Disclaimer: See chapter 1, 6, 11, or 16.
PART 18
(April 2000)
Spike opened the door of his crypt with a snarl, still yanking on his t-shirt. The loud insistent pounding that had started a minute before came to a halt. Willow stood there nervously, half turned away, half facing him. She looked about ready to bolt.
"What do you want, Willow?" Though his tone was belligerent, he was anything but. He was actually happy to see her. It'd been almost two weeks since he'd last seen her. At least a week since he'd hopped through time for a little visit with the future Willow; a week since discovering the implant was once again working. Since being back, he'd been mostly on his own, and he'd wanted it that way. Buffy had stayed away for once, not barging in at all hours to demand he do something or other, which was probably a good thing, because, feeling as he did, he might've braved the pain and the possible end of the world just to see her face smashed in and bloody.
Unfortunately Willow had stayed away as well. He hadn't seen her, talked to her, or touched her for over a week. His last conversation with the Willow from the future had gone terribly wrong and he was itching for a chance to fix things. He wouldn't apologize for killing. Never would those words leave his lips, but he could pretend. Nod and smile. Make nice with her just to be near her and touch her.
He was lost, and he knew it.
This Willow here, the one from his own time, was another matter. She had no idea of what had gone on in the future, and he had no intention of telling her, not while he still had a chance with her.
And now she was here, and other problems were looming. For days, he'd known what was coming, but was unable to do anything about it. And judging by the look on her face, she now knew as well.
"Spike. Hi. Um, can I come in?" Without waiting for an answer, she walked past him.
Spike closed the door against the bright sunshine, and turned around to face her, tucking his shirt in. She was standing in the middle of the room, frowning. His perusal of her faded jeans, and baggy shirt was interrupted by her next words.
"Oh, hey, guess what? Oz is back. Isn't that neat?"
She sounded a little... stressed. Kind of a lot stressed actually. Why? Oz was leaving, there should be no decisions weighing heavily on her mind.
He hid his lack of surprise behind a laugh. "Better call the pound." He leaned closer in mock concern. "You have had your shots, haven't you?"
She ignored his taunting, looking around uncomfortably, like she still wasn't sure why she was there. Well, make that two of them.
"And?" he encouraged, seeing she wasn't about to offer anything up anytime soon. "As hard as it is to believe, I actually wasn't pining for news about your dog. So is there something else you wanted?" Sounded very cold and uncaring, he was sure of it.
"I had a question. This Oz thing got me thinking about, you know, stuff." He saw her roll her eyes at herself and had to agree with the sentiment. "As far as I know you don't care about me."
After a blank stare at her and realizing she was going to just stop right there, without continuing, Spike sat down in his chair with a sigh. Didn't care? He must be a better actor than he'd thought. Well... good.
He was surprised it'd taken her this long to come to him. She was a curious person, always had her nose stuck in a book, typing away on her computer, looking things up, finding things out. It was how she was. That she'd waited two weeks before seeking him out to get some answers was amazing to him. He'd expected her much sooner.
He patted his thigh and smirked at her. "Have a seat, we'll talk about this... uh, stuff you're curious about."
Willow tilted her head to the side and gave him a disbelieving look. "Okay, now that I'm here, and have had a small amount of time to think about it, this was a really stupid idea."
"Sit down," he said with a sigh. "What is it you're so curious about?" He hoped he didn't sound too eager, too desperate for company. Her company in particular.
She looked unsure for a minute, biting her lip and glancing around before finally giving in with a sigh. "All right. But only because I'm really, really curious." Clasping her hands together, she stayed put, but relaxed a little. "Okay, so... oh, hey, did I mention Oz was back?" she asked in an attempt at stalling.
He rolled his eyes and lit a cigarette, blowing smoke into the air above his head. "Yeah, you mentioned it." Forcing himself to keep the sarcasm to a minimum, he cleared his throat and asked, "What's the matter, Stutter Girl not willing to share?"
Her eyes went wide. "How did you know-- oh! I knew you were following Tara," she said accusingly.
Spike took a drag off his cigarette, his eyes never leaving hers. "I thought we already talked about that, Witch."
She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Right." She nodded, sticking her hands in her pockets, then took them out and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're right. But, that's not why I'm here. I just-- well, I wanted to know... did you sleep with her?" She avoided looking at him, fixing her eyes somewhere in the vicinity of his boots.
He'd gotten off easy two weeks ago. But now he would have to answer her questions. Honestly? He still wasn't sure if he'd be honest or not. Wasn't sure how candid he wanted to be. So, he played dumb, stalling for time. "Sleep with your blonde witch? Bloody hell, no. Anything else you'd like to accuse me of while you're at it?" He jumped to his feet for good measure.
She burst out laughing, her amused gaze following him as he hopped up onto his bed. "Not Tara. No, I meant-- um, me. Well, not-- not me, as in me. But me from the future?" Obviously expecting him to either laugh at her or call her crazy, she winced and bit her thumb nail. But she didn't look away.
Spike did. "You from the future?" he repeated, shaking his head in confusion. "What are you talking about? Is there another you walking around? 'Cause I gotta tell you, one is enough for me."
"Spike," She joined him by the bed, speaking slowly, and clearly. "Did you have sex with a future version of me?"
