Fix You by Enigmaticblue

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Chapter 18: Demon Hunters

Xander had appreciated Joyce's invitation for Christmas Eve, since it gave him a chance to get away from his drunken relatives. He'd convinced Anya that it would be better to go back to her tiny apartment, rather than to his relatively spacious basement room.

He had finally been able to corner Buffy and ask about his relationship with Anya, and where it was headed. Buffy had made him promise that he wouldn't blame her for anything that happened, or for any changes that might occur.

Once he'd done that, Buffy had given him the basics, finishing by saying, "If you ask her to marry you, go through with it, Xander—or don't ask."

Those words kept ringing in his head. Xander was a long way from even thinking about the possibility of marriage; he'd been trying to figure out how to get a girl to look at him twice not that long ago. Now, Buffy had told him that Anya was the one—or that he had thought of her that way at some point.

"What happened?" Xander had asked.

"A demon showed you a fake vision of the future," Buffy explained. "You freaked out and ran. I wouldn't suggest doing that again."

Xander shook his head. "But when I found out—"

"It didn't matter, Xan," Buffy had said, sighing. "I don't know what was going through your head. No one was talking to each other at the time."

That had been as much as she could tell him. Buffy's vague description of that year reinforced Xander's belief that she'd gone through hell.

It made him wonder what Spike's role in everything had been, but seeing their relationship now, he thought that Spike might have given her something that she'd needed. It almost made him like the vampire. Almost.

Buffy's vision of the future had given him a lot to think about, though. As far as Xander could tell, she wasn't going to be able to do it on her own. She could control her own actions, but not anyone else's, and that's where problems seemed to crop up.

How he could help, though—that's what he didn't know.

"An?" he asked.

She rolled over and cuddled up to his side. "Yeah?"

They were back in his basement now, with his parents alternating between pretending not to know what was going on, and being too drunk to care. Xander pulled her closer. "What do you know about time travel?"

She frowned. "Why?"

"You know a lot," Xander said patiently. "And you've been around for centuries. I thought that if anybody knew anything, it would be you."

There was a long silence, and a note of wonder in her voice when she finally spoke. "I know that no one's ever been successful before."

"Why not?"

"Well, either they wish to go back in time, and everything happens exactly the way it did before, or everything is changed—and not for the better."

That wasn't good news. "Has it ever worked?"

"That I know of?" She considered for a moment. "No, but I wouldn't, would I? Not unless I'd granted the wish, anyway. If someone else was successful, and things were better, I would imagine that only that one person would know. The rest of the world would just go merrily along."

Xander had to acknowledge the truth of that statement. "I guess so."

"What's this about?" Anya propped herself up on one elbow, looking into his eyes.

It struck Xander then, how beautiful she was. She embarrassed and confused him on a regular basis, but he just couldn't get enough of her. For just one brief moment, he could see the woman he might marry, and Xander knew that he would do anything for her.

At that moment, Xander understood why he might have left her. He loved her enough to let her go, too. But not now. Now, they had all the time in the world to make the right decisions.

"I've been thinking," Xander finally said. "About what's coming. I figure that we've got a second chance, too, and maybe we don't know for sure what's ahead, but I want to do things right."

He couldn't say that he wanted to be a better friend, a better boyfriend—a better human being. The words wouldn't come. That's what he wanted, though.

Maybe, just maybe, he could make a difference for the better.

Anya smiled at him, looking a little confused, but willing to play along. "I would much rather do things right the first time. Having to go back and fix things doesn't give you many guarantees."

