Usual disclaimer applies.

Chapter 3

Dawn stopped by The Magic Box before going home. "Hey, Anya."

"Good afternoon, Dawn. Have you come to buy something, or just take up table space?"

Dawn smile. From anyone else, that greeting would have been pretty rude. "Actually, I wanted some advice."

The ex-demon perked up. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah. Okay, here goes: theoretically speaking, if I wanted to curse someone's shampoo to make their hair fall out, how would I go about that?" she asked, trying to appear curious but still innocent.

"Just the one bottle, or any shampoo they use for life?" Anya inquired, thinking over the details.

"Just a specific bottle. Like a prank, but without using Nair."

"Right…that does have an unpleasant odor…Well…wait, are you just curious, or is this going to come back on me by the form of a vengeful Slayer?" she asked suspiciously.

The teen caved. "Yeah, alright, I was thinking of actually putting the plan in practice…but I really don't like this person! How could you tell, though?"

Anya patted the girl's shoulder. "I don't have to be a vengeance demon anymore to recognize a desire for payback, Dawn. Magic is serious business, even when it's relatively harmless. Don't worry – if the person you're mad at is truly awful, they'll get what they deserve. They always do."

"Thanks, I think. So, what you're saying is that karma or fate will step in, in the end?"

The shopkeeper nodded approvingly. "Pretty much! It's the reason vengeance demons have been in business for thousands of years. Is there any more wisdom that I can impart?"

"Um…not that I can think of right now," Dawn replied. "Do you mind if I do my homework in the back? I don't really want to go home, yet."

Anya shrugged. "Makes no difference to me. It's the Slayer's training room."

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Corinne walked up to Spike's door, raising her hand to knock just as he opened it.

His face creased up into a welcoming smile. "Hey, Doc!" Spike looked her up and down appreciatively. "You clean up nice, luv." He was wearing a blue shirt over a black tank, black cargo pants, and his leather coat. She hadn't seen the coat on him before. It fit.

So did he. She blushed and ducked her head. "Shut up. I take it you're on your way out?"

"Yeah, got some errands to run, and I'm dying for some fresh air."

Corinne stepped back so he could shut the door. "I could give you a lift. Where you headed?"

"The mall," he replied with distaste. "Need blood and smokes, too. So, what's with the normal person clothes? You have the day off?" Spike set a casual pace towards the street.

She was wearing a suede jacket over a blue sweater and low-rise jeans, her hair down in glossy waves grazing the small of her back. "Yep. I did some grocery shopping, vacuumed…I actually dropped by to see if you were hungry."

"I could nibble," he teased, snapping his teeth at her. She playfully shoved him away. "Can I smoke in the car?"

"No! You think I want that smell stuck in my upholstery? What's the point of fresh air if you're just going to foul it up with tobacco?"

Spike held his hands up in appeasement. "Okay, okay…can I pick the music?"

"You really do need to get out. You're like a hyper five-year-old!"

"Hey!"

Corinne just gave him a look as she stopped, crossing her arms in front of her. "Spike, you're literally bouncing on your toes."

He stopped and grinned unrepentantly. "Yeah, okay."

She shook her head, laughing, and unlocked the car door for him. Tonight was going to be fun.

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"So, what are you looking for here?" she asked as she found a parking place.

"Dawn didn't have money for her sister's gift, so I said I'd take care of it. Chit's lucky I like her so much. The music they play in this joint makes my ears bleed," he grumbled.

"Well, what kind of gift is she looking for? If I know, then I can direct you straight to the right store and get you out sooner."

Spike slung his arm around her shoulders. "Sounds like a plan, pet. Do they have some kind of goofy shop…you know, like for gag gifts?"

Corinne arched a brow at him. "That's what she wanted?"

"Cross my heart and hope to dust. You know teenagers…they don't like anybody."

"Okaaaay," she replied dubiously. "Let me check the directory to see if it's still here," Corinne added, as they entered through the sliding doors. The mall's current advertising was for Valentine's Day. Spike sneered at all the pink. She read the billboard, then got his attention. "This way."

"Where we goin'?"

"'Things You Never Knew Existed'. You want a gag gift, that's the place. They get all that cheesy stuff you normally find in catalogs." Corinne set a fast walking pace.

