Spike stretched and shut off the telly, looking at his watch. 6:48. //Good. Should be dark enough by now.//

He pulled on his scuffed Docs then slung his duster over his shoulders. Opening the door of his crypt, he sauntered out into the ever-darkening night. Whistling softly, he strode out of the cemetery, a smirk gracing his face as he thought of the coming evening.

//Xander's mum. Who'd've thought? Not too bad, I suppose, but a bit...off.// He snorted wryly. //Not that I'm not used to that by now...years of dealin' with Dru, an' it seems practically normal!//

He let a grin form. //Can't wait to see the look on the whelp's face when I drop in. Not only am I gonna get chocolate, I'm gonna have the pleasure of annoyin' one of the Slayer's pets!//

He kicked at a can that was in the middle of the sidewalk, sending it skittering out into the street. He chuckled when it rebounded off a lamppost and flew into the spokes of a teen boy's bicycle, causing him to skid sideways as it jammed the tires. With a muffled thump, the boy crashed into the same lamppost, striking it, then the ground painfully.

//I get the feelin' it's goin' t'be a lovely night!// Grinning all- out now, Spike continued his trek, finally coming to a halt outside of the Harris residence. He quirked his scarred eyebrow at the place, then bounded up the porch steps. Rapping on the door, he leaned against the side of the house as he waited for an answer.

Bev stood in front of the open refrigerator, tapping her foot as she perused the shelves. //It's dinner. I can make dinner. What's so hard about cooking?// Of course, it would be easier if there were actually anything there *to* cook. She sighed, bending over to look in the freezer section.

//What do teenagers like to eat, anyway?// She gasped softly as a thought struck her. //Do gay boys eat strange foods like, I don't know, tofu or something?//

Her eyes lit up when she spotted some frozen pizzas. //Pizza! Everyone likes pizza! Right?// Pulling them out, she turned them over and read the directions. //I can do this. Just pop 'em in the oven for 15 minutes. Easy!// Setting them on the counter next to the stove, she walked over to the basement door, opening it and sticking her head inside.

"Xander?"

Xander looked up from his comic book. //Uh-oh. She looks *way* too cheerful.// "Yeah?" He asked tentatively.

"We have company coming for dinner, should be here soon. Be a dear and freshen up a bit, would you?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "Um, company?"

"Mm-hmm. You could, I don't know, change, fix your hair. Not that there's anything wrong with you the way you are! Just...you know."

Xander sighed. "I'm assuming this is company you want to impress?"

"Um, well, kind of. They'll be here soon, so hurry, ok?"

Xander watched as her head disappeared again, then put down his comic book with a groan. Standing, he made for his closet to find something 'decent' to wear.

Humming happily to herself, Bev shut the door to the basement and went back over to where she had left the pizzas. //Oh, Xander'll be so surprised! This is going to be perfect!//

She tore open the boxes and removed the frozen discs from their plastic wraps. She slid the two pizzas onto a cookie sheet, then turned the oven on the temperature recommended in the directions. Tapping her fingers on the counter, she waited for the oven to preheat, then placed the cookie sheet inside.

Hearing a brisk tapping on the door, she straightened and hurried to answer it, pausing in front of a small mirror to pat her hair into place. She opened to door to see her son's new (hopefully!) boyfriend lounging against the frame.

"William! Come in! Tell me, do you prefer William, or Will, or Billy, or what?" Aware that she was beginning to babble, Bev shut her mouth abruptly.

Spike grinned at her, giving her a wink that made her blush. "Will's fine, luv." He stepped inside, glancing around. He'd never had much call to be upstairs when he'd been an unwilling tenant here. By the looks of things, he hadn't really missed much.

"Great. Will. Well, why don't you take off your coat, make yourself at home?" She waited while he shrugged out of his duster, then took it and hung it neatly in the closet. Ushering the blonde into the dining room, she gestured toward the table.

Three chairs were placed around the table, one on one side, and the other two right next to each other on the other side. Each seat had it's own place setting. Bev pulled out one of the chairs on the side where there were two, indicating that Spike should sit.

"Well, dinner's in the oven. Would you like something to drink? Milk? Tea?"

