My birthday continues to be excellent!! I'm catching a few minutes before my friends come to drink Buffytinis, to celebrate the birthday of a wonderful woman:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY lillianmorgan!!!!!!!!!! Even though lillianmorgan's birthday is actually on September 3rd, it's already the 3rd in New Zealand. Lilliamorgan is such a joyous and wonderful presence on LJ. Her posts and comments always make me smile and giggle. She's also an amazing writer, who can write all the characters so well! And she's a funny, fun and cool gal with kick ass taste in music! It's very wonderful to have basically the same birthday as Lillianmorgan - I'm not kidding about the same birthday thing, we were also born in the same year!!

In honour of her birthday I've written a BtVS/Veronica Mars crossover fic. I'm posting the first chapter today and the second chapter will be posted on Tuesday. I'm anticipating posting the following chapters weekly on Tuesdays.

Title: Murder at the Neptune Express
Author: cordelianne
Chapter: 1/8
Pairing: Spike/Xander, Logan/Weevil (eventually)
Rating: R
Word Count: 823
Feedback: Yes please! Concrit is very welcome by email.
Disclaimer: Not mine, Joss and Rob Thomas own them.
Summary: This is set in the summer of 2005, after season one of Veronica Mars and 2 years after BtVS ended (one year after AtS ended). Everything that happened in canon on BtVS & AtS happened. Everything that we learn happened in the summer between seasons 1 & 2 of VM happened - the only new stuff is what happens in this story, obviously - hee!

Spike and Xander are a couple when the story starts and are both working with Buffy, Giles and the other slayers and watchers, etc. They go to Neptune to investigate some suspicious reports.

A/N: Thanks to the completely awesome and wonderful savoytruffle and spookymonkey for the betas. Any mistakes are mine.



Murder at the Neptune Express
by Cordelianne

CHAPTER ONE

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

Spike snorted. “Course you do.”

Xander craned his neck to see the ocean – it was nice to be on this coast again, kinda comforting even – but it was too dark to see the water.

“Couldn’t resist the Star Wars reference.” Spike rolled his eyes but Xander continued undaunted, “I just thought one of us should state the obvious, you know, that heading to a town just 50 miles from the crater that is now my hometown doesn’t bode well.”

“Good thing you’re here with me.” Spike opened his window a crack, and tossed his cigarette out. “What would I do without someone to state the obvious?”

“Hey! You’re here with me.” Xander turned on the radio. The newest Christina Aguilera song blasted through the speakers. He started bopping his head along with the (admittedly catchy) beat.

“Just because we’re fucking doesn’t mean I’m listening to this shit.” Spike reached for the tuner.

Xander lunged, got there first and batted the pale hand away. “This is the Neptune radio station. I want to hear if there’ve been any more attacks.”

“Volume.”

“Oh!” Xander turned it down so only faint strains could be heard.

Spike was tapping along to the song on the steering wheel. Xander jerked his gaze out the window to hide his grin. There was no point calling him on it, Spike would just deny it. Spike would deny bleaching his hair if the mood struck him. And with a straight face, too.

A motorcycle passed them, its light flooding the car for a moment. It was really dark here, like they were in a Film Noir.

“Nice bike,” Spike said as it disappeared around a bend in the road.

Xander nodded and pretended he was cool enough to tell if a bike was nice or not.

Three more bikes passed them in quick succession.

“It’s like a motorcycle gang,” Xander said.

Eight more bikes went by.

“Not like, it is a gang.” Spike’s gaze was fixed on the rearview mirror.

“I’m happy as long as they’re not into rampaging and destroying vulnerable towns. Once was enough excitement.” Xander eyed the last couple of bikes that’d sped by them. His good – and only – eye caught Spike smiling. “Don’t tell me you’re reminiscing fondly on violent days of yore. Isn’t your soul supposed to stop that?”

“Nothing wrong with a little …”

Xander waited for Spike to continue, but he turned the radio up instead.

“–sixteenth person killed. And with five women under 25 missing, the citizens of Neptune are demanding to know what action is being taken. Sheriff Lamb addressed those concerns at a press conference this evening: We’re investigating a number of angles. As a precaution all young women should stay inside after dark, only going outside with a male escort –”

“Yeah, two meals for the price of one,” Spike interjected.

“– The suspicious marks on the victim’s necks are suggesting cult or gang activity which we’re looking into. That’s all.”

“What an asshole.”

“It’s not like the police are ever equipped to fight vampires,” Xander said.

“Doesn’t matter. He’s an asshole, I can tell.” Spike punched the radio power button to ‘off.’

Xander thought about it. “You’re probably right.”

“Course I am.”

“Don’t let it go to your head.” Xander patted Spike’s upper thigh. “C’mon, let’s find this motel.” He fumbled with some sheets of paper. “Camelot Motel. Sounds good.”


***


“This is not good.”

Xander frowned at the faded wallpaper and scanned the room. There was only one of everything: one uneven-looking bed, one ripped armchair, one stained round table. At least it had a television. A working one. He gave thanks to the gods of TV as he watched a weatherman drone about low fronts.

“I’ve seen worse.” Spike dropped their duffel bag on the small table and flopped onto the bed, his boots resting on the covers.

“Why does that not surprise me?” Xander closed the curtains against the impending daylight. “Maybe we should take advantage of the last few hours of night to check out the town.”

Spike pouted.

Even though Xander knew it was totally put on, it was a hard look to resist.

“We finally have time together, just the two of us. No slayers underfoot or Dawns for you to worry about corrupting.” Spike shifted and Xander caught a glimpse of very white – and very appealing – abs.

“Uh.”

“You have me all to yourself and you’d rather play Hardy Boys than fuck me?”

Xander’s brain abandoned him. Fortunately his dick got him to the bed.

Spike took it from there, yanking him down and making with the focus-stealing smoochies.

Xander pressed Spike’s hands above his head and ground against him. He kissed up Spike’s neck.

“You said something about me fucking you?” Xander breathed into Spike’s ear. Spike nodded and gasped as Xander bit his neck.

“Let’s see what we can do about that.”



Continues here.