Always hated parties. Well, not always. Just when I can’t bite anyone there. Like, for instance, now. Red’s girl havin’ a big birthday bash…and of course Buffy came. Speaking of, she hasn’t thanked me yet for savin’ her life back at the Magic Box. Well, to hell with her. Bloody slayer…

“Spike,” Xander. Such a ponce, always acting like he’s better than me. I could rip his head off with one hand tied behind my back. It’s just this damn chip…

“Please, don’t let me stop you from not being here,” he says. I roll my eyes. You’d think he’d come up with better things to do than pickin’ a fight with me.

“I’ll be here, if I want to be here,” I say slowly.

“Right. O-kay,” Xander gives me a look, and walks away. Too much for him, huh?

Red’s on the dance floor. She and Glinda are makin’ with the nice-nice. Well, good for them. Not like I hold anything against Red anway…oh, wait, that’s right…I do.

Oh, please! Is that the wanker the slayer’s been going out with? The perfect soldier, strong, charming…what a pretty-boy.

Don’t know why I hang around this lot. The slayer, I suppose. Not like I can pose as a threat anymore. And the slayer’s got somethin’ bigger to worry about. That demon-girl who beat her up. That wasn’t just some demon. It was somethin’ bigger.

“Spike?” Oh, it’s Glinda. She’s looking a right bit attractive.

“Well, you look nice,” I say, kind of offering her a smile. Got nothing against this one. Just the others. But not Anya. I respect her. She did some amazing things back in her day. Evil stuff. Really evil.

“What are you d-doing here?” she asks. I tilt my head to the side a bit. Well, I can’t say I’ve got nothin’ better to do, even if it’s the truth.

“Lurking,” I answer. She waits a second.

“Thank you,” she says, kind of quiet-like. I frown.

“You lost me, pet,”

“F-for before. At the Magic Box, wh-when you, um…” she trails off, lettin’ her hair fall in front of her shoulders when she hangs her head a little.

“For punching you?” I ask. She smiles a little, and nods.

“Not a problem, love,” And it’s not a big deal. No need to get all googly eyed over it. I turn to walk away, maybe let her alone, but she tugs on my arm.

“Really,” she smiles again. “Thank you,” I freeze, and then relax again. There’s no way this girl’s a demon. Don’t know how her father could’ve told her that. He’s a piece of work…I like him.

“Yeah,” I smile back at her. “Well, you best be getting back to Red. God knows she’ll be wanting some…attention from you,” she blushes, and I raise an eyebrow.

“W-w-willow…” She trails off, not knowin’ how to respond. She’s not a Faith-clone, I see. Didn’t mention anything about popping me like warm champagne, yet.

“Oh, forgot something,”

I reach into my pocket, and pull out a small box. It’s not much. Just a little something I picked up. Glinda defended me once against Red, and since it’s her birthday and all, I thought it appropriate.

“Here,” I toss it to her, and she catches it, opening the box. Inside is a necklace with a pretty cross on it. Dru used to love jewelry. Don’t know if women have changed much, but I don’t suppose so.

“For protection,” I explain, stuffing my hands in my duster. She touches my arm, like she’s thanking me again, and then clasps it ‘round her neck. It looks pretty on her.

“Oh, and Tara,” I say, just when she’s about to walk away. “Happy birthday.”

Somehow, the big smile that spreads across her face is worth the pain in my head when I punched her.