Spike grinned at her, resulting in another blush. "Got any beer?"

//Down, girl! He's gay, and you're fixing him up with your son!// Taking a deep breath, Bev headed toward the fridge. Opening the door and pulling out a can, she paused. "Um, you *are* old enough to drink this, right?"

Spike had seated himself and was lounging in his chair, legs relaxed. At the question, he smiled again. "You could say that, luv."

"Oh, good." She walked over and handed him the can, then headed back into the kitchen. "Well, let me just go let Xander know you're here, then we can all sit down and eat."

Bev opened her son's door again. "Xander! Come upstairs, please!" She called.

"Be right there!" There was a shuffling, then the clunk of footsteps on the stairs. Xander appeared in the doorway, glancing at his mother.

Bev smiled excitedly at him. Grasping his arm, she pulled him along behind her. "Xander, you know Will. I invited him over for dinner." Triumphantly, she presented her son to his prospective boyfriend.

Spike looked at Xander.

Xander stared at Spike.

"Xander! Lovely to see you this fine night." He laughed to himself. //Looks a bit flummoxed, don't he?//

"S-S-Spike!" Xander sputtered, then turned to glare at his mother accusingly. "Mom!" His voice hit a very unmanly high note with that squeaked protest.

Bev looked at him innocently. "What?"

"You -- he -- you -- that's -- " He took a deep breath. "Do you *know* who that is?!"

"Well, of course! That's Will. He's a friend of yours." Rolling her eyes, she patted Xander's cheek gently. "Now, you go sit down, and I'll bring out dinner." So saying, she went to get the pizzas from the oven.

Xander stood there, gaping. //Spike. My mom invited *Spike* for dinner. Can my life *get* any worse?!//

"You know, you look a bit like a fish with your mouth hangin' there like that."

Xander snapped his mouth shut, turning his glare on the vampire who was even now sprawled indolently at the table, sipping from an open beer can. Jaw clenched, he moved to stand in front of Spike. "I don't know what sort of game you're playing here, but leave my mother out of it!" He hissed, arms crossed over his chest.

"Game? What the Hell are you blathering about? I was issued a nice invite by your Mum, and couldn't bear to turn the dear woman down. You wouldn't have me goin' around disappointin' the ladies, now would you?" Spike tsked at Xander, shaking his head.

Xander was about to reach for the blonde when his mother re-entered the room, carrying a tray with steaming slices of pizza that were just this side of being burnt.

"Xander, do have a seat." She set the food in the center of the table, placing a can of soda in front of the chair next to Spike. Then she sat in the other chair, leaving Xander no option but to choke down his irritation and sit down next to the vampire.

"Well, go on. Help yourself." Smiling widely, she took a slice for herself, and waited until the boys had done the same.

Xander chomped down on his piece sullenly, alternating his glare between his mother and Spike.

Bev ignored his attitude, and fixed her attention on the blonde. "So Will. Tell me about yourself. You're foreign, aren't you?"

Spike suspiciously eyed the pizza he held, then took a bite, crunching it down. Swallowing, he answered. "That obvious, huh? Yeah, I hail from merry ol' England. Came over to the States a while back."

Xander snorted. Bev flicked him a disapproving glance, then continued. "So what do you do? No offense, but you don't look like you get outside a lot. That's not healthy, you know. You should try to get a little sun, it would do wonders."

Spike sat disbelieving for a moment, trying hard not to burst out laughing. //Wouldn't do my image well, now would it?// "Oh, me an' sunlight don't mix well, pet. I...burn easily."

"Oh, sure Spike, why don't you come to the beach with us sometime, work on your tan?" Spitting that comment out, Xander stuffed another bite in his mouth, fixing Spike with a malicious stare.

"Ta, mate. Nice to know you care. 'Fraid I'll have to decline, though." Spike reached for his beer, taking another sip.

"Spike? That's a rather...unusual nickname. If you don't mind my asking, how'd you come by it?" She leaned forward interestedly.

"Oh, well, you know, it was from an old job. I...did rail work. Pounding spikes an' such. The name kinda stuck."

