Title: The Devil to Pay

Author: Alan Hitchen

Email: darkmere2000@yahoo.co.uk

Disclaimer: BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon and others

Pairing: Buffy/Tara - Joyce/Nick

Rating: PG-13

Information: Sequel to Unexpected Outcome

Quotation: "He that falls into sin is a man; that grieves at it may be a saint; that boasteth of it is a devil." Thomas Fuller.

As Buffy opened the front door with her key she was frozen to the spot by the sight that greeted her eyes. Tara, who was preoccupied by her bag that had already lost one handle and was threatening to lose the other, bumped into the back of her motionless girlfriend.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Then looking over Buffy's shoulder, squeaked in alarm and shrank back behind the Slayer, "It's him!"

"Yes, Miss Maclay, it's me," the dapper man replied while shooting his cuffs. "Did you think I'd just go away?" he asked her before calling out, "They're here, darling."

"With you in a minute," came the voice from upstairs.

"Then you've got a minute to get out of my house," warned Buffy, balling her fists in anger, "or else I'll kick your sorry ass from here to the town limits."

"Really, Buffy, is that any way to speak to your stepfather?"

"Stepfather!" the girls exclaimed in unison. At that moment Joyce came downstairs to join them. She was wreathed in smiles. "Well, this isn't quite how I'd planned it, but," she took a deep breath, "Buffy, Tara, this is Nick Beal, my husband."

"What?! Have you lost your mind?!"

Joyce's happy face fell as she took in Buffy's displeasure. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but it all happened so quickly, and... well, I'm sorry."

"Mom!"

Nick reached out to touch Joyce's arm. "Let me explain, darling," he said with a smile. "I'm sorry too, Buffy. I admit that things have moved a little suddenly, but the fact is that I fell in love with your mother, and she with me, and we saw no reason why we should delay making our union legal. We'll have a blessing ceremony later, so you won't lose out on wearing a pretty dress on the big day, I promise."

Buffy watched Joyce's adoring expression carefully, it was clear that she'd fallen for this hook, line, and sinker. "But, Mom, you don't even know who he is, remember what happened with Ted?" she said, desperately hoping that logic might just work on her besotted mother.

"Yes, of course I do, sweetie, I wouldn't make that mistake again. Nick is an art dealer on a buying trip from England. He has to go back home shortly to sort out some business matters, then he will return and we can be a proper family again. Isn't that what you want?"

Buffy sighed, this wasn't going to be easy, but decided to try one last appeal to reason before using violence to settle the matter. "Mom, can I talk to Nick in private?"

"Of course. Tara, would you like a drink?"

"Yes, t-thank you, Joyce," Tara replied, emerging from behind Buffy and skirting carefully around Nick to go into the kitchen with the new Mrs Beal.

When they were safely out of the room Buffy began to speak calmly but firmly. "Okay, Nick, I know what you are, Giles looked you up. You're not 'the' devil, you're 'a' devil, a minor demon of tricks and deceit, little better than a card-sharp."

"Oh, Buffy, you cut me to the quick," he said with a smirk. "I admit my powers are not of the first rank at the moment, but you can change all that."

"I'll be changing your face with my fist if you don't leave Mom alone," Buffy growled in a low but determined voice.

Nick remained unperturbed. "But it would break her heart," he protested with apparent concern for his wife.

"She'll get over it."

"No, you don't understand. If I leave Joyce, her heart will literally break. I've put a spell on her you see. If you don't believe me you can ask your delightful girlfriend to check that, but don't ask her to take the spell off because she can't. Now, I'll tell you what I want from you later, but for now let's play happy families, shall we?"

Buffy scowled, she itched to smash the conceited grin from his face, but felt she couldn't take that risk, not yet anyway. "Happy families," she choked in response, and followed him into the kitchen.

****

After an evening of excruciating embarrassment pretending to like Nick for her mother's sake, Buffy retired to bed with Tara. It wasn't long before the blonde Slayer's acute hearing confirmed her worse nightmare. "They're doing it. Nick and Mom are doing it." She shuddered as the awful images danced in her head.

