prestory

Broken Revenge

by
Lit Gal

Part Ten

When Spike opened the door to their room, Xander followed him in and stood just inside the door as Spike closed it behind them. At the last auction, Xander knew to go to his knees. At Joyce's house, Xander knew he would sit on the bed. Now he just hovered next to the tall dresser. The room held a large bed with a bench at the end and two nightstands, a television with a couch in front and from what little Xander could see through the open door, a huge bathroom.

The greens and browns looked like a magazine cover or one of the 'after' pictures on that British home improvement show Spike watched when he thought no one was paying attention. And really, that was proof his Master still wasn't the brightest bulb because Xander always paid attention, even when he pretended he didn't so that Spike could watch 'Changing Rooms' without having to make excuses. The illusion of normalcy was broken only by a large portrait of a yellowish brown demon leaning against a tree under a blue sun. Not even the British would hang something that ugly, Xander told himself. Then again, he'd seen 'Changing Rooms' so that was up for debate.

Spike started shrugging out of his duster as he walked across the room, and Xander quickly stepped forward and caught it before it could fall to the floor. He draped the coat over the bench at the foot of the bed before following Spike to the bathroom.

Spike washed the blood from his hands as Xander stood in the doorway watching.

"Master, why did they start cheering you?" Xander finally asked. The demons had clearly wanted Spike to lose. They wanted to see Spike's broken body lying dead on the floor, and they wanted Xander kneeling at that blue demon's feet. Xander shivered involuntarily at the thought.

"'Cause I was winning," Spike answered with a tight grin, as he pulled a washcloth from the rack and started cleaning his face. Only then did Xander realize some of the blood was Spike's own, from a large split at the side of his head.

"But you were beating one of their own."

"Oi, you don't have a very good understanding of demon psychology, pet. Most demons hate vamps because we're pack animals... we fight in clans or gangs. Demons see that and think it makes us weak. They think it's something left over from the humans we used to be. Out there, I proved that I wasn't weak and I didn't need anyone to fight with me."

Spike was still smiling as he continued to wipe off the blood that slowly seeped from his head wound. But for Xander, those words meant something else. For the first time he realized that Spike really didn't need him to fight. Every time they went out together, he wasn't helping Spike, he was just he was just one more person who Spike had to protect. Xander stood by the door motionless as he tried to make this piece of information fit in with what he already knew.

"Pet? You alright?" Spike suddenly asked, and Xander glanced up to see Spike looking at Xander's reflection in the mirror.

"Yes, Master," Xander said.

"Don't bloody lie... I've heated your backside for that before, and I'll do it again." Suddenly Spike was in front of him staring into his eyes with a bright blue gaze that demanded the truth.

"I..." Xander stopped as he tried to arrange his thoughts before running the risk of babbling. "I was just thinking about the fact you didn't need anyone to fight with you," Xander finally finished. He didn't know why that made his heart hurt so bad. It should be enough that Spike protected him and cared about him and made him feel loved, and yet Xander suddenly realized it wasn't. However, whether it was enough or not, it was what he had. He just had to adjust.

"Xander, tell me what you're thinking right now." Spike's gaze pinned him to the wall, and Xander opened his mouth to answer even though he really didn't want to. He wanted his thoughts to be private, but everything he was--including his thoughts--truly did belong to Spike.

"I had just -- I just wanted you to need me," Xander said quickly, well aware of the ridiculousness of the comment and how weak it made him sound. "I know you don't, Master. I'm okay with that, really. I just got a little confused," Xander hurried to explain.

"Bloody hell, I always manage to muck things up, don't I?" Spike's words made Xander open his mouth to protest. After all, it was Spike who saved both his life and his sanity. But Spike held up a hand to stop Xander from saying anything.

"Only meant that I don't need my bloody clan and I don't need to make minions or have some soddin' little gang to back me up." Spike's hand reached up and brushed a loose curl back from Xander's face. Xander half closed his eyes as the fingers combed through his hair and a thumb traced the edge of his eyebrow. "Always need you, pet. Ya fight next to me, but more than that, you're part of me." The hand that had been tracing Xander's features now trailed down his face and over his neck down to the tattoo displayed on Xander's chest. Xander lowered his eyes and watched as Spike traced the familiar design. Spike started with the snake, sliding one finger over the curves as he traced the animal sinuous body.

"That's me, pet. I'll always be part of you." Spike's fingers moved to where the hawk's claws clutched the snake in its grasp.

"Never had anyone really hold on to me, pet. Loved Dru. Bloody still love her, but I was just a substitute for Angel. Tried to be more, ta show her that I was worthy of holdin' on to, but she left without even tryin' to set me on fire. Not the first," Spike snorted, and Xander could hear the pain etched in those words. "There was a good couple of months after I got turned where Angel was everythin' to me. He'd take me out huntin' and taught me ta be a vampire. Yeah, he beat me bloody more days 'n I can count, and he broke William to pieces. But he soddin' put me back together in his image, the arrogant bastard. Then Darla comes back, and one word from that bitch, and Angelus suddenly don't have time for me anymore." Spike took a deep breath, and Xander brought his hand up, resting his palm against the upper part of Spike's arm.

"Bloody stupid. This rot happened years ago. But I look at this," Spike ran that single finger over the spot where hawk and snake met. "I look at this and..." Spike's voice stopped for a second, and then Xander watched as Spike practically changed personalities in front of his face. The body which had been leaning in toward him and making small, slow gestures gathered energy. The stroke on his chest grew firmer and the thumb trailed down to rub over Xander's nipple hard enough to create friction heat. Spike's body leaned insolently back against the doorframe.

