Where the wild things are..{Spike/Open}

[Anya]

Funny how six years ago, Anya couldn't even pass for a twenty-one year old human. She remembered one particular instance when, fresh from her evil demon days and vexed by the loss of her powers, she'd visited a Sunnydale bar in search of some sort of alcoholic beverage...and had been carded. She supposed that happened sometimes, when you were eternally trapped in the form of a human who barely scraped twenty. Of course since then, she'd become human again and aged safely into the mid-to-late twenties range, been massacred by a servant of the First Evil, and been resurrected as an immortal vengeance demon once again. The experience had quite obviously aged her in more ways than one, and she remained for the most part unquestioned when she entered clubs and bars these days. Not that Anya really had much of a nightlife, but...tonight was special. Tonight, she was going to try something different. Something social, and human. Something that had absolutely nothing to do with monster fighting, or redemption, or any of that tiresome dramatic hocus pocus. Tonight, she was going to drink and dance and...be normal! How difficult could it be?

As long as she was able to stop herself from talking too much. Which, when you added potential inebriation into the odds, didn't seem very likely...but she wasn't going to think about that! And anyway, it was too late to turn back now. She was already here, seated at the bar...trying to decide which of the long list of beers to order...alone. And surrounded by all these humans. Oh, this had been such a stupid idea! What was she thinking, intentionally going out of her way to meet people? Since when was she a people person?

"Well, what'll it be?"

The bartender's pulled her out of her panicky thoughts, and she turned to find him staring at her expectantly. Anya tried to focus, she really did...but her gaze kept trailing off over his shoulder, to a table where a trio of seemingly normal humans sat together; to guys and a girl who all looked to be in their early twenties. The group had been distracting her all night, although nothing about their behavior was immediately suspicious. So why couldn't she leave them alone? She watched unblinkingly as the three of them slowly rose from the table, one of the men leading the way, and the other and the girl being quick to follow.They were leaving, it seemed...but they were heading for the back exit. Which was disappointingly cliche, but an immediate sign of trouble.

"Sorry. You'll have to sell your alcohol to someone else." she murmured to the bartender, rising from her seat. Don't be an idiot, you hopelessly silly girl. - And why was it that whenever her deeply buried inner sensibility decided to speak up, it always sounded like Giles? ..Or Oprah, on occasion, but it didn't matter now because logic be damned, she was going out there! And so with a lot less confidence than she actually attempted to project, the vengeance demon hurried to the back of the bar and out the door that the group had just gone through. As suspected, it led to a dark alley. And...the two 'boys' from inside the club were now predictably vamped out and advancing on their victim. Oh, crap. Why couldn't she ever be wrong about these things? And what was worse, she didn't have so much as a stake on her. Well, either things were about to get messy...or she was going to have to improvise and bluff her way out of this. And unfortunately, that would mean doing something she hadn't done in a very, very long time...

Anya winced slightly as she felt the change take place, her innocently human features morphing into something distinctly darker. Something outwardly demonic. Her eyes darkened, her skin rough and mottled, and her teeth almost canine-like...Anya had gone full-on demon. This was going to be unpleasant...

"Excuse me, bloodsuckers!" she spat, moving forward, grabbing one of the vampires by the back of his shirt collar, and...swinging him into a nearby dumpster. Oops. That had been a little more forceful than she'd actually intended. She'd go with it anyway, though. "I suggest you stop antagonizing innocent civilians, and pick on someone your own size! ...Not literally, of course, since you're both significantly taller and more broody than I am.." Drat, how had Buffy ever come up with all those witty catchphrases? It was difficult to be both intimidating and clever.

"Demon.." The vampire who'd remained untouched hissed at her, glaring unblinkingly before taking a step back, pausing, and then slowly retreating into the night. The human girl in the middle of this mess had run off somewhere in the middle of the chaos, but the unlucky bloodsucker Anya had tossed into the trash...apparently had something of a vindictive streak. The expression on its twisted face resonated one thing: it was extremely pissed off. And, before Anya could so much as blink, it had sprung out of the dumpster with inhuman speed, grabbed her by the throat, and pinned her against the wall.

"Don't see a stake on you, demon scum." he sneered, eyes gleaming.

...Shoot. This one actually had something resembling brains.

[ellebelle]

Spike was just beginning his night. The sun went down a few hours ago, which meant vampires were free to come out to play. The first thing he did was swing by the butcher shop to snag a couple bags of blood. Spike was so used to the taste of pigs blood by now that it almost felt normal. Of course Spike preferred human blood, just like any vamp. But biting anyone wasn't an option and taking blood from the hospital just didn't feel right. Except for the occasional treat. But now that he had fed, it was time to start patrolling. Fighting the good fight, as he put it. There was plenty of evil to deal with in New York City, and it was only right that he should find it and beat it to a pulp.

Spike covered a lot of ground tonight, going through several districts in search of monsters and creepy crawlies. So far everything seemed quiet, so he decided to take a break. He stood alone in an alley, smoking and staring at the moon. After almost two hundred years as a vampire, the moon was one of the only things around him that never changed. It was kind of funny to think about. Not that he really cared, the world changed all the time and the people with it. It was just something that happened, and something that had to be accepted. And sometimes change was good. Getting his soul back had been good. Even if the person he did it all for wasn't around any more.

Suddenly, Spike heard noise coming from the next alley over. There was a loud crashing noise, like someone being thrown around. The sound of a fight. Spike couldn't help being interested, even as he told himself that it was probably just a couple of blokes duking out a bar fight. But he had nothing better to do, and the prospect of violence was appealing. So he stamped out his cigarette and walked smoothly out of the alley, around the corner and into the next one that was behind a bar that Spike had been to a couple of times. He casually looked around. Just as he was getting there, some vampire came running out. The other vampire shoved past him and disappeared into the city.

