Part 1

“What about him?” Anya asked, pointing with a French fry.

The two coeds looked at the man in a business suit passing through the food court. Willow and Buffy looked at each other before answering. “Boxer,” they giggled together.

Buffy took a sip of her latte. “Okay, that was easy. What about that one?”

Anya turned around and examined the young man behind her. He wore a pair of baggy styled jeans with a plain tee shirt. “Both,” she answered.

“Both?” Willow asked.

“Sure, he’s a brief kind of guy but he wears boxers over them.” The ex-demon tossed her fry into her mouth and chewed.

“What do you think Giles wears?” the red head asked as she bit into her hamburger.

“Leopard print bikini,” Buffy answered.

Anya and Willow looked at her in shock. “And how do you figure that?” Willow asked.

“I saw them,” the Slayer answered.

“Eww,” Anya exclaimed as she scrunched up her nose.

Buffy tossed a fry at her. “Not while he was in them! Gross much. I saw them in his laundry.”

Willow released a shutter. “I really didn’t want that visual in my head.”

“Tell me about it. I wasn’t thrilled myself when I found them,” Buffy laughed.

“Do you want to know what Xander wears?” Anya asked.

“No!” Buffy and Willow answered in unison.

“Why not?” Anya pouted.

“It’s Xander,” Buffy said as if that was answer enough.

Anya took affront to the reply. “Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing?”

Willow placed a hand on the ex-demon’s arm. “It’s not a bad thing. It’s just that it’s Xander. Um, it’s kind of like knowing what kind of underwear your father wears. You know he wears it, but it’s just a bad visual place to go. No offense,” she tried to explain.

Buffy could see that Anya wasn’t buying it. “We’re sorry, Anya. What kind does Xander wear?”

“Boxers,” Anya said with a slight smile. “He said that it was because they let him swing free.”

The blonde tossed her fries back on her tray. “I do didn’t need to know that.”

“I wonder what Spike wears,” Willow whispered.

The Slayer looked at her friend. “Willow? Is there something you want to tell me?” she asked.

The three of them gathered their trays and threw out their garbage. “There’s nothing to tell,” Willow said as she set her tray on the trash can.

“Do you wish there were?” Anya asked.

The red head just shrugged. “Maybe.”

“He’s a hottie.”

Willow looked at her friend. “Buffy!”

“What? Okay, yeah, he’s a vampire and a major pain in my ass. But, hey! I’ve got eyes,” she answered as they walked out to the car. “So what are you going to do about it?”

“Do about what?” Willow asked.

“Spike,” Anya said as she slid behind the wheel.

“Nothing.”

“Why not?” Buffy asked from the back seat.

“Cuz it’s Spike and I’m just Willow.”

Buffy looked at Anya in the review mirror. She recognized the glint in the girl's eyes. A plan had to be formed.

****

“We’ve got to do something,” Anya said.

Buffy leaned closer. “Yeah, but what? I mean, how can we get Willow to do something she doesn’t want to do?”

“Dare her to do it,” Xander said not even looking up from his comic book.

“What do you mean?” Buffy asked.

Xander tossed the finished comic book on the pile beside his couch. “Haven’t you ever dared her to do anything before?”

The blonde tried to think back. “Not that I know of.”

Slouching down on the sofa, he slung his arm around his girlfriend. “Willow can’t resist a dare if it comes from someone she cares about. She thinks she has to prove herself so she’ll do it. I used to get her to do all kinds of things when we were younger.”

Anya snuggled into her boyfriend’s chest. “What kinds of things?”

“I got her to run through the back yard naked.”

“Our Willow?” Buffy asked laughing.

“Sure. We were seven and she made me close my eyes and it was dark out, but she did it,” Xander said with a chuckle.

“Then how do you know she did it?” Anya asked.

“Because afterwards her face was redder than a fire truck. It was the only way I could get her to do dumb junk like that,” he said. “Why? What do you want her to do?”

The girls looked at each other and giggled. “Oh, nothing,” Buffy said.

Xander glanced between them and decided today was not the day to try and understand women and how their minds worked. “Kay.”

