A/N: This fic is going to end soon and then be continued in its companion which has yet to be titled or published... or started, for that matter! Just be on the look out for it, its the next thing I'm gonna post :O) Thanks to all you sexy biyatches who have reviewed, you all kick ass! Also, I revised the way I write Tara, hopefully it's more accurate now.
It'd been awhile since Anya had really sat down and talked to any of the Scoobies. She wasn't purposely trying to stay away from the gang; it wasn't like she was bitter toward any of them (with the exception of Xander, and possibly Buffy-- she had yet to decide how she felt about her after Spike told her how badly she'd treated him), it was just that she hadn't had the chance. They'd all been avoiding the Magic Box like she was a child who'd run away from home by pitching a tent in the backyard; the type of thing where if you ignore the kid long enough, she'll come back inside. That thought brought up a slight pang of resentment in Anya. Out of all of them, she viewed herself as the least child-like, although she supposed Tara *did* exceed her in maturity. Her pang, however, was quickly soothed by the knowledge that *she* was having regular sex, and the rest of them weren't.
Wait a sec. Make that *spine-tingling, chest-heaving, lip-biting, nail-raking, toe-curling, muscle-spasming, ear-splitting* regular sex. And that was on *slow* nights. She couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit smug that she and Spike had suffered the most at the hands of their lovers, but ended up being the ones who got theirs in the end. Literally.
Anya was willing to bet that Buffy figured she'd been the fuck of Spike's life-- er, *un*-life. After all, Buffy'd spent hours upon hours in the darkness of his crypt, banging out all her terror and confusion and frustration on him until they both screamed themselves raw. But despite all her experience in the field, Buffy had no idea what sex between two demons was like, especially when there were amplified emotions involved. Anya didn't love Spike yet and she knew he didn't love *her*, though the feelings between them were certainly loud and blaring their way towards an amorous volume. She was fully aware that he was perfectly capable of soft, reassuring lovemaking; they'd done it that way on more than one occasion, all kisses and whispers and bodies woven together like a tapestry of passion. She was also fully aware that he could match her brutality in bed when she was in a voracious mood, pinning each other down, letting their demons loose, and creating so much friction they half-expected to be scorched when they finally pulled apart. His skills as a lover encompassed the entire spectrum, and Anya would be damned if she had any idea why Buffy only wanted the dark side.
These were the thoughts that were running through her head as she and Spike pulled up to the UC Sunnydale campus and took the spot nearest the door.
"Did Tara say what she wanted to talk to us about?" Spike asked, putting his keys in his duster pocket as he climbed out of the car.
"No," Anya replied, shutting the door. "But she said it's important and urgent and all those unpleasant things. Maybe it has something to do with the odd feelings that've been coming from around the graveyard." She paused a second. "By the way, are you aware that this is a handicapped parking space?"
He shrugged. "Anya, luv, you don't get much more handicapped than dead."
She thought about that for a moment. "I suppose you're right. Anyway, let's go, I want to get the bad news over with."
He snaked his arm around her waist as they walked toward the dorm.
**********************************************
Tara hadn't been feeling well for the past couple days. She was dizzy and weak and drifting sporadically in and out of a fever. She'd been trying to absorb healing energies from her crystals, but it wasn't enough to keep her strength at full throttle. The thick plumes of smoke from the protective insense filling her bedroom weren't helping much either; they made her even *more* light-headed, but she kept them burning indefinitely despite that. She figured a few days of discomfort was more than worth the lives of her friends.
She sensed Spike and Anya approaching her room long before she heard them. Their energy was incredible, a pulling kinetic swirl of immense darkness and blinding light charged with sex and death and longing and satisfaction. If she hadn't been used to them and their intense presence, she would have been frightened. Their power was undeniable.
When the knock came she tried her best to keep her appearance calm, but the news she had for them was causing an irrepressable expression of sorrow and fear to overtake her soft features. She took a deep breath and crossed the room to the door, bending her mouth into a smile before opening it.
"Hi sweetie," she said to Anya, giving her a big hug after ushering them in.
"Hi Tara. How are you doing?" Anya asked, returning the friendly affection.
"Oh... I'm all right. How about you guys? And hi, Spike," she added, nodding amicably at the blond vampire.
He nodded back at her. "Hello Tara."
"We're doing very well, thanks," Anya said. "Well, up until now anyway. I think."
Tara frowned. "Is there something wrong?"
