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Hank stopped at the garage with the intent of telling the boys he wanted Buffy working on the car. He walked into the garage, making his way over toward the Redemption. He was shocked to hear Xander and Oz talking bad about his Faith and Angel.

"Hey, all I know is if Cordy knew what Angel was doing behind her back, she'd be staking Faith in the heart and cutting off Angel's you know what," Xander rambled on, not knowing Hank was listening behind him. "Angel needs to be more careful when he is meeting Faith at the Motel 8."

"Yep," Oz agreed.

"Man, I'm so glad Buffy's not seeing him anymore," Xander continued to ramble as he was loosening the bolts on the engine mounts. "And Riley, man it's a wonder he doesn't end up with something that will kill him some day."

"Yep," Oz continued to agree, thinking how Willow had told him the same thing the other night.

"Man, I wish for one day Angel had to come in and fix his own car," Xander sighed. "Just one day, and then maybe he'd respect his car more and not abuse it the way he does."

"Never happen," Oz mumbled as he worked on the clutch. "Totally stripped the gears this time."

"Man, that's new- he usually only strips one or two," Xander snorted, his sarcasm thick as he finally got the last bolt loose. "Okay, ready to lift this now worthless piece of crap out of here?"

Hank kept back and listened to the boys list what Angel had done to the car. In the past, he had assumed Buffy was lying just to get Angel in trouble. He never thought to ask the other mechanics since they never complained about how the driver had treated his car.

"Anya is supposed to stop over when she is done helping Harmony out," Xander said as he hoisted the engine up and away from inside the front of the car. "She was telling me that Harmony was blowing a gasket about Buffy and Spike."

"Really?" Oz asked as he walked over to throw the ruined clutch in the garbage pile.

"Yeah, she said it looked like Spike is interested in our Buffy," Xander continued to gossip.

"Cool," Oz replied.

Hank knew he would not be able to depend on them to help him keep Buffy away from Spike. They seemed all for her being with Spike. He would also have to have a talk with Faith about this assumed affair she was having with a married man who happened to be his lead driver. He would have to nip that in the bud if he planned on her and Carpenter getting together. Hank quietly backed out of the garage and walked back to his office to await his middle daughter's arrival.

*******

Buffy refused to let her father get her down. She walked up to his office door and knocked, determined she was not going to let him stop her from seeing Spike. She had seen right through his plan of wanting Spike to hook up with Faith. She was going to do everything in her power not to let that happen.

"Come in," her father called out.

She opened the door and walked in with a forced smile on her face. She kept thinking about the kiss Spike had given her before leaving the racetrack. He had told her he'd couldn't wait until tonight and for her not to plan on coming home.

"You wanted to talk to me," she stated as she moved to sit down in the chair in front of her father's desk.

"Yes, Angel came to see me, pretty upset," Hank informed her, accented with an intimidating stare.

"That's nothing new. He always comes to complain when I tell you he damaged the car for no reason," Buffy defended herself. "But you are just as bad for continuing to let him do it."

"Buffy! Stop! This is none of your concern. I pay you to fix the cars, nothing more," Hank yelled. "Can't you just do as you are told?"

"Fine, if all you want to do is waste money on him, go right a head," Buffy sat back and told her father, finally realizing it didn't matter anymore. "Consider me the roll model garage slave that will do as her master says."

Hank smiled at that as he added, "Good, then you will go and relieve Oz and help Xander tonight on the engine."

"Nope, have plans," Buffy said as she stood up to leave. "I'm off the clock and have tomorrow to get the Angel mobile ready for the race. But you will not stop me from seeing Spike, and if you really want this little business deal to happen, don't try and come between us."

Hank found himself speechless as he watched his daughter stand up and walk away from him. He could see it was going to take some convincing to make her see she was not going to win this battle. She was not woman enough to hold someone like Spike's attention for very long. She was not the type of woman a man such as Carpenter would want to marry.

*******

Spike walked into the hotel lobby, whistling with a relaxed smile on his face that Giles had not seen since the boy stopped racing. He wondered what had happened to bring that smile back.

"What has you in such a happy mood?" Giles asked.

Spike just looked at his stepfather as he told him, "Buffy."

"Buffy?" Giles asked. The name was familiar when it suddenly came to him- Buffy was Hank Summers' middle daughter.

"Buffy Anne Summers," Spike said as he thought again about that last kiss. "What can you tell me about the family?"

Giles smiled, wondering if he should tell him that Dru had told him and Jenny that her brother was going to find his soul mate in Sunnydale. But he decided against it for now because he knew how Dru's predictions affected the young man.

"Come, let us get a seat and wait for Wesley," Giles suggested. "He knows more about the personal family details."

The two men walked toward the hotel bar. Giles practically could feel the energy pouring off the young man. "Tell me a little of what you saw at the track."

