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DISCLAIMER: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and friends. I don't own them, even in these incarnations.

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Riley had always thought he was a good person, but nowadays he knew he was being selfish. He wished Joyce had never been sick and mostly because Buffy hadn't come over since then. She had pushed him away. He understood that she felt guilty for not spending enough time with her mom. He just wished she would get over it and spend some real time with him.

Grabbing his keys, he walked across his living room to go to one of her practices. This was really the only time he ever saw her. Afterwards, they sometimes grabbed a bite to eat, but she was always too tired to do anything else.

The phone rang, and he was tempted to just let the machine get it. Sighing, he answered it in case it was important.

"We need to talk."

"Adam. Why are you calling me?" Riley wanted to push everyone involved with Maggie Walsh as far away as possible after what he found out about them.

"It's about Spike. I think you need to watch out for him."

Riley sighed. "Is this about him helping the Scoobies? Are you afraid they're going to win that contest?"

"No. Look, I always thought of you as a friend, and if this was happening to me, I'd want someone to tell me. Spike wants Buffy for himself, and I believe Buffy has the same feelings."

"What? Why would you think that?"

"I have my reasons. Just watch the two of them. You'll see." Adam hung up the phone.

Riley stood with the phone in his hand for a few minutes, before finally returning it to the cradle. He never liked Spike, but Buffy didn't seem to like him, either. Adam was up to something - he was the one who couldn't be trusted.

When Riley arrived at the Magic Shop, he saw the two of them in a quiet argument. If he was being reasonable, he'd realize that they were standing that close because they didn't want to speak loudly and disturb the customers. All he could think about, though, was what Adam had said

"We can't perform there. I need to see the place first so I can see what type of crowd they have." Buffy reached out and squeezed Riley's hand when he stood next to her.

Spike narrowed his eyes. "You guys need a gig, and I got you one. I've been to this bar many times before, and the crowd is great."

"It's out in the middle of the desert by the highway! The crowd probably changes every night."

"Why don't you trust.." Spike looked away.

Buffy closed her eyes. Riley felt like there was something more to this conversation than what he was hearing.

"If you turn this gig down, Xander may not be able to pay this month's rent." Spike tilted his head towards Xander and Willow, who were talking in the practice room. "I think Tara's having some money problems, too."

Buffy glanced over at them and pressed her hands on her forehead. "They told you that?"

"I overheard them talking."

Riley began to rub small circles in Buffy's back. "Maybe you should play at this bar. You could think of it as a way get your music to new people."

"You're right. Okay, we'll do it."

Spike stiffened, nodded, and walked into the practice room. As Riley watched him leave his sight, he realized that Adam was right about Spike. His demeanor changed when Riley touched Buffy. He didn't think it was just from a general dislike of himself.

As soon as the shop closed, the Scoobies began their practice. Spike was making a lot of changes, saying that he wanted them to try them the next night. At one point in the last song, Spike wanted Buffy to lunge forward on one leg.

"You want me to do that in a skirt?"

"Wear pants, then."

Buffy placed her hands on her hips. "I'm not changing my outfit, and I'm not getting on my knees."

Spike chuckled, causing Buffy's face to redden. Riley almost said something, then. In all the practices he had watched, Spike had never embarrassed her. Buffy nodded to the band and started to play the part with the suggested move. Buffy twirled on her foot, instead.

"I'm going to do that." Buffy raised an eyebrow, challenging Spike to say anything. After a beat, Spike merely shrugged.

"Why don't we take a break?" Willow wiped her brow with her sleeve.

"Good idea." Buffy removed her guitar and walked over to Riley.

He handed her a water bottle. "I think you're doing very well."

Buffy shook her head. "He's driving me crazy." She glanced over at Spike, who was talking to Xander on the other side of the room. "What was that lunge crap? He knows I always wear a mini skirt. And then, he's all "whatever" when I make a suggestion."

"I liked your move." Riley placed his hand on her arm.

Buffy didn't seem to notice him. She started to pace, knocking his hand free. "And why are we changing so much stuff the day before a performance? We're never going to remember it all, and we'll end up forgetting half of it."

"Hey, doesn't he work for you? Just tell him that it's too many changes." Riley closed his eyes to keep calm.

She stopped pacing. "Yeah, he works for me. I'm in charge, here." With a determined lift of her chin, she stalked over to Spike. He should be proud of her, he thought. She's taking control of her life, but the whole exchange left him cold.

She hadn't looked him in the eye the whole night.

