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!)
Grateful thanks to Alan for his suggestions and his help and to everyone for their reviews, especially to Zille, Bolo and Jeanny who have given me tremendous encouragement.
A/N Any comments can be sent to
Geemagicspell@hotmail.com
Chapter Five
Spike smiled as he drew nearer to Dru, ignoring the scowls of the man standing next to her.
"I missed you, love," he said, as he reached her, slipping an arm around her waist and drawing her closer to him.
Dru smiled and allowed him to kiss her cheek before pulling away from him with a scowl. "Still with that Slayer, Spike? I can smell her all over you."
Spike shrugged.
"I don't exactly have much choice, do I? With this bleeding chip in my head it's either that or change my name to Dusty. I can't fight her, after all."
Dru considered this for a moment before turning to the man next to her.
"Can you do anything about that? Is there some magic you know that could make it disappear?"
Ethan looked at Spike and scowled.
"How do we know there is a chip? He might be another one of those bloody vampires with a soul. She seems to collect them."
Drusilla's eye glinted yellow as her face changed. Ethan stepped back, her sudden transformation taking him by surprise as she growled at him, her voice scarcely more than a whisper.
"Don't you think I'd know if my Spikey had a soul?"
Her nostrils flared as she sniffed the air.
"I could smell it if he had one. It smells all weak and flowery, like the morning dew on daisies."
She smiled and licked her lips and Ethan felt his blood run cold as he caught the gleam of her fangs.
"Apart from yours, that is. Your soul smells like dead roses drying in the sun."
Ethan swallowed hard and tried not to look nervous as he met her gaze. He silently cursed himself from throwing in his lot with this dangerous and obviously insane woman standing in front of him.
He could tell by her expression that she was enjoying his discomfort and tried desperately to find something to say, to distract her before her insanity overcame what was left of her common sense and she buried her fangs deep within his neck.
The distraction, when it came, was from Spike. Moving forward to peer into the hole in the ground in front of them, he moved sharply backwards as the odour of sulphur hit his senses like a blow. His feet scuffled on the loose stones behind him as he managed to regain his balance.
"That smells bloody awful! What the hell is it?"
Dru glared at him.
"Is that why you're here then? To find out what we're doing so that you can tell the Slayer?" She shook her head, admonishing him, her voice changing, until it was almost that of a mother chastising her child.
"Oh, I hope it isn't, because I'd be so disappointed. And you wouldn't want to disappoint your Drusilla, would you, Spike?"
Spike smiled at her and moved forward, his arm snaking around her tiny waist and pulling her close to him. "I never want to disappoint my Drusilla."
Dru smiled and half closed her eyes, nearly purring with pleasure as he nipped gently at her neck.
Ethan rolled his eyes and looked away, tapping his foot in an unconscious expression of impatience.
Spike pulled her even closer, biding his time before asking again, "so, what are you doing here, love? And with a human of all things. I thought you would have made a tasty meal of him." He smirked as he glanced over at Ethan. "Even though he does look a bit stringy and old."
Dru opened her eyes and looked up at him, a tiny smile on her face.
"We're looking for something very special. Something that will get rid of that Slayer and her friends for good."
Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she looked at him.
Spike raised his eyebrows. "Really? And what exactly would that be, pet?" He glanced over at the gaping hole in the floor of the cavern. "And is that where it is? Have you found it yet?"
"You're asking a lot of questions, aren't you?" Ethan said sharply, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Why do you want to know?"
Spike shrugged. "Just interested, is all. After all, anything that gets rid of the Slayer has to be good news for me. She's nothing but a bloody thorn in my side."
"Really?" Ethan stared at him. "Is that why you've been helping her out? I've heard quite a lot about a vampire who fights alongside the Slayer, fighting his own kind and watching her back."
Spike shook his head. "Not me, mate. Not while I've got this bloody chip in my head. You can ask Dru. I'd only have to raise my hand against you and my head would be hurting for days. It must be that bloody poof back in the Hellmouth again. He can't seem to keep away from Blondie. Can't see the attraction there myself."
