Chapter 11

After skipping lunch, Buffy went straight to rehearsing the new songs for her album, and then Spike said she could go at four o’clock, as she wanted to do some shopping.

She wanted something to wear for the party, and just to generally spoil herself with some luxury bath products, cosmetics and frivolities like scented candles, stuff that she’d had to deny herself when money was tight.

She sat in the food court with a coffee, her myriad of shopping bags on two other seats. Buffy took out her cell phone, and called up her friend.

“Hi Will, where are you?”

“Lecture hall three, well, tell a lie, outside lecture hall three, I’m just on my way home”

“Come and meet me! I’m in the Food Court at the mall…I can tell you what’s been going on!”

“Oh great, give me twenty minutes!”

*********

It was just after six, and Spike closed down his computer, yawned and stretched, there was a knock at his door, and a messenger entered with a two-inch thick parcel, handed it to him and left.

“Thankyou” Spike opened it, and smiled, it was 250 photos of Buffy, taken from a ‘still’ when she was on Ethan Raine’s show. She looked beautiful, natural and happy. Spike had been just going to go home, but thought that another half an hour wouldn’t hurt, and he got out the rubber-stamp of Buffy’s signature they’d had made, and he began to stamp the corners of the photos.

Normally this would have been a secretary’s job he’d have had done tomorrow, but Spike thought that it would give him an excuse to drop by Buffy’s house later, after all, he’d promised those young fans of hers some pictures………

********

“Have you got that, Warren?” Lorne asked

“Yes, yes, I know, treble security, it’ll be easier to get into Fort Knox than the back room, have no fear…I’ll want the ‘usual’ payment’ of course”

“You will - we’ll supply the DJ, we don’t want the music fiasco that happened last time – we’d have been better off with a karaoke”

“Sure, whatever”

“Oh yes, and he wants six cases of Champagne. Dom Perignon, or Bollinger, not that Spanish Cava you pass off as bubbly, he’ll know”

“Okay! Jeez”

“I’m just telling you for your own good Warren…we wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, now would we?”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, Sweet has mucho influence, friends and interests in this city… wouldn’t do to try and screw him”

“I hear you’re the one doing that, literally, one of many!”

“Don’t get smart, that mouth of yours will get you into trouble one of these days, Mr MEERS!”
Lorne put the phone down, and Warren looked horrified, how the HELL, did Lorne know that his real name was Meers and not Walsh…

“SHIT! BASTARD!” Warren kicked out at the office safe. He’d been SO careful to keep his real name covered as there was that outstanding warrant in England for his arrest for murder.

He’d REALLY have to be careful now, and play things absolutely straight with Sweet and co…a thought that made him sick.

Willy was a little worried, he’d heard Warren swearing, and he thought as his boss had the takings books out on the desk that he’d been found out about his ‘fiddle’. He decided to brazen it out, and knocked on the office door.

“Yes?” Warren asked irritably

“Can I have the floats for the cash registers?”

“Here” Warren threw him the key to the safe.

“Friday” Warren said

“Boss?”

“I want YOU to do the bar in the back room, it’s for Sweet’s after-award party, and I want everything to be perfect, if they ask for champagne, then that’s what they’ll have, no Cava shit, the real McCoy, and NO watering down the drinks, even if the punter is shit-faced and out of his tree – do you hear me?”

Willy raised his brows – but thought it best to comply, well, at least in words, anyway…

“Sure thing boss…can I go now? – got to fill up the mixers and that”

“Yeah”

This surprising instruction set Willy thinking, he wondered just what had Sweet and his cronies had got over his boss………


**********

Buffy luxuriated in the bubbly scented water, she popped a chocolate into her mouth and relaxed, lying back, thinking ‘This is the life’.

Spike went home, grabbed a sandwich, had a shower and changed, and then phoned Buffy.

“………I like to keep my promises, and they’re ready see, I tried out the new rubber stamp of your signature on them – you can’t tell the difference, you’d think they’d just been signed”

“Great, there are a few kids hanging around outside actually, come on over!”

“See you in twenty minutes!”

They were both smiling when they put their phones down. Buffy unfurled the towel turban on her head and rubbed briskly at her hair, She slipped on her jeans and a crop-top, and put on a slick of lipgloss and a couple of coats of mascara. Bending over, she dried her hair, to give it some volume. She’d just unplugged the hairdryer when she saw the flash of headlights across her bedroom wall, and the low purr of the sports car’s engine.
She went down and opened the front door, and was surprised and delighted to see not Spike at first, but a HUGE bouquet of mixed flowers.

“Hi!”

“Oh, look, talking flowers – come in!” Buffy beamed at him

“These are for you, congratulations on your first single” Spike handed over the flowers.

“Gorgeous!”

“I know…I can’t help it!” Spike fluttered his lashes, making Buffy giggle.

“The flowers, silly…although, I suppose you could pass for ok!”
Buffy teased, and Spike grabbed her bare waist and tickled her, making Buffy squirm and scream out laughing.

“Give in! I give in!” The pair of them was now in the kitchen, both laughing.

“Do you now, huh!”

Buffy looked wondrously at the cut mixed blooms, roses, lilies, orchids, their heady perfume was almost intoxicating. She carefully laid them on the island, opening the cupboard under the sink for some vases.

“They’re beautiful”

“Like you then” Spike said, not taking his eyes off her.

She smiled, blushed, mumbled a ‘thankyou’, and began to snip off the ends of the stalks and strip leaves off the long stems so they wouldn’t rot in the water.

Spike sat himself down on one of the stools by the breakfast bar, and watched while she arranged the flowers between the two vases. When she’d finished, she went over to him, stood between his legs and gave him a soft gentle kiss.

They looked at each other for a second or two, and Spike homed in again, and they began kissing with mounting passion, she was glad that she was holding him around the shoulders, when his tongue swept into her mouth, her knees felt ready to give way.

She broke the kiss and Spike whispered a breathless in her ear

“Oh Buffy! I’ve been longing to do that!” Buffy closed her eyes and held him to her, and then she rested her forehead against his.

“Me too. Spike…is this, well, is this how it is with all your other singers?”

“What do you mean pet?”

“I mean well, you’re with them practically 24/7 for the first few weeks, and-“

“I can stop you right there pet. I’ve never done before what I’ve done with you. Usually, I’m just the manager, if I spend half an hour- say and hour a day tops, usually with my singers, I’ve never taken anyone to the studios, or the factory it’s all done with what we call ‘minders’.”

“So why me?” Buffy asked

“Because from the second I set eyes on you, I knew you were something special. Not just the business side of things, I know if it’s what you want, you have a great singing career in front of you. I mean, well, I want to get to know you. If it’s not what you want, tell me now, and I’ll sort out a minder for you, and I won’t bother you again, except for business.”

“But what’s so special about me? – You must have hundreds of women after you?”

“Not hundreds, pet…a few, maybe………nobody’s ever taken my interest like you – I don’t want to put any pressure on you, if it’s not what you want, I totally understand, and it won’t harm your career”

“It is. What I want. I’d like there to be an us, but I want to take things slowly, and I’d like to keep it just between ourselves…if too many people get to know – I’ve seen it all before at work, well, when I was at the school, embryonic relationships ruined by gossip”

“I totally agree…” Spike said nodding, he was happy to comply

“Good” Buffy still had her arms loosely around his neck, when her stomach rumbled. She rolled her eyes, and Spike snatched a quick kiss and said,

“Hungry, pet?”

“I had a sandwich at the food court, but yes, I am a bit, you?”

“I’m the same. Grabbed a sandwich earlier…got anything in?” He nodded towards the fridge.

“Not much…” She went over to the fridge and pulled it open.

“Juice…eggs, pack of ham…some cheddar, a bag of ready washed salad, few mushrooms…tomatoes…milk, and the pizza needs throwing – it’s from before the show!” she took the box out and put it on the side.

“Like omelettes?” Spike asked

“I love them, don’t tell me, you cook?” she grinned at him

“Has been known! – Tell you what, you go out there, and distribute some of these to your adoring fans, and I’ll whip you up an omelette faster than you can say ‘Your culinary expertise absolutely astounds me!” Buffy giggled and took some of the photos to take outside. Spike washed his hands and set about his task.

***********

Jenny woke, stretched and luxuriated in the fact that she hadn’t had to wake up to an alarm clock, for a change. When she felt a strong arm around her waist, she turned over and smiled.

“Morning”

“Hi”

“Sleep well?”

“Eventually!”

Giles smiled, and then looked slightly worried.

“I wasn’t, you know, too much for you, was I?”

“Twice on the trot, and then again an hour later…nope, not too much…you’re a right regular little tiger when roused, aren’t you!”

She made to get out of bed, but Giles stayed her with his arm.

“Don’t get up yet, please?”

“I just need the bathroom, honey, I’ll be back – promise” She lightly kissed his nose, and Giles let her go.

Although he couldn’t see, Jenny was grinning all the way into the bathroom, ok, she’d been totally wrong about older men, and this man, well - he definitely knew what he was doing, and he had stamina by the bucket-load!

**********

Glory Benson stood on-set, checking her script, the make-up lady was powdering her face, and there were stagehands milling about, and the director and soundman were in deep discussion.

“Ok everybody, at last, rolling in five” the director called

“He’s here then – about bloody time…keeping me waiting” Glory threw the clipboard down on the sofa and allowed the make-up lady to re-new her trademark red lipstick.

“Clear the set, rolling in three minutes”

Glory fixed in her earpiece in, and looked at the director, who said,

“Opening credits, your piece introducing what you’ve got on and then got to VT of Gunn’s new single, then introduce him” Glory nodded

“Quiet on set everybody – rolling in one minute” there was a slight commotion off-stage, and Glory shot one of her icy glares in the general direction.

“Can somebody get those people away from the stage…and QUIET- TWENTY SECONDS – Places please – clear the set…ready-“ From the chaos suddenly everything was ready, with Glory standing and waiting to do her piece to camera.

“VT Rolling…and Five, four – cut to credits, music…and one –“ The director pointed at Glory.

