Chapter 31

Dru was sitting on the sofa, staring off into space.

“Dru…DRU – I said, do you want to take Daddy his morning coffee?” Lorne had put the tray down on the coffee table. She turned dead eyes to him, and like an automaton, she moved to do as he’d suggested.

“Are you okay, plumicious? – Taken your medicine?”

Dru just nodded.

“Still a bit hung over from last night?” Lorne looked concerned.

Dru just shrugged and looked sad.

“Well look, do you want to go back to bed – oh god, what’s happened now?” The loud thud from upstairs had Lorne dashing up the stairs two at a time. He flung open Cecily’s bedroom door.  “Oh god cup-cake, are you alright?”  Cecily had fallen out of bed, and was trying to crawl. Her eyes rolled and she began to heave. Lorne tried to get her to the bathroom, but didn’t quite make it with her, and she threw up over the bedroom and hall carpets.

“Baby – couldn’t you have…oh god, is that blood?!  Hell, yes it is…oh god, um – Dru………DRU!!………D...“   Dru appeared at the top of the stairs.  “There you are – go tell Daddy to phone the doctor – HIS  doctor, okay ?– NOW please, I’m worried about Cecily”   Without comment Dru went back downstairs.

“Come on Cec………come on girl…let me get………there…soon have you better” Lorne carried Cecily into the bathroom, and a minute or so later, Sweet came in with Dru following.

“What’s all this Dru was …oh god – “ Sweet surveyed the state of Cecily, and the carpets.

“Have you phoned your doctor – she’s vomiting blood” Lorne asked, trying to wipe Cecily’s face.

“I’m right on it” Sweet flipped open his cell phone and did just that.

                                                        **********

“I don’t believe this! She’s not in AGAIN!” Spike angrily threw down the phone scowling.

“I take it you’re referring to Glory?” Cordelia said, looking up from her monitor.

“Yeah…nobody knows where she is, she SHOULD be in, AND there’s no answer from her home or cell phone numbers either, or so one of the researchers just told me.”

“Well, no doubt if she doesn’t turn up tomorrow night for the meeting, they might send a search-party out for her” Cordy said.

“Meeting tomorrow? What meeting tomorrow?”

“Didn’t Xander tell you, I asked him to. The monthly meeting has been brought forward to tomorrow instead of Friday – you’d already left when the diktat came down from on high.”

“Oh, right, yeah... now I come to think of it, he did say something… And that’s another thing!  This monthly meeting wasn’t supposed to be happening at all – I had THAT from the horses mouth – doesn’t think anything of telling me to drop everything here and summoning me to bloody ‘Fort Sweet’ to a meeting when you were on holiday and Xander was out, as if I didn’t have a bloody ‘nough to do– ‘I’ve called you in because I won’t make the monthly meeting this time’ he said, I knew then when he said it, it was bollocks – he’s flown in from the Caribbean before now to be at a meeting. AND the meeting I had with him was, well, – I’d already got things covered, what does he think, I don’t know my own job after all these fucking years?” Spike raged.

Cordy frowned, stopped typing and swivelled her chair to face him. She’d never seen him like this before. Spike was usually so laid back and calm, letting things wash over him.   “Okay Spike, what’s the matter?”

“What?”

“You. I know it’s more than this thing with Glory. It’s more than Sweet too. You don’t usually let things get to you like this."

Spike looked at his feet for a few seconds and heaved a sigh.

“Did something happen at the party last night?”

Spike looked her straight in the eye.  “Yeah. Yeah it did. And I’m afraid it’s going to start ALL over again – but this time…” Spike shut up as a messenger came in, handed Cordelia some post and went to leave.

“S’cuse me, is - Glory Benson in?” Spike asked.

“No, somebody is going to go around to her place at lunchtime though,” the messenger said.

“Right thanks”

“Any message?”

“No. Yes – just get her to phone me soon as possible, okay?”  The messenger nodded and left.

“Want to go to coffee and tell me all about things?” Cordy asked. Spike nodded, and they both went out of the office.

                                                        ***

“So you see, I just don’t know what to do – I’ve got Buffy to think about too – if Dru – huh, I say IF, what I mean is, Dru is STILL totally unhinged – there’s no telling WHAT she might do – and if she tried to hurt Buffy, well………”

Cordelia nodded, frowned and said,   “I see your predicament…can’t you, well as Lorne seems to be on your side from what you tell me happened last night, can’t you get him to have a word with Sweet for you?”

“And say what? Keep Looney Tunes off the scene – she could turn up anywhere. She sees Buffy as a rival for me, and I know that there’s no stopping her if she’s determined to do something.”

“She needs locking up.”

