Notes: Set somewhere in S2. Post Surprise. Pre Phases.
Notes2: I know, I know, I’ve got about a million other WIPs and sequels to write but I couldn’t resist.
Summary: When chaos erupts and you do things that you would’ve never done before, how do you handle the situation afterwards, when the dust finally settles?
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Joss & Company own all.
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“Well, the talks are overrated. Am I saying how I feel? So, you end up watching chances fade and wondering what's real. You'll see everything is alright if I just breathe.” – Michelle Branch ‘Breathe’
~*~
~Part: 1~
Willow Rosenberg was nervous. Not a oh-my-god-I’m-going-to-die nervous.
Or a oh-great-another-apocalypse nervous. It wasn’t even a oh-god-a-
guy-is-talking-to-me-and-I-don’t-know-what-to-say-without-babbling
nervous. It was more of a I-forgot-all-my-driver’s-ed-lessons-and-I-have-
to-drive-a-car nervous.
It was almost ironic and if she wasn’t too busy being nervous, she might’ve laughed at her thoughts. Sunnydale was known as just a small town, somewhere in southern California and yet, when you actually lived there and it was night, the town suddenly got a whole lot bigger.
It was supposed to have been a routine patrol. Willow and Xander had gone along with Buffy, just in case the Slayer needed backup, more emotional rather than physical. Buffy’s emotions were constantly on edge as she waited for Angelus to strike out at her at any moment.
But, it wasn’t Angelus who struck. No, the whole thing had nothing to do with the Order of Aurelius. They were just random vampires. A small group of vampires that should’ve been an easy slay. At least, that was what Buffy expected.
Nothing ever turns out the way you expect in Sunnydale though, and the chaos that erupted next was definitely unexpected.
Three against ten, more then three times out-numbered but still, Buffy kept her positive attitude, confident in thinking that she would kill each and every one of the vampires while keeping Willow and Xander unharmed.
She was wrong.
As Buffy dealt with her own vampires, alternating between kicking, punching, and staking, another vampire lunged for Xander, effectively knocking him to the ground, the wind escaping from his lungs. As the young brunette gasped for his breath while pushing futilely at the large vampire on top of him, Willow stood a few feet away from him, trying her best to hold her own. She was lucky.
It was a fledgling that attacked her and using the moves that Buffy had taught her before, she managed to stake him. Turning around and jumping for joy, though it really wasn’t the time for it, she expected Xander to be there, ready to give her a high five. But he wasn’t.
He was on the ground with a vampire attached to his neck.
Willow reacted on instinct, not caring that she was probably going to get herself killed in trying to save Xander. Not caring that it was quite a *large* vampire on Xander and her pushing at it probably wasn’t going to help any. Not caring that she would, probably, make the situation a whole lot worse by lunging at the demon. No, she didn’t care at all.
The only thing she cared about was that Xander was hurt and she had to help him.
And she did. Well, she tried. The redhead threw herself at the vampire with all the power she possessed. The vampire rolled away from Xander, his mouth bloodied and his eyes glowing yellow, a yellow which got brighter from his anger. He growled and ran towards Willow, his only intent was killing the girl that interrupted his meal.
Willow closed her eyes in fear, not wanting to see the attack. She fully expected to be pushed to the ground but when the blow never came, she opened her eyes slowly and saw that the vampire was gone, in its place was a pile of dust. The redhead looked around her and saw that Buffy was still fighting her own group of vampires, the number decreasing at a rapid pace as Buffy didn’t even waste her time punching, just going straight for the kill after seeing what happened to Xander.
Xander.
Willow looked down at the brunette who was currently unconscious, the thoughts as to why she wasn’t dead completely forgotten. The redhead leaned down and tried her best to pick him up but he weighed too much. She couldn’t do it. She let out a frustrated groan and mentally reminded herself to tell Xander to lay off the twinkies. Willow pulled him into her arms, alternating from breathing through her nose to breathing through her mouth when the scent of blood hit her. She looked down at the wound, the blood still flowing slowly from it. She had to get him to a hospital. Now.
With a renewed intention, a strength that she never knew she possessed took over her and she managed to get them both on their feet, his weight on hers. She pushed both their bodies towards the direction of the entrance of the cemetery though Xander seemed to get heavier and heavier as they inched closer and closer to the exit.
Buffy glanced over, just for a second, at Willow and Xander, the worry and guilt flowing through her as she saw what was happening. It was in that second that she made her mistake. She turned away. You never, ever turn away during a fight.
She underestimated the last vampire. He grabbed her arm and twisted it, the bone making a sickening crack. The inner Slayer immediately pushed forth inside her and she staked him quickly, biting back the pain as she knew now was not the time for it. Buffy blocked her mind from focusing on the pain in her arm as she ran towards Willow and Xander, taking some of the weight off Willow as she held onto Xander’s unconscious body with her uninjured side.
Willow looked at Buffy and in that one look, Buffy could see and know exactly what was going through the redhead’s mind. “I know, hospital.” Buffy’s head snapped up as she realized where they were, “We’re closer to your house, Will, are your parents home?”
“No.”
“Car?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go then.”
Those were all the words exchanged between them as they limped their way down the streets and up the driveway. Willow punched a few keys into the keypad and the garage door rose up slowly. Buffy ducked under as she pushed Xander against the car and leaned against it herself as she waited for Willow to return back into the garage with keys.
Breathe.
That was all she could do to dull the pain and calm her nerves. Breathe.
Buffy heard Willow’s approaching footsteps and she moved Xander to the side of the car, using her uninjured arm to open the door, she pushed Xander in before getting into the car herself.
Willow got into the car hurriedly but as she sat in the driver’s seat, the engine turned on and the gears switched to reverse, the nervousness hit her.
She forgot how to drive a car. Crap.
Buffy looked up at her and shot a questioning look to the rearview mirror, wondering why they weren’t moving.
Willow let out a heavy sigh, “I-I don’t remember h-how to drive a c-car.”
Hazel eyes stared at her incredulously before her mouth moved, “Do it anyway.”
Knowing there wasn’t any point in arguing, Willow pushed back all her fears and closed her eyes, somehow finding a comfort in the momentary darkness. When her green eyes snapped open again she took a deep breath before smiling internally.
