All I Need
by
Tisienne
Part Twenty-Six
The one thing Xander Harris had never imagined even once since he’d known that Spike was Spike and not some shape-changing demon, was seeing him just like this—spread out naked and sprawling in the broad patch of sunlight.
Granted, it was sunlight filtered through the special windows of the Wolfram and Hart building but it was still a sight to behold.
Pale skin gleamed with small shimmers of pearlescent white, blond hair gathered liquid fire, absorbing it like it belonged there… blue eyes became almost prismatic under half-closed lids.
“God, baby,” Xander murmured, licking his lips as his eyes found and followed one small, glistening, almost clear drop of fluid as it slipped slowly down the side of Spike’s bobbing shaft, “you’re beautiful… uh, in a manly way, of course…”
Slitted blue eyes raked slowly over the other man and Spike smirked, stretching sinuously against the dark carpet beneath him. “Not so bad yourself, luv… even if ya are too far away. Don’t suppose I could talk ya into joinin’ me, hmmm?”
Brown eyes crinkled slightly at the edges as the brunette sat back farther in his chair, fingers gripping the arms tightly in an effort to stay where he was. “Not yet, Spike… want to see you…”
A soft purr echoed in the vampire’s chest as he moved one hand, slowly, teasingly sliding it over his own skin, first pinching lightly at small nipples, moaning quietly as they hardened into peaks. “Want ta see me what, luv…? Touch myself…? Run my hands all over my tight body while I’m thinkin’ about feelin’ ya on me, in me, takin’ me hard an’ fast or slow an’ sweet…?”
Oh, he was definitely in Hell. But what a way to burn. “Y-yeah, Spike… God, baby…” His own hand left one armrest, fingers sliding slowly up his throbbing cock, circling the head, then stroking down the other side as he watched Spike’s long, elegant fingers on that sun-limned skin.
“Tell me, Xan… tell me what ya want ta see, yah?” he groaned, bending his knees and dropping them wide, putting himself fully on display for his love. “Want me ta stroke my cock, make it even harder for ya? Spread all that slick juice over it, make it shine for ya, pet…?” Spike groaned again, the look in his Xander’s eyes alone dragging him closer to cumming without the man even touching him. “Tell me, luv… whatever ya need…”
“God, Spike. Jesus. Yes! Th-that… do that…” His hand wrapped around his own turgid length, squeezing hard then releasing rhythmically. “L-love… watching you, baby…”
It was a sentiment that was returned, Spike knew. Hell, there was something about watching his bloke from a good six feet away, knowing there wasn’t anything on the entire planet that would or could pull those glorious green-brown eyes from him that just made him… thrill. And it didn’t hurt that the smooth, tanned skin was glowing all coppery in the light, that the brown hair was touched with strands of gold… that that gorgeous, blissful cock was pulsing visibly in his Primal’s hand, oozing dribbles of pre-cum just as much as his own was.
He imagined his cool fingers as larger and warm, taking his time about wrapping them fully around his shaft. “Luv th’ way your eyes weigh on me, pet… can feel ya lookin’ at me even when you pretend not ta… ‘s like a heavy, hot blanket pressin’ down on me…” Spike moaned deeply, fully aware of the effect it would have on the other man. “Can feel ya, luv… all over me…”
A brightly red tongue slid out to lick suddenly dry lips as Xander’s hand moved a bit more forcefully on his cock, sliding over thick, needy flesh just a bit. “Gonna drown you in me, baby,” he murmured darkly, eyes flicking up and down the perfect form displayed for him, unable to choose just one area to focus on. “Fuck, Spike… so perfect…”
“Goin’ ta be perfect, luv, when ya come over here an’… b’bloody hell, Xan, th’ way you’re lookin’ at me…” Spike groaned again, his true face sliding out as his free hand reached for the tube a few feet away. “Goin’ ta get myself ready for ya, pet… fix me up so ya can slip right in… bury yourself deep an’ full… want ta feel ya, luv… feel those heavy, luvly balls of yours slappin’ against my ass…”
“J-jessusssss fuck…” he hissed, eyes locked now on his vampire’s golden stare and whoever said vamps were cold had obviously never seen his vampire with that look in his eyes. “D-do it, Spike… please, baby… let me sssssee…” His fingers slid down, clamping hard around the base of his shaft as that tube was opened quickly, the small sound of viscous gel making his heart pound even harder. “Fuck,” he whispered again as the covered fingers slid down past that wonderful sac and…
He’d let go of his cock simply because he didn’t have three hands and he needed one to pull his knee nearly to his chest while the other… Spike growled softly, rocking against the carpet as he pressed two fingers deep into his anus. The small and momentary pain didn’t bother him at all; hell, it just made this even better because he knew his Xan could smell it, sense it… whatever it was Primals—or his Primal, anyway—did. He shifted a bit more, his other leg moving across long, plush shag as he opened himself wider.
“Bloody f-fuckin’ hell, Xan… can already f-feel ya… splittin’ me open with that amazin’ cock… makin’ me howl for ya, pet… know how much ya like it when I howl, don’t I? Makes ya shiver an’ growl for me, yah…?” His eyes glittered wildly as he pressed another finger in to join the first two, carefully avoiding his prostate. “Not goin’ ta touch there, mate… waitin’ for ya ta d-do that when ya push inta me, luv… nothin’ like th’ f-feelin’ of ya piercin’ me, slidin’ deep, fillin’ me up with your heat an’ passion… yah, luv… goin’ ta burst th’ second ya slam inta me… w-won’t be able ta h-h-help it…”
And Jesus Christ! How was he supposed to resist that voice, those words?
‘Ourssss… take ourssss now… want… need ours…’
‘Yessssssss… now.’ Xander answered the hyena’s whimpering demand as his body slid from the chair to the floor, gazing fixedly at wide golden eyes as he crawled across the carpeting, nostrils flaring at the intensified thick, rich scent that was specific only to Spike. “You have no idea of how good you smell, baby,” he rumbled, head dipping slightly to sniff along the leg on the carpet. “I smelled you,” he added wantonly, “before I ever saw you at the Lodge… didn’t know it was you, but I knew… I wanted to find that scent… again…”
Spike gasped loudly as the desirous inhaling continued up his thigh to his groin, his fingers never stilling as he spread them, twisted them, stretching himself just enough to let his Xan in without a fight. “Y-ya did f-find it, pet… found me, didn’t ya…”
A low, deep chuckle as he nuzzled the already tense sac lightly before raising his head and giving his love a wicked smirk. “Found ‘Will’, anyway… and he was so fucking hot, baby… and he was you.” He crawled slowly over the slightly smaller man, hair hanging down around their faces as he stared hard into wide eyes from only inches away. “And once you came to me in Paris, Spike, I was worried. I thought maybe it wasn’t just you but your clan… but when I saw Deadboy, baby, I was sure. It is just you… and my beast knew it way before I did.”
