"We barely see her for a month and then she wants us to meet for 'movie night' at Deadboy Jr's apartment?" Xander whined, trudging along next to Anya as they made their way through the twilight ridden streets of Sunnydale. He couldnt understand why his childhood friend would want to meet *there* of all places. After all, she had her parents' house all to herself for the entire summer. Prime party place if you asked him.
Anya shook her head almost imperceptibly. She had a pretty good idea about Willow's sudden urge to get together at the blonde's apartment was about. But she wasn't going to be the one to even mention the idea to Xander. The former demon knew that her boyfriend would react, well, badly to the idea of Willow with the vampire. And she had a sneaky feeling that 'badly' was putting it mildly. She smiled. "Yep. Thats what Willow said. Movie night at Spike's. And if we dont hurry we're going to be late." Grabbing his arm. she pulled Xander more quickly towards the apartment.
She didn't want to miss one minute of the bloodbath to come.
*-*-*-*
"I see your plan..." Spike grinnned, surveying the wide assortment of bottles on his kitchen counter. "We're going to get them all royally pissed and take them on a walk through the graveyard and let some fledglings have at it? Bloody brilliant, luv." He joked. "Best way to deal with those morons you call your friends, if you ask me."
Willow smacked his arm playfully. "That's actually pretty
close to the truth, dear. Well... except for the part about
walking them through the graveyard and making them the first meal
for Sunnydale's newest vampires." She grimaced. "Of
course... don't hold me to that." They both knew that the
night was going to be far from easy. Better to get the Slayer
drunk *then*
tell her about the relationships that had formed under her
upturned nose. Less likely for her to stake anyone that way.
The red head looked up into his blue eyes, a small smile playing across her lips. "Nice movie choice by the way."
"Glad you agree, pet." Spike purred, leaning down to
brush his lips across hers. The movie in question was sitting on
the counter with the alcohol- 'My Best Friend Is A Vampire'
written clearly on the plastic 'blockbuster' box. Spike had
almost burst out laughing when he had seen it in the movie store,
the title just too perfect for the night ahead. He kissed her
again,
drawing her bottom lip in between his teeth for a small nip
before allowing his tongue to plunder her mouth. He hadn't
forgotten the teasing 'punishment' she had dealt out to him the
previous weekend and his entire body wanted to pay her back touch
for touch, action for action. He groaned aloud and released her
mouth as a loud thumping came from the door. "They're
here." He grinned.
Willow glared at him, slapping him hard on the butt as she walked by to the living room. She braced herself, taking a deep breath, and pulled open the door. "Buffy, Riley, come in!"
"Hey, Wills." Buffy gave her the girl a half smile as she took in the blush on her friend's cheeks... the way her lips were red and swollen. Buffy wasn't stupid. She knew what was going on. Had known for a couple weeks, in fact. The little looks the red head and the vampire gave each other while researching when they thought no one was watching? Well- she had seen them. It had upset her at first. Then she had been happy for her friend to have found someone. As the days had gone by and Willow hadn't mentioned her little relationship to her 'best friend' she found herself getting upset again. She acted like she thought she'd stake him or something. {Well, wouldnt you?} the little voice in the back of her mind whispered.
"Can I get you guys a drink? Soda? Water? Beer? Vodka?" Willow hoped the nervousness she was feeling wasn't obvious to the two people staring at her.
"Trying to get us drunk?" Buffy grinned at her. "Come on, Will, just tell me what it is that has you so nervous and get it over with. I'm sure you'll feel better once you do."
"Nervous? Who me? I'm no nervous. And what makes you think I have soemthing to tell you? I dont. Nope. Not a thing." The red head rambled, her face slowly turning a bright red.
The blonde haired girl sighed. "Fine." Buffy smirked. If Willow wanted to treat her like this about it that was fine with her. The red head was so sure she'd overreact when she found out - she'd do just exactly that. "Forget I said anything. A drink would be great."
*-*-*-*
Spike looked over the humans assembled in his living room. Under the guise of talking over a few drinks Willow had managed to convince everyone that they weren't quite ready to watch the movie yet. No one knew that they were really waiting on Angel and Cordelia to arrive. He watched the moron polish off another shot of tequila. He would be laid out on the floor before Willow ever got around to revealing their little 'secret' at this point. The vampire hoped this wouldnt take too long. He wanted to get back to what he had been doing when Buffy had showed up.
