For Plei. Beginning of, only:
A LOAF OF NEW BREAD
She was in the staff kitchen, holding a bottle of blood for Angel, when the blonde walked in.
He came in the Hyperion's front door in a way that made her think of her boss; there was something quiet, assured, in his entrance. It was more than the leather coat, or the biker boots, or the bleached white hair. Words popped into Fred's mind, so unusual for her that she blinked like a fool, holding the Tupperware container full of pig's blood: elegantly feral.
"Hullo, love." He stood in the centre of the lobby, looking around as if he owned the place. Mental inventory taken, he turned his attention to her. She saw the appreciation in his eyes, purely masculine and acquisitive, as he added her to the list of the hotel's amenities: her long slender legs, her low-slung jeans, her faded sweater. Somewhere under the sweater, a slow blushing heat bloomed and settled.
"Can I help you?" Her voice squeaked, and she swallowed hard, momentarily furious with herself. She was no schoolgirl, and she was damned well going to outgrow sounding like one.
"Even money you can. You've got to be Fred, right?" He looked at the Tupperware jug full of blood. "For me? Nice girl. Willow must have rung up and told you I was coming."
His movement was a blur. One moment she was eyeing him from ten feet away, the next he had nipped the jug from her hand and taken a good healthy swig. She jumped back, a reflex action she'd honed on Pylea and in daily dealings with -
"You're Spike." It had suddenly clicked in who this gorgeous leggy man must be. Speed, silence, feral grace and a taste for AB negative? With the realisation, Fred got herself under some sort of control, and managed to grin at him. "Oh, sorry, yes I'm Fred and yes Willow called down to say you were coming but no, that wasn't for you. Actually, that was Angel's bedtime snack you just drank, but no problem; there's a few gallons in the fridge." She held out a hand. "Welcome to Angel Investigations."