Spike closed his eyes and rested his head against the blacked-out windows in his private helicopter. The pilot turned back to glance at him, but was met instead with a scowl from a snazzy-looking Clem.
“You’d better watch the sky instead of Mr. Gates, copter guy.”
The pilot blushed and turned back around, and stared out at the sky through the darkly tinted windshield.
Boy this Gates guy sure is eclectic. No sunlight…no paparazzi…bags of blood…yecch.
When he was sure that he wasn’t being watched, Spike pulled the IV tube out of his arm and sucked down half of the bag in a few quick gulps…his first taste of human blood in far too long. Donated blood, sure, but it tasted so much better than the pig swill he was forced to sip in Sunnydale. Clem watched out of the window as the helicopter began to touch down on Microsoft’s giant building. Spike stuck the IV back in his arm as he closed his eyes again. Clem shook him lightly when the pilot turned around to announce their landing.
“We’re here Mr….”
Clem held a finger up to his mouth to quiet the pilot.
“Bill? Wake up, we’re here.”
Spike feigned slight confusion as he opened his eyes slowly. Mock yawning, he stretched out and sighed.
“Well, good then. Clemency, would you make sure that my walkway is ready? You know how Melinda is about me being in the sun.”
Clem nodded and hopped out of the helicopter. Spike chuckled at the pilot’s befuddled expression.
“Skin cancer, you know. Most of my wife’s family passed away because of it, so she makes sure that the children and I stay out of the sun as much as possible. She won’t come near me if I have even the slightest bit of a tan.”
Clem motioned to Spike as a group of workers attached the covered walkway to the helicopter, and then ran back inside. Spike half-smiled at the pilot before climbing out.
“Thank you for your services. We shouldn’t be any later than 1 PM at our meeting…here,” he said, handing the pilot a fistful of hundred dollar bills, “go catch a movie or have lunch or something on me. Just be back here by 1 o’clock. I have more business I have to deal with in Sunnydale tonight, and I don’t like being late.”
The pilot blinked in disbelief at the wad of cash in his hand. It had to be more than he made in three months at his last job. He may only be hired for the day, but he silently thanked his lucky stars that he could find something to tide his family over in their troubled times…maybe this could persuade the bank to give him an extension on his mortgage.
Maybe this Gates fellow isn’t so bad after all!
“Thank…thank you so much, sir. You have no idea what this means to my family….”
Spike nodded and raised his hand in a brief wave as he walked toward the door.
“1 PM!”
Clem sighed as he and Spike entered the elevator on the roof’s covered exit way.
“Spike, if you treat every employee like that, you’ll get taken advantage of.”
“Spike,” Spike asked motioning to the elevator’s camera.
“Sorry, Mr. Gates.”
“Thank you. Now Clemency, you know as well as I do that good help…especially discreet help, is hard to find these days. If an extra five grand will ensure someone’s loyalty, so be it. Pocket change to me, a godsend to someone like that pilot fellow. Did you happen to catch his name?”
“No, sir, I didn’t.”
“Ah. No matter,” Spike said, pulling his miniscule phone out of his coat pocket.
After a few rings, Julie picked up.
“Yes Mr. Gates? How can I help you?”
“Julie, hi. Clemency and I are in the building, I just had a quick question for you before we were sidetracked with the board meeting.”
“Sure, what do you need, sir?”
“That helicopter pilot who brought us here from Sunnydale? What’s his name?”
“Oh, dear, sir, did he do something wrong?”
“No, not at all. Quite the contrary, actually.”
“Oh, good! Thank God, I was so worried!”
“And why’s that, Julie?”
Julie laughed lightly over the phone.
“Because I hired him.”
“Ah. Well, good job then, Julie. Remind me to give you a bonus in your paycheck this week.”
Julie laughed again, and Spike winked at Clem, clearly enjoying this woman’s infatuation with his alter ego.
“Mr. Gates, you really are too much.”
“You keep saying that, dear, but you never accept my date offers!”
Spike could hear her smiling and shaking her head over the phone.
“Sir, your wife and my boyfriend wouldn’t appreciate that, you know.”
Spike laughed.
“I know, dear, and you know I’m just playing around, right? Unless of course you’ve changed your mind….”
“Mr. Gates! Really,” Julie said with a snicker.
“So you have his name then?”
“Of course, sir. It’s Frank Teller.”
“Well, be a dear and call Mr. Teller and ask him if he’d like to be a fulltime employee of mine. With how often I fly back and forth from Sunnydale and Medina, I think it was inevitable for me to hire a fulltime helicopter pilot.”
“I’ll get right on it, sir.”
“Good. Just out of curiosity, Julie, how much is your salary up to now?”
“$130,000 a year, sir.”
Spike scoffed and frowned as he and Clem walked out of the elevator and into his office. He snapped his cell phone shut as he walked over to a mahogany desk where a porcelain-skinned blonde with a vast array of wild curls sat. She stood to greet them as they entered, rolling her near-violet eyes in amusement.
“Mr. Gates, you should have told me you were this close.”
Spike chuckled and gave her two quick kisses on each cheek.
“Julie, dear, I think that bonus should really be tacked on annually…maybe an extra 25 a year?”
Julie smirked and huffed at Spike.
“Oooh, twenty-five dollars? You’re really generous Mr. Gates.”
Laughing as he walked into his office behind her, Spike shook his head.
“I swear you will be the death of me, Julie. If I make it an extra 50 thousand a year will you promise not to retire?”
