Suki Blue Fiction

From Out Of Nowhere Series

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Xander sat on the window sill sipping coffee that was way too hot.  But he barely even noticed the burning sting as the black liquid scorched his mouth and throat.  He had more important things on his mind.  No, scrap that.  He had a *million* more important things on his mind.

He was looking out of the window for two reasons. 

Reason number one: It was beautiful outside. A light breeze was moving through the trees, making them seem like they were moving of their own accord.  And a light rain pattered down gently onto the ground, making everything glisten elegantly in the bright morning sunshine.  It was very rarely that Xander got to see such a glorious morning, not now that he was operating on vampire time.  He took a moment to think about Spike and he deeply wished that he could take his lover’s hand and lead him into the sunshine. He wondered if Spike still missed the warmth of daylight.

Reason number two:  He was on the look-out.  Xander was positive that his friends were going to come storming down the driveway any second.  Actually, he was almost puzzled as to why they hadn’t shown already.  The sun had been up for nearly an hour now.  They must surely be chomping at the bit already. 

Xander pondered what his friends would tackle first.  Would they come screaming at him and Spike about the chip? Or would the claiming be top of the list?  He guessed it would depend on who got there first, Buffy or Giles.  What was Willow going to say? What would she think?  Surprisingly, it was this that worried him the most. Willow.  She was his best friend, yet he had kept so much from her.  He wasn’t even sure why.  Out of everyone, Willow was the one that he was sure would understand.  So why did he continue to shut her out? Habit, he thought bitterly.  Always hiding something.

Tara had called about half an hour ago.  She and Willow were apparently heading out on some two day witchy workshop.  Tara had said that Willow wanted to talk, but she needed to do it face to face.  Phone talk just wasn’t going to cut it.  They would phone again when they got back and arrange to meet for coffee.  Xander had to admit that he was hurt that Willow wouldn’t come to the phone, but he did understand.

“Hey, is that a snake in your lap or are you just happy to see me?”

Xander jumped slightly and turned to face a smiling Doyle. He tried to smile back, but found that it was too difficult.

“Um, no.  Just a snake.”  Xander held up the said serpent and spoke to it. “Isis, I want you to meet Doyle. He’s a....*friend* of Angel’s, so be nice and no biting.” He passed the snake to Doyle, who took it with trepidation.

“Isis, eh? Strange name for a snake.”

“Oh, she’s not a snake.”

Doyle looked thoroughly confused.

“I mean, yeah she’s a snake, but she’s not.  I found her...well, maybe she found me, anyway. She’s an actual Egyptian Goddess.”

“This snake is an Egyptian Goddess?”

“Noo, the Goddess is *inside* the snake…sort of.  You’d better ask Angel, he’s much better at explaining things than I am.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.”

Doyle stroked the snake and noticed that she was staring at him. The gaze was almost mesmerizing and he had trouble tearing his attention away and back to the boy, who was speaking to him again.

“How is Angel?”

“He’s sleeping now.”

“Has he remembered?”

“Yeah, about an hour ago.”

“And? How’s he taking it?”

“Not too bad.  He’s just real quiet.  Won’t talk about it.”

Xander nodded. “Well, that sounds like our Angel.  What can we do?”

“I think he just needs to sort his thoughts out.  The restoration spell really knocked him for six.  I reckon he’ll be better after a good day’s kip.”

Neither man believed that last statement.  Angel wasn’t one to brush things aside that easily.  It was going to be a rocky road, for all of them. Gods, what were the scoobies going to say about this?  Xander hadn’t even considered that they might start on Angel.  But now he thought about it… shit, I can just hear it now. Angel’s a danger to us all.  Angel performed the claiming ritual, how could he have been so stupid?  You slept with Angel? Xander, what have you become? Ooooh, and then we go back to Spike.  And you let this happen, Spike? You let Angel touch and bite Xander? How could you?</i>

“You still in there, kid?”

“Oh, yeah, I was just whirling.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind, it’s something Spike says.  You hungry?”

“Is the Pope Catholic?”

