A Calling

Author: Jami

Rating: Pg-13

Distribution: Red’s Soulmates, my site Fatal Mistakes; anyone want, just ask.

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything, not even Spike, but a girl can wish.

Spoilers: Buffy through Season 7, including the finale, and in general, Angel Season 5.

Summary: Willow joins the L.A. crew

Author’s Notes: Spike has a body, no mention of Buffy cause, well; just thinking about her and Spike is…ugh. Spike may have had a bit of a thing for her like in the fifth season but they never hooked up.

Feedback: Yes, please. See, I’m asking nicely…

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~Part: 1~

“Holy crap…” exclaimed the amazed redhead as she stared at the colossal building in front of her. Glancing back at the business card in her hand, she assured herself that she had the right address. Shaking her head, Willow walked slowly to the entrance, remembering why she was here in the first place.

After they all left the literal hellhole that was Sunnydale, most of the group went their separate ways. Buffy took Dawn to Italy, they were loving the Roman countryside last she heard. Giles and Xander went to England, readying to remake the now destroyed Watcher’s Council. She had been surprised when Xander offered to accompany the former librarian, but she now understood his motivation. After losing Anya, he needed a purpose, and helping Giles was as good as anything. Andrew went with the two; it was anyone’s guess as to why. As for herself, she had left for Brazil with Kennedy. It was alright in the beginning, different for sure. But to the witch it just didn’t feel right.

Things with Kennedy had become strained after awhile. The brunette was still so young and had so much living to do. Willow, on the other hand, had seen and experienced so much in her young life that she was truly ready to settle, to call someplace home. And Brazil just wasn’t home. The only home she knew was currently buried in a crater, so she had no where to turn to. Except for Los Angeles.

When she proposed the idea of moving to L.A. to Kennedy, the slayer was very unhappy with her plan. She had no desire to go back to the states, let alone California. There was a whole world she had yet to explore and she wouldn’t waste anymore time on the streets of California. It truly surprised the brunette when Willow decided that maybe they shouldn’t see each other anymore. She had done her best to convince the witch she was wrong, but it was to no avail. Kennedy wanted adventure, Willow wanted stability. Or, as stable a life one could have amidst fighting the occasional demon and usual world save-age. She didn’t want to give up the fight, but she missed fighting with a team, with friends.

So she left Kennedy in Brazil and took a flight to Los Angeles. She debated about giving Angel a call to let him know she was dropping by, but when she called the hotel there was no answer. The phone line had been disconnected. She found it strange. She knew Angel was okay, she had a bit of a bond with the souled vampire after restoring his soul. Nothing major, but she could always tell when he was badly wounded, things like that. But he was fine, as far as she could tell. So she did some asking around once she arrived in the city, seems being the most powerful witch on Earth had a lot of pull in the demon underground. She got the answers she was looking for extremely fast. And answers came in the form of an address to a law firm, Wolfram and Hart. She had been assured that was where she would find Angel.

Bringing her mind back to the present, Willow did her best to close her gaping mouth as she neared the towering structure. How did Angel manage to become a CEO of a law firm? Could a vampire even be CEO? She pushed open the doors, taking in all the people milling about, seemingly oblivious to the various demons that too shared the space. Talking became hushed when she walked further into the room. She had a good idea why. Demons could feel her power, she sorta had a hard time controlling that, it came with the job. Doing her best to look non-threatening, she looked down, making her way to the receptionist desk. Not looking the blonde standing there in the eye, she spoke.

“Excuse me?” she asked softly, “Do you know where I can find Angel?”

“He’s kinda busy,” answered a somewhat familiar voice. “Do you have an appointment? And I’ll need your name.”

“Oh, yeah,” the redhead answered absently. Turning her head in the woman’s direction, she attempted to answer. “The name is Wi--”

“Willow Rosenberg!!” screeched the blonde, her voice like nails on a chalk board. Willow’s eyes flew up to meet hers and widened at the sight.

“Holy God, you’re Harmony…” murmured the shocked witch. “What are you doing here?”

“I should ask you the same thing. For your information, I work here. I am Angel’s secretary. Now, what brings Sunnydale’s resident geek to my place of work?” she sneered contemptuously.

“I just want to see Angel,” she sighed, feeling a migraine coming on. If anyone could give her a headache in a matter of seconds, it was Harmony.

“Yeah, well, he’s busy…yup, real busy,” stated Harmony with an exaggerated nod. “Too busy to speak with you, so you might as well be goi--”

“Harmony? Is my four-thirty here yet?” called Angel as he strode into the lobby, business suit and all. Willow stared at him in surprise. He was wearing a blue shirt, Angel in color. She never saw him dress in anything but black practically. Except when he was evil, Angelus was quite the snappy dresser.

Glancing at his secretary, he noted her disgruntled look and cocked his head to the side in silent questioning. “What’s the ma-” he started but shut his mouth abruptly when he caught a look at the woman standing across from Harmony. A smile tugged at his mouth as briskly crossed the lobby and grabbed the redhead in a fierce hug.

“Hi to you too, Angel,” Willow managed to greet him, though breathing was definitely becoming a problem in his tight embrace. She was amazed at his reaction to her. While Angel had never been rude or anything, they were never that close. Realizing she needed oxygen, Angel released her and smiled brightly.

“It’s good to see you, Wills,” he finally said. She smiled in return and Harmony rolled her eyes. “Harmony, clear my schedule for the day,” he ordered her quickly before turning his attention back to Willow. “Come on, Will. We’ll talk in my office.” The witch nodded and followed him, eyes occasionally straying to take in the surroundings.

“Gotta tell you, Angel. You’ve done well for yourself,” she told him as they entered his office and he closed the door behind them. He leaned against the side of his desk, gesturing for her to take a seat in front of him. She did as he suggested and looked up at him. “When I heard you were the head of a demonic law firm, I have to admit I had a hard time believing it.”

“Uh, yeah. Didn’t expect it myself,” he admitted sheepishly. “But we’re trying to make a change for the better here.”

“Ah, I get it,” she nodded sagely, “Bring change, from the inside out.”

“That’s the idea,” he replied with a half-smile. “So what brings you to the city, Willow? I thought you were all taking the time to travel…see the world and all.”

“Yeah, well, traveling is overrated,” she sighed as she sunk down in her chair. “I just got tired of it all, you know?” He nodded sympathetically but said nothing, knowing she had more to tell him. “It was fun at first, but I miss staying put. And I even missed nightly patrols. We didn’t do much of that while we were on the road. It may sound crazy, but that is how I’ve lived for seven years. Takes time to get over that, I suppose,” she shrugged. “So I said to myself, ‘Self, you should go pay Angel a visit’. And here I am. I hope I’m not intruding, I tried to call the hotel but no answer, obviously.”

“You’re not intruding,” he assured her quickly. He didn’t want her to leave so soon. It was nice having someone from the old gang back. “I understand completely. How long are you staying in town?”

“Don’t know,” she answered, “I was thinking of maybe sticking around permanently, but who knows?”

“Do you have a place to stay?” he inquired.

“Knew there was something I forgot…” she muttered, smacking herself upside the head. He grinned at her display.

“It’s not a problem Will. You can stay with me. I have this nice, big penthouse upstairs. You have the spare room until I get a place ready for you here.”

“You’re getting me a place?” she murmured.

“I figured you were staying so why not?” he explained. “You want to move to L.A. and we could always use the help of the greatest witch in world,” he added with a smirk. “So what do you say? Wanna stay and help me turn this place around?”

“That would be great!” she replied excitedly. He grinned at her enthusiasm. Thinking of something suddenly, he stood and reached over to his phone.

“Harmony,” he called, “send the gang in here,” he asked. Willow looked at him quizzically.

“I know you have met them, but I thought you might want to get reacquainted,” he commented. She agreed and stood as well, just as his door opened.

“You rang, Boss?” said Gunn as he entered, Wesley only steps behind. Fred slipped inside, Lorne at her side before the green demon moved to shut the door. Angel opened his mouth to speak as he joined Willow’s side, but was beat to the punch.

“Hey!” exclaimed an annoyed voice, “Watch it when you close that bloody thing!” Spike pushed the door open and glared at Lorne. “Almost slammed it into my sodding nose! Wanker.” He didn’t bother to look up at Angel or their guest, too busy patting his duster down trying to find his cigarettes.

Willow’s jaw nearly hit the floor at the sight of the bleach blonde. The bleach blonde that was supposed to be a big pile of dust lying in what used to be Sunnydale. But there he was, very much alive, or undead in his case. She looked to Angel but his face only registered exasperation.

“Why are you here?” groaned the brown-eyed vampire.

“You asked for the gang, Peaches,” replied Spike with his standard smirk. “In case you forgot, I’m one of you bloody do-gooders now. Comes with the soul. Now, you had a reason for bringing us here, poof…” he prompted, bored.

“Spike?” whispered a quiet voice. His eyebrows shot up at the voice and he hesitantly raised his eyes to meet the newcomer’s. He wasn’t sure what brought her here, but he reluctantly had to admit he was happy to see her. He always liked that one. She was an enigma to him. On one hand, she was the most compassionate person, putting everyone’s needs above her own. He experienced her caring nature first hand. It still amazed him, every time he tried to kill her, even sire her once, she was there for him. She comforted him. But one the other hand, she was a force to be reckoned with. She nearly destroyed the entire world, if it wasn’t for Xapper, she would have succeeded. She was the most powerful Wicca there was, managed to turn ordinary girls into slayers in a matter of seconds. She was so much wrapped in a tiny package.

“Red,” he acknowledged with a bow of his head. He wasn’t sure what to do, he found himself fidgeting a bit. His hands found their way into his pockets as he stared into those captivating green eyes. He didn’t know how she managed to catch him off guard. He should have sensed her, smelled her. He had spent all those years hanging around her and her lot. He knew her scent well, ever since that night in the basement of the factory. She had changed a little, there was a tinge of darkness there that wasn’t before. She had been changed permanently, but underneath it all, there was still that thing that was undeniably Red.

She approached him slowly, everyone watching the two curiously. The pair paid no attention the stares, too involved in the other. Willow reached out a tentative hand, touching his shoulder, nearly gasping at the feel of him. She threw himself at him, hugging him tightly to his surprise. It wasn’t a bad surprise, he admitted to himself as he pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. As if she realized what she had done, Willow jumped out of his arms, blushing thoroughly. He smirked at her familiar _expression and raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” she stammered embarrassedly, “it’s just…you’re un-dusty! Which is of the good,” she added quickly, “but…wow?”

“S’okay,” he chuckled, “feel free to do that whenever you feel the need,” he teased. She smacked him lightly on the arm and continued to redden as he laughed.

“Ignore him,” growled Angel, a little irritated that Spike was once again the center of attention. Knowing Willow needed an explanation, he did his best to sum up Spike’s arrival. “That amulet he was wearing somehow bound him to Wolfram and Hart, he showed up a few weeks ago, all ghosty. Apparently even the Powers that Be think he is destined to be the eternal pain in my ass.”

“Ghosty?” she asked in confusion. He sure wasn’t a ghost anymore, at least not like any other ghost she knew about.

“He got his body back with some weird package that was sent here,” broke in Fred, smiling slightly at the look on Willow’s face when she finally realized there were other people in the room. “I had been working on a spell or something,” she added, “but I had no luck. I actually created this device to give him back his body but then there was this whole other evil ghost who was sending people to hell, so we had to use it on him,” she finished, as if it was no big deal.

“Details later?” inquired Willow with a raised eyebrow at Angel. He grinned and nodded.

“I brought you all in here,” Angel started, consciously ignoring Spike as he spoke, “because I wanted to tell you that Willow will be staying here with us indefinitely. I was hoping you could all show her the ropes,” he faced Willow, focusing only on her. “Take a look around the different departments. Mystical, scientific, any place you want to work, you’ve got the job. Just let me know.” She smiled brightly and he couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Do you want to take a look at the labs?” asked Fred eagerly. She always loved showing people all the neat things they had, she rarely got to do that these days. Nothing surprised any of the employees here.

