Title: Hank
Author: Joy
Email: SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com
"How'd you sleep?" Angel asked a bleary eyed Spike who was up to go tell Hank off for the treatment of his daughter…actually daughters, plural. "What are you wearing?" the older vampire asked.
"Shut up, Peaches," Spike snapped wearing kacky pants, a light blue button up shirt, with a navy tie and coat. "This is my presentable outfit for when I see Mr. Summers, which will be very soon!"
Angel raised an eyebrow, "Remember the girls do need his help financially."
"I remember," he hissed as he heated his breakfast blood.
"What should I tell Dawn when she comes down?" the souled one asked.
Spike smirked, "To call Buffy… I already popped in on her to say what I was up to… She wanted to come watch but I told her to sleep… I don't think I could be more thankful for these rainy days in California."
Angel sipped at his own breakfast. "I…I spoke to Hank once… I lost my temper at his arrogance and flippantness. Don't let him bait you."
"Thanks, Peaches. But it finally made sense to me last night… The man lost all goodness in his life when he lost Joyce and the girls. Now all he has is money. That is how I will appeal to him."
"What are you talking about?" Angel asked suspiciously.
"Last night he did what amounts to child endangerment… A powerful man who makes good money won't want his earning potential to suddenly plummet by charges being brought against him. Nor would he want his firm be sued as being a willing participant in avoiding his financial and parental responsibilities," Spike said like a good lawyer would.
"How do you know the company has been doing that?" the older vamp asked.
"I've heard the run around they have given Buffy. I also know from a letter Wesley wrote to Giles that Hank was in town and not out of the country when Joyce died. The company covered from him then."
"He doesn't work for Wolfram and Hart does he cause that would be bad news."
"No he doesn't… If he did then I could sort of understand," Spike said calmly. "I got to go… Made an appointment with the bastards secretary last weak in case anything like this occurred."
"Good luck," Angel said with a smile.
"Whatever…Luck and vamps don't mix, you know that."
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"Hello Mr. Ansley… How may I help you?" Hank Summers said sitting in his three-piece suit behind a large mahogany desk.
With his most polished English accent Spike said, "Well Mr. Summers I am actually here to help you. You see you haven't been financially supporting your youngest daughter and while she's been in your care this week you left your fifteen year old daughter with a complete stranger."
Mr. Summers face fell, "Who are you? I've talked to my eldest daughter about child support. She said she wouldn't involve lawyers."
Spike smirked, "You're daughter didn't send me… In fact this has nothing to do with Buffy, Mr. Summers."
Hank blanched at the fact the man in his office knew his elder daughter's name. "I think you should leave."
"Fine… In that case I will be making a formal complaint of child endangerment to the police. Have a nice day," Spike said as he began to leave.
"Who are you really? If you're with Social Services, please keep Dawn with Buffy where she belongs. I can't take care of her. You can see that…"
"What I see is it's more like you won't take care of her… You see Mr. Summers, I've had a private investigator look into you and your lack of availability for your daughter. It seems your firm has a habit of lying for you about your location to dodge your responsibility," he spoke clipped staring the man down. "The fact that you were magically detained and unreachable in a foreign country when your ex-wife past even though you were in the town makes me wonder about what else they cover for you. It would be such a shame to sully the good name of this establishment by a lawsuit. After all they did aid you in dodging child support payments."
"What do you want?" Mr. Summers said becoming angry.
Spike put his feet up on the man's desk and said, "Justice…but I'll take you actually taking care of your daughters. Spend some time with your daughter while she is visiting. Other then that I want you to pay, literally… for every expense either of your daughters has until they each reach the age of twenty-five. If you don't like my terms then be very aware I don't make idol threats… If I hear of any other major oversights on your part toward your daughters I will be more then willing to take the nice notarized statement I made of your neglect to the police."
Hank and Spike stared at each other. "It won't be taken seriously…Why would it?"
"Because, I, Mr. Summers, am the man you entrusted your fifteen year old daughter to overnight, with no way to reach you, your office covering for you and I, as you recall, met you for the first time this morning after the statement was notarized… Now what were you saying about it not being taken seriously?" he said smoothly.
Hank blinked a few times and looked over the man before him. "You've been waiting for me to make a mistake like that haven't you?"
"No… But I figured last night why not use it to your daughters advantage… Now I need your John Hancock right here," Spike said producing a typed document from his pocket.
"What is this?"
"This is the written agreement that states you will provide for every need your daughters, Buffy Ann Summers and Dawn Louise Summers, have until their twenty fifth birthday's."
"You, Mr. Ansley, cover all your bases, don't you?" Hank said grudgingly as he sighed the document.
"Well Mr. Summers, I love your daughters and I want to protect them, especially from you." When Spike had the document back in hand he smiled at the father of his beloved girls and said, "Nice doing business with you and have a nice day. Hopefully, we will never see each other again."
