Amy gathered more information on her targets the next day. The Magic box was closed
and she followed Willow to Xander's house for dinner. She watched as Willow played
blocks on the floor with Xander's son. She was slowly figuring out what would hurt
each of these people the most.....
Buffy, Spike and Dawn had spent a lazy day in front of the TV and doing laundry.
Amy shook her head at the picture of domesticity that those three had become.
She decided to let Willow rest that night. She had a plan already forming for the
next couple of days. Willow wouldn't know what to believe before it was over and
neither would her friends.
Willow climbed into bed and tightly shut her eyes she held her breath waiting for
another knock on her window, but it never came. She finally fell asleep and dreamed
of Tara.
***
Willow was straightening the window display in the shop. She noticed someone
stop in front of the window, she looked up to smile at the prospective customer
her heart skipped a beat! It was Tara! She tried to speak but Tara turned a ran
away as Willow tried to get out of the window display. She made her way to the
door and was greeted by Amy Madison. "Willow!" Amy exclaimed as she
pulled her into a hug.
"Amy." Willow replied looking over Amy's shoulder outside on the street, no sign
of Tara. Maybe she was losing her mind....again?
"You look like you've seen a ghost?" Amy pulled away from Willow and smiled.
"Uh no..just someone I thought I knew. How are you?" Willow closed the door to
the shop with another quick look up the street.
"I'm really good. I'm working now and trying to live magic free..." Amy sighed, "I've just
come in to get some herbs for a comforting tea. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing a lot better. The herbs are over there, do you need help?" Willow walked
towards the herb shelf.
"No, I know what I need. Thanks." Amy smiled as she watched Willow go to the
sales counter and start straightening up. She picked out her herbs and slipped a
large bottle of holy water in her bag. That would do for the next part of her plan.
"That will be $4.85." Willow smiled as she put Amy's herbs in a bag for her.
"Thanks for shopping the Magic Shop."
"It was good to see you Willow." Amy smiled and turned to find herself facing Buffy.
"Amy." Buffy nodded at her and walked towards Willow at the counter. Amy busied
herself at a display of colorful beads.
"Willow, would you like to come have some Buffy cooking for supper tomorrow
night? About 6 o'clock" Buffy grinned at her friend.
"You cook now?" Willow teased.
"Yes I cook! Please come you can see Dawn again and um Spike too." Buffy
said softly.
"Okay, sounds good." Willow smiled at Buffy.
Amy left smiling to herself perfect Willow at Buffy's on a Tuesday night. That was
Spike's night to wash the dishes. She hummed to herself as she walked home -
things were falling into place quite nicely.
***
Buffy took the lasagna out of the oven and sat it on a hotpad on the counter top.
She mixed the salad and went to get the dishes out of the cabinet, when she heard
the doorbell. "Get that somebody!" She called from the kitchen.
"Got it." Spike called back as he came down the stairs. He opened the door
to find Willow standing there looking almost shy. "Well come on in, Red." He
told her as he held the door open for her and gave her a smile.
Willow smiled back at him as she followed him into the living room, "Spike,
it's good to see you." She said the words softly.
"Really?" He smiled doubtfully at her.
"Yes... I know things were bad before..but you were right. And I don't know how
to apologize to you for everything that happened." Willow sighed as she sat down
on the couch.
"I was right, thats true. But if anyone knows what it feels like to need a second
chance it's me. I've done a lot of bad in my life and I've been lucky enough to
be forgiven for it, thats the least I can do for you." He leaned forward almost close
enough to touch her, "I do have to tell you that I will be watching you though."
Willow pulled back away from him, "I'm not going to hurt anyone, Spike."
"I don't think you want to ...but you hurt the people I care most about and I owe it
to them to watch out for them. You understand that?" His voice was soft now.
Willow looked into his eyes and she understood.....he loved Buffy and Dawn
as much as she had loved Tara. "I understand Spike."