“That would be cool,” agreed Willow with a slight smile at the girl. She always liked Fred, they were so much alike. “Do you mind?” she asked Angel. He shook his head and gestured her off. Gunn and Wesley each bid their goodbyes to Willow. They hated to run off, but Gunn had a deposition to work on and Wesley was in the middle of researching some important runes. Lorne walked to the tiny redhead with a big grin.

“You and I are gonna have to have a chat, sweets,” he told her with a sparkle in his eye. “I still have to get you to sing for me, you know.” She looked at him in reproach.

“Trust me, Lorne. You really don’t want that.”

“Not gonna take no for an answer, Sugar-pie.” Waving his goodbye, he left the four remaining people on their own. Willow went to move away from Spike to join Fred, but his soft voice stopped her.

“So you really staying, witch?” he asked, he wasn’t being sarcastic or teasing for once. He almost sounded shy, but Spike could never really be associated with the word shy.

“Yeah, Spike. Looks like,” she replied with a small grin. He smiled a bit, which caused Angel to raise an inquiring eyebrow. Willow waved her goodbyes to the vampires and followed Fred out the door and to the elevator.

Angel watched Spike as he simply stood in his spot, still wearing that tiny smile. The blonde didn’t even acknowledge his presence, which wasn’t really a new phenomenon. Instead, he merely shook his head and walked calmly out the door. Interesting.

~Part: 2~

A timid knock caused Wesley to jump a bit in his seat. With a sheepish smile, he told the person to come in and looked up from his tome. Willow peeked around his door and offered a shy smile. He waved her inside his office and waited for her to sit across from him.

“How are you, Wes?” Willow asked, honestly curious. Last time she saw him they hadn’t had the opportunity to talk in depth. They did have that little competition, you know, who’s been more evil, things like that, but no real conversations. She knew he had a difficult few months, as did everyone else she seemed to know, but she wanted to really see how he was doing.

“Really well, actually,” his answer seemed to even surprise himself. “Working at Wolfram and Hart, it humbles you. I’m not as bad as I thought I was,” he chuckled. “Is it wrong to be grateful that almost everyone else who works here is more evil than me?”

“I don’t blame you,” she confessed, her voice lowering slightly. “I just got done with the little tour Fred took me on. It’s just, I see her and I see me. Or at least who I used to be. Before I let everything, the hellmouth, evil, magic, get to me. Some days I wish I could be that again. I mean, she knows all about what goes bump in the night, but she’s still so…innocent. I miss that. I haven’t been innocent in a long time…”

“We all have our needs for redemption,” he told her, “Personally, I am beginning to think that atonement is one of the requirements for working with this group,” he joked. “But we all overcame it, the darkness. Take Angel and even Spike for an example. You and I, we went bad, true, but we came back to the good, after months. But them? They have centuries of horrific acts to atone for. But they do it, because they know better now. Giving into those feelings, the need to hurt, no matter the motivation, is something we fight everyday. We all do. But we’re stronger for it.”

Willow shook her head in amazement and cracked a smile. “You do good pep talks, Wes.”

“So I’ve been told,” he admitted with a cheeky grin.

“I did want to ask you something,” she said, pushing their previous topic aside. “I found everything Fred is working on in the labs fascinating. But I was thinking, if you could use some help with the mystical side of Wolfram and Hart, I could be a lot of help. I know I used to the science whiz, but magic’s kinda my thing now,” she added with a laugh. “If you could use me, I’d be glad to help. I want to help.”

“It would be a pleasure, Miss Rosenberg,” he replied sincerely.

“Honestly, Wesley. Do I call you Mr. Wyndham-Price?” she asked haughtily. “No, and how long have we known each other? Call me Willow, okay?”

“If you insist Miss—Willow,” he complied with an embarrassed smile.

“So, when do I start?” she inquired eagerly, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

“Well, how about Monday? Bright and early at eight in the morning.”

“Ah, but Wes…it’s Friday. You’re going to have me lying about for three days?” He chuckled at her put out tone.

“I’m sure you will have a lot of things to do to occupy your time,” he reasoned. She pouted a bit but shrugged. Moving to stand, she headed for the door.

“I let you get back to your work. I know you don’t need me underfoot all day. But, do you know where I might be able to find Spike?” Wesley frowned and glanced at his watch, seeing that it was now just a little after two in the afternoon.

“I’d try the third floor. If you get off the elevator and turn right, go down to the end of the hall, you should find a door, number…417 I believe. I’d wager you’d find him there.”

“Um, what’s in there exactly?” she asked curiously. Wesley smirked most uncharacteristically.

“Well, it’s the lounge, the one room that has a decent size television and rarely any disturbances. Based on the time,” he muttered, checking his watch once more, “I believe he will have holed himself in there to watch ‘Passions’.” Willow chuckled at his assessment of Spike’s daily activities, knowing he was most likely correct. It’s nice to know some things hadn’t changed.

Exiting Wesley’s office, Willow ducked by the receptionist’s desk, doing her best to avoid Harmony. It wasn’t that the ex-cheerleader scared her, far from it. Harmony was one of the least frightening demons she had ever seen. But she wasn’t in the mood for the inevitable cat fight that was bound to take place once Harmony got the chance to insult her. She privately wondered if Angel would be too upset if one day he found his secretary, or what used to be his secretary, scattered on the floor. He might be mad; after all it would probably be difficult to get the ashes out of the carpet.

The ding of the elevator woke her from her stupor and she stepped out onto the third floor. Following the former watcher’s directions, she ambled down the right side corridor and grinned to herself when she reached door number 417. She could hear the bleach blonde vampire cursing at the characters on screen. She didn’t catch all of what was said, but she did hear something about a ‘daft chit’ and a ‘bloody moronic git’. She was pretty sure he compared some guy to ‘Xapper’ as well. With a suppressed smile, she gently opened the door and slipped inside the lounge.

Spike was propped up on the leather couch, his feet resting on the coffee table in front of him, his duster lying to the side across an armchair. His arms were behind his head and he sat only in his black t-shirt and jeans, and scuffed boots of course. He was glaring at the screen, about to begin yet another rant when he noticed he wasn’t alone.

He smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “Hey, pet.” She smiled in return.

“Do you mind if I join you?” she asked, biting her lip in a nervous gesture he had grown so accustom to seeing. He sat a little straighter and patted the seat next to him. She smiled shyly and sat on the other cushion on the couch, not too close but not too far. Glancing at the television, she saw it was at commercial and turned to look back at him, surprised to find him looking back at her.

“It’s good to see you,” she said softly. “Didn’t think I’d ever get the chance to say ‘thanks for saving the world’.”

“Was nothing,” he shrugged, inwardly smiling at her compliment.

“Since when was the Big Bad humble? Or modest for that matter?” she teased with a roll of her eyes. “Seriously Spike, it was kinda hopeless without you. We wouldn’t have stood a chance if you hadn’t…” she looked down at her hands before she returned her gaze to him, looking him intently in the eyes. “You gave up your life, Spike. That’s not nothing.” She cocked her head to the side, contemplating her last statement. “Did that make sense?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled. He looked thoughtful before speaking once more. “Thanks, Red. Never heard anyone say thank you, at least no one that counted.” She smiled brightly at his admission. “But you worked some serious mojo, there. Giving all those girls their slayer powers. Mighty impressive, that was.”

“Thanks,” she replied with a blush. He snickered a bit but let it slide.

“Speaking of slayers, where is your girl?” he asked, a little curious as to why she arrived alone. Not that he minded it, not one bit. He never really cared for that Kennedy chit. She was always too obvious, too brazen. He couldn’t see Willow with a girl like that; she just didn’t seem her type. Not that he actually a clue what her type was. First she loves Dogboy, then the other witch; she was all over the place.

“She’s traipsing around South America, somewhere in Brazil last time I checked. We are not…we…anymore. She wanted to have fun just being normal, considering its not the chosen ‘one’ anymore. But I haven’t had a normal life in years, not sure I want one.”

“That’s too bad,” he muttered. Honestly, he was glad she didn’t want a normal life. He liked that she was staying here now. He was quite miserable here with the poof and his lot, but Red made it all a little better. She was the only one who never put him down, hell; she was the only one who actually thanked him for saving the world. He didn’t realize how much he had actually missed her until she just showed up.

He glanced at her, a smile creeping onto his face as he took in her form next to him. She looked so cute, knees bent, feet tucked underneath her. She had changed, her style much more subtle, a little more confident. She looked comfortable in her own skin, dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a forest green t-shirt. She looked to be currently studying her nails intently, picking at the chips of her nail polish. Her red hair, now coming down to the small of her back, curtained over her face, blocking her eyes from his view.

“It’s not bad, really,” she confessed with a tentative smile. “Kennedy and I, it wouldn’t have lasted. The magic, the power, it scared her. I think its partly a slayer thing, you know? Anything that seems possibly dangerous is perceived as a threat. I know Buffy always had a hard time trusting me after my Evil Willow phase.”

“Yeah, well, Buffy is a bloody fool,” he snorted derisively. “You got control of yourself, you weren’t some ticking time bomb. I think it just pissed her off that you kicked her arse when you were evil, is all. You were grieving, I’m not saying flaying that git wasn’t a tad extreme, but I can’t judge. I know I would have done worse if someone had staked Dru when we were together.”

“It’s more than that,” she countered. “You going all psycho if Dru had been killed, that would have been understandable. If you did what I did, they wouldn’t think twice about it. You’re a vampire, and at the time, soulless. But me, I didn’t have the luxury of that excuse. What I did, I did soul intact. That’s what had them frightened I think.  If I had been a vampire, or something, they could say it was the demon that did those things. But there was no demon Spike, just me,” she finished sadly.

By this time she couldn’t look him in the eye. She hadn’t intended for the conversation to get so depressing. She only wanted to talk with him once more, say thanks for his sacrifice, and move on. But as she realized years ago, nothing really seemed to go her way.

Seeing her withdraw into herself, Spike frowned in sympathy. He knew firsthand the guilt she was experiencing. She was right, her friends didn’t understand, they couldn’t. They thought she was over it, that enough time had passed that she could just forget she was a killer. But there is never enough time, guilt has no expiration date. Reaching across the couch, he slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to lay her head on his shoulder. While slightly surprised at his actions, Willow didn’t protest. He was offering comfort and who was she to object?

Resting her head on his shoulder, his strong arm still holding her to him firmly, she let herself relax. She didn’t have to pretend with him, he truly understood what she was going through. His hand moved to pet the fiery strands of her hair as they sat in silence, each staring blankly at the television in front of them.

They never heard the door open or close, nor the sounds of footsteps walking away. Angel quietly made his way back to his office, contemplating the scene he just witnessed. He had gone to the lounge to find Spike, wanting the blonde’s help in a fight he was preparing for that night. But seeing the two of them, so obviously lost in thought and memories, he let them be. Willow looked like she needed a friend, and he was just amazed that Spike was apparently volunteering for the job. He never did understand that boy of his.

~Part: 3~

Willow only stayed with Spike until ‘Passions’ was over, each keeping the other company yet speaking no words. But once the credits started to run, Willow realized she had spent much more time with the bleach blonde than she had planned to. She still wanted to pay Gunn a visit and meet with Angel before retiring for the day.

She found Gunn’s office after about twenty minutes of searching and one wrong door. She apologized profusely for walking in on a Fungus demon’s meeting with his lawyer and practically slammed the door behind her as her face reddened in embarrassment. That is what she got for actually asking Harmony for directions. She should have realized that the ditzy blonde would have done her best to screw around with her. She supposed it was her own fault though for ignoring her earlier promise to herself to avoid the vapid ex-cheerleader like the plague. She was going to ask Angel how to find Gunn but he went out on some routine surveillance and the only one left was Harmony. That stake was looking better and better as the day continued.

Gunn showed her around his office and introduced her to some of his colleagues, who each greeted her with fake smiles and clipped tones. When they were alone the lawyer apologized for their behavior but she assured him she didn’t take it personal.

“So you’re staying with Angel?” Gunn questioned with a raised eyebrow. She ignored his playful look.

“Yup,” she answered him, “He said he had a spare room and I kinda forgot that I am technically homeless,” she added with a sheepish shrug. He chuckled at her blunt statement.

“Do we need to worry about Mr. Broody getting a happy?” he asked, a teasing smile on his handsome face but his tone absolutely serious. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head and her jaw dropped open as her cheeks flamed.

