Parts: 11 - 20
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~Part: 11~
Willow was handed a plate by Faith, looking over the rather large choice of items, wondering if they always ate this way and, if so, how they could possibly all still be in such great shape! She usually ate one large meal a day, dinner with Spike and sometimes the rest of the gang. Breakfast was a piece of toast or a bowl of cereal before class. Lunch was whatever she could grab in between her classes. On weekends, lunch was usually whatever Spike prepared for them while they relaxed and watched movies on Saturday and while they did chores around the house on Sunday.
"Bacon is a must," Faith said as she tossed a few slices onto Willow's plate, catching the surprised look in the redhead's green eyes and smiling, "Breakfast is the first meal of the day and is very important. We always have a big breakfast before getting to work."
"Besides that, my man knows how to cook a killer breakfast," Cordelia said as she leaned over and kissed Gunn's cheek.
"I think I just lost my appetite," Spike snarked as he came up behind Willow. He saw her look at him and smile, noticing the question in her eyes.
"I thought you were going back to sleep," Willow said, not bothering to scold him for his remark about Cordelia and Gunn's PDA because she had to agree that it was much too early to see such sickeningly sweet loving displays of affection, especially for single people.
Spike shrugged, "Couldn't get comfortable. Decided to come downstairs and have breakfast with you before you deserted me for the afternoon."
"You heard?" she gave him a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry. I honestly thought we were just going to lunch. I'm sure I won't be gone that long."
Spike leaned forward, brushing his lips against her ear as he whispered, "Personally, I think shopping with the bimbos is punishment enough so you get off easy this time, luv. But, I do expect one hell of a prezzie, especially since the brooding wanker is paying for it."
Willow smiled as she heard his words, not denying that shopping with Cordelia was similar to punishment. She moved her own mouth against his ear and whispered back, "Thanks a lot, friend. You know, this is where you could have been the hero and saved me from the shopping thing instead of just being greedy and wanting me to buy you expensive gifts with Angel's Gold Card."
"You're the one that wanted to bond with the girls," Spike reminded with an innocent smile as he raised his head, his eyes amused as she rolled her eyes at him.
"Yeah, *now * you start listening to what I say!" she laughed as she looked back at the others, seeing a smug smile on Cordelia's face and a thoughtful look in Faith's eyes. She frowned as she asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Nope, not at all," Faith spoke quickly, giving the redhead a smile as she watched Spike put his arm around the witch's waist and rest his head on her shoulder as his blue eyes surveyed the breakfast choices.
"What's that stuff?" Spike asked as he motioned towards something that looked like messy bits of potatoes.
"Hashbrowns," Fred replied, "I use a family recipe so they're a little different. There's cheese and some other stuff mixed in."
"They're yummy," Gunn said as he got a spoonful and plopped it on Willow's plate.
"Do you need a plate, Spike?" Wesley asked.
"Nope," Spike said as he grabbed a bite of the hashbrowns from Willow's plate and tasted them, saying, "Charlie-boy, add some more of those to Red's plate. They're not bad."
"There are plenty of plates, Spike. You don't need to eat off of Willow's," Angels said sharply as he took a seat at the dining room table.
"Red doesn't mind sharing with me, you bleeding prat," Spike said as he shot the elder vampire a smirk, still not sure why the souled bain of his existence was so pissy about him being friends with Willow, but, nonetheless, enjoying the vexation of his grandsire. Especially when said irritation caused the LA gang to torment the annoying prat by making him be nice and hand over his Gold Card. He looked back at Willow, brushing his fingers against the back of her neck, giving her a tender smile as he asked, "Do ya, luv?"
~Part: 12~
"Not at all," Willow said honestly as more food was added to her plate. She laughed, "And I'm definitely going to need your help finishing all this food! Good grief, guys! How can you eat this much in the morning and not just be completely lazy?"
"Did you never pay attention during the nutrition portion of Health class, Willow?" Cordelia asked, "Food produced energy and energy makes you happy or something scientific like that. Wes, you wanna help me out? It's too early to think."
"What's your excuse the rest of the day?" Spike quipped, this time receiving the nudge in the stomach from Willow. Scowling at his best friend, he said, "If you keep doing that, I might bruise."
"If you'd quit being such a sarcastic jerk, I wouldn't have to keep doing that," she said sweetly.
"You and your silly logic," a brilliant smile crossed his face as he kissed the tip of her nose.
"And he was talking about *our* PDAs?" Gunn muttered to Cordelia, rolling his eyes as he sat down.
"Spike, why don't you sit here," Angel said tightly, glaring at the blond that was still smiling at Willow instead of answering him, indicating the chair in between him and Wesley.
"Um, do most vampires usually eat real food?" Fred asked quickly, sensing that Angel was about to say or do something stupid that would just get him into more trouble with Cordelia and Faith. "Angel does occasionally, but he's said it doesn't really have any kind of taste to him."
"Hmm?" Spike glanced at the skinny girl and shrugged, "I don't know. Suppose they don't, going more for the blood when it comes to human food, but I like it. As for the taste, I don't have any problems tasting the flavors and spices and textures. Peaches just wants something else to whine about. Guess most vampires don't bother with it."
"Spike isn't your typical vampire," Willow said with an affectionate smile at her best friend as Faith put the last possible bit of food that the plate could hold on top of the growing pile.
"You can say that again," Angel muttered crossly, wondering if Willow would forgive him if he accidentally spilled a bottle of holy water on the bleached blond nuisance.
"Let's eat," Faith said as she moved to the other side of the table and deliberately sat between Angel and Wesley, kicking Angel's leg hard as she sat down. She gave him an innocent smile and said, "Oops. Sorry."
Spike pulled a seat out for Willow and sat beside her, grabbing a piece of bacon before sitting back in his chair. Fred put a glass of heated blood in front of him and then took a seat beside Willow. He looked across the table at Angel, seeing the glare in the elder vampire's eyes, the scowl on his face, rolling his eyes as he looked at the cheerleader. Slowly smiling, he decided to remind Angel that he'd already lost one argument today and would be wise to keep his trap shut. He asked, "So, where do you chits plan on taking my Red today? She's got a Gold Card, ya know?"
"Well, I thought we'd head down to Santa Monica and hit the Promenade," Cordelia said, a wicked smile crossing her face as she leaned forward, "They've got some great shops down there. Not as ridiculously expensive as Rodeo Drive, and the clothes are much more practical. Willow, there's also some good bookstores, or so I've been told. Give me a few hours and we can max out that Gold Card in no time!"
"Max out?" Angel stopped glaring long enough to squeak out the two words. He looked at Cordelia and said, "There was no mention of maxing out!"
"Shut up, Fang," Faith said, catching Cordelia's playful grin and adding, "Not like you don't have a dozen other cards to use."
"While I still can't even get one!" Gunn spoke up, "What's up with that? The vampire that's been dead two centuries has a plethora of plastic but the black man that's got a heartbeat can't even get a gas card!"
"Gunn, remember who your girlfriend is. You *don't* want to get a credit card," Wesley said with a smile.
