Chapter 2

Conversations

______________________________________________________________________

Sundown was at 7:14. Spike was sited with a hot cup of chocolate in front of him in the Coffee Hut by 7:25.

He felt rather silly having rushed over here so early. He had made sure he woke up an hour early so he would be ready the minute the sun went down. The shabby apartment building he was staying at wasn't too far away from downtown Sunnydale but it was still a bit of a hike. Also it wasn't in the best neighborhood. Not that Spike ever worried about getting attacked, he was after all far scarier than anything that would dare attack him, but it wasn't easy to convince his prey to follow him home that way. He would have to kill them in back alleys or in the park. It got the job done but he preferred to be a bit more relaxed when he ate. He couldn't complain about the rent though. Free was a nice price to pay. He had moved in when he had found the previous owner already dead in the apartment. Some little old lady whose son paid for a dinky little apartment for her to live in but never visited her there or called. She was dead two weeks by the time Spike found her by his reckoning, which was usually pretty good. A bonfire and a few squirt of Febreze later, the room was almost habitable, but Spike still appreciated his discrete lack of needing to breath.

She probably isn't going to come anytime soon. She might not have meant to meet me next day. Maybe she meant on Friday. She is a student after all, she probably is still in classes or studying. Why do I want to see her so badly?

He stirred his hot chocolate idly and stared out the window. He put the spoon on the table then crossed his arms. Then, he uncrossed them. He felt very restless and agitated, an unwelcome condition that he had been relieved of all last night. As soon as he had gotten home he had felt a weight lifted off his chest. He felt better than he had in decades. He felt like his old self again, back when…

The door opened with a cheap tingling of a bell and a rush of cool air followed the new entrant into the coffee shop. A newly familiar face appeared under stringy blonde hair.

"Tara!" Spike called out, motioning to the chair across from him. His restlessness was gone sudden. He even smiled.

Tara glanced over from where she heard her name being called. Her heart skipped happily. He is already here! She thought. She had come down as soon as her last class was done. She had even brought her latest spell book to study while she waited for him but now even the fascinating world of spellcraft and wizardry would have to wait.

Tara hurried over to the table and sat across from Spike. She gave him a wide smile. "Hello, William. I didn't expect to meet you so soon again."

Spike shrugged and took a sip of his hot chocolate. "You were the one who suggested we get coffee but failed to specify when or where. I was forced to make an educated guess." He nodded towards the books she was carrying. "What's this? Going to turn me into a hamster or some rot?"

Tara shook her head. "No, physical transmutation isn't a matter of a simple incantation or flick of the wrist. It is a serious bit of magic that involves a lot of planning and foresight. When something is transmuted all of the energy from the matter that is displaced has to go somewhere. You have to funnel that energy through yourself and into an area where… oh. That was a joke."

Spike raised his eyebrow. "You learn all of that from books? Must not have much of a social life then, I'm guessing."

Tara shrugged. "I have friends in some of my classes, but I wouldn't call them bosom friends. I… don't make friends easily. People tend to think I'm… weird."

"So, no boyfriend, I'm guessing," Spike probed while giving her a knowing glance.

Tara blushed and shook her head profusely. "No! I've never… it's not…I'm not… inclined…" She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from saying another word. That was something she had no intention of telling anyone, especially not a strange man she had only known for two days.

Spike raised his eyebrow even further. "Now, now, relax, love. I'm just making small chat, there's no need to fret. I'm just trying to feel you out. Figure out what sort of person you are."

Tara shrugged and frowned. "I guess I'm a normal person. I go to classes, I knit scarves sometimes, and I have a cat."

"And you could probably levitate this spoon just by looking at it, I bet," Spike said with a smile.

Tara shifted in her seat uncomfortably and muttered, "Well, maybe not a spoon but a pencil, maybe…"

Spike laughed. "I don't think you give yourself enough credit. If you are really as engrained into the magical arts as I suspect you are, you have to be a pretty extraordinary person. Magic doesn't just come to anyone. You probably have you witchy mother to thank for that."

