Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all characters belonging to the show will probably never be mine. Pity me.

Author's Notes: Many thanks to DreamsofSpike, my ever-patient beta. She's the one that's been making this very old fic decent enough to read.
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“Where do you think we’re going?” Buffy demanded. “We’re supposed to be patrolling, not shopping.”

“*You’re* supposed to be patrolling,” Spike corrected her. “I’m here to get supplies, not do your bloody job for you.”

Glaring daggers, Buffy reached out and grabbed hold of the vampire’s arm, spinning him around to face her. “There is no way that I’m leaving you to wander the streets alone.”

He shrugged, unconcerned. “You’d best tag along, then. I have to get Drusilla some new dresses before I have to kill your whelp.”

“We can make a quick and *quiet* stop by my house. I need to pick up some of my clothes anyway; I can loan her a few pairs of sweat pants and some t-shirts or something.”

Spike’s eyes narrowed and he looked her up and down, sizing up her wardrobe before raising a skeptical eyebrow at her. Finally, he snorted. “You expect me to bring your discards to Drusilla to wear? You *have* gone carrot-top.”

Buffy placed her hands on her hips, looking up at him in challenge. “What, she’s too good for my clothes?”

“Well, yeah.” He gave her his typical ‘you’re clueless’ look. “Unless I pulled them off your dead body, in which case she might like them…”

“You’re disgusting.” She turned away from him, contempt rolling off her in waves.

“Hey!” Spike followed after. “In less than twenty four hours, she’s been betrayed by her sire, carved up, nearly killed, brought to the enemy for protection, and now locked in a cage. I am *not* going to present her with bloody hand-me-downs on top of it!”

Frowning, Buffy spared him a glance over her shoulder. “How did you convince her to get into the cage, anyway?”

He shrugged. “Told her I’d bring home some chains.”

“God, you’re a pig!” she shivered.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it, sweetheart. What with your one and only bein’ the pervert he is, I’m surprised you haven’t.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

The vampire’s pacing was driving Willow nuts. It wasn’t even really pacing. She’d seen pacing. Spike paced…Drusilla swayed. She moved slowly back and forth along the edges of her cage, her hips swaying and her fingertips moving across the door.

“Run…run and catch…the lamb is caught in the blackberry patch…”

Her constant song and the way her haunting eyes moved from one Scoobie to another, as long as they stayed in her sight, was only making the tension rise. Giles had retreated into his office, mumbling all the way about it being “a vampire’s new romping ground”. Xander and Cordelia had headed into the stacks, searching for new books, yet always keeping at least a shelf between them. Only Willow and Oz had been left at the research table to endure Drusilla’s stare.

After slamming down the book she had been scrutinizing, Willow rose shakily from her wheelchair. Oz placed a steadying hand under her elbow and rose with her, but she gave him a slight shake of her head.

“I’m fine,” she promised.

Oz nodded toward the vampire, obviously catching on to Willow’s intentions. “Be careful. Don’t underestimate her just because she’s locked up.”

Willow gave him a small kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be careful.”

Drusilla watched her with every step of her approach. There was laughter dancing in her eyes and she swayed even more, moving her hips in slow seduction.

“Uh, listen…” Willow began. “Could you not…?”

The vampire’s expression changed in an instant. She stepped closer suddenly, and despite the cage door between them, Willow couldn’t help taking a step back. Drusilla’s haunting eyes were studying her like a mystery that plagued her thoughts.

“Such power…”

“Uh…huh?” Willow stared at the seer blankly.

“It waits…under the surface.” Drusilla moved to the door, her fingers snaking out to entice Willow closer. “Power like I’ve never seen.”

“I, uh…” Willow gave a meek shrug. “…I can make pencils float.”

Drusilla gave her an indulgent smile. “You will wield power to move worlds, change them to your liking.” As Willow’s eyes widened, Drusilla brought a finger to her own lips. “But hush…something wicked lies in wait. There’s a darkness…” She moved her fingers out of the cage door and pointed toward Willow’s heart. “That cannot be blamed on a demon.”

“A…a darkness?” Willow’s eyes widened with worry.

Drusilla motioned with her finger for Willow to come closer. The witch hesitated for a moment, but took another step closer.

“It will grow…consume…” Drusilla watched the young witch as she took a step closer, then another. “Until all you can see is the power…and what you want.” When Willow’s face was only inches from the vampire’s, she reached out and took a lock of red hair, captivated by it. She gave Willow a wicked grin and lowered her voice into a teasing whisper. “I bet you taste like strawberries.”

She gave a sudden growl and made a mock lunge, snapping her jaws playfully. Willow reeled back, eyes wide. A slow grin appeared on Drusilla’s face, and she gave a maniacal giggle as she watched the young girl stumble away, back towards the research table and her werewolf.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Ow.” Buffy rubbed at the top of her head, where Spike had ripped a bobby pin right out of her hair.

“Don’t be such a baby, Slayer. Bloody hell, how I never managed to kill you, I’ll never know.”

She pouted at him. She then smiled in a very sickly sweet way before reaching up and grabbing hold of some of the blonde hairs on the side of his head and yanking them right out.

“OW!” He whirled around to face her, eyes shifting to amber.

“Don’t be such a baby.” Buffy placed her hands on her hips, looking up at him unafraid. “And how your scalp can still feel anything after all that bleach, *I’ll* never know.”

