WHO'S TIMMY AND WHY IS HE IN A WELL?

[ 4.09 ]

Kitty walked alongside Buffy and Willow through the graveyard, patrolling and talking. Buffy was going on about how Riley asked her on a picnic date, which she was actually really looking forward to. But it was certainly something she wasn't used to.

"It's just, different, you know?" Buffy asked them. "A picnic. First of all, daylight — kind of a new venue, Buffywise. And the best part — he said he would bring all the food, so all I have to do was to show up and eat. Those are two things I'm really good at."

"So he's nice?" Kitty asked. Sure, she hadn't spoken to Riley for very long, so she didn't have a real reason for not liking him. And it wasn't that she didn't like him — but something about him rubbed her the wrong way.

"Very, very," Buffy confirmed.

"And there's sparkage?" Willow asked.

"Yeah. He's — have you seen his arms? Those are good arms to have," she gushed. "I really like him. I do."

Willow raised an eyebrow, seeing the hesitancy on her face. "But?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I really like being around him, you know? And I think he cares about me, but I just feel like something's missing."

"He's not making you miserable?" Willow asked.

Kitty would've gone with 'he's not Angel' but knew it wasn't what Buffy needed to hear, especially since only a day had passed since she saw Angel in LA.

"Exactly," Buffy said. "Riley seems so solid. Like he wouldn't cause me heartache."

"Get out. Get out while there's still time," Willow said with fake worry that made Kitty smile.

"I know. I have to get away from that bad boy thing. There's no good there," she admitted to herself. "Seeing Angel in LA, even for five minutes — hello to the pain."

"The pain is not a friend even if Angel is," Kitty said, sighing. She wished the two could work things out.

"But I can't help thinking — isn't that where the fire comes from?" Buffy asked. "Can a nice, safe relationship be that intense? I know it's nuts, but part of me believes that real love and passion have to go hand in hand with pain and fighting."

A vampire suddenly jumped at them from behind a bush, ready to attack. None of them even flinched as Buffy staked him instantly and continued walking.

"I wonder where I get that from."

"Probably from that," Kitty said, pointing back at the pile of vampire dust. "I gotta get going. I promised Spike I'd move my TV into the bathroom so he has something to watch."

Buffy and Willow both shared a look. "Or you could treat him like the prisoner that he is," Buffy suggested.

"Well, no matter what he's done in the past, no one should be bored while chained up in a bathtub," she said, shrugging. "And he apologized for trying to bite me that night we escaped. We're five by five now."

"You're a little too forgiving, Kitty," Buffy said.

"While I don't agree with waiting on Spike hand and foot," Willow spoke up. "I wouldn't complain about her forgiveness. Quite literally every single one of us has benefitted from her Cupid inability to hold a grudge."

"Well yeah," Buffy said pouting. "But that doesn't mean you gotta be nice to Spike or use Faith's dumb words."

"That's not very five by five of you," Kitty said, shoving her hands in her pocket.

"I don't think you used it right that time," Willow said, tilting her head as she thought. "Well, I guess it maybe works."

"And it's not like I'm friends with Spike, but it seems he's living with me and G indefinitely, so might as well be nice to each other," she said, shrugging.

Willow glanced down at Kitty's feet. "Ah, so you're returning his boots?"

"No fucking way," Kitty replied quickly. She picked up a foot to look down at the thick sole. "These make me like a whole inch taller, and I need all the height I can get. Spike can suck it."

"Was that meant to be a vamp pun?" Buffy asked.

"Nope. Just a happy accident."

♡︎

"Kitty, get out of the bathtub."

"But I'm not done!"

"Get off him!"

"It's hard to reach him in any other position with the chains on."

"Kitty, this isn't a salon!"

"I'm almost done, Buff. It all chipped off in the prison place," Kitty explained. "Just keep questioning him and ignore me."

While Giles was warming up a cup of blood for Spike to drink, Buffy and Kitty were in the bathroom. Spike was chained up in the bathtub and had his feet resting on the other end. Kitty was straddling his knees with his bound hands in her lap, carefully painting his nails.

Spike was under the impression that Kitty was painting them black as he always wore but he wasn't aware the girl didn't own black nail polish. She opted against using pink — though the thought made her giggle. Kitty was painting a clear topcoat with flecks of silver glitter on his bare nails, thinking that it'd match all the silver rings on his fingers nicely.

Buffy let out an exasperated sigh before letting the nail polish thing go. "So, you saw their faces but you can't describe them?"

"Well, they were human," Spike said, playing coy. "Two eyes each, kind of in the middle."

"Uh-huh. And the lab?" she asked.

"Underground. I came out through an air vent. I don't know exactly where," he claimed. "I'm done. Put the telly on."

After Spike nodded his head to Kitty's TV that was sitting on the sink, Giles came in. He was carrying a mug that Kitty gifted him, which said 'Kiss the Librarian' and had a straw in it.

"It's about time," Spike groaned, who had been keeping up with the 'I haven't fed in weeks' bit. "Hope you got it warm enough."

Giles didn't say a word as he handed Buffy the mug. She sighed once more and made a disgusted face before moving it close enough for Spike to drink. Just to annoy Buffy, he made a big deal out of it, making slurping noises.

After getting a good sip, he rolled his eyes at Buffy's face. "I don't know why you're so dainty all of a sudden. You've done this for Angel — you must have."

In response, Buffy yanked the mug away, leaving Spike with the straw dangling from his lips. It flailed around before he dropped it on his shirt.

"Ew," Kitty whispered, cringing at the tiny spot of blood that landed on her arm.

"Hey! Give it!" Spike shouted.

"Okay, that's it. The invalid amnesiac routine is over. The kitchen is closed until you can tell me something useful about the commandos," Buffy said, glaring at him.

