The intercom in Spike’s apartment buzzed.  “Hey, guys, I’m here.”

Spike pressed the door release button and replied, “Hi, Xan.  Come in.”  He turned to Riley.  “I asked him to give you a hand to the cab. I hope you don’t mind…I’m mean, he’s…and…”

“Relax, Spike.  I know I need help and Xander’s cool.”

“Uh…great.” 

Spike’s discomfort was interrupted by Xander’s arrival at the door.

“You guys ready?”

“Yeah,” Spike said, stepping back to allow Xander inside.  “You parked in the usual spot?”

“I am.  So Riley… I’m just here, okay?”  He touched the man’s arm and waited for him to reach out to take his elbow.  “It’s all on the level apart from the two steps down outside the building.”

“Thanks.”

They walked into the corridor, paused while Spike locked up, then the three of them made their way to the cab.  Xander helped Riley into the cab, before guiding Spike to the other side so he could sit alongside Riley.

“Next stop, The Bronze,” Xander said, starting the vehicle and pulling smoothly into the traffic.

Glances in his rear view mirror showed Riley sat rigid with tension just like Spike used to.  He hoped Spike was right to push his friend into going to the club.  He took them to the back door and walked Riley into the building where Oz was waiting to greet them.

“Spike, hey, man.  It’s been too long.”

“Yeah, well I’m hoping you lot have improved a bit since I heard you last.”  Spike grinned.  With attending Sandar Lodge and settling in the apartment, he hadn’t met up with his friend for a while.

Oz snorted.  “Don’t get your hopes up.  So are you going to introduce me or not?”

“Sorry.  Oz, this is Riley. Riley, this is my mate Nurse Osbourne.”

Laughing at Oz’s outraged expression, Xander said, “And that’s my cue to leave.  See you guys later.”

“Cheers, Xan,” said Spike, chuckling.

“Oh, you’re just so funny,” Oz said, shaking his head.

“I know!”

“Okay, Riley, I’m gonna ignore the idiot beside you for the next…um…forever.  So, how are you doing?  We’ve got a table reserved.  If you want to take my arm, I’ll take you there.”

Riley laughed and reached out with his left hand.

“Uh…you’re going to have to lower your hand a little, unless you need to hold me round my neck.  Man, are you tall!”

“You’re a bleeding short-arse, more like,” Spike muttered.

Oz shrugged.  “You hear anything, Riley?”

“Not a thing.”  He grinned, the banter putting him at ease.

“Right, let’s get to that table.  There’s a beer with my name on it…”

Feeling a little disloyal towards Spike, Riley said, “Uh…what about—”

“Don’t worry about Spike, he knows the way.”

“I’ll just trip up and break my sodding neck then,” Spike said.

Sensing Riley’s hesitation, Oz added, “The table’s just outside the stage door and the way to it is always kept clear when we know Spike’s coming.  So don’t worry, we won’t end up spending the night in the Emergency Room of the hospital.”

“Seriously, mate,” added Spike.  “The manager here is great about stuff like that.”

“Okay, so take me to that beer, Oz,” Riley said.

Buffy and Willow watched the three men approach. 

“Riley makes Oz look like a hobbit,” said Willow, chuckling. 

The dim lighting lessened the effect Riley’s scars had, but still, she was glad that Buffy had warned her about them.  She reached out, squeezed Buffy’s hand, and whispered, “Oh, the poor brave man.”

“I know.” 

“We’re at the table, Riley.  I’ll just pull out a chair.  Buffy’s here, who you’ve met before and also my girlfriend, Willow,” said Oz, helping Riley to sit down. 

“Hi, Riley.  I’m so glad you came to visit Spike,” said Buffy.  She got up and gave him a quick hug, then kissed his cheek.

“Uh… I had to come.  I knew he’d never leave me alone until I had.”

“I’m Willow.  Pleased to meet you.”