"No, it doesn't." Xander kissed her, losing himself in her taste, but reminding himself to have a word with Buffy. She and Spike had been acting alone for the most part. It might be time for them to have some help.

~~~~~

"How are things, Tara?"

Tara glanced up, shading her eyes from the bright sun, surprised to see Spike standing next to her table. She'd seen him once during the Christmas break, when Willow had invited her to go out with them. Even though she'd been nervous, and hadn't really wanted to go, Tara had felt obligated. Spike and Buffy had saved her life, and she hadn't thanked them.

The evening had been much less awkward than Tara had expected, if only because Spike and Buffy had gone out of their way to make her feel welcome. Tara got the sense that they were both incredibly weary. Her intuition told her that they had been fighting for a very long time, and had seen more, and done more, than most people did over an entire lifetime.

Tara realized that she hadn't yet responded, and she blushed. "F-f-fine."

Spike sprawled on the bench next to her, his sunglasses hiding his eyes. "I don't make you nervous, do I?"

He should have by all rights. Spike was a vampire, and Tara sensed that he could be very dangerous when he wanted to be, but he didn't frighten her. "N-no." She took a deep breath, reminding herself to slow down when she spoke. That always seemed to help her not to stutter. "How are you?"

"Good. Waitin' for Buffy to get done with a class, an' I spotted you. Thought I'd say hello." He fumbled in his pockets for his pack of cigarettes and lighter.

Tara sensed that he was a little nervous himself, and she wondered why. "I-is everything okay?"

"Yeah, 'course." Spike smiled, although it didn't quite reach his eyes. "There's a lot goin' on is all."

Tara didn't think that was it, but she didn't want to pry. She didn't know Spike well enough for that yet. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Go on," he said, tilting his head and removing his sunglasses to fix her with a piercing look.

"How do you know me?" Tara paused, then added. "You and Buffy."

Of course, her biggest clue that something odd was going on had been Spike's words the first time she'd run into him. But there had also been something about Buffy's manner the night they'd gone to the Bronze that had suggested to Tara that it wasn't just Spike who had special knowledge. Buffy had acted more like a woman seeing a long-lost friend again, and not someone meeting the friend of a friend.

The expression on Spike's face was uncertain. "Hard to explain, really." Tara waited, wondering if he'd try. "There was a problem that came up, some time in the future," Spike finally said. "The only way to prevent the world from goin' to hell—literally—was to come back an' fix things." He met her eyes forthrightly. "We both already know you, so to speak."

"Oh." Tara frowned, thinking about that. "Will you not tell me anything about the future?"

Spike looked puzzled. "Really? Everybody else has wanted to know."

Tara smiled shyly. "It's better not to know, I think. Haven't you already changed things?" When he nodded, she explained, "Then knowing wouldn't do any good."

"You're somethin' else, you know that?" Spike said it with a laugh that told Tara it was a compliment. "Buffy's gonna be out of class soon. I should get going."

Tara nodded. "O-o-okay."

"See you soon?"

He made it a question, and she nodded. "Probably."

Tara watched him go, thinking that his aura seemed clouded, where it had been bright the first day they'd met. Something had hurt him deeply, right down to his soul, and she wondered what it had been.

She was still wondering hours later when she met Willow to study. While they didn't share the same classes, Tara had found that it was nice to be able to sit with someone else, to know that she wasn't alone. It made a difference.

Willow seemed to be distracted, however, continuing to stare off into space, rather than reading the textbook opened in front of her.

"Is something wrong?" Tara finally asked.

Willow hesitated, then reached into her bag and pulled out a battered envelope. "Oz wrote me again."

Tara had heard all about Oz, and she'd found the story fascinating. A werewolf going off to control the monster within? If it worked, she wanted to know how—just in case what her father said about her was true. "What did he say?"

"He's making progress, and he thinks he'll probably start heading back in about a month or so." Willow looked up, her eyes wide and uncertain. "I don't know what to do."

Tara frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I wanted to try and work things out," Willow admitted. "Even after what happened, I wanted to give him a chance. It's just that now I don't know if it will work. Giles wants me to get training this summer, and I might have to leave Sunnydale. How will that work?"

"Maybe he'll go with you," Tara suggested, trying not to think about how lonely she'd be without Willow around. Then she remembered Spike and Buffy, and thought that perhaps she wouldn't be quite as alone.

"Maybe." Willow tucked the letter back into her bag. "What about you? Any boys you like?"

Tara blushed. They hadn't talked much about guys, nor had they done the guy-watching that so many girls her own age engaged in. Willow, of course, had her mind on Oz, and didn't seem to show much interest in anyone else. Tara had her own reasons and hadn't minded the reprieve.

Not that she was ashamed of her sexuality, but the conversation occasionally grew strained, depending on how open-minded the other person was.

"No, no boys," she replied, putting a slight emphasis on the final word.

Willow frowned, and then her eyes went wide. "Oh! Oh, okay. That's—that's cool. That you like girls, I mean. There's nothing wrong with that."

Tara hid a rueful smile. Her father would have argued the point, but she knew that Willow was trying to put her at ease. "It's fine."

"Are there any girls you like?" Willow asked gamely.

Tara shook her head. "Not really."

But there was one she might have liked if she hadn't known it would be futile.

