A teeny bit of Spike/other here- but I don’t have any more planned for the rest of the fic, I swear! :D




--
Giles was leaving.

Buffy left the Magic Box in a daze, ignoring the uproar that had emerged when Giles had declared his plans to go. She didn’t have time for her “friends,” not now. Not Faith and Willow’s hostility, or Xander’s ambivalence, or Tara’s distracted kindness. Not even the way that Spike hadn’t met her eyes the entire time they’d been in the Magic Box together.

Giles was leaving. The one adult in the world she could count on to stay, to be there for her and find her when she’d been lost, and he was going back to England because he “thought it was best.” Two days previous, they’d all admitted to some of their worst, most desperate fears and thoughts. And Giles had picked now to leave?

“Buffy! Please, Buffy, wait.” His voice was tired, wearier than she’d ever heard it before. She stopped to let him catch up to her, then continued walking without a word.

He watched her worriedly. “I apologize that I wasn’t able to warn you beforehand. But the flight leaves tonight, and I daresay I was somewhat reluctant to break the news to you.”

“So...what?” she demanded, stopping to stare him down. “You were just going to vanish? Or, better yet, tell me on your way out? ‘Hey, Buffy, I know I brought you back to Sunnydale to take charge of the whole Slayer gig and instead dumped you into a world where you’re enemy number one, but I’ve got stuff to do in England so I’m just going to leave you behind? Seeya?’”

“Certainly not,” Giles assured her. “However…” He sighed. “I really am less of a help than a hindrance lately.”

“No, you’re not!” Buffy protested. “I need you now, more than ever! I hate to say it, but even Faith needs you now! You heard her the other day. She’s lost hope in good or whatever she sang. This is what she needs, too!”

But Giles was shaking his head. “Buffy, you’ve been acting as an adult for the past three years. But as long as I’m here, you’ll never be able to blossom into the woman I know you can be, the one that you’re slowly becoming now.” He smiled fondly at her. “I believe in you, Buffy. You’re doing quite well, and you don’t need to lean on me anymore. You can do this on your own.”

She wanted to fight with him, to force him to stay. But short of knocking him out, like she had once done years before, there were no ways to keep him with her. So she let him embrace her and reined in the tears.

They came out much later, when he was really gone and she was curled up on his bed, feeling hopelessly adrift.

--

“B.” Faith emerged from the training room at the Magic Box to nod at Buffy. “Wanna spar?”

Since Buffy had saved her life earlier in the week, Faith had seemed more cordial, though certainly not friendly. She’d nodded to Buffy in the mornings instead of just snapping at her, and the two times they’d encountered each other on patrol, Faith had just ignored her instead. Buffy was pretty sure that that was as close as she’d get to the other Slayer. So she was pleasantly surprised at the offer. “Yeah, sure.”

In response, Faith tossed a sword to Buffy, throwing overhand instead of underhand, hard enough to embed it, quivering, into the wall near Buffy’s head.

Buffy quirked an eyebrow at her. Faith said, “What are you waiting for?” and disappeared back into the back room.

Buffy followed, bemused, but was forced to jump back when Faith sent a throwing knife directly at the doorway. She slapped it aside with her palm, catching it easily with her other hand and flinging it back at the other Slayer.

Faith grinned humorlessly and flipped across the room, catching Buffy’s head between her legs mid-flip. Buffy winced and jerked her knees into the other girl’s stomach, forcing her away, then took an offensive position.

They went on like that for a long time, fighting with little grace and mostly the raw power they’d both been mystically given. Faith was more skilled, Buffy was more powerful, and so the two were evenly matched. But Buffy didn’t fool herself into thinking that their fight was one borne from camaraderie. No, it was far too malicious for that.

“Nice shot, B!” You ran away and now you want everything that’s become mine back.

“Good move, ‘F’!” You stole my life and you’re standing in the way of me building a new one!

