Tara Bad

Blondie-witch hasn't been by today. Not sure what's going on. It's not odd that she would skip a day or so, but usually I have some idea why she's not stoppin' by. Something going on? Or she finally decide to take me seriously and not come back?

Doesn't much matter now anyway, since Slayer's here… with the Nibblet.

"Uh, I'm guessing there's a reason you've darkened m'doorstep and brought kid-sis along?" I ask before taking a drag from my newly lit cigarette.

Slayer sneers and Nibblet's just kinda cowering behind her. Huh. "Spike, I need you to watch Dawn for a little while."

"Why?"

"I have to go to the hospital for a bit. Tara's there. And why am I even telling you? Please, just watch her."

I frown. Like my time isn't as important as hers. "What if I had plans?"

"Cancel them. I need you to do this."

"I can stay by myself. Geez. I'm not five," Dawn whines from just inside the doorway.

Buffy turns to her. "No. You can't. Not with Glory still looking for you."

"Big help he's gonna be," Nibblet points at me… hey now… "look at him."

"Dawn, this isn't up for discussion. I need to find out what happened to Tara. I'll be back as soon as I'm done." She turns back to me, stalks across the floor and takes a deep breath like she was holding down a swift fist to m'nose. "Spike. I need you to watch her. If it makes you feel better, call it protection. And don't keep her here. Take her into the tunnels. Glory knows about this place."

"Right then. Little adventure. How you gonna find us when you get back?"

"I can track you. Don't worry about me. Just keep her safe."

I nod and she leaves. Bitch. Could've at least said 'thank you' since I'm putting m'self out, here. This is too sodding hard. Do good things - get called on it as doing 'em to get attention. Do bad things - get called on it as being evil, even though I'm a vampire and I'm s'posed to be evil. I quit.

"All right, then, Nibblet. Let's get you someplace that's not here."

"Spike, why didn't you tell Glory about me?" she asks as she follows me down into the tunnels beneath the city.

"What d'you mean?" I ask without turning to face her.

"You could have told her and she would have left you alone."

"Nothing says that's how it would've gone down. Evil doesn't always follow logic, Bit. If I'd told her, she could've just killed me or kept torturin' me just for fun." I stop, turn around and ask, "Why you askin'?"

She shrugs. "Just curious. I guess I just don't understand why you'd do that."

Looks like Slayer wasn't at all forthcoming with the details. Probably told the gang I didn't say anything just so I'd look cool. Because that's the only reason I ever do anything good - to look cool. Slayer's so bloody stupid she wouldn't know help if it smacked her up-side the head.

Nibblet's just lookin' at me. What? You want me to just answer flat out? "Buffy didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" she asks, confused. "She just told us that you didn't say anything. That's it."

"Huh. Shoulda figured." I turn and keep walking. We need to keep moving away from the crypt. Can't have Glory and her mates showin' up to grab me again and find the Nibblet hanging there too.

I hear her behind me, jogging to catch up. "Figured what? What, Spike? Talk to me."

I stop - again - and sigh. "I should've known she wouldn't tell you anything."

"Yeah. Go figure. She never tells me anything. She didn't tell the rest of the gang either, but that's not the point."

"It doesn't matter, Bit. I didn't rat you out, Glory beat me up. Now we're hiding under the city. Slayer'll be back soon and we can go back to our regularly scheduled programming." I walk several steps, ducking and weaving. "Nothin' to be worried about, kid."

Nope. Nothing. Not even a part-demon blonde witch with a thing for bleached vampires. Wish she was here. She was so nice to me yesterday - attending to m'bruises and just talkin' to me. She knows why I didn't tell about the key. She knows what Buffy did too. She's so easy to talk to; guess because she listens. Hope she's gonna be okay.

"No one's gonna hurt you."

"Same no one who did that to you?" she asks in that direct, teenage way she has.

"What? These? It's just a few bruises. Nothin' to write home about." I shift a little, my leg hurts - explains the limp, ya think? "Hey, chin up, platelet. Don't get scared. Maybe Glory doesn't wanna kill you, maybe it's something…"

"Worse?" She looks really scared or worried or something. Dammit.

Well, yeah, it could be worse. What the hell do I know? I'm just a vampire.

****

So, turns out Hell-bitch did a brain-suck on Red's girlfriend. Shit. Why'd she have to do that? Lovely, beautiful, sweet Tara. And Buffy thinks she turned Red away from kickin' Hell-god ass by talkin' to her? Explainin'? She is dumber than I thought.

"So she's not gonna do anything rash then?" I ask, completely dumbfounded by the Slayer's inability to comprehend this situation.

"No. I explained that there was no point." She sounds so sure that she's solved the problem.

I take a couple steps toward her. "Mm-hmm."

"What?" She gives me that look like she thinks I'm stupid.

"You - so you're saying that a powerful and mightily pissed-off witch was plannin' on going and spillin' herself a few pints of god blood until you, what, 'explained'?" See if this sparks something in that blonde brain of hers.

She frowns, looks at the Nibblet then scowls back at me. "You think she'd... no. I told Willow it would be like suicide."

Like that would make a difference in a decision like this. The great Slayer told the pissed-off witch that it would be 'suicidal' to go up against a god? Love makes people do stupid and suicidal things. "I'd do it." The bitch glares at me. I look away, she's not gonna buy this anyway. "Right person. Person I loved." I glance up at her. Maybe she might. "I'd do it."

Nibblet launches into some explanation or scenario that Buffy seems to understand better. Hell, shoulda known that my version wouldn't work. Or maybe it did, Slayer just played it off like she didn't care. She does that. What is wrong with her? Especially after yesterday. I thought… nevermind.

Guess I'm on Nibblet watch a bit longer as Slayer's runnin' off again.

"Spike…"

"Yeah, yeah. Go. Save your friend. I'll be here keeping the Bit company." I wave, tellin' her to go. Just go. Be a hero or whatever it is you do, love.

The Bit and I spend some quality time countin' the rocks or some such rot, waiting for Big Sis to come back. This is so bloody boring. I want to beat something up, kill something, not babysit. And bloody slayer's not even payin' me for this. Should tell her she owes me.

And I kinda miss Tara. Hope she's gonna be okay.

Part XII