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Love Bytes

Season 4.

*~*

Willow entered her dorm room after a night at The Bronze. She tossed her jacket on the bed as she walked over to her desk. She opened her laptop and logged onto the Net. She typed in her screen name, Aislin1328, and password. After checking her email, she surfed through her favorite sites hoping to find something to strike her interest. Restless and too wired to sleep, Willow decided to see who else was up and surfing the chat rooms.

She'd been lurking in the Charmed chat room for about five minutes when a new name appeared on the screen, Angelface7325. Immediately she thought of Angel and Cordelia. Willow wished they'd get together. She knew the broody vampire cared about Cordy, in more than the just friends kind of way Cordy insisted on, and the reverse was also true. *They both need to buy a clue,* Willow mused. She reminded herself to ask how the relationship was progressing in her next e-mail to the ex-cheerleader. Their relationship had progressed beyond a simple exchange of demonology into more personal exchanges between friends.

Buffy and the others had no idea Willow and Cordelia would spend hours talking over instant messenger. The red head always thought it was funny that she'd be talking to Cordy in one box and Angel in the other. Both complaining about the other. And it wasn't that Willow wouldn't tell Buffy if she asked, she just wasn't volunteering information.

Quick movements on the screen brought the young witch's attention back to the chat at hand. Everyone was debating which Halliwell sister was the best and who had the coolest powers. She listened in for a while and found herself agreeing with one person in particular: NoWhere_Man126.

Harley_Rider30: How can you beat Phoebe's power? I mean premonitions. She knows what's going to happen.

NoWhere_Man126: She kind of knows. She rarely understands the whole vision until it's actually happening.

Raven2164: No way, Harley. Piper is by far the best sister. Stopping time is so cool!

NoWhere_Man126: I have to disagree, Rav. Yeah, Piper can stop time, but it has to restart again. Both Pipe & Phoebe have passive powers. Prue's the one with the real power.

Willow decided to de-lurk and add her own two cents.

Aislin1328: I gotta agree with NoWhere_Man126. Prue can move objects with her mind. Plus she's got that new astral projection thing going on.

NoWhere_Man126: ;) Thnx

Willow chatted with the group debating the finer points of The Charmed Ones' powers and favorite episodes. She laughed out loud at most of Harley's comments on what he'd do if he had any of their powers. Leo_guy629 had a real thing for Piper since that's all he talked about. Even if they weren't chatting about her, he brought the topic back to her. Only one person in the room annoyed her, Pixie_grrl.

Pixie_grrl: That so did NOT happen!! DO YOU PEOPLE EVEN WATCH THE SHOW??!!!

Willow had had enough of her cutting comments and the shouting was the last straw.

Aislin1328: Pixie, if you are going to keep dissing everyone here and yelling all the time, then leave!!

Pixie_grrl: Whatever! You people don't know anything!

(Pixie_grrl has left the room)

NoWhere_Man126: Finally!

NY_412: Aislin, you go grrl!

Leo_guy629: Yeah!

Harley_Rider30: About time.

Aislin1328: ::Takes a bow::

Challieb28: Now where were we? Oh, yeah, Leo.

Aislin1328: Obsess much? You talk about him every two seconds.

Challieb28: I have limited interests.

Salice6276: lol

Willow continued to chat, laugh and argue with everyone. Ten minutes later she frowned at the screen.

NoWhere_Man126: Gotta go. See ya.

(NoWhere_Man126 has left the room)

A dialog box appeared on her screen: "NoWhere_Man126 has an Instant Message for you."

Slowly, Willow dragged the cursor over the reply button and clicked. An IM box appeared on her screen.

NoWhere_Man126: Hi. Seems we have some stuff in common.

No one had ever IM'd her from a chat room before. It was kind of exciting and a little scary. Slowly, she typed out her response and hit enter.

Aislin1328: Hey, and yeah, I guess we do.

NoWhere_Man126: You definitely know a lot about Charmed

Aislin1328: It's one of my favorite shows. I never miss it.

NoWhere_Man126: I try not to either. Haven't been able to watch it lately cuz my TV is broken.

Aislin1328: That's a bummer.

NoWhere_Man126: Tell me about it.

Aislin1328: So what are you up to?

NoWhere_Man126: About 5' 10" or so

Aislin1328: LOL!

NoWhere_Man126: Seriously. Not much. Got a new comp and been playing with it for the last few hours.

Aislin1328: Really? What kind?

They talked about computers and software programs. It seemed like only ten minutes when Buffy dragged herself in from a long night of patrolling. Willow glanced up from her computer and checked the clock. 3 AM. She'd been chatting with a perfect stranger for over three hours. *And not a single exchange about demons, vampires, or prophecies,* she thought in amazement. "Hey, Buff. Hard night?" Willow asked.

The Slayer stumbled over to her bed and threw herself onto it. "Hey, Wills. Need sleep," she mumbled into her pillow. With her next breath, she was asleep.

Willow returned to her laptop and found NoWhere_Man126 waiting for her reply.

Aislin1328: Sorry about that. My roommate just walked in. Didn't realize how late it was. I really should get to bed.

NoWhere_Man126: IC So can we talk again tomorrow?

Aislin1328: I'd like that.

NoWhere_Man126: Great. Until then have a good night.

Aislin1328: Night.

Willow closed the box and added his name to her list so she'd see the next time he was online. She shut down her computer and crawled into bed with a smile on her face.

*-*-*-*

Willow's green eyes followed Buffy around the room as the blonde collected her slaying paraphernalia.  *Come on.  Hurry up and leave already,* she thought.  At the knock on the door, Willow rushed to open it.  Riley stood there in his patrol gear.

He looked over Willow's head and spotted his girlfriend slipping some extra stakes in her bag.  "Ready to go, Buff?" he asked.

"Yep," the Slayer answered as she slung the bag over her shoulder.  "See ya, Wills."

Once the door shut behind them, the red head raced to her laptop and logged on.  Launching her instant messenger, she checked her buddy list and saw that NoWhere_Man hadn't logged on yet.  With a frown she pulled up her e-mails and found a message from him.  It was time stamped earlier this afternoon.

Hey!
I've got some stuff to do this evening so I'll be on line a little later than I planned.  Sorry.  :(

"Well, when is later for you, NoWhere?" she asked as she checked the clock.  It was quarter after eight.  They hadn't exactly set a specific time for their "date" so Willow checked the rest of her e-mails while she waited.

Fifteen minutes later her computer beeped and she saw that he had logged onto the system.  She moved the cursor to send him a message when he IM'd her first.

NoWhere_Man126:  Aislin?  Sorry I'm late.

Aislin1328:  It's okay.   Not like we actually set a time to talk.  So, what's up?

NoWhere_Man126:  Not much.  Same old same old.  Oh, what's the url for that Charmed site you were telling me about?

Willow looked up the site address and sent it to him.

NoWhere_Man126:  Thanx.  I'll check it out later.  Anything new with you?

Aislin1328:  Not much.  Usual school stuff.

NoWhere_Man126:  What are you taking?

Aislin1328:  Got a world history class that's giving me pains.  Abnormal psych and English

NoWhere_Man126:  Can't help you with the English or psych (although most consider me anything but normal) but world history is my forte.  Been most everywhere.

Aislin1328:  lol (about the psych bit)  what places have you traveled to?

NoWhere_Man126:  Pretty much everywhere.  Most of Europe, parts of Asia and both Americas

Aislin1328:  Wow!  I wish I could travel the world.

NoWhere_Man126:  You will if you really want to .  You're young yet and have plenty of time.

Aislin1328:  How do you know I'm young?

NoWhere_Man126:  Oops.  I just assumed you were since you're in college and everything.

Aislin1328:  Never assume.  I could be 87 and have 40 grandkids and 17 great grandchildren.

NoWhere_Man126:  So.  Do you?

Aislin1328:  No.

NoWhere_Man126:  ah

NoWhere_Man126:  brb

Aislin1328:  Kay.

Willow waited for him to return which didn't take long.

NoWhere_Man126:  Oh, jeez.  I gotta go do something for a bit.  I'll be back in about 30 minutes.  Kay?

Aislin1328:  Sure.  See ya in 30.

NoWhere_Man126:  You're a doll.  Thanks.

(NoWhere_Man126 has signed off at 8:57 PM)

Willow sighed as he logged off to do whatever he needed to do.  "Might as well review for my test,"  she mumbled as she pulled out her heavy text book from her book bag.

A knock at the door startled her out of the political movement behind Hitler's rise to power.  She pulled open the door and was surprised to see the bleach blonde vampire standing there.

"Spike.  What are you doing here?" Willow asked.

"Hey, Red," he greeted her as he stepped into the dorm room.  "Watcher needs a book.  Said you borrowed it."

"Note to self, do uninvite spell," she muttered as Spike started searching for the text.  "And you're playing errand guy out of the kindness of your heart?" Willow asked.

Spike smirked as he poked through her book shelf.  "Hardly.   He's getting me a new TV and I'm paying him back in trade."  He couldn't find the book. "Look got a few things to do tonight.  So if I can get the book I'll be out of her.  It's called... Demons and Witches:  The Truth or something like that."

