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The Weather Conditions Series by Thunder and Lightning
Part One Spike's
point of view I don't
know how long I stand there, concentrating on just the raindrops falling onto
my body and soaking through my clothes, rivers of cold rain down my body. I
don't want to think, don't want to move or do anything at all. Just fading away
feels appropriate somehow. There is a
clap of thunder and I shiver. Can't help it. Nature’s power plays always make
me uneasy. Another clap of thunder and I am moving. Not in the direction of my
crypt, no aim really, just moving. I am not the coward here. Yeah, but
who else? Me? Coward. No-one ever called me a coward. Why Harris? What am I afraid
of then? He just doesn't realize that it was a one-off. Nothing
to write home about. Won't be his dirty secret, won't be his whore. No. He
didn't really expect that, did he? I realize I’ve walked completely around the cemetery
my crypt is in. Looks like I just needed a walk. It's really dark here,
streetlights don't work here anymore, no-one lives here between the cemetery
and the city dump. The high trees that hinder the view of the dump are shaking
in the upcoming wind and I duck my head when lightning paints the night purple.
The thunder is a rolling growl in the background and I feel the sparse hair on
my body stay upright when the murmuring thunder stops and then with force
cracks through the dark, followed immediately by white and purple lights.
Freaks me out. I open the old rusty gate, the backdoor to the
cemetery and it cries my name. "Spike!" I admit, I screamed. Very briefly,
though. Third Person's point of view Xander is half-way home when he stops. Fuck. What if
Spike didn't make it home? What if his chip kicked in again? What if any other
nasties appeared and thought him an easy target? So he turns around and goes
back. He decides to take the shortcut through the gate opposite the cemetery
dump. He can sneak in and to Spike's crypt, take a look in through the windows
and see if Spike's there. If he is, he can just go back home and sleep.
Finally. So he hopes. If not he'll go search for Spike and hope he won't find a
patch of wet ashes or something. He doesn't want to think about that
possibility. Spike is a fighter, Spike just lives through anything. When he gets to the old gate, it's rusty and the water
running down it is tinted red, pooling in the mud like blood just when the
first clap of thunder rolls through the night. He's not afraid of thunder and
lightning, they always held something exciting, powerful for him and he loved
to be outside, feeling that natural energy race through the air. He rattles on the gate as it refuses to open,
contemplates just climbing over it but when he sees the big sharp looking edges
above he decides against it. Finally the gate gives and opens with a pitiful
cry. Huh? He swings the gate back and forth a few times but it stays silent. He
shrugs it off, and takes a step into the cemetery when he hears it again. A
heart-wrenching cry or scream and a second voice falling in, sounding even more
desperate, scared. He turns in each direction, trying to find out what is
making the sounds but can't see anything at all. Rain is whipping down on him
and thunder now cracks through the air so loudly he automatically ducks his
head a bit. He respects Mother Nature and her temper. He looks up at the sky, he wants to see the lightning
show that is sure to follow and he isn't disappointed as white veins throb
through nightmare black sky and pulse violet a moment before they disappear.
