Linked

by
Wildepet

Part Four

Xander had almost fainted in relief when he had heard the magic words that ended his torment. For now. He had felt the soldier''s erection pressing hard against his hole, ready to enter any second. The man had let go of him with a disappointed grunt. Xander jumped to his feet, pulling his boxers back up.

"Not your lucky day, is it?" he asked.

His voice was still shaky and he didn't sound quite as casual as he had intended. He looked up to where the voice had come from and for the first time took in the window.

"Had fun watching, you perverts?" he said, shaking his head in disgust.

He couldn't really see anything, because the room was elevated and in the dark, but he had noticed a shadow moving away from the window when he had looked up. Suddenly a woman in a white coat - the woman he had seen earlier - was flung against the window. Surprised he stepped back. The soldier who had tried to fuck him placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Time to get back to your cell, slut," he said with venom in his voice.

He pushed Xander toward the door, but Xander did not take his eyes off the window above. He could have sworn he had seen a shock of white blond hair seconds before the woman had crashed into the window. Spike. He was alive, well, as alive as a vampire could be. And kicking, apparently. Xander couldn't help but smile at the thought.

The soldier pulled him out of the room. The second before the door closed behind him, Xander saw him. The vampire was standing behind the window, looking down, with an agitated expression on his face. For milliseconds their eyes met. Then the door snapped shut.

Spike had let go of the woman the second the man had finished his announcement. The pain in his head had become unbearable, his body was jerking uncontrollably. After what seemed an eternity to him the spasms stopped.

Realizing that he had somehow broken the remaining cuffs Spike jumped to his feet, pushing the protesting woman out of his way before the soldiers reached him. The ice cold pain stabbed through his brain again. He winced, but he continued his way toward the window. When he reached the window he caught a last glimpse of the boy as he was being dragged out of the room.

Xander had seen him, too. He sighed with relief, hoping that the boy was safe again, for the moment. "Right," he said, turning around slowly, lifting his hands in a pacifying gesture. "I''ll kill the bloody Slayer for you. But you let the boy go. Now."

The woman shook her head. She was limping away from him, rubbing her side where she had hit the window and eyeing him suspiciously. The two soldiers were standing mere steps away from him, ready and willing to use their weapons. He really wasn't in a position to make demands. But, hell, he could try.

"No. You kill the Slayer and we let him go."

"Why should I trust you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Because you have no choice," the woman replied.

An idea crossed Spike's mind. Of course! This might work. He was aware of the fact that they would never just let him walk out of here. They would probably send him to sleepy-dreamy-land again and drop him somewhere in town, to make sure he wouldn't be able to find his way back to their base. He needed to be able to locate the base in order to free Xander without having to kill the Slayer.

Hang on, he didn't just think that, did he? Why the fuck would he NOT want to kill the Slayer!? Oh, yes, right, he`d probably need her help to get Xander out of here. He was pretty sure those Initiative gits wouldn't bother to keep their promise once the Slayer was dead. Apart from that, he kind of liked the bint, he'd miss insulting her. And he wouldn't want to upset the boy.

He wondered briefly what those people knew about vampires. Well, probably not enough. Not even the bloody Watchers knew everything about that. Neither did he, as a matter of fact. But it was a plan. And a good one if they could make it work. If he could get Xander to play along. That was actually the part that bothered him most.

"Right. I'll do it. On one condition."

"And that would be?" the woman asked.

"I need to claim the boy before I leave."

The woman looked at him in utter confusion. "You need to what?" she asked.

Spike smiled, satisfied. They had no bloody idea. "Claim him. Mark him as mine. So that no other demon will touch him. This bloody shithole is full of demons you can't control. I don't want him to get hurt."

The elder man snorted. "What is this? Are you telling us it's some kind of demon marriage thing? Do you want us to call a priest and get you some rings? Next thing you'll ask for a nice little honeymoon suite in Vegas?"

Spike glared at him. "Actually, no." he said, quietly. "I need to be able to bite him." They looked at him in alarm.

"Don't worry," he continued. "I don't want to turn him. Would be kinda stupid, wouldn't it? Wouldn't want you to dust my childe."

"Turn him?" the woman asked, sounding excited. "Into a vampire? So if you turned him, he'd be your child?"

Spike sighed. "I said, I don't want to turn him. I want him as my mate."

He didn't really want to enlighten these people about vampire lore, but they wouldn't let him do anything without some kind of explanation.

