************************************************************

Spike pulled open the Rosenberg’s front door to greet
Angel. A smile tugged at Spike’s mouth.

“Well, if it isn’t Peaches.”
“Spike.” Angel’s tone was cold. Spike had recently
traveled to L.A. in search of a
magical gem that would make him invincible. Angel had been
tortured by Spike and his
partner in their quest to find the gem.
“My, aren’t we touchy today. What’s wrong? Feeling a
little tense? Have some
pent up frustration, Peaches?” Spike’s face was a mask of
mock concern.
“No, I’m fine.” Angel gave the younger vampire a warning
look. He hadn’t come
here to exchange pleasantries with Spike. “Where’s Willow?”
“Right here! Come in, Angel.” Angel stepped in to see
Willow standing behind
Spike. She was dressed in skin tight leather pants and a
satin top. Angel’s jaw nearly
dropped. Something strange was going on here.
“Nice to see you, Willow.”
“Why don’t we go to the living room?” Willow suggested.
He followed her and
Spike down the hall. “Are you hungry, Angel? I have some
blood in the-“
”I ate before I came over.” He sat down on the couch.
Willow sat next to him and
Spike sat in the big chair across from them. “What do you
know about this demon?”
“What demon?” Spike said. Willow fixed him with a
pleading look. “Oh, that demon. He’s a nasty bugger. He’s
blue with. . .purple spots. Smells like cabbage.”
Willow winced. When she had spoken with Angel earlier, she
had made up some excuse for why she needed Angel’s help. A
rogue demon was the first thought that had
entered her mind. “Yes. Giles can’t seem to find much
information on him. He must be
rare. So I thought I’d ask you for some help. . .on the
side. . .I didn’t want to upset Buf-.
I mean anyone.” Willow hoped they could find a demon
around with that description if
they needed to.
“Hmmm.” Angel said. He had never heard of such a demon.
But that didn’t
meant it didn’t exist. But what was Willow keeping from
him? She was a terrible liar. It must
have something to do with Buffy. Could it be that she was
hurt? Angel felt a sinking sensation
in his stomach. Maybe Buffy had given specific
instructions not to involve him. Maybe she
didn’t want him around anymore–at all. “I see . . .”
“Hmmm.” Spike rubbed his chin and put on a serious
expression. “I see . . .” He
rolled his eyes. “However did you guys put up with this on
a daily basis—without
getting paid?”
Willow glared at him. “Shush!” Then she kicked him in
the shin for good
measure, just as she would have kicked Xander. Spike’s
eyes flashed. Willow
swallowed, he would make her pay for that somehow. For a
moment she had forgotten
this was a vampire, not her clueless best friend.
Angel observed all of this with a bewildered amusement.
Then something
occurred to him. “Willow, what exactly is Spike doing at
your house?”
“He-“ Willow began.
“Well, mate, I can explain that. First we were wrestling,
then I was reading. And
then, we ate lunch . . .uh, pet? What did we do after
that?” He pretended to think for a
moment. “Oh, yes. Then I helped her get dressed.”
“What?” Angel turned to look at Willow, his expression
thunderous.
“He’s lying!”
“Now, ducks, can you honestly deny that we did all of
those things? I even left
the part out about being in your bed. Oh, and when you sat
on my lap.” Spike gave her
a wicked grin.
Angel stood up, gaping at both of them. “What is going on
here?”
“He’s twisting everything around. We did all of those
things, but not the way it
sounds like we did them. . .I mean, I. . .” Willow trailed
off.
“Willow, come with me.” Angel stalked off to the
kitchen, expecting her to
follow him.
Willow scowled at Spike. “Why did you do that?”
“I want to win.”
“That wasn’t fair!”
“I just told him my version of the truth. As for being
fair, what did you expect?
I’m evil, luv.” He smiled at her apparent outrage. “Wanna
give in? We can stop this
whole thing right now.”
“Never!”
“Then you had better go have your chat about the vampire
birds and bees with
the poof.” She started to walk off. “And pet?” She
whirled around. “ At least I didn’t
tell him about the kissing.” She blushed and ran after
Angel.
*******
Angel had overheard most of the conversation due to his
sensitive vampiric
hearing. His arms were crossed and he frowned as Willow
walked in the kitchen.
“Kissing? You kissed him! Willow, how could you? He’s a
vampire! A soulless, killer
who-”
“I didn’t kiss him! He kissed me!”
Angel’s expression darkened. “He forced himself on you?”
He pulled a stake out
of his coat as he took a step forward.
“Woah! No, it was just a little kiss. He didn’t hurt
me.” She threw herself into
Angel’s path.
Angel stared at her. “You wanted Spike to kiss you?”
