Fix You

Author: enigmaticblue

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own these characters, which is really too bad, since I'm a lot nicer than Joss ever was.

Summary: Desperate times call for desperate measures where the First is involved. In order to prevent the end of the world, Buffy asks Willow to do a spell that's supposed to fix everything, and Spike goes along for the ride.

A/N: Written for effulgent_girl, who requested that S7 Buffy and Spike be sent back to S4, which got me to thinking. Always a dangerous thing.

Chapter 13: The Thin Line Between Love and Hate

Buffy breezed into the dorm room the next day with just minutes to spare. She'd had every intention of coming back after patrol, but they had wound up back at Spike's apartment. Buffy hadn't been able to make herself leave until the last possible second, and even then, she would have been late if he hadn't insisted on giving her a ride.

"Where have you been?" Willow asked.

Buffy's voice was muffled by her shirt as she pulled it off over her head. "Spike's place. Patrol ran later than expected." She shimmied out of the rest of her clothing and began pulling on whatever clean articles came to hand. "Sorry, Will, but I'm running late."

"You wouldn't be if you'd come back last night," Willow pointed out ruthlessly.

Buffy held in a sigh. "I'm sorry, but this is the first time that things between Spike and me have been good."

Willow pouted. "Can we at least hang out tonight?"

"Sure," Buffy promised, wanting to get out of there without hurting Willow's feelings any more than she apparently already had. "I'll see you after classes. Maybe we can go to a movie."

Buffy grabbed her books and then dashed out the door.

"Can I carry those for you?"

Buffy smiled at Spike. "I thought you were going to go home."

He shrugged. "Figured I could steal a few moments of your time."

"As many as you want." Buffy pressed a kiss to his lips. "But I've got to run if I'm not going to be late."

Spike kept pace with her, carrying her books. "You know, I've been thinkin'."

"That's dangerous," Buffy teased.

He shot her a look. "Ha bloody ha. Been thinkin' about doin' something with my time. Your mum suggested it."

"What would you do?" Buffy asked, curious. She couldn't see Spike engaged in any kind of activity other than demon hunting and watching crappy daytime television.

He shrugged. "'m still in the plannin' phase. Just thinkin' about it, is all."

"Whatever you want to do is fine with me," Buffy said. "Maybe you should talk to Giles about it. He's between jobs right now."

"Don't think I want to be a Watcher, pet," Spike said with a wry smile.

Buffy shrugged. "He's going to open up the Magic Box eventually, maybe you could do something with that." Seeing his horrified expression, she hastened to explain, "I don't mean retail, but Giles had deliveries and stuff, things that couldn't go through the mail."

Spike's brows drew together thoughtfully. "You might be onto somethin' there."

"See?" Buffy teased. "I'm not just another pretty face."

"Never thought you were." He handed her books back and then gave her a peck on the lips. "See you later?"

Buffy sighed. "It's a girls' night in, I'm afraid. Willow..." She trailed off, not wanting to cut her friend down, but clingy-Willow was getting very, very old.

"Best to keep her happy," Spike said with a shrug. "If we can escape the spell that goes wonky."

Buffy gave him a mischievous smile. "Oh, I don't know. It might be kind of fun to plan our wedding this time around." She dashed off before he could reply, unable to keep the smile off her face. Everything seemed absolutely perfect at the moment.