Xander pretended to think about it. “Shouldn’t it be ‘does the Pope shit in the woods?’ Oh no, that’s bears.  Anyway, I take it that was a definite yes?”

“Oh, yes indeed.  Haven’t eaten for several hours, think my stomach’s corroding.”

Xander laughed and led the way to the kitchen. “I know the feeling,” he said, automatically pouring a coffee for Doyle before topping his own up from the pot.

“Okay, so welcome to Xan’s breakfast paradise.  What will it be? Nothing too complicated though, I’m half asleep and am known to start kitchen fires even on an awake day.”

“Hm, okay.  Don’t want to fight any flames today.  What can you do safely?”

Xander counted on his fingers. “Um, cereal…oh, that’s about it.”

Doyle chuckled into his coffee. “I can go with cereal...”

Xander interrupted and rummaged through a cupboard. “Ooh, hang on...yup, I thought so.”  He pulled out several small boxes and displayed them proudly on the counter. “I give you Poptarts.  We have strawberry, chocolate or, errr, blue with weirdo icing.”

“I’ll have the blue with weirdo icing please,” Doyle said through an amused grin “Are you sure about this?  It is going to involve an appliance that heats up and has the potential to burn a perfectly good house all the way to the ground.”

“True.  But you’ll supervise, right?”

Doyle saluted. “Right.  Consider me officially on toaster duty.”

Doyle paused to sip his coffee and change the subject.  “You think they’re gonna be pissed at him?”

“I’m not sure.  I hope not.  It’s not like *he* did anything.  It was Angelus.  Angel didn’t ask for it to happen.”

“Bloody right.”

Spike stepped through the doorway and stretched.

Xander couldn’t help himself.  He had to stare.  For a few moments he forgot about their house guest and concentrated on soaking up every square inch of Spike.  Soft pale skin, strong slender arms and legs, ruffled hair.  He was the picture of a sleepy innocent.

Spike yawned and rubbed at his eyes, an action that Xander thought was less Mmmm and more Auww.  Spike approached and coiled welcoming arms around him from behind.

“So this is where you got to.  Missed you.”

“Sorry, Spike.  I couldn’t sleep.”

Spike placed a gentle kiss on Xander’s neck. “Guessed that, pet.  You should have woken me.  I could’ve found plenty of ways to keep you occupied.”

“Mmmm ‘kay.”

“Err, pet.”

“Mmm?”

“You got sommit in the toaster, luv?”

“Yeah?”

“I think it’s done.”

Xander calmly looked over at the toaster.

“Oh shit!!”

Xander shot forward and pressed the button to ping up the toast tray.  Black smoke poured from the appliance and Xander tried, ineffectually, to waft it away.

“Bloody hell, pet.  You’re making it worse.”

Xander coughed and spluttered as the smoke hit his lungs.

“Christ, luv.”

Spike ripped the plug from the wall, picked up the toaster, opened a window and threw it out.

“Spike! You can’t do that! What if it catches fire?!”

“Won’t catch fire.  Threw it in a puddle.”

“Well, that’s okay, then,” Xander said sarcastically.  “So how are we supposed to cook more Poptarts?”

Spike held up one finger in the air. “Ahhh, funny you should ask.”  He turned and rummaged around in a low cupboard, his ass sticking up high in the air.

Xander looked at Doyle, who had a bemused expression on his face. “Sorry about him.”

Spike stood back up before Doyle could speak, and plonked a shiny new toaster onto the counter. “There you go, pet.  *This one* has an automatic cut off.  So hopefully we’ll have no more attempted arson.”

“Uh, not that I’m not grateful.  But why did you buy a toaster when we already had one?”

“Cos you trashed the last three, that’s why. I wanted to be prepared this time.”

“Oh.”

“S’okay, pet.  Not to worry. I’m pretty confident that this one is totally Xan-proof.”

Xander beamed and reached back to grab the Poptart boxes.  “Great! Doyle and me are *starving* I’ll put some more Poptarts in...”

“No! I mean, don’t worry luv, I’ll do it.  Toast a great Poptart, I do.  Why don’t you go back to bed?  I’ll bring a couple up in a minute.”