"Hey," Cordelia gave Wesley a smile, "Way to go with the money management for the future thing. Baby, he's right. Credit cards are highly overrated when you actually have to pay the bills."
"How's your breakfast, Willow?" Fred asked the redhead.
"It's delicious, but I don't see how I can possibly eat lunch, too," Willow said.
"Wait until you've gone shopping with Delia. You'll work off that breakfast in no time!" Faith laughed as they all went back to eating and talking about general topics, pausing every so often to kick Angel's leg when his glaring at Spike got too obvious.
~Part: 13~
Overall, breakfast was a successful event. True, Angel had a bruise on his leg by the time everyone was finished eating due to the numerous times that Faith had to kick him for glaring, but everyone else was smiling and laughing and having a pretty fun time. Wesley and Cordelia cleared the table and cleaned up, in exchange for Gunn and Fred having done most of the cooking. The others had helped them, and soon clean up was finished. Angel had watched Spike and Willow throughout the meal, his dark eyes noticing every little smile and gentle caress and private moment, soon ignoring Faith's rather strong kicks out of a need to figure out exactly what was going on between his annoying grandchilde and the pretty redhead. It was during clean up that he got further evidence to support his theory, determination entering his eyes as he decided that it was time for that talk, no doubts any longer in his mind concerning the nature of their relationship.
He had seen Spike give Willow *that* smile, the soft and loving smile that always graced the blond's face whenever he was with Drusilla. The devoted, I'd follow you to the ends of the Earth, you're mine forever, I don't want to imagine my life without you smile that had eventually faded from Spike's face whenever he was around Drusilla as he had fallen out of love with his sire. Angel had seen it, greatly resisting the urge to jump up and point and exclaim, A ha, just to show the others that he wasn't stupid or imagining things. They'd have seen the smile and the way Spike's eyes had moved over Willow's face and the way he'd tenderly brushed a lock of hair from her cheek and they would have had their proof that Angel was right and would have had to admit that he was smarter and more observant than they. While that idea had merits, Angel did not want to involve anyone else in his plans to talk to Spike. So, he bit his tongue and remained silent, the determined gleam in his eyes the only hint that anything was different from his hour of glaring over breakfast.
Luckily, clean up was over reasonably quickly with the extra helpers in the kitchen. Angel was anxious to get the girls out of the hotel so he could talk to his grandchilde, impatiently pacing and looking at the door and then back at the girls and casually mentioning that the stores were open now and didn't they want to go early, flashing a helpful smile that he hoped did not betray his true intentions. Both Faith and Cordelia gave him a warning look as they whisked Willow and Fred off to do some damage to his credit card. Angel was momentarily frightened by what Faith might do to him if she found out what he had planned, a few of those images not nearly as frightening as they should be, the term erotic coming to mind when he thought of her punishing him, shaking his head quickly and pushing those thoughts away to concentrate on the important matter at hand. Dealing with Spike.
Spike pulled Willow aside as she was about to exit with the other women. He wasn't at all fooled by Angel's sudden desire for the girls to have the ultimate shopping experience. He'd felt his grandsire's glares throughout breakfast, ignoring them because, well, it was fun to ignore Angel because it usually just pissed him off even more to be ignored and Spike was all for pissing off Angel, especially when it didn't require any effort on his part. Now, though, he knew that he was going to be stuck at the hotel without any defense, all the girls leaving to go shopping of all things. Did they not realize that they were leaving him with Angel? That, in itself, was just about his version of Hell. And Willow wasn't even feeling guilty, laughing with her silly little friends about shopping, an activity that he knew she detested and only did when necessary. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, his tone slightly amused but a sincerity underneath the teasing, "Red, please don't leave me alone with the king of boring and the poncey watcher for very long."
"Spike, stop being so dramatic," Willow whispered with a giggle. "You like Gunn, don't you?"
"Yeah, Charlie's a bit of alright." Spike conceded finally, a slight smile crossing his face as he saw the amused gleam in her eyes and the smile on her face. He loved making Willow smile, being the cause of any of her smiles was such a rush. He did add, just to make sure she knew how unhappy he was going to be while she was off without him, giving her his best puppy dog eyes as he said, "But, still, hurry."
"C'mon Will!" Cordelia yelled from the other side of the door, rolling her eyes as she knew exactly what was detaining Willow, a slight knowing smile on her face as she winked at a grinning Faith, "Bleach boy will be here when you get back."
"Yeah, YOU try to rush Cordelia when she's in shopping mode," the redhead told her best friend, giving him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll try, for you, but no promises. Now, go and do some male bonding." She said with a smile as she ran out to catch up with her friends.
Spike sighed and decided to avoid the pouf before he wanted to 'share his soul-induced feelings'. He turned and headed towards the stairs, hoping he would be fast enough to avoid any conversations or the male bonding that Willow spoke of, shuddering at the image of giggling and bonding with any of the men in the hotel. Gunn was decent enough, but the others? He'd rather hang out with Chubs, and that was saying something.
"Where do you think you're going?" Angel questioned the chipped vampire, thanking ever God he knew that the girls were finally gone.
"Well, since you obviously don't have powers of deductive reasoning," Spike stated as he turned towards his grandsire. "I'm headed to my room to get more sleep and avoid having any contact with you." He paused a split second before adding, "Wanker."
"My office," Angel ordered. Spike arched an eyebrow and gave Angel a 'you've got to be kidding' look. "Now." Angel said, ignoring the look and trying to contain his anger.
"Sure thing, Peaches." Spike said as he sauntered past the brooding vampire thinking of ways he can irritate Angel while in his office. Once he walked in, Angel shut the door. "What could you possibly want, Liam?" Spike asked as he walked over to Angel's desk and sat on it, deliberately scuffing his boots across the front and moving the papers that were stacked in orderly piles. He saw a nerve twitch in Angel's cheek, deciding this might be fun after all. He could make Angel's life a little miserable while doing nothing intentional that would earn him Willow's displeasure.
"Don't start, William," Angel replied, returning the favor of using Spike's human name. He walked to his chair and sat, still glaring at the bleached blonde. He sat back, his brown eyes looking at the blond that had moved from the desk to sit in a chair, his large boots now resting on the desk and pushing at the papers. Angel decided to get straight to the point, having no interest in prolonging this talk. He demanded, "What the hell are you doing with Willow?"
~Part: 14~
Meanwhile, Gunn and Wesley had managed to make their way towards their boss' office to eavesdrop. The two humans exchanged a look when they heard Angel's question, noting the angry tone in his voice.
"Oh, he is so gonna be in trouble," Gunn whispered, a slight smile crossing his lips.
"I definitely do not envy him when Faith finds out about this," Wesley agreed, wondering why Angel didn't just keep his mouth shut and allow Willow and Spike to have whatever relationship they wanted. While he wasn't a fan of Spike, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he loved Willow, treated her like the Queen of his world, was completely besotted with the pretty redhead. And it was also obvious that Willow felt the same way and returned those feelings. Wesley just didn't understand why Angel felt a need to interfere when there was not a problem. If anything, Willow and Spike were very happy and enjoying their lives. That should be a cause of celebration, not of glares and threats and demanding questions.
