Notes: Sequel to Sweet Simplicity
Feedback: Yes, please feel free to pump up my ego as much as you'd like!
Pairing: W/S (It'll get there... but not soon)
Disclaimer: Joss & Company own all. I own nothing.
Thanks: To Em- I bow down before her. Sweetie, you're fantastic! I have no idea what I would do without you!!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It's down to this
I've got to make this life make sense
Can anyone tell what I've done
I missed a life
I missed the colors of the world
Can anyone tell where I am
'Cause now again I found myself so far down
Away from the sun that shines onto the darkest
place
I'm so far down away from the sun again
Away from the sun again
I'm over there
I'm tired of living in the dark
Can anyone see me down here
The feeling's gone
There's nothing left to lift me up
Back into the world I know
'Cause now again I found myself so far down
Away from the sun that shines onto the darkest
place
I'm so far down away from the sun
That shines to light the way for me
To find my way back into the arms
And tell about the ones like me
I'm so far down away from the sun again
It's down in there
I've got to make this life make sense
Now I can't tell what I'm doing
Now again I found myself away from the sun
That shines to light the way for me
~^~**~^~
~Part: 1~
Willow was awaken by a rough push. She groaned and turned her body around. One moment, the silence was almost deafening and the next, the scream was. Her green eyes shot open and saw a redhead, backed into the wall. When the face was revealed, Willow let out a gasp. It was her.
"Who are you?" The other Willow asked nervously. "This place, it's not real. It just.. it just can't be real. Vampires, witches, Slayers, no, they can't exist. I don't belong here."
Willow's heart sunk at the familiarity in the girl. She was her, except, she wasn't. She still had the same qualities: nervous babble, caution, and what not. But, something about this girl was just different. Willow moved up and sat on the bed.
"How long have you been here?"
"Two days, can't be more then three. I don't know."
Willow stared at herself in confusion. <What?> That couldn't be right. She was in the alternate dimension for at least a month, if not more. How could it be possible that this Willow was only here for a couple of days? Her mind flashed back to when she did the spell and William barged into the room. She did feel a part of the power falter, could he have been the cause and was this the result? Or did the Powers screw up another one of her spells on purpose? She didn't know. Looking back up, she saw that the other Willow was still talking.
"These people," She pointed frantically at the door, "They think I'm something I'm not. They think *I've* lost it. They want to make me go out there and do little magic tricks or whatever. You know, they even hired this makeup artist who did this really cool illusion and he had these ridges all over his face."
Willow stared at her oddly, "Really, and was this umm, makeup artist umm, familiar in any way?"
The other Willow stopped talking for a second, "Why the hell am I even talking to you? You're not real, you can't be." She slid down the wall, "Oh God, I'm really losing it."
Willow got off the bed and kneeled next to her, "You're not. This 'makeup artist', he reminds you of someone of your past, doesn't he? Maybe, someone you love." Her voice was soft and heavy with pain.
She looked up at her with wide eyes, "How'd you know?"
Willow let out a sigh, "Because," she shook her head, "It's my fault. I.. you're gonna have to keep an open mind about this, okay?"
She nodded, "After what I've been through and seen, let's just say I'm willing to accept *any* rational explanation!"
Willow sat back onto the bed and looked at the girl who had her same exact face lean against the wall with her elbows on her knees. She seemed younger for some reason. Her hair was layered, cut like how she herself had it a few years back. So, this was her. This was the girl that William had loved so deeply. This was the girl that she was a replacement for. This was the girl that truly held William's heart.
"I did a spell." Willow started and seeing the raised eyebrow, she sighed and held up her hands, "Just.. just let me explain."
The other Willow nodded her consent.
"It messed up, it was supposed to bring me here," she gestured around her, "but it didn't. I think the Powers must've messed things up on purpose. They sent me to your world and you to mine. You might not believe me, but just ask me anything. Ask me about your job as a martial arts teachers at Sunnydale U. Ask me about Dawn, Xander, or even Faith."
The redhead stared back at her with a skeptical look that softened with more details. "That would actually explain a lot. But, that would mean I'm or actually you are really a witch. Magic doesn't exist."
Willow snorted, "Ha," She lifted her hands and mentally chanted a spell. The other Willow stared on as Willow lifted a book and placed it into the other Willow's lap. "You were saying?"
"It can't be." She whispered and then hardened, "It's a trick."
"Stop being so narrow minded! There are things in this world and yours that are just unexplainable. You can't try to find a reasonable explanation for everything. If you do, you will live your life, forever confused. Just go with it."
The other Willow looked at her and then suddenly asked, "Alright, if you know me so well, tell me about my boyfriend. What's his name?"
Willow froze, after a few moments, she stuttered, "W-W-William. He's.. special." With teary eyes, she looked at the other redhead who was now staring at her, confusion all over her face.
"Yeah, I do realize that." The redhead said with a small smile. She looked down and sighed, "I miss him."
Willow bit off her reply. She missed him too. But, she couldn't exactly reveal that to this Willow. It would bring on too many questions. Questions that she just didn't want to answer. After a few more silenced minutes, she spoke again, "You can go back."
"What?"
"I-I.. can bring you back there. It's where you belong. This is my world, not yours."
She laughed again, "Oh, you can keep it. I thought my life was hard before, damn girl, yours is just.. impossible." Willow stopped talking and looked at her seriously, "You know, even though I just met you, I already admire you. You look like you've been through a lot."
Willow forced a smile, "Everything fades with time. Besides, I can deal with it."
She looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Are you sure?"
Willow faltered for a moment, "I have to."
The other Willow looked out the window and sighed gratefully. The sun was still shining. She was safe for now. It seemed in this place, wherever it was, when the sun went down, bad things just popped up. Maybe, just maybe, this alternate version of her was telling the truth. Things really did add up if she was. But, she still wanted to go back. She had only been here for a few days and already she couldn't stand it here. The other people in this place, her 'friends' treated her nicely and all but they just kept on giving her looks, like.. well, just looks that didn't make her feel all that comfortable. And because of that, she stayed away from them as much as she could. In fact, in the past few days, she had only seen them twice. But now, this alternate version of her pops up and just.. well, ruins everything. Or, maybe would actually help make things better.
"What was that about helping me get back?"
"I can do a spell. It'll send you back there to your world and your life." Willow bit back the tears, <Goddess, I'm not even talking about *him* and I still want to cry. What is wrong with me?>
"When can you do it?" She tried to control her anxiousness but couldn't help but let it slip into her voice.