“Hi –Glory Benson with another edition of ‘Chart Countdown’. On tonight’s show we have two more contenders for the Independent Radio Awards Best Song category, our usual run down of the Indie and Billboard charts, and later I’ll be chatting to Mobo award contender, and the quiet man of rap, Gunn”

Glory turned her head to the right and the camera panned to a screen, showing a clip of Gunn’s new video, ‘Urban Decay’ a typical scene, the slick black guy, head to toe in designer gear and covered in ‘bling’, arms outstretched, gesticulating with his fingers, while scantily clad girls gyrated around him while he walked along a row of boarded up and graffiti covered shops, while he rapped to a stilted beat. The camera panned back to Glory, and she looked straight at camera.

“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s guest, Gunn” he came on-set, and sat down on the sofa. Glory seated herself opposite.

“They call you the quiet man of rap, why?”

“I guess, because I’m quiet”
Gunn said, softly. Glory fixed him with a look and knew she wanted to give this guy a rough ride. He’d ‘dissed’ her by being late, so she wasn’t going to go easy on him, which she didn’t. She grilled him on his lyrics, repeating the press’s view that they were typically misogynistic, and homophobic, and when she stated that she thought that he swanning around in a fur coat and enough bling valued high enough to take at least three families out of the poverty he sang about was hypercritical, Gunn had had enough and he unclipped his microphone and stormed off-set. Without turning a hair, Glory cut to the ‘break’ and the commercials were shown.
All hell broke loose backstage.

“Glory! Can’t you apologise?” the director pleaded.

“No! Jumped up, two-bit, over-rated talentless prat had it coming!”

Some of Gunn’s entourage were going crazy, making threats to her, which made Glory even madder, and she flipped them a middle finger.

“Gonna get you, you Mother-fuckin’ bitch – when I do, I’m gonna kick your lop-sided, skanky little ass!” one of them shouted

“Yeah? Fuck off, you don’t frighten me…” Dropping her voice to little above a mumble, she said,
“Getting so tired of this”

One of Gunn’s entourage broke free of security and ran on set, making threats, but he was soon hauled off. The director was going frantic trying to get order.

“Back on air in five, four………one – Glory” Glory smiled to the camera and did her next piece, you could still hear the commotion going on backstage, and Glory took it all in her stride, she was controversial, she didn’t care, or was in the slightest bit worried. The poor director however, was sweating profusely, and almost having a heart attack.

The rest of the show passed without incident, and Glory stalked off set into the greenroom.

“Gunn…darling” Glory kissed him on the cheek, and perched on his lap.

The director saw this and was almost incandescent with rage.

“All that, that – that was a put up?”

“Of course, darling…we’re from the same stable…All Sweet’s idea…keeps us in the news!”

“Ok, but off my man, now!” Nikki Wood looked deadly serious, and then she too laughed and hugged Glory.

“How are you girl?”

“Oh, you know…earning a living…”

“You were a bit hard on my man!”

“Hey, he was late…!” They laughed and joked, and the poor director began to think he was getting too old for this lark…

“Um, just checking, those guys, your entourage, they do know it was all a put up, don’t they?” Glory asked Gunn.

“I assume so, I’ve never laid eyes on any of them before, my homies are just that, at home!”

************

“Oh god…this has to be the best omelette I’ve ever tasted!” Buffy pointed to the cheese, ham and mushroom concoction with her fork. He’d served it with a side salad, and as there was nothing else stronger, they had juice to drink. Spike grinned and said,

“Thanks. So, how many photo’s did you give out?”

“About a dozen, it’s getting dark so they tend to drift away. I was thinking of giving some to the lady next door, she was the one that phoned the police. If she has some to give out, the kids might go away and leave them in peace.”

“Good idea! Listen babe, it’s getting late, and I’ve got a bit to do at home, so I’ll be off after I’ve finished this, and I’ll send a car for you in the morning, so we don’t get the gossip-mongers started” Buffy nodded.

They finished their meal, and Spike gave her a run-down of what she’d got to do the following day. She’d got three interviews, another TV appearance and rehearsals.

“Night then, baby…see you in the morning” Buffy saw him to the door, and they had a nice kiss, nothing too passionate, she wanted things to go slowly, well, he wasn’t about to blow it now…

**********


Spike was in the office bright and early the following morning, he’d caught up with his work and was just putting some work in his filing cabinet, when he spied out of the window, both Xander and Harmony getting out of the same car, Harmony helping Xander like he was an invalid. Spike grinned. Cordelia knocked and came in, bringing papers for him to sign.

“And how come you’re so cheerful this morning?”

“Its Xander…I think he’s cracked it!”

“Cracked what?”

“Well, if things have gone according to plan…” Spike went onto explain. They both heard the lift ‘ding’ outside, and Cordelia, hardly keeping the grin off her face when she left Spike’s office. Xander tiptoed in. He was walking in a very peculiar manner. A widely grinning Spike met him at the door.

“My god…what has she done to you!” Spike pulled out a chair, but Xander shook it and went to go to the toilet.

“Blue-balls…I won’t be long…give me two minutes…”

Spike frowned. After about thirty seconds, Spike heard a loud gasp from the restroom, and thirty seconds after that, Xander came through to the office, well staggered would be nearer the mark……….

“Oh gods…I’ve had a terrible night!” Xander collapsed in his chair.

Spike studied his friend, and said,

“I’ve got a feeling I’m going to regret asking this, but go on, what happened?”

“Well…it started off ok. I did as you said, and I went down to the video editing room, and she was all over me…”

“Can we cut to the chase?”

“Ok, I’m getting there…so we get back to her place. She suggested my place, but I panicked, so I said we couldn’t, because of my mother”

“You told her you still live with-“ Spike began

“NO! Look, I told her my mom had flown in from Dallas and was staying at mine, and she’d have jet-lag and be in a bad-“

“Jet-lag? From Dallas?”

“Yes, alright, I know it was stupid to say that now – but-do you want to hear this or what –“

“Sorry, sorry, carry on!”

“So, we get to hers, order Chinese, do you know, she doesn’t eat meat, but she eats chicken, well, she ate a chicken stir-fry, she says it’s not real meat, like Kentucky fired chicken meat, so it doesn’t count?”

“Xander! I’ve got a party to go to tomorrow night, GET ON WITH IT!”

“Well, she’s on about changing her career, so I’m sitting there, watching all her videos of her songs –“

“All of them – oh god, you poor man!”

“Shush, do you want me to tell you?”

“Sorry, yes, please continue”

“Well…after two hours, I’m sort of brain dead from-“

“TWO HOURS! – I’d have been climbing the walls after two min – sorry, I’ll shush, sorry, do go on!”

“So, I grab her and kiss her, just to shut her up” Spike grinned

“Good. And?”

“And what – it all went down hill from there. So she’s lying on top of me, kissing-“

“Oh god, you poor bloke! Don’t tell me you couldn’t…you know…get…” Spike raised his brows and nodded to Xander’s crotch.

“No – that was the problem – I could, I did – all bloody night I had one, but I digress. I didn’t want to do it on the sofa, not when there’s a nice bed in the next room. But she doesn’t seem to be wanting to make a move, so I push her shoulder and we sit up. I tell her my backs hurting.

Spike frowned and said,

“And?”

“Well, she asks if I’ll have a word with Sweet about changing her image, and she sort of got me all confused because of her boobs, and I say ‘yes, sure, course’ – so I’ve spoiled my chances, she thinks she’s done enough…“

“I told you to make it sound like Sweet wouldn’t-“

“I KNOW! So, anyway, realising I’d made a mistake, I back-pedal and say I’ll try my best. Well, she’s all over me again, and I couldn’t stand up, coz, well, you know, she’d have seen me, well, my, well, I was aroused . I didn’t want her to slap my face. “ Xander could see the look on Spike’s face, so he continued,

“So then I had this brilliant idea – or so I thought, to get into her bedroom”

“Which was?”

“To um…to pretend my back had totally ‘gone’.”

Spike was more confused than ever.

“How would that get you-“

“I told her that I’d have to sleep on the sofa because my mother was staying at mine – and –“

“But well, how were you supposed to shag her rotten if you had a bad back?”

“I KNOW that NOW…she got me to bed, after stating she knew she’d be ‘safe’ as I couldn’t do anything ‘naughty’ because of my back…so I had to lie there, all night, staring at the ceiling, with a raging hard on…every time I went to you know…get some relief, she’s stop snoring and I thought she was awake…she’d rub her leg against mine…or her boobs against my arm…all bloody night I lay there…hard as a rock…all bloody night!

Spike snorted a laugh, stifled it by covering his mouth, but then he couldn’t help but titter and then laugh.

“That’s it, go on, laugh – I’ve been in agony all night!”

“Oh Xander…sorry but, well…it’s – you were lying naked, in bed, with Harmony, with a fully functioning dick, and you STILL didn’t - ” he started laughing again.

“It’s bloody hilarious is it? Ok then Einstein, what would YOU have done?”

“Well…you said she was lying on top of you, kissing you, to help persuade you to talk to Sweet, and you’d got a stiffy?”

“Yes, so, come on, I’m waiting!”

“Well, for starters, I wouldn’t have said I’d got a bad back…I’d have made her aware of the fact that I was aroused!”

“But she might have slapped me!”

“Xander! It was her doing the kissing! Her giving you the hard-on! She could hardly complain - you could have called her a cock-tease!

I’d have pressed her to me, whispered something like, ‘oh baby, can you feel what you’re doing to me? – Balls in her court then. She can either jump up and say, yes well, thanks but not interested goodnight…or lead you to the bedroom”


Xander blinked at Spike.
It could have been that simple, less than a dozen words……... Xander leaned forward and banged his head slowly and repeatedly on the desk.

He was still doing it when Cordelia walked in a few seconds later.

“What’s wrong with him?” She smiled when she could see Spike was trying very hard not to laugh.

“DON’T YOU DARE!” Xander sat up and warned him.

Spike held his hands up, still grinning. Cordelia rolled her eyes, but smiled, when Spike mouthed ‘tell you later’ to her, so she nodded, put some papers for him to sign on the desk and left.

Still smiling, Spike began to tap away at his computer. His phone rang, and when he answered it, Cordelia said,

“I have an extremely annoyed Anyanka who’s in Lausanne, Switzerland on the phone for you, Spike”

Spike frowned and picked up.

“Anya – what can I-”

“You, you, you – HOW COULD YOU!”

Still puzzled, Spike said,

“How could I what, love?”

