The Devil And All His Works
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters are copyrighted (c)20th Century Fox, Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and the WB, and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Dedicated: as usual to Cait who makes me write these stories. (So blame her!) And to Julio C for the supportive emails that make me want to continue writing.
And to a friend who keeps putting a smile on my face when I'm trying really hard to think sad. (Won't make you blush here, but you know who you are)
Grateful thanks to Alan for his suggestions and his help and to Amz, Bolo, eojt, Jeanny and Zille for their reviews and encouragment.
A/N Any comments can be sent to
Geemagicspell@hotmail.com
Chapter Four
Faith hated having to sit and wait. All of her Slayer senses were alive with tension and she wanted nothing more than to rush into the cavern, taking all of them by surprise and killing as many as she could. She was a Slayer after all, and that was her job, her life, and her reasons for being. But, as she sat there silently, her hand gently tapping against her knee as the only indication of her restlessness, her feelings were in turmoil.
She hated to see Xander upset and, although she could recognise the sense in the argument that Xander had to be the one to go, she was no fool after all, she could see how he had been hurt by it. Her initial anger at Buffy and Giles had dissipated and she knew that they held him in high regard. She had heard them praise him many times, both in and out of his hearing. She realised that a great deal of her anger had been because Xander was leaving to get Willow.
She felt a sudden flash of jealousy at the thought. Damn it, she was actually getting to like Willow! She was impressed by the witch's loyalty to her friends, her determination, her high regard for and fierce protectiveness of Xander. She was happy to accept Willow as Xander's friend, but not as his girlfriend. Faith could only see one person in that role - herself!
She suddenly became aware that someone was watching her and looked up to see Spike, leaning against the wall across the width of the path from her, his eyes boring into her. She blushed at the intensity of his gaze and looked down at the ground, embarrassed. It had been a long time since Faith had blushed.
Spike grinned as he watched her. He had seen the colour flooding into her cheeks and had been pleased by her reaction to him. He was sure that Faith was not the kind of girl to blush easily and he took that as a sign that he was having some effect on her. He watched as she looked down and away from the intensity of his gaze. He took that as a good sign and he prided himself on knowing quite a lot about women, after all he had lived a long time and he had known quite a few. The grin faded from his face as a vision of Dru suddenly popped into his head, driving away all thoughts of the dark haired Slayer in front of him.
Buffy's thoughts were divided. She was wrestling with the guilt that Faith's words had brought her and with the concern that she felt for Giles. She was constantly aware that Xander felt that he had so much less to contribute than the others and tried to bolster his ego on every occasion that she could. She was also aware that her earlier attitude to him had caused a great deal of the problem. But things had changed. Since Xander had begun training with them she had noticed a marked improvement in his fighting abilities.
Of course her own feelings had also changed. She had come to appreciate him so much more. She recognised that without his unquestioning loyalty and support she would have died long ago. Then she thought about the day that she did die and he brought her back, even when Angel had given up, thinking her lost. And now she was torn. She wanted him to be happy and, if he was happy with Willow then so be it. But she wanted so much for him to be happy with her.
A sudden movement from Giles drew her attention as he got stiffly to his feet. He shook his head at her questioning glance.
"Had to get up. The floor's too hard to sit comfortably."
She nodded and watched him carefully from the corner of her eye. He looked years older than he had earlier that day and she realised once again what a toll this was taking on him.
She had never thought about it before but now she began to think about what a short lived career a Watcher usually had.
No Slayer had ever lived as long as she, which meant that no Watcher had ever had the responsibility of looking after one for such a length of time. Of course Giles was no longer officially her Watcher but that was how she thought of him. And, of course, so much more than that - friend, confidant and surrogate father. She made a silent pledge that she would do everything that she could to look after him.
Giles, for his part, felt old and brittle. His bones ached from the cold and the discomfort and his head ached from trying to think what Dru and Ethan might be planning. It was all too much. He wondered vaguely why he was feeling quite this bad, then dismissed the thought, peering at his watch in the fading light of the torch and wondering what was taking Xander so long.
Xander put out his hand as Oz walked towards him. He forced a grin onto his face as the other took his hand. "So, how was Sierra Leone?"
"Hot."
"Oh. Right. Well, good to have you back."
Even as the words left his mouth Xander almost choked on his insincerity. It was so not good to have him back. He could hardly bear to look at Willow as he wondered how much Oz knew about their relationship, that's if they still had a relationship now that Oz was back.
