| Bright Light City |
| �Bar?� suggested Spike. �Oh yeah,� said Xander, shutting the door as they left. Buffy and Willow reclined on the monstrous four-poster bed. They were dressed for a slumber party, with Willow in her pajamas and Buffy in a long white nightgown. Willow lay on her stomach, looking through a glossy magazine of Las Vegas attractions, while the other girl ate a bag of potato chips and drank a ginger ale. �Tomorrow we could go see a pirate battle, or a volcanic eruption,�said Willow. She sat up, excited. �Oh, cool! Downstairs in the hotel there�s a gallery with paintings by the Old Masters.� Noting Buffy�s unimpressed look, she said,�they have a remote thingy that you can use. It tells you all about the paintings when you point it at them.� �That�s cool. We�ll have to check that out, then,� said Buffy with a smile. Scanning through the hotel guidebook, she pointed excitedly. �This is so cool. We have to go there!� �What is it?� asked Willow, peering over. �A buffet,� said the blonde. �With shrimp, crab legs, chocolate mousse, tuna tartare, and sushi. I am all over that.� �You�re the bride. You want the buffet, the buffet you will have.� She frowned. �I don�t think that you can have sushi or anything tartare, though. It could be bad for the baby.� Buffy looked disappointed. �No sushi?� She looked down at the brochure. �But they have all you can eat Salmon Maki,� she said sadly. Willow smiled at her and patted her knee. �I�ll look it up on the Internet. We�ll see if we need to keep Tinkerbell away from the yummy sushi.� Buffy smiled and rubbed her abdomen. �I can�t believe that I�m really pregnant,� she said jubilantly. �It is really surreal.� �You and Spike as parents? Yes, that qualifies,� said Willow. �You guys really lucked out with the elixir,� she went on, as she plugged in her laptop. �That was some dangerous magick you guys were messing with.� �The only danger we faced was Spike getting his ass kicked,� said Buffy lightly. Willow looked up. �You really should be more serious about it, Buffy,� she said earnestly, her eyes wide. �You�re lucky he didn�t die.� Buffy choked, and Willow patted her back. Down in the bar, Spike and Xander worked their way through a long row of vodka shots. �Just two?� Spike said incredulously. �You�ve really only slept with two women?� �Well I�m pretty sure Faith has a multiple personality disorder, so you could count her as more than one,� said Xander. �Wow. That�s unbelievable in this day and age. I thought all you young Americans went out and started shagging in junior high school,� said the other man. �I was a late bloomer,� said Xander. �Well, not really. Just couldn�t find anyone to, you know, help me bloom.� He paused. �There was one person I really wanted, but it just never worked out. Our thing never got that far.� He looked up. �How about you, stud boy? What�s your track record?� �Well,� said Spike as he fiddled with his glass. �It hardly seems fair to compare. I�ve been around a hundred some odd years longer than you.� He downed another couple of shots. �Playing coy, huh? Well, there�s Drusilla, and Harmony, and Buffy,� listed Xander as he counted off on his fingers. Spike motioned to the bartender for more drinks. He patted his pockets, coming up with an empty bag of Twizzlers. �I need a cigarette.� He went to the machine in the corner, coming back with a pack. He tapped the box on the table. �Ashtray,� he muttered. Xander looked at him. �You�re avoiding the subject.� His face lit up and he pointed at Spike. �That�s your whole list, isn�t it?� he said excitedly. The bartender handed Spike an ashtray and a book of matches, and he lit up. �Oh that�s so good,� he said elatedly, sucking in the smoke. �Over a hundred years, and you only bagged three girls,� Xander said with a grin. �I am a god! I am a sex god compared to you!� �I had plenty of opportunities,� said Spike hotly. �I�m choosy.� �You dated Harmony. That does not a choosy guy make, � Xander said, pointing at him. �I could have, lots of times, but I didn�t do it,� said Spike defensively. �In Prague, I got this nurse to take care of Dru when she was sick. This girl was so unbelievably hot. Huge tits. Natural blonde. A luscious ass, like a ripe, perfect peach���Don�t let me interrupt your charming little anecdote,� said an icy voice. Spike whipped around, his cigarette dangling from his mouth. He looked into the face of his fianc�e. He quickly stubbed out the cigarette. �What�s wrong, love? Are you alright?� he looked her over, worried. She was wearing her ducky robe and her bunny slippers. Her skin freshly cleaned and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. �Why are you down here not dressed?� he asked, slipping off his duster and putting it around her. She shrugged it off, letting it fall to the floor. �How long have you been lying to me?� she hissed. Spike picked up his duster and led her out to the hallway. Willow ran up, out of breath and wearing a skirt and sweater. Seeing their expressions, she backed off and went into the bar. |