Dru pulled away from him, looking at him sharply. "You were helping her, Spike. When I tried to open the portal with Lilliths power, you were helping them to stop me."
Spike stared at her. "Dru, I would never have done that to you. I was looking out for you. I saved you when she tried to stake you."
Dru's expression softened as she remembered how Buffy had stopped Faith from staking her by deflecting the blow at the last second, and how the blonde Slayer had allowed Spike to take her away with him.
"I know you did, love, but you did seem to be very friendly with her. You can't blame me for being suspicious."
Spike shook his head. "I've given her a few tips on where to pick up the odd demon or two. It helps keep her off my back and away from our kind. That's what we need, isn't it? It buys us a bit of peace and quiet."
Dru nodded, but her eyes still retained a look of suspicion. Spike grinned at her and her expression softened even more.
"Come on, love, if I was working against you, I would never have taken you out of there. I'm useful to the Slayer, I point out all those smelly and disgusting demon nests for her to sort out. She owed me. She knew if she did anything to you, I'd never help her again. And I know I'm not the "Big Bad" anymore, but once I get this chip out of my head, things will be different."
He smiled at her, gently touching the side of her face with the palm of his hand.
"You'll see, love. It'll be like old times again."
He drew her towards him again and she smiled at him, all suspicion gone from her face. Breathing an inward sigh of relief he tried again.
"So, what are you two up to here then? And why does it have such a bloody awful stink?"
Buffy stifled a sigh of impatience as she tried to turn the stiff, yellowed pages of the book, making as little sound as possible. She shifted position, her limbs stiffening from the cold and discomfit of the cavern.
She was not used to being inactive for this length of time, especially in a situation such as this, where her heightened senses told her that something almost inconceivably evil was taking place just around the corner.
A furtive glance at Faith, who had given up trying to read in the sickly yellow glow of the fading torches and was leaning against the wall, biting her nails, a distant look in her eyes, confirmed that the other Slayer was experiencing the same feelings.
She followed Faiths gaze and saw that she was looking at Xander. He was hunched over an ever increasing pile of books in the corner, his head bent over yet another, his finger pointing out the words as he tried to read in the thin beam of a tiny pocket torch.
She glanced at Willow and saw that she too was looking at Xander, biting at her lower lip as she did so and trying unsuccessfully to mask the look of worry on her face.
Buffy could only guess what had happened when Willow had been reunited with Oz. She knew that Willow had once loved him, and probably still did, and that it would have been hard for her to tell him that things had changed and she was now with Xander.
But even as she realised that, and sympathised with Willow's situation, her heart went out to Xander. He had lost out to Oz before and she knew that he thought that history was repeating itself. She also knew that Xander loved Willow far too much to confront her, but would wait patiently, his heart breaking as he watched Oz take her hand in his.
She became aware of someone staring at her and looked away from Xander to see that Giles was regarding her with ill-concealed impatience. She gave an apologetic smile and bent her head to her book once more, wondering, not for the first time that night, what on earth had happened to Giles.
He seemed so unlike the man she had known for so many years, suddenly ill tempered, impatient and unsure of himself. Although she suspected that he had often felt that way; he had never shown it the way that he was doing now. She had always looked at him for guidance, welcomed his suggestions and been grateful for his calm, even in the most grave of situations.
But she suddenly realised, with a feeling of dread, that this time she would have to act alone. The way that Giles was acting at the moment, she could not rely on him for anything.
Faith was the first one to become aware of the footsteps coming towards them from the larger cavern. Her entire body tensed as she waited to see who was approaching. She remained tense even as she saw that it was Spike, she was a Slayer after all, and even the attraction that she felt for him could not altogether overcome the innate hostility of Slayer and vampire.
Spike smiled when he saw her and, despite herself, her mouth curled itself into a smile, which the vampire was quick to notice and approve of.
Buffy got quickly to her feet, noticing that the others did the same. They were Scoobies and their response to danger was always to be prepared to meet it and fight it. Even as she readied herself for attack, she realised how lucky she was to have friends like these.
