Substitute

Substitute

Willow and Tara moved about the kitchen, smoothly trading places and handing things to one another. Tara hummed along to the radio as they fixed breakfast.

Their easy synchronicity was broken when the basement door opened and slammed shut. Buffy darted down the hall and up the stairs without even a good morning for the two witches.

"Were those the same cloths she was wearing last night?" Tara asked.

"Yep," Willow confirmed happily. Buffy's finally back in the dating game."

Half an hour later Buffy came back downstairs dressed for work.

"So…" Willow began.

Buffy blushed bright red. "I've got things waiting at work, can't waste time talking," she said grabbing up a bagel and escaping out the back door.

"That was highly informative," Tara commented.

"They had sex," Willow announced. "I wonder if I should get another Orb of Thusala, just in case Angel was wrong about the curse being fixed for Spike too."

"I really don't think Angel would be wrong about something like that," Tara commented. "Not given what you've told me."

A few hours later Spike emerged from the basement and slumped into a chair in the kitchen.

"So, tell me all about it," Willow demanded leaning over the back of his chair. "We saw where Buffy spent the night."

"Can I have some hot chocolate?" Spike asked Tara.

"Come on," Willow pestered. "You and Buffy tested out the new and improved version of the curse last night. Are you two going steady now, or just seeing each other?"

"The curse wasn't in any danger of breaking," Spike said unhappily.

"Oh," Willow sounded disappointed. "Did you guys just talk all night or something? Cause that'd be good too. Better than good really, because communication is the basis any healthy relationship."

"We had sex," Spike said. "But the part where she said the wrong name made it something other than perfect. I am so sick of being his stand-in!"

"That really sucks," Dawn said coming in with the mail. "We all got matching letters."

"Dawnie!" Spike exclaimed in consternation.

"What? Everyone at school says it," Dawn replied. "It's not like I'm swearing in British, so you don't have to get all guilty or anything. I can get plenty corrupted without any help from you."

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Spike asked.

"Parent-teacher day," Dawn shrugged dealing out the heavy cream-colored envelopes.

"So Buffy's still missing Riley, even after all this time" Willow asked Spike sympathetically.

Spike stared at her in disbelief. "Try a name a little closer to the beginning of the alphabet," he said.

"Angel," Willow sighed. "She should have told him she was back among the living."

"That's weird, Buffy didn't get a letter," Dawn commented.

Willow opened hers, "Oh my goddess, Cordelia's getting married… to the Grooselog."