Chapter 15: The Obvious Answer
They had been back for almost a week. Their wounds were healing and everything was returning to the way it had been before. Spike leaned against a huge plate glass window in his spacious black and chrome office. He idly played with a silver letter opener. The sharp object flipped end over end as Spike tossed it, first catching the handle then the blade. Handle. Blade. Handle. Blade.
A knock sounded on the door. "Come in." Spike's fidgeting continued even as he turned his head to see who was at the door.
Lucas entered. "Hey." He seated himself in front of Spike's big black granite desk.
Spike turned back to the window. "What's up?"
Lucas shrugged. "Not much." He watched Spike for a few moments as he continued to play with the letter opener. He took a breath to comment but let it out and just raised an eyebrow in question.
Spike didn't turn around. "What are you doing here then? You said you had meetings all afternoon."
His assistant scowled darkly. "No, I said you had meetings all afternoon. As I recall, I had to take over after you fell asleep in the first two."
Spike smirked at the window. "Semantics."
Lucas rose from his chair in irritation. "No, not semantics. This is the job, Spike. I know you don't want it but you agreed to do it."
The amusement drained from the former cowboy's face. His voice was somber. "I know." He turned flat, emotionless eyes on his friend. "What's on the agenda?"
"Nothing, right now. I already attended all your meetings for this afternoon."
Spike looked seriously back at him. "Thanks, Lucas."
He nodded, somewhat appeased, and sat back down in the leather chair he'd inhabited previously. "Andy is settling in. I've got her on payroll as a bodyguard."
Spike smiled weakly. "At least something's working out well."
Lucas flashed a silly grin. "Yeah."
"I take it you two are an official item then."
Lucas nodded, still smiling. "And I couldn't be happier."
Just then, another knock sounded at the door. "Come in." Both men said in unison, looking at each other with amusement.
Andy poked her head into the room before coming the rest of the way in. "Am I interrupting?"
"No." Lucas stood and grinned at the red haired woman in the doorway. "You're never an interruption."
Andy grinned. "You're so sweet."
Spike rolled his eyes. "Lucas was just telling me I have to actually go to my meetings from now on. Imagine that."
Andy frowned in thought, tugging absently on the sling her arm rested in.
"It was a figure of speech, Andy. I didn't mean it literally." Spike added, observing her expression.
She returned a wry smile. "I got that."
Lucas asked, "Why so reflective then?"
"Spike, you hate this job, right?" Andy appeared to be working through a train of thought.
"Yeah. I thought I made that pretty clear." Spike was ironic.
"And you stayed with the Dragons because there was no one else to take your place?"
Spike nodded, growing impatient. "Do you have a point?"
"Bear with me. How does one become the leader of the Red Dragons?"
Lucas answered this time. "You'd have to either kill the current leader or be appointed by him."
Andy smiled slyly at Spike. "And why haven't you appointed someone else?"
"Because there is no one else. I've already said that." Spike growled pulling a cigarette from his jacket pocket and flicking a plain stainless steel lighter open. He lit it expertly and dropped the lighter back into his pocket.
"You could appoint anyone you wanted to."
"But if the person he appoints is incompetent or power hungry the people that depend on the Syndicate for their daily lives will suffer. The Syndicate would fall apart under poor management." Lucas joined the conversation once again. "There aren't any good candidates. I've looked."
Andy laughed brightly and pointed at him with her good hand. "What about you?"
Spike turned to look at Lucas, sudden interest on his face. "Yeah, what about you, Lucas? You're perfect. Why weren't you on the list of candidates."
"I'm just an assistant." Lucas wore a stunned expression.
"Yeah, right. You're 'just' an assistant like I'm a rodeo clown." Andy smirked at the two men.
Lucas shook his head. "It won't work. The elders won't approve it."
"Why don't we ask them that? You've proven yourself to be a competent businessman as well as a fearless warrior. It doesn't hurt to try." Andy wore a look that indicated she believed she'd already won.
"Sounds like a plan." Spike smoked his cigarette, smiling happily for the first time in a long time.
Andy looked to Lucas. "What do you say, Lucas? Want to lead the Red Dragons?"
Lucas glanced back and forth between the two. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, Spike doesn't want to and I have been doing this sort of work all of my life."
"But do you want to?" Spike's voice was soft as he spoke to his friend, trying to gauge his real motivation.
Lucas smiled. "Yeah, I think I do. It would be a challenge."
Spike crushed his spent cigarette in the ashtray on the desk and picked up the phone. He dialed and spoke quietly with first a secretary and then the head of the elders. "I have a successor." He paused to listen. "Lucas." Another pause. "Yeah." The other two strained to hear the other end of the conversation without success. "Uh-huh. How about now?" Pause. "Great." He hung up the phone.
"And?" The newly hired bodyguard questioned.
Spike grinned and saluted Lucas. "Hail to the chief."
"They allowed it?" Lucas was breathless.
Spike nodded. "They didn't even sound surprised."
Andy bounced and threw her good arm around Lucas' neck. "That's awesome!" She kissed him chastely on the lips before proclaiming. "You'll be wonderful."
"I'll try." The couple smiled and gazed sappily into each other's eyes.
Spike rolled his eyes and headed for the door. Pulling another cigarette from his jacket as he walked. "You two are gross."
"Where are you going?" Lucas called without breaking his hold on Andy.
Spike grinned back at them. "Home. Where else?"
"Spike!" Andy called, stopping him at the door. He turned to look at her quizzically. She winked. "See you later, cowboy."
