Livin' Life in the Fastlane

Disclaimer

I own NOTHING (except for the plot*smile*)! Anything in this story that falls under existing copyrights belongs to their respective owners.

A/N
Next chapter and a bit more plot. I hope I didn’t make it to boring so far, and I promise we will get more into the action this time. Thank you all for the reviews, keep ‘em coming.
Hugs to all!

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Previously on Livin’ Life in the Fastlane:

Buffy tells Spike about her past with Angel and enlightens him why he wants to get back at her. They start to make battle plans for the meeting in the desert and set up the tasks for the next day.

Chapter 15: To Hell We Ride

Buffy woke next to Spike early next morning. She smiled at the image that presented itself to her. Spike was still fast asleep lying on his stomach, his face turned to her. His hair was tousled into unruly curls from sleep and from her hands winding through it. She loved it when he wore it like that but it only happened during sleep or while they made love. Yeah she knew it, she was deeply in love with him but hadn’t had the guts to tell him so. Maybe because he hadn’t said anything pointing in that direction so far, perhaps because she feared that everything would go down into the gutter once she admitted it to him, like it always did.

Pushing those uneasy thoughts into the far back of her mind she slowly rose from the bed, trying not to wake him. She went into the kitchen to start the coffee maker and went into the guest bathroom to take a quick shower. She would have preferred her own bathroom but she also didn’t want to wake Spike. She knew that he must have been completely worn out, but hadn’t had the time to realize it because all the while he had been occupied with tending to her and her emotions. He was so loving and caring, always taking her needs far more important than his own. Just like Angel at first… And now the uneasy thoughts were back with a vengeance. She knew it was ridiculous but that little voice inside her skull just wouldn’t shut up.

She left the shower ten minutes later and wrapped her body in one of the oversized towels waiting in the bathroom. She went back to the kitchen still dripping from the shower and got herself a cup of coffee. She leaned against the sink and contemplated the options of the upcoming evening’s ending. She was sure that they weren’t in mortal danger but couldn’t deny that some feeling in her stomach told her that Angel would try to trick them. She just couldn’t point her finger on it.

When she finished her coffee she silently returned to her bedroom and went for her clothes. When she finished getting dressed she turned around and again had to look at Spike still sleeping in her bed. This felt so right and she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her lips. Burning that picture into her brain she left the bedroom after she gave the most featherlike kiss to his head. He only stirred a bit, turned around and kept on sleeping.

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Spike slowly woke from his slumber and his hands searched for the woman that should lie next to him. When his hands wound up empty he opened his eyes and saw that she wasn’t in bed anymore. He wondered where she might have gone and tried to recognize any sounds in the house. He didn’t notice the little paper lying folded on Buffy’s pillow until he rose from the bed. He picked it up and opened it.

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Morning sleepy-head,

Sorry I didn’t stay around to wait for you waking
up, but I wanted to visit Xander and I have a
few things to do for tonight.

I also need you to take care of your car, because
the possibility that Angel knows where I could hide
it is just to high. I hope you meet me afterwards in
the hospital. I miss you already.

Kiss, Buffy

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Spike smiled and put the letter into the inner pocket of his duster. He then went downstairs into the kitchen and found the coffee maker still on. He poured himself a cup and smiled again to himself that she had been so thoughtful to leave him fresh coffee. Oh yeah, he loved her really. Not that he would bollocks it up by telling her so. He knew his track record wasn’t exactly something for the hall of fame when it came to love and especially telling somebody. And he didn’t even know if she returned his feelings. No, no, not gonna go down that road. It still needs some time. If it’s meant to be it will happen. Why should he go and fuck up the wonderful relationship he had now? No, everything was fine and he wouldn’t try and change anything right at the moment.

“Yeah, yeah” his subconscious tuned into his train of thought “you really are love’s bitch, but you aren’t man enough to admit it.” After Spike downed the rest of his coffee and told his inner voice in no uncertain terms where it could get stuffed he went for a shower and planning the rest of the day. There were some things he had to take care for, before they went out into the desert this night.

Half an hour later he left Buffy’s house dressed in black from head to toe. His second skin clinging to his shoulders like always. First he had to get the car taken care of and he knew exactly who could do that for him. He entered the black Nissan and went out into the morning traffic.

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The Hospital, Xander’s room

“Come in” Xander called after he heard someone knocking slightly on the door to his room. When Buffy’s head came through the door he smiled at her and motioned for her to enter.

“Hey, Xander” Buffy started “how are you feeling?”

“Like I have been punched from here to Canada and back before someone tried to make his butcher’s exam on my body” he joked.

“Oh god, Xander, I am so sorry…” she sat onto the bed next to him and took his uninjured hand into hers.

“Don’t be, it wasn’t your fault. In fact it was nobody’s fault except for Angel and his sick taste of humour” he told Buffy. “Although I seem to remember that Spike might have had something to do with it. At least Angel mentioned something like that and told me to send Riley’s greetings to him. What did he do to get them so enraged?”

“Well, Riley tried to force himself onto me the evening before you were attacked and Spike beat the crap out of him.”

“Ah now I see, he gets the benefit for being the white knight and I have to pay the debt” he smiled at Buffy. He didn’t seem to lose his humour although he still was in pretty bad shape.

“You aren’t mad with him, are you? Because he wanted to come here later, and if you don’t want to I have to go and call him, and…” Buffy found an interesting spot on the floor that demanded her whole focus.

