By the time darkness began to fall, Spike was stir-crazy. Much as snuggling up on the sofa with Buffy was an attractive prospect, it lost a lot of its appeal when the sofa in question was in a small apartment directly opposite where Dawn and Andrew were sitting trying to make polite conversation. At least, Dawn was. Andrew was sitting opposite Spike, head at the same uncomfortable angle, a strange, fixed grin on his face.
“Is he alright?” Spike watched him nervously.
“As alright as he ever is.” Dawn shrugged. “It’s never easy to tell.”
“Stiff.” Andrew finally found his voice. Spike raised an eyebrow. “Neck… stiff.”
“Right.” Spike frowned.
“So, what are you guys planning to do tonight?” Dawn smiled brightly.
Spike shrugged and turned to Buffy. “You wanna patrol? There just has to be something cryin’ out for the slaying round here.” He grinned. “You and me? Just like the old times?” An afternoon shut up in the apartment with Dawn and Andrew had Spike craving a little bit of mayhem.
“I don’t… patrol… not anymore.” Buffy looked embarrassed.
“OK… train, then.” He’d settle for a good tussle and the chance of some body contact.
“I don’t exactly…” Buffy looked away.
“You’ve stopped training?”
“Well,” she squirmed, “It was just… Morty didn’t like me patrolling and the training just sort of…“ She changed the subject rapidly. “Oh! We could go see a movie!”
“A movie.” Spike gave her a disbelieving look. “You want to go see a movie.”
“We could all go!” Dawn clapped her hands excitedly, caught Spike’s look and subsided. “Or… maybe not…”
“We have DVDs,” Andrew offered. “We could always watch…”
“If he says The Matrix, can I kill him?” Dawn interrupted.
“Go to it.” Spike offered. “In fact, even if he doesn’t.”
“I wasn’t going to say The Matrix!” Andrew pouted.
“We could go out…” Dawn looked at Andrew uncertainly. “Leave you two in peace…”
“No!” Buffy stood up, ignoring Spike’s frown of disbelief. “You don’t need to do that. We’re going out.” She grabbed Spike’s hand and pulled him to his feet.
“We are?”
“We’re gonna go do the tourist thing. I wanna go see… stuff,” she ended lamely.
“Didn’t you go see stuff with Morty?” Spike sneered.
“We didn’t go… out… much.” Her voice tailed away at the expression on Spike’s face.
“Oh, I’ll bet you didn’t.”
“You should go see the Coliseum.” Dawn tried to defuse the situation. “It’s all lit up at night. Real pretty.” She smiled lamely.
“Sounds good.” Buffy took Spike’s hand and led him firmly to the door. “Don’t wait up.”
Andrew watched them go dejectedly. “I wouldn’t mind seeing the Coliseum,” he sighed.
*****
Once in the street, Spike turned to Buffy. “So – we escaped. Now what? And what’s with the not training?”
She sighed. “I haven’t trained for ages. It’s been… difficult.”
“You don’t think that just maybe it would’ve been a good idea? Still the slayer, still lots of nasties out there want a piece of you.”
“This is Rome.” She looked away. “I’m… I was The Immortal’s girl. Nothing would dare touch me.”
“Oh. Right. That’s OK then.”
“Look - I made mistakes, OK? You weren’t there. It hurt. Ergo vulnerability and bad dating decisions.” She looked up at him unhappily. “It was hard.”
“Yeah.” He brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “I’m sorry. Enough jealous vampire crap, huh?” She smiled and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “We could go back to Wolfram and Hart.” He bent to kiss her neck. “I’ve got the Penthouse all to myself.” Buffy shivered as he nipped the tender skin gently. “We’d be all alone…” Provided Ilona doesn’t make on of her unscheduled visits… he added to himself.