Xander didn’t really feel like sleeping, but hopefully Spike had other things on his mind.

“Okay, but don’t be long.  Doyle?”

The Irish man waved him away.

“Yeah, go, go. I’ll just wait for my tart, then I’m going back to bed too.”

Spike watched Xander nod and walk away.  He pulled out a tray and began to prepare it to take upstairs.

“So, how is Angel?  And don’t gimme any of that ‘He just won’t talk’ bullshit that you gave Xan.  He don’t buy it and I’m bloody sure I don’t.”

“You heard us?”

“I hear a lot of things.  Not too many secrets in this house.  C’mon Irish boy, this is my Sire we’re talking about.  What’s the deal?”

“Well, I didn’t lie to Xander.  He really isn’t saying much.  I’m not sure what to think.  He just has this blank look, like he’s gone someplace else.  I just don’t know what I should say to him.”

Doyle had a desperate glint in his eye and Spike was unsure how to reassure him.

“Look, you know Angel, he broods for his country.  Let him think things over, but keep him real too.  Don’t let him sink himself.  Maybe I could talk to him?”

“Yeah. Would you? I mean, you were there.  So you know.”

“Yeah.  I’ll talk to him tonight.” 

With lightening reactions, Spike caught two tarts as they popped into the air and placed them on a plate for Xander.  He picked out the other two and gave them to Doyle. “Now *that* is a perfectly toasted Poptart.”

Doyle peered at the tarts.  “Agreed.”

“About my boy.  When it comes to cooking, he is a danger to us all.  So if you ever catch him in here making *anything* apart from coffee, then you come and get me, understand?” Spike fixed Doyle with a stern gaze.

“Understood.  I’m gonna take this upstairs. See if Angel wants to share; he might be hungry.”

Spike forgot himself and laughed sharply “I doubt that, mate…Sorry.”

Doyle sighed “It’s okay. Goodnight, or morning."

Spike shrugged.  “Whatever,” he said, his words not unkind.

Spike added coffee, juice and a large cookie to his breakfast tray and carried it from the kitchen.  He was tired; he really needed to sleep, rest his body and his mind before both went completely up the creek.  But his pet was obviously wide awake and needing to talk.  Not that Spike really minded.  If his boy needed a little TLC then so be it.  He was more than willing to oblige.

Spike climbed the stairs and balanced the tray on one arm as he opened the bedroom door with the other.  He stared at the sight before him and he wasn’t sure if he was annoyed or relieved.  Xander, the little shit, had curled up in a small ball in the centre of the bed and gone straight to sleep.

Spike quietly placed the tray on the dresser and walked over to the bed to look at his lover.  He looked so peaceful and so content, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.  Spike wondered if Xander was having a nice dream. 

Spike hated to see his lover upset or worried. Xander had a happy face, a face that should always be glowing with joy, and it troubled Spike whenever Xander wore his sad face.  It wasn’t surprising that Xander was unhappy at the moment, considering what had happened over the last few days and also considering the likely fallout that was approaching like a black cloak of doom.

Spike carefully climbed onto the bed and spooned around his lover, wrapping a comforting arm around Xander’s waist.  He whispered softly into his ear. “That’s it, luv. Sleep. Gonna be okay.  I’ll make sure of it.”

Spike closed his eyes and drifted off.

**

Xander and Spike were jerked out of a dreamless sleep and they both sat bolt upright in shock.

“What’s that?!”

“Front door, pet.”

“Fuck. What are they trying to do? Cave it in?”

Spike sighed and ran his fingers through his scruffy blond hair. “No.  Just trying to wake the dead.  Worked a bloody treat.”

Xander glanced hurriedly at the bedside clock as he struggled out of his sweats and into something more appropriate. “Shit, Spike. It’s gone six.  I wanted to be up and ready.  Who do you think it is?” Xander attempted to answer his own question. “Giles. It’s Giles.  He’s gonna go nuts about this claiming thing...”

“Naah, pet. Sounds more like Buffy.  No-one can batter a door down like a Slayer.”

“Gods, you’re right. The chip. You stay here...”

“Oi, I ain’t hiding behind *you*.”