Xander choked on his soda, dribbling some down his chin. Standing hastily, he wiped his chin and pulled Spike's arm. "Excuse us, Mom, I need to speak with *Will* about something." He dragged the vampire from his chair and into the kitchen.

Out of his mother's sight, Xander shoved Spike against a counter. "What the *Hell* do you think you're doing?"

He scoffed. "What? You'd rather I tell her I shoved 'em through people's innards?"

Xander made a gagging face. "More like, I'm actually wondering why you *haven't*! What's your game?"

Spike struggled ineffectually against Xander's restraining arms. "Christ, whelp! Give it a rest, wouldja? I bloody came for dinner, so get off me!"

Xander stepped back, sighing. He ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it. "Look, I don't know what you're pulling here, but can it, ok?"

"Last time, human. It's *dinner*. I was invited. A bit of a novelty, so I decided not to pass it up. Get over yourself."

The brunette chewed on his lower lip. Heaving another sigh, he conceded. "Fine. But if you even *think* about trying something--"

Spike pushed away from the counter. "Yeah, whatever." Brushing past Xander, he went back out into the dining room and sat down once more. Xander followed, not noticing the speculative light in his mother's eyes.

//Oooh, his hair's messy. And his lips look sort of puffy! Did they kiss? Oh gosh, I think they kissed!// Mentally cheering at the success of her plans, her excitement bubbled over into a gushing conversation that she dominated until the end of dinner.

Once the plates were cleared away, Bev shooed the boys down into the basement. "Now, you go sit, talk, and I'll make some hot chocolate -- *with* marshmallows." She watched them disappear down the stairs, sighing wistfully. //My little boy's growing up. It's so...sweet!//

Humming to herself, she got out the ingredients for her hot chocolate -- one of the few things she *could* make well...even if she normally didn't take the time to. //Oh, admit it woman. You're usually just too drunk to do anything that might result in burning the house down around your ears.//

//Then again, staying sober isn't exactly a preferred choice when the husband is home.// She shuddered. //I swear, that man! Needs a good swift kick in the head.// She stirred the heating liquid, watching the steam swirl up.

Finally, it was perfect, and she poured the creamy drink into two mugs, adding a handful of mini-marshmallow to each. Lifting them carefully, she carried them downstairs.

Spike and Xander looked up in synchronization from the couch, watching her descend. Xander licked his lips as he eyed the cups, vaguely remembering the delicious taste. //Chocolate. Oh, yeah, come to papa.// He happily took his cup, sipping the scalding beverage.

He yelped as it burned his tongue, scowling at the offending drink.

"Careful, it's hot."

Xander rolled his eyes. //Yeah, *now* she tells me!//

Spike snickered. "Don't worry, mate. It ain't gonna run off." He set his mug down gently. "Not like some people's food tends to," he added softly.

Bev just kept on smiling, missing the undercurrent of repressed hostility emanating from her son. "Well, I'll just leave you two alone for a bit. Have fun!" She turned and went back upstairs, shutting the door behind her with a soft click.

Xander narrowed his eyes at her retreat. Grabbing the remote control, he turned the TV on and flipped through the stations, settling on a nice action movie. After a few minutes, he picked up his hot chocolate and tentatively took another sip, moaning with happiness as the flavor exploded across his taste buds.

Spike watched bemused, then drank from his own cup. His eyes widened and he pulled the cup away, licking the froth off his upper lip. "Bloody Hell! This stuff's fantastic!" He glared at Xander accusingly. "Oi, how come you never brought me any of this when I lived here?"

"Gee. Lemme think. Maybe 'cause dear old mom was usually too drunk to make it? It's been a while since I've gotten any, either."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "That so? Can't say I'm surprised."

Xander blinked, not getting it for a moment, then flushed. "That's not what I meant!"

The vampire nodded. "Sure, mate. Whatever you say." Tuning the human out, he switched his attention to the movie.

Xander gritted his teeth, then determined to ignore the blonde. He too stared at the TV. After a few minutes though, he glanced over at Spike, and his attention was immediately captured. A pink tongue had flickered out, darting into the cup to scoop up a bit of the white confection, then disappearing between glistening lips. There was a slight movement of the jaw as the sweet was consumed, then the tongue reappeared again to lick away every trace of chocolate left behind on the full...moist...suckable lips.

