Title: Anderson Boulevard
Prompt:Other: Criminals
Medium: Fic
Rating: PG-13
Warnings:Language

Summary:Sometimes, crime can pay.

Officer Buffy Summer's sipped at her coffee silently as she listened to her scanner, tapping her fingers on her steering wheel as she got more and more anxious. The scanner had been silent for well over thirty minutes and it just so happened to be Friday. Friday wasn't very different unless you were working traffic where everyone really wanted home, and most other cops loathed the day. But not Buffy Summers – if anything she looked forward to it.

'Car 59, we've got a robbery at 1543 Anderson Boulevard. You handy, over?'

And there it was. Buffy couldn't help but smile as she snatched up the walkie talkie.

"I'm at Beachwood now – I'll be there in two, over." She responded, wasting no time in starting her car and zooming off. She wasn't a good driver – far from it actually – but she was their best cop and they made some acceptations for her. That was why she never wound up on traffic watch.

As expected she reached Anderson Boulevard in two minutes and quickly pulled up to the house, where she could see the light on and a familiar face sitting on the front porch, his hands tied. When he spotted the car he visibly perked up, and when she stepped out he grinned.

"'Ello, luv." He called, "Nice night, innit?"

"About the same as last night." She agreed, quickly walking up the sidewalk and stopping only to yank him up by his collar. She turned to the home owner, "You gonna be okay?"

"Yes, he didn't get anything." The older woman said, "I came down stairs after hearing a crash and found him just standing there, not even trying to get away. It was almost too easy."

Buffy eyed the blonde thief beside her suspiciously, "I wonder why that is."

His grin didn't fade, but he did turn it to the homeowner, "It was nice seeing you, Miss Underwood."

"Take care now William. And If I find you trying to rob my house again, I'll beat you upside the head with my umbrella!" the woman scolded, turning and entering her house. Buffy sighed and led him back to her car, opening the door and letting him slide in.

"You know, I really don't understand you, Spike." She said as she shut her door behind her, "You rob this same street every Friday and eight on the dot. One day I'm not going to be here to get you off easy."

"Oh, you'll keep me posted." Spike said confidently as he reclined in the back, "You've never let me down yet."

Buffy ignored him, "I mean, you told me you graduated from Oxford, you've published several novels, have a huge inheritance, a father to bail you out of jail every single time, and a medical degree. Why the hell would you start robbing people?"

Spike shrugged, "Why do you wait at Beachwood every night at eight o' clock?

Buffy blushed, but to her credit she didn't let it affect her speech, "Because if anyone else got to you then you'd get in way more trouble. I'm saving your ass every time – I hope you appreciate it!"

"Oh, you know I do. Seein' you dressed to kill gets me every time." He said, leering at her as he pressed his tongue against the back of his teeth, "Course, I'd like to see you in a lot less one of these days."

"You're such a pig, Spike." Buffy sighed. "What do I have to do to get you to stop this – this nonsense?"

"Go out on a date with me."

Buffy very nearly wrecked the car – and they were at a stop light. She turned too look at her captive with wide eyes, ignoring his suddenly nervous expression. "Are you serious?" she asked.

"Green." He responded. At first she didn't understand, but when the car behind her honked she quickly turned and began driving. She waited, but Spike remained silent. She glanced at him in her mirror.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well, what?" he countered, "Have I ever said something and not been serious?"

Buffy thought back and blushed at his earlier statement, but realized that he had always been completely truthful with her. She bit her lip curiously and glanced at him again.

"You really want to go on a date with me." She stated more than asked.

"Yup. Why do you think I bother poor old Miss Underwood like this?" he asked, "I want you, Officer Buffy Summers, to go out on a date with me, Petty Criminal William Pratt. Sure it'll get some strange looks, but what a story to tell the kids."

Buffy laughed, "You're already planning on children?"

"Yup. 'M thinkin' a nice even number – maybe two, a boy an' a girl. Tha' sound nice to you, pet?"

Buffy glanced at him and couldn't help but smile at his cocky expression – but she knew better. She could see in his eyes that he was terrified of rejection. Her heart swelled a bit as she turned her eyes back on the road.

"Okay." She agreed. She didn't need to look back to see that his eyes had lit up and his smile had widened.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yup. How about next Friday at eight?" she asked facetiously, glancing back to see him smiling like the Cheshire cat.

"'M ready if your willin'." He said, "but isn't that your shift?"

Buffy blushed and idly brushed her hair out of her face, "I've been taking extra hours for the past three months. Mostly cuz I knew that you'd get yourself in trouble and I couldn't let some other cop manhandle the father of my nonexistent children, now, could I?"

Spike laughed and shook his head fondly before leaning back in his seat and watching her with awed eyes. He hadn't really thought his plan would work – most didn't after all. But he couldn't help but think that he couldn't have it any other way.