Spike shook his head in answer to her readiness. "I'm alone and they've gone."
Buffy looked bewildered. "Gone? Where? Why did you let them go?"
Spike sighed. "There wasn't much else I could do, now was there? But I know what they're planning and we have time to stop them, but we have to be fast."
Giles nodded. "Right. What do we have to do?"
Spike shook his head. "Not here. Not now. We need to go to your place. There are things there that we're going to need."
He glanced at Willow. "And things that you probably have as well. We have time. They won't be back until tomorrow night."
He looked back at Giles. "As usual, those Watchers of yours got it wrong, but they were right about one thing. The Devil is about to show his face in Sunnydale and we have to stop it."
Spike was in a hurry and he moved fast. Buffy picked up some of the books and raced after him as he moved quickly through the tunnel. Faith followed close behind, her arms full of books as well. Willow, Xander and Amy came next, stumbling a little as they made their way, their balance encumbered by the heavy books they carried. Last came Giles, carrying the last two books and picking his way carefully over the stony ground.
By the time they emerged from the remains of the library and into the night air it was dark, the moon having disappeared behind a mass of clouds which also obscured the stars. Spike still led the way, but was moving a little slower, out of consideration for the others. Buffy and Faith were at his side, the others following only a little behind, as he headed for Giles apartment, a look of stern concentration on his face as he considered the implications of what Drusilla had just told him.
They were soon at the door of Giles apartment. Spike, having been invited inside on a number of occasions, had no trouble in crossing the threshold. He pushed open the unlocked door and walked quickly inside, going immediately to one of the large bookcases and running his fingers along the cracked spines of the ancient books, trying to locate the one that he wanted.
Buffy looked around the room, wondering where Oz and Tara could be. She had pushed the anxiety that their meeting had caused her to the back of her mind, realising that it was the least of her worries, but now, faced with an empty room and an unlocked door, it brought her concern back to her. She looked around and noticed that Willow was doing the same thing, an almost identical expression of worry on her face.
She went quickly to Willow's side. "They're okay, Will. They must be here somewhere. The door was unlocked, so they must have got inside. They're probably in one of the other rooms."
Willow nodded and walked across the room, her hand reaching out for the handle of the door leading from the living room to the bedroom and bathroom. Before she could open it, however, it flew open, to reveal Oz standing in the doorway, his arm looped around the waist of the girl standing next to him. Willow looked at them, puzzled for a moment, her gaze taking in their rumpled clothes, tousled hair and the thin smear of Tara's lipstick on the corner of Oz's mouth before realisation dawned on her.
Tara blushed and Oz looked away, unable to meet Willows' eyes with his own as her mouth opened and she tried to speak, before shaking her head, turning and running out through the open door before Buffy or any of the others could stop her. With a look of disgust at Tara and Oz, Xander ran out after her, quickly pursued by Buffy and Faith, as the others looked on.
Buffy and Faith could easily have caught up with Xander, but they both held back, a glance between them confirming the unspoken decision that they were there to make sure that nothing happened to him, not to interfere between him and Willow.
It soon became obvious to both of them that Xander was running towards Willows apartment and they were able to drop back a little, giving them the privacy that they needed. However, as they neared the apartment, Faith picked up her speed and Buffy, correctly assuming that her intention was to intercept Xander, did so as well.
They were just in time to see Willow with Xander, who had caught up with her and was holding her arm, trying to talk to her. Willow saw the two Slayers approaching and pulled away from him, disappearing quickly inside the building, the door slamming behind her as a bewildered Xander looked on.
Faith and Buffy reached him as he stood, looking at the closed door with an expression of disbelief.
Faith reached out her hand to him, laying it on his shoulder, but he ignored the gesture.
"Buff?"
Buffy looked at him.
"I need to talk to Willow. Alone."
Buffy nodded. "Right. I'll wait out here then." She looked at Faith with a stern expression on her face. "We'll both wait here."
Faith opened her mouth to protest but quickly changed her mind. She shrugged and watched as Xander opened the door and disappeared inside.