“Oh, did that hurt? So sorry.” Stay away from my boytoy! I see how you look at him.

“Whoops! Gosh, I really hope that doesn’t leave a bruise.” Spike wants me! I want him! Why can’t you just accept it and let me just have that?

They pulled apart, both gasping for breath and grinning with the pleasure that only beating up someone they hated could bring.

“Towel?” Buffy offered, pulling one from the pile of towels on the bench against the wall.

“Yeah, sure.”

They stood in silence for a bit, Buffy fingering some of the weapons nearby, Faith watching her warily.

“I am so horny right now,” Faith suddenly remarked, stretching her arms above her head.

Buffy gave her a dubious look. “Are you coming on to me?”

Faith smirked. “Hate-sex is the best. You should have seen Spike and me after he betrayed us to Adam. I didn’t let him out of bed for days. Then we broke the bed, so I finally let him go. Not that he was at all tired. Vampire stamina, you know.”

“Really don’t want to hear that,” Buffy muttered, turning away from Faith’s sharp gaze.

“Which reminds me.” Faith was suddenly far too close, her lips practically grazing the back of Buffy’s ear. Goosebumps erupted on the back of Buffy’s neck. “You stay away from Spike, or I’ll kill you.”

“Look at you two!” Anya’s cheery voice interrupted whatever Buffy had been planning on babbling in response to Faith’s threat. “I’m usually better at predicting these things. How did I miss that you two fight because you’re secretly in love with each other?”

“In lo-lo-lo-lo-?“ Buffy sputtered.

Faith clapped the other Slayer on the back. “I think you broke her, Ahn.”

Anya beamed at Faith. “You must be so happy. Or is this just a way to distract her from your boyfriend? Spike does seem to have taken an interest in Buffy.”

Faith’s eyes darkened, the humor gone from them. “I think that Buffy just misunderstood something I said. I must’ve taken it too far for Little Miss Prep to handle.”

Buffy, having regained her faculties of speech, chose instead to glare silently at Faith. Faith ignored her. “So why are you here, Anya? Aren’t you supposed to be selling things to unsuspecting victims now?”

Anya sighed expansively. “Well, I would, but the witches are driving away all the clientele right now, and to be honest, I’m a little worried that I might get cursed if I’m in Willow’s earshot.”

“What do you mean?”

Anya nodded to the door. “Tara is trying to break up with Willow in the shop. Why they couldn’t do it at their dorm is-“

“Shh!” Faith edged to the door and opened it a crack.

“Maybe this is personal?” Buffy suggested sarcastically. But she remembered how nervous Tara was around Willow, and so, more than a little concerned about her friend, she followed Faith to the door.

Willow was pleading with the quiet witch. “Come on, Tara, it’s not that bad! I just wanted to stop the fighting! Why does it matter how?”

They could see Tara through the crack, her expression sad but determined. “I’m s-s-sorry, Will. But y-you r-r-raped me of my memory, and I can’t forgive it. W-we can’t get p-past that.” She turned to leave. “W-we’re over.”

Willow gaped at her girlfriend. “But-“

“Goodbye, Willow.” Tara’s voice was firm. She stepped toward the door…

…And then recoiled, thrown backwards by an invisible force. She turned to gape at Willow, hurt and betrayed.

“I’m sorry, Tara,” Willow said tearfully. “But this is what’s best for both of us!” She pulled out a small plant from her pocket and focused on it. An orangey light seemed to pass over it and Tara at the same time, and Tara stopped moving, looking suddenly perplexed. “Will? What were we just talking about?”

Willow beamed at the other girl. “I was saying that we should go out for dinner tonight, just the two of us,” she said smoothly.

Tara grinned. “S-sounds good!”

And they left the shop, leaving Buffy staring behind them in horror. “My god,” she said finally. “Has that…has it happened before?”

Faith shook her head, her dark eyes worried. “Not that I know of.”

