TRUE INTENTIONS
3
It had taken a lot of doing on Willow's part, but she had managed to do it. She had managed to drag Spike from out of the rays of the sun and into Xander's bedroom. Then she took off the curtain from him and tossed it aside. She had already closed the curtains in the bedroom, but she hoped that she could finish what she intended to do before he regained consciousness. She found some extension cords that Xander wasn't using and she used one to tie Spike's arms behind his back.
It was not an easy task. Especially with an injured arm. She had to retie and double check her knots. Once she was satisfied, she waited.
Spike came to and he said, "Bloody hell."
"G-get up, Spike," Willow told him.
Spike sat up and looked at her. "Willow...what are you doing?!"
Willow wasn't in the mood to be nice any more. Her eyes were red from crying, her arm hurt like hell, and she was scared that she was going to lose Xander. In spite of all of that, she really did want to help Spike, but she wished he would at least be a little more cooperative.
"Get on your feet," she said again.
He looked at her. The fight suddenly left him. Willow looked so tired, so sad...and he was at fault. Why didn't he just end it back at the cave? Why did he have to come back to Sunnydale?
He rose to his feet.
"Get on the bed," Willow ordered.
Spike looked at her. "What?"
"Oh, please...Just do it."
Spike watched her as he sat on the bed and put his feet up. He laid back down and let out a sigh. "You happy now?"
Willow used the other cord to tie his feet together. It was tricky and it was painful on her arm, but she managed. She tugged experimentally on her knots and was satisfied that he wouldn't get loose.
She looked at him. "Please behave."
Spike just looked at her.
"Xander will be back soon...I-I have to tell him." She let out a sigh. "Don't make it worst than it already is."
"Willow...let me go and I'll be out of all of your lives."
"It's not that simple, and you know it."
"But it is!" he argued.
She shook her head. Then she stepped out of the room, closed the door behind her and she leaned back against the wall. She slid down into a sitting position and cried to herself. ________________________
It was a few hours later.
Willow was sitting up on the sofa with her feet stretched out before her.
She heard people approaching the door, and that meant that Xander was returning. But he wasn't returning alone. If he had been alone, she thought that maybe she could have had a chance to talk to him, but now this only complicated things.
She listened.
Then she closed her eyes as she heard Buffy's voice, and then Dawn's.
Things had just become a lot more complicated.
The door opened and in walked Xander, Buffy, and Dawn.
"Hey, guess who I ran into--" Xander began, and then he saw the broken table and the curtains lying on the floor of his apartment. "--as I was coming home?" He looked at Willow. He hurried over to her and knelt beside her. "Will, are you okay? What happened?"
Willow glanced at Buffy and Dawn as they approached, looks of concern on their faces. She looked into Xander's eyes and she leaned closer to him. Her voice was trembling. "Please," she whispered, "just tell me that y- you'll forgive me and everything will be all right."
Dawn tried to hear what she was saying. "What? Willow--"
Buffy raised a hand. She had heard.
Xander regarded Willow. "Hey...what kind of talk is this? Forgive you? For what?"
"I don't want to lose you," she told him.
He shook his head. "You won't." He held her hand in both of his. "Tell me what happened."
Willow glanced at Buffy. "I-I invited Spike in."
Xander's eyes widened. "You did what?"
"I invited Spike in and I tried to help him."
Buffy sat down beside Willow and she shook her head. "Willow, you shouldn't have let Spike in! He doesn't want any help." She looked around the room. "Ohmigod! He attacked you!"
"Willow, are you okay?" Dawn asked.
Xander ran his hand through Willow's hair as he brought his face close to hers. "How did it happen, Will? Did Spike manage to convince you to let him in after I left you this morning? After he attacked you, where did he go?"
She paused. "Spike didn't attack me, Xander."
Xander frowned. "He...didn't?"
She shook her head.
"Then...what happened?" Buffy asked.
"I attacked him."
They looked at her.
"You attacked Spike?" Xander asked incredulous.
Willow nodded. Then everything came out from her beginning with her walk to the bluff and ending with their fight in the apartment. She didn't tell them about tying up Spike...at least not at the moment.
"But I don't understand," Dawn said softly. "Willow, after all the things that Spike has done...and what he tried to do to my sister...how could you let him in?"