That lasted only a few minutes, before the hyper vampire found something to divert his attention. She looked away briefly, only to lose him for the music store. I had to meet the vampire with ADD, she mused. He was already in the back of the store, headphones on his ears to listen to a sample disc. When she tapped him on the shoulder, he held up a CD case.

"I don't have this one!" he said loudly, grinning. Corinne had to admit that he had a great smile.

She moved one of earpieces aside. "Cool, but I thought we were on a mission?"

Spike pouted, but nodded and turned off the music. He paid for his new disc and they resumed course. They were almost to the store this time, when he veered into Barnes and Noble. Corinne sighed and followed.

"What do you need in here?" she asked, catching up to him in the Fiction section.

"Hmm? Oh, just browsing. Been a while since I stopped in a bookstore," he replied absently, skimming over the titles.

"I'll be over with the magazines when you're done." She received an automated response in the form of a nod. Right. Corinne shrugged and walked off. At least in here, she could get a cookie to ward off her hunger until he was through.

Spike wandered through the aisles, pulling out books and scoffing at the prices. Like he really wanted to pay $40 for a hardback anthology. 'Course, he could always pilfer more books from the library…

"Spike?" The vampire whirled around at the sound of the female voice, immediately affecting his air of cool again after being caught off guard.

"Glinda! Imagine running into you here! How's school?" he rambled in a rush.

She smiled shyly. "It's okay, Spike, I won't give your secret away. E-even vampires have to while away the day, right?"

"Right! Well, I should shove off…didn't really find anything…" He scratched the back of his neck, shuffling about while trying to be polite. Spike liked the blonde Wiccan, and didn't want to be rude.

"Spike, did you find- Oh, sorry to interrupt?" Corinne interjected. She pulled up short, immediately noticing the posture of the vampire and the blonde woman.

His head shot up, smiling gratefully at her. "It's fine, luv. Glinda was just saying hello. I'll think I'll just make a trip to the library soon," he hinted, wanting to leave.

"Are you coming to the party tomorrow, Spike?" Tara asked.

"Party?" Corinne wondered.

The vampire addressed the blonde. "Don't think so, luv. We're not exactly on the best of terms… Doc, this is Tara Maclay. One of the Slayer's friends."

Corinne offered her hand. "Hi, I'm Corinne Larkin. Well, we should be going if we want to get everything done before the stores close." Might as well help him out, since he looked so uncomfortable.

"Yes, right. Glinda, good to see you. Good luck with Red." Spike nodded politely, then steered Corinne out of the store to their original destination.

Tara wasn't sure what to think. It seemed that Spike and the young woman were friends, but she didn't think he had human friends. His time had always been spent around Buffy or at Scooby meetings before. It didn't escape her notice that his face had been injured recently, or that Buffy had been especially quiet the last week. She didn't have all the pieces, but her intuition was telling her something had happened between the two lovers.

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"So, what was that all about?" Corinne asked, once they were out in the hallway again.

"What?"

"The stiff and awkward posture you had going around that girl, Tara. Part of that complicated Slayer history of yours?"

Spike sighed, and slowed his steps. "Yes and no. Glinda's a good sort, it's just that she's part of the Scooby group…the Slayer's little followers, and everything always gets back to the group, and her. Whether I do anything wrong or not."

"And the party…it's for 'her'? And the favor for Dawn?" The pieces were starting to fit together now.

"Yeah…can we just get the thing and go…elsewhere?"

"Sure, Spike. I'm at your disposal."

He looked grateful, then changed the subject, poking fun at 'the poor saps' in the jewelry store they passed. Corinne joined in with anything she could think of to keep him laughing. They ended up spending almost an hour playing around in the gag store. Spike insisted on buying several things for the 'wankers' in his life. (She didn't ask.)

A stop for Mongolian take-out (Spike's order was extra spicy), and they left for the market so he could replenish his supplies for home.

"One last stop, pet. Take a right here, then a left on Revello. I need to drop this off for Dawn."

"Won't her sister see you?" she asked worriedly.

"Nah, she's at work." He tapped his temple. "Got the schedule memorized."

They pulled up in front of 1630. Corinne watched as Spike vaulted up silently to a second story window and tapped on the glass. A brunette teen stuck her head out and smiled, taking the bag from him. She watched them talk, then Spike pointed to the car, and the girl waved. She waved back, not knowing what else to do. The vampire kissed the girl on the cheek after something she said, then dropped back to the ground and jogged to the car.