“Uh, that would be a most definite NO!” she assured him fervently. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Angel is gorgeous, any woman with eyes can see that. But last time I checked he’s so not my type, sorta gay now, remember?”  He shook his head in amusement.

“Whatever you say, Will,” he sighed with a smirk, “but I know you also were involved with a guy…um, Ox or something, right?”

“Oz,” she corrected with a grin, “Yeah, you’re right. But that was awhile ago. Trust me though, Angel’s safe. To me he will always be Buffy’s, if that makes any sense. Besides, it seems wrong to mack on your best friend’s ex.”

“I get it,” he admitted. “I just had to ask. I couldn’t help it. It was just, I remembered Wes saying that you used to date Oz, and that you used to be in love with…oh, what’s his name? Xapper?”

“Xander,” she told him, “I think you’ve been spending too much time with Spike. That’s all he ever called him. That or moron.” Gunn laughed, moving to say something but the sound of a buzzer stopped him. He looked apologetically to Willow who took the hint.

“Don’t worry,” she assured him as she walked to his door, “I know you guys at Wolfram and Hart are busy, busy, busy. Later,” she finished with a sweet smile before leaving him to his work.

She made her way to Angel’s office, relieved to see that he was alone and looking decidedly bored. Knocking politely, she waved a hello to the dark vampire who ushered her inside. He looked thoughtful for a moment before cocking his head to the side and staring at her curiously.

“Will? Did you bring anything? Luggage or something?” he inquired.

“Oh!” she squeaked, rolling her eyes at her own forgetfulness. “Yeah, I left in my rental car. I’ll just go--”

“No, don’t worry about it,” he stopped her, walking to his desk and punching a few numbers on his phone. He waited for someone to answer on the other line before turning to her once more. “Where are you parked?”

“Um, out front…third row I think. It’s a blue Honda Civic,” she informed him. “But don’t you need the keys?”

Angel gave her a devious smile, “We have our ways,” he replied cryptically before telling the man on other line to retrieve her things and bring them up to his penthouse. Hanging up the phone and taking a seat at his desk, he smiled up at Willow.

“Your day going well?”

“Not bad,” she replied with a shrug. “You have a very interesting place here,” she commented with a grin. “I spoke with Wesley, I told him I would like to work in his division,” she looked at him questioningly and he nodded his approval. “I went with Fred and took a tour of the labs, fascinating stuff, really. Oh, and I just had a chat with Gunn. You’ll be happy to know he is looking out for your well being.”

“My well being?” he asked in confusion.

“He wanted to know if I planned to have my wicked way with you,” she said with a mischievous smile. “Of course I assured him that while it takes all of my willpower not to jump your bones, your soul is in no danger from me.”

“You did not!” he exclaimed in shock. She merely laughed heartily at his embarrassment and she was sure if vampires could blush he would be covered in a delightful shade of pink.

“I am afraid I did,” she sighed in feigned exasperation. She decided to let the topic slide though and moved on. “Oh, and I paid a visit to my other favorite souled vamp. I am afraid *he* doesn’t have your well being in mind.” Angel had an expression that could only be interpreted at ‘duh’ on his face.

“Not really a surprise,” he drawled. “But what could you and Spike have to talk about?”

“Mutual feelings of guilt,” she shrugged. “I just went to say hi and, you know, thanks for saving us all. Got kinda out of hand. It just brought up old memories. But everything’s fine now. No more mopey Willow,” she assured him. “He’s really not as bad as you like to believe, Angel. Not anymore. You know he just lives to drive you crazy. It seems he can’t help it.”

“Please. Say no more,” he begged teasingly. “I do not need yet another person informing me of the merits of Spike.”

“Whatever you say, boss-of-mine,” she said with a grin. A loud knock sounded at his office door and Angel checked his watch, surprised to see how late it was. It was officially quitting time, just after sunset.

The entire gang waltzed into his office. Fred was speaking animatedly with Wesley, Gunn occasionally breaking in with his opinions. Lorne was finishing up a call on his cell phone to yet another one of his star quality clients, and Spike brought up the rear, cigarette in hand. The three humans took seats on the couch, wrapping up their discussion as Angel moved to the front of his desk, leaning against it, next to Willow. Lorne hung up his phone and sat on the arm of Angel’s leather chair. Spike merely paced silently, glancing at the picture window and Willow’s reflection in it.

“So what are the plans for tonight?” asked Gunn, looking forward to some time to just relax. He had a busy day and was eager to go out and have a couple drinks, maybe finish off the night with some demonic ass kicking.

“No plans,” said Angel, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Come on, Sweet-cheeks,” groaned Lorne, “It’s Willow’s first night in the big city. We should celebrate her arrival. What do ya say, Red? Up for a night on the town?”

“Can we?” she pleaded, looking to Angel with puppy-dog eyes. Inwardly cursing, Angel reluctantly agreed. “Oh thank you!” she shrieked excitedly, hugging him suddenly. He forgot how hands on she could be. He didn’t mind it, she just surprised him. He swore he saw Spike scowl at him but the blonde turned away too fast.

Releasing Angel, she moved to slip her arm around Lorne who was shepherding everyone out the door and to the parking garage. Spike followed behind everyone and settled himself next to Willow when they all piled into the limo that Angel now had.

The car was filled with the sounds of light conversation as they drove along the highway. Willow constantly looked out the window, taking in the beauty of all the lights in the city. Once they arrived at their location, which the green demon insisted keeping a secret, everyone climbed out and stretched.

The happy smiles on the mortals’ faces caused Lorne to grin. Spike looked bored and unimpressed, and Angel…well, Angel looked terrified. Lorne found this place, ‘The Underground’, years ago. It was demon-friendly which was the initial reason he went there. But it quickly became a favorite of his. But it wasn’t the club that frightened the brunette vampire, but the sign on the front. It was karaoke night.

“Don’t worry, Angel-cakes,” commented Lorne over his shoulder as he led them inside, “I will not make you sing. I wouldn’t put Willow through the torture.” Spike’s amused snort only infuriated the vampire more but he remained stubbornly silent. “In fact, the only one of you that has to sing is the sweet little redhead on my arm.”

She tried to talk him out of it, she really did. But Lorne was a demon on a mission and could not be swayed. The group had taken seats at a large table in front, watching the talent-less take the stage and thoroughly embarrass themselves. They all ordered drinks, which Willow downed in a hurry as Lorne pushed her onto the stage.

The gang all cheered her on, even Spike. The bleach blonde had chosen to remain unusually quiet most of the evening, but had stayed at her side. She had to admit that she was thankful for that. She didn’t feel uncomfortable around any of them. But she had spent a lot of time with Spike, more than she ever did with the rest of them, Angel included. Spike was like her comfort blanket, and he would probably kill her horribly if she ever told him that. Either way, she was grateful for his closeness. As the spotlight shone on her, she took a deep breath, readying herself for the most difficult thing she ever had to do. Sing in front of people.

Spike watched her, knowing she was terrified. Her heart was beating ten times too fast and she looked like a deer in headlights. He hated that she had to do something she was obviously so terrified of, but he knew if she really didn’t want to do she would have said so. She was like that, even if she was scared to death, it wouldn’t stop her from her goal. He admired that in her. He admired a lot about her.

The slow strains of the song she picked out started and he focused all his attention on the tiny woman before him.

The selfish, they’re all standing in line
Faith in their hope and to buy themselves time
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
I only own my mind

The north is to south like the clock is to time
There's east and there's west and there's everywhere life
I know I was born and I know that I'll die
The in-between is mineI am mine

They all watched enraptured as she sang, her eyes closed as she forced herself to ignore all the people that surrounded her, paying attention only to the music. Her soft yet ever-growing confident voice enthralled all that heard it.

And the feeling, it gets left behind
All the innocence lost in a long time
Significant behind the eyes
There's no need to hide...We're safe tonight

The ocean is full cause everyone's crying
The full moon is looking for friends at high tide
The sorrow grows bigger when the sorrow's denied
I only know my mindI am mine

And the meaning, it gets left behind
All the innocence lost in a long time
Significant behind the eyes
There's no need to hide...We're safe tonight

Spike’s eyes never strayed from her form, dwarfed by all the huge speakers and stereo equipment that was placed around her. One would have never guessed this little girl had seen so much.

And the feelings that get left behind
All the innocence broken with lies
Significance, between the lines
We may need to hide

And the meanings that get left behind
All the innocence lost in a long time
We're all different behind the eyes
There's no need to hide

The room was filled with the sound of applause as the music slowly faded and the redhead opened her eyes tentatively. Lorne clapped enthusiastically, whistling his amazement. Willow giggled at all the attention, a bit surprised at how well she had done, herself.

“Absolutely beautiful!” declared Lorne enthusiastically.

Spike watched as she blushed and stammered amidst all the praise, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Yeah, she is…”

~Part: 4~

Willow woke slowly, her head pounding causing her to groan in displeasure. Her fingers massaged her temples, trying her best to will her migraine away. She turned on her side, not even remembering how she ended up back at Angel’s penthouse. She stifled a startled gasp when she realized that there was a body next to her, a fully clothed body, to her relief. She moved to rest her chin in her hand, her elbow bent and resting on the mattress as she studied her companion. Dead to the world, that’s what he was. His normally slicked back bleached hair was now in messy curls which she found absolutely adorable. In sleep he looked unusually relaxed, his standard scowl absent.