"And I bloody want to fuck you senseless, pet," Spike finished, the vulnerability lost under the lust and raw need in that statement.

Xander shifted so that one hip was thrown out to the side and he pressed into that touch against his chest.

"My Master," Xander said quietly, and suddenly the eyes looking at him were yellow.

"Bloody hell, yes. I'm your Master and don't you forget that." Spike said as he reached over and gathered up the hanging leash. Spike slowly wrapped the leash around his hand so that it shortened until Xander was forced to step toward his Master, Spike's fist with the gathered leash fit right under Xander's chin so that he couldn't move his head at all. Sucking in a breath, Xander’s hands snaked to the small of his back, left hand clasping right wrist, offering himself in a perfect submissive posture.

"Mine," Spike growled as he licked the side of Xander's jaw, and Xander shivered so sharply that his hip chains banged against his thighs. "Bad form, that. May have to punish ya for that," Spike whispered in a voice that made it clear that any punishment would leave Xander begging for more. Xander's body involuntarily shivered again as the pouch became a torture device, caging his desperate cock.

"Well, I can see threats of punishment don't work," Spike said silkily as his free hand went around Xander's waist. Xander surrendered his body as he was pulled close, his covered cock pressed against Spike's hip, and a strong hand slipped down to his ass. Xander opened his legs in invitation as he started breathing harder.

Spike's fingers played with the strap that went between his cheeks, loosening it without removing it so that Spike's finger fit between the leather and skin. Xander gasped at the first cool touch against his hole. He also widened his stance more, but Spike didn't move that fist that held the leash, so now Xander's chin was forced up. Spike pressed the tip of his finger into the perineum, and Xander's hands flew from the small of his back to Spike's shoulder where he held onto his Master just to keep his legs from going out from under him.

"Want somethin', pet?"

"To make you happy, Master," Xander murmured truthfully.

"Bloody hell, pet, you always do that." Spike stroked the skin between Xander's legs, and Xander felt the tingling sting of it since the leather had irritated the skin until it was more sensitive than usual. The only thing that kept Xander from spreading his legs even more and pressing into that warm burn was the leash now snug against his neck. Xander groaned.

"Love that you're vocal, pet. Love ta hear you suffer." Spike nipped an earlobe before soothing it with his tongue, and Xander twisted wildly and moaned in need. Spike's hands held him captive, and Xander raised one leg and hooked it around Spike's thigh so that his Master would have more room to work.

"Greedy," Spike said as he brought two fingers around to Xander's panting mouth. Xander took them in eagerly, teasing the hand the way he would tease Spike's cock if his Master would just let go of the leash. When the fingers were wet, Spike pulled them out, and Xander trembled as he waited. Almost immediately, Spike pushed in with two fingers, Xander's body instinctively opening to his Master. Spike drove the fingers in a little farther, and Xander trembled with a desire to start thrusting.

"Not the best angle here," Spike commented as he pulled his fingers out leaving Xander aching with need. "Go get on the bed," Spike ordered.

"Yes, Master," Xander answered as he headed for the bed, twisting his hips to make his decorations twirl as he jingled across the room. Xander had to crawl to the center of the large bed before going into a Present kneel. He spread his legs and tucked his arms under his head so that his ass stuck up in the air. Once he went into his kneel, Xander waited. Of all the rules he had learned to break, he never broke position without being given permission.

The bed dipped as Spike crawled in, but Xander kept his forehead on the bed and his eyes forward. A firm hand ran from his knee up to his hip where the leather straps and hip chains were attached. Xander focused on proving his submission by remaining still as Spike removed the hip chains. Of course, Spike was still evil, so he slowly dragged the warm metal links up Xander’s backbone before setting them aside on the nightstand.

Xander was really hoping for the pouch to come off next, but instead Spike pulled up on an ankle, unbuckling the band of tiny bells before planting a kiss on Xander's calf. He was more than half-way to mindlessly panting already, but when Spike then drove teeth into the calf muscle and sucked, Xander jerked as though jolted by electricity before pulling himself back into form. Spike followed up the assault with a series of licks first on the injured calf and then up the thigh and over Xander's ass.

Xander quivered with need and considered cursing Spike out when that talented tongue kissed and licked and nipped from one side to another while that leather strap between his cheeks kept those touches away from the most sensitive skin.

"Master," Xander finally begged as the torture continued.

"Hmm," Spike answered before licking along the edge of the strap.

"Master, please."

"Please what?" Spike asked before biting again, his fangs slipping neatly into Xander’s left cheek. Xander lost all coherent thought as Spike fed, the pulling sensation making the world turn gray around the edges in a very, very good sort of way.

"Please, Master- please take off the harness," Xander begged once Spike had taken a couple of mouthfuls of blood and stopped. Xander's cock struggled with its tight confinement, like a joint that desperately needed to be popped or a muscle trembling at the edge of a cramp. It was that same feeling of impending pain and the overwhelming need to move, stretch, release the pressure that threatened to make his head pop off.

"What'll ya do for me if I do?" Spike asked, draping his body over Xander's and reaching down to play with the buckle at Xander's waist.

"Anything, Master," Xander promised. Of course he would do anything anyway, but to get the harness off he'd say anything. Nimble fingers worked the leather strap out of the buckle, and Xander focused on keeping form as his cock inflated like one of those little sponge animals he used to drop in water as a kid. Only his cock was a whole lot more fun to play with than a red sponge seahorse. Spike palmed the head of the cock before closing his fist and stroking the shaft.

