Part Six
Tara awoke a few hours later still in the chair she had sat in to watch over Spike. She felt a moment of alarm, she hadn't expected to fall asleep. Her eyes moved swiftly over to the bed to see if there was any change and she was startled to be staring into a pair of sharp blue eyes. Spike was awake.
"Oh. Have you been awake long? Are you feeling better?" The questions were rattled off a little breathlessly. It must have worked. Tara admitted to herself that she feared that they might not have been able to help in time.
"'ello, ducks. Just now opened my eyes to see Sleeping Beauty sittin' by my bed side." Spike could be charming when he wanted to. He just never wanted to.
Tara was blushing furiously and her embarrassment caused her stammer to intensify. "I-I-I'll g-go…um…" Tara turned even redder if that was possible and left the room to get Buffy. Spike's grinned at her retreating form.
Buffy came rushing into the room and ground to a halt when she saw him awake. It took her a few moments to calm her racing heart at the sight of him.
"Spike, what did you do to Tara? She's so flustered she can't even speak! I thought…nevermind. What did you do?" Buffy planted her fists firmly on her hips and cocked her head to the side waiting for an explanation.
"Nothin' pet, honsestly." Spike tried to affect an innocent expression but it was useless. Innocence had been lost to him for so long he couldn't even fake it.
"Oh, brother. Don't even pretend you didn't deliberately try to embarrass her. So, pervert, did you flash her or something?" His grin only grew so she decided to give up. "Just forget it, I don't even want to know." She stood there contemplating him for a moment before she spoke again.
"Are you feeling better?" The blackness that had covered his body seemed to have receded leaving only a faintly gray cast over his skin. "Let me look at it."
Buffy walked over to the bed and briskly pulled the sheet back so that she could inspect his wound.
"Hey now, Slayer, you should work on that bedside manner of yours." Spike looked put out. A little gentleness wouldn't have been remiss, the silly bint.
"Shut up, Spike." Buffy could see that the wound was almost completely healed and she let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. Spike was going to be okay.
"See. Good as new, almost. Let's say we celebrate, luv." With a wicked glint in his eye he grabbed Buffy and hauled her down on top of him before she could react.
"Damnit, Spike! Let me go! We are not going to do this, pig." Buffy's struggle was only half-hearted and Spike knew it. With a hand on the back of her head he drew her lips down to his. She relaxed into him and all the fear and subsequent relief was poured into this kiss. It spoke of feelings she could not articulate and possibilities she dared not think about. The couple, lost in each other, didn't notice Tara standing in the doorway.
Tara had often wondered if Buffy would ever acknowledged the attraction she had to Spike. To Tara it seemed obvious that it existed but she had never mentioned it to anyone, it didn't seem like it was any of her business. To see it so blatantly displayed before her, however, was another story altogether and she was shocked and before she could stop it a small gasp flew from her lips.
Spike was oblivious to the intruder but Buffy heard and with a hard push at Spike she scrambled off the bed and turned to face Tara. "Oh God, Tara, how embarrassing…Spike was just…uh…we were just…well-" Tara was already down the stairs.
Buffy spun around to face Spike. "How could you? Now I have to find a way to convince her that she didn't really see what she thought she saw. Don't you have any self-control?" There were tears of frustration and panic brimming in her eyes.
"Hey now, I wasn't alone here and besides all she saw was a harmless kiss."
"Harmless! Spike, nothing you do is harmless, chip or no chip. I'll just bet you did that on purpose! I am going to be completely humiliated!"
"What? Look, pet, you've gone around the bend on that one. I don't care about them and what they know. I only care about-"
"Just shut up Spike and don't call me that! I have to get to Tara before she tells anyone." Buffy made for the door.
Spike tried to conceal the hurt her words caused. "I get the impression that Tara isn't exactly the gossipy type. The little bird can barely manage to get the words out when you ask her what she wants to drink…Slayer?"
Buffy was already gone.
Buffy ran to the front door and pulled it open, "Tara?"
"Yeah?" Buffy started at the sound of Tara's voice directly behind her.
"Oh, there you are. I thought that you might have…left." Buffy waited for Tara to start asking questions but she just stood in front of Buffy with an expectant look on her serene face.
"What you saw was…well…it was nothing. I mean, no big deal. It's not like we're, ya know, doin' it or anything. I mean, God, can you imagine how horrible that would be!" Buffy's laughter was forced and she wished, not for the fist time, that she were a better liar. "So, see, nothing. A whole lot of no big deal. You won't be, um, mentioning this to anyone, right?"
Tara saw the look of pleading on the slayer's face and wanted to reassure her,
"Buffy, it's all right. Y-you don't
have to explain. It's none of my
business or anyone else's for that matter.
I won't say anything. I-I promise."
Buffy looked into Tara's eyes and knew that she spoke the truth, she would not talk to the others about what she saw and for a moment Buffy fought the urge to release her terrible secret onto the girl. Maybe it would be a good thing to tell someone about this thing with Spike. "Tara, I-"
Tara waited for Buffy to continue but the slayer suddenly lost her nerve, "Just, thank you. I think I'll go to the shop and let everyone know that disaster was averted once again. Can you stay? Just in case Spike…"
"Sure no problem." Tara watched Buffy gather her jacket and move to leave. "Buffy?" Buffy turned back to the girl, "It's okay, ya know. I-I mean if you and Spike were, um, more than uh-I mean he's been good and-well it's okay."
"No, Tara, it's not okay. There is nothing good about Spike."