Chapter Thirty
Crystal got out of the taxicab, glaring at the cabby as he tried to look down the front of her coat. Slamming the door, she turned to the row of brick fronted townhouses, her heart slamming in her chest. The heels of her shoes clicked loudly on the pavement, the neighborhood eerily quiet, it seemed. Her eyes darted left and right, as if she expected an attack to come at any minute. She was pretty sure that Willow had called Johnny as soon as she slammed the door, and her mind was rapidly trying to come up with ways to convince him that it had been a misunderstanding. She didn’t see herself having much luck.
She pulled her keys out of her pocket and inserted them in the wood and glass front door, sighing in relief when the door swung open.
“Johnny, baby?” she called, stepping into the wide foyer and glancing around it’s white expanse. She glanced up the sapphire carpeted steps to see if he was coming down, then shut the door to walk into the living room on her left. The room was dominated by two large, white L-shaped leather couches. They sat facing each other around a smoked glass coffee table. Jewel tone pillows were thrown across them. Along the back wall was a mahogany bar, the surface gleaming. Sheer white curtains hung over the end unit’s main window. On either side, a large palm plant sat in large clay pots. An entertainment armoire sat opposite the window, the doors closed on the big screen tv. To the right of her, hanging on the wall, were the three platinum records their first album earned. The second was expected to do the same. The first single had already started climbing the charts, the album set to be released the following month.
“Johnny?” she called again, walking back out to the foyer and climbing the steps. When she reached the top, she walked down the short hall to the master bedroom, her heart in her throat as she twisted the knob. “Johnny? Where are you, baby?”
“Right here,” came his smooth voice. She turned away from the black sheeted king size bed to look at the window. There he was, staring out the glass to the street below. One hand was braced on the wall, the other shoved into the pocket of his jeans.
“Hi. Didn’t you hear me calling you?” She put on a bright smile and walked over to him, sliding a hand up his bare back. He really was beautifully built, well muscled and almost graceful. Too bad he just wasn’t the one she wanted.
“Yeah,” was all he said. He didn’t turn to look at her, or respond to the warm hand sliding across his skin.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t sound as fearful as she thought it did.
“Where’ve you been?” A questioned answered with a question, never a good thing.
“Oh, I just had a couple of errands to do,” she told him, turning to walk to the other side of the room to her dresser. She started pulling out random clothes, not really seeing what she was grabbing.
“In a raincoat?” He turned around then, and smirked at the guilty look that flashed across her face before she could cover it up. Stupid little bitch, he thought nastily.
“Well, I heard it might rain.” A nervous laugh filled the air.
“Uh, huh. Why are you lying to me? I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised, but it’s annoying as hell.” His long legs carried him over to her, and before she could protest, he had the coat torn open to reveal her lush, nude form underneath.
“Errands huh? Planning on giving the butcher a peep show? Or maybe you were at Mark’s?” Crystal pushed away from him and grabbed the lapels of her coat, wrapping them tightly around herself.
“What if I was? You can’t tell me what to do.” She tossed her head defiantly, her tawny eyes glittering.
“Oh? Is that so? Well, I happen to think otherwise.” The dangerous glint in his eyes had her taking a step back, her hip connecting painfully with the dresser. “Get your shit and get out. The ONLY reason it isn’t already in the gutter where you deserve to be, is because I actually wanted to see if you would tell me the truth.”
“But, baby. It’s not what it looks like.” She stepped towards him again, lightly drawing her manicured nails over his chest and abdomen. She cried out when his fingers clasped around hers painfully.
“It looks like you tried to go over to my cousin’s house and offer yourself up for some fun. And since I just talked to Willow, I think that pretty much confirms it.” He flung her hands away from him and moved to sit on the bed. His face was set in a hard mask, his eyes two chips of black ice. Nobody fucked with his family. “You are just too stupid, you know that? Mark would NEVER cheat on Willow. Especially not with the likes of you.”
“That isn’t what you were saying last night, when I was riding you into oblivion,” she sneered. She started to grab her clothes with jerky movements, anger searing through her. He snorted at that, and shook his head.
“Oh, you definitely have your uses. But that’s all they are.”
“So, you used me?” she gasped.
“Oh, like you didn’t use me. I’ve been Mark’s substitute since we got together.” Her smile would have made his blood run cold had he cared. All he wanted was for her to leave.
“So, how did it feel knowing I was thinking about Mark while you were fucking me? That you were just a cheap imitation to me?” Fury raged in her veins when he started to laugh.
