Pairings: Spike/Xander, Xander/Anya

Disclaimer: I'm a Pretender, all hail Joss the master!

Notes: This is my first proper attempt at slashfic.
Feedback: Ohhh yeah. please. give it to me baby.

Embraced

by
Rune

Desperation is like a herd of wild horses. It starts off slowly, cantering along... gathers momentum, galloping now, faster and faster until at last, breath ripping from the body, sweat flowing slick and acrid, it culminates in a wild, frenzied hurricane, sweeping along everything in it's path, swallowing all.

Xander Harris was at the galloping stage.

The boy sat in a miserable huddle in the depressing basement he called home, this galloping desperation gnawing him like a persistent rat. He was in love. This, in itself, was not a bad thing; he is young, attractive, witty... and horny as hell. He has a girlfriend who enjoys his fit, hard body on a regular basis, and women... well, at least the women who never knew him at High School, are keen to make his acquaintance and try out that fit, hard body for themselves.

No, the bad thing was not the being in love, it was the who he was in love with.

It had all came as a bit of a shock, really. The object of Xander's affections had once been his bitter enemy. They say that familiarity breeds contempt, well not in this case. Familiarity had led firstly to a grudging admiration of his heart's desire's skills as a fighter, and then a growing enjoyment and anticipation of the many verbal slanging matches they enjoyed.

The fact that he most always lost these duels did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm, and Xander found himself sitting at night in his lonely basement, dreaming up new and insulting barbs to fling at his opponent.

Xander loved to watch his nemesis' face when he launched these attacks. His opponent was cunning and had a face which rarely gave anything away, but on occasion the deadpan expression gave way to a sardonic grin which hung lopsided on sensuous lips, or even better, a flash of white teeth and the crinkling of ice- blue almond eyes when the barb pulled a laugh from it's victim.

It was whenever Xander started to dream about those lips, those blue eyes and the lean, gorgeous body that made up the rest of the package, that he realised something was amiss.

Confusion reigned, and denial applauded on the sidelines. In a frenzy of sexual fervour that he really didn't feel, Xander set about pillaging the body of a bemused but nonetheless willing Anya night after night. Very quickly, two things became apparent.

Firstly, constant sex made his cock feel as if it had been put through a mangler.

Secondly, although he tried really hard to stay focused, whenever that delicious orgasmic wave hit him, the image branded in his mind was that of his opponent, his one-time enemy, the Peroxide King himself, the Big Used-To-Be-Bad.

Spike.

Xander had the hots for Spike.

Bad enough that Xander had once again fallen for a demon, but this time a man... a bloke... a guy... a vampire... a male vampire... a meat-and-two-veg vampire... a vampire with a cock... a large, delicious, biteable......

STOP IT!

Xander shook his head and then cradled it in his hands, trying in vain to dispel the image of himself on his knees worshipping at the Shrine of Spike; his tongue gliding along Spike's cool, hard cock, his lips engulfing the engorged tip, senses reeling as he tasted the salty pre-cum teardrop at it's peak.

Xander's eyes closed and his breathing became ragged and quick. His sweating hand unconsciously crept into his lap to the hard column of flesh growing rapidly below his jeans. Longingly, he pressed the palm of his hand against the hardness rhythmically, moaning softly, seeing Spike's face. He imagined he could hear the vampire, long fingers tangled in Xander's dark hair, his blonde head thrown back in abandon, moaning his name, pleading, coaxing...

'Ahhhhhh yeah... suck it hard.... please, Pet.... please Xan...'

'...der... Xander. What, are ya bloody deaf?' The familiar voice sounded deceptively close.

Xander's eyes sprang open in alarm. His eyebrows waggled as he tried to figure out if this really was Spike standing in front of him, in his basement, where he was sitting with a hard-on the size of Texas, a hard-on that he was busily kneading with an eager hand.

Spike's eyebrow raised and the familiar, beloved sardonic grin spread across his angular features. Amused, he took in the boy's appearance; tousled, breathless, horny as hell by the looks of things... Jesus, the boy was insatiable... Spike could smell demon-girl off Xander on every occasion that they met recently, and yet here the boy was, ready to beat-the-meat all on his own. The blonde vampire idly wondered if the whelp was as hot as he looked, all dark silky hair, puppy-dog brown eyes, hard body, and that full, sexy mouth ...

Sniffing, Spike shook himself from his ponderings and fished in his pocket in search of a nicotine fix. No point wasting his time on the boy, he was obviously very much into girlies... judging by the frequency with which he screwed Anya. However, here was an opportunity for some prize winning sarcasm, a subject which the vampire had turned into an art form.

'Well... seems I'm disturbing ya, peaches. Tell ya what, I'll leave you alone now, let ya finish. Unless ya want me to stay and watch? Watching's fun... even better than the horny stuff on telly, know what I mean?' Spike followed up his statement with a broad wink.

Xander, horrified, leapt to his feet attempting to pull down his t-shirt and cover the source of his embarrassment. Blind panic was written all over his flushed face and he stuttered and stammered, but the treacherous words just wouldn't come out. Oh gods, this was... disaster! Spike, the object of all his hottest, wildest fantasies had just caught him virtually with his pants down and his dick in his hand. And oh God... had he moaned Spike's name... had he? Oh God... don't let him have heard, don't let him...'

The shocked boy watched as the object of his affections headed back towards the door, a wispy trail of cigarette smoke following in his wake. Even now Xander couldn't help but salivate as he watched Spike prowl across the floor... damn, the vampire had the sexiest walk he had ever seen... he seemed to undulate, and his body fairly screamed 'C'mon, fuck me... ya know ya wanna.' And boy, did he ever...

Spike looked over his shoulder at the whelp. His thin eyebrows drew together slightly as he studied the boy's expression. Mmmm... could he be wrong? Xander was looking at him as if he could eat him on the spot. Now this could be an interesting development! Could it be that the whelp fancied a bit of the legendary shag that was Spike?

The blonde vampire stopped and slowly turned. The boy looked positively delicious, standing hugging himself like a frightened rabbit but oozing arousal and desire from every pore. Spike parted his lips and allowed the tip of his tongue to slide slowly along his bottom lip as his blue eyes devoured every inch of the dark haired boy's body, bottom to top. Startling blue eyes met warm, deep pools of chocolate and with a glow of satisfaction the vampire saw the spark of desire in those eyes grow.

Time stood still for Xander as he watched Spike's eyes hungrily and slowly drink in his body, and the boy's heart hitched; a razor sharp stab of desire slashing through him as Spike's tongue lazily moistened those sensuous lips Xander craved. The boy gulped and suddenly the moment passed.

'Oh, before I forget... Slayer sent me. She wants to know if you could pick up some books for Giles from Red's place.' Spike smirked 'Ya know, I don't think she likes going in there much anymore - frightened she'll catch the two girlies going at it hammer and tongs.'

Xander laughed weakly. 'OK... yeah... no problem, I'll get right on it.' he croaked.

Spike's smirk grew wider and he looked directly at Xander's crotch before adding 'Right. I'll tell Slayer you have the... uh... problem in hand then, shall I?'

A muted whimper escaped the boy's lips and he closed his eyes in embarrassment. When he opened them again, Spike had gone.



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It was just after ten when Xander decided to call it a night. He had been with Anya and they had spent the evening rowing loudly and angrily. Things were not rosy in the garden of Xander and now emotionally exhausted, all the dark haired boy wanted to do was seek solace in his own bed and hope to dream of the blonde vampire who was driving him mad with need.

Since his last encounter with Spike, Xander's confusion and frustration had progressed from bad to worse. Worse being that now, contrary to the past few weeks of frenzied coupling , he found himself unable to make love to Anya at all. Not only unable, but unwilling.

Suffice to say, this turn of events had not gone unnoticed by Anya. She was angry, hurt and bewildered by his reticence and suspected that maybe Xander had a new lover in his sights. Of course she was right. However, Anya thought it was another woman... Xander shuddered to think how she would react on learning the truth. Ex-demon or no, Anya had a hell of a temper and a wicked right hook.

The dark haired boy plodded towards home, his mind in a flurry of 'if only's, what if's' and numerous pleas to all the gods that Spike might return his affections. Xander found the last extremely unlikely. He had, however, received a shred of hope in the form of, strangely enough, one of the Watcher's aged and yellowed books.

The previous afternoon had been spent in Giles' home, helping with some research for a paper the Watcher was writing in the hope of impressing the Watcher's Council. Efforts were being made to aid the return of Giles to the Council; the paper to be a reminder of his superb literary and investigative skills. And so Xander had found himself poring through old manuscripts and books on Vampyre Lore. The boy was surprised to find that it made pretty interesting reading. Noted between the musty pages were facts on the various vampire clans and observations on the culture and hierarchy of the vampire as a whole.

Xander was amazed to read of just how close the bond between Sire and childe could be. It seemed normal for the Sire to bed his childe, even if they were the same sex, and he concluded from his readings that vampire society hadn't the same hang-ups and taboos about same sex couples as humans did. He stopped reading when he suddenly had a clear and graphic image of Spike in the throes of passion, his slim body straddled by the larger form of his dark haired Sire Angel, replete with game face and chewing on the blonde's neck. Xander had shuddered and set the book aside.

