Quid Pro Quo

Chapter 4 – What Did I Do?

As the footsteps of the quartet echoed down the hall, the occupants that remained inside the room were totally silent. All eyes were on Giles? except for Andrew who was trying to get up off the floor, and Buffy who was starring at the spot where she last saw Spike before he turned the corner and left.

Falling down on his leadership duties, Giles was still at a loss of what to think, but then the jabbering of the slayers-in-training in the doorway broke through his stupor. “Girls…GIRLS, please go about your business. And Anne, be sure to shut the door behind you.” Once the doors were closed, he looked around at the other watchers. “Well…uhm…”

Before Giles could say anything that made sense, the doors flew open again. This time, though, Willow and Xander stood in the opening. The sight of her two friends broke Buffy out of her trance.

“Holy bleached blond nightmares, what is going on? I just heard that we had some trick or treaters. One playing a brooding, leather clad Angel and one playing a Spike in all his leather and peroxided glory. I hope you gave them tricks instead of treats.”

Nobody laughed.

Xander decided to take another tact. “Ok, Angel must have arrived, but who was playing the part of Spike?”

Willow moved to stand in front of her friend, who looked much too pale for her comfort. “Buffy? Who was here?”

Buffy’s voice sounded choked up when she answered. “Sp...” When she couldn’t even finish saying his name, she fled by a side door before Xander or Willow could ask anything else.

“Yes, it was Spike.” Xander and Willow had to look under the table to see Andrew, who was speaking. “The real Spike is back.”

Still looking under the table, Willow wondered what in the world was going on. “And this explains you on the floor because…”

“Spike put him there.” Giles took in a big breath and blew it out before continuing. “Seems that we had set the bridge to Angel on fire. And without knowing, now the fire has spread to Spike.”

Xander shook his head. “What bridge? I thought brood boy said he would help.”

Not surprisingly to anyone in the room, Giles took off his glasses and scrubbed the lenses. “It appears that we made a tactical error in our treatment of Angel and his compatriots. Both Andrew and I told them that we no longer trusted them. That we were in different camps now.”

“Way harsh, G-man.” Xander rubbed his hand over his face. “You know that there is no one as goody good as Angel…with his soul, that is.”

“I have to admit, though, it seems that I made the biggest error.” Drawing in a big breath, Giles let it out slowly. “Angel called a few months ago and asked to get in contact with you, Willow.”

Surprised, she blinked several times. “Me?”

“Yes. But I didn’t even let him explain why he needed you. If he was still with Wolfham and Hart, I told him that he wasn’t trusted. But now, as Spike has just shown us, Angel had been calling for your help to save one of his friends and team member’s soul. Now a demon inhibits the body.”

‘What a mess,’ Xander thought. “Where was this memo Willow and I missed? I may not be overly fond of Dead Boy, Senior, but I trust him.”

Willow supported her best friend. “Xander has a good point. Who exactly was it that didn’t trust him anymore?”

Not liking the question one bit, Giles looked anywhere but at Xander and Willow. “All of the Watcher’s Council. But more specifically, the distrust was created by me; Andrew because I told him to not trust Angel, and…and Buffy. Of course, even though Buffy and I did not know about Spike’s resurrection, he would and did still fall under the same umbrella.”

“Buffy? You mean ‘Angel is my soul mate’ Buffy? There is no way she wouldn’t trust him. And ‘I died to save the world for you’ Spike? Is it April Fool’s Day, and no one told me?” Xander just couldn’t believe what he was hearing. What had gone on while he had been in Africa?

“Was this when Buffy was in Rome?” Willow was starting to connect some of the dots.

Giles’s eyebrows met. “Yes, Buffy sent slayers with Andrew to forcibly take a damaged slayer from Angel. No violence had been needed, but the show of forces was still noted by Angel and Spike. Why?”

“Giles, we need to discuss some things, and I think it would be best if you cleared the room.” Willow looked around for a chair, but Xander was already bringing two. “Buffy wanted me to keep it to myself, but we need to talk about spells.”

