Part 2
“Are you sure I look okay, Spike? I don’t think this dress looks very good on me. I don’t know why I bought it.” Willow pulled on the collar buttoned around her throat. The dress was a very prim, long sleeved, high-necked monstrosity. It’s pale yellow color clashed with her hair in the worst way.
”It’s perfect. And get used to calling me William. Don’t want any slipups when it’s important. That dress is so hideous, no one will look at you. And that’s just how I want it.”
”You want me to look ugly?”
”No. I just don’t want people to remember you. You used to be pretty invisible, you think you can remember how to do that now?”
”I can’t believe you said that!”
”It’s true isn’t it?”
”Even if it is true, it’s still a mean thing to say, Sp.. William.”
”If it’s any consolation, there’s no way you could be invisible now. The whole witch thing must be agreeing with you or something. No more chit chat. Were here.”
He stopped in front of ‘Tommy’s Rendezvous’ and listened. “Not ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ again.” he groaned. “Remember, I’m William and you’re Marie. Don’t wander off and if anyone talks to you, pretend you’re shy.”
”You didn’t give me this many warnings when we went to ‘The Dungeon’ and that place was full of vamps and demons.”
”Until we know what this girl is up to, I want you to assume that this place is dangerous, okay?”
”All right, William. You have more experience in stalking people than I do.”
”Funny.” ‘William’ opened the door and let ‘Marie’ precede him inside.
Willow didn’t have to pretend to be nervous, she was almost shaking in her low-heeled, sensible sandals. “What if they card me? It will blow our cover.” she whispered.
”I’ve yet to see them card anyone in here. Who would come here to sneak a drink?” Spike looked around and pointed to a table in the corner with a view of the door. “Let’s go sit over there.”
Willow nodded and Spike led her over to the table, a solicitous hand on the small of her back. Once she was seated, he went to the bar to order their drinks. He ordered Willow a Strawberry Daiquiri, telling the bartender to mix it light, and a vodka tonic for himself. He hated watered down vodka, but at least it was vodka.
While he waited for the drinks, he studied the other people in the club. It was a game he still played, even if he couldn’t do anything about it. Sizing up his prey and picking the one that suited his taste for the evening. A man who might have been a cleaned up construction worker, in jeans and a flannel shirt, hard hat on the chair next to him, except his hands were too soft looking, nails too clean. A woman who appeared to be a up and coming executive type, power suit and pumps, hair in a prim bun, but no make-up, not even lip gloss. The longer he studied the other patrons, the more he realized just how ‘off’ everyone seemed to be. There were a few that were hard to classify, but for the most part, everyone in the bar seemed to be dressed for a play but details were forgotten. Something was very, very wrong here.
The bartender interrupted his thoughts when he set the drinks on the bar. “Seven fifty.” Spike pushed a ten across the bar, picked up the drinks and went back to the table. He handed Willow her drink and leaned closer. “Just sip it.” He scooted his chair closer and put his arm on the back of her chair possessively. “Don’t look up yet, but when I tell you, look to your right and tell me what’s wrong with the woman with the frumpy dress on.”
Willows eyes widened at his odd request, but she nodded her head in agreement.
”Okay, now look over there casually as if you were just checking out the place.”
Willow did as he asked, running her eyes around the room before stopping on the woman he described. When she turned back to him, she frowned in confusion. “I don’t see anything ‘wrong’ with her. What do you mean?”
”Nothing seems ‘off’ about her to you? Look closely.” Spike wanted to make sure he wasn’t just being paranoid. Maybe he was loosing his touch since it had been months since he’d hunted for real.
She turned her head and studied the woman again. Then she saw what he meant. “She has on a cheap, K-mart housedress thingy but expensive shoes and purse. That doesn’t fit. Is that what you meant?”
So he wasn’t just being paranoid. “Yes, that’s what I meant. Most of the people in here are just.. wrong, somehow.” Before he could explain further, the blonde girl walked in the door and sat at her usual table. Now that he could see her better, he realized that she probably wasn’t as young as he’d initially thought. Closer to thirty-five than twenty. “And the woman that just walked in, anything ‘wrong’ with her?”
Willow gasped when she saw who Spike was talking about. “It looks like… she looks like this girl I go to school with, but… older.”