"I just need a few ingredients and then I can cast it."
She smiled at her giddily, "Great, you're like a pro at this aren't you?"
"Yeah," Willow said sadly, "A pro."
~Part: 2~
Willow stared out the window, the pale moonlight revealing the tears flowing down her face. She sobbed silently, not wanting to wake the other her up. She was grateful that nobody came in to check up on her, knowing that it would only cause mass confusion. The rest of the Scoobies probably thought it best to leave her alone, most likely thinking it had something to do with Buffy.
Buffy. That was the one word that you couldn’t say around her only a few weeks back. The redhead held up a hand and traced the windowsill. Now, the word was changed. A new one had taken its place. Just the thought of… him, brought back memories that she wished to crush. Seeing the woman that he truly loved only made things worse. That was the reason why she wanted to hurry up and do the spell to send her back.
It was purely selfish. It wasn’t about having her go back for her or William’s well being. It was all about self. Willow bit back the harsh laugh. After all that she’d been through, she figured she deserved that much. To forget everything as soon as possible. Hopefully, the Powers wouldn’t screw up another one of her spells.
Now that she thought about it, she still didn’t figure out why they did it the first time. Buffy had said that she already knew. It was right in front of her. But, if it was, why couldn’t she figure it out? What could it possibly be? Was it to teach her a lesson?
<Well, if it was, then consider the lesson learned.>
Willow hung her head down in shame. She was being so cynical. This wasn’t like her. But, now that everything was finally settling and she actually had time to think, she honestly didn’t know what the accurate description of her was. After all, it was hard being cheerful and perky when a simple name could make you break down in tears. Before, everything seemed so easy. It was clear: the mission, what she had to do.
Go back in time. Don’t bring Buffy back. And then, everything just.. happened. And there was nothing she could do to stop it. Everything was out of her hands. Goddess, she missed having control.
Sighing, she walked across the room, her eyes skimming over her desk, covered with the spell book that she needed along with the ingredients that were vital for the spell to function correctly. Or, at least she hoped they would make it function correctly.
Willow shifted her gaze to the other her, sleeping peacefully. She envied her. She didn’t have to deal with all these problems. When she returned, she would go back to a world that was perfect. A world filled with William’s love.
And she was stuck here. In Sunnydale, with the vampires, demons, and apocalypses. Alone until she died. The choice seemed to be so much clearer when she was in that alternate universe. She had to have come back, to save her friends, restore the balance. It had to be done.
So, why the heck did it feel so wrong? Her choice just didn’t feel as right as it did before. Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks with her. She shook her head. Enough thinking. Perhaps there really wasn’t anything to figure out.
“Do you enjoy pacing?”
The voice pierced through the silence, but Willow didn’t jump. “Can’t sleep?”
“Nope,” The other Willow sat up and dropped her hands onto the covers in a defeated manner. “I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep ever since I got here.”
“How did you get here?”
“I don’t know actually, it was really weird. I mean, one night, I’m just sleeping and in the morning when I wake up, I’m here.” She looked around the room, unaware of the look on her face, “This place seriously creeps me out.”
Willow nodded silently. “Right, creepy.”
“Well, you were in my world. How’d you like it?”
The redhead glanced at the woman sitting on her bed, wanting nothing more then to pour her secrets to her. Just open up and tell her everything. Maybe, that way, she could get rid of some of the emotions that were running through her body. But, she simply replied, “It was fine.”
She raised an eyebrow, “Just fine? Oh, come on, cut the crypticness. You said you met all my friends and William, how’d you guys get along?”
Willow flinched at the name and cleared her throat, “Look, we’ve got a big day tomorrow, spell and all. Get some sleep.”
“Oh, don’t be so hypocritical, you’re not sleeping either! If you’re so eager to do this spell, why don’t you do it now?”
Willow straightened her back, “I can, if you want me to. I’m ready.”
“Look, I didn’t mean it like that, okay? I know you might think I’m nosy but surprisingly enough, I actually care about you cuz well, you’re me, except not. Ok, that didn’t make any sense but I’m just saying that I wouldn’t want an alternate version of me to be sad, which you obviously are.”
A hint of a smile appeared on Willow’s face when her other self finished her babble. “Thanks for caring, but, really, I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not. I can tell you’re lying.”
“You don’t know me. How can you tell?”
“I may not know you, but honey, you seem to be forgetting that I *am* you.”
“True,” And for the first time since she got back, she smiled
~Part: 3~
“Well, that was,” The other Willow paused, trying to find the right word, “unexpected.”
“I’m sorry,” the redhead replied quietly, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt.
“Don’t,” she said with a smile, “If it was me, and I was in your position, I would’ve done the same.” She let out a small laugh, “Besides, William is quite charming.”
Willow bit her lip, feeling like a liar for not including the fact that she and William had made love. She couldn’t admit that to her other self. For some reason, she felt the need to have someone at this moment. And, she knew that if that incident was revealed, everything would be ruined. Right now, she just couldn’t take that. Shaking her head, she quickly changed the subject, “So, umm, you’ve just been away from the rest of the gang for all this time?”
“Well, they’re not that hard to ignore. I mean most of them were just really quiet and like completely blocked themselves out. Except for that blonde guy that looks like William. I think his name is Spike or something.”
There was hitch in Willow’s breathing as she heard these words. Spike. She had forgotten about him. How exactly was she going to deal with him? Would she be able to handle it? She was already having enough trouble dealing with hearing *his* name but actually seeing his face? “Really?”
“Yeah, he wouldn’t stop bugging me. Took me damn near forever to try to get away from him.”
Willow’s brow furrowed in confusion. Ok, that was different. Since when did Spike actually want to spend more time with the Scoobies except for Buffy? “Umm, okay.”
“Before you came back, I thought that you and him were involved or something.”
The redhead let out a nervous laugh, “Why exactly?”
The other Willow shrugged, “Just a feeling you get.”
The conversation drifted on for a few more hours until the first rays of the sun appeared. Willow looked at the brightening sky with a defeated sigh. She was going to miss this other her. They were different but alike at the same time. The alternate version of her was definitely spunkier and a lot more open with subjects. She reminded her of Faith and Buffy combined.
Willow turned to her and said sadly, “We have to do the spell.”
She nodded, “I know,” Pausing for a moment, the redhead threw her arms around her other self, “I’m gonna miss you. It’s nice having someone to really talk to. I mean, ever since Buffy.”