~~~~~

Giles grabbed onto his kitchen counter as the room began to shake. No matter how long he lived in California, he didn't think he'd ever get used to earthquakes, even when he'd been warned it was coming.

Buffy had told him that they could expect the next apocalypse soon, and that she and Spike would take care of the demons responsible.

Giles was a little worried about his Slayer. Riley's death had shaken her; he'd been able to see that much when she'd told him about it. She had assured him that she was fine—that Spike was fine—but he had his doubts. Buffy had always taken the deaths of innocents to heart, and he had a feeling that whatever kind of threat the Initiative posed to Spike, Buffy had always thought of Riley as an innocent.

He was looking through his books for information on the Vahrall demons, when he heard a quick knock on his door, quickly followed by the vampire's entrance. "Buffy wanted me to check on you," he said in response to Giles' questioning look. "She's goin' by the gallery to check on her mum."

"Did she know that the earthquake would hit today?" Giles asked, surprised that he hadn't gotten a phone call. Buffy had said that she knew it was coming, but not that she knew the exact date.

Spike shook his head. "No, we didn't know about it until the earthquake. Well, as long as you're alright—"

"Wait a moment, Spike. I'd like to talk to you." Giles waited until Spike had taken a seat on the couch, then got up to pour them both a drink.

Spike looked at the proffered glass wryly. "This somethin' you gotta get me drunk for?"

"I thought you might like something to drink."

He took the drink and tossed it back in one smooth motion. "Thanks."

"I wanted to discuss the Initiative with you." Giles watched as Spike tensed, almost imperceptibly, then relaxed. "Particularly what happened with Riley."

Spike frowned. "It was an accident."

"I believe you," Giles assured him. "Buffy was the one to explain what happened, however. I haven't heard much from you."

"Not much to tell. Threw the demon across the room, and it knocked the wanker over an' broke his neck."

"He shot at you first?"

"That's right."

"I assume he recognized you when the Initiative soldiers caught you on campus," Giles said.

Spike shrugged. "That would be my guess. Didn't see their faces, so I can't be sure."

"And how are you doing?"

The vampire shrugged. "It was an accident, Watcher. Dunno what else I could have done."

But Spike had thought about it, Giles could tell. The vampire had gone over and over it in his mind, wondering if he could have done something different. Giles had done the same thing himself, and he recognized the look in the vampire's eyes.

"I'm sure you did everything that you could," Giles said, deciding that there was no point in pressing Spike further. "Have you seen any of the other soldiers?"

"No, but I haven't gone near campus after dark, either," Spike replied. "We thought it would be best."

Giles nodded his agreement. "Of course. And this newest threat?"

"Buffy said the demon would hit a party tonight, go for blood. Tomorrow, it'll be the bones of a child, an' then your Word of Valios. With any luck, we'll kill them before they've got a chance to collect any of it."

"I doubt you'll need luck," Giles responded.

Spike shook his head. "Hard to say, really. We thought we knew what to expect, but everythin' is different now."

The vampire rose to leave, and Giles followed him to the door. "From what Buffy's told me of the future, even those changes that might be perceived as negative may turn out for the best. It's impossible to tell."

"That's the problem," Spike replied wryly. "It is impossible to tell."