“Mmm…” Buffy was finding it hard to focus as his lips trailed up toward hers. “Alone would be good…” She sighed as their lips brushed softly. “Mmmph… no… wait.” Buffy pulled away and Spike gave a frustrated growl. “I couldn’t…not there. I mean, the whole evil vibe, coupled with the whole dusty boring legal thing? Not much with the atmosphere. And besides, wouldn’t she be there?”
“She?”
“Ilona.” Buffy said her name with a healthy dose of disdain.
Spike raise an eyebrow. “Well, I wasn’t thinking of asking her to join in, but now you come to mention it… could be fun.”
“In your dreams.” Buffy snorted and then paused. “Actually, that better not figure in your dreams…”
Spike grinned. “Well, if nothing else, I want my duster. I’ll take the car and collect some stuff.”
“I’m coming with you,” Buffy said quickly.
“No need. Only take a few minutes.”
“It’s OK. Nothing better to do. Besides, I’d really like to see Ilona again.” She gave Spike a bright smile.
Spike frowned at her in puzzlement. “You would?”
“Sure!” The bright smile became more fixed. “Never thanked her for rescuing you.”
“Right…” He shook his head bemusedly then paused in thought. “Actually, might not be a bad idea. Got a little favour to ask her.”
******
“Spike!” Ilona wrapped her arms around Spike, pulling him close, and giving him a lingering kiss on the cheek. “Let me look at you.” She took his face in her hands. “Ah, so ‘andsome!” she purred. “No ill effects from your leetle adventure, huh? Mary! Pah! I spit on her! Except, of course, there is nothing left of her upon which to spit! Your poor wrists! Let me see. Ah! No scars! The vampire healing, huh? You vampires – you have so many advantages, with the strength and the stamina and the...” She gave a lazy smile, “special skills.” She ran a lingering finger down his cheek, and Buffy wasn’t altogether sure she liked the smile they exchanged. She frowned and gave a deliberate cough. “And Boofy!” Ilona turned with a smile. “’Ow… nice.” She leant towards Buffy, kissing the air close to her cheek noisily but perfunctorily. She turned back to Spike, dismissing Buffy completely.” Now – to the business. I need to talk to you.” She hooked her arm through his. “Come into my office.”
Buffy was having none of it. She moved swiftly to slip her hand through Spike’s other arm. Ilona looked over at her, an amused smile twitching her lips. “I think it is best we talk…” she looked up at Spike seductively and purred “…alone.”
“Well, I’m sure Spike won’t mind if I come too. Right, Spike?” Buffy smiled determinedly.
Spike winced as her grip on his arm tightened. “Well…”
“It is, shall we say, a personal matter. Very personal.” She smiled sweetly at Buffy. “I’m sure you understand. Come! Pietro will look after you.” The man in question appeared at Ilona’s side. "Pietro, vai un cercare un caffe e dolce qual checosa di mangiare.” Ilona released Spike’s arm and took Buffy’s. “You like coffee, yes? Pietro, he make excellent coffee! The angels, they would kill for Pietro’s coffee. You sit ‘ere. Sit! Sit! I will not keep ‘im for so long." She patted Buffy on the arm with an indulgent smile. “So sweet!”
Despite herself, Buffy was manoeuvred to one of the leather armchairs close to Pietro’s desk, where she sat, watching Spike and Ilona stroll off arm in arm. She gave a sigh of frustration. How does she do that? She folded her arms and sat back in the chair with a frown.
******
Ilona sat down at her desk and looked up at Spike, a half smile curving her lips. “So. You and your Boofy, you are together, huh?”
Spike wandered over to the fridge and helped himself to a beer. “Looks like.”
“Is good. If it is what you want, then I am ‘appy for you. I still say it is a waste, but…” She shrugged. “So, what you do now?”
“Do?” He sat down next to the desk, sprawled comfortably in the armchair.
“Well, you know, l’amore is all very nice, but she doesn’t pay the bills or buy the blood.”
“I’ll get by. Always have up ‘til now. Can’t see why it has to change.”
