A/N: This takes place some time between "Gone" and "As You Were" from season six. I had a TON of fun writing this. I was in gym playing basketball, and then I was like, "I want to write a fic about Anya and Spike called Operation X." I had no idea what it should actually be ABOUT, but it came to me during English. It was super-fun to write. I'm actually trying to make the chapters longer than what I normally write. Soon will come a song fic about Angel with the song Loch Lomond. If you don't know that song, you have some issues. Anyhoo, enjoy!! :-D Oh, and it was written to prove that Spike and Buffy CAN have a meaningful conversation before season seven. My friend didn't believe it, but I have to use my awesome characterization skills to show that they can. ADDITIONALLY, we are pretending that Harmony is still stalking Spike at this time,

Operation X: Chapter One

Spike opened the door to the Magic Box. It was late evening, almost eight, so the shop was open but Buffy wasn't there. At that hour, she should be out patrolling.

Anya was standing behind the counter, putting a customer's money into the cash register. "Please come again with your money. Have a nice day!" The customer left, looking pleased with their purchase but disgruntled with the service.

Then Anya caught sight of Spike. "Spike, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out stealing money from innocent pedestrians?"

"Yeah, probably. I'm looking for something, though. Ingredients for a spell." Spike told her.

"Well, there are lots of spells. Which one do you want?" Anya asked. She couldn't help herself. She was intrigued.

"That's the thing. I don't know. I'd like to turn Harmony into something nasty. Preferably that can't talk." Spike tried to clarify. She used to be a vengeance demon; she should know of something.

Anya's face lit up. This was exactly the sort of thing she did best. She hurried to the shelves and pulled out several spell books. "This is going to be so much fun. Start looking through these for something that looks good. I'll be right back." Anya went behind the counter, grabbed the "Sorry, we're closed" sign, and placed it in the window.

She grabbed one of the books that Spike hadn't picked up. They sat and looked through the books for about an hour, occasionally calling out a spell that looked promising.

"We should have a name for this," Anya said suddenly. "Like in a spy film. Xander and I watched one last night about a man named James Bond."

"A - oh, you mean a name for what we're doing? What about Operation X?" Spike suggested.

Anya considered it. "I don't have any other ideas, so that will work."

They went back to reading.

"What about a spell that turns her into a bunny?" Spike asked, examining a page carefully.

"No! No, no, no! No bunnies!"

"Why? Spike asked curiously.

"Because - because I'm afraid of them, all right? Is that a problem? Because, sorry, buddy, but I can't help that I'm - "

"Okay, okay, no bunnies. Have you found anything else?"

"We could turn her into a slug," Anya suggested with a shrug. "It's a classic. But she'd probably turn into a giant slug since it goes according to proportional size, plus there would be all the mucus everywhere. But it needs appropriately scented candle wax, so we could get rid of the slug-scented candles." "No, Buffy'd slay her, which I don't want," Spike pointed out.

"What about an eternally crying baby? There's also a very nice spell to turn someone into a dung beetle…" Anya said.

"I think we should keep looking."

Another hour later, Xander came in. He'd seen the light on and the sign, so he assumed Anya was in there restocking the shelves and had lost time in calculating the money simultaneously. It had happened before.

"Anya, honey? You here?"

"Yes, darling, I'm selling some magical merchandise!" Spike called back in a mockingly feminine voice.

"Spike! Don't mock Xander like that! I'm helping you, so you have to be polite to him!" Anya scolded.

"Well, that's… actually, it's a good deal. I can mock Xander once we find it."

Xander walked around the shelves to the table. "What are you doing?" he asked, seeing the books piled. It wasn't Scooby research; Spike helped with field work but never research.

"We're - " Spike began to say. "Should we tell him?"

"No! It's called Operation X, so it's got to be totally secret!" Anya saw the dejected expression on Xander's face. "I love you, Xander, but - "

"Hey, you guys are still here?" Buffy asked, going to stand beside Xander. "Oh. Spike."

"I'm going now, Anya. The pedestrian thing, like you said. Thanks for the help; I'll be back tomorrow." Spike said, standing up. He brushed Buffy's wrist with his fingertips on the way out so that she knew she hadn't gone unnoticed.

Once he was gone, Buffy said, "So what was that about?"

"I can't tell you. Operation X is a complete secret. No one can know besides Spike and me. You could slip and tell - someone." Anya said.

"… Okay, then. If it's not important, I won't push," Buffy told her.

The door to Spike's crypt slammed open with a BANG! Spike was sitting on the coffin, picking his belly button. He stopped and pulled his shirt down the moment he heard the door open.

"Hello, love. I was wondering when you'd - "

"What's Operation X?"

"Anya didn't tell you? That's loyalty, that is. What did she tell you?"

"Nothing. That's just it. And quite honestly, I'm worried about what you can do in a magic shop with an ex vengeance demon and free merchandise." Buffy said, sitting down next to him.

"You know that I would never hurt you, don't you? I wouldn't even hurt your bloody friends. I can't, because I know that you would really die for the first time. I can't hurt Dawn because you're her sister. Besides that, I love her like the kid sister I never had as a human. Xander, Willow, Giles, Anya, Tara, maybe even some of the people at that … that fast-food dump you insist on working at."

Buffy looked at Spike with a small smile on her face. "I don't exactly love to admit it, but I know that. It's nice to hear, though. And I think that in some ways I can't hurt you, either. I've never been able to. Not since… not since Angel left. God, he hated you enough for both of us. Him and I, I mean. I had to kill you for him, or at least try to."

They sat in silence for a moment. "Buffy, how are you?" Spike finally asked. There was concern in his voice.

"Ask me in a few minutes. I can't remember right now. I'll have to think about it."

They were both at peace for those moments spent sitting together. "How are you?" Spike asked again.

Buffy laughed. "I haven't been able to say 'I'm doing okay' in such a long time. But right now… I feel wonderful."

A/N: MORE WILL COME, rest assured. This isn't a one-shot like I normally do; it's a long-range. Remember to look out for the song fic… :-D