Xander trembled. He wouldn't come before his Master. Nope. Nuh-uh. He had more control than that. Maybe. Spike lifted himself from Xander's back, and Xander waited for the feeling of his master taking him. Instead of the hard filling thrusts he expected, Xander felt a cool tingling as Spike's tongue laved the irritated skin that had been under the leather strap. The strokes tingled and burned a little, and it was all Xander could do to not push himself back into that sensation. Spike's tongue reached down to the underside of Xander's balls, and Xander resisted the urge to move. But it was a close call.

Now Spike sucked at one of his hairless balls, and Xander could feel the air move across the damp skin Spike had left behind. The sensation was so sharp, so immediate, so overwhelming that Xander gasped and clutched the sheet to keep from breaking form.

"Master," Xander whined. If Spike didn't get to the main event soon, Xander was going to cross the finish line without him despite all his good intentions. In an attempt to hold off his own orgasm, Xander mentally reviewed every demon Spike ever taught him, every way of killing Spike had ever trained him to use. Unfortunately the thought of violence didn't exactly calm anything down. And Xander could feel the tightening in his balls and the stiffening of his muscles just as Spike pulled back.

"Someone's having a lot of problems with rules today," Spike said in an amused voice. Xander would have answered except he really didn't have enough functional brain cells left to figure out human speech. He stretched his arms out some so that he could grasp the bars of the headboard as he struggled to bring himself back from the edge of orgasm, even though the only thing he wanted to do was thrust his hips forward and fall over into that blissful chasm where only pleasure existed.

Luckily, Spike took mercy. Without any further preparation or warning, Spike thrust into Xander's body. Xander threw his head back and nearly screamed as Spike hit the prostate on the first slamming thrust. Xander focused every bit of self control he'd ever possessed into not coming as his entire body stiffened in pleasure.

He was still gasping when Spike pulled back and then slammed in again, this time reaching around to fist Xander's cock so that when Spike rammed into him, Xander was driven forward into that tight space. Training finally flew out the window as Xander felt his whole body shudder and spasm as his climax crashed over him. As his body tightened, it felt as though Spike's cock doubled in size. The increased pressure from his own muscles tightening wrenched a scream from him as the world dissolved into white-hot pleasure.

Xander felt the waves crash through him as Spike continued to thrust, impaling him two or three more times before his own orgasm overtook him. Spike's weight dropped onto Xander's back, and Xander's legs went out from under him sending them both to the bed. Xander lay there trapped under Spike's weight, impaled by Spike's cock, eyes resting on his chain leash that was still draped across the white fabric of the sheets.

"My Master," Xander whispered into the pillow.

"Forever," Spike whispered back, both hands coming up and closing over Xander's wrists, pinning them to the bed. Xander closed his eyes dreamily. Sex slave may not have been one of the options at career day back in high school, but all in all, it wasn't a bad gig.

Part Eleven

As they left the room the next day, Xander was surprised at how different everything looked. The hallway that led to the rooms had been crowded with boxes and crates when they had gone to get their bags from the car the previous night, but now the only things crowding the passageways were a colorful variety of demons and their slaves.

At shows that he had been to first with Leshar and then Spike, Xander had seen very few decorations. Most slaves had hip chains, simple metal links intended to make sure that the slave had a proper gait. But the jewels Spike had used to decorate him were fairly rare. Here, Xander fit right in with the others. As Xander followed Spike down the stairs and out into a huge central room, competition arenas were being set up.

They followed a blue skinned demon that was obviously the same species as Calsha down one side of the enormous room. At first Xander had thought it was Calsha, but then he noticed this demon was slightly smaller and lighter blue. Besides, the two slaves following this demon looked nothing like the football-player type that followed Calsha around. These two women were slender and both decorated in silver and blue jewels. One woman had a complicated harness of silver bands that encircled her upper body with blue stones in set into the smooth metal. The dark haired woman had blue and silver rings woven into her braid, which reached down past her waist. The length of it was emphasized by thin, blue ribbons woven into it that trailed down to the woman's knees.

Xander also noticed that most of the slaves here weren't leashed. A few wide-eyed humans with trembling bodies followed at the end of a chain, but most of the humans simply followed their masters, and it was perfectly obvious who their masters were just by the way their eyes followed one demon or another.

Spike skirted the competition area with its rings of half walls dividing the different arenas. Xander knew they were heading straight for the auction area. As they passed groups of demons chatting with kneeling slaves at their feet, Xander could feel eyes turning toward him and Spike. Xander kept his back straight and his head bowed submissively as he pranced after Spike who charged through the crowd with abandon.

Spike stopped only when he reached the first enclosure of humans. A Pylean stood to one side of a large enclosure inside of which several women either sat or stood. Xander looked at the demon out of the corner of his eyes, searching his memory so that he could compare this face against the one from his nightmare. But the more he tried to remember that day, the more his memories slipped away. Even Leshar's face dissolved into a blur in his mind as he struggled to remember the day, and the more he struggled, the more a fog distorted the faces from the dream.

He and Spike had worked out a system of signals so that Xander could discreetly let Spike know whether or not they had found the right dealer with the right woman, but now Xander realized he had no way of quietly telling Spike that he had no idea. Hopefully Spike knew him well enough to figure out that the lack of signalage meant Xander had gone clueless. Not exactly a new state for him.

Xander focused on his body, checking his posture and straightening his back as a familiar dread started crawling up his backbone. What if he couldn't find her… what if he couldn't remember her? Xander focused on his breathing to control the tugs of panic that made him fight to keep his cool. He'd failed so many people, he couldn't fail her. She didn't have anyone else.

