FIC: To Fix Broken Things 5/?, W/S/X PG-13

[starlit_desires]

This part is about a month later after part four and Spike's still confused about what's going on. Its also a bit longer than the last four parts.

Title: To Fix Broken Things 5/?

Author: Sweetness (aaronlisa@gmail.com)

Pairing: Willow/Spike/Xander (interaction)
Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and company own the Buffyverse and its characters.

Notes: Written for velvetwhip  who wanted to see this pairing set shortly after Willow returned to Sunnydale from England at the beginning of BTVS Season Seven. For the sake of this story, The First isn’t driving Spike insane.

 

            Spike sighed in frustration after having spent the majority of another night at the mansion with Xander and Willow. He had a hard time believing that it had only been a month since Xander had convinced him and Willow to meet him there and part of him still regretted staying for the red hair witch but her soft pleas for him to listen to what Xander had had to say had made him want to stay against his better judgment. He could still remember those words and the look on Xander’s face as he had spoken them. And he knew that Xander had hidden something from them that night, and that he still was. But for Willow’s sake he had continued to play along, waiting for Xander to tell him what else he intended.
 
“I only asked you here Spike to help with Willow anyway. I didn’t expect you to understand.” Xander had said.
“What the bloody hell are you talking about?” Spike had asked angrily.
“I am talking about Willow, it’s not as if Buffy can afford to help ground her. Giles told me that Willow still needs help recovering from what she did. And I was thinking that the two of us could help her.”
“But what was all that about Buffy?” Spike had asked, trying to push the issue.
“What can I say, I love to annoy you.” Xander had answered.
 
            Spike had reluctantly agreed when he had looked at Willow’s face. Instead of looking at them, she had been looking at the floor ashamed of herself. It had hit him hard to see her looking like that. And before he knew it, he had agreed to help her. And then he had convinced her that she was deserving of that help. But Xander’s early words from that night still bothered him. It was if Xander knew something that he didn’t know. It wasn’t as if Xander knew about his soul, the two of them still thought he was doing good because of the chip. Spike hadn’t wanted to tell anyone about the soul, even though he knew that Willow and Xander would help him through the pain that he was going through. Although he had never expected to think of Xander as someone who would help him if he needed it. In the past, Xander had always seemed to be a thorn in his side, especially when it came to Willow.
            He had always wanted Willow, but the arrival of Dawn had lessened his desire for her. And he found himself slowly turning from the red head to the Slayer. And once the Slayer had come back from the dead and started using him, he started to realize that the monks might have created his feelings for her in order to protect Dawn. But he had never really questioned the validity of his feelings for the Slayer until Xander had asked him to help ground Willow. They would meet every night in the mansion after meetings and patrol and they would take turns with being an anchor for Willow. And during those sessions he started to feel closer and closer to the witch and that closeness made him question his feelings for Buffy. And it made him question what Xander had constantly told him about Buffy.
 
“She doesn’t want you. She can barely even stand the sight of you. If it wasn’t for Dawn, she wouldn’t even put up with you at the meetings.”
“You’re lying Xander.”
”Believe what you want but take a look at your precious Buffy and see how she looks at you in disgust and hate every night we have a meeting.”
 
            Spike had done just that and he had been shocked to realize that Buffy avoided looking at him when she could and when she did, she looked as if she had tasted something bitter and foul. He didn’t want to believe that Xander, of all people, had been right about Buffy. Nor was he ready to give up his belief that Buffy loved him, and that she was just afraid to give into that emotion. If he did either of those things, it would force him to realize that he had wasted two years on Buffy when he could have been growing closer to Willow.
            Tonight had almost brought him to his breaking point. Willow had had to use a lot of magic to protect the Potentials against an attack from the Bringers. And she had been drained at the end of the night. To help her, both Spike and Xander had had to perform as anchors to ensure that she wouldn’t lose control as she ritually grounded herself. And he had felt connected to the both of them and he could sense that Xander was hiding something from him. After the ritual, Spike had pulled Xander aside while Willow cleaned up her supplies.
 
“What are you hiding from me?” Spike had demanded.
“What are you talking about?” Xander had answered.
“You know what I am talking about.”
”No I don’t.”
“You’re up to something, I know it.”
”The only thing that I am up to is making sure Willow is strong enough to help Buffy.”
”It always comes back to Buffy doesn’t it?”
”What are you talking about?”
”Are you trying to pair me off with Willow so that you can get closer to your precious little Slayer?” Spike had growled at Xander.
“I don’t want Buffy, and even if I did, I wouldn’t have to pair you off.” Xander had said before walking off to help Willow.
 
            And now as he was walking back to his crypt, Spike had to wonder what was really going on. As much as he had started watching Buffy, he had started watching Xander. And if Xander intended on seducing Buffy or making a move on her, Spike just couldn’t see it happening. Xander had been his normal self around the Slayer, cheering her on when things were rough, comforting her when things got her done, but never once had he seen him doing things that he hadn’t already done for her over the years. Nor was he trying to repair his relationship with Anya. The most Xander had done was try to repair their friendship. Instead, Xander seemed to be closer to Willow, although everyone else seemed oblivious to it. He would do simple things such as sitting closer to her at the meetings, or making sure someone walked home with her after the meetings and so on. It was almost as if Xander had only asked for Spike’s help because he didn’t have the strength to help Willow ground herself every night. But even that didn’t make sense, because Spike was sure that if Xander had had asked Buffy that she would have helped out.
            Instead of the answers that he thought he would find if he went along with Xander’s suggestion, all Spike had found were more questions without answers. And the last thing he needed was to have more questions.
 
**TBC**