“Good to meet you, too.  I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Hey, Spike, what’re you doing talking about my girlfriend?” said Oz, faking annoyance.  “It better be all good.”

“Oh it was,” said Riley, leaning back in his chair and relaxing.  Suddenly the evening didn’t seem so daunting.  These were good people.

“So who’s going to get the drinks in?” Spike said, sitting on a stool.  “I’m dying of thirst.”

“I’ll go,” said Oz who had yet to sit down.  “Beer all round?”

“Mineral water for me, please,” said Buffy. 

“Very wise.”  Spike nodded sagely.  “She really can’t hold her liquor.”

Riley laughed.  “Oh, yeah.  You told me about that.  It’s how you too met, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.  She was so pissed she didn’t even know I was bloody blind.”

“Hey!  That story is so not for everyone to know!”

Oz headed for the bar, leaving the others laughing at Buffy’s embarrassment.

*~*~*~*

After much persuasion, Spike had agreed to play guitar on the first couple of songs of the Dingoes’ set and so had gone backstage with Oz.  Willow and Buffy had done what girls always do – gone to the restroom together, leaving Riley alone for the moment.

He sighed and stretched out his long legs.  For all his worries, the evening was proving enjoyable.

“Ow!” A splash of liquid hit Riley’s arm, followed by a thud. “Jesus!” a female voice shrieked.  A scrabbling noise was followed by her yelling.  “Look what you’ve done!”

“Uh…” Riley rubbed at his wet shirtsleeve.  “Made you spill your drink, I guess.”  He held his hand out.  “Sorry.”

“And trip me up, you dork!”  She slapped his hand away.

He straightened up in his seat.  “Hey, I said I’m sorry.  I didn’t realise that my feet were sticking out so far… and yeah, before you say it – I am blind.”

“You’re?  Oh, crap!”  A chair’s legs scraped on the floor as she pulled it out.  “Now, I guess, I’m sorry.”

“Wow, say it with a bit more feeling, why don’t you?”

The girl leaned forward, resting a hand on his arm.  “Hey, I really am sorry for yelling.  It’s just been a hell of a day.”

“And it just keeps on getting worse?”

“Damn straight.  I’m Faith, by the way.”

“Finn.  Riley Finn.”

“Well, Finn, Riley Finn,” said Faith.  “How about buying a girl a drink to replace the one you made me spill, and I’ll forget about my throbbing knees.”

Riley grinned. 

Faith slapped his shoulder. “You better not be thinking what I think you’re thinking about my knees, soldier.”

“Soldier?”

“Aw, c’mon!  If someone introduces themselves like that, and isn’t actually saying his name is James Bond, then he’s got to have been a soldier,” Faith said, laughing.

“I was…until, well…you know.”

Faith sobered.  “Yeah.  How’d it happen?”

Riley shifted in his seat, and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.  He held out a twenty.  “How about you go get a couple of drinks and I’ll tell you?  I’d go but it’d probably take me all night to get to the bar.”  He grinned, deciding that the beer he’d had was helping him bypass his usual reserve.

“How do you know I won’t just walk off with your cash?”  The chair scraped as Faith stood up.

“I trust you.”

“Hmmph.  More fool you.”  The note was snatched out of Riley’s hand, and he heard her walk away.

Buffy and Willow leaned against the wall, watching the exchange.

“So do we have to stay here all night? I want to watch the band and they’ll be on soon,” said Willow, crossing her arms.

“I dunno…  Maybe see if she sits down with him?”

“Okay.”

The pair settled back into silence, watching anxiously for her return.  Buffy nudged Willow and grinned when the dark haired woman strode back to the table.

“Here.”  Faith held out a beer, and sat down.

Riley reached out, knowing from the matter-of-fact way she’d spoken to him that Faith would put it in his hand.

“Cheers.”  He tipped the bottle towards her in acknowledgement.  “I knew you’d be back.”