He was caught. She wasn't going to be put off. He was dust for sure now. Willow would run and tell the bimbo slayer, and the slayer would pay him a midnight visit, ending his pathetic excuse for a life.
"What if I did?" he asked, running his eyes over her. "You jealous?" Her eyes flicked away from his, and her breathing quickened. Oh, well, look at that, he thought. This Willow was definitely attracted to him. It hadn't just been the alcohol the other night. He could've jumped for joy. Instead, he taunted her some more. "Care to have a go, pet?"
Her frown was huge, her eyes shocked. "Why?" she whispered. "Why would you sleep with her? You don't even like me."
He shrugged, acting all unconcerned, when what he really wanted to do was tell her--no, show her--just how much he really did like her. "Never said I slept with her, you just assumed I did." He slid his hand behind her head and pulled her closer. "Tell me, Willow. What bothers you more? The fact that I may have slept with someone I don't like? Or the fact that you may have slept with a demon?"
She swallowed nervously and bit her lip, trying to pull away without being obvious. Spike didn't let go. He didn't want to let go. He wanted to kiss those sexy lips of hers, and be the one she was biting. Wanted to pull her that much closer, and trace her lips with his tongue, lightly press his mouth to hers, and slide his tongue into her mouth. So he did.
And she tasted so good. Her lips, soft against his, were warm, and inviting. Instead of pulling away, as he'd expected, she moved closer, and opened her mouth for him. She moved between his legs, putting her hands on his stomach. Not to push him away, but to touch him. That, in itself, effected him more than anything else she could've done.
But he didn't take it any further.
He released her, dropping his hand from her neck... a bit slowly, he'd admit. And he sort of slid it down her back rather than dropping it, but eventually he did completely release her. Only, she didn't step back, or move away, or stop kissing him. Her small hands, still resting against his stomach, twisted in his shirt. Her breath fanned across his cheek as she kissed the side of his mouth.
And then she pulled back. She was breathing hard, her eyes darkened with desire. A small frown furrowed her brow.
"Sorry--" she whispered, then cleared her throat and tried again. "Sorry. Um, I-- I was just-- I had to figure something out."
That wasn't what he'd expected her to say. "Figure something out?" What was he? Her blasted guinea pig? Getting his anger under control, he had to admit that he'd been using her as much as she had apparently been using him, so he had no right to be angry. "And did you?"
She pried her eyes from the floor and nodded slowly. "I think I did, yeah." She smiled brilliantly. "Thank you."
He took hold of her wrist, rubbing his thumb along the soft flesh on the inside of her arm. "Are you going to tell me what it was, or leave me in the dark?"
"Oh," she smiled again, a beautiful smile. Radiant even. "I wanted to know if I felt like I was betraying Oz if I kissed you. Or, um, Tara," she added, almost as an afterthought.
He hid his surprise behind a self satisfied grin. "Leaving the witch then?" Bloody hell, life was turning out to be grand after all, wasn't it? Oz was leaving town, Tara was out of the picture, and Willow was free to be seduced by him. He felt incredible.
"Yes. I have to. I still love Oz, and," she glanced down at her watch, missing his furious look. "I have to go catch him before he leaves. Thank you, Spike." She grinned at him, and ran out the door.
Spike watched her go in disbelief. He jumped up and ran to the door, throwing it open. Cursing the sun--and himself for being a vampire--he slammed it shut again. "Son of a bitch!"
Because of him and his stupid, blasted idiocy, he'd forced her into Oz's arms. It had to have been the doubts he'd planted in her mind about Tara that did it. Future Willow was probably going to be pissed at him now. Pissed for messing with her life, and breaking her and Tara up. Pissed for sticking his nose in where it didn't belong.
"Bloody hell!" He shoved at the lid of the sarcophagus and it went flying against the wall, falling to the floor. Amazingly enough, it didn't break. And then the door opened, and hope surged through him. If he could get to Willow before she got to Oz, there might be a chance to fix things. To stop that bastard from getting her.
"Spike."
Not Willow. Spike spun around, faced with an ugly demon stitched together with different parts. Had to be the infamous Adam. His eyes flickered briefly from the demon in front of him to the papers Willow had left for him. There hadn't been anything in there about Adam coming here. Crap, he had enough to deal with at the moment without adding in an all-powerful demon.
Adam was watching him without expression. "Spike, I want you to come with me."
Spike was not in the mood for this right now. He wanted to go to Willow. But first he had to get rid of the big ugly. "Do you?" He shrugged, looking agreeable. "Well, let's go then." He turned to leave, then spun back around, and punched Adam in the stomach. Pain shot through his hand. Adam stared at him, showing no signs of having even felt Spike's fist. Spike shook his hand. "Ow."
"Come," Adam said, taking a step closer to Spike.
Spike backed away from him. No way was he taking this guy on. Not alone anyhow. He knew from the papers Willow had left behind that Adam was nearly impossible to beat. They'd had to band together or some crap to beat him. And judging from the pain still throbbing through his hand, Willow hadn't been exaggerating.
"You're going to help me with my problem," Adam told him, still watching him with that same creepy expression.