****

Willow sat in the Watcher’s apartment flipping through a dusty book. Her green eyes kept drifting towards the peroxide blonde sitting in the corner. Spike sat slouched in the leather chair and her eyes drifted towards his black jeans. When she raised her eyes they clashed with his piercing blue eyes. With a squeak and a blush she forced her attention to her book.

Buffy watched the interaction. With a slight nod at Anya the Slayer got off the couch and moved over to the witch. She leaned down to whisper in Willow’s ear. “Why don’t you ask him?”

“Ask who what?” Willow whispered back, confused.

“Spike. Boxers or briefs.”

Willow jerked her head back to look at her best friend. “Are you insane?” she asked a little louder than she planned.

“Come on, Will. What have you got to loose?” she asked.

“How about a little pride and dignity?” she hissed.

Buffy could tell her friend wasn’t going to do it on her own so she pulled out her trump card. “I dare you.”

Her green eyes widened in shock. “What?”

“I dare you to find out if Spike wears boxers or briefs,” Buffy whispered.

Although her ears burned with embarrassment, the desire to prove to her friend that she wasn’t a chicken boiled up to in her chest. “Fine, but I’m not going to ask him,” she said through clenched teeth.

Buffy folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t care how it’s done, just as long as you do it.”

“Fine,” Willow growled as she tried to return her attention to her book.

****

“Well, go on,” Buffy whispered as she poked her friend in the waist.

“Knock it off,” Willow hissed back as she crept closer to the window. The red head curled her fingers around the edge of the window sill and peered over the edge. Her green eyes widened as she stared at the smirking face in the window pane. With a startled squeak, she fell back on her butt. “Oh, my Goddess,” Willow whispered as she jumped to her feet. She grabbed the Slayer’s hand pulled her away from the cemetery.

“Well, did you see anything?” Buffy asked as she jogged after Willow.

Willow finally slowed to a stop. “No,” she growled.

Buffy felt bad about the dare. “You know what, Will? Just forget it.”

Willow glanced back at the crypt. “No, you dared me to do it and I will. I’ll just have to figure out how.”

“Come on,” the Slayer said as she pulled on her arm. “It was just a stupid dare. Don’t worry about it.”

A plan started to form in Willow’s brain. The dare had been issued and she just had to complete it. It was a matter of pride.

****

Spike tossed his cigarette butt to the ground and smiled. “Red’s got a thing for dares, huh?” He’d wondered what had the Slayer and her friend sneaking around his crypt. When he looked out the window he was surprised to see the red head staring back at him. He wasn’t sure what the dare was exactly, but if it involved him, Spike was definitely going to have fun with it.
 

Part 2

Willow slipped a disc into the CD player and reviewed her list. “Checking his laundry seems to be the best way to do it, but how can I get to his laundry without him finding out?” she muttered to herself. She gnawed on the end of a red vine as she tried to think of a plan. “Does he even do laundry? I always see him in the same clothes. Hum.”

She started brainstorming ideas onto her note pad. “He’d be in his crypt during the day, but I won’t know for sure when he’d come back at night. Maybe I can get Buffy to keep him away while I check it out. Of course if Buffy had to spend time with Spike she might stake him. That won’t do. I know that Spike goes to Xander’s to shower.”

An idea formed in her brain. She picked up the phone and dialed Xander’s number. “Anya? It’s Willow. Listen, I need some help. Do you know when Spike comes over there to shower? He is? How long? Okay, thanks. No that’s all I needed. Talk to you later.”

Willow grabbed her bag and left the dorm room.

****

“Who was that?” Xander asked as Anya set the receiver back in its cradle.

“Willow,” she answered as she changed the channel.

Xander looked at his girlfriend. “Well, what did she want?”

“She wanted to know when Spike came over to shower.”

Spike stepped out of the bathroom in time to hear the conversation. “What did you tell her?” he asked.

“That you where here now,” Anya said as she grabbed another handful of popcorn.

“Is she on her way over or something?” Xander asked.

“I think she’s trying to find out if Spike’s a boxer or brief kind of guy,” Anya said.

“Why would she want to know that?” Xander asked.