"You looking?" the demon asked in a dismissive tone, and Xander focused on a green leg as he struggled to pull himself out of that dark place his mind sometimes wandered.

"Maybe, course of you're goin' to be all pissy about it, maybe not," Spike snapped. Strong hands caressed Xander's hair, and the sudden anchor and sense of belonging left Xander close to tears, and yeah, he really was a basket case. He wondered if Spike's treasure trove was even enough to cover the therapy he needed. Maybe he and Willow and Giles could get some sort of group discount for the truly fucked up. Now Xander struggled with a growing bubble of laughter at the thought of a psychiatrist trying to untangle their psyches. The therapist would need therapy. The therapist giving the therapist therapy would need therapy.

"I've run a clean stable for going on 40 years. If you're looking for stock to abuse, keep on walking, vampire," the Pylean answered after a long pause. Xander assumed his Master and the trainer were doing some quality glaring, but he wasn't about to look up and check.

"Oi, my pet look abused you?"

"He the beast that stabbed Leshar?" Xander was proud of himself for not shivering at that tone of voice.

"He followed orders when somebody tried to take him away. Innit what you expected a trained slave to do... follow orders?"

"I reckon those just aren't very conventional orders to give," the demon answered quickly. Xander tried ignoring the growing knot in his stomach… the one that told him to get into a fighting stance at that tone of voice. However, Xander knelt quietly through the exchange, and just when he thought Spike was about to lose his temper, Spike snorted and walking away. Xander guessed that flippage of fingers had probably happened, but he rose to follow gracefully despite his Master's bad manners.

"Arrogant bastard," Spike said once they had rejoined the crowds wandering from one slave pen to another. Spike had explained that they couldn't afford to look like they were searching for anyone in particular, so Xander wasn't surprised when Spike stopped to lean against a fence and gaze over the stock being offered by a mountain of a demon. None of the women had red hair, and none came even close to matching the vague and disturbingly indistinct memory in Xander's mind. So after a quick glance at the slaves, Xander concentrated on Spike.

His white knight heart was breaking at the sight of all the humans caged and trapped and treated like animals. But he didn't have the power to help them, and Spike was not big with the doing of good deeds. He protected his Hellmouth and his humans, but he wasn't ever going to challenge Angel for the title of champion.

Despite his attempts to avoid looking, Xander did. It was a little bit like watching an accident on the side of the road. Xander didn't want to see this; he really, really didn't want to see this. And yet, he found himself continually glancing out the corner of his eyes at these people.

The pen Spike was leaning against had four females and two males, and the only decoration any of them wore was the required pouch and harness around the males' genitals. Three of the women sat on the floor talking quietly, and the fourth one, a girl who didn't even look old enough to drive yet, curled on the floor her head in one of the older women's laps. The older woman was stroking her hair gently, and one of the males walked over and squatted down to say something. Whatever he said, the four women laughed so quietly as to barely make any sound at all.

This looked so normal that it somehow bothered Xander. At the West Coast auctions the crying and fighting and begging slaves meant that no one could forget the horrors. This place had a creepy Stepford wives kind of vibe going. And really? That sort of everything's perfect "Ted" kind of vibe wasn't of the good. A strange voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Looking for a breeder? Got good stock, guaranteed no plastic surgery, and all of it bred in-house. No captured stock. In fact, the youngest girl there is two generations out of Darkboy who was owned by old Bilc't. Good lines, good training. You won't find better stock."

"Lookin' for something a little older," Spike said.

"You've got to understand, these aren't free range humans. You pick up a human off the street, and you're getting some inferior product," this demon offered in the same tone of voice Xander's uncle had used to get Xander to buy his junker of a car. "Lack of natural selection and junk food are quickly destroying the bloodlines out there. But these animals have been bred for at least four generations. The taller male there, eighth generation. You can breed them earlier, and they rarely go down to the diseases or defects so common in the free-range stock."

"Rather fond of the free-range sort myself," Spike answered. Xander felt a familiar hand reached out to stroke his hair. He risked breaking form just enough to lean a little into the touch. Having someone talk about him like that… yeah, Ted-level creepy.

"So that's the Hellmouth boy that Leshar keeps talking about," the demon said, and Xander was suddenly uncomfortable with just how interested that voice sounded. Obviously he wasn't the only one.

"He's not for sale," Spike growled. Xander had the sensation of something heavy moving away, but he kept his gaze lowered.

"Not a problem. I don't normally buy the free range beasts, especially the stallions, but have you given any thought to renting out his services? Some of his get could fetch a pretty penny."

"Not interested." Without a word of farewell, Spike pushed away from the fence and started walking. The Xander flowed to his feet and followed after, his bells jangling every time his right foot hit the ground.

Xander followed Spike to several enclosures where the owners ranged from friendly to hostile to interested in buying Xander. But when Spike stopped next to yet another fence, Xander could immediately see the difference. Xander went to his knees in proper form, but before he did, he noticed the tall chain-link fence. Most trainers at this show used low bars that clearly told the slaves to stay within a certain area even though they could easily get out. Not that getting out would do them any good, but still. Xander knew that if those fences had been used at the previous shows he'd been to, panicked humans would have been running all over the place. Xander knew better than anyone that fear made any action, even a stupid one, better than no action.

When a Pylean came out, Xander found himself taking shallow panicky breaths. Yeah, all Pylean demons had red eyes, but this one's eyes were the very red of hell. Or maybe that was just Xander's imagination because he recognized this demon. Its face was more rounded than the other Pylean, his horns longer and the wrinkles at the base of his horns deeper. Xander flashed on an image of this Pylean laughing. He ducked his head so that the demon couldn't see his face, giving Spike the signal that they had found the right slaver. Spike's only reaction was to run his fingers to Xander's hair, and Xander focused on that real feeling to try to escape the phantom coldness of a breeding leash looped around his thighs.

