God's gifts to women - chapter 4

Will this chapter finally bring the confrontation? You're about to find out...

But before you start reading the story, I would like to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews! I love writing, but I love reading the reviews even more. So please, if you have something to say about my story or my style of writing, be it positive or negative, write a review and let me know!

Okay, on to the story now...

*~*~*

That's my bike!

The realisation hit him like a brick. He had been walking around in Sunnydale aimlessly, trying to figure out where to start looking for it, when he had heard the familiar rumble. He hadn't really paid attention to it, dismissing it as something he only heard in his mind - until the bike had entered his view. It wasn't until he noticed the man and girl on the bike that he had realized that this was his one chance to get to know the person who had bought it. He quickly stepped into an alley, transformed into his dog shape and ran after the bike, following them by the scent of the girl's perfume.

When he saw them get off the bike and sitting down on the ground at a secluded spot, he quietly crept through the bushes until he was behind them. One look at the girl told him that she was very nervous about something. The blond man lost his patience with her and was about to get up and leave when she started to speak. Sirius didn't really listen to what she was saying, but instead he carefully observed the couple. Because of her earlier words, he knew that the man sitting next to her wasn't her boyfriend or her lover and that she didn't really trust him. Still the man made it seem as if they were just that - a couple in love. He made sure he sat close to her, and he made sure that no one coming from the other side could see the redhead's face. When Sirius started observing the man's face, the first thing that he noticed was the pale, chiselled look. Cheekbones that could cut paper and a perfect marble skin. That guy probably doesn't see much sun. Maybe he has one of those sun allergies? His eyes strayed from the pale skin to the blue eyes. They were looking at the redhead with a hint of a smirk, but Sirius knew that it was only a fake attitude the man had adopted. He was in fact very interested in what his companion had to say, and he was trying to catch every word, no matter how softly she spoke. The wizard suddenly noticed a change in the blond man's eyes. Without hearing what the man was saying, Sirius knew that he was giving the girl a piece of advice over something that he obviously had experienced himself. The girl probably didn't notice, but Sirius suddenly saw the aged look in the man's eyes, no matter how hard that man tried to cover it up with his wide grin and relaxed air. He was still wondering about that look in the man's eyes when they man in question suddenly got up and walked to the bike. This stirred him up, and he just caught the girl's last words: "I'll be there."

When the girl got on the bike behind the man, Sirius sat up straight, and as soon as they drove off, he followed them. They took him all the way through town it seemed, until they reached a street that was well lit but quiet. The man pulled over in front of a shop named The Magic Box. The Magic Box? Probably some fake Muggle magic artefacts. The girl got off the bike and went inside. The man drove off as soon as she was inside. Sirius tried to see which way the man went, but at exactly that moment, a lorry drove by, shielding the man from his view. Cursing under his breath, he slowly walked towards the shop the girl had entered and stared through the window.

To his vast surprise several people greeted the girl. At first he saw a petite girl with blonde hair, another blonde girl who immediately got the redhead a chair and held her hand when the redhead sat down, a third girl with curly blonde hair and a guy with dark hair. A moment later, an older man with a worried look on his face and a large book in his hands entered the room. Through a small crack in the window, Sirius could make out some of their conversation. After a few minutes he had heard all the people's names. That didn't interest him nearly as much as the rest that he heard. Apparently the whole group assembled was working together to kill a certain evil force. The petite blonde seemed somewhat of an authority, telling other people what to do. Her present words were:

"Anya, Giles, Xander, you go and research this demon. I want to know everything about them, but especially how I can kill them. Willow, Tara, could the two of you perform a spell to find out where this demon is?"

The redhead, referred to as Willow, nodded and smiled at Tara, saying: "Sure Buffy, we'll do our witchy-things so you can go and do your Slayer-duties later." Suddenly Anya, the curly blonde, gave a great yawn. The older man, who had just been rubbing his eyes, put his glasses back on and said: "Yes, we will all go to work... but for now I think it is best if we all go to bed. The spell you two are going to do will be quite the energy-drainer, and frankly, if I have to do any more research right now I will fall asleep on my books." Soon, everyone got up and they all left the shop, agreeing to meet the next day after dinner. When Willow, Tara and Buffy turned left and Xander and Anya turned right, Sirius quietly followed Willow to the front door of her dorm.