“Of course not! He’s a vampire, why would I want to kiss
one?” Oh no! That’s not
the way to win the bet. “Well, at least that particular
vampire. I mean. . .Spike. . .uh. .
.eww. If I wanted to kiss a vampire, it wouldn’t be him.”
“You want to kiss other vampires? What is the matter with
you, Willow? You’ve
no business running around kissing the undead. You could be
hurt.”
Willow’s eyes lit with a new idea. “Oh, Angel.” She hung
her head and tried to
sound tearful. “Something must be very wrong with me. I
need some help.” She looked
up at him, her mouth trembling.
Angel was contrite, he never wanted to hurt Willow. But,
she had to stop this
ridiculous notion of dating a demon. “Of course, I’ll help
you. “ He rubbed her back and
gave her a brief hug. Willow’s stomach growled. “Why
don’t I take you to get
something to eat and we’ll talk this all out. You can tell
me about the demon we need to
catch, too.”
“Um. .okay, Angel.” Willow tried to sound hesitant, but
she felt like dancing.
Take that Spike!
*******
“Stay here, she says. Don’t touch anything, she says.
Stay out of trouble, she says.”
Spike muttered to himself, as he sat on the edge of
Willow’s bed. “What am I, some
bloody puppy? I most certainly am not!” He looked about
for his coat. He slid it on,
and straightened the collar. He glanced back at the night
stand Hmm. Peaches will be
plenty entertaining, but some reading material might be
helpful. He grabbed her vampire
‘romance’ novel out of the bag and headed out the door.
*******
“Denny’s?!” Willow stared at her dark companion. “This
is where we’re going?”
Angel looked offended. “It’s not like I ‘eat’ here,
Willow.”
“You like the decor?” She giggled.
“No.” His brow furrowed. “It’s open all night, and not a
lot of local teens come
here, so we there’s little chance we’ll run into somebody
we know, and the waitresses
are nice –“
He was about to continue when Willow put a hand up to stop
him. “It’s ok. You
don’t have to explain yourself to me.”
He swallowed, his face sad and brooding once more. “Buffy
liked their pancakes.
We used to stop here after midnight patrols and pretend . .
.” He paused a moment.
“Pretend that we were a normal couple, just getting
something to eat.”
“She never told me that.” Willow felt bad for them and
for a moment her
conscience told her to confess everything, her bet with
Spike be damned. Then she
pictured Spike’s face when he said he would have a prize of
his choosing when he won.
She put on her ‘resolved face’ and made up her mind to
persevere.
Angel watched the play of emotions on her face, and
misinterpreted every single
one of them. He thought she was concerned about appearing
normal with her own
demon boyfriend, then deciding that nothing would stop her.
He was certain he had his
work cut out for him. “Willow, there’s a lot of problems
with these kind of
relationships. Much more than what Buffy let on about.”
He looked at her with his
most sincere face. “It’s not worth it, Willow.”
“But you and Buffy–“
”I lost my soul.”
She looked him square in the eye. “Exactly.”
“What?” Just then the waitress approached. Once they
were seated at a cozy
booth in the back of the non-smoking section, Angel stared
at her. “What did you
mean?”
“Can I take your order?” Angel growled in frustration.
Their waitress jumped
back. “I can come back . . .”
“No, wait!” Willow smiled sweetly at her. “Could I have
a slice of peanut butter
pie and a glass of chocolate milk?”
The waitress nodded enthusiastically, then turned to
Angel. “And, uh, for you,
sir?”
“Coffee. Black.” He gave her a curt nod.
Once she was gone, Willow glared at him. “That was rude.”
“Don’t avoid the subject, Willow.”
“Well,” she tucked her hair behind her ears and leaned
forward on her elbows.
“Why did you lose your soul?”
Angel cleared his throat. “Well, because we–“
”No. Not the action. What was the stipulation of the
spell?” She knew it by
heart, now.
“Because I had one moment of true happiness . . .”
“I know you’ve seen the worst of this world, Angel.” She
said with compassion.
“Looking at all the pain and loneliness, are you telling me
that one moment of true
happiness wasn’t worth being looked at a little strangely?”
For a moment, Angel was speechless. How could he deny
that? It would be a
betrayal of Buffy, of himself and of the redemption he
fought for. He sincerely regretted
the pain and death Angelus had inflicted, but he could
never lament the time he had
spent with Buffy. She had brightened his life in so many
ways, he was a better man
because of her. He reached across the table and took her
hand in between his. “Are you
telling me you’re in love with Spike?”
********
Spike stared through the window at the couple engaged in
intimate conversation.
