TITLE: Impressing Anya
AUTHOR: Goddess Isa
SUMMARY: When someone returns to Sunnydale, he sets his sights on the beautiful demon Anyanka. This is the first in my new Spike/Anya series. You won't have to read them all to follow along, they're all be stories of their own right, but they'll take us through their relationship bit by bit.
SPOILER: The Wish, S4 rumours
DISTRIBUTION: Sandee, of course - My site - http://planetslaythis.homestead.com - Crystal and Butterfly if they want it - A Soul's Redemption - Anyone else - sure, just email me & lmk where it's going - I like seeing my name in print =)
RATING: TV-14
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, Joss Whedon does. If he ever decides to give them to me, that would be nice. =)

The sounds of Billy Idol crooning 'Mony, Mony' with a hundred-and-fifty year old vampire singing along filled the streets of Sunnydale. Spike had missed this town, missed, that bloody Watcher, missed all the fresh blood just waiting for him to sink his fangs into.

He missed the Slayers.

Buffy always gave him a stiffy and from he'd heard about Faith, she seemed just the person he'd like to have around. If he was going to put up with having a human around, that is.

He wasn't bitter about Drusilla's death. In fact, he'd not shed one tear. He was going to move to China and help with their population problem, but then he'd had a revelation. Sunnydale was now without a vampire protectant for its Scooby Gang. Angel had left the position wide open and Spike intended to fill it. He left Dru's dust behind and took off for the Hellmouth.

He preferred driving at night when he could have the top of his little red corvette down. He took off his Ray-Bans and parked his car in front of the Bronze. He was still singing as he entered the club and looked around. Just as he'd suspected, the Witch and the werewolf were practically going at each other at their table. Their legs were tangled around that of the table and the mugs shook as they kissed. He shook his head at them. "Kids," he muttered.

Buffy was there, looking just how he remembered her.

She was standing off to the side with the idiot. Her face showed boredom and maybe even a touch of misery. She sipped her coffee and tried to listen as Xander rambled on and on and on.

Spike approached them and gave Buffy a wicked smile. "Hello love."

She was immediately on the defensive. "Spike. What the Hell are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too. If I'd have known I was expecting such a warm welcome I would've come weeks ago." he grabbed Xander's drink and downed it, then threw the glass against the wall and made a face. "What *was* that?"

"Coke," he replied.

"No beer?"

"No, Spike, they check ID here." he gave him the I'm-not-as-dumb-as-you-think-I-am look. "I don't guess they check ID in Hell though, do they?"

Spike wanted to pummel him right that second, but he looked at Buffy, at her face, silently pleading with them both to drop it, and he decided to let it all slide.

"I came to see you, Slayer. Why do you think I'm here?"

"To assemble the Judge?" Xander guessed.

"Take over the world?" Buffy assumed.

"Blame us for Drusilla's death." Xander added.

"Can't a guy just come to visit a beautiful woman?" he tried to play on her feminine angle but she wasn't buying it.

"I've never know you do anything without malicious intent."

"Aww, Buff, he was just joshin' around when he knocked me out that time at school!" Xander said. "And everyone holds broken glass to the neck of a beautiful young woman and threatens her to cast him a love spell. Our boy Spike here--"

Buffy clamped her hand over his mouth. "Sorry. He's had several drinks tonight and he's wired."

Xander yanked her hand away and grunted. "I'm not wired, I'm pissed."

"What the Hell's your problem?" Spike asked. "The redhead."

"No. I'm over her." Xander lied.

"Anya won't dance with him." Buffy explained, rolling her eyes.

Spike ran the name through his head. The Witch was Willow, the drama queen was Cordelia, so who the Hell was Anya?

"Who the Hell is Anya?"

Xander pointed her out, his eyes all googly as he looked at her.

Spike followed his arm. His mouth dropped and his eyes bugged out. Buffy noticed this and smiled her first sincere, happy smile in weeks.

"Breathe," she instructed him. Then she laughed. "Sorry, forgot you don't need to breath. You could stop drooling though."

Spike thrust a hand across his mouth which made Buffy laugh. He kept staring at her though. None of the other girls on the Hellmouth were like Her.

She was about Buffy's height, maybe a bit taller, with dirty blonde hair pushed behind her ears and a brown dress that clung in all the right places. She swung her hips in time to the music and he growled. He didn't want to admit it, but he was completely infatuated with her.

"Who is she?" he asked again.

"Duh," Xander rolled his eyes. "Anya."

The waitress brought Buffy and Xander each another drink and after the Slayer refueled, she filled Spike in. "She's a demon. Old, about three times Angel's age, maybe more, I'm not good with math. Willow brought her here and--no, I'm wrong, Cordelia did. Well, actually, she was here *for* Cordelia, but it's because of Giles and Willow that she's here now. She held the power of The Wish. She granted scorned women revenge on their unfaithful boyfriends or husbands."

"And?" Spike prodded.

"She lost her powers so she hangs with us now."

"She's...." Spike couldn't finish what he was saying. Her strapless dress was slipping and he could see just the top of her left breast.

"She's mine," Xander said.

"Crap." Spike straightened his leather duster and walked over to her. She pretended not to ignore him, keeping her back to him as she danced next to him.

//I've known a few guys who thought they were pretty smart

But you've got being right down to an art

You think you're a genius

You drive me up the wall\\

Anya's eyes met Xander's and she mouthed "Who is he?"

Xander shrugged and walked away. She immediately felt bad. How could she have forgotten that Xander had a thing for her? She didn't have much time to think about it thought, Spike was trying to turn amongst the crowd so he'd be facing her.

//You think you're cool

But have you got the touch

Don't get me wrong

Yeah I think you're all right

But that won't keep me warm

On the long, cold, lonely night\\

The song ended and Anya headed for the kissage table. The redheads were still going at it, and she smirked at them. Picking up her lemonade, she asked, "Who are you?"

"Spike."

She grinned. "Right. Spike. I've heard all about you."

"All good things?"

That accent drove her wild but she managed to keep her sanity. "Not hardly." she sipped it and looked anywhere but at him.

"Listen, love," he leaned on the table to talk to her.

"I don't have time, sorry." she grabbed her purse, told the others a quick goodnight and headed for the door.

"Wait up! You haven't heard the whole story love." He followed her.

She turned, gave him a sweet smile and then grabbed the lapels of his jacket and slammed him against the wall.

"Gotta get a few things straight. First of all, my name is Anya, not love. Second, seeing as I was a demon for a thousand years, I'm really not all that interested in dating one. You'll understand why, I'm sure."

She walked to a gray VW bug and started to open the door but Spike got in front of her, grabbing the keys from her and leaning against the door. She willed herself not to grin at him.

"The way I see it, you have two options."

"The way I see it, you'd better get lost before I scream."

"Go ahead." he laughed. "No one in this town but the Slayer cares anyway, and I'm not scared of her."