Willow looked at Buffy. "Spike has had his soul restored to him."
The room got very quiet. Xander looked at Willow. "Are you sure about this?"
She nodded. "He was going to die, Xander. I-I couldn't let him do it without trying to save him."
Xander surprised her by giving her a kiss. Then he smiled wryly at her. "I should take more lessons from you, Willow. You are the most compassionate person I know."
"You're...you're not mad?"
He shook his head. "No. I am worried, though. There's no telling what Spike will do if we don't find him. Where did he go after he left here?"
Willow hesitated, "Spike...didn't leave." She paused. "He couldn't have."
"If he didn't leave," Buffy began, "then where is he?"
Willow pointed to the closed door to Xander's bedroom. Xander walked over to it, he opened it and he looked inside. For a moment, he just stood there with his back turned toward Buffy, Dawn, and Willow. But finally, he closed the door and slowly turned around.
He looked at Willow.
He shook his head, and blinked his eyes.
Then he turned around and opened the door again as if to confirm what his eyes had told him what he had seen the first time. He looked...and he looked. And he closed the door again.
He looked at Willow.
"What is it, Xander?" Dawn asked, brimming with curiosity.
Xander opened his mouth to tell her...but then all he could do was fall on the floor and laugh his fool ass off. Buffy and Dawn stared at him as Willow looked on with concern. But then she started to smile.
Buffy went over to Xander and tried to help him up, but he just waved her off and got to his feet. Then he looked at Willow and he fell down laughing again. Dawn couldn't help it. She began to laugh, too. She didn't know what was so funny but she laughed because it was infectious laughter.
Buffy opened the bedroom door and then she looked inside Xander's room.
Spike's voice from inside could be heard saying, "I don't see what's so bleeding funny out there."
Buffy snorted. Then she closed the door and fell on the floor beside Xander laughing hysterically. There were tears coming from Xander and Buffy, they were laughing so hard.
Dawn ran over to the door and she opened it. She blinked in surprise. "Spike?"
"It's not really that funny, you know," he said from inside the room.
Dawn saw the vampire tied up and lying on the bed and she burst out laughing, too. She left the door open. Willow hadn't moved from the couch, but she was laughing now, too. She mostly felt relieved that Xander wasn't going to leave her.
Xander got to the couch and pulled himself up as he looked at Willow. "My...my one-armed fiancée'!" he exclaimed. "She-she tied up Spike!"
Buffy laughed. "'Hey, Spike! I can take you with one arm tied behind my back!'" She slapped the floor. "Willow..." She couldn't go on because she couldn't stop laughing.
Willow watched her friends and the man that she loved. She was glad they were laughing. It looked good on them. She waited for the laughter to subside and when it did, she found Xander regarding her with curiosity.
"How did you do it, Will?" he asked. "Giles said the magic was gone, so how did you do it? How did you knock him out and tie him up like that?"
Willow hesitated. "I-I owe you a new frying pan."
He grinned at her.
"Oh...a-and a new table."
"We'll pick out a new table together, or better yet, I'll make you one myself."
She smiled.
He shook his head, amazed. "But you tied up Spike all by yourself." He gently put his hand on her cast. "The strain must have been painful on your arm."
"I took some advil. I-I'm fine." She looked up at him. "But...what do we do about Spike now?"
Xander turned to look at Buffy. "I don't really know. What do you think, Buffy?"
Buffy looked at Dawn. "I don't know. We need to call Giles and Anya and tell them what happened. One thing is for sure...Now that Spike has a soul, things are different."
"Ted Bundy had a soul."
"Xander..." Willow said softly.
Xander turned to look at her.
She hesitated. "If...if Spike had wanted to kill me, he would have done it on the bluff where I found him. But the only one he was interested in killing was himself." She paused. "Spike feels pain, Xander. I-I saw it in his eyes. I-I recognized it."
"Will...what do you think we should do?"
"I-I think we should help him. I think we should give him the same chance that we gave Angel."
Buffy looked at Willow and nodded. "I think you're right."
Dawn nodded. "Me, too."
"Well, that's all bloody marvelous!" called Spike from the bedroom. "Since you've all agreed to help me, could you start by untying me?" There was a pause. "And please...a little less laughter."
But they couldn't help it. The laughter began again.