"Almost makes me want to tell her," the handsome young street fighter said with a smirk, thinking basically the same thing as Wesley. Leaning closer, he listened carefully, knowing that Cordelia would expect a full report when she returned and he didn't want to miss a word.
{On the other side of the door…}
"What am I doing with Willow?" Spike repeated, keeping a smug smile on his face even as he was confused as hell. What kind of question was that? Trust the king of brooding and cryptic statements to catch him off guard, asking something that didn't make any sense.
"Yes, what are you doing with Willow!" Angel repeated sharply, his eyes narrowing as he waited for an answer.
"You're serious!" Spike laughed, still not sure what Angel was asking but no longer really caring. It was obvious that it was annoying Angel to have to ask and that was good enough for him to laugh at it, just to get an even bigger reaction from the gel haired prat glaring at him.
"This is not funny, BOY." Angel growled, warning, "You stay away from her."
Spike once again arched an eyebrow as he suddenly realized what Angel's problem was. He thought Spike and Willow were a couple. Spike had always known that Angel was a stupid git, this entire episode just confirming that belief. He slowly smiled as his mind raced at all the ways to make Paingel's life even more miserable by using his mistaken beliefs. Deciding to give it a try, Spike teased, "And what if I don't?"
"You don't want to know the answer to that, Spike." Angel threatened, his eyes blazing as he watched the amusement in the other vampire's blue eyes. This situation was not amusing, damn it. It was serious and his threat was serious! Well, it would be serious if he could get away with just staking the blond annoyance without then probably being staked himself by Willow or Faith or even possibly Cordelia. He glared even more as he realized that he was making empty threats, not liking the feeling of being helpless to stop whatever was happening, deciding it might be worth a staking just to wipe that arrogant smirk off Spike's face.
"Oh, come on, Angelus!" Spike said in an overly dramatic persona, tickled at the knowledge that Angel was not only wrong but that he was able to use this to get such a fucking great reaction from the elder vampire. He was pretty good at this acting thing, if Angel's reaction was anything to go on, deciding to get into it more. "Are you telling me you want my girl? Warning me away so you can swoop in with that poofy gelled hair and attempt to steal her away from me? Well, tough. You're not gonna get her. She's mine!"
"So, she IS!" Angel said as if he'd confirmed the existence of aliens. Spike was hoping he could hold in his laughter as he watched the more mature <ha!> vampire practically dance around in triumph. "You are going to stay away from her! I won't let you hurt her, Spike."
"Why do you think I would hurt her, Angelus?" Spike asked, the smile fading as he glared at Angel. He was no longer amused by this conversation, now completely irritated that the poufter could think he would hurt his Red. She was his best friend, after all. He'd never hurt her. He'd do anything for her, even attempt to tolerate the miserable wanker sitting in front of him. Anger flashed in his blue eyes as he said, "Just because you're a right bastard without the soul, doesn't mean Red has anything to worry about with me."
"I mean, it, Spike! I want you to stop seeing her," Angel demanded.
"And I want YOU to burst into flame, but that's not happening any time soon, is it?" He replied, and added, "Unfortunately." Angel glared at him. Spike got to his feet, his blue eyes still flashing with anger and the barest hint of hurt that his grandsire would believe him capable of harming Willow. Spike snarled, "So, if that's all Angelus, I'm going to go upstairs and rest up and wait for MY witch to get back."
Gunn and Wes hurried from the office door and pretended to be doing work, both covertly watching as Spike walked out of Angel's office where he left his grandsire in stunned silence and walked up the stairs, anger radiating from him as he stormed away. They remained silent until they heard the slamming of a door, finally looking at each other and whistling softly. Gunn shook his head slowly, muttering, "Angel really fucked *that* one up," before he went back to work, listening as their boss began to move around his office, slamming drawers and kicking things and having what sounded like a temper tantrum. Gunn almost smiled at the immature behavior from the serious vampire, wondering what was gonna happen next. On one hand, he was a bit worried, knowing that Spike had really been pissed off and that Faith was gonna be very unhappy that Angel had opened his big mouth and started trouble and he figured that Willow was not going to be very grateful for Angel playing Daddy and warning her lover away. On the other hand, he was kind of looking forward to seeing what they were going to do because he thought Angel had overstepped himself and had no right to interfere in Willow and Spike's healthy and loving relationship. Damn, he had a lot to tell Cordelia when she got back, that was certain. He hoped the girls were having fun shopping, the idea of them maxing out Angel's card causing him to smile as he started back to work.
~Part: 15~
Cordelia waited until they had been shopping for half an hour before she began the interrogation. She moved beside Willow, her brown eyes glancing at the rather orange shirt the redhead was looking at, smiling as she said, "Only you could successfully pull of that color, Willow. The shirt is too plain, though. We need to find you something sexier."
"I think it's just fine," Willow said, giving Fred and Faith a pleading look as Cordelia took her arm and dragged her to a rack of dresses that appeared to have less material than most scarves.
"I'm with Delia on this one," Faith smiled as she held up a pretty red dress, "what about this one? Red is definitely your color, Willow. I always heard redheads couldn't wear it, but it's great on you!"
"I like that one," Cordelia said as she snatched it from the slayer and held it up against the grimacing redhead. With a slight twist of her lips, she casually remarked, "Spike would love you in this! I bet he couldn't take his pretty blue eyes off you. All that flesh displayed, and the color is great on you."
"Yeah," Willow snorted, rolling her eyes, "he'd probably be scared that I'd catch a cold since there isn't hardly any material!"
"If you were wearing that dress, I don't think he'd be thinking about you getting sick," Fred said with a teasing smile, "I think he'd probably be thinking how he could get it off you and on the floor!"
"Fred!" Willow's eyes widened as she stared at the usually quiet woman.
"Damn, girl. I'm proud!" Faith beamed at the smiling brunette before looking at Willow and leering, "So, Red, she brings up a good point."
"What point?" Willow frowned at the slayer, not following the conversation nearly as well as she should have. To be honest, a very small part of her mind was still stuck on Fred's comment and how ridiculous it was to think that Spike would ever look at her and think that way. They were best friends, that was all it was and all it ever would be. True, she'd had a bit of a crush on him early on, when he'd tried to kill her and then listened to her talk about losing Oz. But, she'd made the decision to be his friend instead of languishing in unrequited love, crush not love, she mentally corrected.
"You and Spike," Cordelia spoke up, watching Willow closely, "what exactly is going on with you two?"
"What do you mean?" Willow asked, "We're roommates and best friends. That's it."
"C'mon, Red. You can trust us with the truth," Faith whined, "you two are shagging like wild monkeys, aren't you?"
"Shagging? Me and Spike?" Willow started to laugh, "What on Earth made you think that? We're just friends, Faith. Is it because we're sharing the room? You know, a man and a woman can be just friends without complicating things with sex."