Willows door was closed and Xander hesitated for a moment before testing the door handle, giving a tiny sigh of relief as it swung open. He stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind him and made his way to the bedroom. There, as he had guessed correctly, lay Willow, curled into a foetal shape as she wept bitter tears onto her pillow.
"Will?" Xander reached out a hand to her, but then drew it back, uncertain of what to do.
She either ignored him, or didn't hear him so he tried again. "Will?"
This time she sat up, brushing the tears away from her eyes as she looked at him, her red rimmed eyes brimming with more.
"Does it hurt that much, Will?" He asked her, his voice soft as he looked into her eyes.
She nodded, unable to speak, as fresh tears made their way down her face.
"I don't really know what happened between them. I know what it looked like, but maybe it wasn't the way it appeared to be." Xander shook his head. "I don't know what to say to you."
Willow looked at him, using the sleeve of her sweater to brush away the tears from her face. She still said nothing, staring at him as he stood before her, trying desperately to think of something to say to her.
"Maybe it's for the best, Will. If he's with Tara, that means that we can be together and you don't have to worry about hurting him by telling him, because it won't matter."
Willow looked at him in disbelief, as his words sunk in. She shook her head, unable to accept the idea of Oz and Tara being together, but still unable to give voice to her thoughts.
Xander stared at her, his initial worry about her reaction at finding them together slowly turning to a feeling of dread.
"So why do you care about it?" He challenged her. "I thought you were over them, both of them. I thought you were with me now. Or is there something you should tell me?"
Willow hung her head and Xander could see tears running down her face. Everything in him wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her. But he couldn't. He needed to know where he stood with her first. There was no doubt in his mind that he would comfort her, he had done it for years, as she had done with him, but he needed to know whether it would be as a lover or a friend when he did so.
Willow tried to force out her words through the lump she suddenly found in her throat. When she finally managed to speak, Xander could barely make out what she had said to him. They were not the usual Willow-babble but single words forced out in strangled tones.
"I. Don't. Know."
Xander's heart turned to ice. He shook his head, blinking back tears of his own as he said quietly, struggling to keep himself from shouting at her.
"Don't tell me that, Will. Tell me you want me, or you don't want me, but don't tell me that you don't know."
His voice broke as he uttered his last words, before turning away from her, walking quickly out through the door.
"Because that's just not fair to anyone."
Willow sat on her bed, her head bowed and unable to raise a hand to stop him, as he went, the door closing with a click behind him.
Buffy was standing outside when Xander appeared. To her annoyance Faith had stayed as well, despite all Buffy's efforts to make her go. Both of them were watching the door and Faith started forward as the door opened, intending to reach Xander first.
Buffy reacted quickly, pushing her way in front and nearly sending Faith crashing to the ground as she did so. By the time Faith regained her balance Buffy was already at Xander's side.
Xander shook his head. "Not now, okay?"
Buffy nodded. "Okay. Where are you going?"
Xander avoided looking at her, keeping his eyes fixed on some distant point over her shoulder. "For a walk, just to think things over."
Buffy looked at the sky. Dawn was still a couple of hours away. She patted Xander's arm, for once lost for words.
He looked at her and nodded. "I'll be careful, but I have to be alone right now. Please?"
Buffy nodded and lifted up her sweater, drawing a stake from the waistband of her trousers. "Take this." She told him and held it out to him, waiting until he tucked it away before hugging him briefly, her eyes glistening with tears.
He pulled away from her and walked quickly away. Buffy whirled around in time to stop Faith from following him. Faith glared at her for a moment, her look of hostility turning to an expression of surprise as Buffy hugged her.
"I know how you feel, Faith." Buffy told her gently. "But we have to let him have some time. He can take care of himself, you know that."
Buffy actions and tone of voice stopped Faith in her tracks. She looked at Buffy, knowing that her fellow Slayer would never do anything to put her friend in danger, and nodded.
"You're right." She said, pulling her gaze away from Xander as he walked away from them. "We'd better go back to Giles. We're needed there."
