Chapter 7 Rumours……and Upgrades
Tara was talking to Spike….
“So how’s the song coming along Spike?”
“Getting there…don’t rush me!”
“Fine, just so long as it’s ready in three weeks”
“Will be…so what’s this news you want to tell me?”
“Wait until Buffy’s here, and then I can tell you both together as it involves you both” There was a knock at the door and Buffy put her head around and asked
“You wanted to see me Tara?”
“Yes, come in” Buffy grinned at Spike and leaned against the table
“Here you sit, I’ll stand” Spike stood
Buffy thanked him and sat down, they both looked expectantly at Tara
“Right, we’ve had a request for you two to go on Alan Wavecrest’s show”
“Wow, what, you mean in New York?” Buffy asked
“That’s the one. We’re going to let you go, BUT and I mean this, you absolutely MUST NOT give out any plot lines due, or answer any questions about your relationship on the show, do you understand?” Tara asked looking from one to the other.
They both nodded
“I mean it, you will be sacked, we will run a story that has you run-over on the parking lot outside by a backing in truck – don’t think we won’t do it because we will!”
“Fine, no mentioning future storylines. So what can we talk about?” Buffy asked
“Anything you like!”
“But Tara, be realistic, the only reason we’ve been asked on there is our soaring popularity, how the ratings have quadrupled and such”
“Hmm…” Spike sighed
“Just be evasive!”
“Evasive” repeated Buffy
“Evasive!” Spike mimicked with a grin.
ooOOoo
“For god’s sake, you’d think there was nobody else on this show…Um excuse me Tara…TARA” Angel shouted
“What is it Angel, we’re on a busy schedule here!”
“How come we’ve done seven scenes this morning, all involving Spike and Buffy, but none of mine, I’m in three scenes here you know, I’d like to-“
“Angel, we’re on a tight schedule I’ve just told you!”
“But I don’t see that it’s any tighter than any other day!”
“It’s because they are flying out to New York at tea time!” Warren said walking past Angel checking the script.
“Flying to – what the hell for?” Angel strode after Warren and pulled his arm
“I said, what the hell are those two flying to New York for?”
“They’re going to be on the Alan Wavecrest show”
“They’re what – why?”
“Because they’ve been invited on!”
“But it should be *me* and Buffy, not *him*!”
“Angel, in case you hadn’t noticed, the ratings are up, for the last two weeks we have regularly been getting over 20 million viewers, which for an afternoon soap is excellent. And it’s all thanks to –“
“ARGH DON’T SAY IT!” Angel screwed up his face in anguish
“What’s going on in here, will you keep your voice down, we’re trying to shoot in there! – Have you got the continuity script there Warren, we need to get on” Tara came in hands on hips looking testy.
“Yeah, sorry, got side-tracked” Warren followed Tara back through the door and onto the set. Angel sat down heavily feeling bereft.
ooOOoo
Diner scene, Buffy and Spike, half way through customers walk in: Scene 11 take 2” the clapperboard shut
Buffy was collecting dirty plates up from the empty tables; Spike was reading his paper, half a cup of coffee left.
“Would you like a hot top- up on that coffee, or can I get you a fresh one – (snort giggle) sorry – sorry!”
Buffy put her hand over her mouth and she and Spike collapsed in giggles again.
“CUT! – Will you two get a grip!”
“Sorry…it’s just that every time I say ‘fresh one’ I get the giggles!” Buffy said grinning
“Well change it to something else, we must get on!”
“Okay, I got it…I’ll ask Buffy is the time right on the clock, when she says yes I’ll drink this down, and ask for another saying I’ve just got time” Spike suggested. Tara nodded and said
“Fine”
“Buffy and Spike diner scene 11 take 3” The clapperboard shut and Buffy started to collect up the dirty plates for the third time
“Buffy, is the time right on that clock, I’ve forgotten my watch” Buffy made a show of checking her watch against the clock on the wall
“Uh huh, it’s right”
“Okay…I’ll just finish this, have a quick top-up, and then I must be off”
Buffy put down a stack of dirty dishes and fetched the coffee pot.
Red walked in and said
“Morning, golly, you’ve been busy this morning looking at all these dishes!”
“Yeah, got those construction workers in I was rushed off my feet!”
“I’ll get changed quickly then” Red disappeared ‘out back’ out of shot.
Xandy wiped the tables and Spike said to him
“You’re doing a great job there!”
Xandy grinned at his new friend and said
“Thank you!”