"Oy! What's that all about?" Spike yelled at him belatedly. If there was a fight, and it involved a vampire running away from it, then he definitely had to see what was going on. He went further into the alley, saw what was happening, and stopped. There was yet another vampire there, and he had a girl pinned up against the wall. Except when Spike looked closer, he realized it wasn't a girl, but a demon! He guessed that this was probably some kind of turf war. Vampires sometimes claimed feeding areas, and they didn't like other creatures invading. But Spike didn't care even if that wasn't the case. He was going to make both of them clear out, or get wiped out.

"Starting the party without me, are you?" He growled, but not too loudly so as not to alert them to his presence. Spike silently strode towards the vampire. He would need to make this quick. With one of them at least. Even though Spike was confident, he didn't fancy his chances of taking on another vampire and a vicious looking demoness at the same time. He vamped-out, letting his fangs extend and his face morph. Once he was in attacking distance, he waited for a moment while the vampire spoke to the demon. Then without warning, Spike pulled a stake out from his jacket pocket and plunged it straight into the vampire's back and through its heart. It wasn't even able to turn around before it was reduced to ash.

Now he had to move fast before Little Miss Sunshine could process what happened. He didn't know how powerful she was but he wasn't going to give her a chance to show him. With nothing more than a toothy grin, he reached forward to grab her. Spike usually didn't hit girls, but he learned time and time again to make exceptions for the evil ones. Turn your back on them and you'd end up dead. So he aimed a punch at her, hopefully it would hit and then he'd throw he towards the dumpster. Unknowingly, it was a similar attack to what she'd just used on the other vampire.

[renoraines]

Reno rode his bike not to far as he heard some noise not to far away so he parked his bike and got off then he headed to the near by ally. Originally he was heading back to Anya's place but the noise stopped from moving any further. Reno headed over to the alley cautiously and stopped as soon as he got there. He watched it all as he was rather confused by it all as he saw long teeth coming from the ones Anya was fighting against. Two of them headed towards him so he fought them and almost got bitten but luckily he knocked them down and staked with a needle that he found on the ground. Reno just used it as nothing else stopped him but after that he felt rather weird about the whole thing.

He heard commotion not to far, right where Spike was which wasn't to far from Reno as he went there but he was to late as whatever was going on stopped then it was when he saw that Anya was in trouble. Yet, before he could do anything a guy pulled her and tried to hurt her or so it seemed to him. "Let her go, stop it she isn't evil she is actually a good woman" he yelled at Spike. He figured that he was the guy that created the other commotion. "Anya was just fighting them in order to stop them from hurting innocent people. She is a good person and she is caring too. If she wished to hurt someone she would have, she saved my life more then ones after I met her" he said as he looked at Spike. "If you don't let go then I will do the same to you as I did to the other two" he added.

Luckily for Reno he still he the needle only now he knew how to use it on vampires even so he was rather confused that vampires were real and all. He killed them by hitting the needle in their heart but it wasn't just the needle it was a wood branch that he fought near by as well. That was what he planned to use on Spike too, if he had to. It depended if the guy was evil or good. Since Reno had no idea he would deal with Vampires he didn't bring anything to use. Even so his friend, boss and partner knew of vampires but called them shape shifters he didn't gave him weapons since he didn't know Reno would need that either.

Reno was lucky that he was a live, also he had scratches but nothing more. He was in pain but ignored it as he wanted to protect Anya but wanted to know if he needed to or not. A minute before he noticed what the guy did to the vampire so he figured that maybe he was one of the good guys too, also he doubted that it was the case but he checked anyways. "I am warning you right here and now back off my friend. " He said again. True Reno was scared but he tried to hide that so as much as he could.

"Anya, you alright?" He called to her as he looked between her and the guy, he wasn't a vampire slayer but he learned from his best friend and partner how to fight vampires and that was exactly what he used. The needle and the stick he found by chance but he was grateful that he knew very well how to fight or else he would have been dead. Reno was grateful both both knowing how to fight and how to kill vampires. However, he hoped that now he wasn't going to need to kill another vampire and he knew that the guy was a vampire by the way he fought and all. He didn't want to need to kill him too because it left a mess and no he didn't believe there were good vampires but after all he went through and saw lately he wasn't taking chances.

[Anya]

So here she was, alone in a dark alley with a creature who wanted nothing more than to rip her head off...and she had no way of fighting it. Struggling against the vampire's hold, Anya attempted to find a good angle to give him a nice friendly kick in the solarplexus, but he was too close. Well this was fun. And as an added bonus, it was starting to become difficult to breathe...

"What, you're not even gonna bite me? Is demon...blood...not good enough for—" But just as she was starting to choke the words out, the vampire suddenly stiffened. Its luminescent eyes went wide, its fanged mouth opened in a silent screech...and then, just like that, it turned to ash. Abruptly dropping the few inches back down to the ground, Anya let out a strangled cough. She was still a bit winded from, you know, almost being throttled and all, but she still couldn't forget her manners. After all, this nice, courageous stranger had just...

Oh.

She was staring into a twisted face that featured golden-yellow eyes, a furrowed, animalistic brow, and long fangs that gleamed in the moonlight. She couldn't make out any particularly distinctive features in the dimly lit alley, but these qualities alone were more than enough to tell her what she was up against. Again. Anya couldn't help but roll her darkened, demonic eyes. 'Oh for CRYING OUT L—' But this fleeting, exasperated thought was cut off by a sudden *CRACK* and then a hot rush of pain spreading from her jaw. The vengeance demon's eyes fluttered, dazed and momentarily seeing stars. Vampires and their goddamn super-strength! But before she could react, her newfound adversary had literally tossed her across the alley and...right toward the dumpster. Well if that wasn't karma...but luckily for her, perhaps, his throw had been a little off. So instead of being thrown into a heaping pile of trash, Anya instead experienced the pleasure of colliding harshly with the metallic side of the dumpster.

