A/N: Sorry I didn't update last week, real life got in the way. So here are two chapters this week for you to read and review.

Chapter 14
Just Rewards

"You could at least…say hello to these pretty pieces of paper."
-Spike, 'Out of My Mind'

Spike sat in his chair, enjoying a beer and watching television. He was waiting for Willow to return from her errand.

The little witch had gone to return the necklace to its proper owners. Knowing Willow's difficulties with lying, Spike had left the jewels, along with the owner's wallet, in a paper bag, hidden in a prearranged spot on the fringes of the cemetery. That way, Red could truthfully say that she had found it there.

Spike was well pleased with himself. The San Francisco trip had been pulled off almost without a hitch, and now Willow was his again. Even her discovery that Spike had stolen the money to fund the trip had ended up working in his favor. Temptation had won out over doing good, in the end. That was the Willow he wanted to see, the one that gave in to her darker side and did as she pleased.

The crypt door opened, and Willow trudged in, bag in hand, looking downcast.

"It didn't go well, pet?" he asked, wondering what had gone wrong.

She didn't answer, simply handed the bag to Spike, and took a seat at his feet, laying her head in his lap.

He idly stroked the red hair with one hand as he opened the bag with the other. He whistled when he saw the contents.

"That's a tidy stack of cash," he observed, "Must be a few thousand."

"My reward," she confirmed, "Seems the necklace was worth quite a lot."

"And they gave this to you out of the goodness of their hearts?" he questioned, knowing the answer. He'd seen this couple, after all.

She grimaced. "Not until I mentioned that I'd thought about taking the necklace to the police, first, like you said to." She squirmed around to look up at him. "Why did you tell me to say that?"

Spike gestured with the bag of money, before setting it on the floor. "Insurance money. A necklace that expensive is insured. They've probably already collected on the claim. Now, they can keep the money and the necklace, as long as the authorities don't find out."

"But that's like stealing!" Willow cried out indignantly.

"That's the way the world works, princess. They only gave you a reward to keep you quiet about it."

She looked even more disgruntled at that. "Returning the necklace was supposed to make me feel better. I didn't do it for a reward. Especially not for hush money!"

"You can still feel good about yourself, and keep the cash, too."

"Yeah, maybe," she shrugged.

"Something else is bothering you," Spike divined, looking down at her.

Willow shrugged again, and said, "It's nothing, really. It's stupid."

"What?" he coaxed, looking empathetic.

Reluctantly, Willow began to explain, "When that lady got her necklace back, she put it on right away…"

"…And it looked better on you, didn't it?" Spike guessed.

"Exactly! I was so jealous, I was sorry that I'd brought it back," Willow blurted out, looking horrified at herself.

"Human nature, that's all. No need to get down on yourself."

"Yeah, but it made me feel like I should have kept it, or something."

Spike pulled her up into his lap, and gave her a long, gentle kiss. She relaxed back into his arms.

"Just think of it, pet. You've got a nice, little stash there to make up for it. We could go on another trip, if you wanted, entirely on the up and up this time. With plenty left over for a trinket or two, maybe even some new clothes."

Willow looked down for a long moment, considering.

"Speaking of being on the up and up," she began, and Spike groaned to himself. He'd been expecting something like this. "We need to talk about the stealing."

"What about the stealing?" he asked, playing for time.

"It's wrong, Spike. And I know you're evil and all, but I don't want you to do it anymore," she said, regarding him soberly.

"I have to get money somehow," he argued, trying to appeal to her sense of logic, "Buffy doesn't pay nearly enough to live on."

Willow shook her head, clearly not buying it. "I can't do it, Spike. I can't accept gifts from you if I know they're stolen."

"Alright, I can work with that. No more gifts that are stolen or paid for by stolen money," he compromised, "I'll only use the money I've earned legitimately."

She frowned a little at that, knowing he wasn't promising everything she'd asked for. She must have sensed that she couldn't push him any further, though, as she accepted his promise without a fuss.

Spike kissed her once more, and asked, "So, what are you going to do with your ill-gotten gains?"

"Not funny, Spike," she reproved, before stopping to think about it. "I'm not sure. I can't bring it back to the dorm, though. Buffy'll get curious."

"I meant 'what are you going to spend it on', but if it's a question of storage, you can always keep it here," Spike offered.

"Here?" Willow's voice was highly skeptical.

"You think I'd spend your money? I'm hurt," Spike said with mock indignation.

Willow giggled.

"Seriously, though," he continued, looking at her soberly, "I'd put it away in a special place. I wouldn't touch it. And you could have access to it whenever you like."

"Okay," she finally agreed, still looking a bit in shock over the reality of it all.

"Here," he said, fishing out some of the cash, "Take this with you. You might see something you want."

