In Which the Beans are Spilled in Spilsby 

It was a lovely place, a cottage really, just like the paintings found in every gallery in every summer vacation spot in America,

white, stark sharp white almost blinding white sideboard and lattice work overgrown with roses and petunias. Red and white and pink roses (so close to each other and let’s cross pollinate like crazy and who cares if it’s out of control cuz it’s an English Garden and:  its roses!)

It’s was just, just like the places Willow and Tara had always mooned over.  Gathering postcards and lithographs and discussing variations--like, was the garden to the left or to the right?  Sweet peas were so cute--but would we actually eat them?    

And of course cats.  And not just because they were portable bits of heaven incarnate and man, the ancient Egyptians really, really got that one right, not just for the pillow factor but...because of the natural affinity for psychic protection.

So all the members of the coven had brought their cats, plus Willow had liberated volunteer kitties from the local shelter to come offer their services and sure, sure they could stay after it was done.  Because to do this right, meant, no charms, no protection spells it was all about GO ORGANIC!

Home grown good will and...kitty cats.

She had cleared all the furniture out of the living room and had drawn the Seal of Ohm on the floor three days ago to give it time to breathe and clean the house and surrounding area.  And man, it drew the birds.  She had to worry about that.  That all those pretty birdies would tempt the cats.  But so far so good.  There seemed to be a truce and truly it wasn’t hard to figure.

Just being around the seal, even less the critical element to make it 100% was enough to calm her, to ease her and thoughts of Tara were not only endurable but welcome.  And several times, she almost...almost felt her hand slip into hers and say:

‘I’m fine, I’m alright...just waiting...but it’s alright...’

She didn’t say what she was waiting for and Willow didn’t ask but it felt right.  She sighed.

“You see the house Tara?  Isn’t it perfect?”    

But she wasn’t there and for some reason the two cats Bandersnatch and Boris thought her words...well, any words really meant ‘food’

And they meowed at her.  Like anytime she said anything, it meant ‘food’

“O.K. you guys, you’ve been so good in staying off the seal--I’ll feed you the fancy feast--how about that?  But on the porch--outside guys.”

She ushered them out--for some reason most of the five cats stayed outside, except these two.  She’d have to remember that--might be important.

Cats fed, hot water ready for tea, place clean it was time to get together with the top brass and see what happens next.

*

Buffy and Xander arrived first.  Angel had kicked up a small fuss about being excluded from the battle plan--the strategy session until Giles and pointed out to him, that whatever he, Angel heard, knew, Angelus would know as well. 

And it may not do to give Angelus a working knowledge of how and who was going to be involved--even though Angelus appeared to want the divorce to work--he certainly would not be above trying to manipulate power and intention. 

And then of course Angel quickly agreed, no one understood better than himself what Angelus was capable of.  

And...it was kinda nice...just being ‘we three’ for a bit, for a little while.  Their old dynamic and dynamo that they were, hey--are.

Buffy seemed a little quiet and intense...but who wouldn’t be under similar situation. They were sitting chatting on the front porch lap kitty for all, except Xander who had two.

“Just can’t keep these felines from spotting a good thing--“Xander mused

“More like spotting a soft spot.” Willow replied dryly.

Xander looked down at the two cats curled together on his lap and wondered.

“Was that an aspiration to the present condition of my manly virility?”

“Only you would see it that way.”  Buffy said as she stroked the grey tabby sprawled the length of her legs as she sat on the floor of the porch.”

“Ah...yellow...yellow good...” Willow pointed to the small economy car pulling up the short drive.

Giles got out of the passenger side and a woman, looking almost shockingly suburban got out of the drivers side.

She wore sky blue sweat pants and loose fitting sleeveless cotton shirt.  The day had turned warm and so she was jacket less.

She was in her late fifties perhaps, but in excellent physical condition and totally belonged on the golf course or organizing the   local church’s white elephant bazaar.

It was Midge the undisputed reigning champion White Wiccan of the western world. 

Huh.

She ran her manicured hand through her short brown helmet hair and waited as Giles pulled some bags from the car and then they moved forward together--she shyly approached the front porch.

“Hello Midge!”  Willow called out.

“Hallo yourself and please don’t get up--“

“Don’t think we could, sorta pinned down by little furry sumo wrestlers.” Xander observed.