Tara flushed. She wasn't used to compliments but wasn't going to turn them down. "How come you know so much about magic then? Are you a magic user too?" She studied him carefully. "There is something a little… off about you." Tara's eyes flashed wide and she gaped wildly. "I don't mean… I'm just saying… I'm sorry, that didn't come out right."

Spike laughed again. This girl was fun! He was having fun! And he hadn't even killed anything yet tonight. "Don't even think of apologizing for making an acute observation. I like people who can see exactly what is in front of them, not just what they expect to see. Tell me now, and I want you to be as clear as possible. What do you think is off about me?" He asked with a devilish smile.

Tara took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. Her social anxiety was making a royal mess of her but she couldn't let that stop her. She closed her eyes, focused her energy, then opened them again, allowing herself to deeply examine the man in front of her. First she read his emotions. He was obviously in a much better mood than he was yesterday. He was still angry and a bit lonely, but his strong character wasn't allowing him to wallow in self-pity, at least at the moment. She moved to his physical appearance. He was an attractive young man, strong and fit. He had a scar above one eye and prominent cheek bones. She allowed herself to relax further, letting herself float above herself, as she liked to think of it. It was the witchy-version of thinking outside of the box. She let her body and spirit disconnect and looked at the man in front of her with eyes unconnected to the physical world. It was only a split second, but she sensed that off all the things in the coffee shop, the tables, the chairs, the spoon, or the mug in his hand, he was the least substantial thing. He just didn't fit in with everything around him. Even the air had a certain stillness around him, as if he wasn't even there.

Spike awaited the witch's diagnosis. He felt himself tense up when he sensed her momentarily leave her body. As a vampire, he couldn't see souls or read minds, but he could tell when there was someone in a body and when the lights were on but someone had stepped out for a second. This witch was well-practiced at achieving access to the astral plan. He hadn't expected that. He began to feel nervous and what her reaction would be when she saw that he wasn't exactly human.

Tara's head was reeling. What did she know about this person in front of her? He had certainly never tried to do her harm. If anything, he had been exceptionally nice to her. He was currently just sitting there, across the table from her, drinking from a mug with a paisley design on it. She thought quickly of what to say. She could tell he was getting impatient by her long review of him.

"You are… a strong person." She started. "You have a lot of pain, but you are coping. You are a very… forward person. You deal with your problems head on. You also aren't very patient."

"You could tell all that just by reading my aura?" Spike said.

"No, you were tapping your foot the entire time I was watching you."

Spike smiled. "And what else? I could have gotten all of that from any garden-variety fortune teller. You've got more skills than that."

Tara took a breath and said, "You aren't human. I don't know what you are, but you don't belong on this plane of existence. However, since you don't seem to be trying to eat me or trick me out of my soul, I don't think you're all bad."

Spike threw his head back and laughed heartily. Tara blushed as people from other tables glanced over to see what was so funny.

Spike wiped a tear from his eye and he finished laughing. "Oh, you are good. Ha ha, you are a precious jewel, pet. I haven't met a mystic who could figure me out as fast as you in a long time."

"You're not mad then," Tara asked nervously.

"Mad? Of course I'm not mad. No, but I would like to correct something you said. Just because I'm not trying to hurt you, doesn't make me a white hat."

"No," Tara answered softly. "No, it doesn't."

Spike cocked his head. "So, here you are, sitting in a coffee shop with a non-human who fancies a hot cup of cocoa. I've just told you that I am not a good guy. What are you going to do now?" Spike felt an unexpected jab of anxiety. He really wanted Tara to stay right where she was right now. He wanted to stay in her company just a little longer. He couldn't explain this desire properly. He examined her appearance again. She was still a slender slip of a girl with a pasty complexion and stringy blonde hair. He checked his libido and still found nothing sexually appealing about her. However, her smile was strangely comforting and there was something very familiar about her eyes and hands. He thought for a second that he might have met her before but quickly cast aside the thought. He was quite sure that he hadn't seen her around Sunnydale before.

