Twists of Fate - (2) A True Friend's Support

by Tasha & Athenewolfe
(Athenewolfe)

Chapter Summary: Spike and Buffy were resting in the crypt Buffy was killed in. Spike, Buffy and Tara all dreamed together early in the morning. Tara has headed off to classes, while Spike and Buffy are still sleeping. Tara is the first of the Scoobies to deal with Spike after everything that happened to Buffy. Will she choose to help them, or will she turn her back on them? Who else will they or should they tell about this?

Disclaimer and Distribution notes are listed on the Index page of this story.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.


Tara sighed and shifted in her seat. It was hard to concentrate on what the professor was saying when all her thoughts were being consumed by her sweet and powerful Willow. The revelations of the previous night still echoed in her mind; what had they done? She had allowed Willow to convince her that Buffy had been in a hell dimension, and it was their responsibility to bring her back. She had her doubts at first, but they had disappeared under assurances from Willow that they were doing the right thing. She seemed to remember a spell they did to determine where Buffy was located at. When she concentrated on the details, however, the memory became fuzzy, and she was left with a vague sense of unease.

Was their previous fight really the only time Willow used a spell to make Tara forget? This coupled with the knowledge that Willow had wiped her memory of an argument had been terrifying her. She started to question what was reality, and what was Willow's desire for her to be the perfect girlfriend. If Willow was manipulating her, then how much of her actions, her thoughts, her desires were that of her true self and how much of it was Willow's desire to influence everything? Was she in control of her self or was she merely a puppet? She'd have to talk to some Wicca friends about a protection spell to keep Willow from erasing anything else from her mind.

These fears coupled with the anxiety over the dream which had awoken her, had left her feeling sick to her stomach. Willow controlling her; Spike and Buffy in trouble, what was reality anymore? Finally, thankfully, the class ended, and Tara gathered her books. Perhaps if she could find Spike and Buffy she could at least ease the discomfort that the dream had brought her.

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Tara looked at the map with a confused expression on her face. She had gone to the Magic Box to gather supplies for a locating spell after she realized that Buffy hadn't returned last night. The spell guided her to this cemetery, but she had already checked Spike's crypt and found it empty. The earlier fears returned with a vengeance. Both Spike and Buffy absent from their respective homes did not bode well, especially since it was daylight, the time when vampires should be asleep.

Spotting some footprints outside a crypt, Tara took a deep breath and went to open the door. Hopefully the prints belonged to Spike or Buffy; otherwise she was going to end up some other vampire's breakfast. She knew it would be more logical to go get Giles, or perhaps Xander, to help her investigate, but the uneasy feeling from her dream had returned and spurred her on.

Tara stepped into the crypt and closed the door behind her. She hoped her eyes would adjust quickly. If she left the door open too look, she took a chance of setting Spike on fire. That was if Spike was even there to begin with.

Tara gasped as she took in the sight before her. Spike was propped up against the side of the sarcophagus cradling a blood soaked Slayer in his arms. It looked as if Buffy had bathed in blood. Every inch of her was covered in a red so deep that it appeared black. At first glance, it didn't even look like her. Her hair was matted with blood. What remained of Buffy's red dress was in tatters, torn with what looked like a bullet hole in the center. She had blood running down her legs and pinpricks on her neck. The only part of her that appeared to me unmarked was her face. Her pale but beautiful face was unmarred with the exception of a small blood stain on the corner of her mouth.

Spike heard the door open. He'd made sure that Buffy and he would be protected from any stray streams of sunlight earlier, if the door was opened. He listened to the footsteps and racing heart of the human who entered. He peaked open one eye to see who was there. He hoped it was a friend because he was in no state to fight anyone right now. "I found her dying, Glinda. Someone, some human," he spat, "Violated her and then shot her from what I can tell." He sighed. "The Slayer!" He stated in disbelief that any human would want to kill the Slayer, the protector of humans. "How could someone do that to her?"

Instinctively Tara took at step back at the shattered voice of the vampire before her. Her gaze rose from Buffy to meet the anguished eyes of Spike. Bloody tears had dried on his face and he looked heartbroken. "Oh, Spike. What have you done?" Before she even asked the question, she knew in her heart what he'd done. Buffy's pale complexion told the tale of blood loss that her body had went through.

"I couldn't lose her, not again, not like that." Spike's eyes begged for Tara to understand his reasons. He sat up straighter. "I didn't force her though. I let her choose." After all Buffy had already gone through, he wanted Tara to know that he didn't push anything on Buffy that she didn't accept.