Nearly home now and Xander suddenly became aware of strange noises coming from an alley up ahead. The boy could hear snarls and a muffled voice calling out - sounded like someone was in trouble. He stopped, his body rigid with tension, and fear carving it's familiar yellow streak down his back. Reaching into his pocket he stroked the familiar smooth lines of his favourite stake. It was called 'Spike'... although no one else but Xander was privy to that fact.

The stake had been given to him by Angel on Graduation Day just before the Scoobys had faced Mayor Wilkins; it was made of oak and had been carried by the vampire ever since he had started his collaboration with the Slayer - it was a kind of 'going away' present. It's age and regularity of usage had made the wood pale and smooth, and it reminded Xander in a strange sort of way, of Spike's pale, marble like skin, and how he thought it would feel beneath his fingers. He had, however, chosen the name 'Spike' specifically because the stake was sharp and also because it was a cruel, barbaric instrument... that was exactly how Xander had seen the blonde vampire at that time - now it reminded the boy of Spike's more appealable qualities.

Xander suddenly found himself in the dark entrance to the alley, brave feet had overruled a quivering heart and guided him automatically to that spot. He supposed that after all these years of fighting and helping with the slaying it had finally become instinct to seek out the evil and remove it.... didn't make him any less terrified.

Frenzied snarls and growls and the sounds of a conflict in progress drifted towards his keen ears. Moving slowly and as softly as he could, Xander began to shuffle further into the alley. Cold beads of sweat tickled their way along his spine raising goosebumps on the way, and he nervously gripped 'Spike' and flicked a stray lock of black hair from his damp face with his free hand.

Closer now, painfully slowly, the dark haired boy crept up the alley. Up ahead in the darkness he could vaguely make out five shapes struggling in the darkness; four of the shapes appeared to be attacking a fifth but not making a very good job of it. Faceless bodies struggled in the fray, the thud of fists on flesh, the rumpus of bodies hitting stray trashcans and bouncing off walls echoing up and down the dark, narrow arena, and the air thick with growls and snarls and yelps of pain.

Xander, moving ever closer now through the rancid, stale vacuum in the alley, could see that there were suddenly only four shapes - that was a pretty good indicator that the assailants were vampire; no other demon that he knew of simply disappeared when fatally wounded... was handy though, no bodies to dispose of afterwards.

The boy hesitated... at least four... no, now three possible vampires... he wasn't sure if he should try to help alone, the odds were not good for him. It was then that Xander heard a voice that froze him to the spot.

'C'mon you wankers, is that the best you've got?' Thud of hard fist on flesh 'I'm gonna rip off yer heads and piss down yer necks!'

It was Spike.

Xander gasped and for a second the blonde vampire's head snapped in his direction, game face on and golden eyes glowing. One of the assailants took that opportunity to wack Spike on the head with a trashcan lid, knocking the blonde of his feet and onto the ground in a crumpled heap. Laughing harshly the vampire began to kick Spike where he lay on the ground, his grunts and snarls of effort drifting towards Xander on the charged air.

The dark haired boy grimaced, his heart pounding with fear for the blonde vampire who was being mercilessly beaten to death before his eyes. Then, even more horrifying for Xander, the other vamp now turned his attention to the source of Spike's distraction. The vamps yellow eyes glowed balefully and he moved cautiously towards the frightened boy. An evil chuckle seemed to tickle Xander's ears.

'Mmmm... what have we got here then... Have you come to play too little boy?' The vamp rasped, closer now; it could smell the fear coming from Xander in waves.

'You... you stay away from me you... undead fiend!' Xander gulped 'I've got a stake and I'm not afraid to use it!'

Glancing quickly over the vamps shoulder, Xander saw to his relief that Spike had, somehow, gotten to his feet and was now making short work of the other vampire... would he do it in time to help Xander...would he help Xander?

The terrified boy gripped the stake tightly and decided to go for it... if he let the vamp get any closer he would have no chance of staking him... best to try and rush him; he didn't figure the vamp would credit him with the balls to take him on.

He was right.

Yelling at the top of his voice, Xander rushed the approaching vampire, his arms stretched out in front of him hoping to either knock him down, or get lucky and stake him. As it happened, he got a bit of both.

Spike picked himself up off the ground, furious. Laying into the vampire who had been kicking the shit out of him, the blonde vampire's mind was quickly reviewing the situation. He had been sauntering up the alley on the way to his crypt, blood bags for his tea in a white plastic bag, when he was set upon by the vampires. Spike hadn't been surprised. For one, every demon in town counted him as fair game now and for two, the vamps were so incompetent that he could smell and hear them long before they attacked.

The ensuing fight was proving quite fun; the hapless minions no match for the experienced master vampire. Who the bloody hell did they think they were dealing with? Old Spike might be chipped and unable to harm humans but when it came to demons, it was business as usual. Things were going fine, he was getting a happy and then all of a sudden the whelp shows up! That little distraction was enough to give the opposing vampire the upper hand... a temporary arrangement of course. He had delivered a pretty good kicking to the blonde vampire, but it would take a hell of a lot more than that to put William the Bloody down and, more importantly, keep him down. The unlucky vampire had only succeeded in making Spike angry.

With a vicious twist, Spike snapped the vamps neck like a dry twig. Ooohhhh that felt good... there was something about snapping necks that Spike loved, whether it was that little cracking sound, the feel of the vertebrae as they surrendered or the sheer poetry of the act, he never could tell - but he loved it all the same. Dusting himself off, the blonde vampire turned his attention to the boy.

Xander was praying. He wasn't altogether sure who he was praying to, but he sure as hell hoped they were listening.

The boy's attack was not unsuccessful - he managed to stake the vampire but just not in the stipulated heart zone. His attack had taken the vamp by surprise; the momentum of the boy charging forward coupled with the outstretched arms had knocked the vamp of it's feet. Somewhere between the boy and the vampire hitting the ground, the stake had indeed struck home. However, it was with unbelieving eyes that Xander saw his favourite stake protruding from the vampire's groin.

High pitched squeals of pain and fury emitted from the agony stretched mouth of the vampire, and pulling the stake free and throwing it to one side, it scrambled to it's knees and swiped wildly at the boy with razor sharp fingernails. The nails tore a bloody swath across Xander's chest ripping through his t-shirt with all the ease of a hot knife through butter.

A flash of red-hot pain bathed Xander's upper body and he could feel the hot blood creating a small stream that led from his chest to his navel. Scrambling backwards on his haunches Xander tried to put a little distance between himself and the approaching ugly death.

The wounded vampire watched him warily and slowly dragged itself from it's knees with one hand cupping it's speared groin to stand over the trembling human. It's fangs were bared and a long, sticky string of saliva hung tremulously from it's bottom lip. It glared hatefully at Xander and then it's lips spread in an evil smirk.

'I'm gonna castrate you boy... I'm gonna bite of your dick with my teeth and then sit back and watch you bleed to death, you little pissant!' The growling vampire moved closer still.

'I wouldn't do that if I were you...' a sibilant voice hissed behind the enraged vamp.

Xander whimpered in relief as Spike grabbed his assailant and shook him like a rat. The exhausted boy slumped on his knees as the vampires struggled for the advantage. The wounded vampire lashed out and caught Spike a glancing blow high up on his cheek; the blood flow was instant and heavy and the blonde flinched, relinquishing his hold. Taking what was surely his last chance, the vampire turned and fled down the alleyway, leaving the blonde vampire and the boy alone and injured but alive... well, as alive as a boy and a vampire could be.

Spike raced to the boy's side and cradling him gently, ran his hands over the trembling body searching for injuries. Except for the nasty slash on his chest, Xander appeared to be unhurt. The blonde vampire inwardly sighed, and hoisted the boy to his feet. Holding him at arm's length he studied the frightened brown eyes. What the bloody hell was it about this whelp? He stirred something inside Spike, but just what that something was, the vampire wasn't sure. What he was sure of however, was that he was pretty bloody angry with him.

'Just what the fuck did you think you were doing Xander, eh?' Spike paced away from the boy and hunted on the ground for his discarded blood bags. 'What, you're mental... is that it? Christ boy, you could have gotten yerself killed.'

'Oh... well thank you very much Mr Oh-thanks-Xander, you-saved-my-worthless-hide!' the boy retorted.

Spike's eyebrows rose in surprise - spunky little bastard! Nearly got hisself killed and now he had the brass cojones to shout back at him. Retrieving his lost bag from the ground, Spike spun round to face a furious Xander. Hang about... saved his worthless...?

'What? You... saved me? Now just a goddamned minute... Who was it wondering around like a complete arse and nearly getting me dusted into the process? Eh? Fuck me Xan, I could have sworn it was you! Oh... maybe not... maybe you have an even stupider twin knocking around the place somewhere. Tell ya what... let's look about... see if we can't find 'im, eh?' Spike ranted.