“Firstly, *thanks* for that and secondly, I’m not asking you to hide.  I’m asking you to give me a minute with one of my best friends.”

“Sorry, luv. I didn’t mean anything...”

“I know you didn’t, Spike.”

Xander leant over the bed and kissed Spike’s temple.  The door banged again and both lovers jumped.

“Stay here,” Xander commanded as he rushed through the bedroom door and down the stairs.

Xander took a deep breath, smoothed his bed head down and opened the door.  There stood a small blond Slayer wearing a sling on her arm and a look of death and betrayal on her face.

“Hey, Buff...”

“Don’t ‘hey Buff’ me,” Buffy growled as she stormed past her friend and into the house.

Xander chased her down the hall and into the living room.

“Buffy, please don’t get upset.  We can talk about this.”

Buffy stared coldly at her friend.

“Can we? I’m not sure there is anything to talk about.  You clearly made your choices.  I just want to know why.”

“Yeah, I did have choices.  My choices.  And I didn’t take any of them lightly...”

“Is that so?” Buffy sneered.  “So you tossed and turned before you stabbed me in the back? Oh, well that’s okay then.  I feel so much better.”

“What do you mean ‘stabbed you in the back’? This isn’t about you.  It’s about Spike. And it’s about me not wanting him dusted.”

Buffy stepped back, a disgusted look flashing across her face.  “God.  You make me sick. You all do.  But you especially.  You were supposed to be my friend.”

“I am your friend.  But I love Spike. I couldn’t risk you hurting him, that’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“XANDER!  Just shut your fucking mouth about Spike for five minutes.  This isn’t about Spike.”

Xander was confused.

“It isn’t?”

“Of course it isn’t.  C’mon, *Xan-man*. Try and use the few brain cells that you actually have.”

“This isn’t about the chip?”

“No! I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the fucking chip. I’m talking about Angel. I am talking about why YOU FUCKED MY EX-BOYFRIEND BEHIND MY BACK!”

Xander staggered back, completely speechless.  He was totally taken aback by Buffy’s words.  The chip, she should be thinking of the chip.  This is the Slayer after all.  Did she really have that much trust in Spike, not to bother even worrying about his bite? Or was she just being extra selfish Buffy with a side order of bitchiness?

“Well, say something then. Or are you going to just stand there like the loser you are?”

“What’s your problem?  You’re not even with Angel anymore.”

“That’s not the point, Xander and you know it.”

“No, I don’t know it. What is the point?”

“Angel was mine.  What we had was sacred.  You have ruined that.”

“How!? How have *I* ruined that? You and Angel were in the past. This is now. You don’t love him any...”

Xander stopped as Buffy burst into tears.

“You still love him.”

“Of course I do, you idiot.  I always have. And you have ruined any chance of us getting back together.”

That was it.  He was tired of being called stupid, tired of getting the blame when things went wrong.  He was just tired.

“You are being completely ridiculous *and* you are being totally unfair…”

“Oh, I think you are the one who’s…”

“Shut up, Buffy. Just shut up and let me finish. You and Angel broke up for *whatever* reasons and that had nothing to do with me.  And the reason why you are not together now? He. Doesn’t. Love. You. Not my fault. Yes, I slept with him, but it was part of a ritual, a ritual to bind me and Spike together.  That is the only reason why it happened. Did I enjoy it? Yeah. It was fucking good.  Did *he* enjoy it? Well, I didn’t hear any complaints.”

“Xander…”

“Hey! Lips still moving here! And I’m not the only one.  He’s fucking Doyle, too.”

“You bastard.  Why are you doing this to me?”

Xander felt like growling and it took all of his power to hold back.

“Not always about *you*.”

“I really hate you, Xander.  You’ve changed.  What happened to my friend that was always there for me?”

“He moved on. Grew up, found a life of his own and stopped being your doughnut boy.”

“But, Xan, you were so good at it.”

“That’s it. I’ve had enough. Get out. GET OUT!”

“Hey! I’m the one that’s supposed to be pissed, you know.”

