight'. Had William managed to deal with Angelus' abandonment? Those thoughts were only causing him more confusion. He only knew that he missed having a family of his own.