“Bloody Tinkerbell – That’s what!” Spike was beginning to think Anyanka had taken leave of her senses and found a stash of Sweet’s crazy-dust at the chalet, when she finally said,

“Sending that bloody teeny-bop Tinkerbell up to collect MY AWARD, I mean, WHAT are you thinking?”

Oh, that.
Spike felt a little guilty at what he was about to do, but he figured that Xander was already having a bad day, so this could hardly make it worse.

“Oh, well, sorry, but it was all Xander’s idea! He’s got this notion to change Harmony’s image, so, I’ll just transfer you across to his desk…”
Spike pressed for Cordelia to transfer the call, which she dutifully did. As soon as Xander’s phone began to ring, Spike high-tailed it out of the office….

************

When Buffy came up to the office from rehearsals, she found Spike and Cordelia giggling like a couple of kids. She smiled

“Hi…so, good joke?” Cordelia stood and said,

“I must be off, I’ll get you a coffee- is it? (Buffy nodded) – Spike will tell you!” Which he did.

“You rotten pair!” Buffy said, but she was giggling too.

“So then, I figured his day couldn’t get any worse, so when Anya phones up in a blue funk over the fact that Harmony’s going to collect her award on her behalf while she’s in Switzerland, I get Cordy to transfer the call across to Xander, because it was supposed to be his idea!”

“Oh what a shame!” Buffy said, but they were still giggling!

“Ah ha, THERE YOU ARE…gotta bone to pick with you!”

Buffy and Spike looked up to see Xander standing with his hands on his hips, glaring at Spike, they grinned at him.

“Um…aren’t you due to do that interview for CD USA about now?” Spike asked Buffy.

“Um…uh huh…” While Xander was distracted getting himself a coffee, Spike and Buffy snuck out and took the back stairs down to the office, giggling.

“Thanks to you, I’ve had to promise - Spike…where’d he go? Spike…Spike - I’ll bloody kill him when I catch up with him!”

Cordelia entered the café and helped herself to coffee.

“First sign of going mad that Xand, talking to yourself!” She said cheerfully, and went and sat by him.

Chapter 12

“Right, let me just check this thing is working………one, two, one two” Jenny said into the hand-held microphone. She rewound and played back, and it was fine. Buffy and Jenny Calendar were sitting in the 6th floor café at Aphrodite Records; this was Buffy’s second interview that day.

“Ok then Buffy, I’ll leave you in Jenny’s capable hands, when you’ve finished, come down to the office and then we can go over to the West Lot studios for the kids thing, ok?” Buffy smiled and nodded, Spike winked at her and left.

“It’s all go for you at the moment, I bet!” Jenny said, and Buffy said ‘yes’.

*************


“Call from Sweet, putting you through” Cordelia said to Spike

“Thanks”…he heard the click, and then Sweet said,

“Spike”

“Sweet”

“How’s Betty doing?”

“That would be Buffy, and she’s doing fine. Rehearsals are well on schedule, she’s doing interviews as we speak, got the children’s show ‘Buzz’ to do this afternoon, and her single comes out tomorrow and she’ll be at the Indie Awards and after-show party tonight”

“Good, good, you’ll bring her to meet me personally”

Spike gave a small shudder. He disliked Sweet intensely, and didn’t like the fact that Buffy would have to meet him. But he knew the meeting was inevitable, and he’d rather be there when it happened.

“Will do. Is there anything else?”

Sweet wondered whether to ask if he’d seen Dru yet, but Lorne appeared in the doorway of his study, with his ‘dealer’ so he just said,

“No. See you tonight” The line went dead. No goodbye.

Spike put his receiver down muttering ‘ignorant wanker’, then got on with some work, made a few phone calls, one special one in particular. Roughly twenty minutes later, he heard Buffy’s voice talking to Cordelia in her office, and he finished up what he was doing and closed down his computer. He’d just stood up when Buffy knocked his door.

“Come in”

“Hi, are you ready?”

He grinned at her and said,

“Willing and able pet” Buffy smiled

“Um, can I bum a lift over to the studios, I need to get myself a good pitch for tonight” Jenny asked.

“No problem, ok lets go”

*********


“POOKIE!” Xander stopped in his tracks, half way down the corridor, and turned to see Harmony, her hair in rollers covered in a scarf.

“Harmony, what can I do for you?” he was finding it difficult to look her in the eye, and scratched the back of his head, looking at his feet…

“Are we having a limo to take us tonight, or are we going in your car?”

“I’m sorry? – Tonight, what’s-“

“The Indie Radio Awards, silly pumpkin! – You, you are coming with me, aren’t you?”

“Oh that! Yes, course…I’ve ordered us a limo. Um…remember what Spike said, I mean, I said, you have got something suitable to wear tonight?”

“Oh Pookie, it’s LOVELY! It’s very low cut, slashed to the waist, backless, in fact, and it’s um, well, slashed to the waist from the bottom up too, and it’s long, and all floaty, and sort of all held together with a diamante pin thing in the middle…”

Xander looked wide eyed, didn’t sound much to it at all, backless and all the slashes…he could feel himself start to harden at the thought of all that flesh on show…

“Pookie…I said how’s your back?”

“What – sorry – oh, um, my back. Er, my back is…fine, it’s fine now, thanks”

“Good, maybe we can have a boogie at the party after!”

“Yes! I think we perhaps can…yes indeed…yes sir-ree…a boogie, well maybe.” Xander had that inane grin on his face.

“Well, I better go, what time will you come for me?”

“Um, er-“

“The awards start at 7.30pm, and we MUST be seen on the red-carpet first”

“6.30pm then, will that do?”

“Great…bye then!”

“Yeah, bye…bye then” Xander walked down the corridor, wondering if he could get Cordelia to teach him how to dance in………………five hours.

***

“Why not?”

“Why not? – I’ll tell you why not Xander, I have work to do, that’s why not” Cordelia straightened some papers and stapled them together before slipping them into an envelope. She rolled her eyes as he still stood by her desk, with pleading puppy-dog eyes.

“Why do you suddenly need to learn to dance now? Oh, look. It’s easy! Just put some music on, and move your body in time to the beat – how hard can that be…or, you could still pretend your backs bad”

“Trouble is…I never know what to do with my arms…I either end up looking like a demented windmill, or I try and keep them still and – hold on, what do you mean – bad back, how do you know about that?”

Busted

“Um…well…I, well, I – I s-saw you were walking in a, strange way yesterday morning, I asked Spike, he said you had a b-bad back” Cordelia had her back to Xander, and she bit her bottom lip, and had her eyes screwed up.

Xander stared at her, and decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“I know!” Cordelia suddenly slammed the filing cabinet draw shut and whirling around and dazzling him with a grin, she said brightly,

“Go down to the choreographers – if they’re busy, maybe you could borrow some of their tapes”

Xander raised a brow…actually, that wasn’t a bad idea at all.

“Yeah…yeah, thanks Cordy…see you later” he left her office, and Cordelia slumped in her chair, blowing air up her face, she said to herself,

“Phew…nearly dropped yourself and Spike in it there, old gal!”

************

Cecily leaned against the doorjamb while she brushed her teeth. She was looking at Dru who was lying on the bed, apparently asleep.
She’d got her an appointment to see a doctor, one that dealt with the adult movie studio, and knew he wouldn’t ask too many questions, awkward or otherwise, the thing that Dru seemed to dread most. She was just going to go back into the bathroom, when Dru shifted and lay on her back.

“Mummy said the angels are waiting…soon…she said there’s a bad thing going to happen. Can you see the pretty angels………all the pretty angels, waiting?” Cecily frowned, and came and sat on the bed by her friend.

“Angels?” She looked out of the window at the sky, to where Dru seemed to be looking.
“They’re not angels, pet…they’re clouds…look, just wispy white clouds”
Dru said nothing else, but closed her eyes and turned over, and went back to sleep.

“That’s it love, you rest …” Cecily was frowning, she patted Dru’s shoulder and stood up and went to get dressed.

***********

Warren was like a cat on hot bricks. He nervously flitted around, checking and re-checking things to make sure they were spot on and Sweet would have nothing to complain about. There were six cases of real Champagne chilling in the cooler, and now, much to Willy’s unease, he was behind the bar checking the spirits were just that, neat spirits and not watered down grog.

“What’s this?”
Warren held up an unmarked glass bottle, and before Willy could stop him, he’d taken a swig – all the air left his lungs and he went very red I the face as he tried to breathe and cough.

“Bloody –huh…oh…fuckin’ (cough, cough) for gods…uh…(cough, cough) JESUS, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?”

He’d nearly choked on its potency. His eyes were watering, his throat burned and his tongue was numb.

Willy shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

“Hooch…200 proof Polish spirit. I use it for the cocktails…it’s very strong, and once a drinks all tarted up with various syrups, juices and half a garden full of fruit, well, punters can’t taste the difference”

Warren coughed again, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and scowled at the weasely little sod.

“No doubt leaving it easy for you to drink the proper stuff when my backs turned. Get rid of it”

“But boss I swear, nobody has ever -“

“I DON’T CARE, I told you I want everything spot on and legit, so GET RID OF IT!” he thrust the bottle at Willy’s chest and stormed off.

Willy poured the liquid into an empty, labelled vodka bottle, and put it at the back of the shelf, nobody would be any the wiser, HE wasn’t about to change the habit of a lifetime, not for Warren Walsh, not for anyone. He didn’t know what these people had over his boss to make him jump through hoops the way he was doing, but he knew one thing, it definitely must be something big…………

Warren was talking to an absolutely huge, bald black guy wearing sunglasses; he must have been as wide as he was tall.

“So, if they’re not on the guest-list, they don’t get in, understand – even if it was the Prince of England or whatever, and watch the tickets…here’s one, DON’T let that barman of mine see it. He sometimes tips off the paparazzi, we don’t want any of them in, got it?”

“Yeah man, I got it”

“Good. Tell the others” Warren walked off; leaving the huge guy to contact his crew via the walkie-talkie he was carrying.


*********

Spike slipped the jacket off the hanger and put it on. He checked the time, it was nearly ten passed six, picking up his keys and cell-phone he left the lamp on in the lounge, and left.

