Under the Sun

Author: enigmaticblue

Rating: PG-13

Archive: Sure, if you already have my stuff. If not, just ask.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters herein; Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and other lucky folks do. Of course, I'm not the one making money off of them.

Summary: Set after Avocation in an alternate S4 where many events of canon get thrown out the window. This one won't make any sense if you haven't read the previous story.

A/N: The title comes from Ecclesiastes, which most people know from the phrase, "A time for everything, and a season for everything under heaven." Really, this story is based on the entire book, which is probably my favorite in the Bible. It talks about making the most of what one has now, and while some find it depressing, I love it. If you've got the time, I'd really recommend you read the whole thing.

A/N: If you pay really close attention to things like timing, and time of the year, you'll probably notice that I've taken liberties with canon for my own nefarious purposes. Oh well. I'm evil like that.

Chapter 22

"...If ever any beauty I did see,/Which I desired, and got, 'twas but a dream of thee./And now good morrow to our waking souls,/Which watch not one another out of fear;/For love all love of other sights controls,/And makes one little room an everywhere./Let sea discovers to new worlds have gone,/Let maps to others, worlds on worlds have shown:/Let us possess one world; each hath one, and is one./My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,/And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;/Where can we find two better hemispheres,/Without sharp North, without declining West?/Whatever dies was not mixed equally;/If our two loves be one, or thou and I/Love so alike that none do slacken, none can die." ~John Donne, "The Good-Morrow"

Giles glanced up at the customer who had just entered, giving the woman a smile and a wave. She immediately began browsing, so it appeared that she didn't need much help. "What did the little girl say?" He scribbled down the rhyme quickly, repeating it back to her to make sure he had it word for word. "It sounds like a nursery rhyme. Have you heard it before?" At Buffy's negative answer, Giles nodded, "Well, alright. I'll see what I can find and get back to you as soon as possible."

"What's that?"

He looked up to see Spike standing in front of the counter. Giles responded in a low voice so as not to be overheard by his customer. "Buffy just called. She said that she had a Slayer dream." Pushing the paper across the counter, he asked, "Have you ever heard of 'the gentlemen?'"

Spike shook his head. "No, it doesn't sound familiar. Wes might know, though. I'm supposed to meet him and Willow later. I'll ask him then, if you don't mind me taking a copy of this."

"No, go ahead," Giles replied. "I'll just make sure this customer is alright, and then I'll be back." He was curious as to why the vampire had suddenly decided to make an appearance. Spike had been in a couple of times, but it was usually to pass along a message or drop something off. He certainly didn't just stop in to chat out of the blue.

Once he'd assured himself that the woman was browsing, rather than looking for something in particular, Giles headed back to where Spike lounged against the front counter. "Is there a reason you came by today, Spike?"

"Wanted to apologize for the other night," Spike replied softly. "I was out of line, and I was taking my frustration out on you."

Giles nodded. "I can certainly understand why you'd be frustrated. I'm sorry I don't have more information for you."

"Yeah, well, it's not your fault," Spike said. "I'm looking through my own channels, but I'm not having much luck either."

"Have you been seen them again?"

There was a long pause. "A few times," Spike acknowledged. "Buffy talk to you?"

"No, but I didn't think you'd pass up an opportunity to collect information any way you could. It seemed a reasonable next step." Giles sighed. "She's worried about you."

"I know." Spike looked away. "Don't mean for it to happen that way, but..."

Giles nodded. "Be careful, Spike."

"Always." Spike held up the piece of paper. "I'll show this to Wes. Maybe he'll know something."

Giles frowned. "Are they trying the illusion tonight?"

"Yeah, we'll see how it works." A glint of humor entered into Spike's eyes. "If it does, the only thing I'll be missing is a heartbeat."

Giles watched him leave the store, walking deliberately out into the sunlight. Even though Spike appeared to be more human than he had at any time in the past, Giles couldn't help but think that the vampire seemed less so. He was, perhaps, wilder, more untamed. He seemed edgier. Noticeably other.