The red head rolled her eyes and unlocked her trunk.  She dug through her magick supplies to her collection of spell books in the bottom.  Willow pulled a red leather volume out of the pile and flipped through it.  She removed a few scraps of paper she'd used to mark her place.

Spike reached over her shoulder and snatched the book out of her hand. "Thanks, pet.  Gotta run."

She watched as the door shut behind him. "Gee, Spike, why don't you stay and chat for a while," she muttered as she put her trunk back together.  She noticed some of her supplies where getting kind of low.  Grabbing a pen and notepad, she started making a shopping list for tomorrow.  Engrossed in her list she jumped when her computer beeped.  Willow rushed to her desk.

NoWhere_Man126:  I'm back.  Sorry about that.

Aislin1328:  It's all right.  Stuff happens.

NoWhere_Man126:  Cool.

Aislin1328:  So where'd you go?  Had to visit a girlfriend?

NoWhere_Man126:  Not exactly.

Aislin1328:  Not exactly?  Care to explain?

NoWhere_Man126:  Not really.

Aislin1328:  That's cool.  Oh, I just wanted to ask you about your screen name.  Where did you come up with it?

NoWhere_Man126:  It's a Beatles song.

Aislin1328:  ah

NoWhere_Man126:  You have heard of the Beatles, right?

Aislin1328:  Who?

Aislin1328:  Just kidding!  Of course, I know who the Beatles are!

NoWhere_Man126:  Had me worried there for a second.

They chatted more about their favorite music and bands.  He gave her some insight to Hitler's rise to power and they talked about trivial things like movies and favorite books.

Buffy trudged into the room.  Tossing her bag into a corner she stood behind Willow.  "Whatcha doing?" she asked.

"Talking to someone," Willow answered slowly.  She lowered the lid of her laptop.  "Did you need something?"

Buffy looked at her friend.  "No.  I'm going to go to sleep," she said as she began changing for bed.

"Kay."  She opened the laptop again.

Aislin1328:  Hate to cut this short, but I've got that test tomorrow.  So I should get to bed.

NoWhere_Man126:  Sweet dreams, Aislin.

Aislin1328:  You too.

Willow logged off and shut down her computer.

*-*-*-*

"Willow, we could use your help tonight with research," Buffy said as she speared a crouton with her fork.  She crunched on her salad topping while she watched her friend closely.

"Sure, I can do that," Willow said cheerfully.  She made a mental note to send NoWhere_Man an e-mail.  They'd been talking on line every night for almost a week.  Willow was disappointed that she'd be busy tonight.  He made her laugh and forget the troubles of living on the Hellmouth, but they also had serious conversations.  He'd definitely helped to improve her world history grade.  Her professor had been very impressed with her last essay on the comparative rise to power of Hitler and Churchill.

Buffy finished her salad and gathered her books.  "I'll see you at Giles' later," she said as she headed off to class.

*-*-*-*

Willow glanced up from her book when Spike entered the Watcher's apartment. When his intense blue eyes fell on her, she tried to give him a welcoming grin. His glare sent her eyes back to the pages in front of her.

"The bookworm's here so what do you need me for?" he asked.  He had so many other things he'd rather be doing than researching the latest demon to visit Sunnyhell.  *Like rearrange my sock drawer,* he thought.

"Sit down, grab a book, and shut up," Buffy snapped.  *I could so do without his attitude,* the Slayer fumed.

"A skill you have yet to master," Spike retorted as he sat on the opposite end of the couch from Willow.

The red head giggled at the slam and quickly bit her lip when Buffy glared in her direction.  *He's right, though.  Buffy has never been the strong, silent type.  She's always running off at the mouth.  Whoa!  Bad, Willow!  She's your best friend.  Although she has been spending more time with GI Joe, Junior than me.  Not that I'm jealous or anything.*  Willow ceased her mental babbling when she felt someone staring at her.  She looked up to find Spike staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.  *Do I have something in my teeth?*

He continued to stare at her.  "Take a picture, it will last longer," she said, sounding more confident than she really was.

"Why waste the film?" he asked cruelly.

While she expected some biting comeback from him, his words cut her just the same.  A humiliating blush stained her cheeks as she returned to her reading.  *Why do I let him get to me?* she asked herself.

*Because if you would just admit it, you like him,* her conscious replied.

*I do not!  Besides he's so mean to me.*

*So was Andy Clark and he told you it was because he had a major crush on you.*

*That was in the second grade.*

*And men mature so much from second grade,* her conscious told her sarcastically.

*Spike does _not_ have a crush on me!*

*Fine.  Whatever you say.*

Willow pushed her personal debate aside and concentrated on finding information on Buffy's demon.

*-*-*-*

Willow finished writing her essay for History class.  "Never knew a prof who loved essays more than Dr.  Hanks," she muttered as she hit save on her laptop.   She rubbed her eyes in order to release the strain from staring at the computer for so long.  She opened one eye at the computer's familiar beep.  NoWhere_Man IM'd her.

NoWhere_Man126:  Hello, Aislin.  Finished your essay yet?

Aislin1328:  Hey.  How did you know I was working on an essay?

NoWhere_Man126:  You were complaining about all the essays you had to write for your history class.  About one a week, right?

Aislin1328:  Yep.  I'm surprised you remembered.

NoWhere_Man126:  Why are you surprised?

Aislin1328:  Don't know.  I guess I'm just used to most of my friends not paying much attention to what I do.

NoWhere_Man126:  I'd say you need some new friends. So what did you do yesterday?

Aislin1328:  Research... for a friend's project.

NoWhere_Man126:  One of the same friends who doesn't pay attention to what you do?

Aislin1328:  Kind of.  I mean she's my best friend and everything.   She's got a new boyfriend that she's been spending a lot of time with so we don't get to hang out as much as we used to.

NoWhere_Man126:  And you've been spending a lot of time talking to me.  What does she say about that?

Aislin1328:  Not much.

NoWhere_Man126:  Does she know that you spend so much time talking to me? Am I taking you away from a real social life?

Aislin1328:  I don't know if she knows or not.  And you're not.  I enjoy talking to you.  How about you?

NoWhere_Man126:  No, I haven't told your friend anything.

Aislin1328:  Very funny.

NoWhere_Man126:  Nothing I'd rather be doing than talking to you.

Aislin1328:  You're sweet.

NoWhere_Man126:  Don't let that get around.  Got a reputation to protect.

Aislin1328:  Big tough guy, huh?

NoWhere_Man126:  You know it.

Aislin1328:  lol

NoWhere_Man126:  Oh, been meaning to ask you about  your screen name.  I assume it's not your real name. Where did it come from?

Aislin1328:  No. It's not my real name. It's a magickal name. I'm a witch.  Don't go all freaky on me.

NoWhere_Man126:  Why would I go freaky?  Known a couple of witches in my life.  Just be careful with spells.

Aislin1328:  I always try to be careful with spells.  They don't always go as planned though.

NoWhere_Man126:  Uh oh.

Aislin1328:  What?

NoWhere_Man126:  Oh, nothing.  Just a spell someone messed up left a bad taste in my mouth once.

Aislin1328:  Been there.  Done that.  Bought the tee-shirt.

NoWhere_Man126:  Just be careful.

Aislin1328:  I will.

NoWhere_Man126:  That's all I ask.  Hate to hear that you turned yourself into a frog.

Aislin1328:  Ew.  Or a rat.

NoWhere_Man126:  Huh?

Aislin1328:  Nothing.  My roommate just came in.  I'd better sign off.

NoWhere_Man126:  Okay.  Talk to you later.

Aislin1328:  Count on it.

Willow logged off and turned to talk to Buffy.  The blonde was getting ready for bed.  Willow wanted to tell Buffy about NoWhere_Man, but something held her back.  She wanted to keep something special for herself.  *It's not like we're dating or anything,* she reminded herself as she pulled a nightshirt out of her dresser.  *Probably wouldn't want me if he saw me.*  Shaking off the depressing thoughts, Willow finished dressing for bed.   Slipping between the sheets, she smiled over his concern for her.

*-*-*-*

Aislin1328:  Sunnydale?  You're kidding.

NoWhere_Man126:  If I was gonna lie, I'd say some place exciting like Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Aislin1328:  That's true.  Sunnydale isn't exactly the hub of excitement.

NoWhere_Man126:  Sounds like you've heard of it.

Aislin1328:  I live here.

NoWhere_Man126:  Really?

Buffy entered the room and spotted Willow at her usual place in front of her computer.  "Hey, Wills," she said.

*He lives in Sunnydale?  I wonder if I know him,* Willow thought.  *But who could he be?*

Buffy sat on her bed and stared at her friend.  Willow hadn't even realized she'd said anything.  *What does she do on that thing all night?* she wondered.  The blonde walked over to stand behind her friend. *NoWhere_Man126?*  Buffy watched Willow talk to him, totally absorbed in their conversation.  *She's net dating?  Wait.  Is there such a thing as net dating?* Buffy asked herself.  Willow finally signed off.  "Willow."

The red head jumped and clutched her heart.  "Goddess!  You scared me, Buffy!" she exclaimed.