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TO BE CONTINUED--
3
It had taken a lot of doing on Willow's part, but she had managed to do it. She had managed to drag Spike from out of the rays of the sun and into Xander's bedroom. Then she took off the curtain from him and tossed it aside. She had already closed the curtains in the bedroom, but she hoped that she could finish what she intended to do before he regained consciousness. She found some extension cords that Xander wasn't using and she used one to tie Spike's arms behind his back.
It was not an easy task. Especially with an injured arm. She had to retie and double check her knots. Once she was satisfied, she waited.
Spike came to and he said, "Bloody hell."
"G-get up, Spike," Willow told him.
Spike sat up and looked at her. "Willow...what are you doing?!"
Willow wasn't in the mood to be nice any more. Her eyes were red from crying, her arm hurt like hell, and she was scared that she was going to lose Xander. In spite of all of that, she really did want to help Spike, but she wished he would at least be a little more cooperative.
"Get on your feet," she said again.
He looked at her. The fight suddenly left him. Willow looked so tired, so sad...and he was at fault. Why didn't he just end it back at the cave? Why did he have to come back to Sunnydale?
He rose to his feet.
"Get on the bed," Willow ordered.
Spike looked at her. "What?"
"Oh, please...Just do it."
Spike watched her as he sat on the bed and put his feet up. He laid back down and let out a sigh. "You happy now?"
Willow used the other cord to tie his feet together. It was tricky and it was painful on her arm, but she managed. She tugged experimentally on her knots and was satisfied that he wouldn't get loose.
She looked at him. "Please behave."
Spike just looked at her.
"Xander will be back soon...I-I have to tell him." She let out a sigh. "Don't make it worst than it already is."
"Willow...let me go and I'll be out of all of your lives."
"It's not that simple, and you know it."
"But it is!" he argued.
She shook her head. Then she stepped out of the room, closed the door behind her and she leaned back against the wall. She slid down into a sitting position and cried to herself. ________________________
It was a few hours later.
Willow was sitting up on the sofa with her feet stretched out before her.
She heard people approaching the door, and that meant that Xander was returning. But he wasn't returning alone. If he had been alone, she thought that maybe she could have had a chance to talk to him, but now this only complicated things.
She listened.
Then she closed her eyes as she heard Buffy's voice, and then Dawn's.
Things had just become a lot more complicated.
The door opened and in walked Xander, Buffy, and Dawn.
"Hey, guess who I ran into--" Xander began, and then he saw the broken table and the curtains lying on the floor of his apartment. "--as I was coming home?" He looked at Willow. He hurried over to her and knelt beside her. "Will, are you okay? What happened?"
Willow glanced at Buffy and Dawn as they approached, looks of concern on their faces. She looked into Xander's eyes and she leaned closer to him. Her voice was trembling. "Please," she whispered, "just tell me that y- you'll forgive me and everything will be all right."
Dawn tried to hear what she was saying. "What? Willow--"
Buffy raised a hand. She had heard.
Xander regarded Willow. "Hey...what kind of talk is this? Forgive you? For what?"
"I don't want to lose you," she told him.
He shook his head. "You won't." He held her hand in both of his. "Tell me what happened."
Willow glanced at Buffy. "I-I invited Spike in."
Xander's eyes widened. "You did what?"
"I invited Spike in and I tried to help him."
Buffy sat down beside Willow and she shook her head. "Willow, you shouldn't have let Spike in! He doesn't want any help." She looked around the room. "Ohmigod! He attacked you!"
"Willow, are you okay?" Dawn asked.
Xander ran his hand through Willow's hair as he brought his face close to hers. "How did it happen, Will? Did Spike manage to convince you to let him in after I left you this morning? After he attacked you, where did he go?"
She paused. "Spike didn't attack me, Xander."
Xander frowned. "He...didn't?"
She shook her head.
"Then...what happened?" Buffy asked.
"I attacked him."
They looked at her.
"You attacked Spike?" Xander asked incredulous.
Willow nodded. Then everything came out from her beginning with her walk to the bluff and ending with their fight in the apartment. She didn't tell them about tying up Spike...at least not at the moment.
"But I don't understand," Dawn said softly. "Willow, after all the things that Spike has done...and what he tried to do to my sister...how could you let him in?"