"What do you want?" her arms were folded across her chest and she looked annoyed.

"One dance."

"We had one dance."

"No, a real one. One where you look at me and I look at you."

Anya thought it over. "One dance. No groping. Then I go home. I've got a lot to do tomorrow."

He grinned at her and put his arm around her, leading her back to the club. As they passed a muddy section of grass, he tossed her car keys into it, intending to keep her occupied all night.

If You Had My Love

"Okay, so, thanks for the dance." Anya took a sip of her now watered-down drink and plunked the glass on the table. Willow and Oz were still locked in their embrace. "I'll see ya around." Anya pulled a second set of keys out of her purse, grinning wickedly at Spike. She wasn't stupid, and she wanted him to know it. She turned to leave but he grabbed her arm.

"Where you goin', Pet?"

"We discussed this name thing and now that I think about it, Buffy never mentioned that you have Alzheimer's. Although you're more than old enough for it."

He refused to be put off by her. He grabbed her and started to kiss her, hoping to elicit some sort of emotion in the demon. She pulled away and slapped him. Then she smiled.

He rubbed his cheek and glared at her. "What are YOU smiling about?"

She giggled. "I slapped you and you're still here."

"God knows why."

She giggled some more. "You're still here 'cause you like me."

"Yeah, so?"

//Now if I give you me

This is how it's got to be

First of all I won't take you cheating on me

Baby who can I trust if I can't trust in you

And I refuse to let you play me for a fool

But if you want me

You have to be

Fulfilling all my dreams

If you really want me baby\\

"You know Anya," he made a point of using her name. "You're quite the dancer."

"Years of practice," she smiled at him and brushed the hair out of her eyes, a signal to Buffy that their plan was working.

Slowly, lyric by lyric, grind by grind, Spike was softening.

//If you had my love

And I gave you all my trust

Would you comfort me?

And if somehow you knew

That your love would be untrue

Would you lie to me?

And call me baby?\\

Anya was dancing a bit faster now. She had her back to Spike and was grinding her butt against his body. She was well aware of his bulge and smiled, knowing she'd brought the animal out in him. He growled at her, which only made her smile widen.

//You said you want my love

And you've got to have it all

But first there are some things you need to know

If you wanna live with all I have to give

I need to feel true love or it's got to end, yeah

I don't want you tryin' to get with me

And I end up unhappy

I don't need the hurt and I don't need the pain

So before I do

Give myself to you

I have to know the truth

If I spend my life with you\\

The song ended and Anya headed for the table again, a slight feeling a deja vu filling her. Buffy was now sitting with Willow and Oz, watching them with her mouth open.

"They never come up for air." she reported. "Are you sure they're not vamps?"

Anya grabbed Willow's wrist. "Still beating. They're fine." she threw her arm down against the table and the couple didn't even flinch.

"You guys staying?" Buffy asked, throwing a few singles on the table for a tip.

"No, I'm too tired." Anya faked a yawn.

"And you'd better get packing," Buffy said.

"Packing? What the Hell for?" Spike demanded.

"Relax," Buffy said. "Retract the fangs. We're moving into our apartment soon."

"We?" he studied the girls' expressions.

"Me, Buffy and Willow." Anya answered. "You guys tomorrow. And I mean it this time." she walked out and Spike followed.

"Wha?" she asked him.

He fumbled for his words, drumming his fingers on the hood of her car. "I need to ask you something."

"Sorry, I don't give my phone number to the undead."

He growled. "I don't like being lumped in with my race. That's discrimination you know."

Anya laughed. "Sorry. I've never been in contact with a sexy British vampire before."

*Sexy?* she asked herself. Where did that come from? Oh yeah. My heart.

"May I kiss you good night at least?" he asked.

"I'm a proper lady Spike." she told him as she opened the door to her car. "I don't kiss on the first date." she smiled as she got into her car and slammed the door. She started the engine and rolled down her windows. "I will be here tomorrow night though."

He grinned as she drove away. It was a date.

It's Not Right, But It's Okay

Anya didn't do much packing that Tuesday. She didn't do much of anything, come to think about it. On her way home from the Bronze the night before, she'd made a Wal-Mart run. She'd purchased several things as a cover for her real reason for stopping at Wallyworld: potato chips, a two liter of Mug root beer, a TV Guide and some Ben & Jerry's. Peanut Butter Cup was world-renowned for its aid when it came to boyfriend bummers. Or non-boyfriend bummers in Anya's case. She snuck her two intended items into the car - a blank journal with stars all over the cover and Jennifer Lopez's CD. She whipped her Visa out as fast as possible and ran red lights to get home.

She'd stayed up all night, eating, writing about Spike and listening to Jennifer's song over and over and over. She flopped against her pillows, undecided as to whether or not she should go to the Bronze. If he didn't show up, she'd feel like an idiot. If he did show up, she'd feel like he'd gloat knowing she had come to see him. True as it was, she didn't want him to know it.

She thought about going out with Xander, but it wouldn't really be fair to him and she knew that. He'd already been hurt by three girls in three years and he didn't need another broken heart. Still, it kept crossing her mind. Dancing with an uncoordinated hottie like Xander would likely make Spike jealous.

Or make him wonder what he ever saw in her.

The phone rang and she rolled her eyes, letting the machine pick it up. She was too tired to exert the energy needed to argue with Buffy about the packing.

"Anya, it's Buffy. I *know* you're busy packing--"

Anya snorted.

"--but we're going to the Bronze soon so if you wanna come by, we'll see you there. Oh and Anya!" Willow got on. "I know you're lying on your bed sulking about Spike, so--" Buffy was heard swatting at her friend and grabbing the phone back. "Just let things happen with that idiot. For some stupid reason, you like him, and I know he wants you so it'll work out on its own."

Anya grinned, deleted the message, then sprinted for the shower.

*****

"I feel like Cordelia." Anya said. It was a few hours later and she'd actually managed to empty her closet before going out. Unfortunately, it was onto her floor and her bed instead of suitcases. She'd found an older dress from when she was living in Los Angeles, cursing the wives and girlfriends of many popular soap opera actors. It was purple, skin tight with glitter here and there and the skirt of the dress had a four inch slit on each side.

Willow eyed her outfit. "There's a reason for that." She herself wouldn't be caught dead in something like that. She was wearing her usual, a blue jersey-style shirt with a glittery rainbow on it and a red skirt.

"Ignore her. You look fine." Buffy pulled on her sweater to try and get some of the post-Slayage wrinkles out. "You look fine, great even, and Spike'll--"

"What will I do?" he asked as he approached their table.

"Buy us a pitcher of iced tea," Buffy said. "I already ordered it, so you can pay the waitress when she brings it by."

"How thoughtful of me." he rolled his eyes then smiled at Anya. "Wanna dance?"

Buffy met Anya's eyes and shook her head.

