Fix You by Enigmaticblue

Summary: Desperate times call for desperate measures where the First is involved. In order to prevent the end of the world, Buffy asks Willow to do a spell that's supposed to fix everything, and Spike goes along for the ride.

Chapter 8: Mistakes in the Present Tense

"Buffy?"

"Yeah, Will?"

"Last time around, did Oz have lunch with Veruca?"

Buffy looked up from her text book, concern beginning to show in her eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Because he was eating lunch with her today." Willow said miserably. "They were talking musician-ese when I got there, and then they both left."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Together?"

"No," Willow admitted. "But—what if this is going to happen no matter what, Buffy?"

"I don't know," Buffy said slowly. "I don't even know how much to tell anyone. What if it doesn't happen? There are things..."

Willow took a deep breath. "What should I do?"

"I don't know," Buffy repeated. "Do you want me to talk to Oz? Maybe he thinks it's no big deal, but if I tell him that this is how it happened last time, he might try harder to avoid her."

"Yeah, okay," the other girl said with a relieved sigh. "Thanks, Buffy." Willow raised her eyebrows. "How are you and Spike?"

Buffy frowned, obviously playing dumb. "What do you mean?"

Willow rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Buffy! You guys were pretty cozy last week. He was here half the time."

She shifted uncomfortably. "That's okay, right? I mean, I had to study, and it was easier if I stayed here, but if you don't want Spike around—"

Willow shook her head. "No, it's fine. It's not like he's loud. Well, not all the time, anyway," she added. remembering one rather heated "discussion" he and Buffy had had regarding whether or not he was going to patrol on his own. Buffy had been worried about the Initiative; Spike had insisted he was fine on his own.

In the end, they'd gone out together, still arguing. Willow hadn't been terribly surprised when Buffy didn't turn up at the dorm again until just before daybreak, looking thoroughly kissed.

"He knows how important this is to me. At least this time," Buffy said. "I had to drop out of school after Mom died, and Spike was there for the aftermath."

Willow hesitated, wondering how much she should pry. Back in high school, they had talked about everything, including if and when to have sex, but things had changed. "So, have you guys—you know?"

Buffy looked amused. "You can do it, but you can't say it?"

She shrugged uncomfortably. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's none of my business, but I thought you'd be spending a lot of time at Spike's apartment, and you haven't."

"I've been spending time there," Buffy replied, sounding a little defensive. "I just haven't spent the night yet."

"So you haven't slept with him?" Willow asked, leaning forward. She missed the girl-talk they'd shared in high school. Buffy seemed so different now, kind of grown up. It was weird for Willow to feel like Buffy was the more mature one in their relationship.

Buffy sighed. "I slept with him before, just not recently." She frowned, obviously hesitant to talk about whatever was on her mind. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anybody? Not even Xander." She swallowed. "Especially not Xander."

"Of course!" Willow exclaimed.

Buffy took a deep breath. "The thing is, things with Spike and me got really complicated, mostly because of the sex."

~~~~~

Standing in front of Spike's door hours later, Buffy still couldn't believe she'd told Willow as much as she had. Her explanation hadn't strayed from her relationship with Spike, and she'd attempted to be as honest as she possibly could. It was the first time she'd told anyone the whole story.

And, although Willow had been shocked, she'd also been supportive. That had been a relief.

She and Spike had somehow managed to slip back into the pattern they'd established right after her resurrection, just with more kissing, and no denial on her part. Just seeing the expression on his face when she showed up at his door—pleasure, with no hint of anger or resentment—was worth it all.

"How are you, luv?" he asked.

Buffy smiled. "Good. Willow said that Oz had lunch with Veruca today." She'd told Spike what had happened between the two werewolves.

Spike frowned. "That's not good, right?"

"I don't know. It happened last time." Buffy made a face. "I told Willow I'd talk to Oz."

Spike reached for his jacket. "Alright. We goin' tonight?"

"We can't," Buffy said. "It's the night before the full moon." She sat up straight. "Oh, crap. I can't believe I was so stupid!"

"What is it, Buffy?" Spike asked, alarmed.

Buffy swore. "Oz escapes tonight, and that's how he runs into Veruca. If we don't get there before he gets out, it's going to be bad."

He grabbed his jacket. "You got a tranq gun? I'm assumin' that's what you want to use? Don't know about you, but I don't really want to wrestle a werewolf tonight."

"Giles has it," Buffy said. "We'll have to run and pick it up."

"Don't have to run," Spike replied. "I've got a car, remember?"

Buffy nodded gratefully. "I do now. I'm sorry, Spike. I'm not even thinking clearly. I just keep wondering about the future, and if—"

"Hush now," Spike said. "Gotta keep in mind that there's more than just us involved in this. Whatever's goin' on in the boy's head, you can't control that. Other things, you can control."

"I know." Buffy took a deep breath. "I know. Let's go."