"I've been standing here for like ten minutes, Will," the blonde said folding her arms over her chest.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really.  Who was that?" she asked, pointing at the computer.

Willow glanced at the laptop. "No one. Just someone I talk to on line," she said.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Buffy asked. She'd heard horror stories about psychos stalking the Internet.

"And walking the streets of Sunnydale, isn't?"  Willow asked.

"Yeah, but you don't know anything about this guy.  He could be a killer or something.  He could be stalking you," Buffy exclaimed, letting her imagination run away from her.

Willow stared at her friend in shock.  "Okay, this isn't some movie of the week.  Let's not go over board.  Besides I can take care of myself."

Buffy threw Willow a look of disbelief.  Picking up Willow's sneakers, she tossed them to the red head.  "Put your shoes on.  We're going to Giles'," she said.

Willow just shook her head as she slipped her feet into the red canvas shoes.  *Paranoid much, Buff,* she thought.

*-*-*-*

"Okay, Will, but how much do you really know about him?" Buffy asked for like the billionth time since leaving the dorms.

Willow released a strangled sigh as she leaned her head back against the Watcher's couch.  "About as much as he knows about me," she said between clenched teeth.

"And what kind of name is NoWhere Man?" Xander asked as he grabbed another Oreo out of the bag.

Her green eyes narrowed as she glared at her best friend since kindergarten. "It's a screen name," she growled.  "I don't use my real name either."

Giles listened with half an ear to their conversation.  "Willow?"

"Yes, Giles?" she asked, hoping against hope the Watcher would trust her judgment on this whole thing.

"Do you think it's wise to meet people on that contraption?" he asked.

"The Net, Giles!  It's called the Internet!" she shouted as she jumped to her feet.  "I have  a lot of friends on the Net.  Most of them I'll never meet cuz they live on the other side of the planet!  We exchange ideas and talk."

"Yes, well.  Willow, he could be a demon trying to get to Buffy," Giles warned with a stern look.

*Buffy!  Of course, everything comes back to Buffy.* Willow fumed.

Xander latched onto that idea.  "Yeah.  Remember Maloch," he said.  He munched on his cookies.

Willow had had enough.  She grabbed her jacket and headed for the door. "I'm going home.  Alone," she added when Buffy stood up.  She turned on her heel and stormed out of the apartment.

Anya hit Xander in the shoulder.

"Ow!" he yelped.  "What was that for?"

"You made her leave before I could ask her my question," Anya pouted.

"What did you want to ask her?" Giles asked.  He wasn't sure he really wanted to hear her answer.

"I wanted to know if she did that cyber-sex thing yet," she said.

Giles shook his head in bemusement.  *For an ex-vengance demon, that girl thinks entirely too much about sex.*

Anya stood and grabbed her jacket.  "I'll go ask her," she said as she opened the door.  "No one follow me," she said, looking directly at Buffy.

*-*-*-*

Willow spooned another glob of hot fudge into her mouth.  She saw Anya enter the B&R.  Pulling the spoon from her mouth, she watched her walk over to Willow's table.  "What do you want?"

Anya slid into the booth across from the red head.  "I just wanted to ask you a question," she said as she stared at the sundae in front of Willow. She noticed the green-eyed glare she received.  "Hey, I'm not against you doing what ever you want on the Net or in the real world.  It's your life," she said holding her hands up in surrender.

"Ah," Willow said quietly.  "What was your question?"

"Have you had cyber-sex yet?" Anya asked.  The girl behind the counter turned her attention to the only customers in the small store.

Willow flushed neon red and started to giggle.  "Sorry to spoil your fun, Anya," she said with a lopsided grin.

"You're not," Anya said only slightly disappointed.  "I just wanted to know if you were having fun," she said with a smirk.

Willow laughed.

"So you gonna spill about this guy anytime soon?" Anya asked.  Her eyes were carefully trained on the red head. While Willow wasn't what she'd consider a best friend, Anya liked the young witch and felt no one gave her credit for anything she did. Including her botched spells. *It takes a lot of natural talent to perform any of the spells Willow tries.  She just needs a teacher,* she thought.  "You know, I'm gonna want details," Anya said.

Willow started telling Anya about NoWhere_Man, the things they talked about and more importantly the things they didn't.  "You know it's nice to have someone to talk about things that don't go bump in the night."

*-*-*-*

Anya and Willow laughed together as they entered the dorm room.  Willow looked around and didn't see any sign of Buffy.  "She's probably at Riley's," she said.  "Make yourself," Willow started.  Anya sat on Willow's bed and started flipping through one the text books she'd left out.  "Home," Willow finished lamely.  *What is it about people just helping themselves to my room?* she pondered.

The red head opened her laptop and connected to the Internet.  She pulled up her email account and ran through her messages.  She smiled at NoWhere's name.  Clicking on his message, she began to read.

Anya watched the expressions fleet across Willow's face.  A couple of times she even laughed out loud.  At the end her jaw dropped.  "What is it?"

"Oh, my goddess..." Willow murmured.  She shut the laptop.

"What?" Anya asked again.  She hated repeating herself.

Willow turned in her seat and looked at the ex-demon.  "He wants to meet."

*-*-*-*

Willow and Anya stared at each other.  The ex-demon was the first one to put her thoughts into words. ?Is that a good thing or a bad thing?? she asked.

?Not sure,? Willow said looking slightly panicked. ?What do you think??

Anya thought for a moment as she looked at the ceiling tiles.  ?Do you want it to be a good thing?? she asked non-chalantly.

?I don?t know,? the red head sighed as she flopped onto Buffy?s bed.

?I think you should meet him,? Anya advised.

Willow wasn?t even listening.  She began debating to herself the pros and cons of actually meeting someone she met on line.  ?Maybe the gang is right. What if he _is_  some sicko serial killer who picks his victims from the Internet.?

Anya sat and watched the red head?s verbal thought process with fascination.

?Or maybe he is a demon who wants to get to Buffy... everyone wants to get to Buffy.  Never me. Even Spike came here to kill Buffy and was going to settle for me,? Willow whined.  ?But then he had that whole performance issue.?

Anya smiled and just shook her head.  She knew Willow?s pity party wouldn?t last long.  Bored, she stood up and walked over to Willow?s closet to find something for the witch to wear on her date.

Willow?s delicate hands fluttered about as she found reasons to not meet NoWhere_Man.  ?But we do have a lot in common.  We both live in Sunnydale.?

?Oh, yeah, that?s a reason to go out with someone,? Anya muttered under her breath.  She pulled one of Willow?s long ?granny? skirts. With a look of disgust, she tossed it on the closet floor.

?We both love Charmed.  That?s how we met, in a Charmed chat room.?

?Uh huh.? Anya dug deeper into the closet.  She felt something that might have possibilities and pulled out
a pair of black leather pants.  *Oh, Willow.  You have hidden depths,* she thought as she draped them over her shoulder.  *Cuz I know that Buffy couldn?t fit her big butt into these.*

?We both love the Beatles.  Although I think he likes them a little more than me.?

?Sure.?  Anya moved onto Willow?s dresser to find a top.

?Oh, and we live for hot chocolate with those cute tiny marshmallows.?

?Yeah,? Anya replied as she searched the dresser drawers.  She finally found a dark green baby tee shirt that would go perfectly with the leather pants.

Willow finally finished her debate and sat up.  ?Okay.  I?m gonna do it. I?ll meet him,? she said triumphantly.

?Good.  Hopefully this will get you laid and you can stop mooning over Spike,? Anya said starting a search for shoes.

Willow felt the blood flood into her cheeks.  ?I don?t... I mean... You honestly think... Oh, hell!? she groaned.  Defeated she
flopped back onto the bed.

?What?  It?s obvious you like him.  To me, anyway.  I don?t think the others realize it yet, if that?s what you?re worried about.  Besides who can blame you. Spike is beyond eye candy,? Anya said as she glanced at Willow. Looking at the sandal in her hand she scrunched up her nose and tossed it back into the closet.  *Buffy has no taste,* she thought to herself.

 ?Let?s face it, Willow.  Those cheekbones are killer. But if you tell Xander I said so.  I will hurt you.?

*-*-*-*

After Willow?s last class she returned to her dorm room and logged onto her computer.  Clicking an icon, the red head quickly scanned her e-mails. *Nothing from NoWhere_Man.*  She sighed as she launched her Instant Messenger and glanced at her buddy list.  When the familiar ding alerted her to an incoming message, she felt a warm tingle run through her body.

NoWhere_Man126:  Aislin?  Did you get my e-mail?

Willow began to type with a silly grin plastered on her face.

Aislin1328:  Yes, I did.  Sorry I didn?t reply back.

NoWhere_Man126:  That?s okay. You must think I?m a deranged lunatic.

Aislin1328:  Not deranged.  And I would like to meet you.

NoWhere_Man126:  lol,  How shocking...

Aislin1328:  LOL

NoWhere_Man126:  Well, where should we meet?

Aislin1328:  Do you know the Bronze?

NoWhere_Man126:  Been there a few times.

Aislin1328:  We could meet there

NoWhere_Man126: Cool.  How about Friday?

