Author's note: Vicious, he's not really a bad guy. Most people like to categorize him as this sort of...blood thirsty killer who has no compassion or mercy or...any sort of human emotion at all. A lot of people tend to forget, that actually Spike is the bad guy.

Now I mean, don't get me wrong; I love Spike. But it doesn't change the fact that he still royally screwed Vicious over. I mean, come on, he was his best friend...and I know, true love and all but still. I think Spike and Julia were meant for each other, but one really can't blame Vicious for getting angry.

Anyways, with that in mind...and a blatant disregard for other stories I should be working on (like Guidelines and a couple others not posted yet), I wrote this little one shot about Vicious and Julia.

also, my computer isnt working too well tonight so if the spacing is...odd...then I'm sorry and I'll fix it in the morning.

Second-hand Smoke

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Opening the door, a blast of stagnant lukewarm air hit him full in the face, carrying with it the scent of old Chinese food and smoke which stung his eyes. Narrowing them in distaste, he stepped inside the run down apartment and closed the door behind him. He stood there for a moment, the rain dripping silently off his coat to form puddles on the tiled entrance way. The sounds of the evening news turned way down low reached his ears, and he could see the doorway shaped blue light flicker on the wall opposite the entrance to his living room.

Vicious hung up his coat, and slipped off his shoes. He started down the small hallway towards the living room, but thought better of it and turned into the kitchen instead. He shed his suit jacket onto the counter, and made a mental note to wash it in the morning before the scent of blood filled the whole apartment.

Tucking wet hair behind his ear Vicious opened the fridge, took out a bottle of Jack Daniels, and closed it again. He stood there for a few moments, listening to the sounds of a train wreck or an airplane crash or whatever, before putting it back. He opened one of the drawers next to the fridge and pulled out a black rubber band, using it to tie his hair into a small ponytail at the back of his neck. Closing the drawer, he opened a cabinet right above it and pulled down a blister pack of aspirin. He popped two and took them dry, then shut the cabinet and walked back out to the hall and into the living room.

Vicious changed living arrangements so often, that he never really had a chance to decorate. The sofa, the television, the curtains and paintings; all were standard issue. Everything in the room came with the apartment, including the scented candles that adorned the end tables. The only personal touches were a bowl of wilting roses on the coffee table in front of the sofa, and next to it, a gilt framed picture of the three of them smiling; the three of them when things had been good.

Julia was lying on the sofa watching TV with half-lidded eyes and a bottle in hand. Her golden hair, blue in the light, fell around her shoulders and over the pillow she was leaning against. Vicious walked over and sat on the other side next to her feet. Smiling, Julia lifted her head from the pillow and swung it around to face him. He stared silently ahead, watching the television set without actually seeing it.

Drawing her feet under her, Julia sat up and placed the bottle on the coffee table. She crawled over to Vicious on her hands and knees until their faces were an inch apart. Slowly, his head turned, and he stared her in the eyes. She smiled in that seductively dangerous way that she knew was the reason he liked her, and crawled into his lap. Vicious closed his eyes and ran his hands through her soft golden hair as she rested her chin on his shoulder and began nuzzling his neck. Running his fingers along her jaw, he spotted a small reddish mark he knew he had not made.

Vicious knew where she'd been tonight.

Closing his eyes again, he leaned back into the cushions and Julia began lightly kissing his jaw as she undid his tie. He exhaled, inwardly sighing.

"Julia..." he almost whispered, "Not tonight..."

She didn't stop, but instead captured his lips in a gentle kiss. When Vicious seemed to not want to deepen it, Julia sighed and rested her head against his chest. "Long day, huh?" she asked him softly. Vicious grunted softly in reply. "That's okay" she said as she reached her hand into his vest pocket and pulled out a cigarette. She lit it with a lighter from the coffee table behind her, leaned her head against his chest once more, and closed her eyes.

Vicious stared down at the top of her golden head and lifted two fingers to rub away the pain between his eyes. Tilting his head back onto the top of the cushions, he breathed in deeply and hoped the second-hand smoke would kill him.

The only thing that annoys me more than people who ask for reviews just to have reviews in their list and then get angry when they're criticized, is people who threaten to withhold chapters unless they get reviews, and then get angry when they're criticized.

Sure, I love reviews as much as the next person, but I know I review very few stories so I don't really expect anyone else to do anything different.

If you have a correction, a comment, a flame or a word of praise, whatever...I'd love to hear it (doesn't that go without saying?). I'm a really harsh reviewer and critic, but I'm awful at editing my own stories, and I have no beta reader...so...if you see any errors or anything, please please point it out...cause I really do like to speak properly and all that.

Hope you enjoyed...see ya around space cowpokes.

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