"You two aren't shagging?" Faith frowned, looking at the other girls.
"It wasn't because of sharing the room," Fred spoke up, having had the same idea that Cordelia and Faith had, believing that Willow was deeply in love with the handsome blond vampire and vice versa. She smiled softly, "It was the way he looks at you as if you're the most beautiful woman in the world, the way he smiles at you as if just the sight of you makes him happy, the way he makes you laugh, the way you smile at him, the way you two touch and whisper and just seem to make each other so happy."
"Yeah, what she said," Faith said, watching Willow's eyes widen in surprise at Fred's words. Damn, she couldn't believe it. She'd have bet money on the two of them having the most loving relationship of all her friends and now she had to be disappointed and find out that they really were just friends.
"Um, well, I," Willow stuttered, her cheeks blushing as she tried to come up with some sort of explanation for Fred's beliefs, but she was at a loss. She had no idea what to say. Fred had to be mistaken, right? There was no way that Spike looked at her like that or that they seemed like a couple. Sure, they were happy to be together. They were best friends, after all. She loved being with him, enjoyed sharing her life with him. Fred had just misunderstood.
"You are buying this dress," Cordelia spoke up, seeing the stunned look in Willow's eyes and realizing that they'd been wrong. Well, they'd been wrong about Willow and Spike being romantically involved, for now, but she knew she wasn't wrong about their feelings for each other. She knew love when she saw it. She also knew lust and affection and respect and all the building blocks for a successful relationship that Willow and Spike had in abundance. So, they hadn't recognized that they were in love yet. They were definitely in love, and it just seemed to be taking them awhile to realize it. She slowly smiled, "We'll go out dancing tomorrow night. Have some fun, hear some good music, and you can wear this dress."
"Going out sounds fun, but there is no way I'm wearing that dress!" Willow laughed, relieved that the topic had changed and she was no longer having to try to explain whatever it was that Fred mistakenly thought she'd seen between her and Spike.
"Yes, you are," Faith smirked, "even if we have to dress you ourselves!"
"It is very attractive," Fred agreed with a smile.
"You're not going to give up until I agree, are you?" Willow asked, glaring at the three women.
"Hmm….let me think about that one," Cordelia paused for a moment before smiling, "Nope, we aren't."
"Fine, I'll wear the bloody dress," Willow muttered as she snatched it from Cordelia and added it to her pile of things to try on. Maybe it wouldn't fit, not that there was an abundance of material to have to fit. She took her pile to the dressing rooms, leaving the others to talk.
"Okay, I don't care what she says. Those two are in love!" Faith whispered as soon as Willow was in the back.
"I would have sworn they were involved," Fred agreed, a puzzled expression in her eyes, "but she insists that they're just best friends."
"I've had best friends before and I never looked at them the way she looks at Spike," Cordelia said with a smile. "Ladies, those two are very much in love. They just need a little, what's the word, assistance in acknowledging that they belong together in a healthy, romantic, sexual relationship."
"Assistance, huh?" Faith slowly smiled, "Say, perhaps, like going out dancing with Willow wearing that sexy little dress and making sure Spike sees just how hot she is and maybe realizes that he risks losing her to someone else if he doesn't just take her and shag her senseless?"
"What's with all the shagging?" Fred asked, "Never mind. It is more polite than fucking, which is your usual favorite term."
"Oh, someone thinks they're tough," Faith laughed, "Seriously, we're gonna interfere and play matchmaker during their stay? Are we? Really?"
"Yes, I think interference is necessary," Cordelia smiled, "by the time they leave here, they'll be so happy they won't even mind that we did a little matchmaking."
"What about Angel?" Fred asked softly, "He definitely does not seem happy about the idea of them being involved as friends so I know he'd be annoyed if he found out we were trying to get them together romantically."
"I can handle Angel. I think he'll get over it once he sees how happy they are," Faith said, "if not, I'll kick his ass."
"Speaking of people that are too oblivious to see how they really feel," Cordelia muttered with a pointed look at the slayer.
"Shhh, Willow's coming back," Fred said, turning to look at the pretty redhead, "So, did it fit?"
"It's indecent," was Willow's response, still not believing how the little scrap of material they called a dress had molded her curves and showed off her flesh in such a way that she felt sexy and alluring.
"That means she looked hot," Faith smirked, "so, Red, what's been happening in Sunnydale since I was last there?"
The women began to talk as they finished their shopping, Willow doing her best not to think too much about what Fred had said, knowing the scientist had to be wrong about Spike. He didn't think of Willow like that at all. She was his best friend, his confidant, his roommate. He loved her, just like she loved him, but it wasn't anything like Fred had said. She shook her head, knowing that thinking like this would just confuse her. She and Spike were just friends, best friends, and that was all there was to their relationship. Her friends were just crazy, mistaking their affection for something else. She slowly smiled, deciding that had to be the problem. The others were just misinterpreting their friendship. She quit thinking about it as they entered yet another store, Cordelia insisting that her new dress required the appropriate undergarments and sexy stockings. Willow didn't bother protesting, knowing she'd lose the argument, talking with Fred about a book that they both loved as Faith and Cordelia continued shopping.
After all of the clothing had been bought, Willow noticed one of her favorite book stores.
"Guys, I'll be right back." The redhead announced.
"Where are you headed?" Faith asked.
"Well, Angel did say that I could get something for Spike." Willow replied.
"But, that's a book store, Will." Cordelia informed the witch.
"I know this, Cordelia." Willow said as she rolled her eyes playfully. "You guys would be surprised at how intelligent Spike really is. He just doesn't think it's very 'manly' so he tries to hide it behind his 'big bad' bravado."
"I can see that about him." Fred mused. "He seems to know an awful lot."
"So, what are you going to get him?" Cordelia asked, with mischievous smile.
"None of your business." Willow said playfully. "If he wants to share, he can share."
The redhead walked off and left the other 3 women standing.
"Oh no, she's not in love with him." Cordelia said sarcastically. The other two laughed.
"Well, we're at a book store. I'll go and look at some new physics titles." Fred stated.
"I can always check out magazines." Cordelia said.
"I'm with you." Faith replied. "Although I did hear about this really cool new book on Martial Arts techniques. Maybe I can learn something new."
"Oh, so you admit you don't know every thing there is to know about slaying?" Fred asked innocently.
"Okay, that's it!" Faith whined. "You're not hanging out with Cordy anymore without my supervision."
The three women laughed as they entered the book store and went their separate ways.
Meanwhile, Willow stood directly in front of the book that was perfect for her best friend. "Got it." She said proudly with a smile.
~Part: 16~
The women walked into the Hyperion giggling. Gunn was reading an ancient text on weaponry while Wesley played solitaire on Cordelia's computer. Both men looked up when the ladies entered with two or three bags in each hand. Angel was in his office brooding and Spike was upstairs resting and thinking over his earlier conversation with Angel.
"That was absolutely the most fun shopping experience I've ever had!" Willow announced with a large smile as she entered the lobby of the hotel. "And that restaurant was unbelievable!"
