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.

Chapter 3

"Gazing through her chamber window/Sits my soul's dear soul:/Looking northward, looking southward,/Looking to the goal,/Looking back without control./I have strewn thy path, beloved,/With plumed meadowsweet,/Iris and pale perfumed lilies,/Roses most complete:/Wherefore pause on listless feet?..." ~Christina Rossetti, "Day-Dreams"

Willow was in her element—sitting outside, eating her lunch at one of the picnic tables, Oz sitting across from her. It was a beautiful fall day, and she was a college student. Life didn't get much better than this.

"Are you playing at the Bronze again tonight?" she asked idly, wanting to make conversation, even though there was no pressure to do so. Willow just liked hearing Oz's voice sometimes.

"Yeah," he replied briefly. "Are you coming?"

Willow smiled. "I think so. Maybe Buffy will come with me. I don't think she's doing anything." As much as she liked college, there was something to be said for the comfort of the familiar. "I don't know if Spike is in town, though."

"If he isn't, Buffy could probably use the company," Oz observed.

Willow nodded. "Probably."

Her thoughtful expression prompted Oz to ask, "What's the face for?"

"What face?" Oz just raised an eyebrow. "It's just that I'm wondering if Buffy and Spike are going to be okay."

Oz frowned. "Are they fighting?"

"No, not really," Willow said slowly. "It's just that Spike's been out of town so much recently, he and Buffy don't get to spend much time together."

"That doesn't have to mean anything," Oz replied.

Willow took a bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly as she thought about it. "No, but you know how last year we were all together, pretty much all the time? This year it's like we're always going different directions. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just..."

"Different?"

"Something like that."

Oz thought for a minute. "It's not like Buffy's dating a student. It's going to take some adjustments."

"I know. I just worry about her sometimes, you know?" Willow gave him a big grin. "You're not planning on going anywhere, right?"

Oz returned her smile. "I didn't have any plans for it."

~~~~~

Spike leaned back in his chair, sighing. "This is going to take some serious digging, Wesley. I don't think we've got the time for it now."

Wesley finished making his notation, nodding. "I realize that, but it's something for a rainy day, anyway. Just knowing the gem's location may come in useful at some point."

Spike appeared uncertain. "Something like this, though...I'll have to think on it a bit more. The risk might not be worth it."

"I understand that, but—"

"It was good of you to do the research," Spike said, cutting him off. "Appreciate that, Wes."

Wesley shifted uncomfortably in his chair, unused to praise. "Yes, well, you did tell me to have some fun."

Spike glanced around the table at the scattered tomes and maps. "If this is your idea of fun, I may have to help you out there." He raised an eyebrow. "You up for coming to the Bronze tonight? I'm meeting the Slayer and Willow there later."

Wesley shook his head. "I hardly believe that I'd be welcome," he demurred.

Spike didn't press the issue. "Heard from Cordelia recently?"

Now Wesley's expression turned sour. "You know as well as I do that we haven't kept in touch. After—the Mayor, you know. I don't even have her address."

"Then you probably don't want to know she's in L.A., and according to all reports enjoying herself." Spike smiled thoughtfully. "Of course, knowing that girl, even if all isn't well she'd be lying through her teeth. We may have to try looking her up next time we're in town. Think Red has her address."

Wesley's eyes widened. "Spike, I—"

"Just as a couple of travelers passing through," Spike assured him. "If she's doing as well as she says, we'll let her take us out to dinner. Otherwise, I'll take the both of you out. It's the friendly thing to do, and you never know when you need a connection."

Wesley fiddled with his pencil. "Well, perhaps that might be alright."

Spike pushed back from the table. "I've got to go if I'm going to be on time. You mind clearing up here?"

Wesley shook his head. "No, of course not."

Spike smirked, having caught Wesley's earlier, longing glance towards the television. "Beer's in the fridge, and you know what channel the game's on."

The ex-Watcher looked slightly abashed. "I really should finish up some of these calculations. We leave in a couple of days, and—"

"Suit yourself," Spike replied, knowing that as soon as he left Wesley would turn on the television and might even unbend enough to get a beer from the fridge. Really, it was sad how much encouragement the man needed to simply relax.

Of course, he was talking about the man who thought a good game of Word Puzzle 3-D was the perfect way to spend an evening.

