As promised - on schedule - there is more fic!!! *g*

Title: Murder at the Neptune Express
Author: cordelianne
Chapter: 4/8
Pairing: Spike/Xander, Logan/Weevil (eventually)
Rating: R
Word Count: 957
Feedback: Yes please. Concrit is very welcome by email.
Disclaimer: Sadly 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).
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 invaluable betas. Any mistakes are mine.

For previous chapters go here.


Murder at the Neptune Express
by Cordelianne

CHAPTER FOUR


“Let me get this straight, and believe me that word choice was ironic, you and your wanna-be punk boyfriend’s big plan to save my sister is to go to the Neptune Express? A martini bar? Could this plan be any gayer?”

“Tell me again why we’re bringing this kid?” Spike glared into the rearview mirror as he lit his cigarette.

“Logan. And so he doesn’t charge me for breaking and entering. Spending the night in jail while I wait for you to call Giles to bail me out? So not my kind of fun.” Xander rubbed Spike’s shoulder for a moment, and then turned around to face Logan. “Trina had a Neptune Express flyer in her room, and it’s where one of the other girls was last seen. It’s our best lead right now.”

“This kind of thing was hotter with Veronica.” Xander heard Logan mutter.

"Hey, buddy, I'll have you know we're plenty hot,” he said. “And who's Veronica?"

“Ex-girlfriend. Bad break-up.”

“Been there. Not fun, but it gets better.” Xander grinned at Spike, who ashed on the dashboard and glanced at Xander before turning his attention back to the road. “And what did you mean by ‘this kind of thing’?”

“Her dad’s a private investigator and she knows all his tricks. She’s good, sometimes too good.”

Logan stared moodily out the window as they lapsed into awkward silence. The kind of silence that stretched out like … something really long. Xander sucked at metaphors, or was that a simile? He breathed a sigh of relief when they pulled into the parking lot under the glittering sign for the Neptune Express.

He had worried about getting Logan in, but it wasn’t a problem. He’d forgotten about fake IDs.

“What now?” Logan scanned the room. It was a Tuesday night and the bar was quiet, with just a few couples at some of the tables.

“I don’t know about you but I’m getting a vodka martini, shaken not stirred.” Xander headed to the bar. Spike shook his head and stalked to the back and through a door into a smoky room.

Xander pretended the bartender hadn’t been rolling his eyes and happily sipped his martini. He was still trying to get fully into the Secret Agent frame of mind when loud voices startled him, causing him to slosh some of his drink.

Drying his hand on his pants and cursing his lack of coolness, he swiveled around on the barstool to see Logan toe-to-toe with a guy with a shaved head and leather jacket, their faces just a few inches apart. He wondered if they were about to fight or kiss. The bouncer obviously wasn't expecting the kissing and shifted on his chair.

Xander rushed over and gently pushed them apart. “Hey, hey. No need to get all excited. There’s plenty of martinis for everyone.”

They both gave him a good imitation of Spike’s You’re an idiot look. But it had worked, so who was calling him an idiot now?

Okay, the shaven headed guy was. “Who’s this idiot?”

“So now you’re asking me questions? I thought your thing was to accuse me of murder and then shoot at my car.” Logan glared at the other guy.

“Sounds like you two have some unresolved issues. I’m sure we can deal with them and the reason we’re here–” Xander gave Logan a pointed look. “– if we all just sit down and have a drink.”

***

Xander was now questioning his get the enemies drunk plan. They’d been arguing for at least an hour now about a bridge, some guy named Felix, and some weird lingo that involved numbers and letters. Xander was feeling even less cool and very bored.

He stared at the bottom of his second – or was it third? – martini, and returned his attention to the door Spike had disappeared into.

Should he be worried? What if Spike was hurt or in trouble? He totally didn’t blend in in a place like this. And, speaking of, neither did this Weevil guy.

Xander interrupted their back-and-forth. “Why are you here?”

“Yeah, what are you doing in a place like this?” Logan asked.

Weevil sighed. “My cousin’s missing. This is the last place anyone saw her. I’m trying to track her down.”

Xander pulled out a crumpled paper from his pocked and tried to decipher Spike’s handwriting. “Teresa Navarro?”

Weevil yanked the paper from his hand. “How’d you know that? Who the fuck are you?”

“Okay, here’s the thing –”

Spike’s hand clamped down on Xander’s shoulder. “Time to go. Now.”

Xander was already on his feet, letting Spike hurry him out the door. They’d made it to the car before Xander was yanked backwards and knocked to the ground.

“Tell me why –” Spike had Weevil pinned to the car, his arm cutting off Weevil’s sentence. Logan had come running over and was standing nearby surveying the scene.

"I don't have time for you. Just keep your hands off my -- Xander." Spike released his arm from Weevil’s throat.

“He’s looking for one of the missing girls.” Xander pushed himself up and looked at Weevil. “The same ones we’re looking for.”

Spike nodded and released his grip on Weevil. “Let’s get a move on before our girls get offered up as dinner.”

“Dinner?” Logan asked. “Now you’re telling me they’ve been kidnapped by cannibals?”

Spike snorted and gave him a scathing look. “No, vampires. Cannibals aren’t real.”

“You must be on some serious drugs, dude.”

“What the hell is going on?” Weevil adjusted his jacket.

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

A figure emerged from the shadows. It was the tiny blonde girl Xander’d talked to outside the Echolls house.



Continues here.