Title: Love Squared (4/9)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say R.
Spoilers: Up to Seeing Red and a displaced scene from Grave.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Sequel to Dancing Around Love. The Scooby Gang comes to grips with the recent events and deals with the Trio.
Author's Note: B/W/T/X, along with hints of X/Amy and Jonathan/Amy.
* * *
"You have endured the required trials."
"Bloody right I have," Spike spat as he slowly struggled to his feet. "So you'll give me what I want. Give me what Buffy wants in a man?"
"Very well," the demon said, placing a hand on the vampire's chest. "We will return your soul."
Spike screamed.
* * *
"Wow," Xander said, staring at the ceiling while Willow freed him from the handcuffs. "That was just... wow."
"We're not done yet," she said.
He boggled at her and squeaked, "We're not?"
She leaned down over him and whispered in his ear for a minute or so. When she sat up again, all he could do was boggle again, "Wills... how do you come _up_ with this stuff?"
She smiled mischievously, "Hey, I've been dreaming about this night for _years_. So I got a little creative."
"I see," he said, nodding. "Remind me to kick myself tomorrow morning for being such an idiot all those years, okay?"
* * *
"Wow, look at them go," Andrew said in awe, his eyes glued to the monitor. He turned to Warren, "Why don't we have hot chicks like that ready to screw us?"
"Probably because we killed the last one," Jonathan muttered.
"What was that?" Warren glared at the shortest member of the group.
"Nothing," Jonathan said, shaking his head. "Nothing."
The other two geeks exchanged a meaningful look.
* * *
Willow snuggled up against Xander and sighed happily.
Plastered on his face was a smile that would require a crowbar to remove, and he asked, "So, um, are we done yet? 'Cause I got work today."
She smiled, "Yes, we're done. You can relax." Her smile slipped, "I just wish..."
"What?"
"N-nothing."
"C'mon, Wills..."
"Well, it's just..." she sighed, "I wish Tara could be here."
"She still mad about the magic thing?"
"Yeah."
He frowned, but before he could say anything, she said, "And I don't want you talking to her about it again. I appreciate it, but... this is something we have to work out ourselves."
"If you say so," he said dubiously.
* * *
When Xander returned from work that day, he was in for a surprise.
He entered the kitchen in search of a sugar rush and stopped dead in his tracks when he got a rush of an entirely different kind. An incredibly hot, sexy woman stood at the counter, facing away from him.
She wore tight jeans that clung to her legs like a second skin, and he could see no crease lines that would indicate panties beneath them. Her light blue shirt was equally tight, though her long blonde hair hung loose and obscured his view until she turned and greeted him... and when she did, it was clear she wore no -- ahem -- support either.
"T-Tara?"
"Hi, Xander," the blonde witch smiled seductively and pulled him into a hug.
Which sent some rather interesting sensations into his chest.
"H-hi," he squeaked. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," she said. Then she pouted, "But I've been a little lonely. Maybe you can help?" Her face brightened innocently.
"Um, h-how? Exactly?"
"I think you know..." she said as she gently pushed him out of the kitchen and toward her bedroom.
* * *
"Xander! There you are!" Willow smiled when she saw him stepping out of Tara's room.
He jumped, "Wills, hey."
She frowned. What was with him? Oh, well. "Hey," she said, leaning into his arms and kissing him. "Mmm..." Smiling up at him, she asked, "Have I told you lately that I love you?"
"No," he said, his face splitting into a crooked smile, "but then, I haven't told you how much I love you lately either."
"Aww..." she said, nuzzling her nose against his, "...how sweet."
* * *
Jonathan glanced over his shoulder nervously. It had been a week since he'd decided to betray Warren and Andrew, but he'd only now just gotten the opportunity.
He rang the doorbell.
The door swung open.
"Buffy, I..." He blinked, "Amy?"
"Hi, Jonathan," the witch said, eyeing him carefully. "Aren't you one of the bad guys now?"
He shrugged, "It's... complicated. Look, could you get Buffy? I kinda need to talk to her, and I don't know how long the cameras'll stay offline."