He found himself swallowing hard as he was held motionless by the sly, frankly sexual gaze. “S-smart hyena ya got th-there, luv…” was all he could manage to say, his body shuddering roughly to be possessed, demon and soul both ready to beg. “X-xan… luv…”
And he was smirking again; he could tell he was smirking, even as his eyes narrowed, flashing green brightly enough to reflect from the brilliant amber of his vampire’s. “Hand, baby… gonna have you now. Need to have you now, Spike… to be in you, loving you…”
A small, deep grunt as he felt still-slick fingers wrapping around him, guiding his seeping tip to the perfect sheath it wanted… and another, louder grunt as he pressed forward slowly, so slowly he thought he might die if he could. “G-god, baby… I… I do, you kn-know… L-love you… Jesus, Spike… Love you, baby…” And unlike every other time he’d said those words before, there was no sense of panic, no feeling of dread… no worry that he’d just laid himself bare to someone who would destroy him. So he pushed himself deeper, gently shoring up against his love’s ass, cock wrapped tightly, fully, perfectly within Spike’s body and… he said it again. “Love you, Spike… more than I ever thought I c-could love… anyone…”
Fuck, wasn’t that enough to have him wanting to cry like a wee bloody chit? Lucky for him he was wearing his real face because the demon would never let him do something so sodding unmanly… not even with his bloke’s cock up his bum. “Luv ya too, pet,” he growled, legs shifting higher around the bloody well hot body covering him as he arched against the floor, rocking around the thick shaft still motionless inside him. “Luved ya from th’ moment I… found ya again, Xan… bloody fuckin’ hell, luved ya as ‘Alex’ when I wasn’t hatin’ ya for not bein’ ya… an’ if ya don’t bloody move, I’m goin’ ta have ta hurt ya, mate…”
Xander chuckled, pressing his lips to Spike’s, tongue driving carelessly between sharp, jagged teeth as he tried to crawl as deep into the cool mouth as he could. “Your wish, baby,” he murmured wickedly after pulling back for a moment, “is my wish…” He lips closed over his vampire’s again as he forced his arms under the strong length of flexing spine, his knees drawing up behind Spike’s ass. Then he moved, lurching up from the floor and settling back on his knees, pulling Spike up with him and smirking into suddenly surprised eyes. “Is th-this what you h-had in m-mind, love?”
And how his Xan had that sort of strength even with the animal spirit was beyond him, but somehow Spike didn’t care. All that mattered, the only thing that mattered in the moment was… he was riding his love, held against that broad, warm chest, the long, thick shaft feeling deeper than it had even during take-off on the plane and… “B-bloody hell… s-so deep, luv…”
“Y-yeah… f-fuck, Spike… why haven’t we d-done this be-f-fore…?” he somehow said, arms loosening as hands gripped tightly on silken-skin-covered muscles. “N-need… God, baby… yesssssss…”
It took him a moment to find his balance, legs releasing his Xander’s ribs to spread widely around the younger man. Then the soles of his feet found the carpet and he leaned back into the big hands beside his spine, muscles flexing as he pushed off against the floor, gasping as the motion lifted him a few inches, the hardness within him scraping against that place inside his body. “B-bloody… not goin’ ta last, luv,” he whimpered, sliding to flush again quickly.
“Fuck… c-cum, Spike… gonna cum w-with you… already… s-so good… b-baby…” And if it had been anyone other than Spike, Xander would have been bright red at his own lack of stamina. Then again, if it had been someone else riding his cock this way, he wouldn’t have been so… ready. “G-god… fuck yes… S-Spike…” His hands held tighter, pulling the toned chest against his own as he lifted slightly on his heels, pressing up into the struggling, barely bucking body as he nipped at the arching neck, finally giving in to what he truly wanted and biting down hard, being careful not to break skin.
“Xander!” the vampire howled, rocking hard on the throbbing shaft, whimpering and sobbing as it slammed against the swollen nub within him, one hand grabbing roughly at longish brown hair, holding the forceful teeth against his neck. “H-harder, luv… please pet, please Xan, harder, luv… want ta feel ya… harder!”
‘Yessssss…,’ the hyena growled happily, ‘Tassste ours… MARK ourssss… love him…’
It was a good thing, Xander would realize later, that he was so much in agreement with his beast. In the moment, though, he wasn’t thinking that clearly and when his love begged, he had no choice but to give in.
Reddened, excited lips pulled back from even white teeth and he released the pale, fragrant flesh for just a moment before driving in and biting deep, biting hard, piercing flesh, drawing blood, tasting the truth of the scent he knew so well as he rammed himself up roughly into the grasping anus surrounding his shaft, spasming wildly, wickedly, uncontrollably as the fullness of Spike’s flavor combined with the incredible sensation of being so deep in him and he exploded, burst, died a little and was reborn in light and bliss as he felt those jagged, adored teeth driving deep into his neck.
His own orgasm was much louder than his Xander’s at first, sharp stuttering cries flying from his lips as his cock spurted almost violently between their bodies. Then it was much quieter, sounds muffled against hot, salty-sweet skin, as he drank his love in, filled completely with the sensation of heat flowing into him from either end and melding, swirling, joining in his soul.
Part Twenty-Seven
“He’s watchin’, pet,” the vampire murmured softly into his Primal’s ear, barely loud enough to be heard through the music blaring around them. “Care ta give him a bit of a show?”
Xander couldn’t help the wicked little smile that curled his lips and didn’t even try. He just let his arms wrap tighter around the cool, somewhat slender form of the slightly shorter man and rumbled against his chest. “Mmmm… see, baby, I like the way you think. It’s always fun to make Deadboy cringe.”
Hips ground wildly against the brunette’s groin and Spike smirked. “Serve him right for invitin’ himself along, wouldn’t ya say, Xan?”
Large, warm hands slid slowly up the blond’s long spine, then back down to grasp hard at toned, rounded buttocks and Xander chuckled. “I’m not sure he really trusts me, Spike… probably wants to be sure I don’t kidnap you or something.” He dipped his head a few inches, lips finding the raised red scar from a few nights earlier, teeth scraping the skin almost gently. “Have to admit, baby,” he whispered, eyes shimmering just a bit with the animal intent inside him, “if he doesn’t stop following us around, I might have to kidnap you. Want you, Spike, not your damned Sire.”
A groaning chuckle worked its way past his lips and Spike leaned hard into the nipping teeth and sliding tongue. “He’s a bloody… interfering… git… bloody hell, luv, do that again…”
* * * * *
Angel frowned, slinging back the glass of whiskey in his hand and coughing just a bit as the cool liquor burned a gasping trail of fire down to his belly. He’d thought Spike and Harris had looked good together in his office that day nearly a week earlier, but… now they were… and people were… and damn it, Spike was his Childe and how dare he be keeping Harris all to himself and…
'Shut UP, Angelus,' he growled silently, fingers clenching roughly around the tumbler in his hand, 'I do not want Harris!' He growled again at the amused snort he felt the demon release.
He really didn’t want Spike’s… whatever. Not his Claimed, apparently, because Harris still didn’t have a scar to show… ‘or not where you can see it, boy,’ Angelus whispered wickedly.
‘Stop it! I know you want the boy, but that doesn’t mean you can taunt me with your… weird obsessions, damn it!’
Another silent snort within his mind. ‘He’s not a boy anymore, soulboy… and if you think I’m taunting it just means you’re lying to yourself. You want Harris just as much as I do. You’re just too chicken shit to admit it.’
* * * * *
It was the quiet, wicked whispers that really had him moaning, but then again, his Xan could make him moan just by looking at him, Spike admitted silently, one arm lifting to curl behind his head, resting at the nape of the brunette’s neck under the longish, silky hair. “Yah…?” he mumbled, his eyes half closed as he rocked in time with the strong, hot body behind him.
“Fuck yeah, love… get you back to your place, suck that pretty cock of yours… love how hard you always are for me, Spike…” His lips brushed gently against the curve of his vampire’s ear and Xander slid one hand across the t-shirt-covered chest, fingers stroking one tight nipple for just a moment before sliding down, his palm covering and cupping the straining bulge in the tight black jeans. “Gonna bend over the desk, baby… wait for you to fuck me so good. Need that tonight, Spike… need to feel you in me, so hard, love… so deep…”
“Bloody hell… goin’ ta be so deep, pet… goin’ ta slam inta ya ‘til ya beg me ta stop…” his free hand slipped behind him, behind Xan, palm pressing hard at the base of the darker man’s spine, his own hips moving slowly back and forth, back and forth between the thick, hard shaft pressing against his ass and the hot, curved hand at his groin. “Fuck, Xan… goin’ ta have me dancin’ with a soddin’ wet spot, aren’t ya, luv?”
