GOING ONCE (17/?)
 

Spike re-read the question, a scowl on his handsome face. He looked up when
he heard the soft giggle, his eyes narrowing at the amused redhead. "What's
so funny, Red?"
 

"You," Willow said, rolling her eyes. "You've come up with answers or lies
for every other question, but this one has you stumped. I'd think it should
have been the easiest of them all."
 

"It's not," he said crossly, looking back at the paper. He had filled out the
damn application for the auction. Every question but one. He wasn't sure what
he should say, knowing that his true intentions for his date, namely Willow,
could not be written. He could just see the organizers reading his simple
words, Shag her, claim her and make her mine. Somehow he figured his
application would end up in the wastebasket. Of course, his other normal
answers wouldn't do either. With Dru, a good date was going out, killing a
few people, shagging in their blood and maybe a spot of torture thrown in for
good measure. Again something these silly humans would not understand.
 

"Do you need some help?" Willow asked, trying not to laugh. "I mean, is it
really all that important what you write? You've rigged the auction anyway.
You know that I'll be winning you so why bother making it very good?"
 

"I will not have those daft women think that I can't provide a good date for
my winner," he said, glaring at her.
 

"Ah, an ego thing," she said, finally making sense of it all.
 

"You say that as though it's a bad thing," he muttered. "Besides, don't want
Slutty or the Bimbo thinking you'd spend all that money on a bad date, would
you?"
 

"They'll think I'm crazy for spending anything on you," she said with a
smile, "much less alot of money."
 

"Cheeky brat."
 

"What's the question?" she asked, making herself comfortable on the sofa as
she watched him. It had been two days since he had officially moved in with
her. It was strange, but she liked having him living right down the hall. Of
course, she had had no idea that he liked to walk around half naked most the
time or that he showered at nearly the same time of day that she did, causing
her to walk in on him once already. She could still see the shadows against
the curtain, thinking her bravest act had been leaving that bathroom without
simply letting her robe fall and joining him in the shower. Even now, she
could imagine what he had looked like on the other side of the curtain.
 

"'List the activities that your date will entail'," Spike read in an annoyed
tone.
 

"That's it?" she laughed, images of a soapy Spike leaving her mind as she
looked at him. "That's the one that has you so stumped?"
 

"Red," Spike warned, his voice almost growling at her amused face.
 

"Don't get so touchy, Grumpy," she said with a smile. "I'd say that was
pretty easy. You can get as detailed as you want or be as vague as you want.
List a couple of things that sound like they'd be fun and that's it."
 

"How do I know if they'd be fun?" he challenged, raising a brow.
 

"Well, what's fun to you?" she asked, moving the cushion under her head as
she looked at him.
 

"Killing, shagging, torturing," he listed off on each finger.
 

"OK...I see the problem," she said, tearing her mind from him simply putting
shagging as his date's activity. "Well, do you want something adventurous or
romantic or fun or simple or lavish."
 

"I don't know," he said, rubbing his temple. "This is giving me a headache."
 

"You made the bet," she reminded with a smile.
 

"Next time I try to do something that bloody stupid, smack me," he said with
a sigh as he scowled at the application.
 

"My pleasure," she said, laughing as he snarled at her. "Poor baby. Why don't
you just pick something. Like I said, it's not like you'll actually be doing
anything you list anyway."
 

"Ah, but there's where you're wrong, luv," he said with his own smile. "It's
in the rule book. We bachelors must make sure the date is carried out 100
percent to our winning bidder's expectations."
 

"But I'll be the winning bidder and I expect to come home and watch
cartoons," Willow said.
 

"I will not list my date activities as watching cartoons," he said with a
pout. Suddenly, he sat up and smiled, "I don't have to turn this in for a few
more days do I?"
 

She shook her head, "Five I thnk. Why?"
 

"Just enough time," he decided, smiling a wicked smile as he eyed her.
 

"For what?" she asked, not liking the cunning and calculating look that had
entered his blue eyes.
 

"Research," he said.
 

"Research?" she repeated, not following his logic.
 

"Adventurous, lavish, romantic, fun, simple," he ticked off each finger on
one hand. "We'll research and decide what I should list for that damn
question."
 

"What?" she squeaked as she sat up, her eyes wide as she looked at him.
 

"Must I always explain everything to you twice?" he muttered, smiling at her
disbelieving look. Teach her to tease him. "You, me, research. Five nights,
five different date packages, so to speak. Since it was your idea, I'll let
you choose the first one."
 

"My idea?" she said, shaking her head. "Spike, this is not part of the
bargain. I agreed to win you so that you wouldn't end up with some human that
might ask questions."
 

"You agreed to help me prepare for the auction," he said, studying her
closely. "You've been out shopping with me. What's a few nights of research?
Not like they'd be real dates or anything....."
 

"They wouldn't?" she asked, disappointment in her voice that she was not
aware of.
 

"Course not," he said, trying to sound reassuring instead of desperate. This
was too perfect. He'd slowly seduce her over the next five nights, figure out
what she liked and didn't like so that he knew exactly what to put on his
application. He was living in her house, sleeping not two doors down from
her. Next step would be sharing her bed, making her his and becoming an
accepted part of her life. These next few nights might help him a lot in
achieving that particular goal. "Just a friend helping another friend."
 

She scowled, hating him for playing on her weakness. She would never turn
down a friend in need. "Fine. Five nights. But that's it. The rest of this
auction, you're on your own. No more Willow helping constantly."
 

"Yeah, sure," he said, crossing his fingers behind his back as he smiled
charmingly at her. "So, what's it gonna be first, luv?"
 

She made a face, thinking about it. Smiling she said, "Something simple."
 

"I think I can come up with something," Spike said, leaning back as he began
to think.
 

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