Spike was half lying on the couch in front of the telly, when there was a knock on the door. He got up with a sigh, and went to open it. Truth be told, he was happy for the interruption; he was beyond bored. But when he saw who it was, he really wished he’d just ignored it and stayed on the couch.
“Hey, man, guess who’s just been promoted?” Lindsey McDonald was grinning widely as he walked past Spike and entered the apartment. Spike remained in the doorway, staring after his former friend. Hell, who was he kidding, they had never really been friends. They had been working together, as journalists at the local newspaper, and had also been hanging in the same crowd since Lindsey was married to Darla.
Although Spike always knew that he’d been doing a better job at the paper than Lindsey, he’d never rubbed the other man’s face in it. Not because he liked the bloke, but because that was simply not his style. Still, he knew that Lindsey had been jealous of him, and would happily do whatever he could to cause trouble. And in the end, it had been Lindsey who had made it so he’d lost his job.
Of course, it hadn’t been Lindsey who had poured the large amounts of alcohol down his throat and then forced him to go to work; Spike had managed to do that all by himself. But Lindsey had been the one who had gone to their boss; Holland Manners, and told him what was going on, hoping that the old man would hit the roof and fire him. And that was just what he had done. When Spike had confronted him, Lindsey had denied it of course, claiming that he’d just been concerned and wanted to help. Bollocks!
And now he was here, bragging about some bloody promotion? Well, whatever reaction Lindsey was hoping to get, he’d be deeply disappointed. Sighing, Spike closed the door. “And you’re telling me this because…?”
Lindsey slumped down on the couch, pretending to be hurt. “Aren’t you gonna congratulate me? It’s a big honor for me, hell, you should know. I know you had your mind set on working your way up in the paper, but I guess some people just don’t have what it takes.” He leaned back on the couch, looking very pleased with himself.
Spike wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off of Lindsey’s face, but wasn’t stupid enough to act on that impulse. It was obvious that the man was trying to provoke him, but what he couldn’t figure out was why. Of course, Lindsey had never needed a reason before. Spike had never understood why the other man hated him so much; it couldn’t just be because of their work. Not that he really cared, though. Lindsey was a ponce; he and Darla deserved each other. Of course, it was no secret that Darla was seeing others. Lindsey didn’t seem to care, though, and Spike suspected that he was getting some happiness elsewhere as well.
Now he just shrugged, giving Lindsey an uninterested look. “Did you want something, or did you just come here to annoy me?” He went on before Lindsey had the chance to answer; “Not that it matters, I’ll still throw you out if you won’t leave willingly. But I’m curious, so just bear with me.”
Looking a little taken aback, not to mention annoyed, Lindsey sat up abruptly. He was just about to say something when he was interrupted by the shrill sound of the door bell. Opening the door, Spike was more than surprised to see Buffy and Hannah outside. Not that he wasn’t happy to see them, but he couldn’t help thinking that their timing couldn’t have been worse.
“Hi, Spike! We’ve come to surprise you!” Hannah was practically bouncing up and down, a huge grin on her face.
“Um, I’d say you succeeded.” Spike glanced over his shoulder, silently cursing. Now what? He couldn’t exactly throw Lindsey out in front of the girl now, could he? And inviting them in while that git was still there was out of the question.
Said git got up from the couch and walked over to the door, coming to stand next to Spike. He gave Buffy a look-over, his eyes coming to rest on her cleavage, and let out a low whistle. “Nice, Spike! A blonde now, is it? I’ll have to give it to you; this one’s even hotter than Dru.” He turned to Spike, a devilish look on his face; “Aren’t you gonna introduce us?”
Gritting his teeth, Spike was determined to act civil, although he longed to give Lindsey a well deserved punch in the face. “Think it’s time for you to leave now, mate.”
Buffy gave Spike an uncertain look, Hannah suddenly clinging to her hand. “I’m sorry, if this is a bad time… I didn’t realize you had company.”
“That’s okay, Lindsey was just leaving.” Spike glared at the other man. “Right?”
“Of course. I know when I’m not wanted.” Lindsey put on a fake smile before finishing, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his voice; “That was fun, we must do it again some time.” Then he looked at Buffy once more, before he left without another word, an awkward silence following.
Spike was the first one to speak up; “Sorry ‘bout that, the guy’s a jerk. Come on in.”
Buffy opened her mouth, but Hannah beat her to it, shyness forgotten. “We’re going to the park, wanna come?” As if she was afraid he would turn the offer down, she hurried to add; “We’re gonna get ice cream!”
Looking at Buffy for confirmation, Spike chuckled. “In that case, how could I resist?”
Hannah went on; “We were going to order take-out, but ice-cream’s much better.” She turned to her mother. “Can we go to the playground? I wanna ride the swings!”
Buffy gave her a firm look. “Yes, but first we’re going to the grocery store to buy a couple of sandwiches and some fruit. I refuse to be one of those mothers who let their kids have ice cream for dinner.” She ignored her daughter’s pouting, and turned to Spike. “Are you sure you wanna come? I mean, if you had other plans…”
Spike shook his head, giving her an assuring smile. “Course I wanna come. How could I not wanna spend the evening with my two favorite girls?” Both Buffy and Hannah beamed at him. He grabbed his duster before stepping outside, closing the door behind him. When they headed towards Buffy’s car, Hannah eagerly tugging on his hand, Spike had already managed to put all thoughts about the unwanted visitor to the back of his mind.
TBC
Saving You by Pet
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Author's Chapter Notes:
For some reason I had a very hard time writing this chapter. I rewrote it 3 times, and I'm still not sure if I'm happy with it. Although my beta (thanks Tammy!) tried to assure me that it didn't suck. I hope you'll like it.