Willow grinned. Spike was watching her again with that little smile. It wasn't even a smile really, just a little quirk of his lips in the corner of his mouth. Her mind went back to the kiss they had been sharing earlier that evening. The feel of his cool lips on hers. Ever since the previous weekend she had found herself wanting to speed up their relationship- take it to the next level, but she didn't feel they were ready for that *yet*. Soon, though.
The grin on her face faltered as she heard the soft knocking on the front door. Green eyes flew to Spike, filled with worry. Almost tripping over Xander's feet she made her way to the door, opening it with a smile. "Hey guys! So glad you could make it!" Willow hugged first Cordelia, then Angel, as they stepped into the apartment.
"No one told me Deadboy and Cordelia were going to be here." Xander muttered. Anya looked at the brunette who had just arrived. This was Xander's ex? She was pretty. Her eyes settled on the hand Angel had placed lightly on the brunette's back and her face lit up with a smile. No need to worry about her wanting Xander- she was taken.
"No one told me either." Buffy directed her whine at Willow. Had this been the reason her friend had seemed so nervous earlier? It wasnt that she was *finally* going to tell her about her relationship with Spike, it was because she was worried Buffy would be mad about Angel coming to visit?
Riley rolled his eyes, sighing softly. He knew Buffy was over Angel, but her little bouts of sadness and jealousy concerning the vampire still reared their ugly heads occaisionally. And this would be one of those times.
Willow avoided Buffy's eyes. "Lets start the movie."
*-*-*-*
Riley laughed as the title of the movie flashed across the screen. How utterly appropriate with the company he was in- a movie about vampires. Part of him still couldnt believe that he, the man who had been one of the Initiative's top agents, was now getting friendly with hostiles. He grinned.
Willow watched as her friends started to get caught up in the movie. Even Angel and Spike seemed to be enjoying it. Should she tell them now or wait until the movie was over? Her chest tightened with nervousness again. "Cordelia? Help me make some popcorn?"
"You need help with...?" Cordelia shut her mouth with a snap when she saw the pleading look in the red head's eyes. "Sure. I'd love to help you." She followed her friend out of the room and into the kitchen.
"I cant do this." Willow whispered. Her hands shook as she tried to open the plastic wrapper on the microwave popcorn. What if they yell? What if they try to hurt Spike? What if they never talk to me again? A million what ifs ran through Willow's head as she placed the popcorn into the microwave.
"Yes you can." Cordelia said firmly. She tilted Willow's head up enough to look into her eyes. "If they are really your friends they will be *happy* for you." The brunette smiled, she had dealt with her own fears on the way to Sunnydale. "'Sides, you'll still have me and Angel, no matter what."
Willow nodded slowly, thinking it over while they waited for the popcorn to finish. Cordelia was right. If they really cared about her, they'd be happy for her. Givign her friend a shaky smile she said, "So we'll tell them *after* the movie."
*-*-*-*
Spike and Angel groaned as the movie portrayed yet another myth about vampirism and being turned. "It's nothing like that!" Angel grinned. He loved movies like this- they were so funny.
"So what is it like, then?" Anya smiled, always the curious one. She looked at the dark haired vampire with all the innocence of a child asking her parents a question.
"Yeah. What's it like?" Willow mimicked Anya's tone perfectly as she turned to the blonde vampire next to her. Buffy reached over to mute the movie, she was curious about this as well. She had seen the end product of being turned many times, but she had never had someone tell her what experiencing it was like.
Spike suddenly found every eye in the room on him. "I think I'll have to defer this question to my dear old sire. Seniority and all." Spike smirked, watching the humans turn their attention to the older vampire.
"So you want to know what its like to be turned?" Angel smirked. The demon within him would give anything to show the humans what turning was like- firsthand. He squelched that idea with a grimace. There was no one in this room he could bear the thought of spending eternity with. Well, maybe Willow and Cordelia... and of course, Spike- as he had already proven.
The blonde haired vampire cleared his throat. "Are you going to get on with storytime, daddy?"