“Huh! You can say that again!”  Spike concurred. They could both hear Buffy and Harmony coming along the corridor.

“Do me a favour, Cordy, say nothing, – I want to figure some things out, and I don’t want Buffy worried unnecessarily, okay?” Spike asked, just as Buffy and Harmony entered the café.

Cordy nodded and said, “Sure “ Then she called out–   “Hey, okay then Harm, Katmandu is the capital of where?”

Smiling, carrying her latte over to where they were sitting, Harmony proudly said, “Katmandu is the capital of Nepal!” 

Buffy came over with a juice and kissed Spike on the cheek, and then she sat down next to him.  “Hey, babe – have you heard the latest?”

“What’s that kitten?”

“Somebody just told the messengers in reception. Glory’s cleaner found her all bound up, tied to the bed – the place had been ransacked – burglars so they reckon” Buffy said.

“Tied to the bed? That sounds like a lover getting revenge to me – why else would she be tied to the bed?” Cordelia said, grinning.

Everyone grinned and agreed.

“She’s been playing kinky games…ha, serves her right!” Harmony said. Xander came over and said,  “Who’s been playing kinky games?”

“Glory’s cleaner found her tied to the bed, apparently.”

“Did she?–Oh, when was this?”

“Somebody came into reception and told the messengers, just as we got in from the quiz rehearsals,” Buffy said.

“They tried to say it was burglars,” Harmony added.

“Ah, and burglars would just tie you up…I see what you mean – oh bloody hell – she hasn’t been around for a while – I wonder how long she’s been tied up?” Xander mused.

“Who cares? Bitch probably got what she deserved…anyway, I must go – I’m already staying late because of the meeting tomorrow night” Cordy got up, leaving the others chatting.  “See you later. Hey, Spike…tomorrow at the meeting, you could say, ‘I’ve been trying to get hold of you Glory, I KNOW you’ve been TIED UP lately…”

“Oh, very droll, don’t THINK she’d appreciate it though, do you?” Spike said smiling.

                                                        *********

“Well….from what I can tell, I’d say she overdosed, but not quite enough to kill her, she was lucky this time though, her heart rate is tremendously accelerated – she was on some amphetamine based drugs I presume?” The doctor continued to examine Cecily, shining a pen-torch into her still widely dilated pupils of her eyes.  “I’d like to do an endoscopy” He stood up and began to pack away his stethoscope.

“What’s that?” Sweet asked, then wished he hadn’t. Anything medical – any sort of invasive procedure had him running for cover, usually.

“It’s a tube with a camera on the end of it to look into internal organs. I’d like to look at her stomach, I think she has a bleeding ulcer – that’s what the blood was. She’s underweight."  The doctor flashed a look at a Zombified Dru, and thought she too was severely underweight and so obviously on something also.  "I’ll book her into the clinic. Bring her in tomorrow, 10 o’clock.”   As Sweet had suddenly taken a ‘back seat’ and had moved away, the doctor spoke quietly to Lorne.   “The other girl…what is she on?”

“Oh, Dru? Don’t worry about her, she’s um…she’s schizophrenic…we keep an eye on her, don’t worry, she’s on proper prescribed medication”

“Right. Only it looks to me like a few good decent meals put their way wouldn’t do either of them any harm, but saying that, don’t give this young lady anything to eat today.   I want a completely empty stomach when you bring her in in the morning, just sips of water only.”

“I understand” Lorne said.

“I’ve given her something to bring down her heart rate, and she should sleep pretty much all day, okay?”   Lorne nodded again and the doctor left.

When Lorne came back into the bedroom after seeing the doctor out, Dru was sitting by the bed reading, Sweet was nowhere to be seen.

“You okay there sweetie?– Don’t worry, she’ll be okay. You help me look after her, yes?” Dru just gave him a tiny smile and nodded.   “Good girl, now I’ve got to make Daddy some more fresh coffee, see you later”

                                                        **********

“Come on, come ON! Answer you fucking MORON!” Glory paced her lounge holding the phone.

“Hi, you reached ME, the Bestest Best Dresser in the Business – I’m not avail – Hello?” the Ansa-phone message was cut short by Alphonse answering.

“Alphonse – thank fuck for – look, I NEED to know something.”

“GLORY!– What can I do for you, your Queen Bitchiness? Willy want a rematch?”

“Just SHUT the FUCK up for a moment and tell me something…have you – “ When it came to it, Glory couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“Have I what, Bitch?”

“Have you…(she swallowed hard) I need to know, have you got AIDS?”

“WHAT!!” Alphonse shrieked, totally outraged.

“Well THANK YOU VERY-“ he began.

