A/N: We’d just like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the lovely feedback we’re getting, we’re blown away that you are enjoying it as much as we are writing it! – Oh, and thanks also to the lovely Jen and Patty for putting up with us!  - Kings of Mercia –

(Yes, as you can imagine, it's a hellish experience putting up with five good looking and talented men like this, but, heck, someone has to do it!.......Patty and Jen)

 PS: the symbols **  ** with words between indicate thoughts.

Chapter 10

Buffy was taken straight to make-up when she got into the studios and Spike began to explain what was going to happen.

“Okay, love, the director will start the countdown ‘til were ‘on air’. He'll say five, four, but do the rest of the count just with his fingers, then point to Ethan. You’ll hear the signature tune, the audience will be clapping, and then he’ll introduce the guests. He’s got a chef in the studio today, so Ethan will introduce you, chat, then it will cut to the chef to do his bit, commercials, come back, taste what the chef has cooked then you’ll sing the song – all right? – Any questions?”

“Um...when he introduces me, will I come out from behind a screen or something, or from back stage?”

“Actually, no. As you are the only guest, apart from the chef, you’ll be sitting on the sofa already. He’ll introduce you, the camera will pan across and you can wave if you like, say hello...”

Buffy nodded, then she heard the commotion, and Spike grinned and said, “I’ll leave you in the capable hands of um…these two. I’ll be in the green room watching okay? – Remember, just be yourself, be natural, they’ll love you!”

Buffy smiled and nodded, Spike winked at her.

“What have we here then...'Buffy'! What kind of a name is – ooohh! Woo hoo! Hello, tiger!” Andrew flounced in, looking at Buffy through the mirror.  He spied Spike, and pouted and flashed his eyes at him, giving him a little wave.

“Tart!” was Larry’s comment at Andrew, and Buffy began to giggle. Spike had gone red and made a swift exit.

“Only coz I saw him first!  So...you’re Buffy?”

Buffy grinned and nodded

“I’m Andrew, and he is Larry, the one with NO finesse, NO sense, and NO – OW!”

“Andrew is the one wearing his bollocks as earrings IF he carries on. What size are you, chick…6?” Larry said without looking at her.  Buffy couldn’t stop giggling.

“We’ve got a giggler…right, ooh, you won that show…ahh, that nice song waiting for your solider boy was it? So pet…any ideas as to what you want to wear?”

“I trust you!”

“Don’t trust her pet!” Larry motioned with his head towards Andrew

“Didn’t you see what he did to Cindy-Lou McGraw at the Grammy’s?  She...“

“Shut it! She looked perfectly fine in that pink Vera Wang when she was blonde, then she dyed her hair black. Now she looks like Morticia from the Addams family!” Andrew was studying Buffy from all angles, turning her around, and squinting at her.

“Excuses, excuses…” Larry said, holding various colour cards against Buffy’s cheek

“Well…what about you?! YOU put Wes Price in Ugg boots! I mean…I ask you...”

Andrew looked up at Buffy, and batted his eyes at her.

“It was winter, it was New York, it was snowing and he was wearing a fur coat! What SHOULD I have put him in, Manolo’s?”

Buffy was still smiling when the two disappeared into a huge walk-in wardrobe, still bickering.

“Take no notice of those two…close your eyes,” the make-up girl said to Buffy, whisking a large brush with translucent face powder over her face.

“They’re funny!”

“Yes, they are, right. When you’re dressed, I’ll do your lipstick, I want to see what colour they’ve put you in, just come back in here.”

Buffy nodded.

"Buffy?" 

“Coming!” Buffy went through to the next room.

“I think I should be worried…!” Larry said, but both men were smiling.

“Why?” Buffy asked seriously.

“Coz I totally agree with her! Colour, style AND dress..oh god! There goes my career!”

Larry raised his arm and rested his head on his forearm in a mock-tragic gesture, making Buffy giggle again.

