Chapter 8

Tara smiled gently at the look of sleepy confusion that crossed Spike's features when the others smothered him with attention prior to leaving the room. She handed him a second mug of blood and waited patiently for him to finish; she needed him alert for the conversation they were about to have.

~*~*~

Anya silently watched as Xander wandered out of the Magic Box, lost in thought. He hadn't even bothered to say goodbye to her. It was as if she didn't even exist.

~*~*~

"So what you're tellin' me is that the choice is mine?" Spike asked slowly, his mind still trying to come to terms with all that he had been told.

He had been claimed, in a familial bonding by Joyce as well as Tara. His Niblet had wanted to do it, too.

He had a family that believed in him.

The chip was gone.

He had the choice between returning to the life he had known, staying exactly where he was, or consciously turning his back on everything evil and fulfilling a prophecy that also involved Buffy.

As he looking into the eyes of the little blonde Wiccan, he knew there was really no choice to make.

Spike slipped into his demon guise and smiled.

~*~*~

Anya closed her eyes in a feeble attempt to block out the pain. For so long she'd categorized herself as Xander's girlfriend that she didn't know how to be anything else. She wasn't a vengeance demon any more. Without Xander, what was she? She had fallen for him so deeply that he had become so important to her, on most occasions, that she had put his wishes before hers. She had held her tongue on so many things simply because she didn't want to upset him. Oh, she wasn't the fool that they'd all taken her for. She had known that Xander still harboured feelings for Buffy, but she'd honestly thought that, with time, he'd get over it and realise that the love he had was far better than the love he didn't have. Now she wasn't so sure. She wasn't sure he'd get over his delusions and, even if he did, she wasn't sure she wanted to settle for second best; living with the illusion of happily ever after when all the while, the man she loved would always be wondering about the one he wanted but never had. Why would she put herself through something like that?

Giles looked over at the ex-vengeance demon in surprise. Anya was so lost in thought that she had failed to notice his entrance; something that was completely out of character for the usually alert shop assistant. He wondered briefly what had her so distracted, she was clearly not herself.

"Anya?" he questioned softly, unwilling to startle her, but concerned still the same. "Are you alright, dear?"

"Oh!" She started, blinking slowly, her mind was still clearly somewhere else. "I...er..." she began before pausing, shaking her head as if to clear it then starting again. "Giles, do you mind if I leave early...like now...I need to be somewhere that's not here."

"Yes, well, I...er...of course, dear," he answered in confusion. "Are you certain there is nothing I can do?"

She smiled sadly, the wisdom of her years echoing through her voice. "I don't think there's anything anyone can do, Giles." She grabbed her bag and hurried towards the door, her parting comment was thrown over her shoulder as she left.

"Don't disturb the money; I know how much is there."

~*~*~

"You wanted to see me, Spike?" Wesley asked politely from the doorway.

"What do I need to do, Oxford?" the vampire asked seriously.

~*~*~

"Is this the address?" Buffy asked as she studied the house in front of her. The understated beauty of the architecture screamed expensive to the master shopper.

"Yup," Willow answered, completely oblivious to the workings of her friend's mind.

‘Whoa! Who knew Wes was rolling in it?' Buffy thought, impressed. Stepping forward, she led the redhead to the front door, knocked and waited for an answer.

"Buffy?" Joyce looked at her daughter in surprise when she answered the door. "What are you doing here, Sweetie?"

Buffy blinked as she took in the fact that her mother seemed to be answering her ex-watcher's door. She shared a confused glance with her best friend before turning back to Joyce.

"Um, well, Willow and I wanted to apologize to Spike?"

Willow nodded in agreement. "We knew he was here because you said so...at the shop...and we thought about what you said...and we wanted to, you know, make with the air clearing."

Joyce smiled in amusement. "I'm very proud of both of you."

"So, can we, you know, come in?" Buffy asked pointedly.

"Oh!" Joyce giggled. "I'm sorry, honey. Wesley is with Spike at the moment. You'll have to wait until they're finished. The swing looks comfortable."

Buffy looked at the porch swing blankly before turning her confused gaze back to her mother. "What? We can't wait inside?" she asked incredulously.

Joyce smiled gently at her daughter. "He has a barrier spell in place, sweetheart. He's the only one that can issue an invitation."

"There is something so wrong about the Slayer needing an invite!" the little blonde huffed as she unhappily made her way to the swing.

"Mrs. Summers?" Willow stopped her from going back into the house. "Could you like not tell us what Spike has decided before we say sorry?" she shrugged slightly in nervousness. "I'm kinda with the thinking that the Spike I already know deserves the apology, not the new Spike, 'cause I figure I haven't done anything to upset the new Spike yet. Oh! Not that I plan on upsetting the new Spike or making with the meanness or anything, just that..."

"It's alright, Willow," Joyce laughingly interrupting the babbling redhead. "I'll make sure that nobody says a thing."

Willow grinned in relief then turned to join her friend.

Half an hour later, the girls were still waiting when Anya hurried up the path to the door.

When Joyce opened the door to Anya's insistent knock she was shocked into silence when the strong willed and forthright ex-vengeance demon burst into tears.

"Xander doesn't love me!" she exclaimed miserably.

"Oh, sweetie," Joyce offered sadly as she wrapped the weeping girl in a firm embrace and whispered words of comfort.

The two girls joined Joyce in her succour of the strawberry blonde. After a few minutes of desperate weeping, Anya seemed to gain some control. She lifted miserable eyes to meet the compassionate green of Buffy's.

"He's always wanted you, but I thought, if I was patient, he'd realise you'll never want him."

"No! Anya, you're wrong," Buffy quickly assured the distraught girl. "He had a crush on me years ago, but that's been over for a long while. He loves you."

Anya smiled sadly at the girl that had played a major part in her life for so long. "Buffy, the fact that he dated other people and didn't tell you he still had a crush doesn't mean he didn't have one. It's always been there. He's just biding his time until you wake up and realise you want him, too, well, at least that's what his fantasies tell him you'll do."

Buffy widened her eyes in disbelief. It wasn't until she noticed the gentle blush on the face of her best friend that she finally started taking what Anya was saying seriously.

"Oh, EWWWW! That's like incest!" she yelped, horrified. "Gross, now I have pictures. I so need to wash out my brain."