"Okay, then lets go see what Buffy has cooked for supper!" He nodded towards
the kitchen and stood up.
Willow followed him and the smell of lasagna filled the kitchen, "Buffy that smells
so good!"
"Thanks, it's just about ready! Spike call Dawn please." Buffy asked as she
went to fill the glasses with ice.
"Let me help." Willow told her as she took the glasses to the dining table.
Spike returned in a moment with Dawn at his side, "Lasagna!" Dawn grinned
at Buffy and Willow, "Hey, Willow."
"Dawn." Willow smiled back at her.
Dinner went very well, the friends talked about old times before it had all gone
so wrong and then about Xander and Anya and how strange it was that they had
a little boy. When everyone was done, Spike began to clear the table, "You girls
talk." He put on a false frown, "It's the vamp's turn to do the dishes."
Willow laughed softly when he left the room, "You have him well trained Buffy."
"Yes, he does laundry too. Which reminds me - I've go to go check the dryer -
I left a sweater in it. I'll be right back." She stood as Spike entered the room,
"Sit back down, I'll go check the dryer."
She winked at Willow, "told you he did laundry too."
Willow stood, "I'm going to get a glass of water, I'll be right back."
She went to the kitchen and filled her glass returning to the dining room.
Amy watched and quickly entered the kitchen pouring the contents of a bottle into
the sink of water. She left just as quickly when she heard Spike coming up from the
basement, on her way out the back door she dropped the bottle on the ground
by the trashcan.
Spike brought the sweater upstairs and lay it on a barstool as he began to
put the dishes in the sink. He plunged his hands into the water up and yelled, dropping the
glass in his hand on the floor smashing it as he pulled his hands from the water.. He quickly
turned on the cold water to run over the smoking flesh, blisters were already appearing.
Buffy was up as soon as she heard the painful yell from the kitchen, Dawn and
Willow quickly followed. "Spike! Whats wrong?" She ran towards him as he held
his blistered hands out to her.
"I don't know. I put my hands in the water and they started burning like I had been
doused with holy water." He sat down on one of the barstools.
"Let me get some burn ointment for your hands." Buffy said with concern wincing
as she examined the burns.
Dawn walked to the sink and and carefully put the tip of her finger in the sink. Spike
noticed her and yelled, "Don't Dawn!"
It was too late though as Dawn's finger splashed the
water she didn't flinch, then she stuck her hand in the water. "It's okay, it doesn't
burn me."
"What the......." Spike looked at Dawn's unblemished hands.
"I don't know, I'm getting that ointment." Buffy went to the bathroom.
Willow had been quiet until Buffy left, "Let me get a cold cloth for you." She went to
the sink, avoiding the glass on the floor, grabbed a dishtowel and ran cold water on it. She looked
out the window and
noticed someone standing in the back of the yard the face was unmistakable
as the woman raised a hand and waved, "Tara?" Willow said softly.
"Did you say something?" Dawn asked as she took the wet cloth from her.
"Uh...no. I'm sorry I better go. I hope you feel better Spike." Willow walked towards
the backdoor.
Buffy came into the kitchen with the ointment as Willow was leaving, "You going
Willow?"
"Yeah, I better get home, parents worry easy now. Thanks for dinner." Willow
spoke quickly as she opened the back door. She scanned the back yard and
even called out very softly, "Tara" No one answered though and she shakily made
her way back home. Something was wrong, very wrong.
"Here let me put this on those blisters." Buffy said soothingly as she applied the cool ointment to
his damaged hands. "This looks terrible, what could have happened?"
"I don't know, pet." Spike sighed, "But I promise I wasn't trying to get out of doing the dishes." He gave
her a smirk, he could sense her worry and wanted to ease it for her. "I'll be okay."
Dawn knelt on the floor with a brush and dustpan cleaning up the broken glass. "I'll take this out to the
trash can."
"Okay, thanks for cleaning that up." Buffy patted Dawn's arm as she left the kitchen.