He pulled himself together quickly and told them of the situation back at the Hellmouth.
Willow grabbed the books that Giles had requested and added a few of her own. Oz took some, as did Xander, and they were ready to go.
Oz reached out his free hand to Willow, taking her hand in his, a gesture that was not lost on Xander. He closed his eyes momentarily, trying to block it out of his head but it didn't work. He avoided Willow's eyes as they ran through the semidarkness, not wanting to face her, to see the look in her face that would tell him that it was all over now that Oz was back again.
Willow was close to tears. She had tried to catch Xander's eye to let him know that she was sorry about the things she had said to him and that she hadn't had a chance to tell Oz about them yet.
When Oz had turned up on the doorstep unexpectedly he had pulled her into a sudden hug and she could think of no way of pulling away from him without hurting him, and that was something she did not think that she was capable of. He had gently touched his hand to her face and told her how much he had missed her as she struggled to find the words to tell him that she was now with Xander. A struggle that she had lost.
Oz felt the softness of Willow's hand contained within his own. He smiled as he glanced at her running beside him. He had missed her so much. He had left Sunnydale for two reasons; the first was his fervent desire to find a cure. The second was Willow. He owed her the chance to make things right with Tara. After all it was because of him that things had begun to go wrong.
When the Council had managed to get hold of him and told him that Tara had moved away a tiny spark of hope had been ignited. Despite the guilt he had felt at having caused Tara's condition he now knew that Willow and Tara were no longer together, leaving the way open so that he could tell Willow how much he wanted to be with her. And that was something that he fully intended to do, the first opportunity he was given.
And, as the three of them ran through the rapidly approaching night together, the earth gave a number of slight rumbling tremors, as if to remind them of the urgency of their mission. Despite lungs burning from the want of air they quickened their footsteps. It was not long before they reached the ruined school and dropped down into the hole leading to the Hellmouth.
They made rapid progress along the path, soon reaching the place where the others anxiously awaited them. Spike was the first to glimpse the thin beam of light making its way toward them. The change in his demeanour alerted Faith who had been furtively observing him, very much aware that his eyes had been almost continually focussed on her.
They were all surprised to see Oz. Although they had been told that Tara was to arrive later that night they had not been given any idea when to expect him and had expected it to be later, rather than sooner than her arrival. Both Buffy and Faith noticed that Oz was holding Willow's hand and wondered about it.
Faith, never one to let a good opportunity go by, immediately put her arm through Xanders, leaving Buffy seething with anger. Xander, however, gave her a grateful smile and patted her arm before pulling gently away from her.
Giles had seized one of the books that they had put down on the ground and was trying to flick quietly through the pages, scanning them by torchlight.
"What are you looking for?" Willow asked him, as she pulled away from Oz with an apologetic smile and went over to him, trying to read the book while peering over his shoulder.
"I'm trying to find something that might work against the golems, something that will destroy all of them. There are too many of them to fight against."
Willow nodded thoughtfully and picked up another of the books, gently turning the yellowed pages as she looked through it.
"What's been happening?" Oz asked Buffy. "There were a couple of tremors as we were getting here."
Buffy nodded. "I took a peek. Dru and Ethan are still there, and so are those mud things." She looked over to where Giles and Willow were standing. "Giles is trying to work out how to kill the golems, then we can go in and find out."
"Tara's not here yet?"
"No, she's coming later tonight. We didn't know you'd get here so quickly."
Oz glanced over at Willow. "I had unfinished business."
Buffy caught a glimpse of Xander's face as he heard Oz's remark and her heart sank at the expression of misery that flashed briefly across his face before he had time to conceal it.
Xander wandered away from Buffy and Oz, turning his attention to Giles.
"Need any help?" He asked him.
Giles glared at him. "Why would we need help? We have twenty animated mud monsters that we can't kill and a pile of books to go through to try and find an answer to what is happening and how to deal with it."
Xander nodded and picked up a book. "Okay G-man, no need to blow a fuse."
Giles bit back his usual retort and turned his attention back to his book.
"So, what are we looking for?" Xander whispered to Willow.
"Anything to do with golems and how to kill them."
Xander nodded. "We can't hose them down and hope they ooze away?"
Giles didn't bother to reply. He glared at Xander and pushed his glasses back from where they had slid forward on his nose, then began looking through the pages once again.
