Coo Coo Ca-Choo

William was just laying out the sandwiches and soup he had fixed for dinner when Buffy arrived home.
“Hi honey”she kissed his cheek.
“Hello, luv. Sorry it’s not much but you didn’t have much in the way of selection.” He explained.
“You should know by now I can’t barely cook. This looks fine. Better than I could do” she sat down to eat.

“So, you met a new friend at the meeting? That’s good. I’m glad you had a successful first meeting” Spike smiled.
“Yes, he is really nice and smart and he wants to be my sponsor” Buffy took a bite of her sandwich.
“HE?” Spike tensed.
“Yes, his name is Angel” Buffy replied.
“I thought you were with another girl tonight. Angel? What kind of a poofter name is Angel an?” S?” Spike glared.
“Somehow I doubt that is his real name but I didn’t ask and you’re one to talk, SPIKE” she responded.
“Yeah well, SPIKE happens to be your boyfriend. You spent hours at a coffee shop with some man you just met? It was after 9. What were you doing with him so long?” Spike grilled her.

“And it was fine when you thought I was with another woman? But not now? We just talked about AA and stuff. Christ, it was just coffee, William. And speaking of strangers, I fucked you hours after I had just met you” Buffy said in irritation.
“Yeah, that’s what scares me” Spike replied.
“WHAT? Are you accusing me of something?” Buffy asked him.
“No. It just bothers me that you spent your evening with a man who wasn’t me.” Spike answered.
“It was JUST coffee, William. I lovu” Bu” Buffy looked him in the eye.
Spike sighed, “I love you too baby. I’m sorry. I just get...kinda jealous” he admitted.
“Yeah, kinda” Buffy rolled her eyes.

Before they could continue their conversation the phone rang. Buffy went to answer it.
“Hello”
“IS WILLTHERE? PLEASE I NEED TO TALK TO HIM NOW. IT’S AN EMERGENCY” screamed Xander.
“William, it’s Xander and something’s wrong” Buffy said as she handed Spike the phone.

“Whelp? What’s the matter” Spike asked.
“Oh..God...Oh God...I’m so sorry....she’s hurt...she’s hurt bad,Will. We’re at County General in the emergency room. There was so much blood. Oh God” Xander was hysterical.
“Calm down, Xan. Calm down. Who is hurt? What happened?” Spike questioned him with an uneasy feeling beginning to take hold in the pit of his stomach.
“Anya. I tried to stop. The brakes, they wouldn’t work Will. I swear toGod. I tried to make it stop but it wouldn’t. Your car is totally trashed, man and oh God, Anya....” Xander began sobbing.
“Stay there, Xan. Buffy and I will be right there. I’m coming. You hang in there, mate” Spike hung up the phone and Buffy looked at him with questioning eyes.

“Therbeenbeen an accident. I lent Xander my car to take Anya out tonight. I took the bus here earlier, anyway, something about the brakes. Buffy, I’m sorry but he said Anya was hurt real bad. We need to go to County General. Do you know where that is?” Spike explained.
“Oh God. Yes, I do. Come on, let’s go” Buffy grabbed her purse and jacket as Spike pulled his duster on and they were out the door and on their way within minutes.

Buffy started to cry on the way there and had to pull over and switch with Spike so he could drive.
“I’m sorry. It’s just, she was so happy this morning. She took the rest of the day off to go get ready for her date. She was so excited and oh God...it’s just not fair.” Buffy sniffled.
“I know, pet. Xander was the same way. Helped him all afternoon get ready. He was so nervous” Spike grabbed Buffy’s hand to hold it, giving it a squeez
Wh
When they arrived at the hospital it was to find Xander being questioned by a couple of police officers. Spike and Buffy rushed to his side.
“Are you O.K.?” Spike asked Xander.
“No, not really. Not until I know Anya is going to be alright” Xander answered.

Spike thought about how he would feel if it was him and Buffy in the same situation and nodded his head.
“I’m so sorry, Xander” Buffy hugged him. “Do we know anything yet? How is she?”
“I don’t know. The doctor hasn’t come back yet” Xander answered.

“Is this the owner of the vehicle?” one of the police officers asked Xander while pointing at Spike.
“Yeah, he let me borrow it tonight” Xander told him.
“Your cars been impounded and is at our police lot. It’s totaled anyway so won’t be much use to you but you’ll need to come get your personal belongings” he informed Spike.
“I am soooooooooo sorry about your car, Will” Xander apologized.
“Sod the car, Xan. You’re O.K. and....Anya will be too and that’s what matters” Spike assured him.

