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Chapter 3- Fantastic Voyage


Leaning against the corner of the covered parking area Friday afternoon, Buffy idly surveyed the surrounding area while Spike stuffed an unneeded blanket inside his duffel. The cruise line was prepared for their sunlight impaired travelers. A covered walkway ran the length of the sidewalk from the elevator of the parking structure all the way onto the ship where it ended in a large, brightly striped awning.

Unfortunately, the awning seemed to be the newest portion of the ship. Nothing like one of the sleek ocean going vessels advertised constantly on the travel channel, this boat resembled a wide bodied whaling ship plucked straight out of an old documentary on the history channel.

Well, isn’t this just great, the Council’s sending us out on the H.M.S. Bounty.

Buffy could just see herself being prodded forward by a pirate garbed demon with a peg leg and an eye patch. Holding a cutlass, old one eye would force her to walk the warped plank while everyone else, bound tightly to the mast, looked on helplessly.

Good thing Mom sprung for those swimming lessons when I was five.

Visualizing herself in the scenario, Buffy mentally added a swimsuit and grimaced. Busy slaying, she hadn’t had time to acquire a summer tan. At least the glare from my legs will blind the pirate and give me time to escape.

Dismissing her disheartening thoughts, she turned back to the milling passengers waiting to board. Other vamps in the group were doing the same thing as Spike. She itched to pull out a stake and take a quick stroll. It would really be a public service. I could cut the line down and we’d all be able to board faster.

“Ready, Sla- uh, Buffy.” Spike hoisted the duffel to his shoulder and picked up Buffy’s overnight case. “Bollocks. Sorry.” They’d been warned repeatedly to be careful what they said to each other among the other passengers. Little demons have big ears.

“Not a problem, we’ll get this cloak and dagger stuff figured out, probably just in time to go home.” Buffy was still getting used to Spike using her given name. Coming from him, it sounded odd, but surprisingly kind of nice.

Tightening her grasp, Buffy shifted a sulking Grundy who’d been stuck in the Desoto far too long this afternoon and extremely upset about the puffy peach bow jauntily tied to her collar. It had taken both Buffy and Spike to hold her down long enough to tie it.

Grumbling audibly, she squirmed restlessly under Buffy’s arm, trying to simultaneously reach the bow and wriggle out of her arms as they headed up the walkway toward the uniformed woman waiting under the awning.

“Welcome aboard.” The efficient woman, nametag nowhere in evidence on her beige pantsuit, perused her clipboard. Buffy noticed she had two extra fingers on each hand.

Momentarily diverted watching the demon’s extra ring finger glide down the long list, Buffy missed the woman’s question. “I’m sorry?”

“I asked for your name.”

“Elizabeth Summers. My uncle, Rupert Giles, made the reservation.”

“Oh, yes, Ms.Summers, party of three.” She smiled at the trio, although it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “What a gorgeous Grundy!”

Her left hand hovered above the little demon affording Buffy a close up view of the unusual swirling tattoo on her wrist. “Would it be alright if I petted her?”

“I guess so.”

Empress bared her teeth and the demon quickly pulled her hand back. “Oh, I guess not.”

Buffy tightened her hold. “Sorry about that, she’s been cooped up in the car and it’s made her a little cranky.”

“That’s alright, I know better than to touch strange Grundies, but she’s absolutely beautiful and I couldn’t resist. I’ve always thought that coat and scales combination is the prettiest.” She smiled at Spike and Buffy to show no hard feelings. “You really must check out our ship’s store while you’re onboard. We have imported wood of the highest quality.”

“We’ll check it out. Thanks.”

“Here’s the information for your cabin and your access keys. The woman at the end of this hall has your itinerary, including the list of activities.”

Walking toward the employee inside the ship, Spike shook his head. “Empress never does that to people admiring her, no matter how long she’s been locked away. I think there was something else going on there.”

“You mean besides the fact that she’s an annoying, almost perky demon?”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “The way Empress reacted; I think we should have Red check her out, just to be safe.”

“Yeah, I’d like to know more about that tattoo on her wrist.”

Walking up to the next uniformed employee, Spike flashed a smile. “’Lo.”

Ten minutes later it seemed as if they’d been listening to this activities person run at the mouth for hours. Buffy’s eyes had glazed over and she was staring into space, a smile rigidly in place. Even Empress had been lulled into torpor by the girl’s sing song voice. Forcing herself awake, Buffy focused again on the conversation and stiffened. The skanky ho was openly flirting with Spike. Hey, he’s supposed to be my boyfriend. Setting the Grundy on the floor, she crossed her arms and frowned at the woman.

“Vampire, right?” The woman was batting her lashes. “I’ve given you first dinner seating, that’s at 8:00. The blood fountains are at their freshest then.” Ignoring Buffy’s glare, she placed the remainder of the information in Spike’s hands, lingering a little too long. “Anything you need, just ring for the steward.” Still ignoring Buffy, she tossed her hair and smiled brightly at Spike. “Or you can call on me. My name’s Jennifer. I sure hope to see you around.”