"Look, let me explain how this thing works: I bite him and mark him with my bite mark, right here," he said, pointing to his own neck. "For all the other demons to see. And then, I shag him, so the blind and stupid can also smell me on him. It`s really very easy."


He smiled. And wondered if they would notice that he had left some important parts out. Like the part where Xander had to drink his blood. And strictly speaking the shagging was not really necessary, but they needed a strong bond, one that would enable him to find Xander. Plus it would be fun, wouldn't it?

"And how do we know that this is not just some kind of trick?" the woman asked, still suspicious.

That bint was a real pain in the arse. And he was dying for a smoke. "Some kind of trick?" he asked, getting impatient. "What kind of trick do you think it could be? I will not leave him here with all those demons around without claiming him as mine. If you're not happy with this, you'll have to kill us both and get rid of the Slayer yourselves."

The woman turned to her colleagues and they discussed the matter silently. Spike listened, hoping that they would let him claim the boy. Otherwise? The bint seemed to be inclined to let him do it, he noted.

"I am sure we can control the boy," she said under her breath. "Even if he turns him into a vampire. We have nothing to lose but the boy, really. This could be very interesting."

Inwardly Spike was furious because Xander's life so obviously meant nothing to her, but he forced himself to remain calm.

The men nodded slowly. "All right," she finally said, turning around again. "We need to modify your chip first."

Xander had been taken back to his cell. His demands for food and a quick stroll to the bathroom had been casually ignored.

"Hello?" he yelled. "Your average demon may not have much use for a toilet in his cell but I would certainly appreciate it. If I wet the floor I will not be the one who has to clean the mess up."

He hoped. He continued shouting for another minute. Then he heard the sound of footsteps. A soldier approached, carrying a metal bucket. He paused in front of the small opening through which Xander assumed the food was usually tossed in.

"You're not too bright, are you, soldier-boy?" he asked. "You want me to pee through the hole? Because unless that is an inflatable bucket you've got there I don't see how you want to get it in here through that."

The soldier glared at him and he looked like he might just turn around and walk away again. Damn it, Harris, can't you just shut the fuck up once in your life, Xander thought.

"Step back from the wall," the soldier ordered. "Kneel down in the corner and lift your arms behind your head."

"Yeah, right," Xander muttered grudgingly. "Because I am so very dangerous..."

Nevertheless he obeyed. The soldier let the glass wall slide open just wide enough to shove the bucket inside. "Stay where you are until the door is closed," the soldier said. Sighing Xander closed his eyes, and started counting. One, two, three? Fifteen. There was the soft hiss and the clink that indicated that the glass wall was back in position, securely locking up the dangerous creature inside. He jumped to his feet and raced over to the bucket. The pain in his bladder drove tears to his eyes.

Once he got out he would gladly lock himself in the bathroom for 24 hours. Or even better, get hold of one of these bastards and lock them in the broom closet for a week.

The woman had taken Spike to another room and seated him under something that looked suspiciously like a giant lazer gun to him. She attached a couple of electrodes to his skull.

"What is this?" he asked, gesturing up.

"Just sit down"

She sat down at a computer and began typing something, carefully checking the several screens in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Spike demanded.

"The program has been modified in order to enable you to kill the Slayer, and I have to re-program parts of it so that you can also bite the boy. Only the boy," she explained.

"He has a name, you know!" Spike said.

"Hostiles don't have names," she insisted, not looking up.

Spike laughed. "He is not one of your bleedin' Hostiles, woman. He's wasted most of his precious youth fighting demons and vamps with the Slayer. Why do you want her dead, anyway? You're on the same side, aren't you?"

She finished typing and looked at him. "I'm ready. Now we need to transfer the information to the little chip in your head" She walked over to him, careful not to stand between him and the soldier by the door who was aiming a gun at him. "I need to fix you to the chair," she said.

Spike shrugged. "So do it," he replied.

He didn't move a muscle when she strapped him to the chair.

"You know," she said, "when I was told that you apparently cared for the boy, I wouldn't believe it. But the reports said you were very protective of him and obviously willing to risk your life, or unlife, in order to save him from harm. And your little demonstration upstairs seems to support that theory. So I wonder, do you love him?"

"He's mine," he growled quietly, taken aback by the question.