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Corinne laid out the take-out containers as Spike put his purchases away. She had thought it was the cutest thing that a vampire stocked up on Swiss Miss hot chocolate. Despite needing to live on blood, he was so normal, or at least as much as a guy 150 years old could be. She wondered if he would answer a few questions now.

"Spike?"

"Yeah, pet?"

She twirled the noodles around in her box for a bit before continuing. "What brought you to Sunnydale? You've said when, but I was wondering why?"

He settled onto the couch next to her, his hands clasped between his knees as he thought where to start. "My sire, the one who made me a vampire, was ill. We'd been attacked by a mob in Prague, and Drusilla wasn't healing. She was my world, and so I searched everywhere for a cure for her weakness, which led us to the Hellmouth. I also heard that there was a Slayer here, so that was an added bonus. It took me a while to find the cure, and in the meantime, I sought the girl out. Only this one was different – she had friends and family that helped her mission. It's supposed to just be the Slayer and her Watcher, you see."
Spike's eyes took on a faraway look, as he got lost in the memories. "She used to slay in these little miniskirts and those ridiculous platform shoes little teen girls thought were all the rage. 'Course, she needed the boost just to try to look most of us in the eye…such a tiny little thing. Even tinier now, since she lost the baby fat. That's another thing wrong with women today! They're all obsessed with losing their curves. A bit of somethin's nice for a man to hold on to, you know?
Anyway, I went to the Bronze to see this Slayer for myself. She was dancing with her friends, Red and the Whelp…hips swayin' and arms raised in the air, wearing a baby blue halter top with no bra." He chuckled, shaking his head. "A 16-year-old virgin masquerading as a nymph. So, I make with my little test to confirm who the Slayer is, but I already know. The power was just radiating off her back then…made my demon just itch for a taste. The good ol' days…"

"Did you ever find the cure?" Corinne asked, bringing him back to the point.

"Yeah. I got a bloody church organ dropped on my back for my efforts, too. Even for a vampire, a crushed spine isn't just something we take a couple days rest for and hop back up swingin'. Had to do all my own healin', too, since my sire was too busy fucking Angelus in my bed. Loved her for over 120 years, but Drusilla stays faithful to no one but her precious sire.
So…Angelus is going to send the world to literal Hell, and I make a truce with the Slayer – I help her stop him in exchange for me and Dru leaving town, never to return."

"Except that you did."

"I did. Dru decided to leave me for a soddin' Chaos Demon. She never really forgave me for siding with the Slayer against her precious Angelus. So, I came back here to get the Gem of Amara and kill the Slayer once and for all. Figured if I did the bitch in, then Dru would have to take me back. Long and short of it, I ended up with this chip in my head, and just never left. Somethin' always comes up to be involved in. And, I've got the crypt just how I like it. If I moved, I'd have to do that all over again."

"How did you end up saving people last summer?" she asked, missing something.

"Told you, I made a promise. Doesn't much matter now. Slayer's back doing her job, and ol' Spike's free to do evil at night again." He recited it like it was something he practiced saying often.

"You? Evil? Spike, you like soap operas!"

"One. One soap, and that's because it's bloody brilliant! Couldn't care less about t' others. And I am, too, evil! I am. Stop laughing, you cheeky bint."

Corinne tried to stifle her giggles. "I'm…sorry…it's just, I've been around you for almost a week, and you seem like just a guy. Granted, a guy who lives on blood, but a guy nonetheless. Is that so bad?"

He smiled, to her relief. "No. I guess it's really not."

"Good. You better eat your food before it gets cold."

He took a bite of his forgotten meal and grimaced. "Already is. Good thing I have a microwave." Spike hopped up to reheat his dinner, glad for the shift in conversation. This week had shaken his footing, made him more vulnerable than he ever wanted to be. The mask came back up as he strolled back to the sofa, a mischievous grin on his face.

Uh-oh, he's planning something, she thought. Nobody smirked like that from innocent thoughts. "What?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothin'," he replied, batting those long lashes innocently.

"Riiiight. Tell it to some other sucker."

"We need some wrapping paper. I have gifts to distribute."

"Why do I get the feeling we're going on a teenage prank run?" she groaned.