"Why is that exactly?" Spike asked belligerently. Adam may be a super demon, but he couldn't just order Spike around like a child.
"I'm going to help you with yours," Adam answered.
Spike's head snapped up, his eyes looking for the truth in Adam's impenetrable gaze. Willow hadn't mentioned anything about... bloody hell. She hadn't wanted him to know. Well of course she didn't, hadn't he just argued with her a week ago over this very thing.
Furious with Willow, Spike decided he'd do what Adam wanted. He'd get the chip out, and then he'd go find Willow. Pay her a little visit.
(April 2000)
Willow watched Buffy pace back and forth across Giles' floor. She was tempted to do the same thing, but she wasn't really a pacing type of person. She was more the sit-back-and-wait-quietly-in-a-chair type. Even if she did want to jump up and pace. She wouldn't. Oz would be fine. They always ended up fine, this was just one more thing they had to go through to end up fine.
Guilt was also something she wouldn't give in to. Just because she had gone to Tara this morning didn't mean it was her fault Oz had freaked out and turned wolfy. Wasn't her fault that she hadn't been there for him, to help him. To calm him down. Nope. Not her fault at all. Her being at Spike's crypt, kissing him of all things, had nothing to do with Oz's current cell-like surroundings.
"Something's wrong," Buffy told them, interrupting Willow's thoughts. "Riley usually returns my phone calls by now."
"We can't wait much longer," Xander said, his concern warming Willow's heart.
Her cold heart. Here they were, concerned with her ex-boyfriend, when she'd been in a vampire's lair betraying said ex-boyfriend. Sure, she'd told Spike she'd kissed him back to figure out who she wanted, but the truth was... she'd already made her decision. She'd kissed him simply because she'd enjoyed it. She'd already known who she wanted. Tara.
And then Spike reminded her again that Tara might not have been completely truthful with her. Then he kissed her. And wow, had that been an experience. Again. The first time, she'd been drunk. This time, she was sober, and loving it. Her thoughts hadn't been of Oz, or Tara, only Spike, and then he released her, but she'd continued to kiss him. Covering her embarrassment had been the only thing on her mind.
Willow tuned the conversation back in and was glad she did.
"Okay," Buffy was saying. "Xander, you and I are gonna go in. We've done it before."
No way were they leaving her here. "I'm going with you."
Buffy shook her head. "No. Look, it's too dangerous, Will. Besides, I need you to help Giles hack into the city's electrical grid. We've gotta try to power down the Initiative."
"Giles can do it without me," Willow insisted. "I can give him all the instructions, I can show him exactly what to do."
"Of course," Giles agreed.
"I-- I can't just sit here," Willow told them, desperate to make them understand.
Buffy and Xander shared a look, then finally gave in. "Okay," Buffy agreed. "Okay, you can back us up." She sighed. "Now, the only way I know into the Initiative is through the elevator in the Lowell House. But my clearance is long gone."
"So we grab a guy, make him take us," Xander said simply.
"Or you could just use the back way," Spike said. They all turned toward the door to see Spike standing there. "Hell of a lot less bother."
Willow's eyes widened, wondering what he was doing there. Happiness shot through her, followed closely by fear. Was he going to tell the others what she'd done? That she'd kissed him while Oz was being captured by the Initiative. That she'd thoroughly enjoyed kissing him. Acted like a hussy?
Get a grip, she told herself. Oz was in danger, and all she could do was think about herself. And how Spike hadn't once looked her way.
"How did you get in?" Giles asked.
Willow watched Spike surreptitiously. He looked... cockier than usual. More arrogant. What was going on?
"Door was unlocked," Spike chastised. "You might wanna watch that, Rupert. Someone dangerous could get in."
"Or someone formerly dangerous and currently annoying," Buffy said snidely.
Willow frowned at her, but kept silent. Sometimes they really did treat Spike atrociously. No wonder he hated them so much. And she wasn't even going to add that to her conscience. The fact that he hated her and she still wanted him wasn't an issue right now. Oz was. Only Oz.
Spike was smiling at Buffy in amusement, looking extremely pleased with himself. "Now, now. None of that. Or I won't help you get Red's mongrel back."
His eyes flickered briefly toward Willow, and she was surprised at how cold his gaze was. He was angry. At her. But, why? All she was guilty of was letting him kiss her. And then running off telling him she was going to go stop the man she loved from leaving. But, so what? He didn't care about her. A couple of small kisses didn't mean anything to a mean, evil century-old vampire who was currently still in love with Drusilla and sometimes shacked up with Harmony. Right? And what about the future her? Had she slept with Spike? Despite her best efforts, she hadn't gotten a concrete answer out of him on this point.
But again, this wasn't the time.
Especially since... how did Spike know about Oz? When she'd left him, during the day, he'd been as oblivious about Oz as she was. Now he knew. And she wasn't the only suspicious one. Everyone was looking at him rather distrustfully.
"Bad news travels fast with us demons. We all like a good laugh," he explained with a chuckle.
Willow frowned at him. How could he be so callous? Well, duh, she answered herself, he was a demon, and demons didn't care about anything except themselves. And they certainly didn't care about humans. Even if they did kiss them. But if that was true, which it was, then what was he doing here? Why was he helping?