She flopped back down onto the bed, doing her best to remember how she got here. It all started the night before at ‘The Underground’…

~~~*~~~

“That was amazing, Red,” exclaimed Gunn with new appreciation for the small witch now seated next to him.

“Thanks,” she replied shyly, unable to resist the urge to bury her face in Spike’s shoulder to hide her blushing cheeks. Spike did nothing to discourage her, instead merely chuckling a bit and slipping an arm around her shoulders.

“Why didn’t you tell me you could sing like that?” asked Angel with a mock frown.

“Oh believe me, you haven’t missed much. After all you didn’t see the disaster that was my high school talent show. I just had a lucky night tonight. Normally I sound absolutely ghastly. And I’m not exaggerating.”

“You and I are gonna have a talk, Missy,” declared Lorne with a wink. Willow nodded hesitantly. She had to admit she was a little anxious about the demon’s reading. What if he found out something horrible about her? Or what if he saw first hand everything she had done while she was evil? What if he saw her relapse or something equally as bad?

“Red!” said Spike, shaking her slightly, “I swear, pet. You babble in your thoughts, dontcha?” teased the Brit as she sat up straighter. “We’re gonna get some more drinks, leave you and Kermit here alone. Want anything while I’m at the bar?”

“Yeah,” she decided, in need of some alcohol to calm her nerves. “Anything but tequila please.” He nodded his agreement and left her and Lorne alone.

“Relax sugarplum,” said Lorne with a sympathetic pat on her knee. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” She laughed nervously and played with her empty shot glass. She murmured something he couldn’t understand and he moved to sit closer. “What did you ask?”

“Am I destined to be evil?” she muttered, looking away from the kind demon.

A bark of laughter was not the sound she expected and it caused her to glance at him anxiously. “You? Evil? Never, sweets. We’ve all had our bad days, some…badder than others, but you’re not going to go all veiny Willow on us again. That I can promise you.”

“Really?” she asked hopefully.

“I won’t lie to you, Red,” he said sincerely, “your life isn’t gonna be easy. But then again, it never has been. But you can rest assured that you are no danger to your friends. And you need to stop second guessing yourself,” he added, slightly reprimanding. “You made the right decision in coming here. Leaving your little slayer behind was hard for you, I know, but its what you had to do. She needed to be on her own too. Besides, there are people here who need you around. You’re not the only newcomer that will join our little group.”

“There are more people coming to L.A.?” she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.

“Yup,” he told her with an eager grin. “But not who you think…”

“Then who?” she tried to pry it out of them.

“The Powers have their secrets, witchy-poo,” he informed her with a smirk. “Now I’m going to visit with an old friend, why don’t you join Blondie at the bar?” She smiled her thanks to him and watched him walk away before winding her way through the crowd and meeting everyone at the bar.

Fred had pulled Gunn onto the dance floor. Wesley in turn was nursing a drink as he watched her dance with his friend. Everything between the three of them was still so complicated. There were unresolved feelings and longstanding hurts they still hadn’t discussed in depth. Angel was doing what he does best, brooding in a dark corner. He didn’t feel in his element here and so he was content to stay by himself until his friends…and Spike…were ready to go. Spike was leaning against the bar, looking as cool and calm as ever. His ever-present duster made him look dashing as usual and he greeted Willow with a raised eyebrow.

“News of the good, pet?” he asked as she made his way to his side.

“Thankfully yes,” she sighed, “Lorne says no more Evil Willow for me,” she told him as he handed her the drink he had ordered for her. Taking a healthy gulp, she downed the drink at the sight of his amused smirk.

“Take your time there; love,” he advised with a chuckle, “No need to rush.” She mock glared at him and stuck her tongue out.

“Party pooper, and since when were you the responsible one?”

“Just looking out for ya, ducks,” he told her with a shrug. “It’s about time someone did.”

“Are you saying I need a babysitter?” she asked indignantly as she stood before him, hands on her hips.

“No,” he sighed with a shake of his head, “But you are always the one watching out for everyone else. Just figured you deserve to have someone watch after you for once,” he admitted quietly, looking away from her.

“Oh,” she murmured dumbly. “That’s…really sweet actually.” She saw that he still wasn’t looking at her and she moved to grasp his chin in her hand, forcing him to look into her eyes. “Thanks for thinking of me,” she told him with a genuine smile. “Sorry if I reacted badly, I’m not used to people caring about what I do.”

“Think nothin’ of it, Red,” he shrugged with a sheepish smile. She grinned in relief that he wasn’t angry or embarrassed at her, at least not anymore. A couple more hours went by. Angel fended away any advances made by various women trying to hit on him. Wesley eventually took Gunn’s place on the dance floor with Fred as the lawyer danced with a woman he met. Lorne mingled with the crowd the entire net, networking of course. He ran into a few people he knew and made some new friends as well. And Spike, he surprised the redhead.

They remained at the bar, just talking, occasionally ordering yet another drink. There were tons of girls that tried to get his attention, but he ignored them all, focusing only on Willow. She had to admit she loved the attention he gave her, even though she knew he’d probably rather be anywhere but here at the moment.

Fred and Wesley stumbled over to the two, all smiles. Gunn eventually joined them and seeing that the group was assembling once more, Angel got up and followed Lorne as he headed to the bar.

“Wow…its like three in the morning,” Fred mused with a giggle. “We need to go home,” she whispered to them.

“How much did she drink?” demanded Angel as he noticed how loopy the girl was.

“Oh relax, Angel-cakes,” scoffed Lorne, “She’s just havin’ fun. Isn’t that right honey?”

“Darn tootin’,” she agreed with an emphatic nod. Gunn and Wesley shared an amused glance.

“We do need to go home though,” decided Wesley, ever the together man. Angel sighed his relief at his statement and they all piled into the limo once more.

“So, where to? We dropping Spike off first or are just heading back to Wolfram and Hart?” asked Lorne.

“Dropping Spike off where?” wondered Willow with a confused glance at the blonde.

“Got this place a few blocks from here,” he said with a shrug. “It’s not great, in fact its pretty much a hole in the wall, but its home.”

“Angel! You can manage to get me a penthouse in your building in a few weeks but you can’t find a place for Spike to stay?” she asked with a scolding glare. “You even have a spare room and he’s stuck in a hole in the wall?”

“Red-” Spike tried to interrupt her, tell her it was no big deal but she silenced him with a look.

“Well…” stammered Angel, looking a little ashamed, “I like *you*…can’t stand *him*…” he muttered.

“Red,” Spike started again. He loved that she was putting his grandsire in his place but he didn’t want her to worry about him. “Really, it’s okay. Not a problem. Not like I want to stay with the brooding git, myself.”

“It’s not okay,” she told him bluntly. “Lorne, tell the driver to take us back to Wolfram and Hart. Spike, you’re staying with me tonight. That is until Angel sets you up with a real place. Ooh, maybe you can room with me in my new place!” she added eagerly. Spike laughed at her excitement and Angel fumed.

“Willow, I don’t want him in my home,” he started but shut his mouth when he saw her resolve face. “Fine, fine, fine…” he muttered dejectedly.

They had arrived at the law firm and all went their separate ways. Gunn, Fred, Wesley and Lorne each went to their apartments and Angel, Spike and Willow found themselves in Angel’s penthouse. Angel immediately excused himself and went to bed, not in the mood to be lectured anymore, especially in front of Spike. That was just…embarrassing.

“I’m not tired…” whined Willow as she took a seat on the leather couch.

“You’ve got to be knackered pet,” groaned Spike as he fell beside her.

“Nope,” she sighed, throwing her head back to rest on the cushions. Spike had an idea and rose with an evil grin. He moved to Angel’s liquor cabinet and rifled through his selection before deciding on a couple of bottles of bourbon.

“Well then, since you’re so awake and all,” he commented with a smirk, “Ever play ‘I never’?”

“Yup,” she replied with a wide grin as she took a seat on the floor across from him. He handed her one bottle and gave him her best resolve face. “Give it your best shot.”

“If you say so,” he laughed, “Alright…I never…OD’d on magic.” She sent him an evil glare and he smirked.

“So that’s how it’s gonna be,” she chuckled as she took a big gulp. “Damn evil vampire…” She cocked her head to the side and smirked. “I never drank blood.” He rolled his eyes and took a healthy sip.

“Silly wench…”

~~~*~~~

The rest of the night was pretty much a blur. They played for awhile, and Spike won by a long shot. Hence the major hangover Willow was now sporting. She vaguely remembered Spike picking her up and bringing her to bed some time around five in the morning. She forced herself to sit up, glancing over at Spike to make sure he was still resting.

“Ugh, alcohol is the devil…” she murmured, making a face as she tried to wake herself up. She decided she needed to take a shower. Glancing at the bedside clock, she saw it was now noon. She scooted off the bed and moved around to Spike’s side of the bed. She smiled a bit at his boyish features. She kissed him on the cheek before turning to go into the bathroom.

“It’s good to have you here Spike,” she whispered to herself before shutting the door and turning on the water.

Blue eyes opened and looked to the closed door a few feet away. A reluctant smile crept onto his face as his fingers brushed the spot where she kissed him.

“It’s good to be here…”

~Part: 5~

“Well you’re awake surprisingly early, Angel,” commented Willow as she stepped into the living room and spying Angel hovering in the kitchen only feet away.

“It is noon, Will,” he replied with a shrug. “I guess I’ve gotten used to keeping human hours. I am actually running late, but since it is Saturday I figured I wouldn’t be missed at the office.”

Joining him in the kitchen, she took a seat in a stool at the island and smiled her thanks when he placed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” she said with wonder as she took a bite, amazed at the taste.

“I can’t, well, not much,” he amended. “I heard you moving around a little while ago and knew you were probably hungry so I did what I could.” He slipped into the seat next to her and watched her out of the corner of his eye. “You were up late last night.”

“Yeah I was, dad,” she replied teasingly. “Spike can be a lot fun, you know. If you give him the chance.” Angel groaned at the change of conversation.

“I take it the bleached wonder is still passed out,” he whined petulantly.

“Last time I checked, yeah.” Willow sighed when she caught sight of the brunette’s frown. Angel was hunched over in his chair, shoulders that were draped in forest green silk bunched. She rolled her eyes, sometimes he could be the biggest baby. “You know, if you don’t want Spike in your home, then all you have to do is find him a place to stay. Then he would be out of your hair.”

“He already has a place to stay,” he argued, finally looking her in the eye.

“So,” she started, resolve face in place, “it’s probably some…run down little apartment on the bad side of town. He probably doesn’t even have a decent bed or even slightly comfortable furnishings. He doesn’t deserve to live in…in a hovel.”

“But Willow…” he complained, but was unable to finish his statement.

“No buts mister,” she declared with a glare.

Spike padded quietly down the hall and heard voices speaking loudly in the kitchen. Deciding he was up for a little eavesdropping, he moved to stand on the other side of a dividing wall between the kitchen and the living room. He smirked when he realized that his grandsire was on the receiving end of yet another Willow-lecture.

“Listen,” she said, trying to think of a compromise, “All you have to do is make sure the penthouse you are getting ready for me has two bedrooms. That way Spike can stay in the spare and he would be out of your hair. Not to mention that I would never bring up this discussion again. See, simple.”

“No, you are *not* living with Spike,” growled Angel. He definitely didn’t approve of that. “I refuse to let you move Spike into your spare room. In fact, I’ll make sure you don’t have a spare room at all,” he declared, thinking he had outsmarted her. Spike rolled his eyes at Angel’s stubbornness. If he thought that put the girl off, he was in for it.

“Fine, don’t give me a spare room. But Spike’s still moving in with me. That just means he’ll be staying in my bedroom instead of his own,” she decided with a smirk. Spike had to bite his cheek when he heard Angel’s outraged grunt. He was so glad he hadn’t missed this little show. Besides, he had no problem moving in with Willow, anything was better than the apartment he currently called home. And he definitely wouldn’t be protesting if he had to resign himself to sleeping in her bed. The thought was rather pleasant in fact, plus it would piss off Peaches to no end.

“You’ve got two options, Angel,” she said more reasonably, putting a hand on his tense arm. “One, Spike and I can stay in a two bedroom penthouse together, or he can have your spare room. What’ll it be?”

“Bloody hell, I think not!” snarled Spike as he stalked into the kitchen, forgetting any idea of secrecy. “I refuse to stay with that ponce.” Angel glared at the blonde who returned his look full force. Willow rubbed her temples once more as her headache returned.

“He will not be living here,” growled Angel, looking ill at the thought. “It’s bad enough I have to see him everyday of my life, but I will not have him live in the same home as me. He’s probably a slob; he’ll ruin all my things!”

“Oh please, you nit! I can’t help it if I’m not as anal as you are, Poof. Bloody annoying twit.”

“Are you two done with the testosterone fest, here?” Willow groaned. “Hangover here, can we do without the yelling, please?”

Her plea was met with a reluctant “Sorry Will” and “Whatever, Red.”

“You’re not going to back down, are you?” said Angel in resignation.

“Nope,” she replied with finality. Spike moved closer to Willow, resting his chin on her shoulder and looking at Angel, seriousness in his eyes.

“It’s not like I’m gonna hurt her, Peaches,” he assured him sincerely. “I wouldn’t, you know. Red’s safe as houses with me.”

“Fine,” the dark vampire replied with a disgruntled sigh. “I’ll make sure you’re place has two bedrooms. It should be ready by Friday. And it take it that until you move in, you are determined to have Spike remain here,” he added with a glare to Willow.

“You thought right,” she said, squaring off her shoulders.

“Lucky me,” muttered Angel as he pushed himself out of his chair and walked away, passing Spike without even glancing the blonde’s way.

“Gotta say, love,” commented Spike once Angel was gone, “Having you here has been much fun. It’s hard to annoy the Poof so easily without ya,” he chuckled. He slipped into the chair Angel had vacated as she stood to warm some blood for him.

“I feel bad,” she admitted with a frown. “I mean, I don’t want to upset Angel, but you shouldn’t be treated with such disregard, Spike. Anyway, he’ll get over it.”

“Thanks pet,” he said softly. He didn’t understand why she was defending him. But that was just Willow, she always watched out for everyone else. She never put herself first. He had to admit, that bothered him. Whenever something happened to one of her little friends, they came running to the witch for a shoulder to cry on. But when she was in pain, who was there for her? No one, that’s who. He witnessed it first hand when Dog boy left. All her little Scooby gang did was complain that she was miserable and tell her it was time to get over it. You would think that the slayer at least would understand, considering her ill-fated relationship with Paingel. But no, they all talked behind her back and complained about her attitude. Useless prigs, all of them.

The amazing part though, she didn’t hate them for it. She was upset, and rightly so, but instead of telling them off right proper, she just kept it all inside. All the anger, pain, feelings of betrayal, remained inside until it finally caught up with her. He figured that was one of the reasons she turned to the darkness. Everything was all bottled up inside until one day she just exploded. But she proved how strong she was when she pulled herself out of it. And he was determined to be there for her, to make sure she never felt so isolated anymore.