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!)
Grateful thanks to Alan for his suggestions and his help and to everyone for their reviews, especially to Zille, Bolo and Jeanny who have given me tremendous encouragement.
A/N Any comments can be sent to
Geemagicspell@hotmail.com
Chapter Five
Spike smiled as he drew nearer to Dru, ignoring the scowls of the man standing next to her.
"I missed you, love," he said, as he reached her, slipping an arm around her waist and drawing her closer to him.
Dru smiled and allowed him to kiss her cheek before pulling away from him with a scowl. "Still with that Slayer, Spike? I can smell her all over you."
Spike shrugged.
"I don't exactly have much choice, do I? With this bleeding chip in my head it's either that or change my name to Dusty. I can't fight her, after all."
Dru considered this for a moment before turning to the man next to her.
"Can you do anything about that? Is there some magic you know that could make it disappear?"
Ethan looked at Spike and scowled.
"How do we know there is a chip? He might be another one of those bloody vampires with a soul. She seems to collect them."
Drusilla's eye glinted yellow as her face changed. Ethan stepped back, her sudden transformation taking him by surprise as she growled at him, her voice scarcely more than a whisper.
"Don't you think I'd know if my Spikey had a soul?"
Her nostrils flared as she sniffed the air.
"I could smell it if he had one. It smells all weak and flowery, like the morning dew on daisies."
She smiled and licked her lips and Ethan felt his blood run cold as he caught the gleam of her fangs.
"Apart from yours, that is. Your soul smells like dead roses drying in the sun."
Ethan swallowed hard and tried not to look nervous as he met her gaze. He silently cursed himself from throwing in his lot with this dangerous and obviously insane woman standing in front of him.
He could tell by her expression that she was enjoying his discomfort and tried desperately to find something to say, to distract her before her insanity overcame what was left of her common sense and she buried her fangs deep within his neck.
The distraction, when it came, was from Spike. Moving forward to peer into the hole in the ground in front of them, he moved sharply backwards as the odour of sulphur hit his senses like a blow. His feet scuffled on the loose stones behind him as he managed to regain his balance.
"That smells bloody awful! What the hell is it?"
Dru glared at him.
"Is that why you're here then? To find out what we're doing so that you can tell the Slayer?" She shook her head, admonishing him, her voice changing, until it was almost that of a mother chastising her child.
"Oh, I hope it isn't, because I'd be so disappointed. And you wouldn't want to disappoint your Drusilla, would you, Spike?"
Spike smiled at her and moved forward, his arm snaking around her tiny waist and pulling her close to him. "I never want to disappoint my Drusilla."
Dru smiled and half closed her eyes, nearly purring with pleasure as he nipped gently at her neck.
Ethan rolled his eyes and looked away, tapping his foot in an unconscious expression of impatience.
Spike pulled her even closer, biding his time before asking again, "so, what are you doing here, love? And with a human of all things. I thought you would have made a tasty meal of him." He smirked as he glanced over at Ethan. "Even though he does look a bit stringy and old."
Dru opened her eyes and looked up at him, a tiny smile on her face.
"We're looking for something very special. Something that will get rid of that Slayer and her friends for good."
Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she looked at him.
Spike raised his eyebrows. "Really? And what exactly would that be, pet?" He glanced over at the gaping hole in the floor of the cavern. "And is that where it is? Have you found it yet?"
"You're asking a lot of questions, aren't you?" Ethan said sharply, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Why do you want to know?"
Spike shrugged. "Just interested, is all. After all, anything that gets rid of the Slayer has to be good news for me. She's nothing but a bloody thorn in my side."
"Really?" Ethan stared at him. "Is that why you've been helping her out? I've heard quite a lot about a vampire who fights alongside the Slayer, fighting his own kind and watching her back."
Spike shook his head. "Not me, mate. Not while I've got this bloody chip in my head. You can ask Dru. I'd only have to raise my hand against you and my head would be hurting for days. It must be that bloody poof back in the Hellmouth again. He can't seem to keep away from Blondie. Can't see the attraction there myself."
