“Spike, I told you, I don’t know. Now just take it at face value. Maybe she’s just a good judge of sizing.”

The blonde vamp fidgeted with his tie, one hand staying on the steering wheel. “That’s not what I’m worried about, pet. I just don’t want to see a bill for this thing when we check out. I doubt the Council of Wankers is going to agree to buying me a new suit.”

“Look, maybe it’s a wedding present. Maybe Hetty decided to shell out a few hundred dollars to buy some stranger a suit.” The Slayer’s face twisted at this. “Ok, so it doesn’t make any sense. Let’s just forget about it for now, and enjoy the evening.”

~

~

They pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot and found a spot not too far from the entrance. To Spike, this was good news on two different fronts. First, it wasn’t too busy--which was always good. Couldn’t hear a damn thing when there were two hundred other chattering nits surrounding you. Also, it meant the absence of a valet. Which meant, to the vampire, that he could rid himself of the tie. Twenty years with that psycho Angelus--you’d think I’d be used to torture enough to endure a tie... Without the Slayer’s knowledge, he removed the offending piece of fabric and undid the shirt’s top button.

Buffy felt cool fingers slide through hers. Smiling, she looked up at Spike, who’d caught up to her. It took a second, but she clued into what he’d been doing at the car. “Your tie! You took it off. It took us like, half an hour to get it done up just right!”

“Yeah, and it took me all of ten seconds to rip it off. Don’t worry, pet--it’s still intact. I just figured that I didn’t need it, since this place isn’t all that swanky.”

The young woman pouted. “But you look good in a tie.”

Growling, the vampire shook his head. “Don’t try that with me, Buffy. That bloody contraption was choking me. It was like a noose. Don’t know how I ever put up with them before I was turned...”

Buffy stopped in her tracks, forcing her companion to do the same. “Ok, first thing--you don’t breathe, so you can’t choke. Second--why is it you don’t call me by my name more often?”

Spike stood there, mouth opening but no sound coming out. Where the hell did this come from?! Finding his voice, he replied “I... I do call you by your name, pet.”

She didn’t know why this meant so much to her--she felt like she was being petty, but this was something that was bothering her. “See--you just called me pet! You call me ducks, pet, love, Slayer. But Buffy? Hardly ever...” She fought back the tears that threatened to spill. Stupid--you’ll ruin this nice evening just because you’re being over-emotional!

Spike turned Buffy so that she faced him. Wiping her tears away with his thumbs, he held her face in his hands. “Buffy, I use those terms of endearment out of habit. It doesn’t mean I like you any less. It’s just that I’ve known you what, four years? Something like that. We’ve gone from trying to kill each other to barely tolerating each other to this.” He leaned in and brushed a soft kiss over her cheek. “Give a bloke time to adjust, eh? Buffy Summers is the woman I’m with--not the Slayer, not someone called ‘pet’ or ‘love’ or ‘ducks’, even. I know that, but you need to let me change old habits.”

How was he able to do that, she wondered? How was Spike able to know exactly what to say to make her feel better? The Slayer had an inkling that it was William, but old Will hadn’t been much of a ladies’ man. Maybe it was 100% Spike after all. “Alright. I’ll give you all the time you need.” She ran her hands down her pale yellow sundress, straightening it. “Now, let’s see if this place is all that Hetty chalked it up to be.”

***

“So, have you decided yet?” Spike had watched his companion read through the entire menu at least half a dozen times, yet she still seemed undecided.

Buffy tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth and answered without looking up. “I don’t know, Spike. Most of this stuff is pretty expensive...” Pouring through the appetizers, she wondered who would dare pay ten dollars for a bowl of soup. Moonlight Serenade might not have been a black tie kind of establishment, but its prices sure seemed to be.

The bleached blonde groaned. “Look, Buffy. If we couldn’t afford it, we wouldn’t be here, would we? We’d have gone to that bleedin’ McDonald’s we saw a few days ago. Now pick whatever it is you want or I’ll just order you whatever meal’s most expensive, no matter what it is.” He wondered at the young woman sitting across from him. Most women would take advantage of being brought to an expensive restaurant. Not the Slayer, however. She worried about their pocket book instead.