She remembered.
~^~**~^~
Spike was confused. Not a oh-bloody-hell-Dru-is-rambling-again-now-what-the-hell-is-she-saying confused. Or a why-the-hell-does-that-two-bit- Slayer-keep-botching-up-my-plans confused. It wasn’t even a why-the-bleedin-hell-does-Angelus-have-to-come-back-*now* confused. It was more of a why-did-I-just-save-the-Slayer’s-little-pet-for-no-reason confused.
He didn’t know her. He had only seen her a few times. She was a nice looking piece of fluff but she hung out with the Slayer, which was an automatic ‘no-no’ in his book. He wasn’t looking for her that night. He just stumbled upon her and her little friends that night while he was wandering around. He was driven out of the mansion, the sounds of Drusilla and Angelus getting as Angelus put it, ‘reacquainted’, too loud and bothersome for his overly sensitive ears. Bloody bastard.
Spike stashed the wheelchair behind a bush at the back of the mansion, knowing that Angelus would never think of looking there should he decide to search for the younger vampire. It was unlikely that he would. But still, best to be prepared, just in case.
Prepare for the worst, he reminded himself constantly. He had been through enough to know that he should always expect the worst. Hell, the Angelus and Drusilla situation was proof enough. Spike’s jaw tightened as he thought of them, but he quickly pushed the thought away and continued to walk through the deadly silent cemetery.
He cocked his head up and sniffed, reveling in the smell of death. Suddenly, feeling a bit enlightened he walked a little faster, in search of a meal, a fight, or maybe even a shag.
What he got wasn’t what he expected. He could see the group of vampires surrounding the Slayer, the moron that hung out with her, and that pretty little redhead. He watched silently from behind the tree as the Slayer fended off her own vampires while the others attacked the moron and the redhead.
As the scene played out in front of him, he couldn’t stop the smile from slipping onto his lips as he watched her stake the vampire, the excitement clear on her face. The positive feeling obviously dissipated as she saw the moron becoming the latest snack for a burly vampire.
It was as if he couldn’t control his legs as he moved closer and closer until he was a few feet away from her. In fact, if she chose that moment to look in his direction, she would see him and there was nothing he could do about it. Thankfully, she didn’t. Seeing the vampire lunge at her, something snapped inside him and he broke a branch off from the tree behind him and staked him quickly before retreating back into the shadows, all in record time. He watched the confusion play over her face before it was all forgotten as she gave aid to her friend in need.
Spike walked away from the cemetery, his thoughts in a jumble. He had saved the little redhead for no reason whatsoever. He had reacted purely on instinct. Which, he thought before, did not have him saving the Slayer’s little pals. So, the question was, why did he do it?
It wasn’t as if he had any connection with her. He had barely made any contact with her. Before, his attentions were focused on curing Dru and killing the Slayer. And now, his focus was on Angelus, bloody wanker that he was, and figuring out how to get Drusilla back into his arms.
Not that he really could. Somewhere deep inside of him, he knew that. In Drusilla’s black heart, Angelus, her sire, would always be first. Angelus was the one that created her and he was the one that she worshipped. There was no way he could compete with that, in fact, there wasn’t even a competition to begin with. Still, his heart wouldn’t accept it, no matter how much his mind wanted it to.
Damn emotions. Bloody hell, he was a demon. He wasn’t supposed to mope. He growled. He was turning into a damn poof. Stupid bints! They had to go ruin everything.
As he walked through the silent streets of Sunnydale, his thoughts drifted back to the redhead. What was her name anyhow? He racked his mind, coming up with nothing. He felt a slight disappointment at that though why, he just couldn’t place. It wasn’t as if he cared about her. So, if he didn’t, why the hell did he go and save her life?
True, there was an attraction but the Slayer was a big whopping obstacle if he decided to take that course. He knew that if it came down to it, he could probably win a fight with the Slayer. She was emotionally weak at this moment and he could definitely use that to his advantage but if he tried anything, Angelus would stake him in an instant. Pillock that he was, Angelus had already stated, loud and clear, that Buffy was *his* kill and *his* kill only.
So, adding a third Slayer onto his resume wasn’t going to be on his current agenda. However, the Slayer’s friend. Well, Angelus never mentioned anything about that, not that Spike took his orders from him. It just wasn’t a good idea to piss the wanker off, especially not in his current state of mind. Which honestly wasn’t much. Buffy must’ve really done a number on the souled version of his grandsire because Angelus was nearly uncontrollable and nuttier then Dru when it came to the Slayer.
Spike shoved his hands into his jean pockets, looking for his pack of cigarettes but finding none, he mentally cursed himself for leaving them in his duster. Damn. He continued to walk, his thoughts still on the redhead. So, if he wanted to, he could have a little fun with her. With the Slayer obsessed with Angelus, though she may not want to admit it, there wasn’t anything to stop him. Besides, he needed a little something to keep him from boredom. Maybe this was the perfect plan.
But when before had his plans *ever* worked the way he wanted them to?
~^~**~^~
Willow walked into the library, her thoughts on the biology test that she had just taken. Now, if she remembered correctly, Alfred Hershey had used a Waring Blender to conduct his experiment. She paused, wait, it *was* Alfred Hershey, wasn’t it. Or, was it Barbara McClintock, no, wait, *she* was the one discovered transposable elements in maize. Or, was that..
She was snapped out of her thoughts as she felt the breath escape from her lungs while her body felt like it was going to be crushed. Gasping for air, she choked out, “Buffy, need,” breathe, “to *breathe*.”
Buffy quickly backed away and smiled at her, “Sorry, I’ve just been in a huggy mode. I skipped fourth period to go see Xander at the hospital.”
“Oh,” Willow said as she dropped her books onto the table, “Well, then you missed a very interesting biology test. Remember the names and what they discovered when you make up the test.”
“Ha,” Buffy scoffed, “Oh, you think too highly of me, Will. I’m not good with names,” she paused, “Or dates, or times,” she grinned, “just numbers and letters in general.”
“Well, then make little doodles on your Scantron.”
“That never works, you know.”
“Then just fill in ‘A’.”