"Move on. I'm not interested in selling to you, vampire," the demon said as he walked over to them. The voice. Xander remember that voice. The sight and sound of this particular demon sent Xander's world tilting off-kilter. The image of the girl exposed, terrified, her eyes pleading with him: that image rose in his mind no matter how much he tried to fight it off. Glancing through the metal mesh of the fence, he could see red hair. One girl stood on the edge of a cluster of slaves. Xander trembled. Her stomach had just a slight roundness to it.

"Too bad." Spike's voice sounded indifferent, but the way Spike gently bounced one of his legs revealed the truth. Xander tried focusing on that instead of on his own fragmented memory that pushed in on him until he wanted to scream. Okay, maybe curl up in Spike's lap came closer to the truth, but for the sake of his manhood, he was going with the scream. A sharp tug on one of his curls pulled him back toward reality.

"I've got money to invest in one or two free range humans, but if you aren't interested, mate..." Spike let his words trail off as he started to walk away. Xander rose to follow even as he felt the panic rising in his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. For several seconds nothing happened, and Spike slowed down as he considered the stock inside an open fence on the opposite side.

"Not likely to sell to vampire, and now am I?" The demon finally called as he stepped forward into Spike's path. Out of the corner of his eye, Xander caught a glimpse of the demon putting both of his hands on Spike's chest before he gave a push. Xander backed up to get out of the range of the fight that was about to break out, but Spike just looked at the demon calmly.

"Your loss, mate. But if you ever soddin' touch me like that again, don't expect to survive." Spike detoured around the demon with Xander in tow, and Xander was torn between his need to get away from the slaver and a need to find the woman. After what he'd done to her, he couldn't leave her.

Xander's panic had nearly reached that point of doing anything just for the sake of doing something when Spike sat on the bench along the outside wall. He went to his knees, his body trembling, and he couldn't even say exactly what he was feeling. Spike's hand ran through his curls before pulling Xander's head to rest on his Master's knee. Xander focused on the shop set up on the opposite side of the corridor from the bench. The small structure had a front glass window displaying any number of slave decorations.

"Pet," Spike said softly, and then a cool hand pressed something dry and crinkly to his chest. Xander looked down and to see a corner of white sticking out from Spike's hand as it rested there above his tattoo. Xander reached up and took the slip of paper. Opening it, Xander saw a series of rapidly scratched lines and squiggles that made his handwriting look neat. He looked up at Spike in confusion.

"He don't want ta be seen sellin' me a female. That," Spike nodded toward the slip of paper as he spoke in a near whisper, "tells me to come back after hours and discuss a price." Xander looked down at the cryptic slip of paper in his hands, and relief washed through him. Yeah, she was probably going to kick his ass for the whole rape thing, and he was so not going to argue with her about that, but he was going to save her. They were going to save her. They were going to save his child. Child. Wow. Xander looked up at Spike and smiled even as he blinked back tears.

"My bloody white knight. You didn't think I'd leave without her, did ya?" Spike asked in an over-exaggerated tone of outrage.

"No, Master. I knew you wouldn't," Xander answered honestly as he handed the paper back. Spike quickly slipped it into a coat pocket before returning to stroke Xander's hair. So, we can go sit in our room for the day or find somethin' to amuse ourselves," Spike said as he looked at the crowds passing them by without a glance. Xander knew which one Spike wanted to do, but he hadn't been asked a question, so he just waited.

"Well?" Spike asked with a familiar tug.

"Maybe we should look around, Master," Xander answered.

"Yeah, thought you might like that." Spike stood up and started toward the competition area, and Xander followed, tinkling and swinging and not even caring since he was going to be a father. Of course he might want to stop tinkling and swinging before walking the kid to kindergarten, but still. Him. A father. Xander felt something that he could only describe as awe fill him.

Xander followed Spike past various arenas until they reached a particularly large circle defined by a half wall. When Spike stopped and leaned against a post, Xander gracefully slipped to his knees and watched the action from beneath his curling bangs.

Two slaves stood balanced on the ends of uneven posts that were placed randomly around the inside of the circular half wall. One was a woman with dark skin rippling over strong thigh muscles. The woman had one foot solidly placed on a low post, and her second foot resting lightly on a post two feet away and a good twelve inches higher. Her long hair hung over her shoulder in two thick braids, and a chain went from the harness she wore to the harness on the second slave.

The second slave was a thick-waisted man with a snake tattoo slithering down his leg. He had both feet planted solid on posts that were roughly the same height. His knees were bent slightly, and from the back, Xander could see the slave's hands flexing in leather bindings. Xander was still trying to figure out the game when the woman moved.

Without warning, she threw herself backwards to a new post. The chain between them snapped taut, and Xander could see the male bracing himself against the pull as he threw his weight back against the harness. The woman reached the end of the chain without reaching the post, and Xander thought she would fall. Instead she twisted her body so that she found a new footing. Using the chain to help keep her balance, she writhed in an effort to regain her balance, and the man chose that moment to strike.

He dashed forward toward the woman. As the chain went slack, the woman started falling. She turned that into jump and went for the next post. The man continued charging toward her, and she jumped unsteadily from one post to another with him in pursuit. Near the far side of the circle, her foot slipped, and she had to stop to catch her balance. That moment gave the man a chance to catch up.