*~*~*

"Hey, Willow, when are we going to do that spell for Buffy?" Tara asked her girlfriend the next day.

"I thought that maybe we could do it tonight at our place. I was just about to get some of the stuff we'll need." Willow replied as she swung her bag over her shoulder.

"Okay. I still have two classes and then I'll see you there."

After giving her girlfriend one last smile, Willow turned and walked out of the building. She was about the head off to the Magic Box when she bumped into someone. She herself remained standing, but the man she had bumped into fell to the ground with a loud smack, hitting his head on the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, are you alright?" Willow immediately reached down to help the man sit up. The man rubbed the back of his head, obviously trying to focus on Willow's worried face that was before him.

"Er... I am alright... I think," he replied in a low, somewhat creaking voice. The man instantly reminded Willow of Spike because of its British accent.

"Could you help me up, please?" the man suddenly asked.

"Oh, but of course," Willow said, standing up and reaching out for him. The man got up, but the moment he let go of Willow's hand, he started swaying on his feet.

"Whoa! I think you'd better hold on to me for a moment," Willow said, wrapping an arm around the man's middle and placing his left arm around her shoulders. "Let's go to my place for a moment. You can get something to drink and maybe some food there," she said as she was looking around to see whether the man had dropped anything. When she looked up she was surprised by the man's thoughtful smile. "Is there something wrong, sir?" she asked him.

The man lightly shook his head, and said: "It's amazing how you can be so trusting when you've only met me a few seconds ago and don't even know my name yet."

Willow only smiled at this. "Well, I have always been a helper," she commented. "We once had to do this social skills thing, where all my classmates had to write down which group-roll I fulfilled and every single one wrote down 'helper'."

"Is that really so?" the man asked interestedly.

"Well.... no.... one girl actually wrote down 'class nerd', but she got detention for that, so I never really mention it anymore."

The man laughed, and Willow noticed that he had a nice and manly laugh, that somewhat resembled a dog's friendly bark. "So... tell me.... what's you're name?" she asked him, suddenly curious to know this man better.

"My name is Sirius," the black haired man said. Then, without so much as changing the tone of his voice he went on: "where do you live? I think I could do with that drink and food. That is... if the invitation is still valid..." He cocked his head at her and gave her a small, almost begging, smile.

"Of course it's still valid!" Willow grinned, pointing towards her dorm. "It's that house over there."

*~*~*

"So, tell me, what was your name again?" Willow asked as she handed a plate piled with sandwiches to the man sitting at the kitchen table. "I know you told me before, but I kinda forgot because I was thinking about what I should feed you." The man took the plate gratefully and somewhat greedily, took a large bite off the top sandwich and said with a mouth full of bread: "Iw Fiwiuf."

"Er… what did you say? I didn't quite catch that, I'm afraid," Willow asked, confused. The man swallowed and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I haven't had a decent meal in a while. I said 'I'm Sirius'. And your name is…?"

"Willow."

"I knew a willow once. The tree I mean, not a person. It stood on the grounds of the school of witchcraft and wizardry I attended."

"You went to a school that taught magic?!" Willow cried out, stunned. Sirius nodded, very surprised that she seemed oblivious to the fact that there were schools for witchcraft when in fact she herself was a witch. "Yes I did," he answered. "Didn't you? I saw a few spell books on your bed when we came in, so I knew you're a witch. I assumed you would have attended the American version of Hogwarts." Willow shook her head. "No, I didn't. You see… I'm a self-proclaimed witch. I never went to any magic school, and all that I know I have taught myself. Or rather... I was guided by a librarian the first few steps, but I have long outgrown him, so now I teach myself."

Sirius looked stunned. "Wow, you must be really good if you can teach yourself everything. I always thought that certain things at school were very difficult."