"Can you believe Faith is the one that told me about it?" Cordelia inquired, arching a brow as she shook her head in disbelief.
"Hey," Faith objected as she realized that Cordelia was insinuating that she was not a good judge of restaurants, "I may be from the proverbial wrong side of the tracks, and fresh out of prison...okay, never mind." She finished quietly.
"I figured you girls would have way more bags than this." Gunn stated as he looked at the few bags the girls were carrying, knowing that they'd been gone long enough to buy out every store in the Promenade. That, coupled with the use of Angel's Gold Card, had him expecting dozens of bags each.
"Oh, we do." Cordelia assured her boyfriend as she kissed his cheek, "But that's what you men are for, right?"
"Hell-o!" Gunn replied incredulously, "You have a slayer with you!"
"Listen, since YOUR girl bought the most amount of stuff, I suggest you go out and get to bringing it in here," Faith taunted. "And grab the vamps, you two, we're parked in the shade."
"Yo, Spike!" Gunn yelled up the stairs. "Let's go."
Wesley walked over to Angel's office and knocked on the door before entering. Angel was already out of his seat when Gunn yelled out Spike's name.
"Angel, I'm sure you've guessed that the girls have returned," Wesley told the dark haired vampire. "They want us to bring the rest of their bags in from the car. And don't try the sun excuse. They parked in the shade."
Just then, Spike came bounding down the stairs. A smile crossed his face as he saw the happy expression on Willow's face, knowing that she had enjoyed her torturous day of shopping, pleased that she'd had fun, even if it meant he'd been stuck with no one to talk to.
"How *did* you find out about the restaurant, Faith?" Fred asked the slayer as she set her bags down.
Spike saw his grandsire leave the office, a cunning look entering his blue eyes. The blonde walked directly over to Willow, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek and temple before taking the bags from her hands. He saw her eyes widen slightly with surprise, a smile crossing his face as he asked, "Have a nice trip, luv?"
"Oh Spike, we had so much fun!" Willow said, actually bouncing as she smiled excitedly. She'd been surprised when he'd kissed her cheek, which was stupid because Spike was a very hands on friend, always holding her and hugging her and kissing her platonically. He liked to touch his friends and be touched by them, well, he liked to touch her at least. Willow always assumed it came from years of never really having much contact with warmth or being particularly close to anyone. She was just over thinking his actions now because of those stupid women that called themselves her friends and their beliefs that something more than just friendship was happening between her and her best friend. That's the only reason she'd been more attune to the feel of his lips against her cheek and the way his smell surrounded her as he gave her the brief hug.
"Glad to hear it, pet." Spike replied as he gave the glaring Angel a mischievous grin, making sure his hands drifted slowly down Willow's back in a loving way as he kept the redhead close to him.
Faith sensed something was going on, and didn't answer Fred until the physicist called her name again. "Oh, right. Lindsey McDonald actually brought me there."
"WHAT?" Angel asked, forgetting about the redhead and the other vampire for the moment. "When?" He demanded.
"I'm guessing when Wolfram and Hart hired her to kill you, dumb ass." Cordelia answered for the slayer, not able to keep the smug smile from crossing her pretty face.
"And what do you care?" Faith asked, arching a brow as she glared at the vampire, somehow knowing that he'd done something when they'd been gone. She wasn't imagining the way Spike was smugly glaring at Angel or that the blond seemed to have developed a sudden fixation on touching Willow in friendly yet more than friendly ways, all the time smirking at Angel. She resisted the urge to go smack the dark vampire for doing whatever it was he'd done.
"I-I just..." before Angel could embarrass himself any more, Gunn managed to interrupt.
"Guys, those packages aren't going to bring themselves in." He reminded everyone. The men decided that now would be a good time to walk out and get the purchases.
"So, Will, what'd you get Spike?" Cordelia asked as the men left the lobby.
"Yeah, what could he possibly love from the bookstore?" Faith added, curiosity in her dark eyes.
Willow smiled playfully. "That's Spike's business. If he wants to tell you, he'll tell you." Cordelia opened her mouth to speak, but the hacker stopped her. "Uh uh! See this? Resolve face. I'm not telling nothing!"
"Are any of the stores you ladies visited still in business?" Gunn asked as all four men returned with mountains of bags, all carefully labeled with the owners' names.
"Very funny, Charles." Fred answered the youngest of the men sarcastically.
"I thought it was." Spike said with a smile.
"Same here." Wesley added with a wink at the men.
"Did you guys actually bond while we were gone?" Willow asked with amusement. She noticed the glare that Spike gave Angel and vice versa before the blond vampire moved to her side.
Instead of answering her question, Spike gave her a tender look, knowing that Angel was watching and enjoying being able to make the brooding wanker's life a little more miserable. He smiled lovingly as he purred, "I missed you, Red. Time always seems to stand still whenever we're apart."
"Huh?" Willow gaped at him, knowing that she was not imagining his, well, overly sappy words or the look in his eyes as he moved closer to her. She watched as he glanced in Angel's direction, her eyes doing the same, knowing that if looks could kill, Spike would be just a big old pile of dust right now. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as looked back at Spike, doing her best to ignore the flash of disappointment that went through her when she realized Spike was just playing with Angel for some reason. Not disappointment! No, Willow, not thinking that way. Ignore what those silly women said. Spike is your best friend, just your best friend. Nothing more. She slowly smiled at him, seeing his eyes widen in surprise before they gleamed with amusement as she huskily said, "Baby, you know how much I hate being away from you. Why don't you help me take the bags to our room and you can tell me how much you missed me?"
"Oh, pet, I think I'd rather show you," he teased, lowering his voice as he smiled at her, not sure how she'd figured out he was playing with Angel but rather liking this flirty side of his witch.
"Spike, not in front of the children," Willow scolded playfully as she moved her hand under his chin, finding herself enjoying this even as part of her said it was just wrong! She gave him what she hoped was a sexy look and said, "I'm gonna have to punish you for that."
"I think these bags really need to be taken upstairs," he said as he moved her towards the stairs, giving the others a smirk as he noticed their stunned expression, "Ta, luvs. My girl and I have some bags to put away."
Willow glanced at her friends, giving Faith a wink as she hurried up the stairs, waiting until they were in their room before facing Spike and demanding, "Okay, Blondie. What the hell is going on?"
~Part: 17~
"What?" Spike asked innocently, seeing the way she narrowed her pretty green eyes and knowing that she wasn't buying his innocent act.
"I mean it, William." Spike winced. Willow hardly ever called him that unless she was being really sweet or really angry. "What are you playing at with Angel?"
"Well..." Spike tried to think of a good excuse, but his mind drew a total blank. He'd spent a majority of the afternoon upstairs, thinking and growing more and more angry over Angel's warning and threat. He'd decided to make the wanker's life a little more miserable by pretending that his grandsire's suspicions were true, figuring it wouldn't all that difficult to act like he was in love with Willow. She was his best friend and meant the world to him. He'd not counted on Willow figuring out he was up to something, though he shouldn't have been surprised. His Red was a smart one, after all. Now, she was demanding answers and he didn't know what to tell her, so, he decided on the truth. He said, "That wanker started it!"