“So we’re gonna be roomies?” he asked with a grin, deciding to push away all the sad memories he had associated with her former life.

“If you don’t mind?” she replied, a little unsure. “I mean…you don’t have to. I just thought you need a real place to stay. But you don’t have to, don’t feel obligated or anything…”

“Red-” he tried to interrupt but she would not be deterred.

“Plus it would be kinda nice to have a roommate, since I’m new to the city and all. But it’s no big deal if you don’t want to. I know you’re ‘solitary guy’, you know, ‘lone wolf’ and all. You probably hate that I’m butting in. Really, I’ve been here less than two days and I’m already sticking my nose in other people’s—or vamp’s business. And Angel’s mad at me but he’ll probably be happy if you don’t wanna stay with me. That will make his day…”

“Willow!” he exclaimed, his head tilted to the side as he looked at her in shock. “Lord woman, don’t you need to breathe?” She huffed a bit at his comment and plopped into her chair. Spike chuckled at her sullen expression and turned to look her in the eye. “I’d love nothin’ more than to room with ya. It’s been awhile since someone’s actually wanted to live with me. I might become a right pain in your cute little arse,” he warned her with a raised brow.

“Nah,” she dismissed with a relieved smile. She glanced at her watch and say that it was now close to 1:30 pm. “I promised Fred we’d go shopping at two, so I’m outta here. Tonight we’ll stop by your place and get your stuff, k?” He nodded and she granted him a bright smile. Hopping off her seat and walking across the kitchen, she paused a moment, as if considering something. “Hey,” she called out with an impish grin, “you think my ass is cute?”

Spike broke out into laughter as she sauntered out of the apartment. “Cheeky brat.”

~Part: 6~

Willow was waiting patiently for Fred as the woman finished trying on a couple dresses they had found at this local shop just a little ways down from Wolfram and Hart. They hadn’t originally planned to stop there, instead just go straight to the mall, but it seemed so charming. Most of its merchandise was vintage; she supposed that was what caught her eye. She had found a few things; a skirt and three shirts that she thought suited her. And Fred was having a ball. Most of their clothing choices were perfect for her petite figure.

“What do you think?” asked the brunette excitedly as she showed off the lilac dress she had chosen. She spun in a small circle, loving the way it flared at the knees, practically floating when a breeze hit it.

“It’s very you,” decided Willow with a smile. “Wesley will love it, or is it Gunn?” she asked, more to herself, “I know you were with Gunn, but you broke up. So are you with Wes, or are you and Gunn gonna get back together? I’m just a bit confused—and I’ll shut up now,” she finished embarrassedly.

“It’s complicated,” replied Fred as she headed back in the dressing room to change back into clothes, blushing slightly at her love life being displayed so effortlessly. “Gunn and I did break up, and Wesley was part of the reason. But we’re all just friends. Honestly, I’m not sure if Wesley even likes me…like that, anymore. Gunn and I aren’t together anymore but he doesn’t really make an effort to even spend time with me…” she rambled sadly.

“He likes you, trust me,” Willow broke in. So this is what it is like to listen to someone babble, she was beginning to understand how people could start to tune her out after awhile. “When we went out, Wes practically glared at anyone who made a move on you. He’s just nervous. We all seem to have bad track records when it comes to love. I think he’s just maybe waiting for a signal. Something to show him that you are interested.”

“Maybe,” sighed Fred as she joined Willow and they walked to the counter to purchase everything. “I’m just not usually very…take charge. I really don’t make first moves.”

“It’s not like your putting yourself out there without reassurance that he likes you,” she argued. “You *know* he likes you, so very low risk factor.”

They stood at the counter and waited as the cashier rung them up; Willow was scanning the shop for any last minute points of interest. She smiled when she saw the cutest thing, perfect for Angel. She still felt a bit bad about how she had been treating him, but he was being kind of pig-headed so it was excusable. She reached for the small little stuffed animal and placed it with her other things.

Fred looked at her curiously, raising an eyebrow at the teddy bear. It was a dark brown and had little angel wings and a halo, its face was set in a pout and it held a card in its paw that read ‘I’m sorry’. Willow rolled her eyes at her own soft-hearted nature.

“Feeling a little guilt about bagging on Angel,” she explained. Fred giggled a bit and nodded in understanding.

“Oh, wanna get a late lunch while we’re out?” asked the brunette as they grabbed their bags and climbed in the car they borrowed from Angel.

“That sounds good,” agreed Willow, “I don’t think I’ll be having dinner until late tonight anyway, if I remember.”

“You have plans?” Fred inquired, finding it unusual that the witch had plans after only being in Los Angeles for a little more than a day.

“Sorta,” she responded with a shrug. “I told Spike that we’d go to his place tonight and get his things, bring them over to Angel’s. Might take awhile.”

“Um, why are you bringing Spike’s things to Angel’s?” she questioned in confusion.

“Spike needs a better place to live, so I told Angel that he will be staying with me until I move into my new place. Then Spike will be coming with me, we’re gonna be roomies. Needless to stay, his Broodiness didn’t take the news well, but he’s dealing. Hence the teddy bear.”

“Hmmm,” Fred resisted a chuckle, knowing it had to be killing her boss to let Spike in his home. “So, you and Spike are pretty close?”

“Oh, no, not really,” denied Willow with a considering look. “I mean, other than Angel, he’s known me longer than anyone else at Wolfram and Hart, but we were never really that close. I think it’s the soul; it’s mellowed him a little, not much mind you, but…a little. Before our relationship consisted of varying taunts and not-so-veiled threats of physical harm,” she said with a shudder, thinking back to the whole bottle-in-face incident. “Then he got his chip and tried to bite me, even comforted me when he couldn’t and I thought he just didn’t want to bite me. I was having--issues…” she explained, even though she considered that a major understatement. “Then he was just sorta around, you know? I felt kinda bad for him. Everyone made him feel bad, and I know he was evil and all but it seemed a bit much. But we were never that close. He didn’t really get close to anyone, wouldn’t let himself. Might be a survival thing,” she shrugged. “I was surprised at how great he’s been to me. I mean, he’s not ‘share-guy’ but he then again he never was. But we’ve been getting along and I owe him my life, we all do. I feel comfortable with him. Plus he’s the one person who knows all my secrets and inner workings of the ‘mind of Willow’.”

“What about Angel? You’ve known him longer?” asked Fred, fascinated by it all.

“Ha! Spike and are best friends compared to me and Angel. I love Angel, don’t get me wrong, but he was all about Buffy. All of us, Giles, Xander, myself, we were all just Buffy’s friends. I think he still thinks of us like that. He can’t seem to help it. I mean, you guys are his friends, but to him, I’ll always be Buffy’s friend. That was the reason I was a little nervous about coming here. I thought I would sorta be a reminder of Buffy, and how can the guy try to move on from her when you’ve got her best friend hanging around?”

“He thinks of you as his friend,” she interrupted softly. She knew she’d have to have a talk with Angel about showing Willow that they really were friends. “But he’s not exactly big on emotions.”

“Yeah, I know,” the redhead sighed. “Anyway, I like it here, with all of you. I missed the whole group dynamic thing. And with Spike here, it reminds me of home. I don’t have to pretend to be happy, I can just be. Besides, Blondie wouldn’t let me get away with faking it. He can tell when I’m lying like that,” she added with a snap of her fingers. “I should probably be worried that he can read me so well. I suppose it comes from centuries of observing people.”

“I have to say,” commented the tiny brunette, “I’ve never seen him like this before, when he’s with you. He’s usually nice to me, in his own way, but now he seems a little more relaxed. He hasn’t even picked on Angel as much.”

“Are you kidding me?!” she scoffed, “He does that all the time. Half the time I swear he’s just trying to show off all the witty insults he has thought of.”

“Yeah, well before Angel-torment was an all day event. He’s definitely been backing off.”

“Poor Angel,” chuckled Willow as she shook her head. “I don’t know why he’s suddenly in a better mood, but I’d be glad to take thanks for it.”

“I’m just saying he likes you,” Fred commented innocently, not noticing Willow’s unbelieving gaze. “Just as much as you like him. You two are so cute together.”

“Together? No, no,” denied Willow, “He and I, at least most of the time, together equals badness. I mean, there was that whole ‘having’ incident…” she remembered, her cheeks flushed.

“Having incident?” questioned Fred, unsure of what she was talking about.

“Oh, well Drusilla had left him and he came to Sunnydale and sorta kidnapped me and Xander and kept us hostage. Well, he kept me hostage,” she amended, “I don’t know if Xander really counts considering he was unconscious most of the time. So he wanted me to do this love spell for him, to get Dru back. And anyway, he was kinda drunk and crying all over me and he had his head on my shoulder. Then he was all ‘that smell, your neck’ and he totally vamped out and starting talking about how it had been weeks since he’d had a woman, and we’re not talking for dinner here. Wicked creepy, I tell you. I gotta say, I’m glad he was so out of it because if he hadn’t been, I doubt my sad attempt at standing up to him really wouldn’t have worked.”

“We live weird lives,” muttered Fred to herself.

“You’re telling me!” Willow rolled her eyes, “Ooh, and then there was this other time when Oz had just left me, those were bad times,” she remembered with a frown. “Buffy was trying to make me feel better, or at least to stop moping all the time, so she dragged me to this party. Not fun. Anyway, I ditched after I sent Riley over to her, figured that would keep her distracted enough. So I got back to the dorms and I was listening to some music, just some depressing stuff, fit my mood. Then there’s this knock on my door and stupid me,” she said as she smacked herself upside the head, “I just yelled ‘come in’. Now really, I have lived on the hellmouth all my life and I know better than that, but as I said, bad times. So then in comes Spike, all dangerous looking, and sober too!” Fred grinned at her exclamation and waited for her to continue.

“So I totally jumped off my bed and tried to stall him, you know, from killing me and all. I asked him if he wanted me to do a spell for him but then he got all annoyed so I thought that might not be the way to go. Then he told me he wasn’t here for a spell and then actually tells me he plans on killing me. And to top that off, he asks me if I want to stay dead, or come back, ‘to be like him’. I told him I’d scream, I know, lame. And he just laughed and said ‘bonus’. Can you believe that? Then he was all fangy again and there was struggling and let me tell you, that didn’t work. Next thing I know, he’s straddling me and about to take a bite! But the chip kicked in and he couldn’t do it. Gotta say, kind of thankful for that. But see what I mean? Me and Spike usually means badness.”

“What happened after?” the brunette asked quietly.

“You mean after the chip going off?” At her nod she answered. “Oh, well, I thought he just didn’t want to bite me, but then he comforted me and told me he would bite me in a heartbeat. Kinda sweet really. And then he was telling me how horrible he was feeling, thinking something was wrong with him, that he was inferior or something. So I tried to make him feel better, because a sad Spike is quite the depressing sight. We were just comforting each other until the commando guys came storming in. Well, except when I hit him over the head with my lamp, but that was purely a survival instinct, he did try to kill me after all.”

“Hmmm,” considered Fred with a thoughtful look on her face.

“Hmmm? What do mean ‘hmmm’?” asked Willow with a frown.

“I was just thinking,” replied Fred with a half-smile. “It seems to me that every time something bad happened, he happened to come to you. When Drusilla left him he went to you. When he got his chip, he ended up with you. And you comforted him, and he even tried to comfort you. It’s interesting, that’s all.”

“That’s just coincidence,” argued Willow.

“Maybe it was,” she said with a shrug, “maybe not. For all you know, they could have been subconscious actions that you’re brains weren’t willing to acknowledge. Spike was evil and you were supposed to be enemies so I understand why neither one of you would acknowledge any feelings directed to the other, besides hate and loathing I suppose. The brain is fascinating; denial is a very common thing really. Or I could be completely wrong. It just seems that there may be more to your friendship with Spike than either one of you think.”

“Yeah,” mumbled a confused Willow, “maybe…”

~Part: 7~

Gunn donned a casual look as he strode into his office. Since it was officially the weekend and he had no court dates scheduled, he forewent the suit and tie; instead wearing a simple pair of jeans and a button up shirt. Closing the door behind him, he dropped his briefcase onto his desk, fully prepared to work on various briefs that needed his attention. But the smell of cigarette smoke caused him to look behind him, raising a surprised eyebrow at his unexpected guest.

