A Very Ordinary Evil

Part 18 – Memories of Odysseus


Immediately after Part 17


“Giles! How can we possibly trust him?” The final word Willow spoke was spat out like an epithet. “And how did he get out of … wherever it was the Initiative sent him anyway?”

Giles smiled mirthlessly. “When the Initiative was shut down he was released, into the Nevada deserts. I suppose they either expected the desert to kill him, or they just didn’t care.”

“I can understand that, Giles.” Willow’s voice still cold and ruthless. “I wouldn’t care myself. Not after what he’s put us all through.” Giles was shocked at Willow. He had never seen her like this about a human being, so uncaring, so … malignant. “I can see your face Giles, I’m sorry, but if you recall, he killed me that Halloween when everyone turned into their costumes. If you hadn’t broken the spell, I’d still be a ghost. I really don’t like him. And as for trusting him, well …”

“Red has a good point, Watcher.” Spike interposed. “I’d trust this bugger,” he indicated Ethan, “as far as I could throw an elephant. And what guarantee do we have that he’ll do what we want?”

Giles smiled again, and once more the smile was cold. “Ethan will do precisely what I ask him to because … well, I have his soul trapped in this jar.” Giles held up an ancient Egyptian urn. “And, if it’s released without the proper ritual, Ethan will die.”

“Which only leaves one question, mate.” Spike spoke up. “How did you find him?”

Giles smiled. “I’ve been hunting him for months. Since the Initiative shut down, I assumed that Ethan would have …”

“Officially shut down.” Spike interjected. “Do you really think that they would just go away, Watcher?”

Giles sighed and nodded. “True, Spike. Very true. Anyway, I assumed that Ethan would have been released then. I employed a private investigato fin find him and bring the toerag to me; because frankly, I wanted to get him back to England and out of our hair. The Investigator arrived with him earlier today. The timing couldn’t have been better. With Ethan restrained I performed the soul catcher spell, and here we are.”

Willow nodded slowly. “I have to agree, Giles. He’s perfect for our needs, with one small exception. How do we know he won’t arrange for the Order to kill us?”

Giles grinned back at Willow. “It’s very simple. I have these for you, by the way.” He took out a small paper bag and handed it to the little redhead. She looked inside to see perhaps fifty of the small crystals she used to lock her spells in.

Willow smiled up at Giles. “Thank you, Giles. I really do need these.”

“As I was saying,” Giles continued, “Ethan reports in by ‘phone each day, and when he finds out who wants the two of you, or just Spike, dead, he comes back here. We listen to him while the effects of a truth spell and a will weakening spell are operating.”

“Er, Ripper …” Spike interjected once again. “Was it for the best to allow this sod to hear what we’re planning?”

Giles looked up at Spike. “He would have to know the details anyway, and what pressures we can bring to bear to make him behave. Otherwise he’d try something … foolish.”

The blond nodded, thinking. Suddenly, he moved over to Ethan and lashed out a fist, connecting hard with the renegade warlock’s chest. As he did so, he doubled over, screaming and holding his head. The chip had functioned. He stood groggily and grinned at Willow. “Well, pet, there’s a piece of confirmation for your theory.”

Willow looked up at Spike, and slowly grinned. She should have realised that he hadn’t forgotten her experiment, even if he acted during the process as if it was all a game. Smiling, she said “Thank you, handsome. It does help. It confirms our supposition very nicely indeed.” Walking to him, she reached up to take his head in her hands, and as she massaged his temples, kissed him gently.

“How very cloying. The witch and the vampire. All lovey-dovey. Ripper. Bring me a bucket, I think I’m going to puke.” Ethan’ sarcastic, spiteful tone cut through the room like a knife.

Giles, walked over and casually took hold of Ethan’s ear and twisted, hard. “Behave, and don’t be rude to my friends, or I may decide to just break that jar.” Giles let go and walked back to his desk.

“Let’s not get all aggro about this Ripper.”

Willow looked up at Giles, aaid,aid, “One day, I intend to find out precisely why you were called that.”

Ethan immediately volunteered. “Oh, it’s because he used …” Ethan’s sudden desire to share information rapidly grew to a halt as Giles handled the soul jar.

Willow looked up as he had begun to respond, and when he stopped looked over to Giles. “You’re no fun,” She pouted at the Watcher as she spoke.

“Entertaining though this is,” Spike spoke up, “what about laying out the details for chummy here so Red and I can go home.”

“Yes, I suppose now is as good a time as any.” Giles took his glasses off, pinching the bridge of his nose, in his habitual manner. “Ethan, you know we want you to do something for us.” Ethan nodded as Giles continued. “We want you to find the local contact for the Order of Taraka. When you do, let us know who it is. Once you have done this, I want you to try and get close to them. I’ll give you further instructions then. Just a reminder; should any of my friends suddenly die during this process, I’ll break the jar instantly.”

“Once I’m done, I’ll want some money and a ticket home, Ripper.”

“Ethan, if I were you, I’d just be content to keep my life. But I will send you back home. I don’t want you in this country any more thou wou would want to stay here.”

“How very … generous of you Ripper. And what guarantees do I have that you wont just break the jar when I’m done?”

Willow interjected, harshly. “You don’t. Now deal with it or become a snack for my man here.”

All three men looked at Willow, unbelievingly. None of them had ever seen her this ruthless. Why, they wondered, did Ethan bring this out in her. Spike and Giles also knew that asking her would get them nowhere. Neither had eveen een such a ferocious resolve face.