“You know what? I couldn’t give a *rat’s ass* how you feel.  This is my home and I’m not gonna let you just waltz in here and insult me. So just get out before I really lose my temper.”

“Yeah? What are you going to do? Hit me? Little Xander thinks he’s a big boy now.”

“Fuck. Off.”

“You’re a loser, you know that, right?”

A warning growl came from the door.

“Buffy, I think you need to leave.”

“Angel...”

Angel put a hand in the air and shook his head.

“Not now, Buffy. You need to go home and calm down.”

“But Angel…”

“GO! Leave! I won’t have you speaking to Xander this way, he doesn’t deserve it. Now, he told you to leave, so either you do what he says or I’ll remove you myself.”

“Fine. I’ll go. I’ll just leave you to your sick little orgasm party or whatever it is you two have going on here. I’ll see myself out.”

The door slammed behind Buffy and Xander threw himself onto the couch, sighing and flinging an arm over his eyes.

“Why does everything have to be so complicated?”

The sofa dipped as Angel sat down and Xander turned to face him.

“Gods, sorry man.  I shouldn’t be whining at you about my problems.  You’ve got enough of your own.”

Angel nodded.

“Maybe I have.  But they are the kind of problems that you just have to swallow and move on.  It’s not like there is anything I can do about it.  It happened. I can’t change it.”

“No, you can’t change it.  But you don’t have to just swallow it.  Just remember we’re here.  Me and Spike.  If you need to talk, then just talk.  I realise it goes against everything you believe in, but it really can help.”

Angel smiled, but it never reached his eyes.  He changed the subject.

“Just leave Buffy to cool down.”

Xander caught the abrupt change of subject but let it go.

“Or to simmer, you mean.”

Xander put on his glum face and he and Angel leaned back against the sofa, shoulder to shoulder.  They sighed together.

“Bleedin’ hell.  It’s like a bloody morgue in here.”

“Did you hear what Buffy said?”

“Think the whole bloody street did, luv.”

“Great.”

“Look on the bright side, pet.  At least she didn’t throw a fit about the chip.”

“Yeah, I know.  Still can’t quite believe it, though.”

Spike snorted.

“I can. Always thinks of herself first.  Selfish bitch.”

“Spike!”

“Wot!? I heard the way she spoke to you.  I’m not ‘aving it.  She had no right.  What happened between us three is our business, s’nothing to do with her.”

Xander blushed brightly, the realisation of what they were talking about finally kicking in.

Angel spotted Xander’s discomfort and went for another change of subject.

“Damage control,” he said.

“Huh?”

“Damage control, Xander.  Why don’t we see what we can do to minimise the damage before things get *completely* out of control?”

“What you got in mind, Peaches?”

“We need to go and see Giles.”

“You’ve got to be joking!”

“No, Angel’s right.  We *should* go and see Giles.  Before he comes to see us, right?”

Angel nodded. “Exactly.  Let’s go to him and lay all our cards on the table. I say we tell him *everything*.”

Spike huffed.

“Sodding hell.”

 **

“Ah, yes, do come in.”

Spike, Xander and Angel entered the house and made their way silently to the sofa.

“I wondered how long it would take for you three to come crawling…”

“Oi.” Spike stood and pointed at Giles. “We ain’t crawling!”

“No? Then why are you here?”

Angel waved his grumbling Childe back into a sitting position. “We are here because we want to explain things to you, about the claiming.”

“Don’t you think I deserved to have things explained earlier?”

“No,” Angel said firmly. “No, I don’t.  The claiming was a private act.  If Spike and Xander wanted to keep it to themselves, then that was their business.”

“Nonsense.  Xander is *nineteen* years old.  He’s still a child...”

“Hey!”

“You are, Xander.  You’re barely out of school, you’re not even old enough to drink and here you are binding your life to a vampire.  Do you know what it means? Do you know what you have done?”

“Of course I do. Contrary to the views of others, I’m not stupid.  I know exactly what I’ve done.”

“Is that so? Well then, you’ll be quite aware that this *claiming* will change you? You’ll be aware that it could make you different? You’ll also be aware that you are now bound to Spike forever? So when this silly little teenage crush ends, you are fully aware that you will be unable to walk away? That Spike will not let you go? God, Xander, how could you be so stupid?”