He jerked his gaze away, mentally slapping himself. //Bad Xander! That's *Spike*. A vampire. A *guy* vampire. And you. Are. Not. Gay!//

He sneaked another peek. God, look at that mouth! All pouty, just begging to be... //No! I am *so* not thinking about kissing Spike. That is bad. Bad thoughts! I'm not gay. I'm not gay.// Eyes boring into the TV, he chanted that over and over, until he finally regained some control.

Distantly, Spike noted that Xander's heart rate had accelerated for a moment, but didn't really consider why. He continued to watch the program, absorbed. It had lots of lovely violence, plenty of killing in full bloody technicolor. Not bad at all.

He shifted, leaning on the arm of the sofa and turning slightly toward the human. Drawing his legs up, he dipped a finger in his cup. Hooking a now-gooey marshmallow, he transferred it to his mouth, drawing the finger in as well and licking it clean.

At Spike's movement, Xander glanced over once more. He was instantly mesmerized. The slim finger rolled around in that cool, vampire mouth, before sliding free with a soft slurp. He stared at the finger, which gleamed wetly in the dim light. He felt his pants grow tighter.

Xander stood abruptly, turning off the TV.

"Hey! I was watchin that!" Spike glared at the brunette petulantly.

"Yeah, that's great. That's good. Um, you gotta leave now." He stood there nervously, feet shuffling.

Spike slouched into the sofa, clutching his mug to his chest. "I ain't finished with my cocoa yet," he muttered, pouting. He steadfastly refused to rise.

//Oh, bad pout. Very bad!// "So, take it with you. Just...go!" Desperate now, he pointed toward the door. Normally, he would have pulled the blonde up and shoved him out, but he found himself leery of touching Spike. //Don't wanna kiss him. *Don't* wanna kiss him!//

''What's the rush? Got a hot date with the ex-demoness?" He leered, eyeballing Xander's form.

//Blood? Hello, blood? Return to the brain now. The *other* brain!// He groaned, telling himself that he absolutely was *not* turned on by that look. "Um, no. Just...need to sleep. It's getting kinda late."

Spike stared pointedly at the clock on the wall, which stated firmly that it was no later that 9:17.

Xander flushed, trying to cover. "Work! You know, that thing we humans have to do in order to earn money? As opposed to pick- pocketing. Gotta be up bright and early!"

Spike snorted, then finished his drink. Standing, he fixed Xander with an odd look. "You, Xander... You need help." Turning, he made his way up the stairs.

Sighing with relief, Xander sat down again, back toward the vampire as he resolutely ignored the blonde's exit.

Spike left the basement, almost bumping into Bev, who was puttering around the kitchen.

"Will! Leaving already?"

//Is that--? Bloody Hell, she actually looks *disappointed*!// Feeling curiosity gnawing at him, he pushed it back down. "Well, luv, you know how it is. Need my beauty sleep, I do."

"Oh. Of course." She took his mug, setting it in the sink. Turning back to him, she asked anxiously, "Xander didn't do anything to make you feel...unwelcome, did he?" //Oh please, Xander, tell me you didn't screw this up!//

Spike smiled broadly. "Course not! Practically begged me to stay, he did. But I told him, 'Xan, I'd love to, but I have to be to work bright and early, so no can do.' He was quite disappointed, I'll tell you."

"Oh, good! I mean, um... So, will you come back again? Maybe tomorrow night?" She waited hopefully.

"Hmmm. Tomorrow's bad for me, but tell you what. How about the night after?"

"Great! I'll be sure to fix something special." She followed him to the door, retrieving his duster from the closet. "Now, you be careful walking home. Strange things seem to happen after dark around here."

Spike snickered softly. //You have *no* idea!// Duster swirling around his calves, he strode off into the night.

Bev watched him go, then shut the door. Leaning back against it, she clapped her hands. //Oh, this is all working out so well!// Singing softly under her breath, she headed for bed.

*****