Chapter 17
“I do not love you—except because I love you;/I go from loving to not loving you,/from waiting to not waiting for you/my heart moves from the cold into/the fire. I love you only because it’s you/I love; I hate you no end, and hating you/bend to you, and the measure of my changing love for you/is that I do not see you but love you/blindly…In this part of the story I am the one who/dies, the only one, and I will die of love because I love you,/because I love you, Love, in fire and blood.” ~Pablo Neruda, Sonnet LXVI
“Why do we have to meet them in the science rooms?” Cordelia asked Oz. “I mean, if we had to meet them, couldn’t it have been at the bowling alley, or out front?”
Oz shrugged. “I don’t know. Willow said she had an experiment she needed to finish up.”
“And Xander had to help her. Yeah, I know.” Cordelia wasn’t nearly as upset about the situation as she seemed. The more she thought about it, the nicer a double date spent bowling sounded. She was Queen C, though, and she had to keep up appearances, and that included bitching a whole lot.
“They should be—” Oz stopped when he saw Spike skidding towards them. The vampire was looking a little freaked out, which Oz hadn’t thought was possible. Spike seemed to be the epitome of coolness. “Spike?”
Spike grabbed the both of them, shoving them into an empty classroom and shutting the door behind him. “We’ve got a small problem.”
Willow’s voice rang out in the hallway. “Spike? Where did you go? Are we playing a game now?”
Oz frowned. “Spike, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Spike replied. “I was training with the Slayers tonight. They’d left, I heard a noise, walked into a room and found Harris and your witch.”
“Xander and Willow?” Cordelia’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. She hadn’t thought anything of Xander spending time with Willow. They’d been hanging out together forever. Something in Spike’s face had her attention sharpening, however. “What were they doing?”
“A spell,” Spike said. He closed his eyes as Xander’s voice rang out.
“Spike? Come on, man, don’t play hard to get! Willow and I talked it over. We’re going to share you.”
Oz’s eyes went wide. “What kind of a spell?”
“I don’t know!” Spike was looking just a little panicked. “I walked in and they were both all over me, telling me how much they loved me. Bloody hell! Harris—” Spike stopped right there, not wanting to go into details. “They were fighting over who was going to get me first.”
Cordelia couldn’t help her snickers. The fact that Willow and Xander were doing magic together for some unknown reason wasn’t humorous at all, and she’d have to kick her boyfriend’s ass later for that. On the other hand, Spike’s panic was priceless.
“This isn’t funny!” Spike snarled. “You weren’t there! You didn’t—”
The door opened and Willow poked her head in. “Hey, Oz,” she chirped cheerfully when she saw her boyfriend. “Spike! There you are.”
Spike started backing away. “Now, Red, I’m not the guy you want.” He jerked a thumb at Oz. “Your boy’s standing right there.”
“I know,” Willow replied. “But he just doesn’t have the same charm, you know? I’m sure vampires have tremendous stamina.”
Spike was backing off rapidly. Willow wasn’t herself, and as soon as they reversed this spell, she was going to feel pretty foolish. Worse still, Oz was standing right there, listening to his girlfriend go on and on about another man.
Spike knew what that felt like, actually. It sucked.
“Oz, you know—”
“Spells go crazy on the Hellmouth,” Oz said, cutting him off and moving to intercept Willow. “I suggest you get Giles.”
“He’s off on a retreat,” Spike replied, weaving around the desks to get himself a clear path to the door. “Buffy might know where he is, though, and I could probably figure out a general reversal spell in a pinch.”
Xander appeared in the doorway behind him. “Spike! Finally. Look, it’s not nice to hide. Unless you’re just trying to increase the anticipation.” Xander leered. “It’s working.”
“Okay, that’s just creepy!” Cordelia said. “Xander, knock it off!”
Xander shook his head, advancing on Spike. “Sorry, Cor, but I’ve finally realized that I need a real man.”
“He’s mine!” Willow protested. “Xander, you agreed that I get to have him first.”
“Sod it all!” Spike snarled. “You two! Keep them busy!” He bowled Xander over, not caring if he bruised the boy. This was getting ridiculous, and he was fairly certain that he had Willow to blame for this. Worse still, she’d put him in an untenable position. Spike knew exactly why Willow had done the spell, and Buffy and the others were going to be asking. He wouldn’t be able to put them off forever.