"No," Anya tried to make her voice sound casual.

"It's Girl Night." Willow added.

Spike snorted and pulled up a chair.

"Who invited you?" Buffy asked.

"I did." he replied smugly. The waitress arrived and laid the bill on the table.

"Love?" Spike made his accent thick as possible. "Can you bring us a plate of nachos real quick like? I'm dying for a taste." he looked her up and down and Buffy was quite sure she saw the poor girl shiver.

"Su-sure," she replied.

"Extra cheese and I'll throw in a big tip for ya." he added.

The waitress nodded and nearly walked into a wall because she couldn't take her eyes off of him.

Anya was scowling at him. He noticed and played dumb.

"What?" he asked even though he knew what the what was.

"You called her 'Love'!" she shouted.

"You told me to call you 'Anya'!" he used the same pointed tone she did.

She mimicked him right back and snorted.

The group sat in silence, giving each other dirty looks now and then. The waitress returned and brought the nachos to Spike. She ripped the bill off her pad and batted her eyelashes as she gave it to him. He folded a twenty into the receipt and put it in the pocket of her apron. Anya could barely keep her meals from the previous year down. She grabbed her glass of iced tea and downed it, staring at him.

"Want some?" he offered the girls the plate.

"No thanks," Willow replied. Buffy just stared at him and Anya was looking at him with so much detest that if looks could've killed, he would've already been dead and buried.

"What?" he asked her.

"Nothing," she turned to the girls. "You guys wanna dance?"

"Nah," Willow answered. Oz was just getting ready to take the stage and she wanted to watch.

Both girls kicked her under the table.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Uh-huh, let's go dancing." Willow limped over to the dance floor with Anya. As soon as they were out of sight, Buffy slapped Spike.

The Barriers of Conversation

/////

"Anya, it's Spike. I'm sorry for what I pulled at the Bronze just now. As Buffy pointed out, I was acting as bad as an ensouled American, and we both know I'm way better than that. If you want to call me back, Buffy told me you have Caller ID so you've got my number. Later."

\\\\\

"Spike - thanks for telling me it was you. Otherwise, I would've thought it was my other British almost-boyfriend.

(You can't see me, but I'm smirking!)

How many people have voice mail on their cell phones? And where are you if you wanted me to call you back so badly?

You know I'm kidding.

And, I'm tired, so I'm going to bed. The sane Slayer is coming by at six a.m. to help me pack and the insane Slayer is coming by around ten to haul off all the clothes I don't want.

Feel free to call and wake me up at any hour though.

(There's the smirk again.)

Wait a minute!

How'd you get my number?!?!?!?!"

/////

"I'm not scared of your other Brit, Any. I'll break that pillock's legs and beat him to death with them and then you'll be stuck with me. Besides, we're perfect for each other. You're a girl on the go and I'm apt to that lifestyle."

\\\\\

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?

Do you like my new voice mail message? Willow thinks it sounds pretentious. I know she and Buffy know why I keep ducking out of the room with the phone. And I don't care.

I'm moving the day after tomorrow, but my calls are going to be forwarded until I get my new phone line and all situated. It's gonna be hysterical to have one apartment with four phone lines. (one for each of us girls plus one for Will's computer modem.)

Oh, the reason I said 'phone line' and not 'phone number' is that I'm having my old number become my new number at the apartment. I don't need any more digits to memorize, you know?"

/////

"I'm a piece of work? If I didn't know better, I'd expect you to be in an asylum by daybreak. Sunnydale's too off its rocker to catch all the crazies.

Now who's got the smirk?"

\\\\\

"Ha, ha, ha."

/////

"Go out with me tomorrow."

\\\\\

"I have registration until three."

/////

"Registration for what?"

\\\\\

"College. Blam Buffy."

/////

"That bloody Slayer doesn't belong in a university, she belongs in San Quentin."

\\\\\

"And how would *you* know who belongs in San Quentin?"

/////

"I've lived in the US a long time. You learn stuff."

\\\\\

"Oh God, I hate learning stuff."

/////

"This coming from the demon of a girl who's blowing me off for registration."

\\\\\

"It's only until three."

/////
"A.M.???"

\\\\\

"No, p.m. Duh."

/////

"I wasn't askin' you out for lunch you know. I have sun allergies."

\\\\\

"Ha, ha, ha. So funny I forgot to laugh. Meet you at the Bronze around seven?"

/////

"I'll pick you up at six-thirty. Gimme your address."

\\\\\

"And just so you know, I'm smirking as I say this: Figure it out."

Maybe Stupid English Assignments Aren't So Bad After All

"I cannot believe you talked me into this," Anya grunted. Buffy smirked as they entered the classroom.

"Look at the bright side," she said teasingly. "Now you have something to do while Spike's sleeping."

Anya snorted. "Needing the silver lining here."

"As a history major, you'll never have to take math." Buffy offered. "Hopefully," she offered.

"Still unconvinced." Anya took her seat in the front row and sighed. "Why are desks created for right handed people?"

"You're right handed," Buffy pointed out. "So why do you care?"

"I know people who aren't." she sighed. "I hate this already."

"It'll get better."

"And if it doesn't?" the room began filling up.

Buffy didn't have an answer for her on that one.

*****

That night, Buffy went on patrol with Xander and Willow went out with Oz. Anya had been planning a romantic night with Spike when she noticed her English book and remembered her assignment. She snorted at the book as though it would care. "I read Othello once." she said aloud. "It was seven hundred years ago, but I think I can manage with CliffsNotes."

She stuffed her books under the bed and combed through her hair. She was choosing between two different lipsticks that both belonged to Buffy when she heard a knock at the door. She applied the Haphazard shade in a hurry and opened the door. She frowned when she saw Willow.

"Nice to see you too." Willow said as she pushed past her.

"I thought you were going out with Oz."

"Well, I was, but I've got that assignment for creative writing and it's due in two days so I figured I'd better get started on it."

Anya felt like the wind had been knocked out of her sails. "That's not due for like thirty hours."

"Yeah, I know," she sat on her bed and opened her laptop. "Did you write everything in your assignment book?"

Sometimes, Anya wanted to hit Willow with a pillow. She was as perfect, academically, anyway, as you could get, and it was starting to bug her. "Will, I don't *have* an assignment book."

"Oh. You can borrow mine if you ever need to."
"Thanks."

"You know what?" she closed her laptop and unplugged the AC adapter. "I think I'm gonna go watch the Dingoes practice. I can start my paper there."

"Won't the music be distracting?"

"Are you kidding? I have to wear like super-strong headphones just to be able to be in the room with the band when they practice, I'll have no problem studying. You can't hear a thing with those headphones on."

"So it's an all or nothing type of thing?" Anya assumed.

"Yeah. I can't hear but Oz says it's nice to have me there, so," she gathered her stuff and waved. "Bye."

