Chapter 11: Who Does Not Love Forever

Buffy was immensely relieved when the phone call came from the Magic Box, letting her know that they’d found the demon. If she had to listen to any more of Xander explaining the difference between a Phillips head and a flathead screwdriver, she was going to be really tempted to use that electric drill he loved so much to add a few more holes to his head.

Dawn was awake by now, but had the good sense to stay up in her room, blaring her music to drown out Xander’s hammering and drilling. Buffy ran up to fetch her and the three of them headed over to the magic shop.

“So, what’s the scoop?” Buffy asked as they trooped in.

“We’ve been very productive,” Anya said. Then, she turned to Xander. “By the way, we’ve all had some bonding time here, in between the researching, and we’ve moved on past our petty differences. Oh, and Giles is giving me away when we get married, so it’s probably best if you just get over that now.”

Xander raised his eyebrows, startled. “Ahn –”

“Do it,” she warned him.

Xander glanced at Giles, then back at Anya. “Okay.” He knew when not to argue with his fiancée.

Willow shook her head in amazement, and muttered under her breath, “Surrender, Dorothy. Man, she’s got him whipped.”

Buffy paused for a moment to marvel at the speed with which that reconciliation had occurred, and then snapped her attention back to the crisis at hand. “So, what have we got?”

“Your house crasher is an Acanthia demon,” Tara told her, holding up the book and pointing to a sketch illustration, “from a Latin root that means ‘spiny.’”

“Huh,” said Dawn. “Makes sense.”

Buffy nodded, not as interested in the word origins. “Great. Any idea why it picked my house?”

There didn’t seem to be a consensus on that one. “Maybe it was looking for the Slayer,” said Anya. “I mean, you are kind of their archenemy.”

“Most demons don’t make house calls,” Buffy said doubtfully.

“Dawnie, do you remember anything else?” Willow asked. “Something that might tell us something about the Acanthia’s behavior?”

Dawn shook her head. “It’s kind of a blur. Spike saw more of it than I did.”

“Buffy, perhaps you should speak to Spike again,” Giles suggested. “He may be able to tell us something useful.”

The Slayer shifted uncomfortably, watching Xander for his reaction. She didn’t even need to ask what he thought of the idea. “Um, I don’t think so. He’s pretty cranky with me right now. I don’t think we’ll make it past the snappy one-liners, unless I get lucky, and I get a brand new nickname.”

“I’ll go,” Tara said. The others looked at her in surprise. “I think he likes me. You know, more than… others.” She stopped herself short from naming names, but couldn’t avoid glancing at Giles and Xander. “He might talk to me.”

*****

Spike raised his eyebrows when he heard the rapping on his crypt door. “Knocking again, Slayer?” He strode over to let her in. “Might start thinking there’s something wrong with… you. Oh,” he finished when he saw Tara. “Wasn’t expecting you.”

He stepped back and welcomed her in with a nod of his head. Tara entered, slightly cautious, but he noticed she was carrying herself with more poise these days than she used to.

“Just thought it’d be a change of p-pace.” She tried to seem cheerful and nonchalant.

“Buffy’s avoiding me, then?” he asked, never one to dance around the issue.

Tara stuttered for a moment, but Spike cut her off with a smile. “’S all right, love. I’ve been tetchy with the new boy around, I’ll admit it.” He heard the witch let out a deep breath. “Anyway, don’t suppose you just popped by for a visit. So let’s have it.”

“We were hoping, maybe – we can’t figure out why the demon attacked the house, and we thought – could you, maybe, tell me some more about it?” Tara explained, her thoughts still jumbled. “Some reason why it went after you guys the way it did?”

Spike cocked his scarred eyebrow. “What do I look like, the bloody information fairy? I told the Slayer all I could remember.” He perched on the sarcophagus, thinking. “Didn’t seem too bright. More of the smash and crash type. Though…” He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “It did seem to go after the Niblet, more than me. I’d attack it, and it’d toss me aside and go for her.” He looked back up at Tara. “You think that’s something?”

“Maybe. Might have to do with her being the Key. We’ll check into it. Thanks.”

“Yeah,” Spike nodded in acknowledgement.

She started to go, but stopped before she reached the door. “I don’t blame you, you know. For being jealous.”

One corner of his mouth turned up slightly. “Yeah?”

Tara shrugged. “You love her. It’s understandable.”

“’Bout time someone realized that.” His tone had a bitter edge. “Slayer still doesn’t believe you can love without a soul.”

“I – I think she knows that you –”

He shook his head. “You weren’t around for Angelus, pet. Did a number on her, for sure. He was a right bastard, and she managed to convince herself that losing the soul meant he couldn’t love anymore.”

“Maybe she had to. To make things… bearable.”

“Yeah,” he replied, thinking on that for a moment. “Doesn’t really give a fellow a fighting chance, though, does it? Look, I’m not a fool, Glinda. I know she’ll never…” He trailed off, staring at his hands in his lap, idly fiddling with one of his rings. “Just don’t like seeing her with some other bloke, you know?”

His head jerked around with surprise when he felt her soft hand on his shoulder, comforting him. “You’ll get over it eventually,” she offered.

“Nah,” he replied, with a slight expression of amusement on his face that didn’t reach his eyes. “He is not a lover who does not love forever.”

“Euripides,” she said, placing the quote.

“’S my curse. In love till it kills me.”

Tara smiled at him gently, giving his shoulder a final squeeze. “We’ll check out the thing with Dawn,” she told him, before leaving the crypt.

*****

“You think it was after her?” Buffy said, turning to Giles for his opinion once Tara had shared Spike’s additional details. “Trying to use her to open a portal or something?” Dawn trembled at that suggestion. She really didn’t want a repeat performance of the bloodletting business. Especially the dying at the end part. Buffy reached under the table and squeezed Dawn’s hand.

Giles shook his head. “It doesn’t have enough sense for that. I can’t imagine an Acanthia demon planning anything like that.” He thought for a moment, taking off his glasses and leaning against the stairs to the upper level. “Unless…”

“Oh, boy,” Xander muttered. From Giles, that was never good.

“Unless what?” said Buffy.

“Unless someone was using magic to – to control it somehow,” Giles said. “Perhaps it could be directed at a target.”

“Like Dawn,” Buffy concluded.

Giles nodded. “Or, perhaps, your house.”

Willow glanced around worriedly. “So there could be more of these spiny demons? All programmed to attack the same way?”

“And someone out there trying to kill Dawn,” said Anya.

“That’s it.” Buffy jumped up from the table.

“Where you going, Buff?” Xander asked.

“To Willy’s. And I’m going to beat up demons until I get some answers.”