Xander felt tears sting at his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

“First, this is not a *teenage* crush.  I love Spike and he loves me.  I’ll never walk away from him, he’s mine.  And secondly, Spike and Angel explained everything to me.  I went into this with my eyes wide open.  There is nothing you could tell me that I don’t already know.”

“Did you know that if either you or Spike dies then, then the other will shortly follow?”

“Except that.”

“Wot are you talking about, Watcher? I’ve never heard nothing like that.”

“I have to agree with Spike, Giles.  I’ve never heard anything like it.”

Xander looked confusedly between Giles and the two vampires.

Giles walked over to a book case and pulled out a thin volume. “Then I suggest that you all read this. It describes a young man who in the nineteen seventies bound himself to vampire. The boy died in a horrific motorcycle accident. Three weeks later his vampire lover was found.  The vampire was just bones, his flesh rotted away. It is said that he died *again* of a broken heart. But it is actually believed that the death of the boy broke their bond.  The vampire was unable to survive without it.  He died in agony, a slow painful death that aged him beyond any human comprehension.”

Angel took the book and flicked through. “This is one account and it doesn’t prove…”

Spike interrupted. “Doesn’t matter anyway.” He looked lovingly at his consort.

“When Xan goes, I’m going too. Don’t wanna live without him.”

“But Spike, don’t you see? It’s quite probable that it works the other way around too.  If anything happens to you, then it will affect Xander. If you get dusted, Spike, Xander will die.”

**

Xander heaved a heavy sigh and carelessly swung his axe by his side as he walked through the cemetery.  Buffy had been deemed unfit to patrol due to her broken arm, so it had been decided that the rest of the scoobies would take up the slack.  Tonight it was Spike and Xander’s turn. They didn’t mind; it was enough to temporarily satisfy the Watcher, although they were certain that they hadn’t heard the end Giles’ nagging and chiding.

“Watch where you’re swinging that thing, pet.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry.”

Silence descended and Spike played with an assortment of words in his head, jumbling them 'round to make some sort of meaningful sentence. He gave up.

“Sorry, pet.  I really didn’t know.”

“Huh?”

“See? You’ve gone all whirly on me.  You’re thinking about it, about what Giles said.  You have to believe me, I really didn’t know.”

Xander stopped them and placed a warm hand on Spike’s cheek. “Spike, it’s okay.  I believe you. And I’m not worried.  You’ve already told me that you won’t go on without me and I believe you.  And you know that I feel the same. We just have to be careful not to buy the farm too early on.  Got lots of stuff to do yet.”

Spike smiled and kissed his lover, pausing time for just a few moments while he tasted and consumed Xander’s sweet sunshine scent.

“Would that include kinky stuff?”

“Most definitely.  Other stuff too, though.”

Spike pulled Xander closer and buried his nose into his neck, nuzzling at the soft, warm skin. “Like what, sweetheart?”

“You know, normal stuff.  Spike?”

Spike nuzzled some more and kissed along Xander’s jaw.  “Mmmm?”

“When Buffy can patrol again…can we?...could we?...um.”

Spike pulled back and fixed Xander with an amused stare. “C’mon, luv.  Spit it out.  I won’t bite…yet.”

Spike grinned happily and he was pleased when Xander grinned back with equal glee.

“Could we go on vacation? I haven’t been on a trip in ages, years even. It would be nice to just get away, you know, just the two of us. We don’t have to go far, not if you don’t want to, or we don’t have to go at all.  It was a silly idea.  I shouldn’t have asked. Just forget…”

“Would you just shut that wind-trap for a second?”

Spike leaned in and dazed Xander with a powerful kiss to ensure the silence.

“Right. That’s better. Now. Vacation. I’d love to, pet.  We’ll wait ‘til Buffy’s back on the case and we’ll clear off for a week.”

Xander smiled.  It was big and toothy.

“Really? A whole week?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fun.  Maybe we could go somewhere completely new.  Somewhere neither of us has ever been before.  But I have one condition.”

