Part 2
Anya and Halfrek were sitting at the round table in The Magic box. It was covered with open bridal magazines. They were looking at headpieces. The vengeance demon pointed out one that looked like a crown to her former colleague. Anya wrinkled her nose. "No Hallie, you were always the one to go in for all that royal schmaltz. I was thinking more along the lines of retro-demon. Do you see anything that looks like ivory horns?"

"Not in these." Halfrek sneered. "Human publications, remember? You know Anya, I'm still not clear on why you are doing this. Marriage is such a human convention, and you've only been human yourself for a few years."

"I know, but I have realized that my life is very short now. I probably only have 70 years left, and that's if I'm lucky. Plus I'm going to get all gray and pruney and will very likely have to wear eyeglasses. If Xander and I are going to have any time together at all we need to get cracking now! Besides, have you ever heard of filing jointly? And we can take extra deductions for children!" Anya beamed at the thought.

A look of incomprehension crossed Halfrek's face. "Well, I certainly haven't been around as long as you have, so I guess you would have a different perspective on the average human life span." Halfrek considered this for a moment. "So you are telling me that humans can actually keep more of their money by having more children? Hmm!" She thought for another minute, "Why didn't Xander's parents have more children?"

"They are terrible parents." Anya leaned across the table intently. "They fight all the time and never pay attention to Xander. In High School they made him wear really stupid clothes. They even kept him in the basement and forced him to eat assorted processed fruit snacks. That's why he needs me to marry him and make him happy and rich!"

Halfrek's opinion of Xander immediately softened considerably. "Aww. I didn't know that he was a miserable and neglected child Anya. Now I know what to give you as a wedding gift!"

"Oh Hallie, that would be so sweet of you!"

The two exchanged warm smiles.

*****.

Xander opened the door to Spike's crypt and led the drunken vampire through. Spike had an arm around Xander's shoulder and was staggering. "OK buddy. You're home. Yep, the place is still a nuclear blast area. Luckily, I don't think you are in any condition to care. I'm going to take you down to your beddie-bye now. There's no place for you to sit up here."

There was no response from Spike. Xander maneuvered him down the ladder. Spike staggered over to the bed and sat down on the side of it.

Xander was concerned, "You gonna be all right? I've gotta head out to get Anya. Is there anything you need before I go?"

"Can't have what I need." Spike slowly shook his head.

"Spike, you've been moaning on about Buffy all evening. Hey, I know what it's like to have feelings for her, and she only thinks of you as a friend. You'll get over it. Maybe I can have Anya fix you up with her demon friend. You two are already sort of acquainted, right? A nice demon girl could be just the thing to help you get your mind off of Buffy."

"Are you a bloody idiot Harris? This is not some li'l crush on Supergirl. I love her," Spike mused to himself, forgetting that Xander was there. "I think about her all the time. Her smell... the way she feels. She's so small and so strong. Whups my ass, she does, then makes it all better." He sighed. "I thought if I could just have her one time, it would be enough. I could just remember it and be happy with that. I was wrong. I can't get enough of her. I want all of her, but all I get is her li'l scraps." He fell back on the bed and closed his eyes. "Just her li'l scraps. Every time I have her, I just want more of her."

Spike passed out. Xander stood there stunned. He didn't want to believe what he had just heard. Suddenly, so much made sense to him: Buffy withdrawing from all her friends, and her strange absences, all the times lately he had seen Buffy and Spike together, standing a little too close, the little moments when one would catch the other's eyes. She hadn't even joked about staking his bloodsucking carcass since... since... since she came back. Then there was the last time he had come to the crypt to find it in chaos - when Buffy was invisible and he was looking for her. Spike was. Oh god. No! He had walked in on them and hadn't even known it. Why hadn't he known it?

Xander stumbled up the ladder and out the door. The cool evening air hit his face, and he breathed it in deeply, hoping to alleviate the pain crushing his chest. How could he have been so stupid, so blind? They had always been best friends: Buffy, Willow and himself: The three amigos. They had always there for each other. Not lately, though. How had they grown so far apart? And as for Spike, Xander was filled with rage and disgust. How could he touch Buffy with his unclean, blood stained demon hands? How could he kiss her with the mouth that had drained so many innocent lives? How could she let him? He felt like he was going to be sick.

He bent over with his hands on his knees, and gulped air into his lungs then blew it back out. Finally he stood and took a few steps in the general direction of his car. "Anya. I need to go get Anya." he tried to concentrate his thoughts. He took a few more steps, and then stopped as memories he had pushed aside come flooding back.

How could he have forgotten the time just a few years ago when Spike had beat his head in and dragged Willow and him back to his castle for some fun and torture. Spike would have killed him outright, except that he wanted to keep him around as insurance so Willow would do that love spell for him. And Willow: Spike had held a broken bottle to her face and threatened to shove it into her brain.

The only reason they hadn't killed Spike when they had the chance was because of the stupid chip in his brain. None of them felt like they could kill him when he was helpless against them. Time and time again they had all been thrown together to fight the good fight. At first everyone was distrustful of him and barely tolerated his presence. Then as time went by they all seemed to grow accustomed to having Spike around and even began to rely on him, especially after Buffy had died. And now she was sleeping with him, all because of the chip.

Bitterly, he stated it aloud "I wish that chip was gone. I wish it was out of his head."

As Xander continued walking toward his car, Halfrek stepped out from where she was lurking beside Spike's crypt. She reached up to her chest to touch the amulet hanging there. "Wish granted."