Chapter 3 Making an Entrance…
The apartment was basic he supposed, nothing like the luxury he’d been used to, but it would do for now.
He’d only glanced at the script in Ethan’s office, there was a phone number on the top sheet in case of any problems. Well there was one straight away…
“No fucking way are they calling my character Sebastian St Germaine! Fucking retards, it’s Spike or nothing!” Spike said to himself. He stood, got himself a pen, and a couple of cans of beer and his cigs, and sat down again on the sofa, lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply.
“Right background………musician…yadda, yadda, yadda…moved from LA – well I must have been underground then coz I’m pasty British white……likes the look of Sunnydale, thinks it’s quiet enough for him to write a new album of material………yadda, yadda, yadda……mother dead, doesn’t get on with his father – huh who does………had a near death experience with heroin? – Nah, not having that, people’ll think that’s true! He scrubbed that out with the biro and carried on reading…Troubled past………been in jail for – NO FUCKING WAY JOSE! Where’s that bleedin’ phone……”
“Ah, Spike, I’m glad you phoned – what waist size are you?” Tara McClay said
“Waist? – 30” why?”
“Wardrobe need it…inside leg?”
“Um, regular”
“Regular, right – now have you got biker’s leathers of your own, or – “
“I’ve got me own, now listen”
“I presume you’ve got your own helmet too?”
“Course I have – now look, there’s a load of stuff here that’s – “
“Don’t forget to bring a towel you’ll find you’ll need a shower after film-
“FUCK ME MRS, WILL YA BLEEDIN’ LISTEN A SEC!”
“I’m sorry, all ears, oh hang on, I’ll just get a copy of the script……now, where’s that pen of mine. Now you do realise that last minute changes aren’t the norm, we can’t chop and change it throws out the other actors scripts and makes things awkward as regards timings and such, oh and then there’s……”
“……….Yeah………Yeah but, I underst………yeah I know it’s……… for fuck’s sake will you let me get a bleedin’ word in edgewise? – Thank you!! I understand it’s a character I’m playing, but as he’s a musician, and I’m a musician, I don’t want people thinking that I nearly died from a heroin overdose or have been in jail – and I ain’t been called fuckin’ Sebastian St Ger-fucking-maine either!.........Spike………it’s Spike or nothing! What – how can you say that? – I’m not trying to make it about me at all………Well okay not Spike then, but NOT Sebastian…Liam..hmm…yeah yeah, I *know* it’s the Irish for William………okay...Liam it is……….”
Twenty minutes later, Spike put the phone down. With him scribbling out, doodling, and scrawling concessions he’d ‘won’ over from what had been originally written, the script front looked a real mess! But he was at last satisfied. His ‘background’ now read thus: His name Liam, musician, left home after his mother died and his father remarried because he couldn’t get on with his stepmother. Drifted in and out various cities, then joined a punk band, was done for having cannabis resin in his hand-luggage, let off with a fine. He wanted to ride a motorbike not drive a car, and when he mentioned about being pasty and white, too pale for having supposedly been living in LA, it was decided that he’d come straight from England.
Feeling pleased with himself, there was only one thing left to do…he picked up the phone again and dialled. Putting on a fake American accent……………
“Merryvale News, which department would you like?”
“Hi, showbiz please” Spike said
“Please hold” Spike nodded his head to the music, until the phone was answered
“Forrest Gates, Showbiz desk”
“Hi Forrest – want an exclusive as to who’s joining the cast of Wilson’s Diner tomorrow?”
“Hey yeah!”
“Slim Spike, William Giles, ex of The Vampyres” Spike said and then he waited…there was silence for a few seconds and then the guy began to laugh.
“Hahahahaha…huh….haha…okay you got me there for a second! Slim Spike indeed, hahahahaha!”
“He IS I tell you, he’s joining the cast tomorrow, he’s playing a musician”
“Huh…nice try guy…that’s a good one, best yet in fact, along with Douglas Michael and Barney Schwartzkopt!”
“I tell you he-“
“Okay my friend, you’ve had your fun, nice try, bye now-“ Spike quickly dropped the accent and said
“F’ fucks sake mate, I AM bleedin’ well joining the cast tomorra!” Forrest frowned and said,
“Who is this?”
