“So, uh, Spike, Buffy tells me you’re from England.”
“Really? I’d have thought my bloody accent would tell you that.” Spike jumped as he felt Willow’s elbow jab him in the ribs. Again. The blonde vampire rubbed his side gingerly. Damn, the little witch had sharp elbows. He probably had a bruise. With a sigh, he decided to try a different approach. One that wouldn’t get him jabbed. Or staked. “Well, the Sl- I mean, Buffy was right. I am from England.”
“How long have you lived in America?” Buffy winced at Riley’s question. She had no clue how long Spike had lived in America and could just picture him saying fifty years, or something equally cringe-worthy.
Spike smirked slightly, enjoying the Slayer’s discomfort. This was, all in all, turning out to be a rather fun evening. Well, if you didn’t include the half dozen jabs to the ribs from Willow, that is. After a moment in which Buffy began to squirm uncomfortably, Spike answered the question.
“About two years, off and on.” Spike nearly laughed out loud at the look of relief on Buffy’s face. The odd thing about it, though, was that he had actually told the truth.
“And how did you meet Willow and Buffy?” Riley asked.
The look of pure panic on the Slayer’s face was worth the never-ending litany of questions the young man had subjected the vampire to. Spike wondered idly what the boy would do if he vamped out and informed him that he’d met the girls when he was in the process of trying to kill them. Then he pictured himself as a vampire rat and decided that doing so was a Very Bad Idea. Having a girlfriend who just happened to be witch could occasionally spoil the fun. Spike contemplated the question for a moment, then came up with what he thought would be a suitable answer.
“An old... friend of mine introduced us.”
“Oh, really? Who?”
“Oh, a friend of Willow’s. His name’s Angel; he and Willow both tutored people. They met at the library.”
Spike nearly snarled in irritation as Buffy jumped in to answer the question. He’d wanted to have some fun with that one: mention the Great Poof, maybe mention the fact that the Poof had shagged the Slayer. It just wasn’t fair. Oh well, he reasoned philosophically, Willow would have killed him for it anyway.
From her spot beside Spike, Willow smiled with false brightness, trying to think up a question to ask Riley. She knew Spike well enough to realize that the vampire was dying to say something inflammatory.
“So, um, Riley, why don’t you tell us what it’s like to be Professor Walsh’s teaching assistant?” Willow smiled happily as Riley proceeded to launch into an amusing story about the horrors of working with their psychology teacher. With any luck, Riley’s stories would keep the figurative spotlight off of Spike for a while.
~~*~~Later That Evening~~*~~
Willow and Spike trailed behind Buffy and Riley, giving the new couple a moment of privacy. Well, that was what Willow kept telling herself she was doing. In reality, she simply wanted to be alone with Spike. She slipped her hand in his, enjoying the feel of his cool fingers and strong, soothing grip.
“You did well tonight,” she commented softly, knowing his vampire hearing would pick up the near whisper.
“Well,” Spike quipped, ”we’re not home yet. I could still blow it magnificently.”
“You do, and I’ll turn you into a rat.” She grinned wickedly. “And it took me six months to manage to turn Amy back into a human. You want to chance it, blondie?”
Spike grinned, pulled Willow to a stop, and kissed her. Lord, he loved this girl. Very few humans could stand there and threaten to turn a master vampire into a rat. And this amazing creature did so with a smile on her face.
“What was that for? Not that I’m complaining...”
“Nothing in particular. I just wanted to.”
Willow grinned, then resumed walking, pulling Spike with her. “Well, feel free to do that anytime.”
“You do realize I’m going to hold you to that, don’t you?”
Willow just laughed.
Buffy smiled faintly as the sound of her friend’s laughter reached her. She knew she’d given Spike and Willow her blessing, and she had meant it, but it was still odd to think that Spike - evil, viscous, rotten Spike - had fallen head over heels for Willow. She was glad things had worked out so well for the two of them. She just hoped that things would work out for her as well.
Cautiously, the Slayer reached for Riley’s hand, smiling fully when he entwined his fingers with hers. The night hadn’t turned out to be the disaster she had feared it would. Okay, so Spike had very nearly given her a heart attack about a dozen times, but here she was, walking down the street, holding hands with her date. She felt almost... normal. As Buffy glanced up at Riley, she decided that she liked the feeling.
She just hoped that there wouldn’t be anymore double dates with Willow and Spike in the near future. Not that the date hadn’t been fun in its own way; it had been. She just wasn’t sure she could handle another night at the mercy of Spike. Who knew what he’d say if given the chance? Buffy shuddered slightly as she envisioned Spike informing Riley that Mrs. Summers had once hit him in the head with an ax. That would certainly be a show-stopper.
Willow breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Spike and Riley walked her and Buffy to the door of the Summers’ house. They had made it through the evening without any disasters. She had never realized how nerve-racking it was to hide the fact that her boyfriend was a vampire; she had never needed to before. She decided right then and there that the next time she and Spike went out, it would be alone. That decision held for about five seconds.
“So,” Riley began, ”why don’t we do this again sometime soon?”
“Sure, mate. Next weekend good? Say, Friday night?” Spike turned to the girls and grinned wickedly. “How’s that sound to you two?”
Buffy and Willow exchanged a glance, each waiting for the other to speak. It was obvious that Spike knew exactly what he was doing, and neither girl knew how to get out of the double date gracefully. What could they say? ‘That’s not a good idea; we’re afraid you’ll find out Spike’s a vampire.’ That definitely wouldn’t cut it.
“Is that a bad time for you?” Riley asked, concerned by their silence.
Finally, Willow found her voice. “No, no. Friday’s good. Isn’t it good, Buffy?”
“Yeah, it’s great. I’ll see you then.” Buffy closed her eyes as Riley kissed her, then opened them to watch as he walked away. With a sigh, she turned to face Spike and Willow. She wanted to kill the vampire.
Spike saw the look in her eyes, and he knew it was echoed in the eyes of his girlfriend. He decided it was time to make a hasty retreat; he could charm Willow into forgiving him tomorrow.
“Well, that went well. I can’t wait until next time,” Spike said with a smirk. He grabbed Willow for a quick kiss, then was gone, leaving the girls to stare at each other. They stood in silence for a moment, then both spoke at once.
“We’re doomed.”