Summary: What if Buffy had gone with Angel into that hell dimension on the finale of Season 2? My first fan fiction, I think this would be considered AU.
Disclaimers: Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon own it all. This just all just for entertainments sake, I hope.
Dialog that is in italicized bold is taken from "The Zeppo" episode 3/13. Written by Dan Vebber
Giles, Willow and Tara were all sitting around the big dining room table, scanning as many texts as they could, trying to come up with a binding spell to keep the Hellmouth closed. Spike sat next to the wall, looking at what he referred to as the 'egghead brigade'. He couldn't seem to keep his eyes off the new bird, Tara. She was very soft-spoken and unassuming, but Spike could see that underneath that quit façade was unrealized power. Yes, indeed.
"Spike, do you think you might do something a little more productive than keeping up the wall?" Giles was starting to get rather annoyed with the vampire.
Spike looked at Giles. "I ain't making a donut run, that's the boy's job."
"Yes, well. No, we need you to run Tara over to the magic shop for a few ingredients for the spell."
"To save the world, of course I have time." He gave Giles a smirk. "Come on, pet. Let's do an herbal run."
Willow felt Tara falter. "Don't worry, his bark is really worse than his bite. He's kinda one of us now, all bond-y like." She smiled at Tara and patted her hand.
Willow turned back to Giles for the list and gave it to Tara. "Try and hurry. Okay Spike?"
"In a flash Red".
Tara shifted. "It's almost 7:00, do you think it'll still be open?"
Spike gave her a very sexy smile. "No worries, pet. I can get us in."
Giles looked up from his book. "Yes, well Tara. Just leave money on the counter. This is an emergency, after all."
"Alright, Mr. Giles." Tara liked the watcher. He was so nice and respectful, but she couldn't bring herself to call him Giles without the mister.
He smiled at her. Nice girl, he thought, I hope she's up to the challenge.
"Right, we're off then." Spike grabbed Tara's hand to leave. She jumped when she felt the current that past between them. Spike looked at her as he felt it too. This is going to be very interesting, he smiled at her again.
Angel looked into Buffy's eyes. "Please Buffy, go with your mom and Connor. Take them some place safe. We still have about 5 hours, just drive."
"Get real Angel. Do you really think I'll just leave you, all of you, to take care of this while I run?"
"You're a mother as well as the slayer now. And Faith is the slayer, too. I know she would agree with me on this one. Let me face this thing. I'll at least buy enough time for the spell to bind it." Angel was almost begging.
"Don't talk this way. We are partners, now and forever. We are going to stop this like we always do, together. I'll send mom and Connor up to Santa Barbra, but you and me, all of us, are going to face this and defeat it, like we always do. No more fatalistic talk, got it?"
Angel put his hand on her cheek. "I love you."
Spike drove like a madman getting them to the magic shop, listening to the Sex Pistols the whole way. "Do you hate the music, love? I could put some Stones on." He started rummaging around for his CDs.
"No, no. D-don't worry, really, I-I'm fine. Let's just get there and back in one piece. If we crash, we can't save the world." She was white-knuckling the door handle.
Spike laughed. "Tara pet, you're precious cargo. I promise, I will take care of you."
Tara gave Spike a look out of the corner of her eye. She believed him. She had no idea why, but she did. He made her feel safe and pretty and desirable. Boy! Where were all these thoughts coming from? She asked herself.
"There's something between us, Tara. Don't know what yet, but once this is all done, we are going to find out." It was a statement, no argument would be accepted and Tara had none.
"I would like that." She looked straight ahead and waited for them to reach their destination. This one and the next.
Giles and Willow looked up as Spike and Tara entered the room carrying the supplies they needed to complete the spell.
"Oh super! That didn't take long at all, did it?" Willow looked up at the clock, it was7:30 and they had less5 hours to prepare and get to the high school library. They could do it.
At the high school, Giles, Willow and Tara began to set up the library. Giles drew the symbols on the floor as the girls lit the candles.
Willow looked up at him, "We're doing the binding spell from the Hebron's Almanac?"
Not looking up, but speaking to both of them, "Yes, but once it's ready, you're to stay back and let me finish the recitation." Willow started to protest. "Don't argue. I want you safe. Who knows what's going to come up from beneath us."
Willow and Tara looked at each other and started to light more candles.
The two slayers, Angel and Spike were pacing, restlessly outside the library door.
Spike lit two cigarettes and offered one to Faith, who gratefully took it. "Don't you think we should be in there? It's gonna open any minute." Spike was more than a little worried about both the wiccas, but Tara was foremost on his mind.
Buffy laid a hand on Spike's arm. "Don't worry, Giles knows what he's doing and he'll call us in soon. Just be ready to get the girls out of there, we'll take care of the rest."
Spike looked to Angel, who nodded in agreement. "Just take care of the girls, Spike. Then come back in, we may need you." He heard a loud rumbling behind the doors, "We're going in."
The four of them pushed the doors open in time to see the floor break open and the same demon from two years earlier break through. "That is some ugly ass demon." Faith tossed her cigarette to the floor and pull out her sword. Willow, who was crouching in a corner with Tara, couldn't stop herself. "Faith, the floor is not a trash can. So not important right now. Go ahead, Get all slayer-y."
"Oh my God" Giles groaned, "it's gotten bigger."
Spike ran over to the girls and grabbed each one by the arm. "We so gotta get out of here. Stay down and follow me."
"Spike, we can't leave, we have to help." Willow was unwilling to leave her friends to fight without her.
"We'll only distract them, Willow. Mr. Giles wanted us out of here as soon as it opened, he'd only worry about our safety." She looked up at Spike. "Let's go."
Spike got the girls out of the school and put them in the back of Oz's van. He was about to go back inside, but he turned around and pulled Tara into his arms and gave her the most passionate kiss she had ever experience, she thought she might faint. That could've been from all the excitement, too. But when she spoke of it later, it was because of the kiss. When he finally pulled away from her, he looked into her eyes, "Just in case. Don't forget me." He ran back into the school so quickly, she didn't have time to respond.
"Willow, he can't die. I just found him." Tara put her head on Willow's shoulder and Willow was at a loss of what to do. She was a little in shock, Spike and Tara? Hello, just met. So, she just put her arm around her and patted her friends back. "He'll be back. After a smoochie like that, I am so sure he wants more. He'll be back."
While Faith and Angel fought off one of the Sisterhood, Giles recited the rest of the binding spell. "Now Buffy!" From above him, she swung her battleaxe at the creature.
The group limped back to Oz's van. Angel leaning heavily on Buffy. "Saved the world again, yea for us!" Willow and Tara jumped out of the van. Willow went over to Angel and offered him her shoulder, as well. "Looked like you could use a little extra support." She smiled up at him.
"Thanks, Will" He really did like the little witch.
Tara looked shyly up at Spike. "Are you o-okay?"
"Bloody fantastic, nothing like a really good fight to get the blood stirring." He put his arm around her. Looking back at Faith, who was worrying over Giles, "Am I right slayer?"
"Damn right. And there's two things I love to do after a really good fight and eatin' a really huge meal is one of 'em, aye Spike?"
"Damn right, slayer." His eyes never left Tara.
She lookedup at him. "What's the other thing?" She whispered to Spike.
"I'll show you some other time." He kissed her nose.