"Whoa, who's the babe with Spike. I mean she's hot, she's really, really..." Xander said and then noticed his fiancée glaring at him. "Not that cute, check out the mustache, and is that an Adam's apple?" Xander said as he hurriedly gulped at his drink.




"I haven't seen her around before." Buffy said trying to sound unfazed by Spike and his 'date'.




"Oh that's Nic," Anya stated as she munched on some peanuts. All eyes turned to her.




"Nic? An, hon she doesn't look like a Nic, I was joking about the Adam's apple." Xander replied.




"Nic is short for Nicole, you should know her Willow and Buffy she does take classes at SU."




"So she's an educated girl, so why is she with Spike?" Xander questioned.




"Oh please Xander, Spike is a hottie." Anya said point blankly. "Granted he's a blood sucking dead hottie, but a hottie just the same. So, it's not unusual for a girl to want to hook up with him. Besides Nic isn't a typical girl herself."




"She isn't?" Xander asked.




"No, she's a stoloch demon, they're seemingly human except very strong, fast, and immortal. But over all a friendly bunch." Anya smiled as she continued to munch on peanuts.




"You think Spike's a hottie?" Willow teased Anya, smiling. Anya rolled her eyes at the Wicca.




"Oh yeah like you don't, even Buffy does." Buffy looked at her with wide eyes and opened her mouth to protested. Anya arched her brow at her as if to challenge her, and Buffy quickly shut her mouth.




"Yeah if you over look the fact that he's dead, drinks blood, and is old enough to be my great-great grandfather. Over look all that and well yeah he's a hottie, I guess." Buffy stated nervously and then quickly sipped at her drink, turning her eyes back to Spike and his date, who now sat at the bar.




"Ummhmmm, and I suppose seeing Spike with another girl doesn't bother you either." Anya threw out.




"What, Phsss." Buffy said making a face. "No, I could care less." She said looking around as if uninterested, but keeping the couple in eyeshot.




"Yeah right like it doesn't bother you that she's gonna get some Spike goodies. Goodies, I'm sure Spike would have happily given you, but you..."




"Anya!" Xander said with a glare.




"What?!"




"How does she know Spike I wonder." Willow asked as she continued to openly stare at the couple still seated at the bar.




"Well if it's the same Nic he talks about, then they work together." Xander stated.




"And how do you know that?" Buffy asked curiously.




"Oh, uh Spike told me, he's been helping at the site for about a month when he's not working. We're trying to get the house finished, so we're working a lot of late nights, and Spike's helping. So you know we talk during the breaks."




"So they're just co-workers?" Buffy said but more as a question then a statement.




"Yep"




"Boy I'm glad none of your co-workers look like her." Anya said popping another peanut in her mouth. "I think I'd have to get all vengeful again."







"Hey Spike." Willow said cheerfully as she came up beside the vamp, causing Spike to nearly choke on his drink.




"Red, what are you doing here?" Spike inquired as he turned wide-eyed to give her his full attention.




"Getting drinks," Willow answered and then waved for the bartender. "A pitcher of beer please." Willow said with a quirky smile.




"Can I see some I.D.?" The bartender asked with a serious face and tone. Willow's smile faded as her mind searched for the right thing to say. "Just kidding." The bartender said with a chuckle. "Besides you look way older then 21."




"Huh? Hey!" Willow said with a burrowed brow, very offended. The bartender handed her the pitcher and walked on to another patron.




"Aw, Red don't worry bout it, you don't look a day over 16." Spike said, hoping to make his favorite Wicca feel better.




"Really?" Willow asked, beaming once again.




"Yeah sure. So, where are the rest of the super friends?" Spike asked nonchalant, hoping the question didn't scream, 'Where's Buffy, is she here?'.




"Oh, we're all sitting over there. Wanna come join? You can bring your friend. I'm Willow by the way." Willow stated, reaching across Spike to shake hands with the attractive Black woman at Spike's side, who greeted her with a bright beautiful smile.




"I'm Nicole, but everyone calls me Nic." Nic said as she grasped Willow's hand and shook it firmly. "Willow huh, then why does Spike here call you Red?" Willow looked baffled at the question, somewhat stumped for she had no real idea why Spike did either. Spike looked to both of them as if they had two heads, and then huffed and rolled his eyes in frustration.