That's when he sees something high up in the tree. A bundle, like a duffel-bag,
is rocking and flying in the branches of the tree with the wind. He blinks
against the onslaught of raindrops in his eyes, tries to see more clearly and
then there is that sound again, the whining cries that make his eyes water from
empathy and it comes from the sack there high up in the crown of the tree. Xander's point of view I stare up at the bundle swinging back and forth,
colliding with branches and the tree trunk occasionally. The rain makes it hard
to see anything clearly, it runs into my eyes and the wind roars in my ears but
still I can hear it cry out for help. I don't know what's in there, some little
animal perhaps and I have to bite my lips from screaming myself. Who is so
fucking cruel as to bind a sack with something living in it to the crown of a
tree? I swallow back the rage. I go over to the tree and
touch the trunk. It's slippery as hell. The branches though don't seem to be
that far away from each other and I should make it up there, climbed a lot of
trees when I was young. Never climbed up a tree this high at night while it's
raining and a thunderstorm is playing out. Doesn't matter. I have to get up
there, help the little something in the bundle. White knight, yeah Spike, you're right, can't pass up a chance to do
good. Pffft. The first branch of the tree is like eight feet above
the ground and I can only reach it using the cemetery wall which is as slippery
as the tree's bark. Just great. Sometimes
being a good guy sucks. I just hope I don't break my neck. The cemetery
wall is only about four ft. and I heave myself on it, the sharp stones on top
biting into my thigh. The bundle is crying out for me again and I hurry. I don't look down while I climb, the branches are
greasy, bark is loosening and falling down, sometimes I lose my footing but I
am a professional tree climber, only reach for the next branch when you have
three secure places for feet or hands. My jacket suddenly catches but I have to
pull upwards anyway, I can't stop in between two branches so it rips. The wind
blows mercilessly on my back now and my teeth start to clatter. It's fucking cold. The bundle whines and
moans and I bite my lip, I'm gonna save you, whatever you are. Finally I am there; I can sit on one branch and reach
over to the one the bag is fastened on. I touch the bundle, trying to figure
out what is in it whilst it keeps crying loudly. It's not heavy and I think I
can feel feet, a lot of feet and I can hear different cries now, at least three
different little voices. Maybe cats. I want to rip the bastard apart who put
them up here. I start making soothing noises, croon to the little lives in the
bag but they're way too scared to calm down. The tree's swinging with the wind but it doesn't
affect me, I have a secure seat, my legs wrapped around the big branch and
ankles crossed. I start fumbling with the rope the bastard used to knot the bag
to the branch with. I want to scream in frustration, I just can't get it off.
The water and wind have done a great job to tighten the rope and I don't have
anything with me that even vaguely has the qualities of a knife. Fuck I have to climb down, go to Spike's crypt, get a
knife, climb up again. Okay. I can do it. I look down, it's about thirty ft. to
the ground. Not as high as I thought. I hang my head down and squeeze my eyes
shut for a second to collect energy when I suddenly hear slurping steps on the
gravel. My eyes fly open and I can't believe my luck when I see Spike. Without
hesitation, I call out to him and he screams like a girl. Hah, take that, big bad. Spike turns himself around a few times, a funny dance
in the rain, thunder and lightning, his music pretty much like I had when I
heard the first cry of the little ones in the bag. I take pity on him and call his
name again. Part Two Third Person's point of view "Spike!" The voice calls again and Spike
turns around. What the bloody hell is going on? "Spike! Up here! Here!" Xander calls but
Spike misunderstands "Fear! Fear!" He goes into a fighting stance. He
is confused, he is freaked out and the thunder claps. "Spiiiiiiiiiike! SPIIIKE!" Xander yells at
the top of his lungs and finally Spike's head jerks upward and after a few
moments, Spike seems to have made him out. "Fuck Harris, what are you doing up there, you
wanker? It's the wrong time for tree climbing and you have to get the fuck down
now! Understood?" Spike shouts. "Fuck you, Harris! You wanker ... strong time ...
get you to fuck now! Wood!" Xander hears and frowns. "What?" He yells back. "Hot!" Spike hears and rolls his eyes.
"I’ll show you hot when you get down, it's hot in your brain,
tosser!" "Shot when you get down, you insane tosser!"
Xander lets his head drop. Communication is not his strong suit, but something
seems to be wrong here. He decides to go for the essentials. "I need a knife!" He shouts, and Spike
starts to laugh. "I know you need a wife, Harris but you won't
find one up there!" Xander thinks he understands perfectly well.
"That's because I need you to come up here! Bring me the knife!" Spike shakes his head. "You need me to come? As
your wife?" Xander doesn't understand anything at all over the
wind and the desperate cries of the bundle. He screams "KNIFE!" at
the top of his lungs and makes the Psycho-gesture. Spike hears the screams of the little things - he
identifies as kittens - now too. Oh.