Dawn took the dustpan to the trashcan and dumped the broken glass into it. She noticed something shining
in the moonlight in front of the trashcan and knelt to pick it up. It was a bottle labeled 'holy water' and the
price tag from the Magic Box was still attached. She took the bottle back into the house with her.
"Guys - I found this out by the trashcan." She sat the bottle on the countertop.
"Holy water? Why? Spike you don't think someone came in and poured that in your dishwater do you?"
Buffy looked thoughtful as she added, "Who would have done that?"
Spike frowned, "I don't know, pet." A thought appeared in his head and he didn't like it at all.
Dawn however voiced it for him, "Buffy.......why did Willow go out the back door?"
****
Buffy's eyes widened at Dawn's words, "Dawn you don't think that...." She looked
at Spike his hands covered in a light gauze bandage over the burn ointment, "Spike?"
Dawn shook her head at her sister, "Buffy it makes sense she got a drink of water
in the kitchen, left when Spike got hurt...she went out" Dawn nodded towards the back door.
Spike held up his hand to Dawn, "Enough Dawn.I don't know what to think, Buffy."
He replied quietly, "I think we've had enough excitement for one night, I'm going to
bed."
Dawn grumbled, "Fine. Let's not talk about it...now anyway. I'm going to my room."
"Guess I'll do these dishes." Buffy sighed, "I'll be upstairs when I'm done."
Spike nodded at her and left the kitchen. Dawn said goodnight and left Buffy alone
with the dirty dishes. She ran new dishwater and washed the dishes going over
what had happened in her head over and over again. Surely Willow didn't have
anything to do with what happened - she seemed like the old Willow. On the
other hand - Spike didn't need to feel
like she was choosing Willow over him. She dried her hands, checked the
back door and went upstairs.
Spike was lying in the bed wide awake, he didn't want to believe that Willow would
hurt him like that. But he was wary of the witch and although he had been sincere
about giving her a second chance he had also been very serious about keeping
an eye on her. He winced as he moved his hand from under the pillow, the
bandage was rubbing the burns.
Buffy stuck her head in Dawn's room, "Goodnight, Dawnie. I love you."
Dawn gave a halfhearted goodnight then softened and added, "Love you too."
Buffy entered the bedroom quietly and closed the door behind her, "You still
awake?" She asked as she changed into her nightgown. Spike kept his
eyes tightly closed and didn't answer her. She went to brush her teeth and
came back to bed. "I know you're awake." She whispered as she pulled the
comforter around her.
"Don't want to argue." Spike finally replied.
"Didn't plan on arguing." Buffy smiled at him as she touched his face, "You
were wrong - we haven't had enough excitement tonight." She kissed him then
a long slow kiss.
"Yeah I'm incredibly sexy with these bandaged hands." He held up his hands
in front of her.
"You would be incredibly sexy in a full body cast.....and you know it." She kissed him
again this time more urgently.
"Can't use my hands..." He grumbled as he kissed her back.
"Then you'll have to think of something else...." She laughed softly as he ran kisses
down her neck on onto her shoulder.
"Think I can manage." He finally smiled at her.
*****
Willow's mind raced all the way home at every stop sign she looked out anxiously
expecting to see Tara. No, no it couldn't be Tara. Her mind was playing tricks on
her that what it was. She would go home and climb in the bed - go straight to sleep
and ignore the feeling that she was losing her mind. Concentrate Willow - Tara is
gone and she's not coming back.
Amy watched from the street as Willow's bedroom light went off. She was through
with her for the night. The look on Willow's face through Buffy's kitchen window had
been worth the risk of going in the house. Spike's pain - that was a bonus she could
tell how miserable his hurting made Buffy. And she deserved it - they all deserved
it. Let her be a rat for more years then she wanted to remember then when she
came back deserted her because of her association with Rack. Then Rack had
refused to see her anymore because she had driven Willow away from him. Her
life had gone downhill and they were all going to pay for her misery with their own.
