It's An Adventure

"You have no idea about this thing, Giles? Just its mission? No idea of its motives?"

"No. None, really. Just the basics."

"Basics, Watcher? And what would those be?"

Giles looked at Spike and repressed a sigh. The vampire, no matter how helpful he was, was beginning to ware on his nerves. "To kill the slayer."

Spike grinned. "Well, I think I like this demon! I think I like it a lot! We shouldn't be interfering with the natural order of things. Come what will. Slayers die what will."

Buffy sent a glare towards the other bleached blonde in the room. "Oh. So you no longer care for the blood the *slayer* lets you drink, eh, Spike? You aren't happy with the whole shelter thing that saves you from turning to ash from the sun the slayer provides for you, hum? The slayer can just let you die now? Just like the slayer has wanted to for what seems like for *ever*? Is that right, Fangless? Let's let nature have it's way."

"I'm getting' all that from the brain and the moron! I mean, from the good and kind hearted *Xander*, here." Spike thrust his head towards Xander. "And me turning to dust is *not* the natural order of things! Okay, maybe you dusting me is natural but yer lover boy and the rest? Lower animals on the food chain, sweet slayer, and what they did to me is an, well, its an abomitation, it is. Not natural at all."

Xander didn't look up from his magazine. "I do it 'cause Buffy asked me too, Spike. I'm more than willing to let you go to dust come next sunrise, ashes to ashes, you know. Oh! Looky here! Those god-awful platform shoes are on the way out!" Xander dropped the COSMO he had been reading onto the coffee table. "Can't be too soon for me! I'm tired of all the women being taller than me!" He looked at Giles. "So what do I have to do, G-man?"

"You have to stop calling me that. And take Spike to LA and get an object from Angel that we need."

"What?!" The collective shout echoed around the room.

"Why can't *I* go? I'm-"

"Are you sure we should let *Spike* go to LA? -"

"Good plan. No need for Buffy to go to LA-"

"Is this th-the right idea-"

"Why the hell do *I* have to go?"

"I am *not* going to the pouf for *anything* let alone something that will save the life of the slayer! *What* have you been tippin' back along with yer tea, Watcher? And why haven't you shared it? I thought we were mates, now! You've been holdin' back on the good stuff."

"Spike needs to go because the object we need can only be held by the living dead. Xander, you go because you have the time to go. Buffy, you can't go because you aren't *dead* and well, because I wont let you go. Willow and Tara, you two are both alive and I need you two here to help me, anyway. Riley. Well, RilI'dI'd send *you* but I think Spike would find some way to kill you despite the chip." Giles looked at the group and smiled. "I hope that's all settled. Xander? Spike? Please be careful. I'm almost sure you'll be followed. Try to, ah, loose the tail if you can. Once you reach Angel you should be fine. He's expecting you and will have taken proper precautions. Well handle them once you're safely on your way. Oh, and please do say hello to Cordelia for me. Give her my best." Giles clapped his hands. "Well, then. We're all set. Xander and Spike, you are to take my Honda. Crash it if you find that to necessary. I find it most tiresome to drive." He looked at the group staring blankly back at him, with varying degrees of dismay. He didn't hold back his sigh. "Well! Off with you!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"*My* turn!" Xander declared with glee. He turned off the radio and popped in a CD. The two had made a reasonable treaty. One hour of music each. Was it Xander's fault that Giles new Honda came with a CD player but no tape player and Spike had come loaded down with cassettes? Nope. Not his fault at all.

Spike clenched his teeth, prepared to listen to an hour of the BackDoor boys or some other such nonsense. He was pleasantly surprised when Scott Strapp's deep voice came blasting out through the speakers. "Ah. I *like* this. Creed. Do'ya have the new one?"

"Yes." Xander told him, a bit peeved at not having pissed the vampire off. He'd been sure the preachy sounds of Creed would annoy the vampire. Damn.

"Really?" Spike looked pleased, grieving Xander more. "What else 'ave you got with you?"

"I brought all *new* bands!" Xander told him. He had hoped that Spike would only want to listen to *old* music, and not care for anything modern.