Spike then drained his coffee mug, and stood up
“Well I must be going…see you tomorrow – hey Xand-man, c’mere…” Xandy walked over to him
“Here you go mate, you go spend that now, don’t you save it!” Spike ‘magically’ pulled a couple of dollars from behind Xandy’s ear
He also leant into the counter and called out,
“Bye Buffy, bye Red” and left with a wave to Xandy
“Look what Spike got from behind my ear!” he showed Buffy the money and she smiled and ruffled Xandy’s hair
“And Cut- that’s a wrap – next shot…we need to go to Abe’s garage – rest of you can go lunch” Tara said
“He’s so good working off script – I mean look even how Xandy’s reacting to him, this is excellent stuff!” Warren said to Tara, who agreed wholeheartedly.
ooOOoo
“The bloody cheap-skates!” Spike said standing at the check-in desk at the airport
“What’s up?” Buffy asked frowning
“Wanting us to fly all the way there second bloody class, that’s what’s up! – Well no way Jose! – S’cuse me love…can you kindly up-grade us?”
The stewardess immediately began to type at her computer…
“Up grade to Luxury Club Class on this flight is another $750 each, sir”
“Okay” Spike said. The stewardess again began to type and then she said,
“Ah, there’s a problem, you’re not the original purchaser of the tickets, are you sir?”
“Nope, that would be the skin-flints at this Alan Wavecrest’s show…”
“Well then I’m sorry sir, the only way I can do it is if you pay for two new club-class tickets yourself, at $1290 each”
Spike said no more but just handed the stewardess his Black American Express card.
“Spike, what are you doing! You can’t pay that much out for me!” Buffy squeaked incredulously
Calm as you like Spike said,
“Course I can, and you’ll thank me for it too when you arrive without dark circles under your eyes and no swollen ankles! – Thanks love” he took his card back from the stewardess and signed the counterfoil.
“But –“ Buffy began
“Ah-a, no buts love – which way to the VIP room?” He asked the stewardess
“Straight down, first door on the left – your tickets sir, have a nice flight”
Spike took the tickets, picked his overnight bag and slung it on his shoulder he also picked up Buffy’s small vanity case and strode down to the VIP lounge. Guiding her with his hand in the small of her back.
Buffy felt a little awe-struck, she’s never flown such a distance before and had never flown Club. The VIP room was subtly lit, with big leather armchairs and low coffee tables covered with the latest thick glossy magazines.
A waiter came over and Spike said to Buffy
“Trust me on this, have what I have okay?”
Buffy nodded and was surprised when Spike asked the waiter for two small orange juices and two bottles of sparkling mineral water, and two glasses with ice.
Out of his pocket Spike took a tube and opened it
“Don’t worry, they’re only multi-vitamins, see?” Buffy nodded and Spike dropped a large tablet into the mineral water he’d poured out. It fizzed and the water went orange
“Stops you dehydrating and your skin from becoming puffy” he explained and Buffy grinned
“And when you get to sleep, and drop the chair back to a lying down position, leave the foot bit slightly higher than your head, that way you won’t get swollen ankles!”
“You think of everything!” Buffy drank her vitamin drink and sipped her juice while she flipped through the latest Cosmo magazine. Soon their flight was called………
ooOOoo
After a very comfortable flight and transfer in a limousine from the airport, they arrived fresh as daisies at the Studios in New York.
They went to the reception area, and was greeted by a woman holding a clipboard
“Glad you could make it, you both look good!”
“Yeah, no thanks to you!” Spike said
“I’m sorry?”
“So you bloody should be, second class all that way indeed…”
“I’m sorry I don’t understand!” She looked blankly at Spike
“These darlin’. I know it’s not your fault…or is it?” Spike held up the tickets for second class
Buffy felt embarrassed, she hated confrontation and she just wanted to get to a room to change and have her makeup done.
“No, not me, I’m sorry you’ll have to see Mr Wavecrest’s secretary about that, she does all the bookings”
“Don’t worry I will”
“Oh brilliant, you made it, hi, I’m Alan!” A rather short guy with too much tan for NY and too whiter teeth grinned at them. He was wearing stone coloured chinos and a blue sweatshirt. He came towards them holding out his hand.
Both Spike and Buffy shook it.
“Did you have a good flight?”
“AS I was saying to yer-woman over there, yeah we did, no thanks to you!” Spike said, but he was smiling this time. Alan ignored him and continued
“Can I get you some coffee – a snack, Rachel, can we get um…(Wavecrest was trying to remember their real names and not their character names) get these lovely people some refreshments?”
“Phone Mr Wavecrest” somebody called, and a young lad came striding towards Alan holding out a mobile phone.
“Come on Kitten…lets find our rooms…what rooms are we in love?” Spike asked the woman with the clipboard
“You’re our top guests tonight, rooms one and two, I’ll get one of the-”
“No need, I know the way – but don’t forget that coffee, love” Spike said ushering Buffy through a doorway
Buffy looked quizzically at Spike, who explained…
“Used to do the Indie Rock charts from here didn’t they, The Vamps were always on it!”
“Oh...right. Well which one do you want?”
“Which one – oh, you have room one, you being the star an all!”
Buffy went to protest but Spike just nudged the ajar door open with his foot and put her vanity case on the floor by the table.
ooOOoo
The red light came on in their rooms and the door was knocked with a ‘Five minutes to Air’ comment.