"Oh, very mature." Willow's sarcastic tone did not go unnoticed by her best friend. She was trying to stay on topic and not think of why he had to pick NOW to taunt Angel THIS way. She sighed, "Tell me what the hell is going on, Spike."
"Fine," The vampire shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed. He looked the redhead in the eye because he knew she'd see what was going on inside him, even if he didn't want to admit how angry that ponce made him. "Your FRIEND, Paingel, just warned me to stay away from you."
"Please tell me you're kidding," She said, running a hand over her face as she saw the anger and hurt in Spike's blue eyes. What the hell had Angel said?
"That Nancy boy couldn't wait until you birds left so he could tell me to stop shagging you and stay away from you," Spike stood suddenly and began to pace. Just thinking about the colossal nerves of that git was starting to grate on his own.
"Did you say, 'stop shagging' me?" Willow asked, her eyes widening as said image came way too easily to her mind. She glanced at the bed they were sharing and looked away quickly. Oh God, this was not good. Not good at all. Spike was her best friend, the most important person in her life, and she couldn't imagine her life without him. She could not risk their friendship by having naughty thoughts about him. She was going to kill Faith and Fred and Cordelia, she decided. It was all their fault!
"Yeah, the dim-witted wanker thinks we're going at it like rabbits," Spike said. Before she could respond, he continued softly, "He says I'll end up hurting you. Like I would ever hurt you, Red." Spike turned to Willow and saw that she was only partially focused on him.
"He honestly thinks we're a couple?" Willow asked quietly. After her discussion with the girls earlier, she was beginning to get a little confused. Sure, she was having some not so platonic feelings towards Spike, but they couldn't possibly know that. So, she didn't understand it. Why do people think we're a couple, she thought.
"Are you not listening, pet?" Spike countered, a bit annoyed that she was off daydreaming when he was telling her why he was so pissed at Angel. He wanted her to know that he'd never hurt her, that she meant the world to him, and that Angel was a miserable bastard for even suggesting such a thing. He headed towards her and stood directly in front of her so they were facing one another. He moved his fingers along her cheek, gaining her attention as he said, "That piece of shit thinks I would have little or no regard for your feelings and that I would purposely ruin our friendship."
"And that's why you let him believe we were doing the horizontal mambo," She stated more than asked, trying to ignore the feeling of his fingers against her cheek. Spike was mad because Angel thought he'd hurt her, in any way, and that he'd risk ruining their friendship by taking their relationship further. She was beginning to understand, figuring that there had to be some kind of miscommunication.
"Well, he made me angry," Spike replied innocently, his lips curving into a playful smile that faded as he said, "Besides, who the bloody hell does he think he is trying to order me away from you?" Rage had returned to his voice.
"Spike, I think you're over reacting," Willow said and sat on the spot Spike had recently vacated. "Maybe that's not what he meant. Maybe I should talk to him."
"Maybe I should put a stake through his heart," Spike snarled, not liking his Red defending Peaches at all. She was his girl, she should have been on his side without having to question the brooding wanker. Too damn smart, he decided crossly, wanting to have every question answered before making up her mind. Let her talk to Angel, she'd see he was right and then she'd have to admit that Angel was a meddling bastard and stop being his friend. He slowly smiled, rather liking that idea.
"Spike." The redhead warned, not at all sure she liked the smirk that was on Spike's face, wishing she knew what had caused it.
"Fine, Red. Talk to him," Spike conceded. "You'll see he's obviously not playing with a full deck."
"Okay," the hacker sighed. "Let's get some of these things put away, then I'll go down and talk to him. I want you to stay here, though. I don't want any provocation from either one of you."
~Part: 18~
Faith stared after the redhead and blond as they disappeared up the stairs, her eyes narrowed as she turned to glare at Angel, "What did you do?"
"What? Me?" Angel sputtered, his dark eyes blazing with anger as he pulled them away from the nauseating sight of Willow and Spike giggling together as they reached the top of the stairs and disappeared down the hall towards their room to do things that made him want to rip Spike's head off. He wasn't even choosy about which head, knowing either one would prevent the sex from happening, and thus protect Willow's heart from Spike.
"Yes, you," Faith hissed, "something happened while we were shopping. I want to know what you did!"
"Faith, honey, whatever he did must have been good because, hello! Spike and Willow? Hot, hot, hot!" Cordelia fanned herself.
"Did you see the way he was looking at her? Like she was the most important thing in the world and he couldn't stand being apart from her for even a few hours," Fred sighed, "It was so romantic."
"I was too busy watching the sparks every time they touched to notice the sappy romance bits," Gunn shrugged, a playful leer crossing his face, "Damn! Talk about sexual attraction. Thought we might get a free show there for a few minutes."
"Don't sound so disappointed," Cordelia smacked his shoulder before smiling smugly, "I told you that there was something going on between them! Just friends my ass! Those two could heat LA during the coldest winter with the passion between them."
"I can't believe you people!" Angel stared at his friends as if they were aliens, which he was beginning to believe they might be.
"What is the problem with Willow and Spike being a couple?" Wesley asked with an arched brow. "I believe that they are both quite in love and very happy. As their friends, well, as Willow's friend, we should be pleased that she has found someone to love her the way Spike does."
"He's a demon! He's an evil vampire without a soul. He'll end up breaking her heart," Angel reminded sharply.
"Angel, what the hell did you do?" Faith asked again, her tone giving every indication that a failure to answer this time would result in Angel bleeding from where she kicked his ass for being a complete idiot.
"I told Spike to leave her alone before he hurt her," Angel said, not even having a chance to defend himself when Faith pushed his chest, knocking him against the wall. His eyes flashed yellow as he glared at the slayer, not able to ignore the fact that he was a bit aroused by how gorgeous she looked with anger in her eyes and her entire concentration focused on him. And, okay, so he did like it a little rough.
"You fucking moron," Faith shook her head, "Spike would never hurt Willow! He loves her, damn it. Why can't you just accept that? He's not Angelus! He may be a vampire and a demon, but he can love, he can care. Hell, he tolerates Bitchy for Willow! If that isn't love, I don't know what is!"
"Faith, calm down," Cordelia said softly, moving behind the slayer and trying to get her to release the tight grip she had on Angel's shirt.
"I will not calm down," Faith said quietly, but she did release Angel's shirt. She ran a hand through her hair, "If he fucked up things between them, I swear that I'm going to kick his ass."
"Not much of a threat since it looks like he'd probably enjoy it," Gunn muttered to Fred, causing the brunette to blush as her eyes noticed the change in Angel's trousers.
"Oh my," Fred whispered, her lips curling into a wicked smile as she whispered, "I guess you can put the soul into the vampire but you can't remove the kink from the vampire."
Gunn laughed, turning it into a weak cough when Faith and Cordelia turned to glare at him. He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, um, continue your threatening."