They helped her on with the dress, a simple Catherine Hamnett coatdress in a mid green, and shoes to match. Buffy looked in the mirror and thought that she’d suddenly grown six inches taller, and gasped.

“Wow! I look so much taller!”

“You like it pet?” Larry asked. "You look stunning!"

Grinning and turning from side to side, Buffy said, “No, I LOVE it!”

“Could have been MADE for you, treasure!” Andrew said.

Buffy looked at the two of them, standing there. There was a loud wolf-whistle, and she turned to see Spike leaning against the doorjamb. Andrew got all flustered, Larry rolled his eyes and Buffy’s heart skipped a beat.

“You like?” She did a twirl.

“Very nice, kitten – stunning in fact! Here, I thought that you might want to look at the questions Ethan has lined up for you.”

“Well, sweetness, we’ll be off…see you soon!” Andrew and Larry collected their books and colour charts and made to leave.

“Oh, bye, and...um...thank you!”

Andrew smouldered a look at Spike as he passed, but Spike only had eyes for the beautiful blonde girl in front of him.

“Make-up wants to do my lipstick…what time are we recording?”

Spike looked at his watch. “We’ve got about three-quarters of an hour yet, want to go through these?” He waved the clip-board.

“Would you mind? – I think I’d feel better knowing what’s going to be asked.”

**********************

“Gods, I swear, if he called ME kitten, he’d hear me purr!” Andrew said to Larry as they walked down the corridor.

“As if!” Larry rolled his eyes.

“A ‘girl’ can dream, can’t she?” Andrew pouted and sighed

                                                        ******************

Jenny wanted to see Rupert’s reaction to the thing she was about to give him to eat. She knew, obviously, that he was a man of refined tastes; he didn’t own one of the best restaurants in California for nothing.

He’d passed her first ‘test’ by not wearing tweed or cavalry twill to their unusual first date, which is what she thought might be his idea of ‘casual'  Istead, he'd come in jeans and a sweatshirt, topped off with a leather jacket.All perfectly aceptable.

Now, if he looked at this like it was dog-shit in a bun, then he’d 'fail'.

“Here you go, one chilli-dog.I put everything on it” She handed him the napkin wrapped snack.

Without a qualm, Rupert bit into it, and chewed thoughtfully, then he said, "Didnt know you could get anything as unhealthy as this in California! Mind you, not as good as the ones I've had in New York."

Jenny burst out laughing. He'd passed with flying colors!

******************                  

It was just as Spike described it to her;  the sound man and director stood by the right hand camera man,the audience was whispering, and Buffy sat waiting on the couch.

“Okay people...silence!" The audience hushed, the ‘On Air’ red light came up, and the sound man got ready with the board saying ‘APPLAUD’ .

The director got his cue from production, and crouched by the camera.

“Sound…check…VT rolling…and ready, in……… FIVE, FOUR,”

He hand gestured the three, two, one, and pointed to Ethan. The signature tune started and the sound man held up the board telling the audience to clap. They dutifully did, giving a few cheers too. The tune faded away, and Ethan did his opening piece to camera.

“Hello, hello!" He waited for the applause to die down "Thank you...today we have delights for all your senses. In the kitchen we have Hot Chef Anton Blanc cooking up a storm for us – one of his ten-minute recipes from  his new book ‘Meals in Moments’ - smells wonderful Anton!”

The audience clapped when the chef  waved from the ‘kitchen’ area they had set up in the studio.

Ethan continued.  “And hot-foot straight from the recording studios, we have the run-away winner of Search For a Star – Buffy, ladies and gentleman!” The camera panned to her and she waved.   The audience went wild!

Ethan went and sat behind his desk, and they began to chat. They showed a clip of her reaction to winning the show, and Ethan asked her about the song, what was the inspiration, how her life was changing. Buffy was just natural, no trace of nerves. They came to the commercial break, and Buffy noticed Spike at the side of the stage. He grinned and gave her a double thumbs up, and she grinned back.