"I'm tryin' to remember. It was very traumatic," he told her.

"How long are you going to pull this crap?" she asked.

"How long am I going to live once I tell you?" he shot back.

Giles sighed, speaking up before Buffy could punch Spike. "Look, look, Spike, we have no intention of killing a harmless, uh, creature, but we have to know what's been done to you. We can't let you go until we're sure that you're... impotent—"

"Hey!" Spike shouted while Kitty giggled, still working on his nails.

"Sorry, poor choice of words," he muttered. "Until we're sure you're, you're—"

"Flaccid?" Buffy offered with a smile.

Spike glared at her. "You are one step away, missy."

"Giles, help!" Buffy called sarcastically. "He's going to scold me."

Spike growled and lunged forward to grab Buffy, but the chains restrained him. The movement also nearly knocked Kitty over, who grabbed Spike's thighs to stay upright. Then she swatted his wrist and pulled his hands back to finish his last two fingers.

"You know what? I don't think you want us to let you go. Maybe we made it a little too comfy in here for ya," Buffy said, peering down at Spike.

Spike scoffed. "Comfy? I'm chained in a bathtub drinkin' pig's blood from a novelty mug. Doesn't rank huge in the Zagat's Guide."

"You want something nicer?" she asked, leaning closer to Kitty. "Got a snack in the tub right on your lap." Kitty held back a snort and let Buffy turn her head to the side, exposing her neck and dragging a finger across it. "Just look at Kitten's poor neck. All bare and tender and exposed. All that Cupid blood just... pumping away."

"Oh, please," Giles scoffed, walking from the room so he didn't have to see the childish teasing.

Spike's mouth was watering, his eyes boring into Kitty's throat. Part of him thought tasting Kitty's blood was a curse, as it was heavenly. He leaned forward, though the chains kept him in place. And if not for them, the chip in his head would keep Kitty safe.

"Giles, make her stop!" Spike whined helplessly, collapsing back against the tub. But Giles was too busy discussing a truth spell with Willow to care.

"Buffy, that tickles," Kitty said, giggling as Buffy continued to run her finger over Kitty's neck. She turned her head to playfully nip at Buffy's finger. "He may not can bite, but I can."

"Ooh, am I gonna get a little show?" Spike asked, now smirking devilishly as he raised an eyebrow.

Buffy scoffed and moved away from Kitty. "I hate you," she spat.

"And I'm starving," Spike lied while looking at the mug of blood.

With an eye roll, Buffy grabbed the mug once more and picked up the bloody straw that was on his chest. Then she put it near his mouth so he could drink once more.

"Bye, Kitty! Buffy, I'll see you at home," Willow shouted from the front of the apartment.

"Bye!" Buffy said.

"Bye, babe!" Kitty called.

Giles finally came back into the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe. "Um, Willow may have had a very helpful idea. She seems to be coping better with Oz's departure, don't you think?"

"She still has a way to go, but yeah, I think she's dealing," Buffy said softly.

"What, are you people blind?" Spike asked, scoffing. "She's hangin' on by a thread. Any ninny can see that."

"He's right," Kitty said, putting the cap back on her nail polish bottle.

"Is this gonna be a thing? Taking his side and painting his nails?" Buffy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not taking his side. It's just a Cupid vibe. Let's face it, Willow and Oz were the healthiest, longest relationship any of us have ever been in. I'm still torn up, and we were just close friends," Kitty explained. She missed Oz's sarcastic comments and dry humor. "She's just been distracting herself with everything else going on."

"I suppose that's a fair observation," Giles admitted. Then he glanced at the bottle of nail polish in Kitty's hand. "A bit flashy for our prisoner, no?"

"Flashy?" Spike questioned. He yanked his hands off Kitty's lap and took in the flecks of silver glitter on his nails. "What the bloody hell is this? You said you were using black!"

"I said no such thing!" Kitty insisted, for once not gaslighting him. "I said I could paint your nails since I'm not used to seeing you without it. You're the dummy that assumed I was gonna use black. Do I look like a person that uses black?"

Spike sputtered while glaring at her. "You could've used blue or red or green. Not this glittery shit!"

"But it matches all your jewelry, see," Kitty said, pointing to his skull ring and the several other, less flashy ones. And he had a silver chain around his neck. Then she pouted. "Do you not like it?"

Spike held out his hand as much as he could with the chains and observed her work. He then glanced between it and the pout on her lips a few times before sighing. "Least it's not pink, I suppose."

"And what's wrong with pink?"

♡︎

Kitty sat on the counter in the kitchen, eating leftover donuts from the bakery while Giles began to dial Willow's number. She was supposed to come over that morning to help Giles use a truth spell on Spike, but she was a no-show.

In the bathroom, Spike was trying to reach the TV with no success. "Come on, now! It's telly time!" he shouted.

Giles rolled his eyes while only getting the answering machine. "Oh, uh, Willow, it's Giles. Um, I thought you were bringing the ingredients for that spell? I really have to—"

"Passions is on!" Spike yelled. "Timmy's down the bloody well, and if you make me miss it, I'll—"

"You'll do what?" Giles interrupted. "Lick me to death?"

Kitty couldn't help but laugh as she slid off the counter and made her way to the bathroom. Spike sighed in relief when she moved to turn the TV set on after shoving the rest of the donut in her mouth.

"Who's Timmy and why is he in a well?" she asked while finding the channel.

"He was a doll that was brought to life by the witch Tabitha to help with her evil schemes," he explained. "But ya know, he's got a real tendency to help out the good guys. A shame."

"A doll?" Kitty questioned, landing on the right channel for the soap opera that would come on in a few minutes. "What's this show even about?"

"In short, it follows the lives of four families in Harmony, New England—"

"Harmony like our Harmony?" Kitty interrupted.