Come to think of it, that wasn’t such a bad trait after all.

Buffy ‘hmph’ed. “Fine then, if you say so. I think I’ll get the cream of potato and leek soup (guess I now know who’s stupid enough to pay $10 for soup...), the coq au vin with garlic mashed potatoes and a side of grilled veggies. What are you getting, mister ‘don’t fret about money’?”

Ignoring her jibe, the vampire sat up straight and picked up his long-discarded menu. “Well, since you’re askin’ so politely... I’m starting off with a clam chowder--haven’t had a decent chowder in decades. Then I’m going to have the steak neptune. I’m afraid I’m going to have to forego the garlic potatoes, though--I’ll just get the veggies instead.”

Buffy snickered. “Wow--you’re going all fishy tonight, aren’t you?”

Spike leaned in and whispered, so that only Buffy could hear him. “Always been a fan of seafood. Nothing like the salty tang of something fishy to whet my appetite...”

The young woman’s eyes widened when she noticed that the vampire was no longer talking about food. Blushing, she stammered, trying to find something to say. She was glad to see their server approach--she might have been too tongue-tied to come up with a quippy comeback. That or she might have been tempted to drag Spike over to the nearest closet and get him to show her just what he meant.

After the waiter left with their order, Buffy glanced over to the musician’s area, noting that there was no one there. “Isn’t there supposed to be a band playing, or something? Doesn’t look like anyone’s there.”

“That’s cause it’s just ten to eight. They probably don’t start playing until nine.” He took her hand in his, drawing circles on it with his thumb. “I’ve got to admit that I was more than a bit surprised that you decided on a jazz joint.”

A part of her still reeled from the oddity that was now her life. Every normal thing she and Spike did, from sharing a meal to making small talk, made her head spin. “Well, my appreciation for jazz is more of a by-product than an original Buffy trait. Mom’s got this big jazz album collection that’s been collecting dust ever since we moved to Sunnydale. She used to listen to them all the time, but now she just listens to the Billie Holliday ones. I know all the songs off those records by heart...”

The vampire chuckled. “Always knew Joyce was a woman of good taste. The phonographs weren’t out yet before I was turned--if they had been, I can imagine that I would have been sitting at my own mum’s feet, listening to some horrible music like the ponce I was.” His hand left Buffy’s and went to cup his chin. He got a far away look in his eyes, looking somewhere beyond the room, not really focussed on anything in particular. “Christ, that was a long time ago. No cars, no radio, no telly, no internet...” He laughed quietly, more to himself than anything. “Never would have imagined that I’d still be around a hundred and twenty years later.”

Buffy reached back over the table, taking his hand in hers. She didn’t know if he was being bitter or if he was just reminiscing. Either way, she felt compelled to comfort him.

Spike looked at the hand holding his own. So small, yet so strong. Just like the woman to whom it belonged. He could tell she didn’t know what to say, so he smiled at her in what he hoped was a reassuring way. “Don’t fret, love. ‘M not brooding--just remembering, is all.”

***

Their dinner came, and they made small talk as they ate their meals, never touching on any topic too sensitive or too important. They both knew that this was the last night for them to take it easy. They’d spent too much time concentrating on each other and their burgeoning relationship instead of on their mission. They didn’t have much time left to find the baby and they had no clue as to where to begin looking. So for tonight, they’d decided to pretend that they were two normal people out for dinner and a movie.

They shared a grossly decadent dessert, listening to the band as it began to play. Buffy was overjoyed to hear that it was a Billie Holliday tribute. In between bites of ‘chocolate eruption’, she sang along with the singer, albeit slightly off key. So mesmerized was she with the music, she never noticed that Spike had risen from his seat until he stood beside her, holding his hand out to her.

“Fancy a dance, pet?”

