Series: Love series
Author: shannon
Pairing: Willow/Spike, Xander
Rating: G
Disclaimer: All characters from BtVS and A:tS belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, UPN and WB.
Distribution: My site http://www.geocities.com/angels_soul_1/shadesofgrey.html ; fanfiction.net, and anyone else that has had my permission in the past, anyone else just let me know.
Spoilers: Nothing really, but takes place after Wrecked
Improv: #40pet, cool, sweat, spray
Summary: Xander's in denial.
Willow got up from the table and headed toward the back of the magic shop. Retracing the path Spike had taken a few minutes before.
"I'm, uh, going to see what's taking him so long." Willow mumbled as she approached the door.
Dawn and Anya looked at each other and giggled as soon as Willow had disappeared from sight.
"What's so funny?" Xander asked looking up from his book, and looking at the pair seated across from him.
"Nothing." Both said at the same time trying to stop their giggles.
"It's a girl thing." Dawn said smiling sweetly at him.
"Right." Xander said, "So when did the two of you become best friends?"
"We're not." Anya said, "Just happen to share a common interest in something."
At that answer Dawn started to laugh again. Xander shook his head marveling at how little he understood the women he spent so much time with. Dawn and Anya had spent an unbelievable amount of time together in the last week. Willow was acting all odd too. She was jumpy and she was always saying she was busy whenever they wanted to go out. Preferring to stay home with Dawn than go to the Bronze. Before Xander could give anymore thought to what was going through his friends minds Willow walked out of the back room, followed closely by Spike who pulled the door closed behind him.
"You okay Wills." Xander asked as she took the seat next to him.
"Fine why?" Willow asked flushing slightly.
"You look kind of pale and your all sweaty." Xander said looking at his best friend worriedly.
"Just kind of hot I guess." Willow said shrugging.
"Really seemed kind of cool in here to me." Xander said, "Sure you're not coming down with something."
Before Willow could respond Dawn and Anya burst into another fit of giggles, stopped only by the icy glare from both Willow and Spike. "I'm fine Xander." Willow said smiling at her friend. "The back room was just a little warm okay."
"Fine whatever." Xander said turning her attention back to his book. ~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
"Buffy has to work late." Anya said holding her hand over the phone. "She wants to know if you can walk Willow and Dawn home Spike."
"Why not?" Spike answered closing his book. "Tired of reading these damn books anyway."
"He'll make sure they're safe." Anya said smiling as she listened to the slayer on the other end of the line. "Okay I'll tell them. Bye." Anya said before replacing the phone and returning to the table.
"I'm actually going to agree with Spike on this." Xander said, "Let's call it a night."
"Right. Ready to go Pet." Spike said looking at Dawn.
"Let me get my books." She said and headed to the back room. ~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Xander shut of the spray of the shower. Still thinking about the odd-ness of the women in his life. He was sure of a few things. He needed more male friends and he missed Giles and Oz they both were as confused by these particular females as he was. He wrapped the towel around his waist and headed into the bedroom stopping when he heard Anya on the phone. She rarely used it, she didn't know that many people so she didn't usually make any phone calls.
"I can't believe Xander hasn't figured it out yet." Anya was saying. She stopped talking to listen to the person on the other end.
"Yeah, but Buffy hasn't been around as much lately." Anya said, "As often as Spike goes to find things in other rooms and Willow just has to go and help. Then all those nights Willow claims to need to stay home with you. God how can he not see it."
Xander stood staring at his girlfriend. She was talking to Dawn? About something he wasn't seeing. Something he should see with Willow and Spike. Willow following Spike to help him find things. That wasn't odd was it?
Sure Willow was staying home a lot. But after the magic thing he figured she just didn't want to go out. She was tired. She wanted to be alone. Now that he thought about it Spike was never interested in going out with them either. He didn't patrol much either. He used to patrol on the nights Buffy worked, but lately he had been letting them handle it.
Okay those things seemed odd but Anya was suggesting that Willow and. that she and Spike. Okay, no, he didn't even want to think about it. The idea that Spike was lusting after Buffy was bad enough, and Dawn's crush on him last year... but Willow.And Spike. Anya had to be wrong. He needed to talk to Willow now.
He turned and ran into his room grabbing jeans and a T-shirt quickly. Getting dressed as fast as possible he returned to the living room just as Anya hung up the phone.
"I've got to go out for a while." Xander said grabbing his jacket.
"Where?" Anya said picking up a magazine.
"Just need to talk to a friend."
"Be careful." Anya said becoming engrossed in the article she was reading. ~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Xander approached the Summers' house slowly. He just needed to talk to Willow. She would tell him it wasn't true. Anya and Dawn were seeing something that wasn't there. As he neared the door he saw the figures inside the living room.
He saw Spike sitting on the couch. Wait, Spike was alone. Maybe they had seen something outside when they got here and Spike was hanging around until Buffy got home. That had to be it right?
He continued to watch as a moment later Willow came in the room and sat next to Spike on the couch. They were just going to watch television, Xander told himself, that was all. He continued to watch as Spike leaned over to kiss Willow. No this wasn't happening. Spike was evil Willow knew that. And she was gay now. She had told him that herself. So he couldn't be seeing this. Taking a deep breath he approached the door and knocked, much harder than necessary.
"Xander, uh, hi what are you doing here?" Willow said opening the door.
"I came over for you to tell me Anya was wrong about.." He stopped not wanting to say the words out loud, "That." He finished pointing to Spike coming out of the living room.
"What about me?" Spike said smirking at Xander.
"You and Willow and.." Xander stuttered gesturing wildly with his hands.
"What about us?" Spike said calmly.
"I saw you. and .. On the couch." Xander sputtered.
"Right I was sitting on the couch. Dawn thought she saw something outside when we got here." Spike said, "She was frightened. I said I would stay until the slayer came home."
"That's right." Willow confirmed, "We were just getting ready to watch a movie."
"B-but I saw you two." Xander said.
"Whatever you thought you saw you were wrong." Willow said smiling at her friend. "We're going to watch a movie. Would you like to join us?"
"Movie?" Xander said desperately wanting to believe what Willow was saying to him. They were going to watch a movie. That was okay. Perfectly innocent. Spike's just making sure Dawn feels safe. "No, uh I'm sorry Will. I've got to go." He said and quickly turned and headed back to his car.
By the time he had reached his car, Xander had decided to believe what Willow told him. Not because it was true, a part of him new she was lying, but because living in denial would be easier than dealing with the truth right now. By the time he returned to his apartment he had managed to completely repress the night events.