Title: Smell of Home Part 5

Email: tirel@pcnuthut.com

Homepage: https://www.angelfire.com/tv2/firebird_ascending/

Author: Velvet Crypt

Disclaimer: Joss is God. I own nothing.

Spoilers: Around season 4 or 5

Summary: The meeting.

Dedication: For Ashley Mist Malachi. She was the only one who answered my request for ideas on this fic. So, everyone who is currently enjoying this story? Bow down at the shrine of my ashy kitten. She is, as always, my muse and my dear friend.

Morning dawned bright and clear. Though no one was able to see it. Willow had made sure to shut the curtains tightly before she went to bed. She woke to Tara’s puttering in the bathroom and sat up blinking the sleep from her eyes. She looked over at the other bed and couldn’t help but smiling. The Big Bad was curled around Xander like a kitten.

Tara moved out of the bathroom and crawled up the bed to rest next to Willow. She, too, turned her gaze on the two men in the other bed. “They look good together,” she whispered.

Willow nodded. “And isn’t that the scariest thing you’ve ever said?” she returned just as quietly. Tara covered her mouth to keep in the giggle. “So, what do you think we should expect from Mivka?” she continued.

Tara shrugged. “I have no idea. I mean, a jiggly purple demon isn’t exactly the type of ‘friend’ I would have expected Spike to have in the first place.”

Willow smiled. “But he’s nice.”

“Yes, he is,” Tara agreed. “And he seems to genuinely like Spike.”

“Kinda makes you wonder about demon social circles, when someone as nice as Mivka could like someone like William the Bloody.”

Tara shook her head. “I don’t think ‘William the Bloody’ was the leading persona in Spike’s friendship with Mivka. It sounded like Spike let part of his real personality show through to him.”

Willow shrugged. “Maybe. But what is Spike’s real personality? I mean, have we even seen it?”

“I don’t know, sweetie,” Tara sighed. “I’d like to think that we’ve seen glimpses of the real Spike. Either that, or he’s a very good actor.”

Willow smirked. “It seems that at least Xander has seen a glimpse or two of the real Spike.” Tara elbowed her and giggled.

“If you two gossiping birds are quite through discussing my schizophrenia,” Spike lifted his head from the pillow, “Perhaps we could plan out our morning?” Willow and Tara blushed deep hues of red and scurried to gather pen and paper and settle themselves on the bed facing Spike and Xander.

Spike watched them in amusement and gently pulled himself out from under Xander’s clinging arms. Xander moaned in disagreement and Spike leaned down to whisper calming noises into his ears and to brush the silky strands away from his forehead. He glared at the two sappy sighing women as he sat back up. “So, ladies. What is our plan?”

Dragging them back to the situation at hand, Willow began biting her nail. “Well, Mivka has 10 friends to help us. What exactly are they going to help us do?” she began.

Spike nodded. “Good question. That’s actually up to you all.” Willow’s eyes widened. “We could pull a full scale assault on B’Thaaug, just running through the room killing anything that moves.”

Tara looked sick. “I-I’d really rather not.”

Spike grinned. “I know, ducks. I would never have asked you to consider that in truth.”

She looked relieved. “Good, because I’d hardly be useful vomiting in a corner.”

“So, are we planning to at least kill B’Thaaug?” Willow asked.

Spike nodded, absently stroking Xander’s back. “We have to, luv. He’s too powerful to just let him slide back into his hole and wait for the next takeover.” He frowned. “And I really don’t see anyway to get to him besides a full scale assault or sneaking one person in to assassinate him.”

Tara gulped.

At that moment, a knock sounded on the door. The girls jumped and Spike launched himself off of the bed into a defensive crouch. He waved them over to the bed where Xander lay sleeping and eased toward the door.

“Yeah?” he called. “Who is it?”

“Is I, William,” came a voice familiar from the previous night. “Is Mivka.”

Spike, even having identified the voice, opened the door carefully. He eyed Mivka and the demons lined up behind him. “Do you vouch for each of these?” Spike demanded.