“Well who d’ya think it is, it’s Spike from the Vampyres, I join the cast tomorrow”
“Why did you pretend to be American at first then?”
“Because nobody’s supposed to know! I was giving you a tip-off…not that you appreciated it!”
“Hmm. Okay, say I believe you…if I put it out on our six-o-six webnews slot, and as the headline for tomorrow’s paper, and you’re winding me up…”
“I’ll give your paper the exclusive as to why I’m joining the cast, although you mustn’t say the info came from me, else they’ll sue me”
“Who will?” Forrest asked
“Blackmore Broadcasting!” (Spike thought, fuck me, this prat’s not too bright!)
“Oh, I get you yeah…you promise, an exclusive?”
“Yup”
“Okay then, you’re on”
“Remember, don’t drop me in it – oh and you might want to go to my website and tip off the fans, I’ll be nice to have a few of them to greet me on the first day there”
“…Website, yes…okay then what’s the address?”
“SlimSpike.com, all one word”
“………dot com, okay got that, and a phone number I can reach you on?”
“555 5042”
“….042, right got that – okay then, now don’t worry, I won’t drop you in it, I never reveal my sources”
“Just remember that – bye”
“Bye”
ooOOoo
The following morning Spike was just out of the shower. He wiped clear a circle on the mirror and peered at his appearance. Since the Vampyres had broken up he’d stopped bleaching his hair and it was going darker and curly. He was umming and ahhing whether to shave it all off…but decided to leave it for now. Walking into the bedroom vigorously rubbing his hair, he threw the towel at the bedside chair and opened his suitcase he hadn’t yet got around to unpacking. He took out his favourite pair of black jeans, a plain black tee and a red shirt.
Carrying his helmet he dead-locked the front door and went to the garage and he put on his helmet and started up his bike.
Turning off the Highway to go to the studios Spike encountered a tailback of cars waiting to get onto the studio parking lot. As he got around the corner he could see a huge crowd of mostly girls, with posters of the Vampyres, some had banners, all of them chanting ‘We want Spike!’ The poor security guy at the barrier gate was having a job trying to check car-drivers passes and stop the girls getting on-site of the studio. He was fighting a loosing battle, when Spike heard the ‘whoop-whoop’ of a police car siren, and saw more security guards making their way across the lot.
Spike suddenly heard, ‘There he is’ and the screams of the girls got considerably louder as a ‘sea’ of fans was rapidly coming towards him. Now Spike was no idiot, he knew if they got to him they’d rip him and the bike to shreds just to get a souvenir. He walked the bike backwards a little and then drove it through the plants next to the security box and then onto the lot.
He stopped when the security guards came running towards him, he showed them his pass and some of the girls were running towards him again, having slipped under the barrier. Realising who he was and what was happening, the guards waved him on and began to chase the girls who’d got on to the lot. Spike eventually found his parking spot and made his way into the studios.
In reception Tara McClay, Cassie and Quentin were talking
“Ah, Mr Giles, there you are…we thought you might have a little difficulty in getting in here this morning!”
“Bloody did! Hoards of screaming girls, frightened me to death!” he said it with a grin
“Yes, well, you’re here now, shall we get on?” Quentin said, he knew very well that the man who stood in front of him had tipped off the media, but he couldn’t prove it.
“In the morning, we all sit together, just have coffee, run through the scripts, iron out any dialogue problems, then we rehearse until lunchtime, after lunch we film for real. We always start with indoor shots first, anything that goes on outside is left until late afternoon, the sun goes behind the building then and it’s better for the camera man. I think that’s about it - we finish at about eight, sometimes earlier, sometimes later, all depends on how we’re doing okay?” Cassie said, and Spike nodded.
All four of them walked down the corridor until Cassie stopped and opened a door. Spike followed her into a room about thirty foot by twenty. There were half a dozen tables dotted around, and several stacks of plastic chairs, one or two diner props and a few bits and pieces of equipment lying about.
“Let me introduce you to everyone…this is Willow, she plays, well I’ll let her tell you, can I get you a coffee – er?”
