Buffy stared at her reflection in the mirror, questioning to herself what exactly she thought she was doing. They were in the middle of an apocalypse, Faith was badly hurt and the Potentials were scared as hell. And she was going on a date with Spike.

At any time that would have seemed ridiculous but with all the other stuff going on around her it was absolutely farcical. If Buffy was still in the frame of mind to let Giles have a say in her life, she knew he would be giving her a long and boring lecture about the importance of focusing on the peril their lives were in and not on hugs and kisses. Not that she was expecting any of that to go on tonight. This was just going to be a casual non-date date. Just two friends, going out. If they were even friends. Were they friends? She didn't know. They had a lot of history behind them, a lot of it bad history...but she trusted Spike now and he was the one she tended to confide in these days. So, Buffy guessed, they must be friends. Friends with a sordid past. Not that it mattered though, all this over-analysing, it wasn't that big of a deal.

Yet here she was all gussied up in last season's clothes, Willow fussing with her hair, and those annoying butterflies in her stomach. She should have just gone out dressed in her casual Buffy attire, if they were just all about the "good friend" deal. The clothes she was wearing tonight were definitely her date clothes. Not that she'd had a date in a long time, not since Robin, but that was best left in the past.

A simple knee length black skirt and low-cut white spaghetti strap top never went out of style. Willow had given her the thumbs up and a wolf-whistle at the unveiling of the outfit. And Buffy's experience was that when your lesbian best friend was eyeing you up, you'd done good.

"I'm thinking the hair should be down," Willow started fluffing up her hair with her fingers.

Buffy frowned, looking in the mirror "Really? I was thinking up"

"I'm going to have to pull best friend rank on you and say down," She continued to play with the Slayer's hair "You're not going military tonight, Buffy. Tonight is all about the lovin'"

She glared at the witch in the mirror "There will be no loving"

"Maybe not on his side" Willow grinned.

Buffy elbowed her gently in the ribs "If I have my hair down then it'll seem like I want to...let my hair down"

"Uh, Buffy," Willow quirked an eyebrow "You do. It's a date. It's time to cut loose and get rowdy"

She shook her head "No. No...rowdiness. Just talking and convincing"

"Convincingly trying to get him into bed?"

Buffy gasped "Willow!"

The redhead laughed "What? I can be the overtly inappropriate best friend when needed to further along the plot of the two lead's"

"Spike and I are not leads. We're not leading anywhere" She insisted, applying lipstick.

"Mmm hmm," Willow murmured "What flavour's your lipstick?"

Buffy looked at the pot "Strawberry"

"Ooh, strawberry. I bet Spike likes strawberry"

Buffy scowled at her "You know, you play the annoying friend routine a little too well, Rosenberg."

"I've honed my skills"

The Slayer gave in and smiled a little, thus inciting another infectious grin from her best friend. She turned back to herself in the mirror. With her hair down, actual make-up on her face and her slightly revealing clothes – perhaps more than slightly – she felt a little bit more like the Buffy of old. The one who had thought her life was tough back then when she had no idea how much worse it was going to get. She'd dated in high school, not a lot, but some. She'd complained to Giles and anyone who would listen that she wanted to be a normal girl and have a life but Buffy realised now that she'd had just that back then. Compared to now, when all she could be was the Slayer. She bossed around the Potentials because they needed it; she took things out on her friends because they had to prepare for war. The First Slayer had once told her she was full of love but recently Buffy had felt not full of much at all.

Then, of course, Spike had to come in with one of his inspiration speeches – calling her the one, telling her all the things she'd ever wanted to hear...from Angel. From Riley. From practically anyone but him. But that was Spike all over. Always defying convention, never doing what she expected. He had given her the strength she needed that night and now it was time to repay him. To help him get back what he had lost, and hopefully, wanted to find once again.

"So, where are you taking him anyway?"

Buffy blinked, cleared her throat "I don't know. Where do you take a vampire on a date?"

Willow raised her hand "Oh! Oh! I know this one – a blood bank!"

"Ha ha" Buffy rolled her eyes, smiling "I mean it. For all this time he's been around...I don't know Spike that well. I never paid attention. I don't know what he likes"

"Sure you do – blood, beer, cigarettes, sarcasm and you"

"That helps" She groaned "Maybe I should just take him patrolling on the premise of a moonlight walk. That way I get some work done too"

Willow smacked the other girl's head "Buffy!"