"New bands. Fine. *Who*?"

"Um." Xander fumbled his CD wallet open, reading the names. "Third Eye Blind, Matchbox 20, Stained, some other stuff." Yes. All new one hit cd bands brought along to audibly torture his companion.

Spike glanced in the rearview mirror and asked, "What other stuff?"

"Oh, um, Nine Inch Nails, Bush, Limp Bizkit, stuff like that. Korn." Well, yes, he wasn't about to spend hours in a car with Spike without some enjoyable tunes.

Spike switched lanes, keeping his eyes at the rearview mirror. "Bush! I like Bush! And Korn! Well who doesn't like Korn? Play that next would you? Even matchbox 20 is okay for a pop band. Better'n the Spice Girls." Spike chuckled.

Spike being amused without having made some kind of cutting remark sort of creeped Xander a bit.

Xander slumped down in his seat. He *knew* he should have brought some of his mother's Broadway show sound tracks. But no. He couldn't have tolerated them, even if they did piss off Spike. He'd have brought some of this beloved country music but the thought that Spike might hurt them was a horror he just couldn't overcome.

Spike swerved into the right lane abruptly, causing Xander to shift in his seat. "Slow down, deadboy, jr.!"

Spike said nothing, but cut across two lanes of traffic without signaling. He kept his eyes on the rearview mirror most of the time. "I think the watcher was right about the tail."

Xander craned his neck, turning in his seat to look back. "Really? You think so?"

"Yes I think so. I also think that all the good James Bond movies, that I'm *positive* you've watched, gave a clue about *not* turning and waving a bloody hello to the tail!"

Xander turned back to the front and smiled. "You're right. I did pick that up from TV. What are you going to do?" Xander asked as Spike cut across to the left lanes without signaling. "Besides kill us?"

Xander felt his heart speed up as Spike turned the car towards the familiar DO NOT ENTER signs. "Spike! You *can't*! It's an exit!"

Spike grinned and gunned the engine, picking up speed. "Yeah, but its night. Shouldn't be much traffic."

Xander clutched at his seat and checked that his seatbelt was secure. "It's California! There's *all* ways traffic."

Spike swerved the car, ignoring the blaring horn of the car that had been speeding towards them. "Yes. Why is that? Can't you bloody Californian's stay home?" Spike weaved his way between three more cars, horns blaring, and quickly turned the little Honda into highway traffic. "See? Now we're all set! Just a couple of blokes driving the night away."

Xander's heart still felt as if it was trying to push it's way out through his stomach and throat. "You could have *killed* us!"

Spike spared Xander a glance. "Nah, pet. I could have killed *you*. I would have walked away just fine, maybe a little sore."

"Oh, sure! Now all we have to deal with is all the calls 911 reporting us!"

"Huh?"

"I'm sure each and every car we passed has a phone with them. They've all called 911 and the highway patrol on us!"

"Oh, right." Spike grinned at Xander and pulled the car to the shoulder. He got out and Xander watched him as he bent over the front of the car and then the back of the car. Spike seated himself back into the driver's seat and tossed a bundle into Xander's lap.

"What's this?" Xander asked.

"Our *old* license plate numbers. Lets be truthful, here Xander. I made a *damn* cool move. We don't have a tail any longer; the cops aren't looking for us, and best of all? It was damn well *fun*! Fun is good, Xander, or didn't the slayer and watcher let you learn that?"

Spike shot out into the moving traffic, not giving any signal or warning. The car behind them blared its displeasure. Spike gave them a two fingered salute. "Fuck you too, mate!" Spike reached over and turned up Creed so that the band was blaring out of all five speakers at a deafening level.

Xander turned down the volume. Just a bit. He looked at Spike, grinning his way through traffic. "I have *never* liked you, Spike. *Never*."

Spike spared Xander a grin, before cutting across three lanes of fast moving traffic. "Ah, that hurts me deeply, Xander. Cause I have always, deep down in my dead heart, cared for you. Really I have." Spike chuckled and reached down, turning the music up even louder. "Ah, come on, Xander, sweety! This is an adventure! Adventures are good! Really they are!"