A dark, pleased chuckle left his lips and the brunette smirked at the shiver it earned him from his mate. “At least you’re wearing black, baby… besides, I love the way you smell when you cum for me… and it’d really piss Deadboy off, hmmm?” His fingers stroked the pulsing bulge again, even as his lips moved down the long, sleek neck, nibbling again at the new scar.
He could feel his face shifting just a bit but Spike didn’t care. Angel’s eyes on them, the weight of the gaze feeling so covetous… knowing his bloke would never let the great prat touch either of them… those teeth, those lips, that tongue on his skin, the fingers teasing him so skillfully… “Fuck, luv, don’t care if’n soddin’ Angel’s barkin’ over it… just want ya, pet… take ya home an’…” He groaned, neck arching back and to the side, begging for more contact.
“Take me back to your place,” Xander murmured against the salty-sweet skin, still flexing his palm over his vampire’s groin, his other hand roaming the toned, hard chest at will, “Rip these clothes off of me, baby… bend me over… anything.” He snarled softly, tongue lapping a long line up to Spike’s ear again. “Drive deep and hard into me, love… already slick for you, Spike… been all slick and ready since before we left… God, Spike, been waiting all day while you were off with Deadboy… got myself so hot while I was stretching my hole, working the lube into my ass… Shit, if we don’t go soon, this fucking cock ring is gonna do me some permanent damage, but it’s worth it, baby… worth it to have you…”
And that was beyond enough. Demon and soul agreed on that much. Just knowing that his bloke was not only hard but restrained and all lubed up for him was… “Right, then,” Spike growled, turning quickly in the strong arms. “You’re comin’ with me.” Fingers found belt loops, and suddenly he was dragging his Primal across the small dance floor towards the men’s room. “Goin’ ta do ya so good when we get home, Xan, but… can’t wait that long. Have ta… take th’ edge off, don’t I?”
‘Oursss wantsssss…’ the hyena thought with a happy little wriggle in the back of Xander’s mind, ‘Oursss is dessssperate… for ussss…’
All the brunette could do was chuckle, because that had been the point, after all. And Spike was right, too. Neither of them could wait long enough to get back to the Wolfram and Hart building. Of course, the fact that he could feel Angel still watching them as they dashed quickly to the restroom and some relief was just a bonus. The fucking shithead shouldn’t have invited himself along on their date, after all.
* * * * *
‘Bring him in,’ Angelus growled, ‘Make him ours, just like Spike is… we want him, soulboy. If we didn’t, you wouldn’t be throbbing in your pants, would you?’ The demon chuckled wickedly at the suddenly uncomfortable frown he could feel on their face. ‘All that darkness, all that willingness… you want it. I want it. We should have it, Angel. Admit it, you want to be in that bathroom as much as I do… you want to be in that hot, round ass, making the guy howl and scream your name while our Childe watches…’
‘Maybe. I… No! No, I don’t! I mean, it’s Xander Harris! He’s… NO! I do not want him! I just… don’t trust him!’ Yeah, that was it. He didn’t trust the man. Hell, with as much as Harris hated him, he wouldn’t be surprised if the guy tried to take Spike away and Angel would never allow that. Spike was his. Part of his clan, his Order. He was… ‘pretty much all we have left. Can’t lose him.’
The demon growled again, agreeing with that much. ‘Duh, you big, brooding fuck. That’s why we need to bring Harris in. He’ll be a good addition to our clan, soulboy. Dark enough to make me happy; not dark enough to make you any more annoying than you already are. Remember? And if we bring him in, Spike won’t be going anywhere. Ever. Our family will be safe.’
Angel frowned again and sighed as he raised his glass for another drink. ‘Maybe. But I don’t want him! I’m not… it’s not him that I’m… hard for.’ And if he could have blushed, he would have.
A loud snort echoed through his skull as Angelus smirked inside. ‘Sure it isn’t, Angel. I believe you. No, really. It’s not like I’m living in your head and know exactly what you’re really thinking, right? Fuck, Spike is right. You really do enjoy lying to yourself.’
The brooding vampire heaved a large sigh as the bartender refilled his glass, his eyes still locked on the men’s room door. Angelus couldn’t be right. He didn’t want Xander Harris. No matter how good the former human looked these days. ‘What the hell are they doing in there, anyway?’
Angelus chuckled and told him.
* * * * *
And his bloke hadn’t been kidding, Spike thought with a wild grin as he slammed himself roughly into the slippery hole. Hell, his cock was just sliding right in, shoring up balls-deep as he pressed his Xan against the wall. “S-spread wider, luv… n-need this, pet… s-so b-bloody tight, mate…”
He leaned harder against the cinder blocks, fingers flexing hard enough to flake some of the chipped paint as he broadened his stance, his back arching as that thick, perfect shaft pierced him hard and fast. “God… Spike… y-yes, baby… just like that…” He snarled softly as the fingers on his hips gripped tighter, pulling him back faster, harder, his vampire’s sac slapping wildly against his own. “Fuck, baby.. gonna cum… shit, Spike! Y-yesssss…!”
He could feel that blissful hole tightening rhythmically around him, feel the hot, tight body surrounding him and before him shuddering just a bit, and it was almost enough. “Goin’ ta… f-fill ya with me, luv… leave my scent all up inside ya… goin’ ta bite ya, pet… an’ hope th’ mark l-lasts l-long enough t-ta let everyone out th-there… s-see that you’re m-mine…” His hips moved faster still, pistoning harshly in and out, in and out, cock sliding roughly against that small nub inside his love. “Goin’ ta rub your cum inta my skin, pet… cover myself in ya…” He groaned, his balls drawing up hard and tight.
“S-spike… want that, baby… s-smell me all o-over you… fuck! I’m… shit, baby, gonna… now, baby, now-now-now…” He couldn’t hold back the howl, regardless of the fact that they were in a public restroom, and it only got louder as he felt the long, cool body covering his back, felt sharp, jagged teeth driving deep into the top of his shoulder where it joined his neck. His fingers scrabbled wildly at the wall, nails scraping more paint from it as his body tightened further, arched and bowed and pressed back, holding the suddenly spurting shaft deep inside him as his own cock was released and pulsed once, twice, then exploded in thick, violent spurts over the hand wrapping around it. “Ssssssspike…!”
“Xander!” he cried, although with his fangs buried deep inside his bloke’s heated skin the word was more or less unrecognizable. He thrust his slowly softening shaft in and out a few more times, collecting each and every lessening splash of fluid from his love’s shaft in his palm while his other hand milked the bloke quickly. “Luv ya, Xan,” he groaned, finally pulling away from the spicy-night-open-air-sex-love flow of the brunette’s blood. “Luv ya, pet… bloody hell, luv ya…”
The happy rumbling built in his chest and Xander grinned as it echoed through his body. “Mmmm… same here, baby. And hey, I guess I can cross off ‘club bathroom’ on my list of places we’ve never fucked, huh?” He groaned softly as his vampire pulled away from him, leaving a sense of emptiness behind. “God, Spike… so good.”
The vampire chuckled, slowly rubbing his Xan’s cum into his belly, his chest, his thighs. “Gettin’ better an’ better, luv… an’ I think ya need ta let me have a look at that list, yah? Might be able ta help with that.”
The hyena bounced giddily inside him, watching ‘theirs’ covering himself in their scent and Xander laughed, still a bit breathless as he reached out, pulling the blond roughly against him, his lips covering the paler ones as he took a long, slow, deep kiss, tongues tangling and tasting wantonly. “Ooops. Think I lost the list, baby… might have to start a new one, huh? You know, after we get ourselves dressed and back to your place.”