It concerned him.

~~~~~

Willow's pace picked up as soon as she spotted Wesley waiting for her outside the dorm. It was decidedly strange to go from a meeting with a Wicca group that refused to believe in magic to meeting with a man who was going to help her do magic.

And it didn't hurt her feelings any that girls kept staring at him as they entered the residence hall.

"Hey, Wesley."

"Willow." He leaned down to give her a chaste kiss. "How did the meeting go?"

She sighed. "It was pretty much a bust. It was all bake sales and meetings. I suggested we do some actual magic, and they wigged." Willow rolled her eyes. "Bunch of wanna-blessed-bes."

Wesley smiled at her description. "I'm sorry it didn't turn out the way you wanted."

Willow shrugged. "I guess it's not that big of a deal. At least I've got you. I feel like I've learned a lot just from researching the spells to help Spike."

"I'm always happy to help." Wesley led the way back to his motorcycle, handing her his spare helmet. "I left the supplies at Spike's, so we'll just head straight over, if that's okay."

"Sounds good to me." In truth, Willow really didn't mind riding on the back of Wesley's motorcycle. She loved the hum of the engine, paired with the feeling of being pressed up so close against him. It was as intimate as she'd been with him, and it whetted her appetite for more. Although Willow was grateful that he was willing to go slow, sometimes she wondered whether he would be more insistent if he really liked her as much as he said he did.

Or maybe he liked her so much that he was as scared of screwing this up as she was.

The trip to Spike's place went a lot faster than Willow would have preferred, but she dismounted without complaint, heading up the front walk with Wesley at her heels. "Do you really think this is going to work?" she asked as Wesley rang the doorbell.

Wesley shrugged. "I don't know. I've already warned Spike that there's no guarantee of success. He seemed to be okay with that."

"I am okay with that," Spike said as he opened the door. "The gem is all the protection I really need. This is just added insurance."

"Well, let's get going," Willow said cheerfully. Once they were inside, she and Wesley began setting up the spell components.

They had nearly finished when Spike straightened. "Before I forget, and in case this ends up backfiring horribly, Buffy had a Slayer dream. I talked to Rupert, and I offered to have you look into it, Wes."

Wesley took the piece of paper Spike held out to him, reading over it quickly. "This is rather cryptic," he commented. "I can certainly look into it as soon as we've finished the spell, though."

"That would be good," Spike replied. "Slayer dreams tend to be important."

Willow frowned at Spike. Buffy had told her about the dream and Spike's part in it. She thought it was strange that they hadn't spoken to each other. "Didn't you talk to Buffy at all?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah. She's supposed to meet me here later, assuming I survive this."

"You'd better," Willow said sharply. "Buffy would kill both of us otherwise."

Wesley gave the vampire a reproving look. "Spike, technically we're doing the spell on the gem, not on you. There's no risk. Both Willow and I have gone over this with Buffy."

"She wouldn't have let us try otherwise," Willow pointed out. "Okay, I think we're set. Wesley?"

"I'm ready." He met her eyes, and Willow could feel the energy hum between the two of them. Although she'd worked spells in his presence, and vice versa, this would be their first attempt at tandem spell-casting. Everything Willow had read on the matter had suggested that it was a highly intimate affair.

She just hoped that neither of them did anything to embarrass one another in front of Spike.

Wesley had been correct. The spell was being cast on the Gem of Amara, but they would be linking it to Spike, so that it wouldn't work for any other vampire wearing the ring. There really wasn't any danger to the vampire, although neither of them had talked about what might happen if it didn't work for some reason.

Well, they knew it would either fizzle or blow up. Willow was hoping for fizzle if that was the case.

The lines were chalked on Spike's kitchen floor; Wesley had come by earlier that day to make sure the measurements were perfect. Willow sat down at the southern point of the circle, with Wesley directly across from her. Spike took off the ring and placed it in Wesley's outstretched palm, and Willow laid her hand over it, holding the gem cupped between their palms.

"Ready?" Wesley asked softly.

"Ready."

Willow followed his unspoken signal, and they began chanting at precisely the same time. The words of the ancient language tripped off their tongues, and Willow could feel the ring warming in between their hands.

She could also feel the energies of the magic swirling around them, stronger than she'd ever experienced in the past. In fact, she could feel Wesley, his aura, his strength. Willow felt connected to him in a way she'd never experienced with another person—not even Oz. It was different, deeper in a way.

Her eyes were locked on his, and she could see from his expression that he was experiencing the same thing.

The spell drew to a close, and their words slowed, neither one of them willing to give up the sensations crowding them. Willow felt like she was riding a wave. It felt amazingly powerful. Amazingly right.

With the last word spoken, the magic coalesced in the ring, and Willow felt the loss of connection like a tangible thing. She felt Wesley's hand lingering under hers, and she knew that he was just as reluctant to let her go as she was to release him.

Breaking the connection with a sigh, Wesley handed the ring to Spike. "Put the ring on," he instructed. "It should key to the first person to wear it, and it won't work for anyone else."

Spike raised an eyebrow and then put the ring back on. "Don't feel any different."

"Give it a minute," Wesley advised, rising from his position on the floor and offering Willow a hand up. He looked at her. "Do you want to be the first to try it out?"

Willow shrugged, then held her hand out to Spike, waiting for him to shake it. With a skeptical expression, Spike took her hand, and she grinned. "It's working."

Spike looked disappointed. "I still don't feel any different."

"You aren't supposed to," Wesley explained patiently. "It's an illusion. It affects the senses of those around you. As long as you have the ring on, you'll appear as warm to the touch as any other human, and that should even fool technological means of detection."

Spike nodded slowly, looking down at his hands. He'd thought he'd feel different, changed. "I guess we'll have to see what the Slayer says. She's the expert."

Both Wesley and Willow diplomatically ignored that comment.