"Faith, may I speak to you a moment?" Wesley asked as he moved towards the office. Faith reluctantly followed him, continuing to glare at Angel the entire way.
"What is it, Wes? I've got a vampire to beat senseless," Faith asked as she faced her former watcher, smirking as she added, "oh, wait, this is Angel we're talking about. He's already senseless!"
"Willow and Spike are just friends," Wesley said softly, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief as he said, "but I do believe that Angel's interference is going to have the least desired effect that he could want. From the display we witnessed not long ago, I would wager that it will not be very long before they realize that they do have feelings for each other."
"Well, duh," Faith shrugged, "They're in love. They want each other and that's obvious to, oh, anyone with eyes! They just don't see it because they're all 'we're just friends and something else might mess up the friendship blah blah blah' instead of realizing they've found something so damn special and enjoying it!"
"True," Wesley agreed, "but you are missing the point, slayer. They needed something to make them realize what they have, and I do believe Angel has become the catalyst. They appeared to be playing a game to make him suffer for suggesting that Spike would ever hurt Willow, though I have little doubt that Willow was not aware of exactly why they were playing the game. Now that she knows, as I assume she does, I expect that we are in for quite a show. If Angel had kept his mouth shut and just ignored his suspicions, who knows how much longer it would have taken for them to acknowledge their attraction and love for each other?"
"You're too smart," Faith shook her head, but she was now smiling slightly, "So, what you're saying is that you think they're going to play like they're fucking to make Angel miserable and that they're gonna realize that they really do have feelings for each other and that it isn't just an act?"
"A bit more crude than my theory, but close enough," Wesley smirked.
"So Angel is actually going to be the one responsible for getting them together, then?" Faith's smile widened.
"In a way, yes," Wesley nodded, "so it would be wise to allow him to continue interfering and being a complete ass because it will just bring them together in their annoyance with him."
"Damn, that means no kicking his ass?" Faith whined, smiling as she said, "I guess I can deal if it means Red and Blondie finally make with the happily ever after."
"I am certain they will appreciate your sacrifice," Wesley smiled.
"They'd better!" Faith laughed as she grabbed Wesley and walked back into the lobby. She saw Angel pacing and muttering, licking her lips involuntarily as her eyes moved over him. Bastard. He had no right to be so damn fuckable! She pushed those thoughts from her mind as she joined the others.
"Everything okay?" Cordelia asked the slayer, watching the brunette practically drool over Angel's entire dark and angry look he had going on before looking at her. Hmm, it would appear that there was more matchmaking to be done. She'd have to have a chat with Fred regarding their two single and lusting for each other friends, she decided. Spike and Willow together made sense in a way she'd have never imagined until she'd seen the way they looked at each other and witnessed the love that was undeniable. As for Faith and Angel, those two just needed to be locked into a room somewhere until they finally broke down and gave in to the passion and desire that fueled the majority of the tension between them.
Faith smiled, winking as she nodded, "Five by five."
~Part: 19~
Willow descended the stairs determined to prove Spike wrong. There had to be a reasonable explanation. She knew that there was animosity between Spike and Angel that went back over a century and couldn't help but wonder if that was the reason for the latest disagreement between the two vampires. Spike had really been upset, though, so she knew something had happened, but she just couldn't believe that Angel would so rude and interfering. No use worrying about it until she found out what really went on, she decided as she reached the last step. She put a smile on her face and looked at the group in the lobby. Something had happened, that much was obvious. She just didn't want to believe that it had something to do with her and Spike's conversation.
Angel was pacing angrily while Faith and Wesley had smug looks on their faces. Cordelia and Gunn had innocent expressions while Fred looked wistful.
"Hey Angel," the redhead smiled softly, wanting to hear his side of the story, "can I talk to you for a second?"
Angel looked at Faith wondering if she'd attack him for speaking with Willow without the slayer's supervision. She'd had a talk with Wesley about who knew what, returning to the lobby and sitting down with that damn smug smile on her face. She hadn't said a single word to him, seeming to forget that they had been in the middle of a heated argument before the former watcher had interrupted. Not that Angel wanted to start fighting with her again. It wasn't like she was gorgeous when she was angry or like he found it arousing when she was yelling at him or like he enjoyed arguing with her. He saw her arch a brow at his look for approval, her smug smile becoming a full out smirk.
"What are you lookin' at ME for?" the brunette asked smugly. Man, this was too perfect. She had little doubt that a private conversation between Willow and Angel would only result in the redhead getting pissed off because Angel was such an annoying bastard and thus cause her friend to end up in Spike's arms. Wesley might be a bit of an uptight priss, but he was also fucking brilliant when it came to thinking up plans and observing people.
"O...okay, Willow." Angel said to the hacker, smiling slightly as he realized that this was his chance to warn her about Spike. He motioned for her to go into his office first. He quickly followed, shutting the door firmly behind him.
When the door closed, Cordelia went to Faith. "WHAT are you doing? Why didn't you stop them?"
"Let's just say that Wes opened my eyes about something." Faith replied. She and Wesley then explained the situation to Cordelia with Gunn adding in his take on it as well. Fred just sat there smiling. She knew it was time for them to get together, and Angel was only helping.
Meanwhile, in the office, Willow took a seat. The redhead wasn't entirely sure how to start this conversation, her green eyes thoughtful as Angel took his seat behind the large desk.
"So, what's going on, Will?" Angel asked, trying to sound casual, but at the same time dying to warn her away from Spike.
"Okay," she replied with a sigh, deciding the best approach was to just be blunt. "I'm just going to ask." She looked him in the eyes. "Did you tell Spike to stay away from me?"
"Yes."
"Oh, good." She said sounding relieved. "I knew he was over exaggerating about--wait, did you just say yes?"
"Yes." Angel replied, happy to be able to finally tell her why. "I told him to stay away from you."
"Why would you do that?" the redhead was bewildered at this point. She couldn't believe Spike was right about this. Okay, so a part of her had believed him automatically because she trusted him and knew he'd never lie to her, but she had honestly assumed that he'd misunderstood whatever it was that Angel had said.
"Come on, Willow." He said as if this was the only thing that made sense. He stood and walked around his desk to sit on the corner so he could be close enough to get through to her. "This is Spike. He has no soul. He will hurt you just to say he hurt you. He's using you Will, and he's going to destroy you. And I don't want to see that."
"You honestly believe I'm stupid enough to not see if the guy I've been living with for a year is up to something?" She spoke with barely controlled rage, but managed to maintain a calm voice. How could Angel be so cruel? Because cruel was the only word to describe telling someone that they were worthless and didn't deserve to be in a happy relationship and that they would only end up causing pain and hurting anyone that dared love them. How could Angel stand there and tell her that Spike was using her and planned to destroy her? The smug bastard didn't know Spike at all, she realized, still dwelling in the past and not accepting that the blond vampire could change. She was getting more annoyed with every passing second.
"I'm just saying..." Angel tried to explain when he saw her anger.
"Shut up," she interrupted sharply, "Don't you even TRY to tell me this is for my own good or something as inane as that. I'm a grown up, Angel, in case you hadn't noticed."
