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“Alright sweet, what do you want to do first?” Spike asked as the wondered around downtown Los Angeles. They had arrived the night before, in a private jet chartered for them by the bloody immortal no less and now they had a list of real estate to check out. He wasn’t about to admit it, but the git had actually been very personable over their phone conversations. “I say since the Immortal’s paying, we check out the most expensive places first.”
Buffy rolled her eyes and squeezed Spike’s hand tightly to let him know he wasn't fooling her a bit. Gabe had insisted he be allowed to purchase their LA home, as a wedding gift to her and an apology to Spike for their past. He was sure they’d still summer in Europe and Buffy could tell that both men had taken a liking to one another during the phone calls they had shared. Spike had insisted she call to tell Gabe the news about their marriage, just like she had called Brenna and from there everything seemed to just happen at once.
Before she realized what had happened, they were packing up to get on a private flight back to the states and once they got on the plane there was a list of available real estate and a blank check. Which led to another phone call, one in which Spike accused Gabe of thinking he couldn’t tend to his mate and while she wasn’t really sure how it happened, Spike seemed to think the Immortal was so bad after all. Men…she thought shaking her head as she glanced down the list. “Here’s my question Spike, why is there a fricking hotel on this list? I mean what in the hell would we do with all that room?”
“Easy luv, the git plans on visiting and I doubt he travels without a sodden entourage.” Spike said with a shrug before he realized something else. “Might not be such a bad idea to check it out though, plenty of room to move around during the day.”
Since she could only imagine what it must be like for him to spend all day inside, that definitely went in the plus column. She scanned over the sheet, noting the large basement an indoor pool as well as an enclosed courtyard and suddenly it didn’t seem like such a crazy idea after all. They could swim together or she could go outside and sun while he was just a few feet away. It seemed perfect for their uncommon situation. “Maybe if we like it, we could spring for some of that necro-glass that was on the plane. You know, get you hours of non-flamey goodness.”
Excited now, he gave her an almost giddy smile. “Let’s go take a look see then. It's just west of here in what used to be the heart of Hollywood.”
Deciding to walk, they strolled down the sidewalks hand in hand as Spike read the details of the place aloud. “Sixty-eight rooms, California Spanish Deco influence, built sometime in the late 1920’s. The Hyperion closed in in 79’ but this bit of paper doesn’t say why, so it’s probably going to need a bit of repairs.”
“OOhh, does that mean I’ll get to see you with a big old tool belt doing fixy things?” Buffy asked, leaning over to nip his earlobe as the mental picture of that little scene caused her to feel very warm.
“Not bloody likely, that’s why I always kept a few minions around.” Spike said, seconds before the scent of her arousal reached his nostrils.
“Well we’re a minion free couple now, so I guess we’ll hire a contractor and he’ll bring in handy-man goodness.” She said giving him her most innocent expression.
Stopping, her pulled her against his chest and kissed her breathless, before giving her ass a fond squeeze. “What was that again luv?”
“Okay.” Buffy said after catching her breath. “We can hire non-eye-candy demons but they can’t be slay worthy. Plus you can’t keep them; if you want a pet I’ll get you a puppy or something.”
Spike considered her compromise and figured it was workable. “Alright luv, I’m sure I can find one of the non-lethal crews about. Bracken’s are good with their hands but they’re green, spikey little blighters.”
“Spikey as in?” Buffy asked, arching her eyebrow.
“As in covered in spikes, like a sodden porcupine luv.” Spike said wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they drew closer to the address.
“Our life is a little weird, ya know that?” Buffy asked cuddling against him. “I mean other couples fight about getting foreign or domestic maids and we debate about human or non-human crews.”
“Yeah, we’re just lucky I guess.” Spike said, finding their banter amusing. Dru wasn’t much for talking, what with her being out of her gourd most of the time and he hadn’t realized how much he missed having actual conversations.
“We really are.” Buffy agreed with a dazzling smile that had several men on the sidewalk glancing her way. Not seeing them she continued. “Sure we’re a little, okay a lot with the non-conventional but that just makes what we have more special.”