Slowly, she sunk to the ground, evaluating the damage even as she did so. She was certainly shaken up, her HAIR had been messed up, and she was pretty sure her lip was now bleeding from where the vampire had struck her. Clenching her jaw in a grimace, the demon slowly pushed herself to her feet. This...was not acceptable. Anya was a vengeance demon. A reformed one, sure, but a vengeance demon none the less...and as such, she considered herself to be far superior to the average vampire scum that prowled the streets. And this particular scum had just made the mistake of manhandling her. Anya Christina Emmanuella Jenkins was officially PISSED.

She advanced slowly on the vampire, eyes narrowed into a glare that revealed no trace of her usual bubbly personality. Her posture rigid and distinctively aggressive, she practically radiated the vengeful fury that her kind were so infamous for. "Oh I am so gonna kick your..."

"I am warning you right here and now back off my friend."

Wait... Reno?! Anya spun around upon hearing the familiar voice, and gaped at the bounty hunter as he slowly approached the vampire. What the...?! What was he doing here? She blinked several times, half-convinced that this was some kind of adrenaline-induced hallucination. But when her friend turned and called out to her, she was abruptly jolted out of her dumbfounded shock. Her incredulity was quickly replaced with...complete panic. Reno was going to get himself killed!

"Reno!" she yelped, spinning around and darting towards him, before stopping dead in her tracks. It suddenly occurred to her that she was still rather...well, demon-faced. And while Reno knew very well what she was, she still felt a tad uncomfortable addressing him in anything other than her human form. The momentary transformation was sort of...awkward, but in seconds she was nice and normal looking once again. Minus the disheveled hair and the bleeding lip, of course. Unwilling to fully turn her back on the vampire that still faced them, the vengeance demon positioned herself anxiously between Reno and the creature that was quite capable of ripping him apart.

"W-what are you doing?! Reno, you have to leave. Now. You...you're normal and human and very appealing to Lestat over there! " she blurted, some of her previous anger bled out by this sudden wave of fear. Anya's eyes darted back and forth between the man and the vampire...if the latter of the two attacked in pursuit of human blood, he was gonna have to go through her first.

[ellebelle]

*Oh excellent, someone's here to save the day.* Spike thought sarcastically. He turned to the man, and was instantly able to scent that he was just a human. He wouldn't be a serious threat if it weren't for that stake in his hand. But Spike had no time to waste on a petty fight like this, and if this guy kept distracting him then the demon was going to make easy kills out of both of them. "Do us a favor and bugger off, mate. And you might want to consider putting the branch down before you hurt yourself." Spike told him shortly. He wasn't really up for hurting a human, and he really just wanted the bloke to sod off before even more people got hurt. But that didn't mean he had to be polite about it. Spike almost never was.

What was the bloke harping on about, anyway? He seemed to think that this demon lady was actually a good person! Maybe the demon in question had tricked him. Humans were so thick sometimes. Spike decided to ignore most of the bloke's ranting. Instead, he focused on the demoness who was now on her feet once again. She didn't look happy. Actually, she looked right scary. *This is going to get messy.* Spike flexed and readied himself for her attack.

But one word the man said stuck out. "Anya" was what he called her. It actually made Spike stop. He suddenly conjured the mental image of a certain bunny fearing, wacky but lovable blonde he had once known. He was sure there were plenty of people around named Anya, but how many of them were vengeance demons? "Can't be..." Spike muttered. But then the demon spoke, threatening him in a voice he knew all too well. He couldn't believe it. It WAS her! He watched without moving as she returned to human form, which confirmed what he was almost certain of. She ran over to the man, seeming to know him. She was actually trying to protect him, it looked like. Yep, that was the impulsive girl he knew.

"Anya?" said Spike, completely astounded. It was so hard to believe that he'd run into her, of all people. What was she doing here? Why wasn't she with the other Scoobies? And WHY was she a demon again? Slowly, Spike morphed out of his game-face and into his normal human one. He stared at her, and almost had to smile.

"Well of all the...look at you, luv! Playing the hero and all." He moved a little closer to her. Now that he was sure it was her, he allowed himself to appear a little more friendly. It was nice to find one of the few people who were the closest things to friends that Spike had. "I suppose it IS you, then? Have to hand it to you, you know how to put the 'demon' in 'ex-demon'." said Spike, pointing out the obvious that Anya was clearly no longer human.

Then he realized that the man who interrupted before was still there. Spike frowned at him over Anya's head, clearly he still didn't trust the stranger. "And who might you be?" he asked coolly, wondering if Anya had picked herself up a boyfriend or something. Bloody hell, if she had, why had she chosen him? He looked right dangerous, like one of those biker types. Not that Spike was really one to talk about that.

[renoraines]

Reno noticed her reaction to seeing him there as he just sighed to that. He expected that reaction from her but he wasn't going to leave her so. Reno never left a friend in trouble as he cared for others more then about himself and the fact that he found a weapon made him feel a bit calm. The branch he held made him feel better because he made it look like a wooden stake, as much as he could as he was new to all of it. Reno also held the needle just in case.

He noticed Anya looked at him and heard her reaction as he sighed to that. Reno looked between Spike and her as he wasn't sure how to react. He watched her demon face as he noticed her move towards him then stop and became human face once more. All Reno did was sigh and look at her. He watched her stand in front of him and the vampire as he sighed and looked at the ground. Reno just showed her the wood and the needle that he found, he could have used his gun but he doubted that it would work on vampires. OK maybe his weapon that he did from the wood wasn't to good but it helped so. At least it helped him get rid of some of the vampires so that was something.

