It had been two days since Spike had shown up at Giles' and Willow pulled a little golden arrow out of the vampire's back. The same little arrow that turned to dust moments later. Willow hadn't seen Spike since, and she was refusing to acknowledge that she was mentally keeping track of how long had passed since she'd been near the vampire. Tonight, she and Tara were at the Bronze. Casting an eye about the club, Willow sighed.
"Are you looking for someone?" Tara asked her.
"Me? No. I just," Willow leaned in to Tara, like she had a secret to tell. "I feel strange."
"Strange how?" Tara's voice held concern.
"I don't know. You don't sense it? Is it just me? I feel like a puzzle that's been put together wrong. Lame, huh?"
"I'm sure we'll figure it out. Let me go get you a drink."
Willow smiled. "That'd be nice, thanks."
As the blonde witch made her way to the bar, Willow took another long look around the room. It was like she sensed something. The notion was abandoned when she caught a glimpse of Spike at the entrance. Willow breathed out, like she had been holding something in all night. There you are, she said to herself. Wait, why do I care that Spike is here? He caught her looking at him and he smiled arrogantly. She immediately looked away, refusing to look in his direction. That didn't save her, of course, because he was at her side in a moment.
"Miss me?" he whispered from behind her.
Willow parted her lips but couldn't quite think of anything appropriate to say. No, that wasn't really the problem. She was actually thinking of a lot of things she could say. It was more that the act of responding itself seemed weird. She and Spike did not talk. They did not banter. And yet there was this gleam in his eye and she suddenly found herself all too willing to play along. So she said nothing.
"What's the matter, love? Cat got your tongue?"
Tara returned to the table, beverage in hand for Willow. Spike didn't look at her, but she noticed the strange vibe emanating between him and Willow. The vampire made her nervous and she certainly didn't like the way he was looking at her girlfriend, who sat there rather dazed.
"Here, I got you this," Tara stammered out, handing Willow a cup.
Willow met her gaze and took the cup smiling. "Thanks, Tara." She shifted uncomfortably next to Spike's presence, and took a sip of her drink. The three sat in awkward silence for a time. Then, unceremoniously, Spike reached over and took Willow's drink out of her hand and set in on the table.
"Dance with me." His tone was matter-of-fact. Not a question, not a demand.
Willow opened her mouth to protest, but Spike had already swept her out of her seat. She placed a hand on Tara's arm and tried to convey a reassuring look. What am I doing? Willow knew she shouldn't be letting Spike lead her away from her girlfriend, but it was like part of her had been waiting all night just to be in his arms. And that part of her was following the vampire onto the dance floor.
The band was playing a slow, melancholy song. Spike drew Willow into his arms. They moved into a comfortable embrace and began to sway with the music. This just got weird, Willow thought to herself. This wasn't right, dancing with Spike while Tara sat not ten feet away. Slow-dancing at that! But she couldn't stop herself.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Buffy and Xander, on a rare dateless evening for both of them, decided to go the Bronze like the days of old. It didn't take them long to spot Tara at one of the tables near the dance floor and head that way.
"Hey, where's Wills?" Xander seated himself next to the witch.
Tara responded mutely by motioning toward the throng of people dancing.
"I don't see her - " Buffy did a double-take. "Why is she? With? What are?"
Tara shrugged. "I think I'm gonna go. You guys can make sure she gets home all right?" Xander and Buffy nodded dumbfoundedly. After Tara left, Buffy decided to cut-in on Fred and Ginger. As it were, she didn't have to. She'd only made it half-way to them when Spike and Willow parted, looked at one another and Spike left. Willow walked over to Buffy.
"Will, what was that all about? Why were you dancing with him?"
"He just needed to see me," Willow answered vaguely. "I needed to see him, too."
Xander stepped up. "Okay, not loving the new vampire outreach you've got going on. And, by the looks of it, I'd say Tara wasn't too keen, either."
"Tara?" Willow asked. And then realization flooded her face and she looked about the Bronze quickly. "Tara. Where is she?"
"Gone," was Buffy's blunt reply.
"She must think... I don't know. I need to talk to her. Will you walk with me? I feel a little odd."
Xander snorted. "I'll say."
Buffy took Willow's arm to lead her out of the Bronze. "I'll walk you. 'Sides, don't really feel like dancing anymore."
As they walked, Buffy asked Willow if she thought her sudden need to dance with the undead had anything to do with the incident at Giles.' Xander, of course, didn't know about the incident and had to be filled in.
"I don't know how I'm going to explain this to Tara. I mean, I can't explain it to myself. I felt like part of me was waiting to see him and then when he was there, I kept having these very unlike me urges, y'know?"
Buffy gave Willow a sidelong look. "Urges? Maybe you'd better not fill me in on that part. And I'm sure Tara will agree something's up. Another relationship faces the Hellmouth and all that."
Willow didn't look convinced yet, but she knew Buffy was being sincere.
And if something was up, then research mode would commence and they'd figure
it out. She smiled for her friends and kept walking. But she didn't tell
them about "the feeling." She'd been having it all day, then it went away
while she was dancing. But it was coming back, slowly. What gave her a
sinking sensation in her stomach was that she knew what would make it go
away. Or, more accurately, who.