“Just a game we were playing at the mall. And Buffy dared her to find out,” she said. Xander groaned.

Spike slipped out of the basement and hurried off to his crypt.

****

Willow slipped into the crypt and started searching for his clothes. She was surprised at the cozy little home Spike had made for himself. Granted it was in a dead person’s tomb. There wasn’t much in the way of furniture, but she did find his duffel bag. Quickly, she pulled his belongings out and tried to find some underwear. Once all of his things were piled around her, Willow realized there was a third option. None of the Above. As her cheeks flushed hotly, she started tossing everything in the olive green bag.

“Looking for something, pet?”

She froze. “Uhm...just...uh...” Frantically she tried to find a reason to be digging through his things.

Spike sat on his heels beside her. “Yeah?” he asked.

She turned her head to look at him, but her eyes were unwillingly drawn to his crotch. Her cheeks flushed even brighter, if that was possible. Forcing her eyes upward she looked into his blue eyes.

“Find anything you like?” he asked.

“I gotta go,” she said in a rush and raced to the door.

Spike was just a bit quicker. He blocked the door and smiled down at her. “I dare you to tell me what you were looking for,” he said.

Willow straightened her shoulders and gathered her courage. She didn’t have anything to be ashamed of, after all. It was just a stupid dare. “Buffy dared me to see if you wore boxers or briefs,” she answered.

He cocked his eye brow at her. “And?”

Her eyes dropped to the floor. “None of the above.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

She looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

“Tonight was shower and laundry night,” he said. “How do you know all my skivvies aren’t at the moron’s?” he asked.

Willow stared into his blue eyes. “Are they?” she asked.

“I dare you to find out for yourself,” he said with a crooked grin.

She tried to move to the door, but Spike stopped her. “What are you doing?” she asked.

He simply stared into her green eyes. Slowly, he lowered his head and covered her mouth with his own. She gasped at the cool touch and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her warm mouth. His fingers curved around her face as he held her still. As if memorizing every square centimeter, Spike explored her mouth thoroughly.

Willow curled her fingers into the soft fabric of his tee shirt. A low moan echoed through the marble crypt. Her senses were overwhelmed by him. The scent of stale cigarettes and leather filled her nose. The unique taste that was entirely Spike danced across her tongue. Her skin felt electric as he stroked the slim column of her neck.

Spike moved his lips along her jaw and down her throat. He tasted the sweet salt of her skin. He heard her heart racing and he lowered his hand to cover her left breast.

“What...what...are you doing?” she asked.

Spike pulled back and looked into her dilated eyes. “Playing canasta,” he said before lowering his mouth to her throat.

Willow slid her hands down his sides and pulled his shirt from his jeans. Slipping her hands under the soft material, she explored the cool, hard expanse of his chest. He pulled back, tugged the tee shirt over his head, and tossed it into the corner. Willow lowered her head to kiss his chest. His fingers threaded through her hair as she scattered wet kisses over his flesh.

With a low growl, he lifted and carried her to his bed. Lifting her shirt he pressed a kiss onto her flat stomach. He licked and nipped at the exposed skin as he pushed the cotton shirt higher. Impatient, Willow pulled her shirt off. Tugging at his hair, she moved his face closer to hers and plundered his mouth with her own.

****

He had to lay still for a moment before he moved to her side. He noticed a tear slipping from the corner of her eye. “Red?” he asked softly. “I’m sorry.”

She turned her head to stare into his blue eyes. “Sorry? For what?” she asked, afraid to hear the answer.

Spike slid his thumb across the bite on her shoulder. His callused skin smeared the crimson blood across her alabaster skin. “For biting you.”

Willow glanced at her shoulder. “You bit me?” she asked. She hadn’t noticed his fangs piercing her skin.

“Yes. Isn’t that why you’re crying?” he asked.

She smiled at him and snuggled closer to him. “No. I was crying cuz that was the first time I ever..um....you know."

“You’ve never had an orgasm before?” he asked, somewhat shocked.

“Oh, I’ve had orgasms, just never during sex. Usually I had to take care of that afterwards,” she said as she kissed his shoulder.

