Solace

Title: Solace

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: S/W

Summary: We find comfort in the strangest of places.

Reviews: I need reviews like I need air. They help to inspire me! So please leave your comments, good, bad, or indifferent.

Random Quote: "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." ~Leo F. Buscaglia

Disclaimer: I don’t own them I’m just playing with them a little bit… Sue me and all you will get is my debt.

Authors Note: There will be times that I take quotes strait from the show. Any die hards out there will know which ones they are. I do not own those quotes, I was not smart enough to write them, I am simply taking them and adding them to my story. This applies much more in later chapters where I have taken lines from several episodes in season seven.
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The walk to her house was silent and uneventful. When they reached the porch Willow pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. She stepped inside and turned to Spike, “Please come in Spike.”

He gave a short nod and followed her into the kitchen, setting his bag down by the door. She unpacked his blood packets and placed them in one of the drawers in the fridge. She pulled two mugs down out of the cupboard. She pulled out the milk and filled a small tea kettle. She placed the kettle on the stove burner and turned it on. She hunted around in the cupboards until she had two packets of hot chocolate mix and a bag of little marshmallows. She handed the bag to Spike, giving a small smile as he tore into it and popped a handful into his mouth.

A few minutes passed before she poured the milk and mixed in the chocolate. She added the small marshmallows and slid a mug to Spike. They both took a seat at the kitchen island. She watched as Spike drank his hot chocolate, his eye fluttered shut and a look of pure ecstasy washed over his battered face. His pink tongue darted out to catch any stray drops. She was amazed that he could make drinking hot chocolate look sexy, but he did.

She pulled out one of the books she had taken from the Magic Box and started to leaf through the pages. She had something in particular in mind that she had seen back at the shop. Her mind drifted to something Spike had said earlier, Buffy never made it to his crypt. She made a mental note to call the other girl after she found what she was looking for.

She let out an excited eep when she finally came to the page she had been looking for. Spike gave her a look that said, “explain” and Willow smiled. She turned the book towards him and his eye darted across the page.

He looked back up with her in shock, “Think you can manage this Red? I won’t have you doing mojo on me if you have any doubts.”

“Oh I can totally do this. Let me just get the stuff from my room.”

Spike nodded as she raced upstairs. He touched his battered face with his fingers and shook his head. He was the Big Bad, how could have let this happen? He had a feeling Willow had been trying to get him out of his crypt for his own good, to protect him, but she had not made it sound belittling. She asked him to come with her to protect her, giving him back just a little bit of masculinity and power.

Of all the Scoobies Willow had the most reason to hate him and hurt him and yet here she was running around making sure he was safe and feeling like a man. It had not been that long ago he had tried to turn her, the chip had stopped him, and she had sat there and comforted him. Well that was until she had hit him over the head with a lamp but he really could not blame her there. Even with all of that she was the one who mended his wounds, talked to him like a man, and treated him with a respect that was meant for friends. Was that what they were?

Before he could continue his inter ponderings Willow returned holding a satchel of items. She waved him into the lounge. By the time he entered she was pushing the heavy furniture out of the way. He smirked at her struggling and helped her move them.

“Ok here’s how this is going to work, I’m assuming you speak Galician?”

“Yeah luv.”

“Ok my spoken Galician is a bit off. I’m still working on it.” She gave a weak smile but continued, “So I’m going to say the spell in English and you say it in Galician and since we will be holding hands in the circle our powers should intertwine and the spell should work.”

“That’s alota shoulds.”

“Yes. I know but I think this should work. I mean I’ve done this sort of thing before and it worked.”

“Alright lets give her a go then.” Spike took his duster off and tossed it on the couch.

Willow smiled, her eyes twinkled, as she made a circle on the ground in light blue sand. She placed candles at five points around the circle. She waved Spike in and sat cross legged, Spike followed in suit facing the small girl. Willow waved her hand and the candle wicks burst into flame. Spike cocked an eyebrow at her but said nothing.

“Ready?”

“Yeah.” He reached out and grabbed her warm hands.

“Goddess of light hear our call.”
“Deusa da luz oe o noso chamamento”
“Heal the wounds of your forgotten son.”
“Curar as feridas do seu fillo esquecido”
“Take from him his pain and suffering.”
” Tomé-se del a dor eo sufrimento”
“Goddess of light hear our plea”
“Deusa da luz escoite noso chamamento”
“Take what has been broken and restore him to his health.”
“Colla o que se dobres e restaura-lo para a súa saúde”
“As you will it Goddess so shall it be.”
“Como vai Deus así sera”

As the last words of the spell were spoken the flames of the candles burst brightly, the blue ring erupted in light, trapping the two in the circle, hands held tight. Spike looked at Willow for the first time since the spell had started, her eyes were completely consumed in blackness and her hair sprayed out around her head.

As the lights dimmed and eventually faded Willow let go of his hands and smile, her green eyes taking place of the black. She reached out and touched his cool check and gave an excited yip. “It worked!”

