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Changing Hearts Series - Guest -- by Ruby
Rating: PG-13
Description: Company calls, sequel to Times Past.
Note: Spoilers -- Wild at Heart, The Initiative.
Disclaimer: Joss owns all.
"There's blood in my refrigerator," Willow remarked as she reached in to get a bottle of juice and pulled out a packet of blood instead.
"I know. I brought it with me," Spike answered.
"You had this all planned out, didn't you?"
"Of course I did," he grinned. "And don't even pretend to be mad about it. I know you're not."
"Okay, I'm not," she nodded and turned to reach for his hand. "Did I tell you how much I love my present?"
"Yes, several times," he pulled her close against him.
"But you can tell me again."
She smiled and reached up to kiss him. The embrace was cut short by the ringing of the telephone. She sighed and pushed him away.
"Heat that up while I answer the phone," she suggested and handed him the blood before heading for the living room. She was gone only a few minutes, and Spike set down the warmed blood as she reappeared, her face white with panic.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Oh, Goddess, she's coming over here!" Willow answered. "I tried to talk her out of it, but--"
"The slayer?"
"Yes!" she responded. "We have to hide you!"
"Like hell," he refused.
"Please, Spike! She won't understand! She'll think that I...that we..."
"Calm down, pet. It might not be as bad as you think."
"It'll be worse!" she insisted. "Go upstairs, and I'll get her to leave as soon as I can."
He shook his head. "Don't get all stubborn on me! Not now, damn it!" she pleaded. "She'll be here any minute!"
"Wonder what's on the telly on Christmas," he murmured and walked around her and into the living room. "I hope it isn't all a bunch of lame-ass cartoons."
Willow threw up her hands in exasperation and took off after him. He scooped up the remote from the table near the armchair, and she grabbed it away from him and put it back down.
"You aren't watching TV! You're going up--" she stopped with a squeak at the knock on the door.
"That's her!"
Spike breathed a false gasp of horror, "And the door is unlocked."
"What?!?" she cried out.
"Come in!" he shouted and grabbed hold of the redhead, pulling her into a hard kiss as the front door swung open.
Buffy stepped through and watched in open amusement as Willow struggled to unclamp her lips from the vampire's.
"That works a lot better if you hold still," the slayer suggested.
Willow shoved Spike away and whirled around, shocked by the grin on her best friend's face. "He--I--we were--"
"Kissing. Yeah, I got that," Buffy nodded and flopped down onto the sofa. "He any good at it?"
Willow's mouth dropped open, and she stared from Buffy to Spike in complete bewilderment. "But I thought that you--that he--" Willow took a deep breath and scowled at the slayer. "Why the hell aren't you in the least bit surprised?"
"Please," she rolled her eyes. "He's been ogling you for weeks. It's about time you ogled back."
The redhead sunk down wordlessly onto the armchair, and Spike chuckled and perched on the arm, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You--you knew?" Willow asked. "Since when?"
Buffy shot Spike a grin, "Oh, I couldn't say, exactly."
"And you aren't going to stake him?"
She shrugged and picked up the mantle clock, looking it over as she spoke, "Just think of it as a Christmas gift. Although he's really more like the proverbial lump of coal."
Spike reached over and snatched the clock out of her hands, "Bugger off."
"But I thought you two hated each other," Willow said.
"We do," the vampire and the slayer answered simultaneously.
"But he cares about you, so he can't be all bad," Buffy added. "And you'll _never_ get me to repeat that in public."
"I can't believe this," Willow breathed. "I thought you'd go ballistic."
The slayer shook her head and stuck her hand in her jacket pocket to pull out a gift, "I've given up ballistic. It's bad for the complexion. Anyway, I just came over to give you this."
"Yours is up in my room," Willow told her and started to get up.
Spike pushed her back down, "I'll go."
"You're really okay with this?" the redhead asked as Spike left them.
She nodded, "He can't hurt you, and at least I don't have to listen to him whine about working with us anymore. Will, I know I wasn't as supportive as I should have been after--"
"No, Buffy--"
"Let me finish. I need to say this," the blonde requested. "You've _always_ been here for me, and I wasn't for you. Not the way I should have been. It galls me to say this, but Spike understood your pain and tried to help a lot more than your friends did, including me. How many times did I cry on your shoulder over Angel? You always had time. I just wish I..."
"Stop," Willow insisted. "You had your own problems to deal with. And I had to find my own way through all of it."
"With Spike's support."
"Yeah, he's been pretty great. Incredibly great, actually," she nodded. "But I'm not angry with you--any of you."
Buffy smiled softly, "Even though you probably should be."
"I didn't make it easy for you guys. I was impossible to be around," Willow admitted.
"Doesn't excuse my insensitivity. You stuck by me when I was unbearable."
"Yeah, but you're always unbearable," Spike smirked as he came down the stairs. "Willow's probably developed an immunity by now."
"Shut up," Buffy ordered around the grin on her face.
Willow giggled and took the large package from Spike and handed it to Buffy in exchange for the smaller one the slayer held out.
"You first," Willow prompted as the blonde vampire resumed his position beside her.
Buffy opened the gift and pulled the tape off the box to lift out the wooden coffin-shaped chest. She laughed out loud as she lifted the hinged lid.
"It's perfect!" she grinned. "I can put my stakes and stuff in here."
"Told you," Willow smiled up at Spike and looked back at Buffy. "He kind of helped me put it together."
"Really? I'm surprised it didn't explode when I opened it," she chuckled. "Thank you, Will. It's great. Now--yours."
The redhead unwrapped a long, black velvet jewelry case and opened it up. A delicate silver bracelet sparkled in the light of the table lamp.
"It's beautiful," she whispered, lifting it out.
"They're called eternity links," Buffy told her. "Like our friendship--eternal."
"Thank you. I love it," the redhead replied and stood up to give her a tight hug.
"Trust the slayer to come bearing sap," Spike muttered after a moment.
Buffy laughed softly and pulled away to retrieve her gift from the sofa, "I have the sudden urge to stake a smart-mouthed vampire. But since I don't want you to spend Christmas vacuuming ashes out of the carpet, I think I'll just head over to Xander's instead."
"Okay," Willow grinned and followed her to the door.
"I have a gift for him to, but--" She looked back at Spike.
"I talked to him earlier," Buffy said. "We were hoping you'd go with us to the Bronze tonight. You guys could meet us there and bring his gift with you."
"Sounds good," Willow agreed.
"Great. See you later," Buffy gave her a quick hug and directed a smile of gratitude over the redhead's shoulder at Spike.
The End
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