"Yeah, like our Harmony. But unlike other, boring shows, it's got paranormal twists to it. Very riveting, and I missed so much while locked in that place," he complained. "So, no talking while it's on."

"Oh," she said, looking at the floor. "I was gonna watch with you since it's the TV out of my room, but I'd probably ask a lot of questions."

"Well, what if you save questions for the commercial breaks?" He wouldn't say it out loud, but Spike wouldn't mind having a companion to watch Passions with. Neither Drusilla nor Harmony ever showed interest in it.

"Let me get a piece of paper so I can write them down in case I forget," she said, rushing out of the room. Spike couldn't help but smile as he heard her bare feet hitting the floor while she ran to find something to write on before the show started. Then she was back, blowing hair out of her face while taking a seat on the floor next to the bathtub he was in.

"Anything important I need to know before it comes on?" Kitty asked, raising an eyebrow while resting her chin on the edge of the tub.

"Okay, so the four families are the Russells, Cranes, Bennetts, and Lopez-Fitzgeralds..."

♡︎

When night arrived, Kitty left Giles with the Spike babysitting and met her friends at the Bronze. She sat at a table with Buffy, Xander, and Anya. Buffy was telling them about how Willow learned Oz asked Devon to mail him the rest of his things. It looked like Oz wasn't planning on returning to Sunnydale at all, which left Willow crushed.

"Geez, you mean Oz just sent for his stuff and didn't even call her? That's pretty harsh," Xander muttered.

"I only wish I had my powers back. I'd liquify his entrails for her," Anya said, shaking her head.

"Oh, that's really sweet," Kitty said, smiling at Anya. Especially because she and Willow didn't really get along, so it was nice to offer.

"God, poor Will. No wonder she's—" Xander paused, spotting Willow dancing up a storm on the dance floor with a smile on her face. "—having a wonderful time."

"Wow," Buffy said, watching her. "Way to rebound."

"I believe that's the dance of a Brave Little Toaster," Xander joked.

"Can I be Lampy?" Kitty asked, thinking about the movie.

Xander scoffed. "Please, Kitty. You're a total Blanky, and there's no denying it."

"Fair," she said, nodding.

Then Willow came over from the dance floor, seeming like she was on top of the world instead of grieving. "Hey, guys! C'mon! This music's great!"

"It's nice to see you brought your boogie shoes tonight, Will," Xander noted.

"Yeah. I know I've been sort of a party-poop lately, so I said to myself, 'Self!' I said, 'It's time to shake and shimmy it off,'" Willow told them.

"Sounds like a good policy," Buffy replied.

"Yeah! And it works, too. You know, I figure, in the grand scheme of things, we're all just—"

As Willow grabbed her jacket off her chair, a bottle of beer fell out from under it, spilling the alcohol all over the floor. Buffy raised an eyebrow as they all stared at it.

"Drunk?" Buffy said to finish her sentence.

Willow laughed as she picked up the bottle. "Drunk. I mean, that's such a-a strong word. Kind of a guttural Anglo-Saxon word. Drunk."

"Will, not loving the drowning of the sorrows," Xander said, watching as she swayed back and forth.

"Not drowning — wading," she insisted while pointing and the bottle. "A-a-and see? Light. No big."

"No big?" Buffy asked, laughing humorlessly. "Anyone remember when Buffy had the fun beer-fest and went one million years B.C.?"

Kitty had to hold back from laughing at the memory of Buffy turning into a literal cavewoman along with her new drinking buddies — the bar owner's revenge attempt on some stupid boys. The overall lesson was that drinking too much was bad, especially when none of them were twenty-one.

"Sadly without the fuzzy bikini," Xander muttered, thinking about cavewoman Buffy.

Anya nudged him jealously. "Off-topic, Xander."

"Right. Topic now," he said, getting up and walking to Willow. "Will, how about you give me that beer?"

"No!" she exclaimed, clutching the bottle to her chest. "Why should I? I've got pain, here — big-time legitimate pain."

"We all have pain, Will," he said gently.

"Oh, like what? 'Oh, poor me... I live in a basement.' Yeah, that's dire," Willow said, rolling her eyes as she mocked him.

Xander, offended, just shook his head and walked back over to Anya. It was now Buffy and Kitty's turn to get up and talk with her.

"Okay, you know what? That's it. I'm taking you home," Buffy said, placing a hand on her arm.

Willow pulled herself away angrily. "No, I don't want to."

"Will, you'll thank her when you still have a friend in the morning," Kitty said, knowing that things would only go downhill if Willow stuck around.

"Says the one that made Spike her new best friend," Willow grumbled. Then she sighed. "I just can't stand feeling this way. I want it to be over."

"It will," Buffy said. "I promise. But it's gonna take time."

"Well, that's not good enough," she whined.

Buffy smiled sadly, remembering all her heartache from Angel. "I know. It's just how it is. You have to go through the pain."

"Well, isn't there some way I can just make it go away?" Willow asked. "Just 'cause I say so? Can't I just make it go 'poof'?"

"Sorry, Will," Kitty said, letting Willow lean on her shoulder. "If there was an anti-love Cupid, I'd send them your way."

"I appreciate the thought."

♡︎

Since Willow never did bring the spell ingredients to Giles, he had to go over to the dorm the next day and get it. Now, Spike was moved out of the bathroom and sitting on the floor in the living room while Giles waved burning sage around the room. Kitty watched from the couch, anxious for the truth spell.

She hadn't brought up the potential other Cupid again, but if anyone might know something about them, it'd be Spike. Maybe, just maybe, the Cupid was trapped in the same place he was, being experimented on and starved. So when she finally asked Spike, he wouldn't be able to lie about it now.

Giles started to read from the spellbook. "Elobe, enemy, be now, quiet."