“Never again, Red,” he vowed as he pulled her closer. “I’ll always take care of you.”

“Yeah, me,” she muttered as she started to drift off to sleep.

Part 3

Willow stretched as she floated up through the haze of sleep. She cracked her eyes a fraction to look at her alarm clock. For some reason it wasn't on her nightstand. In fact, her night stand wasn't there either. With a start she sat up and looked around. At first she didn't recognize her surroundings.

"What's wrong?" a deep British voice mumbled from beneath the pillow.

"Spike?" she gasped.

Pushing the down pillow aside he stared up at the confused red head. "What is it? What's wrong?" he asked.

Memories from last night flooded back to her. "Oh, Goddess. I didn't do what I think I did, did I?" she asked herself. Self consciously, she slipped from between the sheets and started picking her clothes off the floor.

Spike leaned on one elbow as he watched her slip into her clothes. "Going somewhere, pet?"

The red head paused as she slipped her tee-shirt over her head. "Um. Buffy. I need to get home before Buffy starts to worry and comes looking for me," she spilled out as she grabbed her shoes and ran out into the early morning light.

"Run while you can, pet," he said with a grin. He knew she was in the midst of a morning after panic attack. Willow could run, but he'd be close on her heels. Eventually he'd catch up to her, even if he had to dare her to stand still.

****

Willow slipped into her dorm room quietly. She set her tennis shoes in the closet and grabbed a few things for a shower.

"You're home late," Buffy said sleepily as she watched her roommate try to sneak in. "Or should I say early?"

"Um. Buffy. Hi. What are you doing up so early?" Willow asked.

"I could ask you the same thing, except I probably don't want to know the answer," the blonde replied as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "So did you finish that dare?"

Willow sat on the edge of her bed as she picked at her cuticles. "Yeah," she whispered.

"Well?"

"None of the above."

"Huh?" Buffy asked as she sat up and stretched her arms over her head.

"Spike likes to swing freer than Xander," Willow replied.

Buffy had to think for a minute before she caught on to what the red head was telling her. "Ah." She rolled her head to work the kinks out of her neck. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed something. "Willow, what happened?" she asked as she sprung out of bed to her friend's side.

"What! Nothing. Nothing happened! Absolutely nothing. I did not have sex with Spike," Willow said in a rush.

The Slayer pushed aside Willow's hair to get a good look at the bite on her neck. "Spike bit you? How? What about the chip?" she asked. "I've got to talk to Riley. That chip is defective." Quickly, she pulled on a pair of sweats and ran towards the door.

"Buffy, wait!" Willow called before the Slayer could open the door. "It wasn't like that."

The blonde turned and sat beside the red head. "What was it like?"

"It didn't hurt or anything. I didn't even realize he did it."

"How could you not know Spike bit you?" she asked.

Willow hemmed and hawed before answering. "I was kind of preoccupied at the time."

"Doing what exactly?" Buffy asked. At the bright blush, she knew the answer. "So it's was like that, huh?"

"Yes."

"Okay. So what are you doing back here? Did he kick you out?"

"I sort of left as soon as I woke up," Willow mumbled.

"Does Spike know you left?"

"Yes."

"And he didn't stop you?"

"No," Willow answered quietly. Buffy got to her feet again and started for the door. "Now where are you going?"

"I'm going to stake him," she said firmly.

"But why?"

"Because he let you walk away."

"Oh, that makes a lot of sense. I kind of panicked and left. It wasn't his fault. I didn't give him much opportunity to stop me," Willow explained. "I'll talk to him later today. Right now I'm going to take a shower and a nap."

Buffy smiled down at the red head. "Didn't get much sleep last night?"

"Not really," she answered. Gathering her things she headed for the door and a shower. "You know I figured you'd be a lot more upset about the fact that I had sex with Spike than you are."

Buffy just shrugged as her friend left the room.