"Bye."

Willow peeked her head back in. "You know you can use Buffy's new iBook if you need to, and my assignment book is on my desk."
"Thanks."

Willow shut the door and Anya flung herself on her bed, pouting. There was only one way she'd manage to get all her assignments - which she didn't really care about - done and still spend time with Spike.

Sighing, she reached for the phone.

*****

"I haven't done any kind of homework in a hundred years." he grumbled. "And when I did have homework, it meant *working* at *home*, not this bullshit."

"Point taken." She laid out the CliffsNotes she's borrowed from Buffy.

"Othello?" he demanded.

"First time for everything." she told him. She grabbed Willow's assignment book and munched on Cheez-Its as she read aloud. "Write about someone in your life who has changed how you look at everything around you. Change all names and facts that could reveal who the people you're referring to are, but don't take liberties with the storyline. The best stories will be read aloud in class."

"Don't write anything about Ears," Spike said.

"Don't you write about Angel," she replied. She wanted to tell him not to write about Dru, either, but she didn't wanna push it. And besides, as nuts as Drusilla was, he'd been in love with her for years and vice versa, in her own psychotic way.

"Anya?" he asked. "Can we go get a bite to eat?"

"What did you have in mind? Chinese?"

He shrugged. "What do I care if he's Chinese or not?!" 

Anya sighed and began working.

*****

"Miss Emerson?"

Anya could barely keep her eyes open as she looked up at her professor.

"Will you be sleeping through class today?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wood. I'm still trying to adjust to classes, and--

"We're all adjusting, Miss Emerson." he practically sneered at her. "I was going to read your paper to the class myself, for your anonymity, but you seem to have no respect for me, or my class, so I feel I should show you the same courtesy and have you read it yourself."

Anya gulped. Buffy felt bad for her, but everyone else watched Anya with wide eyes as she stood up. She walked up to the professor and took her paper from him, glaring at him as she did so.

She cleared her throat and began reading. "When he walked into my life, I was spiraling. The spiral had been going downward for what felt like a thousand years." she shared a small smile with Buffy.

"I was running out of places to hide, I was lost, tired, and alone. Then he came along.

Through the darkness, a ray of light shining brightly all around me. He inspired me to value my friends and let the demons within die together. He forced me to look at my life as though it had meaning. He made me think I might be important to someone other than myself.

He opened my eyes to the possibilities that lie before me, made me want something more.

He supported me when I took a big plunge and helped me up when I fell.

He's all I'll ever need, and all I'll ever want.

He's my miracle."

The class, miraculously, applauded. With a C grade and a spinning head, Anya returned to her seat.

"Way to go," Buffy whispered.

Anya could only manage a weak smile. Reading her story aloud had made her think just how much she care for Spike, and the emotions were starting to scare her.

*****

Anya finished her classes as quickly as possible and went home to the empty apartment she shared with Buffy and Willow. She didn't bother turning on any lights, she wanted to be in the darkness. The soft black light Willow kept above the door for aid in certain spells brought a fluorescent glow over the entire room as she tumbled into bed. She tossed her clothes aside and searched through her sheets for her Red Wings jersey, a clearance buy she'd gotten after the Rings lost the Stanley Cup. She was lying with the covers bunched up at her feet when she saw something floating through the sky. She turned the lamp by her bed on and saw that the mattress was covered in rose petals and every time she moved, she threw them upwards. A stack of neatly written papers were underneath her pillow, a single chocolate heart on top of them. She ate the candy and then began reading the old-style handwriting.

//

Some people say you only meet one person who'll dramatically change your life. Actually, this assignment would say that there's only one person who'll change your life. I have to disagree.

I've been lucky enough to have three strong, domineering people guiding me in my lifetime. The first one killed me, more or less. The second tried to destroy me and almost did. The third is my savior.

I live in the dark. I relish the moon, the sanctuary it can provide. She made me come out and see the sunlight. She took away all of my fears and made me feel twenty years old again. I can't tell you the last time I felt that way.

I'm not a writer, so I don't know if this even makes sense. I'm not a good person, I'm a monster and that's all there is to it. Yet again, she's got me doing new things, making changes.

Starting over in a new life together, I realize now all I was missing before I met her. I wanted her in my life so deeply that I became a new man just for her.

\\

Anya arrived at the last page and blinked away tears before reading it.

//

My beloved Anya,

Sorry I was such a prick the other night. And I'm sorry I was asleep when you woke up. I watched you after you fell asleep for hours and I wanted to stay up to see you before you left for class, but I just couldn't manage it. I guess it's the lack of human blood lately, it's making me sort of weak.

I wrote this while lying on your bed beside you, listening to the music of your breathing and smelling the sweet roses that make me think of you.

It's pure crap, I know, but I tried for you, pet. Really, I did.

I'll see you tonight, when you lease expect it.

Spike

\\

Anya put the papers in between the pages of her diary, then she put it away under her top sheet. She fell asleep with the scent of rose petals filling her dreams of Spike.

One More Dance

"He's not here." Anya picked at her brownie. "He probably isn't coming."

"He said he'd meet you." Buffy said. "He'll meet you."

Anya sighed. Spike had called her around five and said he'd meet her at the Bronze. He said he needed to grocery shop, which told her he was going on his own version of patrol. Whereas Buffy killed vampires, Spike often made them. He seemed to have lost his will for the sire gig, from what Buffy had been telling her. She'd recently seen him buying blood at the butcher's. Anya didn't dare ask what Buffy was doing there.

"Okay," she jumped off the chair. "If he's gonna play with fire, so am I."

Pop music filled the air as Anya took the floor, flirting with every guy in sight.

//Am I original?

Yeah

Am I the only one?

Yeah
Am I sexual?

Yeah

Am I everything you need

You'd better rock your body now!\\

Anya felt like the entire dance floor of the Bronze belonged to her. She'd been making the rounds, dancing with every guy in the club but one.

Spike.

He'd arrived during one of her Salt-N-Pepa renditions. Yes, Anya sang as she danced. Spike assumed it would bother most men, but none of them seemed to mind.

He leaned against a wall, watching her and smoking a cigarette.

Buffy came over and leaned next to him. "Can't you just be normal?"

"What?"

"You. Anya. Why can't you just ask her out and pick her up and take her out and kiss her goodnight on her front porch after bringing her home at a decent hour?"

"One, butt out. Two, this isn't a Nick At Nite rerun, thank God, and three, she doesn't have a porch."

Buffy grinned. "How would you know?"

"I have my ways."

"Were you at her building Spike?"

His growl told her he had been.

Buffy pulled the cancer stick out of his hand and tossed it to the floor, stepping on it with her boot.

"What do you--"

"Anya hates smokers." she handed him a roll of Lifesavers. "If you're going to date the woman, try and figure out what turns her off."