Spike raced to the Summers’ house on foot. He’d taken the sewers to the high school, which meant his car was in the garage. Hopefully, Oz and Cordelia would keep the two lovebirds busy until he and Buffy could find a way to defuse the situation.
There had been one occasion in the past when Spike had witnessed a love spell such as this one, in which the person affected hadn’t been able to get to the object of their affection. The results hadn’t been pretty.
Besides, the very idea of Xander coming on to him was enough to make Spike sick.
His frantic pounding soon brought Buffy to the door, obviously expecting the worst. “What’s wrong?”
“Red did a spell, and it went wrong,” he said without preamble. “We need to reverse it.”
Buffy immediately looked alarmed. “Is she okay? Was anyone hurt? Where is she?”
“They’re at the school,” Spike said quickly. “I think we can figure out a general reversal spell. If we have to, we can get Giles.”
Buffy put her hands on Spike’s shoulders. “Stop. I can’t do anything if I don’t know what the situation is.”
“Willow did some sort of love spell,” Spike explained. “It went wrong.” He hesitated, then took the plunge. “She and Xander were coming after me.”
Buffy’s eyes widened in merriment as his meaning sank in. “Xander is in love with you?”
“It’s not funny,” he snapped.
Buffy started laughing. “Xander’s in love with you? What did they do that has you so freaked?”
“Nothing!” he snarled.
Joyce came around the corner. “Buffy? Spike? What’s going on?”
“Xander’s in love with Spike!” Buffy burst out, tears of laughter beginning to stream down her cheeks.
“It’s not funny!” Spike protested again. “Oz and Cordelia were standing right there, and you can bet they weren’t laughing.”
Buffy sobered quickly, realizing that as funny as it was to see Spike so freaked out, people could end up getting hurt. “Okay. What do we need?”
“You have any magic books around here?” Spike asked.
Buffy shook her head. “They’re all at the library or at Giles’ house.”
“Going back to the library will take too much time,” Spike objected. “We’ll have to get supplies too.”
“Giles is out of town,” Buffy said. “We can’t get into his apartment.”
“Yes, we can,” Spike said. “I’ll tell your Watcher we broke in for a good cause.”
Buffy nodded. “Okay, but I’m blaming you.”
The phone rang, and Joyce went to pick it up. “Buffy? It’s for you. It’s Oz.”
Buffy picked up the phone and had a quick conversation with Oz. “We have a small problem.”
“What’s that?” Spike asked with a groan.
“Willow and Xander got loose,” she said. “Apparently, Willow said that she was going to do a love spell on you so you’ll love her back, and Xander decided that if he can’t have you, no one can have you.” The Slayer gave him an apologetic smile. “He’s got a crossbow.”
“Lovely,” Spike growled. “Let’s go, Summers. The sooner we get that spell done, the sooner we can get this mess sorted.”
Buffy shrugged. “Let me get my shoes on.”
As soon as her daughter was out of the room, Joyce handed Spike a house key. “What’s this?” he asked.
“It’s to Rupert’s apartment,” Joyce admitted in a whisper. “He wanted me to check on his plants.”
It was a blatant lie. “Joyce—”
“Just don’t tell Buffy.”
Spike stared at her. It was one more secret he suddenly found himself privy to, and he wasn’t pleased in the least. “Fine,” he said shortly. “It’s your secret to keep.”
“Let’s go,” Buffy said cheerfully, shoes and jacket now in place.
Spike followed her out of the house, muttering under his breath.
“Okay, so what’s up with this spell?” Buffy asked. “Somehow, I’m pretty sure you know.”
The vampire was tired of keeping secrets for other people. “She was doing a de-lusting spell of some kind on her and Xander.”
“Why would she need to do that?” Buffy asked. “She and Oz—” She stopped cold. “Please don’t tell me that Xander and Willow were cheating.”
“I caught them kissing a couple days ago,” Spike replied. “When I talked to Red about it, she said she was going to do some spell to make the feelings go away. I walked in on the tail-end of the spell, I guess.”
“And then what?”
“And then they both took one look at me and started talking about how wonderful I was,” Spike burst out, completely mortified. “Harris managed to get his bloody hand down my pants!”
