Chapter 24
 
Buffy panicked. “What? Oh god, what’s she done to us?”
 
Tarasmiled dreamily and shook her head. “It’s not that, Buffy. It’s just… I can’t see you very clearly. Spike, I’m distracted by something on your hand. It must have some very powerful magic, it’s so bright!”
 
“Oh!” Spike slipped the gem of Amara off his finger and placed it on the floor beside him then carefully kicked it a few feet away. “Okay?”
 
“Oh, yes.” Tara walked slowly towards them her eyes tracing their figures. “There’s something else,” she said with a puzzled frown. “Spike, do you have something in your pocket?”
 
Spike thrust his hands into his duster pockets and came up with the engraved silver disc which Lanaro had given him. “Sorry, pet. Forgot all about that,” he said, and sent it to join the ring.
 
“That’s better. Now, let me see…”
 
Buffy anxiously clutched Spike’s hand and held her breath as Tara slowly circled them, examining them closely. “Can you see anything?” Buffy blurted.
 
“Relax, Buffy. Willow hasn’t done anything. Well, not yet anyway. I can’t find traces of spells on either of you.”
 
Buffy relaxed her shoulders which she hadn’t realised were tense. “Oh, thank god.”
 
Tarawent on, “But… did you know it’s like you’remade of magic? So are you, Spike. There’s nothing specific I can put my finger on, but you both have this kinda faint… glow… over your hearts.”
 
Spike nodded. “Makes sense.”
 
Buffy looked up at him in bewilderment. “Huh? I’m human. Nothing magic about me.”
 
“Human, yeah. But also slayer. When you think about it, neither of us is what you could rightly call normal, love.”
 
Buffy reluctantly accepted that Spike was correct. No matter how much she constantly protested otherwise, when she was being totally honest with herself, she couldn’t deny that her calling as the slayer made her fundamentally different from the rest of humanity. As Tara had just discovered, she was as supernatural as the vampires and demons she fought. She heaved a resigned sigh. “Oh, I guess…”
 
“Now then,” Tara said, “I’ve checked all the treasure for you but I’ll have to wait until the effects of the trance have completely faded before I can do the protection spell.” She looked around at the almost empty cavern. “Why don’t we finish the clearing up in the meantime? Besides, I think that one would go better out in the fresh air than down here.”
 
“Okay, thanks Tara,” Buffy said. Seeing Spike already packing up the treasure, placing the magical items in a separate box, she went to switch off the floodlights and stack them on one of the wheelbarrows.
 
“Ow! Bloody Hell!”
 
Buffy turned to see Spike glaring at the jewelled short sword and sucking the heel of his hand. “What’s up, honey?”
 
“Cut myself on this flaming sword. It’s bloody sharp!” He held up his hand to display the blood trickling from a nasty gash and then put it back to his mouth.
 
Buffy went over to have a look, asking, “But isn’t the gem supposed to heal things like that?”
 
“Forgot to put it back on,” Spike grumbled. He retrieved the gem and silver disc and slid the ring back onto his finger. He frowned. “Humph. Seems not.” He held out his hand again, showing blood still dripping sluggishly from the cut.
 
Tarasaid, “Well, the swordis magical. Perhaps that’s why?” She crossed the cavern and joined the research huddle over Spike’s hand.
 
Spike pursed his lips thoughtfully then slid into game face briefly and sank his fangs into his wrist. Cocking his head to one side he displayed an unblemished arm. “Could be right.”
 
Intrigued, Buffy reached for one of the twin daggers, which had also found their way into the magical box. “What about this one?”
 
Spike watched warily as she drew the point of the blade lightly across his wrist. The cut closed and vanished as quickly as it was inflicted. “Curiouser and curiouser,” he mused, automatically shifting the short sword to his injured left hand. He winced and hissed, immediately switching it back again.
 
“Do that again!” Tara said.
 
“Huh?”
 
“Hold the sword in the hand with the ring. Make sure they touch.”
 
With a little shrug, Spike complied.
 