Just as he closed the front door, he heard his telephone ringing. He stopped for a second, hesitating whether to go back and answer it, but decided that 1). He didn’t have the time, as he wanted to get to Buffy’s for 6.30, and 2). If it were important, anybody in the know would have his cell-phone number, and 3). The Ansaphone would pick it up, not that he hardly ever bothered to listen to the messages; mostly surveys and people who wanted to sell him insurance.

Spike heard the beep and his own voice, then he ran downstairs and out to his car.

‘I’m unable to take your call at the moment, but if you leave your name and number after the tone, I’ll get back to you’………BEEP.

“Ah, um, hello, hello, um is that you William? I think I recognise the voice, it’s been a while since I spoke to you……... Sorry, I should have said, it’s Charles St John, Lord Netherbourne here…I’m sorry to ask you this, I know you’ve done so much in the past, and I hate to ask, but I’m in a bit of a fix, I’ve been left this letter, given to me by my housekeeper, and from what I can make out, Drusilla’s in- Click BEEP.BEEP.BEEP. ‘Message tape ends, please rewind………’

*************


Buffy trotted downstairs fixing in her earring. She opened the front door and her eyes went huge. Spike stood there in a black Chanel suit, an air force blue shirt that really bought out the colour of his eyes, and a black silk tie. She was a vision in ruched red satin. The dress was to the knee, and strapless with just enough cleavage on show, she’d left her hair down and had tonged it into a mass of tumbling curls, which she’d taken up on one side with a diamante comb.

“WOW! – Look at you!” Spike said, entering the hallway, leaving the front door ajar.

“I was thinking the same…I LOVE the suit!” they were both grinning

She sat down on the stairs and took her new diamante buckled, kitten heeled mules out of the box, and put them on. She checked her purse for her keys, tissues and lipstick, and then smiled up at Spike.

“Will I do?”

“You look sensational, pet, ready?”

“Ready when you are!”

Chapter 13

Xander stepped out of the limousine and was nearly blinded by the flash photography.

Helping Harmony out of the car, she acted like a true professional and gave a huge smile and waved, she walked along the red carpet, in the white Valentino dress, hair up, make-up immaculate, fans screaming and holding out hands and autograph books, some incredulous at her ‘new look’.

Xander felt uncomfortable in his hired suit, the cummerbund was a little tight, and he hated the collar and bowtie, he felt like he was being strangled, and frequently he slid a finger down his neck and pulled it away from his throat.

The flashes continued all down the carpeted walk, and various presenters of different shows stopped Harmony to speak. Xander stood diplomatically to one side while she did this.

Smiling at Jenny Calendar, who was working for MTV that evening, Harmony was asked about her new look.

“Just thought I’d try a change!” Harmony turned to the crowd and waved, and they roared, and then she and Xander went inside.

Spike pulled up in his sports car, and he and Buffy got out, he gave the keys to one of the marshals to park it for him. Buffy was amazed that people recognised her, and photographers and the crowd all calling her name. She smiled and waved, and signed a few autographs, Spike was delighted when she reached for his hand and they went to walk inside.

“Buffy, Jenny Calendar, MTV – Your first outing with Aphrodite records – are you enjoying it?”

“It’s wonderful, thankyou!”

Buffy grinned, and when she turned to wave to the crowd again just before they went inside, there were plenty of flash-bulbs going off.

“You didn’t mind, did you? – (Buffy squeezed his hand) I felt a little scared”

Gently squeezing back Spike said,

“Not at all, pet. You ok now?”

“Yes thanks!” Spike was pleased that she hadn’t let go………they were shown to their table, with Xander and Harmony.

“Wow, you look very pretty in that dress” Harmony said smiling at Buffy. Buffy smiled and leaned over Spike so Harmony could hear her and said,

“I hardly recognised you, you look stunning, is that a Valentino?”

“Yes…thought I’d treat myself!” Harmony smiled

“Great treat, it’s perfect on you”

“Xand…you’re sitting up very straight…still keeping up with the bad back story?” Spike whispered.

“No, it’s this bloody monkey suit…the silk band thingie is too tight, I’m scared to breathe out, else it’ll ping off and wrap itself around Harmony’s head…and the collar’s choking me!” Spike smile/frowned and shook his head in commiseration.

The lights went down, and a voice said,

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Blackmore Entertainments sponsored by Hudson’s Spring Water presents the 2004 Independent Radio Awards, and here is our host for this evening, Miss Darla Delaney” the audience clapped and Darla came onstage. The only problem was, she was in an identical dress to Harmony’s. Buffy saw Harmony’s face crumple, and she leaned over Spike and whispered,

“Don’t worry, you look a hundred times better in it that she does” Harmony smiled and touched Buffy’s arm and said ‘thanks’.

Spike whispered,

“What’s up?”

“Darla is wearing the same dress as…” Buffy just nodded towards Harmony subtly. Spike frowned and rolled his eyes

“I told her she looks miles better in it than Darla though” Spike smiled and squeezed Buffy’s hand.

“That was nice of you”
They settled back and enjoyed the show, after an hour there was a break, and Harmony knew that she was ‘on’ for the second category.

Wes Price had been called to present the ‘Best Female Singer’ category, and the three nominations were read out, and a clip of each song and singer was shown.

“And the winner is…(he unsealed the envelope, and took out the card) Anyanka” Everybody clapped, and then he said,

“Anyanka is unable to collect the award herself, due to recording commitments, but she recorded this for us earlier on today” A video clip of Anyanka with snow covered mountains as a backdrop as she said thankyou was shown.

“And here to accept the award on her behalf, we have Harmony” the audience applauded and Harmony went up to collect it. Luckily Darla stood well to the side of the stage, so nobody noticed the similarity between the girl’s dresses.

Harmony was handed the award by Wes Price, who first kissed her on both cheeks, then she stood by the microphone and said,

“It is indeed an honour for me to accept this richly deserved award for the wonderfully talented singer Anyanka, one of my fellow recording artiste’s at Aphrodite Records. I know she is thrilled, thankyou”

She picked up the award and the audience began to clap again. Spike and Xander grinned at each other, Harmony had been ‘perfect’. She sat down at the table, and she was pleased to see both Xander and Spike smiling broadly at her, Buffy too. She knew she’d done things right!

**********

By the time Spike managed to get his car, they were running a little late.

“Sorry about that love, I’d been blocked in by all the limo’s”

“It’s ok, I’ve been star spotting!”

They drove to Cobra, and Spike parked in the private car park.

A huge black guy checked their tickets and allowed them inside. As soon as the inner doors were open, you could feel the music, let alone hear it.

“Drink, pet? – Let me see…there’s um cocktails…Champagne…wine, what would you like?”

“Ooh, Champagne please!” Spike ordered a glass of champagne and a soft drink for himself; one thing he NEVER did, was drink and drive.

The place was quite full, and just as Spike was returning from the bar with the drinks, he was stopped by Lilah and Faith. They coiled around him rubbing themselves against him, petting his face.

“Spike! Hope you’re going to save us a dance…” Lilah practically had her tongue down his ear, and Spike, who was holding a drink in each hand, tried his best to wriggle free from them without spilling them.

“Ah, now, ladies, please I – “ he looked across to Buffy, who could see his predicament; she could also see the pained expression on his face and knew that the duo were embarrassing him.

“Is that for me, darling?” Faith said hoarsely, trying to take the glass of champagne out of his hand, but Spike held it up in the air.

“No, no it isn’t, now will you two please behave!”

“He’s playing hard-to-get again Li…” Faith ran her hand under his jacket.

“Get off, stop it, look, girls, I –“

“Ok big-boy…but we’ll pin you down, one day, you see if we don’t!”

“There you are! - We thought you weren’t coming!” Harmony now obscured the scene of Spike and the two sex-hungry girls from Buffy’s view, and Xander pulled out a chair and sat down. He’d removed the cummerbund and his bowtie, and felt a lot more comfy.

“Spike’s car was blocked in by the limo’s” Buffy explained

“That’s why I didn’t come in my own car” Xander said.

“Phew, sorry love…I hope this Champagne isn’t warm now…those two eh, just won’t take no for an answer” Spike looked a little worried as he handed Buffy her drink, but she smiled at him, and said ‘thanks’.

“Oh, Pookie! Champers – will you get me some?”

“Sure…I’ll bring a bottle” Xander got up and went over to the bar, and Spike sat in the vacated seat next to Buffy.

She’d been watching the Vixen duo, and saw that both girls were ‘checking her out’. They’d both looked at her, and then Lilah would whisper something to Faith, and vice-versa.

Suddenly the double doors were opened, and with Lorne leading the way, Sweet entered the room, followed by a few close friends, including Glory Benson, and Darla Delaney. There was no sign of Cecily or Dru yet.

“Is that-“

“Sweetly, yup, that’s him” Spike said

“He’s smaller than I imagined…”

“Yeah…but what he lacks in stature he makes up for in ego. He’s big money wise though” Spike said

Xander bought over a nicely cold frosted bottle of champagne and three glasses.
He poured for Harmony and himself, gave Buffy a top-up, but Spike refused.

“Driving, mate”

“Oh right, I forgot.”

“Did you see the boss arrive – he’s gone to the very back, see where people are queuing by the door to see him?” Spike said

The doors opened again and in came Gunn and his girlfriend Nikki Wood, and an entourage of about twenty others.

“I bet the stock exchange is jittery…seems half the gold reserve has just walked in!” Spike said with a wry smile.

“I reckon that’s why they wear sunglasses all the time, dazzled by the bling!” Xander said.

“Spike!” Everyone looked up at the cat-like features of Glory Benson.

True gentleman that he was, Spike stood up.

“Glory” She held out her hand and presented her cheek for him to kiss, but Spike, much to her annoyance didn’t kiss it.

“Daddy tells me that I’ve got to see you about that little girl singer…Betty is it?” the name dripped from her lips acidly. Glory knew only too well what the singers name was, and the fact that she was sitting right next to Spike.

“Buffy. And this is the lady herself, Buffy, this is Glory Benson, Glory – this is Buffy”
Buffy smiled pleasantly enough, and Glory flashed her a false smile.