"Hopefully," Hank answered as the strange blond man left his office. He pressed the button to intercom to his secretary, "Gloria?"
"Yes Sir."
"From now on if my daughters call put them through."
"Yes Sir."
Hank sat at his desk and said to himself, "At least I can claim them both as dependents again."
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"Spike!" Dawn shouted running to him. "How'd it go?"
"Beautifully," Spike said holding coat & tie in hand. "Look what I have for you." He handed Dawn the statement her father had sighed.
The excited scream of the teenager went up causing the generally unobservant Angel Investigations to take notice. "I can't believe it…We have to call Buffy," Dawn said quickly tugging on his hand.
"What is that?" Angel asked.
"He got my dad to put in writing he was finically responsible for Buffy and I until we're twenty five…Can you believe it?"
"Wow…" Cordelia exclaimed. "Spike can you work my father over."
"Sorry prom queen… I don't have anything on your daddy to bargain with," Spike answered.
"Come on…" Dawn tugged at Spike toward Wesley's office.
"Oh no… Last time he talked to Buffy in my office my desk and wall got harmed. Find another phone," Wesley said coolly.
"Nibblet can talk to her…I don't have to."
"That's how it started last time man," Gunn said simply.
"Use the phone in the conference room," Angel instructed.
The teen dragged the blond vampire into the small room. "You ever get the feeling that it wasn't the chip that reigned in Spike's demon but that mite of a girl," Wesley asked eyeing the two slowly. Angel smiled.
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"Magic Box, how may we help you?"
"Anya, can I please speak to Buffy?"
"Sure Dawn, but not for too long. Costumers call on this line."
Dawn looked over her shoulder at Spike, "Anya's getting Buffy…" Spike nodded standing uncomfortably not really being sure how to handle another Buffy conversation. "Buffy…it's me."
Buffy smiled brightly on her end. Spike was right Dawn did call her. "Hi Dawnie. How's LA?"
"Dad sucks…but Spike is awesome. Guess what he did for us?" she said excitedly.
Buffy couldn't think of what would get Dawn this excited. "What?"
"He got dad to put in writing that he would take care of all our expenses until we each turn twenty five," Dawn explained. There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Buffy? You still there?" she asked much less excited.
Buffy was shocked. Spike had gone to see her dad. Not only that but he did something that their mother had never been able to do, which was put in writing he would care for them. "Buffy?" the phone said again.
"Yeah Dawn, I'm still here… I'm just in shock," she said spaced out. "Can I talk to Spike?"
"Uh…yeah…I guess," Dawn made a face and handed the phone to Spike who looked at it like it were a poisonous snake. "She wants to talk to you."
"I don't know pet… Does she sound mad?" Spike asked sheepishly.
"No… geez… just take the phone. You can always hang up on her if she starts yelling," Dawn advised.
Spike cautiously took the phone. "Hi luv… Please don't stake me when we get back… I was starting to look forward to seeing my room."
Buffy started to cry. "I'm not mad," she whispered her throat so full of emotion. "You don't understand what you did. Mom gave up fighting for dad to put in writing he would take care of us during the divorce. She told me later it was a waste of time and money. She knew that he wouldn't leave his girls in the lurch if anything happened to her. She didn't know how wrong she was."
Spike listened to Buffy whimper and sniffle. "Buffy don't cry…" he whispered.
"Thank you…for doing that," she whispered back.
"Your welcome luv," Spike answered playing with the telephone cord like a teenage girl. Dawn eyed him doing it, which caused Spike to promptly stop. "Dawn needs to tell you something. See you soon."
Buffy shut her eyes and sighed. "I look forward to it."
Dawn looked at Spike puzzled when he handed the phone back. "You still haven't told your sister were coming back to stay…" the vamp said putting the phone in her hand.
"Hey Buffy… I thought this was self-evident but I guess Spike thinks I need to actually tell you… We're coming home and we'll be staying."
The slayer was crying again. "Thank you," she whispered so softly. "I'll be… It will work this time Dawnie. I'll be around for you. Spike will be there for you too. You won't be alone anymore."
Dawn swallowed a few times before speaking. "I know Buffy that's why we're coming home."
"I love you Dawnie… I hope you'll believe me again… And… I figured stuff out about Spike. It may not matter, but I love him. I know that now… I'm sorry for all the things that I said that hurt you…I didn't mean to," Buffy apologized.
"Love you too Buffy. I'll see you in two days…" Dawn said and hung up. Buffy stared at the phone.
"Well its about damn time you figured out you love Spike. We all figured that out last Friday night during your fight," Anya said from behind the cash register. "Maybe now we can do couple stuff together."
"Not there yet Anya… Spike hasn't said he wants me back," Buffy said sullenly.
"The man couldn't stay away from you if he tried," the ex-demon responded.
"Actually Anya…He's done very well staying away from me. I'll just have to wait and see."
TBC…