When Angel took Willow’s hand, he growled low in his
throat. The Poof looked very
interested in the red head. That was just too bad, Willow
was already taken. He had to
hand it to the little witch though. He hadn’t thought she
had it in her. He looked up at
the neon sign of the little diner. “Denny’s?” This was
Mr. Dark and Dramatic ‘s idea of
a good restaurant?
Spike walked through the entrance and was assaulted by the
twang of bad
country western music. The garish light stung his eyes.
Spike almost turned around
and went back. He glanced back at Peaches and Red. They
were still holding hands.
“Sir? Smoking or Non?” The Hostess leaned closer.
“Sir?”
“Did you say smoking?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Right, then. Smoking . . .and in the back if you can
manage, ducks.” He flashed
a winning smile at her. “I’m not in the mood to be
spotted, if you know what I mean.”
He followed her back to the booth, sat down, and promptly
lit a cigarette.
“Would you care for something to drink?” She asked.
“Gin.”
“I’m sorry, we don’t serve alcohol.”
“What a bloody crock!” He glanced at the glossy menu
before him. “Hot
chocolate?”
“Sure . . .” The waitress tried not to laugh.
“And, luv? Put lots of those tiny marshmallows in it,
would you? Oh, and
whipped cream on the top?”
*******
“ No, I’m not in love with Spike.” She said honestly.
Though she did have
romantic feelings towards him.
“Good.” Angel seemed relieved. “Are there any other
vampires you feel that way
about?”
“Uh. . .” She didn’t want to answer this question, ever
mindful of the bet. “I have
to use the bathroom.” Willow pulled her hand back from
Angel’s clasp. Angel said
nothing but his eyes promised her that she’d be answering
it when she returned.
Angel sat sipping his coffee, pondering his failed
relationship with Buffy.
“Peaches, are you still depressed?”
Angel glared up at the blonde. “No, I’m not depressed.
Why all this concern for
my emotional state? And what are you doing here? Willow
told you to stay at her
house.”
“She really didn’t mean it. As for my concern for you. .
.well, you’re family. I
have to take care of my grandsire.” He said with false
sincerity. Angel snorted.
“I bet it must be difficult for you.” Spike just couldn’t
resist needling him.
“What is that?”
“Not knowing the love of a woman -“
”Not knowing the. . .how did you find out about that?”
“I just overheard the Scoobys talking, Peaches. “ He lied
easily. “ What? You
think I read it in the Vampire Nightly Times?” Angel’s
hands clenched into fists.
“Now, now. All that pent up frustration. You have to get
rid of this energy
somehow. Take up running or something. Or maybe you should
look for a cure. Why
don’t you consult the watcher’s books? I bet you could
find some kind of vampire
Viagra spell that would help you out.”
Angel was embarrassed. “I can. I don’t have any trouble
in that department. . .”
He fixed Spike with a glare. “I am not discussing this
with you.”
Spike chuckled. He looked up and spotted Willow making
her way to the table.
He surreptitiously put Willow’s romance novel on the seat
and quickly got up. “See you
around, mate.”
Willow came over to the table. “Was that Spike?”
“Yes.” Angel was visibly upset.
“What’s wrong? What did he say to you?”
“Never mind. Now, let’s discuss your feelings for other
vampires.”
“Please, Angel, do we have to talk about this?”
He looked at her, she was obviously tired. “We’ll talk
later. Finish your pie.”
They sat in companionable silence while Willow finished her
food. Willow relaxed as she
leaned back in the booth. Her hand brushed something, she
picked up the book.
“What’s that?” Angel asked.
Willow immediately recognized it. Spike must have brought
it. “Nothing. Just a
novel, I’ve been reading.”
“Oh, let me see.” Angel loved books.
“NO!”
“Why?” Angel didn’t understand her vehemence. He reached
across the table
and plucked it from her clasped hands. “Hmmm. Dark
Embrace? I’ve never seen
a book like this. Willow this is a-“
”I know what it is.” Willow’s face and neck was crimson.
Angel was appalled. He handed her the book and made no
comment. This idea
of hers was more serious than he had first thought.
Suddenly it occurred to him that
they had not discussed the rogue demon she had brought him
down here to help with.
He had a sneaking suspicion that there was no smelly demon.

But why would Willow invent an excuse to bring him here?
Because she now had
a thing for vampires? A thought struck him. Maybe she
didn’t have a thing for vampires, mayb she had a thing for
this vampire. Did Willow have a crush on him?
He had to speak with one of her friends, find out how
long this had been going
on. Buffy? Absolutely not. Seeing her would be too
painful. Giles? He wasn’t privy to
Willow’s thoughts on men. Xander? Angel grimaced, he was
the most likely choice. “I’ll take you home, Willow.”

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