Buffy shook her head as she walked away and left Spike to stare after her for a moment, wondering why she cared so damn much about the success of their relationship.

*****

Two songs later, Spike hadn't moved. He'd chewed down several of the mints and then finished his last two Rolos from his secret stash inside his duster. He didn't want the fact that he'd just eaten mints to be too obvious to her. Then she'd know he wanted to kiss her.

He studied her movements, the way her hips swayed. Her hair swung as she danced, twirling around to the fast beat of the song. She was laughing at something a pair of twins told her. They kept popping up on eithe rside of her, and it was pissing Spike off more and more by the minute.

He finally grunted and approached her.

"She's with me," he glared at the twins and spoke with venum in his voice. They took off.

"Thanks," she gave him a weak smile. "They had B.O."

He rolled his eyes.

"You gonna dance with me or what?" Anya scooted closer to him. "We can't do this if you're a foot away from me."

The song changed and Spike growled, meeting Buffy's eyes across the room. She waved and smirked, then held something up in her left hand. When he realized what it was, he growled loudly, but not loud enough for Anya to hear over the music.

Buffy had managed to snake the pack of cigarettes out of his pants and he hadn't even noticed. Her smirk told him she'd requested the song, and he now had two reasons to kill her. It wouldn't be hard, he told himself. After all, non-smokers are supposed to be bitter.

He had to divert his thoughts back to Anya though, because as she swung her arms around his neck and let her breasts lightly brush his chest, he felt all lucid thoughts, however few of them, flying out the window.

//I feel like I've been locked up tight

For a century of lonely nights

Waiting for someone

To release me

You're licking your lips

And blowing kisses my way

But that don't mean I'm gonna give it away

Baby baby baby (baby baby baby)\\

"I love this song," Anya slowed her movements, quietly singing the song to him, making sure his eyes stayed focused on hers. She had him.

//Oh whoa

My body's saying let's go

Oh whoa

But my heart is saying no\\

Spike wanted to growl. He wanted to run away. He wanted to turn her just so Buffy would be pissed at him and he'd have an excuse to kick her ass. And yet, when he looked into Anya's eyes, the world around him melted and there was nothing and no one but her.

//If you wanna be with me

Baby there's a price to pay

I'm a genie in a bottle

Ya gotta rub me the right way

If you wanna be with me

I can make your wish come true

You gotta make a big impression

Gotta like what you do\\

Anya gave him a small smile between lyrics, grinding her hips towards his body. He could see through the fabric of her dress that something - the air conditioning or the intensity of their dancing - had made her nipples erect. He grinned at the sight of her and kept wanting to see what she'd do next.

//Music's playing and the light's down low

Just one more dance and then we're good to go

Waiting for someone who needs me\\

For the first time, his hands found their way around her waist. They started to slip lower and she shook her head, almost reading his mind.

//Hormones racing at the speed of light

But that don't mean it's gotta be tonight

Baby baby baby (baby baby baby)\\

Anya pulled Spike away from the crowd but kept their rhythm. They headed for a corner designated by a sign that said "Kiss Here!" with an arrow pointing downwards. She grinned and pushed him up to the wall.

//Oh whoa

My body's saying let's go

Oh whoa

But my heart is saying no\\

"Why'd you bring me here?" he demanded. He'd never tell her, although he was sure Buffy would, but he was not unfamilier with this corner. He and Dru had spent many a night doing....things underneath that sign.

She grinned at him, her eyes speaking volumes. "You tell me."

Anya didn't seem ready to haul off and punch him, so he leaned forward and kissed her.

//I'm a genie in a bottle baby

Gotta rub me the right way honey

If you wanna be with me

I'm a genie in a bottle baby

Come, come, come on and let me out\\

Reports And Revelations

"Fireworks!!" Anya flopped down on Willow's bed beside the Witch. Buffy was on the floor, painting her toenails a dark green color. "Fireworks, sparklers, shuttles going up! It was like in the movies, only it was better."

"Wow," Willow smiled at her. "I know how that feels."

"We know," Buffy pretended to gag.

"Ha, ha, ha." Will rolled her eyes.

"I never thought it would be that way!" she paused, thinking about the kiss again, feeling his lips back on hers. "I've kissed other guys, but Spike is just.....superior. He's so different."

"I know." Willow said. "Oz is different too. A bit slobbery though, sometimes. Must be the Werewolf thing."

"I think it's a vampire thing," Anya said dreamily. She looked at Buffy. "I can see why you kiss Angel."

"Kissed." Buffy made a face. "Past tense."

*****

"And then I kissed her." Spike said.

Angel glared at him. "You came all the way to Los Angeles and interrupted my very important work to tell me about kissing some girl?"

"She's not some girl! She's Anya!"

Angel blinked. "That demon chick? She's older than me!"

"Who would've though it possible?" Spike joked.

Angel groaned. "You like her now?"

"Yep. Proof that you don't need a soul to have feelings."

"I could've told you that years ago."

"Crap."

"I could've. Dru was mad about me from day one." he shook his head at the memories. "Thank God she never got a soul."

"She's dead." Spike watched him for a reaction. He wished he had a cigarette when he didn't get one.

"I heard." Angel's face didn't change one bit when he finally spoke.

"Do you care?"

"No."

"You miss Buffy." It wasn't a question or a statement even. It was fact.

Angel slammed his fingers on the computer keyboard. "So what?"

"Don't give up on her." Spike said before he left. "Love is immortal."

Spike shut the door just in time to miss getting hit with the computer.

What A Girl Wants

//What a girl wants

What a girl needs

Whatever keeps me happy and sets you free

What a girl wants

What a girl needs

Whatever keeps me in your arms

I wanna thank you

For giving me time to breathe

Like a rock you waited so patiently

While I got it together

While I figured it out

A weaker man might have walked away

But you had faith

Strong enough to move over and give me space

While I got it together

While I figured it out

They say if you love something let it go

If it comes back it's yours

That's how you know

It's for sure

And you're reading and willin'

To give me more than

What a girl wants

What a girl needs

Whatever keeps me happy and sets you free

What a girl wants

What a girl needs

Whatever keeps me in your arms

And I'm thankin' you

For being there for me

A girl needs somebody sensitive but tough

Somebody there when the goin' gets rough

Somebody cool but real tender too

Somebody baby, just like you

Can keep me hangin’ around

You’re the one who always knew

What a girl wants

What a girl needs

Whatever makes me happy sets you free

And I'm thankin' you for knowing exactly

What a girl wants\\

The lights in the apartment were low and Anya's roommates were gone for the night. Spike had arrived right after sunset and now, their dinner finished and the music soft and romantic, Anya was looking for the right way to tell Spike not to leave tonight. They'd fallen into a rut the past few months of their relationship. She was sick of their routine and was ready for more. Sure, it was nice when he would come over help her with her homework, make her dinner sometimes, then they'd go to bed and make out for hours. Whenever she started to grope him, he'd leave. Sometimes she felt as though he was running away from her.