TBC
and she followed Willow to Xander's house for dinner. She watched as Willow played
blocks on the floor with Xander's son. She was slowly figuring out what would hurt
each of these people the most.....
Buffy, Spike and Dawn had spent a lazy day in front of the TV and doing laundry.
Amy shook her head at the picture of domesticity that those three had become.
She decided to let Willow rest that night. She had a plan already forming for the
next couple of days. Willow wouldn't know what to believe before it was over and
neither would her friends.
Willow climbed into bed and tightly shut her eyes she held her breath waiting for
another knock on her window, but it never came. She finally fell asleep and dreamed
of Tara.
***
Willow was straightening the window display in the shop. She noticed someone
stop in front of the window, she looked up to smile at the prospective customer
her heart skipped a beat! It was Tara! She tried to speak but Tara turned a ran
away as Willow tried to get out of the window display. She made her way to the
door and was greeted by Amy Madison. "Willow!" Amy exclaimed as she
pulled her into a hug.
"Amy." Willow replied looking over Amy's shoulder outside on the street, no sign
of Tara. Maybe she was losing her mind....again?
"You look like you've seen a ghost?" Amy pulled away from Willow and smiled.
"Uh no..just someone I thought I knew. How are you?" Willow closed the door to
the shop with another quick look up the street.
"I'm really good. I'm working now and trying to live magic free..." Amy sighed, "I've just
come in to get some herbs for a comforting tea. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing a lot better. The herbs are over there, do you need help?" Willow walked
towards the herb shelf.
"No, I know what I need. Thanks." Amy smiled as she watched Willow go to the
sales counter and start straightening up. She picked out her herbs and slipped a
large bottle of holy water in her bag. That would do for the next part of her plan.
"That will be $4.85." Willow smiled as she put Amy's herbs in a bag for her.
"Thanks for shopping the Magic Shop."
"It was good to see you Willow." Amy smiled and turned to find herself facing Buffy.
"Amy." Buffy nodded at her and walked towards Willow at the counter. Amy busied
herself at a display of colorful beads.
"Willow, would you like to come have some Buffy cooking for supper tomorrow
night? About 6 o'clock" Buffy grinned at her friend.
"You cook now?" Willow teased.
"Yes I cook! Please come you can see Dawn again and um Spike too." Buffy
said softly.
"Okay, sounds good." Willow smiled at Buffy.
Amy left smiling to herself perfect Willow at Buffy's on a Tuesday night. That was
Spike's night to wash the dishes. She hummed to herself as she walked home -
things were falling into place quite nicely.
***
Buffy took the lasagna out of the oven and sat it on a hotpad on the counter top.
She mixed the salad and went to get the dishes out of the cabinet, when she heard
the doorbell. "Get that somebody!" She called from the kitchen.
"Got it." Spike called back as he came down the stairs. He opened the door
to find Willow standing there looking almost shy. "Well come on in, Red." He
told her as he held the door open for her and gave her a smile.
Willow smiled back at him as she followed him into the living room, "Spike,
it's good to see you." She said the words softly.
"Really?" He smiled doubtfully at her.
"Yes... I know things were bad before..but you were right. And I don't know how
to apologize to you for everything that happened." Willow sighed as she sat down
on the couch.
"I was right, thats true. But if anyone knows what it feels like to need a second
chance it's me. I've done a lot of bad in my life and I've been lucky enough to
be forgiven for it, thats the least I can do for you." He leaned forward almost close
enough to touch her, "I do have to tell you that I will be watching you though."
Willow pulled back away from him, "I'm not going to hurt anyone, Spike."
"I don't think you want to ...but you hurt the people I care most about and I owe it
to them to watch out for them. You understand that?" His voice was soft now.
Willow looked into his eyes and she understood.....he loved Buffy and Dawn
as much as she had loved Tara. "I understand Spike."
"Okay, then lets go see what Buffy has cooked for supper!" He nodded towards
the kitchen and stood up.
