Chapter 2 

Tara entered the magic box with Joyce. A quick look over at Anya told her that Riley had not arrived yet.  

She could feel her anger inside her, growling like a pacing beast confined behind bars. This was a side of her that was rarely seen. She hardly ever stood up for herself, she couldn't see the point, and the conflict that always arose from a rebellion on her part was never worth it. She'd grown tough over the years. She may let them have their way, but she never gave up that piece of herself that she hid and protected. It was one reason why she'd been able to leave her family in the first place. They thought they controlled her, and she let them think that by not fighting back. 

Her mother had once told her to choose her battles carefully, and the ones that she always picked were the ones where she stood up for someone else. On those rare occasions, she became an avenging angel; a true protector of the innocent. 

She smiled at Willow in greeting, nodded at Xander and Giles, and waited. 

Joyce walked over to Anya with the list of ingredients Wesley had given her. Keeping her voice light, she told Giles she was picking up an order for a friend. It had been an easy decision to allow Tara to speak first.  

A tinkling of the bell announced the arrival of the ex-commando. Tara had one thought... 

'Showtime.'

Rounding on the brunette, Tara pinned him with a chilling glare. For his part, Riley took one look at her grim expression and actually fell back a wary couple of steps. 

"I have never" Tara began. "Been more ashamed of admitting I associate with someone than I am today. What you did was the most despicable display of bigoted ignorance I've ever heard of. Picking on a creature that can't fight back because of what YOU and your Initiative did to him...why, you're nothing but a bully, Riley Finn, and you disgust me! I'm warning you right now; if you ever go near Spike again, I swear I'll turn you into a snail and deliver you to the nearest French restaurant."  

Tara's eyes sparkled and she shook with righteous indignation. There was no sign of her debilitating stutter, and her posture was straight and strong, with no sign of her normal reticence. Her ire with the tall former soldier was clear to see.  

"Oh, there's no need for that, dear," Joyce spoke kindly to the shaking girl. "I have a lovely recipe for garlic butter at home." 

Willow watched her girlfriend with awe. She had never seen this side of the gentle blonde and while surprising, it was also seriously arousing. 

The inhabitants of the room looked like a group of landed fish as they stared at the two women in shock. Joyce's comment, while provocative, didn't affect them anywhere near as much as Tara's speech. They were stunned to silence by the fact that she'd verbally berated one of them. It was so completely out of character for the girl they thought they knew. 

"What's going on here?" Buffy demanded from the training room door. At this point, she wasn't sure if she should stick up for her boyfriend or let him face the wrath of Tara on his own. She was already pissed that she hadn't had a chance to talk to him alone. Finding out that there might be more she didn't know about was seriously denting her ability to kid herself that there might be something in their relationship to salvage. 

Joyce turned to her daughter. "Your boyfriend used a plastic wood-grained stake on Spike because he showed you Riley's new 'hobby'. What you didn't give that poor boy the chance to tell you was that those particular establishments have a standard policy of turning customers when 'accidents' occur. Riley's behaviour put us all in danger. I'm very disappointed in you, Buffy. Spike took a huge risk in showing you, and only then after he asked my advice because he was concerned for your sister and I."   

Moving so that she could encompass the entire group as she spoke, Joyce continued before anyone could interrupt her flow. "I have something to say to you all." Taking a breath to center herself, Joyce Summers spoke her mind. "In the two years that I've known about slayers and what they fight, I've learned a lot. I don't interfere because it seems to make Buffy uncomfortable and, truthfully, I didn't want to admit how dangerous a life she leads. I may not have your experience, but I do have eyes and intellect. I am also a very good judge of character. You people are supposed to be champions for the innocent; those that are not equipped to fight the forces of evil. But, you yourselves have become tainted by the evil you fight. You act like bullies and show nothing but hatred to those you fight. You allow evil to fester with your dogmatic insistence that the soul is what makes the difference. Serial killers have souls. Angel had a soul for a hundred years before he started working for the side of good. If the soul is so important, tell me Rupert, why did you think that the chip would be enough to help Spike change sides?" 

"Um...Mrs Summers? You do get that he's evil, right?" Xander spoke to her with condescension but backed off quickly at her glare. "Okay, shutting up now." 

When the watcher silently removed his glasses and hung his head so he could watch himself clean them, Joyce continued. "If you are not careful, your hubris will destroy you all." 

Anya moved to join Joyce and Tara, speaking quickly, allowing her anger to propel her before her fear of losing Xander held her tongue. "I was a demon for eleven hundred years, but none of you have asked me how correct Council information is. None of you have asked me about souls. I don't know where you get your information, but most of the stuff you spout is rubbish. I mean, come on, normal? Buffy's the Slayer, why the hell would anyone believe she'd ever be satisfied with normal? Sheesh, everyone knows that normal human males can't keep slayers sexually satisfied. They lack the stamina, not to mention the strength. If she loses herself in the moment...she'll break the human. No wonder Buffy looks so tense all the time," she concluded, completely ignoring the slayers mortified blush. 

"We believe that Spike can become a great champion, and we're going to help him achieve that," Tara told them all, her voice clear and strong. 

"Oh, and you can stop spluttering, Giles. If you knew half of what you think you do, you'd know that demons are fallen angels and that all he really has to do is sincerely wish for forgiveness so he can return to his former glory...that all important soul intact." Anya pursed her lips derisively.  

"You can keep your cursed vampire with his second hand soul. We're going to rely on the real angel." Joyce's dislike for the brunette vampire clear in her voice. 

The three women turned as one to leave the shop. As they got to the door, Joyce turned back to deliver one final pearl of wisdom. "Blind hatred is a display of ignorance and a tool for evil; denial is another." 

As the door closed behind them, Xander broke the heavy silence that ensued. "Ooookay, someone wanna tell me what just happened?"