She probably should have been worried.

~~~~~

Anya was not terribly happy. She had planned on spending the night with Xander—it was the same thing she did nearly every evening—but he had said that he wanted to spend some time with Willow, because she was moping.

As much as Anya could relate, since she'd spent nearly twelve centuries granting vengeance wishes for girls just like Willow, she'd never really liked listening to women whine. It was a necessary part of the job, but it wasn't her favorite. She generally couldn't wait until the girl in question voiced a wish.

She sighed, thinking nostalgically of the last wish she'd granted. It had been amazing.

"Drinkin' alone tonight?"

Anya glanced up to see Spike standing next to her, a strange expression on his face. He looked wistful and sad, and she couldn't understand why a vampire would be looking at her like that, even one with a soul. "Xander said he needed to spend time with Willow," Anya replied, letting her tone tell him how much she appreciated that.

Spike took a seat next to her. "Yeah, same here. That is, Buffy said the same thing, so I'm patrollin' alone tonight. Thought I'd stop in for a drink first."

Anya eyed his beer wistfully. She still didn't have the right ID to get anything harder than a Coke, and she missed beer.

"Want one?" Spike asked, reading her expression.

Anya's eyes narrowed. "You don't want something from me, do you? Because I'm with Xander now. You're not getting it."

Spike chuckled, looking oddly nostalgic again. "Not at all. Just a drink between friends an' ex-demons, yeah?"

"Well, if that's all," Anya replied, accepting his invitation.

She hadn't spent a lot of time with vampires in the past—Dracula being the exception—but Spike seemed like a unique specimen. There was a depth there that she rarely saw in a vampire; mostly they were all about the blood.

"Another beer," Spike called to the bartender.

The man raised his eyebrows, clearly knowing exactly who was getting the drink. "I don't want to see it," he warned Spike.

"We'll get a table," Spike replied, paying for the drink and leading the way into the crowd. "What brings you to the Bronze tonight?"

"I didn't know what else to do," Anya admitted. "It's not like I have anybody to spend time with other than Xander."

"Can get lonely in this town," Spike agreed. "'Specially if you're an ex-demon."

Anya felt a sense of relief. Finally, someone who understood. Xander hated it when she talked about her past, preferring to believe that she'd been nowhere in particular before coming to Sunnydale. Anya had been all over the world, had seen the rise and fall of empires. She had done things that Xander couldn't even imagine, and there was no one to talk to about it.

"It's hard," Anya said. "No one understands."

"'Course they don't," Spike replied. "They're babies; haven't lived half as long as we have."

"I miss it," Anya confessed. "All of it."

Spike smiled gently. "I know."

Anya realized that he did. "Does it get easier?"

"Yes and no," he replied, and she recognized the truth when she heard it. "Some things do, some don't."

She felt a cold fear in the pit of her stomach. "Do Xander and I—"

"You two will be fine," Spike replied. "I'll make certain of it."

"Thank you." Anya met his eyes and realized that she had a friend other than Xander after all.

~~~~~

"I brought ice cream," Xander said, holding up a plastic sack.

Willow brightened, although she knew that Buffy should be arriving shortly. "Thanks, Xander."

"I told you I'd hang out with you tonight," he said. "Sorry about last night."

She shrugged, willing to forgive and forget in the face of ice cream. "It's okay. I know you had plans with Anya."

"She is my girlfriend," Xander pointed out, digging into his own tub.

Willow wrinkled her nose. "Why Anya?"

"Maybe because she's the only one who would have me," Xander replied, sounding a little hurt. "I like her, Will. I can't explain it, but I do."

"Yeah, okay," Willow took a bite of Cherry Garcia. "I get it."

"Hey, did you guys get started without me?" Buffy asked as she entered the dorm room.

"I brought ice cream for you, too, Buff," Xander said, holding up the bag.

Buffy's eyes lit up. "Ooh, Phish Food."

"Where's Spike tonight?" Xander asked.

Buffy shrugged. "Patrolling. Other than that, I don't know. I think he's planning on staying away from campus, though. We're not sure what kind of equipment the soldiers have to detect vampires, and we would both rather be safe than sorry."

"They don't know about Anya, do they?" Xander asked, concerned. "Not that she comes on campus much, but—"

Buffy shook her head. "No, you don't have to worry about that, Xan. They don't have a clue about Anya."

He let out a breath. "Good. You know, Buffy, I was going to ask you for some pointers. I know you told me to look into construction, and that's been great, but I was thinking you could tell me a little bit about where Anya and me end up."

Buffy hesitated. "I don't know, Xander. I don't want to change anything that's not supposed to be changed."

"Is that what you did with Oz and me?" Willow asked.

Buffy frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You told me what was coming up with Oz. Maybe it would have been better if you'd just let things happen." Willow could feel the anger bubbling up, and the power that lay just behind it. She wanted to blame someone for her pain, and Buffy was there.

Buffy's eyes widened in hurt. "I told you, Willow. I'm doing the best that I can. Xander's situation is different."

"So, there is a situation?" Xander asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

Willow stared at her friend. "You have all this information, but you're not very free with it, are you? You're acting all high and mighty, like you know what's best for us."

Buffy blinked quickly, clearly trying to hold back tears. "You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do," Willow shot back. "How do I know that you're not the one who caused this whole mess with Oz?"

"Okay," Xander said, holding out his hands as though to keep the two of them separated. "That's enough, Willow. Buffy, as much as it pains me to say this, you might want to spend the night elsewhere."

"No problem," Buffy said tightly. "I know when I'm not wanted." She rose and grabbed her jacket, leaving with as much dignity as she could muster.