“You think I care? I knew what you were about. You’re not as slick as you think you are sweetheart. And why the hell am I going to turn down a free lay? You wanted to think that you could use me to get to Mark, and I let you think that. Who’s the fool now? Cause all you’ve gotten out of this deal is a few months warming my sheets, and a quick get the fuck out. Your services are no longer needed,” he said with a sneer.
“Don’t fuck with me. I’m not just some stupid little groupie that you can push around,” she spat, throwing her clothes into a large suitcase.
“Ooh. I’m scared. See me shivering? Don’t care Crystal. Just get out. I’m done with you.” He watched her with eagle eyes as she moved around the room getting her stuff. He wanted to make sure nothing of his got packed.
“Just wait,” she hissed, closing the suitcase and standing. “You and Mark both think I’m just something to toss aside. And that little bitch. You wait.” She turned to leave, only to get whipped back around to face off with a very pissed off man.
“You stay the fuck away from Willow, do you understand me?” Fear flickered through her eyes. She studied him for a long minute, her stomach rolling uneasily. A slow, almost cat-like smile spread across her wide mouth, at what she thought she saw in his eyes.
“You’re in love with her.” It wasn’t a question. Delighted laughter filled the air at that.
“No. I’m not. And don’t even think about spreading your lies, because it will just be a waste of breath on your part,” he warned, his eyes narrowing into slits. All she did was chuckle, deciding that his unrequited love for the redhead would be more than enough revenge for him. Not for the other two, however.
“Whatever, Johnny. I’ll be seeing you.” She pulled away from him, gave a little wave, then turned on her heel and walked out. He could still hear her laughter long after the front door closed.
~*~*~
“Hello, Will.” Rupert looked up from the paperwork on his desk, a smile curving his mouth.
“Hey Dad.” Spike walked into the office that had once been Joyce’s, and sank into the same chair he had sat in five years before.
“What’s wrong?”
“What makes you think anything is wrong?” The look Rupert gave him had him chuckling. “Nothing is really ‘wrong’. Just have a lot on my mind.” Spike ran a hand through his hair.
“Want to talk about it?” The blonde looked at his father for a minute, wondering if he should just go ahead and tell him.
“I guess I should. But no lecturing.” Giles chuckled at that, and sat back in his chair. He took the liberty to study his son, while the younger man took a moment to collect his thoughts. He was pleased to see a look of happiness around him that he hadn’t seen in a long time. “I’m thinking about racing again.” There, it was out, and he felt lighter for it. However, the look of pure terror that crossed Rupert’s face was enough to slam guilt into him tenfold.
“What did you say?” came the response, his father’s words laced with disbelief. Spike sighed, wondering why he thought this was going to be easy.
“I’m thinking about racing again,” he repeated, staring Giles straight in the eye.
“Are you daft?” The older man gasped, feeling his stomach start to churn. “What about your eyes?”
“I can work around it. Already been in contact with the licensing committee. There are certain things that I have to do to the car, but I can do it.”
“What does Buffy say?” Giles was confident that she wouldn’t let him go through with this nonsense. The guilty look on his son’s face told him a lot. “You haven’t told her yet.” Spike shook his head, dropping his eyes from his father’s.
“No. Not yet. But I will before I make my final decision.”
“Don’t you think she has the right to know that you’re even considering it? You lost each other over this damn sport once already.”
“I know that Dad. And I WILL tell her. I’m not just going to decide and say ‘here it is, deal with it.’ She’s as much a part of the decision as I am.”
“Well, I’m glad you understand that. I’m a bit disappointed that you’re willing to risk yourself again.” Spike’s eyes locked with his father’s and saw the fear. He sighed heavily and leaned forward.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Dad. It’s what I love. I’m not even saying for sure that I’m going to do it. Or even do it more than the one time. I just. . .have to see if I still can. I don’t care if I come in last, fifty laps down. I have to prove it to myself.”
“It sounds like you’ve already decided,” Giles accused. He was surprised at how calm he was being. Maybe he’d already known that it was a possibility. Spike thought about that for a second, and shook his head.
“No. Because if Buffy objects too badly, I won’t do it. I’d like to do it again, but not at the risk of losing her.” That was the first thing Spike had said since he walked in that made Rupert smile.
“I’m pleased to hear that. I don’t know what you want me to say, Will.”
“I just needed to know if you would be supportive.” Giles removed his glasses and started cleaning them, heaving a deep breath.
“If that is what you want to do, I will be there for you. I will say that I hope you choose not to do this. I don’t know if my heart can take it.” Spike smiled at that.
“I’ll try not to give you a heart attack.”