“What are you doing here, Spike?”

The bleach blonde merely shrugged and moved away from the windows to face the lawyer. “Was bored,” he offered with a frown. “Thought, why not take a look around? Besides, I thought your office would be a mite more interesting than Peaches’.”

“Why are you even at Wolfram and Hart on a Saturday? I thought anything would have been better than sticking around here,” the demon fighter said with a grin.

“Got nothin’ better to do,” he sighed as he dropped himself into the cushy chair in front of the desk. “Can’t exactly go anywhere until the sun sets so, here I am.”

“You do have your own place, you do realize that?”

“Not allowed to stay there anymore,” he replied with a smirk, “Red says I deserve better accommodations. You should ‘ave seen it, Charlie. She yelled at Paingel right and proper, it was bloody hilarious. Now the brooding git is moping around this place. I had to get out of his penthouse before I went bonkers from watching the prat pace back and forth.”

“Well can you blame him? It has to be hard for him having you in his home, considering he hates you and all.” Spike snorted and propped his feet on his desk.

“Funny how I don’t care,” he sneered as he inhaled a lungful of smoke. Gunn took a seat behind his desk and eyed the vampire speculatively. Spike narrowed his eyes at the look in the young man’s eyes.

“So, where is Willow this pleasant afternoon?” he questioned nonchalantly.

“Out shopping with your ex-girlie,” Spike sighed as he looked up to the ceiling. “Female bonding or some such nonsense, don’t ask me. I’m just bloody pissed that the chit had the nerve to demand that I stay with Peaches and then leaves me with the ponce. It was her idea; shouldn’t she have had to keep me company so I don’t have to listen to my annoying grandsire? Honestly, its just common courtesy,” he grumbled discontentedly.

“What’s her story?” inquired Gunn as he studied the blonde. At Spike’s questioning eyebrow, he clarified. “I mean, I know she’s a witch, that she went evil for a bit, and is the most powerful Wicca in the world, but I wanna know about *her*. What’s she like?”
 
 

Spike glared at the man, his jaw clenched. “Why do you want to know?” he ground out. He wasn’t sure if he understood the possessiveness that he was feeling toward Red. All he did know is that he didn’t like the idea that lawyer-boy was possibly interested in the witch.

Gunn had to suppress a smile at Spike’s display, seeing that the vampire definitely wasn’t happy with the idea of him getting to know Willow better.

“Come on, Spike,” he reasoned, “She’s going to be staying here for awhile, possibly permanently. I just want to know what she’s like.”

“Fine,” he agreed in a low voice. Shifting a bit in his chair, Spike looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.

“She’s…Willow. That girl has to be the most caring person I’ve ever met, and considering I’ve lived for over a century, that’s a lot of people,” he started with a small grin. “I remember when I first saw her, she and her little pals were dancing in Bronze. Well,” he amended with a smirk, “at least she and the slayer were dancing, don’t know what the moron thought he was doing,” he finished with a chuckle. “She just screamed innocence, you know? She was there, laughing with them, but I could see she just wasn’t in her element. She didn’t want to be there, she was just going for her friends. That’s what got me; that was the first time I realized that she would do anything to just please her friends. Felt kinda bad for her after awhile. Her parents were always gone, she lost friends and mentors over the years to violence, so she would do anything to fit in,” his voice became softer as he considered that.

“Halloween was another example,” he offered, “I remember seein’ her in that short little black skirt and tiny shirt, flat, tight stomach bare for all to see. That had definitely been the slayer’s doin’. She looked so painfully uncomfortable, it was…delicious. That was a fun night,” he remembered with a devilish grin.

“Didn’t see her too much for awhile; too busy trying to kill the blonde bint. Then I left the sodding country with Dru, that didn’t work out like I thought it would,” he frowned. “So I headed back to the states, looking to kill the Poof, or at least maim him a bit. He was the reason she left me, or that’s how I thought then. I was drinking…a lot,” he added with a bitter laugh. “I ended up in the bloody magic store, looking for a curse or spell…for leprosy or something as painful, just for Peaches. And then I saw her, she was getting some ingredients for a spell, a de-lusting or what all. That gave me the bright idea of kidnapping her for a love spell. I thought it was the perfect plan, she’d make Dru come back to me, make her crawl,” he shrugged.

“So I grabbed Red and Xapper who unfortunately happened to be there. Ended up keeping them locked in the factory I used to live in. The moron was passed out the entire time, but little Willow was wide awake. I still remember the frantic beating of her heart, the scent of her fear, I may have been drunk off my arse but that was quite memorable. I told her what I wanted, ended up making a fool of myself after I threatened to shove a broken bottle through her face. I was blubbering like…well, Peaches. I told her how Dru left me and how awful I felt, rested my head on her shoulder for support. She patted me on the knee, trying to make me feel better, it was the cutest thing, I tell ya. She was all nervous but still tried to comfort me. And then my instincts got the better of me, I was sniffing her neck and I could just hear her blood pumping in my ears. I vamped out, scared the hell out of her,” he chuckled.

“I ended up stalking her as she backed away from me, looking all frightened and terrified, she was gorgeous. I couldn’t help but think how absolutely shag-able she looked, told her I hadn’t had a woman in weeks. The next thing I know she actually proved to me she had a backbone. She was shaking like a leaf but had the nerve to tell me there would be ‘no having of any kind’. Told me she’d do my spell for me but then I had to let her and the moron go. She was actually trying to make a deal with me. There are many things she was, but intimidating was not one of ‘em. I let her little outburst slide, probably because I was too bloody wasted to do anything else. I told her to do her little spell, but I had to leave her and find some more ingredients and a sodding book. Never went back. I ran into the slayer and her poof and came to an agreement of sorts. I told them where their buddies were and left to go back to Brazil and find Dru. Should have just taken the witch when I had the chance…” he muttered unhappily.

“I came back to good ole Sunnyhell about a year later for my Gem,” he commented and Gunn nodded understandingly. “We all know what a royal mess that was. Find it just to lose it to, take a guess…Paingel. Then I got captured by those commando prats,” he growled. “Broke out of their little compound and went to the slayer’s dorm room, intent on killing the bitch once and for all. But there was no slayer to be found, only her pet witch. I wasn’t too happy with that. It had nothing to do with Red; I was just looking forward to finally offing the brat. She offered to do a spell for me, trying to stall,” he said with a grin, “but I wouldn’t have it. Then I did something I never did, not really. I offered to turn the chit. She was gonna die, no doubt about it, but its not everyday when I have the undeniable urge to sire someone. But she was standing there, full of fear and heartache, and I couldn’t help it. I told her she had a choice but there was no real choice, I was gonna turn her whether she wanted it or not. She told me she’d scream which only made me smile, like I actually had a problem with that,” he scoffed.

“Then that sodding chip kicked in,” he snarled, his eyes flashing gold. “My whole life was changed in that one bloody moment. And you know what Red did? Even merely seconds after I tried to kill her? She did her best to make me feel better, to feel like the vamp I used to be. She actually thought that it was something about her that made me not want to bite her. Daft chit. The wolf had just walked out on her, so she was feeling a bit unloved, trampled on by the one person she trusted with her heart. Gotta say, I felt for her. I knew what it was like to have the one you love betray you like that. I tried to reassure her that she was very bite-able, told her about how I wanted to bite her when we were stuck in that factory together. She blushed all prettily and seemed surprised that I would want to. Then she tried to tell me that I was still scary, but come on, she wasn’t scared of me at all. Hurts a vamp’s pride, that does. Commandos ended up storming in trying to capture me, but I got away.”

“After that I ended up at the watcher’s, chained in his bloody tub. I took the time to sit back and watch the Scooby gang, see how they worked from the inside. Let me tell you, it was shameful how they treated Red. The chit was hurting and they just wanted her to get over it. There was the slayer, who not only months before was mooning over Peaches and crying her sodding eyes out that he left, and she was whining about Red and how depressed she was. Even Xapper, who was supposed to be her best friend, complained endlessly about the witch’s crying instead of helping her, that is when he and the demon girl came up for air.”

Spike leaned in closer to Gunn, the expression on his face completely serious.

“You see, Willow…she gave her all. Her heart was on her sleeve, bloody and torn just waiting to be repaired by those who supposedly loved her, and all they did was push her away. That girl loves with everything in her being and they took her for granted. Suppose that was when I started to notice the hint of darkness in her. She did this spell that went *horribly* wrong,” he shuddered, “But it made the head demon bloke take notice and he offered to make her a vengeance demon, but she refused of course, couldn’t bear to hurt her friends. Hell, she couldn’t even bear the thought of hurting me,” he added with a wry chuckle.

“She was mending, eventually fell for the blonde witch, still haven’t quite figured that one out yet. Don’t get me wrong, she was a decent chit and all, but I never understood the attraction. I wager it was because Tara was there for her when her friends weren’t. Things were better for her but then all hell broke loose. When that moronic git shot her girl, Willow just…wasn’t Willow anymore,” he concluded sadly.

“She left for awhile, went with the watcher to jolly ole England to get control. She did it to,” he said admirably. “She’s changed, she stands up for herself more often now. She refuses to be taken for granted again. She’s powerful too,” he added in awe with a shake of his head. “I don’t think she really understands how powerful she really is. She’s had a hard life, I’ll give her that. She’s been fighting demons without flinching since she was fifteen. For the longest time nothing could get her to lose that innocent optimism that was just in her. It’s gone now, mostly. But she’s finally content, it seems. The guilt is still there, always will be, but there’s also acceptance. All these changes she went through were necessary, in a way, to make her who she is now, what she is now…”

“And what is she now?” asked Gunn quietly, absolutely enthralled by the vampire’s story.

“Bloody amazing, that’s what,” he said with a proud smirk. Blue eyes flickered to the clock just past Gunn’s seated form and he was honestly surprised at how much time had passed. Standing abruptly, he bowed his head toward the young man.

“See ya later, Charlie,” he said as he turned to leave, “Gotta go meet the witch so we can get my things ready for the move. Nice talking to ya,” he called out before closing the door behind him.

Gunn remained in his chair, contemplating everything the vampire had just told him. More than anything, he was just surprised that Spike could speak so much in one sitting.

~Part: 8~

When Willow walked into the lobby of Wolfram and Hart she was surprised to see Spike waiting at the foot of the stairs for her. Fred waved the redhead a quick goodbye before heading to the elevator with her purchases.

“Whatcha doin’ down here?” the witch asked with a slight grin at his exasperated expression.

“Well, *someone* left me alone with Peaches this afternoon. I couldn’t take it anymore, he is a whiny git, isn’t he?” he groaned. “I knew you’d be back soon and I’d rather linger about down here than watch Paingel mope about anymore. Explanation enough for ya, Red?”

“It’ll do,” she decided with a smirk of her own. “I guess we can go ahead and get your stuff now. I need to give Angel something, a peace offering if you will. But that can wait,” she shrugged. “Uh, do we actually have a way to get to your place?” she asked sheepishly. She hated how she was always forgetting these tiny details now.

“Yeah, pet,” he chuckled at her confusion. “Dear old Granddad has a garage full of priceless cars there for the taking. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if we borrowed one,” he added innocently.

“Spike!” she exclaimed, “We can’t just take his car without asking, it’s not right!” Distantly she heard the ding of the elevator behind her but she didn’t look to see who had stepped out. Spike on the other hand had glanced at the newcomer and smirked.

“Eh, Peaches!” he called out past Willow, and the redhead heard the grunt that Angel classified as a greeting when dealing with Spike. She looked over her shoulder and smiled when she saw the busy brunette standing there, files in one hand, a look of annoyance plastered on his handsome face.

“What?” snapped Angel as he turned to the bleach blonde.

“I need a car, now,” he requested bluntly, one eyebrow raised.

“You’re leaving?” the elder asked eagerly.

“Yeah, but I find myself in need of transportation. Sorta totaled the other ride ya gave me,” he admitted with a laugh.

“Harmony,” Angel called to his secretary who peered over her desk to give him her attention. “Well you heard the man, give him my car keys,” he ordered briskly.

“Um, which ones?” she questioned hesitantly, with a small frown.