*****

As Buffy raced out of the Watcher’s Councils on the main floor up to the floors above that housed the private quarters, she flew down the hall, thanking those above that she hadn’t run into anyone in the halls. When she made it through her bedroom’s door? which slammed shut behind her? she flew onto the bed and bounced a couple of times before she found a pillow to hug. The tears she had been trying to hide now flowed freely.

Of course, Angel had looked stern but not fuming as Buffy would have expected after their treatment of him. However, it did shock her to see him with a girlfriend, a girlfriend that must be taking the edge off the fuming. Surprisingly, Buffy was happy for him. Angel and she had always had such a tragic relationship, so she wished him well with this one. But she was crushed by what she and Giles had done to hurt him and those of his crew. Angel had every right to be angry. Who were they to judge the souled vampire that had proved himself over and over and over? Yes, Buffy hurt because she and Giles had hurt Angel.

But the word ‘hurt’ didn’t begin to cover how she felt about seeing Spike. Maybe mortally wounded would be better. After the ten thousand volt shock of his appearance had numbed enough to re-start her thinking processes, pain settled in as she realized that the stunning, blue haired demon was in all likelihood Spike’s girlfriend. Spike had treated her much as he had with Drusilla. Even though the demon did not look fragile, Spike demonstrated great consideration. Treatment that she would have never allowed, and Spike had known that then and must assume that now. Ironic how envious she was now of a demon.

And thinking about watching him move and interact with the room brought on the second bout of pain. The thought of Drusilla made her realize that Buffy hadn’t seen Spike so cocky and playful since he had rolled into Sunnydale with his black princess. However, that behavior had slowly died. The longer he had been in Sunnydale? the longer he had had contact with her? the more he had lost his high polished shine. She had tarnished what he had been for decades; but it was back, just without the evil part.

It was the Spike from his early days in Sunnydale when he was her enemy, and she had disbelieved and distrusted him. Even after he had proved himself to be an ally over and over; watching over her mom and Dawn, not giving in to Glory, fighting for his soul, standing by her no matter what she did to him. She had still distrusted him

From a few minutes before, she could still see a pair of blue eyes that were ice cold and a pair of brown from the front of the research room. Two vampires that were displaying distrust due to bad treatment from her and Giles. What had she done with that show of strength against Angel? What had Giles done by refusing Angel help?

And where was she while all this was going on? Trying to keep her moan as quiet as possible, Buffy knew where she was. She had been in Italy - not caring. Well, she cared now, and it hurt, throbbing though her body in waves. She wanted to run to them and try to work things out. This was Spike and Angel after all. They cared for her, didn’t they? Maybe if she had gone to retrieve the slayer herself? or maybe if she had trusted Angel with the crazy slayer and had kept an open line of communication? she wouldn’t be so hurt now.

Wake up and smell the mistakes, idiot girl.

*****

Buffy thought back to two days prior. She and Xander met Willow at the airport. When Willow saw her friends, her smile had been warm for Xander but faltered when she smiled at Buffy. They chatted and caught up in the car on the way back to the mansion, and then talked some more as Willow settled into her room. Dawn joined them at dinner, and everyone continued to talk until well past bed time. Willow noticed that there was something a little off about Dawn, as with Buffy. Afterwards, when everyone said their good nights, Buffy surprised Willow by following her to her room.

Willow settled on her bed and watched her friend pace around the room and chew her lower lip. “Come on, Buffy. I haven’t seen you in a while, but it’s still me. ‘Happy to listen’ Willow. Spill.”

“When I saw you at the airport, you first looked at me and frowned. Is there something wrong? I don’t want to be on the outs with you and not even know it or why.”

“No, Buffy, I love you, and you know that. It was…er…I don’t know how to say it gently so I am just going to say it. Your aura is off.”

“Off? Like I took it off and hung it on a coat hanger?”

Willow quietly laughed. “No, the color is off. It has a grayish tinge to it like it’s cloudy. And after talking to you all afternoon, I don’t think you caused the cloudiness. I think someone has done it to you, something like a spell.”

