Dimly Spike found himself explaining what had happened but even as he spoke something continued to feel off about the entire thing. It was natural for him to be a bit unsettled since this was by far the worst fight they’d ever had but that wasn’t it. He knew Buffy loved him, hell she proved it with every look and touch. He also knew that Angel would always be a touchy subject for them both because there was lots of pain, anger and yes even love there.
But he knew who Buffy was with perfect clarity and that hadn’t been a side of his girl he’d ever seen. “She’s filled with fire so why was she so cold?”
“Because that wasn’t her.” Angel said with absolute certainty.
“It had to be, we both know if it wasn’t.” Spike argued even though he hadn’t realized he’d spoken his earlier thought aloud.
“It was her body but it sounds like it was her inner slayer that was in charge.” Angel said with a slight shudder. “That’s who drove the sword into me that day. My kiss was still on her lips and tears were drying on her cheeks but when I looked into her eyes to understand what was going on there she simply wasn’t there. The girl I loved was just gone and there was something else looking back at me, something colder and even more ruthless than Angelus. That something was her Slayer and while it has and always will be apart of her she’s too strong willed to surrendered herself to anything so if it’s in charge of her now, there has to be a reason.”
As one both vampires turned their narrowed amber eyes on Willow. “Say something like a need to do her duty and slay the beasty just like you were wantin’ Red? And the full spirit of the Slayer would oh-so conveniently make her close herself off to the vampires connected to her so they wouldn‘t realize something was being done to her.”
“She bound my magick’s, I couldn’t have done anything.” Willow said quickly.
A little too quickly to his mind and since it seemed like it was something she’d planned on saying Giles’s narrowed eyes fell on her as well. “You couldn’t access your own magicks but if one was truly desperate enough its not uncommon for one caster to steal another’s power. Even if that someone is the very person they claim to love.”
“How could you say that to me Giles?”
“Forgive me but I also doubt Buffy would behave as she had without being under some form of coercion. It simply isn’t like her but resorting to magick when things do not go your way has sadly become something we’ve learned to expect of you.” Giles said calmly. “Of course there is a way to prove if you’ve been drawing magick’s from Tara and if our assumption is incorrect I will be the first to apologize.”
“There is no spell to see if someone’s---”
“No there is not.” Giles said sharply, cutting her off. “That isn’t exactly a well known fact so I find it a bit suspicious that you know it‘s untraceable mystically, especially since you’d have no reason to research such matters until recently. But unlike you I know that there are other ways to accomplish ones goal without resorting to magick.”
Backing up slightly from the cold light in the normally kind Watcher’s eyes Willow suddenly found herself pressed up against a hard chest. Before she even had a chance to turn she felt a pair of razor sharp fangs pierce her neck but even as she screamed to the others for help no one moved.
Then just as suddenly as it happened she was flung towards Buffy’s bed. “You‘ll need my blood too.” Tara said quietly as she moved forward to offer Spike her neck as well.
Instead he took her hand and brought it to his lips. After gently pricking her thumb with the tip of his fangs he nursed on it like a kitten and when he pulled away the skin was slightly red but he knew she’d felt very little pain. “Red had it coming for killing my mate but it’s a good thing I did her first because I might be tempted to kill her for this. She’s been sucking off you like a parasite and she used that stolen mojo on Buffy alright.”
“Okay I get that this was what Giles had in mind cause of how he looked at Spike when he was talking but I don’t get what just happened.” Faith admitted.
“It’s always about blood pet, it’s life contained in every single drop which is why we drink it. But there’s all kinds of different flavors and only three ways to mix ‘em together.” Spike said as he moved over to grab Willow so she couldn’t try to run before they knew what she’d done. “And since Willow’s not related to her and I doubt the two of them share blood the only reason she’d have Glinda’s essence is if she found some way to pull out her magicks.”
“I borrowed her power but I---”
“Stole, you stole my power.” Tara said with her voice ripe with betrayal.