Spike made a Western-like gesture, tipping a hat to her before opening the door. He left the building without a backward glance.
tbc(I swear this is almost the end)
They had been back for almost a week. Their wounds were healing and everything was returning to the way it had been before. Spike leaned against a huge plate glass window in his spacious black and chrome office. He idly played with a silver letter opener. The sharp object flipped end over end as Spike tossed it, first catching the handle then the blade. Handle. Blade. Handle. Blade.
A knock sounded on the door. "Come in." Spike's fidgeting continued even as he turned his head to see who was at the door.
Lucas entered. "Hey." He seated himself in front of Spike's big black granite desk.
Spike turned back to the window. "What's up?"
Lucas shrugged. "Not much." He watched Spike for a few moments as he continued to play with the letter opener. He took a breath to comment but let it out and just raised an eyebrow in question.
Spike didn't turn around. "What are you doing here then? You said you had meetings all afternoon."
His assistant scowled darkly. "No, I said you had meetings all afternoon. As I recall, I had to take over after you fell asleep in the first two."
Spike smirked at the window. "Semantics."
Lucas rose from his chair in irritation. "No, not semantics. This is the job, Spike. I know you don't want it but you agreed to do it."
The amusement drained from the former cowboy's face. His voice was somber. "I know." He turned flat, emotionless eyes on his friend. "What's on the agenda?"
"Nothing, right now. I already attended all your meetings for this afternoon."
Spike looked seriously back at him. "Thanks, Lucas."
He nodded, somewhat appeased, and sat back down in the leather chair he'd inhabited previously. "Andy is settling in. I've got her on payroll as a bodyguard."
Spike smiled weakly. "At least something's working out well."
Lucas flashed a silly grin. "Yeah."
"I take it you two are an official item then."
Lucas nodded, still smiling. "And I couldn't be happier."
Just then, another knock sounded at the door. "Come in." Both men said in unison, looking at each other with amusement.
Andy poked her head into the room before coming the rest of the way in. "Am I interrupting?"
"No." Lucas stood and grinned at the red haired woman in the doorway. "You're never an interruption."
Andy grinned. "You're so sweet."
Spike rolled his eyes. "Lucas was just telling me I have to actually go to my meetings from now on. Imagine that."
Andy frowned in thought, tugging absently on the sling her arm rested in.
"It was a figure of speech, Andy. I didn't mean it literally." Spike added, observing her expression.
She returned a wry smile. "I got that."
Lucas asked, "Why so reflective then?"
"Spike, you hate this job, right?" Andy appeared to be working through a train of thought.
"Yeah. I thought I made that pretty clear." Spike was ironic.
"And you stayed with the Dragons because there was no one else to take your place?"
Spike nodded, growing impatient. "Do you have a point?"
"Bear with me. How does one become the leader of the Red Dragons?"
Lucas answered this time. "You'd have to either kill the current leader or be appointed by him."
Andy smiled slyly at Spike. "And why haven't you appointed someone else?"
"Because there is no one else. I've already said that." Spike growled pulling a cigarette from his jacket pocket and flicking a plain stainless steel lighter open. He lit it expertly and dropped the lighter back into his pocket.
"You could appoint anyone you wanted to."
"But if the person he appoints is incompetent or power hungry the people that depend on the Syndicate for their daily lives will suffer. The Syndicate would fall apart under poor management." Lucas joined the conversation once again. "There aren't any good candidates. I've looked."
Andy laughed brightly and pointed at him with her good hand. "What about you?"
Spike turned to look at Lucas, sudden interest on his face. "Yeah, what about you, Lucas? You're perfect. Why weren't you on the list of candidates."
"I'm just an assistant." Lucas wore a stunned expression.
"Yeah, right. You're 'just' an assistant like I'm a rodeo clown." Andy smirked at the two men.
Lucas shook his head. "It won't work. The elders won't approve it."
"Why don't we ask them that? You've proven yourself to be a competent businessman as well as a fearless warrior. It doesn't hurt to try." Andy wore a look that indicated she believed she'd already won.
"Sounds like a plan." Spike smoked his cigarette, smiling happily for the first time in a long time.
Andy looked to Lucas. "What do you say, Lucas? Want to lead the Red Dragons?"
Lucas glanced back and forth between the two. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, Spike doesn't want to and I have been doing this sort of work all of my life."
"But do you want to?" Spike's voice was soft as he spoke to his friend, trying to gauge his real motivation.
Lucas smiled. "Yeah, I think I do. It would be a challenge."
Spike crushed his spent cigarette in the ashtray on the desk and picked up the phone. He dialed and spoke quietly with first a secretary and then the head of the elders. "I have a successor." He paused to listen. "Lucas." Another pause. "Yeah." The other two strained to hear the other end of the conversation without success. "Uh-huh. How about now?" Pause. "Great." He hung up the phone.
"And?" The newly hired bodyguard questioned.
Spike grinned and saluted Lucas. "Hail to the chief."
"They allowed it?" Lucas was breathless.
Spike nodded. "They didn't even sound surprised."
Andy bounced and threw her good arm around Lucas' neck. "That's awesome!" She kissed him chastely on the lips before proclaiming. "You'll be wonderful."
"I'll try." The couple smiled and gazed sappily into each other's eyes.
Spike rolled his eyes and headed for the door. Pulling another cigarette from his jacket as he walked. "You two are gross."
"Where are you going?" Lucas called without breaking his hold on Andy.
Spike grinned back at them. "Home. Where else?"
"Spike!" Andy called, stopping him at the door. He turned to look at her quizzically. She winked. "See you later, cowboy."
Spike made a Western-like gesture, tipping a hat to her before opening the door. He left the building without a backward glance.
tbc(I swear this is almost the end)