And suddenly things make, well, almost sense. Still, he is supposed to climb up
a tree to bring a knife to Harris while nature just waits to throw a lightning
bolt at him to cleanse the plane of his existence. "I don't think though." He grumbles and
jumps on the wall. He thinks about throwing the knife but with his luck he’d
hit Xander and whilst the youth slowly bled to death his chip would kill him
off for sure. Fuck. "I can't believe
I am doing this! You owe me big time!" Spike climbs up the tree slowly; he can't remember
ever climbing a tree. Houses and roofs and the like, but trees? Well, his prey
wasn't hiding out in trees. Normally. It doesn't take a lot of time 'til he finally reaches
Harris and he finds the youth, teeth chattering, body shaking from cold,
clutching a mewling bundle to his chest, whilst keeping his balance on top of a
tree. Impressive. "You have a knife?" Xander asks, desperate
to get the bundle loose and down the tree and Spike just nods, barely able to
look away from the big, nearly black eyes that bore into his. He retrieves the
knife from his boot and, after asking Xander if he has the bag securely in his
hands, he starts cutting off the rope. When it is finally done and Xander holds
the bag in his arms without it being attached to the branch, he sighs deeply
and looks up at Spike. "Thank you." He mouths and Spike shrugs,
looking away. Xander's arm shoots forward and he grabs Spike's chin, turns his
face so Spike has to look at him. "I said thank you, and I meant it. I
appreciate what you did, climbing up here just because I asked. It means a lot
to me." Spike's eyes are large pools of blue and for a second they seem to
swim in tears but it could be the wind whipping in his face, making them water. "How do we get them down?" Spike asks, and
Xander looks thoughtful for a moment. They need their hands to climb down and
the bag had no straps to sling it over the shoulder, the rope is useless. He
opens the zip of his jacket, but then remembers that it's ripped at the back
already and wouldn't withstand the added weight. "Can you take it under your duster?" Xander
asks, and makes the puppy eyes and automatically Spike nods. He starts
unbuttoning his duster so Xander can place the bag under it and then without
hesitation Xander removes Spike’s belt, buttons his coat and refastens the belt
on the outside so the bag won't fall out. Xander suppresses his giggles, as now
Spike looks at least eight months pregnant. Spike growls at him anyway, when he
sees the twinkle in Xander's eyes. "You owe me, Harris. You owe me big time!"
He says, and isn't prepared for Xander's lips on his. Their mouths are equally
cold and wet from the rain, but the little message of want from Xander to him makes Spike feel warm and he grins
stupidly. "Just wanting a little head start on the payment." Xander
jokes ,and Spike groans when images of just how Xander could repay him flitter
through his mind. Spike shakes his head to clear away the tempting
imagery. "Let's get down." He says, and Xander agrees. "You
first." Spike nods, and starts the climb. It's more difficult to get down
than up. The tree is still swaying in the wind and the branches are slippery.
It's difficult to get a grip or a secure footing, but they manage it and only a
few minutes later they are in Spike's crypt. Still cold and dark, but at least
it's neither wet nor stormy in there anymore. Spike lights a few candles and when they each take a
look at the other they start laughing for real. They're both wet to the bone
and muddy, with little twigs and leaves stuck in their hair and clothes. Not to
mention that Spike still looks as if he is pregnant. A desperate little cry
focuses them back to the bundle they just saved. Xander goes over to Spike and
slowly opens the buttons on the duster so he can take the bundle out and then
he lays it down on the ground and opens the zip. Four pairs of little green eyes look at him.
"Kittens!" Xander laughs, and opens the bag wider so the four can
come out. They are too wet and look weird with the fur clinging to them.