Spike had not moved from his position leaning against the wall. His eyes narrowed as he observed the situation unfolding in front of him. He looked at Faith and watched as her eyes followed Xander. He saw Buffy and Oz speaking together while Oz stole glances at Willow. He frowned as he observed Giles leafing almost frantically through his books. Finally, with a muted sigh, he reached a decision, and strode purposefully toward Buffy.
"Look here, Blondie, this is getting us nowhere. How about I just go down there and ask them what the bloody hell is going on?"
Buffy stared at him, her face showing her inner conflict. Spike had proven again and again how much he could be trusted and she felt guilt at the sliver of distrust that she felt at his words. But then she also knew of the deep feelings that he had for Drusilla and how badly he wanted to be rid of the chip that so limited his actions. She looked over at Giles and saw him nod in answer to her unspoken question.
"It doesn't look like we have another choice." She admitted, grudgingly.
"Thanks for your confidence." Spike snorted, frowning at her as he spoke.
"We're all feeling the strain a little here, Spike. We know you can be trusted. You've proved it to us quite often enough."
Spike stared at Willow and the frown disappeared from his face as her words sunk in. "Right. Well, you should do by now."
Buffy nodded. "So what's your plan?"
"My plan? I thought I'd just go down there and ask them what's going on."
"Won't Dru be suspicious?"
Spike smiled. "She might be. But then, like you, she knows how much I want this bloody chip out of my head so I can go back to being..."
He stopped speaking as he saw the expression on Buffy's face and shrugged. "Well, I never made a secret of that now, did I?"
Buffy looked over at Giles again, waiting for him to confirm his decision but it was Xander who spoke. "I think he should do it."
Spike raised his eyebrows. "You do?"
Xander nodded. "Unless anyone has a better suggestion?"
Buffy shook her head.
"You saying you trust me?" Spike asked.
Xander grinned. "I wouldn't go that far. It's just the only way to find out what's going on."
Spike shrugged. "Well, here goes."
With a quick glance at Faith, Spike turned and walked away. The others watched as he disappeared around the corner.
Buffy sighed and picked up one of the books.
"Research is one thing, dark and smelly places are even worse, but research in a dark and smelly place really sucks." She peered at her watch in the dim light of the torch.
"Do we know what time Tara is due to arrive? Because someone ought to be at Giles' when she gets there."
There was silence for a moment.
"I should go." Oz volunteered.
He shrugged as everyone's eyes turned toward him. "It makes sense when you think about it."
Giles nodded and fished a set of keys out of his pocket, holding them out as Oz plucked them from his hand.
"Do you want me to come?" Willow offered, carefully avoiding Xanders' eyes as she spoke.
Oz shook his head. "You stay here. I won't be long."
He looked at Giles. "Should I bring her back here or leave her at your place?"
Giles thought for a moment before he replied. "I think she has more than enough to deal with at present. I don't think anything can be achieved by bringing her here."
Oz nodded, smiled briefly at Willow, then glanced at Xander. "Look after her for me?"
"Sure." Xander agreed, his eyes avoiding both of them, as Oz started back the way they had come. "Torch?" He asked, holding out a small flashlight.
Oz shook his head. "Don't need it. Wolf eyes," he explained with a smile, as he moved forward to be almost immediately swallowed by the darkness.
Spike made his way carefully down the stony pathway to where Dru and Ethan were standing, their backs toward him, peering down in to the hole in the ground. Despite his best efforts to be quiet he could see that he had already caught the attention of a couple of the golem guards, who turned their oddly sculptured faces silently toward him, alerted by the sound of his feet scuffling on the ground. He was surprised to see that they made no attempt to intercept him as he got nearer to his goal.
He was only a few yards from her when Dru straightened and turned around, her eyes narrowed with suspicion but a small, almost welcoming, smile appearing on her face.
"Spike!"
Oz quickly made his way back to Giles apartment, the keys jangling in his pocket as he ran. He had no idea what time Tara was due to arrive but he was anxious to be there when she did. He racked his brain trying to think of something to say to her. There was nothing to say, of course.
Sorry was something you said when you spilt a soda over someone, not when you ruined her life. There were no words that he could possibly say that would make this better, no consolation that he could give her, no reassurances that some day they might hope for a cure. He had tried to find a cure, and thought that he had, only for that hope to slip away. He would keep on trying, and now he had even more reason to do so.
He had travelled back to Sunnydale at the request of the Watcher's Council and one of the reasons for that was that he was responsible for the condition that Tara had found herself in.
But there was another reason.
Willow.