Aislin1328:  No.  Too busy.  And my friends would definitely be hanging out there.  How about Thursday?

NoWhere_Man126:  Thursday works for me  About 8:30pm?

Aislin1328:  Sounds good.

NoWhere_Man126:  It?s a date, then.  How will we know each other?

Aislin1328:  You like details, don?t you?  Anyways. Uhm... Oh I?ll be wearing black pants and a green tee-shirt.

NoWhere_Man126:  I?ll  wear jeans and a tee shirt.

Aislin1328:  And I?ll be able to tell you apart from the other 50 guys there, how?

NoWhere_Man126:  I?ll be the good looking one.

Aislin1328:  That should narrow it down to 40 guys.

NoWhere_Man126:  Hey, now!

Aislin1328:  LOL!

NoWhere_Man126:  Black jeans, red shirt, and blonde hair.

Aislin1328: That?s better.

Aislin1328:  Well, I?d better go.  My roommate will be home soon.  She?s not too enamored with my meeting people via the Internet.

NoWhere_Man126:  Kay.  I?ll see you Thursday, Aislin.

Aislin1328:  Can?t wait.  Good night.  :)

Willow signed off and turned around.

?Boo!? Anya said with a grin.  Willow jumped.

?Goddess!  Don?t scare me like that!?  Willow shrieked with her hand over her pounding heart.

Anya just chuckled.  ?Saw you talking to NoWhere_Man,? she said grinning even wider.

?Yeah.  We?re gonna meet Thursday at the Bronze,? Willow said, enthusiasm evident in her voice.

?Next Thursday?? Anya asked.

?No, this Thursday.?   Willow tried to go through her schedule in her head to make sure she didn?t have prior plans.

?Willow??

?What??

?What day is today??

Willow thought for a minute.  ?Today is... Oh, my Goddess!  Thursday is tomorrow,? she said slowly.

Anya clapped proudly.  ?Xander always said you were bright.  Did you tell him what you were wearing??

?Yes,? she sighed.  ?I told him black pants and a green tee-shirt.?

Anya turned on her heel and opened the closet door. She pulled out the clothes she?d put together the night before.  ?Now you have no choice except to wear this outfit,? she said as she laid out the black leather pants and dark green tee-shirt on Willow?s bed.

Willow?s eyes widened at the garments.  ?I can?t wear that.  I bought those pants during one of my insane moments,? Willow explained hoping Anya would see reason.  ?And that shirt shrank the last time I washed it.?

?It?s black pants and a green tee shirt just like you told him you?d be wearing.  Don?t worry, you?ll look great.?

Willow rubbed her temples and moaned.  ?Fine.?

*-*-*-*

Thursday at 8:15

Willow headed towards the Bronze thinking about this NoWhere_Man she had grown to... ?Love seems like such a strong word,? she muttered to herself. ?But I really like him.  He makes me laugh.  Like Spike does.?  She felt a pang of guilt.  *Spike.*  ?It?s not like you?re cheating on him, Wills.  I mean he doesn?t even like you.?  She quickly shook the thoughts away. ?NoWhere_Man likes you.  He wanted to meet you. Forget about bleach blonde hair and the way his tight jeans curve to his ass.?  Willow groaned.  ?Damn you, Anya.  Willow, quite talking to yourself.?  With determination she straightened her shoulders and pushed thoughts of Spike aside as she moved closer to the Bronze.

*-*-*-*

Spike locked his apartment door and headed off to the Bronze.  It was a little after eight.  His thoughts revolved around Aislin.  What did she look like?  Did she have dark hair like Dru?  Or blonde like the Slayer?  A shudder ran down his spine at that thought.  ?Please don?t look like Slutty,? he muttered.  As fate would have it, he ran into the bane of his existence.

?Hey, Blondie!  Watch it!?  Buffy said, obviously annoyed.

?Blondie?  Isn?t that like the peroxide calling the bottle blonde?? he retorted.  Buffy didn?t say anything as she tried to process the insult. ?Speechless, Slutty?  Well, there?s a first time for everything,? Spike said with a smirk.

?Drop dead, Spike,? Buffy snapped.  She was not in the mood to deal with the bleached wonder.

?Already there, pet. Maybe you are a natural blonde after all,? he said slightly bored. ?As fun as this isn?t, I have other things to do.? He turned on his heel and headed in the opposite direction.

Buffy stared after him. ?That?s it?? she asked aloud. With a shake of her head she turned and continued her patrol.

*-*-*-*

Willow sat at the table waiting.  Looking around she tried to see if she could spot NoWhere_Man.  A tall blonde in jeans and a red shirt walked towards her. Willow sat up straighter and smiled.  Dark eyes glanced at her before moving passed her table.

Willow tried to bury her disappointment.  ?He?s not gonna show.  Or maybe he did and he saw me and thought yuck and turned around and left,? she muttered to herself.  Glancing at her watch she decided to wait until 9 before she went home.

*-*-*-*

Spike pushed open the door to the Bronze.  *This is it,* he thought as he paused inside the door.  He was about to meet the girl he had grown to love. *At least, like a lot,* he amended silently.  He hesitated. *What the hell am I doing?  I?m a 126 years old and I?m meeting some mortal in a bar? Spike, you have officially lost it.*  With a shake of his head he turned around and walked out.

*-*-*-*

As Spike headed out the door, he paused a moment before turning on his heel.  *Oh, to hell with it. I'm meeting her,* he thought.  He re-entered the club. Standing by the door he looked around trying to locate Aislin.

Spike spotted a girl in black pants playing pool. Once the amazon straightened from her shot, the vampire thanked which ever deity was available she was wearing a sky blue tank top.  A shudder ran down his spine as he turned his attention from the tall blonde.

*Never had much luck with blondes,* he thought as he continued to search.  *Buffy and Harmony were enough for me.  Course brunettes aren't much better.  Gotta get me a red head.  Like Willow.  Wait.  Where the hell did that come from?* he asked himself.

Something made his blue eyes pause on one table by the edge of the dance floor.  It was one of those tall tables with just enough room for two people.  A girl sat alone.  Spike ran his eyes over her back from her dark red hair, down her forest green tee shirt and her nicely curved ass encased in black leather.

*Oh, please be Aislin,* he begged.  He started to walk towards the table when she turned to look around the club.  That was when he saw her face.  *Bloody hell! Willow!  Can't believe the little chit got me worked up.*  He noticed Willow glance at her watch and the disappointed look on her face.  *She couldn't be Aislin.  Could she?*  Spike began thinking about his conversations with Aislin.  Some of the things she'd said started to make sense.  *What kind of game is she playing, anyway?* he asked himself.  If there was one thing Spike didn't like it was being made to look like a fool.  Well, he'd have the last laugh on this one. With a glint in his eye, he walked over to the red head's table.

Willow looked at her watch again.  *Damn it.  He's not coming.*  With a sigh she looked around the Bronze again.  She froze when her eyes landed on the approaching peroxide blonde.  "I so don't need this tonight," she muttered.

Spike slid into the seat next to her.  "New look, pet?" he asked.

"What do you want, Spike?"

"Can't I just come by and say hello?" he asked with a smirk.

"Fine.  Hello.  Now go away."

"Kind of spicy tonight.  Must be the new clothes," he said.

"Yeah.  Whatever.  Look I'm meeting someone.  So just... go away," she said trying to shoo him away.

"And who is this someone?" he asked.

"Spi..."  She was cut short by someone walking into the club.  The guy wore a pair of plaid pants.  Willow scrunched up her nose.  *Yuck.*

"Doubt that's the man of your dreams, Red," Spike said around a chuckle.

"Spike, please just go.  You can bother me tomorrow," she pleaded.

He leaned closer to her.  "Promise?"  Willow just rolled her eyes.

Anya pushed open the door to the Bronze.  She found Willow in a matter of seconds then she saw Spike. *Yep.  Definite eye candy,* she thought as she looked him over.  *Red shirt... jeans... blonde hair.  Can we say understatement?* she asked herself as she moved through the crowd to get to their table.  "Spike," she greeted with a nod.

"Anyanka," he replied.

The ex-demon rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the red head.  "Wills, the gang is on their way here.  Thought I'd warn you."

Willow nodded.  "Well, Spike, it's been interesting. Bye," she said.  The two women headed for the exit, but stopped short when Buffy and her crew walked inside.  "Damn.  They're bound to have more questions than Alex Trebeck has answers if they see me here."

"Especially in that outfit," Anya added.

"There's no way I'm making it out of here alive," Willow groaned.

"Red," Spike said.

She turned, prepared for one of his biting remarks. "What?"

"Come on," he said as he grabbed her hand.  Spike motioned to the bartender who nodded and pressed a button under the bar.  Anya followed closely.

"You know the bartender?" she asked.

"He's a vampire who actually doesn't want me to fit into a vacuum cleaner," he said.  He lead them to the back of the club.

"Can you tell him I'm over a thousand years old so I can get a drink occasionally?" Anya asked as she dodged around a couple making out in the middle of the floor.

"I'll see what I can do," he answered.