"Bloody hell, it's the hair. Get it the 'Red' hair." Both of the ladies nodded their head in acknowledgment, with an, 'Oh' look on their faces.




"So you wanna come join us?" Willow asked again.




"Ah, no thanks Red, not really up for a crowd."




"Oh come on Spike, why not? I'll be fun, come on." Nic nudged.




"Too many old wounds that that still need mending, but hey you go along and join in on the Scooby fun and leave me here, alone, please."




"Oh no, you're not getting rid of me that easily. Every night we finish working you're major moody guy. I mean you finish and go home, you don't have fun, hangout. I don't know who this bird is that's got you all strung out, but from what you've told me about her, she's not all that."




"You're right...You don't know her and it would be best if you kept your trap shut about her." Spike said with a glare and near growl, which made Willow back up a bit, she knew the subject of Buffy was a tender one for Spike.




"Is that suppose to scare me, cause I think you of all people should know better. And you're right I don't know this girl, whoever she is, but I do know that when you love someone, it's not suppose to beat you down, and leave you lifeless, no pun intended. I'm willing to bet this girl is out right now, partying not moping around over you." With that Spike hopped from his bar stool and moved to leave, before heading out his eyes locked onto the ones he had been avoiding for weeks now. For a second the anger in his eyes softened, turned from fury to longing. Every fiber in him wanted to go to her, to touch her and tell her that he still loved her. Instead he swallowed the urge and walked out, not looking back.




Willow made her way back to the table with the beer and new friend in hand.




"Hey what's up with Spike he seemed madder then usual." Xander asked.




"Oh he's pining for some girl, and if it's the same girl that he talks about all the time, well she was a major 'BITCH'. I mean I know Spike pretty well now and he's no Prince Charming, but the way he said she treated him," Nic ranted as everyone sat in silence, avoiding Buffy face which was downcast to the table. "Well she sounds like a BITCH and she doesn't deserve his love, poor fool. Oh I'm Nic by the way."




"Hi, I'm Anya. You probably don't remember but we run the the same circle of demons and we've met a couple of times before" Anya said smiling. "And this is my fiancée Xander, you've already met Willow, oh and that's 'The Bitch'," Anya said mimicking her finger to gesture quotation marks, and everyone shot her stares. "What she said it, I'm just repeating, anyways her name is Buffy, but I can see how it's confusing. Buffy, Bitch..."




"An, honey." Xander warned.




"Letting it go." Anya said and then picked up another peanut to pop in her mouth.




"Thank you." Xander said kissing her cheek.




"Oh, nice meeting you, all." Was all the Nic said as they all sat around quietly.









"So she seemed nice huh?" Willow asked as she and Buffy entered the Summer's home. Buffy just gave her a questioning look. "Nicole I mean."




"I guess." Buffy replied as she plopped down on the couch. "That brief second when she wasn't insulting me, yeah sure, she seemed nice." Buffy said with a pout.




"Nooo, she wasn't insulting you," Willow stated and Buffy gave her a 'You're kidding right' look. "Technically Spike was insulting you, Nicole was just repeating."




"And that makes me feel, so much...not better." Buffy said.




"And since when did you start caring about what Spike thinks anyways?"




"I don't! I could care less. See me so not caring."




"Me thinks thou doth protest too much."




"Huh?"




"I guess it's gotta sting an little, huh? I mean having a guy who adores you, worships you, and kind of stalks you," Willow said burrowing her brow at the thought. "And then 'POOF' he goes and finds himself a new hot mama, and boy is she HOT!" Buffy rolled her eyes at her friend. "But in all fairness you did kind of push him to it." Buffy shot her friend a dangerous glare. "I mean with the beatings and put downs, and I hate you Spike, a snowball has a better chance in hell then you do with getting me..." Buffy lowered her head at Willow's words, for she knew they were all true. "Buffy?" Willow called seeing the hurt in her friend's eyes. "Hey what's wrong, talk to me." Buffy slowly lifted her face to met Willow's gaze. "This is me, your best friend, your nonjudgy best friend."








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