"'Cameras'?"
* * *
"Okay, that's the last of them."
"Geez, I can't help but 'eww!'" Willow said distastefully. "I mean, how much did you guys _see_?"
Jonathan flinched, "I..."
"All right," Buffy said, her arms crossed. "You came clean on the cameras, but I still don't trust you. Start talking."
"Well..."
"Five words or less."
"They're planning a robbery tomorrow night," he sputtered quickly, then winced. He had said six words.
Her face darkened, "Details, Levinson, details."
* * *
The armored truck drove away. Nothing had disturbed the transfer of money. Buffy glared at Jonathan, who shrank back.
"I-I don't understand. They should be here... unless they changed the plan."
"That we did, Shorty," called a voice as a figure stepped out from behind a tree.
"Warren," Buffy growled.
But the King of All Geeks ignored her, instead focusing on Jonathan as he walked toward them. "Y'see," he said, "we're geniuses, but we didn't have to be to figure out you'd gone to the Slayer after we found out you'd taken out the cameras."
Warren's easy demeanor faded as he suddenly whipped a hnad up and grabbed him by the throat. Lifting Jonathan off the ground, he said, "Payback time, Sparky."
Before he could throttle Jonathan, Buffy punched him across the face, sending both of them flying. Warren recovered first and ignored Jonathan as the shorter nerd scrambled away. Warren turned to face the Slayer, a smirk on his face. "Think you can take me?"
Buffy snorted, "_Who's_ the Slayer here?"
"You'd be surprised. I'll be slaying _you_ soon enough." Warren's arm blurred, and Buffy blinked as she stumbled back from the punch to her face, but she didn't have time to recover as Warren continued the assault, landing punch after lightning fast punch.
After a particularly brutal uppercut, Buffy flew back. She paused and shook her head, trying to clear it. Blinking past the spots in her eyes, she saw Xander swing his weapon of choice -- a baseball bat -- into Warren's chest... and saw it shatter.
Warren backhanded the construction worker and sent him flying back even as Willow leaped on his back and began pounding on the back of his head. Warren flipped the redhead with a fluid grace...
...and was flung to the side by a bolt of purple lightning.
Tara's eyes were concealed by the shadows of her bangs, but purple lightning visibly crackled around them as she continued to channel magical electricity into Warren's twitching form.
"Tara!" Willow shook her head and grabbed the other witch's arm. "Stop it! You're killing him!"
Tara seemed to snap back to her senses and blinked at Warren's prone form, then stuttered, "H-he hurt Xander."
Buffy hauled herself to her feet and jogged over to Warren's body. "C'mon, he might still be..." she trailed off.
"What?" Jonathan asked as he walked up cautiously, then stopped as realization crossed his face. "Oh."
"Oh, what?" Willow asked.
Jonathan looked at her, "It's a robot."
* * *
"Tara," Willow said reprovingly, "you lost control."
"I know," the blonde said quietly.
"I mean," Willow continued, as if she hadn't heard her, "if that had been the real Warren, you- you- you'd've _killed_ him!"
"I know!" Tara screeched, glaring at Willow. "_You're_ the _last_ person who should be talking to me about the responsible use of power!" she snarled.
Willow stepped back, stunned speechless.
Tara turned on her heel and headed for the door.
Xander wordlessly watched the exchange and followed Tara as Buffy wrapped a comforting arm around Willow's shoulders.
"Tare, you gonna be okay?"
She nodded, refusing to succumb to the desire to bury her face in his chest. "Yeah. I-I'm sorry I blew up like that, but... I just... need some time. T-to clear my head."
"All right. You be careful out there, okay?"
She smiled wistfully at him, "I think I can handle myself."
* * *
Rack glanced at the waiting room full of eager patrons, and his gaze flicked over to a blank section of wall. He nodded toward the empty space and focused on one of his customers. Her calmness stood out among the shaking junkies that filled the room.
Pointing at Tara, he said, "I believe she's next."