"I can protect myself, I just dusted two vampires. I would admit it is all new to me but my friend tight me how to get rid of vampires. Even so he calls them shape shifters but still" Reno looked at her then at the vampire as he sighed. "I won't leave you alone with him. I am not like that. I am not scared of death but I am scared of loosing people that I love so"

Reno looked at Spike as he sighed while he listened to him, he saw the way he looked at him as he ignored it. He shock his head at him as he wasn't going to leave her alone with the vampire that wanted to kill her. He had a weird feeling that the vampire was trying to defend him from his friend which felt weird to him but he shock that though off his mind and sighed again. "I won't let you hurt her and she isn't an enemy. "

Reno didn't care what the other guy thought because he knew Anya better then him or so he thought. He watched the other guy who was a vampire and sighed as he hoped that he won't hurt his friend Anya. She meant a lot to him, also only as a friend but it still counted so. Reno was grateful for everything she done for him even if they didn't find his friends yet but he was sure that sooner or later they would. He really believed that as he trusted her since she gave him many reasons to trust her.

As the vampire stopped he just stared at him then at her as he just sighed. "It can b, why? Do you know her or something?" he looked at her then at him as he said this. Reno watched the way the vampire watched Anya as he wasn't to sure what to think. It all confused him a great deal. It seemed to him like the guy was confused about his demon friend, which made Reno puzzled even more.

Reno listened to the vampire speak then watched the guy morph back to human as he sighed to that. He looked between the two not sure what to think or say about the whole thing. It shocked and surprised him a great deal. "Did I miss something? Are you two know each other? What's going on?"

He listened to the vampire as he spoke to her and picked up an eyebrow confused. "What is going on here? Care someone to explain to me what is going on here?" he looked between the two as he stepped from behind her and just looked between the two as he waited for one of them to reply to him. Reno wasn't sure what to think or do about the whole thing. It did confirmed the vampire wasn't evil but good which was weird but then again in stories demons were all evil and Anya wasn't so he figured that if that was possible then everything else was also possible.

Reno noticed how the guy looked at him and sighed. "I am her friend. I have met her a while ago. We help each other and I stay over at her place. I am guessing you two are friends too, am I right about that?"

[Anya]

The look on Reno's face told her what he was going to say even before he began to speak: he wasn't going to run. Crap. Why hadn't she seen that coming? It had been stupid to even waste time talking to him; she knew she should have just teleported him out of there without even giving him a chance to protest. Ugh, why did humans have to be so loyal and decent? It would've been so much easier to live out a simple, guilt-free life as a murderous harpy if they weren't. Her attention impulsively taken off the vampire for a moment, she turned to her friend with an exasperated sigh. "You are impossibly stubborn. And...somewhat endearing. But I need you to—"

"Anya?"

The vengeance demon paused upon hearing her name called out behind her. In a London-accented, bitingly familiar voice no less. In fact had she heard that voice under any other circumstances, Anya could have probably instantly tell you who it belonged to. But hearing it here just didn't make sense...actually, she was pretty sure she really was hallucinating this time. Because, even as she slowly turned around, Anya was absolutely certain that there was no way she was going to find...a distinctively more human and all too familiar re-ensoulled vampire smirking at her. Of course. The slicked back blond hair, the leather jacket...It really should have been clear from the beginning.

This was one of those extremely rare occasions when the chatter-box of a demon was at a loss for words. For several long moments, she could do nothing but stare dumbfounded at the man who currently spoke to her. This had to be some kind of dream...

"Spike?!" Evidently, her muteness was destined to be brief. No sooner had she blurted out the name of her old friend than she was moving toward him again, this time with careful wariness instead of blatant aggressiveness. Here was proof, physical that her years in Sunnydale were more than just some trippy dream...and Anya found it too good to be true. She only stopped her advance when she was close enough to reach out and touch him...which was exactly what she proceeded to do, actually. Tentatively raising her hand and reaching up toward him, she hesitated only a moment before poking Spike squarely on the bridge of his nose. Apparently Anya considered this a valid test of legitimacy, because a wide grin spread over her face as, only seconds later, she threw herself at the vampire in one of her clumsily affectionate hugs. "Oh my God, Spike! You're here! You're alive! You...you..."

Suddenly jolted with another sharp jab of pain in her jaw, Anya abruptly pulled out of the embrace and fixed him with an indignant glare. "..You hit me!" she accused him, her hand flying up to gingerly touch her still-bleeding lip. "I can't believe you! You just decked me across the face like I was some sort of common criminal!" She scowled a little; although in truth she really was glad to see him, Anya, being Anya, wasn't about to let him off the hook so easily. "And yes, I am a vengeance demon. Again. Nice of you to notice." she stated eventually, managing to keep her grumping to something of a minimum this time. "I see you're still all fanged-and-friendly as well, by the way..." But even as the demon spoke, a slight smile pulled at her lips. It surprised Anya herself how positively being reunited with one of the Scooby Gang felt—even under these ridiculous circumstances. She'd never really realized how important the bonds she formed with them were, not until they were gone anyway.

Yet...a slight amount of tension seemed to remain in the air. Briefly, Anya wondered why this was, but within a moment or so she'd pieced it together: Reno. There was still a distinctly distrustful vibe between the bounty hunter and the vampire, and with good reason. As far as Reno knew, after all, Spike was an enemy. Only moments ago, he'd been ready to tear them both apart. With a slightly sheepish grin, Anya turned to look over at her friend. "Oh, Reno! Come meet Spike! We go way back...don't worry, he's harmless. " she assured him with a rather pointed glance at the vampire beside her. "And Spike, this is Reno. He's kind of...my roommate-slash-partner-in-zombie-fighting. We helped a devil find redemption together!" It was a bright, cheery explanation, as if this was something you did with your friends every day. Moving back a little, Anya looked between the two of them. "...So...go ahead, kiss and make up!" Given Spike's general antagonistic nature towards those who didn't know him well, and Reno's understandable distrust of the vampire, things could've easily gotten a bit messy...and Anya wouldn't want her two friends starting off on the wrong foot or anything!