“Spike, call me spike, yes please Cassie, black, one sugar”
“……………Only Buffy and Angel to come now, perhaps they got stuck at the gate!” Willow said grinning after she’d introduced Spike to everybody.
ooOOoo
Spike didn’t realise he only had one line in this episode, he was to roar up the driveway to the diner, switch off his bike and walk into the diner, go to the counter, take off his helmet and say to Buffy, ‘I hear I can get the best breakfast in Crestwood County here’ they were to smile at each other and the credits would roll.
All morning, Angel had done nothing but moan. He moaned about the script changes, even though it didn’t affect him. He moaned about Spike’s fans, he moaned about how everybody was falling over themselves to be ‘nice to a junkie’ although he’d said that quietly, until Alexander, or Xandy as he was known asked out loud what a junkie was………
“Okay then Spike, just walk through the door, and up to the counter, take off your helmet and say the line please” Tara said.
Spike went outside, came in, went to the counter, took off his helmet, smoothed his hair and said his line perfectly, ‘I hear I can get the best breakfast in Crestwood Cou-“
“Oh for goodness sake!” Angel sing-songed, arms folded. Everybody went from looking at Spike to looking at Angel
“Stop, stop, sorry Angel, what was that?” Tara asked frowning. Spike narrowed his eyes and rounded on Angel
“What the fuck’s wrong with you now?”
“Okay people calm, keep it calm!” Tara said, holding her arm out as if to hold Spike back, although he was no where near her or Angel. Angel had a disgusted look on his face and waved his arm in Buffy and Willow’s general direction saying,
“Those two, look at them, Red’s practically drooling and Buffy’s looking like she’s gazing on the face of the good Lord God himself!”
Both Buffy and Willow were indignant they weren’t, and said so too!
“I don’t know what your problem is mate, but you’re determined not to like me – well surprise, surprise, I don’t give a monkeys, or a rats ass as you’d say, but don’t you EVER fuckin’ interrupt me again else there will be trouble!” Spike hissed at Angel
Angel scowled bitterly and looked down at his folded arms. He couldn’t understand why he was loosing his job for the likes of that ‘waste of breath’ as he referred to Spike, some ex junkie who couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag he bet………
“I’m sorry Spike, could you just do that again please?” Tara asked
Spike grinned and said ‘sure’
Before he put his helmet on he pointed at Angel and said
“And you, keep it buttoned”
Spike went outside and Tara said to Angel,
“You heard the man, now button it”
Angel felt himself go hot with embarrassment
Spike came back in, watched for his markers, and delivered his line perfectly.
“Great, do that this afternoon and it’ll be fantastic!” Tara said, jumping down from the table she’d been sitting on. She picked up a script and continued,
“Right, we’ll do………Abe’s phone call to the – no we won’t, scrub that, we’ll do the scene of Officer Jones coming in to warn Buffy about theft from unlocked cars, Winnebago’s and camper vans………” Tara said
“Er, do you think he should have some sort of printed notice for Buffy to put up, like it’s official from the County Sheriff?” Cassie suggested
“Good idea, use a page of your script to give Buffy for now Riley, I’ll get something printed in the lunch hour for you……………” Riley nodded. And so it went on till lunchtime
“12.45 back please folks, got a lot to get through” Cassie announced and everybody left the room.
ooOOoo
“Okay, finally, drive up the drive, park, and walk into the diner – okay places everbody, I’ll wave when were ready for you to start Spike” Tara said
Spike got on his bike and rode down the drive
“Right everybody ready – roll VT – and Action!” Tara waved and Spike drove up the drive. He resisted the temptation to show off and do a ‘wheelie’ – but thought he’d brake and throw the bike into a sideways skid to park. Unfortunately somebody had taken it upon themselves to put down some gravel, and as Spike braked, the bike slew into a sideways skid alright, but he couldn’t hold onto it and it and he fell sideways onto the ground, the engine revved and the bike hit the sidewalk edge, flew up and the back end of it slammed into the 12 foot long by 8 foot deep plate glass window that made up the top corner of the diner.
There was a muted bang, and to his and everybody else’s horror Spike watched as the window went from whole and clear, to a mass of safety-glass pellets that rained down on him like a waterfall. The only two words he was heard to utter was…
“Oh shit!”
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