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Aren't I just evil?
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say R.
Spoilers: Up to Seeing Red and a displaced scene from Grave.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Sequel to Dancing Around Love. The Scooby Gang comes to grips with the recent events and deals with the Trio.
Author's Note: B/W/T/X, along with hints of X/Amy and Jonathan/Amy.
* * *
"You have endured the required trials."
"Bloody right I have," Spike spat as he slowly struggled to his feet. "So you'll give me what I want. Give me what Buffy wants in a man?"
"Very well," the demon said, placing a hand on the vampire's chest. "We will return your soul."
Spike screamed.
* * *
"Wow," Xander said, staring at the ceiling while Willow freed him from the handcuffs. "That was just... wow."
"We're not done yet," she said.
He boggled at her and squeaked, "We're not?"
She leaned down over him and whispered in his ear for a minute or so. When she sat up again, all he could do was boggle again, "Wills... how do you come _up_ with this stuff?"
She smiled mischievously, "Hey, I've been dreaming about this night for _years_. So I got a little creative."
"I see," he said, nodding. "Remind me to kick myself tomorrow morning for being such an idiot all those years, okay?"
* * *
"Wow, look at them go," Andrew said in awe, his eyes glued to the monitor. He turned to Warren, "Why don't we have hot chicks like that ready to screw us?"
"Probably because we killed the last one," Jonathan muttered.
"What was that?" Warren glared at the shortest member of the group.
"Nothing," Jonathan said, shaking his head. "Nothing."
The other two geeks exchanged a meaningful look.
* * *
Willow snuggled up against Xander and sighed happily.
Plastered on his face was a smile that would require a crowbar to remove, and he asked, "So, um, are we done yet? 'Cause I got work today."
She smiled, "Yes, we're done. You can relax." Her smile slipped, "I just wish..."
"What?"
"N-nothing."
"C'mon, Wills..."
"Well, it's just..." she sighed, "I wish Tara could be here."
"She still mad about the magic thing?"
"Yeah."
He frowned, but before he could say anything, she said, "And I don't want you talking to her about it again. I appreciate it, but... this is something we have to work out ourselves."
"If you say so," he said dubiously.
* * *
When Xander returned from work that day, he was in for a surprise.
He entered the kitchen in search of a sugar rush and stopped dead in his tracks when he got a rush of an entirely different kind. An incredibly hot, sexy woman stood at the counter, facing away from him.
She wore tight jeans that clung to her legs like a second skin, and he could see no crease lines that would indicate panties beneath them. Her light blue shirt was equally tight, though her long blonde hair hung loose and obscured his view until she turned and greeted him... and when she did, it was clear she wore no -- ahem -- support either.
"T-Tara?"
"Hi, Xander," the blonde witch smiled seductively and pulled him into a hug.
Which sent some rather interesting sensations into his chest.
"H-hi," he squeaked. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," she said. Then she pouted, "But I've been a little lonely. Maybe you can help?" Her face brightened innocently.
"Um, h-how? Exactly?"
"I think you know..." she said as she gently pushed him out of the kitchen and toward her bedroom.
* * *
"Xander! There you are!" Willow smiled when she saw him stepping out of Tara's room.
He jumped, "Wills, hey."
She frowned. What was with him? Oh, well. "Hey," she said, leaning into his arms and kissing him. "Mmm..." Smiling up at him, she asked, "Have I told you lately that I love you?"
"No," he said, his face splitting into a crooked smile, "but then, I haven't told you how much I love you lately either."
"Aww..." she said, nuzzling her nose against his, "...how sweet."
* * *
Jonathan glanced over his shoulder nervously. It had been a week since he'd decided to betray Warren and Andrew, but he'd only now just gotten the opportunity.
He rang the doorbell.
The door swung open.
"Buffy, I..." He blinked, "Amy?"
"Hi, Jonathan," the witch said, eyeing him carefully. "Aren't you one of the bad guys now?"
He shrugged, "It's... complicated. Look, could you get Buffy? I kinda need to talk to her, and I don't know how long the cameras'll stay offline."
