Disclaimer: All the characters and recognizable stuff belongs to Joss Whedon et. al.
Multitudinous thanks to the reviewers of the BSV!
 
Chapter 12: Reconciliation
 
It seemed for a while that Dominic would never stop sobbing, but gradually his tears slowed and he sat up, looking with miserable eyes at the three of them. “Why?” he asked. “Why didn’t you kill me?”
 
“She told you, she doesn’t kill people,” Spike said. “She’s not perfect, but she’s a force for good. Nothing changes that. I’m a creature of evil. By all rights I should be dead by her hand ten times over. But she’s given me the benefit of the doubt, and I’m fighting on her side now. She could never kill an unarmed opponent. That’s just who she is.” Spike turned to Buffy as he spoke the last words, fixing her with a glance of pure admiration and longing.
 
Buffy was stunned as she heard Spike’s speech. Beyond the words was a deeper undertone. He cares about me. He really does. Spike spoke of her as if describing a sacred object. Free of the spell, his gaze held no more of the animalistic lust, but an obvious and clear devotion. Unsure what to do with this realization, she turned reluctantly to face Dominic. “What happens now?” she asked.
 
Dominic got to his feet slowly, like he had aged twenty years in an instant. “I have sinned,” he muttered. “I have shown anger, lust for revenge, pride in my dark arts, envy of you and your companions.” He looked up with red-rimmed eyes. “Gabriel was all I had left. I’m alone.”
 
“You don’t have to be,” said Buffy gently. She thought of her own feelings of loss and loneliness over the years. Angel had left a horrible void, but Riley had helped fill that. His leaving had ripped the cover off that empty space, but here was Spike, improbably helping to fill the gap once more. “There are so many people in this world. There is always someone to find.”
 
Dominic wondered at this girl, who he had dismissed as shallow, selfish, and sinful. If she could show such forgiveness, such understanding, then who was he to act as her judge and executioner? “I will leave this town immediately. I promise you will never hear from me again,” he swore, as his eyes begged them pardon.
 
Giles was unconvinced. “You have done a great deal of damage these last few days,” he said sternly.
 
“And I swear to you, I will regret it and atone for it for the rest of my life,” he said, sounding utterly defeated.
 
Giles stepped forward, but Buffy put her hand on his arm and shook her head. “Leave all your magic books and equipment behind, and you are free to go,” she said firmly.
 
Dominic grabbed a duffle bag and threw his few clothes into it. He picked up the talisman which had fallen during the scuffle. He caressed it for a moment, and then handed it to Buffy. “This cross was Gabriel’s. He received it for his ordination. I want you to keep it.”
 
“Oh, I couldn’t…” Buffy protested, but Dominic persisted. “Gabriel would have wanted it to go to someone who fought darkness, like he did.”
 
Buffy took the cross solemnly. “Where will you go?” Buffy asked.
 
Dominic considered. “Perhaps I will follow my brother’s path. Maybe I can find through prayer what I failed to find through vengeance.” He gave them all one last look, then left, eyes downcast.
 
Giles looked at Buffy questioningly. “Are you sure that was wise? He seems repentant now, but can we trust him?”
 
“He won’t hurt us again. I know it,” Buffy replied. “Don’t ask me how. Slayer’s instinct.” Giles looked as if he was going to say something, but then closed his mouth again. There was something in the seriousness of Buffy’s tone that made further argument impossible.
 
They gathered up the leftover magic equipment and brought it down to Giles’ car. “I should probably go home and check on mom and Dawn,” said Buffy. Suddenly she felt very awkward in Spike’s presence.
 
Spike found the feeling mutual. How much of all that was the spell? “I could use some kip myself,” he said. He searched the Slayer’s face for a moment, and found nothing but confusion.
 
“Perhaps we should all meet tomorrow night at the shop to discuss all this,” Giles suggested. Spike nodded his assent and moved off into the night, fishing out a cigarette as he went. Giles climbed into the car and asked Buffy, “Can I give you a ride home?”
 
Buffy, who had been following Spike’s departure with her eyes, shook herself and got into the car. “Are you ok to drive? You took a pretty good knock to the head,” Buffy said.
 
“I think that allowing you to drive my car would make my head hurt even worse,” Giles replied with a faint smile. Buffy shrugged. She had no particular illusions about her driving ability, or lack thereof.
 
 They rode in silence for a while. Then Buffy said, “Giles, I’m really sorry about the way I acted the last few days.”
 
“You weren’t yourself, Buffy,” Giles said reassuringly. “You were all being influenced by forces outside of your control.”
 
