A/N: I had intended to do a longer chap the this, but since this was sitting on my computer I figured I might as well post it. So call this a two part chap.

Disclaimer:I own nothing, blah, blah,blah credit to Joss, blah, blah, blah you know the drill.


Spike's insides squirmed for the umpteenth time. In all the years that Spike had been alive, he had seen and endured a lot of things. Death and pain littered his past. But in all his years- with Angelus as a teacher no less- he could not think of a worst torture, then Christmas dinner in a restaurant. The thought of sitting round a table, being polite and listening to small talk, caused him to inadvertently shiver. Its just plain cruel is what it is Spike thought. How can people actually do stuff like this voluntarily?

"I can't believe your making me do this"

"I'm not making you do anything, you are coming to this because you love me and you don't want to piss of your slayer girlfriend" Buffy replied sorting through her drawers, in a short black cocktail dress, while Spike was lounging on the bed, in a pair of black trousers.

"Yeah but come on, Christmas dinner with the whelp? Not exactly what I signed on for," Spike grumbled

"As I recall you weren't exactly against coming here in the first place" Buffy said reaching to the back of her drawer.

"I don't even see why I have to go, it's not like I can ask for a pint of AB-Negative with a side salad"

Buffy tugged and pulled out a bow tie, which she held up with pride. Spike snorted.

"Don't even think about it"

"Too late, the thought has come and gone, now put on your shirt, we only have five minutes"

"I am NOT putting on a bleeding bow-tie, not even for you"

"Spike stop being a baby, it's just a bow-tie"

"Yeah, to you maybe. Do you realize what will happen to my reputation if I step outside wearing this?"

"Oh you mean the reputation you beat to a bloody pulp when you started killing all of your friends and sleeping with their sworn enemy?" Buffy asked innocently.

"It doesn't matter. I may not have a lot of things, but I still got my pride"

"Fine. Then I guess I'm just going to have to return your Christmas present to the store. I mean if you're so scared of a bow-tie, imagine what a whole outfit will do to your nervous system"

"You wouldn't!"

"I would. And what's worse, I might as well abstain from sex all together. We have to put your health first Spike, I can't do anything that might jeopardize that."

Spike's jaw dropped in spite of himself. Buffy lay down the bow-tie on the bed, still smiling innocently and strolled out of the door.

"Everyone ready?" Buffy asked cheerfully coming into the living room.

"Willow is still upstairs getting changed and Xander and Anya are on their way over," Tara answered, looking very smart in a long black dress with dark roses on it.

Buffy's forehead creased. " Where's Dawn?"

"Last I saw she was heading for the bathroom," Tara said shrugging.

"Oh god we'll be here forever DAWN! ARE YOU READY YET? WE ARE GONNA BE LATE!" Buffy shouted up the stairs to her sister.

Dawn's voice floated down from her bedroom in reply. "Just a minute!"

"Where's Spike, is he ready?" Tara asked

"He'll be down in a minute, you should see him though, he looks so cute!" Buffy said smirking in a wicked way.

"Call me cute one more time and I walk straight back upstairs" Spike's voice drooled from behind Buffy.

Buffy turned round to see Spike standing there with a black jacket, white shirt with a few buttons at the top open and black trousers. Her forehead creased again.

"Where's the bow-tie?" Buffy challenged him

"Spare me the domestic, I'm not wearing it, and if you want me to come to this bloody dinner I go as I am"

Buffy opened her mouth and then she took in his appearance properly and despite herself she had to admit he did look smart. Not to mention HOT.

Spike picked up on her change in mood and also took in the look she was giving him. A sudden, very evil thought came into his head. A perfect way to make the dinner more interesting and to piss off the boy.

Spike leaned into her and whispered in her ear. " Have I mentioned how incredibly sexy you look in that dress?"

Buffy blushed and then she gasped as she felt Spike's cold fingers trace patterns on the bare skin of her lower back just above the dress.

Remembering Tara's presence, Spike settled for giving her ear lobe a quick nip with his teeth and pulling back ever so slowly with a sexy smirk on his face. He could hear her increasing heart rate, and the look of passion in his eyes told him that this was to be a fun- filed evening after all.

Tara shifted around uncomfortably and looked down at the floor, trying very hard not to laugh. Thankfully, Willow came down the stairs with a brown skirt, decorated top and a blood red jacket. Tara gave her an approving look.

"Sweetie, you look fantastic"

"Well, you don't scrub up so bad yourself" Willow replied walking over to Tara and giving her a quick kiss before they linked hands. Willow looked at Spike slightly shocked. "Spike, you in a shirt that isn't' black. Now there's something I never thought I would see."

"Make the most of it. This is a one time only deal." Spike said quickly.

"Sure" Willow said knowingly winking at Buffy who grinned evilly back.

"Where is Dawn! DAWN!" Buffy shouted again.

"And there goes my high frequency hearing" Spike said flinching at Buffy's shout.

A car horn could be heard outside.

"That's Xander" Willow said looking out the window.

"Might as well get this over with," Spike mumbled, taking a deep breath.

Buffy hit his chest and gave him a warning look. Willow and Tara went outside to the car with and Buffy was about to go upstairs when Dawn came down looking cheerful. Buffy stared at her open-mouthed.

"We ready to go?" Dawn asked

"Not until you go and put on some actual clothes, you seem to have forgotten them," Buffy said folding her arms, eyebrows raised. Right now she was moving past shock and heading towards anger with alarming speed.

Dawn looked down at her outfit innocently. " What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"The complete lack of wearing anything is kind of an issue"

Dawn put her hand to her hip "Oh come on Buffy, it's not that bad everyone is wearing this sort of stuff!"

"Well maybe when everyone is lining up to jump off a cliff you will see that what everyone does? Not always a good idea"

Spike walked in from the living room " What the hell is taking so long… and what the bleeding hell are you wearing bit?" Spike took in Dawn's appearance in a mixture of shock and disgust.

Buffy spun round quickly to block her sister's body from view with her own.

"Dawn's going to stay here and change while we go on ahead. The restaurant's only up the street"

"Are you serious? You're having a whole big freak out over nothing" Dawn moaned.

"I'd hardly call it nothing, I've seen lingerie mannequins wearing more than you" Spike threw in.

"Come on we are going" Buffy ordered Spike and he opened the door and went out to the car. Buffy followed until she got to the door. She turned round to face her sister with a cold stern look.

"You turn up to dinner wearing anything shorter than an A-line skirt and you wont see the light of day for months"

With that, Buffy slammed the door.


Part two up soon! REVIEW!