Chapter Seven
Missing You
Spike looked around his hotel suite in the Vancouver Hotel in Leeds. The bed was huge and looked very inviting, draped in luxurious brown and cream covers. He sighed a little, thinking how much more inviting it would be with Buffy sprawled naked on it. He glanced at his watch and smiled; he could call Buffy. He sat on the edge of the bed and pressed the speed dial number on his cell phone.
“Hey, Buffy,” he said as soon as he heard her voice.
“Spike, hi! I wasn’t expecting you to call until later. What time is it for you? It must be the middle of the night.”
“Um…it’s about four a.m. I think. But you know what it’s like when we’re touring. We all kind of go nocturnal.”
Buffy giggled. It always took a while for the band to chill enough to sleep after the high of a concert, and so the wake up calls got later and later as the tour went on.
“So, you’re in Leeds now?” she asked, knowing his itinerary backwards and forwards.
“Yeah. Just walked in, saw the bed and thought of you.”
She could hear the smirk in his voice.
“Not much longer before I’ll be with you,” replied Buffy. “I can’t wait - I’ve missed you.”
“Nor can I. It’s just not the same without you waiting for me backstage. How’s Joyce?”
“She’s fine. We go to the gallery each day. I sit her on a chair, and she works the cash register, and I get the items and wrap them up. I can’t believe how busy the place is. I really think that they need to hire more help. Did tonight’s gig go as well as the others?”
“Yeah,” said Spike, lying back on the bed. “Was great fun - even Oz was happy with the sound.”
So far they’d played a couple of dates in Scotland, tonight’s one in Newcastle and then travelled down the A1 to Yorkshire, ready for the concert in Leeds. Then it was a couple of nights in Birmingham in the Midlands, Cardiff in Wales, and finally three concerts in London. The gigs so far had been well received, and Rich was busy talking to the press most days, while the band was doing sound checks.
After tonight’s concert, they’d all agreed to get together in Rich’s suite for drinks. There was a day between this gig and the next, so Xander could stay the extra night rather than going ahead with all the gear, like he usually did. So far they hadn’t seen much of him and were looking forward to catching up.
Spike’s conversation with Buffy was cut short as she was still at the gallery. After he hung up the phone, he undressed and flopped wearily back on the bed. Sleep took a long time coming as it always did when he slept alone.
He woke up at about ten thirty a.m. UK time and, after squinting at his watch, thought better of calling Buffy again. He got up, showered and was just getting dressed when the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Oh, you’re up,” said Rich chirpily.
“That’s pretty obvious,” replied Spike. “What’s up?”
“Nothin’, it’s just what with yer being on your own, we thought that yer might like to walk down the hall and have breakfast with us. I’m just about to order it up to the room.”
“Okay, yeah, thanks. I’ll be there in five minutes. Cheers, Rich.”
Spike was grateful for the invite. With everyone being ‘loved up’ he’d felt a bit of a gooseberry at times. Pete was no use because he was the ultimate party animal and only usually fell in to bed as dawn broke. They seldom saw him before the sound check in the evening. He’d asked Spike to go out with him, but it wasn’t really Spike’s scene.
“Some rock star, huh?” Spike smiled at the thought.
He walked across the corridor to Rich and Tara’s suite. The breakfast was being delivered as he got to the door. The waitress gave Spike a double take as she recognised him.
“Morning,” he said politely.
“Um…good morning, sir,” she squeaked, going pink.
Spike walked past her and sat on a couch next to Tara.
“Hello, Tara, how’re you doing? I hope you’re enjoying the trip.” He hadn’t had much opportunity to talk to her since being on the plane, as Rich was busy with the press most of the time.
“Hi, Spike, y…yes, I’m loving it, thank you. I’ve never been to the UK before,” replied Tara shyly.
“I hope that he’s giving you time to see a bit of it then. He works harder than the rest of us do, but I’d never tell him that,” grinned Spike.
“He’s being good to me,” said Tara. “I knew that he’d be busy working. It’s not like we’re on vacation.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll just have to get him to stay on after the last gig. There’s plenty of room at Rupert’s house in London.”
“I…I don’t know…it’s up to Rich.”
“Wot’s up to Rich?” he asked, coming out of the bathroom.
“Nothing,” said Tara.
“Not nothing,” said Spike. “I was just saying how good it’d be if you and Tara stayed on after the tour.”
“Hmm,” said Rich, glancing at Tara. “That sounds like a good plan. I’m sure that I can take a few days off. Fancy seein’ London wiv a local as a guide?”
“Oh, Rich, I’d really like that,” replied Tara, her face lighting up as she smiled broadly.
Spike looked at Rich, who was staring at Tara with such desire on his face that Spike started to feel a little uncomfortable.
“Um…guys, are you sure that you don’t mind me having breakfast with you? Wouldn’t want to be in the way.”
Spike grinned as Tara blushed scarlet, and even the ever in control Rich, shuffled from one foot to the other before replying,
“No, mate, we’re ‘appy for yer to be ‘ere, aren’t we Tee?”