One of the officer’s two way radio off off and he walked away a few steps to engage in conversation with whoever was on the other end. He came back a few minutes later and turned to Spike.
“Did you have any trouble with your brakes the last time you drove your car, Sir?” he questioned Spike.
“No, Sir. In fact, I had new brakes put on before Xander and I moved here to go to UCLA from Sunnydale and that was just a little while ago” Spike answered the officer.
“Son, do you know anyone that would want to hurt you or your friend?” the officer asked.
“Uhhhh...noo....why?” Spike felt the uneasiness again.
“That call was from one of our investigators who was checking your car out. It appears that the brakes were tampered with. Looks like someone was trying to kill you” the officer informed him.

Spike’s head spun and Buffy went wided aed and gasped. Xander slumped in his chair and cradled his head in his hands.
“Kkkillll meeeee? Why would anyone want to kill me?” Spike said nervously.
“Well, that’s what I’m going to find out, son.” The officer told him.

Just then, the doctor came out into the waiting area and walked up to them.
“How is she?” Xander jumped to his feet.
“Well, we’ve stablized her which is good but she’s not out of the woods yet. She has a broken leg and various cuts anons ons ons but the worst was some internal bleeding but we’ve got that under control now. She is still unconscious. The sooner she wakes up, the better. We’ll know more then” the doctor explained.
“Can I see her?” Xander asked teary eyed.
“We’re moving her to ICU now. As soon as she is situated, I’ll send someone out to get you.” The doctor answered him.
“Thank Xan Xander replied.

“I’m going to call Fred and Wes. Maybe they know if she has some family” Buffy said and left Spike with Xander to go outside so she could use her cell phone.
Spike and Xander sat next to each other, both in a dazed shock over what had happened.
“I don’t understand. Who would do something like this?” Spike asked no one in particular.
“I’m so sorry, Xander. Someone wanted to hurt me and instead they got you and Anya. I feel like it’s all my fault” Spike told him.
“No, Don’t think that Will. It could just of easily been you hurt. Don’t blame yourself because some psycho tried to kill you and got me by mistake” Xander responded.

Buffy came back a few minutes later. She let the guys know that Fred and Wes were on their way too and that Anyan’t n’t have any family. She was an orphan and had been raised in the California Foster Care system so there was no one elsecallcall. Twenty minutes later, Fred and Wes came through the doors. There were hugs all around as they waited for more word on Anya’s condition.

The two police officer’s came back and asked Xander and Spike a few more questions and then repeated their earlier ones.
“Are you sure there isn’t anyone who has, even a little bit been upset with you or mad at you recently?” the one officer grilled Spike.
Spike’s eyes met Buffy’s and a silent exchange passed between them as her eyes widened.
“Oh God!” Buffy put her hand to her mouth.
“Miss? What?” the officer turned to her.
“It’s because of me. There is someone. I refused to go out with him. iam iam and I are together you see and anyway, this other guy was really upset and he left me a really hateful message on my machine. I can’t believe he would do something like this though.” Buffy explained.
“You mean, Riley?” Wes spoke up.

Buffy nodded.
“Riley who?” the officer inquired.
“Riley Finn, he works with Buffy, Wes and I” Fred said softly. “He has been acting rather strange lately and talks bad about Buffy any chance he gets” Fred told the officer.
“He does? Why didn’t you tell me Fred?” Buffy asked.
“I didn’t want to upset you. I never thought he would do something like this” Fred answered.

The police officer called over his radio for Riley Finn to be brought in for questioning.
Spike was pacing back and forth. “That git could’ve killed Xander, Buffy!”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault” Buffy was crying.
“No, Buffy. If Riley did this, he is obviously unstable and nothing you did or didn’t do would have stopped him” Wes was the voice of reason.
“I gotta get out of here for a bit.” Spike moved towards the doors.
“William...please” Buffyed ted to stop him.
“Just let me be. I just need some air. I’ll be back” Spike said and was out the door.

“He blames me. I almost got his best friend killed and he hates me now” Buffy cried.
Fred came over to her anggedgged her. “He doesn’t hate you. He loves you, Buffy. He just needs some time to process everything that has happened.”
“Yes, I’m sure he will be fine, Buffy” Wes echoed Fred’s sentiments.

A nurse came out then and took Xander back to the ICU unit to see Anya.
“Please let her be O.K.” Buffy prayed as Wes and Fred got her to sit down.
They all sat there in silence for about thirty minutes until they saw Xander come back into the waiting room. Buffy looked up at his tear streaked cheeks.
“Is she going to be O.K.?” she asked.
Xander opened his mouth to speak...

Continued in Chapter 17- That's What Friends Are For