****

The Bronze wasn't too crowded for a Thursday night. Willow absently stirred her mocha as thoughts bounced around her head. *What have you done, Willow? One stupid dare and you sleep with the guy who tried to shove a broken bottle through your face! Oh, but it was sooo good. Story of your life, Will. One night of passion and a lifetime of regret. He's probably forgotten all about it, you dope. Probably out shagging the next skirt he saw. Oh, Goddess. Why me? But it felt soo wonderful. I never knew it could be that good. Probably just a fluke and it would never happen again.*

Spike watched her ever changing expressions as he took another drag of his cigarette. He could almost hear the thoughts racing through her head. Her eyes darkened at the depressing doubt and glaze over at the remembered passion. His eyes fell to the soft curve of her neck. Her shirt had slipped to reveal his mark. His body stirred as he relived the flow of her blood over his tongue. Dropping the butt to the ground, he twisted his booted foot over the burning end. *Time to end this,* he thought as he walked slowly to her table.

"You're such an idiot," Willow muttered as she sipped her now cold drink.

"I wouldn't say that, pet," Spike said, pulling a chair up beside her.

"Spike!"

"In the flesh," he said with a smirk.

"What are you doing here?" the red head asked.

He caressed a finger over her bruised flesh. "You left a little early this morning."

She tried to pull away from his exciting touch. "I had to get home before Buffy started worrying about me," she replied.

Spike moved closer until he trapped her between the wall and the cradle of his thighs. "So you said. Since I'm not dust, I assume Slutty didn't see this," he whispered as he dropped a kiss over his mark.

The touch of his lips on her skin caused her to ignore the Slutty remark. Her cheeks burned as blood rushed to her face. "She saw it." Willow put her hands on his shoulders to push him away. She wasn't very effective as his mouth moved from her neck to her ear.

"And I'm still here. Will wonders never cease," he said. His tongue stroked her delicate lobe. Her small hands alternated between pushing and grasping at his shoulders. Gently, he nipped at the tender flesh.

Her nerves began to tingle at the sensual caresses. "Um...Spike," she protested softly. The club was dark and sparsely populated, but Willow wasn't ready for such public displays of affection. She wasn't sure she was ready for private displays either.

"Yes, pet?" He sucked softly on her earlobe before tracing the sweet shell of her ear.

Her eyes fluttered shut. "What are you doing?"

Spike pulled back and waited until she opened her bright green eyes. "Playing canasta," he repeated the same answer he gave her last night.

Memories flooded her mind. Her blush became more intense. Blindly she grasped for a coherent thought. "My Nana plays canasta and I don't think this is how it's done," Willow said with a shy smile.

"Really? Hmm." He lowered his head to trace the soft lines of her lips with the tip of his tongue. "So you don't like my version of the game?"

"I...I didn't," she gasped as his tongue darted between her parted lips. "Say that," she finished.

"Goody." He threaded his fingers through her fiery hair before pulling her into an intense soul stirring kiss.

The Bronze and her inhibitions faded away as Willow fell into the sensual pool Spike created with his touch and kiss. With a few gasps of breath, she was kissing him back with an equal intensity. *What are you doing?!* her subconscious demanded. *Weren't you just whining about this very thing not five minutes ago?* The panting red head pulled back. "That's right."

The peroxide blonde tried to follow her into the dark corner. "What's right, pet?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing." He leaned into kiss her again. "Wait! Stop, Spike. We need to talk."

Reluctantly, he sat back in his chair. "I hate it when you chits say that," he grumbled.

Willow stared at him for a moment before she could gather her courage to ask the questions that needed asking. "Spike. What does all of this mean to you?"

He gave her a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"Is it just sex for you?" she asked as she stared down at her lap. "I mean...I guess...I'm not sure what I mean," she sighed.

"I'm not sure what I feel for you, Red, but I know you're special," he admitted, revealing a softer side.

"So it's not just sex and I'm not just an easy lay?" she asked.

Gently, Spike cupped her cheek in his hand. "None of the above, Willow," he answered.

Startled at the use of her real name, she stared into his intense blue eyes. "Really?"

He smiled down at her. "Really. I can't say that I love you because I don't know. Yet. Although I'd like to find out, if you give me a chance."

"I don't know, Spike."

"I dare you."

"Dare me to what?"

"I dare you to let me find out."

She smiled at him and knew that she would definitely enjoy this dare.
 

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