Willow sat quietly as she watched the interaction between her lover and the vampire. It became quite apparent that they had spent a lot of time together, but it was just as Tara had said. He treated her the same way that he treated Dawn. He had a very protective demeanor towards her.
"Very well, then, Pet. What is it that we need to discuss?" he asked, leaning his elbows on his knees.
Tara told him to stay put and took off up the stairs to her and Willow's bedroom. When she returned, she was holding a thick album.
"Come here," she instructed, patting the spot on the couch next to her so that she was seated between him and Willow. She opened the book to the first page. It was a picture of two little girls and a beautiful woman with Aegean blue eyes and pale blonde hair.
"That's me and Kitty when we were little. And the last time we remember our mother smiling," she said softly. Spike looked at the three witches, all sun and sea and full of hope. "I was three. Kitty was nine."
She pointed to another picture. High school graduation. It was a picture of a very young Katina with waist-length hair peeking out of her dark green mortarboard. She was hugging a dark-haired man with sparkling coal eyes.
"That's Denny and Kit on graduation day," Tara sighed. "I never even met him. She was too scared to even bring him anywhere near our home. But she was with him all through high school. She married him the next day."
The next picture was one of Denny in a dark suit. Katina wore an ivory lace dress. It was far from a wedding dress, but it was beautiful nonetheless. It hit just above her knee with a boned bodice held up by spaghetti straps. She had a small spray of baby's breath in her hair which was twisted into a loose chignon with wispy tendrils framing her face. She held a small bouquet of white lillies and roses which Spike's eyes came to rest on.
"The flowers... those are the same kind that I left for her and Gracie before I..." He couldn't finish.
There was no engagement ring. Just simple gold bands on their fingers and happy smiles on their youthful faces. Under the picture was a hand-written announcement that read Dennis Arthur Murphy and Katina Elise Maclay, joined on this day. Bound by love, blessed by God.
She flipped past a few random pictures of Denny. He had thick, black hair, mischievous eyes and that stunning toothpaste commercial smile. Then there were a few of them in their dress blues. Katina had bobbed her hair to chin-length but looked just as striking as she had when it was long.
The next set of pictures were of Gracie. There were several pictures of her, bright blonde hair and jet eyes. Her features were delicate like Katina's. Underneath one was a hand-made announcement:
Dennis and Katina Murphy are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Grace Anne, 7 pounds 3 ounces. Tara told him that Gracie had been named for Denny's mother, Grace, who had died shortly after he was born and for their mother, Anne. Spike stared at the beautiful child.
The last picture was taken of the three of them, Kit, Denny and Gracie, just a few days before they accident. He was on leave from the Marines and Kit had decided to stay on only as a reservist after Gracie was born. They had just moved to Colorado.
Tara looked up when she heard Willow sniffle next to her.
"It's so unfair," she said shakily. "Look at them. They were so in love. They were happy. Why would anyone take that away from them?"
Spike knew what she meant. Why, indeed. Having gotten to know Katina was a blessing. She didn't blame anyone for that senseless act of faith that had stolen her world from her. She was strong and resilient. She was fierce and kind. She was the definition of grace under pressure.
"Beautiful, they were," he agreed, his voice breaking. "Thank you for sharing this with me, Love."
Tara closed the book and set it on the coffee table.
"Katina's beauty comes from her heart. She has our mother's ability to give and forgive," Tara told him. "She loved Denny so much. She's so amazing. Instead of putting away that great capability to love, she decided to risk it all again. For you. Don't hurt her, Spike. I know it's an incredible paradox for the Powers to give you a chance at love and love with a human, at that... but it's also a gift. And you should treasure it."
Glinda was wise beyond her years, Spike realized in that moment. He could see the realization cross Red's face as well. All that quiet strength. They were the calm before the storm. They were the oasis hidden in miles of desert. In that moment, he and Willow saw something in each other that neither had ever recognized before -- humanity and heart.
Tara stood up and walked to the door, leaving the witch and the vampire sitting alone on the couch. She grabbed her coat and turned back to them.
"I think there's someone who needs to see you," Tara smiled. "Come on, William. We'll take you to Katina."