“Of course it has,” Anya informed them. “Willow’s been stealing Lethe’s Bramble from the shop for months. She wipes Tara’s memory all the time. I thought everyone knew.”

“Of course we didn’t!” Buffy shook her head. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Anya shrugged. “It’s not so unusual. There are a few demon species where it’s routine to wipe memories from a mate, whether to make peace or for a renewed sexual zest. It really spices things up if one mate doesn’t remember ever-“

“Enough.” Faith held up a hand. “We just…we need to not discuss this. It isn’t our business what goes on between Willow and Tara.”

“Don’t you think it’s Tara’s business?” Buffy demanded, aghast. “You really wouldn’t say a word to her?”

Faith turned away. “We need both of them happy. It’s not our job to cause trouble where none needs to exist.” She threw on her coat. “This is between Willow and Tara.”

“And you need Willow more than Tara,” Buffy muttered as Faith headed for the door.

Faith stopped walking, her back ramrod-straight. Buffy waited.

But instead of retorting, Faith just left the room, not turning back once.

“I’d better go mind the counter,” Anya said cheerfully.

--

To tell or not to tell…

She wasn’t afraid of Willow, right? She wasn’t at all afraid of incurring the wrath of a witch who could freeze her in place, or make her forget everything she’d ever done. She wasn’t afraid of a witch capable of raising the dead.

Okay, fine. She was a little afraid.

But Tara…poor Tara, being kept as little more than a slave to Willow, forced to stay with her, to want to stay with her, despite what the dark witch had done… Tara deserved to know, right?

Buffy kicked a stone through the cemetery as she patrolled, glumly considering her options. If she told Tara, what could Tara possibly do? Willow would just wipe her memory again, but then she’d also know that Buffy had tried to destroy her relationship. If Giles were around, she could have told him. He’d know what to do, with the whole irresponsible use of magic thing.

But Giles was gone. She could ask Xander for help, but how much good would he be? He seemed bent on avoiding conflict, and she was sure that he’d side with Faith on this.

Which left Spike, who’d been avoiding her since their almost-kiss.

It wasn’t fair. Just because they’d both finally admitted how they felt about each other, it didn’t mean that they couldn’t see each other again. Buffy missed the stupid vampire for more reasons than just that kiss. He’d accepted her, understood her, and didn’t much bother with Faith’s vendetta against her. They could have, at the very least, been friends.

She’d seduce him from Faith eventually that way.

She grinned to herself, squinting around for Spike’s crypt. He’d told her that it was in Restfield somewhere, and there weren’t very many larger crypts in the area, so she was betting it would be…

That one.

She pushed open the heavy stone door, grinning at the television and armchair she caught sight of as soon as she entered. Definitely Spike’s crypt…

“Spike?” she called out tentatively.

She heard a faint sound, coming from…below?

Oh! She spotted a coffin, its top off and a trapdoor inside. Cautiously, she climbed down the ladder.

And nearly fell from the bottom rung as she set eyes on Spike’s bed.

He and Faith were entwined on the bed, Spike pounding into her from behind, his hands tight on her body as she cried out in pleasure, panting and moving wantonly as he moved with her. Their bodies shuddered together as they both came at once, screaming as one entity.

Buffy wanted desperately to move, to run, anything, but she stayed frozen in place, unable to tear her eyes away from their display.

Faith’s eyes refocused as she caught sight of their audience. “Hey, B,” she said, her face smug. “We’re a little busy at the moment. Mind coming back later?”

“Buffy!” Spike’s eyes were wide in dismay. He fumbled for the sheets to cover himself, while Faith lounged against him in utter unconcern. “I’m sorry, pet, I-“

Buffy finally regained her faculties of speech. “Sorry I interrupted,” she said hastily, reaching for the ladder again. “I…I…I’m…” She climbed away from them rapidly, fleeing the cemetery at top speed and tamping down the feelings of embarrassment and irrational betrayal that had welled up at seeing the two together.