She raised an eyebrow but did not comment on his answer. Inwardly Spike was fuming because apparently it had been his too obvious show of affection that had brought the boy to the attention of the Initiative in the first place. He wondered whether the Scoobies had noticed something, as well. Probably not. Otherwise he'd be a big pile of dust by now, he was sure.

The woman fastened the last strap around his head. "Do not move," she said. "It will hurt, I guess."

"What do you mean, you guess?!" Spike asked, alarmed.

"Well, we have never really done this before," she pointed out. "You are a prototype, after all."

Spike cursed silently. "Right, do it already," he muttered finally, shooting her a nasty glance.

She moved back to her computer. Spike watched her closely, trying to memorize the buttons she pressed. Maybe if he said pretty please he could persuade Red to try her computer skills on that little program once they had killed all the bloody wankers. The appliance over his head lowered itself to his skull. He closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to kick in. Nothing. After several seconds the appliance moved up again.

"It's done," the woman said. "Remember, only the Slayer and the boy. You try to hurt anyone else, the chip goes off."

"It didn't hurt," he said. "You sure it worked properly?"

She looked at the center screen and nodded. "There is a way to find out," she said after a while.

Spike pulled at the straps. "Take me to Xander," he said.

She looked at him. "That's his name?" she asked."Xander?"

"Take me to him," he repeated merely.

She beckoned the soldier over. "Take him to Hostile 71's cell. Bring him back to me at sundown." She looked at Spike again. "You have one hour."

Part Five

Xander's thoughts returned once more to the blond vampire. Had he made them stop? And how? He still had the chip, didn't he? He remembered how Spike had collapsed and winced in pain when he had tried to hit Xander once. He surely wouldn't risk setting off his chip to save Xander. Would he?

The look in Spike's eyes. There had been something in that look he had not been able to identify.

He was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. He looked up wearily. Maybe they'd bring him something to eat.

"Spike!" he cried when the blond vampire came into view.

The vampire smiled. "'ello, pet," he said. "Been waiting for me?"

Xander stared at him incredulously, when the glass wall slid open and Spike entered his cell. "Oh my God, Spike," he whispered and pulled the vampire into a close hug. "I thought I`d never see you again"

"Well, here I am."

He gently pushed Xander back and turned to the soldier, who was standing behind them, watching them with a look of sick fascination. "Would you mind?" he asked, holding out his cuffed hands.

The soldier shook his head. "My orders said nothing about removing the handcuffs," he said and moved back.

"Oh, come on!" Spike said, sounding more than frustrated. The glass wall closed again. "This is not funny!" he yelled.

"One hour," the soldier said and walked away.

Still cursing, Spike turned back to Xander, who was staring at him again. He stopped immediately. "Xander," he said softly. He moved over to him, put his chained hands over his head and pulled him close. "We don't have much time," he whispered. "You have to trust me."

"I trust you," Xander whispered back. "You saved me, didn't you?"

"I'm the reason you're here," Spike replied. "I, er, I am sorry."

Xander smiled. "Can you kiss me again?" he pleaded.

"That's part of the plan," Spike said, placing his lips on Xander's.

Xander closed his eyes and moaned, forgetting everything around him. He focused on Spike's lips on his, the cool and soft touch of his tongue, his unique taste, his smell. When they finally broke the kiss, Xander was panting.

"You drive me crazy," he said.

Spike pushed Xander back against the wall, and leaned against him, rubbing his erection against the boy's thigh. He bowed his head slightly and started nibbling on Xander's neck. Slowly he moved up to his earlobe, where he stopped.

"Listen to me," he whispered. "This is very important."

Xander nodded almost imperceptibly.

"What do you know about claiming?" Spike asked.

Xander brought his mouth to Spike's ear. "Not an awful lot," he said under his breath. "I know it's used by vampires to establish a bond."

"You know how it's done?"

"No," Xander admitted. "Not really."

"Okay, listen carefully now, pet," Spike began. "They want me to kill the Slayer. They will keep you here to make sure that I do it."

"But you can't..." Xander muttered, confused.

"Listen to me," Spike said. "I don't want to kill the bloody Slayer. Not that way, anyway. But I won't let them kill you, either. That's why I need to claim you. It will establish a bond between us, as you said, pet. And this bond will enable me to find you, wherever you are. I'll come back, with the bloody Slayer and Angel, if I have to..."

"But...the chip...you wouldn't be able to kill Buffy anyway," Xander whispered back.