The tears slowly slid down Willow’s face as the memory of her best friend was brought forth, “I know what you mean. But, she’s always here, you know? Whether it be my Buffy or yours, she’ll always be watching us.”
She smiled at her and wiped the tears from Willow’s face, “Don’t cry cuz if you do, you’re gonna make me cry. And, I want to look pretty for this.”
Willow laughed again and got up, preparing herself for the spell.
~^~**~^~
The other Willow felt a rush to her head as the witch chanted the spell. It was like she was lifted up in the air, feeling completely weightless. Suddenly, everything pushed forward and when her eyes shot open, she was no longer in the room that she was in before. Distantly, she saw the tear-streaked face of William before her eyes fluttered shut.
~^~**~^~
Willow fell back onto the floor when the power of the spell left the room. The lack of energy was getting to her head and she managed to crawl onto the bed before collapsing completely. The last thing she heard before she fell asleep was the sound of the door opening and closing.
Spike frowned when he saw Willow’s tired body strewn about the bed without any blankets.. He shook his head and mumbled as he grabbed a blanket out of the closet, “Stupid bint, going to catch yourself a cold like that.” He walked over to the windows and made sure the sun was completely blocked out.
He sat next to her and gently pushed the hair out of her face, “What’s going on with you, Red? You’ve been so distant lately. I’ve missed you.”
He could only say these things to her in her sleep. If they were ever revealed to her when she was actually conscious, oh what havoc it would cause. To be perfectly honest, he never acted on his feelings before because it wasn’t until a few days ago that things changed. Something was just different. And for some reason, he still didn’t understand why he had a change of heart.
Before, he was so completely infatuated with Buffy. And honestly, the feelings that he had for the blonde faded a lot faster then he had expected. They were replaced by this new attraction that he had towards the redhead. He never harbored any feelings toward her before, so why now, of all times? Even through his many years on this Earth, he still didn’t understand emotions.
Spike leaned down onto the bed and pulled her warm body closer to his, savoring the feel. Deciding that a few minutes wouldn’t hurt, he closed his eyes.
~^~**~^~
“Willow?” William whispered in shock when her body fell onto the floor. “Oh my god, you came back.” He grabbed her tightly and rocked her unconscious body, the tears still streaming down his face. “I thought I lost you. Don’t ever leave me like that again. God, I love you so much.”
Willow opened her eyes slowly, still confused as to what was going on. She whispered hoarsely, “William?”
“Yeah, baby, I’m here. I’ll always be here. Always.”
She pulled herself up and grabbed his face, kissing him hard, “Gods, I missed you.”
William looked at her face, his blue eyes showing confusion. He whispered again, “Willow?”
The redhead smiled at him, “Yeah, sweetie, it’s me, I’m back.”
He looked at her, still confused, “How?”
“She did a spell. Brought me back here, with you.”
“With me,” William said quietly. “She left.”
Willow pushed herself out of his arms, “Well, yeah, but I’m back.” Green eyes scanned his face for some kind of explanation for his behavior. This wasn’t like him. She expected he would’ve been ecstatic. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” he replied shortly.
She let out a sigh, knowing that he was lying. “Right,” she muttered before getting to her feet and walking to the door. She paused before putting her hand on the doorknob, hoping he would stop her, but he didn’t. With a frustrated sigh, she left the room, leaving him to his thoughts.
~Part: 4~
Spike’s eyes shot open when he felt Willow stir. He glanced at the door and realized that he couldn’t get to it without fully awaking the redhead. Crap.
Willow rubbed against him and moaned, “Hmm, William.” Her eyes fluttered open and when she saw his face, she smiled sleepily, “I love you.”
Spike froze, not knowing what to do or what was going on. He continued to follow suit, even as Willow pulled his head down for a kiss. When their lips met, he savored the feel of everything about her, knowing that this probably won’t happen again when she realized the mistake that she was making.
The redhead kept her eyes closed and had a smug smile on her face when she pulled back. She leaned on the pillow, eyes still shut, “I had the worst nightmare. I thought I left you.” She whispered quietly, “And I missed you so much. I wanted to rip my heart out just to make the pain stop. I don’t ever want to feel that way again.” She smiled softly and opened her eyes, expecting William but got Spike instead. Willow backed away so quickly that she nearly fell off the bed. “Oh, Goddess, Spike! What are you doing here?” She screeched frantically. Getting off the bed, she stood up and looked at him, waiting for an answer.
“I was checking up on you.”
“By getting into bed with me?”
“Didn’t seem like you were complaining.”
“Spike,” Willow said in an annoyed voice, silently hoping that he would forget what had just happened moments ago, “Just leave me alone.”
He raised an eyebrow, “You sure you want me to?”
She pointed at the door, “Leave.”
Shaking his head, he crawled off the bed and with his back turned he said, “I missed you, Red.”
Willow backed into the table when he left and held a hand to her head, trying to ease the headache that she now had. She bit down on her lip, hard, drawing blood as the tears began to flow again.
~^~**~^~
William sat there, completely stunned. She was back, his Willow was back. *His* Willow. But, for some reason, that just didn’t seem like enough anymore. He still loved her, of course, but he also loved the other Willow. The one that left him. They say that you never know what you have until you lost it, but hell, he certainly knew what he had before and now that he truly lost it, he knew that he had to get her back somehow. But, she was gone. In another universe. For the first time in his life, he truly felt alone.
~^~**~^~
Willow walked down the stairs and nearly jumped back when she saw Faith and Xander rush in through the door, “Hey.”
Faith sighed a breath of relief, “Oh, good, you didn’t leave. Geez, William was a fucking wreck.”
The redhead’s brow furrowed in confusion. Everything was completely different now. The other Willow didn’t tell her anything about this. She only mentioned that she and William got along quite well, shared a few kisses but that was all. Why was everyone acting as if they were…
Willow froze. No, it couldn’t be. She wouldn’t have. They couldn’t have. Did they? She whispered hoarsely, needing to know an answer, “We’re in love, right?”
Xander smiled at her, “Yeah, you are. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that desperate before. You’ve bewitched him with your umm.. witchy powers.”
She began to shake and looked down, not wanting to look them in the eye. Pushing past the two, she ran out of the door, the tears blinding her vision.
Faith stared at the closed door and then turned to Xander, “What just happened here?”
He shrugged, “I don’t know.” He looked up the stairs, “Maybe we should ask Will.”
She nodded and they began to walk up the stairs together. Faith knocked on the door gently, “William, you in there?”
Sounds of rustling were heard before he opened the door, “Hey.”