Dru pulled away from him, looking at him sharply. "You were helping her, Spike. When I tried to open the portal with Lilliths power, you were helping them to stop me."
Spike stared at her. "Dru, I would never have done that to you. I was looking out for you. I saved you when she tried to stake you."
Dru's expression softened as she remembered how Buffy had stopped Faith from staking her by deflecting the blow at the last second, and how the blonde Slayer had allowed Spike to take her away with him.
"I know you did, love, but you did seem to be very friendly with her. You can't blame me for being suspicious."
Spike shook his head. "I've given her a few tips on where to pick up the odd demon or two. It helps keep her off my back and away from our kind. That's what we need, isn't it? It buys us a bit of peace and quiet."
Dru nodded, but her eyes still retained a look of suspicion. Spike grinned at her and her expression softened even more.
"Come on, love, if I was working against you, I would never have taken you out of there. I'm useful to the Slayer, I point out all those smelly and disgusting demon nests for her to sort out. She owed me. She knew if she did anything to you, I'd never help her again. And I know I'm not the "Big Bad" anymore, but once I get this chip out of my head, things will be different."
He smiled at her, gently touching the side of her face with the palm of his hand.
"You'll see, love. It'll be like old times again."
He drew her towards him again and she smiled at him, all suspicion gone from her face. Breathing an inward sigh of relief he tried again.
"So, what are you two up to here then? And why does it have such a bloody awful stink?"
Buffy stifled a sigh of impatience as she tried to turn the stiff, yellowed pages of the book, making as little sound as possible. She shifted position, her limbs stiffening from the cold and discomfit of the cavern.
She was not used to being inactive for this length of time, especially in a situation such as this, where her heightened senses told her that something almost inconceivably evil was taking place just around the corner.
A furtive glance at Faith, who had given up trying to read in the sickly yellow glow of the fading torches and was leaning against the wall, biting her nails, a distant look in her eyes, confirmed that the other Slayer was experiencing the same feelings.
She followed Faiths gaze and saw that she was looking at Xander. He was hunched over an ever increasing pile of books in the corner, his head bent over yet another, his finger pointing out the words as he tried to read in the thin beam of a tiny pocket torch.
She glanced at Willow and saw that she too was looking at Xander, biting at her lower lip as she did so and trying unsuccessfully to mask the look of worry on her face.
Buffy could only guess what had happened when Willow had been reunited with Oz. She knew that Willow had once loved him, and probably still did, and that it would have been hard for her to tell him that things had changed and she was now with Xander.
But even as she realised that, and sympathised with Willow's situation, her heart went out to Xander. He had lost out to Oz before and she knew that he thought that history was repeating itself. She also knew that Xander loved Willow far too much to confront her, but would wait patiently, his heart breaking as he watched Oz take her hand in his.
She became aware of someone staring at her and looked away from Xander to see that Giles was regarding her with ill-concealed impatience. She gave an apologetic smile and bent her head to her book once more, wondering, not for the first time that night, what on earth had happened to Giles.
He seemed so unlike the man she had known for so many years, suddenly ill tempered, impatient and unsure of himself. Although she suspected that he had often felt that way; he had never shown it the way that he was doing now. She had always looked at him for guidance, welcomed his suggestions and been grateful for his calm, even in the most grave of situations.
But she suddenly realised, with a feeling of dread, that this time she would have to act alone. The way that Giles was acting at the moment, she could not rely on him for anything.
Faith was the first one to become aware of the footsteps coming towards them from the larger cavern. Her entire body tensed as she waited to see who was approaching. She remained tense even as she saw that it was Spike, she was a Slayer after all, and even the attraction that she felt for him could not altogether overcome the innate hostility of Slayer and vampire.
Spike smiled when he saw her and, despite herself, her mouth curled itself into a smile, which the vampire was quick to notice and approve of.
Buffy got quickly to her feet, noticing that the others did the same. They were Scoobies and their response to danger was always to be prepared to meet it and fight it. Even as she readied herself for attack, she realised how lucky she was to have friends like these.