~~~~~

Spike knew exactly how Buffy felt. He'd been experiencing similar doubts about their ability to make a difference, although they had already changed a few things.

He had the Gem of Amara, anyway. That was different.

Buffy slid back into the passenger seat of the DeSoto, holding the tranq gun. "Let's go."

"Where are we goin'?" he asked.

"Near campus," Buffy replied. "There's a cavern where Oz built a cage."

"Sounds cozy."

"It's only three nights out of the month," Buffy said defensively.

Spike shrugged. "Not criticizing, pet. Just grateful that I'm not the one spending my nights in a cage, even if it is only three nights."

"Let's just hope that Oz hasn't escaped yet." Buffy looked a little sick. "I don't know what I would tell Willow if—"

"Stop it," Spike said firmly. "Let's not borrow trouble. We're not even there yet."

"You're right." Buffy took a deep breath. "You're absolutely right." She pointed. "That lot's closest."

Spike pulled into the parking lot and found the nearest free space. "I've got your back, Slayer."

She led the way, with Spike at her heels. He wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to help, since Buffy was the one with the tranq gun. As they neared the cave, Buffy picked up her pace. Spike wondered what it would do to her if she couldn't prevent this from happening.

Not for the first time did Spike wonder if it would have been easier if they'd arrived at the time that they'd planned. Then, there would have been only one event to stop, and the immediate knowledge of success—or failure.

Buffy skidded to a halt inside the cave, and Spike saw the open cage door immediately. "Let's go," he said.

"Can we find them?"

"Hell if I know, but we've got to try, don't we?" he asked. "Besides, if we don't find them tonight, we can track them down during the day an' make sure they stay separated."

"Good plan." She gave him a hopeful look. "Do you think you can track Oz by scent?"

Spike wished he could tell her otherwise. "It's not clear enough. Vampires track humans through fear or blood, an' unless he's hurt, the wolf isn't givin' off either of those."

"Crap." Buffy sighed. "Okay. We'll do it the old fashioned way." She frowned. "Come on!"

She took off at a dead run, and Spike hurried to keep up. "What is it?"

"Walsh," Buffy gasped out. "She said she was attacked by two wild dogs last time. They'll be around her. She'll probably be coming out of her building."

"Let's go," Spike said grimly, trying to think of the girl whose relationship they were trying to save, rather than the scientist who hadn't been harmed anyway.

