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Seven Deadly Sins by BuffyMeetsSpike
 
Unraveling
 
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Disclaimer: As always, the characters belong to Joss Whedon, who graciously shares them.
I really love reviewers! They inspire me!
 
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Chapter 6: Unraveling
 
Tara found herself awake at midnight, feeling hungry. She lay in bed, watching Willow sleep beside her. She tried with all her might to go back to sleep, but failed miserably. I could really use a snack, she thought. Quietly, she got up and went to the fridge. She pulled out the cheese and a yogurt, and sat down at the desk. She opened a book she was supposed to be reading for her literature class, but found that 5 pages in she had finished her snack and was still hungry. She went back and found that the only thing left was one more yogurt, and the Chinese leftovers from who knows when. Should probably get rid of those, she mused, grabbing the yogurt. I should really stop eating anyhow.
 
Three minutes later, the second yogurt was gone, and Tara found herself still thinking about food. She willed herself to concentrate on her book, and succeeded for a whole two minutes. Then she was back at the fridge. She opened the box of Chinese noodles and sniffed experimentally. The smell wasn’t… terrible. It’s basically pasta, right? And a little shrimp. How bad could it be? She wavered for a moment, then grabbed the box and a fork and wolfed it down cold. When she finished, she groaned slightly.Ugh. Bad idea. Bewildered at her own lack of self control, she threw out the box and climbed back into bed. Really, really wish I hadn’t done that. What’s wrong with me this weekend? After a few moments of tossing and turning she fell into a sleep punctuated by bizarre dreams of food.
 
Willow was awakened around six in the morning by a moan. She opened her eyes to find Tara next to her, curled up in a ball, her face red and sweaty. “Tara? What’s wrong baby?” Willow asked, alarmed.
 
“My stomach,” she groaned. “I feel so…” Tara rolled out of bed and just made it to the trash can before she threw up. She sat back, pale and exhausted looking, as Willow brought her a glass of water. As she drank, Willow laid a hand on her forehead.
 
“You’re burning up, Tara,” Willow said. “Maybe we should get you to the health clinic.”
 
“I’ll be ok, I think,” Tara gasped as she sipped some more water. “I just…” Her words were interrupted once more by her need to stick her head in the garbage can. After another bout of vomiting, she sat back and regarded Willow ruefully. “You may have a point about the health clinic,” she admitted.
 
Willow helped Tara to her feet and found her some clothes. Tara was shaking now with the fever. When they left the room, Tara had to dash to the bathroom before they even made it out of the building. After two more episodes of vomiting on the way over, they finally made it to the campus health center. The triage nurse took one look at Tara and ushered her into a room. “How long have you felt this way?” the nurse asked, as she took Tara’s temperature.
 
Willow answered, “She woke up a little while ago, throwing up.”
 
The nurse looked at the thermometer. “103.5. That’s pretty high.” Tara moaned again and the nurse quickly brought her a basin to hold. After throwing up yet again, Tara said, “I ate some leftovers last night that might have been a bit too old. Could that be it?”
 
“You ate that Chinese?” Willow said incredulously. “That’s been in there for more than two weeks!”
 
Tara’s response was to throw up yet again. She flopped back on the pillow looking pale and drained. The nurse called for a doctor, who came in and examined Tara. “What was in those leftovers, young lady?” she asked.
 
“Shrimp lo mein,” Tara groaned. “Wasn’t my best idea.”
 
“You’re going to need to stay here for a day or two. Nurse, get an IV going, she’s getting dehydrated. We’ll need to draw some blood to be sure of exactly what we’re dealing with,” the doctor ordered. Turning to Willow, she said, “Are you her friend?”
 
“Yes, we live together,” answered Willow.
 
“Then why don’t you go out to the reception area and get her checked in while we take care of her, ok?”
 
Willow nodded. She stroked Tara’s forehead. “It’ll be ok, baby,” she said soothingly. Tara nodded weakly, then retched again. Willow reluctantly followed the nurse out to the waiting area and started filling out forms.
 
*******************
 
Anya was up early on Sunday morning. She left the bedroom to go shower, and felt a minor pang of guilt seeing Xander sleeping on the sofa. Maybe I did overreact a bit last night. She left him sleeping and took a quick shower. As she was getting dressed afterward, she heard a knock on the bedroom door.
 