Spike reached up and felt his face, there were no more cuts, bumps, or bruises. He straitened his back and felt no pain. The little witch had healed his body. He felt better than he had for a long time actually.

Willow closed the circle and attempted to stand up. Spike caught her as she stumbled, “My legs fell asleep, stupid circulation.”

Spike let out a rich laugh as he moved her to the couch. He pulled her left leg across his lap and pushed her long skirt up to her knee. He rubbed his hands along her calf to try and bring back the blood flow. He then switched and did the same to the right leg.

“Better luv?”

“Yup! Thanks! I’m gonna clean up down here, why don’t you take your bag upstairs. The guest room is the first door on the left to the right of the stairs.” He nodded and grabbed his bag.

He could hear her picking up the candles and then running the vacuum cleaner. He entered the bedroom she had indicated and dropped his bag on the bed. He went over and pulled the heavy navy blue curtains closed on all of the windows. He then took a look around. It was a nice room, thick plush carpet, large king sized bed with a blue down feather comforter, and an obscene amount of pillows. In front of the bed was a flat screen TV that had been mounted to the wall above a large dark wood dresser. The remote for the TV was on one the nightstands next to the bed. The other nightstand had a copy of the Tanakh on it. Each nightstand also had a small bed side lamp with a navy lamp shade. He silently hoped that the lamps weren’t touch activated. Being dead really did have its down sides.

When he got back downstairs he pulled the furniture back in place and sat down at on one of the couches. He could hear Willow on the phone in the kitchen. From what he could tell she was arguing with someone. He stood and walked closer to the kitchen to hear the conversation.

“Well he said you never got there…yeah that’s what he said…I don’t know I didn’t ask…Well what ever had got to him before got to him again. You should have seen him Buffy it was awful… I did a restoration spell and healed him… No I don’t know where he went. Are you angry with me for something?... I couldn’t just leave him like that!... Look Buffy it’s late and I’m tired. I was just calling to make sure you were ok…Yeah I’ll let you know if I see him. Bye”

“Why’d you lie pet?”

“Geez Spike! You scared me. Maybe we can get you a bell.”

“Sure after you tell me why you lied. Don’t want your little friends to know I am here, is that it?”

“No! I really don’t care who knows. In case you missed the memo I am old enough to make my own decisions. Buffy just I don’t know something is off about her.”

Spike snorted, “Ya think?”

“Spike, she just. I don’t know. Can I ask you an honest question?”

“You can ask doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”

“Did Buffy, did Buffy do you know, did she hurt you that way?”

“Told you a demon did.”

“What did the demon look like?”

“A demon. It looked like a soddin’ demon Red.”

“Ok Spike well I better call Buffy back and let her know you are here and that she should come over so we can research the demon looking demon.” Willow said as she picked up the phone, holding the receiver to her ear.

“NO!” Spike screamed startling both Willow and himself.

“Ok,” she sat the phone back in the cradle, “I won’t call her.”

“Sorry.”

“For what?”

“Yelling. You’ve been a right peach to me and I had no right to yell. How did… Never mind.” Spike turned to leave the kitchen, his head down.

“I knew because of the way she reacted when I told her I talked to you.”

“Huh?” Spike turned and looked over his shoulder before the rest of his body followed.

“When I told her I had stopped by your crypt she started to hound me and ask me what you had told me. Then when I told her you said she hadn’t been there she started to get even angrier, yelling about how you are well you and that you lie and you are just trying to make her look bad. Then I told her about the demon that attacked you again she just acted like you were looking for attention that none of it really happened. It just seemed weird. That’s kinda why I lied I mean if she is capable of doing this too you I can’t just let it happen.” Willow finally took a breath as her babble subsided.

Spike cocked his head to the side and studied her for a moment before he spoke, “Look luv I’m leaving Sunnyhell tomorrow night. There is a friend I need to see about a few things. I should only be gone a few days, week at the most.”

“I’m coming with you Spike.”

“Red…”

“Don’t Red me Mr. I’m sick and tired of everyone telling me what I should and should not do! Buffy with her stay away from Spikes, Tara with her stop using so much magic, Xander with his his I don’t know what just now but I’m sure it’s something and now you with your Red you can’t come.”

“Red what I was going to say is you can come but you have to tell the watcher you’re going. Just wouldn’t mention it’s me you’re going with.”

“Oh.” She looked at him sheepishly “So ummm where are we going?”

“Nevada desert, there is a set of caves and my friend lives in one of em.”

“Oh that sounds uh dirty.”

Spike chuckled, “She’s made it pretty nice in there. Once you get in you can hardly tell it’s a cave.”

“Then it’s a date! I’m going to pack some cloths and head off to bed. The sun’s coming up soon anyway.”

“Willow?”

“Yeah Spike?”

“I know that I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man, and that's…”

Willow placed a gentle hand on Spike’s cool arm and gave him a small smile, “And you see me. You always have.”

“Right then, get some sleep Red we leave at dusk.”