~~~~~

It was old habit for Spike to stop past one of the demon bars on his way to the Bronze, just to see if any of his contacts were in. He had a reputation in the demon world, and it was common knowledge that he was with the Slayer. Everyone in Willy's also knew that Spike wasn't a man to cross and he paid well for information.

Two of the regulars were missing, but Spike spotted one of his informants immediately and made his way through the dim interior to the far end of the bar. "Buy you a drink?"

Anyone else would have heard an unintelligible string of syllables, but Spike readily interpreted it as, "Sure. You haven't been around lately."

"Been out of town," Spike replied. "I've got business elsewhere occasionally."

The demon Spike called Rof—because the rest of his name was impossible to pronounce—made a thoughtful sound. "Probably a good thing for you. Sunnydale isn't a good place to be these days. There is talk."

Spike frowned, paying Willy as he brought Rof's bile. "Want anything, Spike?" Willy asked.

"Not tonight," he replied absently, waiting for the man to leave before he asked, "About what?"

Rof made a movement with what passed as his shoulders. Spike wasn't too clear on the anatomy of his kind. Hell, he couldn't even pronounce the name of Rof's kind. "Demons disappearing. Some of them are the roughnecks, but some seek peace. Word is, you do not approach—"

The word Rof used for the location was roughly translated, "the place where young things are taught before they mate or are eaten." Spike assumed he was referring to a school, but since the high school had been blown up, he wondered if Rof didn't mean the university.

Spike described the area near the campus, the woods and the swamp, and Rof gave his assent. "That is where. Your Slayer is there now."

Spike nodded. "Yeah, she is."

Rof gave him a serious look, his orange eyes reflecting concern. "Go carefully. It becomes a deathtrap."

