On the road again...

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Continued from here.

Spike shifted slightly to try to see more of Wesley's face. "We could leave your car and take the new one, but that wouldn't make much sense. Would you feel better if I promised not to stop off at any bars on the way back to your flat?"

Comments

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

That was a thought that actually hadn't even occurred to Wesley, at least not consciously. "No," he said. "No. It's not that." He considered pointing out that it was their flat, but he could understand why Spike wouldn't feel that way about it. Yet another reason for them to find a new one.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Since I've managed to get back to your flat before, I know you can't be worried I'd lose my way." Spike paused for a moment before asking, "Would you miss my captivating presence?" He kept his tone light, trying to sound somewhat teasing in case he had totally missed the mark, though the answer to the question was quite important to him.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley's chest felt tight. "Yes."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Pleasantly surprised, it took Spike a moment to come up with something to say. "I don't need a car."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Glancing back at Spike, Wesley said, rather gently, "That's not the point."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"It is," Spike said. "I'd rather ride with you. Though you'd better let me drive now and then."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"There might be times when you'll need a car," Wesley said. "Although of course you can drive this one whenever you like."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Except during the day, not unless we got a bunch of paint for the windows," Spike said, shrugging as best he could in the tight space. "We'll see how we're feeling later on. We might need to make a quick exit, anyway."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"I suppose so." The cleaner's, which was fortunately in the same direction as the mall -- not to mention Wolfram and Hart -- was just ahead. Wesley pulled the car into a parking space. "I'll just run these in. I'll be right back."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Spike pulled the blanket back over himself to block any stray rays coming through the door as it opened. "I'm not going anywhere."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

It didn't take Wesley long to go inside and hand over the laundry bag -- technically, for most people, the working day wasn't yet over, so he didn't have to wait his turn. When he returned to the car, he said, "There. One thing done."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Spike had spent the time while Wesley was away checking out what had fallen under the front seats. "Did you know you have two knives, a stake, and a vial of holy water down here? And there's also something squishy and furry that could be an old prune or some sort of mummified head. Knowing you, it's probably the head."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"The first four don't surprise me," Wesley said, pulling the car back out onto the road. "I'd really like to be able to say that there isn't a mummified head on the floor of my car, but sadly I don't think I can."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Guess it comes with the job." Spike used the stake to push the object in question further away from himself. "It's a lot neater than my car ever was, though, so I can't complain."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure you didn't have a collection of stakes and holy water, at the very least," Wesley said. He tried to imagine what type of clutter Spike might keep in a car, and failed. "What was it messy with?"

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"There was holy water; Dru liked it." Spike could still remember with satisfaction the sight of Angel's tortured flesh. "There was some of everything in my car. Clothes, weapons, music, whatever. Everything I needed to leave quickly." He decided not to mention the fast food wrappers, the blood stains, and the occasional unwilling passenger.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Drusilla liked holy water?"

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Spike said, wondering how he got himself into these discussions. "She, uh, liked playing with it."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Oh." Of course, Wesley thought. It shouldn't have come as a surprise. "And what about you?"

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Wasn't my thing," Spike said. "But it made her happy, so we always had some around."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley thought that it ought to make him feel better, knowing that Spike had set aside his own wants for what Drusilla had wanted in the same way he seemed inclined to set them aside for Wesley, but he wasn't sure if it did.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"At least it took up less space than all of her sodding dolls," Spike said, readjusting his position on the carpeted but not particularly comfortable floor.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

About to apologize again for the fact that Spike was obviously far from comfortable on the floor of the car, Wesley was suddenly struck by the memory of lying in the park across from his flat after Justine had cut his throat. He brought his hand up to his neck to reassure himself, then tried to shake off the memory by continuing the conversation. "It's nice to know that you can love someone despite the occasional annoying trait."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"The 'annoying traits' are what keep things from getting dull." Spike gave up for the moment on trying to see Wesley's face and shut his eyes. "They don't bother me."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley understood that on one level. "Good."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Spike wondered if the feeling was reciprocated, but he suspected that Wesley was happiest when everything was going exactly to his plan instead of appreciating the quirks of the people around him, even when they interfered. "So what do you need at the mall?" he asked, not wanting to dwell on that subject.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley glanced back, but he couldn't really see Spike. "Isn't there always something? I thought that was the whole reason behind the concept of a mall."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"I never figured you for a recreational shopper," Spike said with a slight grin.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't call myself that. I don't get pleasure out of the process." Wesley reconsidered. "I do like bringing home new things though."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Books, whiskey, the occasional stray vampire..." Spike's grin grew. "I can't say I've done a lot of shopping, myself. Not and paid for anything." Or left the shopkeeper alive.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure it's referred to as 'shopping' if you don't pay," Wesley agreed. "Let me guess... alcohol, black clothing... CDs..."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Used to be albums, back in the day," Spike said a bit nostalgically. "And the clothing wasn't always black. But you've got the right idea. Also things for Dru. Jewelry, dresses, pets."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Pets?" Wesley asked, wondering if Spike were referring to animals or people.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Spike made a small noise of affirmation. "She had this thing for birds for a while, and then she brought back a puppy one time... She could never keep them alive long, but she liked the idea of them."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"That's... sweet," Wesley said slowly. "As well as rather disturbing."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Spike laughed. "That's Dru."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley found himself nodding, even though he knew Spike couldn't see him. "Wait. Sometimes the clothes weren't black?"

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"No, I looked just like this in 1880," Spike replied, smirking. "I've had a lot of different looks over the years; this is the latest."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Then you might change it again? Your look, I mean." Wesley turned the car onto the road that led into the mall's large parking lot.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

The vial of holy water rolled as the car turned, and Spike eyed it warily. "Yeah, why not? I'll get bored with it eventually."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley didn't like the sound of that last sentence. Spike would get bored with everything eventually, he imagined -- the vampire had already lived a very long time, been passionate about things and then grown tired of them and moved on...

He cleared his throat as the car pulled beneath the covered section of the parking lot. "There," he said. "We're out of the sun now."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Spike immediately pushed himself up to sit properly in the back seat. "Not a moment too soon. I think the head was looking at me." He kicked the blanket into the space beneath the front seats to keep whatever it was from rolling back toward him.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure it's not a head," Wesley said, more than a bit doubtfully. "It's probably an... orange. Or an apple." Not that the thought of a furry piece of fruit rolling around on the floor of his car was much more appealing.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Whatever it is, mate, it's got eyes." Spike leaned forward, resting his arms on the tops of the front seats, so that he could see where they were going. The parking garage wasn't particularly interesting, but it had more to see than the floor of the back seat.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Continues here (http://www.livejournal.com/community/reality_bends/38371.html).