Every time he tried to separate himself from her he found it impossible. She was everywhere. In his thoughts, and in his dreams. She had accepted him and his condition when he thought that no one could and he loved her for it.
He had left her, thinking that he might endanger her, but now he knew that he could never leave her again. He was back ... back with his Willow. And he was back to stay.
As he drew nearer to Giles' apartment he could see that there was a car parked in front from which a figure was emerging. He could see that it was Tara, a large black suitcase grasped to her chest and hampering her movements as she clambered awkwardly out of the car. Oz paused, then took a deep breath and hurried on towards the car.
Tara looked around, her forehead creased in a frown, as she got out of the car. She recalled the times that she had been here, the times when she had accompanied Willow to meetings with her friends. She smiled fondly as she remembered how quickly Willows friends had become hers.
She remembered how Giles had done his utmost to put her at her ease, realising almost instinctively that she was someone who shared his affliction of intense shyness.
How Buffy had become a close and supportive friend once she got over her initial shock and realised how deeply Tara felt for Willow.
And how Xander had broken through her reserve with his constant quips and self depreciating humour.
Faith still scared her a little at times but Tara had come to think of her too as a friend. She had barely known Amy, just meeting her briefly before leaving to be with her family, but she thought that, given time, she could have made a good friend.
And then there was Oz. She shivered as she remembered the expression of sheer hatred on his face as he had raced towards her in the magic shop and the way that his teeth and claws had torn at her when he had eventually caught up with her. Buffy and Xander had tried to tell her that it had not been his fault, that it was the result of a spell.
But Tara knew the truth. Oz hated her, because she had taken his place with Willow. And when Willow had left her alone to care for Oz, Tara had finally recognised the truth, it was Oz that Willow truly loved.
And so she had done the only thing that she thought was left to her, gone back to her family, back to a father who controlled her actions so forcefully and so completely that she didn't have to think about what she was doing. She had handed over the control of her life to him and stopped thinking, stopped feeling.
Until the moon had wrought the change in her and only the speedy intervention of the Watcher's Council, who had had her under surveillance anticipating such an event, had kept her from tearing her father into small and bloody pieces.
Tara was roused from her thoughts by the murmur of the taxi driver as he waited impatiently for his payment. She placed the suitcase on the ground and fumbled in the pocket of her jacket for her money, carefully counting it into his hand and adding a hefty tip. She stood for a moment, watching as he thanked her, and then got quickly into the car and drove away.
It was then that she realised how vulnerable she was, just standing alone, in the dark, and in the Hellmouth. She quickly snatched up her suitcase and walked hurriedly to the apartment, her eyes shifting about nervously as she scanned the night for any sign of threat.
Even so, she paused for a moment before she knocked on the door, and a small sigh escaped her as she thought of how painful it would be to see Willow once more. She straightened her shoulders and forced her face into a smile, determined not to let them see how she really felt.
Inside the quiet, shy Tara that everyone knew there was another Tara. The Tara who had stood up to her family and who had suddenly discovered, after years of suppression, the will to escape them all and to live her life the way that she wanted. It was this Tara who emerged, as she knocked again, this time a little firmer and louder.
Oz had nearly reached her when he skidded to a sudden and silent halt. A frown creased his face as he caught the scent of something new. He stopped, sniffing the air as he looked around for the source of it, finally realising that it came from the girl in front of him. It was Tara.
Tara was about to knock the door again, puzzlement and fear beginning to distort her smile, as she became aware of something. Her head snapped around and she stared into the darkness that surrounded her, but it was no longer fear that she felt.
Oz began to walk again, a low growl starting in his throat as he moved closer to her, his eyes unblinking, fixed on her even in the darkness.
Tara had found him, her eyes glowing red in the darkness, picking out his form from the shadows, watching carefully as he moved towards her, her body tense, her senses alert for any threat.
Oz stopped when he reached her and they stared at one another in silence. Tara cocked her head to one side as she looked at him and began to smile. Oz, suddenly realising for the first time that he was growling at her, stopped and looked at her, his smile of apology widening into a grin.
He sniffed once more, recognition dawning as he remembered where he had encountered a similar scent before -- Veruca. But this was different. There was no threat here.
Tara obviously thought so as well, as she shortened the distance between them, reaching out her arms to him.
Oz, unthinking and acting solely on instinct, moved into them, pulling her toward him and hugging her tightly to him as he closed his eyes and breathed in her scent, the scent that, until this moment, he had no idea how much he missed and needed.
The scent of someone like him, but just a little different.