Xander's eyes opened in surprise and his heart did a funky little beat. 'Xan', Spike had called him 'Xan'. That was like, I dunno... a pet name. Not as formal as Xander, yet not as insulting as Droopy Boy. Despite himself, Xander smiled.

Spike frowned. What the bloody hell was wrong with the boy, standing there smiling like a loon. He tutted in agitation and moved forward to face Xander.

'Look Spike... I was only trying to help. I thought those guys were hurting you...' Xander said gently.

'Hurting me? Huh, yeah... in their dreams!' The blonde vampire swept past Xander angrily 'Well Batman, the next time you feel like helping someone, save it for the damsel's in distress or lost puppies or some such, ya hear me? I don't need your soddin' help, get it?'

Spike glared at the boy on the way past. He nearly missed the flash of pain and hurt that swept over those brown eyes. Nearly - not quite. He strode on angrily for a moment and then stopped. Bloody hell... that boy was gonna be the death of him... in a manner of speaking. The vampire shifted from foot to foot, unsure of what to do. Should he leave the boy and head to the crypt? No. What then, go back and get him... and then what?

With a snarl, Spike headed back towards the alley where he had left Xander standing, all puppy-dog hurt eyes and dejected. Desperately thinking of what he would say, the vampire was disappointed to find that the whelp was gone.



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Xander surprised himself by running all the way home. Whether it was the fear of running into any more vampires or the fear of further humiliation by Spike, he didn't know. Slamming the door behind him and throwing himself on the bed, the dark haired boy pulled a pillow over his head. His brown eyes filled with hot tears and a lump settled itself at the back of his throat.

Curling himself into a ball Xander hugged himself and the pillow tightly, the tears pricking his eyes. He winced in pain and a blossoming wave of fiery pain slowly spread from the cruel gash on his chest. The boy could feel a fresh spurt of warm blood spew from the wound, but he didn't care... what did it matter anyway?

Surely there could be no more nastiness... hadn't he been hurt enough for one day? The sound of the basement door opening and the prospect of being found blubbing like a child signalled Not. Pushing his burning face further into the pillow's depths he sighed.

'Whoever you are, just go away... I'm not in the mood.' he mumbled.

The unexpected guest nervously cleared his throat.

'Uh... Ummm... Xander?'

Xander's eyes snapped open beneath the pillow and a wave of exhilaration swept over him.... quickly followed by a splash of trepidation. Had Spike come here to yell at him again... to hurt him even? The slightly reddened and worried eyes of the dark haired boy appeared over the rim of the pillow. He eyed the vampire suspiciously before speaking again, angry at himself for the tremble in his voice.

'Oh... Spike. What a pleasant surprise. You remember something you didn't get the chance to yell at me earlier? Or are you here to break my legs for daring to help the meanest, baddest vampire in Sunnydale, ummm?

The vampire grinned. Yup, this boy had spunk. Casually he draped himself over Xander's saggy couch and grimaced as his recently beaten body protested in pain. Patting his pockets in search of a cigarette Spike studied the dark haired boy from under raised eyebrows. He sniggered.

'Yeah... what was it now... Oh yeah...'I've got a stake and I'm not afraid to use it'... fuck me Xan, where the bloody hell did you drag that out from?'

Xander gulped. There is was again... Xan. Oh gods. Alright... let's not get all googly about one little word. The boy blushed and grinned shyly. Spike reached into one of his pockets and retrieved Xander's stake. Eyeing it with disgust, he threw it at the boy.

'Spike! You found Spike! I thought it was a goner... oh...' Xander's words stuck in his throat as he saw the expression on the blonde's face change from mild amusement to one of complete shock. Blushing even harder now the boy mumbled 'Ok... thanks... I'll just put this over here... hmmmm.' Xander cleared his throat and averted his gaze from the surprised vamps.

Spike didn't know whether to laugh or cry - the whelp had named his stake after him - stake... ya know, that thing that's used to kill vampires... of which he was one. Christ, if things got anymore ironic then they'd pretty much be... ironic, I suppose. Still, the whelp was all embarrassed now and damn if he didn't look incredibly cute with his blushing and his bright eyes and his full, soft mouth curved in a shy smile. A jolt of electricity seemed to centre itself at the vampire's groin and he shifted uncomfortably in the seat.

Spike sniffed nonchalantly and the sweet, heady scent of fresh blood wafted into his nostrils. He frowned, his blue eyes searching for it's source. His sense of smell quickly pointed to Xander and Spike remembered that the boy had been hurt in the affray.

Rising from his seat, the blonde put out his cigarette and prowled towards the bed where Xander was still sitting hugging his pillow. The vamp noted with amusement the boy's eyes widen as he approached, his face unsure of whether or not Spike was going to hit him or hump him... given a choice Spike was pretty sure that the answer would be 'hump'.

Xander sat frozen on the edge of the bed which shifted slightly as the vampire sat down beside him. He had never really been in such close proximity to Spike before and he marvelled at the vampire's smooth, alabaster skin which was marred only by the nasty wound inflicted by their assailants, and his piercing ice-blue eyes. Xander's hand itched to stroke that cool cheek and the boy hastily moistened his trembling lips as his heart began to pound and his breath quickened.

Spike's hand slowly reached out towards Xander and the boy whimpered. The vampire's thin eyebrows rose and he laughed, not unkindly.

'Settle down, peaches, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I just wanna have a look at that wound... could need a stitch or two... and ya gotta get it cleaned...'

The blonde's eyes narrowed in concentration as he gently lifted the trembling boy's ripped t-shirt. Frowning, he gripped the shirt tightly in both hands and tore it in two, pulling the pieces gently away from Xander's chest.

Xander squealed, as much in surprise as in indignation. 'Hey... favourite shirt there bud!'

Spike tutted and glanced up at him from beneath knotted eyebrows. 'Bloody hell Xan, I think the shirt was pretty much sliced and diced anyhow! Besides... it wasn't that nice...' He continued with his inspection of the nasty and still bleeding gash before adding quietly 'Anyhow... the red one looks a lot better on ya.'

Xander's mouth fell open and once again his heart did that funky little beat, but before he could even think about speaking, the vampire sat back with an unneeded sigh and wiped his hands on a piece of the tattered shirt.

'Well, it's deep and it needs cleaned, but I think you'll live.' Spike arose from the bed and helped Xander to his feet. 'You really should wash that out with some disinfectant or something... demons can carry all sorts of nasty germs and such...'

The blonde vampire's voice trailed away as he stood face to face with Xander and found himself up close and personal with those melting brown eyes and sensuous lips. Spike could feel the boy's warm breath caress his cool cheek and smell that special, heady scent that only Xander seemed to have. Oh bloody hell... how he just wanted to lose himself in those eyes, those lips...

Suddenly, as if in slow motion, Spike saw the boy's hand reach up and gently touch his wounded cheek. The vampire drew in a ragged un-needed breath and he wanted to grab the hand and slide one of Xander's long, warm fingers into his mouth... wanted to taste him, to arouse him - ohhhhhh bloody hell, he just wanted to fuck him long and hard. Before he could move a muscle Xander spoke.

'Wow... that's incredible!' The dark haired boy's eyes widened in surprise.

Spike's eyes narrowed in confusion. 'What? What's incredible?'

'Your face... you had a big gash on your face, I saw it... but it's nearly healed! How the hell did you do that? There won't even be a scar!' Xander's fingers gently probed the vampire's rapidly healing wound in wonder.

'Owwww... Xan... bloody hell pet, it still hurts like a bitch!' The vampire grumbled, gently gripping Xander's hand. 'Anyhow it's no mystery - it's a vampire thing, we heal really quickly. Now if I licked it it would heal even quicker... powerful stuff vampire spit.'

Xander laughed 'Hey, don't knock it bud! I could do with some of that right about now...'

Spike smirked 'What, you want me to lick it for ya, is that it pet?' he leered.

Xander's treacherous mouth let him down again - before he had a chance to think he heard himself answering in a husky, lust laden voice. 'Ohhhh yeah... I'd like that...' A moist, pink tongue slid sensuously across his full lips and the boy felt frozen in time, tension gripping his body tightly. Treacherous mouth was joined by treacherous body as Xander felt himself begin to go hard, and his breath caught in his throat as he saw Spike's eyes darken with desire.

The vampire's blue eyes transfixed Xander's as he raised the still captured hand belonging to the boy to his lips and slowly slid the middle digit into his cool mouth. Xander gasped at the sudden wetness and suction and he could all too easily imagine that suction action on other parts of his body. Spike swirled his tongue around the tip of the boy's finger before sliding it nearly all the way out and running it slowly across his lips.

Xander whimpered and began to breath heavily, his brown eyes heavy with lust. Lips parted and his breath came in little jagged gasps. His cock twitched beneath his trousers and he felt like he was gonna explode at any second as he watched, mesmerised by the sight of his finger teasing the vampire's mouth.

