TITLE: Bar Lights
AUTHOR: Ragna (WritingGoddess@aol.com)
RATING: FRT
CLASSIFICATION: Spike/Lindsey conversation.
SUMMARY: Spike tracks Lindsey down to find out which side he took.
SPOILERS: AU after "Crush," but mentions events in "Dead End."
DISTRIBUTION: Any sites with my fic up; you all have unspoken permission. I write it, you can post it. Everyone else just keep my name on it and let me know.
DISCLAIMER: If you don't recognize it, chances are it's my own creation. If you do, Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Kazui Sandollar, FOX and the WB own it or them. Various friends of mine are holding characters hostage. You may see them by appointment only.
FEEDBACK: Sorry I'm not home right now I'm walking in the spiderwebs so leave a message and I'll call you back...in other words, I want it. Don't care if it's onlist or not, but I prefer offlist since I have quite a few lists on No Mail.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Answers to Dani's challenge (#249) and Improv #47 (use a Ryan Adam's song title for the fic title).
DEDICATED: To Zoloft. Yes, I realize I'm dedicating the fic to an antidepressant, but it gave me my muse back. So there.

***

Lindsey wasn't all that hard to find. Angel tipped him off to the "Cops Suck" sign stuck to his truck.

Spike had to find him. Since Dru was dust and, apparently, Darla vanished without a trace, Lindsey had done a complete 180. He quit the firm and left Los Angeles.

But who's side was he on?

Buffy didn't know Spike and Angel kept in contact. Buffy didn't know Angel had alerted him to Lindsey's sudden departure from the firm. And Buffy didn't know that, maybe, Spike might be bringing an ally back to Sunnydale with him.

Spike spotted the truck parked in a bar parking lot, and it was occupied. One man in the drivers side, oblivious to the "Cops Suck" sign right behind him. He pulled his car into the next spot, got out through the passenger side and appeared abruptly at Lindsey's drivers side window.

Lindsey didn't even notice, considering he was asleep.

Spike knocked on the window and Lindsey sat up with a start. "What do you want?"

"You might want to check the sign on the back of the truck." Spike moved back so Lindsey could get out.

Lindsey stared at Spike for a moment before opening the door, stepping out, and looking at the back window. "Cute, Angel. Real cute," he muttered. He threw the sign down onto the ground and stomped on it for a bit.

"Immature," Spike said.

"Screw you. At least I didn't put it on your car." Lindsey kicked the sign for good measure, then looked at Spike. "What do you want, anyway?"

"Have another proposition for you."

Lindsey rolled his eyes. "Not again..."

"We can discuss it over drinks."

"On you?"

"On me."

***

"So you're saying you want me to go to Sunnydale, join up with the Slayer and her gang...including you...and fight the bad guys?"

"Yeah, that's about the size of it."

"What do I get?"

Spike slammed back another tequila. "That's up to you. You can start your own law firm, since there aren't enough lawyers in Sunnyhell. You could go back to school, if you wanted. There's a lot for you."

"Females?"

"There's always the Slayer. She likes older men." Spike grinned. "Granted, I have a thing for her, but it will never pan out. I'm thinking, after this whole Glorificus thing is over, I'll find a nice tame demon and settle down somewhere far away from a Hellmouth but close to a blood bank or two."

"Thought you weren't chipped." Lindsey looked at his empty glass and frowned.

Spike signaled the bartender. "Tequila and So Co on the rocks." The bartender nodded and walked away as Spike turned back to Lindsey. "I am, but I can hurt demons. It works out in the end."

Lindsey waited for his drink to arrive before speaking again. "I have a question for you."

"What kind?"

"Personal."

Spike slammed back this tequila shot. "Shoot."

"How do you feel about Angel?"

"What do you mean?"

"Were you ever...attracted...to him?"

"Used to be."

Lindsey spit out the drink he was going to swallow. "Really?"

"He was my sire, and I've always been attracted to power." Spike shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"I...I was too, a little."

Spike nodded. "Not surprising. And now?"

Lindsey shook his head. "Not anymore."

Spike looked at his watch. "Look...how about we get rooms for the night and finish this up tomorrow? There's a motel a block away, and it's safer to sleep there than in your truck in front of a bar."

Lindsey nodded. "Okay."

"We'll meet back here tomorrow night. Think about the Sunnydale offer."

***

Lindsey felt better after a hot shower and eight hours of sleep on a bed. He didn't know what there was to do in Long Beach, so he sat in the motel room and watched TV until dusk. And then, he waited.

There was a knock at the door, and Lindsey knew it was Spike. He opened the door and wasn't surprised when he walked right in.

"Most people think we have to get invited into hotel and motel rooms," Spike said.

Lindsey shrugged. "When Darla got revamped, it happened in a hotel room. Angel barged right in."

"Did you really care about Darla?"

"I did." Lindsey stood up and walked towards the food he had brought to the room with him. He picked up a bag of chips and sat back on the bed, not opening them yet. "She just disappeared one day. No one knew where she went. And being at the office just seemed so different. I hated going home to an empty apartment, and I hated going to the office."

Spike nodded. "So you left?"

"Yeah."

"Where did you plan on going?"

"I don't know. I was just planning on driving until I got somewhere I felt...someplace where I felt needed."

"Have you thought about my proposition?"

Lindsey nodded. "I'll go, to try it out. Just for a little bit."

Spike smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that." He stood up, going to the door, and then stopped. "You know, Angel doesn't realize the attraction he creates. He doesn't realize that even straight men will want him. The more a man hates Angel, the more he wants Angel. But, when Angel's gone, or when the hate fades away, they don't want him so much anymore."

"Except you," Lindsey added softly.

Spike nodded slightly. "Yeah, except me." He turned around again. "Get your stuff and come on. We have a bit of a trip ahead if we want to make it to Sunnydale before dawn."

And then, he opened the door and walked out.