Spike shook his head in answer to her readiness. "I'm alone and they've gone."
Buffy looked bewildered. "Gone? Where? Why did you let them go?"
Spike sighed. "There wasn't much else I could do, now was there? But I know what they're planning and we have time to stop them, but we have to be fast."
Giles nodded. "Right. What do we have to do?"
Spike shook his head. "Not here. Not now. We need to go to your place. There are things there that we're going to need."
He glanced at Willow. "And things that you probably have as well. We have time. They won't be back until tomorrow night."
He looked back at Giles. "As usual, those Watchers of yours got it wrong, but they were right about one thing. The Devil is about to show his face in Sunnydale and we have to stop it."
Spike was in a hurry and he moved fast. Buffy picked up some of the books and raced after him as he moved quickly through the tunnel. Faith followed close behind, her arms full of books as well. Willow, Xander and Amy came next, stumbling a little as they made their way, their balance encumbered by the heavy books they carried. Last came Giles, carrying the last two books and picking his way carefully over the stony ground.
By the time they emerged from the remains of the library and into the night air it was dark, the moon having disappeared behind a mass of clouds which also obscured the stars. Spike still led the way, but was moving a little slower, out of consideration for the others. Buffy and Faith were at his side, the others following only a little behind, as he headed for Giles apartment, a look of stern concentration on his face as he considered the implications of what Drusilla had just told him.
They were soon at the door of Giles apartment. Spike, having been invited inside on a number of occasions, had no trouble in crossing the threshold. He pushed open the unlocked door and walked quickly inside, going immediately to one of the large bookcases and running his fingers along the cracked spines of the ancient books, trying to locate the one that he wanted.
Buffy looked around the room, wondering where Oz and Tara could be. She had pushed the anxiety that their meeting had caused her to the back of her mind, realising that it was the least of her worries, but now, faced with an empty room and an unlocked door, it brought her concern back to her. She looked around and noticed that Willow was doing the same thing, an almost identical expression of worry on her face.
She went quickly to Willow's side. "They're okay, Will. They must be here somewhere. The door was unlocked, so they must have got inside. They're probably in one of the other rooms."
Willow nodded and walked across the room, her hand reaching out for the handle of the door leading from the living room to the bedroom and bathroom. Before she could open it, however, it flew open, to reveal Oz standing in the doorway, his arm looped around the waist of the girl standing next to him. Willow looked at them, puzzled for a moment, her gaze taking in their rumpled clothes, tousled hair and the thin smear of Tara's lipstick on the corner of Oz's mouth before realisation dawned on her.
Tara blushed and Oz looked away, unable to meet Willows' eyes with his own as her mouth opened and she tried to speak, before shaking her head, turning and running out through the open door before Buffy or any of the others could stop her. With a look of disgust at Tara and Oz, Xander ran out after her, quickly pursued by Buffy and Faith, as the others looked on.
Buffy and Faith could easily have caught up with Xander, but they both held back, a glance between them confirming the unspoken decision that they were there to make sure that nothing happened to him, not to interfere between him and Willow.
It soon became obvious to both of them that Xander was running towards Willows apartment and they were able to drop back a little, giving them the privacy that they needed. However, as they neared the apartment, Faith picked up her speed and Buffy, correctly assuming that her intention was to intercept Xander, did so as well.
They were just in time to see Willow with Xander, who had caught up with her and was holding her arm, trying to talk to her. Willow saw the two Slayers approaching and pulled away from him, disappearing quickly inside the building, the door slamming behind her as a bewildered Xander looked on.
Faith and Buffy reached him as he stood, looking at the closed door with an expression of disbelief.
Faith reached out her hand to him, laying it on his shoulder, but he ignored the gesture.
"Buff?"
Buffy looked at him.
"I need to talk to Willow. Alone."
Buffy nodded. "Right. I'll wait out here then." She looked at Faith with a stern expression on her face. "We'll both wait here."
Faith opened her mouth to protest but quickly changed her mind. She shrugged and watched as Xander opened the door and disappeared inside.