"Yes, well I do miss a teacher sometimes. It's nice to have someone who can help you along," Willow replied.

"Hey, you know what?" Sirius said, his face clearing up. "I could help you if you like." Willow looked up in disbelieving happiness. "Would you really do that?" she asked. "Of course I would," Sirius replied. "Think of it as a thank you gift for feeding me."

Willow smiled wide, grinned even. "Okay, thanks. But… when will we start?" Sirius pondered that for a few moments before saying: "Tomorrow maybe? That way I have enough time to arrange some things."

"Tomorrow sounds perfect!" Willow agreed. She suddenly got up again and started bustling about, making Sirius some more food. "Sirius, could you tell me something more about yourself?" she asked as she started smearing butter on some new sandwiches.

"Ehm… sure," Sirius replied nervously. "I was born and raised in England and went to Hogwarts, the magic school. When my best friend James died I moved here and started wandering around and now I am here." He stopped, staring at Willow's concerned face. She looked very trustworthy he thought. He longed to tell her the full story, longed to not having to keep anything from her.

"Er… can I trust you not to tell anyone when I tell you something personal?" he asked. Willow nodded. "Of course."

"Okay… I… I was convicted for the murder of thirteen people. They even thought I killed my own best friend and his wife. I didn't do it, but I have been in wizard prison for many years. I escaped about a year ago, so I could try to clear my name. I found the man who really did kill all those people, but just when I had him, something happened and he escaped. I was almost caught again at that moment, but thankfully some of my friends, among which my newly found godson, helped me escape."

Willow's response was everything he hadn't expected. He had expected fear, anger for not telling her sooner; he had hoped for friendship and understanding; the last thing he had expected was to see her bitter face, followed by the words: "How can people do such a thing? Judging people I mean. I know it's hardly the same, but I meet it every day. At first I was always the nerd, then I was the weird witch, and now all people seem to notice is the fact that I am gay."

Sirius was at a loss for words, so after a few attempts, opening and closing his mouth like a fish, he ended up saying nothing, just looking at her. He tried to look as calm and unaffected as a mountain and apparently it worked, because he could literally see her relax.

"I'm sorry about this," she said in a small voice. "It just gets a little annoying sometimes."

Sirius nodded. "I totally understand, Willow. There really is no need to apologize." Willow gave him a thankful smile. Then her eyes focussed on the clock behind him. "Oh no! I'm sorry Sirius, but you'll have to leave now. I have an appointment at three that I can't miss."

Sirius got up and nodded. "I understand. So, magic lesson tomorrow. Is there anything specific you'd like to go over?"

Willow stopped putting on her coat for a moment to think. "Ehm… I can't really think of anything right now… Oh, wait! Could you teach me a spell to locate demons or demon activity?" Sirius pretended to be surprised and then shrugged his 'surprise' away. "Er… okay. I'll go and get supplies for it."

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow then?" Willow grinned, opening the door. Sirius nodded, passing her. "Yes. How does at four over here sound?"

"Sounds perfect to me," he heard Willow say.

"I'll go and get supplies for tomorrow then," he said. "See you tomorrow!"

Willow nodded and shouted a greet, closing the door behind her. She locked the door, turned and then looked around. There was no sight of Sirius. All she saw was a large black dog that rounded the street corner. She turned and walked in the opposite direction, heading for Spike's crypt. The dog that had just left, stuck its head around the corner again and started following her.

*~*~*

A knock on the door of his crypt brought a mischievous grin to his face. "Come in, Red," he called, stepping into the shadows. The door opened and Willow walked in, looking as if one wrong word from him would make her turn around and leave. He casually stepped out of the shadows, inwardly grinning when she jumped a little.

"You made a good choice in coming to me, Red. I've had more experience than anyone you know."