She leaned against the wall and examined him, “Did she leave?”
“Yeah,” he replied sadly, “But, she came back.”
“Which one?” Faith asked, suspiciously. She had a feeling in her gut that something was definitely not right.
“Our Willow. The one that was here originally.”
“Why was she crying?” Faith asked harshly.
He shook his head, “I don’t know.”
She grabbed him by the collar, “What did you do?” Cocking her head to the side she asked, “Or actually, what did you *not* do?”
Xander tapped Faith on the shoulder, “Just, don’t. Not right now.”
She glared at him, “Willow, *our* Willow, she’s my best friend. That other Willow that came here, she was cool and all but *nobody*,” She whipped her head back around to look William in the eye, “*Nobody* ever hurts my best friend like that.”
Faith shoved him away in disgust and shook her head, backing down the stairs. “Just think, William, *think* about what you’re doing.” She turned and skipped down the stairs, and ran out the door.
William hung his head down in shame. What was he doing? He had his Willow back. That should’ve made him happy, near tears of joy. But, it didn’t. It just made him feel like he was… settling.
Xander looked at him with a calculating eye, “Is it true?”
He glanced up, “What?”
“What she said. Is it true?”
William sighed, “I don’t know.” He ran his fingers through his hair, “I don’t know anything anymore. I love her. I love both of them. But, I just miss *her* so much right now. I don’t even know what I’m thinking.”
“3 years, man. 3 years compared to a few weeks. Seriously, just think about it.”
“I *am* thinking about it! You don’t think I know that?” William nearly growled.
Xander held his hands up in defeat, “Whatever. This is your problem, not mine. I gotta go pick up Dawn.”
William looked at his best friend’s back with pained eyes. He was ruining everything.
~Part: 5~
“Willow!” Faith shouted, “Wait up!”
Willow continued her fast pace, ignoring the brunette’s words.
“Will,” Faith grabbed the redhead by her shoulder and pulled her around.
She stumbled back and brought her hand up to her eyes, trying to hide the tears.
“God,” The brunette breathed when she saw her, “I’m so sorry.” She moved forward and grabbed her in a tight hug. “I’m so so so *so* sorry.”
Willow continued to cry and Faith flinched at the sound of the sobs. She tried to soothe her by massaging her back but the redhead continued to shake from the intensity of it all. They stood there like that, for a few minutes until Willow pushed herself out of Faith’s arms.
“I don’t understand this.”
Faith looked at her reassuringly, trying to urge her to explain.
“I feel so cheated. He’s in love with her, right?”
The brunette looked down sadly, “Yeah, he is.”
“Deeply?” She whispered, silently dreading the answer.
Faith cleared her throat, “Yeah.”
“Right,” Willow nodded and started to walk away.
“Will, where are you going?”
“I need to think about this, Faith. It’s kinda a lot to handle. I mean one day, my boyfriend of three years is completely devoted to me and the next, he’s in love with some other girl who just happens to be an alternate version of me.” She laughed nervously, “That just.. I need to think about all of this.”
“Hun, maybe it’s not as bad as you think. He still loves you.”
“I know. I know he does. But, how much?”
Faith bit her lip, not knowing how to respond.
“Exactly.” She started to walk away again when Faith stubbornly grabbed her arm.
“Will, don’t run away.”
“I’m not running. I need to think.”
“I don’t want you to do anything you’re going to regret.” Her brown eyes were pleading. She remembered how Willow dealt with things after Buffy. After that incident, she made a promise to herself never to let her friend leave if her emotions weren’t stable.
Willow backed away, “Let me go, Faith. Please.”
“No.”
“I just need to think.”
“You’re not thinking rationally right now.”
Willow sighed and said quietly, “I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry.” She repeated before moving forward and punching the brunette in the face, knocking her unconscious. Willow turned the other way, her feet moving at a frantic pace. She needed to get away from this.
~^~**~^~
Xander gripped the wheel tightly. Everything was just going down the drain. Willow was hurting. William was hurting. Faith was hurting. Heck, even he was hurting. He glanced at the passing scenery when he suddenly spotted Willow hitting Faith in the face. He watched as the brunette collapsed onto the sidewalk. Hitting the brakes, he got out of the car quickly and kneeled by Faith. After shaking her a few times and realizing that she wasn’t going to wake up, he picked her up and put her in the backseat. Getting back into the car, he switched gears, intent on finding Willow.
After a couple minutes of searching, he finally found her, walking swiftly down the street.
“Willow!” He called out the window.
She ignored him, still walking.
“Willow!” He repeated before turning the corner and blocking her way. “Get in the car,” he said roughly.
Teary eyes stared back at him and he softened, “Will, just get in the car. Please.”
She looked down and without a word, she opened the door and got into the seat, folding her hands in her lap and looking straight forward.
He let out a relieved sigh and headed back to the Summers house.
~^~**~^~
Willow stared at the cabinet in front of her from her place on the floor. She was leaning against the wall now, her back against it and her butt planted firmly on the ground. She didn’t want to move. If she did, she’d have to face reality.. and Spike. Which honestly, wasn’t exactly that appealing at the current moment. Maybe denial was the best way to go sometimes.
Or, maybe not. God, what the heck was she thinking? Kissing Spike, telling him that she loved him, and about a million other mistakes she made within a few minutes. She was going to have a heck of a lot of explaining to do after that incident. And, she had no idea *where* to begin.
While her mind was trying to figure out what to say, her heart was aching. Sore from what had just happened. For a few moments there, she had thought that she was in William’s arms again. But, she wasn’t. She was stuck here in Sunnydale where everything was cold and dead. Even, this world’s version of her loved one.
Her eyes moved from the cabinet to the window. The sunlight was slowly dimming and distantly, she realized that she had basically just wasted a whole day. Only a few hours until the sun went down and she had to go out and face the demons again. The real demons. The ones that killed.
She got up slowly, still not knowing how to respond to the questions that were bound to come. But, still, she hoped for the best.
~^~**~^~
Spike was sitting on the couch when Willow came down the stairs. The room was dark. He had covered the windows with heavy blankets.
“Spike,” She stated flatly.
“Willow,” He glanced at her briefly and returned his attention to the TV.
She sighed gratefully, maybe he wouldn’t bring it up. She started to walk to the kitchen when all of a sudden, his voice pierced the silence.
“No hello kiss?”
Darn. She turned around and smiled innocently, “What are you talking about, Spike?”