Spike stepped closer to Xander until they were practically touching, his eyes never leaving the boy's face. Then the blonde leaned in close until their noses were touching slightly and Xander could feel cool breath on his fiery cheek as the vampire whispered hoarsely, his lips tickling the boy' cheek.

'Fuck, Xan... I wanna lick you all over... bottom to top' The vampire backed up his words by slowly sliding his tongue along the trembling boy's jawline all the way up to his earlobe which he drew into his mouth and sucked gently.

The blonde's tongue soon found it's way into Xander's ear and probed wetly eliciting a moan from the boy. Withdrawing his tongue, Spike rubbed his cheek against Xander's enjoying the scrape of stubble that was growing there against his uninjured cheek; the vampire closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, the musky desire-filled odour from the boy filling his senses... damn, but this boy was hot. Spike felt his growing erection brush against Xander's already hard member and he ground against the boy gently, growling softly.

Xander gasped and his hips bucked automatically towards Spike, his hands grabbing the slim vampire's hips and pulling him closer. Spike chuckled softly and drew his head back slightly, wanting to look at the whelp's face; to look in his eyes and see raw desire for the vampire reflected there. The boy was flushed and his lips were full, ready to be plundered. So close that his lips brushed Xander's with every word, Spike asked the question that had fired the boy's every desire for weeks...

'Xan... do you want me pet?'

With a choked sob Xander managed to croak softly 'Fuck yes... please Spike, please... please...'

The boy's pleas were silenced by cool lips pressing onto his. Xander closed his eyes and a lone tear coursed it's way down his cheek... gods, he had wanted this for so long... needed, yearned, wept for it. Inwardly sighing, the boy gave himself up to sensation and relaxed into the vampire's embrace as Spike's arm encircled him, and he felt the vampire's other hand wander to the back of his neck where cool fingers curled and uncurled in his hair.

Spike's mouth descended on the boy's, moving against the velvety softness insistently. The vampire felt the boy relax in his arms and he parted his lips allowing his tongue to probe a path through Xander's lips. The boy's lips parted eagerly and Spike moaned deep in his throat at the sensation of his cool tongue suddenly finding itself in the hot wetness of Xander's mouth, and being probed and teased by Xander's equally hot tongue.

The kiss deepened and their tongues fought lazily, probing, darting, sneaking out to tease lips. Xander whimpered and his breath came in ragged gasps as Spike teased him with butterfly soft kisses and gently nipped his bottom lip with his teeth. The boy's head swam and he weaved unsteadily in the vampire's arms.

'C'mon pet... let's get you to bed' Spike whispered, leading the boy firmly towards the bed and setting him gently down.

Xander watched as the vampire shrugged off his duster and unlaced his boots, kicking them into the corner. Slowly, Spike slid off his black t-shirt and let it fall to the floor before his hands wandered lazily down his own body to the zip of his jeans. His blue eyes never leaving Xander's face Spike slowly opened the button and pulled down the zipper, his hand slipping over his navel and below his jeans to the large obvious erection beneath. The vampire's eyes closed briefly and his lips parted in a moan; Xander nearly swallowed his tongue as he watched Spike's hand move up and down slowly beneath his jeans caressing his hard cock.

Opening his eyes Spike's gaze found the boy's and he whispered 'Do you wanna touch me, Xan?'

Xander's own erection pleaded to be set free, pleaded for those cool fingers to encircle it, pump it, make it cum. The boy reached out silently and pulled the vampire towards him. His mouth was now flush with the vampire's busy hand which Xander reached out and gently pulled free from the restricting jeans. As if in a dream, Xander watched himself pull the jeans down over the impossibly slim hips and wasn't really surprised to note that Spike went commando - no boxers, no nothing... it was painfully erotic.

Xander gazed in wonder at the long, hard shaft jutting from the vampire's body - he had never been this close to a naked man before although he had envisionaged this scene with Spike a hundred times before in his head. Slowly, he ran a nervous finger along Spike's shaft from root to tip, gathering a small drop of pre-cum on the edge of his finger, confidence growing as the vampire moaned and trembled. Staring directly into Spike's heavy-lidded eyes Xander brought the finger to his lips and touched it with his tongue.

Spike whimpered.

Bolder now, the boy gently gripped the vampire's cock at the base and slowly, cautiously lowered his mouth towards it. He stroked his cheek along it's firm length, marvelling at the silky softness of the skin and the smoothness of the bulbous head. Xander's tongue snaked out and swirled around the tip, probing into the little dip in the centre and tasting the slightly salty clear fluid that oozed from it.

Spike hissed 'Ahhhhh... that's nice pet...'

Smiling, Xander placed his lips at the tip of Spike's twitching cock and slowly slid the hard, cool length into his mouth. Sucking gently, his hand moved at the base pumping slowly, oh so slowly and the boy's tongue caressed the sensitive underside and head of the vampire's cock. Spike's hands gripped the boy's head and he had to fight to stop himself from plunging into Xander's mouth and thrusting into that hot, sticky wetness until he came. The vampire watched, panting now, as the boy's head bobbed up and down on his cock; his balls tightened and knowing that he wouldn't last much longer, he gently pushed Xander's head away.

Xander looked up, confused... what was wrong, wasn't he doing it right? Knowing how insecure the whelp was and guessing what was on his mind Spike laughed nervously,

'Christ, Xander... steady on pet or I'm gonna pop right here and now.' The blonde sat down on the bed beside the boy and took him in his arms, showering him with frantic kisses. 'Bloody hell... you're so fucking hot...'

The pair collapsed onto the bed and Spike rolled on top of the boy, pinning his arms above his head with one powerful hand. Xander's brown eyes stared up at him nervously and with a chuckle the vampire lowered his head and allowed his mouth to plunder the boy's body.

Tongue sweeping down the boy's neck and chest, Spike found Xander's nipples. He licked and nibbled the buds into hardness, alternating between the two while Xander moaned and fidgeted beneath him, grinding his pelvis against the vampire desperately trying to find some friction.

Just below his breastbone the long, jagged gash sat out in harsh relief against the smooth skin and the vampire gently began licking it clean. Xander hissed in pain and Spike slid one hand down to the crotch of the boy's jeans finding the hard length beneath. The blonde pulled down the zipper and slipped his cool hand beneath the boy's boxer shorts to cup his hot erection, pumping it slowly as he continued licking the wound. It would still cause the boy considerable pain, but at least now Spike was doing something else to keep his mind of it!

Xander lay beneath the vampire in a cloud of pain and ecstasy - he could barely tell the difference between which sensation was pain and which pleasure; the two merged to create a feeling that he had never even dreamed of, and the boy guessed that being drained by the vampire whilst making love would feel pretty similar... the idea was strangely compelling.

Just whenever Xander was becoming accustomed to the pain it was gone... only to be replaced by even more pleasure. The boy tilted his head to watch the blonde vampire's mouth travel further down his body and he obediently lifted his hips to allow Spike to slide his jeans and boxers completely off. New sensations flooded his body; the feeling of the vampire's cool, smooth skin against his warm nakedness made him want to scream for more, and he longed for the vampire to be closer, inside him, filling him with his coolness.

Once again as if reading Xander's mind, Spike wet a finger thoroughly with saliva and gently probed between the boy's legs. Xander gasped and his back arched as Spike slowly and carefully inched the finger past the ring of muscle and inside him. The boy could feel his muscles reflexively grip the vampire's finger and a burning, slightly painful sensation flooded his body.

Spike was achingly gentle - he knew that this was the boy's first encounter of this sort and he didn't want to hurt or frighten him... best to take it slowly, although all he wanted to do was replace his finger with his cock and fuck the boy into the mattress. The slowness of their lovemaking was maddening and exciting beyond anything the vampire had ever experienced and he knew just how easy it would be to become addicted to this brown-eyed boy and his tight, young body.

The vampire slid further down Xander's body and put his talented mouth to work on the boy's rigid cock; he knew the boy wouldn't last long and he wanted it to be memorable. After a few minutes of agonising teasing with his tongue, the vampire's mouth engulfed the boy, sucking hard. Xander moaned with every bob of the blonde's head and his hips bucked upwards towards the vampire. Spike knew instinctively that the boy's orgasm was near and he crooked his finger inside the boy, nudging his prostrate as he simultaneously deep-throated him.

Xander's mind and body exploded in a haze of pure pleasure; the boy shouted out Spike's name again and again as the orgasm ripped through him.

'Ahhhhh... Spike... Spike... don't stop... don't stop...' The boy arched his back one final time as he exploded in the vampire's mouth and then his exhausted body flopped back onto the bed, lungs hitching in great gasps of air and his heart beating wildly. Xander lay, shocked by the enormity of the orgasm he had just experienced; nothing he had ever had with any girl ever was even close to this... this was... this was...

'Incredible... incredible... oh gods... incredible' Xander murmured again and again like a mantra.

The blonde vampire studied the boy, amused. It was gratifying to see Xander let himself go like that and the vampire was more than sure that it was the singular most intense sexual experience of the young man's life to date. Spike intended to make sure that the boy had many, many more with him... he wasn't letting Xander go, not after this. Sliding up the bed Spike lay down beside the boy and held him close, his own forgotten erection digging into the boy's side.