Buffy almost chastised him on his unconscious use of the moniker, but she bit her tongue. Now was certainly not the time to begin a spat. She took the proffered hand. “I’d love to.”

Many eyes were on the handsome blonde couple, who were obviously in a world of their own as their feet travelled the dance floor. Bodies cupped one in the other, they seemed to be swaying to their own music.

When the next song began, Buffy pulled her head away from Spike’s chest. Grinning ear to ear, she exclaimed “Oh! This is my favourite song!” She began to sing along, never breaking eye contact with the man in whose arms she danced.

You go to my head and you linger like a haunting refrain And I find you spinning 'round in my brain Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne You go to my head like a sip of sparkling Burgundy brew And I find the very mention of you Like the kicker in a julep or two... Spike stopped listening to the words after the first refrain. Buffy was staring straight at him as she sang, her purpose obvious: this song was a song about how he affected her, how he was inside her head, in her heart. Just as she was in his.

They’d been infatuated with each other ever since their first meeting, in the alley behind the Bronze. It may not have been love at first sight--far from it--but they’d constantly been in each other’s thoughts. All the times they’d tried to kill each other, all the times they’d taunted and teased one another. It had always been about them, good or bad.

Spike leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Buffy’s lips. “We’d better be on our way, love, or we’ll miss the movie.” He took her hand in his and led her off the dance floor. When they’d sat back down at their table, the vampire caught their server’s attention, indicating that they were ready for their bill.

Still dreamy-eyed over the last dance, Buffy toyed with her napkin. “So, what movie did you decide on?”

The bleach blonde’s eyes lit up as he took a deep breath. “Well, the local movie house is showing a number of foreign indie horror vignettes...” He ducked to avoid the napkin that had been aimed at him, before it hit him in the face. Still chuckling, he quelled her fears. “Seriously, though, I asked the server what was playing, when you were in the loo. He said LA Confidential is playing about two blocks from here. We could leave the car in the restaurant’s lot and just walk over. That fine with you?”

Buffy bit her lip, trying to remember something. “LA Confidential. That came out a couple of years ago, didn’t it? Was it the movie with the cops?”

“’The movie with the cops’--that narrows it down. But yeah, it’s a cop movie. More’n that, if I recall. It’s supposed to be really good. I think it won some Oscars, or something. Not that that’s any indication as to whether or not I’ll usually like a movie. Anyway, Clem saw it in the theatre and he wouldn’t shut up about it for two weeks. Can’t be all that bad.”

“Ok, then. LA Confidential it is. Let’s just hope that we can get there before the trailers start. I hate having to find a seat in the dark.” Buffy smiled politely at the server as he brought the bill to the table. Her eyes grew wide as she watched Spike take some money out of his wallet. She knew he’d won a lot of money against the Pelorak, and she’d seen Spike give a large wad of it to Hilary. What she’d never expected, though, was the amount of money that was left over.

Unable to bite back a comment, she nodded towards his wallet. “So, you gonna buy a small island with that?”

Spike had the decency to look a little abashed as he stuffed his wallet back in his pants pocket. “Not my fault the wanker was a poor card player. And you never know when you’ll need a heavy spot of dosh.”

When they walked out of the restaurant, hand in hand, Buffy noticed that heavy grey clouds now covered most of the night’s sky. “Uh, Spike? Do you think we should maybe bring the car closer to the theatre? It looks like the skies are going to open up any minute.”

Spike’s gaze followed hers, settling on the darkening firmament. “Piffle. Won’t start to rain until we’re back in the comfort of our bed.” He draped his arm around the Slayer’s shoulders. “Come on, luv. We get there early enough, I’ll buy you a popcorn.”

***

By now, they were the only ones left in the theatre. Buffy slouched in her seat, watching the credits go by. “You know, I just can’t say it enough. That movie was abso-freaking-lutely amazing. I would’ve never guessed in a million years that that guy was crooked. And Bud White? Man, was he ever a badass--especially when he’s throwing that geeky cop around. Oh, and I just love the soundtrack! Now I know what I want for my birthday...”