Xander could now see that both slaves had their hands tied behind their backs, but that didn't stop the man from driving a shoulder into the woman's back, sending her jumping for the next set of posts. Her foot didn't quite reach the post, and Xander could hear the crack as she fell to the sandy ground right after slamming her knee into the top of the post. Immediately the crowd shouted their approval.

The man immediately dropped off his own post, going to his knees as two trainers hurried into the ring. On stepped to the man and slipped the chain off his harness before leading him off. The second demon, a vaguely cat shaped creature with sharp yellow eyes, held the woman down by her shoulder as he ran a long clawed fingers over the leg that had made such a spectacular cracking sound against the wood. After a moment, the cat-demon gave a huffing grunt, and took the lead chain in hand as he led her limping to the opening on the opposite side of the wall.

"Well, pet?" Spike drawled quietly. Xander considered the ring. It would take balance and coordination. He felt a faint stirring in his chest that Spike would trust him at such a game. He wasn't sure, but he thought it might be pride.

"Yes, please, Master," Xander said as he leaned his shoulder into Spike's knee. He knew that the demons would judge Spike on his performance. When Spike started walking toward one side of the arena, Xander gracefully flowed to his feet and trailed behind with his head properly bowed and his hip chains dancing against his legs.

"I'm enterin' my pet, here," Spike announced to the grey skinned demon at end of a line of three slaves in harnesses chained to a horizontal pole. Xander knelt at his Master's side, careful to keep the form perfect under the eyes of so many demons.

"Lose the decorations," the demon clicked a brusque answer, and Xander wondered whether the demon talked that way to everyone or whether the demon was just insulting Spike. Either way, Spike didn't even comment. Spike gestured, and Xander stood as strong fingers removed his arm bands and hip chains and finally the draping chains from his back. Xander knew that he couldn't wear decorations in the ring, and he didn't want to risk damaging his valued possessions, but he still couldn't help the fluttering in his stomach at losing the soothing touch of the chains and leather against his skin. Ironically, Spike left the damn bells around his ankle, but then those bells amused Spike far more than Xander.

Xander jumped in surprise when a dry scaly hand landed on his shoulder before the trainer started buckling on the competition harness quickly and efficiently. Eventually the chain would be attached to the metal ring in the center of his chest, and leather straps around his chest and shoulders ensured that the ring didn't move. Keeping his head down and his hands at the small of his back, Xander watched Spike move away still carrying the decorations. By the time Spike had reached the column and turned to watch, the demon trainer had strapped his wrists into wide leather bands and was pulling to make sure the bands were tight.

When the demon was satisfied, he reached up to chains hanging from the horizontal pole, and clicked a fastener to the ring on Xander's harness. A slap on Xander's butt made him move up to the other three waiting slaves, the chain sliding on the pole as he walked.

Because he was so far back, Xander couldn't really see the ring or the competition on the other side. He did however, have a great view of Spike who stood at the pillar with bored eyes. Every once in a while, those blue eyes would glance over to him. Xander could feel his skin warm every time Spike glanced at him, and he would have thought it was a pure accident except that Spike then started working his tongue so that the sideways glance came with a smirk that sharpened his cheeks and a flash of tongue between the lips. Xander had thought it was bad when Spike would tease him in bed, but this was near torture. He couldn't even touch as Spike's hand slipped into the duster. Xander could imagine exactly what Spike's hand would be doing in there.

His lewd daydreams were interrupted by the exclamations of the crowd. The trainer passed him before unclipping the first slave and leading him to the ring. Xander shifted to his other foot, unused to standing for long periods of time. Unfortunately that led him to bump the slave who had been added to the line behind him, and that slave obviously took exception, bumping back rather forcefully. Xander smiled an apology to the woman in front of him who he hit in turn, glancing behind him to silently explain the problem. The woman looked over his shoulder and gave a small smile of forgiveness back.

As the line settled into waiting again, Xander returned his attention to Spike who still had his hand under the duster. Xander half closed his eyes as he imagined Spike's hand on his body, which actually made the frustration worse, especially since the pouch he wore had very little room for him to show any interest in that way.

Spike smiled wickedly, his mouth coming open in a laugh even if Xander couldn't hear it. Xander allowed his expression to turn into a glare for a half second before he counter-attacked. Rolling his hips slowly as though hearing music, Xander watched as Spike's eyes flashed yellow. Xander lowered his eyes and tilted his head just slightly so he could watch his Master as he shifted his weight in small seductive waves that rippled from his shoulders all the way down to his knees. Turning, Xander presented his Master with his near naked backside as he combined the hip roll with the full body undulation.

He lost the pattern as the crowd cheered again, and Xander turned back to find Spike looking particularly frustrated. He smiled sweetly when Spike glanced his way, and the vampire lowered his eyebrows even more. Xander remembered the day when he had half feared and half resented the way Spike took what he wanted. He hated that Spike chased Buffy with abandon. He feared that when the chip came out that Spike would hunt him down and torture him with the same dedication. Now, he smiled even more sweetly at the idea that as soon he finished, his Master was going to pin him to the nearest surface.

Xander traded in the hip motions for slow shoulder rolls. Once again, the calls of the crowd interrupted his attempts to torture his Master. The trainer appeared again and unhooked the woman in front of him. This time, Xander had an unobstructed view as the trainer led her to the center of the ring, having to dodge the posts to get to a small open space in the center. She knelt at the trainer's side as the cat-demon brought a woman from the other side. The cat demon held a chain from one hand, and when the second woman knelt, the cat demon attached one end of the chain before handing over the other end for the second trainer to attach.

