***** JUNE 2000*****

"Do you have the foggiest idea, why we're here?" Xander Harris asked Spike.

They were in an hotel outside Sunnydale, all gathered in a bedroom except for Buffy and Giles.

 The blonde vampire just shrugged then looking at him asked, "Do I look like I bloody know something about it? All I know is that Red, said this was a special meeting for the Scooby Gang...even for the reluctant members of it"

"Yep Fang Boy, I know that...I read the note too!"

"Did you? Really? Then why don't you just shut the hell up and wait like the rest of us?"

"Jeez, Spike! Cranky Much?" Xander commented shaking his head. Anya snuggled against his neck, placing soft, hot kisses behind his ear, and he pretty much forgot what he was talking with the vampire about.

Spike, just shook his head, then raising his voice asked, "Hey Red? Are you going to start talking anytime soon....say in this century? Not that I'm in a hurry...I'm dead after all, but the blokes here" He pointed at Xander and Anya who were kissing on the armchair they were sitting on, "might  have other plans for the night..."

Willow tilted her head up, she got up from the bed, then said, "Right! Well...hmm...the reason we're all here tonight...is that I wanted to talk to you guys about Buffy and Giles"

There was a moment of silence in the room, then Spike, voicing the thoughts of all the people in the room said, "Huh?"

"Huh, indeed" Xander added.

"W...well...I...I...think you all noticed what's going on between the two of them..."

"That would be?" Xander asked, ignoring Spike's knowing glare.

The blonde vampire was obviously understanding what Willow was referring to.

"You know...Buffy and Giles......how they look at each other....how they touch each other...the adamant silences?" she said gesturing with her hands

"That whole Father and Daughter crap?" Spike added without looking at Xander

"Again I go with a huh?" Xander said looking at Willow.

"Hmm...what I...I'm trying to say is that Buffy and Giles are..."

"Hopelessly in love with each other?" Xander said, not quite believing it.

"Yes!" both Spike and Willow said

"Duh!" was all Anya said.

"Are you sure about that?" Xander asked. The others just glared at him, "I mean there's a little sexual tension there.."

The others kept glaring at him, Spike even raised his eyebrows. Xander nodded and said, "Ok, way too much sexual tension..." he stopped talking, then muttered, "Nice image...Giles on hormone parade...that sure as hell is going to lull me to sleep tonight.." He shook his head and added, "but...didn't you see how they've been treating each other for the last year? How do you call it?"

"Denial, stubbornness, pride, fear to be hurt...take your pick, kid..." Spike said lighting a cigarette.

"Uhm...Spike? Would you please..?" Willow asked pointing at the cigarette.

"Forget it, Red..." Spike mumbled, "I'm losing my favorite tv show right now, the least you can do is letting me smoke my cigarettes!"

"Whatever" Willow said shaking her head. She took a deep breath then added, "I don't know what the rest of you think about it but I'm sick of this charade...you...you don't live with Buffy...you have no idea how hard it is!"

"Like hell!" Spike snapped, "Red? I live with the Watcher, remember? Trust me, I bloody know how you feel!"

Willow and Spike exchanged a look, then Willow getting close to him asked, "Pacing?"

"He's going to wear a hole in the floor..." he smiled getting up from his chair, then added, "crankiness?"

"Way too much for my taste…venting?" she placed her hands on her hips.

"Endless! Moans in the night caused by very erotic *and* loud dreams?" he crossed his arms over his chest smiling.

"Don't even go there, please! It's way embarrassing! Cold showers in the morning ?"

"And in the afternoon, after training" he added.

The others looked quite fascinated at the witch and the vampire, talking about God knew what...they had gotten closer and they were both smiling

"We gotta do something, they've gotten to a point where..." she started

"It's not even funny anymore..." he finished

"Uhm...guys? Care to share with the rest of the class, here? Helloo?" Xander said waving at them.

Willow and Spike were still looking at each other, they were both smiling. Spike couldn't help staring at the little witch. She usually seemed shy, but, now he could see fire and determination in her eyes. For a second he wondered how it would have been seeing that fire in her eyes in other circumstances.

A female tap of cough made him start. Spike raised his head toward the noise, it was Tara, Willow's girlfriend. The young woman had approached them, she was behind Willow now.

"Well? What are we going to do, now?" Tara asked, looking at him and placing a hand on Willow's shoulder.

< My...my, someone is getting territorial >

Spike thought smiling. He shook his head and said, "I don't know, ask Red here..."

"We need a plan" Willow stated firmly.

"Duh! Thanks Will, we hadn't figured out that one!"

Xander exclaimed. He didn't know whether Willow was right but he trusted her. Besides, he'd had his own suspicions about Buffy and Giles lately. Since they'd begun training together again, he'd felt a little awkward whenever he'd watched them.