The scent of a mate.
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters are copyrighted (c)20th Century Fox, Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and the WB, and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Dedicated: as usual to Cait who makes me write these stories. (So blame her!) And to Julio C for the supportive emails that make me want to continue writing.
And to a friend who keeps putting a smile on my face when I'm trying really hard to think sad. (Won't make you blush here, but you know who you are)
Grateful thanks to Alan for his suggestions and his help and to Amz, Bolo, eojt, Jeanny and Zille for their reviews and encouragment.
A/N Any comments can be sent to
Geemagicspell@hotmail.com
Chapter Four
Faith hated having to sit and wait. All of her Slayer senses were alive with tension and she wanted nothing more than to rush into the cavern, taking all of them by surprise and killing as many as she could. She was a Slayer after all, and that was her job, her life, and her reasons for being. But, as she sat there silently, her hand gently tapping against her knee as the only indication of her restlessness, her feelings were in turmoil.
She hated to see Xander upset and, although she could recognise the sense in the argument that Xander had to be the one to go, she was no fool after all, she could see how he had been hurt by it. Her initial anger at Buffy and Giles had dissipated and she knew that they held him in high regard. She had heard them praise him many times, both in and out of his hearing. She realised that a great deal of her anger had been because Xander was leaving to get Willow.
She felt a sudden flash of jealousy at the thought. Damn it, she was actually getting to like Willow! She was impressed by the witch's loyalty to her friends, her determination, her high regard for and fierce protectiveness of Xander. She was happy to accept Willow as Xander's friend, but not as his girlfriend. Faith could only see one person in that role - herself!
She suddenly became aware that someone was watching her and looked up to see Spike, leaning against the wall across the width of the path from her, his eyes boring into her. She blushed at the intensity of his gaze and looked down at the ground, embarrassed. It had been a long time since Faith had blushed.
Spike grinned as he watched her. He had seen the colour flooding into her cheeks and had been pleased by her reaction to him. He was sure that Faith was not the kind of girl to blush easily and he took that as a sign that he was having some effect on her. He watched as she looked down and away from the intensity of his gaze. He took that as a good sign and he prided himself on knowing quite a lot about women, after all he had lived a long time and he had known quite a few. The grin faded from his face as a vision of Dru suddenly popped into his head, driving away all thoughts of the dark haired Slayer in front of him.
Buffy's thoughts were divided. She was wrestling with the guilt that Faith's words had brought her and with the concern that she felt for Giles. She was constantly aware that Xander felt that he had so much less to contribute than the others and tried to bolster his ego on every occasion that she could. She was also aware that her earlier attitude to him had caused a great deal of the problem. But things had changed. Since Xander had begun training with them she had noticed a marked improvement in his fighting abilities.
Of course her own feelings had also changed. She had come to appreciate him so much more. She recognised that without his unquestioning loyalty and support she would have died long ago. Then she thought about the day that she did die and he brought her back, even when Angel had given up, thinking her lost. And now she was torn. She wanted him to be happy and, if he was happy with Willow then so be it. But she wanted so much for him to be happy with her.
A sudden movement from Giles drew her attention as he got stiffly to his feet. He shook his head at her questioning glance.
"Had to get up. The floor's too hard to sit comfortably."
She nodded and watched him carefully from the corner of her eye. He looked years older than he had earlier that day and she realised once again what a toll this was taking on him.
She had never thought about it before but now she began to think about what a short lived career a Watcher usually had.
No Slayer had ever lived as long as she, which meant that no Watcher had ever had the responsibility of looking after one for such a length of time. Of course Giles was no longer officially her Watcher but that was how she thought of him. And, of course, so much more than that - friend, confidant and surrogate father. She made a silent pledge that she would do everything that she could to look after him.
Giles, for his part, felt old and brittle. His bones ached from the cold and the discomfort and his head ached from trying to think what Dru and Ethan might be planning. It was all too much. He wondered vaguely why he was feeling quite this bad, then dismissed the thought, peering at his watch in the fading light of the torch and wondering what was taking Xander so long.
Xander put out his hand as Oz walked towards him. He forced a grin onto his face as the other took his hand. "So, how was Sierra Leone?"
"Hot."
"Oh. Right. Well, good to have you back."
Even as the words left his mouth Xander almost choked on his insincerity. It was so not good to have him back. He could hardly bear to look at Willow as he wondered how much Oz knew about their relationship, that's if they still had a relationship now that Oz was back.