"I don't know," Anya answered. "Is there?"
"I hear you have some news for us," Spike clarified. "Some less-than-pleasant news, apparently."
"Oh," Tara replied. "Well... yeah. I have some things to talk to you guys about. And they're n-not exactly... good. Why don't you sit down."
Spike and Anya exchanged a concerned glance before following Tara's lead and taking a seat on the futon across from the TV. Anya slipped her hand into Spike's as Tara drew her legs up Indian-style and leaned towards them.
"First of all, I just need to get this straight: you guys are t-together, right?"
Spike looked at Anya for a moment before shaking his head in the affirmative. "Yeah. For 'bout two weeks now."
"Actually, we've been *having sex* for two weeks now," Anya put in. "But I moved in a month ago."
Tara blushed slightly and nodded, but her grim look stayed intact. "Okay," she said slowly. "Because that has a lot to do with what's going on."
"What, sex?" Spike asked, raising an eyebrow.
Tara nodded again. "Yeah. You see, what happened is two nights ago, B-buffy was heading over to your crypt to talk to you. I guess she told Willow that she'd been thinking and she felt bad for some argument you got into at the Bronze. She wanted to maybe try and c-clear things up a little, so she decided to stop by after her patrol. When she got there, though, she... she h-heard you guys... you know? And she kinda, well... snapped."
She did not add that 'snapped' meant the only thing that stopped Buffy from going in and killing both of them was the fact that seeing them together again was the last thing she ever wanted.
"Anyway," she continued. "She told Xander about it, and he got even more upset than she was. They went to your crypt the next day to... to... well, th-they weren't... *aren't*... thinking straight. You guys weren't there, though, thank God, so they decided to go back again that night. But I g-got word of it and I got there first. Are you w-with me so far?" she asked softly.
The look of shock on Spike's face would have been enough to electrocute them all if it hadn't been countered by the icy rage flashing in Anya's eyes. The room was boiling with confusion.
"Are you with me?" Tara repeated, touching Anya's hand. Anya nodded slowly. "Spike?" He nodded, too, after a moment. "All right. Let me explain more, then.
"I p-put a protection spell on the crypt so that only the two of you could get in and out of it. It's a very powerful spell, and it's t-taking all of my energy to keep it up. I'll only be able to hold it for another day or so, but I figure it'll be enough time for you to decide what you n-need to do. B-buffy and Xander... they're not going to stop trying to get at you guys... especially you, Spike... until they get what they s-see as their revenge. They thought that you'd done some k-kind of wish to keep the crypt sealed to them... they h-have no idea that I'm the one who did this. Once the spell goes down, though... even though both you guys have incredible power... you'll be in a lot of danger. There's no guarantee that they w-won't..." she trailed off.
"Won't what?" Anya hissed, voice low and tight. "Kill us?"
Tara bit her lip. "Oh, sweetie... I d-don't know. That's what they've been saying. They won't listen t-to Willow or I when we try to reason with them."
Anya turned to Spike, who was clutching almost painfully at her hand. "What do we do?" she whispered frantically.
He shook his head, anger and fear trembling violently across his face. He knew what the Slayer was capable of. He didn't think she'd actually kill Anya, even though she was a demon now, but he knew she wouldn't think twice about driving a stake straight through his unbeating heart. Protecting himself against Xander was another problem; if the whelp came unarmed Spike could take the pain of the chip to get in a few good shots, but there was no way in hell Xander would show up without weapons. He was completely at a loss. "I don't have a bloody clue," Spike answered finally, matching Anya's strained tone. "Normally I'd say fight, but *this*..." He looked up at her, eyes revealing what he couldn't believe he was thinking.
Too personal.
She nodded in agreement, leaning against him and meeting Tara's sad gaze. "What do *you* think we should do?" she asked, her inflections pleading for a solution.
Tara glanced away for a moment, blinking back emotion. She hated seeing her friends torn apart like this, especially by each other. *Look at what's happened to us,* she thought. *Look at what we've become.*
She took a long breath before answering,"There's one thing I can think of that would k-keep everyone safe. It might seem a little drastic, but... maybe... maybe you guys sh-should...maybe you should leave town for awhile. Just until things s-settle down, you know?"
Spike nodded slowly, then locked eyes with Anya, reading her face. "I think that sounds like the best way to go, pet. Been meaning to get out of Sunnyhell anyway, right?"
It was obvious he was trying desperately to regain composure.