"A vampire working at the Bronze?  Wouldn't that be like a Weight Watcher's convention in a chocolate factory?" Willow asked as she tried to keep up with Spike's long strides.

Anya laughed at Willow's joke.  She followed them down a hidden corridor.  She noticed the light above the door turned green before Spike pushed it open.  The trio stepped into the alley behind the club.

"Now Slutty won't go all twenty questions on you," he said.

Willow smiled at him, but as a thought occurred to her it fell.  "I owe you now, don't I?" she asked.

"Yeah. You do," he said with a smirk. 

*Oh, goodie,* she thought sarcastically.  "Well, thanks anyways," Willow said.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied.  Willow started to walk away with Anya.  "Oh, and Red?" he called, his voice echoing through the alley.

The red head paused before she turned around.  She rested her hands on the bare swell of her hips in a silent "what?" pose.

"You look good in leather," he said.  He laughed as embarrassment colored her cheeks.  He laughed harder as she flipped him off and left the alley.  After she was gone, he looked up to the starry sky.  "Why did it have to be spicy?"   Nothing he liked better than spicy red-heads.

*-*-*-*

"I can't believe him," Willow said for the hundredth time.  "He just makes me so mad.  Grr."

Startled, Anya looked at her friend.  "Did you just growl?" she asked.

"Maybe.  Who does he think he is, anyway?" she asked rhetorically.  "Oh, yeah.  'I'm a big bad ass vampire'," she mimicked Spike's accent.  "Major dickhead vampire is more like it.  Asshole can't even bite."

"Willow!"   Anya was surprised by the venom in the witch's voice.  She'd never heard the meek Willow so pissed off at anyone.  "Why are you so PO'd at Spike? Seems like he was just acting like he normally does," Anya pointed out.

"That's the problem.  Even dressed like this he treats me like crap."  She fluttered her hands in helplessness.  "Spike is nothing like... Oh, Goddess. I never met him.  What if he showed up and met some other girl wearing black pants and a green tee shirt? What if he likes her better than me?" Willow asked in a panic.

Anya had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.  "Just send him an e-mail.  Tell him your friends showed up and you had to bail."

"What if he did show up and took one look at me and *he* bailed?"

"Not possible... trust me," Anya said with a knowing grin.

"How do you know?" Willow asked, uncertain.

"Oh, please.  I've got eyes.  Half the guys in that place wanted you bad," Anya said as she draped her arm around Willow's shoulder.

"What about the other half?"

"They're gay.  Now come on, let's go home." 

As they cut through the park a voice called out to them.  "Hey, girls."

Willow glanced over her shoulder and spotted the vampire behind them.   On instinct, she spun around on one foot and knocked him tot he ground with a round house kick.  He looked up in shock as Anya pulled a stake from her back pocket and plunged it into his chest. 

Before the dust settled, Anya turned back to Willow. "Didn't know you had it in you," she said.

Willow just shrugged it off.  "I've been taking some self defense classes," she explained.

"Where do I sign up?"

"I'll take you with me next time.  Together I bet we could kick some demon ass."

Anya looked at her only a little shocked.  "You know, I never knew you knew all those words.  Who taught you?" she asked with a laugh.

"Must be your influence.  And maybe NoWhere_Man.  I get to be myself around you.  I don't have to pretend to be good little Willow.  I just wish I could have met NoWhere_Man tonight," she said sadly.

*I think you already did,* Anya thought to herself.

*-*-*-*

Buffy entered her dorm room quietly.  She glanced to make sure her best friend and roommate was still sleeping.  The Slayer turned on the computer and logged on.  Using her own screen name, Summers 214, she pulled up the e-mail account and started composing her message.  Finishing the short, but to the point note, the blonde racked her brain to remember his name.  *NoOne... NoBody... NoWhere_Man126.  And Willow says I have a boring screen name,* she thought to herself as she filled in the address and subject lines.  After sending the message, Buffy signed off and went to bed.

Willow waited until she heard the soft snore indicating the Slayer was sound asleep.  *Wonder if Riley's told her she snores yet?  She won't take my word for it.*  Slipping out of bed, she powered on the laptop.  She signed onto the system under Buffy's name and password.  *How many times have I told you to change your password, Buff?  Not to mention to use something other than your first name.*

Willow clicked on the e-mail icon and pulled up the sent folder.  NoWhere_Man126 was at the top of the list.  *What the fuck are you up to?* she asked as she opened the e-mail.  As she read the short message, her anger boiled over.  *How dare she!  That bitch!*

~I don't know who you are and I don't care.  I know
what you're after and it isn't her.  Stay away from
her or I will hunt you down.~

Willow fumed as she changed screen names.  "You and I are going to have words, Buffy Anne Summers," she muttered between clenched teeth.  She quickly sent an e-mail to NoWhere_Man to apologize about the Bronze and telling him to ignore the message from her bitch of a roommate.  Pissed off to the point that her hands were shaking, the red head shut down the computer and pulled on her workout clothes.  She dropped some stakes and her Holy water gun into a waist pouch and left the room.  She really wanted to kill something.

"Maybe I'll get lucky and run into Spike and I can beat the crap out of him too," she muttered as she patrolled the campus.

"Little late for a jog, wouldn't you say, babe?" a vamp asked as he stepped in her path.

She smiled at him and quickly took him down with an uppercut and a knee to the groin.  "Don't call me babe," she said as she thrust a stake through his heart.

Feeling a little better she made another circuit of the commons area and dusted a couple of fledglings before returning to her dorm room.

Willow was still mad at Buffy, but at least she wasn't overwhelmed by the desire to hold a pillow over the blonde's head.

*-*-*-*

Buffy pushed aside the covers.  She noticed Willow had a strangle hold on her stuffed frog.  Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she wandered to the bathroom to grab a shower.  By the time she returned to her room, Willow was sitting on the end of her bed.

Willow gave Buffy a cold stare when she entered the room.  "Buffy, do you have something to tell me?" she asked, giving the Slayer a chance to confess.

Buffy wondered what caused Willow to wake up on the wrong side of the bed.  "Good morning to you too," she said in a chipper voice.

Her chipmunk attitude grated on Willow's nerves. "Well, do you?"

Buffy dug through her dresser.  "Have something to tell you?  Not anything major.  Oh, I probably won't be home tonight.  Riley has a romantic evening planned."

Willow ground her teeth.  "I'm referring to the e-mail you sent NoWhere_Man," she ground out.  Her fingernails bit into the palms of her hands.

"You hacked into my account?" Buffy asked.  She was shocked that Willow would do something so devious.

Her green eyes narrowed when the blonde chose to pick on Willow's wrong doing instead of her own.   "Like it's really hard to do when you haven't changed your damn password since I help you set your account up. Now answer the damn question."

"You didn't really ask a question."

"Don't push me, Buffy," the red head said quietly. 

Buffy sat across from the angry red head on her own bed.  "Look, Wills.  I just wanted to warn him that I knew his game."

"What game?"

"You have to know that he's playing you to get to me. I mean, really!  Who would..."  Buffy cut off her words when Willow bound to her feet and began to pace the small room.

"What?  Who would what, Buffy?" she asked in a quiet voice almost daring the Slayer to continue her train of thought.

Buffy was started to hear the venom in her friend's voice.  She knew she had to tell Willow the truth.  "I don't want to hurt your feelings, Will, but fine. I'll tell you.   No guy wants you.  You're just Willow.  I'm the Slayer.  People are always trying to get to me.  And they'll use you to do it," she said.

Willow bit her tongue to keep from saying words she'd regret later.   The urge to beat the crap out of Buffy was overwhelming.  *We _have_ to be in the dorms, don't we?  Everyone would hear her yelling and come to help her.  Stupid bitch.*  She walked over to her closet and pulled out some clothes.  She pulled them on silently and grabbed her bag.

"I'm sorry, Willow.  But it's the truth," Buffy said as Willow opened the door.

Turning slightly she looked at the blonde.   "Have you always been this conceited?" she asked as she walked out the door.

Willow found refuge in one of the campus libraries until she felt sure Buffy was in class.  Returning to the dorm she pulled out her suitcase and a duffel bag.

"I can't believe her!  Goddess!  She actually thinks that's the truth!" she yelled to the empty room.  She pulled clothes out of the closet and dresser and piled them on the bed.  Stepping back she realized how awful her clothes actually were.   "I so need to buy new clothes," she said as she packed the less offensive items into her bag.   Opening her trunk she removed the most valuable of her supplies and set them in the suitcase.  She'd restock when she got settled.  She slipped her laptop into her backpack.  She thought about leaving the room key on the nightstand, but decided she might change her mind about what she wanted to keep.  With a sigh she sat on her bed, picked up the phone and dialed Anya's number.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Anya.  It's Willow."

"Hey, Wills.  Wait.  Don't you have class right now?" Anya asked.

"Skipping today," she said trying to get to the point.

"You?  Skip class?  Isn't that one of the signs of the Apocalypse?" she joked.

"Oh, shut up.  Look.  I need a favor."

"What can I do?"

"I'm moving out.  I'll give you details later.  I was wondering if I could crash at your place for a while. Just until I can get my own apartment."