Willows door was closed and Xander hesitated for a moment before testing the door handle, giving a tiny sigh of relief as it swung open. He stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind him and made his way to the bedroom. There, as he had guessed correctly, lay Willow, curled into a foetal shape as she wept bitter tears onto her pillow.
"Will?" Xander reached out a hand to her, but then drew it back, uncertain of what to do.
She either ignored him, or didn't hear him so he tried again. "Will?"
This time she sat up, brushing the tears away from her eyes as she looked at him, her red rimmed eyes brimming with more.
"Does it hurt that much, Will?" He asked her, his voice soft as he looked into her eyes.
She nodded, unable to speak, as fresh tears made their way down her face.
"I don't really know what happened between them. I know what it looked like, but maybe it wasn't the way it appeared to be." Xander shook his head. "I don't know what to say to you."
Willow looked at him, using the sleeve of her sweater to brush away the tears from her face. She still said nothing, staring at him as he stood before her, trying desperately to think of something to say to her.
"Maybe it's for the best, Will. If he's with Tara, that means that we can be together and you don't have to worry about hurting him by telling him, because it won't matter."
Willow looked at him in disbelief, as his words sunk in. She shook her head, unable to accept the idea of Oz and Tara being together, but still unable to give voice to her thoughts.
Xander stared at her, his initial worry about her reaction at finding them together slowly turning to a feeling of dread.
"So why do you care about it?" He challenged her. "I thought you were over them, both of them. I thought you were with me now. Or is there something you should tell me?"
Willow hung her head and Xander could see tears running down her face. Everything in him wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her. But he couldn't. He needed to know where he stood with her first. There was no doubt in his mind that he would comfort her, he had done it for years, as she had done with him, but he needed to know whether it would be as a lover or a friend when he did so.
Willow tried to force out her words through the lump she suddenly found in her throat. When she finally managed to speak, Xander could barely make out what she had said to him. They were not the usual Willow-babble but single words forced out in strangled tones.
"I. Don't. Know."
Xander's heart turned to ice. He shook his head, blinking back tears of his own as he said quietly, struggling to keep himself from shouting at her.
"Don't tell me that, Will. Tell me you want me, or you don't want me, but don't tell me that you don't know."
His voice broke as he uttered his last words, before turning away from her, walking quickly out through the door.
"Because that's just not fair to anyone."
Willow sat on her bed, her head bowed and unable to raise a hand to stop him, as he went, the door closing with a click behind him.
Buffy was standing outside when Xander appeared. To her annoyance Faith had stayed as well, despite all Buffy's efforts to make her go. Both of them were watching the door and Faith started forward as the door opened, intending to reach Xander first.
Buffy reacted quickly, pushing her way in front and nearly sending Faith crashing to the ground as she did so. By the time Faith regained her balance Buffy was already at Xander's side.
Xander shook his head. "Not now, okay?"
Buffy nodded. "Okay. Where are you going?"
Xander avoided looking at her, keeping his eyes fixed on some distant point over her shoulder. "For a walk, just to think things over."
Buffy looked at the sky. Dawn was still a couple of hours away. She patted Xander's arm, for once lost for words.
He looked at her and nodded. "I'll be careful, but I have to be alone right now. Please?"
Buffy nodded and lifted up her sweater, drawing a stake from the waistband of her trousers. "Take this." She told him and held it out to him, waiting until he tucked it away before hugging him briefly, her eyes glistening with tears.
He pulled away from her and walked quickly away. Buffy whirled around in time to stop Faith from following him. Faith glared at her for a moment, her look of hostility turning to an expression of surprise as Buffy hugged her.
"I know how you feel, Faith." Buffy told her gently. "But we have to let him have some time. He can take care of himself, you know that."
Buffy actions and tone of voice stopped Faith in her tracks. She looked at Buffy, knowing that her fellow Slayer would never do anything to put her friend in danger, and nodded.
"You're right." She said, pulling her gaze away from Xander as he walked away from them. "We'd better go back to Giles. We're needed there."