"Short of cash, Spike?" Giles sneered.
Willow could've slapped her forehead in realization. Of course, that had to be it. He wanted money.
"I happen to be seeking monetary gratification, yeah. But I also get a kick out of jackin' up those army ginks myself. I know how to find the big guy who can take you to Oz."
And again his eyes found hers. There was fury there now. What the heck did he have to be furious about? He didn't care a thing about her. Like he said, he did things for three reasons; to torture Buffy, for fun, or because he wanted to.
That first kiss hadn't been to torture Buffy, he'd told her that much. Which meant it was either for fun, or because he wanted to. Knowing Spike, it was the former. The second kiss was anyone's guess, but she was tempted to think it was for fun as well.
"Uh-huh," Buffy was saying skeptically. "So what's the going rate on a wild goose chase, Spike?"
Spike looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but he managed to refrain. "Fine, if you're not interested... but I was stuck in that hole, remember? And I've heard things from other guys who've gotten out. I can get you in. No alarms, no cameras... no waiting."
Everyone looked at Buffy since it was her decision, but, Willow was ready to go with Spike whether Buffy agreed or not. Oz needed their help, and if Spike was the only way in, she would go with him. And if it was a trap? If someone was waiting there to kill them? Even Spike himself? She would still go.
Later that night, the four of them walked through the woods toward wherever Spike was leading them. Willow hadn't gotten any alone time with Spike to talk to him, but then again, she wasn't sure she wanted to. She might not like what he had to say.
Willow looked beside her at Buffy, who was wearing a white lab coat identical to hers, while Spike and Xander were wearing green army fatigues. They all looked very professional. Not at all like a bunch of teenagers about to break into a government run facility. Especially Spike. He actually looked rather sharp; different than she was used to seeing, but not in a bad way.
He was kind of handsome. In a demonic way, she hastened to add. Thinking about Spike in any way other than as an evil demon was dangerous.
"I've mentioned how much I'm gonna kill you if this is a scam, right?" Buffy asked Spike, breaking Willow out of her thoughts.
"Look, would I wear this if I wasn't on the up and up?" Spike asked, gesturing to his outfit.
Huh. From her thoughts, to his lips. Though she really did think he looked good, she couldn't let him know that. Or Buffy and Xander. So, she said the first thing that came to mind. "You do sort of look like an evil olive."
He didn't even look at her. And she felt like an insignificant piece of nothing. Though, why she felt like that, she didn't know. Since when did she care what Spike thought? Care that he paid her the slightest bit of attention. Up until recently, she'd been extremely grateful every time he did overlook her, because that meant he might not kill her that time. Nothing had changed. She still shouldn't want his attention. Especially now.
Focusing on the task at hand, Willow ignored Spike as well. Though, with him ignoring her, it was hard for him to notice that she was ignoring him, but she didn't care about that. Not one whit.
"Guys," Xander said, oblivious to Willow's thoughts. "Check it out."
Willow followed Xander's gaze, seeing a hidden doorway in the bushes ahead of them.
Spike walked toward it, and pulled open the doors. "For a nasty town like Sunnydale, nobody seems to mind their locks," he marveled.
Willow looked at Xander and Buffy. They looked as edgy as she felt. Something in Spike's manner was making her nervous. This didn't feel right.
"You first," Buffy told Spike, motioning him onward.
Spike rolled his eyes and went inside. The three teenagers followed him.
Willow tried to catch spike's eye as they went through the halls, but he was still ignoring her. And then the lights went out, and blue emergency lights came on. Willow reached out, grabbing Xander. Her eyes were still adjusting to the new lighting when Xander yanked his arm away from her.
Her eyes flickered to his, only it wasn't Xander. It was Spike, and he was watching her coldly. Xander and Buffy were farther ahead, stopped in front of a door.
Straightening her back, she walked past him. If he wanted to be a jerk, then fine. She could be just as cold as him.
Buffy kicked in the door and she and Xander burst into the Colonel's bedroom. The Colonel was in bed, and none too happy to see them. Buffy and Xander went straight to him, pointing their weapons at him. The Colonel reached out for something on the bedside table.
"Hey," Buffy yelled quietly. She pointed her crossbow in his face, until he pulled his arm back. "You know who I am?" she asked.
The Colonel looked from Buffy to Xander, then past them to Spike and Willow in the doorway. "Yeah."
"Then you know I'm pretty good with this thing. Take us to him," Buffy told him.
"Finn stays in the brig. Helping an HST escape is a court martial offense."
Willow felt Spike stiffen beside her, and looked at him. This had to be kind of hard on him, she realized. Being back in here, after what these people had done to him, couldn't be easy... even for a soulless demon.
Spike caught her look and raised an amused eyebrow at her. "Skip the pity, Red, it'll only get you killed."
None of the others heard him, and in fact weren't even paying attention to them. "What's wrong with you?" she whispered.
He leaned against the door jamb, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not a thing." He nodded toward the trio across the room, and went back to ignoring her.
"You're only gonna make matters worse," the Colonel said.
"Riley tried to help Oz escape?" Buffy asked, surprised.
The Colonel looked from one to the other. "That's who you came for? The wolf?"
"Guess we're two for one," Xander said.