After the break, Buffy and Ethan stood by the kitchen, tasting the dish Anton had demonstrated and cooked, both proclaiming it delicious.

“Do you cook, Buffy?” Anton asked her.

“Um, well, soup! And as long as the toaster doesn’t play up and stick I can make toast – hmm, this is delicious…try this everyone, it’s great!” The audience laughed.

After plugging the chef’s new book,  Ethan introduced Buffy again and she sang her song.

Over the closing credits, Ethan told the audience that the song would be available on Saturday.  They whistled and cheered as  Buffy and Anton waved.

“Closing credits…off air…in five…four, three, two, ON AIR sign off… one, VT end rolling…and Cut – that’s a wrap everybody – thankyou!”

Spike came on set and Buffy turned to him. He was absolutely beaming at her.  Gathering her up in his arms, he hugged her saying,  “You’re a complete natural! I’d have thought you’d been doing that for years!”

Buffy gave him a big hug back. Spike, quick on the uptake, kissed her cheek as well, giving her a squeeze. He didn’t remove his arm from around her shoulders, and she didn’t from around his waist, when Ethan came over to them. He too was smiling.

“Well! I must congratulate you, Buffy. I’m always nervous about ‘first-timers’ – but you were terrific!”

“Wasn’t she!” Spike said, pulling her close and hugging her again, and STILL neither of them had moved their arms…it felt good, and, well, right!

“Thanks…whoops…I think they want us to...um...move!” Buffy said. They walked off, as the stagehands were dismantling the set to get it ready for the next show.

Buffy and Spike left the studio’s, and he drove her down- town to the bank so that she could deposit her cheque and get some cash.

“Right, you have a date with a photographer now…” Spike said, as he pulled out into the traffic.

“Oh, my clothes!  I’ve left...“

“Relax, kitten, I have them in a bag for you.”

“Oh, thanks. Do I send these back? – Actually, I really love it! The shoes pinch a bit, but hey – I'll suffer for a bit of fashion."

“You can keep it, love, you look sensational”

Very pleased, Buffy felt herself blushing.

“Gods, that Andrew and Larry, they are a scream…!”

 *******************

Xander didn’t know what to do.

Well, no, that was a lie, he did know, he just was wondering if he'd get his face slapped if he tried it.

Tentatively, he put his hand on Harmony’s shoulder, and pushed a little.

She stopped kissing him.  "What?"

“Um…sorry, but, well, my back. It’s killing me on here.”

“Oh, sorry!” She sat up, as did Xander.  "Will you talk to Sweetly for me?" She used a wheedling tone and big 'puppy dog' eyes.

Xander knew that there was something he was supposed to do.  “Sure!” Then it hit him – shit – that wasn’t it! He was supposed to be playing hard-to-get!

“Great!” Harmony beamed.

“Well, sure, I mean, I’ll um, try. I’m not promising to er... well, what I mean is...I don’t know if there’s anything I can say to, um..…you know, make him…see sense."

“See! You know it makes sense – and you convinced Blondie Bear!”

“Blondie – who?”

“My Spike! ‘Cept...well, he’s not NOW…”

“Oh, er, right, yeah…yeah I did, didn’t I…yup, clever old me…convincing Spike.”

“Uh-huh. Anyway, I better be going to bed now.”

“Right.” Xander could still feel himself rock hard, a fact that would be evident if he stood up. “Um…Harmony?”

“Pookie?”

“Could I...I mean, I don’t suppose I could…" Suddenly, a good idea hit him. "Ahhah! Oh! Ow! Ouch, ooh, the pain!”

“Pookie...oh, what is it?”

“Oh, it’s my back…ah, the sofa must have, ooh…I’ll be okay...in a minute...I hope...ooh, ahh…”

“What can I do? – Shall I call an ambulance?”

“NO! I mean, no, babe…no fuss…it’ll be okay soon. It comes and goes, you know…I just hope I’m not crippled in the morning…having to sleep on the sofa at home.”

“You sleep on a sofa at home?” Harmony asked, surprised.