Willow followed him and the smell of lasagna filled the kitchen, "Buffy that smells
so good!"
"Thanks, it's just about ready! Spike call Dawn please." Buffy asked as she
went to fill the glasses with ice.
"Let me help." Willow told her as she took the glasses to the dining table.
Spike returned in a moment with Dawn at his side, "Lasagna!" Dawn grinned
at Buffy and Willow, "Hey, Willow."
"Dawn." Willow smiled back at her.
Dinner went very well, the friends talked about old times before it had all gone
so wrong and then about Xander and Anya and how strange it was that they had
a little boy. When everyone was done, Spike began to clear the table, "You girls
talk." He put on a false frown, "It's the vamp's turn to do the dishes."
Willow laughed softly when he left the room, "You have him well trained Buffy."
"Yes, he does laundry too. Which reminds me - I've go to go check the dryer -
I left a sweater in it. I'll be right back." She stood as Spike entered the room,
"Sit back down, I'll go check the dryer."
She winked at Willow, "told you he did laundry too."
Willow stood, "I'm going to get a glass of water, I'll be right back."
She went to the kitchen and filled her glass returning to the dining room.
Amy watched and quickly entered the kitchen pouring the contents of a bottle into
the sink of water. She left just as quickly when she heard Spike coming up from the
basement, on her way out the back door she dropped the bottle on the ground
by the trashcan.
Spike brought the sweater upstairs and lay it on a barstool as he began to
put the dishes in the sink. He plunged his hands into the water up and yelled, dropping the
glass in his hand on the floor smashing it as he pulled his hands from the water.. He quickly
turned on the cold water to run over the smoking flesh, blisters were already appearing.
Buffy was up as soon as she heard the painful yell from the kitchen, Dawn and
Willow quickly followed. "Spike! Whats wrong?" She ran towards him as he held
his blistered hands out to her.
"I don't know. I put my hands in the water and they started burning like I had been
doused with holy water." He sat down on one of the barstools.
"Let me get some burn ointment for your hands." Buffy said with concern wincing
as she examined the burns.
Dawn walked to the sink and and carefully put the tip of her finger in the sink. Spike
noticed her and yelled, "Don't Dawn!"
It was too late though as Dawn's finger splashed the
water she didn't flinch, then she stuck her hand in the water. "It's okay, it doesn't
burn me."
"What the......." Spike looked at Dawn's unblemished hands.
"I don't know, I'm getting that ointment." Buffy went to the bathroom.
Willow had been quiet until Buffy left, "Let me get a cold cloth for you." She went to
the sink, avoiding the glass on the floor, grabbed a dishtowel and ran cold water on it. She looked
out the window and
noticed someone standing in the back of the yard the face was unmistakable
as the woman raised a hand and waved, "Tara?" Willow said softly.
"Did you say something?" Dawn asked as she took the wet cloth from her.
"Uh...no. I'm sorry I better go. I hope you feel better Spike." Willow walked towards
the backdoor.
Buffy came into the kitchen with the ointment as Willow was leaving, "You going
Willow?"
"Yeah, I better get home, parents worry easy now. Thanks for dinner." Willow
spoke quickly as she opened the back door. She scanned the back yard and
even called out very softly, "Tara" No one answered though and she shakily made
her way back home. Something was wrong, very wrong.
"Here let me put this on those blisters." Buffy said soothingly as she applied the cool ointment to
his damaged hands. "This looks terrible, what could have happened?"
"I don't know, pet." Spike sighed, "But I promise I wasn't trying to get out of doing the dishes." He gave
her a smirk, he could sense her worry and wanted to ease it for her. "I'll be okay."
Dawn knelt on the floor with a brush and dustpan cleaning up the broken glass. "I'll take this out to the
trash can."
"Okay, thanks for cleaning that up." Buffy patted Dawn's arm as she left the kitchen.