“Shouldn’t you be rooting for me to study?”
“Reverse psychology,” Willow smiled, “Is it working?”
“No.”
She pouted, “Darn.”
Buffy squinted before grinning, “Okay, maybe a little.”
“A little what?” Giles asked as he stepped out of his office with a book in his hand.
“Nothing,” the blonde quickly replied before sitting on the desk, “So, what’s the what?”
Willow leaned back in the chair, “Hopefully, nothing. Last night was excitement enough.”
“How is Xander by the way?”
“I went to see him last night and he was still unconscious,” Willow let out a heavy sigh, “But I’m going again after school.”
“I went last period,” Buffy chipped in, blatantly ignoring Giles’ disapproving frown, “He was awake but lacking a lot of energy. I think he’ll be fine by tomorrow, though.”
“It was lucky that you all survived,” Giles sighed as he walked around the two and put the book on the table, “How’s your arm?”
“Still a little sore but since the doctor snapped it back into place, it’s been healing. I’m not gonna be able to wear short sleeves for at least a week though.”
Giles and Willow both visibly cringed at Buffy’s description before he cleared his throat and gave her a small smile, “Yes, well, I do wish you the speediest recovery. As for news, nothing seems amiss though that is usually when things get chaotic.”
“Oh, I think we handled this week’s serving of chaos last night. We should be good for at least another seven days,” Buffy joked before shutting up at Giles’ unimpressed expression. She jumped off the table and sighed, “Alright, I’ll be off then. I gotta go see a Bio teacher about making up a test.”
“Mrs. Laynard,” Willow called out as she grabbed a book from the large pile on the table.
Buffy held her hand in a thumbs up position over her head as she walked out the door, symbolizing her thanks.
~^~**~^~
Buffy groaned as she walked through the library doors, thankful that school was finally over. “I cannot believe I just spent my free period studying.”
Willow smiled as she heard the word, “Oh, so the reverse psychology worked?”
“Yeah,” the blonde muttered, “It worked.” She let out a heavy sigh, “So, we off to see Xander?”
“Yup,” she grabbed her bag off the table, “Let’s go.”
“Alright, bye, Giles!”
As the two walked out of the school and towards Willow’s house for her parent’s car, the redhead suddenly pondered, “You know, you’d think with the size of this town, the more important places would be a little closer to the residents.”
“Yeah,” Buffy nodded in agreement, “But, whatever genius set up the hospital decided to put it in the far corner of Sunnydale.”
“Smart people we have in this world.”
“Oh, yeah,” she commented sarcastically, “Just brilliant.”
~Part: 2~
Willow put her hands on Xander’s as she leaned her head against their joined hands. She sighed before looking up at Buffy and whispering, “He’s out again. I don’t want to leave him though.”
“I’ve gotta go though, mom expects me to be home in fifteen minutes.”
“How’ll you get home? You don’t have a ride.”
“Can you let me borrow the car and I’ll be back to pick you up in an hour.”
“Are you sure you can?”
“Yeah,” Buffy replied, the certainty clear in her tone, “Of course.”
“Alright,” Willow fished the keys from her pocket, “Here.”
Buffy took them and smiled at her before kissing Xander on the forehead and walking out the door.
Willow scooted her chair closer, not wanting to let go of Xander’s hand but also not wanting to cause herself any back pain. She leaned against the chair and stared at Xander for a few minutes before her eyes fluttered shut and she slowly drifted off to sleep, her hands slipping from his.
~^~**~^~
“Ma’am,” The voice repeated, “Ma’am.”
Willow’s eyes shot open as she heard the persistent voice. She bit back a yawn and straightened up in her seat, “Yes?”
“Visiting hours are over.”
“Visiting hours aren’t over until 10:00 though.”
“It’s 10:30, sweetheart,” the woman said matter-of-factly.
“What?” Willow looked at her puzzled, 10:30? That couldn’t be. Buffy was supposed to pick her up at seven o’clock.
“Okay, ma’am, you need to leave or go on into the waiting room.”
“B-But,” Willow protested but seeing the look on the woman’s face, her mouth clamped shut and she found herself walking away from the room and into the waiting room. A part of her wanted to wait here, in safety but there was just something about the room, something that was just creeping her out. Letting out a visible shudder, she walked out of the hospital quickly. She looked back at the building and out at the darkened streets. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. She should call Buffy or something.
Walking back into the hospital and finding the nearest pay phone, she dug her hands into her pockets and let out a sigh of relief when she found some spare change. Dialing Buffy’s number into the phone, she waited patiently as the ringing went on and on, no one answering. Where were they? When the answering machine message switched on, she couldn’t help but let out a groan of frustration. Giles, she could call Giles. Using the last of her change, she dialed Giles’ number but only got the busy tone.
Something didn’t feel right. If Buffy wasn’t home, then at least Mrs. Summers would be but instead, the answering machine picked up. And, she couldn’t reach Giles either. She couldn’t help but feel like something might’ve happened to Buffy. Biting back her worry, Willow walked out of the hospital. She had to find Buffy.
~^~**~^~
As Willow walked through the silent and dark streets of Sunnydale, she mentally cursed the community for not setting up more lights in the neighborhood. She felt a chill go down her spine that wasn’t due to the weather. It was a relatively warm night, no wind, no chills, nothing.
Oh, great. Willow pushed away her thoughts and walked a little faster, the nervousness slowly rising within her again. She looked up and saw that she was at an intersection. She could either turn right and head off to Buffy’s house or turn left and go home. A part of her wanted to check on Buffy but still, the silence of the night was beginning to take it’s effect on her and the other part of her wanted to just go home, where it was safe. Lost in her thoughts, she never saw the figure step out from the darkness and directly in front of her.
It wasn’t until she felt another rush of cold run through her that she looked up, only inches away from him. She felt the moisture disappear from her throat as she whispered hoarsely, “Spike.” She looked down and saw that he was standing, “You can walk?”
He rolled his eyes at the question, “Yes, I can walk. And, apparently, so can you. But, your walking *alone* at *night*, hmm, not so smart, little girl.”
“I’m not a little girl,” she snapped before stopping herself. Making the scary and *powerful* vampire mad was probably not such a good idea. “W-What do you w-want?”