"I'm… not worried about that." Tara said, surprised at her own words. Non-humans were potentially very dangerous. Her studies of magic had concreted that idea in her head. However, she didn't feel the least bit threatened by William, or Spike, whatever he called himself. "I just want a cup of coffee and a nice chat."

A breath was released that didn't know it was being held. There was an obvious drop of tension between the two of them. Spike raised his eyes and smiled cockily. "Well, now. You are an interesting one. I think this is the start of a very interesting friendship, don't you think, love?"

Tara smiled widely in return. "I hope so."

Neither of them noticed time passed, but they must have talked for hours since after they were kicked out of the Coffee Hut then went over to the Bronze for a drink and were kicked out of there as well when closing time came. It was in the wee hours of the morning, though sun-rise was thankfully many hours off, when Tara and Spike realized they had spent the entire night talking. They stood out in front of the Bronze, facing each other, neither of them breaking the silence. It was a very dignified and comfortable silence. It came well-deserved after so many hours of talking. The both of them were relaxed and surprisingly content to stand there, just basking in each other's company, till finally Tara said, "Well now, Mr. William Spike, Master Vampire, Killer of Two Slayers, and Originator of the Billy Idol-look, what now?"

"What do you mean, Tara the Witch, History Major at Sunnydale University, and Award Winning Singer?"

Tara laughed. "I'm not an award winning singer. I was just asked to sing the national anthem at my high school homecoming and I refused to do it because I was too scared to get up in front of all of those people."

"And you played a highly acclaimed supporting role in a community-produced Guys and Dolls." Spike pointed out cheerfully.

"Highly acclaimed is not how you would describe it. Everyone got roses from the local newspaper." Tara shook her head. "I wasn't even that good. I made so many mistakes, it was really embarrassing."

"You'll have to sing for me one day," Spike said airily. "I'd like to hear you sing."

Tara smiled warmly. "When horses discover the cure for cancer, I sing a whole opera, just for you."

"You should have more confidence in yourself," said Spike. "I think you would be surprised with what you could do."

"And you should get over that Drusilla girl," Tara chided. "She'll only bring you more pain. You deserve better than the likes of her."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Crazy loon, she was. But I was in love with her for over a hundred years. It's just hard to move on, you know?"

Tara placed a hand on Spike arm. "I know, it's always hard. But look on the bright side."

"Oh, and what is that?"

Tara smile mischievously. "At least you have your health."

Spike threw back his head and laughed heartily. He was happy! He was content. He hadn't felt this way since he could last remember. This girl was amazing. She always knew the right thing to say, and just when to say it. She made him feel more relaxed and confident that he had felt since Dru left him. No, even before that. Had he ever been this happy before.

Tara felt like a new person. She wasn't stammering. She wasn't afraid that Spike would laugh at her or think she was weird. She felt a feeling of self-worth begin to grow in her that she hadn't known since her mother had died. She felt drunk off of her sense of well-being. She didn't want to leave his company, which meant…

"Where do you leave here in Sunnydale," she asked.

Spike nodded off in the direction of his crummy apartment.

"Can I come with you to your place?" she asked suddenly, shocking herself.

Spike smiled and said, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Tara smiled back. "Can. I. Come. With. You. To…"

"Of course, why didn't you ask earlier? Let's get going!" Spike threw his arm over Tara's shoulders and lead her towards his apartment.

That night, they slept together on Spike's newly inheritated bed. They didn't touch, they only slept. Together, they dreamed of a clearing in some strange distant woods, with puffy white clouds over head. It was the most peaceful and refreshing rest either of them ever had. When they awoke, it was as if they were different people, and neither of them could find reason to complain of it.