Tara moved closer to stroke and nuzzle her distressed girlfriend, who barely noticed the fact. "Have you any idea what he wants?" she whispered softly into her ear.

"What?" Buffy responded distractedly, but on turning to catch Tara's concerned expression, she found herself responding to her intimate caresses. She knew that Tara must be finding this a frightening situation, she herself did not relish a return visit to Nick's pitch-black abode, but she could see only love in her eyes. Buffy's heart swelled with pride, she'd done that, she'd given Tara the confidence to be the kind and loving person she was without fear of consequences. She gently kissed Tara and said, "Thank you."

"For what?" Tara asked.

"For being the wonderful person you are," Buffy said lovingly, returning her girlfriend's comforting touches, "and for being here with me."

Tara blushed, then remembering her question asked again, "Do you know what he wants?"

Buffy's expression darkened. "He wants me. He didn't want you and he doesn't want Mom. He wants me. Actually, I think he just wants my powers. He admitted as much when he said his own power was 'not of the first rank' then said I could help him change that."

Tara looked perplexed. "But how is he going to do this? And what about Joyce?"

"That's what's bothering me. He said you couldn't remove the heartbreak spell."

"That's because there is no spell," Tara interrupted.

"Huh? But he said..."

"I've read Joyce's aura very carefully. I can't see any magical influence there. She's in love with Nick, period. There is no spell to remove."

Buffy brightened up considerably. "He was lying! So I can just kick him out then?"

"It would still break Joyce's heart," Tara cautioned. "She's been without companionship for a long time now. She's found love and she's so happy. Can you really take that away from her?"

"But... but... he's a devil!" Buffy spluttered.

"I know that, and you know that, but she doesn't."

"So I tell her and then I kick him out."

Tara sighed. "I'm sure it won't be that easy."

"Then I'll make it that easy," Buffy stated confidently. Just then Joyce's noisy orgasm made itself clear even to Tara's limited hearing. "Or maybe not," Buffy ruefully conceded. "Okay, what do you suggest?"

"I don't think we can do anything until we know what exactly he's up to. We'll have to play along until then."

"Knowledge is power."

"What's that?"

"Oh, just something Giles said."

"Well, he's right, but don't forget, Nick needs you, and that gives you power over him."

"Yeah, he needs me." Buffy smiled. "Okay, Tara, we play along for now. We'll contact Giles and the others in the morning and see what we can come up with to get rid of him - for good this time."

Another of Joyce's climaxes rent the air.

"Have you got any earplugs," Buffy asked in desperation.

"We could always make some noise of our own," Tara suggested, only half-jokingly.

"That's a nice idea, hun, but it's squicking me out as it is. I don't want to hear them and I'm sure as hell don't want him to hear us."

"Okay, we'll just go to sleep then," said Tara, kissing Buffy goodnight.

"Not with 'Old Reliable' gushing every fifteen minutes we won't," Buggy groaned, slipping under the sheets next to her lover and wedging her head under the pillow.

Next morning the bleary-eyed blondes made their way down to breakfast only to find Joyce and Nick billing and cooing at each other like a pair of lovebirds.

"Late night, girls?" Joyce asked without thinking, then realising why they hadn't got much sleep, apologised. "Oh, sorry."

Nick laughed heartily. "No need for that, darling, the girls know all about young love, don't they?"

Buffy smiled thinly at him with barely disguised hostility, then pretended to study the ingredients list on the box of Golden Grahams. Tara just yawned.

"Well, anyway, girls, we've got some news for you," Joyce announced while pouring out the coffee.

"What, Mom?"

"You remember I told you that Nick has to return to England to settle his affairs? Well, we've decided to make a honeymoon of it and see Europe before coming home. We leave next week. What do you think?"

Buffy just stared at her mother open-mouthed in shock. What was Nick planning now?

****

"What do you mean, there's nothing you can do?!" Buffy glared angrily at Giles.

"That's not what I said," Giles insisted as he polished his glasses furiously. "I said there is nothing I could do that wouldn't hurt your mother, and none of us want that do we?"