[ellebelle]

Spike wasn't really big on hugs. He left being a cuddly puppy-vampire to Angel. But it was hard to just stand there when Anya seemed so pleased to see him, so Spike figured he could sacrifice his pride just this once if it made her happy. "Easy now." He chuckled and lightly wrapped an arm around her. But just like that, Anya's mood changed and she suddenly looked ready to smack him rather than hit him. Spike was torn between being amused and exasperated. "Well how was I supposed to know you were back in the vengeance game? Psychic, am I? And 'sides that, what about you! You looked about ready to some serious damage." Spike scoffed. But he wasn't really as mad as he pretended, he actually kind of missed bickering with her. It was good to know that Anya had not changed a bit, demon or not. "I am sorry about your lip though, pet. Didn't mean anything by it. Maybe we could get some ice to put on it at the bar."

He actually smiled at her defensive comment about being a demon again, and him being a vampire. "Sure, luv. Must admit though, I am a bit curious. How'd it happen? Last I heard you were dead." Even though Spike never made contact with any of the Scoobies after his resurrection, he did some research on them. The last time he checked, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, and Dawn were seeking the next hellmouth in Cleveland. But like him, Anya never survived the battle against The First. Or so he heard. But Spike didn't really care about the past. Anya and him were both alive now, and that was what mattered. He was kind of interested to hear her story though.

Spike eyed Reno with moderate distrust. The man claimed to be Anya's friend, and Anya's explanation matched up. But Spike wasn't so quick to trust that. As wonderfully unique as Anya was, Spike knew that she could be oblivious sometimes. Especially when it came to people's intentions. Spike wasn't sure that he liked this Reno bloke too much, because for all he knew the other man could be very much the wrong sort. It would be just like Anya to room with a serial killer or con artist of some sort and not even notice. "Right. Name's Spike, like she said." said Spike with a motion to the vengeance demon. Glancing at Anya, he said "And I'm not sure about all this kissy nonsense just yet."

Spike took a couple steps closer to Reno, sizing him up. "So Reno, mate. You and Anya are bosom buddies, are you? Do you follow her around trying to protect her from vampires on a regular basis, then?" He asked a little smugly. He was still a bit sore about Reno getting in the way earlier. And besides, no truce could really be made while Reno was still holding that stake.

[renoraines]

Reno watched her closely as he showed her the weapons he had again. He sighed as he watched her reaction then shock his head. "Look i got weapons to protect myself even if i found them here so stop treating me like a child. For a demon you are not too bright or you would have realized that I can protect myself but you don't that is the problem" Reno couldn't believe that she was that way to him. "If instead of ignoring what I am saying you would have known that I found a needle and a branch and that I use them for weapons. I know how to deal with vampires as a friend of mine taught but you act like I need protection. Stop it, alright Anya?" He added.

As the next thing happened he just looked between the two. Reno picked up an eyebrow at what was happening. It confirmed the fact that the two even knew each other at all. As Anya said the next he just picked up an eye brow and sighed. "Guys don't kiss and make up, we don't even hug. We just shack hands" He shock his head at her then looked at Spike who looked at him then walked over to him. Reno could tell that he wasn't trusting him as he himself wasn't to sure if to trust him or not.

He looked art Spike then at her as he listened to him and nodded in understand then he watched him look at Anya and listened to what he said as he laughed at that a little. Reno understood Spike very well and it looked like they both had something in common. "You are not the only one Spike. I am not the kissy type either. So I am not sure about that nonsense either"

He listened to him and sighed. "Actually for your information Spike, I was around as I heard a commotion here so I went to check it out, that is all. I don't do that on regular basis, I was actually heading back to her apartment when I heard the commotion. I was close to this ally because I caught two bounties and got some things I needed in a store and right when I headed to her apartment I heated the situation here so I had to check. I had no idea it was either of you here as well as I had no idea that it had anything to do with vampires. Until I got here and I was only protecting her because she is my friend" Reno replied as he looked between the two. "Don't you know how that is like, Spike?" he asked him as he looked at Anya a bit annoyed for calling him Reno in front of someone since he clearly asked her to call him Vince in front of others. He sighed then put down the wooden stake and the needle. After that Reno looked at Spike as he waited for him to speak.

"If you are really Anya's friend then we are both on the same side. Also she wasn't supposed to do a certain thing but if she already did then she can be forgiven just this ones. Anyway, with me it's what you see is what you get" He said as he looked at both, Even so when he said the part about Anya doing something wrong it seemed like he was slightly annoyed but he hoped that Spike won't tell the cops about him because he was rather innocent guy and not a criminal. Reno hoped that Anya understood what he meant since he trusted her but it looked like she broke it, but he was willing to give her another chance in condition that she won't do that again. Besides other then the fact that she was bad with secrets she was a rather fun person.

"How are you with secrets Spike? Better then her or like her? She is definitely terrible with secrets. I told her a secret and she ended up acting like it's no secret. Did she ever did that to you before too?" he eyed Anya then looked at Spike once more. If Anya and the guy were friends then he figured that he could try to be friendly with him too. Besides they had some things in common so that was something. "We are close but I can't trust her with secrets so and I hoped that I could but don't worry I am not a serial killer or anything. I am a bounty Hunter actually" he said to Spike as he figured that the guy was worried that Anya was with a bad guy but Reno wasn't evil and he hoped that the guy would understand that.