"They played around with that chip a little so now I could actually kill the Slayer," Spike explained. "And I can bite you, pet." he added after a short pause.

"Is...is that how it's done?" Xander asked, intimidated.

Spike nodded slowly. "That's one part. I have to bite you and take a little of your blood and you have to drink a little of my blood. But to make the bond strong enough there is something else we have to do, Xan."

Xander was scared. His heart was racing. He trusted Spike, but the idea of letting the vampire bite him was way scary. A strange noise startled him. What...? Was Spike purring? Yep, purring and gently sucking on his earlobe.

"It's okay to be afraid, pet," he whispered. "I won't hurt you, I promise."

"W-what's this other thing we have to do?" Xander asked finally.

"The bond is established by blood and made stronger by semen," Spike said, matter-of-factly. "I have to shag you, Xan."

"W-what? You have to...Here?" Xander sighed. "Welcome to my life," he said.

Spike stepped back as far as he could without actually having to remove his hands from around Xander's neck and looked at him in surprise. "Come again?" he said.

"I want you so badly," Xander whispered. "But in my dreams there was always a bed..."

Spike was intrigued. "You dreamed about me? I never thought.." he asked.

Xander blushed. "Erm...Why would they let you claim me anyway?" he asked, trying to avoid Spike's gaze.

The vampire grinned. "It was my condition. I told them I wanted to mark you as mine so that all the other demons would not dare to touch you. Yeah, well, that's part of the package, but not the whole deal. These people are so foolish. They think they know what they are doing but they have no bloody idea."

Xander nodded slowly, weighing his options. "If I got that right we don't have much time," he said finally. "Maybe we should get started."

"I like the way your mind works, pet," Spike replied with a leer and pulled Xander into another kiss that made them both forget where they were. Xander's hands wandered inside Spike's coat and down his sides, tugging at his black t-shirt and sliding under the thin fabric. The feeling of Spike's cool naked skin under his fingers was almost too much for Xander. He ran his hands up and down over Spike's back under the t-shirt. Spike carefully lifted his chained arms back over the boy's head and started to unbutton Xander's shirt.

The reality of their situation struck Xander again, when he saw the cuffs around Spike's wrists. Noticing the sudden change in the boy, Spike followed his gaze.

"Ah, pet, don't worry," he said with a wicked grin. "Just imagine you put them there."

Xander looked at him with an expression of utter confusion on his face.

Spike continued to grin and ran his hands over Xander's naked chest and abdomen, careful not to put too much pressure on the fresh bruises. Xander hissed at the cool touch. "I seem to remember that you enjoyed tying me to that bloody chair," he explained.

"I...I didn't..." Xander began but Spike silenced him with another kiss.

"So," he finally said. "Are you gonna help me with these trousers now, luv?"

Xander nodded and slowly, almost teasingly tugged the zipper of Spike's jeans down.

"Hurry, pet," Spike pleaded, his voice raw with need.

Xander dropped to his knees and carefully undid the laces of Spike's boots. He removed the boots and pulled the jeans down. No underwear. Xander had not really registered that in the alley. Last night. Was it really only last night? Last night he had not been able to see the object of his desire. He stared at Spike's throbbing cock, in awe. There was another shiny drop of pre-cum. Xander licked it off, greedily. The taste exploded in his mouth. It tasted all like Spike now. Familiar already, though he'd only tasted it once before, and...good.

"Stop it, Xan," Spike growled. "Or I'll come all over your face now."

Xander looked up, smiling cheekily. "We'll save that for later," he said and grabbed Spike's left foot. "Now help me with the pants."

Spike pulled his foot out of the jeans, trying not to lose his balance. Seconds later Xander tossed his jeans into the far corner. He got up and scanned Spike from top to toe. "I so want to see you naked," he whispered, trailing one finger over Spike's t-shirt-clad chest.

Spike grabbed his shirt and tore, exposing his bare chest. "Better?" he asked.

Xander nodded absently, circling Spike's already hard nipples with his
fingers. Spike's hands wandered down to Xander's shorts, tugging at the
waistband. "Get 'em off already," he said urgently.


Xander smiled shyly and obeyed. The boxers were dropped to the floor. Spike pulled him close and began nuzzling his neck.

"How do you want to do this?" he asked.

"I want to see you," Xander replied without hesitation.