Anya gave a half-shrug at this and glanced down, back up at Spike, then at Tara. "What about the shop?"
"I'll take over for you if you want," Tara offered. "I'd be more than happy to, and I s-still remember everything about working there. And I can wire you your paychecks as long as you k-keep me updated on where you are."
Anya stared at her for several seconds, her face a blank slate. Then, with a sob, she flung herself forward and threw her arms around Tara's neck. She found herself immediately wrapped up in the witch's comforting embrace. "Thank you," she whispered over and over again. "Thank you so much."
"It's all right, honey," Tara soothed, rubbing her back. "It's no problem. I'm glad to do this for you."
Spike caught her eye over Anya's shoulder and mouthed his own gratitude to her. She smiled and nodded imperceptibly, mouthing back, "You're welcome." Then she pulled away from Anya and took her face between her hands. "Everything will be all right," she told her. "I'll let you know the minute it's s-safe to come back, and we'll figure out how and where you guys can go. And don't worry a second about the shop, either, I'll keep it running like you n-never left. Okay?"
Anya sniffled and nodded, giving Tara a watery smile. "Okay."
Spike stood up at this point, slightly uncomfortable with the mushiness occurring in front of him and still trying to get some control over the situation. "Anya, luv, I think we should go now," he said. "It would probably be a good idea to get packed and leave by daybreak."
She looked back at him and shook her head in agreement. "You're right. The sooner we leave the sooner we can figure out where we're going to go."
Anya and Tara stood up and exchanged one last hug. "We owe you," Anya said. "If you need anything ever... a favor, magic supplies, vengeance... we owe you."
Tara shook her head. "No you d-don't. This is what any good friend would do. We've saved each other before, after all."
Anya nodded. "You certainly are a good friend. I'll call you when we stop somewhere and let you know what's going on."
"All right,"Tara agreed, walking them to the door. "Just... be careful."
"We will," Spike replied. "Thanks again, Tara. And, uh, hope everything works out for you and Red."
She blushed and waved her hand in response.
"I'll miss you," Anya told her as she and Spike stepped out into the hall.
"I'll miss you, too, sweetie. I'll talk to you tomorrow, then."
"Okay. Goodbye, Tara," she called as they disappeared around the corner.
"Bye," Tara replied, more to herself than anyone else. "And good luck."
She wondered if they'd need it.
TBC...
It'd been awhile since Anya had really sat down and talked to any of the Scoobies. She wasn't purposely trying to stay away from the gang; it wasn't like she was bitter toward any of them (with the exception of Xander, and possibly Buffy-- she had yet to decide how she felt about her after Spike told her how badly she'd treated him), it was just that she hadn't had the chance. They'd all been avoiding the Magic Box like she was a child who'd run away from home by pitching a tent in the backyard; the type of thing where if you ignore the kid long enough, she'll come back inside. That thought brought up a slight pang of resentment in Anya. Out of all of them, she viewed herself as the least child-like, although she supposed Tara *did* exceed her in maturity. Her pang, however, was quickly soothed by the knowledge that *she* was having regular sex, and the rest of them weren't.
Wait a sec. Make that *spine-tingling, chest-heaving, lip-biting, nail-raking, toe-curling, muscle-spasming, ear-splitting* regular sex. And that was on *slow* nights. She couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit smug that she and Spike had suffered the most at the hands of their lovers, but ended up being the ones who got theirs in the end. Literally.
Anya was willing to bet that Buffy figured she'd been the fuck of Spike's life-- er, *un*-life. After all, Buffy'd spent hours upon hours in the darkness of his crypt, banging out all her terror and confusion and frustration on him until they both screamed themselves raw. But despite all her experience in the field, Buffy had no idea what sex between two demons was like, especially when there were amplified emotions involved. Anya didn't love Spike yet and she knew he didn't love *her*, though the feelings between them were certainly loud and blaring their way towards an amorous volume. She was fully aware that he was perfectly capable of soft, reassuring lovemaking; they'd done it that way on more than one occasion, all kisses and whispers and bodies woven together like a tapestry of passion. She was also fully aware that he could match her brutality in bed when she was in a voracious mood, pinning each other down, letting their demons loose, and creating so much friction they half-expected to be scorched when they finally pulled apart. His skills as a lover encompassed the entire spectrum, and Anya would be damned if she had any idea why Buffy only wanted the dark side.