Spike nodded, passing Rof a much-folded bill. "Thanks."

~~~~~

"Are you two lovely ladies sitting all by yourselves?"

Buffy and Willow glanced at each other and then back at the rather cute boy who was standing next to one of the empty chairs. They had saved two—one for Spike and one for Xander. Xander had mentioned possibly having plans, and Spike hadn't yet arrived. "We're waiting for some friends," Willow replied firmly.

He gave them a lop-sided smile. "So they're late?"

"Not really," Buffy hedged. "I'm sure my boyfriend is on his way." Buffy never denied that she could be a bit of a flirt, but when she was with a guy, she was with a guy. Even when he never seemed to be around.

"You don't mind if I keep his seat warm for him, do you?" he asked, holding out a hand. "I'm Parker Abrams. I think I've seen you around campus before."

Buffy shook his hand, unbending just a little. "Buffy Summers. I'm a freshman...but you probably already knew that."

Parker's smile grew wider as he turned on the charm. "I never miss it when a pretty girl comes to campus."

In spite of herself, Buffy blushed slightly. Spike was pretty free with the compliments as well, but she liked hearing that sort of thing, and from a complete stranger, too. Somehow she didn't even notice that Parker still had her hand in his until a very dry voice asked, "Mind if I join you, or is there not room for one more?"

At Spike's question, Buffy snatched her hand back from Parker, and turned to look at him. The vampire had a pleasant enough smile on his face, but his eyes were glittering dangerously. "Spike! Hey, um, this is Parker. He goes to school with us."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Pleasure."

Parker could recognize a jealous boyfriend when he saw one, and he knew when to make a strategic retreat. Of course, since he went to school with Buffy, and he was certain that Spike had never seen the inside of a school, Parker knew the retreat was just that. Strategic. He'd be back.

"I'll see you guys later," he said, drifting off to find his friends again.

Willow had taken in the entire scene with a growing sense of discomfort. "Hey, Spike," she said in an attempt to get his focus off the scene with Parker and Buffy he'd walked in on.

"Red." Spike seemed to hesitate for a moment before he decided not to say anything about what he'd just seen. "You two doing alright? Do you want a drink or something?"

"I'm okay," Willow assured him.

Buffy nodded vigorously. "I'm okay, too."

The uncomfortable silence seemed to hang over them like an executioner's axe, just waiting to fall on the one who made the first wrong move. "Spike—" Buffy began, touching him on the arm.

Spike shrugged his shoulders. "How was your day?" he asked, interrupting her.

"Good," she replied quietly. "There hasn't been a lot of excitement, for which I am grateful." Buffy watched as he sat down, wondering what it was he was thinking about. What had he seen when he witnessed her with Parker? Nothing had happened, but perception is everything at times. Buffy had her own experiences with that. "When do you leave again?"

"Monday," he replied. "I shouldn't be gone too long, though."

Buffy nodded. "I wouldn't mind getting out of the dorms. If you—"

"Glad to have the company, luv," Spike replied. "And you've got a key. If you want an escape, you're welcome at my place."

The last of the tension seemed to dissipate, giving Willow the freedom to say, "We could all go out this weekend. You know, like on a double date?"

Neither Buffy nor Spike seemed to know quite what to think of the suggestion. While it didn't sound like a bad way to spend an evening, their time together—alone—was very limited at the moment. "Sure, why not?" Buffy said. "Spike?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Another silence fell, this time more comfortable, although Spike seemed lost in thought. "Earth to Spike," Willow finally said. "Is everything okay?"

Spike nodded slowly. "Yeah. Just got a bit of information tonight that worries me. Had to stop in and see an informant on the way over, which was why I was late."

"What kind of information?" Buffy asked, giving him a keen look. Slayer stuff she could do.

Spike shook his head. "Rumors about what's going on at the campus. Demons disappearing for no good reason."

Buffy frowned. "Demons disappearing?" Normally she wouldn't have been terribly concerned about that, but she hadn't been doing much patrolling. The occasional nightly stroll and stake, but no real slaying. While there was a part of her that rejoiced at the thought of help, not all demon-hunters were like Spike. Some of them were like that guy Cain, who had intended to hunt Oz down and kill him for the pelt.

"Got a warning to be careful when I'm there," Spike said.

Buffy frowned. "Maybe we should nose around, then." Then she grimaced. "But can we do it after you get back from your trip? I want a weekend with my boyfriend, not a weekend hunting demon bogeymen."

"Anything you want," Spike agreed readily. "It's not like I mind the break."

Buffy wished that Xander would show up. She wanted to dance with Spike, but she felt bad about leaving Willow by herself while Oz was up on stage. "Where are you going this week, Spike?"

"Seattle," he replied. "I've got a pick-up to make, and then Wesley and I will fly out to Cleveland to make the delivery."

Buffy frowned. "You're taking Wesley? How come?"

"This bloke's one I do regular work for," Spike explained. "I want him to get to know Wes so I can fob off some of the more routine bits of work to him. It's an easy job, but this sort of thing is my bread and butter, so to speak."

"Fobbing can be good," Buffy agreed. "Especially if it means you're going to be in town more."

"Think you can live with me underfoot?" Spike asked. "Cramping your style?"

Buffy couldn't quite tell if he was joking or not, but she decided to react to his question as if it weren't a serious one. "You are my style."

"What are you going to be delivering?" Willow asked, trying to dispel a bit of the tension that had once again crept into the conversation.

"Bits and pieces," Spike replied vaguely. "The sort of things that can't be posted."

Buffy felt a flicker of irritation. Spike was so secretive about his work sometimes. It was almost like he didn't trust her.

Oz came up to the table and sat. The band was taking a break, and the piped in music had started up. "Hey all."

"Hey, Oz," Buffy said, then turned to Spike. "You want to dance?"

"Sure."

They moved out to the middle of the dance floor. The club was pretty crowded, and so there wasn't a lot of room to maneuver, but they were both content mostly staying in one place. Buffy felt a flash of fear, wondering how she was supposed to hang onto this relationship. She wanted this—she wanted Spike in her life, but they seemed to be drifting apart.

"What's got you worried?" Spike asked, seeing the crease between her brows.

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"About us."

Spike's jaw tightened. "Yeah." There was a long pause. "Buffy, I know you're young, you're going to school, and I've been gone. If you—if you need to take a break, or—"

"No!" Buffy said quickly. "No, Spike. That's not what I want. I just—it's going to take some adjusting, that's all."

Spike nodded slowly. "Right. That's all."

Buffy leaned her forehead against his shoulder. "We just have to make the most of the time we do have together. Not having you around all the time will probably make it easier for me to concentrate on my classes, anyway."

Spike smiled. "Wouldn't want to cause too much of a distraction."

"I like your distractions." She met his lips for a gentle kiss, knowing that it held the promise of more later on that night.