“Anya? Can I come in?” he asked quietly.
 
Anya pulled her shirt on and opened the door. “Morning, Xander,” she said in a neutral tone. She wasn’t sure how he felt this morning. She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt either, she realized.
 
“Anya, I’m sorry I yelled at you last night,” Xander said, looking down. “I was really irritated all day, and I shouldn’t take it out on you.”
 
“It’s ok, hon,” said Anya, moving over to wrap her arms around him. “Apology accepted.”
 
Xander hugged her back, trying to ignore the little voice in his head. She should be apologizing to you, for embarrassing you all the time. Why should you be saddled with the chore of constantly teaching her manners? He forced himself to concentrate on the woman in his arms. “What are you doing up so early on a Sunday?” he asked.
 
“I’m going in to the Magic Box,” she explained. “I want to really go through the basement and decide what else we can sell. I really think we should expand our offerings so we can make more money.”
 
“Do you need to go so soon?” Xander said in a low voice. “We could… spend some time together.”
 
Normally the thought of orgasms was enough to make Anya forget that work even existed. But for some reason today the concept of making money seemed of paramount importance. “I’d love to, sweetheart, but I really need to get to work. Giles is never going to have the drive to turn this store into the money machine it could be without my giving him a push.”
 
Xander sighed. “Fine,” he said shortly. “I can see that there’s no way I’m going to be able to compete with money for your affections.” He released her abruptly and stalked off into the bathroom for his own shower. Anya rolled her eyes. Whatever. She grabbed some cereal for breakfast, poured herself a cup of coffee to go, and left. Xander’s going to have to learn that the whole world does not revolve around orgasms. Money is essential for our future happiness, and if he’s not going to earn it then I’ll have to.
 
Xander snarled as he rinsed his hair. I’m never going to be good enough. Never going to be rich enough, or good looking enough, or anything enough for her. He turned off the water and toweled off. As he dressed, he tried to decide what he should do, now that he was up. Maybe I’ll stop by Buffy’s house. There’s got to be a way that I can help her with her Slayer duties. He combed his hair, trying to imagine something, anything he could do to show her his true worth.
 
***************
 
Buffy had gotten home very late, rage pouring off of her in waves. She was angry at Spike, angry at herself, angry at the world in general. Fuck you, Riley, she snarled incoherently to herself. If you hadn’t been such an ass, I wouldn’t be so desperate as to screw Spikeof all people, just to get back at you. Her anger was mixed with occasional shudders as she remembered the sensations she had experienced. That orgasm had been… She had no words. ‘Earthshaking’ came close, but still fell short of the mark. And the thing that pissed her off the most was the knowledge that she wanted more. She growled at herself as she stripped and showered briefly before bed. Fuck Spike for making that so good. Damn. I want more. Fucking vampire. She viciously pulled a nightshirt over her head and got into bed. She pounded the pillow hard enough to make a few errant feathers fly before she lay down. Her bunched muscles nearly vibrated for a long, long while until she finally relaxed enough to fall asleep. Her dreams were dark, violent, and erotic by turns, and she found herself tossing restlessly all night.
 
Buffy slept relatively late, for her, wakening around ten o’clock. She made her way downstairs, and poured herself a cup of coffee. Joyce came up from the basement and said, “I was beginning to wonder if either of you were ever going to get up today.”
 
“Long patrol last night,” Buffy said, trying not to look her mother in the eyes. She felt like her late night activities must somehow be etched on her face. She ducked into the fridge for the orange juice and popped a frozen bagel into the toaster.
 
“Well, I’m just glad you are home safe and sound,” Joyce said. “No injuries I hope?”
 
“I’m fine, Mom,” Buffy replied, forcing herself to smile in order to reassure her mother.
 
“Glad to hear it. Now if I could just get your sister out of bed. She wanted a ride to the library, but I need to go out soon. If she’s not ready by eleven, she’ll be out of luck. I need to meet one of the artists at the gallery to talk about the upcoming show.” Joyce went upstairs to Dawn’s room and opened the door. “Dawn Summers, are you ever getting yourself out of that bed?”
 