“SHUT UP! I NEED TO KNOW!”

“Listen dearie, if that little barman is ill, then it wouldn’t show up yet – oh fuck, OH MY GOD  - HE hasn’t got it, has he?”

“I DON’T FUCKING CARE ABOUT HIM!” Glory hissed, then she continued.  “Are you HIV positive?”

“What – why do you want to know for?”

“ARE YOU?”

“Truthfully – I don’t know."

“OH FUCKING…JESUS CHRIST AL!”

“What does it bother YOU for?”

“You’ve GOT to be the only fucking poof I know who hasn’t had the test…SHIT!”

“Why are you so bothered about…oh, OH, I get it! Willy’s all enlightened now, isn’t he – and he’s done what, threatened you?”

“I’ve got to go…” Glory ended the call. There as no way she was telling Al what had happened. She felt sick and shaky, hell, she couldn’t even hold the cigarette still enough to light she was shaking so much. She’d have to have a test now, and wait three months. She knew one thing, she was going to KILL Willy REALLY kill him, stone fucking dead!

Al sat there thinking…ever since his lover died of AIDS five years ago, he’d um’ed and ah’ed whether or not to have the test. They’d always been careful, and used condoms and spermicide. Now, every time he got a cough or cold or even a spot, he scared himself shitless, wondering if it was the beginning of the end for him, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to have the test. Ignorance was bliss. He thought that if ever he got into a serious relationship again, then he’d probably take the plunge…over the years, he’s had so many friends die…

Glory was panicking. She was crying and trying to think rationally. Then it suddenly came to her – Alphonse – if HE had the test, and it was clear – then they’d be alright. He’d said to her he hadn’t had sex for months before de-flowering Willy, so the first test would be enough, no incubation time…she began to breath easier…all she had to do, was to get Alphonse to have the test………

                                                        **********

“Spike Carling………Hello, Spike Carling’s office” Silence. Spike, irritated was just going to throw the receiver down in disgust, when it suddenly struck him who might be making these ‘silent’ calls to him.   “Is that you, Dru – because if it is – (CLICK) – hello………hello? BOLLOCKS!” Spike threw down the receiver, picked it up again and pressed ‘0’ for the switchboard.

“Yes, well, I’m sorry, but it’s either all calls come through you via the switchboard, or you get maintenance to change my phone number here today, choice is yours” Spike put the phone down.

Cordelia came over to him and put three pieces of paper in front of him to sign.  “Another silent call?”

“Yeah” Spike rubbed his face and sighed, picked up a pen and scribbled his signature on the sheets. Cordy gathered them up and said,   “Look, I’ll swap phones with you, that way you won’t miss any important calls, you can just come over to my desk”

Spike brightened at this suggestion.   “Are you sure – that would be great, you are a good girl…I wish the solution to ALL my problems were as easy as that”

Cordy smiled.   “Well, who knows? Tonight you may be able to solve a few more.”

“Tonight?” Spike looked puzzled

“The meeting – end of month one – tonight, see Sweet, and more than likely, Glory.”

“She’s in, is she? Good. There have been that many rumours flying around about her, I don’t know what to believe. First I heard she was tied to the bed, then it was by the ankles over the balcony, I don’t think her place even HAS a balcony!  Then I heard the place was ransacked, then somebody in the lift said it was set on fire, she’d been there four days, two days, a week…she’d been very badly beaten up, and somebody else said that there wasn’t a mark on her”

Cordelia nodded.   “Yeah, I know. I was talking to one of the researchers from her office when I was in the elevator this morning. She said she went to see her last night, and everything in the place was just as normal, not an ornament or lamp out of place, the DVD and Video players intact – hardly ransacked, she wouldn’t be able to get replacements within 24 hours. And as for being very badly beaten, she’s got a slight scab on the bridge of her nose and two black eyes, just little marks underneath”

“Chinese whispers………sounds like it could be an insurance fraud – or as Harmony said, she was playing kinky games and her partner just left her tied up!”

The phone on Spike’s desk rang, and Cordelia said,  “I’ll get that, shall I?”

“Spike Carling’s office………hello – Spike Carling’s office, can I help you?” Cordelia’s eyes slid to Spike’s and he mouthed ‘silent?’ Cordelia nodded

“Keep talking to them” Spike whispered and went over to Cordelia’s desk.

“Spike Carling’s office, can I help you?” Cordelia repeated.

“Switchboard, can you trace a call please?………  You can’t – oh well, never mind” he put the phone down and turned back to her.

“Cordy – forget it” Spike said, so Cordelia put the phone down.  “Switchboard can’t trace it…”

“You know what might be worth you getting? One of those phones that flash up whose calling – the number – or name, if you programme it in, you know like your cell phone does. My mother is always amazed that I answer the phone with a ‘Hi mom!’ She thinks I’m psychic!”