'Was that nice then peaches?' the vampire asked innocently, smiling warmly.

Xander gathered the vampire in his arms and sighed contentedly, snuggling against him and covering Spike's neck in kisses.

'Incredible, just incredible...' the boy murmured.

Spike chuckled, 'Yeah... you said that already once or twice.'

'But it was...' Xander protested and then suddenly realised that there was still something cool and hard nestled between their bodies. Moving his hands slowly down Spike's body, Xander stroked the blonde's erection and smiled as the vampire moaned and arched his body towards him.

Xander pushed Spike back onto the bed and tongued his way down the vampire's body slowly, taking time to lavish attention on the vampire's hard, erect nipples; it was obviously a hot-zone on the blonde's body Xander pondered as he bit and nibbled, judging by the moans of encouragement issuing from the vampire.

Xander's tongue made it's way to the rigid erection and the vampire growled and shouted his name as the boy practically deep-throated Spike, struggling hard to take the cool cock as far into his throat as he could in his determination to make Spike scream with pleasure.

The vampire, in game face now, writhed and growled beneath Xander, strong hands gripping the dark silky hair of the boy, hips thrusting upwards as he urged the boy to take him deeper, to suck him harder.

It was then as the vampire's orgasm was clearly imminent, that Xander wondered what to do next; did he spit the cum out or swallow it... oh gods... what if it tasted really bad and he had to spit it out, would Spike be offended? The vampire saved him the trouble of having to think about it much longer by coming in his mouth with a roar, his bucking hips nearly dislodging Xander.

Spike's cold seed spurted into Xander's mouth and hit the back of his throat; the boy swallowed instinctively, the sticky fluid disappearing, surprised and delighted that it wasn't as bad as he thought it was gonna be and that he hadn't embarrassed himself by throwing up.

Spike's steely grip on Xander's hair let up and the vampire lay trembling beneath him. Xander moved up the bed to lie alongside Spike and watched with interest as the vampire's face slowly morphed back to it's human form. Even in demon face Spike was sexual, magnetic, his golden eyes fierce and dangerous and his mouth holding the promise of agonising death or dark re-birth. Xander found himself wanting that mouth to be on him, on his neck... he longed to feel the needle sharp fangs enter him, to feel Spike's lips suckling...

The vampire studied the boy quietly; just what was going on in that head of his now? His eyes widened as Xander's fingers gently touched his fangs just before they disappeared back into his gums and he saw the look of longing in the boy's eyes. Spike swallowed hard. He had to admit, Xander gave a pretty mean blow job, but even if he was the best shag in the world, nothing could replace the blood-play, the feeding... nothing.

'If it wasn't for this bloody chip...' the vampire whispered hoarsely, emotion flooding him.

'Shhhhh, I know, I know... We'll find a way around it Spike, I promise.' Xander whispered back, kissing his vampire lover tenderly on the lips.

Spike stared at Xander, his blue eyes still ringed with gold. 'You... you want me to feed from you? Have you any idea what that would mean for you Xan?'

Xander thought for a moment. 'No... not really. I know it would hurt, but so does getting shagged up the ass and I want that more than anything!' the boy laughed. 'Even so... I want you to have my blood, I want you to have me... I'm yours Spike. I wanna belong to you.'

The dark-haired boy ended by embracing the blonde, snuggling against him like a big pussycat. Spike swallowed hard again - this was too much to have hoped for... it was like a dream. The vampire half expected to be rudely awakened by an irate Watcher wanting to re-claim his bathtub. Hugging the boy close to him the vampire smiled.

'Don't worry Xan, you do pet, you do.' Spike whispered 'You're mine now...mine for good.'



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Xander Harris was a happy man. For the first goddam time in his so far miserable life, he was happy.

After the boy's black eye and split lip had healed, courtesy of a dumped and angry ex-demon named Anya, he had made a conscious effort to get himself employed. Why you ask yourself? Because now he had someone to support, another mouth to feed... in a manner of speaking.

Things were pretty bleak on the job front and Xander found that the only job available for a man of his limited skills was in a notorious biker bar about half a mile outside the town limits. It was called, not surprisingly, The Bucket Of Blood... although it could quite as easily be accurately re-named to The Bucket Of Puke.

Every weekend a raucous and mostly crap rock band would assemble their instruments on the rickety stage and churn out the most unbelievable noise for three hours straight, while fat, leather clad and bearded bikers and their 'old ladies' drank kegs of beer by the dozen, danced drunkenly and fought enthusiastically... oh, and did I mentioned fucked? Jesus wept, they screwed like bunnies in every available darkened corner, and if no darkened corners were available they would just as soon put on a live show for the other patrons.

Occasionally, things got really nasty - Xander remembered with a shuddering dread one particular night in June. A couple of young girls from town, no doubt excited by visiting an establishment of such a dubious reputation and the promise of actually being able to get some liquor, arrived in the bar. It took precisely 60 seconds for the girls to realise that they had made a life-changing decision in deciding to visit this particular hell-hole. Both girls had been brutally raped by at least half the men present plus a few of the 'ladies' by the time that Xander had managed to get the local law enforcement officers to stop by.

Spike had been furious when he realised just what sort of a dump his lover was employed in, demanding that Xander hand in his notice and never return to the bar. Xander, for once asserting himself, refused point blank.

For one thing, there were no other jobs to be had - Xander lived in the basement of his parents house, but not for free. When his father had discovered that Spike was a frequent sleep-over he had firstly beat the shit out of Xander for not asking permission and then raised the rent - if the 'blonde freak' who had befriended his son wanted to sleep under his roof, then he had to pay. It had taken a week before the pain of the beating subsided and Xander knew only too well how much worse it could have been if his father had even suspected that he and the 'blonde freak' were lovers.

Every pay-day Xander laid out the money for the rent, bought some food, picked up blood and fags for Spike and then squirreled away what little there was left and hid it in his 'special place' in the basement. No one except he knew the money was there. The dark haired boy suffered working like a dog in The Bucket Of Blood and the disapproval and endless complaining of his lover because of this little stash of money. It was their 'going away' money, his and Spike's. Just as soon as he had enough money saved, Xander was taking Spike and getting the hell out of this fucking town; away from the Hellmouth, away from The Bucket Of Blood, away from the ever increasing threat to both Spike and himself from the town's resident demon community and, most importantly, away from his bastard parents.

Xander allowed himself a chuckle at the thought of him 'taking' Spike anywhere. Spike was, and always would be, the dominant one, the driving force in their relationship; but Xander sometimes allowed himself the luxury of wallowing in the fact that Spike needed him. Unlife for the vampire had been radically altered by the behaviour modification chip inserted in his brain by the Initiative; altered to the extent that the vampire could no longer hunt, no longer feed from humans, no longer defend himself against them... hell, it even interfered in their love-making. Knowing that the first few times they really made love would hurt Xander, Spike had shied away from the actual shagging; neither of them were totally sure if Xander's discomfort while shagging would actually activate the chip, but it was a chance the blonde was unwilling to take. 'Fried vampire brains...' he informed Xander, were 'notoriously hard to get out of the carpet.'

So life trickled along for Xander Harris. It was a pretty shit life as lives go, but the one thing that kept him going, kept him happy was Spike... Spike and the fact that in another couple of weeks he would finally have enough cash for them both to leave.



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William the Bloody was a happy vampire. For the first time in a long, long time the vampire was actually happy. Things had sucked big time - the Initiative, Dru leaving him, his now- hostile relationship with Angel; all of it had made him so bloody miserable he had contemplated a short stroll in the sunshine. Then it had happened; he had fallen in love. Now Spike's unlife revolved around the dark-haired boy he adored and obsessed over.

Rolling over in bed Spike stared at his lover in the darkness. The vampire had perfect night vision and he could make out every detail of Xander's face. The whelp had been working all weekend in that bloody pub and he was exhausted; crawling into bed in the early hours of Monday morning the boy had slept like the dead, moving only when the bad dreams he had suffered with increasing frequency lately disturbed his slumber.

The blonde's internal clock told him that it was just after sunset and time to feed, but first...

Sidling slowly to Xander's side the vampire writhed sensuously against his young lover relishing the smooth silky warmth of his skin. Within seconds, Spike was hard... Bloody hell, it never ceased to amaze him; one touch, one look from the whelp and he, Master vampire and killer of two Slayers, turned into a horny, trembling mess! There was only ever, in all of his unlife, one other person who could make him feel like this - Angelus his sire, in those heady days before the Slayer, before the curse when Angelus, the Scourge of Europe and his blood-childe William the Bloody ruled the world... well, it felt as though they had.

Xander lay on his side facing away from the blonde. Spike's tongue snaked out and he started to lick the boy's naked neck and back with long wet strokes, his cool hands stroking the boy lightly, fingers seeking out and gently tweaking sleeping nipples. The vampire smirked as the boy stirred and moaned softly and he continued rolling Xander's nipples between his thumb and finger, feeling the soft buds turn into hard little peaks.

