Car Trouble 4 – The Rivals
Disclaimer: We own nothing, this is just for fun.
Angel’s in town – Its ‘COMPETITION TIME!’
Dedicated to the ever-lovely Jen and Patty
Chapter 1
Spike moodily put the container of blood back into the fridge and went and sat down.
“Come on mate, think –THINK!” Spike mumbled to himself, trying to think of a plausible way to see Buffy while Angel was here in Sunny D. Jumping up, he paced around the crypt. He was on edge, and annoyed beyond belief that he wouldn’t see Buffy because of the ‘poof’ coming to visit!
“What’s he coming here for anyway? – Big waste of fucking space he is…”
Where was a new nest of vamps when you needed one!
“Um, knock-knock…I knocked but – sorry, are you talking to someone?”
Spike looked up.
“Only to myself – hi Clem, what can I do for you?”
“Y-you said I could come watch Passions – if you’ve changed your mind, that’s fine, I under-“
“No, come in…don’t suppose you‘ve heard of any new nasties in town have you, by any chance?”
“Nasties? – No”
“No new vamp nests?”
“Nuh uh, why?”
“Oh…no matter – just fancied a spot of violence is all” Spike said, not wanting Clem to think he needed an excuse to run to tell the slayer………
“Sorry…hey, do you smoke these? Sharkman left them last night at the poker game, not a bad bit of burn…want one?”
Clem handed Spike a cigar
“Thanks, I’ll um, I’ll smoke it later” Spike put the cigar on top of the bookcase.
He’d had an idea………
“I’m going out, make yourself at home, you can stay as long as you like, just blow the candle out before you go, okay?”
“Oh, um, right – thanks Spike…there’s a triple showing of Star Trek”
“Well enjoy – bye!”
Spike got to Buffy’s house – good, no sign of the poof yet – shouldn’t be too long before he showed though………
He entered the kitchen via the back door. He knew that there was nobody but the slayer in the house, and she wasn’t downstairs, Spike listened at the foot of the stairs, he could hear her taking a bath.
Grinning he crept upstairs and saw all of Buffy’s clothes laid out on the bed, He quickly went in, and began to touch every item of her clothing, he rubbed the collar of her blouse around his neck, and made sure he’d ‘scented’ it well. Not that Buffy would be able to smell it………
Trotting downstairs, Spike then secreted his beloved Zippo lighter down the back of the sofa.
He heard the bathroom door open, and smiling, he left the house.
Now all he had to do was to wait until the poof showed up.
He didn’t have long to wait, twenty minutes later a rather fancy sports car came up the road and parked outside Buffy’s house.
“A Viper, huh, and where the fuck did you get the money for THAT Peaches?” Spike mumbled to himself.
Still musing on that fact, Spike let himself into Buffy’s house via the back door again.
“Buffy…Buffy – where are y- oh, there you are – you haven’t seen my lighter anywhere, have you?”
“Spike! What are – your lighter? – Look, what are you doing here – I TOLD you Angel was coming, in fact, he’ll be here any (DING-DONG) That’ll be him now – go will you!”
Buffy answered the door, Spike would be lying if he said that the sight Buffy hugging Angel didn’t make the bile rise in his throat…he clenched his fists slightly…
“Angel – so good to see you – you made good time, I wasn’t expecting you until – oh!”
“Hope you don’t mind, bought somebody to see you” Angel leaned out of the embrace; funny…Angel got a whiff of…something familiar.
“Cordelia, how nice” Buffy said flatly, as Cordelia sashayed down the path, dressed to kill in Vera Wang and Manolo’s.
“Buffy – mwah, mwah!” Cordelia ‘air-kissed’ either side of Buffy’s face.
As she went to close the door, Buffy spied the brand new Viper sitting outside, and her eyes nearly bugged out.
Resisting the temptation to slam the door, Buffy plastered a smile on her face and decided to play ‘perfect hostess’
“So, can I offer you a drink – tea, coffee?” The way Cordelia was sitting next to Angel on the sofa – well, you couldn’t fit a teaspoon between them!
“Oh god no – hello, caffeine - Do you have any carbonated spring water?” Cordelia asked
“Sorry, fresh out, got the regular stuff out of the faucet though!”
“Oh my god, you don’t drink THAT do you, full of chlorine and ugh!”
There was a noise in the kitchen, and Buffy just knew it was Spike
“Oh, somebody else here?” Angel asked
“That’ll be Spike – Spike, is that you – come on through, say hi” Buffy called, a little too brightly.
Spike frowned, what was she up to – she sounded friendly… he wandered in to the lounge, and suddenly, the picture became clear to Spike – Angel had bought his honey…so Buffy wanted to use him to needle Angel did she? Okay, he’d play ball………the girl with Angel looked vaguely familiar to him………
“Spike – long time, no see” Angel said
“Angel, not long enough” Spike said, giving him a big false grin. He then turned apologetically towards Buffy and said as genuinely as he could,
“Sorry pet, I forgot you said you were having company, I’ll do a sweep on my own, Clem mentioned something about a new vamps nest down by the docks”
“Oh really, hang on, excuse us!” Buffy smiled at Angel and Cordelia, and hustled Spike into the kitchen. Spike thought he was for it…but Buffy shocked him.
“Stay”
“Whu-what?” Spike was shocked rigid!
“Stay, here now – I can’t make small-talk, not with her, please?” Spike looked steadily at her.
“Please? – I’ll make it up to you!”