“Buffy, stop babbling” Xander told her, and when she turned to look at him she found him smirking at her “I am not mad at him. Like I told you, it was nobody’s fault. Just bad coincidence and like they say “wrong place at the wrong time”. Although I might have him pay for the next one hundred boy’s nights in a row or so.”

“Good, he was so scared that you would hate him for what happened to you” she told him.

“What? The peroxide wonder imported from the isles was scared of me being mad at him? Oh that’s a good one. I will rub it under his nose every possible moment” Xander laughed and grimaced as pain shot through his chest.

“Xander” Buffy looked a bit shocked “do you want me to call for a doctor, are you hurting?”

“No Buffy, everything is fine, as long as my brain remembers that right now I shouldn’t have any kind of humour” a small smile returning to his lips. “Now, boss, fill me in, what happened while I was out?”

Buffy told Xander everything that he had missed so far and especially about the letter and the whereabouts of Dawn and Willow.

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Spike entered his father’s book store through the back door and went in search for his old man. He found behind the counter and was pleased to note that the store was pleasantly empty.

“Hey, Da’” Spike greeted Giles.

“William, nice to see you haven’t completely forgotten your own father” Giles joked lightly.

“Dad, I need your help” Spike continued “and don’t call me that nancy boy name.”

“It is the name your mother wanted you to have and you better respect her wish” Giles said sternly “and what do you need my help for? Are you in trouble?”

“Well that could possibly be the understatement of the millennium but yeah. I need you to hide my car until I come to fetch it again.”

“Did you do something wrong? Is the police after you?” Giles took his glasses from his nose to clean it with is always present handkerchief.

“No, nothing like that, Buffy and I are in deep trouble because her son of a bitch of a boyfriend has to bribe her.”

“Why don’t we just sit down, I’ll get ourselves a nice cup of tea and you tell me the story from the beginning” his father proposed.

“Okay” Spike replied and sat down at the table in the middle of the store. When Giles returned with two steaming cups of tea in his hands and sat down on the table Spike started to explain the situation to his father.

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“Hi, Wesley” Buffy greeted her attorney when she entered his office. She had left Xander shortly after explaining the matters at hand and told him that she had to arrange some things but she would be back later.

“Hello Buffy” Wesley Wyndam-Price answered in a very upper-class accent. “What can I do for you?”

“Angel is back and he is seeking revenge on me…” she started.

“Bloody Hell!” Wesley exclaimed. He knew someday that bugger would try to get back at Buffy but simply hoped that it would be later than sooner. Since her Mother had died he had done all the legal stuff and papers for Buffy and also shared a deep friendship with her.

“Yeah, something like that” she continued after Wesley had returned his focus back to her “and I think I know what he wants. So I need to take care of a few things.”

“What would like me to do for you?” Wesley asked and opened his notepad.

“First of all, I need to write the house over to Dawn as well as the garage. If something happens to me, or Angel tries to take them away from me he will be stopped because they aren’t mine anymore.”

“I will see to it. If he tries to claim either the house or the garage I will inform him of the changed ownership.”

“Thank you, and I need to give her access to my bank accounts and everything else. I know that it is a lot to ask in a short time but I’m sort of tight in the time sector” she smiled apologetically at her friend.

“No problem, Buffy, I will take care of everything. Just sign these to forms here” he handed her to sheets “and I will fill in the rest and get it signed by a judge later this afternoon.”

She signed the two papers and rose to leave but not before giving Wesley a quick peck to the cheek. “You are the best, thank you so much.”

“Whenever you need me Buffy, good luck…” he said.

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“Oh my sweet lord” Giles exclaimed.

“Don’t I know it” Spike muttered under his breath.

“Do you really think it is such a clever idea to meet this, this horrible person alone in the desert?” Spike’s father had returned to frantically polishing his glasses.

“We won’t be alone. I think it’s time to call in a few old favours” Spike’s voice was cold as ice.

“Oh no, William, I thought you were finished with that part of your history…” Giles looked sadly at his son.

“I thought so too, Dad, but I hope you can understand when I say desperate times need desperate measures.”

“Sure I can understand it, son, I’m just scared that you could get hurt or even worse.”

“I’m also scared, but I can’t let her face this fucking asshole alone, dad, I just can’t…” Spike’s voice grew small.

“I understand” Giles answered and stood to pat his son on the shoulder “and sure, I am going to help you.”

“Thank you” Spike rose and hugged his father “here are the keys. Take good care of my baby, and don’t get any stupid ideas” Spike smirked a bit “that car is much to fast for someone of your age. So drive carefully.”

“If you say so…” Spike didn’t miss the evil glint in his father’s laughing eyes.

“One scratch…” Spike threatened “I have to go and make a few phone calls” he said when his watch beeped and left for his flat. Once he reached the phone he picked it up and dialled the number imprinted in his brain.

“Hello?” a male voice asked.

“Yeah, seventeen calling. Tell thirteen to call me back, I need a favour” he told the man at the other end of then line and hung up.

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Buffy and Spike returned to Buffy’s house after they had spent the rest of the afternoon with Xander in the hospital. Spike was more than glad that his friend seemed to be well and wasn’t mad at him. Although he would have wanted to lay his hands onto Xander’s throat after the tenth joke about him being scared of Xander’s “vengeance”.

After a quick snack and some talking about the upcoming events they got ready and left the house for the green SUV parked in the garage.

“Ready?” Buffy asked when they were seated.

“As I will ever be” he replied” to hell we ride, baby.”

“Thank you for doing this for me” she said and kissed him.

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To be continued…

Upcoming: Chapter 16: Another Hole in the Head