He was kinda freaked out that he wasn't freaked out by the idea of having sex with Spike. He was more worried about the biting bit. And hadn't Spike said that he also needed to drink blood, Spike's blood? Demon blood. He shuddered. Spike gently licked across Xander's jugular vein, purring almost inaudibly.

"Hush, pet," he whispered. "Everything's gonna be all right. You sure you wanna do it that way? The floor is all cold...I'd give you my duster to lie on but I can't..." He seemed to consider the options.

"Spike," Xander said, breaking free from Spike's nuzzling and sitting down. "Can you just shut and, you know, um, fuck me? Please?"

He lay back and spread his legs slightly. Spike moaned at the sight. Carefully he knelt down between Xander's legs.

"Gee," he said, "you're gorgeous, luv."

He trailed one finger along Xander's thigh. Xander closed his eyes and lost himself in Spike's gentle touch.

"Bloody hell," Spike cursed suddenly, withdrawing his hands from Xander.

"What's wrong?" Xander asked, worried.

Spike seemed to be searching for something in the pockets of his duster. "We need lube," he said. "I can't shag you dry."

Xander nodded slowly. "You think you've got something?" he asked.

"I don't know," Spike replied, looking flustered.

"Can you help me here? I can't reach the pockets with these bloody handcuffs."

Xander sat up and continued Spike's search. "I think I found something," he finally said, pulling a small tube out of one of the inner pockets.

"What is it?" Spike asked.

"Looks like some kind of antiseptic ointment," Xander said. "This should do."

Spike sighed in relief and took the tube from Xander. He pulled him in for a quick kiss. "We`d better hurry," he finally said with a sigh. "Lie back. And relax." He opened the tube and liberally coated one finger with the ointment. "Right," he said. "This will hurt, just a little bit." He tried to lift Xander's legs a little but the handcuffs got in the way. "Xan, can you...?"

Xander lifted his legs and wrapped his arms around his thighs, pressing them to his chest.

"I'm sorry," Spike muttered, wondering why it was so easy to say to Xander and actually mean it.

"Don't be," Xander replied, smiling. "Go ahead."

Very, very carefully Spike spread Xander's buttocks and nudged his lubed finger against his hole. Xander gasped at the sensation of Spike's cool, slick finger slowly entering his anus. It hurt all right, but the coolness was pleasant and soothing. Spike slid his finger in deeper and then paused for a moment.

"All right?" he asked.

"It kinda burns," Xander replied.

Spike gently moved his finger, searching for...

"Shit," Xander gasped. Where did all the stars suddenly come from? The vampire quickly removed his finger and spread some more ointment on it. "Do that again," Xander demanded, still panting.

"You like that, don't you?" Spike said, pleased.

He pushed into Xander again, two fingers this time. Xander yelped but then he relaxed. When Spike stroked that spot again the pain became secondary. He barely noticed that Spike stretched his opening further and inserted a third finger.

"Ssssspike!" he hissed, his hips buckling.

"I guess you're ready," Spike said with a satisfied smile and sat back on his heels. He covered his erection with the remainder of the ointment. He knew that this was a first for Xander and didn't want the boy to regret it. "Xan," he whispered softly. Can you...Can you wrap your legs around my waist?"

Xander followed Spike's instructions. It was awkward because Spike couldn't really support him with his hands chained. But finally he felt Spike`s cock pressing against his hole. Spike looked at him as if to ask for permission and Xander nodded. Nevertheless he winced when Spike pressed harder and the tip of his cock forced its way past the tight ring of muscles.

"You okay, pet?" Spike asked. "Look at me! You need to relax, luv. I don't wanna hurt you."

Xander stared at Spike, not quite managing to hide his pained expression. "I`m fine," he said shakily. "Just keep going."

Spike hesitated for a moment. The expression on Xander's face changed into amazement. "You're actually worried," he said, with a weak smile. "It's okay, Spike. I want this. Really." In confirmation Xander's cock jerked.

"Right," Spike said. "I'll be careful."

Slowly he thrust further inside, trying to steady himself by holding on lightly to Xander's thighs. When he was fully inside he suddenly smelled something. Blood. . Bloody hell, pet, you`re bleeding, he cursed, trying to withdraw his cock. But Xander grabbed his thighs and held him in position.

"It's okay," he said. "It's not that bad. It doesn't hurt anymore than the fingers."