“Well, no, not usually – ouch – but my mother…”

“Oh right, your mother’s staying.  Well, you can stay here in my bed!”

**BINGO!**

“Oh, no, I couldn’t! – Where would YOU sleep?”

“In my bed! I know I’d be safe...after all, if you’ve got a bad back, you wouldn’t be able to get up to anything...well, naughty now, would you?”

**Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! By the steaming great po full!**

“Um, no…I don’t suppose I would. Unless you were to go..“ Xander just stopped himself from blurting out the words ‘on top’, replacing them with, “…and get me a couple of aspirin, I think I can make it home.”

“Are you sure Pookie? My big brave boy!”

“Huh…right. Yeah…that’s me.”

**Big, fucking stupid brainless me**

“Um... all I’ve got is indigestion tablets………oh Pookie!”

Harmony, in a sudden rush of sympathy clutched Xander’s head to her chest, running her fingers through his hair.  His once receding hard on was suddenly back with a vengeance…

He’d just about been ready to stand up, and now he couldn’t.

“Um…Harm…love?”

“Hmm?”

“You’d better stop!”

“Oh, am I hurting you?  Oh, Pookie!” She clutched him to her with renewed fervour, making Xander’s eyes roll.

                                                        ********************

“The bluescreen is used so whatever image we want can be super-imposed on after,” Spike explained to Buffy.

She was wearing a long floaty dress, her hair down, and  was standing in front of a large blue screen.

“Okya, wind machine on!" the photographer called, and his assistant turned it on low. Buffy’s dress and hair gently billowed out behind her, and after checking his light meter, the photographer took several shots.

“Can you look down now love…that’s it” He took several more shots, and then he said, “Okay, run the fingers of one hand through your hair………arm nearest me………that’s it, that’s it, hold that…lovely – right I think that’s it”

The wind machine was turned off.

“Be ready in an hour, okay?”

Spike nodded to the photographer, and he and Buffy took the opportunity to go for a coffee on the 6^th floor.

“So pet, have you thought any on what you might want to call your album?” Spike asked as he put her coffee down in front of her.

“Hmm…I don’t know…one of the song titles, perhaps?”

“Good, that’s a good idea…any particular one?  - Oh, thank you.” Spike had been handed several sheets of paper by a messenger. He leafed through them, glancing briefly, then he smiled up at her. 

“I thought that you’d..um, well, could help me choose?” Buffy played with the froth on the top of her cappuccino with her spoon.

“I’d love to. Meanwhile…there’s a party you’ve been invited to. Company thing, hard to say no to, in fact, Sweet wants to meet you, so…it’s Friday.”

“Are you going?”

“Like I say, babe, you don’t say no really. How about we go together, huh?”

Buffy beamed.  “Great!”

“Once you’ve met Sweet, and we’ve stayed an hour, we could…well, if you like, we could go on somewhere – if you wanted to that is. These parties sometimes get pretty rowdy see. Rack and his crowd…then there’s Gunn, and his entourage…arguments about the type of music to be played…Gunn’s lot hates death metal, Rack’s lot hates rap and hip-hop. NOBODY wants Harmony’s bouncy bubble-gum pop, and in the end we were all brain-dead from trance!”

Buffy smiled and said, “I’d like that.”

“Great,” Spike smiled and looked back at the sheets he’d been given.

“Okay, then...after this, we’ll go check over the photo’s, see it’s suitable and then hot-foot it over to the factory and pick up the first copies of your song!”

“Wow! – Oh…erm…” A messenger handed her four A4 size photographs, and asked, “Which one do you like?”

Buffy and Spike immediately chose the same one! Against the bluescreen, the photographer had super-imposed a beach at sunset, with waves gently lapping on the shore, and a silhouette of Buffy, her hand running through her slightly billowing hair, looking out to sea.

“That one…it’s perfect, like you’re looking out for someone across the sea…” Spike said.

“Yes!” Buffy readily agreed.