“The guy was right though,” Buffy continued. “All it did was accentuate what was already there. That anger is inside me. It’s like Spike’s demon, always there, hidden under the surface. I’m so afraid of it getting out.”
 
“Yes, but Spike is a creature of evil, with no soul to guide his behavior. You can control your inner demons in a way that he cannot.”
 
“I’m not so sure of that, Giles. He was affected by this spell, same as the rest of us. But you wouldn’t have known it if he hadn’t told you. Even under the influence of magic, his control is pretty amazing.”
 
Giles frowned. “Am I going to regret asking how you know this?”
 
Buffy avoided Giles’ glance. “Giles, Spike saved my life earlier. When I ran out after I hit Xander, I almost lost a fight with a bunch of vamps. If Spike hadn’t been there…” Giles looked at her with alarm. He hadn’t heard how close things had been that night. Buffy continued, “Just now he saved me from doing something I would have truly regretted. He’s… an ally,” she finished lamely.
 
“Only an ally?” Giles asked pointedly. He had noticed the long look they had shared before parting.
 
“That remains to be seen,” Buffy replied. They pulled up in front of Buffy’s house. Buffy turned to Giles and took a deep breath. “I have a lot to… process about the last couple days. We’ve all got a lot of making up to do with each other. I promise you, I won’t do anything foolish. But I need some time out before I can talk about all this, ok?”
 
Giles could hear the exhaustion in her voice. His mind replayed the scene with the sorcerer. Her will to control her anger, and the fact that Spike helped guide her to the right decision had not escaped him. “You showed strength and understanding beyond your years tonight, Buffy,” he said finally. “And I saw that for whatever reason, Spike acted for good in urging you to spare that man.” Giles took a deep breath. “I will try to trust your judgment when it comes to dealings with Spike.”
 
Buffy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Thank you, Giles,” she said gratefully. “And now, I’m going to go investigate the benefits of that whole Sloth thing.”
 
“Just don’t overdo it,” Giles said, smiling fondly. Buffy closed the car door and waved as Giles drove off.
 
It was past midnight, and Buffy expected the house to be dark and quiet. What she found was Dawn and her mother in the kitchen, enjoying some late night chocolate sundaes. When the spell had broken, Dawn had woken up, surprised to see her mother next to her, and ravenous from having slept through dinner. Joyce had been so relieved to have Dawn back to her normal, active self that she did not object at all to a late night ice cream fest.
 
Joyce got up and swept Buffy up in a hug. “Are you ok? I was so worried when you ran out of here! Did you find out what was going on?”
 
Buffy laughed and hugged Joyce back. “I’ll tell you the whole story over some of that ice cream,” she said. She grabbed another bowl, and was soon describing the night’s events to her rapt audience.
 
“I can’t believe you let him go!” Dawn said when Buffy was finished. “I could have been like Sleeping Beauty, passed out for all eternity!”
 
“I’m pretty sure Sleeping Beauty didn’t drool in her sleep,” Buffy teased. Dawn made a face and went back to her sundae.
 
“You did the right thing,” Joyce said. “He had lost someone dear to him. He wasn’t thinking clearly.”
 
“As long as we’re done with Angry Slayer week, I’m happy,” said Buffy as she finished the last of her ice cream. She put her bowl in the sink and wrapped one arm around her mom and one around her sister. “I love you guys. I’m really, really sorry for lashing out at you.”
 
“Oh sweetie, don’t worry about any of that,” Joyce soothed, hugging her back. “I’m just glad we’re back to normal.”
 
“Or whatever passes for normal around here,” Dawn said, rolling her eyes.
 
************
 
Anya woke with a start. She had been dozing in the chair next to Xander’s bed, watching for any sign that he was regaining consciousness. She sat up and stretched, trying to relieve the kink in her neck. Then she realized that something was different. At first she couldn’t place it, but then she realized that what was missing was the overwhelming need to worry about how much money she had. Did I really sell all those horrible things at the shop? What in the world was I doing? She vowed to make a list for Giles as soon as possible of the dicey items she had sold, and to whom. That is if she could ever get up the guts to face him again. Her face reddened as she thought about her multi-day greedfest.
 
Her guilt-ridden musings were interrupted by a small sound from the bed. Looking up, she was overjoyed to see Xander’s eyes open. “Hey,” she said softly as she stroked his face. “How are you feeling?” Xander’s response was a mumbled grunt. “Oh, I forgot. Your jaw is broken, so it will be wired shut for a while. I guess then you’ll have to listen to me.”
 
Xander’s eyebrows went up, and he managed a half smile. What the hell was wrong with me? I could have lost her for good. As soon as I can speak again I’ve got a lot of groveling to do.
 