Spike didn’t say a word. He just watched Buffy, her face glowing, her hands gesticulating wildly as she rambled on about the movie. Something inside of him burned, a something that had been present but had never quite made it to the forefront of his consciousness. He turned it around in his brain, gauging his reaction to its presence.

When the young woman turned to look at him--no doubt because of his unusual silence--her eyes still large with excitement and a smile lighting up her face, he realized he liked that little something. Damn it, he straight out embraced it.

“Spike?” Buffy turned to her companion and found him staring at her. He had an odd look on his face, as if he were in on a secret that only he was privy to. Cocking an eyebrow--she’d never liked to be left out on jokes--she tried again. “Spike? Hello?”

He cupped his hand over her cheek and pulled her in for a chaste kiss. “I love you.” His clear blue gaze never faltered, locked on hers as he watched her digest his declaration.

She hadn’t heard him right. That had to be it. One ear still on the music playing through those old speakers, one ear only on what the vamp had said. Buffy was convinced that her hearing was playing tricks on her. He couldn’t have said... Because she swore he’d admitted that...

“Buffy Summers, I love you so bloody much... Your ears aren’t playing tricks on you; I want you to believe me. I’ll say it again and again, until you’re tired of hearing it.”

Buffy’s heart swelled. He loved her. Spike loved her, Buffy Summers. It was so... weird. But so right. Nothing had ever felt so proper than hearing those words come out of his mouth. She didn’t want to say it back immediately, almost as if she’d be saying it in return with misplaced intentions. Oh, she loved him--she knew it now, more than ever. So she did the next best thing. She grabbed him--the one who loved her--and kissed him passionately, making sure that he knew full well that his declaration wasn’t unappreciated.

Breathless, the vampire pulled back and looked the Slayer in the eye. Her hazel orbs were darkened with lust, and he certainly wasn’t going to let that go to waste. “Come on--let’s go home. Maybe we can see if we both fit in that big bathtub...” Growling, he picked her up out of her seat and pressed his lips to hers one last time before they left the theatre.

Hand in hand, they hurried outdoors only to be met with a torrential rainstorm.

Buffy turned to Spike. “Won’t rain until we get back to the hotel, in the comfort of our bed, huh?”

“Ah, bugger.” Pulling his blazer over his head, he motioned towards where their car was parked. “My bad, as you’d so properly say. I’ll go fetch the car and bring it up front. You just stay here.” He took a step out from the shelter of the overhang and was immediately drenched. Before he had the time to take a second step forward, the Slayer dashed out ahead of him, yelling back “not if I get there first!”

Shrugging, Spike ran out after her. Even with a head start, a Slayer couldn’t beat a vampire on foot.

Ok, well maybe this one can, he mused as he caught up to her at the car.

She was soaked to the bone, her lungs were burning from the run and she knew her makeup must be running, but Buffy couldn’t quench the giddiness the childish play had made her feel. It had been so long since she’d just let it out and had fun. She laughed out loud at the sight of Spike’s drenched form as it approached her with a stalking gait. “You’re getting slow in your old age, Spike” she huffed in between breaths, hands resting on her knees.

The vampire’s eyes were flecked with amber. His voice was low, his words deliberate as he responded to her teasing. “I’m not so old that I can’t pin you against this car and make you scream my name, little girl.”

The young woman’s eyes narrowed and her features hardened. An odd feeling came about her, one that felt somehow familiar and foreign all at once. “Is that a promise, or simply a taunt, vampire?” As the words came out of her mouth, the playfulness she’d felt earlier dissipated; she knew that the Buffy part of her was no longer in charge--Spike was about to have his first carnal encounter with the Slayer. And she had no idea what the outcome of that would be...

Author's Note: Ooh... What's going to happen next, kiddies? Once again, I can post a day early for every 5 reviews, or I can just post on Thursday, since there are only 5 chapters left in my 'already-written' folder--the sooner we use these up, the sooner we get to less frequent updates. It's up to you :) And again--thanks to those who review. Makes me all smiley...