He pulled himself together quickly and told them of the situation back at the Hellmouth.
Willow grabbed the books that Giles had requested and added a few of her own. Oz took some, as did Xander, and they were ready to go.
Oz reached out his free hand to Willow, taking her hand in his, a gesture that was not lost on Xander. He closed his eyes momentarily, trying to block it out of his head but it didn't work. He avoided Willow's eyes as they ran through the semidarkness, not wanting to face her, to see the look in her face that would tell him that it was all over now that Oz was back again.
Willow was close to tears. She had tried to catch Xander's eye to let him know that she was sorry about the things she had said to him and that she hadn't had a chance to tell Oz about them yet.
When Oz had turned up on the doorstep unexpectedly he had pulled her into a sudden hug and she could think of no way of pulling away from him without hurting him, and that was something she did not think that she was capable of. He had gently touched his hand to her face and told her how much he had missed her as she struggled to find the words to tell him that she was now with Xander. A struggle that she had lost.
Oz felt the softness of Willow's hand contained within his own. He smiled as he glanced at her running beside him. He had missed her so much. He had left Sunnydale for two reasons; the first was his fervent desire to find a cure. The second was Willow. He owed her the chance to make things right with Tara. After all it was because of him that things had begun to go wrong.
When the Council had managed to get hold of him and told him that Tara had moved away a tiny spark of hope had been ignited. Despite the guilt he had felt at having caused Tara's condition he now knew that Willow and Tara were no longer together, leaving the way open so that he could tell Willow how much he wanted to be with her. And that was something that he fully intended to do, the first opportunity he was given.
And, as the three of them ran through the rapidly approaching night together, the earth gave a number of slight rumbling tremors, as if to remind them of the urgency of their mission. Despite lungs burning from the want of air they quickened their footsteps. It was not long before they reached the ruined school and dropped down into the hole leading to the Hellmouth.
They made rapid progress along the path, soon reaching the place where the others anxiously awaited them. Spike was the first to glimpse the thin beam of light making its way toward them. The change in his demeanour alerted Faith who had been furtively observing him, very much aware that his eyes had been almost continually focussed on her.
They were all surprised to see Oz. Although they had been told that Tara was to arrive later that night they had not been given any idea when to expect him and had expected it to be later, rather than sooner than her arrival. Both Buffy and Faith noticed that Oz was holding Willow's hand and wondered about it.
Faith, never one to let a good opportunity go by, immediately put her arm through Xanders, leaving Buffy seething with anger. Xander, however, gave her a grateful smile and patted her arm before pulling gently away from her.
Giles had seized one of the books that they had put down on the ground and was trying to flick quietly through the pages, scanning them by torchlight.
"What are you looking for?" Willow asked him, as she pulled away from Oz with an apologetic smile and went over to him, trying to read the book while peering over his shoulder.
"I'm trying to find something that might work against the golems, something that will destroy all of them. There are too many of them to fight against."
Willow nodded thoughtfully and picked up another of the books, gently turning the yellowed pages as she looked through it.
"What's been happening?" Oz asked Buffy. "There were a couple of tremors as we were getting here."
Buffy nodded. "I took a peek. Dru and Ethan are still there, and so are those mud things." She looked over to where Giles and Willow were standing. "Giles is trying to work out how to kill the golems, then we can go in and find out."
"Tara's not here yet?"
"No, she's coming later tonight. We didn't know you'd get here so quickly."
Oz glanced over at Willow. "I had unfinished business."
Buffy caught a glimpse of Xander's face as he heard Oz's remark and her heart sank at the expression of misery that flashed briefly across his face before he had time to conceal it.
Xander wandered away from Buffy and Oz, turning his attention to Giles.
"Need any help?" He asked him.
Giles glared at him. "Why would we need help? We have twenty animated mud monsters that we can't kill and a pile of books to go through to try and find an answer to what is happening and how to deal with it."
Xander nodded and picked up a book. "Okay G-man, no need to blow a fuse."
Giles bit back his usual retort and turned his attention back to his book.
"So, what are we looking for?" Xander whispered to Willow.
"Anything to do with golems and how to kill them."
Xander nodded. "We can't hose them down and hope they ooze away?"
Giles didn't bother to reply. He glared at Xander and pushed his glasses back from where they had slid forward on his nose, then began looking through the pages once again.
