Parallel Lives by Mabel Marsters

1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5 :: 6 :: 7 :: 8 :: 9 :: 10 :: 11 :: 12 :: 13 :: 14 :: 15 :: 16 :: 17 :: 18 :: 19 :: 20 :: 21 :: 22 :: 23 :: 24 :: 25 :: 26 :: 27 :: 28 :: 29 :: 30 :: 31 :: 32 :: 33 :: 34 :: 35 :: 36 :: 37 :: 38 ::

Chapter 5: A Little Accident

Author's Notes: Thanks as ever to Carol and Dawnofme for their beta work.

Buffy drove to her childhood home when she’d finished work. Although Spike wished that Rupert and Joyce would let him buy them another house, Buffy was pleased that they’d stayed on Revello Drive. She knew that a big part of why Spike wanted to do that was because he still felt that he owed Rupert for caring for him, when a car crash left him an orphan at seventeen. Rupert had made it quite clear that Spike owed him nothing, but it didn’t stop him from trying. Buffy liked the fact that she could still go into the room where she’d first made love with Spike. She’d initiated it.. She couldn’t believe she had at the time, but it had felt so right, and if left to Spike, it might never have happened as he had been so unsure of himself.

She let herself in the front door.

“Hey Mom, Rupert, are you home?” she called as she put her car keys on the table in the hall and hung up her jacket.

“We’re in here, honey,” Joyce replied.

“Hi. How are things?” she said as she walked into the kitchen.

“Hello, Buffy, we’re just planning my buying trip for the gallery,” said Rupert.

“Aren’t you going too, Mom?”

“No, not this time. Paula is on vacation, and we can’t just close up the gallery, so I’m staying behind,” replied Joyce. “We tossed a coin to see who got to go and I lost.”

“I’m sure you fixed that,” teased Rupert. “Are you sure that both sides of that coin weren’t heads?”

“Didn’t you want to go? I thought you liked the trips abroad,” asked Buffy.

“I do like them when I can go with Rupert or have time to do a bit of sightseeing, but when I saw the itinerary for this one I was pleased that Paula was going to be away,” Joyce replied with a smile. “Poor Rupert doesn’t have two nights in the same hotel.”

“But the bonus is that we should get some great artefacts,” added Rupert.

He’d worked as a museum curator in New York, before moving to Sunnydale and working in the library of the high school. He loved being a part of the development of Joyce’s gallery.

Spike and Buffy had been a bit embarrassed when Rupert and Joyce had started dating, but then they cottoned onto the fact that it meant that they got to see a lot more of each other as well.

“So is everything ready for the tour?” asked Joyce.

“Yes, it’s all finalised. It’ll be fun. I think The Dingoes are even more popular in Britain than they are over here.”

“Is that possible?” joked Rupert. “Every time I turn the radio on, at the moment, I hear Spike’s voice.”

“Got to hand it to Rich, he’s good at getting them on the station’s playlists,” replied Buffy.

“I seem to recall he was instrumental in getting them on the Internet right at the start. When he showed me the footage he’d filmed that New Year’s Eve, he told me quite definitely that The Dingoes would make it,” said Rupert.

“He wasn’t wrong, was he?” Buffy grinned at Rupert. “Spike and I were just saying this morning how unreal it all is. We’re so lucky. Life’s just perfect.”

“It is amazing, but well deserved. The boys worked really hard to get where they are,” said Joyce.

“Are you going to stay for dinner, Buffy? You could call Spike and get him to come too,” asked Rupert.

“He’s in the DeSoto,” said Buffy with a sigh.

“Ah,” said Rupert. “Perhaps not this time, then.”

“No, I’d better be going anyway. I just wanted to see you both before you left for your trip. The last thing you need is for Spike to turn up hotly pursued by ‘Babyeaters’,” laughed Buffy. She hugged and kissed them and then left.

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“Hey, gorgeous,” said Spike when she got home.

He was lounged on a large couch in the den, his bare feet up on the back of it.

“You look comfy.”

She walked over and sat next to him. He pulled her down and kissed her soundly.

“How are Joyce and Rupert? They’re off on their trip tomorrow, aren’t they?”

“The day after,” corrected Buffy. “But only Rupert’s going, Mom’s has to man the gallery. They’re okay about it.”

“That’s great, love.”