"I've got an extra room. You can stay with me if you want.  Get your butt over here," she said before disconnecting the call.

"All righty then.  Off to Anya's I go," Willow said as she gathered her bags and closed the door behind her.

*-*-*-*

"About time," Anya said as she pulled open the door.

"Sorry.  I was walking," Willow answered.

Anya took the suitcase from her hand and set it on the floor.  "Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Is this everything or do we need to pick up the rest of your stuff?" she asked.

"This is the important stuff.  I can get the rest later."  Willow looked around the apartment.  It was small but nicely furnished.  From the looks of things it barely looked like anyone lived there at all.

"Come on.  I'll show you your room and you call tell me all about what happened."

The two of them put away Willow's things while she filled Anya in on the fight she had with Buffy.  Anya was seething in anger by the time Willow had finished.

"I wish I had my powers back.  I'd kill the bitch. Who does she think she is anyway?" Anya asked.  "Why didn't you hit her?"

"Too populated.   And while I'm pretty good against vampires, I think Buffy could still kick my ass," Willow said as she put the last of her clothes in the dresser.

"I know you have more clothes than that.  What happened?  The fashion police finally make a raid on your closet?" Anya asked.

"Something like that.  Want to go shopping?"

Jumping to her feet, the ex-demon grabbed her purse off the kitchen counter.  "Hell, yeah!"

Willow pulled her wallet out of her back pack. "Great.  We need to make a stop at my parent's house."

"You mean they're actually home?" Anya asked as she held the door open.

"Surprisingly, yes.  They got back yesterday from wherever they were.  Leaving tomorrow so timing is everything," she said.

*-*-*-*

"You can wait here for me.  Shouldn't take long," Willow said once Anya pulled up in front of the nice two story house.  She unlocked the front door with her house key.   "Mom?  Dad?" she called out as she walked back to the kitchen.

"Hi, honey," Sheila said from the kitchen table. "What are you doing here?" she asked glancing at her watch.  "Don't you have class?"

"Not today.  I'm moving out of the dorms and sharing an apartment with a friend.  Anyway, I don't have Internet access..." Willow said waiting for her mother to jump in at the appropriate moment.

"Of course, dear."  She grabbed her purse off the floor and pulled out a credit card.  "Think of it as a graduation present.  You use AOL, right?" Sheila asked.

"Yes."

"Here you go," she said, handing over the card. "Charge it to this.  We'll send the housing check to your checking account from now on."  Digging into her wallet again she pulled out some cash.  "I'm sure you'll need something now until the money hits your account."

Willow smiled as she accepted the money.  *Bonus. Didn't even have to ask for it.  They must feel more guilty than usual,* she thought.  She tucked the bills into her pocket. 

"I remember my first apartment.  It was a tiny little place.  When ever you turned around, you were in a different room.   Well, anyway.  I'm glad you're getting your own place.  It will give you independence."

"Thanks, Mom.  I hate to beg and run, but I need to get going.  Still have stuff to move," Willow said. "Love you."

"Love you, too, honey," she said before returning to her paperwork.

Willow slid into Anya's dark green Saturn.  "Okay. Got some cash and a credit card... for Net access," Willow said as she fastened her seat belt.

"How much did you get?" she asked as she started the car.

"Didn't exactly count it in front of her," Willow laughed.   She pulled out the money and quickly counted the bills.  "Mom really did feel guilty.  I got $500.  Not to mention the money that's sitting in my checking account."

"You have a checking account?"

"My parents never know what to get me for presents so they're big into cash gifts.  Got so many that I just started putting them into a checking account.  Got about ten thousand dollars sitting there," Willow said.

"How long has this been going on?"

Willow thought about it for a moment.  "Since I was ten."

"And you buy ugly clothes?" Anya asked with a shake of her head.

"Well, we're gonna fix that now, aren't we?"

"Dead cert."

*-*-*-*

Anya and Willow entered the apartment six hours later, arms loaded with bags.  Willow carried her packages into her new bedroom.  "Got to learn that levitation spell," she sighed.

The ex-demon dropped her purchases on the floor by the door.  Noticing the blinking light on her machine, she pressed play.   "Hey, Anya," Xander's voice said from the machine.  "Research tonight.  Also you haven't seen Willow today, have you?  Buffy said they had a fight and hasn't seen her all day.  Anyways, meet me at Giles at 8.  Love you, hon."

"Hey!  Red!  We're going to the Watcher's place," Anya called.

"You sound like Spike when you say that," Willow called back.  *Big, dumb vampire.*  She dumped a bag out onto her bed and started sorting through the new clothes she bought.  "Let me change and we'll go."

"Cool.  I'm just going to dump this stuff in my room," Anya said as she poked her head in the room. 

"Kay."  Willow pulled a forest green silk dress from the pile and slipped it on.  She looked at herself in the full length mirror standing in the corner.  The hem fell to mid-thigh and scooped neckline showed off a decent amount of cleavage without being slutty.  "Or Buffy as the case may be," she muttered to herself.

"Ready?" Anya asked, shaking her car keys.

"Yep."

*-*-*-*

The two women let themselves into Giles' apartment. Willow's gaze was immediately drawn to the peroxide blonde sitting on the couch.  Spike turned around at the sound of the door opening.  He stared at her for a second before returning his attention to the television set.  Anya grinned at the daggers coming from Willow's green eyes and aimed directly at the vampire's head.

"Giles, we're here!" Anya called. 

*Why are you letting him get to you?* Willow asked herself.

"Thank you for the announcement, Anya," Giles said as he stepped into the living room.  He raised the cup of tea to his lips when he noticed Willow standing by the door.  "Willow?  Where have you been?  Buffy called and said you were missing."

Willow smiled at him.  "Not missing.  I always knew where I was."

"Buffy thought that man, uh... whatever his name is came and took you.  She said he was trying to lure the Slayer..."

"Buffy doesn't know half the things she thinks she knows," Willow snapped.  Spike snorted in the background.  She turned to look at him.  Seeing the amused gleam in his blue eyes, she smiled at him. Immediately, he turned away.

*Don't look at her, mate.  Don't even think about how she looks in that tight green dress.  That silky dress that wouldn't even come close to the feel of her bare skin,* Spike rambled.  He bit back a groan as the front door flew open and the Slayer entered.

"Giles!  We gotta find Willow.  I just know that NoWhere pervert took her.  Although after the way she treated me this morning, I don't know why I bother," Buffy sighed as she hopped up onto the desk, oblivious to the pissed off red head standing on the other side of the room.

Riley stood by the door and shook his head. Sometimes he wondered that his girlfriend had any friends at all.  He looked at Willow over Buffy's head and sent a silent apology to her.

Willow nodded at Riley's embarrassed look. Straightening her shoulder, she walked over to the Slayer and stood in front of her.

Buffy's jaw fell open.  "Willow!" she exclaimed once she regained her voice.  "Where have you been?"

Crossing her arms under her breasts, Willow frowned at her. "So if I had been abducted you would have let them just because I didn't fall in line and agree with you on everything you said to me this morning?  Such a friend."

Taken back by Willow's attack, Buffy leaned back slightly.  "Well, you have to admit you were a bitch this morning."

"And you've made it a career goal.   I have a right to be pissed off.  You e-mailed NoWhere_Man and told him to back off and this morning?"  Willow looked at the group staring at them in shock.  "Did she tell you what said to me this morning?  That no man would want me.  That since she's the Slayer they all want her and wouldn't look twice at me. Well, fuck you, Buffy!"

Xander, who had entered silently, glared at the blonde woman.  Buffy's story this morning had a decidedly different twist to it. "That's not what you said this morning, Buffy," he accused.

She looked around at everyone. Giles looked extremely disappointed and even Riley looked ashamed of her. Only Anya and Spike were smiling and she knew it was for Willow, not her.  "Willow, I don't want to see you hurt.  That's all.  He would have used you to get to me.  You know all the guys want me."

"Not all of them," Riley said quietly before he left.

"Riley?" Buffy called, confused.

"I can't believe I've put up with your conceited attitude for so long. You are such a bitch, it's not even funny.  I don't know how Angel put up with you for so long," Willow said.  Buffy flinched at the cut. "At least, Oz stuck around for awhile. Angel left you in the gutter, didn't he?"

Buffy slapped Willow hard across the face and rushed out the door.  It slammed shut behind her.

"She's good at running, I'll give her that," Willow smirked as she touched her cheek and flinched.

"You okay, Red?" Spike asked, concerned.

"I'll live," Willow replied.

Anya pulled her keys out of her pocket.  "Well, I guess this research night is over.  Willow, come on. Let's go home.  Xander?" she said as she walked to the door.

*-*-*-*

Willow looked at the television without really seeing the movie playing.  Xander and Anya cuddled on the couch.  Restless, Willow went into her room and changed into a pair of leather pants and a blood red tank top.  Twisting her hair up into a clip, she grabbed her waist pouch filled with slaying supplies.

Anya glanced up when the red head entered the living room.  "Going out?"

"Yeah, I need to burn off some of this energy.  Now I kind of know how Faith felt," Willow answered as she slipped on a loose leather jacket.