“Which one do you want, Spike?” he asked with a frustrated sigh.

“Wait,” Willow broke in, completely confused. “That’s it? You’re just going to hand him the keys to *your* car without question. No offense, but that’s not like you Angel. This *is* Spike we’re talking about after all.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Spike demanded, feigning irritation and outrage.

“If it takes giving him my car to get him to leave,” Angel answered, pausing a moment to glare at the blonde, “Then it’s a small sacrifice to pay. Now, what’ll it be?”

“I want the Viper,” declared the smaller vampire with a grin. “You chits always love a nice sports car, right pet?” he teased Willow with a wink. “Gotta impress the girl, ain’t that right Angelus?”

“Whatever,” Angel growled, rolling his eyes. “Harmony. Keys,” he ordered his secretary, “You,” he snarled at Spike, “Leave.”

“As you wish,” he drawled before turning away from the brunette. Spinning around, his duster waving with a flourish, he reached for the keys that Harmony held out for him and took them without even looking in the blonde’s direction.

“Blondie Bear?” whined Harmony, pouting when he didn’t pay attention to her. With a groan, Spike turned to face her once more, cocking his head to the side as he heaved an unnecessary and bothered sigh.

“What do you want, Harm?”

“Oh, I was just thinking,” she didn’t notice the exaggerated roll of his eyes at the thought of her actually thinking. “I could get off work a little early. You have the car tonight…maybe we could go out? It could be like old times, remember Spikey? Just the two of us…” she leaned in closer to him and eyed him suggestively. She smiled widely when he took a step toward her and reached out his hand to her. Her countenance faltered when she felt him push her into her chair with a glare and he moved to walk away from her.

“Sorry, Harm. I’ve got plans,” he called over his shoulder as he offered his arm to Willow. “You’ll have to find someone else to play with, I know I have…” he said with a smirk, nearly chuckling at her outraged shriek.

Willow remained silent as he led her into the parking garage and eyed him speculatively when he opened her door for her. She slid into the passenger seat and laughed softly when he took his seat next to her.

“What?” he wondered what she found so hilarious.

“It’s just…that was kinda mean back there Spike,” she chastised with a grin.

“Oh don’t get all holier than thou on me, love,” he told her with a mischievous, playful twinkle in his eye. “I thought you hated the bint anyways.”

“I do,” she agreed, “but still, it was…oh hell, who am I kidding? It’s Harmony. I couldn’t care less about her hurt feelings. Consider my earlier protest erased.” He chuckled at her last statement and started the engine.

“I always wondered why you disliked the chit. Don’t get me wrong, she’s bloody annoying. She may have moments when I can tolerate her, but in general she’s a spoiled pain in the arse. But what did she do to piss you off right good, Red?”

“She’s evil, always has been,” she replied fervently.

“Um, pet, no offense. But I know evil, hell, I *am* evil. That chit’s not evil. She’s barely naughty,” he argued with a curious glance in her direction. She seemed lost in thought, but she was still listening to him. But whatever she was thinking about had her mad. Her cheeks were red, her eyes bright with remembered anger and he could even detect a hint of hurt and embarrassment. He wondered what that ditzy bint could have done to cause such a reaction in the redhead.

“You don’t understand,” Willow sighed, not moving to look him in the eye. Spike was pulling out of the garage and focused intently on the road ahead as she leaned her head back to rest on the soft cushion behind her.

“Try me,” he said, his voice slightly pleading.

“It all started in school,” she remembered, her voice soft and shy. He hadn’t heard her speak like that in such a long time. There was so much vulnerability and even a little pain. “You know how they say you should treasure your teenage years because those are the best times of your life? Well, they lie,” she commented with a snort.

“Harmony and all her little friends, like Cordelia, they all lived to tease me. They always tried to make me feel bad, worthless, not good enough. They did the same to Xander. He could always laugh it off, you know? But I wasn’t like that. I tried to ignore it, but when you hear day after day that you aren’t pretty, you’re not special, it gets to you. I had my friends, I tried to just forget everything she would say to me, but the memories, they don’t fade. We all have our bits of childhood trauma, mine just happens to go by the name of Harmony. But I’m not the same person anymore. I guess I should just let it go?” she finished looking at him imploringly.

“It’s hard,” she sighed sadly. “Being treated like your beneath someone, it’s difficult to forget, you know? No, I don’t suppose you do,” she added with a frown.

Her last comment hit close to home but he didn’t immediately respond. He knew all too well what it was like to be the scorn of someone, to be considered beneath them. And she was right, those memories were hard to forget, to ignore. You could create a new you, a new image, but those words never left your mind. Just a cruel twist of fate, he supposed.

“I know more than you think,” he muttered, his words only sounding like gibberish to hear ears because he spoke so low. He pulled the car to a stop in front of a run down building and turned off the engine. He glanced at the redhead beside him, her eyes clouded over as they looked off into the distance. In an instant though, they were clear and focused, and she even looked amused. He watched her warily as she looked to him, one delicate eyebrow raised and a teasing smile on her lips.

“And by the way, what makes you think, mister, that you have found someone to play with tonight?” she asked as he struggled to understand what she was speaking of. His earlier conversation with Harmony came back to him and he smirked.

“Just wanted the bloody chit to back off,” he told her with playful eyes. “Didn’t mean nothing,” he added innocently. “Although, if you’re up for playing, I’m not about to refuse. What do ya say, pet? Up for a bit of a rough and tumble with the Big Bad?”

“I’m thinking no, Blondie Bear,” she giggled as she blushed delightfully. He groaned at the nickname and hopped out of the car, walking around the hood and to her side, opening her door with a gentlemanly bow. “But if I change my mind, I’ll let you know.”

“And I’ll be waiting with bated breath,” he sighed dramatically as she stepped out of the car and walked past him to the sidewalk, not noticing his stormy blue eyes observing her appreciatively.

“You don’t breathe,” she reminded him as she slipped her hand into his offered one, allowing him to lead her to a nearby door that no doubt opened up to his humble abode.

“Yeah—er—well,” he stammered before glaring at her quickly and pulling her through the doorway. “Smart ass…”

~Part: 9~

“Um, you’re place is…” Willow struggled to find a nice way to describe his rather meager surroundings. She always was the optimistic one; she could put a good spin on anything. But she was having a difficult time with this one.

“A dump, Red,” he chuckled dryly, letting her off the hook. “I know it, you know it. It’s no big deal.” Shrugging he led her further into the dingy apartment.

“People actually pay to live in places like this?” she wondered in fascination and a little sadness.

“Hey now, it may not be as snazzy as the Poof’s penthouse, but it has character,” he defended half-heartedly.

“Yeah, it just screams ‘I’m a serial killer’,” she snorted as she observed the drab interior, no sign of any personal touches lying around. Well, unless you count the X box that was obviously well used. Spike had to pass the time somehow, she supposed.

“Well, that’s not really a stretch, now is it?” he countered with a raised eyebrow. She merely frowned at him reproaching.

“I never pictured you in a place like this,” she commented, more to herself than to him as she toured the small space. “You always seemed like you liked the finer things in life…or unlife. Not like Angel, I mean he was all obvious and flashy. You always seemed kind of understated, but still very demony. I know you lived in that crypt for awhile, but that was more out of necessity than anything. Right? Oh, and there was the factory, but you needed the space, minions and all. But even then you managed to have this beautiful four-poster bed. See what I mean?” she inquired, chancing a glance at his profile.

“I see that you have spent *way* too much time analyzing my interior decorating choices, pet,” he teased with a roll of his eyes. “Angelus was all about show, you know? The mansion, the penthouse, all those sodding antiques he has lying about, it’s all to show off. He is a stuck up ponce at heart, really. I never really cared. I lived wherever; I used to cause so much trouble back in the day that I had to spend my days underground to ditch the bloody mobs that were after me. This place, all those places, they aren’t home. They are just buildings when you get down to it. So I never really worried about making the place comfortable. Besides, any of the real fancy, pretty crap was for Dru. She liked velvet and silk, always had a lot of that lying around. And shiny things, bracelets and other baubles, she liked the way they sparkled,” he remembered fondly.

“Oh,” she replied softly. Her eyes wandered to the small corner that he had to consider his bedroom. She was surprised to see that he only slept on this tattered twin mattress, she could see the occasional spring poking out and frowned in sympathy. “Why such a small bed?” she asked without thinking.

Spike paused before answering and she swore she saw his face darken a bit, in sadness, maybe even loneliness. He shrugged nonchalantly, remembering the words spoken to him when he had asked a similar question.

“Not like I have anyone to share it with, ducks,” he replied with a forced smirk. She simply nodded, not pushing the issue any farther. It was none of her business really anyways.

Willow noticed that he had taken to gathering the few things he wanted to keep, placing the various shirts and pants into a duffel bag as he searched the drawers of his dresser.

“Is there anything I can do?” she offered awkwardly as he continued to pack. Without looking her way, he answered casually.

“Not much to bring with us,” he told her. “If you could unplug a few things that would be great, love.” She nodded and took to unplugging the television and various other appliances. They wouldn’t be able to fit much into the sports car he had chosen, but most of the appliances and knickknacks could be left here. Spike was only taking his clothes, probably his video games, because every vampire needs his hobbies, and little miscellaneous belongings. They wouldn’t have too much trouble with his luggage.

Willow sighed when she realized her task was done and plopped on his couch unceremoniously. She seemed to consider something silently before voicing her concerns.

“Why did you agree to move?” she inquired, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“Come again?” he asked with a curious expression.

“Well, if what you said is true, that this isn’t home, it’s just a building, then why did you agree to move into the penthouse with me? I mean, if you didn’t care about where you lived, about your surroundings, wouldn’t you have just told me to…sod off or something?” He chuckled at her final question. Figures she’d expect him to do something like that. Not too long ago he would have; but not anymore, not to her.

“Oh I’m not doin’ this for me, pet,” he answered with a playful grin. “After all, you practically begged for my company and being the gallant gentleman that I am, I couldn’t refuse your advances.” She smacked him on the arm as he sat down next to her. “Ow! You are a vicious little witch!” he complained, clutching his arm in mock pain. “Where did the sudden violent streak come from, love?”

“Not really sudden,” she countered with a tiny giggle. “Plus you must be a bad influence on me. I’m sure Angel would agree with me on that one.”

“Bloody hell, Red. You know how to ruin a decent conversation, just bring Paingel into the mix,” he groaned, running his hand over his face. He smiled to himself when he felt Willow shift on the couch, moving closer to him. He was in no hurry to get back to the office and he knew she was tired from her day with Fred, so would have no problem with kicking back for awhile. “So, did you have fun with the scientist today, pet?” he asked conversationally.

“Spike? Do you *ever* call someone by their name?” she questioned, her mind sidetracked because of her naturally inquisitive nature.

“Um…” he actually took some time to think about it, smiling sheepishly as he realized all the names he called people day after day. “Ah hah! Charlie! I call him by his name!” he remarked triumphantly.

“Yeah, but he likes to be called Gunn, so even then you’re not *really* calling him by his name. And I don’t want to even think about the list of things you call Angel, some of which, not very nice buddy,” she added, pointing an accusing finger his way.

“Like I give a damn,” he sneered. “I don’t bother with names, Willow. Besides, I can’t stand half of ‘em, so what do I care if I get their names right? I like nicknames, tends to piss people off right good. It’s pretty funny seeing the poncy ex-watcher all brassed off when I call him a nancy-boy. You should try it sometime; he turns bright red and gets this tic in his cheek. I can practically see the smoke coming out his ears. I am a demon after all, gotta have my fun somehow,” he whined with a pout.

“But you just called me by my name,” she added with a pointed glance. “Usually it’s Red or pet or love or ducks, which I never understood really. What is with the British and the little pet names? Who calls somebody ducks? Honestly, and you guys call women birds, what’s with that? I would never think to call you a—a pigeon or something…” she babbled on, ignorant of his growing smile as she continued her rather amusing rant. “And you can get away with calling someone pet. I couldn’t, everybody would look at me funny if I called you pet. Maybe it’s the accent, you could pretty much read the phonebook out loud and it would sound amazing. That’s got to be it; it’s all in the accent. Gotta get me one of those…”

Her ramble was brought to a halt at the sound of Spike’s laughter. Willow blushed a bit as she realized that she had just went on a tangent about pet names and his accent of all things. Sometimes she hated how that mind of hers could never focus on the point at hand. She listened to him laugh heartily for a moment, a smile creeping onto her face. She had never heard him laugh, not like that. Sure she had seen him chuckle, but most of the time his amusement was either forced or mocking. So this, this utter abandonment of his hardened self-image, this deep and rich laughter was like music to her ears.

