Throughout Anne's sudden bout of panic, Spike remained almost eerily calm. A practiced demeanor, and as inebriated as he admittedly was, illustrated just how many times he'd been put in that situation before. Spike was well aware of how to disguise his emotions until he heard all he needed. He even allowed himself to be dragged along as he listened to every word.

Something about this woman. Sure, she was a queen (and the first one of those to ever show an interest in his work), but there was a fire of defiance in her that made her stand out more than anything. He just so happened to like that.

"Money and a title," he mused, indulging her as much as he tried to coax her back from the edge of hysteria. "That's a hard offer to turn down."