“Vouched for, they are,” Mivka returned. Spike nodded and stepped aside to allow the most bizarre motley crew the Slayerettes had ever seen. As the last entered the room, Spike shut and locked the door behind him and wended his way through the bodies to take up residence next to Xander again. Willow and Tara moved behind him on the bed, leery of the creatures beginning to find places to sit.

Mivka bowed. “Bring to you, your army, William,” he warbled. He gestured to the demons lounging about the room. “Vach a Drokken is.” He made a point to look at Willow and Tara as he gave the name and species of demon. A large toothy demon bowed almost imperceptibly. Spike returned the bow with an inclination of his head.

“K’eivan, a Brachen is.” A green skinned man with blue spikes all over his flesh stood with a smile. He stepped closer to the bed housing the Scoobies and held out his hand.

“Hello! I’m honored to finally meet William the Bloody,” he chirped excitedly, grasping Spike’s hand in his own and pumping it rapidly. “And the Scooby gang!” he released Spike’s had and grabbed Willow’s, a huge grin on his face. “I’ve heard so much about you,” he turned Willow loose and reached for Tara’s hand. Spike had a look of disbelief on his face. Willow and Tara were slightly panicky, but the Brachen seemed so like an eager puppy that they gave in and smiled back.

“Thank you,” Willow said with a smile. Tara seconded her with a nod. K’eivan reached for Xander as well and was quickly stopped by a snarl and a vice-like grip on his forearm. He looked in startled confusion at the game faced vampire.

“No one touches the boy,” Spike snarled.

K’eivan smiled nervously. “Sure, sure. No problem.” He backed away carefully, hands in a supplicating manner as soon as Spike released him.

Mivka jiggled in the way Willow had come to realize was laughter, and then continued. “Sahn, a Mohra is.” A large human-like warrior in samurai clothing bowed nearly to the floor. Spike once again inclined his head. “Gl’gla a Nezzla is.” A huge creature covered in what appeared to be skeletal armor grunted at them. Spike made eye contact and the creature grunted again before leaning back against the wall.

“Oklar, a Pockla,” Mivka gestured to a creature resembling a human.

“I am pleased to be working with you, William the Bloody,” the creature stated.

“Likewise, I’m sure,” Spike returned.

Mivka waved to the next recruit. “Shee’n, a Rwasundi.”

Spike tensed. “You brought a time warper as backup?” he asked incredulously.

The Rwasundi floated forward. “I am fully capable of restricting my power, vampire. Are you that afraid of me?”

The demon picked the right words. Spike twitched and sat up as though a rod had been shoved through his spine. “I am William the Bloody,” he snarled. “I fear no one.” The Rwasundi bowed and floated back. Spike glared at Mivka, who pointedly ignored him.

“Sparra, a Serparvo is,” he moved on. A face of teeth and fangs stepped up. Surely it was attached somehow to a body, Willow thought weakly. But all she could focus on were the layers of teeth. “Dlah, a Shur-hod is,” was next.

Another human stepped forward to shake Spike’s hand. He smiled…normal teeth, Willow thought. “Pleasure to meet you all,” he said. No warbling, no hissing. Willow narrowed her eyes. Was this really a demon?

Spike released the demon’s hand and just as quickly prevented him from reaching toward the girls. The human looking demon merely smiled knowingly and backed away. Willow looked at Spike in curiosity. “Soul sucker,” was his only response. She shuddered.

“Rece, a Slod is.” Another human shaped demon came forward. He chose to bow rather than shake hands and Spike had a slight frown on his forehead as the demon stepped back. Finally, Mivka came to the last of the recruits. “Havaln, a Vahrall is.”

Spike surged up off of the bed, placing himself between the demon and the Scoobies. “We’ve had a bit of trouble already with demons throwing their scents around,” he said icily. “Make sure you have yourself under control before going near the boy.” The spined and clawed demon nodded respectfully and stepped further away from the bedside.