Xander looked suspiciously at Spike, half expecting his condition to involve a butt plug, some rope and half a jar of honey.

“What condition?”

“Tell me what’s bothering you.”

“Everything, you know that.”

“Yeah, but there’s more.  I know you too well, Alexander Harris.  What else is it?”

“It’s Giles.”

“No big surprise there.”

“No, I guess not.  I guess I’m just pissed that he knew something that we didn’t.  He made us look a bit stupid.  I just wish we knew something *he* didn’t.”

“We do.”

Xander bounced slightly and looked hopefully at Spike “Yeah? What?”

“Err, dunno, pet.  Let me think on it for a while.”

Xander sighed again.

“Spike? You’re an idiot.”

“So are you, luv.”

“See? Meant for each other.”

“Yup. Now grip that axe a little tighter.  Let's go flush out some more fledges.”

“Will you let me kill one this time?”

“'Course.”

Xander didn’t believe him.

**

Graham watched from a good distance, careful to keep his thumping heartbeat well away from the vampire’s ultra-sensitive senses.  He stared through his night-vision binoculars and swore.  Xander was in the cemetery, in the arms of Hostile 17.  Graham lowered the binoculars.  Why was this happening?  Why was Xander still with this vampire? Graham thought about it.  When they had run into them on the road, when two of his colleagues had died, he had tried to get Xander to come with him, tried to offer him a way out.  Xander had not gone with him, had completely refused his help and Graham was trying to figure out why. 

There was no way that Xander could be in a willing relationship with a vampire.  After all, a vampire and a human? It was almost unheard of. 

Graham realised what he needed to do.  He needed to somehow get Xander on his own and talk to him, show him that he was here to help.  Show Xander that he could keep him safe from this vile vampire.

Graham glanced through the goggles again and noticed that the Xander and the hostile had moved away.  Graham picked up his bag and followed.

**

The fledgling rushed at Xander and bared its teeth, snarling and growling while it stretched its arms out ready to grab him and feast on his blood.

Xander saw the creature turn and look at him and it came as no surprise when it rushed him.  Xander stared it down.  He didn’t run or just swing his weapon randomly at it like he normally would.  Instead he just stared at it, a look of mischief pasted on his face and a feeling of calm and confidence in his head.

When the vampire was but a cat's whisker away, he smoothly side-stepped it, grabbed the creature’s head and twisted it.  There was a sharp snap and the vampire fell to the floor, screaming.  Xander pulled a stake from his jacket, kicked the vampire onto its back and plunged the stake into its heart.  The only thing that spoiled the smoothness of the kill was Xander’s slight spluttering when a cloud of vamp dust hit him in the face.

“Nice, pet.”

Spike stalked across a couple of graves and raked his eyes over his lover.

“Very nice.  Couldn’t have done better myself.”

“That was weird, Spike. I almost didn’t feel like me.”

“Well, you sure looked like you.”

Spike closed the gap between them and placed his hands onto Xander’s hips, pulling them further together.

“Made me hard, watching you. Watching you slay that fledge.  Fought like a vamp, you did.  Precise, confident, powerful.”

Xander stayed silent as he fixated on Spike’s deep voice and his moistened lips, and he felt himself grow hard as Spike gripped his hips and began to grind steadily into him.

“Mmm, pet.  Want you.  I’m so fucking hard for you.  I know you want me too.  I can feel it, hell, I can smell it.”

Xander whimpered and ground himself hard into Spike.

“Yeah, that’s it, luv.  You want it.”

“Yesss.” Xander pulled back and grappled with the fastenings of Spike’s jeans.  Two cool hands came down and clamped around his wrists, pulling them away.

“Oh no you don’t, pet.  No touching for you.  All for me. Gonna have some fun.  You up for it?”

Xander wasn’t sure what “it” was, but he definitely wanted to be a part of it.  He nodded quickly.

“You gotta surrender to me, babe.  Surrender everything.  Can you do that?”

“Gods, yes.”

Spike kept a firm grip of Xander’s wrists and slowly he backed him across the cemetery.

“Good.  Gonna make you beg.  Gonna make you scream.”