"You know, not too keen about this spell stuff," Spike said, watching him uneasily. "Tends to be a bit unpredictable."

"Yes, well, you might have thought about that sooner," Giles told him before continuing. "Um, let your deceitful tongue be... be - Uh, let no... untruths... be spoken..."

Giles put the book down in frustration, having trouble making out the words. Worried about him, Kitty got off the couch and moved to check on him. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket to clean his glasses, and neither he nor Kitty noticed that the key to Spike's chains fell out as well.

"Hey, what's that all about?" Spike asked, eying the key.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. I just got ash in my eye," Giles said.

"Well, I won't have you doin' mojo on me if you can't read properly. You might turn me into a stink beetle or whatall," he muttered.

"T'would be a generous ending for you, Spike," he shot back.

"Are you sure you're alright? You've been rubbing your eyes all day," Kitty said. She stood on her toes to see if there was something funny-looking about his eyes.

"I'm fine, Ki—"

Spike jumped up, suddenly free, and he pushed Giles out of the way as he ran to the door. Giles was knocked into Kitty, who cursed as Spike fled. She took off after him, grabbing her skateboard by the door, as he'd be faster on foot as a vampire.

"Call Buffy!" Kitty yelled while going out the door. "I'll try to keep him in sight!"

Kitty managed to keep up with Spike for the most part, who ran closer to campus. Which wasn't very smart, as Buffy was on campus and would no doubt track him down.

"Hey, stop!" Kitty shouted as he booked it across the grass. She couldn't keep up on the skateboard, meaning she had to grab it and run after him. "Spike, stop, please! I hate running! Stop!"

Then a funny thing happened. Spike did stop, right in the middle of the quad outside Buffy's dorm.

Kitty stopped next to him, catching her breath and she squinted at him. "Why'd you stop?"

"I - I don't—" Spike looked around, clearly confused.

Then Buffy came running out of her dorm and instantly spotted them. "Thought that was gonna take longer," she said, frowning as she came closer.

"Me too. Musta got... turned around," he said, looking at his surroundings in confusion. Then he looked back and forth from the ground to a tree behind him. "Hang - hang on, this - this is it. Wait, no — yes."

"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked as he pointed at the grass.

"The lab. Commando lab. The door was right here where I escaped!" Spike insisted, gesturing to the ground.

Kitty and Buffy shared a doubtful look, seeing a lawn instead of an entrance to an underground lab. "I don't think so," Buffy told him.

Spike ignored her and fell to the ground, beginning to tear up the grass. "Open up! I'm gonna kill you!"

"Spike," Kitty said carefully, afraid he'd snap at her, "there's nothing there."

"Let me in!" Spike shouted angrily. Then he let out a dejected sigh. "Fix me."

"Okay, drop the act," Buffy said, grabbing him by the arm.

He pushed her off and stood on his own. "Get off!"

"Okay, that's it. I'm gonna gag you—"

Spike punched Buffy in the nose, which hardly affected her, but he yelled in pain and clutched his head. Buffy retaliated by punching him back in the nose, and he yelled in pain again.

Kitty rocked back and forth on her toes, smiling at Buffy, who was growing more annoyed. "You two seem like you have fun."

"We don't," Buffy deadpanned.

♡︎

Buffy came barging into Giles' apartment with a tied-up Spike in tow and Kitty trailing behind. The Slayer had no problem with catching his shoulder on the doorframe as she brought him in.

"Hey! Watch it!" he whined.

"One more word out of you, and I swear—"

"Swear, what?" Spike cut her off. "You're not gonna do anything to me. You don't got the stones."

"Oh, I got the stones. I got a whole bunch of... stones," Buffy said, faltering a bit.

Spike smirked down at her. "Yeah? You're all talk."

"GILES!" Buffy shouted. "I accidentally killed Spike. That's okay, right?"

"Uh, uh, um, just a minute," he called from the bathroom.

"I get this spell reversed, they'll be finding your body for weeks," Spike threatened, glaring at Buffy.

She rolled her eyes and forced him into a chair. "Oh, make a move, please. I'm dying for a good slay," she shot back. Then Buffy turned to Kitty. "Watch him and make sure he doesn't escape again. I'm gonna go get Giles. We can't risk this happening again."

"Got it," Kitty said, moving to stand across from the chair Spike was in.

"Thank god, you're leaving," Spike grumbled.

Buffy rolled her eyes before going to find Giles. He was standing in front of the bathroom mirror and putting eye drops in.

"How'd he even escape?" Buffy asked, crossing her arms.

"Uh, um, it's my fault. I got something in my - my eye. Dropped the key near him without realizing," Giles said, taking the blame as he rubbed his eyes. "I apologize, but thankfully, you caught him. We can - we can go on with the spell now."

"Okay. Maybe make sure whatever it is isn't still in your eye," Buffy said, frowning as Giles continued to blink rapidly while they left the bathroom. "Though, the thought of no more Spike was kind of nice. Could do without his and Kitty's new friendship—"

Buffy and Giles came to a stop when they walked into the living room. Kitty was the one sitting in the chair Spike was once occupying. His ropes were forgotten on the ground as he knelt in front of her, holding her hand gently.

"It's just so sudden," Kitty admitted, shaking her head as her eyes watered. "I don't know what to say."

"Just say yes," Spike breathed out, staring deep into her eyes. "And make me the happiest man on earth."

"Oh, Spike! Of course, it's yes!" she said.

Kitty surged forward to hug Spike tightly. Then he pulled her into a soft, celebratory kiss. As they pulled away, Spike delicately tucked a strand of hair behind Kitty's ear while pressing his forehead to hers as they both smiled.

To the side, Giles removed his glasses to clean them stressfully while Buffy couldn't move, frozen with shock and disgust.