"What did you think was in there?" Spike asks, grinning too and
Xander looks at him, shrugging. "I don't know. I just heard them cry and
thought it was cruel to do that to anything that lives." Spike nods, and
reaches out for the kittens. "Let's get us all dry," he says, and
grabs two of them, taking them down to the lower level, Xander follows with the
other two. The youth had only been in the lower level of the
crypt once before, but the bed wasn't there then, and he is surprised how cosy
it is down there. Not just the bed, all of it. Spike finds towels, or what could pass as towels, for
them and they start getting out of their clothes and drying off themselves and
the kittens. They are completely exhausted and, therefore, calm and don't offer
much resistance. Spike then finds a cardboard box into which he throws a couple
of towels and places the kittens in it. They seem to be thankful for a
non-moving sleeping place. Spike turns around, hands going to the top button of
his sodden jeans but stop there. Xander, clad only in wet boxers, sits on the
bed, slowly rubbing his feet to dry and warm them at the same time. He must
have felt Spike's stare because he cocks his head to the side and looks up at
the vampire through his bangs. "Maybe it's better if I..." Spike starts the
sentence, not knowing what exactly he wants to say, but trails off when
Xander's face falls. Xander's point of view Maybe it was too much to ask for a break in the
awkward relationship analysing thing. Seeing Spike this uncomfortable with me
in the same room makes me hurt, makes me ache. The only way to get the
uneasiness out of him is to leave, but I don't want to leave. Maybe it's time
to just put the cards down. I am Xander Harris, professional gay lover, hear me
roar... "Look, Spike, I... " Great start and now?
Fuck it. "One question. Just answer me." I say, and hold my breath.
What am I going to ask again? Right. "You ever considered me as something
else other than just convenient?" I look down at my feet; at least they're
not cold anymore. I am exhausted, I just want to sleep. I don't want to put on
my wet clothes again and go home through the fucking thunderstorm and into my
own lonely apartment to sleep alone. Is it too much to ask of him to give me
one night in his bed? One night to pretend things went as I wanted them to,
even if I did only realize that when things didn't go as I would have liked
them to go? Did I just out-babble myself? Spike's point of view "Convenient?" I say, wondering when exactly
the tables turned. I am the one who showed weakness and embarrassing poofiness
and lost his reputation getting fucked up the arse by Xander Harris. He can't
possibly understand--- oh he doesn't understand, doesn't even see the wrongness
of all of this. I am a Master Vampire. I don't get it up the arse from a human. "Yeah, convenient. You needed, I gave. Easy. You
don't need anymore, but I still want to give." He bites his lip on the
last statement as if he didn't want to admit that much. He still wants to give?
He is waiting for me to take it? "How much do you want to give exactly?" I
ask, and he flinches, flinches like I threatened to hit him. The next second he
is on his feet, reaching for his rain dripping jeans. His face is twisted in a
mix of anger and self-loathing and I wonder what's going on. "Listen, Spike, I am not a kid anymore, I don't
play games. I have too much to lose. I have friends, "You're in love with me?" I ask stunned,
really stunned because... Harris? I didn't even know he went for blokes before
he expertly shagged me through the mattress. I try to hide the flinch at that
thought. He sneers at me. "All I’m saying is that I am
willing to give this," he gestures from himself to me. "a
chance." Balls, boy, you've got balls. Bloody adorable. Puppy look.
Waiting. "I..." I say, and make the few steps toward
him until I am directly in front of him. "I think it would be worth the
try." I whisper, unintentionally hoarsely and meet his gaze steadily. His
eyes lighten and his full lips curl upwards into a pleased smile. I still stare into his eyes and the warm, chocolate
brown slowly gains more heat, a little devilish flame dancing, sparkling and he
asks "Can I stay for the night?" I swallow and wet my suddenly dry lips. I nod and
drift closer to him until I can feel the heat of his skin reflecting on mine.
His lips part and he takes in a shaky breath. "Maybe I meant just staying for the
night." "Maybe." I whisper, my lips brushing his
like butterfly wings brush flower leaves. "Can't tell you to go when my
mouth is occupied, can I?" He turns his head away and sighs, then turns away from
me completely, grabs his jeans and puts them on whilst he speaks, voice
sounding like my steps on gravel. "That is exactly the point." I just stare at him. I don't get him, what have I done
now. He looks quizzically at me, then shakes his head and puts on his jacket. "As long as I keep you sexually occupied I am
wanted." His shoulders sag down and he huffs out a heavy breath like he's
an old man, tired of life and he climbs up the ladder. "I'll be back tomorrow morning, collecting the
cats." He says, and then closes the crypt door from the outside. I sit down on the bed and miss the times when things
between me and the bloke I love were clear. Angelus just grabbed me and shagged
me and that was that and did I just think ... the bloke I love? I bury my face
in my hands.
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