The Best Of Friends
Disclaimer: I don't own anything worth suing me for.
Summary: Clem talks Spike into going out.
Reviews: Yes, please. Crave reviews as much as I crave Spike stories. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!
A/N: I refuse to give out any pairings, just not my style. Thanks to my favorite partner, Wayward Childe for his help in figuring out where this fic is going.
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Clem paused just before entering Spike's crypt. Over the past two weeks the peaceful demon had been to Spike's crypt every day. He used his poker winnings, trading some of the kittens he won for cash to purchase cigarettes for his friend. And did the occasional odd job for Willy for Spike's blood and some alcohol. He carried the bag into the gloomy dwelling. He unpacked the blood into the refrigerator and looked around for the silent vampire. As far as he knew, Spike had not left the crypt at all in the two weeks since his voice had failed. Clem had made a few discreet inquiries about anyone working a spell to rob Spike of his voice but so far had come up empty. Spike was nowhere to be seen.
"Spike? Are you here?" Clem called.
The familiar blond head rose slowly from the hole in the floor. Tired sapphire eyes signaled a silent hello. Spike slumped into his cushy armchair and sighed.
"I brought you some wings and chips. Oh! And beer. I got you some beer too. I…um…noticed you were almost out yesterday." Clem kept up a cheerful babble as he puttered around the 'kitchen' area.
"You really should get out more. Hiding isn't going to make the problem better." He jumped when he heard the crash of an empty bottle hitting the wall. He shook his head sadly. The floppy skinned demon finished putting away the perishables and moved over to sit on the sofa. His kind red eyes scanned over the defeated posture of his best friend. He smiled when Spike looked up at him.
The vampire reached over to the table and picked up the tablet Clem had purchased the morning after Spike had been stuck mute. He scrawled a quick message and passed the paper over. 'Why do you put up with me?'
A smile split the folds of Clem's face. "Because you're my best friend and I don't desert my friends when they need help." He answered.
'I don't WANT to need help.' The response was accompanied by a grimace.
"I know Buddy, but some things can't be helped. We'll figure this out and you'll be back to your old self real soon." Clem was nothing if not eternally optimistic. He held up a familiar red box. "Bugles?" Spike grinned tiredly and nodded. He mimed a can and popping the top. Clem willingly retrieved two beers from the refrigerator. On his way back to the sofa he reached into the bag and brought out the videotape he'd picked up in the hope it would cheer up his depressed friend. He popped the tape into the player he'd brought over when he realized that Spike wasn't willing to leave the crypt. The vampire cringed comically and pretended he was staking himself when the opening credits for 'Love At First Bite' rolled across the screen. Clem laughed at the silent antics of his companion before they settled down to watch the campy vampire movie.
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"Buffy, have you seen Spike around recently?" Giles asked casually as he glanced up from the book he'd been studying as his slayer entered the shop.
Her blonde hair bounced as she shook her head vigorously. "Not since he got all pissy about the demon. What was it? Two weeks ago?" She mused. "Gee, it's been so peaceful."
The watcher cleaned his glasses. "Do you think he's left town?"
Buffy tilted her head. "No, I don't think so. I've gone by his crypt a couple of times and his stuff is still there. He never is though. The trap door is always locked tight too. It's a little wiggy. But all of the good, right?"
"Hmmmm." He hummed distractedly as he returned to the genealogy book he was searching through. He was becoming distressingly convinced he might have to pay a visit to the library so he could talk to someone about searching the Internet for the vital statistics he needed. Willow would have been more than capable of doing it for him but he didn't want to explain his reason for the search he needed.
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A few days later.
Clem glanced over at Spike. They had just finished watching one of the more gory horror movies that could be found at the video rental shop. He got up to rewind the tape and made a point to look at the clock on the player.
"It's still early, you could go out and blow off some steam." Clem casually suggested.
Spike's head began to shake. Clem turned to look at him in the eye. "You've been cooped up in here for over two weeks. You need to go out. Be seen. There's a rumor that you either left town or got dusted. A couple of the guys were talking about coming over here to take over your crypt." That last statement earned the peaceful demon a baleful glare.
"You could go dust a few fledges then go over to the Bronze and grab a couple of drinks. They don't know you're a vampire over there. Just write the waitress a note that you lost your voice, you'll get supremo service that way. The girls will be falling all over themselves to wait on you." Clem internally jumped for joy with the blond seemed to be seriously considering the plan.
Spike picked up the tablet. 'If the slayer comes around, you don't know anything. Got it?'
Clem nodded. "Got it. Go have some fun." He watched his buddy pull on his duster and gather up a few stakes. The blond gave the floppy skinned demon one last glare and left in a swirl of black leather.
Spike mentally ran through all the ways this plan could go wrong. He'd been going slowly stir crazy but hadn't wanted to run the risk of encountering the slayer. The last person he wanted to know about his problem was Buffy. He strode confidently through the cemetery and gave a vicious grin when he spotted a fledge still covered in dirt standing a few feet away from a hole in the ground. The elder vampire sauntered over to make sure he was in the newly risen demon's line of sight. The fledge gave a hiss when he saw the blond. Spike made 'bring it on' gesture with his hands. He was rewarded when the game-faced vampire attacked. Spike gleefully pounded on the hapless vamp until he was lying on the ground gulping in air he hadn't yet realized he didn't need. With a pitying shake of his head the Master Vampire pulled a stake from his pocket.
"Who are you?" The fledge asked.
Spike just smiled evilly and drove the sharpened wood home. The pattern was continued almost half a dozen times more before he called it a night. He buzzed pleasantly from the violence he'd been inflicting. Suddenly Clem's plan for him to go for a drink at the Bronze didn't seem to be as dumb as Spike had first thought. He searched his pockets for some cash to buy the drinks with, he hadn't had any the last time he'd been out and was beginning to reluctantly head back to the crypt when a inside pocket yielded a small wad of bills with a note attached.
'Spike, go. Enjoy. Just be careful. Clem'
He briefly wondered what he'd done to deserve a friend like Clem before shaking his head in bemusement and heading for the local hangout. He never noticed the dark figure that had been observing him from a distance.
In the Bronze…
A waitress who'd waited on Spike before wandered up to the secluded table and smiled at the handsome blond.
"I haven't seen you in a while. Been doing okay?" She flirted.
He gave her a winning smile and held up his right hand and used his left to mime writing in the palm. She tilted her head, puzzled but handed him a pen and a paper from her order pad.
'Lost my voice, Luv. Get a beer and some wings, please? Please don't tell anyone, my friends have strange senses of humor.' He wrote in his elegant script.
She read the note and made a sympathetic face. "Oh, you poor thing. I'll keep it just between you and me. You just stay right here and I'll take good care of you. I'll go get that order in and bring you a beer. The first one's on me. Okay?"
He winked at her and nodded. She gave him a brilliant smile and rushed off to place his order. He had picked a table on the upper level that was well hidden from most of the floor but had a good view of the front door. The last people he wanted to run into was any of the sodding Scoobies. The beer arrived faster than he would have believed and he took a long swallow gratefully. The server patted his shoulder comfortingly as she moved on to the next table.
Later...
The wings were merely a memory and he was on his fourth beer when his neck started to tingle. He sat up alertly and scanned the building for the distinctive blonde hair of the slayer. He didn't see her or any of her friends but the tingle was becoming increasingly intense. A brunette slid into the empty seat across from him. All his senses screamed for him to leave but her large brown eyes captured his attention and he remained frozen in place.
