Title: Willow and Spike
Author: Luisa
Email: luisa_barros@hotmail.com
Category: Willow/Spike (although all the major BtVS make appearances)
Rating: PG13, I guess.
Description: The characters interact with interesting consequences. All dialogue.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns all.
Dedication: To James Marsters, my favourite actor on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.
Spoilers: None, unless you haven't seen Season Four.
Comment: It's my fictional take on what could have happened in Season Four. I prefer the ending that the writers came up with, but!, this is mine. ;-)

At Xander's.
11.


"Hey guys…doing the manly deed?"

"Red! Don't come near us or you might get more than you're bargaining for!"

"What…?"

"Willow, stay where you are. This boxing thing's for-erm- potent members of the male species."

"Where are they then?"

"HEY!"

"HEY!"

"So, Spike…how's the punch-and-kick routine going?"

"Sodding bad. I can't strike without brain damage and Xapper can't either without breaking a nail and whining on my bleeding shoulder."

"Like I said…where are the men…?"

"Red, go get me some aspirine, instead of stomping on everyone's ego, alright?"

"Sure."

(…)

"She's a fast-tonguer, that one."

"Willow? Yeah, I guess. She's changed a bit."

"Like how, Harris?"

"The shorter the hair, the quicker the temper."

"She always was a redhaired little spitfire. Last year-"

"Spike, let's not go there, OK?"

"She almost took me on when I begged her for the spell. Christ, I wanted to shag her…"

"SPIKE!"

"Harris, if you wanna shut me up, use your fists. Words never do the trick."

At Buffy and Willow's.
12.


"Xander's gone into the kick-ass business."

"Huh…?"

"Spike's all generosity. Teaching him how to fight."

"Spike?! Has Xander *lost* it?!"

"Buffy, don't explode. It's just a guy thing."

"No. It's an undead asking for trouble. If he hurts Xander…"

"Are you kidding me? They're having a blast! I've never seen Xander look happier. And with a black eye and what not…"

"A BLACK EYE???"

"Yeah, no need to blast my ears off. He actually looked…manly."

"Willow, I don't like this. Spike's no fun and games. He's the real deal. Headache or no headache."

"Buffy, lighten up! Spike's bored out of his bleached skull, he needs something to do."

"He can fight demons like the rest of us! What makes *him* so special?!"

"The fact that he's not working properly. You said it yourself, he's, erm, *rusty*."

"Not with his tongue, he isn't…"

At Giles'.
13.


"Xander, pardon my reluctant intrusion, but what happened to your eye?"

"It's my new look for the season. The roguish tough guy aura. Like it?"

"Um…I haven't decided yet. How did you, erm, acquire, erm, your new, erm, look?"

"Spike."

"Pardon…?"

"Spike did it for me."

"Xander, you're not witty. Please be serious."

"Giles, I'm as serious as you. He punched me. Cause I asked him to."

"You…*what*?"

"Giles, there comes a time in a man's life when he's gotta take control of his fate. My fate was going down the drain till I pulled it out and gave it a thorough make-over."

"And Spike helped you in this…erm, masculine enterprise?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't back off till he did. It cost him some major cerebral pain, but I can fight now."

"Indeed…? That's, erm, quite marvellous…"

"If you keep using that voice, I'll start bawling my eyes out in a minute. Geez, can't everybody just LIGHTEN UP?!"

"Xander…the neighbours. Please."

At Willow's.
14.


"Tara, men are weird." "They…*are*?"

"Yeah. You've never noticed?"

"I don't look up."

"You should. Might keep you from bumping into one."

"I did bump into, erm, one."

"You *did*? Who…?"

"Erm, this guy in high-school. He, uh, made a b-b-bet."

"A bet…? For what?"

"He had this bet with his friends that he could get me into-erm…"

"You didn't…"

"Uh…I kinda did…"

"Oh man…Tara…"

"I didn't know. It felt so nice to be kissed…"

"I'm sorry I asked you. It wasn't any of my business."

"It was! Everything I am is your business."

"Really…?"

"Willow, I'm here because of *you*. In this room…"

"Me too. Because of you."

At Xander's.
15.


"Xander, your eye looks purple."

"It's healing, Anya."

"Yeah, but does it have to go psychadelic in order to heal?"

"I don't know. Ask my eye."

"I don't understand the human body."

"Neither did I. Till it got hurt."

"Xander, why did you do it? I mean, ask Spike to teach you to fight?"

"Anya…we've been through this. I needed it."

"Why…? Was it the adrenaline rush? Or an ego-trip? Or…*me*?"

"What…?"

"Me. I'm not enough, am I?"

"Anya, believe me. You're MORE than enough! You're a plateful, hon!"

"A plateful of what? Insipidness?"

"NO! Anya, you're the most exciting woman I ever met. There's fireworks every time I kiss you."

"Real ones?"

"Yeah. And music, baby."

"Aw…..Xander. I think I'm melting…"

"Part of the whole human body experience…"

At Giles'.
16.


"Spike, we need to talk."

"What about, Slayer?"

"You. And your idiotic notions of manhood."

"Last time I checked they were pretty accurate."

"What's this Fight Club deal with you and Xander? Behind my *back*!"

"*Your* back? What does *your* back have to do with anything?! This is between me and him!"

"Wrong. You're on my turf. And Xander's *my* friend."

"He's also a man. Wake up and smell the loserishness, will you?! The guy was all over the place. He didn't defend himself, he got beat up to a bloody pulp! I did a good thing."