~~~~~

Xander really had planned on making it to the Bronze to hang out with his friends. Since the end of high school, they hadn't had much time to hang out as a group. He'd been busy looking for work, and he really hadn't found much.

There was a part of him that wished he were going to college. Xander knew that he wasn't really cut out for it, but he hated the feeling of being left behind. Everyone else was at UC Sunnydale, and he was in his parents' basement. He didn't want to be there, but he couldn't afford anything else. Sometimes he wondered if he was going to be one of those guys—one of the guys that lived in a basement and never came out. A loser.

Apparently he wasn't such a loser that he couldn't get a girl, however.

He wasn't quite sure how to feel about this thing with Anya. Xander hesitated to call it a relationship, because that wasn't what it felt like. Anya was blunt, and she frequently talked about what she'd done to various men throughout her career as a vengeance demon. Put all that together, and you got a girl who was pleasant to look at and not so pleasant to be with.

At the same time, Anya presented his best chance for a girlfriend—or something like it. Which was the only reason he hadn't tossed her out when she came over so he could meet up with the gang at the Bronze.

"I'd like to know what kind of a relationship we have," she had begun with her characteristic directness.

"Relationship?" Xander asked. "What relationship?"

Anya looked determined. "We went to prom together. I thought that indicated some kind of relationship."

Xander was about to reply that he'd gone to prom with her because she was the only girl who would have him, but that was a little cruel. Not that she didn't deserve it on some level, considering all the men she'd cursed over the centuries, but he kept his mouth shut anyway. "I think that was just a date. It doesn't have to mean anything."

"But going to prom is a big deal!" Anya insisted. "That's what everyone says."

Xander sighed. "It's a big deal if you want it to be."

"Do you want it to be?"

He shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it."

"Well, I can't stop thinking about it," Anya shot back. "I can't stop thinking about you, even though I want to. So I think we should do something."

"Do what?" Xander asked.

Anya frowned. "I don't know. I just know that I don't want to be the only one thinking about this. I've seen this happen before, you know. I didn't want this."

Xander was afraid to ask what she meant. There were probably curses involved. "So what do you want?"

"I think we should have sexual intercourse," Anya declared. "That way, I can get you out of my system."

Xander's brain stuttered to a halt. "What?"

"I think we should have sexual intercourse," Anya declared. "You're funny, and you're nicely shaped, and quite frankly I think it's ridiculous to have interlocking bodies and not interlock."

The funny thing was, that was the nicest thing that anybody had said to him in—pretty much ever. How could he turn down an invitation like that?

~~~~~~

Willow watched Oz and Devon head back inside the Bronze, shaking her head. She still had no idea how they'd managed to become band mates. Well, she did, since Oz played guitar and Devon sang, but still. They were so different.

"Willow, hey."

She turned to see Harmony looking at her. "Hi, Harmony. It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has," the other girl replied. "I haven't seen you since graduation, with the big snake."

Willow nodded. "Right. So, how was your summer?" She didn't really like Harmony—never had—but high school was in the past, and it was only polite to make small talk.

"Oh, you know," Harmony replied vaguely. "I was going to go to France, but I didn't."

"France, huh?"

"I was dying to see the shops," Harmony said, moving a little closer.

Willow nodded, wondering when Oz was going to come out and rescue her. "And the museums."

"Museums?"

"Yeah. You know, I heard they had them. Just a rumor you pick up on the streets."

Harmony laughed politely. "You're so funny Willow. You haven't changed a bit."

Willow barely refrained from rolling her eyes. "Neither have you."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Harmony replied, her face shifting into that of a demon's.

Willow didn't even have time to fumble for her cross before Harmony's teeth were buried in her neck.