Spike had not moved from his position leaning against the wall. His eyes narrowed as he observed the situation unfolding in front of him. He looked at Faith and watched as her eyes followed Xander. He saw Buffy and Oz speaking together while Oz stole glances at Willow. He frowned as he observed Giles leafing almost frantically through his books. Finally, with a muted sigh, he reached a decision, and strode purposefully toward Buffy.
"Look here, Blondie, this is getting us nowhere. How about I just go down there and ask them what the bloody hell is going on?"
Buffy stared at him, her face showing her inner conflict. Spike had proven again and again how much he could be trusted and she felt guilt at the sliver of distrust that she felt at his words. But then she also knew of the deep feelings that he had for Drusilla and how badly he wanted to be rid of the chip that so limited his actions. She looked over at Giles and saw him nod in answer to her unspoken question.
"It doesn't look like we have another choice." She admitted, grudgingly.
"Thanks for your confidence." Spike snorted, frowning at her as he spoke.
"We're all feeling the strain a little here, Spike. We know you can be trusted. You've proved it to us quite often enough."
Spike stared at Willow and the frown disappeared from his face as her words sunk in. "Right. Well, you should do by now."
Buffy nodded. "So what's your plan?"
"My plan? I thought I'd just go down there and ask them what's going on."
"Won't Dru be suspicious?"
Spike smiled. "She might be. But then, like you, she knows how much I want this bloody chip out of my head so I can go back to being..."
He stopped speaking as he saw the expression on Buffy's face and shrugged. "Well, I never made a secret of that now, did I?"
Buffy looked over at Giles again, waiting for him to confirm his decision but it was Xander who spoke. "I think he should do it."
Spike raised his eyebrows. "You do?"
Xander nodded. "Unless anyone has a better suggestion?"
Buffy shook her head.
"You saying you trust me?" Spike asked.
Xander grinned. "I wouldn't go that far. It's just the only way to find out what's going on."
Spike shrugged. "Well, here goes."
With a quick glance at Faith, Spike turned and walked away. The others watched as he disappeared around the corner.
Buffy sighed and picked up one of the books.
"Research is one thing, dark and smelly places are even worse, but research in a dark and smelly place really sucks." She peered at her watch in the dim light of the torch.
"Do we know what time Tara is due to arrive? Because someone ought to be at Giles' when she gets there."
There was silence for a moment.
"I should go." Oz volunteered.
He shrugged as everyone's eyes turned toward him. "It makes sense when you think about it."
Giles nodded and fished a set of keys out of his pocket, holding them out as Oz plucked them from his hand.
"Do you want me to come?" Willow offered, carefully avoiding Xanders' eyes as she spoke.
Oz shook his head. "You stay here. I won't be long."
He looked at Giles. "Should I bring her back here or leave her at your place?"
Giles thought for a moment before he replied. "I think she has more than enough to deal with at present. I don't think anything can be achieved by bringing her here."
Oz nodded, smiled briefly at Willow, then glanced at Xander. "Look after her for me?"
"Sure." Xander agreed, his eyes avoiding both of them, as Oz started back the way they had come. "Torch?" He asked, holding out a small flashlight.
Oz shook his head. "Don't need it. Wolf eyes," he explained with a smile, as he moved forward to be almost immediately swallowed by the darkness.
Spike made his way carefully down the stony pathway to where Dru and Ethan were standing, their backs toward him, peering down in to the hole in the ground. Despite his best efforts to be quiet he could see that he had already caught the attention of a couple of the golem guards, who turned their oddly sculptured faces silently toward him, alerted by the sound of his feet scuffling on the ground. He was surprised to see that they made no attempt to intercept him as he got nearer to his goal.
He was only a few yards from her when Dru straightened and turned around, her eyes narrowed with suspicion but a small, almost welcoming, smile appearing on her face.
"Spike!"
Oz quickly made his way back to Giles apartment, the keys jangling in his pocket as he ran. He had no idea what time Tara was due to arrive but he was anxious to be there when she did. He racked his brain trying to think of something to say to her. There was nothing to say, of course.
Sorry was something you said when you spilt a soda over someone, not when you ruined her life. There were no words that he could possibly say that would make this better, no consolation that he could give her, no reassurances that some day they might hope for a cure. He had tried to find a cure, and thought that he had, only for that hope to slip away. He would keep on trying, and now he had even more reason to do so.
He had travelled back to Sunnydale at the request of the Watcher's Council and one of the reasons for that was that he was responsible for the condition that Tara had found herself in.
But there was another reason.
Willow.