"Well," he sucked on the bone from his drumstick then threw it into the trash can. "I guess I should go. It's late."

"It's only ten."

"You have class tomorrow?" it was a question, not a statement.

"Me? On a Saturday?"

"Guess that was a stupid question."

"Sort of. Don't forget, the Induction is this Tuesday."

"What induction?"

"I told you. We're taking a new Witch into our Coven."

"Oh."

"Oh? You said you'd come. It's a big deal for us."

"I'll come."

"Good," she looked all around the room, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Spike?" she finally asked.

"What?" he was suddenly missing the feel of a cigarette between his lips and wondered how he got into such a relation-shippy place. He wondered why he didn't feel trapped.

"Will you kiss me?" her voice was small, like a schoolgirl.

He leaned forward and submitted to her request, his hands gently streaming through her hair.

She scooted closer to him and moved her hands down his arms as their lips brushed softly against each other. She began undoing the belt of his leather pants and immediately, he tensed up.

Spike pulled away and stared at her, taking unneeded deep breaths.

"What?" she asked.

"I should go," he stood up.

She grabbed him and twisted his arm behind him.

"Okay, that hurts love."

She twisted a bit harder. "You know I'll snap it," she used a threatening voice previously reserved for those she was cursing. "Buffy has taught me several tricks over the past few months."

He sighed. "Anya, what do you want from me?"

"I wanna make love!" she let go and he pulled away, rubbing at his wrist and shoulder while staring at her.

"Anya...."

"Aren't you attracted to me?" she demanded. "I mean, God! You told me you loved me."

"I do," he took a step closer and when he realized he wasn't in any danger, put his hands around hers. "I *am*."

"Then what's the problem??"

He waited a moment before answering. "I haven't....." he led her to her bed and they sat down before he continued.

"I haven't been with a woman since Dru. And I'd been with Dru since--"

"Forever," she supplied, shrugging. "I know. I've been around a thousand years. You don't wanna know my magic number."

"I don't wanna rush." he finally said. "And I love you, so I don't--"

"Just kiss me." she urged. "Things go best when you just let them happen. Do what feels right."

"Anya--"

"Don't think," she told him. "Feel."

He nodded and leaned over to kiss her. His lips were soft on hers at first, but she felt herself growing impatient with the tenderness after only minutes of kissing.

She pushed him down on the bed and slid on top of him, kissing her way down his neck.

"Wait. Anya."

She looked up at him with desire in her eyes. "What?"

"Are you really sure you want this?"

"No, I'm a tease." she rolled her eyes. "Make love to me, or leave."

Spike actually pondered leaving. Walking out that door meant never seeing Anya again. He couldn't risk that.

Angelus had been right. When a girl makes you feel human, you can't forget. It sticks with you, makes you obsess over her.

"I don't wanna go," he finally said.

She stood up and began swaying to the music still playing in the background. It was unlike her usual dances for him in that every few beats, she'd take off a piece of clothing. First her blouse, then her tube top, then her skirt. She stood before him in her tube-like bra, fancy undies, thigh-high stockings and her high heels.

"Make love to me," she repeated.

Spike was in no place to tell her no. He came at her and kissed her harshly. He'd been intending to make this a slow, passionate night, but the way Anya was grinding against him as they kissed was causing his erection to painfully stand up against the restraint of his leather pants.

They rolled around on the bed until he was on top of her and her arms were around his neck, running through his short hair.

The kisses intensified and she pulled him down to her, wanting their bodies to be even closer together. His hands felt up and down her back, trying to find the hook to her bra.

She giggled against his lips, wanting him to figure it out for himself.

He pulled his lips away long enough to ask, "No hint?"

She shook her head and gave him a smile wicked enough to remind him she was a demon.

Their lips met again and his fingertips brushed across the front of her chest, her nipples hardening under his touch. His fingers found a seam and began playing with the tiny hook-and-eye closures. When he finally got it open, he tossed it away and gently began stroking her skin with his cold hands. His lips slid down to her neck as she began pulling at his leather jacket.

She groaned when he removed one hand from her chest to slip the jacket half, then all the way off. He made it up to her by kissing her again, biting at her lips. She caught his tongue and held it lightly between her teeth as she yanked on his wife beater. They parted once more so she could pull it over his head and toss it away. They laid back down, their bare chests crushing against each other as they kissed.

She began unhooking his belt, then his leather pants. She was about to push them down with her feet when Spike's lips slid down to her breasts. His right hand gently rubbed one breast while his lips planted tiny kisses all the way around the other, circling inwards towards her nipple.

She moaned softly when he took it into his mouth, slowly licking it before sucking and then gently biting her.

Her breathing was ragged now and he felt her hand move down so she could touch herself. He let his free hand slide down and move her hand away, replacing it with his own.

He traced the outline of her soft folds through her panties. She pressed his head harder against her chest and let out an unhappy moan when he released one breast and kissed his way to the other.

He wasn't sure if what happened next was an orgasm on her part or not, but it sure seemed like it. She screamed something he couldn't make out and her eyes fluttered as though she were dreaming.

He sat back for a moment, watching her.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

She gently touched his cheek. "Spike, honey, I love you, I really do. But if you don't strip those clothes off and fuck me now, I'll dust you."

"Oooh, you're tough," he joked as he stood up and took his pants off. She grinned when he stubbed his toe on the foot of the bed and started hopping up and down on one foot. He fell flat on his ass and she started cracking up.

He hurled the pants across the room, breaking something that probably belonged to Buffy but he'd deal with replacing it later. He left the one sock he was wearing on and put his hands on his naked hips, staring at her. "It's that funny, is it?"

She nodded.

"Oh, you're gonna get it for that," he jumped on the bed.

"I certainly hope so," she said as his fingers began pulling her underwear down her legs.

She waited until he'd discarded her panties to slightly bend her knees and part her legs. He looked at her, ready and waiting for him and decided to fuck all previous thoughts of foreplay and get to it. After all, she was no virgin.

He leaned up and kissed her, sliding deep inside and feeling her moan against his lips as he did so. She gripped his ass tightly, holding him to her, which caused him to groan. She finally giggled and let him go, watching the look of frustration on his face fade away as he braced himself above her. She lightly stroked his tight ass as he slid almost all the way out of her before plunging back in. She decided two could play that game and began matching his thrusts, occasionally pinching his ass with her long nails, drawing blood. He began to play with her clit and her mind wandered to whether or not he intended to drink from her when he came. She didn't think about it, or anything, much longer, because Spike thrust into her full force, and the impact of their bodies slamming together pushed her into orgasm. He followed her and laid on top of her for a moment, breathing heavily and staring into her eyes.

She rolled over so that she was on top of him and kissed his chest.

"Now," she asked. "Was that so bad?"