“A lot of things,” he began to walk around her in a circle, “I wanted a loving wife and a lot of little tots but instead, I got this.” He pointed at himself, “I wanted your little Slayer friend dead but instead, Angelus gets the pleasure of killing her.” His tone took on one of disgust, “I thought I wanted to spend an eternity with Dru but instead, she only wants her Daddy.” He cocked his head to the side, “As you can see, I’m quite deprived.”
Not knowing how to respond, Willow stuttered, “O-Okay.” She eyed the street down; her house was only one block away. She mentally calculated if she could outrun him and then find her keys, and open the door without him getting to her. Huh, probably not. She shoved her hand into her jean pocket, fumbling for her keys. It never hurt to try. Or, actually in this case, it would probably end up hurting her a lot. But there was no way she was going down without a fight.
“I never seem to get what I want,” he leaned forward until their heads were a few inches away from each other. He smiled at her sharp intake of breath, “*luv*.”
“I’m-I’m,” she paused before saying, “sorry.” The sentence came out more as a question rather than a statement.
“But, you see,” he leaned down and sniffed her neck, never touching her, “I’m getting awfully tired of that.”
“Uh huh,” she replied, trying to keep her thoughts away from the fact that a vampire, a *master* vampire, was sniffing her neck.
“So, being the productive vampire that I am, I’ve decided to change all that.”
“Okay,” she said, not really hearing his words. It wasn’t until after a few silenced moments that she finally processed what he said, “What? How?”
He leaned forward until his mouth was right above her right ear. She shuddered at the close proximity and forced herself to hear what he was saying, “I’ll give you *one* guess.”
Before even she herself knew what happened, Willow pushed him away roughly and broke out in a full out run. She barely had time to process his words before doing so. All she knew was that at that moment, Spike’s idea probably had something to do with him killing her. And, personally, she liked being alive.
She let out a sigh of relief when she saw her house up ahead, only a few more seconds away. But, that thought was rendered hopeless when she felt the tingle go down her spine again. She mentally thanked her quick reaction and stopped herself as soon as she saw a swish of black appear in front of her. And, again, they were in that same position they were a few moments ago, only this time, Willow’s house was only a few feet away.
“You never took your guess.”
She looked at him in surprised horror. He wanted her to *guess*?
Seeing the look on her face, he smiled smugly, “Oh, come on now, you’ve got to have a little fun.”
“Fun,” she repeated incredulously, “*Fun*. This may be fun for *you* but it’s not for me.”
“Hmm,” he pretended to think about it for a few moments, “Well, now what could we *possibly* do to change that?”
“You,” she said quickly, “You umm, could let me go. That would be *plenty* of fun for me.”
“But, not for me.”
“No, no, yes,” she nodded, her brain refusing to acknowledge how pointless
and stupid she sounded, “Yes, it would. Cuz, you know, the chasing and
the whole ‘maybe next time’ deal.”
”I don’t think so. I think I like my game better. Now, go on and guess.”
Willow sighed dejectedly and answered in a dull tone, “You want to kill me.”
“Err, wrong,” he imitated a buzzer and Willow had to bite back her giggle, “Now come on, pet, give me a little more credit then that. I do have quite an imagination. I think I can do better than just killing. And no, it’s not torturing either. This is a game and I plan to make this last for more than a few hours.”
Willow visibly shuddered at the thought of her death being dragged on for more than an hour, “Ummm.”
“Being the gracious one that I am, I’ll give you another guess.”
“You, uhh, you.”
“Yes?”
“You want to take me away?”
“Getting a little closer,” he nodded, “Good, I knew you were a smart chit.”
“Uh huh,” she said in confusion, “So, umm, why aren’t you being all well, take-y.”
“What? You want me to force you to come away with me?”
“No, no,” she said quickly, “I just meant-“ she paused, “I’m not sure what I meant.”
“You know as well as I do that if I wanted to, I could take you away, but I think I’m liking your idea better.”
“What?”
“The chase,” he repeated her earlier words, “It sounds a bit more,” he paused, looking for the right word, “fun.”
She mentally cursed herself for ever bringing it up. Darn her big mouth! “Umm, well.”
“Aww, come on, now, you can’t back out now. Especially since this was your idea to begin with.”
“B-B-But.”
“No buts,” He pointed towards her house, “Now, let me walk you home.”
She raised an eyebrow, “I’m a few feet away from the house, Spike. I’m pretty sure I can manage it by myself.”
“Hmm, so you’ve got a personality. Always good to know,” he watched her curiously as they took the last few steps, “Now, you know my name. What’s yours?”
Willow paused, internally debating if she should lie or not but then deciding against it. Spike was quite the powerful and deadly vampire; his showcase tonight proved it. She cleared her throat, “Willow.”
“Hmm,” he thought about it for a second, “fits you. Now, Willow, before you take a step inside the house, I want you to invite me in.”
Her eyes darted from the door to him, could she make it inside without him catching her?
“The answer is no,” he answered for her, knowing exactly what she was thinking, “Vampire reflexes.”
She let out a sigh of defeat before saying, “I invite you in, Spike.”
“Good,” he smiled, “Now, I’ll see you soon,” he paused before enunciating the next word, “*Willow*.”
Willow couldn’t help but smile at his words. He was so.. different and weird and just a complete enigma. She opened her door and stepped inside before shutting the door with her back, her thoughts completely jumbled.
~^~**~^~
Willow walked into the library, her mind still debating as to if she wanted to tell Buffy about last night’s incident but all thoughts of Spike and their conversation fled from her mind when she saw Buffy’s pale as the slayer paced circles around Giles. She caught the last bit of their conversation.
“God, Giles, do you know how violated I feel right now?”
“Yes, Buffy, I do understand your distress but you must calm yourself.”
Willow raised her hand and gave a little wave, “Hey, guys.”
Buffy looked up, distracted, “Hey, Will.”
“Willow,” Giles gave a polite nod before speaking to her, “I called the hospital last night but by the time the operator transferred me to Xander’s room, they said you were gone.”
“You called me last night?” Willow asked before shaking her head, “I called you and I got the busy signal. I’m guessing it was at the same time.”