Then Kitty turned her head and noticed them. She moved back from Spike a little and grinned. "Giles! Buffy! You'll never believe what's happened!"

They stared at her as if they'd gone crazy as Kitty held up her left hand. Spike's silver skull ring sat on her ring finger.

"Phone," Buffy said, finally able to speak. "Giles, phone. Call. Someone. Anyone. Phone!"

Giles did as instructed and quickly dialed Willow's number, figuring she could fix this with a spell. Though he only got her answering machine, as she was over at Xander's place. "Willow, it's-it's me. Something's happened. I need your help. I can't see very well. Everything's blurred. I'm certain it's a spell of some kind, because, well, it seems something else is going wrong."

He watched through hazy vision as Kitty returned from the kitchen with a mug of blood in her hands. She walked to Spike, who was lounging in the recliner, and she curled up on his lap while offering him the blood.

"Here you go," she said sweetly. "98.6, just like you like it." Then she leaned down and pecked his lips.

Buffy reached for the phone, ready to vomit at the sight. "Horribly wrong, Willow. Nightmarish! Pick up the phone!"

"There's so much to decide," Kitty said, leaning her head on Spike's chest. "Ceremony, guests, reception."

"We should do pink flowers," he told her. "It's your favorite color." Kitty aw'd softly and kissed his cheek. "Next thing I'd say, we're not having a church wedding," Spike declared.

"Course not," she said, knowing he wouldn't like that. "Ooh, what about a nighttime ceremony in the park? Angel and Harmony and all your friends can come."

Spike cupped her face, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "I love how considerate you are."

"Well, as opposed to what? Having it in the daytime? I don't wanna be registering as Mr. and Mrs. Big-Pile-of-Dust," Kitty said, pouting at the very thought of losing him.

"Oh, don't pout, love," he said, looking at her lips. "Look at that lip. Gonna get it. Gonna get it."

Kitty giggled as Spike leaned forward with a smirk. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth before turning it into a passionate kiss. Kitty slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull herself close.

"God, stop!" Buffy said, having to look away as Spike's tongue entered Kitty's mouth.

"Yes, please stop," Giles said, taking a huge swig of scotch. He was a little glad he couldn't properly see.

Kitty ended her kiss with Spike but ran her finger over his lips. He lightly nipped at her fingertip while staring up at her with desire. She turned to Giles and Buffy on the couch, mindlessly trailing her fingers over Spike's chest. "Giles, did you see my ring?"

"Thankfully, not very well," he muttered.

"Well, it's silver and not gold like you like," Buffy said under her breath. She knew they couldn't actually reason with Kitty while this was happening. "And there's not even a diamond."

"Don't be silly, Buffy," Kitty said, shaking her head. "Diamonds and metal don't matter. All that matters is the man I love."

That earned an eye roll from Buffy and Giles. After Spike kissed the side of Kitty's forehead, she got off the chair and went over to them.

"I'm not crazy," Kitty told them, sitting across from them on the coffee table. "And I know that you probably don't approve — neither of you. But Giles, I know I don't technically have a biological father, but you are my father. You're my family, and it'd mean everything to me if you'd give me away."

Giles smiled softly, touched by the gesture. "Oh, Kitty. That's... that's so—" He quickly came to his senses as Buffy kicked his ankle. "Oh! For God's sake! This is nonsense. Something is making you act this way. Don't you realize what you're doing?"

"Living a dream," she said, looking back at Spike.

"He's gonna have to take a bit of time to get used to it, Kitten," Spike told her, not upset about Giles' reaction.

"They all will," she agreed before turning back to Giles and Buffy. "But no one was crazy about Angel when he and Buff started dating. It's understandable for all of us to have doubts."

"Us? Doubts?" Spike said, sitting up with worry in his eyes. "What doubts, love? You should have none. Tell me, and I'll ease all your worries."

Kitty shyly looked down. "Well, you're just so experienced, Spike. What if you get bored of me?"

"Is this - is this about Drusilla?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe it is," she admitted. "You were together centuries, Spikey. You think I don't live with the shadow of her over my head? That I'm not wondering if you're going to be thinking of her on our honeymoon when you're making... sweet love to me?"

At the thought of all that sweet love, Kitty sighed dreamily and moved back to his lap. They began making out again, much to Buffy's annoyance. Giles reached for his glass of scotch, only to knock it to the floor.

Kitty pulled away and looked at him. "Giles, are you okay?"

"I rather think not," he said, not staring at anything in particular. " I seem to be rather... rather blind. Completely, in fact."

Both Buffy and Kitty got up and moved to him. "What? How could this happen?" Buffy asked. Kitty waved her hand in front of Giles' face, getting no reaction.

"A spell, I believe," Giles said. It was whatever spell was doing this to Kitty and Spike, he and Buffy suspected.

"Well, we'll fix it. Don't worry," Kitty said.

"What you want is a general reversal spell," Spike said. He'd moved to a bookshelf to begin searching. "Gonna need supplies."

Buffy glared at him. "Are you helping him?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, it's almost like he's my father-in-law, in'nt?" he asked with a smile.

"See?" Kitty said to them, warmth filling her. "This is how it's gonna be. Spike'll even take care of you while Buffy and I are at the magic shop." She stood and walked to Spike, who wrapped her in his arms. "From now on, we're a family."

Spike craned his head down to run his nose along her neck before kissing her there. Then he turned Kitty in his arms to kiss her once more.

Buffy groaned and turned from the sight. "Magic Box, now!"

Giles stood and slowly felt his way to the kitchen, not wanting to hear the giggles and coos and — god help him — moans coming from the couple he couldn't see. "That's alright. I have more scotch."