Because Spike would have just as soon let the werewolves eat the woman. Or at least bite her. Wouldn't that be poetic justice?

~~~~~

Giles handed Buffy a cup of tea, and then looked at Spike. "Would you like a drink?"

"That would be nice," Spike replied fervently.

"So, you couldn't find Oz?" Giles asked.

Buffy shook her head. "And he hadn't come back to his dorm yet when we got there. I called Willow and told her not to talk to him. Spike and I are going to try and corner him later. If Oz makes the same choice this time, he'll lock Veruca in with him."

Giles winced. "And if nothing changes?"

"Willow will walk in on them tomorrow morning," Buffy admitted in a low voice. "And it won't be pleasant."

"And your plan?" Giles asked. "I assume you have one."

Buffy nodded grimly. "Yeah. I have Oz do the same thing, but this time, I shoot the skank with a dart before she turns, and I lock her up somewhere else."

"Might not be such a good idea for Oz to stay as close to campus as he is, anyway," Spike pointed out. "No telling whether or not those bastards will find him, and we know what happened the last time."

"Good Lord!" Giles exclaimed. "They captured Oz the last time?"

Buffy shook her head. "Yeah, but it's not going to happen. It was a different situation, and it would be months from now. Spike's right, though. If—if Oz stays in Sunnydale, it would be better if he had a different place. Campus is convenient, but it's not safe."

Giles shook his head, sitting down wearily. He knew the expression that Buffy wore intimately; she'd looked much the same in the months after Angel had lost his soul. "Whatever happens, Buffy, you mustn't blame yourself. These are still Oz's choices, and he's making them with the understanding that no good will come from them."

His Slayer nodded reluctantly. "I guess."

"No guessing about it, luv." Spike looked over at her, waiting until she met his eyes. "This isn't one of those things we can control. Besides, if the worst happens, it may mean that Tara will still be in the picture, an' that can't be a bad thing."

Giles decided that he didn't want to know who Tara was; he would make his own judgment if—or when—the time came.

"Yeah, and if Tara never gets mixed up with Willow, maybe she would survive," Buffy muttered, unconvinced.

Giles frowned. "How many people have died?"

"Not that many," Buffy said, then frowned. "Spike?"

He started ticking them off on his fingers. "Your mum an' Tara. Well, an' you. After the First got involved, it got a bit more dicey. The potentials were droppin' like flies."

Giles shook his head, hardly able to comprehend it all. It seemed as though the next few years were going to be miserable unless they did something to change it. "Whatever you do about Oz and the other werewolf, I will fully support your decision, Buffy. You have more information than I do, and I know you'll make the right choice."

"I wish I could be so sure," Buffy replied, but she managed a smile for him. "I should get back to the dorm. I've still got classes today."

"I'll drive you," Spike stated.

Giles watched as they walked out of his flat, Spike's hand resting on the small of Buffy's back. Instead of flinching away from his touch as he might have expected her to do, she leaned into the vampire.

"It could be worse," Giles reminded himself. "It could be Angel."

~~~~~

Willow frowned. "Why shouldn't I go see Oz today? Is it the outfit?" She looked down at herself. The bright colors that Willow typically favored had been replaced by a dark purple blouse and dark green leather pants.

Buffy shook her head. "No, Will. The outfit looks really good. Not your usual thing, but it looks good."

"You don't think Oz will like it, then," Willow supplied.

Buffy sighed. "Oz got out last night."

Willow sat down on her bed. "What do you mean?"

Buffy hated this part. She wanted Oz to explain that he and Veruca had done the wild thing, rather than letting her best friend know that she'd completely failed. If only she'd remembered that it was the faulty cage door that had started it all.

"The hinges on the door broke last night, Will. Oz got out, and Spike and I couldn't find him in time."

"In time for what?" Willow demanded, her voice rising. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Buffy replied truthfully. "Well, I'm pretty sure that they scared the crap out of Professor Walsh, but other than that—"

Willow looked crushed. "You said 'they.' It's Veruca, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Buffy said gently. "I'm sorry, Will. This is my fault. I should have remembered about the door. If I had—"

Willow shook her head emphatically. "No, Buffy. It's not your fault. You can't remember everything. What—what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to make sure Veruca doesn't have another shot at him, and then I'm going to make sure she leaves town." Buffy smiled grimly. "It's probably a good thing that Spike's on our side this time around. I think between the two of us we can convince her that Sunnydale isn't the best place for her."

Willow nodded hesitantly. "What should I do, Buffy?"

Buffy didn't know what to tell her. To a certain extent, what had happened up to this point wasn't exactly Oz's fault. He wasn't in control of himself while a werewolf, and he had locked himself up, so it wasn't like he'd set out to cheat on his girlfriend.

On the other hand, Buffy knew that if she didn't confront him, Oz would conceal what had happened from Willow, and would lie to her about not knowing who the other werewolf was.

"I don't know, Will," Buffy finally said. "You're going to have to talk to Oz about that, but first we have to deal with Veruca."