“Yeah – could do…or I could just do………this” Spike picked up the phone and dialed.

He spoke for two minutes and then put the phone down, smiling.

                                                    **********

“Dru, who are you calling?” Lorne asked. So engrossed in her task, she hadn’t heard him coming into the office. She had her back to him, standing at Sweet’s desk.

Dru quickly slammed down the phone and turned guiltily.  “No-one!”

“That’s not true is it…come on, out of Daddy’s office, you know very well that you shouldn’t really be in here when he isn’t”

“But I…what are you doing – no…NO – LORNE, DON’T DO -  STOP,  STOP IT!” Lorne went to the phone and picked it up, Dru made a dive for the receiver, but Lorne leaned out of the way, so then she tried to cut him off by pressing the cut-off buttons.

Just then Sweet came into his office and asked,  “What’s going on, what’s all this noise…Dru, what are you doing in here?” and she looked wide-eyed and petrified, and she ran out crying.

Lorne pressed last number re-dial, and it rang.

“Spike Carling’s office”

“Hi, Spike. Yes, you’re right, it was her – I caught her red-handed, I pressed last number redial…okay, I’m sorry she keeps bothering you, bye” Lorne put the phone down. Sweet’s face looked thunderous, Lorne said,   “She’s making nuisance calls to Spike. Silent calls. She’s got to learn to leave him alone, Daddy – he’s getting really, and I DO mean REALLY sick of all this from her.”

“All what?” Sweet steeled himself to hear more of the truth.

“She won’t leave him alone – I don’t like telling tales, but it’s like I told you at the party – I spent over half the night stopping her from bothering him – he’s got that singer as a girlfriend now, he doesn’t want to know Dru, he said it’s best if he isn’t even friends with her, because he knows it won’t be enough for her.”

Sweet looked serious and nodded.   “Where’s Cecily?”

“At the clinic still, they will bring her here when she’s finished having those tests done on her stomach.”

“Right. Check with the doc that she’ll be well enough to travel, and get some things packed for us all…we’re going to the boat for a little holiday.”

“Okay, when?”

“Today.”

“But don’t forget you’ve got the monthly meeting tonight.”

“Cancel it………no second thoughts, I’ll do it, but we can leave straight after, okay?”

“Yes, Daddy…shall I put Ahmed on alert, are we getting to the boat by helicopter?”

“Yes…and um, where’s my diary.”

“Here, Daddy.”

“Have I any other meetings this week?”

Lorne flipped open the book and scanned the page for the rest of the week.   “The accountant on Wednesday morning…we can do that via a computer link up if you like…um, golf with the head of Svensson Electronics on Thursday afternoon…and er…let me see, your um…doctor on Friday."

“My doctor?   What for?”

“Not your 'DOCTOR' doctor………the um, ‘recreational substance’ doctor.”

“Oh, him.   Well, you better call him to come this afternoon instead, and cancel the golf, send my apologies”

“Yes Daddy, anything else?”

“Not that I can think of…I’m going to see if I can find Dru, have a little chat with her”

“Don’t………”

“Don’t what?” Sweet asked firmly, standing in the doorway, not liking to be told that word.

“Don’t f-forget the meeting’s booked for 7 0’clock, will you?”

“I won’t.”    Sweet left. Lorne had changed what he was going to say. Originally he was going to say ‘don’t be too hard on her’, but it was probably what she needed, a few home truths while she was lucid enough to understand them………

                                                  **********

“Aye up Willy, how’s the old ‘WAR WOUND!”

Pavayne eased his bulk onto one of the bar stools and grinned to the back of the white-jacketed barman, who turned around, the smile went from his face, as it wasn’t Willy.

“Sorry sir, but Willy is…well, truth be known, we don’t know, he was out sick, came back to work for a few days, then we haven’t seen him again for…this is the third day running he hasn’t turned up for work, boss has tried phoning him, but…” the small dark-haired barman shrugged as he explained.

Pavayne wasn’t happy at all. He’d have to pay for his drinks now, and he was down to his last $20

“Anyway, I’m Jonathan, what can I get you?”

“Scotch, make it a large one.”

“Sir.”

The barman put a little drip mat in front of him and served his drink.

“That’ll be $6” Pavayne almost winced as he threw the $10 bill onto the counter.  He’d have to go in search of Willy for himself. He wanted his starting pistol back, and he needed to find out the date of the show, coz if Willy had decided to renege on their deal, well, he'd better have found somewhere safe to hole up in if this deal went tits up...