♡︎

After returning from the Magic Box — Kitty and Buffy ran into Riley on the way, who graciously accepted an informal invite to Kitty's wedding — Buffy sorted through all the spell ingredients while Kitty found herself back in Spike's lap.

"You took her into a bridal shop?" Giles asked Buffy, trying to stay calm.

"It was right by the Magic Box, and she got all teary when she saw the dress in the window, and I was distracted by Riley, and—"

As Buffy went over the trip with Giles, Kitty had a cake topper in hand of a bride and groom. She walked it up Spike's arm while humming the wedding march.

"Duh dum, da-da. Duh dum, da-da, duh dum da da dum da da dum da da."

Though Giles couldn't see, he could still hear. "So the plan is to cure my total, incapacitating blindness tomorrow?" he asked, seeing as Kitty wasn't bothering with helping.

"They were all out of Tagas Root at the magic shop," Buffy had to tell him, frowning. "They'll have more tomorrow."

"Yeah, Buff is on top of it," Kitty said, still staring at the figurines. "Aren't they a perfect little us?"

"I don't like him," Spike complained. "He's insipid. Clearly human."

"Ooh, red paint," Kitty suggested. "We could smear a little on his mouth — blood of the innocent. He'll be perfect, just like you."

Spike grinned, glad that she understood him so much. "That's my girl."

He grabbed the back of Kitty's head and pulled her into yet another kiss. Kitty hummed happily and melted against him. Her hands wandered to his hair, getting tangled up as they pressed even closer together.

"Stop that right now!" Giles exclaimed when a whimper hit his ears. "I can hear the smacking."

"It's worse to see," Buffy said, banging her head against the wall she was leaning on. "Trust me."

Finished with kissing — for now, at least — Kitty reached for a notebook she'd retrieved at the bridal shop. "Honey, we need to talk about the invitations. Now, do you wanna be William the Bloody, or just Spike? 'Cause, either way, it's gonna look majorly weird."

"Whereas the name Kitty gives it that touch of classic elegance," he said, rolling his eyes.

"First, my full name is Katherine, but I'm not using that," she said. "Xander named me Kitty, and I like it. What's wrong with Kitty?"

"Huh, such a good question," Giles muttered, earning a nod from Buffy.

"There's nothing wrong with the name Kitty. It's not common, but I'd never change it," Spike said, cupping her cheek. "You've been my little Kitten since the moment I saw you."

Kitty hummed happily and leaned down to kiss him again. Buffy groaned loudly to stop them. "I'm gonna scoop my eyeballs out and put them in the dishwasher if you kiss one more time in front of us."

Kitty bit her lip flirtatiously while toying with the collar of Spike's shirt. "Well, we could always go up to my bedroom—"

"Absolutely not!" Giles said, sitting up on the couch. "That is where I draw the line—"

Giles was cut off by Anya and Xander, who suddenly burst through the front door. Everyone stood in alarm as Xander moved a bookshelf in front of the door, barricading it.

"Board up the windows, and barricade the doors," Xander instructed, out of breath from running.

"What's going on?" Giles asked.

"Demons. They keep coming and coming," Anya said, having never seen anything like it. And she'd seen a lot as a vengeance demon.

"I think we lost them, but I couldn't see," Xander added. Then he spotted Spike, who was standing next to Kitty, holding her hand. "Spike! He's all untied!" He paused for a moment. "Which you probably noticed."

"Xander, calm down, okay? If you lost them, that'll give us some time to figure this out," Kitty told him. Then she looked at Spike. "Maybe the demons have something to do with Giles being blind."

"Giles is blind?" Anya questioned.

Xander walked over to Giles and waved his fingers in front of his face. "Please stop whatever you're doing," Giles requested. "You smell like fruit roll-ups."

"This is the crack team that foils my every plan?" Spike asked, rolling his eyes. "I am deeply shamed."

"Spike's right," Kitty said, hanging on his arm. "We really should get organized."

Anya and Xander both stared at Spike and Kitty, finally noticing their hands that had been intertwined the whole time. "Why are you holding hands?" Anya asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kitty and Spike shared a loving look before he spoke. "They have to hear it sooner or later."

"Spike and I are getting married!" Kitty announced excitedly, waving her ring finger around.

Xander stared at his best friend in disbelief. "How? What? How?"

"Three excellent questions," Giles muttered.

Spike noticed how Kitty was staring up at him. "What are you lookin' at?"

"The man I love," she answered sweetly, placing her hand under his jaw.

As they kissed yet again, it was Anya and Xander's turn to be disgusted. "Can I be blind, too?" Xander asked.

"There's a waiting list," Buffy grumbled. "They're very... affectionate."

"Wait, married!" Xander said, suddenly remembering something. He clutched his head and shut his eyes to think. "I know something. What is it? Everything's so familiar. Work, brain — work! Oh! Oh-oh! Willow!"

"Mm — what about Will — Mmm, honey, get off," Kitty said in between kissing Spike. She finally ended the kissing and looked at Xander.

"Something about Willow and her griefy-poor-me mood swings — so, so tired of it," he couldn't help but say.

"You mean I don't have to be nice about her anymore?" Anya asked hopefully.

"Well, we're all tired of it, but what does it have to do with what's going on?" Buffy asked him.

"She told me I was a demon magnet, a-and those two should get married," Xander said, gesturing to Spike and Kitty, who were wrapped around each other like vines.

"And that I didn't see anything," Giles said in realization.

"She did a spell," Buffy said. It was probably why she caught Spike so soon after he escaped.

"Yes, to have her will done," Giles explained. "Whatever she says is coming true."

"And you both were affected," Kitty said to Giles and Xander. "I probably only escaped because I'm a Cupid. Like the same natural immunity when it comes to love spells."

"Yeah. Right," Xander said flatly. "You're marrying Spike because you're so right for each other."