"Get dressed," Buffy told the Colonel.
PART 18
(April 2000)
Spike opened the door of his crypt with a snarl, still yanking on his t-shirt. The loud insistent pounding that had started a minute before came to a halt. Willow stood there nervously, half turned away, half facing him. She looked about ready to bolt.
"What do you want, Willow?" Though his tone was belligerent, he was anything but. He was actually happy to see her. It'd been almost two weeks since he'd last seen her. At least a week since he'd hopped through time for a little visit with the future Willow; a week since discovering the implant was once again working. Since being back, he'd been mostly on his own, and he'd wanted it that way. Buffy had stayed away for once, not barging in at all hours to demand he do something or other, which was probably a good thing, because, feeling as he did, he might've braved the pain and the possible end of the world just to see her face smashed in and bloody.
Unfortunately Willow had stayed away as well. He hadn't seen her, talked to her, or touched her for over a week. His last conversation with the Willow from the future had gone terribly wrong and he was itching for a chance to fix things. He wouldn't apologize for killing. Never would those words leave his lips, but he could pretend. Nod and smile. Make nice with her just to be near her and touch her.
He was lost, and he knew it.
This Willow here, the one from his own time, was another matter. She had no idea of what had gone on in the future, and he had no intention of telling her, not while he still had a chance with her.
And now she was here, and other problems were looming. For days, he'd known what was coming, but was unable to do anything about it. And judging by the look on her face, she now knew as well.
"Spike. Hi. Um, can I come in?" Without waiting for an answer, she walked past him.
Spike closed the door against the bright sunshine, and turned around to face her, tucking his shirt in. She was standing in the middle of the room, frowning. His perusal of her faded jeans, and baggy shirt was interrupted by her next words.
"Oh, hey, guess what? Oz is back. Isn't that neat?"
She sounded a little... stressed. Kind of a lot stressed actually. Why? Oz was leaving, there should be no decisions weighing heavily on her mind.
He hid his lack of surprise behind a laugh. "Better call the pound." He leaned closer in mock concern. "You have had your shots, haven't you?"
She ignored his taunting, looking around uncomfortably, like she still wasn't sure why she was there. Well, make that two of them.
"And?" he encouraged, seeing she wasn't about to offer anything up anytime soon. "As hard as it is to believe, I actually wasn't pining for news about your dog. So is there something else you wanted?" Sounded very cold and uncaring, he was sure of it.
"I had a question. This Oz thing got me thinking about, you know, stuff." He saw her roll her eyes at herself and had to agree with the sentiment. "As far as I know you don't care about me."
After a blank stare at her and realizing she was going to just stop right there, without continuing, Spike sat down in his chair with a sigh. Didn't care? He must be a better actor than he'd thought. Well... good.
He was surprised it'd taken her this long to come to him. She was a curious person, always had her nose stuck in a book, typing away on her computer, looking things up, finding things out. It was how she was. That she'd waited two weeks before seeking him out to get some answers was amazing to him. He'd expected her much sooner.
He patted his thigh and smirked at her. "Have a seat, we'll talk about this... uh, stuff you're curious about."
Willow tilted her head to the side and gave him a disbelieving look. "Okay, now that I'm here, and have had a small amount of time to think about it, this was a really stupid idea."
"Sit down," he said with a sigh. "What is it you're so curious about?" He hoped he didn't sound too eager, too desperate for company. Her company in particular.
She looked unsure for a minute, biting her lip and glancing around before finally giving in with a sigh. "All right. But only because I'm really, really curious." Clasping her hands together, she stayed put, but relaxed a little. "Okay, so... oh, hey, did I mention Oz was back?" she asked in an attempt at stalling.
He rolled his eyes and lit a cigarette, blowing smoke into the air above his head. "Yeah, you mentioned it." Forcing himself to keep the sarcasm to a minimum, he cleared his throat and asked, "What's the matter, Stutter Girl not willing to share?"
Her eyes went wide. "How did you know-- oh! I knew you were following Tara," she said accusingly.
Spike took a drag off his cigarette, his eyes never leaving hers. "I thought we already talked about that, Witch."
She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Right." She nodded, sticking her hands in her pockets, then took them out and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're right. But, that's not why I'm here. I just-- well, I wanted to know... did you sleep with her?" She avoided looking at him, fixing her eyes somewhere in the vicinity of his boots.
He'd gotten off easy two weeks ago. But now he would have to answer her questions. Honestly? He still wasn't sure if he'd be honest or not. Wasn't sure how candid he wanted to be. So, he played dumb, stalling for time. "Sleep with your blonde witch? Bloody hell, no. Anything else you'd like to accuse me of while you're at it?" He jumped to his feet for good measure.
She burst out laughing, her amused gaze following him as he hopped up onto his bed. "Not Tara. No, I meant-- um, me. Well, not-- not me, as in me. But me from the future?" Obviously expecting him to either laugh at her or call her crazy, she winced and bit her thumb nail. But she didn't look away.
Spike did. "You from the future?" he repeated, shaking his head in confusion. "What are you talking about? Is there another you walking around? 'Cause I gotta tell you, one is enough for me."
"Spike," She joined him by the bed, speaking slowly, and clearly. "Did you have sex with a future version of me?"