He shrugged. "Coulda been better I guess."

She glared at him as she sat up, his cock still buried deep inside of her. He groaned as she slooooooowly rocked her hips. "You're gonna live to regret that statement."

"I'm already dead," he muttered.

"Then I guess it'll take longer."

He let her rule the game for a moment before grabbing her by the wrists and flipping her back down, thrusting back into her as he pushed her onto the bed. "You were saying?"

She grinned. "I knew I'd get you."

"You're evil," he told her.

"No more than you."

He couldn't disagree with that statement.

They rolled off the bed onto the floor and finished their tryst there in a mass of sheets and giggles. When Anya finally got up, she walked around the room naked, blowing out candles and setting them aside to cool.

He crawled back up into the bed and laid on one of the pillows, waiting for her.

When the apartment was safe from threat of fire, she returned to his embrace and fell asleep there.

*****

"Oh GOD!"

"YES! YES! YES!"
"Faster!"

"Ooooooohhhhhh GOD!"

Spike woke up with a start and stared at his girlfriend.

"What the Hell is that?" he demanded.

"Sounds like Buffy and Angel to me," she said sleepily, snuggling back onto his chest.

"Like Hell," he got out of bed, letting Anya's head flop against the sheets. He stalked out of the room naked, which made Anya first pout and then grin at the site of his nice body. He pounded on the door to Buffy's bedroom and growled.

No one answered, of course. Who could hear him over the panting and the banging of the headboard?

He barged in and sure enough, the Slayer was riding his sire.

"Bloody good show," he greeted them. "But next time, would you try shagging at a decent hour? SOMEONE is trying to sleep!"

It Takes A Village

"Ugh!" Buffy threw a box of who-knew-what onto the floor. "God, Will, what is in that?"

"Wicca stuff." she grinned wildly. "Spellbooks, incense holders, oh, I hope nothing broke."

Anya sighed and watched her roommates. They'd moved all of their things into their new apartment that morning, and now, around four p.m., she was exhausted. Nothing was unpacked but their clothes, which hung in the large closet, and their sheets, which were already on their beds.

She opened a large cardboard box on the floor by her bed and pulled out her CD wallet. She flipped through it and placed one in her Discman. She pulled the earphones on and kicked off her shoes. Sliding into her bed, she let the music carry her into dreamland.

//Lying beside you

Here in the dark

Hearing your heart beat

With mine

Softly you whisper

You're so sincere

How could our love be so blind?\\

Anya saw herself dancing with Spike at the Bronze the way they did almost every night. The picture seemed to fade to black but lightened again and became a picture of the two of them watching TV at her old apartment that now belonged to a transvestite and his dalmation named Rupaul. The picture faded again, and she saw the warehouse.

She shook her head, trying to make the image go away. She hadn't been there in a long, long time and she wasn't planning on returning. She didn't like the warehouse. It creeped her out, made her feel like she wasn't wanted or didn't belong there.

Shrugging and shivering, she saw a fight begin. Spike was vamped out and trying to kill someone who looked human. He grabbed the person and sunk his fangs into their neck. Anya tried to scream for him to stop but she couldn't be heard. The next thing she knew, he had grabbed her and was ready to drink her blood.

"No Spike," she kept saying. "No, don't. You love me. Don't do it."

He looked at her for a moment and the shrugged, leaning his head down. She felt his fangs graze her skin and then she hit the floor. She blinked her eyes to get the ash out of them and saw Xander standing there, a stake in his hand.

The image faded again and when it started up one last time, she was at the library, the old one they'd blown up during the Ascension. Everyone was there, talking, laughing, chattering, except Spike. And whenever Anya tried to join in, everyone ignored her as though she wasn't there.

//Living without you

Living alone

This empty house feels so cold\\

She kept trying to make them pay attention to her. She threw a tantrum, pushed bookshelves down, even played with Cordelia's hair and touched Xander's chest. No one noticed. She got down on her knees and started to scream bloody murder.

"Anya, Anya, wake up!" Buffy shook her gently. "Anya, Spike's here."

"Huh?" she sat up, pulling the earphones off and trying to make her blurry eyes focus. They finally did, and then she saw him.

Spike was standing before her, his duster slung over his arm. "Have a nice sleep love?" he asked.

"Too lonely," came the reply.

He sat next to her and immediately they began to kiss.

"Okay, this is our cue to leave." Willow pulled on the sleeve of Buffy's blouse.

"We'll be at Xander's house if you need us." Buffy said.

"Why are we going to his house?" Willow asked as they slammed the door behind them.

"What time is it?" Anya asked. "I could've have slept for more than an hour."

"Twenty to ten."

"Twenty to ten? I slept like five hours!"

"You were up all night moving. You're wiped." he brushed the hair out of her eyes and studied her. Even with no makeup on and bedhead, she was the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen.

"How'd the hunt go?" she asked, yawning.

"Hunt? Me?" he played innocent.

"How many?"

"Two, but they were bloody cops, they were good for nothing anyway."

"Spike, we've talked about this."

"Could you stop casting spells if someone asked you to?" he questioned. "If I asked you to?"

"No." she replied quickly. "It's my nature."

"And hunting is mine."

"Don't hurt anyone worthy though, okay?" he didn't answer her. Instead he moved forward and began kissing her neck.

She pushed him away and sat back up. "Spike, give me an answer."

He growled but nodded.

"Good boy." she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Feel like going out?"

"I'm a bit tired, actually."

"It's hours 'till sunrise. Let's see if this bed is big enough for two."

"Of course." he kicked off his boots and let Anya pull the black socks off his toes, tickling them as she did so. He crawled in next to her and she fell asleep with her head using his chest as a pillow.

*****

"No!" Buffy threw a hotel at Xander. "I am not paying the rent."

"Is this what our post-high school nighttime activities are going to be restricted to now?" Willow asked as she rolled the dice and made a mental note that Buffy still owed Xander the money even though technically, since she'd already rolled, Buffy was off the hook. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Monopoly, but--"

"The only place you can go from there on a Friday night is down." Xander said.

"Twister," Buffy commented.

"The Game of Life," Willow glanced at the box on the shelf across from them.

"Clue." Xander shivered at junior high memories of the game. "What's next?"

"Your turn," Willow couldn't make eye contact with him.

He rolled and she let out a squeal.

"What?" he asked.

She pointed to her boot. "I'm on St. Charles Place and I don't have to pay you."

He was about to fight her on it but the phone rang. He leaned over and answered it. "Yello? Xander here."

"Xander? It's Mrs. Rosenberg. Is Willow there? I know the phones at the apartment aren't working quite yet."

"Yeah, she's here, just a second." he handed Will the phone. "Your mom," he mouthed.

She took it and looked away from Buffy, who was crossing her eyes as she slipped a couple of five-hundred dollar bills out of the bank and into her tiny money pile.