~~~~~

"Spike?" Buffy entered his townhouse slowly, wondering how he'd be today. Although things had been better between the two of them recently, he was still moody.

"Here." He came out of the bedroom, his hands shoved in his pockets. "How was your day?"

Buffy gave him a strange look. They rarely did small talk these days, and he appeared nervous. "It was good. How did things go with Wes and Willow?"

"Pretty good, I think." Spike scratched the back of his head. "I know I've been hard to live with lately, and I wanted to make it up to you."

Buffy shook her head. "Spike, it's okay. I understand."

"Know you do, luv." He stepped forward, holding out a hand to her. "Doesn't mean it's been easy."

"No, it hasn't," she agreed with a wry smile. Buffy's eyes widened when she took his hand. "What—it worked!"

"I feel the same, but Wes said it'd fool everyone else."

Spike's skin was warm to the touch, something Buffy wasn't used to at all. She raised a hand to touch his face, running a hand over his cheek, then pulling his head down for a kiss. It was strange, to say the least. She'd kissed human guys before, but she'd never been with anyone but a vampire. She was used to cool skin against hers at this point, not warmth.

When she pulled back, Spike appeared hesitant. "I can take the ring off," he offered. "That's what the illusion's tied to, so—"

"No," she replied. "No, it's a little weird, but not in a bad way." Buffy took his hand, the one wearing the ring, in hers. "You said you wanted to make it up to me?"

Spike grinned. "Yeah, I had some thoughts along that line."

~~~~~

Giles was unlocking the front door just as Joyce pulled into the driveway, and he glanced over his shoulder as she came up behind him. "You're back early," she commented. "I thought you had a shipment coming in."

"They postponed it until tomorrow," Giles replied. "There was an item that didn't come in on time."

"Well, lucky for me then," Joyce stated. "I thought I'd make dinner."

"Would you mind terribly if I do some research?" Giles asked, sounding apologetic. "Buffy called earlier today with some concerns. I wanted to at least make a start on it."

Joyce shook her head. "No, of course not. That should come first."

"I don't think it will take all evening," Giles stated. "At least, I only plan on spending a few hours on it."

"Rupert, I do understand that you still have duties as Buffy's Watcher. I have some bills to pay and paperwork to go over for the gallery."

"Thank you, love," Giles replied. He wondered, not for the first time, how he'd managed to rate such a woman.

~~~~~

Xander was at a loss. How was he supposed to respond to an accusation that all he wanted was sex when he'd honestly believed that Anya was just as into it as he was? "It's not just about orgasms," he said.

Anya glared at him. "Yes, it is. That's all you think about!"

"We do other things!" Xander protested.

Anya crossed her arms. "Like what?"