”You’re sure it’s not the same person? How well do you know this girl?”
Willow shook her head. “No, it’s not her. Tara I mean, the girl I was talking about is named Tara. But Tara is my age, that woman isn’t. But… it really could be Tara, only older. She even parts her hair the same way.”
“Does she have any relatives in town?”
“No, I don’t think so. Unless she was lying to me. But why would she? Lie, that is.”
”I don’t know. Let’s just keep an eye on everyone and pretend we’re having a good time. You peek over at the Tara look-alike every once in a while and see if she’s paying any attention to us.”
***************
“Act like you’ve had too much to drink and you want me to help you to the bathroom.”
”What?”
“Just giggle, whisper in my ear and point in the general direction of the loo.”
Willow gave him an odd look, but did as he asked. It didn’t escape her that this was repeat of what had happened for real two weeks before at “The Dungeon.” When he helped her up, she tried to act wobbly, but she thought it looked more like she was just a klutz.
When they reached the back hall, he pushed Willow into the ladies room and held the door open a crack. They’d made it just in time, not-Tara came down the hall not two-minutes later. “Move over near the wall and giggle real loud.” he hissed at Willow.
Again, Willow gave him an odd look but did what he wanted. He absently nodded his approval when he saw not-Tara continue on down the hall. He had nearly panicked when she stopped in front of the men’s room door, obviously about to go in. Spike and Willow were the only ones who had gone to the bathroom in the last thirty minutes, so she couldn’t have been looking for anyone else.
Spike motioned for Willow to do it again and continued watching his prey. When she reached the end of the hall, he lost sight of her for moment while he adjusted his angle. When he had a clear view again, she was stepping into a door that hadn’t been there five-minutes ago.
”So that’s how she did it! Damn! I should have known.”
”That’s how who did what?” Willow had crept closer to Spike and when he turned around he nearly knocked her down. “Sorry… That woman. When I was watching her before, she’d come in, sit at the same table, have a few drinks, go to the bathroom once. Then, after forty minutes, she’d go to the bathroom again and not come back. I thought she was slipping out the back, so last night, as soon as she went to the bathroom for the second time, I ran around to the back of the building, but I couldn’t spot her anywhere.”
“Yeah? So?”
”She wasn’t going to the bathroom or slipping out the back. There’s another room in this building somewhere. I just saw her go through a door that wasn’t there before.” He began to pace. “What kind of piano-bar has hidden doors and secret rooms?”
”Um… “
”I hate this cloak and dagger shit! Why can’t everyone just cooperate and tell me how to get this thing out of my head so I can rip their hearts out?”
”Uh.. Spike.. “
”And we can’t get the Slayer to help because she’s shagging one of the bastards who did this to me. And if we can’t tell her, we can’t tell the Watcher. I’m beginning to think I’m the one who’s cursed. So that leaves a neutered vampire, an apprentice witch, an ex-demon who’s only interested in sex and her boy toy.”
”Wicca, actually. Spike.. what are you getting so worked up about? I mean, I understand you want that thing out of your head, but how is now any different than yesterday?”
”Because I’d actually started to HOPE! That’s what’s different. It was slim, I know, but I thought if I could catch up with that girl, she could tell me what I needed to know. Now it’s all buggered up. She’s definitely part of the ‘in’ crowd and so are most of the people in that bar. I don’t know what they’re doing, but it can’t be good if it’s related to those soldier boys and white-coated torturers.”
”Spike..” Willow grabbed his arm on one of his agitated passes and yanked. “Spike!”
”What? I was just getting in to my rant.”
Willow smiled at that. “I know. I don’t mean to deny you your rant, but could you do it somewhere else? Everything you said is giving me the wiggins and I’d just like to get out of here, okay?”
Spike sighed and nodded his head in agreement. “That’s probably a good idea. Let me take you home.”
She stopped him before he opened the ladies room door. “We’ll think of something. You’ve had some really good ideas so far. And I can do some checking on the internet, maybe come up with something helpful.”
”You do realize you are offering to help me get back to being a killer, right?”
”Well debate morals later. If there’s something not right about the Initiative, I mean more than what they did to you, then that means all my friends could be in danger.” She peeked out of the door. “It’s clear, let’s go.”