"How could you, Will?" Xander asked, once the door had closed behind her. "You heard what the next few years were like for her."

"Like you're not tired of the 'I know more than you do' routine," Willow accused.

Xander snorted. "That's not what this is about. I've known you since kindergarten, remember? You're just pissed off that Buffy's got a good thing going with Spike, and you're pissed off that I have an actual relationship with Anya. Well, tough. Maybe it's time you grew up a little bit."

"Like you can talk when you haven't even left home!" Willow shot back angrily. "You're stuck in your parents' basement, and you will be forever! And Buffy! It was better when Buffy and Spike hated each other. At least then she had time for her friends."

Xander rose. "Yeah, well, I'll just go back where I belong, then. Enjoy the ice cream, Will."

Willow had a bitter taste in her mouth as she watched Xander go. She knew she'd just screwed up royally, but she couldn't bring herself to call him back. "They don't understand," she muttered rebelliously. "How can they?"

~~~~~

"What the hell are you doin' here, Summers?" Spike snarled as he opened his apartment door to see the Slayer. "Thought you were goin' to stay away."

Buffy gave him a patently false smile. "Just making sure you weren't eating any innocents."

"Like I'd let you see me with blood on my lips," Spike shot back. "Think I'm that stupid?"

"Is that really a question you want me to answer?" Buffy shoved him back against the wall. "I ought to take that ring away from you. It's not safe."

Spike leaned in closer, so that his nose was almost touching hers. "Try," he dared her.

Buffy attacked him, using her mouth to bruise and punish. Spike pushed her away, shifting into game face. "Don't start something that you don't mean to finish," he warned.

She shoved him back against the wall. "You get off on this, don't you? I always knew pain turned you on, Spike."

"And you need a little monster in your man," he sneered. "You're a bloody martyr, Slayer. Not happy unless you're whinging about how shitty your life is at the moment."

Buffy gave him a right hook to the jaw, sending him flying backwards. "You're no different! Always going after women you know you can't have. You really think that you could make me happy, Spike? You're nothing to me. You're beneath me."

Spike tackled her, and they rolled around on the floor in a snarling, growling heap. Buffy scored his chest with her nails, and Spike pinned her arms over her head. "Look at this," Spike said with an evil smile. "Looks like you're the one beneath me." He ripped her shirt open with ease. "Have to see what I can do about that."

Buffy bucked her hips, although not so much to shake him off as to urge him on. She wanted to feel him inside her. Not that she was going to tell him that. "Like you could get the job done."

"I'll show you just how bad I am, baby." Spike's face shifted, and she was staring into blazing blue eyes. "You'll be eating your words and screamin' my name."

~~~~~

Xander got his first hint of trouble the next morning, when he tried to leave for work—and couldn't. "What the hell?" he muttered, reaching for the doorknob once again. He wanted to leave. This was the fifth time he'd tried to, and he just couldn't make himself go. It was like he was rooted in one place.

Running over the possibilities in his head, Xander tried to figure out who he should be calling. If it was magic, Buffy probably wouldn't be able to help him, and after their fight last night, Xander didn't think he wanted to talk to Willow.

Willow. Xander frowned, remembering her words. She'd told him that he'd never leave his parents' basement, and here he was, unable to leave. His eyes widened as he realized that she'd also said she liked it better when Buffy and Spike hated each other.

"This is not good," he muttered, heading straight for the phone to call Giles. The Watcher would know what to do; he could get Willow to reverse whatever spell she'd done, hopefully before anybody died. Although Xander didn't feel real sad about the idea of Spike being dust, the vampire had the Gem of Amara, which made it more likely that Buffy would wind up dead.

"Come on, Giles, pick up," Xander muttered as the phone rang.

"Hello?" Giles sounded out of breath.

"Giles, it's Xander," he said quickly. "I think we have a problem."

"What kind of problem? What did you do, Xander?" Giles demanded.

Xander was hurt that Giles' first thought was that he had done something. "Me?" he squeaked in outrage. "It's not me! I think Willow did something. Last night, we had a fight. She told me that I'd never leave my parents basement, and this morning, I can't leave."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't leave," Xander repeated. "I can't even open the door. It gets worse."

"It would have to if it was to be a problem," Giles muttered.

Xander scowled, even though he knew that Giles couldn't see him. "Spike's been rubbing off on you," he accused. "And that's the problem. Willow also said that she liked it better when Spike and Buffy hated each other. You might want to make sure that they haven't killed each other."