He was caught. She wasn't going to be put off. He was dust for sure now. Willow would run and tell the bimbo slayer, and the slayer would pay him a midnight visit, ending his pathetic excuse for a life.
"What if I did?" he asked, running his eyes over her. "You jealous?" Her eyes flicked away from his, and her breathing quickened. Oh, well, look at that, he thought. This Willow was definitely attracted to him. It hadn't just been the alcohol the other night. He could've jumped for joy. Instead, he taunted her some more. "Care to have a go, pet?"
Her frown was huge, her eyes shocked. "Why?" she whispered. "Why would you sleep with her? You don't even like me."
He shrugged, acting all unconcerned, when what he really wanted to do was tell her--no, show her--just how much he really did like her. "Never said I slept with her, you just assumed I did." He slid his hand behind her head and pulled her closer. "Tell me, Willow. What bothers you more? The fact that I may have slept with someone I don't like? Or the fact that you may have slept with a demon?"
She swallowed nervously and bit her lip, trying to pull away without being obvious. Spike didn't let go. He didn't want to let go. He wanted to kiss those sexy lips of hers, and be the one she was biting. Wanted to pull her that much closer, and trace her lips with his tongue, lightly press his mouth to hers, and slide his tongue into her mouth. So he did.
And she tasted so good. Her lips, soft against his, were warm, and inviting. Instead of pulling away, as he'd expected, she moved closer, and opened her mouth for him. She moved between his legs, putting her hands on his stomach. Not to push him away, but to touch him. That, in itself, effected him more than anything else she could've done.
But he didn't take it any further.
He released her, dropping his hand from her neck... a bit slowly, he'd admit. And he sort of slid it down her back rather than dropping it, but eventually he did completely release her. Only, she didn't step back, or move away, or stop kissing him. Her small hands, still resting against his stomach, twisted in his shirt. Her breath fanned across his cheek as she kissed the side of his mouth.
And then she pulled back. She was breathing hard, her eyes darkened with desire. A small frown furrowed her brow.
"Sorry--" she whispered, then cleared her throat and tried again. "Sorry. Um, I-- I was just-- I had to figure something out."
That wasn't what he'd expected her to say. "Figure something out?" What was he? Her blasted guinea pig? Getting his anger under control, he had to admit that he'd been using her as much as she had apparently been using him, so he had no right to be angry. "And did you?"
She pried her eyes from the floor and nodded slowly. "I think I did, yeah." She smiled brilliantly. "Thank you."
He took hold of her wrist, rubbing his thumb along the soft flesh on the inside of her arm. "Are you going to tell me what it was, or leave me in the dark?"
"Oh," she smiled again, a beautiful smile. Radiant even. "I wanted to know if I felt like I was betraying Oz if I kissed you. Or, um, Tara," she added, almost as an afterthought.
He hid his surprise behind a self satisfied grin. "Leaving the witch then?" Bloody hell, life was turning out to be grand after all, wasn't it? Oz was leaving town, Tara was out of the picture, and Willow was free to be seduced by him. He felt incredible.
"Yes. I have to. I still love Oz, and," she glanced down at her watch, missing his furious look. "I have to go catch him before he leaves. Thank you, Spike." She grinned at him, and ran out the door.
Spike watched her go in disbelief. He jumped up and ran to the door, throwing it open. Cursing the sun--and himself for being a vampire--he slammed it shut again. "Son of a bitch!"
Because of him and his stupid, blasted idiocy, he'd forced her into Oz's arms. It had to have been the doubts he'd planted in her mind about Tara that did it. Future Willow was probably going to be pissed at him now. Pissed for messing with her life, and breaking her and Tara up. Pissed for sticking his nose in where it didn't belong.
"Bloody hell!" He shoved at the lid of the sarcophagus and it went flying against the wall, falling to the floor. Amazingly enough, it didn't break. And then the door opened, and hope surged through him. If he could get to Willow before she got to Oz, there might be a chance to fix things. To stop that bastard from getting her.
"Spike."
Not Willow. Spike spun around, faced with an ugly demon stitched together with different parts. Had to be the infamous Adam. His eyes flickered briefly from the demon in front of him to the papers Willow had left for him. There hadn't been anything in there about Adam coming here. Crap, he had enough to deal with at the moment without adding in an all-powerful demon.
Adam was watching him without expression. "Spike, I want you to come with me."
Spike was not in the mood for this right now. He wanted to go to Willow. But first he had to get rid of the big ugly. "Do you?" He shrugged, looking agreeable. "Well, let's go then." He turned to leave, then spun back around, and punched Adam in the stomach. Pain shot through his hand. Adam stared at him, showing no signs of having even felt Spike's fist. Spike shook his hand. "Ow."
"Come," Adam said, taking a step closer to Spike.
Spike backed away from him. No way was he taking this guy on. Not alone anyhow. He knew from the papers Willow had left behind that Adam was nearly impossible to beat. They'd had to band together or some crap to beat him. And judging from the pain still throbbing through his hand, Willow hadn't been exaggerating.
"You're going to help me with my problem," Adam told him, still watching him with that same creepy expression.
"Why is that exactly?" Spike asked belligerently. Adam may be a super demon, but he couldn't just order Spike around like a child.