“I’m coming,” Dawn whined from under her covers. Don’t you know that teenagers need lots of sleep? I’m sure I read about it somewhere. She had slept on the couch until Buffy had come in during the early hours of the morning. She had woken and turned off the TV when she heard her sister opening the door, then had waited until Buffy had stormed past to scurry up to bed. Given Buffy’s mood the last day or so, she hadn’t want to encounter her sister when she was still in Slayer mode.
 
“Just so you know, Miss Watch-Movies-All-Night, I have to leave in a little less than an hour. If you’re not in the car, you’re not getting a ride to the library.” With that, Joyce went back downstairs.
 
Dawn rolled over and put the pillow over her head. Just five more minutes, then I’ll get up.
 
Buffy finished her breakfast and went upstairs to get dressed. As she was brushing her hair, she noticed the fresh bite mark on her neck. Son of a bitch! Now I’m going to have to deal with a thousand questions from Giles and the rest. Thanks for nothing, Spike. I should have staked your ass long ago. She shivered a bit as she ran her fingertips over the bite. A small wave of moisture leaked from between her legs at the memory. Damn him to hell. Repeatedly. She dabbed a bit of concealer on the marks to camouflage them, and decided it would have to do.
 
She made her bed and tidied her room a bit, then straightened up the bathroom. It irked her that Dawn was just going to come in and trash it again, but she didn’t want to burden her mother with more chores. She was just finishing when she heard the door open downstairs.
 
“Hey Mrs. Summers, is Buffy around?” came Xander’s voice. Buffy came tripping down the stairs to greet him.
 
“What’s going on, Xander?” asked Buffy.
 
Xander stammered out, “I… um… came to see if there was anything you needed my help for.” He suddenly felt stupid. Slick, Harris, real slick. Even Tara sounds more capable than you, and she stutters. But he maintained his best ‘ready for action’ look and waited for Buffy’s reply.
 
“Not really sure there’s anything much going on right now,” said Buffy, starting to feel annoyed again. Why are you here pestering me? “Where’s Anya this morning?”
 
“She’s at the magic shop on a crusade to sell anything she can get someone to buy,” sighed Xander, exasperated. “She’s more interested in money than me today.”
 
“Well, I was just going to head over there now to talk to Giles. Nothing much going on around here.”
 
Just then Joyce came in, looking at her watch. “Dawn!” she shouted. “I’m leaving!” Upon hearing no response, Joyce threw up her hands and gave up. “Buffy, I’ve got to go. Tell your sister she’s on her own.” With that, she grabbed her purse and left, closing the door firmly behind her.
 
Buffy suddenly realized that she could kill two irritating birds with one car-shaped stone. “Xander, if you want to help, could you take Dawn to the library on the way to the Magic Box. She can meet us there afterward.”
 
Xander frowned. As usual, all he was good for was being a gofer or a chauffeur. “Sure,” he mumbled.
 
What’s his problem? Buffy wondered. Rolling her eyes she ran upstairs to Dawn’s room. She marched in, and grabbed the covers off of her sister with one jerk. “Get. Up. NOW!” she yelled, causing Dawn to sit up and scramble backward in alarm.
 
“Buffy, chill, ok? I’m getting up!” Dawn got to her feet and backed away toward her dresser.
 
“We are leaving in fifteen minutes,” Buffy barked. “And you are coming. I don’t care if I have to knock you cold and drag you to the library in your pajamas. So get your ass moving!” Buffy turned and stomped out the door.
 
Spurred to action by fear, Dawn scrambled into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and brushed her hair quickly. She filled her backpack with the books and notebooks she would need and rushed downstairs to find her sister pacing and tapping her feet impatiently, and Xander looking grumpy and miserable. She grabbed a package of pop tarts to eat in the car. “Ok, I’m ready,” Dawn said, grabbing her jacket.
 
“’Bout time,” snarled Buffy, stalking out the door. Dawn and Xander followed, making their way down to Xander’s car. Xander started the car and made his way toward the Sunnydale Town Library. Buffy seemed in a foul mood, and Dawn was practically dozing in the back seat. If I looked like Riley you’d probably actually notice that the car isn’t being driven by a robot, he fumed silently.
 