"Do you want us to go with you?" Xander asked.  He played with his girlfriend's hair.

"Nah."

"I don't know if you should be going out alone," he said.

"Willow can take care of herself," Anya said as she snuggled into his arms.  "Have fun."

"Thanks," Willow said as she closed the front door behind her.

*-*-*-*

After have a drink at Willy's, Spike walked back to his apartment.  He saw a flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye as he passed the park.  Turning he spotted Willow fighting a pair of vampires.  *And doing a damn good job of it, too,* he thought as she flipped one onto his back and dusted him.   The second fledgling tried to attack her while her back was turned. Spike moved closer to help her when she slammed her heel into his kneecap.  The vamp fell to the ground clutching the broken leg.   She quickly turned and thrust her stake into his heart.

"My, my, Red.  Didn't know you were a fighter," Spike said as he leaned against a tree.

Willow turned and saw him smoking a cigarette. "Well, Buffy's either at Riley's trying to beg forgiveness or back at the dorm pouting.  Someone had to patrol," she said.  Her heart raced from the workout she just had.

"So, who's this NoWhere_Man?" he asked.

"Just some guy I was supposed to meet last night when Buffy interrupted," Willow said.  She turned to go home.

"Bloody rude Americans," Spike said to her retreating form.

Willow turned back around.  "What?" she asked.

Spike walked over to her.  "You always this charming, pet?"

"Usually more so."  Willow left him to stare after her.  A pleased smile lit up  her face. 

Spike hurried to his apartment so he could continue the conversation.

*-*-*-*

Willow turned on her laptop and logged on.  A quick scan of her e-mail showed nothing exciting, but her buddy list made her smile.  NoWhere_Man was on-line.

Aislin1328:  Hi.  Sorry about last night.

NoWhere_Man126:  That’s okay.  No harm done. Interesting e-mail from your ‘friend’.  Is she paranoid or just stuck up?

Aislin1328:  Six of one; half a dozen of the other.  I apologize about that, too.

NoWhere_Man126:  I don’t really care about that e-mail.  Besides it’s not your fault.

Aislin1328:  I still can’t believe she did that.

NoWhere_Man126:  It’s times like this that you find out who your real friends are.

Aislin1328:  Dead cert.

NoWhere_Man126:  lol.  So what else is up with you? 

Aislin1328:  Changing the subject?

NoWhere_Man126:  Yep.

Aislin1328:  Kay.   Well, after a major blow up this morning, I moved out.  I’m living with another friend (someone I can trust)  We went shopping. . .which I doubt you want to hear about.

NoWhere_Man126:  Depends.  Did you go to Victoria’s Secrets?  Might wanna know. .

Aislin1328:  lol.  Typical man.

Willow blushed at his comment and cleared her throat as she remembered all the bits of satin and lace she picked up at the famous lingerie store.

*-*-*-*

Spike sat back as he listened to Willow talk about her day.  He was glad her mood seem to be improving. Spike knew he like the witch, had for a while, but now he wondered if there might be something more.  *I’m so whipped.  Damn Peaches.  Haven’t figured out how, but I know, somehow, it’s all his fault.*

*-*-*-*

Willow loved this.  At the end of a bad day just talking to him helped lighten her mood.  No pressures, no expectations, just two people talking about idle happenings through out their day.  She wished she could have met him, but Buffy ruined that.

*Wonder if we should try again?* she asked herself. She debated the merits of doing that and finally decided to leave things as they were.  At least for now.  They chatted until Willow heard a knock on her door. 

Anya pushed open the door.  “Willow, you going to bed in the near future?” she asked.  “Not that it’s any of my business, but I thought you had an early class tomorrow.”

“Huh?”  The red head glanced at her alarm clock. 12:14 AM.   “Oh, shit.”

“Yeah, I know,” Anya said as she sipped her glass of water that prompted the visit.

Willow turned back to her computer.

Aislin1328:  Yikes.  Didn’t know how late it was.  I got an early class so I’d better go.  Talk to you tomorrow?

NoWhere_Man126:  Of course.  Night, Red.

Aislin1328:  Night.

Willow signed off as Anya stood smirking at her.  “You got it bad,” the ex-demon said before returning to her own bedroom.

The redhead opened her mouth to deny it, but she really couldn’t deny the truth.

*-*-*-*

A few days later. . .

Willow shoved her book bag into her locker and pulled out her work uniform.  Although she didn’t really need to work, the young witch found she enjoyed waiting tables in the small cafe and working twenty hours a week gave her a sense of normalcy in her abnormal life.   Quickly, she undressed, slipped the polyesterdress over her head and zipped it up.   She tied the apron around her narrow waist.  As she slipped her order pad and pencil in the pocket, she noticed a slip of paper inside.  Removing the paper she read the note.

Willow,
I’m gonna stay over a Xander’s tonight.
Later,
Anya

“Fun,” she muttered as she pushed through the swinging doors of the break room. 

*-*-*-*

Spike tucked his hand into his duster pocket searching for his cigarettes.  He glanced into the small cafe window.  He saw a flash of red and he stepped closer to the window.  *Willow?*  He noticed her tacky pale blue uniform.  *She works here?* he asked himself.  He was about to continue on to the Watcher’s when he noticed how annoyed she looked.

*-*-*-*

“Do you want fries or a baked potato with that?” Willow asked as she tried to move out of reach of his hand.   Debra and Anya had both warned her about Bob. While he was a regular customer, he was a grabber. She’d waited on him the other day and came home with a bruise on her ass. 

The red head heard the bell over the door ring and looked up from her order pad.  She saw Spike enter the restaurant.  The distraction gave Bob the opportunity to cup his hand over Willow’s butt.  She jumped back a step, breaking contact.  Spike gave a low growl as he walked over to the table.

“Hey, baby,” Spike greeted with passionate kiss.

Willow could taste cigarettes as his tongue made a probing sweep of her mouth.  When he pulled back, she blinked, stunned.   “Hey, Spike,” she said breathlessly.  *What the hell just happened?*

“Willow,” Greg, the night manager, called.  Willow walked to the kitchen.  He’d seen the incident.

Bob looked up at the bleach blonde standing over him. The icy blue eyes gave a stern warning and he could swear there was a flash of gold in his eyes.  Spike made sure the human understood what would happen if he touched Willow again.

When Willow returned to the table, she had her backpack.  “Ready?” Spike asked.  She nodded and the two of them left the restaurant.  “Didn’t get you in trouble, did I?” he asked.

“No.  Greg’s the new manager and told me he would have Bob banned from the restaurant until he could  behave. The old manager wouldn’t do anything about him even after all the waitresses complained about him,” she said.  She looked over her shoulder and saw the six foot eight man discussing appropriate behavior with Bob.  While Greg was a mountain of a man, Willow knew he was just a big teddy bear and wouldn’t hurt a fly. He just looked like he’d rip someone’s head off.  She giggled.

“What’s so funny, Red?” Spike asked.

“Nothing,” she said as they walked down the quiet street.  “Honest,” she added, when he looked at her with his eyebrow raised, not quite believing her.

“So, you work there?”  Spike asked.  “Never knew you had a real job.”  He took her bookbag so she could pull on her jacket.

“Just started a few days ago.  Anya works there too, but she works the day shift,” she explained.  She glanced up at him then back at the pavement beneath her feet.  Her mind kept running over the kiss he’d given her.

Mistaking her look as one of disgust, Spike pulled her to a stop and lifted her chin to look at him.  “Why?”

Confused, her brow crinkled.  “Why what?”

“Why do you hate me?” he asked.

“It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the fact that you’ve tried to kill me on several occasions,” she said.  She tried to decipher the look that crossed his face.  *That couldn’t be regret, could it?* she asked herself.  “Truthfully I don’t hate you.  Even when I was locked in a closet with Cordelia for a damn night.”

Relieved, Spike chuckled and slung an arm around her shoulders.  “Come on.  I’ll walk you home.”

“You don’t need to do that, Spike.  I can take care of myself,” Willow protested.

“I know that.  I figured you could protect me,” he said.

She rolled her green eyes.  “Okay.”  They cut through the park to get to Willow’s apartment.  “You know you really don’t have to walk me home.  I’m sure you have more interesting things to do.”

"Nope.  I'm free tonight."

"Kind of hard to believe."

"I feel like giving all those women a break," he said seriously, but had an amused glint in his blue eyes.

"Oh, yeah," Willow said sarcastically.   "And do these women actually exist or are they just figments of your imagination?"

"Women are always after me.  It's the bad boy look," he said, grinning even wider.

Willow just rolled her eyes.  "You're definitely delusional, dead boy."

"You've been hanging with Xander too much."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."   Suddenly, Spike stopped.  "Vampire?" she asked.

"Besides me?  Yes," he said.  He smelled the air to track their prey and knew immediately who it was. "Willow," he said.  "Give me one of those stakes."

Willow pulled a wooden stake out of her bag and tightened her grip on the crossbow she borrowed from the Watcher.  

"Thanks, pet," Spike said as he stepped forward.

"Spikey!" an all too familiar voice squealed.   Willow rolled her eyes and just stared at the blonde vampire dressed in pink.