“Tell him number 2.” Spike handed the photos back and the messenger nodded and left.

“Wow, it’s amazing what they can do! It looked like I’d really been there!"

Spike smiled and started scribbling something down on the back of one of the sheets of paper in front of him.                                    

***************************

Dru felt wretched. She looked at the line of coke prepared for her by Cecily, trying to think rationally.

“Look, no-ones forcing you," Cecily said, "but that shit the doc’s got you on – it’s turned you into a zombie! You’re obviously having no fun. And I’m not saying go back to the amount you used to do. Just a little toot now and again, just to keep the...um…well, situation from becoming unbearable.”

“Does he know I’m back?”

“Does who know?”

“Daddy.”

“Yes, he wants to see you. He’s having a party on Friday.”

Dru looked up big-eyed at Cecily. “He wants to see me?  Even after what happened – do you think he’s forgiven me?”

“Darling, you were his favourite, right along with me. Anyway, he sent you flowers in hospital didn’t he?”

Cecily then bit her lip. She’d forgotten that Dru had been in such a state that she probably didn’t know if it was haircut, harvest or Christmas time. The doctors had her so doped up at the beginning that she didn't seem to know her own name. 

“But…”

“Choice is yours. I’m going shopping, want to come?” Cecily busied herself about getting her purse and her shoes on, then returned to Dru. “I’ll look after you, you can always stay here.” She glanced at the island counter top and noticed the little line had gone, and Dru was sniffing and pinching her nose.

Cecily grinned.  “That’s better, come on, I’ll treat you!” 

The two girls went off to town, giggling like a couple of teenagers.

 *************************                                        

At the security door, Spike punched in a six-digit number. The door buzzed, then popped open. He pulled it wide and let Buffy go in first.

“Hey pet, listen, can you hear what’s playing?” Spike asked, grinning at her.

Buffy went big-eyed!

“My song! Oh my god! It’s my song!”

“Sure is. Come on, this way!” Spike pushed open a fire door, and then opened a door marked ‘Production’. Her song now echoed all over the huge factory floor.

“Stay within the yellow lines pet, coz the stacker trucks whiz along here piled high with crates to load the trucks.” Spike pointed to the floor, and Buffy nodded, following him to a small office on the factory floor.

“Hi!” Spike said, and a woman with long dark hair and glasses, wearing a white lab coat, looked up from examining a picture.

“Spike! How are you – I’ve just been faxed over the photo for the cover of the CD.”

“Great! I’m fine, thanks Fred; I’ve bought Buffy to see her single being produced!   Let me introduce you. Fred, this is Buffy, Buffy, this is Fred, Chief Production manager.”

The two shook hands, and Fred said, “I love your song!”

Buffy beamed. "Thank you."

“So, you want to see the process?” Fred asked.

“Oh, yes!”

“Well, I tell you what...I’ll stay here and make a few phone calls and leave you two ladies to it, okay?” Spike sat behind Fred’s desk

“Come on…not much to see really, but…”

The two left and Fred showed Buffy a huge machine, explaining that it could produce 10,000 CD’s an hour.

“It’s amazing how quiet it is in here, apart from the stacker-trucks,” Buffy said, watching as CD’s flopped into open cases, and were then flipped to shut them before being placed into boxes of two dozen.

A red light came on and a buzzer sounded.

“We’re just in time, that’s the last of that one. Now it’s your CD next. Come on...follow me…”

Buffy dutifully followed Fred to a glass fronted room.

“We won’t go in there. The fumes from the inks can get a little over-powering… but, see?...that’s the photo of you we were faxed, what, forty minutes ago?  It’s been laser-printed onto those huge sheets – with all the necessary details printed on the back. See what that guy’s doing?”

Buffy craned her neck and saw a man setting a huge thick block of the printed photos and details onto a table. He punched in some numbers, and the block was cut up into  pieces the size of the open CD case.

“When it’s cut to size each piece is then laid into an open CD or ‘jewel’ case as they are known, then the open cases travel on down to the CD processing machine."