He rolled his eyes, “Cut the crap. You know bloody well what I’m talking about. You kissed me.” He smirked at her, “And I think you liked it.”
“I was dreaming and you were there. And I just wasn’t awake yet.”
“And what about all that ‘I wanted to rip my heart out’ stuff, huh? I’m pretty sure you weren’t dreaming then.”
She paused, trying to figure out an answer, “I was.. I was just. Spike, it’s personal. Just go away.”
“Hit a soft spot, did I?” He got up and followed her into the kitchen. “What’s going on? You’ve been acting all odd for the past few days. There’s got to be a reason why.”
She looked down, hating that he could see through her lies. Deciding to take advantage of the moment, she whispered, “Buffy.”
He stared at her, “I don’t think that’s all of it.”
She snapped at him, “Well, then obviously you’re thinking wrong.”
The blonde demon smiled triumphantly at her, “Ah hah, I was right.”
She continued to glare at him as he followed her around the kitchen.
“Oh, come on Willow, talk to me. Why don’t you start off with who William is?”
She halted immediately and closed her eyes tightly, “Spike, don’t start.”
“Another soft spot, ehh? Do I remind you of him or something?” He paused for a second, “And you said something about leaving.” He moved forward, the suspicions getting greater, “Willow, what’s going on?”
“Leave it, Spike.”
He stared at her incredulously, “No, I will *not* bloody leave it!”
Finally, getting sick of it, she pulled down one of the heavy blankets and the sunlight fell onto his skin, lighting him on fire. He quickly backed away, into the darkness. “Oops,” she said harshly before slamming the door on her way out.
~Part: 6~
Xander kept glancing at the rearview mirror out of nervousness. He wanted to help. But, how?
Willow leaned the side of her head against the window, “What is it?”
He nearly jumped from the sudden words, “What?”
“You want to ask me something, I can tell.”
The brunette cleared his throat, “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
She rolled her eyes, “I’ve only been gone for a few days, Xan. Besides, I know you too well.”
His brow furrowed in confusion, “No, you’ve been gone for a month, or,” he paused, “maybe more.”
She sighed, “It’s a pretty long explanation. I mean, even *she* couldn’t explain it fully.” Willow silently seethed at the thought of it all. “Where are you taking me?”
“Back to your house.”
“Is *he* still there?”
“Probably.”
“I don’t want to go there, then.”
“Will, come on, you know you have to talk him about this.” He shook his head, “This isn’t worth throwing away what you guys have.”
She shook her head, “I will, Xan. But, just gotta figure things out first.”
“He does love you, Will. He has for three years. And he won’t stop.”
Willow ignored his words, “Can you take me somewhere else? Drop me off at Faith’s or something.” Her green eyes traveled to the still unconscious brunette, “I need to talk to her.”
“You need to talk to William more.”
She glared at him, “Look, this problem is between me and him. It doesn’t involve you, so just stay out of it, okay?”
He nodded and kept his mouth shut.
~^~**~^~
Spike stared at the closed door in shock. She actually tried to fry him. Well, not exactly fry him since she knew that he had quick reflexes. But, that had definitely caught him off guard. He stared at the sensitive patch of skin in confusion. Something was extremely wrong with her. Willow would never do anything like that. He never thought she had it in her. But, yet, she did. She snapped at him and just brushed him off so simply.
Ok, so he wasn’t exactly being the nicest chap to her before but still, that didn’t mean that she had to go and try to turn him all crispy. He looked around the empty house and let out an unneeded sigh.
She was hiding something. And he hated that she wouldn’t tell him what. The only facts that he had so far was that she loved a man named William who apparently she left behind. That couldn’t be right. She was in the house the whole time for the past few days and any time that she went out, at night that is, he kept close watch on her. So, she couldn’t have fallen in love with some stranger that he didn’t know about.
Or, maybe. Wait, could she have? That would actually explain quite a lot. He nearly paced a hole in the carpet when the thought came to mind. He couldn’t wait until the sun set. That way, he could find her and ask her about the spell that she did.
~^~**~^~
Faith awoke with a pounding headache. What the hell happened? She knew that she didn’t get hammered the night before, or maybe she did and she just didn’t remember it. She felt something cool on her head. Her eyes opened slowly and she saw a flash of red hair. Suddenly, all the memories of what happened earlier on in the day came back to her.
She got up and leaned on her forearm, “Well, you’re not hitting me, this is a start.”
“I’m sorry,” Willow replied, looking down, “You’re right, I’m just not dealing well.”
Faith watched as Willow backed away and sat down on a chair directly across from her, “Maybe you’re just not dealing at all. I think you’re still reeling.”
The redhead sighed, “Yeah, maybe, maybe not.” She shrugged, “I don’t know.”
She smiled comfortingly at her best friend, “He does love you.”
“He also loves her.”
“He loves you more.”
She looked away, “Are you sure?”
Faith was at a loss for words. God, she used to be able to do the whole support thing a whole hell of a lot better.
Willow suddenly spoke up, “I guess I can’t really blame him. Maybe it was partially confusion, maybe he actually felt something for her.” She leaned back in the chair, “God, even after all this, I’m still defending him.”
“You love him,” Faith said simply.
“Yeah, I do,” Willow agreed, “And right now, I hate myself for it.”
“You can’t help who you love,” she said quietly, looking down.
The redhead raised an eyebrow, “Huh, do I sense some frustration?”
She smiled quickly, “It’s nothing. Right now, I’m supposed to be comforting you.”
“Believe me, I think I’ve had enough of this mulling over my problems thing. Right now, I’d like nothing more then to just forget it all.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, tell me.” Willow urged, giving her a tempting smile.
“It’s Xander.”
“Ahh, should’ve known.”
“It’s been a lot of fun so far but I don’t know. He keeps on running hot and cold. It’s driving me nuts.”
“Let me guess, won’t make a move.”
“To sum it up in one word, basically.” Faith let out a defeated sigh, “I hate men.”
The redhead smiled, “Join the club, sweetie.”
~^~**~^~
Xander walked into the living room and saw William sitting on the couch, his head buried in his hands, “Hey.”
William looked up with blood-shot eyes, “Hey.” He said hoarsely, “Where’s Dawn?”
“Oh, yeah,” Xander remembered suddenly, “She wanted a few more hours with her friend.”
“Right,” William replied, not really noticing the fib. “Did you find her?”
“Yeah.”
“How is she?”
“Not good.”
The brunette looked up desperately, “I love her so much, Xan.”
“Which one?”