“They’re connected!” Tara said. “There’s a fine thread of magic sparking between them when they touch!” Indicating in turn the blood red jewel in the pommel of the sword and the green gem in the ring, she said, “Red and green, opposite sides of the colour wheel. I wonder…” She took a deep breath. “What if this sword was made specifically to be the only weapon that can harm a vampire who’s wearing the ring?”
 
Grasping Tara’s point, Buffy said, “Like an insurance policy, in case the gem gets into the wrong hands. Cool.”
 
Wide-eyed, Spike thrust the weapon into Buffy’s hand. “Here,” he said. “We don’t give this one to the watcher to research with the rest. You have to keep it, Buffy.”
 
Horrified that Spike thought that she might ever want to hurt him, Buffy cried, “What? Me? No! I don’t want it!” She tried to shove it back at him but he ducked out of the way.
 
“It’s gotta be you, Slayer!”
 
Buffy melted when Spike cocked his head to one side, cupped her cheek and added softly, “Who else am I gonna trust with it, love?”
 
 
~*~*~*~
 
 
They were on the final trip through the tunnels and about halfway to the entrance when Spike abruptly straightened up and raised his hand as a sign for the girls to halt. “Shh.”
 
He was rewinding the extension cables onto their reels and stacking them on top of the boxes of treasure in the wheelbarrows which Tara and Buffy were pushing.
 
“What…?” Buffy asked so loudly that the word echoed back from the rock.
 
Spike turned and scowled at her, hissing, “Bloody Hell, woman. Don’t you know what shh means? I can hear footsteps!” He drew his combat knife. “Something’s coming.”
 
Buffy immediately abandoned her wheelbarrow and stepped forward, producing the unused blowtorch from her jacket pocket. “Flashlights out,” she said, killing her own and dumping it in her wheelbarrow. “Let’s not give them an easy target.”
 
Tarafollowed suit and edged behind Buffy and Spike, murmuring under her breath in a language Buffy didn’t recognise.
 
Only their fading helmet lights dispelled the gloom. They waited in silence as the footsteps steadily approached. Before long, there was the flicker of a moving light from ahead.
 
Spike raised his head and flared his nostrils as he took a deep breath; a sight that never failed to make Buffy grimace with distaste. She so hated the gross smelly thing, even though it had proved convenient on more than one occasion.
 
After a moment, Spike relaxed his defensive posture and slid his combat knife back into its sheath. “Old Spice after shave, Imperial Leather soap and a faint whiff of musty books” he said with a smirk. “S’okay, ladies. It’s only old Rupert.”
 
“Giles? What’s he doing down here?” Buffy asked.
 
At that moment, Giles appeared around the bend in the tunnel. He started when he saw them lying in wait for him. “Oh! You’re here!” He took in the wheelbarrows and the partially rewound power cables. “Ah, you’ve finished then. Good.”
 
“Why are you here Giles?” Buffy asked. “Is there something wrong? Xander! Is he…?”
 
Giles held up his free hand to stop her. “Xander’s fine, Buffy. During the drive to his flat he told me about the demon parts you’d found in the Initiative so when I closed the shop, I decided to come and take a look.” He glanced behind him in confusion. “I followed the cable, but since you’re coming this way while packing up, it would appear that I turned in the wrong direction.”
 
Buffy tried to disguise her amusement by busying herself with turning her flashlight on and getting the little procession moving again. “Okay, Giles. We’ll have to go in there again anyway, to turn the power off.”
 
Tarasaid dubiously, “Demon parts? I don’t think I…”
 
“You don’t need to come in with us, Tara. We’ll probably only be a few minutes. You could get ready to do the spell. I can show Giles the specimen rooms and turn the power off. Spike’ll stay with you.” She sent Spike a fierce glance which told him in no uncertain terms that he had to look after Tara.
 
“Spell?” Giles asked.
 
 
~*~*~*~
 
 
 
Leaning against the laden truck, Spike blew a stream of smoke to the side and pensively regarded Tara, who was calmly setting out her crystals and candles and mystery herbs under the bright gibbous moon. Her heartbeat was slow and regular, showing absolutely no sign of nerves.
 