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Spike knew he'd made a mistake the minute he walked in the door. The bar only had a few people this early in the evening, but they were drunkenly arguing with each other. There were chips in the walls, and the furniture was scuffed. Buffy stopped next to him and stiffened.

"Why is there a fence around the stage?"

"Sometimes the crowd gets a little rough. It's for your protection." The owner, a hulking, older man with a ponytail, passed Buffy.

Buffy gave Spike a murderous look before following the owner to set up their equipment. Spike's heartbeat increased, and desire flooded him. She was beautiful when she was angry, he thought smiling. His smile disappeared, however, when Riley passed by him to help Buffy. Remembering the kiss from the other night, he knew she returned some of his feelings. But, she made her choice - even if it did anger him.

She continued to glare at Spike while they got things ready. Whenever she passed him, she knocked his arm with her shoulder until, finally, he grabbed her hand.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Don't touch me!" She snatched her hand back.

"Hey!" Riley stood between them and stared down at Spike.

Spike smirked. "Tell your girlfriend to stop rubbing against me."

Riley turned red and paused. After glancing at Buffy, he crossed over to Xander and helped him with the drum set. Buffy narrowed her eyes at Spike.

"Thanks a lot." She turned her back to him and finished setting the speakers.

Willow, with Tara following, walked over to stand by Spike. "Um..this place is...different from what we're used to."

Spike turned to them with a small smile. "Don't worry about anything. I've been here hundreds of times, and your type of music is exactly what this crowd loves."

He didn't tell them his doubts. The place seemed a little rougher than he remembered. They were a good band, he told himself, they should do fine. But as more people came into the bar, he realized that the people they saw when they first arrived were not like the rest of the crowd. The rest of the crowd was much worse.

He walked over to Buffy. "Don't play anything slow - keep it upbeat."

She nodded, eyeing the crowd. As she consulted with the rest of the Scoobies, he was thankful that she listened to him. The owner told them to start playing before the crowd became restless. Xander, Willow, and Tara ran to the stage and began to the sounds of whistles and cat calls.

Buffy ran onstage and started out strongly. The crowd, mostly men, excited at the pretty women, called out to them. Buffy smiled back as she sang. The first song they did was short. Afterwards, Buffy began to introduce the band.

"We're the Scoobies. I'm Buffy, and.."

"Show us your tits!" Someone in the crowd shouted to the approval of the crowd.

Buffy's smile slightly faltered, but she continued. "this is Willow, Tara, and Xander."

"Shut up and play something!" Another voice bellowed out.

Buffy nodded to the rest of the band and began to play the next song. Her voice wasn't as strong as she sang this time. She's nervous, Spike realized. The crowd, like a pack of wolves to a lame deer, jumped on her.

They booed and jeered. "You suck!"

Buffy's voice became weaker until she stopped and took a deep breath. With her eyes closed, she started to sing strongly again. The audience continued to boo, but she ignored them. The rest of the band followed her lead and continued to play. Spike was proud of them, most people would have left the stage. Maybe this would turn out okay, after all, he thought.

A beer bottle shattered against the fence in front of Buffy. She jumped and stopped playing. Someone threw another bottle, and Buffy cried out and grabbed her arm. Willow ran over to Buffy. The crowd became enraged that they weren't playing anymore and started fighting among themselves.

The owner ran over to them. "You need to leave, the crowd's getting out of control. You can get your stuff later."

Buffy ran to the door behind the stage and threw it open, the others following her. Spike and Riley fought through the crowd to get outside. Willow and Tara were in tears, but Buffy looked emotionless.

"Are you okay?" Riley looked at her arm where she was bleeding. It didn't seem as bad as when she was on stage.

She noticed Spike, and her eyes turned red. "Was this part of your plan?"

Xander furrowed his brow. "What plan?"

"Spike's plan to break up the Scoobies. Adam said he'd get him his column back if he succeeded."

Spike stepped towards Buffy. "I'm not trying to break you guys up. I turned him down."

"Why don't I believe you? You told Adam that you agreed to do it."

Tara tilted her head. "Is that true?"

"At first, but I changed my mind."

Xander, Willow, and Tara looked betrayed. Xander shook his head.

"I'm not sure what to believe, but I don't want to be around you right now."

"I think you've done enough damage, Spike." Buffy glanced at the door to the bar. The sounds of the fight inside were louder than before.

"I didn't mean for this to happen."

Buffy turned on him, suddenly. "I told you that I needed to observe the crowd before performing. This was the worse experience in my entire life! I've never felt so humiliated and degraded."

Tears began to well up in her eyes. Riley gently patted her on the arm, but she remained as still as a statue.

"You're fired."

TBC -





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