"There's a good looking ass."

Spike heard her, before he saw and smirked a little as he continued to peruse some of the leather displays, looking at pants and vests as well as all other manners of soft buttery skins he could see. He knew she wasn't speaking to him. She often said he didn't have enough of an arse to warrant a second glance, but he could guess who she was talking to.

The sound of a soft slap, and a very shocked squeak later and he finally turned himself around to see the only female bouncer he had ever met squeezing Whelp's very nice rump. He chuckled a little to himself at the completely alarmed look on Xander's face which he soon turned to the bird behind him. He pulled himself away from the leather pants and made his way over to them before the women could get their knickers in a twist about other random women groping their broken friend.

"Faith," he said, slow smile curling his lips. Xander practically jumped to his side still staring at her incredulously. Despite Whelp having decided that Spike should not be spoken to nor even looked at, he seemed to see the leather-clad woman a serious threat. Smart move, that. "What are you doing out of your cage before sundown?"

"Sampling," she said, her red lips turned up salaciously as she leered at the young man at Spike's side. Xander held his chocolate, which he had bought earlier, closer to himself as if the peanut butter-chocolate swirl were a shield against her gaze. "Where'd you find this one? He looks fresh."

Whelp looked affronted, sputtering out, "Hey!" before Spike spoke over him. "Visiting the Summers, the Whelp is. He and his little Red friend are up here from Sunnydale."

Something sparked in her eyes, the same light that always came to her eyes when the name Summers was brought up in conversation. Her smile grew, almost real yet still dangerous. "You know B?" she asked, sidling just a little closer to Xander.

He held the chocolate a little closer to his chest. "Yeah, she went to Sunnydale High for her sophomore year…"

"Well, hot damn! She never told me about you. She's been holding out on me, haven't you, B?" she asked as Buffy came up from the back of the store where the purses and such girly things were, Red and Bit hot on her heels.

Spike felt a quarrel coming on and drew the boy a few steps closer to him.

Buffy's stormy blue eyes glared torrentially at Faith, who only smiled sweet and sour. "Faith, what the hell are you doing here?"

Her smile became a bit more forced. "Free mall, sweetie. I was just chatting with my friends. You never told me you met such hotties when you were in SunnyHell." He eyes flicked towards Xander before they fell onto Buffy once more.

"Because it wasn't any of your business!" she growled, taking a subconscious step towards Faith, which made her gaze turn just a little lecherous.

Spike always enjoyed it when these two met. It was like foreplay.

However, the others seemed a little concerned. Apparently, they weren't used to seeing Buffy so volatile like he was. Course, they weren't usually subjected to her sharp tongue like he was.

Red stepped in close, hesitant and watching the scene with wide green eyes. "Buffy, w-who's this?"

Faith stepped in quick, hand extended. "Faith, and you are?"

Buffy glared. "None of your business." She bodily stepped away from the brunette, grabbing onto Red and Niblet so that she could steer them out of the store. "C'mon, Xander!" she called over her shoulder, hair bouncing angrily with her stomps.

Whelp started to follow before Faith stepped in front of him, startling the boy, and bringing out surprising stiffening from Spike, himself. She ran a finger over his obnoxious t-shirt, tilted her head dangerously as she considered him. "You should come out to the club with me one of these days," she said with a confident smile. "I think you'd really…enjoy…letting loose."

Spike's brow rose, before he shoved Xander a bit away from her. "Faith," he said warningly. "Let's not scare the boy. This is his first day in the big city, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll stop messing with your toys," she laughed with a roll of her eyes. She took a few steps back, intent on going back to her leathers. "See you later, Spike…hey!" He turned back to her from where he had been following the boy out of the shop. "You're working with me tonight, right?"

He shook his head. "Pulled bartending tonight."

Her face fell. "Bummer! Well, alright. I'll catch ya at work." She waved over her shoulder, already weaving towards the women's leather.

Xander, still beside him for some reason, even though he had been spending the last two hours at the mall studiously ignoring him—except for a brief three minutes when Spike had found the fudge he was so furiously clutching at now—was silent for a moment, before asking, "You work with her? Where? At a BDSM club?"

Spike smirked back at Whelp. "Yeah, wanna visit? Could get you a discount." His smirk turned to a lecherous smile to rival the woman's they had just left in the store.

Xander turned away, his cheeks coloring. "I'll have to take a raincheck."

They walked towards the girls together, who were standing together near a coffee kiosk and likely trying to put Buffy back to some semblance of decent mood by plying her with caffeine. Xander watched the thunderous look on his friend's face with some concern, his brows falling a bit and making him look even more like a loyal puppy.

"How does she know Buff?" he asked, slowing his gait just a bit, so they could have this quick chat before she could hear them. "I mean, seriously. What did she do to her?"

Spike shrugged a bit. "Don't rightly know, m'self. Buffy don't talk much about it and the firecracker in there has heart to heart's 'bout as often as she wears dresses…which is never. I reckon it might have somethin' to do with someone's ex-boyfriends and broken hearts or whatnot, but I wouldn't know for sure."

Xander nodded, looked like he might ask something else and retreat from the cold shoulder treatment he had been giving Spike entirely, when Red came bounding over, clutching at his right arm, just above the cast. A line of tension went through the boy's shoulders, but she didn't really take a notice to it, tugging him to the kiosk.

"They have chocolate frappuccinos here with chocolate whip cream!" she gushed, smiling hugely at him.

Spike was beginning to think that chocolate must be an addiction for Whelp because some of the strain released from his shoulders, though it didn't all go away until Red had relinquished his arm.

Spike rolled his eyes, and refused the urge to extract Xander from her grip.