"Xand," Kitty whined, hurt by his words. "You're my best friend. Why can't you just support me? I'm all for your relationship with Anya. I'm the only one that doesn't care about all the vengeance and murder she's done."

"That's actually a fair point," Anya whispered to Xander.

"I'm not supporting this because it's not real!" he snapped. If he wasn't so scared of Spike, he'd go and yank Kitty away from him — Xander didn't quite trust the chip in his head yet.

"That's it," Spike said, angry at the tears in Kitty's eyes caused by Xander. "You're off the usher list."

Giles sighed, knowing they were getting off-topic. "People, Willow is out there and she probably doesn't know what she's doing."

"We gotta find her," Xander stated.

"Before somebody gets really hurt," Buffy added.

Giles nodded in agreement and started to move forward, only to fall over the couch and land on the other side.

Kitty winced and moved to help him up. "Like that."

♡︎

Buffy, Xander, and Anya all kept a wide berth of Kitty and Spike as they walked down the hallway of the dorm. They held hands the entire time, and every now and then, Spike would lean down to whisper in her ear, earning giggles and kisses on the cheek from Kitty — whether it was sweet nothings or dirty propositions, the gang didn't want to know.

"Why does he have to come?" Xander asked just after Spike lifted their hands to kiss Kitty's knuckles.

"Xander, Spike is going to be my husband. I want him included," Kitty told him.

"And Kitty started crying when we suggested the separate," Buffy said under her breath.

"Now, Xander, you're her best friend, so I'd like for us to get along," Spike said civilly.

"Spike, it's safe to say that if Angel, the vampire with a soul, couldn't win me over, then you definitely can't," Xander said snidely. "I am so holding this over Kit's head when it's all over."

"It's not going to be over," Kitty said as they entered Buffy and Willow's room. "Our love is eternal, just like us."

"Vomit," Xander said, shaking his head.

While Willow wasn't in the room, it wasn't just as Buffy left it. There was a huge scorch mark on the carpet near Willow's bed. Buffy and Anya both crouched down to expect it. "This is burned," Buffy said.

"D'Hoffryn," Anya muttered. "Bastard, he's opened a portal here."

"Who?" Kitty asked, unfamiliar with the demon.

"Oh, fluffy," Spike said, having wandered to Buffy's closer. He pulled up a silky orange skirt with fuzzy lining around the hem. "Kitten, I know you borrow the Slayer's clothes a lot, but wear this to the rehearsal dinner and the whole thing's off."

"Shut up, honey," Kitty said, rolling her eyes playfully. "We've gotta find Willow to help Giles and Xander."

"D'Hoffryn — he made me a demon a thousand and a hundred twenty years ago," Anya told them all.

"Why would he attack Willow?" Buffy asked.

Anya gave her an uneasy look. "I don't believe he did."

With the room being a dead end, the group set out again. As they did, Anya shared her theory that this D'Hoffryn was offering to make Willow a vengeance demon like he had Anya. She also explained what led to him seeking her out while they walked through the cemetery.

"I'd been dumped, I was miserable, doing a few vengeance spells — boils on the pen1s, nothing fancy."

"Please skip ahead," Xander begged.

"D'Hoffryn got wind of me, he offered to elevate me," she said.

"Meaning?" Kitty asked.

"He made me a demon."

"Oh God, Willow. But, you can summon this guy from this crypt, right?" Buffy asked as they neared the crypt Anya was searching for.

"Yeah," Kitty said, nodding. "And you can make him stop — oh my God! Wouldn't this be a perfect place for pictures?"

Kitty rushed up to a white marble crypt with ivy growing alongside it. She then looked at Spike hopefully.

"I'm not one for posing, darling," he said, sighing. "We can take one, I guess. For you."

Then a demon came upon them, noticed first by Xander. He pointed at it and backed away. "Hey — demon."

As Buffy approached the demon to fight, Kitty held Spike tightly. "Try to do it without ruining the foliage!"

"Got it!" Buffy said, not really caring about the foliage as she fought the demon.

She easily tossed it aside just as another appeared. Then more and more of them kept coming, drawn to Xander, the demon magnet.

"Let's go!" Buffy ordered.

The five of them ran inside the crypt Anya needed, making sure to slam the door shut. While Anya ran to the far side and began drawing symbols in the dirt, the others worked at barricading the entrance. Demons tried to break through the small window, grabbing at Buffy and pulling her away from the door.

"Buffy!" Kitty yelled, hoping she could get herself free.

"Not doin' well here," Xander said, needing Kitty to focus and help hold the door back.

Thankfully, the window wasn't big enough for the demons to squeeze through, so once Buffy got away, they weren't a threat. She came back and helped prop the heavy top of a coffin against the door.

Spike looked at Kitty desperately. "They're strong, and I can't fight. If they get in, I don't know if I can protect you," he said, worry swimming in his eyes. "I need you to run. I need you safe."

"I'm not leaving you," Kitty said, reaching for his hand. "I can protect us."

"Oh, now's really not the time for jokes, love," he said, shaking his head.

Before Kitty could argue that she could take care of herself to an extent, the demons finally beat their way in. The force threw Kitty back, and two of the demons began fighting Xander and Spike. While they were getting their asses handed to them, Buffy at least managed to fair better against her own demon. When she finished, she grabbed the one fighting Spike and fought until it ran. But there was another demon to replace it, who burst into the crypt and threw Spike across the room.

"Spike!" Kitty yelled, worried that he was hurt. She angrily jumped at the demon — her standard move of throwing herself at monsters. While it was busy trying to get the girl off, it gave Buffy the opportunity to wield a sharp, broken piece of the coffin lid like a sword, stabbing it in the gut. The demon died instantly, sending Kitty to the ground. She immediately crawled to Spike, not caring about the two demons still with them.