“Rupert, I need you to look at this. . .Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was in here.” Anya breezed through the office door, a folder in one hand. She smiled brightly at him, despite the flair of resentment she saw in his eyes. It was going to take some time for him to accept her. Giles rose to his feet, a smile immediately coming to his lips. Spike saw the look of happiness on his father’s face, and dropped his eyes.
“Anya, I would like you to meet my son, William. William this is Anya.” Spike rose to his feet and took her hand.
“Anya, pleasure to meet you with your clothes on.” Giles’ face flamed at the reference, but all Anya did was smile.
“Yes, it is. That was a rather embarrassing situation, wasn’t it?” She stepped back, not looking the least bit uncomfortable. Spike had to give her points for that.
“Yeah. Hey Dad, I’m going to go. Have to pick up Dawn. I’ll call you.”
“Oh, wait. You should come to dinner on Friday. Bring Buffy, too.” Spike’s eyes shot to his father, then back to Anya.
“Uhm, I don’t know. . .”
“I won’t take no for an answer. Rupert, tell your son to come to dinner.” Giles looked between the two, feeling at a loss. As much as he wanted the two to get along, he didn’t want to push Spike into accepting her, he had to do it in his own time.
“Will, if you would like to, we would be happy to have you.” Spike just stood there for a minute, not knowing what to say.
“I’ll talk to Buffy,” he finally said. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“That would be fine.”
“Alright, then. Anya.” He turned and left the office, his footsteps echoing down the hall.
“Was I too pushy?” Anya asked, holding the file she had out to him.
“No, dear. That was fine. He’s just going to need some time.” He opened the folder and sat down, leafing through the invoices inside.
“I know. But I thought that maybe in a group setting, he’d be alright.” She walked around the desk to point out what she needed him to see, and slid a hand across his back.
“He may be. He wants to race again.” Anya blinked at the subject change, her heart clenching at the fear she heard in his voice.
“You knew it was possible,” she said softly, stroking her fingers through his hair. His eyes drifted closed at her touch, the tension he’d had since Spike dropped his news lessening.
“I know that. It doesn’t make it any easier to accept.”
“He needs to do what he feels is best for him.”
“I know. I already almost lost him once. What if he’s not so lucky the next time?” Giles’ voice was thick with the horror that statement brought on. Anya continued to stroke his back, lending him strength to let his son find his own way.
~*~*~
Angel drove through town, wondering why he ever came back to this little piss ant of a town. He’d hated every minute here while he was growing up, and could hardly wait to get out to go to college. The only reason he’d come home then was to see Buffy. And that had been a fine waste of time.
Bitterness ran through him at the thought of how much time he had put into her. No girl before and no girl since had been that much trouble. Even Fred, who had been just as much of a virgin as Buffy was when he met her, had been easier to get into bed.
The thought of his wife caused a smile to curve his lip. He certainly had picked that one out well. Shy and quiet, and eager to please, she was the perfect wife for him. And the fact that she was from money, well, that just made it all sweeter. Her father had nearly fallen over himself to welcome Angel into the family, since he had been pretty sure that Fred would never find anyone to marry.
She had started out as a challenge, much like Buffy. In fact he had just gone after the girl to try to make himself feel better after Buffy hit him with the frying pan. Then he had found out just WHO she was, and the rest had been history. Life had been smooth sailing since then.
Then he had seen her in the grocery store, and all the anger he’d felt just came flooding back. As well as all the desire. If possible, she had gotten even better looking over the years. That had just made his failure with her even more tough to swallow. He’d decided to try again, thinking that now that they were older, she’d be more responsive. The fact that he had a wife and child hadn’t even entered his mind.
Then that Indian had gone and gotten involved, butting into something that had nothing to do with him. If it hadn’t been for the fact that they were in a public place, he would have taken care of that half breed. Nobody got in his way. Nobody. When he got home, he hadn’t even been able to take out his foul mood on his brother, because the little shit had sucker punched him. Connor had been doing a good job of avoiding him since then.
Angel was locked firmly in his thoughts of retribution against his brother and Mark when something caught his eye. His head swiveled around and he strained to see the couple that was walking down the sidewalk. Sure enough, there was Spike, with what looked to be a very grown up Dawn walking into a jewelry store. His eyes narrowed at what they could be doing, jealousy raging through him at the only logical conclusion.
Well, that just wouldn’t do. Not at all. With a sharp turn of the wheel, Angel turned the next corner, all thoughts of picking up milk thrown from his head. Spike had been the reason he’d lost Buffy in the first place. Ever since that stupid Brit had come to town, she had drawn her knees up tighter than a nun’s. Something would have to be done about him. It didn’t matter to Angel that it had been five years before. He could hold a grudge a long time. And now it was time for payback.