"Harm," Spike said painfully. 

"I knew you'd come back to me," she said triumphantly.  She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. 

Willow tried to hold back the urge to vomit.  *I can't believe he used to live with that,* she thought.

Harmony stepped back to pout when Spike didn't return her enthusiastic kiss.  Then she noticed someone else with her platinum baby.  "Willow," she said.   She took a couple of steps closer to the red head. "What's mousy, little you doing here…alive?"

"Getting ready to dust your sorry ass," Willow replied as she raised the crossbow to Harmony's chest. 

Spike looked at Harmony and smirked.   *She's toast.*

The bolt left the bow and cut through the whiny vampire's heart to imbed itself in a tree three feet away.  

"Bitch," Harmony said as she exploded into dust.

"Takes one to know one," Willow replied as she reloaded her weapon.

"Good shot, luv," Spike said. 

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked into his eyes.   She had to close her eyes and give herself a mental shake to rid herself of her confusing thoughts. "Thanks."

"Remind me never to get you pissed at me," he said as he slung an arm around her shoulders.

“Okay.”  They continued to walk in silence to her apartment.  Once they reached the building, Spike insisted walking her to her door.  He gave her his best “I’m so sweet and innocent, won’t you invite me inside?” look.  Willow gave her head a shake.  “Would you like to come in?” she asked.

“Love to, pet,” he said with a grin.

Willow dropped her bag on the couch and tossed her keys onto the kitchen counter.  She noticed the light flashing on the answering machine.  She pressed the play button. 

“Willow?  It’s Buffy.  Before you delete this please just listen.  I wanted to say I’m sorry.  I should never have said those things.  I never meant to hurt you, Will.  Please call me.”

Willow erased the message and turned to Spike.  “Well, I’d offer you a drink, but my fridge isn’t vampire friendly.”

“That’s okay.”

She looked around for a minute.   “Um, why don’t you make yourself at home.  I need to take a shower.  I always feel greasy after work.”

Spike tried to keep the thought of Willow showering out of his mind.  “Kay.”

When Willow headed to the bathroom to clean up, Spike wandered around the small apartment and poked around.  He found the CD collection and sat on the floor to investigate.   “Sarah McLachlan, chick music; Jewel, chick music; Meredith Brooks, chick music; Beatles, hello.  Rubber Soul.  Figured Red would do research on Nowhere Man.  What else do you have in here?” Spike asked as he reached for another stack of CD cases.  “Sex Pistols?  Bodies, Problems, Liar, and No Feelings.  Surprise, surprise,” he muttered to himself.  He pulled a disc out of its case and put it in the player.

Willow stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself.  She heard music coming from the living room.   As she towel dried her hair she hummed along to the familiar tunes.  Something was nagging at the back of her mind.   She pulled on a pair of boxer shorts and a tank top.  She found Spike sitting on the couch singing along to the music.

“He’s a real nowhere man.  Sitting in his nowhere land.  Making all his nowhere plans for nobody. Doesn’t have a point of view.  Knows not where he’s going to.  Isn’t he a bit like you and me,” Spike sang softly.

Willow stared at him as things began to click in her head.  *He called me Red.  Only Spike calls me Red.* “What are you doing?”

Spike glanced up at her.  “Nothing.  This is just my favorite song.  Can’t help singing along.  I know I can’t sing, but oh well,” he said with a shrug.

“Nowhere Man is your favorite song?”

He looked her straight in the eye.  “Yep.”

“You bastard,” she said between her clenched teeth.

“Huh?”

“You’re him.  You’re NoWhere_Man126.  Goddess.  That’s your age.  You fucking bastard!” she yelled.

*-*-*-*

This wasn't quite the reaction Spike expected when she figured it out. He stood and tried to touch her arm. "Pet," he said softly.

Willow jerked her arm away from him. "Was it fun? Did you have a good laugh when you watched me wait for you at the Bronze?" she yelled at him.

"Pet, it wasn't like. . ."

"Don't even try to think of excuses." She began pacing the living room. "I can't believe I was so stupid. Buffy was right. I can't believe the bitch was right. No one wants me."

"If you would just listen," Spike pleaded.

"Why so you can tell me more lies?"

He reached out and grabbed her by the arms. He pulled her tight against him and kissed her. Hard. Willow curled her fingers into his soft tee-shirt. At first, she struggled against him, but as his lips softened against hers she began to melt into him. After she settled down a bit, he pulled away from him. "Are you ready to listen to me now?" he asked.

Willow gathered her strength and pushed away from him. "Fine. I'll listen." She threw herself onto the couch.

Spike sat next to her. "First of all, I didn't know Aislin was you until I got to the Bronze. I thought maybe you were playing me, but when I realized you weren't it was a little late to tell you the truth. I meant everything I told you on-line," he said as he watched her carefully.

"Yeah, right," Willow mumbled. She looked up into Spike's eyes and some part of her brain told her that he could be telling the truth, for once in his undead life. "You've never been able to stand me. Hell, you've taken great pleasure in making me feel horrible."

"Red? You're a part of the bloody Scooby Gang. It's my job to do that," Spike said. "I'm evil, remember."

"You aren't scoring points right now," she said.

"Oh, yeah?" he questioned. He leaned in to kiss her. Willow sat there, trying not to give into temptation. Slowly, her resolve weakened and she started to kiss the peroxide vampire back. Spike's hands tangled in her red hair, holding her close to him. Pushing against his firm chest, she broke away and stood by the window. Spike moved to stand behind her.

"Spike?" Willow whispered, turning to face him.

"Yes?" he said, looking into her eyes.

"Is this your way to shut me up? Kissing me?" she asked, smiling softly.

"It works bloody good, too," Spike said, grinning. Willow laughed.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were interested? If you actually are," Willow said, leaving him to reassure her.

"Yes, I am interested. Didn't tell you cuz I didn't think you'd stick around," Spike said. His vulnerability softened Willow's already mushy heart.

"Well, considering the crush I had, and stuff. . ." Willow stopped herself from revealing too much information. Spike's perfect eyebrow shot up and Willow blushed scarlet. "I-I mean. . ."

Spike's hand touched her cheek gently and leaned in to kiss her again. She moaned into his mouth, and he took the advantage slipping his tongue into her mouth. He held her hips between his hands as he slowly lowered her onto the couch. His lips never left hers as he covered her slim body with his own tense body. Just when things started to deepen, a knock interrupted their passion.

"I better get it," Willow whispered. Spike nodded and turned towards the door. Willow got up off the couch and walked towards the door, opening it slowly. "Buffy?" Willow asked.

"Wills, I'm so sorry for being a bitch. I really am. It's just. . .well, I guess an excuse wouldn't help matters, would it? I just wanted to say that I was a fucking bitch, and I'm sorry for being one, especially since you're my best friend and I would never want to ruin this friendship, assuming one still exists, " Buffy said, trying to look pitiful yet sincere, which she was.

"You've taken up babbling? You know, that's my ancient art," Willow said, smiling. Buffy bit her lip, still unsure of the relationship between her and the sweet red head. "Okay, biting your lip. My thing, too. And Buffy," Willow said looking at her best friend, "while what you did was wrong, I still forgive you."

Buffy smiled widely and hugged her friend. Over her shoulder, she spotted the peroxide blonde. "Spike?" Buffy asked. "What is he doing here?"

"Um. . .W-well. . ." Willow started.

"Just here to borrow her Sex Pistols CD," Spike said. "Harm torched my collection," he added. He relished in the small smile Willow bestowed upon him.

"Whatever," Buffy said, dismissing him. "Can we talk more tomorrow?" she asked Willow.

"Sure," Willow replied.

"Okay, later," Buffy said. She hugged the red head again before turning to walk down the stairs to the street below.

Willow turned back to Spike. "Well, that was something of a surprise."

"Very. But then again, who cares?" he asked. Carefully, Spike moved closer to her. Settling his hands on her hips, he dipped his head to steal a kiss. He nibbled his way along her jaw until he reached her ear. "I love you, baby," he whispered.

Willow's throat tightened. *He loves me? Is he insane?* Willow thought. Once the surprise had a chance to process in her busy brain, she knew the truth. "I love you, too," Willow murmured, looking straight into his cool blue eyes.

Spike kissed her furiously and held her tight against him. "Should we take this into the bedroom?" he asked, his eyes revealing mischief.

"What kind of girl do you think I am? Do you honestly think I'll put out before we even go on a real date?" she asked indignantly.

The vampire took half a step back. "You're kidding, right?"

Her resolve face in place, Willow crossed her arms over her chest.

Spike recognized the look for what it was. "You're not kidding. You really expect flowers, candy and dinner?" When she simply stared at him, he pouted. "Pet, I'm the big bad," he whined.

"You're the big horny is what you are."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

Willow stepped around him and sat on the couch. Grabbing the remote control, she turned on the television and flipped channels until she found something tolerable.

"Love bites," Spike moaned as he sat beside her to watch The Princess Bride with her. He slipped his arm around her shoulders. *Maybe this isn't so bad after all,* he thought as she cuddled into his side.