GOING ONCE (13/?)
 

"You guys are late," Willow scolded playfully as Buffy and Anya came into the
diner. "I already drank half my coke."
 

"We ran into traffic of all things," Buffy said, shaking her head as she slid
into the booth. "There was a fender bender at the intersection of Maple and
Oak that had cars piled back five deep."
 

"Have you been waiting long?" Anya asked as she opened the menu.
 

"Not fifteen minutes," Willow said. "Anya, why do you even bother to read the
menu? You always order the same thing."
 

"Because, one day I might surprise you and pick something different," Anya
said loftily.
 

"So, how was dinner last night?" Buffy asked, getting straight to the point.
 

"It was fine," Willow said, keeping her tone even.
 

"What did you have?" Buffy asked.
 

"Chinese delivery," Willow said. "I didn't want pizza again. You know, they
need to have a burger place that delivers. Do you know how much money they
could make from lazy people like me that hate to cook?"
 

"I know what I want," Anya said, closing the menu. She looked up at Willow
and smiled, "So, how long have you been fucking the undead?"
 

Willow choked on her drink, barely getting it down as she looked at Anya with
wide eyes, "What?"
 

"You and Spike? The horizontal bop? How long has he been shagging you?"
 

"We aren't...we're not even friends," Willow said.
 

"Looked pretty friendly last night," Buffy said with a smile. "I mean, you
chose watching silly cartoons with him over going out with me."
 

"I didn't choose him over you," Willow said, rolling her eyes. "I just didn't
feel like getting out."
 

"You want him," Anya said bluntly. "Don't bother to deny it."
 

"Yeah, Wills. There was some major lusting going on there last night," Buffy
said, "from BOTH of you."
 

"You're crazy," Willow shook her head. "There is no way that he was lusting
at all. Hell, he can hardly stand me. He's only been hanging around because I
have cable and an empty sofa."
 

"Oh, so he's been hanging around?" Buffy said, catching the redhead. "Empty
sofa?"
 

"He's been using my TV and usually falls asleep on the couch. By the time I
realize it, it's already past dawn and I can't really kick him out," Willow
explained. Their conversation paused as the girls ordered their food but Anya
eagerly took it back up after the waitress left.
 

"Why doesn't he just use the spare room?" Anya asked, watching the redhead.
"You are all alone in that huge house. You have an empty room. He seems to
have taken up residence there anyway, why not make it official?"
 

"You're not serious," Willow said, looking at the girl in shock. "I couldn't
ask Spike to move in with me."
 

"Why not?" Buffy asked. After meeting Riley the night before, she had done
some serious thinking about this latest turn of events in her life. By dawn,
she was convinced that Willow had always had a crush on Spike and that the
blonde seemed to actually care about her best friend. With that in mind, she
had resolved to be as supportive and helpful as she could.
 

"Because, he and I aren't even friends," Willow said again. "Besides, he
wouldn't want to live in my spare room."
 

"Probably prefer your bed, but a spare room is one step closer to the
ultimate prize," Anya said with a leer.
 

"We are not discussing this," Willow said, shaking her head.
 

"Will, think about it. He's in a dark, gloomy cold crypt. He doesn't have
good electricity or cable or even running water. Poor thing could have any
sort of nasty sneak up on him and kill him in his sleep. While you live alone
in that large, warm house that has indoor plumbing and over 150 channels to
watch plus heating and cooling," Buffy said with a sad look. "Poor, poor
Fang."
 

"Buffy, cut it out," Willow said, not impressed by the slayer's act. "You
hate Spike. You couldn't care less if some nasty did kill him. What is this
about?"
 

"I don't hate him," Buffy denied, figuring it wasn't exactly a lie. Intense
dislike might not be the same as hate. "He's one of us now, even if he denies
it. I worry the same way I'd worry if it were you or Xander living in a
crypt."
 

"I'm not asking him to move in with me," Willow said. Even if the idea was
something from her fantasies, she could never ask him that. To hear him laugh
and make her feel foolish for even asking? Not something high on her list of
things to experience.
 

"But, Willow," Buffy began before she saw the look of resolve cross the
redhead's face. She sighed, "Fine. I won't push. Just know, if you decided to
ask him out of the kindness of your huge heart, I wouldn't object."
 

"I'm sure that will make me sleep better at night," Willow said with a snort.
 

"Probably not, but a good looking blonde vampire might," Anya said with a
laugh.
 

"Oh, before I forget, here," Buffy passed over the rule book and application
to Willow. "Give this to Spike tonight, will ya? It's the application and
stuff for the auction."
 

Willow froze at the word auction, sure that her friends could read guilt all
over her face. Here they were concerned about Spike and he was going behind
their back and plotting to win their bet. She again wondered if she should
have given in to him and agreed to win him. It didn't seem very fair. Shaking
her head at her thoughts, she asked, "He has to fill this out?"
 

"Yes," Anya said, taking a drink of her strawberry milk shake. "And they want
a picture, but I don't suppose Junior will have one. Oh well, it wasn't
mandatory."
 

"I don't think I'm letting Riley put one in anyway," Buffy said, "I don't
want all those women looking at him and leering."
 

"He can't have his picture put in but he can walk around and have women leer
at him and bid on him?" Willow asked, laughing. "Explain that logic."
 

"Probably the same logic that allows an attractive sexual hunk sleep on the
sofa of a girl that wants to jump him and ride him like crazy while she lays
upstairs alone," Buffy said politely.
 

"I'll give this to him," Willow muttered, not able to deny Buffy's words. She
didn't even ask why Buffy seemed to think she'd see Spike before the slayer.
She just put the application and packet by her purse as the girls moved from
that subject to some more general comments.
 

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