These were the thoughts that were running through her head as she and Spike pulled up to the UC Sunnydale campus and took the spot nearest the door.
"Did Tara say what she wanted to talk to us about?" Spike asked, putting his keys in his duster pocket as he climbed out of the car.
"No," Anya replied, shutting the door. "But she said it's important and urgent and all those unpleasant things. Maybe it has something to do with the odd feelings that've been coming from around the graveyard." She paused a second. "By the way, are you aware that this is a handicapped parking space?"
He shrugged. "Anya, luv, you don't get much more handicapped than dead."
She thought about that for a moment. "I suppose you're right. Anyway, let's go, I want to get the bad news over with."
He snaked his arm around her waist as they walked toward the dorm.
**********************************************
Tara hadn't been feeling well for the past couple days. She was dizzy and weak and drifting sporadically in and out of a fever. She'd been trying to absorb healing energies from her crystals, but it wasn't enough to keep her strength at full throttle. The thick plumes of smoke from the protective insense filling her bedroom weren't helping much either; they made her even *more* light-headed, but she kept them burning indefinitely despite that. She figured a few days of discomfort was more than worth the lives of her friends.
She sensed Spike and Anya approaching her room long before she heard them. Their energy was incredible, a pulling kinetic swirl of immense darkness and blinding light charged with sex and death and longing and satisfaction. If she hadn't been used to them and their intense presence, she would have been frightened. Their power was undeniable.
When the knock came she tried her best to keep her appearance calm, but the news she had for them was causing an irrepressable expression of sorrow and fear to overtake her soft features. She took a deep breath and crossed the room to the door, bending her mouth into a smile before opening it.
"Hi sweetie," she said to Anya, giving her a big hug after ushering them in.
"Hi Tara. How are you doing?" Anya asked, returning the friendly affection.
"Oh... I'm all right. How about you guys? And hi, Spike," she added, nodding amicably at the blond vampire.
He nodded back at her. "Hello Tara."
"We're doing very well, thanks," Anya said. "Well, up until now anyway. I think."
Tara frowned. "Is there something wrong?"
"I don't know," Anya answered. "Is there?"
"I hear you have some news for us," Spike clarified. "Some less-than-pleasant news, apparently."
"Oh," Tara replied. "Well... yeah. I have some things to talk to you guys about. And they're n-not exactly... good. Why don't you sit down."
Spike and Anya exchanged a concerned glance before following Tara's lead and taking a seat on the futon across from the TV. Anya slipped her hand into Spike's as Tara drew her legs up Indian-style and leaned towards them.
"First of all, I just need to get this straight: you guys are t-together, right?"
Spike looked at Anya for a moment before shaking his head in the affirmative. "Yeah. For 'bout two weeks now."
"Actually, we've been *having sex* for two weeks now," Anya put in. "But I moved in a month ago."
Tara blushed slightly and nodded, but her grim look stayed intact. "Okay," she said slowly. "Because that has a lot to do with what's going on."
"What, sex?" Spike asked, raising an eyebrow.
Tara nodded again. "Yeah. You see, what happened is two nights ago, B-buffy was heading over to your crypt to talk to you. I guess she told Willow that she'd been thinking and she felt bad for some argument you got into at the Bronze. She wanted to maybe try and c-clear things up a little, so she decided to stop by after her patrol. When she got there, though, she... she h-heard you guys... you know? And she kinda, well... snapped."
She did not add that 'snapped' meant the only thing that stopped Buffy from going in and killing both of them was the fact that seeing them together again was the last thing she ever wanted.
"Anyway," she continued. "She told Xander about it, and he got even more upset than she was. They went to your crypt the next day to... to... well, th-they weren't... *aren't*... thinking straight. You guys weren't there, though, thank God, so they decided to go back again that night. But I g-got word of it and I got there first. Are you w-with me so far?" she asked softly.
The look of shock on Spike's face would have been enough to electrocute them all if it hadn't been countered by the icy rage flashing in Anya's eyes. The room was boiling with confusion.
"Are you with me?" Tara repeated, touching Anya's hand. Anya nodded slowly. "Spike?" He nodded, too, after a moment. "All right. Let me explain more, then.