"Impatient as usual, my boy." Angel purred. "Well, as you all know, the process of being turned starts with a bite, being drained."This can be either extremely erotic, or extremely painful for the one being bitten."
"It doesn't always hurt?" Willow asked shyly.
"No." Angel grinned, giving the red head his full attention. "Even outside of making a childe, a vampire's bite can be extremely pleasurable. We bite not merely to feed or make childer, but also as an act of passion." He watched Willow blush. It hit him then that her and Spike hadn't had sex yet, otherwise she would have known all this. Wouldnt be blushing so badly now. He grinned at the sidelong look she gave his childe.
"As I was saying. First you get drained. And then... well...
you die. There's no way to sugar coat it. Your heart stops
beating, lungs stop filling with air, you can't see, can't feel,
and then you can't think." He looked around at their stunned
faces. "Oh
come on, you know we're the walking dead- did you think we got
that way without actually dying?" He smirked.
"Then, as you are laying there taking your last breath, your sire-to-be forces some of their blood in your mouth. And your last thought while you still have your soul is that you are drinking someone else's blood- not really a pleasant thing." One look at his childe told Angel that Spike was remembering his own turning, the blonde's eyes had a far away look in them that the older vampire usually associated with trying to repress fear. "Then the demon starts to take over, and you drink, and drink, your body slowly gives out. And you pass out."
Cordelia was shuddering next to him and he absently leaned back, laying his arm on the back of the couch and, conveniently, around her shoulders. "Hours later, you wake up. You remember who you were, who you knew, what you did for fun. But none of it matters anymore. The demon makes you want to destroy anything and everything that reminds you of your humanity. Then there's the hunger. Its overwhelming when you first wake up. It eats you from within. Its enough to drive some fledges mad. That and the fact that every sense is heightened. Smell, touch, taste, hearing... everything."
He looked over and saw that Willow was clutching Spike's hand. He hadn't meant to scare her. He hadn't meant to scare any of them. He gave a small smile. "All in all, not a pleasant experience. Definitely not something I recommend."
One by one the humans laughed, shaking off the haunting feeling his words had provoked. "That was way more than I ever needed to know about that subject, but thanks." Riley grinned, pulling Buffy against him for a quick kiss.
Xander nodded, squeezing Anya's hand lovingly. He looked around the room at the weird assortment of friends he had. There was Buffy, the Slayer, with Riley, the ex-commando, getting all cuddly on the floor. Spike, the vampire, patting Willow's hand reassuringly. And Angel, another vampire, with his arm around Cordelia's shoulders. Not to mention the fact that Willow was a witch and Cordelia had visions... and... "GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER!" Xander yelled at Spike, jumping up.
"Eeep!" Willow gasped, realizing that she and Spike had just given themselves away. She had gotten so used to the little touches and caresses she shared with the vampire that she didn't even realize when they were doing it anymore. "Now, Xan...."
"Willow!" Buffy stood hesitantly, slightly wobbling thanks to the three margaritas she had drank. "You and Junior?!?" She glared at the red head, prepared to give her all the hell she had *assumed* she was going to get.
"He makes me happy..." Willow murmured. "Please, Buff..."
"He makes you happy?!?" Buffy repeated, groaning. "Wills, he's dead! He's a corpse!"
"Your point?" Willow smirked, raising an eyebrow at her friend. "You mean to tell me its wrong to date a member of the undead?" She let her eyes slowly wander to Angel, making her point known.
"That's different Wills!" Buffy's alcohol dampened mind struggled to come up with a reason why it was different. For a second she considered just ending her game and going back to cuddling Riley.
"How is it different, Buffy?" Angel asked softly. His dark chocolate eyes caught hers.
"You have a soul. He doesnt. He'd kill us all if he could." Buffy grinned. There! That was a *good* reason. Her face fell as Angel continued to stare at her, a smile turning up the corner of his mouth.
"Of course Buffy," Angel purred, taking on the cocky air that Angelus' had loved so much. "And I never hurt anyone..."
"Well.. .well... aarrrggghh!" Buffy screamed, collapsing in a fit of giggles back next to Riley. She looked up through tears of laughter into Willow's confused green eyes. "Its all good, Wills. I guessed about two weeks ago... you guys are *so* obvious around each other."