Buffy let out a frustrated sigh, “Hello! Giles, *focus*!”
“What’s going on?”
“Angelus sent me a nice little *present*. A heart with a stake through it, and guess who opened it?” She glared at the wall, “My mother.”
Willow let out a gasp. So that was the reason why Buffy didn’t pick her up yesterday.
“She was a complete wreck and you know what, she was even *more* of a wreck after I broke down and explained it all to her.”
“So, she knows?”
“Yeah,” Buffy’s nerves were on the edge, “She knows and she’s *not* handing it well.” She looked at her best friend and suddenly realized something, “Oh, god, Will, I forgot to pick you up. It totally slipped my mind. I’m so sorry! Nothing happened, right?”
Willow took a moment to think over her answer before replying, “No, nothing happened.” She paused, “I called you guys, you never picked up.”
“I brought mom over to Giles’ after she opened it. He seemed to be able to calm her down better then I could, plus, he had the whole explaining factor going for him.” Buffy sat down in the chair in defeat and pushed the hair out of her face, “She didn’t even want me to come to school this morning. Giles, she’s a mess.”
Giles was silent, not knowing what to say to comfort the girl. He doubted there was anything he could say that *could* comfort her but still, he felt utterly hopeless. He knew there was only one resolution to this problem. Buffy had to kill Angelus. But there was no way the blonde was ready for that. She knew that. He knew that. Angelus knew that.
And, it was obvious the vampire was using it to his full advantage.
“I don’t know what to do anymore, Giles. I mean, I know,” she shook her head, “I know I have to kill him but god, I just,” her voice faltered, “I can’t.”
“I’m afraid there’s no other choice.”
Willow sat down next to her best friend and gently rubbed her back, hoping to provide some sort of comfort.
“There has to be another way,” Buffy looked up with desperate eyes, “Please, just, there has to be.”
“Am I umm, interrupting something?”
Buffy’s head shot up when she heard the voice. Immediately, her face hardened and she glowered at the woman.
“Ms. Calendar,” Giles whispered as he turned his attention towards her.
“Rupert,” she answered, “Buffy, Willow.” She looked back at Giles, “I, umm, I need to talk to you.”
“Yes,” Buffy said, the venom obvious in her tone, “You are interrupting something.” She knew that she shouldn’t be so cruel towards the teacher, but right now, she was vulnerable and her defense system was on attack.
“Well, then, I’ll make this quick,” she said as nicely as she could before looking up at Giles, “I think I have something that could help.”
The Slayer looked at her suspiciously but softened her tone, “Help with what?”
“Angel,” the gypsy replied simply before looking at Giles again, motioning for him to follow her into his office. He did so and they shut the door quietly.
Buffy was silent for a few moments and she strained to hear what they were saying but even with her advanced hearing, she could only hear the sounds of muffled conversation. She sighed before giving Willow a small smile, “I’m really sorry about ditching you, Will. You didn’t run into any trouble, right?’
Again, Willow was tempted to tell Buffy about her little Spike incident but it seemed her best friend had enough on her mind. So, she opted for keeping her mouth shut about it, “Nope, no problem at all.” Well, except for the fact that she had invited a cold-blooded demon who killed for pleasure into her home.
She paused.
Oh, yeah. That would be a problem. But after seeing the dark circles under Buffy’s eyes and the overall tension in her stature, Willow knew that telling Buffy would only make things worse. Besides, what exactly could the Slayer do? Willow thought to herself for a moment. Well, she could always put up a cross in her bedroom. Then again, her dad probably wouldn’t be too pleased about that. She bit her lip; her dad probably wouldn’t be pleased to know that she was driving his car around without his permission. Well, what he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him.
“Umm, Buffy, you still have my car, right?”
“Yeah, mom wigged out a bit about me driving without an adult,” Buffy sighed as she thought about her mother again, “That little piece of info fled her mind after she discovered Angelus’ present.”
Willow tried her best to comfort the blonde, “It’s not your fault, Buffy. He’s trying to make it tough on you.”
“Oh, and he’s doing a fantastic job at it.” Buffy rested her forehead against the table, “I know what I have to do but a part of me still won’t accept that Angel’s really gone. You know, when I see him, my mind is telling me that he’s a killer but my heart just won’t accept it,” she whispered softly. “God, what is wrong with me?”
Willow patted her back gently, “It’s a complicated situation, Buffy.”
“And there’s a great way to uncomplicate it.” Buffy replied, “All I have to do is shove a stake through his heart and then ‘poof’, no more troubles.”
“Nothing is ever as easy as that.”
“I know, Will, god, I know but I just don’t want to believe it.”
It was then that Ms. Calendar and Giles walked out of the office, a small smile on both their lips.
“Buffy, I believe, Ms. Calendar has some good news?”
“Really?” Buffy replied, not even bothering with an insult, “And, what is that exactly?”
“I found a way to fix it all,” she began, “I can give Angel back his soul.”
Buffy shot up off the table and stood up, “*What*?”
“I translated the original curse and all I need is an Orb of Thesulah and I can perform the spell.” She smiled widely, “I can give Angel his soul back, Buffy.”
The blonde stood there in shock and blinked a few times, not knowing how to reply. Was it really that easy? Could it *really* be *that* easy? She was just looking for a way to fix her problems and here it was, out in front of her, on a silver platter no less. A squeal erupted from her lips and the next thing she knew, her arms were wrapped around Ms. Calendar.
~^~**~^~
Willow couldn’t stop smiling as she opened the door to her home. Buffy was happy. The tensions between her and Ms. Calendar were finally resolved. She suspected that Giles and Ms. Calendar would soon reunite. The spell was to be done tomorrow night and everything was working out just as she had hoped. Willow opened the door to her room and took off her jacket before she dropped it to the ground in shock as she saw who was on her bed. “S-S-Spike.”
“Hello again,” he smiled at her before waving, “And how have you been?”
Fear inched onto her face as she looked around the room and spotting her dresser, there was a cross in the top drawer, could she make it there?
“You didn’t answer my question,” his tone was disapproving, “Not very polite.”