Tara nodded. Even in her current state, Buffy gave off an aura that Tara saw. She noted the near peace that surrounded the tendrils of anger, pain, and suffering that Buffy must have lived through right before her death. For whatever reason, Buffy's aura was fairly calm and accepting of her current form.

"She'll come back with her soul. They all do, Slayers that is. It's why you don't turn them. They stake their Sires as soon as they arise."

Tara gasped in shock. Spike turned Buffy even with the knowledge that upon her awakening, she would kill her Sire? Her heart ached for the blonde vampire who was always willing to give up so much for the woman he loved. She cared not what any of the other Scoobies said about Spike's love for Buffy. His aura radiated that love and caring from the very heart that no longer beat in his chest. She saw it every time she looked at him.

Spike noted how quiet Tara was really being. She'd gasped and nodded sometimes, but it was the look in her eyes that told him he was safe from being staked by the blonde Wicca. "If she can live, it will be worth it. Buffy didn't deserve to die, not like that." He continued to ramble on about Slayers, souls and the injustice of Buffy's death for a few minutes.

Watching him was enough to make Tara's heart break in two if it hadn't already been crying at the sight of the battered blond. She walked over, kneeled down and took the two of them in her arms. She rocked them back and forth in comfort and support, just like in the dream. This was the place she needed to be, at their side. This is where she was needed.

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Tara looked at the books in front of her. She'd left the crypt a few hours ago with a promise to Spike that she wouldn't leave them permanently, that she would help make it all better. She wasn't sure how she would manage to do it, but she knew they needed her. She kept flashing back to the dream, and she knew that she would do everything in her power to protect Buffy and Spike, even if that meant protecting them from the Scooby gang.

They'd talked for hours as she sat there and held them, comforting Spike as if he was a child and she was the mother. Spike was distraught; yet clear about what needed to be done. They needed a place to stay. Spike wouldn't, no couldn't, let Buffy awaken in a crypt. The memories of her rape, and her death, would be too strong. They had to get to a place where it would be a fresh start for all of them, with no expectations of how Buffy was supposed to react or what she was suppose to do.

Tara agreed, even going so far as saying they should take her somewhere else other then Revello Drive. Spike was surprised and pleased, but didn't press Tara for her reasons about that decision. That was good, because Tara didn't feel like explaining that she feared what Willow would do to them if she found out what had happened. Would Willow be kind and accepting, or would she stake Spike and then erase Buffy and Tara's memories? Her heart said that Willow would never do such a thing, but her mind was not convinced of Willow's motives and actions anymore. If Willow wanted to rearrange their lives, would they even realize she was doing it? Better to stay away for now.

Tara took her selection of books up to the counter and tried not to look nervous when the cashier gave her a strange look. She had picked up several texts on surviving rape, leaning to live again and other books that explained what family and friends should do when a loved one was raped. She wasn't sure that Buffy would want to read them, but she was confidant that Spike would read them, and she would as well.

There was so much that had happened to the slayer in the last few months that Tara was afraid for her. Buffy needed help understanding who she was, why she was here, and how she could go on. This meant keeping Buffy away from the people who always seemed to make her feel guilty.

Tara loved her friends, but she had noticed a disturbing trend of everyone always telling Buffy what was best. They seemed to make Buffy feel that she had to live a certain way or else she was bad. That could destroy Buffy completely now, and Tara would not allow that to happen.

Walking outside into the sunlight, Tara was pleasantly surprised when a car pulled up right on time. She held her hand up to shade her eyes from the sun to get a better look at the woman she was supposed to meet.

A tall blonde woman got out of the car. Valerie Logan was supposed to be her name. Tara had been surprised when Spike insisted that they buy a house in Sunnydale. He refused to take Buffy too far away from Dawn. He knew Buffy wouldn't be ready to see Dawn right away. She would need the Nibblet in her life later, just as his Little Bit would need her sister.

Tara hadn't even realized that Spike had money, not after all the times he'd swindled the Scoobies into paying him for helping them. Apparently, he had only hustled the Scoobies for money out of fun. Her next worry was that the money he had was blood money. She was told that the majority of it came from his family's holdings in England, investments through the decades, and the profits made off of the Amara treasure discovery. He was quite well off, and money would not pose a problem to them for any of their needs.

