Chapter 7

Willow wasn't sure what to make of Xander. It had been weird seeing him before Spike took him away, but now that Xander was more comfortable being a vampire, it was even weirder. Even though he still acted a bit like her best friend, the way he interacted with people was different now, too. Since she'd arrived this morning, she'd seen that he enjoyed mocking Cordelia and Gunn, had a respect for Fred and Wesley, and had contempt for Angel that Willow suspected was mostly fake. She shook her head. Xander really had learned a lot from Spike, and not just about how to be a vampire.

When Spike felt the redheaded witch had done enough staring, he got her attention. "So, what do you think?"

"About what?"

Xander smiled as though knowing he was the cause of her distraction.

"About the spell." Spike's voice was calm, even though he was bouncing inside.

"Oh. Right. The spell. I think I can do it, but the question is whether or not the spell will actually do what it says it will. I've never heard of anything like it."

When they'd called Willow about a spell they'd found through Wolfram and Hart, she'd been dubious, but she and Giles had agreed it was worth a trip out, even if all she did was check on Xander. They were all pretty sure Angel wouldn't force her to do the spell if she didn't want to do it.

"But it's worth a shot, right?" Willow thought Xander was much too eager to remove the one thing keeping Spike from being able to slaughter them all.

"I'm not sure it is." She glanced at Angel. "Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should." Even if Xander hated her for this, she just wasn't sure it was the right thing to do.

Spike crossed his arms, and Angel sighed. Willow was meeting only with the three vampires, as Spike didn't want the humans to know his weakness.

"I know where you're coming from, but Spike and Xander could have killed thousands of people by now, even with the chip."

"That's true," Spike interjected. "Angelus didn't always like getting his hands dirty. Had lots of methods for killing people without ever touching them."

Grinning when Angel flinched, Spike relaxed back into the chair.

"But you can't promise to behave, Spike. If you get the chip out, you'll go out killing innocent people."

Angel had forgotten how moral all of Buffy's friends were. "Willow, Spike and Xander could have been doing that all along. Xander isn't chipped, remember?"

"We've only been eating the bad ones." Xander stated, noticing how Angel tensed and rubbed his eyes tiredly, while Spike didn't even bat an eyelash.

"What?" Willow's eyes flew to Spike's.

"Been out huntin' bad humans, Red. Rapists, murderers, even the baddest of the bad—people connected with Wolfram and Hart." Though he was smirking, Spike knew they'd never get another chance. If Willow refused, he'd never find a witch this powerful willing to help him.

Willow sighed. "Of course you have."

She still wasn't convinced, but she didn't want to say no. Spike had really helped them out by taking care of Xander when she and Buffy couldn't do it. Even now, Willow couldn't fully bring herself to look at him, and, she supposed, that made her a bad, judgmental best friend. She wanted to do something for them, and this was what would help the most.

"He can't hurt humans, Willow, but they can hurt him."

"Whelp," Spike's voice was almost a growl as he tried to warn him away from this topic.

For the first time, Xander did not heed him. "Even if they're bad guys. Even if they're trying to summon the biggest bad we've ever seen, he can't help us to stop them." He paused for a moment. "Did you know he almost got mugged?"

"Xander!" Spike's sharp tone sliced through the air.

This time, Xander did not ignore him, turning his head to look squarely into Spike's eyes. "If she knows, she might be more willing to help. She should at least understand what this does to you. Because she doesn't, Spike. She doesn't understand."

Spike didn't agree. He knew Giles had understood, but it was possible the others simply hadn't put as much thought into it, being, as teenagers tend to be, caught up in their own little worlds.

"I want to understand." Willow's voice was firm. "I have to understand before I can do the spell."

Spike felt a glimmer of hope, and nodded slightly to the boy.

"Some jerks wanted his wallet and his duster. Spike couldn't fight them off because of the pain from the chip plus the pain from the muggers. They pulled a knife on him. Luckily, we were supposed to meet at the bar at that time, and I got there just in time to stop them."

Willow frowned. She'd never thought of Spike not being able to hurt people as a bad thing, but now, she could see how it would rob him of not only his ability to feed, but also to defend himself. It robbed him of his dignity in a way.

"Let me go over the spell." Her voice was firm as she stood from her chair. "I want to make sure there aren't any surprises. If it looks safe, for me and for you, then I'll do it. But, Spike?"

She watched Xander insist on a high-five, which he got, even though Spike rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, Red?"

"I'm going to have conditions," she said as she took the spell to the room where she was staying.

"Of course you will," Spike murmured. He couldn't even find it in himself to care.