[Anya]

Hmph...she supposed...Spike made a good point about their little almost-face off. And seeing as it had been an honest mistake, and he had apologized, she guessed she could afford to be a little more forgiving this time. So, shrugging slightly, Anya allowed her smile to return full-on. "...Well. It's alright. I suppose I'll live." she replied, heaving a rather dramatic sigh. And anyway, a little blood loss was a mild price to pay for such an unexpected reunion...especially since, thanks to her accelerated healing, the little wound was already beginning to heal over. In the mean time, there was plenty else to worry about.

Like Spike's little inquiry about her renewed demonic powers, for instance. Now that was a long story, and...it wasn't one that she particularly enjoyed revisiting. But then, who did enjoy recollecting the day of their own death? Granted, most people weren't actually able to, but..."Yeah, about that. I guess it's kind of thanks to Andrew.." the vengeance demon explained a bit reluctantly. "Our little 'tagteam' wasn't so much a tagteam so much as it was a...tag-Anya-to-protect-the-helpless-geek-from-the-big-bad-Bringers. Which, you know, was whatever. Until one of those...those cowardly FREAKS snuck up behind me! I mean, what is that? If you're gonna stab the girl, at least have the decency to do it to her face..." Anya gave an indignant snort at this, still just a tad bitter about the whole human-life-being-ripped-from-her-in-seconds thing. Shaking her head, she continued, "Anyway. You remember D'Hoffryn, self appointed leader of all things vengeance-y? He brought me back. I guess he planned on...seeking out my employment again." The rather spiteful expression that crossed the blonde's face at this was more than enough to communicate exactly how Anya felt about agreeing to work for D'Hoffryn again. Well...she'd certainly shown him, anyway.

Still, something about this whole situation didn't quite click. Spike, while evidently pleased to see her, seemed...well, not quite as surprised as she'd imagine a man being reunited with a friend he'd thought for certain was dead, might be. Of course, Anya had been separated from the vampire during the battle—she'd been separated from most of her friends, actually, and her knowledge of everything that happened to them after her little 'accident' wasn't exactly expansive. But...why did all signs of Spike's behavior point to him having no contact with the other Scoobies afterward? The demon narrowed her eyes slightly as she pondered the thought, and actually opened her mouth with the intention of asking him outright...

...Before Reno's words reached her.

"How are you with secrets Spike? Better then her or like her? She is definitely terrible with secrets. I told her a secret and she ended up acting like it's no secret. Did she ever did that to you before too?"

Slightly alarmed at the biting words that left her friend's lips, Anya turned to face him. Studying the bounty hunter's relatively icy expression, her own turned to one of apprehensive confusion. "..You're...angry with me.." she observed quietly, her tone akin to that of a bewildered child who'd just been scolded by its mother for drawing on the walls. Anger was often considered one of the simpler human emotions, but...right now, the vengeance demon was having a bit of trouble processing it. Anya would've trusted Spike—or any of the Scooby Gang, really, with her life. She hadn't even thought twice about concealing Reno's identity form the vampire beside her, especially since Spike was pretty much the last person she'd imagine anywhere near any sort of law enforcement...

...And yet. It hadn't been her secret to tell, and that was why Reno was angry. Just because she trusted Spike without question, didn't automatically mean Reno would...in fact, the way the two were behaving now, it was less than likely. But her eagerness to acquaint two of her dearest friends blinded her...and once again, Anya had epically failed at saying the right thing. "I...I'm sorry. I mean, I didn't...Spike would n-never..." Quite abruptly, the blonde stopped, freezing as the bounty hunter's next words sunk in. Blank shock briefly clouded the vengeance demon's expression...before she settled somewhere between hurt and indignance.

"You don't trust me?" Anya repeated stiffly, fixing her friend with an incredulous gaze. "B-but I...I mean, after everything...you..." Her mouth moved soundlessly to words that never escaped her as she gaped blankly for a moment. Here was Reno, the first human she'd really allowed herself to grow close to since seeking redemption, and he...he didn't trust her! This actually...hurt. Damn it! This was why it was absolutely never a good idea to form these kind of bonds with silly, unreasonable...

"Humans! Ugh!" she spat, her demeanor abruptly hardening. "First you come in here waving around some...some stick, thinking THAT qualifies you as a regular ol' vampire slayer! And you call me dim! Do you KNOW how quickly he could break that thing in two before you could so much as blink?!" Gesturing hysterically to Spike, the vengeance demon practically quivered with agitation. "But no. Don't listen to me, 'cause your PRIDE'S more important! A-and then, after everything that's happened, you suddenly decide I'm not worthy of your trust anymore because I told my friend your name?!" At this point she took half a step toward Reno, thought better of it, and backed away again. Approaching him probably...wasn't a good idea right now. "Go ahead! Say what you're thinking! 'That stupid Anya! She's so airheaded and insensitive that she can't even keep a secret like a normal human.' Well, Vince, if you really think I'd endanger your life by spilling the beans to anyone who was even slightly probable of turning you in , maybe you never 'trusted' me in the first place!"

Oh, this was classic. A case of Anya being completely overwhelmed by some unexpected human emotion...and going ballistic over it. All of this...anger and guilt and confusion...it was all so irritating, and she didn't understand what she was supposed to do about it! ...Well, seeing as she'd just made a scene with her little rant, storming away in a huff seemed an appropriate response. Which she then proceeded to do, except that...the cracked pavement of the alleyway wasn't exactly 'storming' material, and her sudden furious attempt at an exit resulted in her stumbling rather humorously. Further irked by her most recent failure, Anya let out a little squeak of exasperation.