“Ah,” Ilona smiled indulgently. “I know very well ‘ow you ‘get by’ up until now. Many of our clients ‘ave ‘ad experience of your ‘getting by’.” Spike gave an abashed grin. “And your Boofy will be happy for you to continue with your… enterprises? Hmm.” She looked at him consideringly. “I had a call from one of our clients this morning. One of our major clients.” Ilona raised an eyebrow at him. “And I think maybe an acquaintance of yours.”
“Oh?” Spike frowned and took pull from the bottle.
“Our client, he was a leetle concerned, because you see, some private information is not so private any more. And the strange thing is that this information, as far as we know it is only kept ‘ere, at Wolfram and ‘art.”
“Oh, I can see he’d be concerned.” Spike nodded understandingly.
“Ah, si. He is very concerned. Especially as this information, she is being used for the blackmail.”
“Blackmail, huh?” Spike was the picture of innocence. “Dirty business.”
“Ah, no! If handled correctly, there is nothing wrong with a leetle blackmail – it is an art!” Ilona shrugged. “If it wasn’t for blackmail, Wolfram and ‘art would be very much less successful than it is. But in this case, it is… ‘ow shall I put it… a leetle crude.” She gave Spike a long look. “Now, of course we have looked very carefully at what may have happened, at how this… information… became known. And our client is naturally happy to hear that it is policy ‘ere at Wolfram and ‘art to deal with such things very severely. For example, we find one of our staff does such a thing we… ‘ow you say… terminate them.”
“Well, the sack is the least they can expect.” Spike reasoned.
Ilona gave a throaty chuckle. “No, no, not sack them. Terminate them!” She drew a finger across her neck. “Permanently.”
“Oh.”
“But then… if there is no proof of anything – and there is no proof that can be shown here, you know – then… there is nothing we can do except smooth the ruffled feathers.” She shrugged helplessly. “Clearly this information came from sources outside of Wolfram and ‘art. There is no evidence that the file was opened…” She looked at Spike. “At least, not any more…”
“Well that’s…good.”
“Si.” Ilona watched him through narrowed eyes. “You know, our employees they are very happy. ‘Ere at Wolfram and ‘art, we look after our people. And other people, they do not mess with Wolfram and ‘art. So, it is a good position to be in if you maybe need a leetle… protection... to be a member of the family, no?” She looked at him levelly.
“I can see it would be.”
“So – maybe you would like to join our family. Given the circumstances.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Spike tried the blue-eyed innocent look.
Ilona wasn’t buying. “Spike.” Her voice was full of concern. “The Immortal… he is a very bad enemy.” She lowered her voice. “I will do what I can to protect you, but I cannot go against the Senior Partners. I have no wish to be… terminated. I like you…” she purred “…very much, but I like to live more. As one of us, you would be safer.” She shrugged and leant back in her seat. “And you would get the employee benefits, you know, we are generous employers… il mensa, paid holiday, pension, company car… money…”
Money’s good, the thought flashed through his mind. But… “To do what? Not exactly Harvard Law School, am I?”
Ilona smiled and leant forward. “Ah, but there is more to Wolfram and ‘art than the Law. There are… positions… for a man with talents such as yours.”
Spike looked determinedly away from her cleavage and forced his mind away from images of … positions. “Working for the evil empire? Not sure I can square that anymore.”
“Ah, the soul.” She shrugged. “Angeloos seems to have... squared it…”
“I’m not Angel.”
“No. You are not.” Ilona shrugged. “The offer is there. You must think carefully. And I think you find it hard right now.” She leaned back in her chair with a rueful smile. “I think maybe you have other things on your mind, huh? But be careful - I do not want to see that pretty head of yours smooshed. Watch your back. And your Boofy’s back, too.”
“Yeah.” Spike frowned thoughtfully. “Speaking of which, I’ve got a favour to ask. I need a room - oh, and some equipment.”
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