“I, umm,” she mentally slapped herself for not paying more attention the scary and *deadly* vampire, “I’ve umm, been good. I’ve been good.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.” After a few moments of silence, Spike rolled his eyes and got off the bed and to his feet, “You can stop eyeing your dresser. I took out the cross. It’s somewhere in your backyard now, broken.”
She looked up at him in surprise, “But how did you—”
“It’s called a towel. Besides, it’s not as if I held onto it for long.” He stepped closer to her, “Now—”
She immediately took a step back in fear and realized that her door was right behind her; she leaned back further into it and her hand clasped onto the doorknob.
He shook his finger at her, “Afraid, aren’t we? Thinking of leaving?” Before she could even react, he stepped forward and put his arms up on either side of her, not touching her but effectively trapping her, “Not very nice since you just got here.”
Willow swallowed the lump in her throat and tried her best not to let the fear show in her voice as she asked, “What are you doing here?”
His face took on one of mock hurt, “Have you forgotten about our little game so soon?”
“G-Game,” she mentally cursed herself for her stutter, “I don’t—”
“Remember? The chase,” he leaned in closer to her ear and whispered her earlier words, “The maybe next time deal.” He smiled at her tremble, was that from fear or something else? “It’s next time.”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide as he pulled back, “W-What are you going to do?”
“Well, I don’t know,” he replied honestly, “I always have an idea but then, you come up with something better.”
She shot him an incredulous look. He wanted her to come up with something better? She was having a hard enough time stopping her knees from giving out and he wanted her to actually *form* a thought. Oh, he overestimated her. “I, umm,” she bit her lower lip, “I don’t know.”
Spike’s eyes darkened at that one movement. How he wanted to bite her lip for her. Wait, what the hell was he doing? This was supposed to be a game, pure and simple. Something to keep him from boredom. He was supposed to be teasing and tormenting *her*, not the other way around. Forcing a cocky tone, he said, “Oh, come on, a little reciprocation would be nice.”
With nothing coming to mind, she closed her eyes and rolled her hand into a fist, trying to figure a way out of this. She jumped in shock when she heard his fist pound against the door and her eyes shot open.
His tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth as he shook his head, “All these years on the Hellmouth and you still break one of the golden rules. You never close your eyes when you’re in a vampire’s presence.” He smirked as she forced her eyes wide open, not even blinking. “Good, you’re learning.”
She gulped, “Why are you here, Spike?”
He shrugged, “Got bored, again. Angelus was rambling about giving the Slayer a certain prezzie. Wouldn’t stop babbling about it but then one of the minions messed something or other up and then he wouldn’t stop yelling over that. You know, his voice gets bloody annoying after a while.”
Willow would’ve smiled at his comment had she not been fearing for her life, “You don’t like him, do you?”
“It’s a confusing situation,” Spike finally said after he forced out a sigh. “I’d rather not think about it.” He cocked his head to the side and leered at her, “Now, what could we do to take my mind off of it?”
All thoughts of sympathy were drained out of her at these words and again, they were replaced by fear. She backed even further into the door. She was almost positive that it would break down at any moment from the force, “We could, umm, play a board game, or something. I have monopoly!” She said in a squeaky tone. I have monopoly. Oh, yeah. That was clever. She mentally smacked herself again for not *thinking* before *speaking*.
A laugh spilled from his lips at her words and he shook his head. Oh, she was priceless.
“What?” She asked, her pride a bit wounded due to the fact he was laughing at her.
“Monopoly?”
“It’s an idea,” she huffed after a few moments, “Besides, I don’t see you coming up with any ideas.”
He leaned forward again and she gasped. He smirked at her reaction before leaning down to her neck and placing a few soft kisses before nipping at the soft skin. He lifted his head up to her ear and whispered huskily, “Oh, I have plenty of ideas, *luv*.” Before she knew what happened, he backed away a few feet and shrugged, “But you don’t seem to like them.”
Willow’s mind had been in overdrive when he began kissing her neck, her thoughts going from panic to arousal to confusion before it shut down completely when he began nipping at her skin. And, then, it was all gone. Spike’s closeness, his smell, his touch, his mouth, everything was gone. Instead, he was a few feet away from her, smirking. Urrghh, stupid vampire. She forced herself to be disgusted at his actions. Hello! Blood sucking vampire, he was probably just getting a closer look and marking a spot for where he wants to stick his fangs in you, to *kill* you! Willow visibly shuddered at the thought, though from what, she kept even from her own mind from revealing. She took a deep breath and her whole body relaxed, “Well, those ideas seem to run along the lines of me dying, so no, I don’t like them. I happen to like my blood *right* where it is, thank you very much.”
He raised an eyebrow at her reply. He didn’t know what to expect really but *this* definitely surprised him, “Learn to share.”
She scoffed, “Uhh, no.”
“You know,” He moved forward again, “I could always *take* it from you.”
“What about the whole umm, chasing thing?” She knew she was grabbing at straws but they were the only things she had left.
“I think the chase has already ended,” he took a few steps closer and touched her face gently, “And I’ve got the catch.”
And then she did the one thing that surprised them both beyond words. She pushed him and his hand away, “You haven’t caught anything.”
Her mind had officially stopped working but at that movement, it rebooted and came back at full force. Her inner voice yelling at her at multiple levels of loudness for her stupidity. Oh, this wasn’t good. Nope, not good at all. Oh, she was going to die.
After he regained balance, he looked up, his demon surprisingly in control and spoke with a certain sense of surprise and admiration, “Well, then I guess that means I have to keep chasing.”
Her eyes widened. Okay, she wasn’t dead. That was different. Why wasn’t he attacking her? Not that she wanted to attack him. No, him being nice was good, not that vampires were ever nice, well, except for Angel before he went and lost his soul. Wait, now, what was the original thought? Oh, yeah, why was she still standing there, alive and breathing? She bit her lower lip again, trying to figure out what to do.
Spike smiled at her reaction. Good, she was confused. His eyes darkened and focused on her mouth. Her lips. Damn, why did she have to go and bite her lip and draw attention to it? Before he even knew what he was doing, he grabbed her around the waist, led purely by instinct and need, and pulled her body close to his. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips and reveled in the taste and feel that was Willow.
