"Buffy, just dress up like a pumpkin. It's cute!" Cordelia sighed, flipping through her little black book.

"I told you, I don't want to be a freaking pumpkin! Little kids dress like pumpkins. I'm not a little kid!" Buffy argued as she searched the store for any ideas besides a pumpkin.

"Oooh, ooh, I know!" Cordelia exclaimed. "We'll get a trash can, cut out the bottom, then you can wear it and dye your hair green and put green paint on your face!"

"Oscar the Grouch?" Buffy asked, considering the idea. "Nah... I probably wouldn't fit in the can."

"Oh yeah..." Cordelia answered. "I need to call Josh about tomorrow." She murmured as she dialed her cell phone.

As her friend started to flirt shamelessly with the guy on the other end of the phone, Buffy wandered down another aisle. She saw two little kids, a boy and girl, giggling and dressed up.

Buffy smiled as she got the perfect idea for what she and Angel would be for Halloween. Checking up on Cordelia, she found her in the middle of the store still talking on the phone. Buffy rushed around, gathering everything she would need for their costumes then went and paid.

Cordelia disconnected as Buffy walked up to her with bags in her hands. "You found something to dress up as?"

Buffy nodded and smiled. "But don't ask what... it's a surprise. What did Josh say?"

"He already has plans... just like every other guy I know."

Buffy shrugged. "So what? You're an independent woman, you can go to the party alone."

Cordelia sighed as they left the store. "Normally I would agree, but I told Xander I did have a date so if show up without one, I will look like an idiot!"

"Why did you tell him that?"

"Because I was mocking him for his lack of date."

"Ohh..." Buffy replied knowingly. "Hey, I have an idea!"

"What?"

"Spike! He'll go to the party if I ask him to. He can be your date."

Cordelia wrinkled her nose. "I don't think so."

"Why not? Spike is really hot!" Buffy reasoned as they got in Cordelia's convertible.

"Yeah, but vampire? Remember the ick factor." Cordelia replied. "Oh, that's right, there never was an ick factor for you."

"Look, we both agree that Spike is way cute. You *need* a date. So Spike can take you. It can be a friend's only date. He will accompany you to the party... and since Xander hates him so much it'll drive him nuts. And I know you want that!" Buffy told her.

Cordelia sighed. "You really think Spike will go for it?"

Cordelia glanced at her watch as she knocked on the McKellen's front door. It was six o'clock sharp, so they had better be ready. She didn't feel like spending her whole night at the party. There was a carton of Haagen Daz sitting in her freezer with her name on it. She could use a mopefest.

Spike opened the door. ""ello Luv." He greeted as he let her in and shut the door behind her. "Buffy said she was almost ready. Nice costume." He commented on her French maid costume.

"Thanks..." Cordelia replied, distracted. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you almost ready?"

"I'm completely ready." He smiled.

"You look just like you always do." She informed him.

Spike shrugged. "I'm dressing like Billy Idol."

"Well, that's true."

"Hey... you're here!" Buffy grinned as she dragged Angel down the stairs.

Spike snickered at the site of his sire dressed up as a devil. Buffy twirled around to show them her angel costume with a sign that said, "The devil made me do it" on her back in reference to her swollen belly.

"Oh, that actually is cute... in a disgusting sort of way." Cordelia commented.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "This was the best I could do."

"Well, I personally adore it." Spike beamed.

Buffy kissed him on the cheek. "You're so sweet."

"Buffy, you promise we won't stay late, right." Angel whined.

"I promise. I don't want to stay up way late anyway." She promised as she grabbed her coat and the four of them headed off to the party.

As predicted, Xander freaked out when he saw Cordelia's date. Buffy and Angel did a good job of tuning out his ranting as they sat on the couch and ate Halloween cookies.

"So, I'm thinking when Izzy is born I can..."

"Buffy, we are NOT naming the baby Izzy. Remind me to kill Spike for that suggestion." Angel replied.

"Oh come on, Honey!" Buffy pouted. "It's so cute and perfect! It can be a boy or a girl name!"

"Izzy is not a name for a human! I'll buy you a new pet and you can name *it* Izzy!" Angel argued.

Buffy began to cry. "Why are you so mean to me? I'm the one who's getting fat and achy and always tired and you're yelling at me!"

Angel hugged his wife. "I'm sorry, Baby... I didn't mean to. I just don't care for the name Izzy much."

Across the room...

Cordelia let Spike pour some of the contents of the vodka bottle he had in his pocket in her drink. She really felt the need to loosen up. However, one drink became two, two became four, and before she knew it, Cordelia was really blitzed.

Spike wasn't much better, so when Angel went and found the two of them at midnight, after Buffy had fallen asleep on the couch, he sighed and dragged them out to the car. They didn't bother to struggle, just laughed and let him lead them on their unsteady feet.

Cordelia and Spike sat on the couch laughing at each other while Angel took Buffy to bed. He came back down a few moments later, extremely annoyed that he had to take care of them.

"Come on, Cordelia, you can stay in the guestroom." Angel said, holding his hand out for her to grab.

"Shut up!" Spike yelled. "She don't wanna! She wants to stay with me right here, dontcha Luv?"

"Yeah! Angel!" Cordelia agree, her head swaying back and forth.

"Fine! Stay down here!" Angel replied, throwing his hands up in the air. "I hope you both forget about the sun so Spike is just a mess on the floor when we get up." He told them as he marched up the stairs.

"Fuck you!" Spike shouted, flipping him the bird.

Cordelia giggled. "Spike, you're so funny. I like funny."

"Well, thank you Luv." He answered as Cordelia crawled into his lap.

She dipped her head down and they kissed, their tongues massaging each other. Cordelia was surprised to find out how pleasurable a cold tongue could be. Soon she found out how nice cold hands were when he stuck his down the top of her dress to fondle her breasts.

Before she knew what was happening, Spike was leading Cordelia down the stairs to his basement bedroom. Once they were standing next to the bed, Cordelia tugged her dress off, leaving her clad only in a lacy black bra with matching panties and thigh high stockings.

Finding the site irresistible, Spike playfully tackled her to the bed before ravishing her body with his mouth.

Buffy glanced at her watch. It was only noon, but she doubted Spike would care if she went and did her laundry. If he was asleep, then it would be pretty deep and it wouldn't wake him up. If not... he'd probably enjoy the company, as would Buffy. Angel was performing his weekly ritual of reading the Sunday newspaper in silence, and Cordelia appeared to still be sleeping.

Buffy made her way down the basement stairs with the laundry basket full of bath towels. She didn't glance across the room at Spike's bed until she'd started the water, added the soap, and began putting the towels in the washer. When she did, she dropped the half-full basket and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Both Cordelia and Spike awoke with a start, Buffy's screaming startling them. Angel came barreling down the stairs to see what was wrong with his wife. She just pointed at Spike's bed and tried to think of what to say. When Angel saw what had shocked her so, he covered her eyes with his hand.

"Just *don't* go into labor!" He pleaded.

Buffy sat in the living room, staring blankly at the TV as some old movie played before her. Cautiously, Cordelia entered the room and sat beside her.

"I am very sorry about that." She apologized. "I washed the sheets."

Buffy nodded mechanically.

"Are you ever planning on forgiving me?"

"I'm... sorry... I just... you and Spike... in bed. *You* and *Spike* in *bed*!" Buffy exclaimed. "I just never thought you'd be into that."

"Me either!" Cordelia replied.

Buffy looked over at her and smiled. "But you liked it."

"Oh yeah." Cordelia grinned.

The End

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