Xander looked at the giggling Slayer in shock. "Buff... she's dating a *vampire*! Slay. Slay!" He ignored the growls coming from said vampire. "You can't let her date him!"
"Let her?" Willow was looking at the ground, staring at it as though she had found soemthing interesting. She slowly raised her eyes to his. "There really isn't any *letting* going on, Xander. I am dating Spike. He makes me happy. That is final. And if you are *really* my friend you will be happy for me." Willow stuck out her bottom lip, pouting at her childhood friend.
"Yeah, Xan, just deal with it." Buffy snickered. She watched Willow return to her position next to Spike, leaning into the vampire's embrace, and smiled. They were cute together.
Xander glowered at Buffy. She was supposed to be on his side damnit! He looked over at the red head who was still pouting at him, her eyes starting to get moist. "Will..." He sighed. "I'm sorry. If he makes you happy then I guess I can get over the whole him being a vampire and a murderer part." He turned to Cordelia. "So how long have you and Deadboy been together?"
"WHAT?!?" Buffy was on her feet again, finally noticing Angel's arm around the former cheerleader's shoulder. {Cute together too!} Her alcohol numbed mind shouted at her. They were waiting for her to start screaming she realized. She opened her mouth to start, shutting it when she noticed that she didnt feel jealous of them. They were happy together. She was happy with her Riley. It was good. She smiled.
Cordelia stared in shock as Buffy calmly sat down without saying another word. She made a mental note to thank Willow for getting the Slayer wasted before hand. It seemed to have worked wonders.
"There's not going to be any fighting?" Anya asked, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She thought for sure she'd get to see a *little* bloodshed that night.
"Sorry, honey." Xander grinned, kissing her on the forehead. "We can fight when we get home if you want." He lifted his eyebrows suggestively.
"Goodnight everyone." Anya grabbed the dark haired boy's hand and practically dragged him to the door. Xander barely had a chance to wave goodbye before the door shut behind him.
The others say in stunned silence before breaking out into laughter. "They have a good idea, though" Buffy smiled. "Well, except for the going home to fight, or have sex, or whatever it is they were going to do." She grimaced at the unhappy mental pictures it was giving her. "I'm tired. Lets go, Riley."
"Are we ok, Buffy?" Willow asked. The question wasn't just for her, but for the others in the room as well. She didn't want Buffy leaving with hard feelings towards either of the couples she had just found out about.
"Oh yeah, we're just peachy." Buffy smiled at her sleepily. "I'll call you tomorrow. We have alot to talk about." She leaned in and whispered a little too loudly, "I want *details* girl!"
Spike laughed as his little witch turned the most amazing shade of red. "There are no *details*" Willow spluttered.
"Oh." The Slayer laughed. "Well then, I'll leave so you can make some *details* happen. Night Cordy, nice seeing you Angel." Then the Slayer disappeared out the door, leaving Willow still blushing furiously.
"Do we need to leave you two alone to make some *details*?" Cordelia laughed. "Nevermind, dont answer. Angel lets go find a hotel."
"You will not be staying in some bloody hotel when my spare room is ready for the two of you." Spike scolded goodnaturedly, wrapping his arms around the furiously blushing red head.
"Are you sure?" Angel asked. He knew Willow had no intention of doing anything with Spike while they were there.
Willow smiled. "Yeah we're sure." It just wasn't time for the next part of their relationship yet, having Angel and Cordelia there was like having a safety net. She yawned. "I'm gonna crash guys. I'll see you all in the morning." She heard Spike saying his goodnights as she made her way to his room. By the time she had pulled off all but her panties and crawled under the covers he was in the room with her.
"So are you sure you dont want to make some *details* to give Bitchy in the morning?" Spike leered as he stripped down to his boxers. He gave her a small smile, running his tongue lightly over his teeth. He knew his sire's talk about biting had aroused her earlier.
Willow shivered at the mere thought of taking their relationship to the next level. "Soon, Spike," she whispered softly, meeting his eyes. "I promise. But for now..goodnight and sweet dreams." She closed her eyes as his strong arms encircled her, allowing sleep to come claim her and bring dreams of her own. Happy dreams.
Dreams involving lots of *details*.