Each demon bent over and said something to the woman at his feet. As the women stood, they glanced at each other before taking a position next to a post. Each demon picked up a slave and put her on the post of her choice before retreating out of the ring. Xander watched at the two women lightly jumped from one post to another without making any attempt to actually dislodge each other. The two seemed like they were engaged in some sort of dance, and their physical similarities with fair skin and light hair reinforced the image. As Xander watched the two women circle each other, his eyes fell on the harnessed slave standing at the far side of the circle.

His heart nearly stopped when he saw the corded muscles and thick legs of the slave waiting to kick Xander's butt. Xander felt as though the room suddenly had no air in it as he struggled to get oxygen into his panicking, screaming lungs. Glancing over toward Spike, Xander felt guilt rise in a tide as he realized that he could never take the brute, and Spike would be the one who looked like a fool. Okay, he'd look like a fool too, but he'd had years of training for that. It was called high school.

When his eyes found his Master's gaze, the lewd expression had disappeared under a cool indifference that made Xander confused as well as panicked. Didn't Spike care that he was about to get his butt kicked and humiliate both of them? Oh god. Some days he really didn't understand his Master. Unfortunately, chained and harnessed the way he was, he really didn't have a lot of options.

Part Twelve

Xander looked back toward the dark-haired brute of a man he was about face in the ring. The man had his head half-bowed, but Xander still caught the smug expression on the man's face, and Xander couldn't really blame him for having a little smug confidence. Xander lost himself for a moment in the vision of the two girls now dancing around each other with the chain pulled in a tight line between them. A pull from one nearly unbalanced the other before the second girl recovered and the ballet continued.

He prayed briefly for a miracle... maybe the two girls could just keep could circling until Spike got entirely bored and pulled him out of the contest. At the very least maybe his Master would get tired enough that he would wander away and miss Xander's complete and utter humiliation at the eyes of the blond hulk on the other side of the ring.

Suddenly panicked that his Master might have actually gotten bored enough to wander away, Xander searched the crowd, and Spike still leaned against the same pillar. The vampire bounced on one foot, and the image sent Xander searching the crowd for enemies. Which actually, was a little difficult since they were in a building surrounded by demons who saw humans as big Pomeranians. It's not like these were good people. However, Xander couldn't see anyone who posed a particular threat, certainly nothing to cause that excited bounce in Spike's body.

Spike looked over toward him and gave a sly smile, and Xander's confusion increased. Surely Spike didn't expect him to actually win against the mutant brute, did he? Xander watched as the smile on Spike's face widened. Oh shit. Xander looked back to the huge slave on the other side, and felt a fine tremor run through his legs as he realized that Spike expected him to win, which meant that the vampire would be twice as disappointed when Xander was firmly trampled. Guys like that had been pushing Xander into lockers for more than half his life.

Thank god this was an arena that seemed to discourage actually physical damage. Him going up against brute-slave was like David and Goliath. Okay, Xander realized that was a particularly bad comparison since there was the whole David actually winning thing, but he didn't have a slingshot, and he didn't think brute-slave had some huge weakness. Actually, he didn't even think the brute had a small weakness, much less a big one. He searched for a metaphor that described it a little better. This time his mind supplied the image of Spike taking out Lirowaus. He remembered Spike's lithe frame breaking limbs gleefully as Lirowaus fallen under the much smaller demon's fists.

Xander looked at the brute again and considered a few new options that had started creeping into the edges of his awareness. He was a lot smaller, but the two women who were dancing on the posts now weren't using strength to win, so maybe he just needed a strategy. Too bad he had never been the strategy-boy. The crowd sighed softly as one of the women finally slipped off a post. Obviously the pair had not been a crowd pleaser.

As the trainer led the loser past him, unfastening her harness and giving her back to her owner, Xander took a deep breath and reminded himself that he would still belong to his Master no matter how much he screwed up. Besides, everyone expected him to fail. Several demons had even turned away from the circle, no doubt certain that this was going to be a short and predictable match.

Xander stood still as the trainer unhooked his harness and led him to the center of the ring. Determined to hold out long enough to earn some respect, Xander flowed around the posts using his best form, exaggerating the movement of his hips and twisting his body sexily. When the trainer reached the center of the ring, Xander sank to his knees and focused his eyes on the ground in front of him. A hand grabbed the ring on his chest and attached a chain, and Xander waited for the order to move.

"Pick a post," his trainer said curtly. Xander stood with a roll of his hips and watched as the brute was lifted to a post on the east side of the circle. He didn't want to be close enough to charge or far enough away for the chain to pull him off balance. He walked to a post on the south side and waited as he was lifted by a thick shoulder in his stomach and set on the post. Xander curled his toes on the side of the wood and waited as the trainers left the ring.

The brute-slave looked over toward him and frowned angrily, and Xander just smiled back. The last trainer stepped out of the ring, and Xander attacked.

Xander dashed from one post to another roughly parallel to the brute. At first the brute just looked confused, and then he bent his knees as he expected Xander to reach the end of the chain and try and pull him off balance. Unfortunately for the brute, that also meant he couldn't move quickly with his weight evenly distributed between two posts and his knees bent. Xander dashed in and aimed a quick kick to the man's knee.

Even though the kick was not enough to actually throw the brute off balance, it succeeded in enraging him. Xander skipped away as the brute charged after him, eager to make the contest one of sheer strength. With his wrists bound, Xander found that he couldn't run as fast as he wanted without risking falling, but the brute seemed even more handicapped by the restraints.