He purred against the hot, full lips, demanding another kiss as he slowly pulled the jeans up his thighs and tucked himself away. “Yah, luv… an’ after we deal with my bleedin’ Sire’s overwhelmin’ angst an’ embarrassment that we just did this here.” He winked and tugged his t-shirt back down, chuckling as it clung wetly to his spunk-dampened skin. “Leastwise th’ rest of th’ folk out there won’t have any doubt of which vamp ya belong ta, yah?”
Brown hair swayed, shining silkily in the harsh florescent lighting as Xander pulled pants and shirt from the top of the toilet tank and pulled them on. “Mmmm… or which vamp belongs to me. Same diff, baby.”
And as that was true enough, Spike didn’t bother arguing. Hell, he loved belonging to his Primal. Loved that his Xan wanted everyone to know, and… that was enough for the moment. Until they figured out how to make the bloke scar, anyway.
“Come on, Xan… time ta face th’ music, hey? Or th’ incredibly disappointed look bloody Angel’s goin’ ta give us, anyway.”
Xander laughed, unlocking the restroom door and pulling Spike out into the club proper. “Hey, if he doesn’t like it, he can just not join us the next time we go out, baby. Because, honestly? I don’t much give a fuck if Deadboy’s disappointed in me. As long as you’re not, I’m fine.”
“Bloody hell,” Spike whispered, dragging his bloke around and staring into his green-tinged eyes from less than an inch away, “Ya have no idea of how bleedin’ amazin’ it is ta come first with someone. Especially when it’s th’ one I luv, Xan…”
“Actually, Spike,” the brunette whispered back, still stunned by the depths of emotion he could always see in Spike’s wide blue eyes, “I do… never letting this go, baby… not for anything.”
* * * * *
Angel groaned low and deep as he watched the two of them lose themselves in a slow, heated kiss. He could smell them from the bar, for God’s sake, and…
‘Told you, soulboy… and you do want Harris. Just as much as we still want Spike.’
And while he’d never admit it out loud, Angel was suddenly worried that his demon might be right.
Part Twenty-Eight
~From: Dark Avenger
~To: Watcher Man
~Subject: Help
Giles,
Look, I know we’ve had our differences in the past. Okay, and maybe that’s not really a strong enough term.
You think I sold out. Even now, when the world isn’t overrun with demons and dragons, you think I sold out.
I know there’s nothing I can do to change your mind about that and I know the last thing you probably want to do is help me. But I’m still going to ask because it’s not for me, it’s for Harris.
Yes, I said Harris. As in your former charge. The kid who hates me and always tried to drive me crazy.
Here’s the thing, Rupert.
Harris is with Spike. You know that. God knows what’s possessed either of them, but they seem to like it that way. I can’t say I’m thrilled but I guess nobody really cares about how I feel so… never mind.
So Harris. Spike. Together. Whatever.
The problem is, it looks like I need to find some way to bring Harris into the Order and since he’s not human anymore but isn’t a vampire either, I don’t know exactly how to go about it in a way that would be recognized by the other Orders. And if it’s not recognized then Harris will be pretty much fair game for whatever demon or vampire feels like taking a shot at him. Hell, being with Spike could make him an even bigger target now that I think about it.
Not all the clans out there appreciate what Aurelius has done under my leadership, you know? Not that I’ll be changing the way I do business or anything, but it could make being with Spike… dangerous for the boy if he’s not an acknowledged member of the Order.
I really wish I didn’t have to ask you for help, Giles. I know what you think of me. But I’m hoping that you might be willing to see what the Watchers’ Chronicles have to say on the matter, if anything.
The sooner we figure out what to do, the better for Harris.
~Angel
* * * * *
~From: Watcher Man
~To: Dark Avenger
~Subject: Re: Help
Angel,
If it were not for the fact that you actually seem to be concerned for Xander, I’d tell you to take a flying leap.
Because you’re right, Angel. I don’t want to help you. I truly believe that you’ve been corrupted by the very building in which you work and reside.
However, as Xander seems to want to be there, I will of course do whatever I can to assist him.
For the record, Angel, it is not your Clan that I object to. It is also not Spike. I believe you understand my meaning.
Regarding methods by which Xander might be accepted into your clan, I must say that the notion alone disturbs me, but you do have a point regarding his safety and as I can not imagine that he’d be willing to leave Spike for such a reason, I suppose I shall have to search.
Unfortunately, I can not hold out much hope for a ready solution. Primals are rare and to the best of my knowledge have never joined anything as they have their own packs.
In this case, however, we are not discussing Primals in general but Xander’s Primal.
The things the boy went through to achieve his current state are far from the norm, and no I am not going to tell you about it. That is Xander’s story and if he chooses to tell you, he will.
As I said, I will begin seeing what I am able to discover. It may well be that no such ritual exists, in which case—for Xander—I may be forced to contact someone I once knew rather well… assuming he still lives.
Please contact me if you should discover anything which might assist in my search. Otherwise, I will alert you to any headway I might make.
~Mr. R. Giles
* * * * *
~To: Two Eyed Terror
~From: Watcher Man
~Subject: Be Careful
Xander,
I’m not entirely certain that this is the right thing to do, but I truly feel that you deserve some warning and I somehow doubt that you’ve been made aware of the current situation.
Angel has been in contact with me. He apparently wishes to make you a part of the Order of Aurelius, although I am uncertain as to his intentions.
It may simply be that as Spike’s… consort? Claimed? Mated? I don’t know what exactly you two are, actually, but in any case, it may simply be that Angel wishes his Childe’s companion to be recognized. He did make several references to your relationship with Spike perhaps putting you in danger.
I can’t make any statements about his sincerity, dear boy, however if I am recalling correctly, the act of taking a non-vampire into an Order generally involves some sort of submission to the Master of said Order. I… hesitate to say this, as it’s no secret that you’ve never particularly cared for Angel, but based upon the limited information the Council has collected regarding this subject over the years, that submission is often… sexual in nature. Perhaps not in this case as you are neither human nor vampire. I can’t be certain.
Honestly, Xander, that is all I’m going to say on that possibility as I’m fairly certain you can hear my stomach churning even from Los Angeles.
You are a grown man, son, and I trust you to make the proper choices in your life even when I don’t necessarily understand them.
I know that you care for Spike, and I have no doubt that he cares for you equally. However, I am also quite certain that he is possibly even more possessive of you than he has been in the past regarding other lovers. I don’t believe he would be terribly willing to have Angel know you in the biblical sense.
Xander, it would distress me greatly to find that the happiness I saw between you and Spike was ruined by being brought into Aurelius. Perhaps you and Spike should discuss this and decide what you both want.
I realize that I have no right to interfere in your business and I am definitely not instructing you on what you should or should not do. In fact, the only thing I am going to tell you that you must do is something I am entirely certain you are doing already.
Be careful, Xander.
It may be that I am still bitter over several past incidents, but I don’t trust Angel, no matter how reasonable his wanting to include you in the Order may seem.
Please keep me apprised of any developments on your end, son. I am… rather concerned.
With love,
~Giles
* * * * *
~From: Two Eyed Terror
~To: Watcher Man
~Subject: Re: Be Careful
Hey, Giles,
Good to hear from you. You know, aside from the whole ick-factor of what you said.
Like I would ever let Deadboy touch me. Gah!
Okay, you’ve got me having full body shudders now, G-man. Guess you wanted to share the wiggins, huh? LOL
You were right about me and Spike not knowing about the whole ‘bring Hyena-boy into the fold’ thing. Spike would have said something about it if he knew and he hasn’t so I’m pretty sure Broody is just being a big jerk. Like he gets to decide things for me? Especially something like that?
How does he even know I’d want to be a part of his freakish clan, anyway? Hell, Spike’s the only one I can even stand and I’m already a part of him, you know?
Um, speaking of that, Giles… I love him.
I do. I love Spike. I… hell, Giles, I don’t even know how it happened, but I love him. I’ve never felt like this before. It should be scary but it’s not and that’s scary itself.