Anya saw the look in his eyes and said, “Don’t worry about what we both said and did. It turns out we were all under some kind of curse or something. We were researching it when you came in and got all crazy. I don’t know what happened, but I feel like it’s gone now.” Xander nodded, then winced. “Head hurt?” Another nod. “Doctor said that might be the case. I can go get the nurse.” As Anya turned to go, Xander’s hand closed on her wrist. She turned back to see Xander’s eyes locked on her face. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it the best he could. “Love you too, Xander,” said Anya warmly, and went to tell the doctor the good news.
 
************************
 
Willow had taken to pacing and wringing her hands as she kept vigil over Tara’s sleeping form. The urge to do a spell, any spell, to help Tara was nearly overwhelming. She had to keep forcibly bringing the picture of Tara in the dining hall, barking at her crazily over the pile of food, to keep herself in check. I did this. This is my fault, she repeated to herself over and over. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. The power inside her swirled and beat against her mind, begging to be set free.
 
Then all of a sudden, the swirling stopped. Willow stopped pacing abruptly and looked around as if she had been sleepwalking. It was gone. That feeling of being driven, of being pushed to the edge of control, was completely gone, like someone turning off a switch. Giles must have found a way to break the curse! Oh thank the Goddess. Willow turned to look at Tara. She was still asleep from the powerful sedatives, but she was no longer tossing and turning. Her face visibly relaxed and her breathing evened out. Willow sat down next to her, stroked Tara’s long hair tenderly, then curled up in the chair for a nap herself.
 
“Where am I?” Willow woke up at Tara’s voice. Although it had seemed like just a short nap, it was starting to get light outside. “Willow? What happened?” Tara continued, clearly confused.
 
“We were all under some sort of curse,” Willow explained. “The spell I did… made the curse worse. You went a little nuts at the cafeteria, assaulted a police officer…”
 
“Oh no,” Tara groaned, remembering. “I made a complete ass of myself. I’m never going to be able to show myself on campus again!” She tried to cover her face but found she was restrained. “Why am I tied up?”
 
“They worried last night you were going to hurt yourself,” Willow explained as she freed Tara’s wrists. She avoided Tara’s eyes while she said, “I was under the curse too. I just couldn’t stop doing magic, whatever the result. I’m so sorry I hurt you baby.”
 
Tara closed her eyes for a moment. “Willow, I know the spell made things a lot worse,” she began. “But even before the spell you were really starting to go too far, too fast with the magic. You’ve got a lot of magic in you. But I think you need to stop skipping steps, and I think you need to take the time to learn to control it.”
 
Willow bit her lip. “I get carried away. Can you… will you help me?” Please don’t leave me over this, Tara. Willow’s eyes were moist as she looked at Tara.
 
Tara’s expression softened as she met Willow’s gaze. “I’ll help you. You know I will. Just promise me you’ll never do a spell on any of us without our permission ever again, ok?”
 
“Promise,” Willow replied. Tara could see that she meant it in that moment, and that was all she could ask for.
 
“Good. Now can we see about getting me sprung from this place? I need to go change my name and move to another university.” Willow smiled and went to find the nurse.
 
*****************
 
Spike had gone home and passed out almost the second his head hit the pillow. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so exhausted. When Buffy came by at around two o’clock in the afternoon, he was still flat out. So that’s what they mean when they say someone sleeps like the dead, Buffy mused. She sat down on his chair and watched him for a few minutes. His face had healed somewhat, but still bore the marks from the crucifix. What do I say to him? Where does all this go? She wasn’t entirely sure what had brought her here. Normally she was a huge fan of the avoidance method of dealing with sticky relationship problems. That worked real well with Riley. Not. She was able to admit that in hindsight, she dealt with Riley’s issues by pretending they didn’t exist. With Glory looming out there somewhere, she didn’t feel like she had the luxury of avoiding Spike. She had to admit that he was an incredible fighter. More than that, she had to admit that he cared about her. But how much of that was the spell, and how much was real? That was what she was here to find out.
 
Buffy was pulled out of her contemplation by a stirring from the bed. Spike stretched and yawned, gradually becoming aware of that little pricking sensation that meant Slayer. He opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows, gradually focusing on Buffy. “Morning, Slayer,” he said in a voice husky with sleep. “What brings you here so early?”
 
Buffy laughed. “Early? It’s two in the afternoon, you slug!”
 
“Is it really?” Spike said. He sat up and leaned against his headboard, maintaining a small degree of modesty with the sheet pooled across his lap. “Anyhow, what can I do for you?” He was a bit perplexed by her presence. He had been certain that in the aftermath of the spell Buffy would have avoided him pretty much forever out of embarrassment or fear that the others would find out. 
 