Dawn took the dustpan to the trashcan and dumped the broken glass into it. She noticed something shining
in the moonlight in front of the trashcan and knelt to pick it up. It was a bottle labeled 'holy water' and the
price tag from the Magic Box was still attached. She took the bottle back into the house with her.
"Guys - I found this out by the trashcan." She sat the bottle on the countertop.
"Holy water? Why? Spike you don't think someone came in and poured that in your dishwater do you?"
Buffy looked thoughtful as she added, "Who would have done that?"
Spike frowned, "I don't know, pet." A thought appeared in his head and he didn't like it at all.
Dawn however voiced it for him, "Buffy.......why did Willow go out the back door?"
****
Buffy's eyes widened at Dawn's words, "Dawn you don't think that...." She looked
at Spike his hands covered in a light gauze bandage over the burn ointment, "Spike?"
Dawn shook her head at her sister, "Buffy it makes sense she got a drink of water
in the kitchen, left when Spike got hurt...she went out" Dawn nodded towards the back door.
Spike held up his hand to Dawn, "Enough Dawn.I don't know what to think, Buffy."
He replied quietly, "I think we've had enough excitement for one night, I'm going to
bed."
Dawn grumbled, "Fine. Let's not talk about it...now anyway. I'm going to my room."
"Guess I'll do these dishes." Buffy sighed, "I'll be upstairs when I'm done."
Spike nodded at her and left the kitchen. Dawn said goodnight and left Buffy alone
with the dirty dishes. She ran new dishwater and washed the dishes going over
what had happened in her head over and over again. Surely Willow didn't have
anything to do with what happened - she seemed like the old Willow. On the
other hand - Spike didn't need to feel
like she was choosing Willow over him. She dried her hands, checked the
back door and went upstairs.
Spike was lying in the bed wide awake, he didn't want to believe that Willow would
hurt him like that. But he was wary of the witch and although he had been sincere
about giving her a second chance he had also been very serious about keeping
an eye on her. He winced as he moved his hand from under the pillow, the
bandage was rubbing the burns.
Buffy stuck her head in Dawn's room, "Goodnight, Dawnie. I love you."
Dawn gave a halfhearted goodnight then softened and added, "Love you too."
Buffy entered the bedroom quietly and closed the door behind her, "You still
awake?" She asked as she changed into her nightgown. Spike kept his
eyes tightly closed and didn't answer her. She went to brush her teeth and
came back to bed. "I know you're awake." She whispered as she pulled the
comforter around her.
"Don't want to argue." Spike finally replied.
"Didn't plan on arguing." Buffy smiled at him as she touched his face, "You
were wrong - we haven't had enough excitement tonight." She kissed him then
a long slow kiss.
"Yeah I'm incredibly sexy with these bandaged hands." He held up his hands
in front of her.
"You would be incredibly sexy in a full body cast.....and you know it." She kissed him
again this time more urgently.
"Can't use my hands..." He grumbled as he kissed her back.
"Then you'll have to think of something else...." She laughed softly as he ran kisses
down her neck on onto her shoulder.
"Think I can manage." He finally smiled at her.
*****
Willow's mind raced all the way home at every stop sign she looked out anxiously
expecting to see Tara. No, no it couldn't be Tara. Her mind was playing tricks on
her that what it was. She would go home and climb in the bed - go straight to sleep
and ignore the feeling that she was losing her mind. Concentrate Willow - Tara is
gone and she's not coming back.
Amy watched from the street as Willow's bedroom light went off. She was through
with her for the night. The look on Willow's face through Buffy's kitchen window had
been worth the risk of going in the house. Spike's pain - that was a bonus she could
tell how miserable his hurting made Buffy. And she deserved it - they all deserved
it. Let her be a rat for more years then she wanted to remember then when she
came back deserted her because of her association with Rack. Then Rack had
refused to see her anymore because she had driven Willow away from him. Her
life had gone downhill and they were all going to pay for her misery with their own.
TBC