“Uh? What? Someone put a spell on my aura thingy, and I didn’t know it. No one else noticed by now? There are witches in and out of this place all the time.”

“Ok, ok. Relax. They just don’t know you as well as I do.”

“So can you fix it? Fix it now? I want a pretty, non-cloudy aura. Can I get it to match my new shoes?”

“Yes, we can do something about your aura situation.” Willow dug out two pink crystals from her bag. “We need to sit down facing each other. The bed will be fine. Take this crystal and hold it in your hand, and I will do the same.” When they were in position, Willow began. “Now, concentrate on the crystal and don’t talk.”

A few minutes passed before Willow spoke again. “That’s what I suspected…”

“It’s been like hours…What is it already? ”

“A spell. Someone did cast a spell over you.”

“Can you de-spell me?”

“Yes, it’s a weak spell. Easy. Let me see where it is centered, and then we will see about breaking it.”

Willow took her pink crystal and slowly moved it over Buffy, starting at her head. When she got to Buffy’s hand that was not holding the crystal, she stopped. “Got it.”

“Well…?”

“There is a swirl of black all around your ring.”

“But the Immortal gave it to me. I promised to keep it on always, and I never take it off.”

“This Immortal is your boyfriend?”

“Yes. He is sooo fantastic. If the ring is making a black aura, that must mean it’s good, not bad. He does love the color black. Something else must be connected to the spell. Try again.”

Willow looked into her friends hazel eyes for a long moment before shaking her head. “Does Dawn and Xander know about the Immortal?”

“Dawn does; she adores him.” Buffy’s answer was perky. “But Xander doesn’t know about him yet.”

“Let me go get them so you can show off your ring, ‘k?”

“Great.” Buffy held her hand out to admire the Immortal’s token of love.

Willow thought she was dealing with a Stepford wife. Maybe she was. First Willow got Xander out of his room. “Do you know about this Immortal guy?”

When Xander shook his head, water droplets flew from the shower he had just taken. “No.”

Willow caught him up on the situation on the way to Dawn’s room. “Dawnie, do you know about this Immortal?”

“Oh, yes. He is so wonderful and so good for Buffy.” Both Xander and Willow watched her eyes glaze over.

‘Oh, great,’ Willow thought, ‘another Stepford wife.’ “Did he give you that ring you’re wearing?”

“Yes. He’s so sweet.”

Xander had heard all he needed to hear. “I am sooo going to puke.”

After looking at each other, Xander grabbed Dawn’s arm so that Willow could get the ring off.

“What do you think you are doing? I can’t take that ring off. The Immortal…” When the ring was off, Dawnie looked stunned. Xander and Willow took advantage of her silence to explain. When they were done, Dawn looked at the ring in Willow’s hand as if it were a snake. “I can’t believe it. He seemed so nice, but he was manipulating us. What about Buffy?”

Willow nodded. “Her, too. I figured that it would take all three of us to get the ring off of her.”

And it did. They had to tackle her and jerk the ring off fast. Buffy protested even more than Dawn but ended up even more mortified. The Immortal had used her.

They listened to Buffy rant for awhile at the Immortal’s controlling of her before Willow interrupted. “But, Buffy, I told you that it was a weak spell. You must have wanted him or something about being with him…”

“You were missing someone.” Dawn knew. “You were missing him so bad.”

Buffy collapsed on her bed. “Yeah, I must have been susceptible because of losing Spike. I missed him so much that I must have been looking for anyone to make me feel better. But now that I can see clearly, the Immortal was no Spike.”

*****

Now, after seeing Angel and Spike, Buffy thought about what Willow had said. Could she blame her orders completely on how she handled the insane slayer situation on the spell from the Immortal? Damn it! All for a slime ball that had to put a spell on her to get her to stay with him, she had alienated two of the most important men in her life. Two men she would trust with her life.

And Rome. She had a feeling that there was more to the story about Rome than Andrew had told her. Actually, he hadn’t told her anything connecting Angel to Rome. Andrew was going to give her a very detailed explanation and very soon.

*****
TBC

Don’t worry. Buffy isn’t getting off the hook so easy at all. ;)