Yes. I’m scared because I’m not scared. That is so me, right? LOL
Don’t worry, Dad… I’m being careful. It’s not like I really trust Deadboy either, right?
Ooops. Gotta go, Giles. Spike’s taking me to some demon museum tonight. He says there’s something there about Primals.
You know, sometimes I think he’s more interested in my beast than I am. LOL
Tell the girls we said hi… our girls and your girls. Oh, and when you talk to Dawn, warn her that Spike’s got her whole visit scheduled down to the minute. Should be funny watching her wrap him around her finger again. Haven’t seen that in a while.
Okay, he’s waiting for me now… tapping his foot and pouting at me. Guess I should get going before I have too much to make up to him later.
I’ll talk to you soon, Giles.
Love,
~Xander
* * * * *
~To: Watcher Man
~From: Clever Childe
~Subject: Not Happening
Rupert,
Not letting the enormous git lay a hand on my bloke.
Mind if we come to London for a while if we need to get away?
I’d rather not have to kill the prick. Don’t much want to be the Aurelian Master. Wouldn’t leave me much time to shag my Xan, would it?
I suppose if you can find some other way to bring Xander into the Order we might stay for a while but there’s a zero bleeding chance that I’ll be letting sodding Angel use my Primal as his bloody bottom-boy.
Right, then. We’re off for our night of culture and whatnot. Don’t much care to spend yet another night watching sodding ‘Barney Miller’ reruns with the huge prat.
Later, mate,
~Spike
* * * * *
~To: Clever Childe
~From: Watcher Man
~Subject: Re: Not Happening
Spike,
As I’ve said before, you and Xander are always welcome in London although should you decide to relocate here, I believe it would be best to find the two of you your own flat. Of course, that won’t stop the Trainees from coming to visit but it would afford you at least the illusion of privacy.
I would be pleased to contact some of my less reputable sources to find you a regular supply of human blood.
As for dusting Angel, while I won’t say it’s necessarily a bad idea, I believe you’re correct. It would take up far too much of your time to run Aurelius, small as the Order is these days.
And yes, that was a joke. The dusting Angel part. Mostly.
Enjoy your evening, Spike, and please look after my boy.
~Rupert
* * * * *
~To: Watcher Man
~From: Clever Childe
~Re: Not Happening
Rupert,
The museum was a bloody waste of time. Nothing we didn’t already know about what my Xan is, but at least we got us a good shag in behind one of the displays, yeah?
Might take you up on that offer of a flat, mate. Won’t need the blood, though. Haven’t fed on anything but my Xan since Paris.
Goes against my instinct to run away, of course, but if I can’t kill my Sire (and he’s not as bad as he used to be, bloke… just don’t want him touching my Xan), might have to do just that.
We’ll let you know, Rupert.
How’s it going with the chits? We’ll have to put bells on them if me and my bloke come over there. Wouldn’t want them getting an eyeful, would we?
Well, all right. You wouldn’t want them getting an eyeful. They’d be running out looking for vampires and Primals of their own.
Later,
~Spike
* * * * *
He was smirking as he shut down the computer and stood, stretching slowly as he felt the heated brown gaze raking his skin. “Ready for bed, luv?” he purred, turning slowly in the still bright moonlight coming through the window blinds.
“Bed?” Xander echoed, one brow cocking as he stared at his vampire’s silver-striped form, feet padding lightly on the carpet as he slinked closer. “I was thinking more like… desk, then chair… maybe bed after that, baby…” He licked his lips slowly, eyes dropping to the hardening shaft Spike sported. “Unless you’re too tired,” he teased, the small bit of growl announcing his own arousal.
“Yah, I’m bloody knackered, pet… ‘course, could just mean I’m feelin’ a mite peckish…”
Less than a moment later, Xander had his blond pressed up against the desk, his own neck arched as the green shimmered in his eyes. “Mmmm… guess you should have a snack then, baby… can’t let my love go hungry, can I?”
He knew he should be worried that he was feeding exclusively from his Xan but he just wasn’t. Not when every time fangs pierced skin, he tasted himself in his Primal’s blood. Himself and his Xander and something… bigger than them both. Something visceral and heady and perfect that he couldn’t live without.
“Ya could, luv,” Spike finally answered, the words indistinct as his tongue laved slowly over the hot skin that still bore the faint flavor of sunlight, “An’ ya don’t know how much it thrills me that ya don’t…”
Teeth, hands, low pleased growls… hard flesh rubbing hard flesh, slickness spreading between pulsing groins… blood—thick, rich, hot and cooler… and strained, needy grunts right there on the desk, leaving only the chair and bed on the list for that night…
While in London, a very worried man read Spike’s last e-mail and went into a flurry of research as he tried to discover whether a vampire could feed exclusively on a Primal without doing damage to either one of them
Part Twenty-Nine
“Nothing,” Angel sighed, closing yet another useless book.
He’d been searching for days, it seemed, and while he’d found out some very interesting facts about accepting both vampires and humans into an Order, there wasn’t anything at all about other sorts of demons or Primals. Then again, considering the way most demons viewed vampires, maybe that made sense. Of course, that really didn’t help him with the Harris situation.
‘Treat him like a vampire,’ Angelus demanded. ‘He’s strong enough, immortal from what he says… close enough, soulboy. Hell, he’s a Primal… or something like it… whatever. He can handle it.’
It was the smug and pleased feeling he sensed from his demon that had Angel frowning.
On the one hand, it wasn’t really a bad idea. If Harris was as unique for his kind as he seemed, then even if there were rituals in place for Primals, they might not work. On the other hand, though…
The overhanging brow furrowed deeply as large fingers opened one of the books again, flipping pages quickly. He’d thought so, he growled.
‘Go to Hell, Angelus. Accept him as a vampire? You just want to fuck the boy.’
A purely silent snarl echoed in his head. ‘We both do, you pissy little bitch. Besides, it’s the only way, right? This way, we all get what we want. Or do you have a better idea?’
Sadly, he didn’t. Unfortunately, he was also pretty damned sure that Spike wouldn’t be on board with the notion. His Childe was a possessive sort, especially when he was in love. And Spike was definitely in love with Harris, Angel admitted silently.
‘No,’ he finally answered to the smug feeling at the back of his mind, ‘But I’m going to find one.’
* * * * *
Fran stood in the doorway of Giles’ office, her head cocked to the side as she watched his exhausted attempts at research. “Have you been at that all night?” she asked softly, waiting for his bleary eyes to focus on her before stepping into the room and strolling quickly to the table.
“I… no, of course not,” the tired man muttered, squinting slightly as he looked up at her, “And what are you doing up and about at…” He looked at his watch and frowned. “My word. I… I suppose I have been up all night, haven’t I? I must have… lost track of the time.”
“You seem to have done,” the dark-haired Slayer said with a laugh. “Sarah’s making you a fresh pot of tea and something to eat, by the way.” She grinned and threw herself into the chair beside him, eyes skimming the open book in front of him quickly. “So, what’s the emergency, Giles? And why are you researching the feeding habits of vampires?”
One hand rose, rubbing the bridge of his nose after placing his glasses carefully on the table before him. “It’s… complicated, Fran. And not precisely Watcher business. I would appreciate it if you…”
“Used discretion?” she finished for him with a curiously arched brow, “I can do that, Giles, but… I think you know the rules by now.”
Giles found himself sighing helplessly. He did know the rules. Fran wouldn’t speak of what he was doing as long as she was allowed to know all about it.
The girl would have made an excellent Watcher, he knew, had she not been Chosen. It was something of a shame, really. Many of the new Slayers were less intelligent than the young Australian woman and for them, Slaying was exciting. But Fran… Fran found it almost boring, the physical aspects aside. She was always prodding and prying, trying to discover the why of things rather than just accepting what she was told to do. Still, she’d proven herself to be trustworthy on more than one occasion. I fact, Giles had a feeling that Fran held more secrets locked away in her mind than most people would ever believe existed behind her truly lovely and delicate features. Of course, ‘most people’ were rather stupid, he reminded himself.