He sighed. “You’re not even a little bit afraid of me, are you?”
 
Taralooked up at him through her hair. “No. Did you want me to be?”
 
“Might be nice,” he groused. “Aurelian Master vampire here. Used to be the Big Bad. It’s getting to be so that I can’t even remember the last time I made anybody scream and run. Chasing them was so much fun,” he said wistfully.
 
“Sorry,” she said, unable to disguise the smile in her voice. “It’s just that after seeing how you are with Annie…”
 
“I don’t exactly make you quake in your boots,” he finished for her.
 
“Not exactly, no.” She went on, “But I’m sure you were terrifying before Buffy… uh…”
 
“If you say tamed or domesticated me…” he growled.
 
“I—I was going to say she gave you a reason to change your ways.”
 
Spike snorted. Tara was obviously humouring him. He lit a fresh cigarette and gazed blindly out into the desert, contemplating the transformation of his life, while Tara put the finishing touches to her sacred circle.
 
He quickly came to the conclusion that there hadn’t been a single moment when everything had changed. It had been a gradual process. A series of incidents from that first encounter with Buffy in the alley behind the Bronze up until he’d run into her in L.A. after Dru had deserted him. After his Sire had made it crystal clear that this time the break-up was permanent.
 
Yes, he’d miss the freedom to indulge his impulsiveness; he’d miss dropping everything when he got bored and travelling to a new city, a new country, just to see what he could find there. In particular, he would always miss the hunt and the chase culminating in the sensation of hot, living blood pumping down his throat.
 
But in exchange, he’d gained a mutually devoted love, a level of respect he’d never before been granted, an enchanting miracle child and a life rich with possibilities for both joy and excitement.
 
He wouldn’t go back for a second. Perhaps it was finally time to accept that and dive headlong into the future with Buffy and her friends. He was coming to see that with a little effort on his part, they could become his friends as well.
 
He’d never had friends before. Occasional allies, temporary travelling companions, random minions, yes. Not true friends. He couldn’t wait to see how that worked.
 
He’d only just ground the spent filter under his boot when Buffy and Giles emerged from the cave.
 
Buffy came immediately to duck under Spike’s raised arm and cuddle into his side, while Giles approached Tara and examined her preparations.
 
After a minute, he took his glasses off and began polishing them. “Tara, Buffy was telling me…” He began again. “Are you absolutely sure that even after everything that’s happened, Willow is preparing to do another spell on us?”
 
Tarastood up to face him. “But I’m not sure, Giles. That’s the whole point. When Anya said she had inventory missing, a spell was the first explanation that popped into my head. It seemed so obvious. I don’t like being so suspicious but given Willow’s history…”
 
“Ah. Yes, I can see why that might be so, but surely…”
 
“Can we take the risk?” Buffy broke in. “Tara might be wrong, and I hope for all our sakes that she is, but I for one would feel a lot safer if I had one of Tara’s protection thingies.” After a pause, she added, “I really think you should have one too, Giles. And Tara? Could you do them for Mom and Dawnie too? Just in case?”
 
“I made enough amulets for all the Scoobies,” Tara offered. “I was going to come to you, Giles, and then Xander and Anya, after I’d seen Buffy and Spike.” She turned to Buffy. “Sorry, I never thought of Dawnie or your mom. If you’d like, I could make a couple more tonight then do the spells for them tomorrow?”
 
Buffy smiled. “Yeah, that would be great. Thanks, Tara.”
 
Giles frowned around at them. “You’re really that worried?”
 
“I can’t believe you’re not,” Spike said in disbelief. “I’m not afraid to admit I’m bloody terrified. I don’t know the witchlet as well as all of you, but perhaps that’s an advantage. It lets me view her more clearly. From what I’ve seen, she’s a manipulative little control freak who can’t handle negative emotions. Now she’s been found out, not only is she feeling guilty, but she’s also upset that Buffy hasn’t immediately forgiven her and is giving her the cold shoulder. Bearing all that in mind, what do you think she’s most likely to be tempted to do?”