Willow took the money reflexively, and stared at it for a moment. Then a light flared in her eyes, and Spike knew she was imagining all that she could buy. She'll do alright, he thought, All she needed was a little prompting.

"Just one more store, then we can hit the food court," Willow promised, turning in to the next boutique.

"I've never seen you shop like this," Buffy observed, following her friend, "What gives?"

"Oh, you know, just getting into the late Hanukkah spirit," Willow dodged. That had been her cover story, that it was a holiday gift from her parents, currently in Tokyo. They'd forgotten to get her something this year, so she felt justified in using that story.

"Here, try this one," Buffy said, handing Willow an outfit.

Willow eyed it dubiously, but went to try it on anyway. She was relying heavily on the other girl's fashion sense to revitalize her wardrobe.

"It still doesn't explain why you're shopping like this," Buffy called into the dressing room after her, "You usually go more funky than trendy."

Willow didn't respond, choosing to simply come out and model the ensemble, instead.

"Hmm…No, that's not your color," was Buffy's critique.

Willow was relieved that her friend's assessment matched with her own opinion. Maybe she was getting the hang of this trendy shopping thing.

"I do like the style on you, though," the blonde mused, "Try it in this color."

The redhead dutifully went back to try the new one on. She was glad that Buffy seemed distracted from her earlier line of questioning. A few minutes later, though, Willow was admiring the difference the new color made, when Buffy tossed a question over the door.

"Does it start with a 'W'?"

Willow wrinkled her brow in confusion, and came back out into the store to face her friend.

"Does what start with a 'W'?" she queried.

"The reason you're wearing that. The reason behind this whole shopping trip."

"I just wanted to update my wardrobe, you know," Willow hedged, still a little shy about sharing, "I wanted a more grown-up look."

"Plus, you're dating an older man," Buffy guessed.

"Okay, yes, I am," Willow confirmed, suddenly tired of avoiding the issue, "William and I got together this past weekend."

"Oh, Will, you two didn't…" Buffy's tone was concerned.

"He was a perfect gentleman, just like he said he'd be," Willow said, hunting through the racks for another outfit. "How about this one?"

"No, try this instead," Buffy replied, momentarily distracted. But her tone was dry as she continued, "So, the big mystery trip worked, huh? He certainly spent enough money on you."

Will winced a little at that, knowing her roommate was thinking of the armload of souvenirs she'd brought home.

"Well, it's kind of nice to have a boyfriend that spends money on you," Willow observed, trying on the latest garment, "I mean, my last boyfriend's idea of a romantic gift was a Pez dispenser."

"You loved that Pez dispenser!" Buffy accused.

"I did," Willow agreed, with sad nostalgia, "But it doesn't compare with a night at the opera."

Willow changed back into her own clothing, then took her purchases to the register. She added one more bag to her growing collection, and the two girls headed for the food court.

Once seated with their food, though, Buffy turned the conversation back to Willow's relationship.

"Just tell me there's more to it than money and alcohol," she pleaded.

"There is," Willow confirmed, "He's so sweet and thoughtful. And really handsome. Plus, he speaks French, and reads poetry, and…" She trailed off, uncertain. How much was she actually saying about Spike, and how much was about her fictional 'William'? It was getting confusing, having these two identities.

"Well, based on your description, he sounds great, but…"

"But what? Come on, Buffy!"

"I just don't trust him. Maybe because I've never met him. Or maybe because I've seen too many things that were 'too good to be true' that ended up not being true at all," Buffy explained, digging in to her salad.

"He's not 'too good to be true'. He has flaws, too," Willow countered.

"Name three of them," the blonde challenged.

"Well, he smokes, he can be impatient about a lot of things, and he doesn't like opera." Also, he's a vampire, Willow thought to herself.

"Wait, he doesn't like opera? I thought that's where you went this weekend."

"He took me there because I liked it. He didn't say anything, but I think he was bored silly by the whole thing," Willow explained.

"Did you at least check to make sure this guy has a reflection?" Buffy demanded.

"Oh, please. I think I can spot a vampire by now," Willow huffed, starting to get offended. Does she give me no credit for brains?

"I still think you should have William meet the rest of your friends. We should all get together one of these nights, like a triple date or something.

Willow pondered that image for a moment. Spike, the Slayer, three Scoobies, and an Initiative soldier. Yeah, that's going to go well, she thought. She tried to think of a way to avoid committing to anything.

"I don't know, Buffy. I mean, I do want you guys to meet him, someday. But right now, I'm really enjoying having something that's just mine, you know?"

"I guess," Buffy responded, as they cleared away their trays and headed back out into the mall, "But you can't hide him from us forever, you know. One of these days, we have to meet."