The ride continued in silence until they got to the library. As Dawn got out, Buffy said, “When you’re done, come over to the Magic Box, ok?”
 
“Yes, sir,” grumbled Dawn. She thanked Xander for the ride, shouldered her backpack, and made her way slowly into the library.
 
“She is being such a slug today,” Buffy growled as they drove on to the Magic Box. “She slept all damn day yesterday, and she still claims she’s tired. Try patrolling all night, then tell me about tired.”
 
“You know, I could help you with that,” Xander ventured. “I’m pretty strong, and I’ve been working with you for long enough that I can contribute to the whole Slayage thing.”
 
Buffy scoffed. “Xander, no offense, but I don’t need someone under foot who’s going to need protection.”
 
It was Xander’s turn to get angry. “Excuse me for not being some chemically enhanced jock like Riley!” he ranted. “I’m sorry that I didn’t get into ‘turn me into a chemical superman’ school. Hell, you respect Spike more than me, and he doesn’t even have a pulse! All he has is that stupid leather coat and those abs!”
 
Buffy stared at him like he had three heads. “What are you talking about?” she asked, baffled. “Who the hell brought Riley into this? I never wanted him on patrol either. And what’s Spike got to do with it?” Did he see us somehow? Could he possibly know?
 
“Admit it – you let him hang around because it’s better than having to look at a pathetic piece of crap like me all day. Fangboy keeps the same hairstyle since 1980 and everyone falls at his feet. I could get the latest and greatest of everything and I’d still get ignored.”
 
“Who’s falling at his feet?” Buffy responded. “Sounds like you’re spending more time looking at him than anyone else!” Ok, not strictly true, but you don’t really need to know that.
 
“Go ahead, accuse me of being gay, again,” Xander grumbled. “Giles is a tweedy librarian and no one doubts his manhood. You and the guys from work, you’re all the same. If I’m not grunting and sweating like a Neanderthal, I must be gay.”
 
Buffy had no idea what Xander was going on about. “Xander, I don’t know what the hell is up with you, but I really don’t need this right now. You’re one of the gang, we want you around, and given the fact that you live with a woman, we’re pretty sure you’re not gay. So would you just get over whatever your issue is today?” Or I swear to God I’m going to knock your teeth down your annoying whiny throat.
 
“Fine. Whatever,” mumbled Xander, shutting down. They rode the rest of the way to the Magic Box in tense silence.
 
******************
 
Spike woke around eleven in the morning. His sheets were sticky with come. He had occasionally been woken by wet dreams in the past, but the previous night had been a non-stop pornographic movie in his head. Sex with the Slayer hadn’t quelled his lust in the slightest. He was slightly dismayed by the state of his bed. Is it possible for vampires to dehydrate from this? he wondered. He felt more exhausted than he could ever remember feeling. And despite the insane number of times he had climaxed in the night, he was still hard as a rock this morning.
 
On shaky legs he made his way to the shower. He turned the cold water on full, scrubbing and shampooing, and trying to think about something, anything that could turn off the painful state of arousal. Imagine Dru screwing that chaos demon, he told himself. That stupid cow Cecily, turning you down. Angel in a tutu. It was no use. For every unpleasant image he could muster, he found another pleasant one right behind it, mostly featuring the Slayer. She tasted so fine, like wine, like truffles from Paris. Her skin… He sighed. There was nothing for it but to bring himself off again, jerking and gasping as his spendings washed down the drain.
 
Temporarily relieved, he stepped out of the shower, toweled off, and hunted for some clothes. He stripped his bed, and found his spare set of sheets. Probably have to burn these others, he thought, handling them with slight distaste. He supposed it was rather strange for a creature who was technically dead to be fussy about bedding. But what if she comes back? What if the next round is down here? Can’t have the bint so disgusted that she leaves. Memories of the previous night flooded back in, and his state of arousal returned.
 
“Dammit, what is it about her?” he growled aloud to himself. “You’d think she was the only female on earth from the way you’re acting!” He paced a few more times, trying to calm himself. Finally, he gave up. He had to see her. He was going to go insane hanging around here alone all day. He threw on his duster and lit a cigarette, smoking furiously as he stalked off through the tunnels to the Magic Box.
 
TBC
 
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