“No baby, I just wanted to be able to protect you since Buffy wouldn’t.” Willow said since she was convinced she’d done the right thing. “But I didn’t do anything to Buffy, not really, I just called out her inner Slayer. It’ll make her stronger and she was the one that said that sometime you have to do what others won’t!”
“You are such a little fool.” Giles said gravely. “The essence of the Slayer is a primal power and it took years for the humanity of the Chosen to bind to it so that they would become a protector instead of a predator. Since she didn’t attack Spike physically it appears that Buffy is strong enough to remain some semblance of self but it’s separated her from Spike and Angel. And while I’m certain you thought that would be for the best to hide what you’ve done, they are also the only two people that would have the power to pull her back to herself if necessary.”
“What he’s trying to say is that if she loses control she’ll be an un-killable Slayer with magick gifts, one who won’t blink at killing Glinda to get the job done.” Spike said coldly. “And she’s not the only one in danger, anyone with a demon or darkness inside them will be the enemy. Giles from his Ripper days, Faith from her own brush with evil, Riley from his stint with the Initiative and even Anya and Xander because they’ll always carry the taint of the demon they once carried. Then there’s Doyle, whose a half-demon, Angel and I, as well as you. So that leaves Wesley, Fred and Cordelia but since they’re here with the rest of us, she’ll probably go for them as well.”
“But there’s wards---”
“Wards she set up.” Giles reminded her. “And while she undoubtedly knows how to take them down, it wouldn’t be necessary. The Slayer may be a predator but it isn’t a malevolent force so she could simply walk pass the warding she set up.”
“Then will fight her.”
“I won’t, I‘d bloody well let her kill me first.” Spike said wanting to make the stupid bitch know exactly where they stood. “I’d protect the rest of them as best I could and while I’m the only one who knows how to kill her, I won’t do it--- not for the bloody world. But before I’d go, I’d kill you to save her the trouble.”
“And I won‘t either.” Angel said moving over to stand beside Spike. “This isn’t like when I tried to end the world because the truly innocent have no reason to fear the Slayer. And while Buffy would be gone if it was able to assume total control I’d die if it meant some part of her could live.”
“I out too.” Faith said after weighting her own heart. “Maybe some of us deserve to die for the things we’ve done but not B. But I’d fight because I’m a Slayer, only the last time that happened B proved she was The Slayer so since she can’t die and I can, I don’t really see me walking out of it alive.”
“I’m only human, so I won’t be much help either.” Riley said as he wrapped his arm around Faith’s waist.
“But we can force Spike to tell us how to kill her!” Willow said desperately.
“No, but I can give myself to Glory and let her kill me.” Tara said unable to believe her sweet Willow was saying these things. “You summoned the Slayer to fight Glory and if we let her complete the ritual she’ll be gone and the power you called will retreat beneath the surface once more because it’s purpose has been fulfilled.”
“You can’t do that, I did this for you!” Willow shouted at her.
“No Willow you did this for you.” Tara shouted back, surprising everyone, including herself. “It wasn’t just Buffy that decided to wait, it was all of us, even me. But you did this by yourself and for yourself without a thought to anyone else. The only chance you had to draw out my power without me realizing it was when we were making love. You turned that into something dirty by violating my body and taking more than I wanted to give you. And not just because you wanted to keep me safe from Glory but because you wanted to be the one in power again. But I’d rather die than put everyone else in danger, than use people for my own means and---”
“And it wouldn’t bring Buffy back. We need you alive Glinda because even though Peaches and I can’t reach her, you might be able to. So it looks like my girl needs you to fight for her now.” Spike told her with a slight smile.
“And while we do, we need to make sure you can’t cause anymore damage Willow.” Giles said calling on his own powers since her betrayal justified their use. But before he could Tara waved her hand and Willow slumped down to the floor in an unconscious heap.
“She won’t wake up until I release her but it had to be me that did it Giles.” Tara said softly, even as tears ran down her face. “I just hope the coven can help her.”
“So do I my dear, so do I but right now Buffy is the one who needs us now.”