“Glory does two shows on cable” Spike explained. Glory immediately saw her chance to be bitchy, and said with such saccharin overtones,

“Oh, don’t you have cable? – But then again, when my shows are on you are probably doing your public service job, helping to clog up the arteries of the general population!”.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand…clogging up the arteries?” Buffy looked puzzled

“Didn’t I read…well, don’t you work in a burger bar?” Glory smiled wickedly

“I used to, then I was a school councillor – now if you’d excuse me, there is somebody famous over there I’d like to speak to” Spike smoothed his hand over his mouth to cover the grin at Buffy’s put-down of Glory, whose eyes flashed venom at the receding back of the little blonde girl, who was now walking away with Harmony to speak to Darla Delaney.

“You deserved that” Spike said, sitting down

Glory sullenly sat down in Buffy’s seat and reached for the champagne and the empty glass, and poured.

“Help yourself, why don’t you?” Xander said sarcastically.

“It’s free, isn’t it – fuckin’ hell!” she stood and waltzed off, taking her glass with her.

“I don’t fancy Buffy’s chances much now if she goes on her show” Xander said.

“Oh…I think after that little put-down, Buffy can hold her own.” Spike sat back in his chair.

“I’d forgotten just how boring these things can be” He looked around the tatty décor.

Xander too leant back in his chair.

“Venue’s looking a bit worse for wear now”

“I was just thinking that”

Buffy and Harmony came and sat back down, they were both smiling.

“Ok pet? – Great Glory put down, by the way!”

“I can’t stand her! I wanted to say, yes – I have cable – yes I know when you’re on, and yes, quite frankly, I’d always preferred to watch Spongebob Squarepants instead!”

“I love that show!” Harmony said, and all four of them were giggling.

*********


“Is she ok?”

“Yes, I’ve given her a little pick-me-up shot…did you say you had the name of the medication she was on for the Schizophrenia – there are several I could prescribe, but it’s best to keep her on what she’s familiar with” the doctor took the empty blister-pack off Cecily.

“Oh yes, right…there you go, she’ll be ok for tonight, I’ve given her a shot”

“Right”

“Will she be taking anything else – or has she?”

“No, um not yet…will it be enough, this shot?”

“Should be…IF she’s going to be taking…say anything ‘recreational’ tonight, keep her away from the alcohol – else she could go a little…loco lets say.” The doctor handed Cecily a prescription for Dru’s medication, which she put in the drawer. Dru called out from the bedroom,

“Cecily…are we going out?”

“Yes, coming love, you get dressed, I’m just seeing the doctor out. Anyway, thanks doc”

“You’re welcome” he left. Opening her bedside drawer, Cecily took out two ‘E’s, took one herself and went into Dru’s room.

“Open” She opened her mouth to demonstrate, Dru did the same.

“What is it?”

“Doc gave it to me, vitamins” Cecily lied. At least, if Dru was a little quiet tonight, she’d feel she ‘loved’ everybody…

************

“Oh, I LOVE this tune!” Harmony said, jiggling about in her chair.

“Come and dance with me, Pookie!” Without listening to his protestations that he couldn’t dance, Xander had been hauled out of his seat.

“Coming Buffy?”

“Me? Need a couple more of these yet!” Buffy re-filled her glass with the bubbling pale golden liquid.

“Enjoying yourself?” Spike asked grinning.

“I’m having a ball – drinking champagne in the best night-club around, with the most handsome guy”
Spike grinned at first, and then he frowned and looked around.
“Don’t know about the best…décor needs a make-over”

“Hmm, s’pose, but it’s got the best atmosphere – better than the Bronze”

“Sorry, the where?” Spike frown/smiled. Buffy smiling shook her head.

“Awful place – full of kids…more like a youth club really. It’s where I won the heat of Search for a Star”

“Oh. Uh oh…”

“What?”

“Can you hear that?” – No sooner had Spike said those words, the double doors flew open and a very stoned Rack staggered in with his band members, who were in various states of drunkenness and drugged up highs.

“Get that shit noise off the player…’ere, put this on real Noiz! – HEY! FAITHY, LILO, I mean, Lilah…lookin’ tasty – c’mere!”

Forgetting all about wanting a change of music, Rack was content to fondle and touch up the two leather clad ladies, who after visiting ‘Daddy’s Hidey-hole’ at the back, had helped themselves to a little coke………

The disco tune finished, and Xander and Harmony walked off the dance floor, one of Noiz’s band, Trick, goosed Harmony, who shrieked and whirled around
and gave him a cracking smack across the face, much to everyone else in the band’s amusement.

“Fuckin’ bitch! – I was only saying hello!” Trick stood indignantly holding his smarting cheek.

“You alright, Harm?” Xander asked, giving Trick a hard stare.

“Yeah…he’s a pervert!” She snatched up the champagne bottle and emptied the last drops into her glass.

“Want a cocktail this time love?”

“Oh yes please! Pretty coloured one…with fruit in it”

“Come on then…come with me”
Xander held his hand out, and to avoid any more possible ‘nastiness’ from Rack and his band, they went through between the tables to the bar.

The music slowed right down and Spike said,

“Dance?”

“Thought you’d never ask!” Spike had loosened his tie, and Buffy thought that he looked even more gorgeous. He held her hand and led her to the floor.

Holding her close to him around the waist, Buffy slipped her hands around his neck and they swayed slowly to the music. She was well aware that there were several pairs of eyes on them, all female, all wishing they could take her place.

Harmony sucked on the straw of her orangey-red cocktail, with its paper umbrella and slices of orange, lemon and lime.

“Hmm, s’lovely…here, have a sip” Xander dutifully did, and agreed it was very nice.

“Make a nice couple, don’t they?” Harmony nodded towards Spike and Buffy, who seemed totally oblivious of everyone else.

“Yeah…yes, they do!” Xander said, grinning – then he thought, the sly old dog – no wonder he’d ‘off-loaded’ Harmony onto him…but still, Spike’s loss was his gain.

“Are you aware, young lady, of just how much I want to kiss you now?” Spike breathed into her ear, making her shudder with delight. Smiling a purely feminine smile, Buffy retorted,

“And are YOU aware of just how much I want you to?”

“But people will see, I thought that you didn’t want-“ Spike was cut off by Buffy gently nuzzling his cheek before homing onto his mouth and kissing him.

She broke the kiss when breathing became an issue, and she whispered,

“Want them to…I want those girls to see that they can’t have you” Spike held her a little tighter.

“Is that right?”

“Oh yes…that’s right”
They kissed again and the song ended, and they walked off the dance floor hand in hand.
Glory had watched them with narrowed eyes, thinking how she’d like to wring the neck of that pretty little blonde with the smart mouth. She’d have her revenge…she’d get her on the show and pull her to pieces…

“You sly old dog!” Xander said quietly

“Who me? What, why? What have I done?” Spike was smiling

“Now I know why you off-loaded – oh, look…I think you’re being summoned”

Spike looked up and saw Lorne coming towards them.

“Spike, you and…” Lorne pointed to Buffy, and then the back of the room, Spike nodded.

“Buffy…it’s time to go meet the boss”

“Oh right, um, could I just go to the rest-room first?”

“Sure, it’s at the back of the room anyway”

They threaded their way through the crowded dance floor to the back room where the boss, Sweet was holding court, Buffy first slipping into the ladies cloakroom.

She was aware of the stalls being rocked like crazy, and she could hear gasps and grunts, both male and female.

Rolling her eyes, she ignored it and went to the toilet, and then to wash her hands. Through the mirror she could see the guy that had goosed Harmony, Trick and Faith standing in one of the cubicles, going at it like crazy. Faith tried to close the door, but she knew that Buffy had seen them. Without blinking an eye, Buffy washed and dried her hands, and went to leave.

“So, Spike, how’s our new little songstress?”

“She’s doing extraordinarily well thanks, Lorne”

“Good. So, what do you think about D-“

“Oh, s’cuse me, is that me? Yes…yes, sorry…” Spike answered his cell phone

“Hello? – Cordy – bloody hell girl, you’re running late, everything ok? Yes…yes, yes…REALLY – Oh fantastic! That’s brilliant news – thanks love – I will, bye!”

Spike flipped his phone shut and beamed at Buffy who’d just come out of the restroom.
The door opened and Sweet nodded to Lorne

“’Kay Spike…your turn!” it was a grinning Spike who led in a grinning Buffy to meet the boss……

“………Hope you’re enjoying yourself here?”

“Yes, thankyou Mr Sweetly” Buffy said politely, trying her best not to stare at his face.

“Call me Sweet, who knows, you may get to call me ‘Daddy yet’” Spike felt his jaw tighten and he thought, ‘over my dead body’. Buffy just smiled politely.

“This is for you” Sweet handed her a bottle of Champagne.

“Oh, um thanks, thankyou!”

“Welcome…so Spike have you heard who’s-“

“Actually Sweet, I’ve just had some fantastic news” Spike interrupted

“Oh – what’s that…Midnight Music has burned down?”

“No, even Buffy doesn’t know this yet, Cordelia’s just phoned me, she’s got the Indie Chart run down for Sunday, because of the advanced sales, and as the single is released tomorrow, the Indie charts have Buffy straight in at number one!” Sweet gave his lopsided leer, the nearest he could get to a grin because of the Botox, but Lorne and Spike were genuinely happy for the little blonde girl.

“Oh my god! Straight in at-“

“Number one, clever girl!” Spike gave her a hug.

“Well, I’ll let you go celebrate” Sweet said.

“Thankyou!”

“Thankyou my dear!” Sweet could almost hear the chink of the money in the cash registers.

Spike and Buffy left the room, both beaming with happiness.

“Come on, let’s go celebrate!”

After an hour, they both flopped in their chairs, exhausted from the day and the dancing.

“Shall we go now, love?”

“Would you mind? – I know we were going to go on somewhere, but I’m shattered!”

Spike squeezed her arm.

“Course not pet, I’m all in myself truth be known” they said goodnight to Xander and a slightly squiffy Harmony.

“I just need to pop into the gents” Spike went to the toilets, leaving Buffy standing outside in the entrance way holding her bottle of Champagne from Sweet. The door to the outside opened, and two girls entered, both giggling.

“But Cecily, are you sure Daddy won’t be mad and shout at me – whoops! Sorry!”
The girl with long dark hair had stumbled slightly and bumped into Buffy.

Buffy smiled and said,

“It’s ok”

“Cecily! Coz if he shouts at me, I’m –“

“Oh do be quiet! He’ll be fine, come on, we’re late enough as it is!” The main door was opened and they both went through into the club.

