A World of Their Own

Part 13

Willow looked up from her textbook when she heard her lover squeal. It wasn't something that Tara did very often, usually being quite soft-spoken and quiet. "Tara?"

"I found something! A spell to see them, to see Xander and Spike! It - it won't help us get them back, but we would at least know if they're okay." Tara was practically bouncing she was so excited. After six months of running into dead ends and growing increasingly worried and frustrated this was like a gift from the Goddess herself.

Willow rushed over to where Tara was sitting and took the book from her hands. She read and reread the spell before smiling so widely that her face hurt. "Oh my Goddess, Tara. I'll be able to see if they're okay. We need to do this now, as soon as we can." Willow put down the book and ran for the bedroom, Tara right behind her.

"Honey, we need to order some of those ingredients. We don't keep them in stock at the store." Willow turned around and faced her girlfriend as she continued to hop on one foot while putting on her jeans. "I know that, but we can special order them tonight and they'll get here that much faster."

Willow’s enthusiasm was catchy and soon Tara was flying around the room as well trying to get changed as quickly as possible so they could head out.

The drive over to the Magic Box was filled with enthusiastic conversation. Willow was so excited by the idea of finally knowing that Xander was okay, Tara had to drive.

After e-mailing the rush order to their suppliers, the two girls were headed back to their - well Xander's - car when they were approached by a tall, pale-skinned, floppy-eared demon. As the girls automatically clasped hands and began to draw power for a spell the demon stepped back and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Oh, hey. I don't want any trouble. I - I'm a friend of Spike's." Tara and Willow looked at each other and then at the demon. Willow gestured for him to continue but they didn't let go of the other’s hand. "I know that Spike used to help the slayer and the rest of you, and well... I was hoping you could tell me what happened to him? See, we usually play poker once or twice a week and he hasn't shown up for the longest time..."

The demon actually looked sort of sad, Willow couldn't help but feel bad for him. She was missing her friend too. "Um, well... Do you know what was going on about six months ago?" The demon nodded and Willow continued. "Well, Spike sort of... got sucked into a portal. With Xander. We've been looking for a way to bring them home."

"Oh, okay. Well um, I'm Clem by the way. If there's anything I can do, you know, let me know. Spike's a bit rough around the edges but he's my friend. If I can help I will." Willow looked at the demon and then smiled. "Thank you Clem. I'll let you know." As Clem walked away, Willow and Tara were just about to go to the car when Trisha and John showed up.

The slayer grimaced in distaste at the two girls. "I knew I was right not to trust you. Standing out here in the street making conversation with demons. Disgusting." She actually turned up her nose at the two flabbergasted girls. Her watcher merely smirked and made a mental note to get all the available information on these two that the council could dig up. He knew that the demon he had just seen was basically harmless, but he still didn't trust the two witches.

Come along Trisha, if we hurry you might just catch up with the demon before it gets away." John turned his back and headed off in the direction that Clem had taken. Trisha took a second to sneer at the girls before joining him.

Willow turned to her girlfriend, a look of utter bewilderment on her face. "What do we do? I mean, he's a demon right? But he seemed... nice. We can't just let her kill him, can we?" Tara shook her head. She knew that not all demons were bad, and this one had seemed pretty friendly, harmless even. "No we can't."

Clem stopped dead in his tracks as he felt the presence of the slayer. He had never met Buffy, but from what Spike had told him, she was pretty fair. He raised his hands in defence and turned around, hoping to talk her out of slaying hike ike he had with the two witches a few minutes earlier. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't Buffy standing behind him.

Clem groaned internally at him misfortune. He knew the other slayer - Faith - was insane. She wouldn't care if he sprouted wings and a halo; she would still kill him. He was so screwed. He tried his most charming smile and waved one of his floppy hands at her. "Hey, you must be Faith huh? Nice to meet you."