"UGH. STUPID..SIDEWALK...STUPID...FOUR-INCH HEELS...STUPID..FREAKING...HUMANS!"

[ellebelle]

Spike couldn't believe it. It appeared that both he and Anya had made the list of the fallen in the battle. The difference was, Spike knew what he was doing when he gave up his life. Anya's life was torn away from her. He was well aware that life was unfair, but this seemed particularly cruel. Anya of all people, who had come so far and worked so hard to find a place in the human world, never got her chance to. He shook his head. It was stupid to send her out alone with Andrew as the only means of defense against the opening hellmouth. The situation just spelled out death, and Spike was surprised that Andrew actually even managed to survive. But Anya was here now, and that was what really mattered. "I always thought D'Hoffryn was a right bastard, but I can't say I'm not a little grateful to him. It's good to see you." He told her, and meant it. Other than Buffy and Dawn, Anya was really the only one out of the Scoobies that he actually connected with.

Anya introduced her friend as Reno, which would later cause some problems. Spike's provoking smirk did not completely fade, but he allowed himself to relax a little. He really had no reason to trust Reno besides his word, but he figured he would evaluate that on his own time. Play it safe, for now. "A bounty hunter? Good on you, then. You deserve a bloody medal." said Spike sarcastically. It wasn't so much that he really had a problem with Reno, it was just that he was generally pretty unfriendly towards people he didn't know well. That, and he wasn't about to ease up until he knew Reno a little more.

Anyway, this currently bloke seemed to have some sort of problem with Anya for whatever reason. Spike didn't much know or care what their little spat was about, but it did get his attention when Reno was indirectly hostile toward the vengeance demon. The snide comment about keeping secrets instantly raised Spike's anger again. Clearly the bloke didn't know Anya as well as he thought he did if he expected any kind of subtly from her. But when Reno suggested that he no longer trusted her with his secrets, Spike could sense a storm brewing. Trust was a touchy subject indeed. And judging from the whirlwind of expressions on the demon's face, Spike could tell that a nerve had been struck. And he knew Anya had a major tendency to over-react when it came to all this emotional stuff.

"Bloody hell." Spike muttered when she'd finished ranting. More than just her usual bluntness, Anya genuinely seemed really upset. Stunned, he watched as she stormed away. And then tripped. The poor girl was having a hell of a day. Spike knew well that when Anya worked herself up, there was very little that could be done to reason with her. And he couldn't help but feel a flash of annoyance at the fact that Reno didn't seem to have a clue as to how to handle her.

"Oy, listen here mate. You have another go at her, and I'll give you something to really complain about." Spike told Reno angrily, then sweeping past him in pursuit of his friend. "Anya! Hold on a minute, pet, it's not as bad as all that..."

[renoraines]

Reno watched Anya's reaction as he then saw Spike's reaction and sighed as he shock his head. He didn't mean like he didn't trust her at all it was just that he had a reason to keep himself hidden by using a different name and he thought that he could have trusted her with it, but it turned out she didn't know how to keep secrets. All what he wanted to know if it only happened with him or was it the fact that she couldn't keep a secret at all. Reno went through to much and he didn't need anyone overhearing their conversation and get the cops on him. I that happened he would lose his freedom and his enemy, Dutch would win. It was exactly what he tried to avoid. However it broke his heart to hear her say what she did.

Reno was about to explain when she turned to leave, he sighed to that and shock his head as he watched her fall as heard what she said. H e then watched Spike as he listened to him and shock his head. "I am sorry if you got what I said wrong. I do trust her just there are a certain secrets that can't be talked about. Especially since I lost so much and if it comes out I would definitely lost more then before. I asked her something and I needed her to follow it. You both don't now what I went through. Secrets are important just like anything else but that secret is something that keeps me and people I care for safe"

Reno also wanted to know if both Anya and Spike were the same with secrets. "Look, Spike I was just trying to know if it's just her or you both. It doesn't mean I hate anyone. In fact I trust her more then anything in the world, except with secrets. Some secrets are not a big deal but others are. I guess I might as well tell you since she clearly almost did. I am framed for murder but I never killed anyone, my fiance' died and I am called a cop killer but I never killed anyone. I am framed for her murder too but I didn't do it, I would have done it a while ago if I wanted to but did I? No. She was the best thing that ever happened to me and I saw her die by a bullet that was meant for me. While the cop got killed by my gun and I wasn't even there so I was angry at the fact that I could have gotten caught"

"It wasn't at her directly so" he added as he then walked over to her too. "Ya know I wished to die since it all started, so if you killed me it won't make things any worse then they already are. I am already dead for 5 years now, so being dead for real doesn't change anything" Reno didn't plan on saying any of it but because he got upset and worried. As well as annoyed at the whole situation that it ended up coming out of his mouth before he could stop it but it was the truth so. Reno got the wanted poster out of his jeans pocket and showed it to Spike, after he made sure no one else but them was around..

"When we met she was really nice and everything. So I ended up feeling that I could trust her and I did but when she used my name it confused me. If you were going through what I do then you would understand how that is luck but you don't. Not many people can keep a secret it happens but when it's something like that then you end up scared and worried. Which makes you wonder if people that they hang out are the same or not. I just need people I can trust to help me put a crooked cop who framed me in jail." he said as he tried to help Anya up. "I didn't mean I don't trust you at all as I do, Anya just you need to learn to keep secrets"

[Anya]

Ugh...what the...they were following her?! Couldn't they see she was trying to be indignant and self-righteous here? Scrambling to find her footing again, the vengeance demon struggled to to regain control of her increasingly overwhelming emotions. First came Spike, apparently in an attempt to solace her in some way. Anya scowled slightly—they both knew what had happened the last time he tried that—and continued walking with every intention of ignoring his words. Until the moment they actually reached her ears, that is, and the compulsion to respond welled up inside her like a balloon ready to pop. Whipping around unsteadily, she fixed the vampire with a narrowed-eyed stare.