“The one that left and never came back. I can’t just forget about her because Willow’s back. I just.. can’t.”
“Are you sure you’re not mixing feelings between the two?” Xander inquired, “I mean, you really didn’t even know she was telling the truth until the end.”
“I knew,” William whispered, “Somewhere inside of me, I always knew. I could tell when she was lying and everything. There was a connection between us. I can’t forget about that.”
“And there’s a connection between you and our Willow too. There’s been a connection for 3 years. You love each other. You’re like the star couple of Sunnydale.”
He smiled briefly, “I do love her. Can I even love two people at once?” He looked at his friend, confused, “Things are messed up right now.”
Xander moved next to William and sat down beside him, “Yeah, don’t I know it.” After a few minutes of silence, he spoke again, “You can fix it.”
“Easier said then done.”
~Part: 7~
Faith looked at Willow with worried eyes. She was thinking about him again. Her green eyes were staring at the TV but Faith wasn’t fooled. Sighing, the brunette turned off the TV. Willow still didn’t move.
Getting up, she announced, “We’re going clubbing tonight.”
Willow glanced at Faith, “Huh, what? Clubbing?”
She nodded, smiling, “Yeah, the Bronze. We’re going.”
“I just got back, Faith. I’m kinda tired.”
“Sweetie,” she knelt in front of her, “You and I both know that if I leave you here alone, you’re only going to be thinking about William.”
“Knowing me, I’ll probably end up thinking about him there, too.”
“Well,” she let out a small laugh, “Yeah, but hey, at least you’ll be having some sort of fun while doing it. Oh, come on, let me distract you for just a few hours.”
“I don’t know,” Willow replied unsurely, even though her mind was already made up.
“Come on, Will, please? We haven’t gone clubbing in awhile.”
The redhead nodded, smiling at her, “Alright.”
~^~**~^~
“Let’s go to the Bronze,” Xander said smiling.
“What?” William looked up confused. “Why?”
“Why else? To go listen to music and dance.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I’d much rather go home and listen to country music.”
“Oh no!” Xander said, standing up, “You’re not listening to any kind of pain music whatsoever.”
“Xan, I’ve had a rough day. I’d like to go home and just rest.”
“No, I’m not letting you go home and mope.” He pointed an accusing finger at him, “See, now you’re the one that’s acting like a woman!”
William shook his head, trying to find another excuse, “What about Dawn?”
“She’s at her friend’s. I told you.”
“Xander, I don’t want to go to the Bronze.”
“Well,” he dragged William off the couch, “too bad. We always have to do things that we don’t want to.”
~^~**~^~
“Faith,” Willow looked around the club, savoring the hectic atmosphere, “Thanks.”
She winked at her and grabbed her arm, pulling her onto the dance floor.
What would you do to get to me?
What would you say to have your way?
Would you give up or try again
If I hesitate to let you in
Willow closed her eyes and let the music wash over her. Sinking into the lyrics and moving her hips to the beat, she raised her hands up and continued to move sensually along with the song.
And if at first you don't succeed
Then dust yourself off and try again
You can dust it off and try again, try again
'Cause if at first you don't succeed
You can dust it off and try again
Dust yourself off and try again, try again
Faith watched as Willow danced to the music, letting everything else fade away. She smiled at her, even though the redhead couldn’t see. The brunette moved her body to the music and closed her eyes.
And yo', our chemistry is off the chain
It's perfect now, but will it change
This ain't a yes, this ain't a no
Just do your thing, we'll see how it go
Willow felt arms encircle her waist and a hard body behind her. However, she didn’t let it bother her. She didn’t care anymore. For now, she was just out with her best friend having fun. She continued to dance and smiled when her partner moved along with her perfectly.
You don't wanna throw it all away
When the song ended, the redhead finally turned around and opened her eyes. She jumped back when she saw clear blue eyes staring back at her.
“William.”
“Willow.”
She backed away slowly before bumping into Faith. The brunette shot her a confused look but when she turned and saw William, she immediately knew what had happened. Willow ran out of the club, her thoughts in a jumble. Faith glanced back at him and then towards the retreating redhead. Sighing, she ran after her.
He didn’t know what he was thinking. But, as soon as he set foot in the club, everything changed. He felt all the problems slip away and started to move to the music. When he saw her there, in the middle of the dance floor, he was hooked. He couldn’t control his body as he moved forward and began to dance with her. She didn’t seem to mind and so he followed along. But, when the song ended and the spell was broken, the look in her eyes shattered the façade that he had been trying to keep up for those few minutes. He hurt her. Badly.
~^~**~^~
Willow wandered aimlessly around the streets of Sunnydale for the
few hours she had left before the sun set. Sorting through her
thoughts, she finally figured out how she was going to confront
Spike. Besides, it’s not like he knew about the spell.. or actually,
spells that she did. So, it wouldn’t be that hard. Hopefully.
She knew that he wouldn’t let it go. In fact, he was probably
pacing and mumbling all sorts of obscenities right now. A part
of her was surprised at her lack of control over her anger when
he brought up William. But then again, in a certain way, it
made sense.
Willow sighed and opened the door to the Summers’ home.
She closed the door with a quiet click and when she turned
around Spike was there, his hands trapping her against the door.
“Oh God, Spike!” She tried to push him away but he wasn’t
budging. Finally she gave up and stood still, “What?”
“You *know* what, *witch*,” he enunciated the last word,
hoping she would get his clue.
“Well, I’ve had a tiring day so no, I don’t know what.”
“I know you did a spell.”
She stared at him, mouth wide open. She cleared her throat,
“No, I didn’t.”
Why did she have to be so damn stubborn? He was getting
frustrated by her lies. “You’re lying.” He bent down to her
neck and sniffed her, “I can tell.”
Willow shuddered involuntarily and her knees felt as if they were
going to collapse. “Leave me alone, Spike.”
“Oh, come on now, Willow.” He said with a seductive tone, “Let
me have a little fun. After all, you left me here, all locked up.”
She stayed silent.
“Who’s William?”
Closing her eyes tightly, she shook her head, “It’s none of your
business, Spike.”
“*Who* is he?” He growled, restraining himself from punching a hole
into the door. A tinge of jealousy passed through him. Bloody
hell,
a mere human getting him all worked up. He closed his eyes,
regaining control.
Shaking her head again, she tried to push him away but he still
wouldn’t move. She looked up with teary eyes and whispered a
spell but was surprised to see that it didn’t render him
unconscious.