"I know you are, Will, but you don't understand what he is capable of. You're exactly the type of person he would use just because he knows he can break you. You don't know what kind of a monster you're dea-" That's about the time Angel lost the ability to speak, thanks to a wave of Willow's hand.
"How dare you call someone that I care about a monster? How dare you treat me this way and try to dictate my life by telling me whom I can and can't date?" At this point, the redhead was yelling. "Tell me, when did you develop this 'god' complex and think you're better than everyone else? And you know what's funny: I never hopped on the 'Angel's a vampire so stay away from him Buffy' bandwagon back in Sunnydale. And THIS is how you return the favor? So what if Spike doesn't have a soul? He's loved more deeply than you EVER have."
She stopped and wondered why this had her so upset. She probably shouldn't have said that last part. But his eyes sure did get as big as his head, didn't they? Anyway, back to the point. Yes, Spike was her best friend and she was definitely going to defend him. But now she was also defending her right to be with him in THAT way. Damn Cordy, Faith, and Fred! Why couldn't they have kept their mouths shut? She then wondered why Angel hadn't said anything while she was establishing her inner monologue when she realized she had rendered him unable to speak. With a wave of her hand, she released the vampire's vocal cords.
"I don't think I need to be in here right now," The redhead said softly but firmly before turning and opening the door. Cordelia fell inside Angel's office.
"Um, vision?" the seer lied.
"Right, Cordy." Willow said. She couldn't help but smile at her friend. In so many ways the former May Queen had changed; and in others, still the same Cordelia.
Willow went back up the stairs and walked into her and Spike's room. The vampire looked up from the television, blue eyes flashing with concern as he noticed how angry she was. The concern was replaced with excitement as his lips curved into a smile at her words.
Willow shut the door and caught Spike's eyes, a determined gleam in her eyes as she said, "Okay, let's do this."
~Part: 20~
"So, now what?" Spike asked the redhead cautiously as he watched her pacing angrily. Blimey, but she was gorgeous when she was angry. His little spitfire, he thought fondly, watching as she faced him and smiled.
"Now, we give him a show like he never even imagined." Willow replied with conviction. She didn't feel guilty at all for the impending tormenting of Angel. He had brought it on himself, him and his pompous, self-righteous, ridiculous, mean comments about Spike. She sighed as caught Spike's eyes, noticing just how beautiful they were. Such a lovely shade of blue, focusing all of his attention on her. She began to pace again as Angel's words came back to her. "He was so cruel, Spike. Some of the things he said about you..." She trailed off.
"It's okay, luv." The vampire tried to comfort his best friend. He stood in her path of pacing and put an arm around her. She hugged him tightly with both arms. "Don't let it get to you. He's a wanker. He was born a wanker and he died a wanker. Not only is a wanker, but he's a brooding, unhappy, miserable bastard that wants everyone to be as lonely and depressed as he is. His opinion doesn't mean a damn thing to me, luv."
"I just don't want you to think that I agree with him." She mumbled into his shirt, knowing that Spike was lying. She had seen the hurt look on his face when he'd told her what Angel had said about him, knew that he considered the elder vampire his sire in many ways and wanted his approval even if he'd rather be staked out in the middle of desert before admitting such a thing.
"Will, look at me." She sniffled and pulled back to look him in the eyes. Spike brushed his thumb across her cheek, a small smile crossing his face as he asked, "Do you think I believe that?" She shook her head no. His smile turned wicked as he said, "Then, let's start working on a plan to make that half wit wish he'd never tried to interfere with our friendship."
She smiled at the determination and devious expression on Spike's face. "I need to tell you what that asshole said." She stated, not really wanting to repeat the insults but wanting Spike to understand why she was so pissed off.
He nodded and braced himself for the harsh words that he knew his grandsire had thrown at his sweet little witch. He shifted into gameface 3 times during the story and laughed at Willow's spell to keep Angel from moving and talking. He also congratulated her on telling the holier-than-thou wanker off. When she was done, he sighed.
"You know that I'd never do any of those things to you, Willow." He confirmed. "No matter what the situation was, I'd never hurt you. You're my best friend. I'd *never* hurt you."
"I know that, silly." She replied with an affectionate smile before confessing, "Now I don't feel so bad about spending so much of his money today."
Spike chuckled, thinking how cute she looked when she was smiling that impish smile. He arched a brow as he said, "Speaking of shopping...what did you get me?"
"I'll tell you later." She answered mischievously, knowing that Spike was one of the most impatient people she'd ever met. She laughed when he playfully growled at her, a smile crossing her face as she said, "This is going to be fun, isn't it?"
"You bet it is, Red." He replied with a smile, giving her a hug before pulling back. "So," he said very business-like, the smile fading though his blue eyes were clearly amused, "From now on, we will either be holding hands or have arms around one another. Is that clear?"
"Sir, yes sir!" she answered with a fake salute, "Lots of touching."
"Brat," Spike smiled at her antics, deciding that he wouldn't mind the touching at all. God, what the hell was he thinking? This was Willow, his best friend. He shouldn't be so enthusiastic about the idea of being able to touch her in romantic ways, yet he couldn't deny that he was really excited about the idea of sharing intimate touches and hugs with his witch. Who was he kidding? He had wanted to touch her for what seemed like forever and was finally going to have the chance. He was pulled from his thoughts when Willow spoke.
"Oh! And we can whisper and giggle in each other's ears a lot," She added with a grin. "He'll hate the whispers because the nosy old bastard will want to know what we're talking about."
"You have to be comfortable with a little snog every now and then, too, pet," He said slowly as he watched her facial expression. Hell, if they were going to do this, he was going to take full advantage of the situation. He couldn't be with her for real, but he could definitely enjoy the act while he could.
Willow had a feeling it wouldn't be difficult to pretend to enjoy kissing Spike. She had a pretty good idea that he would be a good kisser. Good? Make that great. He had the most delectable lips and struck her as being a very sensual person, loving to be hugged and touched in platonic ways and surely that would extend to his partner in a real relationship. No, the idea of kissing him didn't sound bad at all. Then, she wondered where that train of thought came from, as she once again thought about killing the women downstairs. She smiled shyly, not wanting to confess that snogging him sounded rather fun, instead saying, "The main thing is to be comfortable around each other, no matter how touchy feely we get in front of brood boy."
"Right," He agreed, his eyes moving along the curve of her lips. Maybe they could start practicing the snogging now, he mused, his tongue moving along his bottom lip. After a pause, he looked around the room uncomfortably, knowing that the game wouldn't begin until they had an audience.
"Spike, a-are you not okay with doing this?" Willow asked hesitantly, wondering if the heat in the hotel had been turned up because she was most decidedly warm.
"What?" He asked, completely confused. Then, he caught on to what she meant. "No, luv. It's just..."
"It's just what?" She asked apprehensively, worried that he couldn't even pretend to want her long enough to play the game with Angel.
"Well," he said impatiently, his lips curving into a familiar smile, "It's later. So, what'd you buy me today?"