"Nice little place, the garage is clean and up to date," Spike told him as they grabbed a table to wait for Wesley. "The mechanics seem to know their stuff, and of course, Angel is still the poof he was before I stopped racing."

"So, would it be a good investment?" Giles inquired.

"Little birdie did tell me to watch my assets," Spike answered. "There is something about Hank I don't like. Definitely don't trust the man."

"So, maybe we should see about another racetrack?" Giles felt the need to ask.

"No, not yet," Spike hurried to say. "I think we need to wait and see if he wants to negotiate with us first."

"Really, is that it, or are you more interested in his daughter Buffy?" Giles felt inclined to ask.

"She could be a reason," Spike hedged. "But it is also a nice little track, just questionable ownership is all. But we can work on that, I think."

"Really, how?" Giles asked, for he was intrigued with what the young man had to say about this.

"We have one of our own accountant's work the books," Spike suggested.

"Good day, gentlemen," Wesley said in greeting as he took a seat in front of Spike. "Hope all went well after we left?"

"Right as rain, mate," Spike smiled, thinking how delicious Buffy would have looked if it had rained while she was wearing that special little tee shirt.

"So, did you get a tour of the track?" Wesley asked, hoping to hear more about how things looked from Spike's point of view.

"Right from the middle daughter herself," Spike answered. "Care to tell me about her?"

"She was Hank's daughter from his first marriage. She came to live with him after her mother's death." Wesley tried to remember what he could. "Not much to tell really."

"Now how does Faith fit into this?" Spike asked.

"He adopted Faith when he married her mother. He has doted on her as if she was his own flesh and blood, it would seem," Wesley told him. "Seems she is the apple of her father's eye, that one. She can do no wrong and has been given the best of everything."

"The youngest then?" Spike asked.

"Dawn is the natural child of Hank and his wife Maggie. She is the little princess of the Summers' castle," Wesley answered. "Tell me, Spike, where are you going with this?"

"Seems Spike is interested in Buffy," Giles told him, wanting to meet this girl that caught his boy's attention. He truly did love Spike as if he was his own son and would do anything to see that he was happy.

"Really?" Wesley asked, thinking the girl must be special to get Spike's attention.

"Yeah, really," Spike said as he sent Giles a glare that the older man chose to ignore.

"A little birdie also told him to watch out for his assets," Giles said as he gave Wesley a meaningful glance. "Spike thinks we should make sure one of our accountants runs the books."

"I think that would be a splendid ideal. Good thing I had that put in the contract," Wesley said as he gave them a cocky grin. "This is what you pay me for, is it not?" Not only that, both of you are like family, and I would feel terrible if I did not make sure all the T's were crossed and the I's dotted."

"That is what I love about you," Giles chuckled. "You are more thorough then the CIA, IRS, or Her Majesty's Secret Service."

"Yeah, we have WWP," Spike added.

"Funny, ha, ha, ha." Wesley snorted with a roll of his eyes as the two men teased him like always. Working for Giles had never felt like a job, but more like taking care of the family assets.

"So, more about Buffy?" Wesley asked, feeling like his friend had noticed something special about the girl.

"Just that she interests me enough, I want to know her better," Spike answered, knowing neither man present would make him feel stupid about this. "I asked her to dinner tonight."

"Good, good," Giles said as he patted him on the back. "I'm happy for you and hope you will introduce her before I leave."

"Same here, mate, would love to meet the girl that caught your attention," Wesley agreed.

"One problem- I don't think Hank wants me to be interested in Buffy, but in Faith." Spike figured he could trust these two men with his suspicions. "I get the impression he doesn’t care too much for Buffy."

"Hmmm, do you think that might become a problem?" Giles asked, making sure Spike understood he would back him no matter what.

"If so, it's Hank's problem, not mine." Spike made sure he let them know his interests were in Buffy. "Haven't met the oldest and not sure if I want to."

"She is a piece of work, is what I'm told." Wesley decided to be up front. "I hear she is seeing Angel on the side."

"Well, that tells me all I need to know," Spike said. He had already figured out he wouldn't like Faith without even having met the woman.

"Maybe we can have drinks before dinner with you and Buffy, if you don't mind?" Giles asked, wanting more than ever to meet her. Something told him he was going to like her.

"I'm fine with the drinks before dinner, but dinner is just me and Buffy." Spike made sure they understood he wanted time alone with her.

"Great, we will meet for drinks and then leave you to wine and dine your girl," Wesley said, giving him a knowing wink.

"Thanks, mate, I think you're right- she is my girl." Spike said as he smiled to himself, thinking he had found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Giles knew he had an important call to make. He needed to tell Jenny that she might need to arrange to visit Sunnydale in the near future. He was sure he was about to meet his future daughter-in-law tonight.

*******





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