Laughing over his shoulder, Xander dodged as the brute tried to shoulder slam him only to find Xander dashing away across the tops of the posts. Xander increased the distance, making it seem like his only goal was to escape the rampaging monster behind him, but really, that was only one of his primary goals.

Brute tried to keep up, but Xander raced ahead until the chain was only sagging a little between them. With one last glance, Xander threw himself off a tall post toward three posts clustered together on the north side of the ring. Brute was in a section of the ring with far fewer posts spaced much farther apart.

Halfway through the jump, Xander felt the chain tighten and snap. Brute was in the air too, so the chain didn't totally stop Xander. However, since the chain attached to the front of the harness, the chain dug into his right arm and pulled him around so that he was falling backwards, finding the three posts with one foot and one shin so that he knelt awkwardly on the tops of the posts. His eyes immediately watered with the pain of the bruised shin, but he wasn't about to let that stop him.

Now that he faced the brute, Xander could see the shock as the other man struggled to keep his footing as he jumped from one post to another. The chain tightened as the man lost his balance and fell backwards. Xander shifted his weight and jumped for a closer post just so that the man couldn't use the chain to help balance himself. The brute's shoulders rippled with muscles, and Xander could imagine the man's arms struggling to break free and windmill out in an attempt to regain balance.

Rather than give him a chance to regain that balance, Xander now leapt toward his opponent whose only concern was just staying on the posts, half leaping and half falling from one to another as he fought for balance. Xander closed the distance and slammed his shoulder into the man's back. The brute sailed down toward the ground; however, Xander couldn't get his own balance back either; his toes scrambled for the post as he found himself following the brute to the ground, landing on the man's back.

For a moment, Xander lay there stunned and then he slid off the brute's sweaty back and went into position on the sandy floor of the circle. Because Xander had his head down, he almost didn't see the man rising up with a furious red face coated on one side in sand. His only warning came from the angry curse from the brute right before the man jumped to his feet.

Xander didn't quite understand what was going on until the other man had charged forward and pinned him between a post and the brute's wide body. Xander felt a flash of utter terror as he considered the number of times Lirowaus has done the same thing. His hands had been locked into leather cuffs at the demon had trapped him up against some wall. Xander could feel Lirowaus' hands sliding down his sides, and without even realizing what he was doing, Xander brought his knee up and slammed the man's balls up into his body.

When the other man howled and backed up a step, Xander sidestepped away from the post and danced backward. The trainers were hurrying into the ring, but the brute was faster, charging forward with his head lowered like a bull.

Xander dashed toward a tall post and ducked behind it, but the chain was tangled around the huge slave's harness, so Xander had a lot less room to work. The man struck out with a foot, and Xander went to the ground with the kick to avoid taking the full force of the hit; however, from the ground, he aimed his own kick at the man's jaw. Then the cat demon had the other man by the harness pulling him back, and Xander pulled his legs under him in a formal kneel as he ducked his head submissively.

The two trainers ignored him, and he held position with his knees spread slightly and the sand making him itch as he kept his back straight. The sounds of scuffling and a demon curse or two made him strain to see what they were doing, but all he could see with his head lowered was the sand of the arena, the bottom of a few posts, and the chain that had connected him to his opponent lying half buried. He didn't dare move.

The sound of something dragging through the sand left Xander nearly twitching and ready to run for the safety of Spike, but these demons were judging Spike by his behavior, and he wouldn't let his Master, his child, or himself down by failing now. They couldn't afford to get kicked out now.

Two grey legs stepped into his vision, and Xander remained motionless as leather straps touched his face. He twitched his shoulder as another memory slipped forward. He hadn't bit. He hadn't swore or yelled. He didn't deserve this, but Xander didn't think anyone wanted to hear his opinions, so he opened his mouth and let thick fingers push the bit between his teeth as the leather tightened until he couldn't open his mouth.

A leash was attached to his collar, and at the pull, Xander rose and tried to use his best form as he followed the demon out of the ring. The first time he'd worn a muzzle, he'd practically ripped at his own face trying to get it off, and Xander never really had gotten used to the feeling as long as he'd been with Leshar. Of course Leshar usually wanted his mouth available for other duties, so Xander hadn't worn one very often. Xander just hoped that Spike took it off quickly because the leather felt rough against his face.

The trainer stopped outside the ring, and the leash tightened, telling him to stay on his feet. Xander followed the command, widening his stance slightly into a more formal position and keeping his head down. The trainer unbuckled his harness without removing the wrist restraints, and Xander was starting to worry because he couldn't even smell the cigarette-leather scent of Spike.

When hands started working the wrist restraints, Xander breathed a sigh of relief through his nose, but instead of removing the restraints, Xander could feel something more narrow and tighter added over the top of the wrist cuffs. Despite the fact that it was clearly breaking form, Xander looked up at the trainer with wide, confused eyes. Even though the trainer had never shown anything but cold indifference, the demon now let his hand rest on Xander's shoulder as he fingered a few long curls.

"Did fine. Good beast. All animals that fight go before council and owners pay fine." The trainer's hand fell away, and Xander let his head drop down as tears burned his eyes, and he couldn't brush away a tear that tickled at his cheek. He had managed to fail spectacularly. The demon tapped Xander's neck, and Xander folded into the full Floor kneel with his forehead pressed to the concrete as the sounds of the crowd passed by.

Xander relaxed into the position and worked at controlling involuntary muscles twitches. The wrist restraints were slightly uncomfortable now, and the muzzle left him wanting to rub his face against his shoulder, but he had already hurt Spike's standing with these demons enough. He didn't need to mess up more because he was already approaching Droopy Harris levels of screwing up.

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