They walked further down to where they'd started.

“There you go, Buffy…your CD!”  Fred walked over to where the first boxes were being packed up. She took out two, and handed them to Buffy.

Buffy was slightly overwhelmed. She smiled, and whispered, "Thank you."

“I want one of those!”

Both ladies turned to see Spike walking towards them, grinning.

“Hey, cheapskate, buy one!” Buffy said playfully, elbowing Spike gently.

“I need to get back to the office. You ready, kitten?”

Buffy nodded and turned to Fred.  “Thank-you for showing me the process. It's amazing, and um, thanks for these!"  Buffy held up the two CD’s.

Spike ‘helped himself’ to a copy and then after saying goodbye, they left for the studio.

“Want that autographed?” Buffy asked cheekily.

“Of course…want to get the maximum when I sell it on Ebay!”

“Bloody cheek!”

They giggled and teased each other all the way back to the office, both absolutely loving the easy banter they had.

“Actually, babe, I DO need a copy of your signature so we can have a stamp made up for the autographing of photo’s and that."

 ************************

“Whoops – you ok?” Harmony asked as Xander plonked down on her bed.

“F-fine…um, fine…”

She bent and pulled his shoes off, and Xander began to unbutton his shirt.

“Can you do your pants?”

“Y-yes…but...um, Harm…I um...I go commando."

“Huh?”

“I d-don’t...you know...wear underwear.”

“That’s allright, Pookie, I don’t wear anything in bed either...oh!  Ummm…I’ll find a tee shirt or something…”

She left the room, and Xander quickly took his jeans off and slipped under the covers. He was willing his cock to go down, but when Harmony came back in wearing the skimpiest of tops and a thong, he groaned and squeezed his eyes shut.

Harmony got into bed, turned her back to him and turned off the light.  “Night Pookie…try and sleep, little lamb.”

**Yes, right…here I am…in bed, naked, with Harmony…who’s as good as naked  - fuck  - shut up…okay…think**

Xander tried to think of something that would make his hard-on disappear.

**Sweetly grinning at me…not reaching the monthly targets...Rack thinking I called him a talentless git…oh thank god!**  

 Xander’s erection began to subside, and he tried to relax.

Harmony began to emit a little soft snore, and she shifted slightly. Her bare, warm thigh and buttock was now touching his leg…and it was. ‘HELLO!...stiffy again…

Xander grimaced and screwed his eyes shut. Slowly...SLOWY he moved his hand towards it. If he could just give it a little squeeze…

It was then that Harmony turned over and flung her arm around his middle, her elbow not an inch away from his straining cock.

He let out a whine, and in her sleep Harmony patted his tummy, mumbling, “Poor Pookie...”

**Poor Pookie…! Fuck, I’m DYING HERE!** 

Xander spent his night, with a rampant hard-on, paralysed with fear that she’d find out and kick him out of bed, he could do nothing more than lie on his back or   he’d be exposed as a fraud. Every time he tried to touch his dick, Harmony stopped snoring and he feared she was awake…

 ************************                                            

Cecily and Dru were giggling like teenagers again after trying on all their purchases in Cecily’s lounge. They were swigging alternately out of a bottle of brandy, and a bottle of wine.

“Wha’ d’ya think…f’ Friday?” Dru held up a foot with a sparkly sandal on. All she was wearing, was a tiny thong and a feather boa.

“S’great…but won’t ya be a bit cold!”

They shrieked with laughter

“No, no…the shoe, silly!” Dru waggled her foot.

“Jus’ the one?”

They collapsed again, and then Cecily suddenly remembered the DVD case Sweet had given her.

“Ooh…Dru…look what I got…goodies from Daddy!” She carefully opened the case, and found a 5gm bag of Coke, a phial of Amyl Nitrite, a dozen ecstasy tablets, six tabs of LSD, strong sleeping tablets  and some Columbian red to smoke.

“Lets have a smoke!"