"'Cameras'?"
* * *
"Okay, that's the last of them."
"Geez, I can't help but 'eww!'" Willow said distastefully. "I mean, how much did you guys _see_?"
Jonathan flinched, "I..."
"All right," Buffy said, her arms crossed. "You came clean on the cameras, but I still don't trust you. Start talking."
"Well..."
"Five words or less."
"They're planning a robbery tomorrow night," he sputtered quickly, then winced. He had said six words.
Her face darkened, "Details, Levinson, details."
* * *
The armored truck drove away. Nothing had disturbed the transfer of money. Buffy glared at Jonathan, who shrank back.
"I-I don't understand. They should be here... unless they changed the plan."
"That we did, Shorty," called a voice as a figure stepped out from behind a tree.
"Warren," Buffy growled.
But the King of All Geeks ignored her, instead focusing on Jonathan as he walked toward them. "Y'see," he said, "we're geniuses, but we didn't have to be to figure out you'd gone to the Slayer after we found out you'd taken out the cameras."
Warren's easy demeanor faded as he suddenly whipped a hnad up and grabbed him by the throat. Lifting Jonathan off the ground, he said, "Payback time, Sparky."
Before he could throttle Jonathan, Buffy punched him across the face, sending both of them flying. Warren recovered first and ignored Jonathan as the shorter nerd scrambled away. Warren turned to face the Slayer, a smirk on his face. "Think you can take me?"
Buffy snorted, "_Who's_ the Slayer here?"
"You'd be surprised. I'll be slaying _you_ soon enough." Warren's arm blurred, and Buffy blinked as she stumbled back from the punch to her face, but she didn't have time to recover as Warren continued the assault, landing punch after lightning fast punch.
After a particularly brutal uppercut, Buffy flew back. She paused and shook her head, trying to clear it. Blinking past the spots in her eyes, she saw Xander swing his weapon of choice -- a baseball bat -- into Warren's chest... and saw it shatter.
Warren backhanded the construction worker and sent him flying back even as Willow leaped on his back and began pounding on the back of his head. Warren flipped the redhead with a fluid grace...
...and was flung to the side by a bolt of purple lightning.
Tara's eyes were concealed by the shadows of her bangs, but purple lightning visibly crackled around them as she continued to channel magical electricity into Warren's twitching form.
"Tara!" Willow shook her head and grabbed the other witch's arm. "Stop it! You're killing him!"
Tara seemed to snap back to her senses and blinked at Warren's prone form, then stuttered, "H-he hurt Xander."
Buffy hauled herself to her feet and jogged over to Warren's body. "C'mon, he might still be..." she trailed off.
"What?" Jonathan asked as he walked up cautiously, then stopped as realization crossed his face. "Oh."
"Oh, what?" Willow asked.
Jonathan looked at her, "It's a robot."
* * *
"Tara," Willow said reprovingly, "you lost control."
"I know," the blonde said quietly.
"I mean," Willow continued, as if she hadn't heard her, "if that had been the real Warren, you- you- you'd've _killed_ him!"
"I know!" Tara screeched, glaring at Willow. "_You're_ the _last_ person who should be talking to me about the responsible use of power!" she snarled.
Willow stepped back, stunned speechless.
Tara turned on her heel and headed for the door.
Xander wordlessly watched the exchange and followed Tara as Buffy wrapped a comforting arm around Willow's shoulders.
"Tare, you gonna be okay?"
She nodded, refusing to succumb to the desire to bury her face in his chest. "Yeah. I-I'm sorry I blew up like that, but... I just... need some time. T-to clear my head."
"All right. You be careful out there, okay?"
She smiled wistfully at him, "I think I can handle myself."
* * *
Rack glanced at the waiting room full of eager patrons, and his gaze flicked over to a blank section of wall. He nodded toward the empty space and focused on one of his customers. Her calmness stood out among the shaking junkies that filled the room.
Pointing at Tara, he said, "I believe she's next."
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Aren't I just evil?