Every time he tried to separate himself from her he found it impossible. She was everywhere. In his thoughts, and in his dreams. She had accepted him and his condition when he thought that no one could and he loved her for it.
He had left her, thinking that he might endanger her, but now he knew that he could never leave her again. He was back ... back with his Willow. And he was back to stay.
As he drew nearer to Giles' apartment he could see that there was a car parked in front from which a figure was emerging. He could see that it was Tara, a large black suitcase grasped to her chest and hampering her movements as she clambered awkwardly out of the car. Oz paused, then took a deep breath and hurried on towards the car.
Tara looked around, her forehead creased in a frown, as she got out of the car. She recalled the times that she had been here, the times when she had accompanied Willow to meetings with her friends. She smiled fondly as she remembered how quickly Willows friends had become hers.
She remembered how Giles had done his utmost to put her at her ease, realising almost instinctively that she was someone who shared his affliction of intense shyness.
How Buffy had become a close and supportive friend once she got over her initial shock and realised how deeply Tara felt for Willow.
And how Xander had broken through her reserve with his constant quips and self depreciating humour.
Faith still scared her a little at times but Tara had come to think of her too as a friend. She had barely known Amy, just meeting her briefly before leaving to be with her family, but she thought that, given time, she could have made a good friend.
And then there was Oz. She shivered as she remembered the expression of sheer hatred on his face as he had raced towards her in the magic shop and the way that his teeth and claws had torn at her when he had eventually caught up with her. Buffy and Xander had tried to tell her that it had not been his fault, that it was the result of a spell.
But Tara knew the truth. Oz hated her, because she had taken his place with Willow. And when Willow had left her alone to care for Oz, Tara had finally recognised the truth, it was Oz that Willow truly loved.
And so she had done the only thing that she thought was left to her, gone back to her family, back to a father who controlled her actions so forcefully and so completely that she didn't have to think about what she was doing. She had handed over the control of her life to him and stopped thinking, stopped feeling.
Until the moon had wrought the change in her and only the speedy intervention of the Watcher's Council, who had had her under surveillance anticipating such an event, had kept her from tearing her father into small and bloody pieces.
Tara was roused from her thoughts by the murmur of the taxi driver as he waited impatiently for his payment. She placed the suitcase on the ground and fumbled in the pocket of her jacket for her money, carefully counting it into his hand and adding a hefty tip. She stood for a moment, watching as he thanked her, and then got quickly into the car and drove away.
It was then that she realised how vulnerable she was, just standing alone, in the dark, and in the Hellmouth. She quickly snatched up her suitcase and walked hurriedly to the apartment, her eyes shifting about nervously as she scanned the night for any sign of threat.
Even so, she paused for a moment before she knocked on the door, and a small sigh escaped her as she thought of how painful it would be to see Willow once more. She straightened her shoulders and forced her face into a smile, determined not to let them see how she really felt.
Inside the quiet, shy Tara that everyone knew there was another Tara. The Tara who had stood up to her family and who had suddenly discovered, after years of suppression, the will to escape them all and to live her life the way that she wanted. It was this Tara who emerged, as she knocked again, this time a little firmer and louder.
Oz had nearly reached her when he skidded to a sudden and silent halt. A frown creased his face as he caught the scent of something new. He stopped, sniffing the air as he looked around for the source of it, finally realising that it came from the girl in front of him. It was Tara.
Tara was about to knock the door again, puzzlement and fear beginning to distort her smile, as she became aware of something. Her head snapped around and she stared into the darkness that surrounded her, but it was no longer fear that she felt.
Oz began to walk again, a low growl starting in his throat as he moved closer to her, his eyes unblinking, fixed on her even in the darkness.
Tara had found him, her eyes glowing red in the darkness, picking out his form from the shadows, watching carefully as he moved towards her, her body tense, her senses alert for any threat.
Oz stopped when he reached her and they stared at one another in silence. Tara cocked her head to one side as she looked at him and began to smile. Oz, suddenly realising for the first time that he was growling at her, stopped and looked at her, his smile of apology widening into a grin.
He sniffed once more, recognition dawning as he remembered where he had encountered a similar scent before -- Veruca. But this was different. There was no threat here.
Tara obviously thought so as well, as she shortened the distance between them, reaching out her arms to him.
Oz, unthinking and acting solely on instinct, moved into them, pulling her toward him and hugging her tightly to him as he closed his eyes and breathed in her scent, the scent that, until this moment, he had no idea how much he missed and needed.
The scent of someone like him, but just a little different.
The scent of a mate.