“You should do that more often,” she advised softly, her voice barely above of an embarrassed whisper. The sound of his laughter slowly faded as he leaned back onto the cushions of the couch. She followed his example and sat back, not protesting when his arm moved to rest along the back of the couch, his hand lying on her shoulder, fingers playing with the strands of her hair.

“What can I say, Wills?” he shrugged, with a smirk, “You just bring it out in me.” She grinned widely at his admission and found herself moving to rest more comfortably against him, her heading on his shoulder. He adjusted his position, his arm holding her a little more tightly as she settled against him.

“So…why do you call me by my name? Sometimes, that is…” she amended as she gazed up at him.

“Let’s just put it this way,” he answered tentatively. “I call all these prats by nicknames because I don’t like them, because I don’t care if they give a damn about me…” he offered, looking away from those green eyes. “They aren’t my friends, especially Peaches,” he grumbled at the thought of his grandsire.

“So, does that mean that we’re friends?” she asked quietly, following his lead and looking away.

“Don’t really have friends,” he replied gruffly. “Wouldn’t be very demony of me, you see. But if you promise not to let it get out, yeah, you’re my friend. But no blabbing, okay, I’ve got a reputation to protect,” he reminded her with a teasing glare.

“Yes sir,” she responded with a mock salute, “Bad ass demon, I know sir.” He growled and she tried in vain to stifle her giggle.

“You never did answer me, love. What did you and the brainy chit talk about all day?” he asked, eager to be done with their previous discussion.

“You really want to know?” she wondered, gnawing on her bottom lip timidly.

“Wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. “Come on, pet. Friends are supposed to tell each other about their days, remember? Tell Spike all about it…” he implored, interested in what they could have possibly discussed.

“Well, mostly we talked about you,” she remarked with a tiny laugh. He grinned smugly and looked to her.

“Really then,” he considered with a smirk. “Thought my ears were burning.” She groaned at his display of his massive ego. “What about me?”

“Oh, just about all the times you tried to kill me. You know, the factory, my dorm, things like that.”

“Ah, the good ole days,” he sighed as she sputtered indignantly.

“Hey, not so good for me!” she screeched. “You may have been having fun, mister, but I’ll have you know that death threats are not my idea of a nice way to spend my evenings.”

“Piffle,” he scoffed. “It’s not like your nights would have been much more interesting without me there. That time, the whole love spell bit, you were what? Going bowling with Xapper, the cheerleader, and the wolf. How bloody exciting is that?” he argued. “Although, you and Chubs were secretly sneaking smoochies behind your wolf’s back, so that might have been a little interesting. Except that the idea of anyone snogging Xapper makes me want to heave. What were you thinking, pet?”

“*Xander* was my first love,” she replied defensively, “but it shouldn’t have happened. It was hurtful and made a mess of everything. Oz never really got over it, I think. He forgave me, but it seemed a little forced.” Her shoulders were slumped and her expression introspective.

“It’s not like you were shagging the moron,” he added with a shudder at the thought. She sighed but remained silent. “And the other time, your dorm room, you weren’t doing *anything*, except listening to whiny chit music. My appearance made your night more exciting. You weren’t crying and wallowing in self-pity once I showed up.”

“Yeah, because I was too busy worrying about my impending death!” she argued with a glare. “I still owe you for that whole ‘I’ll bring you back to be like me’ thing.”

“You should be flattered!” he reasoned with a raised eyebrow. “Oh, get over it, love. What’s a little death threat between friends? It was a compliment, really. Not many people I would consider spending eternity with.”

“Oh,” she replied with a thoughtful look. “Well, if you put it that way, um…thanks?”

“That’s better,” he decided with a grin. He glanced at the clock beside his old bed and sighed. “We should be going, Red. Peaches will probably throw a fit if I don’t get you home soon. Bloody nuisance.” She frowned, finding herself oddly comfortable here. No, it wasn’t the apartment that made her feel that way, she decided. It was Spike that gave her that comfortable feeling. She slipped from his loose embrace and stood, Spike doing the same. He grabbed his duffel bag and strode toward the exit, Willow following closely behind with a couple things.

“You know, Spike,” she mentioned as they loaded up the car. “You never told *me* what you did all day.” He shrugged and moved to the driver’s side, getting into the car as she slipped in on the passenger’s side.

“Just had a chat with Charlie is all.” She looked curious and looked to him as he started up the car.

“Oh really, about what?”

“Actually, you,” he admitted sheepishly, looking straight ahead as he pulled away from the curb.

“Really now,” she smirked, “I thought my ears were burning,” she teased. At her giggle he allowed a small smile to cross his face. He rolled his eyes at her comment but found himself laughing lightly along with her.

“Nosy little witch.”

~Part: 10~

Flicking on the living room light, Willow led the way into Angel’s penthouse, Spike close behind her with his belongings. She had offered to help him carry everything but he refused. He was a big, strong vampire after all, he could handle the load. She had merely rolled her eyes at his macho display and let him do as he pleased.

“Angel?” she called, but only silence greeted her. It was nearing eight in the evening, not particularly late, but she had expected the brooding vampire to home by now.

“The wanker is probably hiding in his office, pet,” Spike sneered, dropping his things indelicately on the floor.

“Why would he do that?” she wondered with a frown.

“Because he knows I’m up here, that’s why. He’s used to being the top vampire ‘round here. Can’t seem to handle the competition, I’m afraid.” Willow sighed but knew in a way he was right. She cared about Angel, liked him, but he was such the typical Alpha-male. He needed to be in control at all times. Spike didn’t let him get away with that behavior. The blonde didn’t care so much about the taking Angel’s power; he just drove him crazy for the hell of it. Really, if the brunette just ignored Spike’s gibes life would continue much more easily.

“Maybe you could try to be nicer to him,” she commented off-handedly. At his displeased growl and the glare he gave her which screamed ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’, she squeaked. “Just a suggestion! Geesh, moody much…” she grumbled to herself.

“Tread carefully, Red,” he warned with a playful scowl. She scoffed at his mild threat and turned her back to him, heading to rest on Angel’s rather large couch.

“Ooh, I’m so scared,” she teased. “Come on, Spike. You wouldn’t bite me, with us being ‘friends’ and all…besides, even when you really were trying to kill me you couldn’t go through with it. Hell, even Harmony--*Harmony* managed to take a bite!” she reminded him with a shudder.

“Daft bint,” he mumbled gruffly. “You’re no fun, you know that?” he whined as he threw himself into a leather armchair. “Can’t you at least pretend to be a little scared? This is bad for my ego, pet.”

“Poor baby,” she grinned. He resisted a laugh at her amused expression as she glanced at him. He pouted a bit when she made no attempt to even act slightly threatened. Seeing him sit there, with his bottom lip stuck out, Willow giggled and stood. Doing her best damsel in distress, she put the back of her hand to her forehead, her other hand resting above her heart.

“Oh my! I am positively shaking in fear! Whatever will I do?” she exclaimed dramatically. She looked his way again and cocked an eyebrow. “That better?” He smirked at her actions and stood. He approached her slowly, his steps calculated and precise. She narrowed her eyes, watching him warily, wondering what he was up to.

“A bit overdone, if you ask me,” he drawled as he eyed her speculatively. “I bet I *could* make you shake…make you quiver…” he bit his lip rakishly as he moved in front of her, making her feel small in his presence.

“Y-You…you’re not scaring me,” she told him bravely. She wasn’t afraid of Spike really, but she was quickly reminded that he was very much a predator and she distinctly felt like prey.

“Didn’t say anything about scaring you, pet,” he murmured, his eyes holding hers intently as he leaned in closer. Her green eyes flickered from his blue ones to his lips that were now so close to her own, just hovering so temptingly above hers. Spike watched her reaction to him with smug satisfaction; he was definitely getting to her. Teasingly, his tongue peeked out, wetting his lips. He heard and felt the shaky breath she exhaled and observed her tense form, hands trembling nervously ever so slightly.

Willow couldn’t help the shudder that made its way through her body and her eyes fluttered closed when she felt his mouth brush hers and was thoroughly disappointed when the feeling disappeared. She hesitantly opened her eyes, surprised to see that he was no longer standing in front of her, but back in his chair, an arrogant smile crossing his lips. She glared at him and he chuckled at her annoyed gaze.

“Told you I could make you quiver,” he added in a self-satisfied manner. Her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish and he couldn’t help but think she looked absolutely adorable.

“That was just—just mean!” she declared as she marched up to him, glaring down at him menacingly.

“Evil,” he reminded her with a sardonic laugh. When she failed to come up with a suitable retort, she resorted to sticking her tongue out and smacking him on the arm. He caught her hand in his and yanked on her arm, pulling her onto his lap with a smirk.

She leaned into his embrace and sighed, her back against his chest, her head near his shoulder. “Stupid, evil vampire…all talk but no follow through,” she mumbled with a frown. He snorted at her quiet complaint.

“You want follow through, love?” he questioned, his lips curled into an appraising grin. “Because I can be all about follow through…”

“No!” she shrieked, trying to jump off his lap, but his arms kept her where she was. “No follow through, I’m good.”

“Relax, Red,” he assured her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m just playing with you. But if you ever have an itch that needs scratchin’, gimme a call,” he added with a teasing wink and a wolfish grin.

“You say the sweetest things, Spike,” she replied dryly.

“Don’t you know it,” he said with a laugh. The couple heard the door to the penthouse open and Willow turned to look past Spike.

“Hey Angel!” she greeted with a tiny wave. The brunette stopped in his tracks, and studied the two people in front of him, raising a questioning eyebrow to Willow, silently asking why she was comfortably seated in Spike’s lap. The redhead didn’t look the least bit concerned, just happy to see him.

“Hi Wills,” he finally said, dropping onto the couch.

“Oh!” exclaimed the witch as she shot off of Spike and started to head toward the spare room. “Stay right there,” she demanded with a smile as she glanced at Angel before walking quickly down the hallway.

Angel glanced at the blonde, but Spike merely shrugged and searched for a cigarette.

“No smoking, Spike,” groaned the elder as he sat back.

“Kiss my arse, Peaches,” he responded as he flicked open his lighter. Angel was glaring at him now and he knew he was in for yet another repetitive, mildly entertaining rant courtesy of the King of Brood, but Willow’s reappearance halted it.

“Close your eyes,” she ordered with a bright smile. Angel hesitantly did as he was told. “Hold out your hands,” he sighed and complied. He felt something light and fuzzy being placed in them and curiously opened his eyes.

The small teddy bear complete with halo and angel wings, along with the words ‘I’m sorry’ caused him to smile.

“What’s this for?” he asked tentatively, looking up at the happy redhead.

“I’ve been kinda pushy lately,” she admitted with a sheepish grin. “Which is bad, because you’ve been so great to me, giving me a place to stay and a job; so this is my peace offering. Forgive me?” she asked shyly. The brunette smiled widely and stood, pulling the tiny woman into a big hug.

“There’s nothing to forgive, Little one,” he replied, genuinely touched at her actions. “Well, except for bringing Spike into my home, but I’ll let that go.”

“Bloody poof,” grumbled Spike with a glare at the brunette. When Angel made no move to release the witch, he felt the need to interrupt the moment. “What did ya buy me, pet?”

Willow pulled away from Angel and looked thoughtful for a second before grimacing slightly. “Um, I kinda didn’t get you anything…” she admitted, feeling bad for leaving him out. He didn’t let that faze him, instead he stood and strutted to her, ignoring Angel’s glare.

“S’okay love,” he told her with a smirk. He leaned close, his mouth by her ear. “You can make it up to me later.”

She rolled her eyes at his display and chuckled. “Whatever, Blondie. I live to please.”

“Good to know,” he replied with a wink. He saw Angel glowering out of the corner of his eye and grinned. This night was just getting better and better.

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