He smirked at her, “Now, come on. Give me a little credit. I knew
you were going to use magic on me so I put a nifty little barrier
spell on myself. You can’t hurt me.” His face returned to a stony
cold look, “Now, tell me.”
“William is,” she began softly.
“Yeah,” he replied, impatiently.
“You.”
~Part: 8~
“Willow,” Faith grabbed the redhead in a tight hug, “I’m sorry.”
The redhead tightened her grip on the brunette’s arm and sobbed, “I felt.. I wasn’t supposed to. It wasn’t supposed to be him.”
Faith sighed and continued to soothe her, “But it was. You can’t run every time you see him.”
“I know,” Willow replied through the tears, “But, right now, I just *don’t* want to see him.” She dropped her arms, “I want to go home, Faith.”
She nodded, knowing what she meant by home. “Come on, let’s take you back to my place.”
~^~**~^~
Xander returned with two drinks, happily sipping his own when he saw William standing in the middle of the dance floor, completely frozen and staring at the exit. He came up and tried to tap him without spilling both drinks. “Uhh, Will, what just happened?”
William didn’t move but only blinked, “I hurt her.”
“What?”
“I promised myself. I would never hurt her. And I did. And all this time, I’ve only been worried about myself and a girl that I’ll never get back.” He rolled his hand into a fist, “I’m such an idiot.”
“Will?” Xander stared at him, still trying to piece together what he said.
“Willow, she was here.” William said, finally looking at his best friend and grabbing a drink out of his hand before chugging it down.
“She was,” he replied slowly, “And what happened.”
“She left,” William said sadly, “They always leave.”
“Why did she leave? Did she see you?”
“I danced with her.”
Xander scoffed, “You what?”
“I danced with her.”
He was flabbergasted but finally managed a simple, “Why?”
William sighed and then shrugged, “I don’t know. She was just,” he shook his head, “remember that connection thing you were talking about? Well, I felt it. It was like something was just calling me to her.”
“Uh huh.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“But,” Xander looked at the gyrating bodies, “I wanted to dance!”
~^~**~^~
“Willow! Will-ow!” Faith said in a sing-song voice. “Wakey-wakey!”
The redhead let out a groan and held a hand to her eyes, trying to block out the brightness, “What time is it?”
“8’o clock.”
Willow shot off the bed, “Crap, I gotta get Dawn to school. And then we gotta get to work.”
“Chill,” Faith handed her a glass of orange juice, “Dawn’s handled. Xander took care of it and work, well, I’ll teach solo today.”
“No,” Willow argued, “No, it’s okay. I can do it.”
Faith raised an eyebrow, “You sure?”
“Yeah,” She nodded eagerly, “Positive.”
“Willow,” She said in a warning tone.
“Faith, I can do it.”
She let out a defeated sigh, “Alright, if you say so.”
Willow crawled off the bed and winced as the rays of light invaded her dark thoughts. She didn’t want to get up. She didn’t want to go to work and teach. In fact, all she wanted to do was crawl back into her little hole and mope. But, she couldn’t. She had responsibilities and she couldn’t dump them on Faith, no matter how much she wanted to.
~^~**~^~
“I’m what?” Spike asked in confusion.
“William,” Willow said nervously, “He’s you. Except not.”
He shook his head and pounded his hand against the door, “You went back in time? Wait, no that can’t be right. If you did, I’d have memories of you. And I don’t.” He looked at her suspiciously.
“It’s confusing.”
“I noticed, well, please, clear it up for me, Red.”
“I did a spell that umm, sent me to another universe.”
“You what?”
She sighed, “It’s true, Spike.”
He looked at her confused, “Why?”
“I had my reasons,” she looked away, “Spike, this is complicated. *Very* complicated.”
“Yeah, obviously.” He examined her, “Are you lying to me?”
“No, why would I lie to you?” She looked down, “Ok, I know that it seems kinda out of whack but it’s the truth.”
“Right,” Spike backed away and his brow furrowed in confusion, “Right.”
She was about to walk away in relief when Spike stopped her, catching
her arm.
“Not so fast,” He said decidedly, “You need to give me more answers then that.”
Willow shook her head, “I don’t have to give you anything, Spike.” She shoved his hand off of her.
He smirked, “Really now? I wonder how the rest of the bloody Scooby Gang will react to the information.”
“They won’t believe you.”
He raised an eyebrow, “You sure about that?’
She sighed in a defeated manner and trudged to the kitchen, “Alright, come on.”
He nodded, “I think I need some hot chocolate for this.” Pausing, he added, “with those little marshmallows. A lot of them.”
~Part: 9~
Willow fought with more aggression then she had any time before. In fact, she fought so hard that she almost knocked Faith out with a simple punch.
“Geez, Will, that’s the second time you’ve beat Faith up,” a student commented, smirking at the panting brunette.
The redhead whipped her head towards the girl, not knowing what she was talking about but still irritated, “Do you want to be next? After all, I do need a new sparring partner, as you so nicely put it.”
The blonde girl grinned and shot Willow a self-satisfied smile, “Yeah, this should be fun.”
Willow continued to shoot daggers at the girl, “What’s your name?”
She didn’t seem to waver from the redhead’s snappy tone, “Nicole.”
“Attack or block?”
“Can’t we just spar?”
Willow raised an eyebrow, “Alright, we’ll spar. You know the rules, follow them.”
Nicole clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, “Gotcha.” She moved forward and ducked as Willow threw a punch. Catching the redhead at a weak moment, she punched her in the abdomen.
Willow stumbled back, surprised. She gave her an impressed smile and moved forward again. She kicked up but Nicole caught her foot and spun her. The redhead landed on the mat, her breath catching in her throat. The redhead jumped back up, “Illegal move.”
The blonde rolled her eyes, “Whatever.”
She did a roundhouse kick that Willow caught. The redhead held onto Nicole’s foot and repeated, “Illegal move.”
Nicole tried to free her leg but Willow wasn’t budging.
“Will, let go!”
Willow did as she said but dropped down to the mat and swung her leg around, tripping the blonde. She got back up and put her hands on her hips, “Should’ve followed the rules.” Looking at the other students who were staring at the scene before them, she said, “Class dismissed.”
She walked over to Faith who was sitting in the back, holding an ice pack to her cheek, “You pack quite a punch, Red.”
“You were supposed to block it.”
The brunette grinned, “Well, I didn’t.”
Willow shook her head and grabbed a bottle of water of the counter. Twisting it open and chugging it, she turned around. She nearly choked when she saw William standing in front of her.