"I'm going to help you with yours," Adam answered.
Spike's head snapped up, his eyes looking for the truth in Adam's impenetrable gaze. Willow hadn't mentioned anything about... bloody hell. She hadn't wanted him to know. Well of course she didn't, hadn't he just argued with her a week ago over this very thing.
Furious with Willow, Spike decided he'd do what Adam wanted. He'd get the chip out, and then he'd go find Willow. Pay her a little visit.
(April 2000)
Willow watched Buffy pace back and forth across Giles' floor. She was tempted to do the same thing, but she wasn't really a pacing type of person. She was more the sit-back-and-wait-quietly-in-a-chair type. Even if she did want to jump up and pace. She wouldn't. Oz would be fine. They always ended up fine, this was just one more thing they had to go through to end up fine.
Guilt was also something she wouldn't give in to. Just because she had gone to Tara this morning didn't mean it was her fault Oz had freaked out and turned wolfy. Wasn't her fault that she hadn't been there for him, to help him. To calm him down. Nope. Not her fault at all. Her being at Spike's crypt, kissing him of all things, had nothing to do with Oz's current cell-like surroundings.
"Something's wrong," Buffy told them, interrupting Willow's thoughts. "Riley usually returns my phone calls by now."
"We can't wait much longer," Xander said, his concern warming Willow's heart.
Her cold heart. Here they were, concerned with her ex-boyfriend, when she'd been in a vampire's lair betraying said ex-boyfriend. Sure, she'd told Spike she'd kissed him back to figure out who she wanted, but the truth was... she'd already made her decision. She'd kissed him simply because she'd enjoyed it. She'd already known who she wanted. Tara.
And then Spike reminded her again that Tara might not have been completely truthful with her. Then he kissed her. And wow, had that been an experience. Again. The first time, she'd been drunk. This time, she was sober, and loving it. Her thoughts hadn't been of Oz, or Tara, only Spike, and then he released her, but she'd continued to kiss him. Covering her embarrassment had been the only thing on her mind.
Willow tuned the conversation back in and was glad she did.
"Okay," Buffy was saying. "Xander, you and I are gonna go in. We've done it before."
No way were they leaving her here. "I'm going with you."
Buffy shook her head. "No. Look, it's too dangerous, Will. Besides, I need you to help Giles hack into the city's electrical grid. We've gotta try to power down the Initiative."
"Giles can do it without me," Willow insisted. "I can give him all the instructions, I can show him exactly what to do."
"Of course," Giles agreed.
"I-- I can't just sit here," Willow told them, desperate to make them understand.
Buffy and Xander shared a look, then finally gave in. "Okay," Buffy agreed. "Okay, you can back us up." She sighed. "Now, the only way I know into the Initiative is through the elevator in the Lowell House. But my clearance is long gone."
"So we grab a guy, make him take us," Xander said simply.
"Or you could just use the back way," Spike said. They all turned toward the door to see Spike standing there. "Hell of a lot less bother."
Willow's eyes widened, wondering what he was doing there. Happiness shot through her, followed closely by fear. Was he going to tell the others what she'd done? That she'd kissed him while Oz was being captured by the Initiative. That she'd thoroughly enjoyed kissing him. Acted like a hussy?
Get a grip, she told herself. Oz was in danger, and all she could do was think about herself. And how Spike hadn't once looked her way.
"How did you get in?" Giles asked.
Willow watched Spike surreptitiously. He looked... cockier than usual. More arrogant. What was going on?
"Door was unlocked," Spike chastised. "You might wanna watch that, Rupert. Someone dangerous could get in."
"Or someone formerly dangerous and currently annoying," Buffy said snidely.
Willow frowned at her, but kept silent. Sometimes they really did treat Spike atrociously. No wonder he hated them so much. And she wasn't even going to add that to her conscience. The fact that he hated her and she still wanted him wasn't an issue right now. Oz was. Only Oz.
Spike was smiling at Buffy in amusement, looking extremely pleased with himself. "Now, now. None of that. Or I won't help you get Red's mongrel back."
His eyes flickered briefly toward Willow, and she was surprised at how cold his gaze was. He was angry. At her. But, why? All she was guilty of was letting him kiss her. And then running off telling him she was going to go stop the man she loved from leaving. But, so what? He didn't care about her. A couple of small kisses didn't mean anything to a mean, evil century-old vampire who was currently still in love with Drusilla and sometimes shacked up with Harmony. Right? And what about the future her? Had she slept with Spike? Despite her best efforts, she hadn't gotten a concrete answer out of him on this point.
But again, this wasn't the time.
Especially since... how did Spike know about Oz? When she'd left him, during the day, he'd been as oblivious about Oz as she was. Now he knew. And she wasn't the only suspicious one. Everyone was looking at him rather distrustfully.
"Bad news travels fast with us demons. We all like a good laugh," he explained with a chuckle.
Willow frowned at him. How could he be so callous? Well, duh, she answered herself, he was a demon, and demons didn't care about anything except themselves. And they certainly didn't care about humans. Even if they did kiss them. But if that was true, which it was, then what was he doing here? Why was he helping?
"Short of cash, Spike?" Giles sneered.