Julie’s mouth dropped as she attempted to catch her breath.
“Mr. Gates! That’s…so generous of you!”
“Just don’t retire, dear. I’ve never had a secretary that was as on the ball as you are.”
“Thank you, sir! Thank you so much!”
“Sure thing, kid. Oh, and Julie?”
“Yes sir?”
“Offer that Teller fellow around $100,000 a year to start with me…if he asks for more, give it to him…just….”
“Keep it reasonable?”
“Right. Smart as a whip this one is,” he said to Clem. “Thanks Julie.”
“Anytime, sir.”
Shutting the door behind them, Spike and Clem prepared for the grueling task of chatting with 30 terribly boring board members.
--
Buffy sighed as she walked into the Magic Box. Giles, Willow, Dawn, Xander and Tara sat at a large table, while Anya stood, smiling, behind the counter. Her smile faded when Buffy walked in.
“Oh…I thought you were a customer.”
Buffy rolled her eyes.
“Thanks. Really helps to make someone feel special, Anya. You know what…?”
“Up-up-up! Shut it, Slayer girl. You’re blocking the entrance for the customers.”
Turning around and crossing her arms, Buffy stared at the door for a few moments. When no one even passed by the Magic Box, she turned and stuck her tongue out at Anya, before walking down to the table where her friends and family sat. Trying to work up the courage to speak, Buffy merely emitted a small “meep.” Giles raised his eyebrow at her.
“Buffy, are you quite alright?”
She sighed and sat down next to Dawn, laying her head on her younger sister’s shoulder.
“No, Giles…I’m not alright. I’m so far from right, I’m left.”
Giles shook his head and stared at her in confusion.
“Whatever do you mean, Buffy?”
“Yeah,” Xander said, “what could be wrong in the world of the Buffster?”
“Spike,” Buffy moaned.
Willow spit a mouthful of her tea out across the table, accidentally spraying Giles with her honey-laden Earl Grey.
“Sorry Giles.”
Tearing his glasses off in a huff, Giles muttered something under his breath. Buffy caught a few of the phrases.
“Bloody Americans…tea swilling…Boston…didn’t want it then, no…spitting bloody witch….”
“Anyway,” Buffy said with a sigh, “I think I have a problem with Spike.”
“Don’t we all,” Xander said with a chuckle.
“What kind of problem,” Anya asked, her interest piqued, “Because he owes Xander about a hundred dollars and I was going to let it slide, but someone hasn’t been keeping up on his fair share of buying his significant other gifts and other such things, and I think that is a very important part of a relationship and….”
“Anya! Please,” Buffy yelled. “It’s not about money…it’s…oh, jeez, I don’t even know how to say it.”
“Come on, Buffy, you can tell us,” Dawn said, trying to support her sister.
Buffy nodded.
“Right. Well…it’s just…Spike…Spike and I…well…I….”
“Spit it out already Buffy,” Willow squeaked.
When Giles frowned at her, Willow blushed sheepishly.
“Sorry, Giles.”
“Well,” Buffy continued, “it’s just that, Spike and I are….”
“Mortal enemies,” Xander offered.
“Both Leos,” Dawn said.
“Mooches who owe Xander money,” Anya said with a sigh.
“No! Jeez,” Buffy moaned. “Spike and I are…a thing. And I think…I think I like him. A lot. More than like.”
Tara smiled at her, and then turned to Anya.
“Pay up, sister.”
Anya pouted, but opened the cash drawer and took out a fifty-dollar bill.
“Dammit. I hate losing.”
Buffy stared in disbelief at her friends.
“Wait…what? You knew?”
Tara nodded.
“Well, Anya and I have known for a while….”
“Since the whole ‘singing’ debaucle,” Anya said.
“Yeah, and we think it’s great.”
“We were just betting on when you’d tell everyone.”
Xander was less amused than his better half.
“Buffy…why? The evil undead? Another evil undead boyfriend? Wasn’t Angel enough?”
“Hey, shut up Xander,” Anya yelled, “I used to be all demony too and Buffy didn’t give you a hard time about being with me.”
“You and I are different, Anya. We’re not the Chosen One.”
“Everyone just shut up! Please,” Giles yelled out, silencing the room. “Buffy, now I know that you wouldn’t purposefully put us in danger again, but are you sure you can trust Spike?”
“Well he is chipped and all,” Buffy said, trying to reassure her own mind. “But even without it…yeah…I think I can trust him. I think we can all trust him.”
“Right then. Where is Spike anyway?”
“I don’t know…he left last night after we,” Buffy trailed off into a murmur and blushed. “Patrolled. After we patrolled. He said he had some meeting to go to.”
“A meeting? The evil undead? What, like ‘blood-aholics anonymous,’” Xander said with a chuckle.
“You know, I’m actually not sure,” Buffy said.
A thought crossed Dawn’s mind and she pulled a notarized letter out of her backpack.
“Oh, Buffy! This letter came this afternoon. I had to sign for it and everything. It’s from the bank.”
Buffy raised her eyebrow as she opened the letter.
“Huh. Wonder what they could want…oh my God….”
The letter dropped to the floor and Buffy stumbled back in shock, plopping onto the floor. Giles ran to her side.
“Buffy? Buffy? What’s wrong?”
“They’re foreclosing on my house…on our house…Dawn…where…where are we gonna go?”
--
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Italics=internal monologue.