She tasted sweet and tangy. Something that he hadn’t tasted in so long. In his life after death, all he had was darkness and evil. Not that he minded that but it had been so long since he tasted something fresh, pure, and alive.
Willow gasped when he kissed her, her mind shutting down again and her body taking over. Her mouth eagerly responded to his actions though that small voice in the back of her head was still whispering about what the heck she was doing. Moaning and giving in, she pressed the mute button in her mind and the voice slowly faded away. Then, for the second time that night, her mind rebooted and the only thing she could think of was, Spike! Spike’s lips. Lips of Spike. *Why* are *your* lips connected to *his*?! And with that thought, she pushed him away hurriedly, gasping for breath as she tried to sort out her thoughts.
Oh, god, breathe. She took in a deep breath, trying her best to calm her nerves.
Breathe.
Green eyes looked into blue and for a moment, both were frozen, not knowing how to react. Spike was the first to speak as he did his best to calm himself. Bloody hell, getting that riled up over a kiss? What was this chit doing to him? She was messing with his mind, distorting his view on reality. And, right now, he could care less about it. All he wanted at that moment was to feel her lips on his once more, her warmth heating up his cold skin. But, it was obvious she wasn’t going to go for it again so he forced his desire back and brought forth the cocky side of him, “So, the chase is still on, ehh?”
“Huh?” she asked before blinking a few times and saying, “Umm, yeah, I guess.”
“Well, then,” he smirked and opened one of her French doors, “I’ll be seeing you then.”
“Right,” she whispered as she watched him leave, “Bye.”
~Part: 3~
When Buffy came over to her house that night, Willow had already calmed herself down and her semi-logical mind had come up with a plausible excuse for why she kissed Spike. She went through a moment’s insanity. That was it. Of course, it wasn’t a *good* excuse but it was the one that she forced herself to believe. Opening the door with a cheery smile, Willow greeted Buffy warmly before running into her kitchen and grabbing the keys off of the table.
The car ride to the hospital was quiet. Buffy would’ve normally been suspicious but for now, there was not one negative feeling in her body. Things were going to be better now. She was going to get Angel back and Angelus would be gone. They were picking up Xander who was going to okay and overall, life was good. She smiled brightly at the overlooking moon and was still looking off at it as they approached the hospital doors. Buffy got out of the car as Willow waited in the driver’s seat.
“You remember what room?”
“Yup,” she nodded, “I’ll be back in a few.”
Willow pursed her lips together before nodding and gripping the wheel a bit tighter. Xander was going to be back and thankfully, he was fine, through and through. Ms. Calendar was going to be taking care of Angelus and so things were going to be better. Oh, god, she kissed Spike. Willow slapped herself, *no*, no thinking about that. Besides, moment’s insanity. That was it. The redhead looked off at the sky, smiling at the bright stars. It was such a beautiful night and if she didn’t know what went bump in the night, she would be going off on a nice evening walk right now. Oh, god, she kissed Spike! Willow shook her head as she yelled at herself angrily. Moment’s insanity! That was it! *Nothing* more!
If only things were that simple.
Willow let out a groan before her head snapped up as she heard the car door open. She pasted on a smile as she turned around and saw Buffy help Xander in the car. She looked at him with care, “You feeling okay?”
He smiled back, “Not so much like a corpse; more like the walking dead now.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Buffy put on his seat belt before closing the door and getting into her own seat, “You gonna be at school tomorrow?”
Xander took a few moments to mull over his options, “Well, it’s either that or stay at home and deal with daddy dearest, so yes, I’ll be at school.”
Willow looked at him in the rearview mirror, “Do you want me to pick you up? I can always take the car.”
“Yeah,” Xander said thankfully, “That’d be good.” He paused before asking in his normal, cheery tone, “So, what’s new with our ever lovely Scooby Gang?”
Buffy’s face lit up at this question and she began to explain animatedly about the spell. At the end, she turned around in her seat and waited for his reaction.
“Well,” he began slowly, “That’s good. I mean, give Deadboy back his soul before he causes any more damage.”
A saddened look covered Buffy’s face when she thought of the things that Angelus had done, but she pushed it away. That was soon going to be over. Angel would be back. “Yeah, we’re doing the spell tomorrow.”
“Are you prepared?”
She looked out the window and after a few moments of silence, she replied, “Yeah, I think I am.”
~^~**~^~
After Buffy waved her goodbye to Xander and Willow, she walked up the stairs tiredly. Her mind was still trying to process all that had happened. Angel was going to be back. In less than a day, he would be back.
In the beginning, she was nothing but thrilled. Thoughts of happiness filled her mind at the prospect of having her lover back but now that she thought more and more about it, she realized that she didn’t know what to think.
Sure, she was glad that he would no longer be her mortal enemy, but his short trip to the land of evil showed her what he was, what he could become again if they weren’t careful. And that scared her. That scared her more than anything had before.
Still, she knew that if he came back, she’d run right back into his arms. There was no way she could resist him but, the question was, would he still want her? As Angelus, she was sure that the vampire experienced a certain amount of hatred towards her. Not only because she was the Slayer but because she was Buffy.
Buffy, the one that he loved.
Loved, being the key word here. Past tense. She sighed as she crawled into bed, pulling the covers over her body. In her heart, she still loved Angel, she loved him with every fiber of her being. But, things were different now. This shock, this jolt made her realize things that she was too naïve to see before.
What if love just wasn’t enough?
~^~**~^~
“Okay, Buffy, I need you and Willow to stand over here,” Jenny pointed at each side surrounding the pot and ingredients for the spell. “Rupert, you and Xander stay in the back. The spell is a powerful one so you never know what might happen.”
Jenny held up the piece of paper and let out a sigh before looking at Buffy and Willow, “You guys ready?”
Buffy nodded numbly and Willow did the same.
With that, Jenny began the spell. “Quod perditum est, invenietur.”
Willow looked down at her piece of paper and said, “Not dead nor not of the living. Spirits of the interregnum I call.”
Buffy was quiet for a moment before continuing the spell, “Let him know the pain of humanity, gods. Reach your wizened hands to me. Give me the sword. Gods, bind him. Cast his heart from the evil realm. I call on you gods.”