Willow could've slapped her forehead in realization. Of course, that had to be it. He wanted money.
"I happen to be seeking monetary gratification, yeah. But I also get a kick out of jackin' up those army ginks myself. I know how to find the big guy who can take you to Oz."
And again his eyes found hers. There was fury there now. What the heck did he have to be furious about? He didn't care a thing about her. Like he said, he did things for three reasons; to torture Buffy, for fun, or because he wanted to.
That first kiss hadn't been to torture Buffy, he'd told her that much. Which meant it was either for fun, or because he wanted to. Knowing Spike, it was the former. The second kiss was anyone's guess, but she was tempted to think it was for fun as well.
"Uh-huh," Buffy was saying skeptically. "So what's the going rate on a wild goose chase, Spike?"
Spike looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but he managed to refrain. "Fine, if you're not interested... but I was stuck in that hole, remember? And I've heard things from other guys who've gotten out. I can get you in. No alarms, no cameras... no waiting."
Everyone looked at Buffy since it was her decision, but, Willow was ready to go with Spike whether Buffy agreed or not. Oz needed their help, and if Spike was the only way in, she would go with him. And if it was a trap? If someone was waiting there to kill them? Even Spike himself? She would still go.
Later that night, the four of them walked through the woods toward wherever Spike was leading them. Willow hadn't gotten any alone time with Spike to talk to him, but then again, she wasn't sure she wanted to. She might not like what he had to say.
Willow looked beside her at Buffy, who was wearing a white lab coat identical to hers, while Spike and Xander were wearing green army fatigues. They all looked very professional. Not at all like a bunch of teenagers about to break into a government run facility. Especially Spike. He actually looked rather sharp; different than she was used to seeing, but not in a bad way.
He was kind of handsome. In a demonic way, she hastened to add. Thinking about Spike in any way other than as an evil demon was dangerous.
"I've mentioned how much I'm gonna kill you if this is a scam, right?" Buffy asked Spike, breaking Willow out of her thoughts.
"Look, would I wear this if I wasn't on the up and up?" Spike asked, gesturing to his outfit.
Huh. From her thoughts, to his lips. Though she really did think he looked good, she couldn't let him know that. Or Buffy and Xander. So, she said the first thing that came to mind. "You do sort of look like an evil olive."
He didn't even look at her. And she felt like an insignificant piece of nothing. Though, why she felt like that, she didn't know. Since when did she care what Spike thought? Care that he paid her the slightest bit of attention. Up until recently, she'd been extremely grateful every time he did overlook her, because that meant he might not kill her that time. Nothing had changed. She still shouldn't want his attention. Especially now.
Focusing on the task at hand, Willow ignored Spike as well. Though, with him ignoring her, it was hard for him to notice that she was ignoring him, but she didn't care about that. Not one whit.
"Guys," Xander said, oblivious to Willow's thoughts. "Check it out."
Willow followed Xander's gaze, seeing a hidden doorway in the bushes ahead of them.
Spike walked toward it, and pulled open the doors. "For a nasty town like Sunnydale, nobody seems to mind their locks," he marveled.
Willow looked at Xander and Buffy. They looked as edgy as she felt. Something in Spike's manner was making her nervous. This didn't feel right.
"You first," Buffy told Spike, motioning him onward.
Spike rolled his eyes and went inside. The three teenagers followed him.
Willow tried to catch spike's eye as they went through the halls, but he was still ignoring her. And then the lights went out, and blue emergency lights came on. Willow reached out, grabbing Xander. Her eyes were still adjusting to the new lighting when Xander yanked his arm away from her.
Her eyes flickered to his, only it wasn't Xander. It was Spike, and he was watching her coldly. Xander and Buffy were farther ahead, stopped in front of a door.
Straightening her back, she walked past him. If he wanted to be a jerk, then fine. She could be just as cold as him.
Buffy kicked in the door and she and Xander burst into the Colonel's bedroom. The Colonel was in bed, and none too happy to see them. Buffy and Xander went straight to him, pointing their weapons at him. The Colonel reached out for something on the bedside table.
"Hey," Buffy yelled quietly. She pointed her crossbow in his face, until he pulled his arm back. "You know who I am?" she asked.
The Colonel looked from Buffy to Xander, then past them to Spike and Willow in the doorway. "Yeah."
"Then you know I'm pretty good with this thing. Take us to him," Buffy told him.
"Finn stays in the brig. Helping an HST escape is a court martial offense."
Willow felt Spike stiffen beside her, and looked at him. This had to be kind of hard on him, she realized. Being back in here, after what these people had done to him, couldn't be easy... even for a soulless demon.
Spike caught her look and raised an amused eyebrow at her. "Skip the pity, Red, it'll only get you killed."
None of the others heard him, and in fact weren't even paying attention to them. "What's wrong with you?" she whispered.
He leaned against the door jamb, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not a thing." He nodded toward the trio across the room, and went back to ignoring her.
"You're only gonna make matters worse," the Colonel said.
"Riley tried to help Oz escape?" Buffy asked, surprised.
The Colonel looked from one to the other. "That's who you came for? The wolf?"
"Guess we're two for one," Xander said.
"Get dressed," Buffy told the Colonel.