Sliding further down the bed the vampire's mouth licked and nibbled it's way along Xander's spine finding the hot-spot at the bottom of his back, a little spot at the base of his spine that made the boy quiver when it was licked. Spike's hands followed the downward route at a leisurely pace, twirling patterns in Xander's navel and tugging playfully at the silky covering of hair just below.

Xander continued to stir; he stretched lazily like a cat, lifting his arms above his head and leaning his body back against his lover. Spike laughed softly when the boy's erection brushed his hand and he moved position so that he could lavish the same sensuous licks on the boy's torso that his back had enjoyed. Hooking one of Xander's knees over his shoulder, the vampire moved in between the boy's legs, his tongue licking patterns on Xander's inner thighs and moving teasingly close to his balls. Glancing quickly upwards Spike could see that the boy's eyes were still closed. Smiling indulgently the vampire rested his weight on his elbows and studied the boy.

'I know you're awake, Xan...' Spike chuckled 'I can tell by your breathing.'

Smiling slyly, Xander's eyes slowly opened and the vampire was overjoyed (as he always was) to see the boy's brown eyes filled with love and warmth. Xander reached for him and in a second Spike was in his arms, cool lips searching for his, tongue probing and darting. The kiss was long and deep leaving Xander flushed and gasping for breath; he tenderly traced the sharp contours of his vampire lover's face with his fingertips, and when he spoke his brown eyes never left the icy blue of Spike's gaze.

'Spike... I have something to tell you.' the boy started.

The vampire's eyes narrowed and he tensed in the boy's arms. 'Oh no Xan...don't pet... please don't say it' he murmured mournfully.

Xander's eyebrows shot up half an inch 'What? Say what? Oh no, it's not that kind of a what... it's the good kind, ya know... the 'O Negative' kind, the 'Sunshine On A Rainy Day' kind... the...'

Spike's eyes were wide and his look was one of fear 'Oh bloody hell no, Xan... don't say it! Don't tell me you're gay!' The vampire finished his statement in a camp falsetto, wiggling his eyebrows for effect.

Xander stared at him open-mouthed, while the vampire dissolved into fits of laughter on the boy's chest.

'Oh har-de-har Mr Funny Man...' Xander scolded 'That's right... make fun of me, make fun of poor stupid, gullible... gay Xander' The boy's voice tailed away into giggles and the lovers held on to one another and laughed until Xander nearly choked.

Still in each others arms Xander stroked the blonde vampire's head as it lay on his chest. 'Seriously though... we gotta talk.'

Spike's head tilted towards the boy's face. 'Hey, it's not like my Xan-pet to be serious... What's up?'

Xander took a deep breath. 'Well... you know how I've been busting my ass over at The Bucket Of Blood these past few months? Well, newsflash! I've been holding out on ya... been putting some dollars away and I've managed to save enough so that we can catch the next banana boat out of this dump in another two, maybe three weeks. I didn't want to tell ya before, wanted it to be a surprise and all...'

'No, Xan.' The vampire said softly. 'And if I'm gonna be perfectly honest with ya... I knew about your plan all along.'

Xander fidgeted beneath the vampire, worry washing over him like cold water. 'What? You knew? How could you know? And no... what does no mean, no what... hey, are gonna leave me? Is that what this is all about? C'mon you undead... gay... creature of the night, spill!'

Inwardly sighing, Spike sat up and fixed Xander with his 'annoyed' face. 'Firstly, no... I'm not gonna leave you, where the hell did you get that idea? Secondly, I happened to find your little stash one night when I was looking for somewhere to hide some cash of my own; I put two and two together and guessed. Thirdly... who told you I was gay?' the blonde smirked.

'OK... but that doesn't explain the no part...' Xander spluttered.

'Ahhh... the no part. Well, you said that in two or three weeks you would have enough to get us out of here to which I said no.' Spike fell silent.

Exasperated, Xander whined 'Spike!'

Smiling evilly, the vampire continued 'No, we won't be leaving here in two or three weeks... it's gonna be more like, ohhhhh let's see now... about four days.'

Xander spluttered anew 'Four... What? How? What?'

'Bloody hell Xan, if you say what one more time I may have to stake meself!' Spike looked at his lover's flustered face and decided that he had teased him enough for one day... well, in that sense anyway.

Pulling Xander close the vampire spoke softly to him, stroking the boy's dark silky hair and interspersing speech with light kisses. 'Look pet, I know how much you hate it here, living in this dump with those bastard parents of your's upstairs and let's face it... it's getting dangerous in Sunnydale for you now, being with me and all.'

Spike kissed the boy before continuing 'I got some money working for Willie... cleaning the bar when he closes up, delivering some messages for him and that... I wanted to help pet, I know how hard it is living here, keeping us a secret. So the money's yours. With what you've gathered up I reckon we can haul tail out of here just about any old time ya like.'

Xander stared at the vampire with something close to awe. The boy's lips trembled and his brown eyes filled with tears. 'You did that for me?'

Spike smiled gently 'No, pet... I did it for us... now come 'ere...'

The vampire's cool lips sought Xander's and he melted into the embrace. Christ, he just couldn't get enough of the boy and he yearned for the day that he could shag him properly... he knew Xander did too, but it was much to dangerous... the vampire had an idea that his brain really could be fried by the damned chip - well, he wasn't about to find out, there had to be another way. But until then the vampire intended to enjoy his lover as best he could.

Breaking their kiss, Spike moved gracefully from Xander's arms down to the position he had started off in - between the boy's legs. He lathed the boy's rapidly hardening cock with his tongue, teasing the weeping tip and dipping his head to lick the heavy orbs below. Xander sighed and curled his fingers in the vampire's blond hair, hair which was surprisingly soft and surprisingly curly when it wasn't held in place with half a tub of gel.

The boy loved it when he and Spike showered together; then the vampire's hair hung in his face in cute, wet curls making him look impossibly young and boyish... almost human. However, Xander found himself increasingly attracted to Spike the demon; the vampire was mostly always in game face at the climax of their loving and Xander wasn't afraid to admit that there was something damned exciting about staring into that feral face, something primal within him longed for the demon to sink his sharp fangs into him and for he to bite the demon in return. Lately, Spike found himself covered in bites after they had made love - not that he minded of course, but it brought home the painfully obvious fact that he was, at least as a demon, effectively impotent.

The lovers spent a blissful half hour in a tangled embrace of limbs and tongues before Xander reluctantly extricated himself from the vampire's embrace and got showered and dressed. The boy was beside himself with glee; he had people to see, things to do, plans to make... In another few days they would be history, out of here, vapour trails, fading memories... His head full of ... well, stuff, Xander headed out into the Sunnydale night leaving Spike to his own devices.



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One thing that Xander and Spike definitely had in common was something called 'Sod's Law'. You could be sure that whenever happiness raised it's ugly head, then misfortune would suddenly say 'Hey! You're happy? Can't have this... no, no, no...'

Xander happily strutted towards the Slayer's place of residence in search of the now mostly-defunct Scooby Gang. Where once they had all been so close, now they walked their own paths, went their separate ways, lived their own lives. Xander rarely saw any of them anymore; this had in the early days come as something of a shock. The boy had found himself on the outside looking in on what had once been, to all intents and purposes, his family and his only friends. There was an excruciating lonely few months in between his enforced separation from the rest of the Scoobys and the commencement of his love affair with Spike.

This was probably why the prospect of saying farewell to his friends didn't loom as forebodingly as it might have once, in fact Xander was going to enjoy telling them of his imminent departure - let it be him leaving them behind for a change. He had also decided that he was going to tell them about himself and Spike. This had been something the vampire had been reluctant for him to do; Spike didn't want the boy to alienate himself from his friends and also he didn't much relish Slayer coming after him, stake in hand... not only that, but Spike was well aware that if Buffy knew of their little secret then it was only a matter of time before his Sire found out, and the vampire wasn't quite ready for that - this was something Angel needed to hear from himself, but their present relationship being as it was Spike found that highly unlikely.

Xander was a few meters from Buffy's place when he spotted her, long blonde hair shrouding her face and her voice tinkling happily as she stepped into Riley Finn's car. The boy started to run, hoping to catch the couple before they left.

'Buffy... Hey, Buffy... Wait... Goddamit!' Xander pulled up short as the car sped off leaving a small cloud of fumes in it's place; man, Finn want's to give that baby an oil change!

OK... time for plan B, Willow and Tara's place. Xander turned to leave and nearly ran head first into a shape standing silently behind him.

'God... I'm sorry... just call me Mr Clumsy...' The boy's voice trailed away when he realised who, or what, it was.

'Well, well, well... If it isn't Spike's little fuck-toy! Ohhhhh I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to see you again.'

With an icy wave of fear that nearly made him retch, Xander realised that it was a vampire... not just any vampire, but the vampire he had speared on that fateful night that he and Spike had first... Backing away slowly the boy's head darted from side to side frantically searching for some escape, for someone to help him - but Xander had lived in Sunnydale long enough to know that at night no- one could hear you scream... and if they did, they weren't much inclined to help.