“Ah yes...”  Midge said looking over the assembly.  “Oooh you’re all lovely...just lovely...” she deep crooned spoke.

Buffy could feel the cat on her lap respond to Midge’s voice, she watched his ears rotate toward the source of the croon speak.

“Oh lets have a look at you...”

And then remarkably the two cats on Xanders lap rose stretched and then leapt down, joined by the cat, the yellow cat that was sharing the glider with Willow.  Big black Banndersnatch didn’t deign to leap from his place on the pillar but did stand and preen himself.

The grey striped tab rose and slowly left Buffy’s lap and then was halted in his progress by Midge talking directly to him--

“--Yes, yes, you’re right, you should stay with her.”  Midge looked around and pointed to the grey tabby:  “What’s his name?”

“Oh that’s Boris...just got him from the shelter...he’s a real sweetie...”  Willow responded

“Yes you are...” affirmed Midge “He’s going to stay by you...uh Buffy, yes?  Will that be all right?”

“Uh...sure?”  She said/asked.  Giles covered his smile with his hand Midge smiled when she saw it. 

“Oh don’t you worry you’ll get your own personal kitty guard too, Boris here, has taken a liking to Buffy so he’s just the first one who’s stepped up.   But we’ll work it all out.  Oh dear I’m getting ahead of myself.  We still have a lot to talk about.  Introductions?”

“Oh of course,” muttered Giles “You spotted Buffy of course, and you know Willow and this is Xander long time friend and comrade of every battle.  This is Midge.”

“I am very, very pleased to meet you.”  Midge said

Buffy noticed that she extended that remark to the cats as well.

“Now the circle is complete...” Willow remarked and Midge smiled, looked around and frowned a bit.

“Is he coming later?”  She asked Giles.

“Hmm?  What?  Angel?  Oh no we’re keeping him out as you suggested...”

“No, no the other one...our grounder...the baseline where is he, is he coming later?”

Buffy knew who she was talking about.

“He’s not coming.”

Midge seemed puzzled by this and repeated it as much for herself, as for them:  “Not coming?  Well, that doesn’t make sense.  Are you sure?”

“Oh yeah, very, very clear.”  Said Buffy.

Giles ventured.

“Well maybe we should approach him again--he was...understandably agitated last night and one does not always mean what one says--“ 

“--I went to the store this morning...he made it very clear.  He doesn’t want any part of this.”

Quiet as they thought.

“But that can’t be right...” observed Midge.

“We can find somebody else, right?  I mean it’s an unglamorous job but we can find someone else, right?  Surely, You, Giles and I and can compensate for power...”  Willow was thinking out loud.

Midge considered “Yes...we could find someone else...put the project off until it feels right, it’s just, the four players is also about...balance, we may and would easily find someone, a warlock perhaps who is as powerful if not more so, but the base line is also about being connected.  How very strange.”

The quiet asked her to explain.

“Well, it’s not always about power is it?  Sometimes getting a job done is about whom you know, being connected.”

“Ah...I get it, in with the in crowd.” said Xander.

“Yes that’s it exactly.  It would help tremendously if we had a man on the inside...you know someone who is used to talking to God.”

Bombshell.

“Well it’s not crazy.  You all fight monsters kill vampires and whattal but you think talking to God is crazy?”  Midge asked softly.

“Do you?  Chat it up I mean?”  Asked Xander

“But of course.  Doesn’t always get back to me--but yeah...sure...doesn’t do to ignore a good friend...What?  I have something on my face?”  Midge brushed at her face, looking for the offending article.

“Well that’s it then, it’s over.” Giles said.

Beat.

“I’d like to talk to him--does any one mind if I look?” Midge asked

They looked puzzled so Giles explained.  “Midge wants to scry, to see, and as she may see information about any one of you that is connected to him--“

“Is it o.k. I peek at your lives?” Midge cut to the chase. 

They looked at each other and shrugged what could they possible have hidden that wasn’t already well known?  Sure take a look.

They nodded assent and Giles asked

“I assume you’ll be looking for the reason ‘why’”

“Well, first I wanna see if we’re talking about the same person.  The person I saw was someone you’ve known for maybe years, someone who’s helped before...I thought he was some kind of relation...I was sure I picked up a family connection.”  She stopped at Buffy’s baffled expression.