“Do you want us for anything else Giles?” Willow asked. It was obvious from her voice, posture and demeanour that she wanted nothing more than to get as far way from Ethan Rayne as she possibly could.

“Uh … no, I don’t think so Willow, why don’t you and Spike head off home.” Giles tried to make his voice sound as everyday as possible, but he just failed. Willow detected the quaver and lifted an interrogatory eyebrow, then she smiled, realising what he was saying, took Spike by the hand and left.

* * * *

Driving home, Spike grinned at the delicate little redhead next to him. “Your present is in the books I bought, luv. We’ll have a look at ‘em when we get home.”

Willow smiled as she realised that he had not forgotten after all. She leant in and hugged him fiercely. “Thanks, Spike.” It was all she said, but it was more than he needed.

When they arrived at their home, Spike went to make coffee for them both. He had a feeling that they might need it once Willow saw what he had bought her.

Willow wasted no time in opening her present once they got inside. While Spike made coffee and, unbeknownst to her, watched her open the bag. She had not even got to the sofa, but was sitting cross-legged on the floor as she began to look at the book titles. ‘SM-101’, ‘Screw the Roses, Send me the Thorns’ and ‘Different Loving’. {What on earth are all these?} Willow wondered. She opened the first book, and read the chapter headings, as she did, she started to blush furiously. “Spike!” She yelled. “Get your cute little butt in here. Now!”

Spike called back, “Wait a second luv, I’m just pouring the coffee.”

Spike returned with three mugs, two for him, and one for her. “Would you rather I ate in the kitchen pet?” he asked, crouching down beside her.

“No. I’m used to it, and when you feed, you look rather yummy, from the nose up.” Willow looked down as she mentioned it, suddenly horribly aware that she may have either insulted him, or demanded sex or the Goddess only knew what, she resolved to learn more about vampiric etiquette.

Spike finished drinking his blood, wiped his mouth carefully and then took a mouthful of coffee. He leant over and kissed her on the forehead. “You say the sweetest things, little one.”

Willow moved over slightly so that she was almost in his lap. “What are theseks?”ks?” She asked, both curious and slightly frightened at what the answer was likely to be.

Spike pulled her in, very tightly. “They’re books that can teach you that you aren’t the only person in the world with feelings like yours, that it’s not a sickness or perversion. Reading them will help you understand how your desires formed and also give you some sane guidelines if you decide you want to experiment. Just remember that I love you, as you are. You don’t have to do anything in here just to please me. Yes, I know most of this stuff, Angelus was very thorough and I enjoy it, with the right person. But I’d rather have you without experimentan lan lose you because I insisted.”

Willow looked up at him, somewhat confused. “I don’t understand. You enjoy … these things but you would hold back to make me happy? Why?”

“Because that’s the nature of love, pet. Anyone in love tries to make their partner, or partners, happy.”

“Partners?”

“Love doesn’t have to be monogamous pet. Before Angelus got his soul handed to him on a platter, I loved both he and Drusilla. I tried to make them both happy. Of course, Angelus only loved Angelus, so it wasn’t the same as with you and I.”

Willow giggled and curled even closer into her lover. “I can see that from when he showed up here. All ego and obsession. Now, show me what you like in these books. I want to understand you too.”

Spike chuckled as he complied, idly flicking through pages. Willow stopped him when they reached a photograph of a woman wearing a wide leather collar. “Can I have one of those?”

Spike looked at her and whispered softly into her ear, “Pet, you really should read the text first.”

Willow nodded and thumbed back to the beginning of the chapter. She began to read and almost immediately began blushing. Spike could smell her arousal growing as she read. {She really does want this.} The thought flowed through his mind.

The little redhead looked up at the blond and said in a dreamy tone, “It sounds wonderful. The chance to be able to let go, to have no responsibilities, even for a short while. To know that I wouldn’t have to make decisions and just react. I don’t know that I would want that all the time though.” She looked up at him, worried. “Would that be all right?”

Spike laughed, pulled her close and opened one of the other books. He quickly found the section he wanted and gave it to her to read. It was titled ‘Negotiation.’ “You want more coffee luv?” Willow nodded absently as she began to read.

As he returned, she looked up at him, eyes full of questions. “This check list they talk about. What’s that?”

Spike smiled. “It’s a list of … different … things that are included under the umbrella term of BDSM. You use the check list to indicate which ones you like and which ones you don’t like.”

“Ah.” Willow hardly acknowledged Spike’s input before she returned to reading. The blond vampire grinned as he realised that his lover would be absorbed for the rest of the night. He chuckled quietly and went to find a film to put into the video. Soon, he was lost in the worlds of ‘Babylon 5’ and didn’t even hear Willow come over to him.

The little redhead walked over and sat at Spike’s feet, her head leaning back between his knees. She was curious about something, and was testing a theory. The vampire started to stroke her hair, and Willow sensed it was quite unconscious. His fingers repeatedly trailed through her red locks, caressing her scalp and creating a marvellously soothing effect on her. She relaxed even further, her head beginning to loll back into his lap. She felt like purring as Spikes ministrations continued. Eventually, as the tape ended, Spike looked down at her and grinned. “You feel all right, pet?” He asked.

Willow grinned u him him and answered. “I’ve never felt better, Sir.”