And the Slayer wasn't so sure that Veruca would be so easily persuaded to leave town.

~~~~~

Spike regarded the young man impassively, although he could smell the guilt. Having been cheated on in the past, Spike's sympathies lay with Willow at the moment. "Do you know who the other wolf is, Oz?" Buffy asked.

Oz didn't meet her eyes. It was apparent to Spike that he didn't want to tell the truth, but that he knew there was no choice. After all, not only was Buffy well aware of who the other werewolf was, but she also knew exactly what had happened, having the benefit of hindsight. "You know who it is, Buffy," Oz finally said, his voice low and angry.

Spike knew that feeling; it was the desperation of someone who feels trapped.

"Yeah, I do, but I was hoping that you'd tell me this time," Buffy replied. "Look, Oz, maybe you need to get out of town for a while. For all I know, the best thing for everybody is for you to leave so you can bring the wolf under control. But I am not going to let Willow walk in on the two of you tomorrow morning because you were too much of a coward to either tell me about Veruca, or tell her no."

Oz was silent for a long moment. "Is that what happens?"

"That's what happens," Buffy confirmed. "And then Veruca tries to kill Willow, and you kill her. I don't think you want that either." When Oz shook his head, Buffy took a deep breath. "I think it's best that when Veruca comes here tonight, we're here to meet her. Spike pointed out that being on campus isn't the safest place for you."

"Where am I going to be?" Oz asked.

Spike spoke up for the first time. "Here. You're the bait."

Oz didn't look happy about that plan, but he didn't argue. "And after?"

"It's only one night," Spike said. "We've got time to find a more permanent solution."

He was grateful that Oz didn't argue with them. Spike knew that the last thing Buffy wanted was to be forced to treat one of her friends as the enemy; she'd already had a taste of what that was like. Once the cage door had been fixed, there wasn't much to do or say, however.

Oz was apparently the silent type, and Spike wasn't comfortable holding a personal conversation with Buffy in front of someone he didn't know well. That left all of them to wait in silence.

Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long for Veruca to show up.

"So, this is where you cage yourself up?" Veruca asked as she walked through the door, too intent on Oz to notice Spike or Buffy.

"It's safer," Oz replied.

"You weren't meant for this kind of life," she insisted. "We were meant to run free."

"Oz knows what would happen if he didn't cage himself up," Buffy said, stepping out of the shadows. "He'd have the Slayer to deal with."

Veruca scoffed. "What are you going to do? You can't stop the change."

"No, but we can make sure you aren't awake for it," Spike said, raising the tranq gun and firing a dart before she could register what it was he was doing.

The woman went down hard. "She is such a skank," Buffy spat, then turned to look at Oz. "We'll take care of her."

Oz nodded. "Don't hurt her."

"No more than we have to," Buffy said. "Trust me, Oz. She's not a nice person. If we didn't step in, she would have no problem killing Willow to get to you."

Oz backed up into the cage, slamming the door shut behind him. "Where are you taking her?"

"Somewhere she can't do any harm," Buffy replied. "Don't worry about it. Spike? Would you stay with Oz tonight?"

Spike didn't like the idea of Buffy staying with Veruca alone, but he understood why she had asked him to stay. There was no sense in risking Oz getting out again, or the Initiative stumbling across the cage. Since Walsh had seen the werewolves the night before, it was entirely possible that the soldiers would be out in force.

"I'll stay," Spike said. "But you'd best get someone to stay with you. Don't want you caught alone with that bitch."

She offered him a reassuring smile. "Giles is going to meet me there. He claimed to be bored anyway. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

She turned back to Veruca's still form at the same time that the sun finally descended below the horizon. The girl's transformation occurred without a whimper, but Spike heard Oz slam against the bars of the cage.

Spike tossed the gun to Buffy. "Just in case. Think I can deal with Teen Wolf there, an' I don't have to worry about getting bit."

Buffy nodded reluctantly. "Okay, but be careful."

"You too." Spike watched as she slung the body of the werewolf over her shoulder and left the cave. He heard Oz slam against the bars behind him yet again. "Yeah, know how you feel," Spike said conversationally. "It's never pleasant to be put inside a cage."

Not even when it was the best thing for everyone concerned.