As Spike turned away with a roll of his eyes and an angry grumble, Buffy was struck by just how ridiculous a picture they painted. One was a Slayer with more strength than ten men, and the other was a dangerous master vampire with two Slayers under his belt – and they were pulling each other’s hair like children.

“This is so stupid.” Buffy covered her face with a hand.

“Just now catchin’ on to that, are we?” Spike knelt in front of the door of a clothing shop, bending the bobby pin.

Buffy uncovered her face, and her eyes widened. “What are you doing?”

The vampire slammed his forehead against the door in exasperation. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“You’re breaking into the store? Uh-uh. No. That idea is *so* not of the good!”

Spike narrowed his eyes. “Do you even listen to the things that come out of your mouth? I know English, and that doesn’t even come close. And where did you *think* I was going to get clothes? I’m sure as bloody hell not going to march up to the mansion and tell Angelus I need to pack a bag!”

“I am *already* in trouble with the police because of your girlfriend!” She fumed at him. “I *so* do not need to get in more trouble with them for *this*!”

“Well no one’s askin’ you to come along, are they?” He gave her an infuriatingly smug grin.

It took him only seconds to pick the lock. He opened the door and stepped in like he owned the place, before turning to Buffy and holding up two fingers in an obscene gesture.

……………………………………………………………………………………….

The tap on his shoulder was so unexpected in the tense silence, it caused Xander to jump and yelp, dropping the book he had been pretending to look through. He spun around quickly, glaring at Cordelia.

“Well, give me a heart attack, why dontcha?”

“I thought that’s what I just did.”

He sighed. “What was that for, anyway?”

“I wanna make out.” She got straight to the point. She then patted the front of his pants knowingly. “And you do, too.”

Xander stared at her for a moment, looking completely dumbfounded. “You only want to make out because of ‘British hotness’.”

She shrugged, tossing her long dark hair over her shoulder. “And you only want to make out because of boobs of vampire.”

He blinked. “And this…isn’t a problem for you?”

Cordelia shrugged. “Hey, whatever works.”

The teenage boy was sure that he had just fallen in love. “Ok, we’re a go.”

The two spared brief glances around the shelves to see if they could spot the others, and made sure they wouldn’t be stumbled upon before their lips met in frenzied need. Xander broke away after a long kiss and held up a hand to stop her. “As long as you don’t start spouting nonsense about stars and pixies, we’re a go,” he clarified before they continued.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Spike tossed a pair of black jeans over his shoulder. Buffy rolled her eyes as she watched him go through identical black t-shirts and pick out only a few. He was strolling leisurely through the aisles, before finally making his way to the women’s section. He scanned through the dresses on display and on the racks, tossing a few of them away with sounds of disgust.

“How do you know you’ll even get her size right?”

Stopping what he was doing, Spike took the time to turn around completely to look at her like she had grown an arm out of her forehead. “Slayer…I’ve been with the woman for over a hundred years. I don’t know what sort of man you’re used to dealing with, but I am observant enough to know her size by now.”

He turned back to the dresses. “I know how long her legs are, how small her waist is, how her hips and buttocks fit in my hands, the exact curve of her breasts…”

“Okay!” Buffy held up her hands in surrender. “Major TMI, Spike.”

Spike snickered. He pulled out a long black gown, then a red one with long, wide sleeves. “Maybe a nice dark green, too…it’s been a while since I’ve gotten her green.”

“Oh,” Buffy pitched in with a mocking tone. “Maybe she’d like some nice slippers and earrings to go with.”

“You know, that’s a good idea…”

“God, you’re so pathetic.” Her contempt was obvious in her voice.

Growling, he narrowed his eyes at her. “And where did that come from?”

“Look at you!” She pointed to the dresses he had draped over his arm. “She’s *using* you, and you make it easy for her!”

Squaring his shoulders, Spike slowly took a step closer to her. “What is that supposed to mean? Where do you get off…”

“She cheated on you, Spike,” Buffy clarified. “Not that I care, but…it’s just far too pathetic, the way she has you whipped. You were crippled, in a wheel chair, and she ran around on you with Angel. But, of course, as soon as her life is in danger she clings to you, turns to you to make it all better, to do whatever she needs, and you make it so very easy for her.”

His jaw was clenched, the angles of his face in sharp relief in his anger. “And you’re the bloody expert, are you?” A slow smirk spread across his face. “Well, do share your vast wisdom in what our relationship should be. Here’s a clue, Slayer. Whether you think much about what she and I have or not, the fact is, I’ve kept that woman by my side for one hundred years.” His smirk grew and became downright wicked. “One hundred. How long did you hold on to your honey? One year? Was it even that long?”

Buffy stared up at him with wide eyes, her lips pursed into a thin line. There was a dangerous fire in her gaze that sent a surprisingly delicious shiver right down Spike’s spine to all his more sensitive parts.

Shaking the feeling off as nothing, he grinned as pleasantly as he could. “So, let’s keep our advice to ourselves, shall we?”

Spike made his way out the door, carrying all the clothes he had picked out over his shoulder. “Now, I’m headin’ to the hospital.”

“The hospital?” She frowned.

He snorted. “If you think I’m bringing pig’s blood back to my Princess, you’re crazy enough to be competin’ with Dru.”

She watched him leave, her limbs still shaking with rage. She took several deep breaths, then made her way outside after him. Buffy could still see Spike strolling down the street. She knew she should continue to keep tabs on him, but there was still so much to do…and she honestly didn’t care at that moment if some of Angel’s minions found him. She would much rather have to deal with Angel with Spike’s power than Spike with Spike’s mouth again.