"Ow! Hey! What?"

"All you think about is work, work, work," She sighed "You're twenty-two and about to go out on a date with a guy who may be considered attractive by those crazy heterosexual friends of yours. Hell, even I can admit Spike's pretty. So, you need to relax. Get in the date-zone. This is meant to be about reminding him why he loves you in the first place. Ergo – there must be moonlight, music, love and romance"

Buffy tilted her head "Let's face the music and dance?"

"Exactly"

"I don't know, Willow. Spike fell in love with me because I was the Slayer and beat him up a lot"

"You think?"

She shrugged "It's not like his brain makes any kind of sense to me. He comes out with these horrible things one minute, then the next he's like a Backstreet Boy member – cute, wholesome, looks good in the rain"

"I wouldn't let Spike hear that comparison if I were you" Willow smiled.

"My point is I don't understand how his thought process works. For all I know, patrolling is his ideal date. He gets to kill stuff and spend time with me. What a great deal!" Buffy sighed, leaning her elbows on the vanity table.

Willow placed her hands on the Slayer's shoulders and leaned her head down "Maybe that's exactly right. Maybe it doesn't matter where you take Spike, as long as you're there. Although, no patrol. I decree that this night is strictly not about slaying"

"Yes, mother" She replied glibly.

"Now, go get him, girl!" Willow beamed.

Buffy stood sluggishly "If this all goes to hell, I'm blaming you"

"Me? Why me?"

"Because I'm hardly going to blame myself, am I?" She smiled grabbing her jacket off the bed where it had been decorating the slumbering Faith nicely "That's just not a Buffy thing to do"

Willow smiled as Buffy left "She's all grown up"

------------------------------

Spike looked at the mirror and cursed his lack of reflection. He would have really liked to have known at that point if the Scoobies constant barbs about his hair were true. What if he really did look like a big Q-Tip? No point in worrying about that now. He'd had this look for a fair few years now and had never had trouble attracting girls. This was the Slayer, however, and everyone knew she had a thing for men with quaffed hair. Well, screw her then. She could take him as he was or leave him.

He started to fidget with the collar of his blue shirt, wondered if maybe he should have stuck with the classic black T-shirt. He grunted to himself, sat down on the toilet, head in hands. What was she doing to him? He was all worked up like a horny schoolboy. It wasn't as if this was even a real date. Slayer just wanted something out of him. A date for a spell.

There was a light knocking at the door and suddenly he was nervous all over again. Hiding out in the Slayer's bathroom because he was afraid to go out on a date with her? It was bloody insane, was what it was. Spike stood and brushed down his shirt, fixing the collar. He cleared his throat and swaggered over to the door pulling it open.

For an instance his bravado slipped away. She looked absolutely stunning. The Slayer cleaned up well, it seemed, although she still looked great dirty to him. He closed his gaping mouth before she noticed it and leaned up against the door, eyes sweeping over her unabashed. Buffy stood uncomfortably, fidgeting with her hands.

"Andrew said you were in here," She explained "he said you had been for the past forty-five minutes"

Spike made a mental note to kill that boy. "Tosser doesn't know what he's talking about. You know, I said seven and it's five past now"

"I'm sorry, I was making myself pretty for you" Buffy replied, face blank but with a tone in her voice that made it clear she would only take so much pushing from him.

Spike smiled slowly. He could get used to this. He'd always enjoyed their banter. Made an art out of thinking up clever things to hurt her with. She'd always got her job done there, too. They were an even match in a lot of departments. Spike had to wonder on whether that extended to the bedroom.

"Well, you did a good job with that," He stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door "Look smashing, you do"

A light blush found its way onto the Slayer's cheeks "It's been brought to my attention, that you might be considered attractive too. To lesbian's, anyway"

Spike laughed "Well, that's something to tell the grandkids"

Buffy gestured for him to start walking "And the likelihood of you ever producing grandchildren is?"

"Well, you never know. Stranger things have happened." He glanced over his shoulder at her "Speaking of, where are we going?"

She shrugged "I figured we'd go where the night takes us"

"Can the night take us to somewhere I can get you drunk?"

Buffy slapped him on the side and he laughed as he pulled the door open for her and they walked out into the darkness.