"We've gone to the Bronze," Xander pointed out. "And we went to the Halloween party. Oh! Plus, we go to Scooby meetings."

"We've gone to the Bronze twice, and we never got to the Halloween party," Anya pointed out ruthlessly. "And the Scooby meetings are for you and your friends, not for me. We don't talk. You never ask about my day or what I like to do."

Xander did what he usually did to relieve the tension. He made a joke. "Wow, they really did turn you into a real girl, didn't they?" It didn't work this time either.

"And now you're making fun of my pain," Anya said, turning to leave.

He grabbed her arm. Xander had had plans for a nice evening with Anya, and now it didn't look like that was going to happen. "Wait, Anya. You know I care about you."

"How much?" she asked. When he found himself at a loss for words, Anya pressed harder. "What do I mean to you?"

Xander dropped her arm. "Can't we talk about this some other time? We were supposed to have a romantic evening."

"No, I want to talk about it now," Anya insisted. "This is important, Xander."

"Anya—"

She huffed. "Forget it. We can talk when you figure it out."

Xander sighed as she left. It didn't appear that he was any better with ex-demons than he was with regular girls.

~~~~~

Wesley woke slowly, rubbing his eyes, the early morning sun filtering through the tiny kitchen window. He glanced around the room, noting the piles of books on the table, as well as the notes he'd made from his research. He'd worked late, and had apparently fallen asleep over the text he'd been reading. Not that it was the first time he'd ever done so.

He rose, going about getting the coffee started with brisk efficiency. Wesley thought he'd take a shower, and then he'd go by the bookstore to talk to Giles about what he'd discovered. There hadn't been much, but he had found a few intriguing references.

The still figure on the couch stopped Wesley in his tracks. How could he have forgotten that Willow had stayed? They'd been spending a number of evenings together. Wesley knew that she was lonely without Oz, and with Spike focused so intently on the soldiers, the vampire wasn't company for him either. They hadn't taken a job since Spike had been captured, and Wesley didn't know that they would again, at least not until things were resolved.

After they'd left Spike's place, he had offered to drop her back at the dorm, but she had said she'd rather help out with his research. About two, he'd suggested she lay down on the couch, but Wesley had forgotten that she'd stayed.

He crouched down next to the couch, watching her as she slept, smiling reflectively. She really was quite lovely. Wesley touched her cheek, hoping to wake her gently. Willow's eyes fluttered open, and she smiled sleepily.

Wesley opened his mouth to say good morning.

And nothing came out.

~~~~~

Buffy stretched slowly, feeling pleasantly sore from the previous night's exertions. Spike had promised to make it up to her, and he certainly had. She didn't think she'd ever been quite so satisfied. Spike had really outdone himself, that was for sure.

She rolled over, watching him sleep beside her, stretched out on his back, one arm above his head. Smiling, Buffy got out of bed, pulling on one of Spike's t-shirts. After a quick trip to the bathroom, she went out to the kitchen to start the coffee, then put a mug of blood in the microwave for Spike.

Buffy sighed, thinking of the night before, mentally calculating how long they had until she had to be back on campus. Maybe she could skip her first class, because she had some ideas that she hadn't gotten a chance to try out the night before.

A pair of strong arms came around her from behind, and she twisted in Spike's embrace to kiss him good morning. Pulling back, she said, "Hey, you." At least, that's what she tried to say, but no sound came out.

Buffy would have stumbled and fallen out of surprise had Spike not already been holding her. "What's going on?" she mouthed.

He frowned in concern. "I don't know." No sound emerged when he tried to speak either, and Buffy could feel his hands clutch at her harder.

"Spike?" she mouthed.

He released her to grab a piece of paper. "What happened last night?" he wrote. "Is there anything we did?"

"No patrol," she wrote back. "Nothing." Buffy's eyes widened, and she pointed at the ring. "The illusion?" she wrote.

Spike shook his head. "It would have happened immediately," he scribbled. "Don't think so."

"Giles," Buffy wrote. "And the others."

"Get dressed, then we head to your mum's," was Spike's quickly scrawled reply.

Buffy nodded, and her face must have shown her trepidation, because Spike pulled her tight to his chest, his hands running soothing circles on her back. She might have been a little more comforted if she hadn't felt a tremor running through him, too.