Buffy stopped pacing about the room and sat down next to Tara, leaning forward head in hands, while Tara stroked her back in a doomed attempt to calm her girlfriend. "Then what 'are' we going to do?" she asked her Watcher disconsolately.

The doorbell rang before Giles could answer. It was Willow clutching a folder. "I've got the info you wanted," she announced.

"Great! Whatcha got, Will?" asked the suddenly revived Slayer.

"Good news, I think."

"You think?"

"Yeah, Nick checks out. He is who he says he is, an English antiques dealer. Quite a successful one judging by his tax returns."

"And this is good news, how?" queried Buffy.

"Well," Willow shrugged her shoulders, "compared to the usual crush, kill, destroy types you usually meet, he seems very respectable and law-abiding."

"Yes, Buffy," Tara interjected, "and he did apologise to me."

"When was this?"

"When you went upstairs to warn your mom about Nick but didn't as you didn't know what to say to her."

"Oh, rub it in why don't you?" Buffy said, returning her head to her hands in evident despair.

"He was very nice about it," Tara continued.

"So we just let Mr Nice Guy take Mom on this European honeymoon then?"

"Well," ventured Giles, "I think if he'd meant to harm your mother he'd have done something by now. If he means what he says..."

"If! If! Buffy interrupted. "The only thing I'm sure of is that he's a liar! We can't trust a thing he says. A demon of minor tricks and deceit you said. He's using my Mom to get at me to give him power to do... something. What the hell is wrong with you!"

"Buffy, please," piped a deeply alarmed Tara, "we're not here to fight each other, but to help."

Buffy's anger lessened in the face of Tara's distress. "Sorry, Tara, Willow, Giles, I'm sorry, but you know why I'm upset."

"That's okay, Buffy," Willow chirped brightly with a big reassuring smile plastered on her face, "we understand."

"The thing is, Buffy," said Giles, "we don't know what his aim is, and until we do I don't think it would be wise to act hastily."

"Alright, alright, I'll find out, if I have to beat it out of him I'll find out. C'mon, Tara, you can keep Mom out of the way while I do what needs to be done."

***

"Okay, Nick, I don't want to get stains on the carpet, demon blood is hell to shift, so I'll ask you nicely first. What do you want from me?"

"To be honest," he began. Buffy frowned in disbelief, he smiled wanly in return. "I realise that it must be hard for you for you to believe anything I say, but I am truly sorry about all this. It wasn't my idea, it was my brother's."

"You've got a brother?"

"Yes, a twin, he was the one that kidnapped Tara and put you through all that dreadful business. But he got his fingers burned, literally and metaphorically, so he called on me to help him get his revenge against you."

"So what's the plan?"

"I was to seduce your mother and use her to get you to voluntarily transfer your powers to my brother. This would eliminate the Slayer and make him top dog of the hellmouth all at the same time."

"So why aren't you doing that?"

"My brother and I don't really get on, so I was relieved when he moved to America, but I owed him a favour, and that's why I agreed to come over and help him. But things have changed and I'm not going through with it."

"What's changed?"

"I was supposed to seduce your mother, but instead she seduced me. I've fallen deeply in love with her. I can't hurt her, or hurt you. So that's why I'm taking Joyce to Europe, to keep her safe while things cool down. He's bound to come after you, then me."

"I can take care of myself, will you take care of Mom?"

"Of course. Does this mean you believe me then?"

"Mom does, she loves you, I've never seen her happier, I trust her to have made the right choice."

"And?"

"And I had Tara put a truth spell on the chair you're sitting on."

He laughed. "I thought as much. I like you, Buffy, you're a lot like your mother."

"I guess I like you too," Buffy admitted reluctantly, "for a demon you're okay," she said, and then she smiled. "Don't stop making her happy."

"I won't."

...

Nick's brother never did come after Buffy, or Tara, or Nick, or Joyce. Thanks to the Scoobies, word of his failure soon got around and he left town a laughing stock.

Nick and Joyce went on their honeymoon, but instead of returning as planned they sent Buffy a postcard from Nick's home town in Wiltshire.

It read: "Having a wonderful time. Business is booming. Decided to stay on here. Love, Mom and Nick."

They're still there. They're still happy.