Maybe it did hurt a little more. Or maybe even a lot more, but Xander could deal with the pain. He wanted this. He needed it. Spike seemed to recognize the need in Xander`s pleading. Carefully he began to move, not thrusting too deep or too hard but making sure that he always brushed over Xander`s prostate.

Xander writhed and moaned underneath him. When he was getting closer to the edge, he struggled not to let the demon take control yet. He pulled Xander up into a sitting position on his lap, embracing his neck with his chained arms again, and continued the slow rhythm he'd established. Xander reached around him grabbed his shoulders from behind for support. Spike began caressing the soft skin of Xander`s neck with his tongue, moving on to sucking and some serious nibbling before he shifted into gameface.

"Look at me," he whispered.

Xander turned his head and studied Spike`s demon face closely. Reaching around Spike's arm, he tentatively brushed one finger over the scar in Spike`s eyebrow. "Wow," he said, stunned. Then he very deliberately rolled his head back, exposing his throat.

Spike growled at the sight. He thrust deeper into Xander, barely able to control the demon anymore. With effort, he spoke, in a low, husky voice. "Xander, you know that this is permanent, luv, don`t you?"

He scratched the skin on Xander's shoulder with his fangs, but not yet deep enough to draw blood.

"I don`t mind the scars," Xander replied hoarsely.

"I am not only talking about the scars."

"I know." He paused. "Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"Bite me, please."

At these words, the demon took over control fully. Thrusting in deeper and much harder than he actually wanted to, Spike climaxed in no time, biting down and piercing the soft skin of Xander`s neck with his fangs. He felt Xander`s hot cum hitting his chest and greedily sucked on the wound he had inflicted. It had been so long. Xander`s blood was delicious. It was rich and sweet and it tasted of fear and excitement and. ...

When the sharp fangs had split his skin Xander had come immediately. The pain was like nothing he had ever felt before. A sharp sting that seemed to go right through to his heart. The sensation of Spike feeding from him was overwhelming. It hurt. It was delirious. For a couple of seconds he was afraid that the vampire would take too much.

But then Spike carefully withdrew his fangs and lapped the fresh bite marks. He'd thought about placing his mark somewhere where it could not be so easily seen, but he had wanted to leave a visible mark on the boy so badly, he didn't even care if the Slayer bitch would stake him for this later.

Xander smiled weakly. "That was good," he whispered.

"We're not done yet, luv," Spike replied, still in gameface, cautiously withdrawing his hands and pulling out of Xander. He gently pushed him back onto the floor and bowed down to lick Xander's cum off the boy's chest. Xander wriggled underneath him.

"Ticklish, pet?" Spike asked with a smirk. He straddled Xander's thighs and looked at him, intently. "There is one last thing," he said.

Xander nodded with an expectant smile. Spike pierced his own lower lip with his fangs and pulled Xander into a passionate kiss. The taste of Spike's blood-mingled with some faint traces of his own cum-on his tongue was a shock for Xander. He had tasted his own blood and this was nothing like it: it burned on his tongue and in his throat and tasted of power. He sucked on the vampire's lower lip, not getting enough. Finally Spike gently shoved him back.

"More," Xander pleaded, surprising himself.

"No, pet, this is enough," Spike insisted, back in his human guise. Xander pouted. "This is dangerous stuff, Xan. We'd better be careful." He looked at Xander.

The boy nodded slowly. "Demon blood," he muttered.

"We don`t want you to lose control. Somebody could get hurt. And in this case..." He gestured at the walls. "...this would be you. Right," he continued in a different tone of voice, but no less serious. "Turn around and let me clean that mess up. It's not like you could take a shower here."

Xander obeyed hesitatingly. The vampire tore a scrap off his already ruined t-shirt and used it to wipe away the ointment, the blood and the semen on Xander's buttocks. He spread the cheeks and saw that Xander was still bleeding slightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, pet," he muttered, ashamed.

"You didn't hurt me," Xander replied.

Spike bent down and lapped the blood away. Xander moaned in surprise, blushing crimson. "What are you doing?" he gasped.

"Relax," Spike whispered, darting his tongue deeper into Xander's puckered opening, tasting the boy's blood, his own semen and also traces of the ointment they had used.

Xander moaned with pleasure when the vampire's cool tongue entered him, soothing and exciting at the same time.

When Spike heard footsteps in the distance, he withdrew reluctantly and told Xander to get dressed, quickly. Hastily, Xander staggered to his feet and pulled on his boxers. Then he moved to help Spike who was still on the floor, struggling to get into his tight jeans.