"Somehow that doesn't do anything to relax me," Willow answered, nervously examining her nails. She suddenly turned to him, fixing her eyes on his. "Spike, can we get on with this, before I change my mind…"

The blond vampire wasn't impressed. "You're not doing this for me, Red, it's for Blondie-witch, remember? You can leave at any given time, but before you turn around and run, take a moment to consider what the result will be for your relationship." He gave her a short moment to adjust her thoughts. Then he slowly walked around her, at first catching her eyes and staring into them with a lust-filled gaze. As he reached her back his eyes lowered to her butt, while he listened intently to hear her reaction. Not betraying anything, he walked on, ending in front of the redhead, facing her. She swallowed heavily, but kept staring him in the eyes, ignoring her gut feeling that told her to look away and make a run for the door.

He kept looking at her with that lust-filled gaze, taking in every millimetre of her face. Willow could almost feel his eyes, caressing her skin, observing every pore and every tiny bit, almost as if he wanted to get inside her skin, going deeper and deeper to see her soul. She felt a blush creep up and could sense it spreading around. She could feel her heart – it was racing – and she was shocked to find that she was sure her panties were damp.

Suddenly Spike's eyes became different, calmer.

"The most important thing about flirting is observation. You have to observe every reaction and work with every little twitch or gleam. When I was walking around you I could see your every move, your shudder, your blush, everything…" He couldn't help smirking before he added: "And yes, they are damp."

Outside the crypt, Sirius couldn't believe what was going on. Why would someone live in a crypt? It was hardly a normal place for a human being to live in. Then, he caught Willow's words.

"But Spike, how am I supposed to see all that? You're a vampire, you have all these superdupersense-things going for you, but I don't have that."

A vampire? A *vampire*?! She's in there with a vampire, and she doesn't even take her wand with her to vanquish him?

He had missed Spike's answer to Willow, but when he went back to looking through a peep in the wall, he could see that he was still standing opposite her. At this moment, Willow was walking around him. If Sirius hadn't known that Spike was a vampire he would have grinned at the scene. The redhead was obviously trying to flirt with that Spike-guy, in the same time trying to resist a just as obvious urge to run away from him as fast as she possibly could.

He turned around and sat down against the crypt. With what he had heard the evening before he knew all that was going on in the crypt was Willow's first lesson in the 'magic of flirting' as the vampire had called it. He decided to stay close by, transforming into his dog-shape once more to avoid suspicion. He'd get to talk to Spike sooner or later…

*~*~*

"I think this will have to be it for today," Spike said about 2 hours later. "You will have enough to think about, and I think you have learned enough today to at least get you started. You sure got *me* worked up just now…"

"Spike, don't even for a minute think that we are a possibility. I am most definitely gay, and even though I am very grateful for your lesson, thank-you-sex is definitely out of the question." Without looking at him a second time she walked to the door. There, she spun round, door in hand already. "I will think of a way to thank you, Spike. Just give me a few days to arrange something appropriate."

Spike nodded. "Alright. But if you haven't found anything in a few days, dollars are still very welcome."

Willow gave a meek smile, not turning away just yet. He gave her what he thought was a reassuring smile. "Go on, Red, give it a try. It won't kill you and it will most probably fire things up between the two of you. Trust me."

Now Willow smiled fully. "That, Spike, is something I will never do."

Shaking his head in silent laughter he turned to place his comfy chair back where it belonged. That was when he heard the door to his crypt open. "What did you forget, Red?"

He almost jumped when a male voice said: "My name is Sirius. You don't know me, but we need to talk."

*~*~*

Here are a few reactions to things reviewers wrote:

Satine1899: Oops! I believe I forgot to mention that this fiction is an AU fic. Basically, Spike isn't in love with Buffy in this fic! And to answer your question about the bike: he bought that bike ten years ago, yes, but he stashed it somewhere when he came to Sunnydale. I put up a new version of chapter 3 because I thought you were right and deserved an explanation J And don't worry, I always love reviews! I'm glad your being critical!!

Astra_Angel8965: Buffy wouldn't have to notice, because Spike *can* be very good at keeping secrets. Also, he had the bike stashed and only recently got it back. But apart from that: you are right, the fic is an AU.