"Ha! You…do a good thing? When you do that, I'll eat my hat."

"You don't wear a bleeding hat, so bugger off and buy one…"

"You gave him a black eye!"

"Slayer, so bloody *what*?! I've gotten a few myself. It's nothing."

"He's human. I think you're forgetting that. No super-strength, no super-instincts!"

"For a friend, you really sell the bloke short, don't you? He's got guts, which is more than I can say for most people in this flipping town."

"Don't do it again."

"Don't give me orders. I'm not a bleeding Slayerette and I don't fancy being anyone's lap-dog."

"You're a loser."

"And you're bloody insecure. Issues aplenty, Slayer. Just piss off and deal with them, alright?"

At Giles'.
17.


"Spike, have you ever been in love with a man?"

"*WHAT*?!"

"Have you ever felt like kissing a man and telling him you loved him?"

"Red, we're getting into something that's pretty unholy here. So-"

"Please. Just pretend I'm a priest or something. Confess to me."

"You're too flipping lovely to be a priest. But alright, you asked for it…"

"Alright, what?"

"I did love a bloke once. Can hardly remember it now, but-"

"Who was it?"

"Someone who's dead."

"Dead as in…*biting*?"

"Nah. Dead as in gone. Angelus."

"Oh God…you and Angel?!"

"Pet, I said Angel*us*. *Us*! Nothing to do with the Slayer's old squeeze."

"He was evil…"

"Yeah. It worked like a bloody magnet."

"Did he know?"

"Oh he knew alright. Gave him a real happy to screw me once in a blue moon…"

"Oh…not exactly a glowing picture of conjugal happiness."

"Not by a fucking long shot. We tore each other to shreds. Dru was in the middle."

"Drusilla? How?"

"I was cut up in half. Angelus wanted a piece and so did Dru."

"It must've hurt…"

"Pain is in everything I do. Can't seem to live without it."

"Are you hurting now…?"

"Does it show?"

"Yes."

"Bloody hell."

At Xander's.
18.


"Xapper, have you noticed anything weird going on with Red lately?"

"Weird as in…"

"Alien. Not *her*."

"Nope."

"You're blind then."

"No, I'm not. I just don't see things that aren't there, Spike."

"Yeah. Took a while for you to snap out of the loser trance alright."

"So I'm no longer a loser. Is that what you mean?"

"I mean nothing of the sort. You're the same as you ever were. But at least you can punch your way out of a brawl."

"Gee, thanks…"

"About Red. There's something there. Open your eyes and you'll see."

"Spike, just turn on the TV already and quit the idle gossip, OK?"

"Idle, my flipping *foot*! I'm gonna find out…and when I do, you'll eat your bleeding words."

"Whatever…"

At Giles'
19.


"So Watcher…watched anything lately?"

"Yes. I've watched you grow fat and lazy on the contents of my fridge."

"Fat?! *Where*?!! There's not a flipping ounce of extra meat on me!"

"That's due to a supernatural coincidence, Spike. I shudder to think of you as a human."

"So do I."

"So what exactly did you mean by your first question?"

"What the hell did you think I meant? There's something weird going on."

"How? With whom? And where?"

"Get me some brandy and I'll spill the beans."

"Spike, there is no brandy. I'm cutting loose of the, err, booze addiction. And you're going down with me."

"The hell I am. Give me a few quid and I'll get a bottle."

"Quid? Don't you mean dol-"

"Yeah, yeah. It's all green ones."

"I have no money, Spike."

"Is that so? Yet what do I find here…? Brand new!"

"SPIKE! GIVE ME BACK MY WALLET RIGHT NOW!"

"Here. Keep it. I don't need it."

"You…you…you…argh!"

"You really need a drink, old mate."

At Tara's.
20.


"Rosemary, juniper, myrtle…"

"Tara, we forgot the clover."

"Nevermind. It'll work without it."

"No! We can't go through with this. The clover's essential."

"Willow, it's just a relaxation spell. Nothing much."

"Magic backfires. If you're not careful."

"We are being careful…Will."

"No…"

"What are you afraid of?"

"I can't control my powers. They are out there and they are free."

"You're stronger than the magic, Willow."

"No, I'm not. I used to believe I was. But it's an illusion. This is not child's play, Tara. It's the real deal. And I don't know if I'm strong enough to work it."

"Willow, please…let's just finish this. It'll make you feel better."

"No. I, uh…I gotta go."

"Willow…"

"I'm sorry, Tara…I'll call."

"*Willow*!"

At Xander's.
21.


"I totally choked, Xander…she was staring at me. Waiting."

"Will, maybe you should lay off the magic for a while. Just till you're stronger."

"I'm fine…no, I'm not. I'm a whirlpool."

"What's bothering you, Will…?"

"Changes. Speeding my way and I can't run away."

"Why should you want to?"

"I can't deal, Xander. The last change in my life broke me."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Everything's your fault one way or another."

"Not in this case."

"Oz left because of me. Don't bother denying it, I know it's the truth."

"Yeah, but that has nothing to do with the magic, Will."

"It does. In a twisted way. I tried to spell my way out of grief and it blew up in my face. I just don't think I can dabble with the forces…at least not right now."

"So we're back to my unduly perceptive point. Take a break from the dabbling. Be normal. Like *me*…"

"Why can't you sound just a teensy-weensy bit more excited?"

"Cause that was the last thing I thought I'd hear myself say."




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