******************
Spike walked Willow back to her dorm and waited until she was inside with the door locked. Buffy was, once again, absent. He waited outside the dorm, under a tree, for an hour to make sure that nothing odd happened. When all remained quiet, he wandered around town for a while before returning to Giles’ apartment. He groaned when he saw the lights were still on. He wasn’t in any mood for the whatever the Watcher had waited up to tell him.
He stiffened his spine and opened the door, prepared for battle.
“Do you know what time it is?”
”I told you before; you are not my father, I don’t have to answer to you.”
”I simply wanted to know the time.” Giles held up the clock he was winding. “The clock stopped.”
“Oh.” Spike dug a pocket watch out of his pocket and checked the time. “Two forty.”
“Thank you. If you’re in for the night, I’ll lock up and go to bed.” Giles set the time on the clock and replaced it on the shelf.
”What are you up to, Watcher?” Spike couldn’t figure out what had happened to change Giles’ attitude. The only explanation he could come up with was the he was planning something sneaky.
”I’m sure I don’t know what you are referring to. I’m not ‘up’ to anything.” Giles answered, mildly.
”Then why are you being so nice to me?”
”I am not being ‘nice’, I am getting along. If you are to remain here, I think it would be easier on both of us if we at least tried to get along. I know I can’t expect you to be pleasant and reasonable all the time, you are a demon after all, but if you would at least try to remain civil and get your kicks tormenting people elsewhere, I think we can keep from killing each other until your situation is resolved.”
”Sure, Watcher. I think I can handle that. And yes, I’m in for the night.” Spike headed for the closet. He pulled out the pillow, sheets and blanket he used when he slept on the couch. When he turned, Giles was still looking at him. “What? I said I’d try. What else do you want me to say?”
”Nothing. It’s just odd seeing you… not look like Spike.” Giles shook his head and went to make sure the door was locked and closed the curtains on the tiny windows. “And I would appreciate it if you would call me Giles or Rupert. My name is not ‘Watcher’.” He flipped off the light, leaving only the table lamp burning and went upstairs.
Spike cursed quietly and made his ‘bed’. He stripped off his clothes, leaving himself clad only in his underwear. Willow would not be coming over today as it was Sunday and she had said she really needed to study for an exam coming up on Tuesday. He didn’t care if he embarrassed anyone else that wandered in. He lay there, waiting to go to sleep, but his thoughts wouldn’t let him.
((This is just not right. Too many changes, too fast. I’m not supposed to ‘get along’ with anyone and certainly not a Watcher. Ex-Watcher, whatever. I’m not supposed to be friends with a human, I’m not supposed to be hanging around with any humans, let alone a Slayer and her puppies. It’s disgusting and unnatural! I’m a vampire. Humans are food. Simple. And on top of that, I’m playing James Bond with a bunch of sadistic humans. It’s just too much.)) He turned on his side and then immediately onto his stomach. He couldn’t get comfortable. Swinging his legs over the edge of the sofa, he sat up. ((Maybe I’m just hungry….. I wonder if this is the way Angel feels all the time. Does he still crave the hunt, the kill… but keeps himself from doing it because of the consequences? Pain for me, guilt for him.. who has the better deal, I wonder?. And why am I even wondering what gel-boy feels? Too many changes, too fast.)) Deciding that hunger, and nothing else, must be the problem, Spike went into the dark kitchen and pulled a mostly full container of blood out of the fridge. Forgoing the use of a mug, he put the entire container in the microwave and punched the numbers viciously, angry with himself for even remotely resembling his brooding Sire. Just before it would have dinged, he opened the microwave and pulled the barely warm blood. With no thought to finesse, he gulped down all of it in seconds. It was more than he’d had at any one time in way too long. But it seemed to help, slowing his racing thoughts, even if it was pig blood. Spike was about to set the now empty container on the counter but after a moment, he took it over to the pantry, opened the door and threw it in the trash. ((There… getting along.))
The now sated vampire went back to the sofa and lay down, his mind finally quiet enough to let him sleep.
***************
“Hello?”
”Hey, Giles, it’s me. Is Willow at your place?”
”No, Buffy. Was she supposed to be?”
”Not really. It’s just that she’s not here and she didn’t leave a note.”
”I take it that you spent the night elsewhere.”