Willow and Tara caught up just as Trisha was about to attack. They grasped hands and before Trisha knew what was happening, the demon in front of her disappeared. She spun around angrily and glared at Willow and Tara. "See? I knew you were both evil, saving demons. I don't know what kind of spell you put on the last slayer, but it won't work on me. You just stay the hell away from me!"

Before Willow got a chance to respond, the girl had grabbed her watcher and they both high-tailed it out of sight. Willow sighed in frustration and headed back toward the car. Tara sympathised, she knew how much Willow wanted to help protect Sunnydale; she felt she owed it to Buffy, to Giles, to Xander and Spike. "Um, sweetie? Where exactly did you send Clem?"

Clem openis eis eyes and looked around. He was surprised to find himself in Spike's crypt, the last thing he remembered was the crazy slayer coming after him and then Spike's witch friends showing up. "Cool. I don't think Spike would mind me staying here, keeping an eye on the place for him." Clem grinned and looked over at the comfy chair and TV set up in the corner. "Oh yeah, this is going to work out just fine."

~!~

It took several days before the two frustrated young witches finally had all the ingredients necessary for the spell. They were the longest days of their lives. Willow was not a very patient person when it came to things like this.

They set the spell up inside the back room of the magic box. They needed a personal item of both Xander and Spike. For Xander they had chosen one of his loud tropical print shirts, and for Spike, they had raided his crypt and with some help from Clem, finally decided on an old Sex Pistols cassette tape.

The items were placed inside a large crystal bowl, covered with an assortment of herbs and some rather nasty-smelling liquid - Tara hoped Xander wouldn't want the shirt back, she was sure the smell would never come out. As for the tape? Well, they had planned to just buy Spike a copy on CD if he complained.

Willow placed a large round mirror on the floor and held the bowl above it as she began to chant. Tara joined in a few seconds later and then there was a bright flash. Both girls gasped as they looked at the scene reflected in the mirror.

It was Xander, Willow was sure of it. He looked happy, smiling and laughing at some blonde that she couldn't see very well. Tara reached out and put her arm around Willow to steady her as they watched Xander lean in and kiss the mysterious blonde.

"Wow. Um, who do you suppose that is? And where is Spike, shouldn't we be able to see Spike as well?" Willow looked at Tara questioningly. Tara gasped and felt her knees weaken as she watched the picture rotate as if on wheels. It came around to the side and then it was Xander who she couldn't see and the mysterious blonde became very visible. Willow gasped as well. "Spike?"

It didn't make sense. Xander and Spike? Spike and Xander? No matter how she twisted it around in her head it didn't make any sense to Willow. She had known Xander since they were children; he had never given her any reason to suspect he liked other guys. And Spike? Spike was the self-proclaimed God’s gift to women; he had never tweaked her gaydar either.

"Xander and Spike?" Tara spoke out loud what Willow was trying to deny she had seen with her own eyes. "Wow, I mean, I know he came through for us all in the end but don't they hate each other?" Willow could only nod her head as she watched her best friend grab Spike's hand and drag him toward a small log cabin. Spike didn't seem all that reluctant to go.

"They do. They did, anyway. How... Why..." Tara squeezed Willow’s hand and nodded sympathetically, then something about the whole situation sunk in. "Oh my Goddess, sweetie, Spike is in the sun." Willow looked as if someone had just smacked her upside the head with a brick.

"He is. He's in the sun, like Angel told me about when he was in Pylea. Wow, he must be so happy." The scene in the mirror changed to one of the inside of the cabin, the girls blushed as they realised what was starting to happen. Willow reluctantly ended the spell before things got too steamy. There were some things she was not ready to see, and Xander and Spike getting groiny was one of them.

Tara helped Willow clean up the spell and then pulled her into her arms. She rocked slowly back and forth as Willow cried silent tears. "Hey, at least we know he's alright, they're alright." Willow nodded against Tara's chest, Xander was alive - he was alive and safe. Alive, safe and from the looks of things happy. It was a balm to her soul. She still wasn't giving up on finding a way to bring them home, but at least now she knew he wasn't in some horrible demon dimension.