There was a long pause. "You're not joking."

"I'm supposed to be at work!" Xander said angrily. "At a job I like. Now, I'm going to have to call my boss and tell him that I'm sick, which won't do much for my ability to actually keep said job."

"I'll have Willow fix it," Giles promised.

"Good." Xander hung up, angry. He wondered if he should try calling Buffy, but he didn't think she'd head back to the dorms. And he still didn't want to talk to Willow. Obviously, she didn't think much of him; who knew whether she'd even take him seriously?

"Crap." Xander flopped down on the bed, focusing on his "sick voice." He was going to need it if he wanted to convince his boss that he couldn't come in.

~~~~~

Giles didn't like the sound of this at all. He wasn't sure whether he should check on Buffy and Spike first, or if he should find Willow. Of course, if Buffy and Spike were fighting as they had back when they hated each other, he didn't think he'd be able to separate them. Buffy was the Slayer, and Spike had the ring, and he didn't have the strength to match them.

"Buffy did say that Willow had made some serious missteps with magic," he reminded himself. "I'm going to have to see about getting her trained."

Perhaps it would be better to send her sooner, rather than later.

He picked up the phone and called the dorm, receiving no answer. With a sinking feeling, Giles realized that he didn't have Spike's number, nor did he know where the vampire was staying. He tried calling the Summers' residence, but got the answering machine.

Hanging up without leaving a message, Giles decided to go straight to campus and wait for either Buffy or Willow at their room.

His timing seemed perfect, since Willow was approaching the room at the same time he was. "Willow!"

"What are you doing here, Giles?" She frowned at him. "Is there a problem?"

"You could say that," Giles replied. "Did you perform a spell in the last couple of days, Willow?"

The guilty expression on her face was the only confirmation he needed. "Why?" she asked warily.

"Because Xander is unable to leave his—" Giles paused, at a loss to know what to call Xander's abode. "—the basement. He thinks you have something to do with it."

Willow unlocked the door, refusing to meet his eyes. "I don't know why."

"He said that you told him that he would probably never leave the basement," Giles responded, following her inside. "This is not the time to be coy, Willow. Xander told me that you also said something about Spike and Buffy hating one another again. I haven't been able to get in touch with them, but—"

Willow cut him off, obviously catching his meaning. "I did a spell the other night, but it didn't work, Giles."

"What sort of spell?" Giles asked, pinching the bridge of his nose and feeling a headache begin to throb at his temples.

Willow shrugged, trying to look nonchalant and not pulling it off. "A spell to have my will be done. I just wanted to feel better."

Giles took a deep breath and reminded himself that getting angry at Willow wouldn't do either of them any good. "And how do you know it didn't work?"

"Because I didn't feel better."

Giles closed his eyes. "Willow, those sorts of spells don't work on the caster; it works on those around them. As soon as you felt very strongly about something, which you apparently did with Xander, whatever you've said will happen." He watched her, waiting until she met his eyes. "You must reverse it."

"But I didn't do anything!" she protested.

Giles gave her the glare he'd perfected as a librarian. It had never had much effect on Buffy, but then again, she was unique. "If you didn't do anything," he said with careful precision, "it won't hurt you to reverse it."

"Fine." She looked a little guilty, and Giles could only pray that she reversed it before irreparable damage was done to anybody. Willow spoke the rhyme that ended the spell and raised her eyebrows. "Now what?"

"If you have Spike's phone number, I'd appreciate it if you called over there," Giles said. "I'd like to be sure that they're alright."

Willow nodded, and then did as he asked. "It's Willow...Is Buffy there?...Can I talk to her?...Yeah...But you're okay?"

Giles frowned, wondering what exactly had transpired. Willow didn't say much more than a very subdued goodbye. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

Willow looked uncertain. "I don't know. Buffy said they fought, but she didn't go into any details. They're both in one piece, though."

"Well, that's something to be thankful for." Giles gave her his sternest look. "We're going to have to talk about this, Willow. You simply cannot use magic to fix your problems like that!"

Willow looked abashed. "I'm really sorry, Giles, but—"

"No." Giles cut off her excuses. "I think you need to consider getting more extensive training than I can offer."

Her eyes went wide. "What about school?"

"This summer will be soon enough," Giles said. "But it's something I'd like you to think about, Willow."

And if she didn't want to leave Sunnydale, he might have to find someone who was willing to travel.