Tara's next set of surprises came from when Spike gave her directions to the Sunnydale Office of Wolfram and Hart. Apparently this particular law firm, which catered to demons as well as humans, had at least one office over every hell mouth and potential hell mouth in the world. The office itself was small and clean. There seemed to be about five or six lawyers and a few secretaries running the whole place. That was it. No demons roamed about, no evil plans dominated the tables. The place really seemed like just another law firm, except it handled a bit more delicate batch of clientele.

At first Tara was stunned when Spike told her to go have his lawyer buy them a house and put it in her name. She could tell he was worried about Angel trying to stake Buffy or another vampire trying to kill the newly turned Slayer. With the house in her name, a human, vampires would require an invite to get past the door. She tried convincing him to rent a house in case Buffy wanted to eventually go home, but he was insistent. If Buffy wanted to go home then Tara could keep the house. It was the least he could do for her help.

Spike's only request was that if Buffy staked him, to please take care of Buffy and Dawn. He'd even called ahead to give his permission for his lawyer to turn his holdings over to Tara in the event that his death was proven. He trusted Tara fully and completely.

Tara's second surprise was Valerie. The lawyer's aura was relatively good for someone who worked for an evil law firm. It sparkled with life and with an interesting balance. While she may not always have good clients, Valerie appeared to be fair while maintaining a sense of justice. Her aura had positively radiated with light.

Tara had briefly wondered if Valerie's being good was held against her at work. It couldn't help an "evil" law firm's reputation to have someone so pure on their payroll. Valerie laughed at Tara's first expressions, and the sound had made her feel more confident about their plans. There was no malice in the tone, only joviality.

Valerie walked up to her. "Hi Tara, I arranged for a rental car to be dropped off in the parking lot. It's the blue Taurus over there." She pointed across the parking lot to the dark blue car that just pulled into a parking space. "You can use that to move into your new place and get set up. Return it to the office when you are done, or let us know you want to keep it. We can make arrangements for you, if you want to keep it."

Valerie pulled a manila envelope out of her briefcase. She removed a few documents from inside it. "I have a four bedroom house, fully furnished in a nice part of town. It belonged to a former client who was dusted last week by the slayer."

Tara smiled inwardly at the irony of the house formerly belonging to someone that Buffy dusted. 'My how things change.'

"The glass is treated with the same film used in our L.A. offices. So, Spike should be able to move around the house without a problem." Valerie pointed to a place on one of the documents where she needed Tara's signature. "I have stocked the fridge full of blood bags and set up wards around the house as you requested. Is there anything else I can take care of for you?"

Tara smiled at Valerie. She felt a sense of relief that one of the hardest parts for their set up was ready and finished. She handed the signed paper back over to Valerie. "No thank you. I should get back to the crypt. Spike wants to get Bu ... his Childe into the new house so that she doesn't have to awaken in a crypt."

Valerie nodded and smiled. "He always seemed considerate like that. I don't know why he stayed in that crypt to begin with."

Tara neglected to correct Valerie on her assumption that she meant Spike's personal crypt. "He's just that way sometimes."

"Yes, I suppose so." Valerie picked up another stack of papers from her briefcase and handed them to Tara. "This is all that Spike will need to read and sign to process his request upon his death."

"Thank you. I'll be sure that he gets them." Tara smiled.

"I'm sure you will, Tara." Valerie smiled warmly in return. She stepped back towards her car. Before she got in she turned to Tara, "It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope I see you again." With that she sat down in the driver's seat of her car.

Tara clutched the papers, and her previous book purchases, to her chest. She walked over to the Taurus, unlocked the car, and got in. The sun was getting lower in the sky. She needed to get back to Spike. Then she had to find a way to sneak some of hers and Buffy's clothes from the Summers' house without anyone realizing it.

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Valerie watched Tara walk away. This had been the first time in centuries that William "Spike" Jamison touched his money instead of taking or stealing what he wanted. She'd been assigned his account when he first appeared in Sunnydale two years ago.

The Senior Partners would still require her to report on any possible blackmailable offenses, but she had a feeling this wasn't one of those. They kept tabs on each of the vampires from the Aurelius line for that purpose. Wolfram & Hart would love to have those vampires "owe" them a "favor". For the first time since starting for Wolfram and Hart she was glad that she didn't have that much to report. He wasn't stealing anything. He was using his own money. That kind of a natural transaction didn't need to be reported.

Valerie's mind wandered again to the blonde woman, Tara, that she'd dealt with. She realized right away that the young lady emanated a natural power and strength about her. She found Tara quite charming. Although she hoped it wouldn't be for troubled reasons, she wanted to see Tara again. Perhaps she would.

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