Buffy’s face twisted as she tried not to start laughing again. Spike just looked so horrified—his expression was priceless. “What about Willow?”
“She nibbled my ear,” he admitted grumpily. “Then they started arguing about which of them liked me more and who got me first. Soon as they were distracted, I took off. I didn’t want to hurt them, and I didn’t know what else to do. I ran into Cordelia and Oz, and they were supposed to keep the two lovebirds busy while I managed the reversal.”
Buffy snickered. “If it were anyone but you, you’d be laughing.”
“No, I wouldn’t be,” Spike shot back. “I’d be thinking about how bloody uncomfortable it was to be caught in the middle like that. It’s not like I asked for this. I told Red to come clean!”
She patted his arm. “Easy, big guy. We’ll go to Giles, find the reversal spell, and get the supplies. We’ll have you love-free by sun-up.”
“We’d better,” Spike muttered. “Otherwise, I’m going to have to find a place to hide out for the day. You don’t want to see how crazy these things can get when people don’t get what they want.”
“Oh, I’ve already experienced the effects of a love spell gone wrong,” Buffy said cheerfully. “Last Valentine’s Day, Cordelia dumped Xander so he tried to do a love spell. Instead of making her love him, it made every other female in Sunnydale madly in love with him. He almost got torn to pieces.” She grinned. “Just think. There’s only two of them, though. That’s not enough people for a mob.”
Spike scowled. “You’re so comforting.”
“I try.” They were at Giles’ apartment at this point, and Spike made a big show of trying to jimmy the lock while using the key Joyce gave him. “What kind of a book are we looking for?”
He shrugged, mumbling, “General spell book. The Watcher should have one around here somewhere.” Spike ran his fingers along the spines of the books on the desk, finally grabbing one and flipping it open. “Here. We need supplies, though.”
“The magic store is open late,” Buffy replied. “Don’t ask me why, but they are.”
“Let’s get this done, then.” Spike was careful to lock up behind him while Buffy wasn’t looking, then followed her out of the courtyard.
They walked in silence for a few blocks before Buffy said, “So you really saw Xander and Willow kissing, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Do Oz and Cordelia know?”
“I dodged the question,” he admitted. Spike glanced over at her. “You said Willow was going to do a love spell?”
Buffy nodded. “That’s what Oz said.”
“You think she has all the supplies?”
“No, I—oh. You think she might be at the shop.” Buffy frowned. “Maybe it would be better if I met you somewhere? Back at my house, maybe?”
Spike nodded. “Sounds like a plan. I don’t want to have to fend her off.”
Buffy chuckled. “Got it.” She took the hastily written list from him. “See you in a few.” She watched as Spike loped off, shaking her head. As big of a mess as this undoubtedly was, Buffy was grateful not to be in the middle of it for once.
She had to admit to feeling a twinge of something when Spike had said that both Willow and Xander were in love with him. It wasn’t jealousy, of course. It was a spell, and Spike was obviously not thrilled about it. At the same time, Buffy couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be in love with Spike.
Not that she was—in love with Spike. Maybe she liked him a little bit, but that was all it was. Just like. Just a little.
Buffy bit back a sigh. It wasn’t like he’d shown any interest in her beyond the fact that she was the Slayer anyway.
Spike’s supposition had been right on the money. Willow was just coming out of the magic shop while Buffy was going in. “Oh, hey, Buffy!” Willow said cheerfully, as though nothing was wrong.
“Willow,” Buffy replied carefully. “What are you up to?”
“Just getting some spell ingredients,” Willow replied.
Buffy nodded. “Maybe you should wait on that spell until tomorrow. It’s getting pretty late.”
“What are you getting?” Willow asked suspiciously.
“Shopping list for Giles,” Buffy lied. “He asked me to grab a few things he likes to keep on hand.” The Slayer decided that time was of the essence at that point, and she ducked into the shop.
The shopkeeper was quite helpful. “General reversal spell, huh?” the woman asked.
“Yeah,” Buffy replied. “Love spell gone wrong.”
The other woman winced. “Those can be bad. It’s better to get it taken care of as quickly as possible.”
“We’re trying,” Buffy replied, quickly paying her and heading out of the shop. She was about a block away when a car pulled up next to her. She froze, a hand automatically going for her weapon.