Spike noticed the looks she was getting and let his eyes flash yellow. When the blighters decided the ground was more interesting than his beautiful mate, Spike leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss against her hair. When his girl was happy she seemed to glow brighter than all the stars in the heavens and it was easy to believe she was the very personification of true beauty. He couldn’t blame the gits for looking, hell he’d devoured her with his eyes when he was supposed to be killing her but he was jealous by nature and if anyone did more than look he’d rip off their arms and beat them to death with their bloodied appendages.
Buffy sensed his less than pristine thoughts through their bond and elbowed him in the ribs sharply. “No killing, you’re retired remember.”
Mentally cursing because he’d forgotten that the claim allowed them to feel each others thoughts, he gave her his most innocent smile. “Just a harmless daydream pet, think nothing of it.”
Taking a few moments, she tried to put herself in his place and since violence was just as much a part of his nature as it was hers, she could see how hard it must be to give up the kill. So if he wanted to indulge a few bloody fantasies, who was she to complain. “I’m not worried but if you’re after a little bloodshed we could patrol later.”
“Sounds good pet.” He admitted honestly as the pulled to a stop in front of the building. It had been a while since he’d had a spot of violence and with all the power of her blood coursing inside him he needed a bit of a release.
They both just looked at it a few seconds before turning back to look at each other. “You feel that right.” Buffy asked, her eyes going dark with an almost primal power.
“Yeah, some nasty is inside.” Spike said with a smirk. They had already decided they wanted the place during the walk over, it was an impulsive choice just like their mating but that attitude seemed to work for them. “Don’t know about you pet but I think it’s time we take what’s ours.”
“Oh, yeah.” Buffy agreed kicking open the door with a flourish. “You can carry me over the threshold when there are not things to kill.” She said with a wry grin before they made their way inside.
She had taken only a few steps when Spike laid his hand on her arm. “There’s a human around luv and judging by the smell they're a bit antsy. So watch yourself.”
She nodded before silently slipping into the shadows of the large spacious lobby in a way only a true hunter could accomplish.
Taking a deep breath Spike let his face shift as he began to track the scent and on silent feet he made his way through the room. A few minutes later he smirked as he came up behind a tall men decked in leather, clutching a cross bow. It would have made Spike more cautious if the man didn’t reek of fear but since he did, Spike decided to play with him a bit. “Look at you mate, trembling like a lost little lamb…just waitin’ to be gobbled up by the big bad wolf.” Ignoring his high, almost girlish scream Spike easily knocked the weapon out of his trembling hands before slowly advancing on him.
On the other side of the building near the back of the stairs Buffy recognized that scream and blindly ran towards the source. In less than two minutes she was inside the small office. Spike had him cowering against the wall in the corner of the room, snarling in full game face and Buffy couldn’t help the tiny sliver of excitement that danced down her spine. It was twisted but she had to admit, Spike was incredibly sexy in his big bad mode. Walking up behind him, she slipped her arm around his waist and when his golden yellow eyes landed on her, she gave him a saucy wink. “Is that any way to treat an old friend of mine Spike?”
Recognizing the voice, Wes looked up and gaped at the sight of the lost Slayer with her arm around the thing that had trapped him; suddenly realizing he wasn’t going to make it out of this alive. “You’ve been turned.” He said trying to remain calm and atleast go out with some semblance of dignity.
“Nope, I’m still me.” Buffy said, deciding to put Wes out of his misery. She wanted him to be scared so he wouldn’t run off and tell the others she was still among the living but to let this go any longer would be cruel. “Lose the bumpies Spike; this is my other Watcher Wes.”
Doing as she asked, Spike sent her a questioning look. “I thought Rupes was your Watcher.”
“He was, but Giles was fired after the Council’s let’s see if we can kill Buffy test failed.” She explained, gently easing him back to give Wes a little more room. “So Wes showed up and although we didn’t get along, he still helped us fight the Mayor.”
“So what you’re saying is I can’t eat him.” Spike said his voice thick with regret. He didn’t think Buffy would care if he ate evil people trying to kill them but apparently this blighter didn’t fit in that category.
“No, Wes is a good guy.” Buffy said hoping to reassure the obviously petrified Watcher. “But I don’t know why he’s here…or why he’s all rugged looking.”