The men’s restroom door opened, and Spike came out.

“Ok babe, are you ready?”

Copying one of his sayings, she smiled and said,

“Willing and able!”

Chapter 14

As Spike drove up Revello Drive, he said,

“I’ll just see you to the door I won’t come in, I know you’re tired. Besides, you’ve got another heavy schedule tomorrow”


She felt a little disappointed at this, but, it was her that said she wanted to take things slowly after all, and if he came in tonight…well she didn’t know if she’d trust herself! As good as his word, Spike stood on the doorstep while Buffy opened her front door, she turned to him and said,

“Night then”

“Night love. Sleep well” He gave her a kiss and a hug, and then Buffy said,

“Thanks for tonight” Spike winked at her and he went to move away, but she didn’t let go of his hand, he smiled and quirked a brow at her questioningly. She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him properly, until Spike broke the kiss and nuzzled her neck.

“Wow, steady on there pet!” He gave her a soft gentle kiss and then said,

“I’ll pick you up, nine be ok? (Buffy nodded) I better go, love” - god knows he didn’t want to go, but he didn’t want to do anything she might regret and totally spoil things. He would play it her way. Buffy nodded reluctantly, waved him off from the hallway and then she locked up.

*********

“Well, look at you cup-cake!” Lorne put down his ‘Sea Breeze’ cocktail and gently hugged Drusilla.

He was shocked; there was nothing of her! Waif-like, but one thing hadn’t changed, she’d still got those eyes, Lorne thought. You know the ones, you can’t work out if she’s scared, or annoyed, slightly wild, staring. She clutched onto the big guy and asked,

“Is Daddy mad with me?” Lorne tried to soothe her down.

“Mad, with his Princess – don’t be silly!” She smiled and looked, still clutching his arm with her bony fingers.

“Lorne…LORNE” Sweet called from inside the room

“Coming, Daddy…got a little someone with me too!” Dru stood fixed, she looked scared, Lorne had his arm around her and gently coaxed,

“I’m with you sugar-plum…come and see Daddy, he’s really missed you”

With a child-like manner, Dru suddenly dashed forward into the room, calling,

“Daddy! It’s your Princess!” Lorne hesitated in the doorway, he could see Dru hugging Sweet, who’d raised his arm and hugged her to him.

“Princess…my little Princess…come on, come to Daddy” He patted his lap, and dutifully, with an almost too-bright laugh, Dru sat on his lap.

“Did you bring my other little girl – hmm?” Sweet asked, taking in how tiny she’d become.

“Oh yes…Ceccy said we can play games later… Can we Daddy – Please – can we play like the old days?”

There was urgency in her voice, a need, a want of everything to be all right, she needed to know that nothing had changed, she was still her Daddy’s little Princess…

“Of course we can…and Daddy’s got a present for his Princess – later, when everyone has gone home, and you and me and Ceccy can play just like the olden days, ok my precious?”

Dru clapped her hands, and Sweet hugged her to him, and then Cecily came into the room, sniffing and pinching her nose. Giggling, she slipped onto his other knee, and they sat there giggling and talking.

Outside on the dance floor, things were hotting up. People were dancing, drinking, getting high – or higher in some cases.

Harmony was hot. Hot and tired, and the teeniest bit smashed on two ‘Sundowner’ cocktails plus the champagne she’d had.

“Pookie…take me home?” Xander smiled and said he’d be glad to, as the truth was, like Spike he didn’t enjoy these virtually ‘compulsory attendance’ parties, he didn’t drink much, and he couldn’t really dance, the music was never really to his taste and the smoky atmosphere always gave him a sore throat. And drugs? – Forget it he never took anything more insidious than Aspirin.

“Ok Harm, look at me…can I just…there” he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

“Just in case there are paparazzi outside, you still want to look your best. Got your purse?”

“Yes…Pookie…will you hold my hand?”

“Sure. Come on, let’s get you home” they were just about to leave, when very drunk, and very stoned Trick and Rack blocked their exit.

“Hey…Harm…you know you’re like, TOTALLY safe with Alexander here, don’t ya luv!” Trick had put his arm ‘chummily’ around Xander’s shoulders, Rack swayed and giggled; he was swigging out of a bottle of champagne.

“Go away, you, you pervert! Leave Xander alone!” Harmony frowned and pulled Xander away from Trick.

“Me? Me? – S’him that’s the pervert…bats for the other side, love…he has butt-buddies! Ask him…he’s, he’s one o’ them shirt-lifters, every time I see him, he’s hanging about with…um, thingie, and oo’s it? What’s them two poofs called now?”
Trick turned unsteadily towards Rack, but he shrugged and slurred,

“I dunno…fuckin’ fairy one and fairy two, I call em…bloody queers (hic) couple o’ fuckin’ poofs…anyway, ner’ mind all tha’, wha’s this (hic) fuckin’ racket were lis-nin’ too …doin’ my fuckin’ ‘ead in, I know tha………(hic) much” He was leaning heavily against a table and tried to stand up straight, swig from the bottle and look basically coherent to what was going on.

The DJ put one of Harmony’s bouncy pop tunes on, and this upset Rack even more.

“Fer fuck’s sake man, we ain’t bastard fuckin’ five year olds! Put summat decent on…er, ‘ear, Tricky-boy, what’s that band – OOOOWWWFFF!”

Rack had turned to ask Trick the name of a certain band, only to catch him full force flying backwards, and they both sprawled and demolished a tableful of glasses.

Xander stood there, boiling angry and heaving for breath. He desperately wanted to cradle his knuckles as they hurt like a bitch now, from the contact with Trick’s thick skull, but he didn’t want to ‘spoil’ the effect. The two bigots were so wasted; they couldn’t even sit up, let alone stand, and they lay there groaning amongst the broken glass and broken table.

“Sorry to disappoint you, ‘man’, but I’m not gay. But I’ll tell you this, I’d MUCH rather be gay than be like you to two ignorant bigoted wastes of space – keep away from Harmony, and keep away from me, else you know what’ll happen. Ready love?”

Xander looked up and held out his ‘good’ hand to Harmony, who was SO impressed and dumbfounded, she was mouth-open shocked. Seeing his hand, she smiled, reached for it, delicately stepped over Trick and some broken glass, and said

“Oh Pookie! You were magnificent!” Two huge bouncers entered the room through the swing doors, Xander and Harmony left.

“Ow, ow, ow bloody hell!” Standing in the corridor, Xander grimaced and winced and looked at his swollen knuckles, trying to flex his fingers checking to see if anything was broken.

“Oh, my poor, poor little Pookie…come back to mine…I’ll make it all better for you…” They got outside and Xander whistled up his limo and driver.

************

“What’s going on out there, as if I didn’t know!” Sweet said agitatedly.

“I’ll find out” Lorne left the room.

“Can we go home Daddy?” Dru asked, her head leaning against Sweet’s.

“In a little while, Daddy’s got a new toy!” Sweet said to Dru, his hand massaged her knee, and nuzzled her neck.

“What have you got daddy? – Tell me!”

“Daddy’s got a boat, all shiny and pretty…and only my very special friends get to play on it!”

“Me Daddy, me!” Dru jiggled up and down

“Yes, Princess, you can come and play…and my other little girl…she can come and play too…we’ll play ‘special’ games there”

“It’s as I thought, Rack and Trick, brawling by the looks of it” Lorne said coming back into the room. He picked up his drink and leant against the table.

“We’re going…go call the car round” Sweet said, and Lorne finished his drink and complied with his master’s wishes.

***********

Spike was on the dot to pick Buffy up, and she went straight to rehearsals and then they shot a video of her singing her song against the bluescreen again.

At eleven thirty she had an interview, and then lunchtime saw her choosing an outfit to do an outside video shoot. Spike caught up with her in make-up.
The makeup lady was just putting lipstick on her, and Buffy saw Spike through the mirror.

“Hi Mandy… you don’t have to do much do, she’s already beautiful enough isn’t she?” Spike said grinning.

The makeup lady beamed at him. She could almost feel the chemistry between the couple, and she was over the moon – for them both.

“Pretty as a picture Spike! Pretty as a picture!”

“Stop! You’re making me blush!” Buffy was pink with embarrassment, but smiling!

As she was ready, Buffy took the makeup cape off and left it on the chair, and went through to wardrobe. When she was dressed, she came up to Spike, and had a quick look-see to check nobody was watching, and then she kissed Spike, who grinned.

“Have I got lipstick all over me now?”

“Nope, miracles they can perform these days, kiss-proof lipstick being one of them!”

“In that case, c’mere you!” Spike pulled her close and gave her a deep, passionate kiss, leaving her breathless.

“Anyway pet, do you know what’s happening?” he had to move away from her a little as somebody had come into wardrobe.

“Yes, Ford said that we’re going to video-shoot me singing my song at the Army Base, and then I’m to do a meet and greet, with some of the families who have their loved ones away at the moment, then I’m gong to sign a few autographs and copies of the CD. – It should take until five o’clock, all been well”

“Good, listen babe, I can’t come with you, I have a hundred and one things to do here – I’ve just learned that after we left the party last night, Xander laid out Trick AND Rack – and I’ve got to read them the riot act threaten to end Noiz’s contract – boss’s instructions” Buffy grinned and covered her mouth, and then she said

“Oh my god, Xander did? – I don’t believe it!”

“Neither did I until I saw the state of his knuckles – oh”

“Flowers for Buffy Summers”
A messenger handed Buffy a cellophane wrapped bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums and daisy’s. She smiled up at Spike, thinking they were possibly from Sweet as she’d already had flowers from him, and took the card out that was in a plastic holder nestling inside the blooms, she read out,

“Congratulations on your number one, (she grinned and hunched up her shoulders once) I saw you last night at the Radio Awards, but couldn’t catch your eye. Please r-ring me, love – oh – love, um… Angel” she could feel the heat creeping up her neck.

She didn’t even dare to look Spike in the eye. Obviously it wasn’t her fault Angel had sent them, but it didn’t stop her feeling guilty all the same. She walked to the door and called out,

“Erm, hold on, where’s er…Man-Mandy, Mandy…” The make-up lady put her head around the door.

“Someone call?”