“Fine,” he said grumpily after a moment, clearly giving in. “You remember Spike and Xander, don’t you?”
The young woman gave the older man the most offended look she could muster. “They’re the chimney sweeps, right?” Her eyes rolled. “Of course I remember Xander Harris—one of the original ‘Scooby Gang’ and the only human known to have survived the Demon Trials, although not as a human-- and William the Bloody, also known as Spike—Childe of Drusilla, trained by Angelus of the Order of Aurelius as Drusilla was rather too barmy to manage it. What of them?”
Fran found herself frowning deeply as the Head Watcher began to explain in very… obscure terms just what he knew.
“Bloody hell, Giles, you can say that they’re shagging. Believe me, I’m well aware of what two gents who kiss in public get up to in private. I caught my brother with some of his many, many boys at least a dozen times before I was even ten years old, and they were definitely past the kissing stage.” She grinned and tried not to laugh at the bright blush spreading across the Watcher’s face. “What I don’t understand, though, is why that’s an issue. You seemed fine with their… relationship… when they were here.”
And Giles found himself sighing again. “I was. I am, Fran. It isn’t the relationship in and of itself that worries me. It’s simply that… well, Spike said something in his last e-mail that has caused me great concern although that may simply be my own tendency to assume the worst, and there’s some question regarding Xander’s place with Angel’s clan…”
The girl nodded, more familiar than she wanted to be with Giles’ odd brand of pessimism. “Alright, then… spill, Giles. Maybe a fresh perspective will help.”
“It couldn’t possibly hurt,” he admitted quietly before telling her quickly about his worries for both the young man who was like a son to him and the vampire that same young man loved.
* * * * *
He hadn’t seen a sunrise in weeks, and oddly enough, Xander didn’t really have a problem with that. Not when missing the sun meant he could wake up like this, with Spike’s spine hard against his chest, the cooler form molded to him tightly.
Full lips curved at the corners as he held his vampire just a bit tighter, not wanting to wake him but needing that extra bit of closeness. It was all still so new when he thought about it, even if it did feel like he’d been with Spike forever.
But he would be, he reminded himself with a bigger smile. They had eternity, and while that wasn’t anything he’d expected, he found that he loved the idea just as much as he loved the blond in his arms.
Of course, he also loved the idea of being deep inside his love’s tight, perfect ass when the older man woke up, and seeing as Spike was still slick from the night before…
One hand slid down slowly, stroking a slightly haired thigh. Fingers cupped under one bent knee, lifting that leg gently as he shifted slightly, pressing forward, the tip of his hardening cock brushing softly at the small puckered anus.
His lips found Spike’s ear, barely moving as he whispered. “Gonna slip into you, baby… just stay there filling you until you wake up… don’t worry, love, it’s just your Xander, okay…? Gonna be all tucked up inside you, waiting for you… do you so good once you’re awake…”
He could do it, Xander thought. Be in that amazing ass for hours if necessary, just staying still and enjoying the perfection of his vampire’s body surrounding him…
His eyes closed and he swallowed a deep groan as he pressed forward, his thick, ready tip piercing slowly, then deeply, then fully.
“God, baby,” he moaned nearly silently, “love you… love you so much…”
The answering whisper was sleep-filled but wanton. “Luv ya too, pet… mmmm…” Spike yawned just a little, his body arching back against the wonderful heat of his Xan. “Can’t… be cranky… if you’re goin’ ta… wake me up… like this, luv…”
Xander smiled, nipping lightly at the pale curve where shoulder joined neck. “Wasn’t trying to wake you, love… just needed to feel you, y’know? Remind myself that this… us… isn’t a dream…”
“ ‘s not a dream, pet,” Spike murmured as he turned his head towards the nipping teeth and pressed his lips slowly to the warmth of his Primal’s temple. “An’ I don’t mind bein’ woke, luv… not if it’s by ya an’ for this, yah…?” His hips rocked slowly forward, then back, the thick shaft within him sliding almost teasingly with the motions. “Bloody hell, Xan…”
He couldn’t help chuckling, brown eyes closing tightly as he reveled in the sensation, the hand on Spike’s hip moving with purpose to grasp the vampire’s burgeoning erection. His fingers ghosted lightly over the loose foreskin, pulling it back to expose the hidden slit then sliding it up again as his hips continued their slow forward and back, forward and back.
“Can’t go so deep this way, baby,” he murmured, teeth scraping up the side of the long neck, “But that’s good… God, I could do this forever, love… just slide in and out of you, feel you so cool around me, your body shivering like it’s doing… yeah, Spike… God, baby… gonna keep this up for hours… and then, when I can’t stand it any longer… when I’m throbbing so hard I have to cum… God… gonna pull out of you. Gonna roll you onto your back, baby… cum all over that beautiful cock of yours…”
Even his breathing was shaky as he arched back against the brilliant heat of his Xander. “Bloody… hell, luv… do that. Do that so’s I can pull ya onta me, slam inta ya hard an’ deep…”
Xander’s eyes opened, shimmering green as he buried his nose in the short, soft blond hair and inhaled deeply. “That’s the plan, love… ride you hard, nothing but my cum slicking your way in… want you to make me scream, Spike… want to feel you so desperate and wanting that you can’t hold back, can’t keep yourself from…”
“Takin’ ya, pet… draggin’ ya… d-down onta m-me… flip us over, d-drive inta y-ya so fast an’ h-hard…” Spike groaned roughly, the gentle thrusts into his ass combining with the rough, wanton words in a blissful dichotomy of gentle and harsh. “Can already smell th’ b-blood, luv… feel ya s-splittin’ around me while I f-fuck ya… like th’… d-d-demon I… am…”
“J-jesus… fuck…”
“Y-yah, pet… you’re goin’ t-ta… be callin’ his n-name…” the vampire managed to moan, even as his eyes clenched tightly shut, his cock spewing almost as gently as the shaft in his ass was moving.
“Not stopping, love…” the brunette groaned, his slow, shallow thrusts losing their rhythm for a moment as that amazing hole flexed around him. “T-told you… I c-can do th-this for hours, b-baby… me and th-the… hyena… God, it l-loves you…. J-just as m-much as I… d-do, S-s-spike…”
And if he’d been able to speak through the intense pleasure of riding out his orgasm while his Xander quickly stroked him towards another one, Spike would have agreed happily that his soul and demon both loved the man, too.
Then again, he figured his Xan already knew that.
Part Thirty
“No!” He was snarling. He knew he was snarling. In fact, he was snarling at his GrandSire and he didn’t even care.
“There’s no bleedin’ way I’m lettin’ ya touch my bloke, Angelus! Don’t care how many times ya try ta ‘explain’ why it’s bloody necessary! Xan’s mine, ya git!”
‘Told you,’ Angel smirked silently, ‘Told you and told you, you bastard. They’ll leave before they let us fuck the boy.’
Angelus growled. ‘And we’re really gonna let them go. Sure. Tell me another one, soulboy. Fuck, drug the kid, dominate him, and it’ll all be over.’
And there was no way in Hell-- or out of it—that Angel would ever do that. Besides… “Stop it, Spike. You know the submission doesn’t count if it’s not willing. And you’re not, which I’m guessing means he’s not.”
“Too bloody right, ya great poof! My Xan’d rather die than let ya top him! An’ I’d rather go up in a bleedin’ cloud of dust than make my luv all sick an’ such by even suggestin’ it.” He’d e-mail Giles as soon as he got back to his room, he decided. Tell the Watcher to find a flat for him and Xan. He deliberately ignored the little voice in his head asking if he was so sure of how Xander would react. His bloke had made his opinion of Angel’s appeal clear enough, after all.
