Title: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Author: Mrs Muir (originally posted under the name Myriad Dreams)

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Fox. I just like to create alternate fantasies to his characters but alas they are not mine.

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Chapter 1 – Popcorn

"Willow, are you sure that this is all right?" Giles looked worriedly at the redhead standing in his kitchen unloading snacks on the counter.

"Of course it's all right. I said it's all right didn't I?" She tried to reassure the Watcher about her acceptance of baby sitting Spike while everyone else went out.

"It's just that you are the only one without a, well you know, date."

"Yeah, that's me, dateless Willow. Can't even keep a werewolf interested. I'll be fine, me, popcorn, movie and Spike."

Willow glanced into the living room where Spike was tied to a chair peering intently into and probably listening to every word that was said in the kitchen.

"Are you sure he's all snuggly tied to the chair?" She asked as she followed Giles into the living room.

"Yes. We double knotted everything. He can't even lift his hands." Giles reassured her as started to direct Olivia to the door.

"All right then. Well, have a good time." Then as the door closed behind the couple she added, "What if he has to go to the bathroom?"

"I guess then that you are going to have to bring me a jar." Spike told her arrogantly as Buffy's friend looked at him like he had asked her to dance naked with snakes.

"Oh, I don't know if I could do that." She responded to him seriously then as he started to grin she realized that he was joking with her.

"Giles made me go fifty times before he left so unless you pour water down my throat we should be fine." Spike tried to reassure his baby sitter wondering if she was going to relax around him or going to stay tense all night. "I'm not going to hurt you, you know?"

"Well, it's not like you can being all tied to that chair."

Willow came to sit on the couch while reaching for the remote.

"I wouldn't anyway. You always been nice to me so I figure that's worth something."

As she flipped through the channels Willow wondered if Spike was only trying to be nice to her so that she would untie him. It seemed like everyone was just being nice to her these days. Ever since Oz had left and she had done that stupid spell everybody just walked on eggshells around her and in general avoided her.

Realizing that the vampire was waiting for her to reply she glanced over at him. It was kind of startling the way his eyes looked at her so intently as if she was something fascinating that deserved to be studied. A slow blush crept over her face as her green eyes met the blueness of his.

"He was wrong to leave you. Now, what movie are we going to watch?" Spike decided to give the girl a break. If he told her what he was really feeling then she would probably faint. Better not to say it until he felt that she could handle the fact that he had feelings for her and that he wished it had been her under the spell with him rather than Buffy.

"Umm, there's a movie of the week about some women leaving her husband and then there's an old classic called The Enchanted Cottage." Willow furrowed her brow as she read the description of the old movie. "It's about a man and a woman who end up staying together at this old cottage and falling in love."

"That one definitely, a little romance is better than a movie all about breaking up, don't you agree?" Spike decided thinking that a happy ending would be better for her to watch rather than a movie about a couple falling apart.

He was rewarded when she looked up at him with a grin and nodded. Willow looked down at her watch.

"We have about ten minutes before it starts. I'm going to make popcorn. Do you want some?"

Standing she headed for the kitchen to start the snacks. Then when Spike didn't answer her she glanced around quickly.

"Do you do that a lot? I mean, just faze out and not talk because it's a bit spooky. Not to mention rude."

"Sorry, pet, got distracted." He was being honest because he was watching the sweet curve of her bottom under her jean skirt as she walked away. "Can you put extra butter on it?"

"Sure."

They were both silent as she popped a couple bags of popcorn and melted butter to add to it. Spike alternately watched the end of some entertainment show and Willow moving around making snacks. The smell of the popcorn filled the air as he jealously watched as the girl carelessly threw some pieces into her mouth.

After the popcorn was put into a couple of bowls with the extra butter added to his, Willow grabbed some soda and headed into the living room. It was when she went to hand him his snack they realized they had a problem. Giles had tied his hands down to the arms of the chair and there was no way he could move to eat.

For a moment they looked at each other then the popcorn then back up at each other.

"Oh, boy, what do we do? It's not very nice that I get to eat and you don't." Willow told him guiltily.

The only way for him to have any was if she fed it to him but the chair was too far away from the couch and all the other furniture so she couldn't easily sit by him. Willow glanced around trying to avoid the easiest solution of sitting on his lap which had also been his first thought.

"Move the end table and lamp." Spike instructed her while gesturing his head toward the items mentioned.

Willow put the snacks down on the coffee table and did as Spike told her. Once it was done she looked over at him as he tried to move the chair closer to the couch. The chair was making a rocking motion as he kind of jumped the chair. Trying to help she moved to the back of it and tried to push it a little. Unfortunately just as she pushed, he rocked and the chair tipped onto the floor with Spike roaring as it did.

"Bloody hell. Thanks a hell of a lot, Luv." He bit off as he faced the indignity of lying on the floor unable to stand up.

"I'm sorry. I was only trying to help. I should have known better."

Tears began to fall down her face as she told her herself that she was totally incompetent and useless. All she wanted to do was run and hide in the bathroom but that would leave Spike lying there.

"Oh, balls, woman, help me up and quit your blubbering. It was an accident."

"You snapped at me."

A loud sniffle accompanied her words as she came to kneel beside him. All he could see was her knees as she knelt there then her hand on his arm.

"How are we going to get you up?"

"I guess you are going to have to lift me." Spike snapped again getting impatient with this female who seemed intent on torturing him for thoughts she didn't even know he had.

"You snapped again."

His eyes closed as he realized that unless he apologized for her mistake he would probably lay there until Giles got home. This whole thing would be his fault and he would lose out on a comfy place to live until he figured out how he was going to survive.