Spike went to Buffy’s room
“Hey…you look stunning!” Buffy blushed and said he didn’t look too bad himself! Grinning Spike said wanna play up a little?”
“How do you mean?” He set her heart racing, he frightened her a little because she didn’t know how to say ‘no’ to him, he was thrilling, he made her feel alive for once she couldn’t catch her breath sometimes with the looks he gave her, she wanted to be wanton and sexy and free and, and…
“Sure – what do you have in mind?”
“Atta – girl! – Well have you ever seen somebody do this?” Spike turned his back on her, and wrapped his arms around himself so you could see his hands on his back, suggestively he moved them up and down his body, wriggling and making ‘hmmmm…hmm noises, as though involved in a heavy petting situ!
Buffy giggled and said, yes she had seen that before.
“Well how about before the door opens I stand in front of you doing that with my back to the audience…they’ll love it!”
“Okay – on one condition”
“Name it Kitten” (he’d started calling her Kitten this last week and she loved it)
“That you hold my hand as we walk down the steps together after you’ve done the, the thing with your arms!”
“My pleasure!”
“Two minutes” A voice came from outside and Buffy and Spike came into the hallway.
They were taken down the corridor by a man wearing headphones
Spike stood in front of Buffy. They heard Alan introduce them, and the door slid back. The audience was going WILD! Seemed a good third of them were Spike/The Vampyres fans and another third were older ladies, fans of the soap, but disapproved of Spike, there were a few ‘boo’s’.
After a few seconds of the joke Spike did her turned with a grin and held Buffy’s hand and they walked down the steps and onto the set, Spike let Buffy go first, and Alan kissed her on both cheeks, then he shook hands with Spike and they sat down on the sofa.
Alan had a hard time controlling the audience, they were still whooping and cat-calling.
“Well – what an entrance…so I’ll jump straight in and ask if this is the new love interest for Buffy on Wilson’s Mountain” Again the audience erupted with whoops and cries of ‘Shame’ from the older ones
Buffy’s hand crept across the sofa to Spike’s and she declared with a grin,
“What, NO – hell I don’t even like him!” this time the opposite happened and the whoops came from the older ones and the Vamps fans booed! Alan looked at the audience and said
“Will you quieten down! Don’t know what’s gotten into you!”
“I want Spike to get into me!” A voice from the crowd shouted and the old ladies went mad
“Disgusting!” was the general consensus!
“We can’t say, can’t talk about future storylines!” Buffy said
“Not even a hint?” Wheedled Alan
“Honey you don’t want to be with that druggie!” An old lady shouted
Spike grinned and tried to say something, but the audience was too noisy
They quietened at last and Spike said
“Sorry to disappoint love, but I’m clean – hell I bet you’re on more drugs than I ever was with your heart tablets and water tablets and this and that for your arthritis and your rheumatism and your swollen feet!” the audience went wild again and the old lady stood and waved her fist at spike causing much hilarity.
“You cheeky young pup!”
“Were cutting to a break” the voice in Alan’s ear said
“Well be right back after these messages, don’t go away now!” Alan said to camera
During the four minutes they were off air the floor manager told the audience if they didn’t behave they would be removed, young OR old, they would be OUT. He glared at the old woman who wouldn’t look him in the eye!
“Okay were live back in Five, four…”(then just using his fingers he counted down three, two, one
The red light came back on camera one and Alan welcomed everybody back and continued,
“Okay folks, I’m here tonight with two of the stars of Wilson’s Mountain Diner - Elizabeth Summers better known to all of us as Buffy, and the show’s latest sign-up, Spike Giles – so Spike, this is all new to you isn’t it, this acting lark – I mean we all know who your father is, but this is a totally new direction for you?” With a serious face Spike said,
“No, no, no! – who does your research – sack ‘em!”
“Oh?” Alan asked
“I was once third sheep in the Rookery Road Infants school Nativity Play when I was five!”
The audience tittered and Alan smiled
“Research, you’re sacked! So what’s it like for you, have the cast been welcoming?”
“Feel like family!” Spike said he and Buffy grinned at each other
“Yup…he nearly bought the house down on the first day!” Buffy said and Spike screwed his face up and said – ‘oh no!’, but with good grace!
“What was that then?” Alan asked, at last getting some sort of story out of them!
“Well, Buffy said taking up the story.......... the glass just rained down in these little pellets that got EVERYWHERE – the whole 7x9 foot plate glass. Luckily Spike was unhurt, but they made him go to hospital”
“I thought I was going to be sacked!! Bike was alright though thank god!”
“Well then folks, you heard it here first, nearly sacked before he’d even started! Give a big hand to Buffy and Spike!” The audience began clapping and Spike and Buffy left the set.
“That was brilliant Kitten…so after we check in to the hotel, do you feel up to some fun?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Well…how about dinner…and then a club or something?”
“I’d say – lead me to it!” They both grinned and went to get their stuff
[Reviews - 267]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 2374 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +
Chapter End Notes:
Please send feedback, it nourishes a hungry muse!!