“Here, for the make-up room…brighten it up, I can’t bear Chrysanths, or the sender so, here you go!” She thrust the blooms at the delighted makeup lady, and threw the card in the bin, then she turned to Spike.

“You needn’t have done that, love, it’s not your fault” Buffy looked up at him big-eyed, and put her finger to his lips.

“Shush…I know. But what I said was true, I don’t like them. My gran used to grow them, and I hated the smell of them…plus, well hey, they’re from Angel, so” she shrugged.
She went to remove her finger from his mouth, when Spike gave a playful snarl and captured her finger gently between his lips, Buffy shrieked and giggled,

“Sorry, you made me jump!” She removed her finger from his mouth, and Spike kissed her nose and looked at his watch.

“I gotta scram, babe, fancy staying a bit later tonight, then we could go eat?”

“Great!”

“Good, so after the army base, come back here with Ford. Ring me if there’s any problems”

“Will do”

“And Buffy”

“Yes?”

“Whatever you do pet, don’t enlist, will you?”

“I won’t!”

He winked and blew her a kiss.

The makeup lady had seen all this through the mirror, and smiled. She was pleased, she liked Spike, always had.

He was always polite, please and thankyou, the boy had been bought up right.

She’d seen what had happened with him and Dru, and her heart had nearly broken for him. A few times he’d drifted down to pour his heart out to her and she’d listened and they’d have a mug of hot chocolate.

But this time she could see that there was much more to it with this young blonde than he just being her manager. But she wouldn’t say anything, she’d keep things to herself. But this she did know, given half a chance, they could have something really special, she could feel it in her very bones.

*********


“You ok?” Ford frowned at Buffy

“Yeah…yeah, just got to me a bit, all those people banging on the car when we were trying to drive in”

Buffy leant against the wall, taking deep breaths. Ford nodded and said,

“Yeah, it can be a bit daunting, ‘specially when you’re not used to it. I don’t think the bigwigs were expecting quite so many to come down here, security wise it’s been a bloody nightmare. I think they thought our VidCam man was a terrorist!”

Ford idly tapped the wall with the toe of his boot, waiting for them to be called so they could start making the video. He hated waiting around.

Buffy had spent the last hour signing autographs and shaking hands.

“Come on…come on…we’re already an hour and a half late….” Ford was getting impatient.

“Ok, I’ve had a bloody ‘nough o’ this, shall we see if they’re ready for us now?” Ford went to open the door, but a soldier wearing desert fatigues came through to them and said,

“Ma’am, sir, we’re ready for you now” Ford breathed an ‘at last’, and led the way through the door and Buffy followed him out onto the makeshift stage that had been set up. A huge roar went up from the gathered crowd, and Buffy smiled and waved. Ford had already done a sound check, and he checked with his VT operator that everything was ready to roll. The PA Buzzed and gave a little feedback, but it was fine. Buffy picked up the microphone and shouted,

“Hello everybody!”

They shouted hello back

“Thanks for coming…having fun - Want to hear my song?”

The crowd roared, and Ford started the tape. Buffy sang, and to her amazement, quite a few of the audience joined in.

After she had sung ‘Will Love Find A Way’, she sang the other song on the CD, ‘Missing You,’ and it too got a great reception from the crowd. Afterwards the Colonel thanked her for taking the time out to come and see them. Because of the crowds and their busy schedule, the army had arranged for them to be taken off the base by helicopter, it would be Buffy’s first trip in one.

“Come on, follow me” Ford said grinning.

“But the car is-“

“Going to be bought to us. We’re going home in style!”

When the door opened out onto a runway, and Buffy saw the helicopter waiting, rotors spinning, ready for take off her eyes bugged.

“We’re going back in – OH WOW!” She was helped into the chopper by a soldier, who after seeing that she was all strapped in jumped down and slid the door into place. It was incredibly noisy, and she had to shout at Ford, even though he was sitting opposite her.

“Never been in one before!”
She couldn’t stop grinning, and then they felt the slight lurch upwards of take off. The pilot banked steeply and Buffy looked out and down to where she’d just been on stage, and she was shocked by the sheer numbers of people down there, and a field full of parked cars.

“You’ll get used to it!” Ford hollered back. Her hair blew wildly around but she didn’t care, this was something she could get used to!

They came to land on the Helipad roof at Aphrodite Records. Because they’d had to get permission to land, to get the ‘all clear’ from Cordelia via computer, she’d tipped Spike off, who was waiting for them.

When they landed, he ran over and opened the door.

“Well! What have we here!” Spike held her around the waist and lifted her out. Buffy had wrapped her arms around his neck giving him a big hug, she couldn’t stop grinning.

“That was SO wow! – Me! In a helicopter!”

“Come on babe, we’ve got to move, he’s got to take off again” they ran to the door with their arms around each other.

“So…getting a taste for the high-life are we?” Spike teased.

“It took us AGES to get onto the base, there were hundreds of people!”

“Thousands more like, I know…you’ve already been on the local news,” Spike said, smiling at the wondrous look on her face.

“Local girl stops traffic, Jefferson Army Base besieged by crowds all wanting to hear and see the new singing sensation, Buffy!” Buffy giggled.

“Come on, let’s get a drink, shall we?” Buffy eagerly nodded and they went to the café. The café itself was closed for food, but you could get drinks via help-yourself machines.

“Here she is!” Xander said grinning at her. As Buffy and Spike walked in. Harmony put her magazine down and came over and hugged her.
“You were fantastic! It looked like you’d been doing it for years, didn’t it Pookie – we saw you on the local news – can’t wait to see the video – did you see loads of hunky soldiers?”

“A few…not my type though!” She flashed Spike a look; and he just smiled.

Buffy noticed that Xander had a light gauze bandage over the knuckles of his right hand.

“God, I was SO nervous when we first got to the base, all these people were banging on the sides and roof of the car, but once I got out, I was fine – and the helicopter home – I mean, can I just say WOW again!”

“Oh I left the Party in the Park concert in London last year in a helicopter, boy, is it noisy!” Harmony said. They all sat down and Spike bought over the juice Buffy had asked for.

Buffy took a long drink.

“Thanks! Hoo! I needed that! She patted her chest, and then grinned at Xander, and nodded towards his hand.

“And what’s this I’ve been hearing about you, Xander ‘Bonecrusher’ Harris?” Xander looked a little sheepish, but everybody else was grinning.

“Had to teach somebody some manners…”

“And bought them down a peg or two!” Harmony leaned over and gave his arm a gentle squeeze.

“Anyway, you two look nice, going out?”

“Yeah, have you heard of the writer-cum-director Tara MaClay?” Harmony asked

“Yes, actually, she was one of the judges when I won the show! Buffy said

“Well, she’s a friend from my school days. We’re going to the Premier of her film ‘Fates’.

“That’s nice. Oooh, excuse me!” Buffy’s stomach rumbled.

“I’ve had nothing since a banana at 11.30 this morning!”

“Didn’t the army base put anything on for you?”

“I was too busy, signing autographs, meeting and greeting to eat anything”

“Well, we must be going…are you ready Harm?” They all said their goodbyes and Xander and Harmony left.

“So babe…what do you want to do, restaurant, take-away, me cook?” Spike asked, at last being able to give her a proper cuddle.

“Hmm…it’s a shame Luigi doesn’t do take out…I just LOVE their Lasagne Al Forno… oh and that Tiramisu!” Spike smiled, flipped open his mobile and said,

“I don’t think it’s beyond the range of possibilities”

*********

Dru looked around the room. It had changed since she’d last been there. For starters, there was this huge big picture window now that overlooked the swimming pool and gardens. And there was wood panelled flooring and all the heavy old furniture had been replaced with modern stuff. Two lots of leather sofas faced each other with coffee tables in between, and against one wall was a large built-in plasma TV screen.

“Dru………Dru, come on, what are you doing?” Cecily called from the bedroom.

“Think I’ll have to go get her” Cecily got up off the bed, while Sweet prepared three lines of coke.

“Dru, come on love, we’re going to play games!”

Dru was running the fingers along the shelf above a big open fireplace, staring at herself in the mirror above it.
Cecily came right up to her and held her arm.

“Dru?”

“All different, now”

“Yes, it’s all different, it looks much nicer now, don’t you think? Do you like the window – see the gardens and the fountains are still there…remember when Daddy had the parties and we used to play in the fountains?”

Dru frowned.

“Fountains. – And the lions! There can’t be any more war Ceccy!”

**What the fuck is she on about now** Cecily looked puzzled, thought Dru was ‘off on one’, and tried to gently pull her towards the bedroom

“Lions? There were never any lions, love. And the war won’t hurt us, not here; we’re quite safe here. Come on.”

Dru gave Cecily a ‘look’.

“Not here! There ARE lions in Trafalgar Square. With the fountains. And war is bad”

“Oh, yeah, those fountains and lions…yeah well, never mind. Come on pet, Daddy’s waiting for us, don’t want to keep him waiting and make him cross, do we?” Dru allowed herself to be led into the bedroom, where she played ‘copy-cat’ and snorted the coke like the others………

***********

“Not Thursday’s show then, so when?” Glory asked irritably
Cordelia knew better than to book something for Buffy without prior consent from Spike.

“I don’t know Miss Benson, she really does have a very busy schedule”

“But my studios are less than half an hour away, next Tuesday then”

“Let me see…” Cordelia tapped away on her keyboard.

“No, sorry, she’ll be in New York for ‘Holden’s Weekly’, look, I’ll do my best to-“

“Just get Spike to ring me!” Glory snapped, and threw the phone down with disgust.

“And thankyou and goodbye to you too, bitch!” Cordelia muttered to the tone beeping in her ear.

“And I thought you told ME that talking to myself was the first sign of madness!” Xander said grinning. Cordelia grinned, did a ‘double take’ look at Xander.

“Blimey, as if I didn’t know…who dressed you this morning?”

“Why? – What’s wrong with it – Harmony said-“

“Ah ha – thought so!” Cordelia stalked over to him, and Xander looked a little confused.

“What are you trying to hide, hmm?” Xander leaned away from her, but she kept coming towards him, forcing him to back away.

“Come here!”

“No! N-o-o-o-o-o, no, get off! Ow! Mind my bad – Ouch. No! No! Cordy!”
She grabbed the neck of his top and pulled so it gaped open, revealing a hickey.