“So, did you and your mistress have any trouble today?”

“Nope, I don’t think people look out for her anymore since I barely drive her these days,” said Spike with a bit of a pout. “Poor old girl.”

“Poor old girl indeed,” said Buffy, cuffing him gently on his arm. “I got all the hotels and flights confirmed.”

“That’s good. I hope you’ve got us booked in somewhere nice and posh?” He grinned at her remembering the very dodgy lodgings they’d endured in the early days.

“Five star all the way!” replied Buffy. “Oh, and the airline upgraded the seats, so we’ll be using the VIP lounge and travelling first class.”

It was one of Rich’s tricks now that the band was famous. He’d book business class seats, and when the airline realised it was for The Dingoes, they always got upgraded for free!

“Shit, I hate using the VIP lounge,” said Spike. “I always feel like I shouldn’t be in there. I just keep expecting to get kicked out.”

“Oh, Spike, you are so funny some times. Will it ever sink in that you are actually pretty famous these days?”

“I dunno, pet. It’s just…well…I’m just me…I don’t really like a lot of fuss.”

“I bet you like this kind of fuss,” said Buffy, kissing him again and letting her hand travel to the waistband of his jeans.

“You’re not wrong there, love,” he replied, pulling her closer.

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It was the day before The Dingoes were due to fly to London. Everything was organised, their suitcases packed and waiting in the hall. Xander Harris, their chief ‘roadie’, had left the day before with all of the instruments and sound equipment. Spike and Buffy were just settling down to eat the Chinese food that had just been delivered when the phone rang.

“I’ll get it,” said Spike, rising from his seat and picking up the receiver. “Hello?”

“Hello, Spike, um…I’ve had a little accident, and I wondered if you and Buffy could bring me home please?”

“An accident? Joyce, what’s happened? Are you all right?”

“Mom? Is she hurt?” Buffy came and stood next to Spike.

“Don’t panic; I just had a fall. It was stupid of me but I can’t drive home.”

“We’ll come straight away. Where are you?” asked Spike.

“The hospital, but don’t worry, I’m fine - honestly.”

“Okay, we’re on our way,” said Spike and he hung up the phone.

“Is she all right?” asked Buffy, her eyes wide with worry.

“She says she’s fine, pet. Says she fell. Come on, let’s go and take her home.” He took Buffy’s hand in his.

“Where is she now?”

“She’s at the hospital.”

“Oh no!”

“Shh, pet, don’t get upset. We’ll be with her in no time at all.”

Spike put his arm around her as they walked to the garage. They took the nice anonymous SUV and got to the hospital as quickly as they could. They found Joyce waiting for them in the seats near the ER.

“Oh, my God, Mom,” cried Buffy when she saw her.

“Oh, don’t make a fuss, honey. I feel stupid enough as it is,” said Joyce.

“But you’re covered in plaster casts.”

“I don’t think two constitutes covered, Buffy. It’s just my ankle and my wrist.”

“How on earth did it happen?” asked Buffy.

“I was putting a statue back on to the top shelf and slipped on the steps. I managed not to drop it, though,” said Joyce with a wry smile.

“Bloody hell, Joyce,” said Spike. “You’ve broken your wrist and your ankle and you’re going on about saving the sodding statue?”

They all started to laugh at the irony.

“Come on, let’s get you home,” said Spike. “I’ll go and bring the car to the door, okay?”

“Thanks, Spike. By the way, I like the hat.”

“What? Oh yeah, well I reckoned people might not recognise me if they didn’t see the hair,” replied Spike with a grin, tugging at the peak of his baseball cap. He jogged away to get the SUV.

By the time they had gotten Joyce home, it was clear to them that she couldn’t be left alone. She’d insisted on going to Revello Drive and not back to their house, and so Buffy and Spike spent the night there.

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“I’m going to have to stay and look after Mom until Rupert gets back,” said Buffy, that night, as they snuggled up to each other in bed.

“I know, love. I just wish I could stay with you, but I can’t.”

“Rupert will be back in a couple of weeks. I’ll be able to catch the last London concert.”

“It won’t be the same without you. You’ve never missed a gig. But your mom needs you more than me just now.”

He wrapped his arms around her as she spooned into him, her back against his front. He dropped several kisses along the line of her neck.

“Goodnight, pet,”

“’Night, Spike.”

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