Willow looked at Buffy. "Spike has had his soul restored to him."
The room got very quiet. Xander looked at Willow. "Are you sure about this?"
She nodded. "He was going to die, Xander. I-I couldn't let him do it without trying to save him."
Xander surprised her by giving her a kiss. Then he smiled wryly at her. "I should take more lessons from you, Willow. You are the most compassionate person I know."
"You're...you're not mad?"
He shook his head. "No. I am worried, though. There's no telling what Spike will do if we don't find him. Where did he go after he left here?"
Willow hesitated, "Spike...didn't leave." She paused. "He couldn't have."
"If he didn't leave," Buffy began, "then where is he?"
Willow pointed to the closed door to Xander's bedroom. Xander walked over to it, he opened it and he looked inside. For a moment, he just stood there with his back turned toward Buffy, Dawn, and Willow. But finally, he closed the door and slowly turned around.
He looked at Willow.
He shook his head, and blinked his eyes.
Then he turned around and opened the door again as if to confirm what his eyes had told him what he had seen the first time. He looked...and he looked. And he closed the door again.
He looked at Willow.
"What is it, Xander?" Dawn asked, brimming with curiosity.
Xander opened his mouth to tell her...but then all he could do was fall on the floor and laugh his fool ass off. Buffy and Dawn stared at him as Willow looked on with concern. But then she started to smile.
Buffy went over to Xander and tried to help him up, but he just waved her off and got to his feet. Then he looked at Willow and he fell down laughing again. Dawn couldn't help it. She began to laugh, too. She didn't know what was so funny but she laughed because it was infectious laughter.
Buffy opened the bedroom door and then she looked inside Xander's room.
Spike's voice from inside could be heard saying, "I don't see what's so bleeding funny out there."
Buffy snorted. Then she closed the door and fell on the floor beside Xander laughing hysterically. There were tears coming from Xander and Buffy, they were laughing so hard.
Dawn ran over to the door and she opened it. She blinked in surprise. "Spike?"
"It's not really that funny, you know," he said from inside the room.
Dawn saw the vampire tied up and lying on the bed and she burst out laughing, too. She left the door open. Willow hadn't moved from the couch, but she was laughing now, too. She mostly felt relieved that Xander wasn't going to leave her.
Xander got to the couch and pulled himself up as he looked at Willow. "My...my one-armed fiancée'!" he exclaimed. "She-she tied up Spike!"
Buffy laughed. "'Hey, Spike! I can take you with one arm tied behind my back!'" She slapped the floor. "Willow..." She couldn't go on because she couldn't stop laughing.
Willow watched her friends and the man that she loved. She was glad they were laughing. It looked good on them. She waited for the laughter to subside and when it did, she found Xander regarding her with curiosity.
"How did you do it, Will?" he asked. "Giles said the magic was gone, so how did you do it? How did you knock him out and tie him up like that?"
Willow hesitated. "I-I owe you a new frying pan."
He grinned at her.
"Oh...a-and a new table."
"We'll pick out a new table together, or better yet, I'll make you one myself."
She smiled.
He shook his head, amazed. "But you tied up Spike all by yourself." He gently put his hand on her cast. "The strain must have been painful on your arm."
"I took some advil. I-I'm fine." She looked up at him. "But...what do we do about Spike now?"
Xander turned to look at Buffy. "I don't really know. What do you think, Buffy?"
Buffy looked at Dawn. "I don't know. We need to call Giles and Anya and tell them what happened. One thing is for sure...Now that Spike has a soul, things are different."
"Ted Bundy had a soul."
"Xander..." Willow said softly.
Xander turned to look at her.
She hesitated. "If...if Spike had wanted to kill me, he would have done it on the bluff where I found him. But the only one he was interested in killing was himself." She paused. "Spike feels pain, Xander. I-I saw it in his eyes. I-I recognized it."
"Will...what do you think we should do?"
"I-I think we should help him. I think we should give him the same chance that we gave Angel."
Buffy looked at Willow and nodded. "I think you're right."
Dawn nodded. "Me, too."
"Well, that's all bloody marvelous!" called Spike from the bedroom. "Since you've all agreed to help me, could you start by untying me?" There was a pause. "And please...a little less laughter."
But they couldn't help it. The laughter began again.
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TO BE CONTINUED--