Well, well! Now THIS was a turn up for the books! Begging him to stay was she – oh yes, come on Spikey old lad…let’s go make some ‘small-talk’………
“Bit of light banter huh – okay” Buffy went to turn away, but Spike snagged her by the elbow, and she turned back to face him, in a low rumbling voice, Spike said,
“But I’ll hold you to your promise!”
Buffy just nodded and went back into the lounge.
Spike followed her through and took off his duster, and went and hung it up. Angel frowned; Spike looked a little too used to doing that. He sauntered back into the lounge, and bounce-sat on one of the big armchairs.
“So Peaches, still fighting the good fight with your little band of vigilantes in La-La land then?”
“Very funny – I don’t think”
“Glass of wine, anybody?” Buffy was almost wringing her hands
“Alcohol – ugh, do you even know what that does to your skin?” Cordelia looked disgusted. Inside Buffy was simmering; it wouldn’t take much to make her boil over tonight………
“So, Cordelia – is that Vera Wang – golly Angel must be paying you too much!” Buffy said, giving, what she hoped was a light laugh.
“Oh this old thing…I didn’t buy it, Angel bought it for me…didn’t you - when did you buy me this now?” Cordelia asked Angel, knowing the answer full well herself.
“Hmm, um…not sure! Wasn’t it for the Christmas Dance?” Angel ventured, he hadn’t a clue!
“No, I wore the black velvet, that one you like so much, remember, the backless one to that function, the one you said I was wearing the wrong way round - oops! Um………Oh, I know, it was for that corporate, for Wolfram and Hart – (she turned to face Buffy)
I’ve had it for four months now, you bought it for a corporate party we gave, didn’t you Angel?”
“And it didn’t fit him, so he gave it to you, very gallant!” Spike quipped. Buffy smiled
“Huh, Very amusing!” Angel retorted
“Well, I thought so!” Spike sat back grinning, arms folded
Angel looked embarrassed slightly
“So, how are the others, Xander, Willow?” Angel asked
“Fine!” Buffy said. There was another pregnant silence, and Buffy was just seething, looking at Cordelia’s perfect porcelain coated nails.
“Are you doing The Race this year?” Cordelia asked
“The Race, what’s that?”
“We’re doing it, aren’t we Angel, it’s for charity – a race across the Arizona desert”
“One way to salve your conscience I suppose…what are you doing it in – that thing outside?” Spike asked
“That THING as you put it, is a VERY expensive car”
“You’ll ruin-“
Spike cut Buffy short, she was going to say they’d ruin that lovely car.
“You’ve ruined the surprise, course we’re doing it, aren’t we, pet?”
“What – oh um, yeah”
“In what – not the – oh god! Hahahahahahahahahahaha! “ Angel slapped his thigh and began to laugh and laugh.
“What’s so funny Baby?” Cordelia asked
“Spike’s old jalopy…you’re not SERIOUSLY telling me you’re going with him in THAT, Buffy it’ll fall to bits before the start line!”
Through gritted teeth, Spike hissed,
“We’ll do it, AND we’ll finish the course, my Desoto will leave you standing!”
Angel was still chuckling
“Yes Spike – I believe you – NOT!”
Buffy felt really annoyed, but that was only a fraction of what Spike was feeling, he was bloody fuming………
“Um, Buffy, could I speak to you for a moment please, alone? – I have something to…” Angel looked a little sheepish
Buffy looked at Cordelia, then at Spike and said,
“Um, sure…come on into the kitchen”
“You’re the cheerleader!” Spike said, clicking his fingers and pointing to Cordelia.
“What – oh, you remember me” Cordelia said, disinterestedly, studying her nails.
“You’ve changed a bit though…so you work for Peaches now, huh?”
“Peaches – you mean Angel – I work WITH him, yes”
It was all Cordelia could do to glance at Spike and sneer. He’d love to bring this snooty little cow down a peg or three…
“So, what do you want to tell me?” Buffy asked
“You reek of Spike”
“I’m sorry – you bought me in here to tell me I - ?” Buffy looked puzzled and then felt indignant.
“N-no, no, that’s not what I – look, there could be something big going down in LA, sometime soon – it could be something and nothing, but I need to know something”
Buffy resisted the temptation to sniff herself in front of Angel and she tried to concentrate on what he was saying, but boy, had HE got a nerve – moaning he could scent Spike on her, when there was Cordelia all over him!
“Buffy, are you listening?”
“Yes, big going down in LA, go on – what do you want, my help?”
“It would be nice to be able to count on you, yes… So, is Spike always around here then, he looks…comfortable”
Buffy dug her nails into her palm, but said,
“So, big…how big is big – hordes of evil vampires? – Chaos demons – apocalypse – what?”
“Oh, nothing world-ending…see the thing is, well, they’ve made me head of Wolfram and Hart, and-“
“YOU?”
“Yes – and-“
“YOU are Colonel in Chief, at Evil Enterprises?”
“It’s not like – why do you smell so strongly of Spike, Buffy ? – I can’t even smell your essence for his!”
“WHAT?”
“You, you reek of Spike! Your clothes, your skin (he leant forward and sniffed her hair)– even your-“
“GET OFF!” Buffy pushed him away angrily – the bloody CHEEK of him!
Spike was up out of his seat and striding to the kitchen, as he’d heard Buffy shout ‘get off’
“Buffy – you okay pet?” Spike faced the pair of them, they both looked annoyed, but her features softened when she saw Spike and she said,
“Yes, thanks Spike, we’re coming back in there now”
“What’s going on out there?” Cordelia asked Spike
“You better ask Peaches” Spike said.
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!