"I p-put a protection spell on the crypt so that only the two of you could get in and out of it. It's a very powerful spell, and it's t-taking all of my energy to keep it up. I'll only be able to hold it for another day or so, but I figure it'll be enough time for you to decide what you n-need to do. B-buffy and Xander... they're not going to stop trying to get at you guys... especially you, Spike... until they get what they s-see as their revenge. They thought that you'd done some k-kind of wish to keep the crypt sealed to them... they h-have no idea that I'm the one who did this. Once the spell goes down, though... even though both you guys have incredible power... you'll be in a lot of danger. There's no guarantee that they w-won't..." she trailed off.
"Won't what?" Anya hissed, voice low and tight. "Kill us?"
Tara bit her lip. "Oh, sweetie... I d-don't know. That's what they've been saying. They won't listen t-to Willow or I when we try to reason with them."
Anya turned to Spike, who was clutching almost painfully at her hand. "What do we do?" she whispered frantically.
He shook his head, anger and fear trembling violently across his face. He knew what the Slayer was capable of. He didn't think she'd actually kill Anya, even though she was a demon now, but he knew she wouldn't think twice about driving a stake straight through his unbeating heart. Protecting himself against Xander was another problem; if the whelp came unarmed Spike could take the pain of the chip to get in a few good shots, but there was no way in hell Xander would show up without weapons. He was completely at a loss. "I don't have a bloody clue," Spike answered finally, matching Anya's strained tone. "Normally I'd say fight, but *this*..." He looked up at her, eyes revealing what he couldn't believe he was thinking.
Too personal.
She nodded in agreement, leaning against him and meeting Tara's sad gaze. "What do *you* think we should do?" she asked, her inflections pleading for a solution.
Tara glanced away for a moment, blinking back emotion. She hated seeing her friends torn apart like this, especially by each other. *Look at what's happened to us,* she thought. *Look at what we've become.*
She took a long breath before answering,"There's one thing I can think of that would k-keep everyone safe. It might seem a little drastic, but... maybe... maybe you guys sh-should...maybe you should leave town for awhile. Just until things s-settle down, you know?"
Spike nodded slowly, then locked eyes with Anya, reading her face. "I think that sounds like the best way to go, pet. Been meaning to get out of Sunnyhell anyway, right?"
It was obvious he was trying desperately to regain composure.
Anya gave a half-shrug at this and glanced down, back up at Spike, then at Tara. "What about the shop?"
"I'll take over for you if you want," Tara offered. "I'd be more than happy to, and I s-still remember everything about working there. And I can wire you your paychecks as long as you k-keep me updated on where you are."
Anya stared at her for several seconds, her face a blank slate. Then, with a sob, she flung herself forward and threw her arms around Tara's neck. She found herself immediately wrapped up in the witch's comforting embrace. "Thank you," she whispered over and over again. "Thank you so much."
"It's all right, honey," Tara soothed, rubbing her back. "It's no problem. I'm glad to do this for you."
Spike caught her eye over Anya's shoulder and mouthed his own gratitude to her. She smiled and nodded imperceptibly, mouthing back, "You're welcome." Then she pulled away from Anya and took her face between her hands. "Everything will be all right," she told her. "I'll let you know the minute it's s-safe to come back, and we'll figure out how and where you guys can go. And don't worry a second about the shop, either, I'll keep it running like you n-never left. Okay?"
Anya sniffled and nodded, giving Tara a watery smile. "Okay."
Spike stood up at this point, slightly uncomfortable with the mushiness occurring in front of him and still trying to get some control over the situation. "Anya, luv, I think we should go now," he said. "It would probably be a good idea to get packed and leave by daybreak."
She looked back at him and shook her head in agreement. "You're right. The sooner we leave the sooner we can figure out where we're going to go."
Anya and Tara stood up and exchanged one last hug. "We owe you," Anya said. "If you need anything ever... a favor, magic supplies, vengeance... we owe you."
Tara shook her head. "No you d-don't. This is what any good friend would do. We've saved each other before, after all."
Anya nodded. "You certainly are a good friend. I'll call you when we stop somewhere and let you know what's going on."
"All right,"Tara agreed, walking them to the door. "Just... be careful."
"We will," Spike replied. "Thanks again, Tara. And, uh, hope everything works out for you and Red."
She blushed and waved her hand in response.
"I'll miss you," Anya told her as she and Spike stepped out into the hall.
"I'll miss you, too, sweetie. I'll talk to you tomorrow, then."
"Okay. Goodbye, Tara," she called as they disappeared around the corner.
"Bye," Tara replied, more to herself than anyone else. "And good luck."
She wondered if they'd need it.
TBC...