The vampire's evil chuckles scuttled up and down Xander's spine like spiders and the demon approached him leisurely. 'Well... I pretty much think we can dispose of any pleasantries seeing how we already know each other and all, what do you think fuck-toy?'

Xander stood his ground and answered with a bravado he most definitely *didn't * feel. 'I think you should pretty much just shut the hell up and get on with it. You're gonna bite me, right? You know it and I know it so let's just do it!'

The vampire's face contorted in rage and he growled, yellow fangs glinting hatefully in the dim street light. 'Oh you are such a smart mouthed little bitch, aren't you? Spike's mouthy little bitch! Well bitch... here's some news for ya... I'm not gonna bite ya, ok? I wouldn't put you anywhere near my mouth, not knowing who's dirty little toy you are!'

For a moment Xander nearly believed that he was going to live... maybe the vampire was frightened enough of Spike not to tamper with his property. And speaking of Spike...

From out of the corner of his eye Xander could see him at the bottom of the street, blonde hair shinning like a beacon in the darkness... he just hoped Spike could see him and his present predicament.

The approaching vampire followed his gaze and laughed. 'Dream on bitch, he'll never make it in time. Now... where were we?'

Xander laughed nervously 'Well, right about the point where you said you weren't gonna bite me if I remember rightly...'

Cocking his head to one side the vampire thought for a moment. 'Yeah bitch... I think you're right. OK... well I'm not gonna bite you... doesn't mean I'm not gonna kill you though!'

The last thing that Xander saw before he crumpled to the cold ground was the vampire's hand swiping towards him. There was a flash of fiery agony across his throat... and then, mercifully, blackness.....



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Hope Valley, New Mexico.

Nightfall approached in the once sleepy community of Hope Valley. There was a time that come nightfall the residents of this little town retreated behind closed doors with their families to enjoy quiet evenings of television, video games and normal happy family life.

Not anymore.

There were precious few happy families left in Hope Valley; in the past few months there had been an exodus, parents and their children leaving behind the little town which had been cursed with the blackest scourge - vampires.

Six months previous, a battered black de Soto had roared into town, it's occupants searching for a new home and a new start. Finding, of allthings, an old abandoned and de-consecrated church on the outskirts of town, the occupants of the car set about nailing up the windows and making themselves at home. Of course it wasn't long before this tiny community of two became a whole lot bigger, and before long this new nest of vampires became notorious and the demon population in general began to swell. Rumour had it that this little town was close to a hellmouth, but of course that could just have been speculation.

The undisputed master of the nest was a vampire who had over the centuries become the stuff of legend; a famed torturer and merciless killer, he ruled this 'roost' with a rod of iron... well, not so much a rod... more like a handful of railroad spikes.

Now standing in his private quarters in the inner sanctum of the old church, William the Bloody stared impassively at the battered and bleeding vampire before him. The miserable specimen trembled on the ground before the Master vampire, trembled as much as he could tremble being nailed to the floor. Even the most bloodthirsty of his minions were impressed and terrified by their Master's brutality... Spike had always been known for his ferocity, but this far outstripped anything that the minions had either seen or heard of before.

It had lasted for a week.

Vampire limbs do grow back and heal given time and Spike had enjoyed slowly slicing off and sawing through the bone of every one of this poor unfortunates arms and legs one at a time. In between times the Master vampire would amuse himself by gouging out the vampire's eyes or ripping out his tongue... but his favourite part was when he watched his lover ripping off the screaming vampire's genitals with his teeth. But now the time had come to say goodbye... no amount of torture could change history, no amount of pain give back to Spike what this vampire had stolen from him... for this was the vampire who had slit Xander's throat and robbed the Master vampire of the most precious thing he had ever possessed.

Spike turned from the quivering mass on the floor and sat down heavily on a large chair. With an un-needed sigh he fished a packet of cigarettes from the pocket of his faithful duster and sparked his little gas lighter, igniting one of the cigarettes. Rolling it between his finger and thumb he stared off into space, memories flooding his head and emotion choking him.

It was exactly a year to the day.

This day twelve months ago the bastard demon nailed to his floor had taken his Xan...



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Spike had been searching for the boy. Guessing correctly that Xander was on his way to the Slayer Spike had followed, picking up the boy's scent as he neared his destination and becoming more and more worried as he picked up the scent of a hunting vampire right alongside his pet's smell. The blonde had watched helplessly as the vampire had slit Xander's throat and then made off into the night. Roaring in anguish, Spike raced to the boy's side, but it was too late; too late to get him to hospital, to late to save him, to late to save Xander, his love... his pet...

Blinded by fear and grief, Spike scooped up the bleeding boy and ran until he reached the basement room they shared and there he lay down on the bed beside his darling. What could he do? The vampire's nostrils flared at the sight and smell of fresh blood and Spike looked in anguish at the jagged tear on the boy's throat. Xander was pale now, his life's blood pouring from the wound and his tenuous hold on life and humanity swiftly slipping away. Spike's demon screamed in frustration... if only he could bite, then he could turn the boy... never have to lose him.

The Master vampire thought quickly - he knew Xander was nearly drained. If he could stand the pain, feed from the boy for just a few precious moments... Jumping from the bed, Spike ran to the corner of the room and lifted one of the boy's t-shirts before racing back to Xander's side. Flinging his duster to the floor the vampire hurriedly slashed the inside of his arm from elbow to wrist with his wickedly sharp nails - the blood welled from the deep wound and began to drip onto the blonde's jeans. Nearly sobbing with fear and rage and haste Spike pulled Xander onto his lap and wound the t-shirt tightly around his arm and the boys head, effectively wedging his bleeding forearm over the boy's slightly gaping mouth.

Xander twitched and began to cough weakly, the vampire's blood trickling down his throat - that was the sign Spike needed. With no hesitation, the blonde vampire leaned over the boy and sank his fangs deep into the bloody wound as soon as they slid from his gums.

The pain was like nothing Spike could possibly have imagined.

White-hot agony radiated from the vampire's brain and surged throughout every nerve in his body. Screaming into the wound he bit down spasmodically and the remaining trickles of the boy's blood flowed anew down his throat. Every muscle in Spike's body spasmed only serving to grip the boy to him even tighter and the lovers jerked and twitched on the bed in a hideous parody of their lovemaking. The vampire's eyes bulged and it felt as if his brain was combusting inside his skull - with one final convulsion the vampire flopped back onto the bed, pulling the body of the boy with him, and with blood and foam flecking his demon's face the vampire's eyes rolled back into their sockets and he moved no more.

Just as the sun had set on the next evening there was a movement on the bed. No one was there to watch as Xander, lover of William the Bloody, was re-born. Growling, the boy extricated himself from his Sire's grip and examined the still, lifeless form on the bed beside him. The boy's feral features widened in a grin as he saw the blue eyes of his beloved snap open, but it was with despair that he realised that Spike had been so badly brain- damaged that open his eyes was virtually all he was capable of doing.

Xander cradled the blonde's body to him and kissed him tenderly. 'I love you Spike... I'm gonna make you well again, gonna make you strong...' Without permission, but knowing that it was what his Sire would have wanted, the boy sank his fangs into his master's arm and drank, and when he was done he laid his lover gently on the bed and left the basement... time to hunt, time to feed. Xander chuckled darkly. Time to go into Sunnydale and bring back a little something for Spike.

It was two months before Spike could sit up alone, four months until he could speak, six until he could walk - but Xander was there with him, feeding him, helping him to walk again. The boy was sly, intelligent; realising that it was only a matter of time before Slayer hunted down the new killer in town he took his feeding outside town limits, outside to the one place he knew Slayer wouldn't much care about... The Bucket Of Blood.

For nearly six months the boy managed to evade the Slayer. Buffy and her Slayerettes were frantically looking for him, unable to believe that their Xander would leave without so much as a 'goodbye' - the boy's parents just couldn't have cared less and it was only a month after their son's disappearance when they rented his basement room out to someone else.

Moving himself and the helpless Spike out of the basement and into the old Station House, Xander regularly visited The Bucket Of Blood getting the fresh blood his Sire needed to regain his strength. With his dark good looks it wasn't hard to persuade someone, be they male or female, to accompany him back to his place for some 'good times and hot lovin'. He was careful to chose only those whom he thought wouldn't be particularly missed - some of these bikers were nomadic by nature moving from town to town; the boy harvested them and the scores of whores and sluts that frequented the bar in search of cheap thrills and hard loving. He was also careful not to turn anyone; let's face it he had enough to contend with trying to look after and feed Spike without having some godammed useless minions running under his feet and drawing attention to him.

No, Xander believed that their best chance of survival was to remain hidden... at least until Spike was strong enough to leave Sunnydale... then they could leave together, start again just like they had always planned. So the boy faithfully nursed and fed his Sire back to strength. Every morning just before the sun rose Xander would clamber into bed beside his lover and gather the blonde in his arms.

Xander's body screamed for Spike; the boy seemed to be in a permanent state of arousal and he yearned for the day when his Sire would throw him onto their bed and fuck him long and hard, fuck him while his fangs ripped into his neck, fuck him while he drained him.

