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"Remind me, why are we using my house?" Giles asked, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes, voice pained beyond expression.
"Because we like your house," Buffy replied with a grin, sticking an adhesive bow to the former librarian's forehead. He promptly tore it off. "It's big. And so unfestive! The parental units kind of dominated the decorating in our house's. Well, then there's Xander..."
The dark-haired young man raised his hands helplessly. "It's not my fault they're all too bombed to decorate. I have lights in the basement!"
"And mistletoe," Anya reminded him with a suggestive smirk.
Xander grinned, wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her quickly. "And mistletoe."
"Oh, shut the bloody hell up!" a testy voice ordered from across the room. Spike frowned at the happy couple, then continued stringing lights on the tree.
"Why is Spike doing the lights?" Willow asked the Slayer hesitantly, not sure she really wanted an answer.
"Because your friend with the glasses doesn't do it right," Spike answered for her. "Puts 'em too far apart."
When Xander fished a large plastic Santa Claus from the box nearest him, Giles groaned and tried to sink further into the couch. "Aw, c'mon, G-man, it's not that bad. Kind of . . . trailer chic."
"Have s'more egg nog," Spike suggested from behind the tree.
"You mean diluted rum," Willow said, wrinkling her nose.
"Hey, nobody asked you to try it, red. Besides, you're only here because they drug you here, remember? There!" He stepped back proudly, gesturing to the eight foot tree, now glowing with small, multi-colored lights. "What do you think?"
"Surprisingly good," Buffy answered while arranging perfectly-iced Christmas cookies on a plate featuring a badly-drawn snowman. "I guess experience does count for something. Hey, Willow, turn on some music, would you?"
"Sure." The witch rose and headed for the portable CD player they had brought from the dorm. She turned on the radio and began surfing through the stations. "Oooo, I love this song!"
There's chair in my head on which I use to sit,
Took a pencil and I wrote the following on it,
Now there's a key where my wonderful mouth used to be
Dig it up and throw it at me,
Dig it up and throw it at me
Where can I run to?
Where can I hide?
Who will I turn to?-
"Christmas music, Will. Happy joy stuff."
"Alright," Willow agreed, continuing her odyssey and finally stopping on a rock station playing "Boogie Woogie Santa." "Better?"
"Much."
Three hours later, everyone but Giles was plastered. The former Watcher initially protested, urging the Scooby Gang to avoid Spike's "egg nog," but when he saw that there was little point in the warning, he retired to his room, shutting the door and praying they would be gone in the morning. Xander and Anya soon left as well, Anya mentioning something about mistletoe and wrapping paper. No one wanted to know more.
The remaining three revelers continued sipping their drinks and giggling about everything. "I can't feel my feet!" Spike announced finally.
"Me neither!" Willow agreed before falling to the floor, shaking with laughter.
Buffy grabbed the glass from Spike's hand and grinned. "I think you've had enough, Ssspike," she slurred. "Mine now!"
"Admi' it, Slayer, you just wanna drink from my glass," the vampire slurred happily.
Buffy leaned in close to him, rum-laden breath wafting across his face. "You know what, Spike?"
"What, Slayer?"
"When we were engaged," her voice dropped to a breathy whisper, "I enjoyed every second of it!"
"Oh my Goddess!" Willow exclaimed from the floor, dragging something out of an overturned box.
"What 'sit," Buffy asked, trying to focus on her friend's wavering hand.
"It's... it's... a troll!"
"A troll?" Spike asked skeptically. "Thought they lived under bridges."
Willow shook her head and thrust the pink-haired toy in the vampire's face. He screamed and fell back, scrambling away from it blindly. "That's bloody horrible!"
Buffy nodded, more solemn than she had been in hours. "Troll dolls are evil."
"Very evil," Willow echoed.
"I'll drink to that!" Spike said, grabbing his glass back as the girls fell back to the giggling.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
Spike's eyes snapped open and he groaned, the shrill yell piercing his head like a stake. "What're you yellin' about?" he mumbled, rolling over to find his face just inches away from Giles's. "Bloody hell!" The vampire started to jump out of bed, then became aware of his completely nude state. "I'm takin' the sheet!"
"Please!" Giles pushed the sheet away and tried to compose himself. "Why, pray tell, are you in my bed?"
"Um... It's too close to the living room," Spike replied at last, searching the floor for any sign of his clothes.
Fairly shaking with anger, Giles rose and headed for the door, turning back only once. "For God's sake, get some pants on, Spike."
"Merry Christmas to you too!"