"No, Spike, it is 'as bad as all that'!" she insisted with a step or two back towards him. Her gaze flickered back toward Reno, who slowly seemed to be approaching her as well. Well that was just great. So much for a melodramatic exit...perhaps teleporting would have been more effective. Directing her attention sharply back toward the blond vampire, she continued, "And don't pretend to be all surprised, either. I can't...I don't do well with humans. Even back in Sunnydale! If it hadn't been for Xander, none of you would've even..." She trailed off as Reno reached them, explaining the situation to Spike and...saying something about how he didn't care if he died?!

Well, she could have guessed that by his most recent attempt to face off against a two hundred year old vampire. But hearing him actually say it kind of freaked Anya out. In her centuries and centuries of life...there had only been two instances when she'd consciously wished for death. The first had been after Xander had left her on the day of their wedding, and the second had followed a few months afterward...when she'd murdered a dozen fraternity boys in cold blood. Neither of the two situations had ended well for her, and as such...Reno's revelation almost brought her into another round of panic. Even if she was angry...she was pretty sure she didn't want him dead! She turned to him, eyes wide, but he spoke directly to her before she could address the matter.

"I didn't mean I don't trust you at all as I do, Anya just you need to learn to keep secrets"

She blinked at him. Once. Twice. Processing this comment, she furrowed her brow in confusion. This new assurance completely conflicted with the implications she'd received only moments ago...and now, Anya wasn't quite sure how to respond. "I don't understand.." she uttered quietly. If Reno did trust her, then...what was she supposed to make of his previous comments? Or his evident irritation toward her earnest attempts to protect him, or his demeaning jabs at her intelligence? Bewildered, Anya shook her head as if hoping to literally shake her head clear. Why did all of this have to be so complicated?

"It's all or nothing, Reno. Trust isn't just something you can be selective about, so...make up your mind." she sighed flatly. Having taken a moment to calm herself, the vengeance demon was a bit more capable of a rational response. But...that didn't mean the situation confused her any less. And now, it seemed, an apology was going to be required of her. Vengeance demons weren't exactly fond of the term "sorry"—whether it was them doing the apologizing, or the other way around. And Anya, being a particularly proud individual even for a demon, was accordingly finding it difficult to form words at the moment. And besides, there was more than just pride at stake here. What if she said the wrong thing, again?

"...But. I am sorry for giving away your secret. It was...insensitive of me." Anya admitted begrudgingly, her gaze falling to study the ground. She wasn't sure how to explain her reasoning of the act—the Scoobies weren't supposed to keep secrets from each other, and bad things happened when they did. It had only felt natural to tell Spike the truth about the bounty hunter, but by maintaining her loyalty to one friend...she supposed she had betrayed the loyalty of another. Maybe, in retrospect, Reno was right not to trust her. However much it hurt.

Glancing from Reno's guarded expression to Spike's warily concerned one, the blonde released another sigh. "Spike won't tell anyone about you, though," she told the bounty hunter after a moment. "You can at least trust that. Anyway, I should probably leave now...while I still have some of my dignity intact." That, and she really needed a drink right about now...but at this point, choosing a different bar seemed a good idea. Smiling half-heartedly as she turned to Spike, Anya looked the vampire up and down once more. "Well, it was nice seeing you again! ...Not counting the part where we tried to kill each other." With a little wave to both of them, the demon once again averted her gaze...and with the soft whoosh of air that accompanied teleportation, vanished from the alleyway.

[ellebelle]

When Anya turned around it was only to tell him that she didn't get on well with most humans, which yeah, Spike kinda noticed. But in Spike's opinion, she was bloody well better than most of the sorry excuses for human beings he'd met. There was nothing fake, or superior, or boring about the demon. And sometimes Spike thought she was the most "human" out of all of them, like her reaction to Joyce's death for instance. But he didnt get the chance to reassure her with any of this before Reno came up. Spike still didn't really understand what all the fuss was about, all he knew was that Anya had told him Reno's name. Which was a serious offense for some reason.

But then Reno showed him the wanted poster and explained the situation. Spike raised his eyebrows. *Well now things make a bit more sense.* He thought wearily. Reno had been through a lot, plenty to warrant keeping his identity secret. But Spike wasn't sure if Reno understood his and Anya's history; Anya definitely wouldnt of seen Spike as any sort of threat to their secrecy. "Well, youve had it rough then. Fact is, mate, life isn't fair. You think being framed for murder is bad? Try actually committing a murder - hundreds of them actually. And having to live with it. Things happen, and that's just the way life is." Spike told him seriously. He didn't have much sympathy to offer. As far as he was concerned, Reno had it pretty easily in comparison to some of the sorry blokes Spike met throughout his life.

"But Anya's right. I've got no business with the police, and I don't care enough to turn you in anyway. Even if I did, I still wouldnt be prat enough to do it. You being a friend of hers and all." Spike shook his head and looked at Anya, but she was already bidding them goodbye. Spike sighed. He knew that when she was upset, Anya had a tendency to do this. She probably just wanted to be on her own. "Anya wait," He said, but she teleported away without listening.

Spike glanced at Reno and frowned. "Well that went bloody well." He grunted. With no more vampires around and Anya gone, Spike didn't really see much of a reason to stick around. He had places to go, things to do. With one last glance at Reno he said, "Want some advice? Stop feelin' sorry for yourself, stop wishin' you were dead...cause you never know when that might actually happen. When the world wrongs you, you get out there and right it again." Spike turned and walked down the alley, leaving Reno to think on those words. In moments, he vanished into the night.