Faith looked at the coughing redhead, careful not to let her smile slip out, “Will, what are you doing here?”
William’s eyes were focused on Willow, “I was wondering if you guys wanted to come for lunch,” he said quietly, “or something.”
Faith smiled, “I’m up for it.” She knew that Willow would be mad at her for agreeing to William’s offer but the words just slipped out of her mouth.
Willow cleared her throat and glared at Faith, “We just got done teaching a class. I’m kinda beat.”
Before William could say anything, Faith jumped in, “Well, some food will boost your energy level right back up.”
The redhead looked from Faith to William, desperate for a way out. Finally, she pouted and sighed, “Alright.”
~^~**~^~
Willow sipped her hot chocolate quietly, waiting nervously for Spike to start the interrogation. She couldn’t believe she actually agreed to the whole thing but Spike looked serious and intent on getting answers. The redhead looked around the kitchen. The touches of Buffy were everywhere.
“Why’d you do the spell?”
She snapped out of her thoughts with a grateful sigh, “I didn’t have any other choice.”
“Of course you had a bloody choice.”
Willow continued not to look up, “Like I said, Spike. Complicated. There’s a lot of reasoning behind my actions and honestly, I really don’t feel like explaining it all to you.”
“Well, you’re going to have to anyway. I want some answers.”
Her head shot up, “Why, Spike? Why the heck do you care so much?” She muttered, “You don’t even like me.”
This time, it was Spike’s turn to look down, “I have my own reasons.”
“Well, if you won’t tell me why should I tell you?” She knew that the words were incredibly childish but she was grabbing at straws here.
“Hey, I’m not the one who’s messing with the magicks.”
“Spike, what I do is my choice. Not yours.” She got off the stool and began to walk away, “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
Spike glared at her, he didn’t like her attitude. “When you’re doing spells that send you into alternate dimensions, I think you do.”
She whipped around, “Fine, I may have to explain it to somebody, but it *won’t* be *you*.”
He moved forward and grabbed her again. She was pushing him over the edge. He was losing control, and fast. “Watch it, *Witch*. You don’t seem to be remembering who you’re talking to.”
Willow pushed him away angrily, “Oh, don’t worry, I do.”
He stumbled back in surprise. That was different. He was about to grab her again when she surprised him yet again by kicking him in the abdomen.
“Leave, Spike,” She ground out.
Blue eyes looked intensely into green, “*No*.”
“Spike.”
The deadly calm voice didn’t threaten him. In fact, he was intrigued. “No,” he repeated.
She turned around and stomped to the door, opening it, “Fine, then *I’ll* leave.” The redhead shivered when the cool breeze of the evening greeted her. Gritting her teeth together, she slammed the door shut, saying a small spell to reassure that the door couldn’t be opened for a few minutes, ensuring that he wouldn’t follow her.
~Part: 10~
Spike walked the streets of Sunnydale looking for a certain redheaded witch. One that managed to trap him in a house with a few mumbled words. She had obviously gotten more powerful. He always knew that she was strong, but her spells weren’t always successful. So, how was it possible that Willow was so sure that the spell that she obviously put on the house would work? Maybe, she didn’t know.
His face hardened. Or maybe, she did.
He hated that she felt the need to hide from him. Why wouldn’t she stop running away? It wasn’t like he was going to hurt her. He knew that he didn’t handle both situations in the best way possible but for some reason, he couldn’t control himself around her anymore.
The blonde demon lifted up his head and sniffed the air. She was here before. But not anymore. His blue eyes scanned the scenery, searching for any sign of her.
Nothing. Damn.
He dug his nails into the palm of his hand and walked towards the Magic Box. He had searched the whole town with no sign of Willow. She had to be there.
Arriving at the store, he barged in without any greeting to the ones in the room. “Is the witch here?”
Giles glanced at Tara, “She’s right there, Spike. Why do you ask?”
“Not that witch,” he mumbled, “Bloody idiot.”
“Who? The Willster?” Xander asked suspiciously, “Why do you want to know, Junior?”
“Well, *Moron*,” He glared at the brunette, “She wasn’t at the house and if she’s not here, then where is she?”
The Watcher cleared his throat, “Dear Lord, Spike. You make it sound like the poor girl has no life of her own. Perhaps, she is amusing herself right now with whatever you Americans do for fun these days.”
Spike was quiet for a moment, thinking of a reply, “What about her?” He pointed towards Tara triumphantly. “Wherever she goes, she always brings along her little girlfriend.”
The blonde witch said quietly, “S-She doesn’t always bring me everywhere.” Tara looked around the Magic Box, “I-I’m not with her right now!”
Spike grinned, someone *finally* took the bait, “My point exactly.”
“Here, Giles, your books.”
“I still think we should get paid for this. I don’t see why we can’t charge for slaying vampires and killing demons. We are providing a service,” Anya said defensively, putting the books onto the table and then looking expectantly at Dawn.
“Anya, we can’t charge people for saving their lives.”
“And why not?” The ex-demon retorted, “Doctors save lives! They charge people.”
Dawn sighed and shook her head, “Spike, what are you doing here?”
“’Ello, Niblet. I was just looking for Red.”
The teen cocked her head the side, “Why?”
He raised his hands up in frustration, “Bleedin’ hell, do all of you have to ask me that? She’s missing. Usually, that calls for you do-gooders to go out and find her.”
“W-What if s-she doesn’t w-w-want to be found?”
Spike looked at Tara with a confused look, “What?”
Giles sighed, “She has been quite distant lately. I believe she’s still dealing with the repercussions of it all.” He tried to be as vague as possible, not wanting to press further on the topic.
“Well, aren’t you White Hats going to be there to give her the bloody support that she needs?”
“Since when do you care so much about Willow and her need for her support, evil dead?”
Spike let out an unneeded sigh. This was a lot harder then he expected. “I don’t,” he said defensively. “It’s just that she’s the only one of you bloody lot that can do anything useful.” He smiled at Dawn, “Excluding you of course, bit.” His face reverted to its original seriousness, “And, personally, I don’t fancy getting staked or not surviving another apocalypse because she’s not around to solve another prophecy.”
The Watcher saw the determination in the vampire’s blue eyes and gave in, “Alright, let’s go and find her.” He grabbed a stake off the counter, “Might as well get in some patrolling while we’re at it.”
Inside, Spike smiled happily but he managed to keep his blank face on. <Keep running, Red. I’ve got the whole bloody gang on my side now.>