“Get in.” It was Spike’s voice, and the passenger side door opened.
Buffy slid inside. “I thought we were meeting at my house.”
“Change of plans,” he said, teeth gritted. “Xander was there waiting for me. I called Oz, and they’re supposed to try and pick him up.”
Buffy frowned. “Spike, you could totally take Xander. What’s the big deal?”
“He stuck his hand down my pants!” Spike sputtered. “I don’t want to give him an opportunity to do the same thing again.”
Buffy snickered. “Point taken. We doing this reversal spell at your place then?”
“Yeah,” Spike replied. “Think that might be for the best.” He pulled into his garage a few minutes later, and they went into the kitchen where he started pulling ingredients out of the sack, scattering them over the table.
Buffy watched in fascination. “You seem to know what you’re doing.”
“I’ve had to do a spell or two in the past,” Spike replied. “Not my favorite method of getting things done, though.” He started muttering under his breath as he read through the spell instructions. Suddenly, his head shot up. “Shit.”
“What?”
“I think that witch of yours is trying to do her spell,” Spike growled. “Dammit.” He started sprinkling the sacred salt on the floor to make a circle.
“Is that going to help?” Buffy asked.
He tossed the jar to her. “I don’t know. I’ve never had to do a reversal spell while someone else was trying to cast a love spell on me before. The circle is supposed to protect me.”
“What do you want me to do?” Buffy watched as he flicked his lighter, catching a bundle of herbs on fire.
Spike gave her an intense look. “Whatever happens, make sure I finish this spell. If I start acting crazy, you have my permission to knock me out.”
“You got it,” she replied cheerfully.
Spike shot her a dirty look. “Bitch. You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“You’re usually Mr. Cool,” she replied. “It’s kind of fun to see you this flustered.”
“Better pray you never see it again,” he said. “I only get flustered when things get bad.” Spike closed his eyes for a second and then began to repeat the spell in Latin.
Buffy was so busy listening to Spike chant in Latin—which was probably one of the sexiest sights she’d seen in a long time—she didn’t hear the front door open.
Xander managed to be a lot more stealthy than he usually was. In the pursuit of his true love, he was many things, including incredibly jealous. He knew that Spike didn’t love him. Xander was fairly sure that Spike would never love him, and that wasn’t sitting well.
If Xander couldn’t have Spike, no one was going to have Spike.
Which was pretty much what he said in a grand dramatic gesture.
His announcement was enough to get Buffy moving. Xander looked pretty serious, especially with the crossbow aimed for Spike’s heart. The Slayer wasn’t fast enough to prevent Xander from firing, but she did deflect the bolt so that it hit Spike in the thigh instead of killing him.
Spike grunted, but he didn’t stop his recitation until the final word was spoken. Xander took one horrified look at the vampire, and then stared at Buffy. “Oh.”
“Out,” Spike hissed, limping over to a chair.
Xander started backing out of the kitchen, seeing the very angry expression on Spike’s face. “Spike, I’m really sorry.”
“Out!” Spike roared.
Xander got out.
“Hold still,” Buffy scolded as Spike tried to pull the bolt out himself. Spike snarled as she yanked it out in one smooth motion. “You want some help bandaging it?”
He shook his head. “No, I’ve got it.” Spike sighed. “It’s not like I haven’t done it before.”
Buffy patted him on the shoulder. “I’d better go find the others and do some damage control there.”
“What are you going to tell Oz and Cordelia?” he asked.
Buffy grimaced. “I don’t know. I didn’t see anything, you did, so I can probably put them off, but they’re going to know something is up from that spell. I guess we’ll just have to see how it goes.”
“Guess so,” Spike said. “Thanks for your help.”
“Anytime.” Buffy resisted the urge to kiss his cheek. An action such as that might catapult their relationship onto a completely different level, and she had no desire to do that.
Well, she didn’t have any desire to lose what they already had. She liked Spike way too much to date him at this point. Buffy had seen what happened when she dated a guy. He either turned into a raging psychotic or it ruined the friendship.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Spike.”
“Absolutely, Slayer.” He watched her go, wondering if he had misread the look in her eyes. He could have sworn she was going to kiss him at the end.
Of course, there was no way he would get involved with her. Spike liked her way too much for that.