"Hi Mom. You're what? Yeah, we're moved in but--all right. Bye." she handed him the phone back.

"What's up?" Buffy asked. "You in trouble for hanging out with me?"

"No, but my parents are coming to visit us at the apartment tomorrow."

"Does this effect me in any way?" Xander asked.

"Only in the sense that you get to house all my Witch stuff 'till they leave. I'm glad I didn't unpack it all yet." she rolled her eyes. "Now of all times they take an interest in me."

Buffy stood up and brushed lint off her butt. "We'd better go."

Willow looked at her. "Go where?"

"To warn Spike and Anya. He can't keep up the spontaneous, all hours visits with Parental Units on the prowl."

"They won't be happy," Xander said as he put the game away, happy to be the self-declared winner.

"They'll deal," Buffy said as they walked out the door.

*****

Anya wasn't happy with the news that Will's parents were coming to visit. Spike was furious. He threw a stake at the wall in Buffy's room and she had to hang a poster over it to cover the hole it created. He suggested Anya go stay with him, but she said with classes starting Monday she really couldn't. He stormed out and the girls finished packing all the occult stuff away.

"You do realize," Anya said as she hid some of her candle holders under the bed. "That this is like a scene outta Felicity."

Buffy held up the fancy chest she kept all her mementos of Angel in. "You'll never see what's in my box."

The three of them cracked up.

*****

"It's nice," Sheila said after she'd toured the entire apartment twice. Anya was out with Spike but Buffy was standing beside Willow for moral support. "Very.........nice." she eyed her daughter. "I thought you had another roommate. There's another bed."

"I do. We do! Anya. She's out right now though."

"Getting textbooks," Buffy added for their benefit.

"Anya, that's an unusual name." Ira said.

Buffy made a face. As though Willow was such a common name.

"Where's she from?" he asked his daughter.

Willow looked to Buffy for help.

"Jersey," Buffy named the first place she could remember a tale of a scorned man coming from. "She grew up there, moved out here with her dad for senior year and we became friends."

"Willow never really mentioned her," Ira said.

"Willow never mentions anything except you, Bunny, and Xander and that library she loved so much." Sheila shook her head. "It's good that she's in an apartment on campus now. You'll meet lots of new people honey, get into lots of new things."

Buffy rolled her eyes and Willow gave her a small smile since her mother wasn't looking right at her and she couldn't return the gesture. "Did you guys wanna go get dinner?" Will asked. "The Chinese place closes at seven on weekends."

"Oh, yes, let's go." Sheila grabbed her purse off of Willow's bed and they left. As soon as they were gone, Anya and Spike fell out of the closet laughing.

****

Willow's parents decided to stay in town until the following weekend to make sure their "little girl" was settled. They met Anya on Sunday and seemed to like her. On Monday the girls went to class during the day and had dinner with Will's parents that night.

Tuesday, Anya said to Hell with her classes since Spike had spent the night. He couldn't go out during the day, so she stayed in bed with him, cuddling and kissing.

Around four p.m., they fell asleep entwined in each other's arms. Both being demons, they were deep sleepers and didn't hear anyone knocking. They didn't hear Willow's parents enter or walk into the bedroom either. The both woke up when Sheila screamed and Ira fainted.

*****

"So your parents pretty much hate me?" Anya wrote. It was Wednesday afternoon, and the three girls were sitting in English class together. The professor was late, but one of his assistants was rambling on about Shakespeare and how he wouldn't hear of them studying his work this semester. The girls were bored and were talking via a legal pad and three number 2 pencils.

"'Hate' is a bit drastic. They did try to get me to move into the dorm instead though." Willow wrote.

"Your parents'll deal," Buffy wrote.

"I hope so," Anya added. "I don't want anyone to hate me."

Buffy and Willow exchanged a Look and burst out laughing, pissing everyone in the classroom off.

Epilogue - Happiness......

Dear Amy,

Hi! How's everything going? I got the letter and pictures you sent, and I'm only slightly confused. You're still with Michael, right? Mind telling me who the hot guys in the picture at the Statue of Liberty were? <g>

Thank goodness NYU finally got email. Snail mail just takes up too much time, doesn't it? I need to show you how to send pictures via email. All in due time, I suppose....I know, I know, I'm impatient. You're probably still trying to figure out where all the keys are. (I know you so well.)

The weirdest things have been happening in Sunnydale since the new millennium. I know that once we finally got you de-ratted, you wanted to get out of dodge and I can understand that, but still, we've all missed you, most of all me. You're my Wiccan buddy, and I wish you could share in the looneyness that is now my life.

Okay, so my life hasn't really been anti-looney in a few years, but this takes the cake.

Where to start? Anya and Spike became a couple. They're a couple of nuts, that's for sure. Buffy and I were sharing an apartment with Anya for awhile, but we finally had to kick her out. She and Spike were......doing things, all the time and it was getting to be a pain in the ass. I mean, how do you write a letter full of lies to your parents when there are people moaning in the background?? You find yourself writing all sorts of odd words, like 'groping' and 'splendorfully'. I'm not even sure that last one is a word, but it was in one of those cheap novels you loved to read. Anya has about two million of them lying around and sometimes when I'm bored, I pick one up. =)

Anyways, my life. Our lives. Anya and Spike are the couple to avoid since all they do is screw. They were even caught at the Bronze!! Can you imagine?? Sex in public?? Wait, the whole Michael thing....never mind. Tell me nothing Amy.

Welllll, I don't really mean that. <g>

Oz and I broke up right after the holidays. I guess we were really starting to annoy each other. We want different things now, and we're different people than we were when we started dating.

And I know you know what I'm about to tell you now, and please don't say 'I told you so' or anything like that. You were right, I was wrong, let's leave it at that.

Xander and I are finally a real couple.

We're taking it slow, you know, really doing the dating thing. I guess we don't really need to date, since we actually are a couple and all, and we've known each other forever, but we don't wanna turn out like Ross and Rachel on FRIENDS. Yes, they're married and expecting now, but they went through a lot of shit I don't want to go through with Xander.

Plus, I don't wanna be drunk at our wedding!!!

The biggest piece of news I have for you is this:

Angel is back in Sunnydale! Apparently, he couldn't live without Buffy. He came home for her birthday and by Valentine's Day, we'd found a spell to keep them together forever without the chance of him losing his soul. So, not surprisingly, they've been living together in his mansion most nights. She comes here occasionally, and on Mondays 'cause we have a 6:15 a.m. class on Tuesday mornings. Most of the time though, I'm here alone.

And it's actually kind of nice. I read and write and practice spells. It's peaceful.

If you decide to come home and go to UC Sunnydale though, the room is yours. We'll have a blast. Two Wiccans in one room? Can you imagine?

That's about it from Sunnydale, Home of the Cooky Relationship. See you soon. Love you, miss you.

Willow

~Finis~