Bobbing for Apples

Author: enigmaticblue

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters. Obviously.

Summary: Buffy drags Spike to a Halloween party, and Wesley gets tagged to come along. Set in my CMNA-verse shortly before Silver Bells.

A/N: Written for my 2008 holiday request ficathon for spikereader.

“I don’t see why we have to go to this. What’s the point?”

“The point is that it’s a neighborhood party, and it might be nice to get to know the people who live close by.” Buffy gave Spike a look. “Besides, it’s Halloween, so you know it’s going to be a slow night.”

“That’s what you think,” Wesley muttered.

She sighed. “I’m sorry that Nika couldn’t come, Wes, but try not to be such a wet blanket, okay?”

“You’re here as backup, mate,” Spike reminded him. “You never know what might happen at one of these things.”

Buffy rolled her eyes and adjusted Spike’s bow tie. Wesley still couldn’t quite believe that she had convinced him to go as James Bond, although he suspected that her dress had something to do with it. The red sheath was split on one side up to her mid-thigh, and while it had a high neck, it left most of her back bare. She made a very convincing Bond-girl; you would never guess she’d had a child recently.

Whereas he got stuck going as Q, because he’d managed to find the tweed suit he’d correctly thought was at the back of his closet.

Dawn and Connor had been happy to watch Meg for the evening, and they were supposed to have a double-date. Nika, however, had been asked to work a double shift, and the extra money was too tempting to pass up with their wedding rapidly approaching.

“Buffy! I’m so glad you could make it!” The blonde woman in the Lakers’ cheerleading outfit was over-tanned and over-exposed in Wesley’s opinion. “Oh, and you brought your boyfriend!” She glanced over Spike’s shoulder at Wesley. “Is this your friend?”

“Cousin,” Buffy lied smoothly. “From England. He’s Spike’s business partner. Wesley, this is my neighbor, Randi. With an ‘i’.”

“From England, huh?” Randi had attached herself to his arm so quickly that Wesley had no time to take evasive action. “I just love English accents.”

Wesley sighed internally. This was why he’d been hesitant to attend without Nika. She’d planned on coming as Moneypenny. “You have a lovely house,” he commented. “I’m so sorry my fiancée was unable to come. We’re in the market for a new house, you know.”

Randi seemed to miss the point entirely. “Oh, I’m sorry she couldn’t be here. I’ll just have to show you around.”

He threw a panicked look at Spike and Buffy, who both shrugged apologetically. “I think I’m going to get something to drink,” Buffy announced. “Spike?”

“Yeah, sure.” Spike kept his arm around Buffy’s shoulders as they wandered off into the crowd, leaving Wesley to stare down at the hostess helplessly.

~~~~~

“That was rather cruel, pet,” Spike commented once they were out of Randi’s earshot.

Buffy winced. “I know, but if it wasn’t Wes it was going to be you. I’ve seen her staring at your ass way too many times to trust her.”

He smirked. “Can you blame her?”

“No, but that’s besides the point. We can rescue Wesley in a little while.”

Spike chuckled. “I give him fifteen minutes.”

“Before what?”

“Before he manufactures an excuse to run home,” Spike replied. “Just watch.”

Buffy’s cell phone began buzzing inside her purse, and she quickly answered it. “What is it, Dawn? Is something wrong with Meg?”

“She’s a little fussy, but it’s not a big deal. I’m handling it,” Dawn replied confidently. “I was just wondering where you put the pizza money. The delivery guy should be here soon.”

“Oh, crap.” She shot a panicked look at Spike. “I forgot. I’ll—”

“I’ll go.”

Buffy had no idea where Wesley had come from, or how he’d known there was a problem. “Wes—”

“It’s no trouble, Buffy,” he said a little desperately. “Really.”

“Well, okay.”

She started to reach into her clutch for her money, but Wesley waved her off. “I don’t mind taking care of it.”

He’d disappeared a moment later, obviously wanting to leave as quickly as possible. Spike was laughing silently.

“Don’t say it.”

“I didn’t say anythin’.” He grinned at her. “Face it, pet. Wes was never goin’ to stay as soon as Nika took on the extra shift. You know how besotted he is with her.”

“More than you are with me?”

Spike did that thing with his tongue that drove her insane. “I doubt it.”

Buffy only wished that they didn’t have company back at her place; she would have happily dragged him over and put that tongue of his to much better use. In fact, Buffy was having a hard time remembering why she wanted to go to this party in the first place.

“Time for games!” Randi called. “Who wants to bob for apples?”

One of the women there stepped forward immediately. The “nurse” uniform she was wearing certainly wasn’t regulation; the white skirt barely covered her ass, and when she bent over the aluminum tub, Buffy could see her underwear.

So could Spike. Buffy caught him looking and gave him a quick elbow to the ribs. “Spike!” she hissed.

“What?” he demanded. “It’s impossible not to look.”

“I’ll give you something to look at,” Buffy muttered as the “nurse” emerged with an apple in her mouth.

She strolled forward to take her turn, casting a coy look over her shoulder at Spike as she took her place in front of the tub.

Buffy could see the ice floating in the water, and the apples bobbed up and down from the movement of the last player. Clasping her hands behind her back, Buffy bent from the waist, knowing that she was giving her audience quite the show.

She didn’t care about the audience, though—just Spike.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy gave silent thanks that she’d thought to wear water-proof mascara, and managed to sink her teeth into her chosen apple on her first attempt.

Not at all surprised to find Spike standing next to her when she emerged with the fruit between her teeth, Buffy accepted the towel he held out with a smile of thanks. Spike’s cold hand splayed on the exposed skin of her back in a possessive gesture that made her smirk.

Buffy took a bite out of the cold, crisp apple and smiled at Randi. “I think we’re going to head home early,” she announced. “Meg has been kind of fussy lately.”

“What happened to getting to know your neighbors?” Spike whispered in her ear on the way out.

She shrugged “We came, we saw, we conquered.” Buffy grinned at him around another bite of the apple.

Spike grinned. “Indeed we did, luv.”

Now Buffy just had to figure out how to convince Wes or Dawn to take Meg for the night. Halloween was the Slayer’s night off, after all, and she had new plans.