"Willow, sweetheart, I am laying on the floor which is one more indignity on top of a lot of others. It's not your fault but would you be so kind as to bloody help me up." Spike's attempt at being nice had started off as good but he had lost the point as his speech had gone on and ended up shouting at her.

"Fine, be churlish." Willow stood and surveyed the chair with the vampire in it. Strength was Buffy's gig not hers and wasn't sure if she would be able to do this.

"Put your foot against the leg as leverage and your hands on the arm. Take a deep breath and then pull with everything you have." Spike suggested when she hesitated.

"Okay. Here we go."

Her foot was put next to the leg and she wrapped her hands around the arm of the chair. Then just as she took the deep breath she made the big mistake of looking down into his eyes. The strength she wanted didn't come as a jolt of electricity went through her and she only got him about halfway up when she couldn't do it anymore. Spike dropped and she landed on top of him and the chair with a big "oomph."

Her chest landed against his arm and her head collided with his.

"Ooow," he muttered as he shook his head trying to clear it.

Then he looked over at her because she hadn't moved off of him yet. Her hand rested on his leg and her breasts were crushed against his arm and her eyes were staring at him. Now, she wanted to be all mushy eyed when it would be impossible for him to do anything about it in the position they were in. Spike sighed as he felt the heat coming off the petite red head in droves.

"Willow, you need to get up." He told her softly trying not to upset her anymore. His voice broke through her trance and she scrambled up clearly embarrassed by her actions.

"Once more," she muttered wearing her resolve face.

This time fueled by her mortification she actually got Spike and the chair back up. Then together under his directions they managed to get the chair over by the couch just in time for the opening credits. Realizing it would be ridiculous to try to have two different bowls she grabbed his and settled it on her lap.

She ended up sitting on an extra cushion to give her the height to reach him comfortably. At first it seemed awkward to feed her then him but after a few times she got the mechanics of it down. Then it felt kind of nice for Spike to be nuzzling her hand as he ate and every once in a while his tongue would lick some extra butter off her palm. That felt really good to her and she had to admit that he was very polite because he didn't bug her for more but waited until she was ready to give him more.

When the scene came on when the unattractive couple wed Willow began to cry. The couple felt they may as well be together because no one else would want them was hitting too close to home. At this point in her young life she felt that no one would ever want her not even a man who wasn't a prize in the looks department.

"Don't cry, Wills. It's only a movie." Spike tried to reassure her not understanding that it just wasn't the movie that was upsetting her. Then when she only cried harder he asked, "What's going on? Talk to me."

It was weird to be feeling compassion for the human when all he should want was to either eat her or turn her. Somehow Willow with all her awkwardness and open heart and insecurities had made it past his defenses and he honestly cared about her.

"No one is ever going to want me. I'm just the girl next door, the study buddy, the sidekick. I'm not like Buffy." Willow wasn't sure why she was telling all this to who should be her mortal enemy. It also slipped her mind that only a couple of months ago that he had tried to bite her.

"Thank God that you're not Buffy. The world has enough problems without two of her." Spike squirmed against his ropes as the desire to comfort Willow pushed at him. "Besides I told you before that I would bite you in a heartbeat and it wasn't too long before that, well you know I would have had you."

Willow's head popped up to gaze at him wondering why he was bothering to try to reassure her when she knew differently.

"That's just because I was there and you were horny. And the only reason you wanted to bite me was because Buffy wasn't there. I saw the way you were with her during the spell. The two of you were all over each other."

"It was the spell, girl. There is no way that I would have done that if I wasn't under some soddin' spell. The chit does not interest me in the least."

Spike nodded his head to emphasize his point.

"But..but still, I have a really bad problem with keeping men. Xander never wanted me until I was with Oz and then Oz didn't want me." Willow sniffled loudly for effect.

"They were both stupid. If you were mine I would never let you go."

Spike hadn't intended to say that but it came out anyway. Unfortunately, for him it was the truth but Willow didn't have those kinds of feelings for him.

"Thanks for saying that. I know you don't mean it but thanks."

Willow held out a hand full of popcorn for him to nuzzle off of her as she turned her attention back to the movie. Neither one of them spoke as they watched or tried to watch the rest of the movie. Mostly their thoughts were on the person next to them. Finally as 'The End' flashed across the screen Spike turned contemplatively to Willow.

"See if they really loved you then they would know what a precious gem you are."

He was referring to the end of the movie when the couple realized that it wasn't the cottage that had turned them attractive but their love for each other. Before Willow could respond the front door opened and Giles came in followed by Olivia.

"The concert was rained out so we are home early." He stopped short when he saw that Spike was sitting next to the couch and more disturbingly next to Willow. "Willow did he hurt you?"

"No, oh no, we were watching a movie and he was hungry and I couldn't, well, I couldn't so we moved him over to where I could feed him. Feed him popcorn, I mean."

Willow held the bowl out to show Giles that she was serious about the popcorn. He nodded at her then gave Spike a stern look. As he opened his mouth to lecture his barely tolerated roommate Willow broke in.

"Giles, it's fine. He was very polite and nice to me. So, anytime you need a sitter for him, I'm available."

Then after throwing a warm smile to Spike she turned to gather up her stuff. Giles offered to drive her home so she wouldn't have to walk in the rain and she gratefully accepted. The prospect of arriving home looking like a drowned rat did not appeal to her.

"Good night Olivia," turning Willow looked at Spike wishing that tonight could have ended differently, "Night Spike. See you soon."

Only the vampire caught the change in her tone as she said good night to him. With a hopeful and satisfied grin he leaned back in the chair and watched Willow leave.

to be continued…..