"Get up," he ordered. "I'll help you."

Just when he was zipping up Spike's jeans, four soldiers appeared in front of the glass wall. Panicking, he wrapped his arms around Spike and kissed him, desperately. Spike kissed him back, involuntarily sliding into gameface and slicing both their lips with his fangs. They shared a last bloody kiss, before the soldiers approached them and pulled them apart. The boy stood staring at the vampire, his lips still smeared with blood. With a flick of his tongue he licked the blood off, never taking his gaze off Spike. He looked unbearably sexy.

"Mine," he said to Spike, feeling the sudden need to claim the vampire as his.

"And you're mine," Spike replied, with a satisfied smile.

The soldiers holding Spike, hesitated, uncertain if they could actually dare to drag the vampire out of the cell. "Right, it's time," the highest-ranking soldier finally said, strengthening his hold of Spike's arm, causing the vampire to flinch slightly.

He ignored the low growl and continued to pull him to the door, missing the confused looks on Xander and Spike's faces. Spike stared at Xander incredulously. The soldiers apparently hadn't noticed that the growl hadn't come from the vampire, but from the boy. And they had also missed the look in his eyes when the soldier had tightened his grip on Spike, obviously hurting the vampire. Demonic, was the only description that Spike could come up with. He could have sworn that there had been a flicker of gold in the boy`s dark brown eyes.

But as far as Spike could tell the boy was still human and he had been careful not to give him too much of his own blood. Something might have gone wrong, though...He'd never done anything like this before, so he wasn't exactly sure how the whole thing worked.

He didn't take his eyes off Xander when he was dragged out of the cell. Making sure that none of the soldiers was actually paying attention, he mouthed the words: "I love you."

Xander replied with a brilliant smile, his eyes were sparkling, no longer demonic. "Love you, too," he whispered back.

Once Spike was out of sight, Xander dropped to the floor and closed his eyes. He was sore, tired and hungry. He didn't even bother to put the shirt on again. In a matter of minutes he was fast asleep, curled up into a fetal position on the cold floor.

Part Six

The soldiers had taken Spike back to the room in which he had first woken up and made him sit down on the chair. After they had left him alone in the room, with instructions not to move, Spike had closed his eyes and tried to trace Xander in the base.

"Please let this work, or I am royally beggared," he muttered.

He was concentrating so hard, he didn't even notice that the door was opened again and three people entered the room. Just when he thought he'd made out Xander's heartbeat a woman's voice interrupted him.

"I hope you didn't have too much fun with your little pet," the woman who had modified his chip said. "You'll need all your strength to deal with the Slayer."

"Xander is not my little pet," Spike replied angrily. "And now I've claimed him, everyone who touches him will have to answer to me. You better make sure that your soldier boys keep their hands off him or I swear I`ll rip your throat out, chip or no chip, do you understand that? And you better see to it that he gets something to eat as well. The boy's starving. You treat your human prisoners worse than your demons. Maybe you should try to remember that humans are much more fragile than demons." His voice had softened with these last words. The two men were staring at him in disbelief. "What?" he snarled at them. "I may be love's bitch but at least I'm man enough to admit it."

He loved Xander. His demon regarded him as his mate, his equal. He had watched the boy closely over the last couple of weeks. Xander was a good fighter, brave, loyal, his demon appreciated that. And he certainly was a nummytreat. They'd spent a lot of time together after Spike had effectively moved in with the boy, gradually becoming allies, friends, even. Not that either of them had ever cared to admit it. After the demon chit had left Xander, their relationship had changed. The friendly bickering had become something else. Yeah, right, so he had been flirting with Xander. What about it? He was a grown vampire, after all.

"Listen, vampire," the woman finally said. "Your friend is safe here for 36 hours. You get two nights to get the job done. If you fail to kill the Slayer by then he's fair game. If you succeed, he will wake up in his bed on Wednesday thinking everything was a bad dream."

She pulled a small vial out of her coat pocket. "Drink this."

"Yeah, right," he replied and snapped it out of her hand. "What is it?" He opened it and sniffed carefully.

"Just a little something to make sure you don't find your way back to our base. You'll wake up again in about 30 minutes in the alley where you were captured," the woman said.

With a resigned sigh Spike downed the blueish liquid. And everything went black. Again.

Feed the Author