Giles winced in sympathy as he watched the vampire leave, wishing that he had the answers.

~~~~~

"I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it." Buffy looked at her boyfriend in exasperation. "All you have to do is stay away from campus."

"I remember these guys," Spike protested. "They're strong, fast, an' sneaky. You can't expect to handle them alone."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Okay, do you not remember where I'm going? The party is on campus. Where the soldiers live?"

Spike frowned, coming very close to pouting. "At least let me stay nearby."

Buffy shook her head. "Spike, I don't want to risk you."

"They won't see me."

"You don't know that."

"They're prob'ly goin' to be too busy partying to notice one vamp hangin' about in case of trouble," Spike argued. "You need to take backup, Buffy."

Buffy sighed. "Look, we don't know exactly when the other demon is going to hit the child's crypt. I think it would be better if you kept a look out there, while I check out the party."

"Take somebody with you," Spike urged.

"I'll take Willow," Buffy conceded.

Spike looked disgruntled. "Fine. Not that she'll do you much good."

"Spike—"

"What?"

"She's a witch. She could help." Buffy sighed. "Haven't you forgiven her yet?"

Spike raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Have you?"

Buffy flopped down on his couch. "Mostly. I mean, I know she didn't mean to do what she did, but—"

"She's done it before?" Spike suggested. "She'll likely do it again? When she gets like this, Willow only considers what she wants, an' nothin' else? Take your pick."

Buffy sighed. "Fine. No, I haven't really forgiven her. I don't know if I ever really will. Maybe when I know that she won't make the same choice, given another chance, it'll be easier."

His expression was compassionate. "You haven't forgiven her for the resurrection."

Buffy swallowed. "I did forgive her. I just haven't forgiven her for this one yet."

Spike touched her cheek. "We're okay, luv."

"I don't care," Buffy replied stubbornly. "We weren't okay for a while, and I still remember how that feels. I'm not completely over it, but I'm willing to try to move on."

Spike nodded. "That's about how I feel," he admitted. "Look, be careful tonight, huh? No heroics."

"I'm a hero, Spike. Heroics are my job."

"Yeah, sure." He gave her a hard kiss.

Buffy pulled him in for a second one. "You be careful, too. I want you in one piece."

"You got it." He showed her out the door, then headed to the cemetery where the crypt was located. Buffy headed towards campus and Porter Hall, where the party was. It probably would have been easier to meet at her dorm room, but Buffy didn't want Spike anywhere near campus after dark until the thing with the Initiative was over with.

Riley's reaction to Spike demonstrated that at least a few of the soldiers knew him by sight, and Buffy didn't want to chance running into any who would recognize him.

Willow was waiting for her just inside the door of the house. "There you are!"

"Sorry I'm late. I had to convince Spike to stay behind."

"Didn't agree easily, did he?"

"No, not really." Buffy looked around at those present. "Any sign of the demon?"

Willow shook her head. "Percy's here, though." She made a face. "He called me a geek."

At moments like that, Buffy forgot to be angry at Willow. She snorted. "What does he know? If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't even be in college."

She brightened at that. "True. Where are we looking for this demon?"

Buffy frowned, trying to remember what Willow had told her about finding the body. "Upstairs, I think."

Weaving their way through the crowded room, the two girls made their way towards the stairs. "Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"I got a letter from Oz yesterday."

Buffy frowned. Willow didn't sound very happy about that fact, although she no longer knew what to expect from the other girl where Oz was concerned. Last time, when Willow got a postcard, she'd been more upset than reassured. "What did he say?"

"He's probably coming back in a month or so."

Willow tugged at her shirt, as if to straighten it, and Buffy easily interpreted the gesture. "You don't know how you feel about it?"

"Pretty much." Willow's eyes met hers. "Can I forgive him?"

"I don't think I can answer that question for you, Will." Buffy opened the first door she came to, looking for the demon. If it had already shown up, it could be anywhere. She quickly shut the door of the first room, however, thinking that it might be better to knock first.

Willow sighed. "I know. I guess I'll just have to figure it out when Oz gets back."

Buffy didn't mind listening, but she was trying to concentrate. She wanted to find the demon before he had the chance to kill someone. She heard a strangled gasp, and Buffy sprinted towards the sound.

She burst through the door, seeing the demon standing over a young man her own age, just beginning to carve his chest open. "Hey!"

The Vahrall demon looked up, snarling at her. Buffy sprang at him, knocking both the knife and cup out of his hands. "Willow! Call the ambulance!" she shouted.

Willow nodded from the doorway and dashed out, presumably to find a phone.

Buffy grappled with the demon. The tight quarters didn't give her much room to move, and she wanted to prevent any more harm from coming to the injured boy. When she finally got a good grip on him, Buffy threw him towards the window, sending him crashing through the glass.

She didn't hesitate, knowing that if the demon wasn't dead, it would kill someone else for the blood needed to complete the ritual. Covering her face with her arm to protect herself from any stray shards of glass, Buffy leapt out the window.

Buffy rolled to absorb the impact, scrambling to her feet and looking around her with wide eyes.

The demon was nowhere to be seen, but she was surrounded by black-clad soldiers.

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