Awkward? Hell, from time to time he'd almost felt like a voyeur!

"So, what are we going to do, Red? You called the meeting, it's up to you" Spike said

Anya interrupted him saying, "We could make him jealous"

Spike snorted, "After Poof boy, that Parker prick and GI Joe? Face it kids, that man is as thick as a bloody brick wall! He's jealous...rotten jealous, but he'd never show her..."

"He has a point" Xander admitted.

"Then we could make *her* jealous...she didn't like Olivia that much" Willow said

"She told you that?" Xander asked

"Hmm...I'd say she used more colorful words..." she mumbled

Spike chuckled and muttered, "Bad Slayer..."

He didn't know why it was so important to him that both the Slayer and the Watcher came to their senses and saw what they all had long ago noticed...that they belonged together.

It wasn't like he cared for them...was it?

Spike shook his head, suddenly uncomfortable with that thought. All he knew was that once he'd gotten Willow's note he'd rushed to the hotel, only to find the whole Scooby Gang there.

What he couldn't understand was why he'd almost expected them to be alone ...and why the others' presence had upset him to no end.

"We could tie them up and shove them in a closet" Anya muttered.

"Yeah," Willow said, "Then we could take the longest run ever...she's the Slayer... and when he's angry tends to go..."

"Ripperish?" Xander ended with a shrug

"Yep" they all said.

Anya shrugged and said, "I just wanted to help..."

Xander patted her leg and said, "You're helping, love..."

"Really?" she asked smiling

"Really" he reassured her.

She leaned toward him and kissed him. Spike followed the scene for a second, then shaking his head asked, "What about we just lead them to admit their feelings?"

"Duh, Spike!" Xander said, stopping kissing Anya, "How insightful of you!"

Six pair of eyes turned toward him in surprise, Xander looked around then asked, "W...what?"

" 'Insightful' Xand? When did you learn this word?" Willow asked, surprised.

"Contrary to popular belief Will, I actually managed to listen and learn when Giles talks...and just because I choose not to...."

He was stopped by the other's laughters, at first he shook his head, then he started laughing too. When they recovered Spike said, "There's only a way, Red! You know that, I know that...we all know that!"

They eyed each other for a second before saying in unison, "Magic"

"Uh-Oh...that's *so* going to get us in trouble" Xander said.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence" Willow wryly replied, she then approached Spike asking, "Which kind of spell are you thinking about? And since when are you into magic?"

"I'm not into magic...it's just that I've seen enough of it over the last century...and I'm not dense" Spike said.

"A love spell?" Tara asked

"NO WAY IN HELL!" Spike shouted. He looked at Willow then marveling said, "No offence Red...but I don't think they need it..."

"None taken Spike, and I think you're right...uhm...what about a Mental Reading thingie?"

"Naa...as I said, he's too used to hiding his feelings...and she's pretty damn good at it too..."

They both fell silent. They paced the room for some minutes, exchanging looks from time to time, then finally she stopped pacing and said, "A truth spell?"

"It's got to be very powerful, Red. The bloody Watcher knows magic...you know..."

"We can work something out..."

"We?" Spike asked, he was all but blinking

"Yes! Tara, Anya, you and me...we have to set it up very carefully"

Spike looked at the young woman who was in front of him, losing himself for an instant in her eyes. Then something happened, he suddenly was able to feel her. Fragments of her thoughts invaded his mind, he could sense her, he narrowed his eyes thinking.

~ Are you casting a spell on me, Red? Because I can't stop watching you...I don't want to...~

Willow started, surprised to hear Spike's voice in her head. She couldn't understand what he was saying...but she could sense him.

~ What's happening? Why can I hear you? ~

She swallowed, when she clearly heard Spike's voice in her mind

~I don't know, Willow. You tell me...we have to talk about this...~

She blinked, surprised because Spike had actually used her name, instead of a nickname. She was going to say something when Xander interrupted her saying, "Hey...what I'm gonna do here?"

Willow shook her head, trying to shake Spike's presence away from her mind and smiling at his friend said, "You? You Xand, are gonna set things in motion when everything is ready"

"Alright..." Xander said smiling.

They went on, planning. They'd decided to leave, when Spike lightly grabbed her wrist and asked, "Red, do you realize, that if this thing blows up in our faces we are going to face a very brassed off Watcher and a very brassed off Slayer, and that some of us could get intimately acquainted with a bloody stake?"

Spike's voice had been serious, yet there was a teasing twinkle in his eyes. She smiled at him and said, "You've gotta give me some credit, Spike...I've improved a lot lately."

"Yeah, we'll see." the others had reached the door and were waiting for them, Spike raised his voice and continued, "In the meantime, I'd like to have a word with you"

He looked at Willow's friends and eyed them, then draping an arm around Willow's shoulders said, "Alone"