Spike nodded curtly and started down the hall. Buffy thrust her hands in her pockets and followed him. Once they turned the corner, he stopped and waited for her and Empress. “Where in the bloody hell are they gettin’ their staff? Not only was that bint pushy, but she makes Harmony look smart.”

Buffy’s shoulders relaxed. She surveyed the pile of information and schedules Spike carried with distaste. “Why does it feel like she just handed us a huge box of chocolates and steered us toward a bus bench?”

“Just don’t call me Forrest and everythin’ will be alright.” He suddenly grinned. “Say, pet, when we boarded, did you happen to catch the name of this tub?”

“Not really. Remember, I was trying to make sure our gorgeous pet Grundy didn’t take a hunk out of Fingers. Why, what’s it called?”

“I bet this line is owned by a group of evil lawyers because you and I have just boarded the good ship Malfeasance.”

Buffy chuckled. “It could be worse, we could be on the ‘Black Pearl’.”

“You afraid of a few bleedin’ ghost pirates? I’d be a lot more worried if it read ‘Titanic’.

“Afraid we’d have to go down with the ship?”

“Nah, afraid we’d have to listen to that bloody Celine Dion song over and over. Not even savin’ the world would be worth that.”

*****

Once the final passengers boarded and the ship got underway, the uniformed woman waited impatiently in an empty cabin until a man, also in uniform, slipped inside and shut the door. “What is it? I can’t be away too long, I’ll be missed.”

“I thought you should know that one of the guests has brought a Grundy full of weapons onboard. I could read the signature within it. I tried to find out what they were, but the animal wouldn’t let me get close enough.”

The man’s face turned thoughtful. “Who?”

“One of the ‘A’ list passengers, Ms. Summers.”

“Replace her cabin steward with Roc. We’ll need to make sure it’s just a coincidence. She might be one of those paranoid wealthy types, but we can’t take any chances. We’ve only got one shot at this.”

The woman lifted her chin. “I told you I could be an asset.” Moving closer, she touched his arm and spoke softly. “I’m glad I can help. This is so important.”

Impatiently he moved to go. “Savana, I’ve got things that I need to attend to right now.”

“Don’t worry; I’ll take care of everything.”

After he closed the door, she waited a few moments before slipping into the crowded corridor.

*****

“Wow, I could seriously get used to this.” Buffy surveyed the luxurious cabin. It was certainly a nice surprise, considering the exterior look of the ship.

Placing Buffy’s overnight bag next to the neatly stacked suitcases, Spike dropped his duffel in the corner of the living area. He looked around curiously and agreed with the Slayer. This was definitely the nicest place he’d stayed in, bar none, since he and Dru used to travel with Darla and Angelus in the bad old days.

The luxury cabin was bigger than any Spike had seen before, with plenty of room for the two leather chairs and twin couches that floated in the middle of the room. At one end, a full size wall unit held a big screen television tucked unobtrusively next to a stereo with enough controls to run their own personal cruise ship.

The other end of the room held a large, fully stocked mini bar with a small glass front refrigerator next to it. Spike could see liquor and soda bottles and even blood through the clear doors. He was pleasantly surprised to note the microwave attached to the wall above the bar. Obviously the cruise line understood their vampire patrons appreciated warm blood. Sitting atop the bar was a large basket of fruit and other edibles.

A closed door next to the bar probably led to the bedroom and bath. Dropping down on the couch, Spike wondered if the Slayer had actually thought about their accommodations in any real way yet. He figured she’d been so harried, trying to prepare for the trip that she probably hadn’t thought through the implications of pretending to be together for several days.

Spike, on the other hand, had spent the previous few days worrying that living together in such a confined area, along with the constant pretending, would ruin their friendship. Possibly remove the easy camaraderie they had painstakingly built over the past few weeks and change it in some irreparable way. He couldn’t bear the thought of going back to the way it was before they’d become friends.

Empress padded over to the couch. Crooning, she stuck her muzzle against Spike’s leg and butted him. Absently Spike stroked the Grundy’s soft fur, trying to push aside his concerns as he watched the Slayer discover their view.

Buffy had been drawn to the full length windows at the far end of their cabin. A set of French doors opened to a private balcony that housed a patio table and chairs. Remembering that all glass onboard was magicked, she spoke over her shoulder to the oddly silent vamp.

“Spike, you’ve got to come over here and see this view.” Her voice held a tinge of awe. “It’s incredible.”

He shrugged off his melancholy and gave Empress a final stroke. Standing up, he joined Buffy at the window.

Awaiting some type of response, she glanced at him curiously. He quickly nodded. “Beautiful.” Satisfied, she went back to admiring the view.

Out of the corner of his eye, Spike watched Buffy stare out at the vast expanse of water, and secretly delighted in her obvious enjoyment. Hopefully the Slayer would have at least some free time on this trip to relax, she deserved a break. Hell, they all did for that matter. Still covertly watching her instead of the view, Spike noticed the setting sun had tinted her hair, turning it to molten gold.

“Absolutely beautiful.”





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