“Ha! I knew it!”

“No, Cordy, shush, be nice, look please…don’t tell anybody, we haven’t, you know…done…not yet, we were just kissing!”

“Just kissing – right!” Cordy gave him her patented, ‘I believe you –NOT! Look.

“Please Cordy” Xander looked pained, her demeanour softened

“Oh, okay…but well, hey – nobody can say that’s self inflicted, can they!”

“We’re trying to keep it a secret, me and Harm – we well, just want to see what happens!” Cordy quirked an eyebrow and as she was leaving she said,

“Harmony keep a secret? – You’ll be telling me you believe in the Easter Bunny next…and the Tooth Fairy, and Santa Claus………”

********

“Hmmm”

“That good, baby?”

“Oh god – Yes! Yes…”

“Want more, kitten?”

“Uh huh”

“Ready…open a little wider…”

“Oh yes…ooh, there, there, yes! The extra chocolaty bit – ooh, hmmm!” Buffy now had her eyes closed in rapture, and her mouth closed around a spoonful of tiramisu.

“You’re turn…open wide…there…oh. All gone!” She put the empty container onto the coffee table.

“Good thing too! Can have too much of a good thing you know!”
Spike said. Buffy snuggled back into Spike’s chest as they curled up on her sofa.

“Spike”

“Hmm?”

“You know next week”

“Uh huh”

“Will you be able to come to New York with me?”

“I’ll see what I can do pet…I can’t promise, I’ve got to sort tour-dates for Gunn, and we’ve just signed this country singer, Caleb, we’ve poached him from Midnight – much to Quentin Travers annoyance, anyway, I think Sweet wants me to sort things out with him too, although I’ll try and get Xander to do it.”

“Who does Xander manage?”

“Harmony, well he does now. Anyanka. Although she pretty much does it all for him. – S’cuse me” Spike yawned.

“Do you think that they’ve got something going together?”

“Who, Harmony and Xander? – Dunno pet”

“I think they make a nice couple!” Buffy yawned and stretched.

“Think that’s my cue to go isn’t it
– I’m tired, you’re tired”

“Oh, must you?”

“Well, I don’t want to, but I think it best, don’t you?”

“No. Definitely not best. I’m all snuggly and warm now”
Buffy shimmied her shoulders a little. Spike kissed the top of her head. He loved her soft blonde hair, with its faint smell of fruity shampoo. Spike chuckled and closed his eyes, he was SO glad she said that, coz he didn’t want to go at all………

*********

Sweet had taken a Viagra and while they were waiting for it to work, he suggested to the girls that they ‘put on a little show’ for him. Cecily was more than happy to comply with her Daddy’s wishes, and she began to kiss Dru.

Lorne was sitting in the lounge, with his dressing gown on waiting for the others to arrive, fellow ‘stable-mates’ of Cecily’s from Sweet’s adult movie empire. Kendra, Forrest and Amy.

**********

Spike woke with a crick in his neck; he focused on the little sleeping blonde in his arms, and leant his head down, kissed her cheek softly and whispered,

“Hey, beautiful………baby…wake up sweetheart” Buffy stirred with a swift intake of breath, and her eyes fluttered open

“Oh, hi” she stretched as she sat up; Spike felt her warmth leave him.

“It’s twenty past three, I really should go, pet”
Buffy mewled and took his hand.

“We can just cuddle…silly you going home now…” Buffy led him upstairs.

************

“………She’s booked for Holden’s Weekly on Tuesday, Chart Express want her for one of their ‘quickie’ five minute interviews, which we could do at the airport, Hot! Magazine want to do a spread on her……… and Glory Benson wants her, ASAP – I wouldn’t book until you give me the nod” Cordelia reeled off, looking expectantly at Spike.

“Ok. Have you booked the flight to New York?”

“Monday lunchtime from LAX, to JFK”

“What hotel?”

“The Sheraton – as usual”

“Right, you can book another ticket and room, tell Hot! Magazine they can come to the hotel to do the interview – Tuesday…AM, tell them ring me at the Sheraton to confirm and Oh, where is it now………ah, here we are… there was something about her doing a signing at The Mega Music store in Albany? – Check the date of that for me will you, please, Chart Express at the airport – um…yeah – that’s quite a regular thing for them, isn’t it – airport interviews – can I leave you to check the Albany thing?” Cordelia nodded.

“Will do. What about Glory – can I leave the ignorant bitch to you – I’ll swear at her if I have to speak to that cow again?”

“Yup”

“This room at the Sheraton…shall I just book a double?”

Without looking up from checking a phone-number he wanted, Spike said,

“No, two singles…I’m taking a little vacation time, god alone knows I’m entitled…I haven’t had a holiday in what………must be four years now!”

“Yeah, I know, just checking!” Cordelia was grinning when she left the office.

Spike picked up the phone and dialled.

“Glory Benson please…Spike Carling, Aphrodite…ok, yes, I’ll hold…thanks…”

“Spike!”

“Glory – What’s this about wanting Buffy ASAP, where’s the fire?”

“I want to strike while the iron’s hot, darling…after all, who knows, she could be yesterday’s news next week…a one-hit wonder”

“That won’t happen. She’s a very talented young lady”

“Hmmm…I’ll bet you’d know all about her ‘talents’, after your little display of affection at the party the other night,”

“What’s the matter Glory, jealous?”

“Me? Jealous? Of what darling?” her tone incredulous

“Of the fact that you’re not as young, not as beautiful, not as talented?”

Glory gasped, but quickly tried to recover and she just spluttered, Spike continued,

“She’ll come on the show if and when I say – and don’t try getting onto ‘Daddy’ about it – he doesn’t like to be bothered about the day-to-day stuff…and you wouldn’t want to screw up your main supply of publicity now, would you”
Spike put the phone down.

Xander came into the office carrying the morning newspapers.

“Seen this?” He threw a copy of the LA News on Spike’s desk.

Spike picked up the copy of the newspaper and unfolded it.

‘ROCK GUITARIST TRICK IN BRAWL WITH PAPARAZZI PHOTOGRAPHER’
The headline screamed.

“What’s new?” Spike asked, shrugging

“Read on”

Spike read on that, apparently incensed that Trick, 31, real name Ron Ward, had been caught coming out of a nightclub called the Barracuda Reef with someone other than his regular girlfriend, he’d smacked the photographer, who had unfortunately fell badly and hit his head hard, rendering him unconscious since, and he’d had to undergo an operation to remove a blood-clot from his brain, it was touch-and-go if the guy would live.

Spike threw the newspaper down with annoyance.

“Give me strength! Do they listen? Huh? Do they EVER fuckin’ listen to a word that’s said to them? After the other night, I said ‘Keep a low profile’ Sweet won’t stand much more of you – any of you. Rack’s always so bloody high I don’t think he EVER comes down to earth, and that bloody drummer, what’s-his-face?”

“Animal” Xander said, helpfully.

“That’s him, he’s still awaiting sentencing for possession of heroin – The European tour has been cancelled, Texas, Boston and Seattle don’t want them…and as for their latest album – it’s a joke. It should have been released on June the 4th – it still isn’t halfway done and we’re over half way through bloody August”

“Bad boys though, crowd pullers where they can go…Philly…Detroit…Cleveland”
Xander said, leaning against his desk.

“Well, we’ll see if Sweet still thinks so after this…three gigs isn’t enough to cover the cost of the drugs they use, let alone anything else – and if this bloke, this photographer chappy dies, Trick could be looking at a murder sentence”

“Yup, he could” Xander nodded. Spike’s phone rang, and still annoyed, he snatched up the receiver.

“What now?” Spike practically barked

“Spike?” Buffy jumped slightly

“Oh! Sorry baby…hello – you caught me at a bad moment” his tone really softened.

“It’s ok. Have you got some time to spare between now and lunch?”

“Let me see………(he flicked through his desk diary) um…yeah, actually – give me ten, and I’m all yours!”

“Good. I want to come and help me pick five other songs for my album, there’s three definite, and eight others to choose from”

“Ok babe”

Xander went to start work, when Spike saw the name ‘Caleb’ on the sheet in front of him.

“Xander…this new signing of ours, Caleb – I want you to be his manager”

Xander perked up immediately.

“Really? – Wow!”

“Well, it shouldn’t be too hard, he’s already an established artist, got a big fan-base…you need to get him working on an album and get him on tour…here’s the number of his fan club – his wife runs it for him. Talk to her to find out things, she’ll tell you all about the country music venues and that” Spike handed Xander the info-sheet.


“Right! Great, I’m right on it – Caleb – Good ‘ole country boy at heart, Yee Haw!”
Xander said, grinning, miming twirling a lasso.
Spike’s brow rose up, and Cordelia blinked at him as she walked into the office.

“Did I hear…did he just ‘Yee Haw? – I’m going to have to slap the enthusiasm outta that guy!” Cordelia said smiling.

“Be my guest! Yee Haw, indeed…oh fuck, I‘ve only just got him out of Hawaiian shirts…you don’t think he’ll go all cowboy on us now, do you?” Spike asked, smiling Cordelia rolled her eyes, and said,

“Don’t worry…I’ll get harmony to sort him out – right sign this please………and this………that one, there………and that………thankyou!” Spike did as he was asked and scribbled his signature on various slips and documents.

“Ok, ready for this? -Tickets are booked, as is the hotel, - and Hot! Magazine said great, they’ll confirm with you Tuesday, I’m waiting on the Mega Music thing, and Chart Express said they’d see her in the VIP lounge at LAX pre-flight”

“Great, right, I’m disappearing for an hour, important business, just take a message if there’s anything, ok? - I’ll be back around late lunchtime” Spike stood and left the office with Cordelia.

He chatted with her while waiting for the lift.

“So, you reckon he and Harmony have a ‘thing’ do you?”

“Uh huh…why do you think he’s wearing a roll-neck sweater…hickey-ville! Although he swears they were just kissing! – Oh and listen, they want to keep things ‘secret’ – so don’t go saying anything, will you?”

“Me?” Spike smiled, then continued,

“Do you think for one second Harmony would be able to?”

“That’s what I said!”

“Still…good luck to ‘em – I think she’ll be good for him!” They both smiled and Spike went down to the recording suites.

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