A sudden force went through Jenny and she looked up as began to finish the spell, “Te implor, Doamne, nu ignora aceasta rugaminte. Nici mort, nici de-al fiintei, Te invoc, spirit al trecerii. Reda trupului ce separa omul de animal! Nici mort, nici al fiintei. Lasa orbita sa fie vasul care-i va transporta, sufletul la el. Utrespur aceastui. Asa sa fie! Asa sa fie! Acum!”
The orb of Thesulah glowed in front of them before disappearing altogether. Jenny felt the energy and force rush out of her as she sat back and let out a heavy sigh. “It’s done.”
~^~**~^~
Buffy had insisted that she go out on a sweep of the town, mostly to check to see if the spell actually worked but also to get in her patrol for the night. She walked through the cemeteries, not at all enjoying the deadly silence. It was too quiet. Much too quiet. The disturbing silence was broken as she heard a few whimpers coming from a few feet in front of her. Rounding the corner, she slightly taken aback at what she saw. Angel was on his knees, blood on his hands.
“Oh, god,” Buffy whispered as she ran up to him and knelt by his side, “What happened?”
Angel looked up at her, his eyes filled with anguish, “I killed them. I hurt—”
“Angel,” Buffy pushed back the lover and brought forth the Slayer in her, “Angel, tell me what happened.”
After a few moments of silence, he finally whispered, “Drusilla, I hurt her.” He shoved his hands into her face, “Her blood.”
Buffy visibly cringed and backed away before pulling him up to his feet, “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”
He looked at her before whispering, “Buffy.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled softly, “Yeah, I’m here.”
He pushed a strand of hair out of her face, “Here.”
And at that moment, she realized the truth. She could never leave him. It would have to be the other way around. It didn’t make sense and honestly, she didn’t care. She didn’t care about any of it. All that mattered to her was that Angel was near her and he was safe.
He was back.
~^~**~^~
Willow walked into her darkened house, her body still humming from the magic it had just experienced. She turned on the light in the house and walked into her bedroom, a small smile on her face. When she looked up, she let out a squeak of surprise.
Spike looked up at her, his eyes full of acceptance, “He’s gone, isn’t he?”
“What?”
“He’s gone. Angelus.”
She shot him a curious glance, “How’d-How’d you know?”
“Well, Drusilla ran into my room stark naked screaming about something taking away her Daddy but it was him running out into the night, grabbing at his chest that gave it away.”
Against her own volition, she smiled at his odd humor, “We did a spell to curse him again. I’m guessing it worked then.”
He nodded, “I’m guessing it did.” Spike took a step towards her and she took a step back, the whole situation seeming all too familiar, “Let me guess, you’re going to ask why I’m here.”
“Good call.”
“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully. He cocked his head to the side, “How’d you know the spell would work?”
She was a bit thrown off at his sudden question but recovered quickly, “We took a chance.”
“Ahh, I see,” he stopped in the middle of her room, “And if it hadn’t? What would you have done then?”
“Well, it worked. So, you know, kind of a pointless question there.”
“Answer it anyway.”
Willow sighed before shrugging, “I don’t know. I guess we would have had to figure it out, afterwards. It was not really up to me, anyway.” She paused, “Are you sorry?”
It was his turn to look up in surprise, “About what?”
“That he’s gone.”
“Not really,” he said calmly, “He was a right bastard this time around, obsessed with that bloody Slayer. I liked him better before, when he still had all his marbles.”
A small laugh spilled from her lips but she quickly repressed it, reminding herself that she was in a room with Spike, the master vampire, “So, what are you gonna do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Now, that he’s gone aren’t you back in charge?”
“Maybe,” he shrugged, “But the minion’s loyalties change quickly.”
“Not surprising, no morals, remember?”
“That’s an overgeneralization.”
She shot him a ‘give me a break’ look, “Oh, really? And name one vampire who proves against it.”
He stepped forward, “Me.”
This time, she didn’t step back. Instead, she took a step forth herself, “Really? And, the fact that you kill to live proves that you have morals?”
“I don’t live,” he stated bluntly, “I’m not alive, remember?”
“You know what I mean.”
He raised an eyebrow, “I’m not sure I do.”
She shook her head and looked down, “You have a way of twisting words around, you know that?”
Spike smirked at her, “One of my specialties.”
“I noticed.” Willow was almost comfortable. Almost. It was as if they were having an actual conversation, without threats, without fear. Well, almost. The little voice in the back of her head was yelling at her again, asking her what the heck she was doing conversing with Spike. *Spike!* She sighed as she shook her thoughts away. She was too tired, both physically and mentally for any more pestering thoughts. For now, she would just go with it. See where this took her.
“You helped, didn’t you?”
“How’d you guess?”
“The magic is pouring off of you.”
Her face lit up at that comment, “Really?” She smiled, “I wonder if I could do a spell right now and have it work, you know, without botching up.”
He almost laughed at her momentary excitement, “You’re an odd one,” he paused and then added, “Willow.”
“Well, thanks,” she paused as if mocking him, “Spike.”
“Not sure if that was a compliment.”
She shrugged, “Well, I’m taking it as one anyway.”
“Odd.”
“I know.”
“So, you never answered my question.”
“What?”
“Why are you here?”
He stepped forward without answering until he face to face with her again. Her rational mind was screaming for her to run away, cower, hide, *something* except just stand there but she couldn’t force her body to move. Instead, she stood completely still, waiting for him to make a move.
Spike leaned down and for a second, their lips touched gently. Willow gasped again, surprised at the contact. She had expected something shocking but she didn’t expect him to kiss her. *Again*. She was even more surprised that she was allowing, heck, *welcoming* it. Oh, this was wrong. This was so very very very wrong. Now, if only she could convince her body that.
When he pulled back, he leaned his forward against hers, both taking in a large breath, hers for air while his was unneeded. She bit her lower lip as she said, “That wasn’t an answer.”
“What?”
“You still didn’t answer my question.”
He smiled at her, “Are we back onto that again?’
“Why are you here?” She insisted.
Spike placed one more kiss on her lips before answering, “Taking a chance.”
The End