”Lecture later, Giles. I need to find Willow. She copied some notes for me and I can’t find them. I need them to study for the test we have Tuesday.”
”I haven’t heard from her today, but…. hold on, let me ask Spike if she said anything to him.”
”Why would she tell…” But Giles had already put the phone down.
”Spike.. wake up.” Giles nudged the still sleeping vampire with his knee.
”Sod off, Watcher. I’m sleeping.”
”Buffy is on the phone. Do you know where Willow is?” Giles ignored Spike’s grumpiness, more interested in getting an answer than arguing.
Spike’s eyes shot open at Giles’ words. “She’s not in her room?”
”If she were in her room, Buffy would not be asking where she is, would she?”
”Well, how am I supposed to know where Slut.. uh.. Buffy is calling from? She could be in soldier boy’s room since that’s where she seems to spend most of her nights now.”
”Yes, I’m well aware of that. Now, do you know where Willow is or not?”
”She said she had to study so … the library, I guess.”
Without another word to Spike, Giles went back to the phone. “Buffy? He said that Willow mentioned studying today so she’s probably at the library.”
”Why would Spike know where she is and I don’t?” Buffy asked, indignantly.
“That’s a very good question, wouldn’t you say? Why don’t you know where your best friend and roommate is on a Sunday afternoon?”
Buffy sighed into the phone. “Is this another lecture, Giles? And if it is, can we put it off until I find Willow?”
”No, I’m not going to lecture. I am not your father, I am not your guardian, I’m not even your Watcher anymore. I hope I am your friend. Friends don’t lecture. But I will suggest that you think very carefully about the answer to your own question.”
”Because.. well.. because..”
”Buffy, I am not asking for you to give me an answer. You need to answer to yourself. Now, if there’s nothing else, I need to go.”
”No, that was all… um.. bye.” Buffy stayed on the line, hoping that Giles would say something more.
”Please call me if you don’t find Willow. Leave a message on my machine if I’m not home. Bye.” Giles hung the phone and returned to stand beside the sofa.
”Time to get up if you want to go shopping, Spike.”
”It’s still daylight.”
”The mall closes in three hours since it’s Sunday, so if you want to go, we have to go now.”
”What time is it, anyway?”
”Ten till three, now get up.” Giles turned to go into the kitchen.
”Three! You mean the Slayer is just now getting around to coming home and noticing that Willow is missing? She could have been lying dead for hours and no one would have known!” Spike angrily gathered up the linen from the sofa and shoved them in the closet as he continued his rant. “If the Slayer isn’t going to spend any time in her room, Willow should get a new roommate. Someone who will actually notice when something is wrong. Doesn’t that stupid chit realize that her friends are the only reason she’s still alive? That the only reason she keeps succeeding as a Slayer is because she’s not alone? And what does she do, hmm? The first time some bit of beefcake catches her eye, she’s off in her own world, leaving her friends dangling in the breeze!” Spike gathered up his clothes and stalked to the bathroom, muttering about ‘loyalty’ and ‘a good spanking’, leaving the door open.
Giles stared after the vampire for a few minutes, thinking about what he’d said. Or more correctly, thinking about the fact that the vampire had said anything at all. ((I guess his hair color is not the only thing changing. But why would he assume that Willow was…)) He got up and went to stand in the bathroom doorway. “Spike, why would you assume that Willow is missing or injured just because she’s not in her room? Is there some danger to her that neither of you has bothered to mention?”
((Uh..oh…)) But a hundred plus years of practice enabled Spike to lie without batting an eye. “No, nothing like that. I’m just saying that, with her connection to the Slayer, she’s always a target for anyone who wants someone to use for bait. It’s what I would do… what I did.” Spike continued to gaze into the empty mirror as he combed his hair. “For none of her friends to have seen or heard from her in fourteen hours is not good. I’m sure she’s at the library studying and is just fine. None of you should be out of contact for that long, Slayer included.” He tucked in his shirt and turned to look at Giles. “I’m ready to go if you are.” ((Subject closed. Move on.))
So stunned by Spike’s observations, and the fact that Spike had made any observations to start with, Giles didn’t immediately answer.