Wes flushed slightly, recalling the pompous prick she must remember and mustered up a wan smile. “After your disappearance I became a rogue demon hunter. In the library archives, I discovered this place's unsavory past and thought it merited some checking out. Is that why you and…Spike was it, are here?” The second he said the name he paled as the vampires history flashed before his eyes in grim detail. “Good lord, he’s William the Bloody!”
“He doesn’t kill anymore.” Buffy said quickly, not wanting him to scream again or worse pass out. “He’s not cursed, he’s still all grr but now he helps me.”
“Why?” Wes asked, sincerely confused. Even in the dim light he could see the bite mark on her neck, dark red against the golden peach color of her skin but since he could also see the tiny silver crucifix nestled in the hollow of her throat, it was clear she wasn’t a vampire herself.
“It’s a really long story but he’s my mate.” Buffy said giving Spike a sweet smile before turning back to the ex-watcher. “We are moving here and decided to buy this place, so what’s the beastie making with the bad vibes around here?”
Wesley considered his options for a moment, before deciding that this could be his second chance to work beside her. As a Slayer she had been remarkable but due to his own narrow minded views he had failed to recognize that. Which was a mistake he didn’t plan on repeating. “I’m not sure yet, it is a non-corporeal entity which makes it harder to identify but I will assist you in this matter, in exchange for hearing what you’ve been up to this last year.”
Now it was Buffy’s turn to consider her options. She didn’t want to go back to being a Slayer full time but that didn’t mean she was going to just let the demons run around causing trouble, so it couldn’t hurt having a Watcher around being all Watcher-like. “How bout this, we tell you everything and in return for keeping it to yourself and not calling Sunnydale, we let you move in here and do the book thing when we run into trouble?”
Wes nearly nodded before catching himself at the last moment. “What is your agenda?”
“I’m retired as a Slayer but both Spike and I plan on keeping our hand in the fighting. So I guess we’re rogue demon hunters as well, or atleast I am. Spike is more or less just in it, for the Slayer approved killing and maiming.” Buffy suddenly had an idea and looked at Spike for a moment, using their link to silently ask him his opinion. They were slowly learning how to communicate with one another telepathically through the connection they shared but with everything happening so quickly they hadn’t spent a lot of time learning what kind of abilities the bond had given them yet.
But to her surprise it seemed to come to her almost naturally and after a few short seconds he nodded. “I guess we can set up some sort of demon detection agency and let you run the show to help hide our involvement but we’d pay you for your services.”
“You mean you want to charge people for helping them?” Wes asked, unable to keep the shock out of his voice.
“No, I mean you can charge normal people to do normal detective things but as far as helping the helpless, that’s something we’ll do for free.” Buffy said crisply, disliking the idea of asking people to pay for being helped with things they couldn’t possibly face on their own. “The only reason I suggested it, is because this town is way bigger than Sunnydale and we can’t just stumble over the big bads here. We could patrol all night and still not cover the entire city so; it would be nice to know where we’re needed threat wise. It also explains why someone bought this place but has no plans to re-open it. I’ve got a friend who can make it all legit on paper and since we’re going by Elizabeth and William, if it looks like we work for you, it won’t be that easy to connect us to Buffy and Spike. This is all just off the top of my head so there‘s gonna be tons of little details to work out but it seems believable.”
“You both are very recognizable in the demon world, so it won’t be that simple.” Wes said after a moment. It sounded like they were planning on settling down here and while he could see a few other problems with her plan, it definitely had potential.
“Like I said, we have a lot of details to work out and I could always cut and dye my hair or something.” Buffy said with a shrug, earning a deep growl from her mate.
“The hell you will my lil‘ Goldilocks, I love the way it bounces around you when…”
Flushing furiously, she stepped on his foot, causing him to trail off. “We’re…uh…newly mated, so we‘re, big with the…”
“Mating?” Spike added helpfully, finding her unbearably adorable when she was all flustered.
Knowing it was pointless; Buffy just let out a deep breath and shook her head. “What he said, which really covers it all. So let’s get out of here, grab some takeout and head back to our hotel, so we can figure out what in the hell is going on here and some way to evict it or kill it.”