Faith took a deep pull of her own beer.  “That so?  Well you better make good on your promise and tell me what happened to you.”

“Not much to say.  Enemy ambush out in Afghanistan.  Some died.  I got lucky.  It’s taken me some time to realise that though.”

“I get that.  So what brings you to Sunnydale?  I’m not treading on any toes here, am I? ‘Cause I’m getting the evil eye from a blonde and a redhead over by the wall.”

“So you don’t know them?”

“Nope.”

“I thought they must have asked you to come over.”

Frowning, Faith said, “Why the hell would you think that?  I was actually walking by until you got my attention with your enormous damn feet.”

Riley laughed.  “The two girls will be Buffy and Willow.  I was thinking they were taking a heck of a long time in the restroom.  I’m here visiting a friend, Spike.  Buffy’s his girlfriend and Willow is—”

“The bassist’s girl,” said Faith.  “I’ve seen them around now I think of it.”

“So where are they?”

“Over to your left.”

Riley turned that way and beckoned them over, hoping he was at least in the ballpark of the right area.

“Um…we didn’t want to interrupt,” said Buffy as she and Willow took their seats.

“I don’t scare off that easily.  My name’s Faith.  I was just getting to know soldier boy here after he tripped me up.”

The Dingoes chose that moment to walk on stage.  As ever, Buffy’s heart swelled with pride when she saw Spike walk slowly on stage behind the others.

Faith leaned over the table to say to the girls, “Your guys are in a cool band.  I’ve seen them a few times now.”

Willow and Buffy grinned and thanked her.  When the band began to play, Buffy whispered in Riley’s ear.  “She’s pretty, by the way.  Long brown wavy hair.  Brown eyes.  Slim.  About the same age as me.”

“Jeez, Buffy…”  Riley could feel his neck begin to heat up. 

“It’s okay.  She didn’t hear me.”

Riley took another deep pull on his beer, and shook his head.  The girl was being polite by staying, but he liked her cocky attitude and would enjoy it while it lasted.

*~*~*~*

Buffy leapt to her feet, apparently to help Spike back to the table when he came off stage to listen to the rest the set, but really to clue him in about the feisty brunette who showed no sign of leaving Riley’s side.

When she got to the table, she pulled a chair out for Spike.  “Spike, this is Faith. Faith, Spike.”

“Hey man, you play that guitar well.”  She reached over and slapped his shoulder, hard enough to make him grunt, and the others laugh.

“Uh…thanks.”  He rubbed his shoulder.  “Remind me not to piss you off.” 

“Wise move,” deadpanned Faith.

“The Dingoes are great, Spike, I’m glad you persuaded me to come,” said Riley.

“Told you they were.”  Spike wished he could see Riley’s expression, but he could guess it with the inflection in Riley’s voice.  His friend was enjoying the company.  Spike sat back in his chair, a smirk on his lips. 

“What’s so amusing?” said Buffy, taking his hand. 

He leaned in to kiss her.  “Just pleased that Ri’s having a good time.”

“Me too.  I think you might cramp his style later, though,” she whispered.

“Why?”

“The way she’s looking at him, I think she’s about ready to eat him alive.”

Spike snorted with laughter.  “Shame the apartment’s only got the one room.  A one-nighter might have done him good, but no way am I letting him get shagged on my bed.”

Buffy bumped shoulders with him.  “And I thought you were his friend.”

Still chuckling, Spike draped his arm around Buffy’s shoulders.  “That bed will see no action ‘cept ours!”

“So that means you’re not getting any tonight either.”

She placed a hand lightly in Spike’s lap before running it up over the zipper in his jeans.

“Dammit, woman, you’re killing me.”

“I know.”

They kissed long and hard enough to make Willow kick Spike’s ankle.

“Behave yourselves!” she said.  “Riley, tell him to stop kissing Buffy all the time.  It’s making me nauseous!”

They laughed loud enough to earn several glares from the next table over.