Tara nodded, still blushing.
“That’s all right then. So what have we got to eat?” said Spike as he sauntered over to the table. “Bloody hell, Rich, did you order the whole soddin’ menu? Are the rest of the guys eating with us?”
Rich looked sheepish. “I couldn’t decide what to get so I got quite a lot. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yer know.”
They all laughed at that and then sat down around the table, helping themselves to the array of dishes.
000000000
It was time to go to the venue, the arena at the NEC on the outskirts of Birmingham, to get started on the sound check for that evening’s gig. Pete, as usual, was the last one on the tour bus which was taking them there.
“Christ, mate, you look like you’ve only just gotten up,” said Spike as Pete blearily made his way to a seat.
“I have.” He grinned shamelessly. “I guess I partied a bit too hard last night. There was this really hot chick. Katherine…”
“You told me she was called Kathleen,” said Oz dryly.
“Did I? Oh? Well anyway, she kept me very busy, she - -”
“Whoa! Don’t need the details,” interrupted Joey quickly.
“Wasn’t gonna! What do you think I am? I was just gonna say that she’s coming to the drinks at Rich’s room tonight, if that’s okay with the rest of you.”
“Better remember her name by then Pete,” laughed Spike.
“I’ll just call her darling, and it’ll be all right,” he replied. “Wake me up when we get there.” He huddled down in the seat, letting his long legs hang out into the aisle.
“It’s only fifteen minutes away,” Oz pointed out.
“That’s fifteen minutes more sleep than I got last night.”
“Yeah, but you’ve slept the whole day. What are you? A vampire? I don’t reckon I’ve seen you in daylight for weeks,” said Joey, prompting the others to snicker.
“If I was a vampire, I’d bite you if it’d shut you up,” grumbled Pete.
00000000
As soon as the gig was over, the band was taken back to the hotel. They were all to meet at Rich’s suite in a half hour. Spike checked the time in California on his wristwatch and smiled. Buffy would be home from the gallery and so would be free to talk. He picked up the phone and tapped his foot impatiently until the connection was made.
“Hey, beautiful.”
“Spike, how did the gig go?” Her heart missed a beat as she heard his voice. This was the longest they’d ever been apart.
“Yeah, it was great; fifteen thousand capacity all sold out, but I don’t want to talk about that. I want to hear about you, pet. Christ, I wish you were here with me. Rich’s having a party and just about everybody will be paired off ‘cept me.”
Buffy chuckled. “What about Pete? No way will he be paired off.”
“He is. He’s bringing a bird called Katherine or Kathleen.”
“God, Spike, it’s not very nice, not to remember someone’s name like that; you should take more notice.”
“Hey, don’t tell me off. It’s bloody Pete who can’t remember it, not me,” protested Spike.
“Oh, he is impossible,” laughed Buffy. “ So you’ll be all alone at the party then, poor wittle Spikey.”
“Your sympathy knows no bounds, luv.”
Buffy just giggled. She knew how much Spike hated being away from her. She hated it too, but Spike just ended up being more like the shy teenager he had been, the longer he was away from her. After they talked some more, Spike’s description of what he wanted to do to her, banished all thoughts that he was still shy, from Buffy’s mind.
“Thank God Mom’s in the other room,” thought Buffy, as she got hopelessly aroused at his words.
“Anyway,” she said, changing the subject, “you’d better go and get a shower and go to the party, otherwise you’ll be late.”
“How do you know that I’m not sitting here ready to go out?”
“Because I know you too well, Spike. You’ll be sitting there in the t-shirt that you wore on stage, all damp and sweaty.” The image of him in her mind made Buffy’s body heat up. “You’ll catch a chill if you’re not careful. Then if you get a sore throat…”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Spike. “I know but I just wanted to hear your voice, pet. I’d better go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
tbc
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Banner By dawnofmeAuthor's Chapter Notes:
Thanks as ever to Carol and dawnofme for their beta work :)
The next chapter will have some warnings on the top - please don't let it put you off the fic - trust me - things won't be quite as they seem. Hate giving spoilers which is why the warnings don't appear at top of the story! Will put a summary of what happens in end notes ot next chapter if you feel you'd rather skip the action!! lol! or email me at mabel.marsters@gmail.com and I'll let you know what 's going on!! It is intergral to the story but isn't there for long!! lol
The next chapter will have some warnings on the top - please don't let it put you off the fic - trust me - things won't be quite as they seem. Hate giving spoilers which is why the warnings don't appear at top of the story! Will put a summary of what happens in end notes ot next chapter if you feel you'd rather skip the action!! lol! or email me at mabel.marsters@gmail.com and I'll let you know what 's going on!! It is intergral to the story but isn't there for long!! lol
Chapter End Notes:
remember to read A/N on next chapter or end notes if just want jist of the chapter!! Please email me if you want to know more!! Please leave a review to let me know that you're still enjoying the fic :)