Tara hovers on the threshold of the crypt, watches as Buffy crawls out of a hole in the floor followed by Spike.
He looks the same as he always does, except for a bit of blood caked into his hair.
He smiles at her.
"Glinda. Good of you to make a house call."
She nods, putting a heavy bag down on top of a coffin.
"Uuh, so Bu-Buffy said that something is... I'm not sure if possessing is the- uh right word?"
"Is it possessing if it's yourself?" He finds a packet of cigarettes on top of the tv and lights one.
"Your... old self?"
"Yeah. It's getting a little crowded in here."
Tara starts unpacking things from her bag; bottles of sand, matches, a small vial of what looks like oil, candles.
"Buffy said that uh... it said you were trying to cast it out?"
Spike nods.
"Did it say anything else?"
He takes a drag of his cigarette.
"Yeah but it's a bit fuzzy now. Can't rightly recall any of it."
"He said something about a spark."
They both turn to Buffy, who's standing with her arms folded leaning against a pillar. Spike cocks an eyebrow at her.
"You saw William again?"
She meets his eyes, fear spilling out of hers.
"When?"
"Just now."
He glances towards the hole.
"What did he say?"
"He said... The spark pushes it back."
"It said 'spark'? That's the word it used?"
"Yes."
Tara looks at Spike then, full of worry. He returns her look, both of them frozen to the spot.
"What?" Buffy moves off the pillar. "What is it?"
"When- when a demon says spark-"
"Glinda." Spike shakes his head. There's a moment where it seems Spike is silently pleading with Tara, the air charged with unsaid words.
"What aren't you telling me?" Buffy moves further in. Spike sighs, pulls on his cigarette.
Tara turns to Buffy.
"When a demon... says spark... they- they uh.. they mean ...soul."
Spike winces at the word, won't meet Buffy's eyes.
"That's impossible though? I mean, without someone, like, magicking it back, right?" Buffy asks.
"Right. Which means someone could be uh- inflicting it on Spike. But I don't know why they...," she pauses, casting a glance to Spike, "it's a fairly easy spell to prove though."
She digs in her bag and finds a stub of chalk.
On the crypt of the floor she draws a rough map. As the squares come together Buffy recognises it as the graveyard, with Spike's crypt in the centre. She lights 4 candles and places them at the edge of the map.
"It's a finder spell. It doesn't work on demons, just for finding people...uh... souls. You- you can use it to hone in on one person specifically but I need something of yours Spike."
"Like what?"
"Anything, just as long as it belongs to you."
He fishes down in his pocket, and passes her his silver lighter. She takes it. Kneeling down on the floor she puts the lighter down in front of her, pours a handful of sand out into her left hand, puts her right hand first finger on the lighter and closes her eyes. She mutters something under her breath and blows the sand across the map.
They hold their breath.
Nothing happens.
Spike visibly relaxes, letting out a long breath.
"What does that mean?" Buffy asks.
"It means that Spike- oh..." Tara looks up at Spike holding the lighter up, "Did... did this belong to William?"
He wrinkles his brow.
"No?"
"Do you have anything that did?"
Spike stiffens, jaw clenching. Without saying a word he stamps out his cigarette and climbs back down the hole.
There's a couple of clattering thumps down below, and silence for a long time. When Spike finally climbs out of the hole his eyes look glassy.
He stands in front of Tara, opens his hand. In it is a small gold wedding ring.
Tara takes it carefully, pours more sand into her hand. Spike moves back, leaning against the coffin. Tara places a finger on the rim of the ring, re-centres her knees, and blows the sand out.
There's a soft sort of fizzing sound as the sand seems to react to the concrete in the crypt.
Softly... flickering.. a small light kindles in the chalk outline of the crypt. It blinks on and off, like a badly connect florescent light.
"Oh God." Spike mumbles, eyes fixed to the light.
Tears spill down Buffy's face, "Spike... how-"
"OH GOD-" The light flares violently, filling the cave with a harsh burning brilliance. "BUFFY!" Spike screams as the light blinds them, they shield their eyes, the inside of their eyelids glowing red, trying to shut out the light.
Did you...
There's a wet gasping voice in the light. Buffy tries to open her eyes but the blinding brilliance seals her eyes shut.
Did you think you could... cast me out.
"Spike!"
Heaven's hands... lighting a spark... try to burn me out.
Oh God, that voice.
Try to burn me-
With a hand covering her eyes Tara sweeps a leg, scattering the candles. As they sputter out the light flickers and dies, leaving them in the gloom of the crypt.
Tara packs her bag, the three of them silent.
"I'll uh.. I'll head to the Magic Box. See if I can find out what's causing this," she zips the bag and hoists it onto her shoulders, "I'll call tonight? If- if I find something out I'll call sooner." She holds her hand out, Spike's ring lying in her palm. "It's not permanent yet. Whatever's making it happen, it's not fully formed."
Spike has yet to meet anyone's glance, but takes the ring from her hand and tucks it into a pocket.
Tara shuts the crypt door behind her, disappearing into the light of the mornings.
Once they're alone Buffy moves to Spike's side.
"Are you... ok?"
"No."
He hoists himself up on top of the coffin.
"When you saw... me... did-," he shakes his head, resting it in his hands.
"Spike... having a soul-"
"Is a burden Buffy." He looks up at her then, "the things I've done. The people I've-...," he bites his lip, shutting his eyes, pinching them trying to push back tears, "it's a curse. When they forced Angel's back in-..."
"I know."
"No, you don't."
She leans her head against his. Feels him relax a little.
He winds his hands round her back, pushing his hand up under the shirt to get to her skin. She does the same. Skin on skin. He rests his head on her shoulder.
"Spike... your soul. Angel's... his left when-"
"I know, pet."
She swallows hard, tears falling down her face.
"If you lost yours?"
"I'd still love you, Buffy. Nothing would change."