Xander's hand strayed down his lean body and stroked the growing erection between his legs. His hand moved with languid strokes as he teased the erection to fullness. Moving onto his side the boy gathered Spike to him and arranged him on his back with one of his legs hooked over Xander's, then slowly and sensuously he stroked the blonde's torso teasing and tweaking his nipples to hardness before moving downward to his waiting, hard shaft. With his free hand Xander stroked his own body, closing his eyes and seeing Spike in his mind; Spike as he used to be; icy blue eyes sparkling with lust and his busy tongue between Xander's legs licking... his cool, wet mouth sucking... sucking... harder and harder...

Xander moaned as the fantasy played out in his mind, pumping his erection frantically; his other hand pumping Spike's rigid cock with equal enthusiasm. The boy's head swam with images of naked Spike, moaning Spike, begging Spike; he imagined he could hear Spike moaning, moaning his name over and over... 'Xan... oh Xan... don't stop, pet... don't stop... Until one morning, oh fuck, one joyous morning he did hear Spike moan.

Not missing a stroke the boy turned his head and gazed into the lust-filled eyes of his lover, saw his lips move as he moaned his name... the boy climaxed with a groan and sobbed as Spike's eyes closed and he yelled out Xander's name as he came. The dark haired vampire slid down his lover's body and lovingly licked the cum from his belly, relishing every drop, his tongue probing in Spike's navel to retrieve the precious nectar. When he was done the boy rejoined his lover and sobbed anew as the blonde vampire smiled at him and spoke for the first time in four months... 'I love you, Xan...'

It was only two months later, when Spike could walk again, that the lovers left Sunnydale in search of pastures new. Spike was in agreement with Xander; they needed to lay low until Spike was fully strong again... 'Then...' the blonde vampire hissed coldly 'It was gonna be payback time.'

On the final night of their stay in Sunnydale, by way of a celebration, Xander brought home a young man for dinner. Long haired and quite obviously effeminate, the man was thrilled to find that there was not one but two gorgeous young men who fancied his company. However, when dinnertime came their 'guest' was horrified to learn that he was on the menu; making a break for the door the terrified man pushed Xander roughly to one side knocking him down, and then attempted to run past Spike.

It was then that the miracle was discovered.

Up until now Xander had been feeding Spike; bringing home the victims, making the incision and then allowing his Sire to drink first from the wound. The vampires were both frightened of activating the cursed chip and damaging Spike's brain for good. Although against his nature especially with his Childe, Spike had went along with it, not willing to dust himself or even worse leave himself an unmoving, unspeaking husk for good. But now rage got the better of him. Spike snarled and grabbed the hapless human by the throat... how dare he touch his Childe! Morphing quickly into game face the blonde wrenched the screaming man's head to one side and sank his fangs into his neck, severing his carotid artery.

The blonde vampire moaned in ecstasy as the hot blood spurted down his throat... Ahhhhhh, it had been so long... He greedily sucked the blood from the human's neck, his fangs sinking deeper in his blood-frenzy, his cock a cool, hard rod in his trousers and all the time the heartbeat pounding slower and slower and the blood singing through rapidly emptying veins as the vampire moaned and fed. Satiated at last, Spike let the man's drained body drop to the floor and stood on trembling legs, freshets of blood coursing down his chin and onto his chest. The blonde vampire's head was spinning, spinning from the feeding, spinning from the blood-lust, spinning from shock.

Xander still lay on the floor where he had landed when their ex-guest had pushed him over. He watched in wonder and growing lust as his Sire viciously fed from the human. The boy thought that he had never seen a more beautiful sight - his Master standing before him, his demon's face to the fore, bloodied and aroused from the feeding. Xander got on his hands and knees and crawled to Spike's feet; the blonde watched in approval as the dark-haired boy bent and kissed his feet over and over, his voice heavy with emotion as he murmured 'Sire... I love you... I'm yours, only yours...'

Spike pulled the boy to his feet and they stood toe to toe, smiling at one another; Xander reached out and touched his Master's ridged forehead with reverence, both of them shocked, delirious at this new turn of events. Spike pulled the boy to him roughly and plundered his mouth, his tongue rich with the newly stolen blood. Xander sucked his Sire's tongue eagerly and himpered as he felt the blonde's bulging erection jabbing his.

Grabbing Xander by the hair Spike pushed the boy back to his knees and nhurriedly unzipped his jeans freeing the hard length within. Eagerly the boy took him in his mouth, his tongue frantically sweeping from root to weeping tip, his lips sucking hard. Spike's hips bucked and holding the boy's head firmly he fucked his mouth roughly feeling the tip of his penis hit the back of the boy's throat. Xander moaned, relaxing his throat muscles and trying to accommodate his Sire's large and rigid member.

Suddenly, Spike withdrew and pulled the boy to his feet. The Master vampire dragged the boy to their bed and threw him on it.

'Undress, Xan' the blonde rasped, ripping off his own clothes.

Xander stripped and awaited his Sire's instructions, anticipation mounting. He glared at Spike with brown eyes heavy with lust, then slowly licked his lips.

With a snarl Spike forced the boy onto his hands and knees. Bending over him and gripping his slim hips the blonde bent his head and sank his fangs into Xander's shoulder. The boy moaned, but the moan turned to a whimper of disappointment when the fangs where retracted. Spike chuckled as with one hand he smeared the boy's blood over his rigid cock.

'Blood, my Childe, is the best lubricant there is' the blonde growled as he slipped a finger inside the boy, stretching him, preparing him. Xander moaned in pleasure and pushed back against the teasing fingers, wanting more. Spike slid his finger out slowly, gripped the base of his shaft and slowly pushed his way into the boy.

Xander snarled and whimpered in pain, his Sire's length filling him until he felt he would come apart at the seams. The bottom half of his body was filled with an burning ache and his muscles bore down and protested at this intrusion. Spike started to move in and out at an achingly slow pace, gradually working his way deeper and deeper into the boy's body. It took immense self-control to stop from slamming his cock into Xander, slamming and fucking and fucking until the whelp screamed... but that was for another night when the boy was more accustomed to this.

Spike was moving faster now, deeper, nudging the boy's prostrate... Xander moaning and writhing beneath him, begging for more, begging for release. Reaching round the blonde vampire gripped his Childe's rigid length and pumped it in time with his thrusts, waves of pleasure rippling through his body, his cock sheathed in cool, tight muscles that squeezed and kneaded. Bending over again Spike sank his fangs into Xander's shoulder once more, feeding roughly, rotating his hips and sending the boy over the edge screaming his name, cold seed spraying from his body. Spike wrenched his mouth from the boy and roared as he exploded inside him; then the lovers collapsed on the bed, gasping un-needed air, sharing frantic kisses and making promises of eternal love.

Moving onto his back, Spike reached over and gently pulled his Childe into his arms. Lovingly, he traced the contours of Xander's face with his fingers before tilting his neck and inviting the boy to feed. The blonde groaned as Xander's needle-sharp fangs punctured his skin, but the feel of his lover's lips on his neck feeding from him was pure bliss.

Then they slept.



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Finishing his cigarette, William the Bloody got to his feet and once more stared down at the agonised vampire on the floor.

It was ironic, but in a way he had a lot to thank this bastard for... after all, if he hadn't nearly killed Xander then Spike wouldn't have had to turn him. If Spike hadn't turned him, well then he would never have burned out that damned chip in his head... at least that's what seemed to have happened to it - there was no other explanation for what had happened.

But now we come to the crux of the matter, eh?

OK... Spike still had Xander... but not his Xander. The new demonised model was so far removed from the original as to be unrecognisable. The Xander Spike had loved was shy, insecure to the point of absurdity; he loved and made the stupidest jokes, had viewed the world in a sort of child-like awe and was the gentlest most loving being that Spike had ever met.

Being with Xander's vampire counterpart was akin to being with the boy's evil twin... which in effect he was. Spike had been different when with the original Xander; something in the boy had brought out the last stubborn vestiges of humanity in him, and Spike had to admit that he had very much enjoyed what they had between them.

But now that was gone... gone forever. William the Bloody was back and now everyone was gonna pay.

Sniffing nonchalantly, Spike reached into his pocket and drew out his namesake stake. It was the only remaining thing that he had from his Xan; it seemed fitting somehow that it should end this bastard vampire's unlife. Reaching over, Spike plunged the stake into the vampire and it exploded in a puff of dust.

'That one's for you my sweet Xan...' the blonde murmured.

The door to the room opened and Spike turned to face his lover. His breath caught in his throat... bloody hell... what dark beauty, what perfect evil the boy was. The blonde took the boy in his arms and kissed him hard on the lips. Taking Xander by the hand Spike led him to the door.

'C'mon pet... you and I are taking a little trip.'

Xander smiled 'Anywhere in mind, Sire?'

Spike laughed 'Yeah... I thought we could take a drive up to Sunnydale...and kill those bastard parents of yours.'

The door clunked shut.

The End