"Oh, Spike," she said, brushing his hair back affectionately. "Are you okay?"

"Kitten," was all he said, eyes searching for any kind of injury on her. When he found none, Spike leaned up to kiss her passionately. Kitty threw a leg over his body to straddle him, deepening the kiss. They didn't care about Xander, who was using Kitty's move and on top of a demon while Anya hit it over the head. They didn't care about Buffy, who was struggling to get out of a headlock. They also didn't care that Willow had appeared in the crypt suddenly, taking in the chaotic scene with wide eyes.

All that mattered was Kitty's hands sliding under Spikes's shirt to feel his toned torso, and his own hands that were grabbing her hips hard enough to leave a bruise. Kitty ground her hips against his, moaning his name against his lips.

"Let the healing power begin," Willow started to chant, tearing her eyes away from the disgusting scene Kitty and Spike were making on the floor. "Let my will be safe again. As these words of peace are spoken, let this harmful spell be broken."

Thunder crashed and lightning flashed as the spell was undone. The demons all disappeared, much to the others' relief.

Kitty continued to kiss Spike for a moment longer before her senses returned. She and Spike pulled back at the same time, staring at the other with wide eyes. Maybe they weren't absolutely horrified, but they definitely weren't in love anymore.

Kitty threw herself off Spike's lap while he crawled back. "Oh, bloody hell!" he exclaimed.

"Spike lips! Lips of Spike!" Kitty said, using her shirt to wipe her lips and tongue. As if that'd get rid of the taste of him.

Then the five of them all realized Willow was back, the one responsible for all this nonsense. Willow smiled sheepishly and waved apologetically. There wasn't much she could actually say.

"Hi, guys."

♡︎

Everything quickly went back to normal. Demons weren't drawn to Xander. Giles' vision returned to him. Spike was back to being tied up in Giles' place. And Kitty wasn't in love with Spike, thanks very much.

As a way of apologizing, Willow decided to bake. She moved a huge batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies to the plate that Anya was holding for her.

"How long are you going to keep making these?" Anya asked. It was like her third batch of cookies that day.

"Oh, until I don't feel so horribly guilty. I figure about a million chips from now. Also, I have to detail Giles' car," Willow admitted.

She took the plate from Anya and walked over to where Xander and Giles were sitting. Xander was holding a small clock up to Giles.

"Time."

Giles rolled his eyes, having already proved that he could see. "Five past two. Thursday."

"Look, Will made cookies," Kitty said from across the room by Buffy. "A very not-evil thing she did. They're oatmeal."

Giles scowled at Kitty before taking a cookie. "Yes, very funny, they're chocolate chip. I can see them. I still need my glasses, though. You could be more specific and give me twenty-twenty."

Willow smiled in amusement before moving on to Buffy and Kitty, who were sitting across from the bound Spike. She held out the plate. "Eat a cookie, ease my pain?"

Though Buffy wasn't particularly inconvenienced by the spell, she took one anyway. Kitty shoved an entire one in her mouth.

"Better?" Kitty asked, her words garbled from the chewing.

"Well, baking lifts about thirty percent of my guilt, but only seven percent of my inner turmoil," Willow told them. "Guess that'll just take a while."

"It'll happen," Buffy said, squeezing Willow's shoulder comfortingly.

"Don't I get a cookie?" Spike asked, eying the plate.

"No," Buffy said flatly.

"Well, I gotta have something. I still have Kitty taste in my mouth," he grumbled.

Kitty rolled her eyes, as if she wasn't in the same boat he was. "You don't gotta be a pig, Spike."

"Yeah, well I'm not the one who wanted Angel to sing a slow ballad version of I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) for the first dance," Spike said, loud enough for the others to hear. Everyone in the living room turned to judgingly stare at Kitty.

"That was the spell," she quickly said in embarrassment. "And the lyrics are beautiful — shut up!"

Spike snickered as Kitty walked off. Buffy rolled her eyes and shoved a cookie in his mouth before she and Willow followed Kitty into the kitchen.

"Did I mention about the sorry part?" Willow asked Kitty, a frown on her face.

"We may be into a forgetting spell later," Kitty said, sighing. "I loved him. We were betrothed."

"Yeah, it was definitely freaky watching from the front row," Buffy told her. "I'll never complain about you painting his nails ever again so long as it means I don't have to watch him stick his tongue down your throat."

"Was it worse than what I arrived to?" Willow asked, not having witnessed the effects of her spell. "Cause I think they were about to have crypt floor sex."

"Let's just say that we gave Xander and Anya a run for their money," Kitty mumbled, looking at the ground. That made Willow gag, knowing how affectionate and open about their sex life Anya was. "Also, I need to tell you guys a secret, because I can't be the only one burdened with this knowledge."

"When have you ever been burdened with any knowledge?" Buffy joked.

Kitty shoved her and rolled her eyes playfully. "Seriously, Will, look into a memory spell, because I don't wanna live every day knowing that Spike is an insanely good kisser."

"Ew!" both girls squealed.

"I don't wanna know that!" Buffy whined. Willow nodded in agreement.

"Neither do I," Kitty hissed. "Now we all have to know."

"I can find a spell to remove his lips," Willow offered, making Kitty laugh.

"I really wish you wouldn't have told us, Kitty, because now, my teenage girl interest is piqued," Buffy said. She peeked around the corner and watched as Spike leaned his head back, trying to balance the cookie on his chin and continue to eat it without hands. "When you say insanely good?"

"Like, it's unfair," Kitty said, scoffing. "I'm talking knees weak, head swimming, thigh-clenching quality kissing. And he does this thing with his tongue—"

"Okay!" Buffy interrupted quickly. "Changed my mind! Don't wanna know! God, so don't wanna know."