“Uh oh...I wonder if I got it wrong...”  Midge sat down on the edge of the steps and deep a little deep breathing and spoke out loud as if going on a guided tour.

“Oh...see that?  He is very well protected...heavens...talk about a fire wall...he uses fire a lot, it is his familiar and...his foe...see?  I can’t get in--I’ve knocked but he won’t answer and it would be...rude in the extreme to break the door down...”

“Can you tell us about the house, who he is?” Giles asked

“Oh yes, I can stand outside and look...well it’s what I’ve seen before...very strong base line--speaks the truth, very forthright, loyal, and it’s an old house...you’ve know him for years, you all have helped him build the house into who he is now...”

“How long?” Buffy asked

“Oh...ten...eleven...oh perhaps, fourteen, fifteen years...go back a ways...”

Willow, Buffy and Giles looked at Xander.

Question mark.  And the Xander spoke:  “It’s not...me, is it?”

Midge looked; “No...no, you’re water...this man is fire...it’s has taken him a long, long time to slow down enough to be fire in the earth...”

“Volcano Man?”  Willow asked

Midge’s laugh was light, “Yes, yes...but much, much more under control than he has been...yes it’s taken him a long time...”

Buffy was getting a sick feeling but had to ask:  “How long?”

“Oh...it’s an old, old house....what fifty...eighty could be over hundred years old...but that’s not possible...it could be a metaphor...not literally 100 years maybe just something he went through that feels that long...” 

Midge’s voice wound down as she picked up a new vibe.

What was that?

She turned around and looked at Buffy.  Everyone followed Midge’s gaze.

“You said he was family, related to who?” Buffy asked very softly.

They had assumed it was metaphor but the answer was meteoric.

“Why...”  Midge looked inside. “To the vampire...he is related to Angel...that is also why he would make such a good base...”

She stopped speaking as she watched Buffy take the dive.

Buffy stood up from where she had been sitting on the porch and she suddenly understood that expression ‘the floor fell out from under.’  That was exactly how it felt.  Like the world, her understanding of how it worked how the people she loved functioned in it--things they would do things they would NEVER do was sucked up and inverted.  She held on to the post and breathed until her legs grew strong again.

A light flicked on inside her that felt like hope, maybe joy but then that ran into a wall, into something that felt like ‘betrayal.’

It hurt; it hurt so unbearably, that he would betray her; that he could be here on the earth without her knowing--that he could sit and chat and...and...kiss her...that she feared for a moment for her mind, that she might loose it, she would, if the pain went any deeper...so on survival instinct it shortcutted down a well used side road to...anger.    

She was angry.  There were no words in language anywhere anyhow that could move the molten pain she was feeling into anything as coherent as language.

She started walking and then ran to the car she and Xander had arrived in--couldn’t work, the door, couldn’t work the door handle--she broke the glass with her fist and undid the lock from the inside...as she opened the door, she felt someone grab her in a bear hug from behind--it was Xander.

“Shh...shh now...slow down...” he said into the back of her neck...

She opened her mouth, she gaped and made small popping sounds but couldn’t even find the small words to say: gotta go, gotta go...gotta...

But somehow Xander got it and he said gently.

“Shh....shh...o.k. o.k....but you can’t go like this you’re gonna kill somebody...slow down...If  you’re gonna go anyway, I’ll drive you, that way you’re safe, everybody on the road is safe...o.k. huh Buffy...o.k.?”

He held her until he felt her nod.  He reached into her hands for the keys, pried them out of her hands and too bad they weren’t bent--that would have been a good excuse--no that’s no good...then she would just take off running...no this was best.

He released Buffy and she moved around and got in the passenger side as he got behind the wheel.

Holy Canole.

They drove off.

Midge came to stand next to Giles; she didn’t ask, he just said softly.

“Spike.”                     

*

He loved her so, he could feel the crack of her anger at him across the miles like a whip on his back and it hurt, it hurt, to feel  her so angry with him.  But he was glad too in a way--because it was done, hiding under the bed wasn’t really his style, and maybe she was angry enough to make something happen.  Make something change.

He sent Anthony home, closed the store and waited.

*