“Don’t need my Xan ta be part of th’ Order, do I? ‘s not like bleedin’ Dru’s goin’ ta show up an’ demand her place or anythin’… or her so-called ‘Sire’s rights’!”
Angel sighed. “I know, Spike. She’s back in South America, anyway. With good old slime-and-antlers again.” He almost laughed at the disgusted look on the blond’s face, but didn’t. Instead he shook his head and leaned back in his chair, glad he’d ignored Angelus’ order that he make the submission a demand rather than a request. With as strongly as Spike felt about Harris, any demand of that sort would have ended with either the boy or himself dusted, and he knew it.
“Look,” he went on, “Sit down, boy. I don’t want your… Harris. Angelus does,” he admitted quickly, seeing the look on Spike’s face, “And I have to admit that the kid’s… changed. Grown into himself, you know? He’s not… an eyesore these days. But!” He held up one hand when the blond would have leapt to his feet, “I also know how much it would hurt you if I tried to… well, anything.”
Angel sighed. He’d never do anything to deliberately hurt his Childe; not even admit that it wasn’t only his demon half that wanted the once-human Scooby. It was enough that he’d admitted it to himself. “I needed to ask, though, if only to shut him up, okay?”
And that was something Spike could almost understand. His own soul existed pretty much peacefully with his demon, but then again, he hadn’t spent over a hundred years trying to keep them separate. Angel, on the other hand… well, Spike figured they were just lucky the two aspects of his Sire’s personality had declared some sort of a truce, even if it was one that was constantly being tested.
“Fine,” he agreed after a moment, his eyes still golden although the growl in his voice was barely more than a rumble now, “Just keep that bleedin’ wanker away from him, yah? Bloke’s mine.”
It took an enormous effort on Angel’s part not to sigh again. “I know, Childe. And I know you love him, okay? But… I have to ask, Spike. If you love him so much, then why haven’t you…” He shrugged, fingers toying distractedly with the pen on his desk. “Are you planning to claim him? Because that… well, that would be almost as much protection as bringing him into the Order. It would be like… a back-door to our clan.”
Long, pale fingers clenched into fists and Spike pounded roughly on the arms of the chair. “Hard ta leave a bleedin’ permanent mark when th’ bloke heals up in minutes, i’n’t, Sire? Been tryin’! Ya think I’m a bloody moron? Want everyone ta know he’s soddin’ taken, don’t I? Bloody hell, his bites scar just fine, don’t they? But I can’t seem ta make a lastin’ mark on him no matter how deep I go! Took a chunk outta him th’ other night an’ he was all smooth an’ perfect again ten bloody minutes later!” He growled. “Has ta be that soddin’ Morah demon’s blood doin’ it, but I’m fucked if I can figure a way ‘round it!”
He could hear and see the frustration his boy was feeling. Smell it, even. And while that was disturbing enough, it was the words his Childe had just said that really had Angel worried. “Wait. Just… Spike, hold on. Did you just say… he’s marked you? And it’s… permanent? Are you sure? This could be… very important, boy. How long… how long are his marks lasting?”
His brow furrowed slightly at the intent tone of Angel’s voice and Spike shrugged. “Yah, my Xan’s marked me. Been bitin’ me since we got back here, ya know? Few days after, anyway, Sire.” His fingers ghosted slowly over the scar on the top of his shoulder, hidden by the t-shirt he was wearing. “Th’ first one’s lasted a coupla weeks now… doesn’t seem ta be goin’ away.” He shrugged again. “Th’ rest… weren’t as deep, ya know? Can still see them, but… not like when they happened.”
Angel sighed deeply, not caring whether his boy heard him or not. “Okay… well, we can use the Morah blood thing for a while. Maybe get Harris to… I don’t know. Let himself be cut in front of witnesses or something so they’ll see how fast he heals up.” He nodded, mostly to himself. “But you can’t let anyone know about the scars he’s given you, Spike. This is important! Not anyone!”
The younger vampire frowned deeply. “What th’ bloody hell are ya on about, git? Want me ta be ashamed of my bloke? Not goin’ ta happen. What th’ fuck difference does it make if’n he’s marked me?”
The overhanging forehead creased as Angel’s eyes narrowed, almost glaring at the blond who seemed so oblivious. “Hell, Spike. I know you learned this when you were turned. I remember Angelus… drilling it into you, so to speak. When a vampire claims someone—be it another vampire or even a human, as unusual as that is—and bites are exchanged…? Who bears the deeper scar?”
The blond answered quickly, not even having to think about it. “Th’ one what initiated th’ claim. Th’ dominant partner in th’ claimin’…” He blinked quickly. “Oh, bollocks! So Xan’s Morah blood…”
“Makes it seem like your Primal is dominant to the whole Order of Aurelius,” Angel finished unhappily. “Because he’s marked you permanently and doesn’t bear any sort of scar from you, boy. Even I still bear your mark, Will,” he added quietly. “So if you could mark me, but not Harris…”
Spike blinked then started laughing nearly uncontrollably. “Xander-bloody-Harris… my Xan… is basically th’ Head of th’ Order? That’s… too bloody priceless, Peaches! Just wait ‘til I tell him! Likely ta put ya out on your ear, mate!”
Angel groaned as his suddenly bouncing Childe flew from the room, presumably in search of his… Harris.
“This is so not good…”
* * * * *
Fran was grinning hugely as she flung open the door of Giles’ office, completely ignoring the fact that the door being closed was intended as a sign to stay out.
“I believe I may have your answer, Giles,” she announced, hopping up onto the large table and crossing her legs. “About the feeding question, in any case, and I would have had it sooner had you bothered to tell me that Xander killed a Morah demon in the trials and was wounded badly enough at the time that he absorbed the majority of the demon’s blood, but since you didn’t…” She chuckled at the look on the man’s face.
“A… a Morah demon? Fran, are you sure?” His glasses came off, free hand fumbling for the ever-present handkerchief. “Although that would explain the return of his eye… among other things.”
The young woman arched one slender, dark brow. “Have you ever known me to be mistaken, Giles? Believe me, I research these things very thoroughly before I have the nerve to come to you announcing that I’ve ‘solved the case’, so to speak.” She smiled again. “Yes. A Morah demon. And I’m certain because I contacted Spike and asked him about the demon trials he survived. Then I cross-referenced what he told me with what you recorded of Xander’s experiences.”
She chuckled again at the consternation on Giles’s face. “After that, it was fairly simple to locate the e-mail addresses of the demons in charge of the trials—because apparently even demons are internet-capable these days-- and they were more than willing to assist the Second of the Order of Watcherius.” Fran nodded smugly. “And the upshot of that, my dear Mister Giles, is… Xander fought a Morah demon and managed to kill it, rather by accident. The demon had him entirely beaten and was leaning over his bleeding form, sword poised to skewer the poor boy’s heart when Xander got lucky with a thrown rock.”
Blue eyes blinked quickly as the glasses were returned to Giles’s nose. “But…”
“The rock,” Fran went on, wanting to get the whole of the story out before the Watcher could begin lecturing her on the inadvisability of lying to the sort of demons who ran the trials, “Well, to make a long story much shorter than Chip made it in his e-mail—the rock shattered the living crystal in the Morah’s forehead which housed it’s life-force. It fell, slicing itself open with one edge of its own sword.”
She shrugged, her lips twisting into a slight moue of distaste. “The other edge opened Xander’s gut and as the Morah bled out, it bled into Xander.”
Giles couldn’t help frowning at that because the account Xander had given to him was somewhat… different. “Are you certain that… there’s nothing more, Fran?” He forced himself to take a long, slow sip of his cold tea, face tightening at the bitterness.