”Watcher.. Giles… are you ready to go or not? You said we only had a few hours, so let’s go.” “What? Yes, I’m ready. We’ll park in the underground garage, so you’ll just have to cover up to get to the car.” Giles made sure the answering machine was switched on, picked up his keys and went out to unlock the rental car.
*************
Giles and Spike returned home just after sunset, each carrying several bags. They seemed much more relaxed with each other than when they had left.
”So you do have money, you just choose to mooch off others.” Giles dropped his packages onto the sofa and went to put the kettle on. “Would you like some tea… no, I don’t suppose you do.”
”Tea would be great. Is it as good as Joyce’s hot chocolate?” Spike followed Giles into the kitchen.
”Nothing is as good as Joyce’s hot chocolate, but it’s pretty good. Haven’t you ever had tea before?” Giles pulled out two mugs and set them on the counter.
”I’m English, of course I’ve had tea before, just not in about,” he counted the years in his head, “fifty years. Not high on my ‘things to drink’ list.”
”No, I suppose not. So are you going to tell me about this apparently large stash of money you have?”
”It’s not that much.”
”Yes, but it exists, none the less. If you have money, why did you insist on payment to help me?”
”Because I hadn’t transferred any money from my accounts overseas. I hadn’t planned on being here, your apartment I mean, for that long and I didn’t need much money before. Had a nice cave and minions to provide for my needs, besides what I would steal off my meals.”
”Yes, please do remind me that I have a mass murderer living in my home.”
“Hey, you asked, I answered. I’m going to go change into something that fits a little better. I’m getting tired of these trousers riding up my crack.”
Giles continued preparations for the tea and then went to check his messages. He saw that the machine showed two messages and pushed the ‘play’ button.
”Hi, Giles. It’s Buffy. I just wanted to tell you I found Willow in the library. She was studying with some girl named Tara. Must be some new friend of hers, because I’ve never seen her before. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know she was okay and… and to apologize, I guess. You were right, as usual, and I promise to start making more time for my friends. But not tonight, okay? Professor Walsh wants me to patrol with the guys. We’re going to be looking for ‘Hostile 17’, so tell Spike to stay out of sight tonight, okay? I’ll be over after classes tomorrow. See ya then.”
Giles shook his head and waited for the next message to play.
”Hey, Giles. It’s me again. I forgot to give you a message from Willow. She asked me to tell you that if you saw William, whoever that is, to tell him he should get in touch with Marie, again, whoever that is. When did she get all these new friends? Wait, don’t answer that, I know the answer, don’t I? Anyway, that’s the message. I told her to call you when she gets back to the dorm and she said she would. Okay… I’ll see you tomorrow, bye.”
Giles deleted the messages and turned to see Spike standing stock-still not two feet behind him. “Spike! You startled me.” He looked… odd. “Spike, is something the matter? You picked that shirt out yourself, so don’t blame me if you don’t like it now.”
Spike was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeved pullover shirt with three buttons at the neck, black, of course. “No, nothing’s wrong. I just remembered something I need to do.” He went over to the closet and pulled out his boots, slipping them on quickly. He grabbed his duster and patted the pockets to make sure he had his smokes.
“Wait.” Giles dug in his pocket and pulled out a key. “I had this made this morning while you were asleep. I wasn’t sure I was going to give it to you… but, anyway, here it is.” He held out the key to Spike.
Spike was a little surprised, but he didn’t have time to consider how much this gesture cost Giles. And he wanted to be gone before the Watcher puzzled out that Willow’s message had been meant for him. He slipped the key into his front jean pocket. “Thanks and I mean that, Giles. Well, see you tomorrow, mate.” With a swirl of his duster, he was out the door.
***************
Several hours after leaving Giles’ place, Spike was pacing in front of a phone booth on the campus of UC Sunnydale. After a few turns back and forth, he picked up the handset, and immediately hung it back up and began pacing again. ((There’s no going back once I make this call. Nothing will ever be the same again, even if I get this thing out of my head. Nothing. But if I don’t make this call, even if I do survive long enough to get my head fixed, I won’t live long enough to enjoy it. But if I do call… )) With a growl of frustration, Spike snatched the handset out of the cradle and pushed some change in the slot. He punched in the numbers before he could change his mind again and listened to the line ring on the other end. Once, twice, three times and then the cheery voice announcing, “Angel Investigations. We help the hopeless.”
THE END
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