“I just…” Buffy hesitated, unsure how to proceed. “I need to know… how much of that was real?” she finally stammered out.
 
Spike stared at her thoughtfully. “I meant it. What I said. I do love you. I have for a while now,” he responded quietly, looking at his lap. “The spell… I couldn’t stop myself from kissing you, touching you. I was like an addict who needed a fix. But it meant more because it was you.” He caught her eyes and added, “Why didn’t you stop me?”
 
Buffy stared at her own lap in response. “The first time, I had been patrolling through the campus and it brought back memories of all my exes. In my magically enhanced state of pissed-offedness, I decided that sex with you was the best form of revenge I could get. “
 
“And the other times?”
 
Buffy continued to avoid Spike’s eyes. “I realized that the only time I felt any relief from the anger was with you. And even then I tended to lash out at you.”
 
“Yeah, kinda noticed that,” Spike said, rubbing his nose unconsciously.
 
“But this morning I was thinking about other stuff,” Buffy went on, and suddenly met his eyes. “You saved me from those vampires. I was so upset about Xander that I think part of me was ready to let them have their one good day.”
 
Keeping the sheet wrapped around him, Spike came around and sat on the edge of the bed, facing Buffy. He took her hands in his and said, “Couldn’t let that happen, love. Won’t happen on my watch if I have any say in the matter.”
 
Buffy was struck by the concern in his voice. “Why did you stop me from killing him?” she asked.
 
“Like I said,” Spike explained. “You wouldn’t be the same after that. You would have driven yourself mad with guilt. I couldn’t stand by and watch you destroy yourself that way any more than I could watch you let those vamps take you out.”
 
Buffy felt the truth of his words and saw the sincerity in his eyes. She looked at her hands, which seemed to be just right resting in his. “I don’t… I don’t know how I feel about you, Spike,” she began.
 
Spike’s face fell as he let go of her hands and started to distance himself. “ ‘S ok, Slayer. I know my place…” he said.
 
“No, listen to me!” Buffy pleaded. She searched for the right words. “I like having you on my side. You’re an ally, and a… a friend. And if I’m being completely honest, I’d like to be a friend with certain… benefits.” She blushed, but managed to go on. “But I don’t know if I can love you, and I don’t want to lie to you or lead you on.” Her eyes begged him to understand her rambling. “Am I making any sense whatsoever?”
 
Spike sighed. The Slayer was many things, but Shakespeare wasn’t one of them. “Right now, I can be happy with being an ally and a friend. And I won’t lie either – I would most sincerely enjoy some of those ‘benefits’. But I don’t want to be a punching bag anymore, and I don’t want to be the official Scoobie scapegoat. Sex with you was amazing, Slayer, but I’d rather give it up than have every session end with you getting pissed and running off. Won’t be your dirty little secret.”
 
Buffy took a deep breath. “Giles… Giles said he would trust my judgment when it came to you. I feel like there is a lot of badness coming our way. I need you on my side, and I plan to tell the others that I need you on my side. But maybe we could not overly rub our extracurricular activities in their faces at first? Let them first get used to the idea of you as an ally before letting them know we’re something… else?”
 
“I think I can work with that,” said Spike. He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, which Buffy could not resist returning. His lips feel so right. She was starting to think that perhaps being something else with Spike could be ok after all. None of them had anything in particular to be proud of after their recent behavior. Perhaps a growing friendship with Spike wouldn’t seem the worst thing in the world after all that.
 
“Shall we explore some of those benefits, pet?” Spike murmured, breaking her train of thought. His low voice sent shivers through her entire body.
 
“I think if I had to pick a sin, lust is definitely the most appealing at this point,” Buffy responded. Then all thoughts of sins, curses, Scoobies, and sorcerers left the building as she joined him on the bed.
 
The end.
 
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A/N: Thank you so much to all the faithful reviewers who inspired me to keep going! Here are the challenge requirements:
 
Name: Seven Deadly Sins Email: wir2@lycos.com Season: Season 4   Father Gabriel's (from "Pangs") brother comes to Sunnydale seeking vengeance for his brother's murder. He 
secretly curses each of the Scoobies with one of the seven deadly sins. Can they overcome their weaknesses 
before they are consumed by them? 

Choose your season, but must be Spuffy & Bitey. Don't remember your seven deadly sins? I'll help... 

1. Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, also known as Vanity. 
2. Envy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation. 
3. Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires. 
4. Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body. 
5. Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. 
6. Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, also called Avarice. 
7. Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual exercise