Fran sighed. “That’s what’s pertinent to the questions you had, Giles, but if you must know, immediately after the Morah collapsed and bled all over him, Xander had one more bout. That one was with a Destirathian and Xander won it rather quickly, considering. From what Chip said, he actually yanked the demon’s heart from its chest. And then…” she shrugged. “And then it was over. Chip restored what Xander had ‘lost’—in this case, assumed to be the hyena and the strength to control it.”
He couldn’t help the huge sigh of relief that sang through him, though he tried to pass it off as a shudder. “All right. And this answers my questions regarding Spike’s… feeding habits… in what way, exactly?” he asked with an arched brow.
The young Slayer cocked her head to the side then shook it. “Really, Giles. I’d think you’d know all about Morah demons. Demons in general are your hobby, after all… as well as being rather your job, which I suppose could possibly make you the most boring man alive. Fortunately, demons are much more exciting than, say… accounting.” She winked.
"Morah demons,” she continued as the man tried to look offended. “Their blood has regenerative effects. One drop can heal an injury… two or three good sized dollops could possibly turn a vampire human again. Now, imagine all of that flowing into a human body… buckets and buckets of it. Then add a hyena spirit and the ability to control said spirit, and…”
“Bloody… fucking… hell,” Giles whispered, his eyes locked on Fran’s. “And yes, I know what Morah demons are. I simply… hadn’t thought… well, they make a bloody good income selling their blood drop by drop, so I can’t imagine what one was doing in the trials, but… oh, good lord… Xander is safe.”
She smiled at the overwhelming relief on the Chief Watcher’s face. “He is,” she agreed. “Although… no, never mind.”
And suddenly his relief seemed rather too sudden considering the look on Fran’s face. “What?” he demanded quickly. “You’ve… thought of something, Fran, and chances are I won’t get there before a few days from now, so… to quote, well, you…”
“Spill?” she finished for him before sighing. “Fine, Giles. It’s probably nothing, but…” She looked down at her knees, crossed as they were over the edge of the table.
“Out with it, young lady… or would you like to be reassigned to Andrew and Etienne DuChamps for the remainder of your training?”
Fran shuddered, not at the thought of working with Andrew, but at the idea of the Watcher who had so twisted poor Dominique. “No… no, Giles. And you should save that bloody threat for more severe situations. I was merely wondering if… well, if Xander has all the healing and whatnot that goes along with the Morah blood… and Spike is feeding exclusively on Xander, then… is it going to affect him? Spike, I mean.”
Giles blinked and took off his glasses again, handkerchief already grasped in his fingers. “Bloody hell… so Xander is safe, but… Spike may not be. And Spike is his… bloody hell, I don’t know what Spike is to him, but ‘beloved’ wouldn’t be far from the mark…”
“It gets worse, Giles,” Fran admitted softly, her eyes finding and holding the pale blue of the Watcher’s. “From what I understand, Xander took in enough of the Morah’s blood to make him effectively immortal. If feeding on Xander manages to make Spike human, then… then what?”
He could feel his heart beating faster, feel himself becoming more agitated than he’d been since Eyghon had come looking for him and his. “X-xander… Xander would… he would… I don’t think he could live without Spike now… Spike must stop feeding on Xander! I can’t… it would… bloody… he’d…”
Fran watched, wide-eyed, as Giles’s face became red, then purple, his voice going from strong and forceful to weak and thready. “Giles,” she said quickly, jumping down from the table and rounding it to crouch in front of the man, one hand on his arm, “Giles! Stop it! This isn’t helping!”
He apparently couldn’t or wouldn’t hear her, so Fran did the first thing she could think of. She pulled her free hand back and slapped the older man’s cheek hard.
He felt the strike. Of course he did. It made his head rock, after all. Still, he was mostly caught up in what would happen to his poor ‘son’ if the vampire became human, aged, died… Xander would be broken beyond repair and wouldn’t even have the comfort of death, not if he truly was immortal now, and… how could he stand it? How could he—Giles—bear to leave his boy alone in the world when Spike would be dead and so would the rest of them, with the possible exception of Angel, and wouldn’t that provide Xander with no comfort whatsoever, and…
‘Downward spiral’, Fran thought sadly. All the what-ifs were piling on top of each other in Giles’s mind. It was obvious. And each thought was leading him to another, even more hopeless thought… and so she did the second thing she thought of, since the slap hadn’t worked.
She straddled the chair, fingers grabbing hold roughly of short, graying hair, and… she slammed her lips hard against his, her tongue driving roughly into his mouth and tasting the flavors of cold tea, biscuits, and clotted cream.
He came back to himself slowly, his tongue dueling pleasantly with another warm, wet tongue that was obviously talented and seemed intent upon meeting his tonsils. It took a moment, during which he returned the favor, to remember where he was and who he was engaged in kissing, and when he did…
“Bloody hell!” he shouted, pushing the far-too-young girl away as he stood, slightly hunched in an effort to disguise his body’s-- automatic, he assured himself—reaction to the stimuli. “What do you think you’re doing Fran?”
Dark brows rose as Fran levered herself up from the floor to shrug. “You were lost, Giles. I just… gave you a trail of breadcrumbs that any red-blooded male would follow.” She smiled shakily, trying to pretend that that was all it had been. “And it worked. You’re not having an anxiety attack anymore, are you?”
‘Not much,’ he told himself silently, ‘Not as though I’m bloody hard as a rock from having a seventeen year old girl with a brilliant mind kissing me…’ And it was Willow all over again, although that girl had never crawled into his lap and tried to dive down his throat. ‘Yes. Anxiety attack covers it fairly well… how else would I respond to the realization that I’m a pervert?’
Of course, what came out of his mouth was entirely different from what was going through his mind.
“No. No, I’m not, and… thank you, Fran. I should… you should go. Don’t you have a class now? You should be there. Yes. In class. Learning. I, uh… yes, I’m very pleased with what you’ve… discovered. Yes. And perhaps you should focus on your studies from now on and let me worry about my son… I mean Xander… and Spike as well, yes?”
She couldn’t help laughing at the obvious discomfort Giles was displaying. So she laughed, even though her lips were still tingling. She was far too young for him; she knew that. But Giles had always been something of an ideal for her. At least for the two years she’d been a Slayer.
Still, the last thing she wanted was for the man to think she had a crush… or for him to feel uncomfortable around her. And so she lied, in word, in tone; even with her eyes.
“God, Giles! Relax! It’s not as though I’m going to try being Eliza to your Henry Higgins!” Fran smiled, happy to feel the lack of innuendo in her own expression. “You were floundering. I tried slapping you. More than once. It didn’t work. Bloody hell, Giles, it was just a kiss! And not even a real kiss, at that!” She nodded sharply. “And I won’t let you push me away from this whole Xander and Spike thing. I’m in it! A part of it! So… just deal with it, Giles… okay?”
Well, at least the girl didn’t know how much he’d reacted to her, Giles thought with relief. And as long as he could avoid completely losing it when she was around in future, there shouldn’t be any problem… aside from the fact that he couldn’t forget how wonderful she’d felt on his lap, her lips hot and soft against his, and…
No.
Just NO.
He wasn’t going there.
He wasn’t perverted enough to be lusting after a girl less than half his age…
No matter how much he admired her keen intellect… and her wonderfully skilled lips… and her incredibly toned and taut… no. He wasn’t going any further with that line of thought.
“Y-yes,” he finally managed to say, still not looking directly at her. “Right, then. We’ll meet here when and if we… find out anything… new.”
He watched her leave, eyes carefully trained on the back of her head rather than any other parts. Then he sat, one particular sentence Fran had let loose suddenly registering on him.
“Not even a real kiss? That was… less than what it could have…? And why wasn’t it real? The girl could do worse, after all, and…” he groaned. “I’m in hell. And I definitely need to get out more.”
And that, Giles decided, was a plan.
