Homecoming Pt. 2
Xander gripped the steering wheel of his car. "I don't know how the hell you talked me into driving you."
"I don't get it." Spike twitched with nervous energy in the passenger seat. "She'd been having a bad time of it, yeah, and maybe she did love me. I thought she might, much as she denied it. But she's strong. She's the Slayer. You're not tellin' me everything."
"No," Xander replied. "There's more. A lot more. And as much as I hate to admit it, it's not all your fault." He stared at the road ahead, trying to concentrate. "It really fell apart when Tara died."
"What!"
"I forgot. You're really out of the loop. Look, I know you're in a hurry to see her, but I can't talk about this while I'm driving. I'm pulling over here." The donut shop was closed; the lot vacant. He stopped the car. "Did she tell you about the three losers she'd been fighting?"
"No. I mean, I knew there was sommit goin' on, but not what. We didn't talk much."
"Spare me." Xander leaned back in his seat and took a deep breath. "There were these three guys, Andrew, Jonathan and Warren. They'd been tormenting Buffy for months. Warren killed Tara."
"Warren," Spike muttered. "God, no." Spike saw flashes of Tara's smile, teasing him at the party about the ice, her gratitude when he punched her in the nose. He could have saved her.
"Did you say something? Anyway, Buffy was already a basket case, missing you for god knows what reason. No one knew how close she and Tara had become. That sent her over the edge." He was rubbing his hands together until his knuckles were white. "Of course, not only her."
"Red."
"Willow was insane. All that frustration she'd bottled up, all her love for Tara, everything poured out at once. None of us even guessed how powerful she was." He looked at Spike. "Did you see the movie Queen of the Damned?"
"No. Read the book, though."
"Remember the part when the vampire queen made people burn up, with her mind?" Spike nodded. "Andrew and Jonathan went in one burst, but with Warren, she started slow and heated up. He knew what was coming. I've never heard a scream like that before. I hear it now, over and over. I almost felt sorry for him."
"And Buffy?" Spike asked.
"Willow was out of control. I mean, she couldn't stop. Don't think she wanted to. Buffy knew what she had to do. Couldn't do. And I couldn't help her, because I love Willow. I've always loved Willow." He shut his eyes tight. "Listen, I can't talk about this. We'll go to the hotel. Giles knows the story. He can explain."
"Then drive. I need to see Buffy."
Xander started the car again and they drove in silence until he pulled up into the hotel parking lot. "I want you to know something. If you make things any worse for her than they already are, chip or no chip, I'll stake you if I have to do it in your sleep." He unlocked the doors. "If you hurt her again, I'll kill you."
"If I hurt her again," Spike said, "I'll let you."
Xander gripped the steering wheel of his car. "I don't know how the hell you talked me into driving you."
"I don't get it." Spike twitched with nervous energy in the passenger seat. "She'd been having a bad time of it, yeah, and maybe she did love me. I thought she might, much as she denied it. But she's strong. She's the Slayer. You're not tellin' me everything."
"No," Xander replied. "There's more. A lot more. And as much as I hate to admit it, it's not all your fault." He stared at the road ahead, trying to concentrate. "It really fell apart when Tara died."
"What!"
"I forgot. You're really out of the loop. Look, I know you're in a hurry to see her, but I can't talk about this while I'm driving. I'm pulling over here." The donut shop was closed; the lot vacant. He stopped the car. "Did she tell you about the three losers she'd been fighting?"
"No. I mean, I knew there was sommit goin' on, but not what. We didn't talk much."
"Spare me." Xander leaned back in his seat and took a deep breath. "There were these three guys, Andrew, Jonathan and Warren. They'd been tormenting Buffy for months. Warren killed Tara."
"Warren," Spike muttered. "God, no." Spike saw flashes of Tara's smile, teasing him at the party about the ice, her gratitude when he punched her in the nose. He could have saved her.
"Did you say something? Anyway, Buffy was already a basket case, missing you for god knows what reason. No one knew how close she and Tara had become. That sent her over the edge." He was rubbing his hands together until his knuckles were white. "Of course, not only her."
"Red."
"Willow was insane. All that frustration she'd bottled up, all her love for Tara, everything poured out at once. None of us even guessed how powerful she was." He looked at Spike. "Did you see the movie Queen of the Damned?"
"No. Read the book, though."
"Remember the part when the vampire queen made people burn up, with her mind?" Spike nodded. "Andrew and Jonathan went in one burst, but with Warren, she started slow and heated up. He knew what was coming. I've never heard a scream like that before. I hear it now, over and over. I almost felt sorry for him."
"And Buffy?" Spike asked.
"Willow was out of control. I mean, she couldn't stop. Don't think she wanted to. Buffy knew what she had to do. Couldn't do. And I couldn't help her, because I love Willow. I've always loved Willow." He shut his eyes tight. "Listen, I can't talk about this. We'll go to the hotel. Giles knows the story. He can explain."
"Then drive. I need to see Buffy."
Xander started the car again and they drove in silence until he pulled up into the hotel parking lot. "I want you to know something. If you make things any worse for her than they already are, chip or no chip, I'll stake you if I have to do it in your sleep." He unlocked the doors. "If you hurt her again, I'll kill you."
"If I hurt her again," Spike said, "I'll let you."