Chapter 21
Angel told the two, Xander and Spike, that he would drive them there.
Spike and Xander nodded in agreement.
They both filed into the back and sat in comfortable silence for the first five minutes of the ride.
Angel was glad, cause he had been sure that there would be bickering between them, or between all three of them.
He thought, well, I'm going to have a great trip there.
In the backseat, Spike was alternating between thinking his own thoughts to chatting internally with Buffy, who, although she wasn't physically there, she did seem to know what was going on, and would send him some messages or tell him what Willow and Dawn would like them to know, or him to know, etc.
Xander, for the first few minutes., looked out of the window at the City of Angels. He had never been here before, so he was trying to see what he could see in the dark, before they headed back home. Then he started to glance, alternatively, between his watch and Angel.
Angel noticed his trend, and asked him,
"In a rush, Xander?"
Xander looked startled. Then he remembered that even though he couldn't see Angel in the rearview mirror, he on the other hand, was very visible.
"No...I...I was just wondering how long you think this'll all take."
"Not sure...we've three places to check and none of them are that close to either us, at the hotel, nor each other. But, I can assure you we'll be back at the hotel before dawn breaks."
"Well duh!" Xander said, rolling his eyes and leaning back in his seat to look out the window again.
Angel smiled and Spike, catching that part of the conversation, did as well.
Then he caught Xander looking at his watch and back at Angel one more time.
Realizing Xander's new habit, he laughed.
Xander was checking the time, on their bet.
Knowing that Angel would be able to overhear any conversation they had, no matter how low they spoke, he tapped Xander and pointed to his phone. Then he put it on text messaging mode and sent Xander his message.
He sent:
Scared he might turn into
the store for some
hair gel and make you
loose 10 bucks, huh?
Xander replied:
Not scared. But giving up
my well-earned money...
especially to you, Spike, is
not something I'd like to do.
Spike scoffed out loud.
Xander afraid Spike might try to lead Angel to the store by making various comments about his hair, wrote Spike:
In order to do this fair, we
ought to have some guidelines
set.
Spike replied:
I was wondering when
you'd get to that.
Xander gave him a sheepish look.
Spike then sent him:
But, if we're gonna
set up some rules, now
then we've got to get a
new time frame.
Xander:
Why?
Spike:
Cause my time is almost
bloody up? And I could
have said something way
before now if I had
wanted too. I deserve
some credit, you know.
Xander knew this was true. So he decided to be fair, with Spike.
He sent:
Okay. How about you
get the first full thirty
minutes, meaning you
now have...umm...20
minutes and I'll take the
second thirty minutes.
Spikes:
Sounds fair.
Xander:
I'm always fair.
Spike:
Bull!
Xander:
Is not. I am!
Spike:
You bloody well are not
and We're not going to get
into this now! Now tell me
what soddin' rules you
want us to bide by before I
hang up the bleedin' phone
and tell the 'Great Brooding
Poufter' that poofy, his hair
today, is not.
Xander decided to drop it, he knew Spike would do it in a heartbeat, if he got fed up enough. He decided to give the rules instead.
Okay, first rule. Neither one
of us can mention, make
remarks on the lack of,
as you say, poofiness of his hair.
Spike chuckled, but agreed by nodding his head.
Xander continued:
Second rule. We can't, neither
of us, mention going to the store,
before the hours up. Cause it
might remind him of getting some
hair gel.
Spike:
Sure. Next?
Xander:
If I fall asleep, which I might
cause humans sleep at night,
you know. You have to promise
to wake me up, if he stops by
a store. I want to make sure
he's going in and what he's
gonna buy.
Spike nodded his agreement.
Spike:
Anything else, oh 'Mighty Rule Wizard.'
Xander ignored him and continued instead:
Yeah.
Spike:
Well hurry up, mate.
He's starting to give
us weird looks.
Xander:
Okay...umm...#3. I don't keep
looking at him or my watch any
longer and you don't give him or
his hair that I've-got-a-secret
smile you give. That's just asking
him to ask you what are you
smiling at and when you
don't say anything, cause you
promised, he'll treat it like a dog
with a bone.
Spike:
Yeah...okay. Sure...
take away all my fun
why don't you?
Xander chuckled:
I live to please...oh
and Spike?
Spike:
What?
Xander:
Don't call me MATE!!
Spike burst out laughing as he ended the connection. Causing Xander to cuff him in the back of the head, narrow his eyes, and shake his head at him.
Where as usually, Xander hitting him would piss him off.
Now, it made him laugh harder.
"Shut up."
"Make me," Spike said, still laughing.
Angel, who had been giving them odd looks, now looked back and noticed that Xander seemed real annoyed with Spike.
"God help me, 'Bleach Boy', once everything is done and Buffy's back, I'm so gonna stake you."
"You and what army, Monkey Boy. You damn sure couldn't do it by yourself, whelp."
Angel thought to himself, 'So much for the quiet ride you thought you were gonna get to have. I should have known better.'
He shook his head and said,
"Now boys."
Xander and Spike looked up at him.
Xander was about to say something, but Spike stopped him by holding up his hand.
"Hey DAD?" Spike asked, an innocent look on his face.
Angel turned to his right to give Spike one of his patented, what-now-Spike looks. He sighed seeing the angelic look his childe was giving him. He knew he wasn't going to like this, but he knew Spike wouldn't drop it until he said whatever it was he was going to say. So he might as well let him have his say.
He rolled his eyes and exhaled loudly.
"What Spike?"
Spike looked at Xander, gave
him a wicked grin and winked at him, before turning back to look at Angel and
asked,
"Are we there yet?"
Xander hooted with laughter.
Angel groaned and turned his full attention back to the road. The trip would go along much smoother, he decided, if ignored them until he got there. That way, he was sure, he'd keep his sanity.
Spike and Xander just cracked up in the seat and settled down to wait and see what happened next.
Spikes time ran out on the way.
Xander ribbed him, smiled, and promptly fell asleep in the back seat.
Angel reached into a box on the front seat, he had brought from the hotel, and tossed Spike a blood bag.
"Here, thought you might get hungry."
"Thanks...dad."
Angel rolled his eyes, sighed, and refocused on the road.
But he didn't comment.
Spike chuckled, then sipped his blood.
"You don't happen to have any wetabix, do you?"
Angel made a face.
"No."
"You should try it...it gives the blood extra texture."
"Spike..."
"I mean...if you weren't such a wuss..."
"Spike..."
"Gone all soft 'ave ya?"
Angel turned his head and gave him a look.
Spike put his hands up, thinking to himself that he had had enough fun for now, he'd behave.
Then he winked at his sire.
Angel turned back to look at the road, but couldn't help himself from smiling at his childe.
That boy was crazy, he thought to himself. Absolutely crazy.
Then he went back to concentrating on the road.
TBC…