Spike eased down a bit and stepped aside to allow the Scoobies and the demons to see each other again. “My name is Spike,” he stated plainly. “Some of you might be more familiar with my previous nom de guerre…William the Bloody. Behind me are members of the Slayer’s inner circle.” He waved to each as he spoke. “Willow, a witch and researcher. Tara, a witch and empath.”

Tara looked a bit startled at Spike’s declaration, but held her tongue. She smiled, as did Willow, and waved slightly. The Brachen and the Shur-hod smiled back, the Brachen even going so far as to wave as well. The others merely nodded.

“And who is the lovely young gentleman behind you that you’re so carefully protecting?” asked the Shur-hod, smiling smarmily.

Spike growled under his breath and Tara reached over to touch his sleeve. He cracked his neck to the side and sighed heavily. “This is our ace in the hole,” he said. “His name is Xander. As you can see, he is exactly what B’Thaaug is looking for in a mate. We were hoping to use that to get to him.”

“And why did that not work, William the Bloody?” asked the slight Pockla.

Spike narrowed his eyes. “He discovered that I hadn’t actually claimed Xander,” he said slowly.

The Pockla ‘hmmm’d. “And why haven’t you?”

Spike glared. “Because I didn’t. All right?” He flung his arm out, including all of the demons. “I just didn’t, and my reasons are none of your bloody business!”

Silence met his anger.

“So,” the Brachen smiled into the coolness of the room. “Shouldn’t he be awake if this is concerning him?”

Spike looked as though he wanted to smack the jovial demon. He chose to move to Xander’s side instead. Kneeling down, he leaned in close to Xander’s ear. “Xan, luv,” he whispered. “Xander, it’s time to wake up. Come on, Harris. Eyes wide open and all that rot.”

Xander grumbled in his sleep and rolled on his side away from the vampire. “Go ‘way, Spike. I tol’ you I’d make bre’fast when I woke up.”

Spike looked slightly uncomfortable and glanced up at the demons in the room. Willow and Tara exchanged grins and tried not to giggle.

“Xander!” he tried again. “Wake the bloody hell up!” Spike poked him for good measure and Xander sat straight up, staring wide-eyed at the vampire.

“How’d you get untied from the chair?” he asked in bewilderment.

Spike turned an interesting shade of red and stood up. “We, er…just some bondage games, y’know,” he blustered to the room at large. He shot an evil glare at the two giggling witches. The glare only made them laugh harder.

Xander wiped the sleep from his eyes and looked around the room. His sleep-cleared eyes widened eyes and scrambled out of the bed and behind Spike. “Spike!” he squeaked. “Demons, Spike! We have demons!” he began to search frantically for a weapon of some kind when the reality of the situation started to sink in. The demons were not attacking. As a matter of fact, some of them looked downright amused.

Spike wasn’t looking worried. Okay, actually he was looking rather irritated, but definitely not worried. And Willow and Tara were just fine. Cackling madly, but unhurt. “Er, Spike?” he ventured. “What the hell is going on?”

__________________________________________________________________________

“I’m just as bad as I need to be, Shur-hod!” Spike snarled.

The Shur-hod smiled brightly. “Of course you are, William. And do call me Dlah. I simply meant that the William the Bloody of legend would have instigated a bloodbath at the onset of the attack upon his mate.” Dlah’s hand shot up to his mouth and he looked embarrassed. “I mean…boyfriend,” he smiled wickedly. Spike glared bloody murder.

“So, Shur-hod, what do you propose we do then?” he gritted out instead of tearing the demon’s head off.

Dlah shrugged. “Well, you could always make another example,” he smiled. “I remember the last example William the Bloody made,” he sighed fondly. “I remember like yesterday, the look on B’Thaaug’s face as you dumped the dust of his mate at his feet. It was a truly emotional moment for everyone.”

Spike had begun quivering in pent up rage. Willow reached out to Tara and they scooted back warily. Spike generally didn’t get that mad and leave everyone in the room with all their body parts. Xander watched the expressions race across Spike’s face: anger, longing, fear, worry. He hated that Spike had once upon a time been a killer. Hated it with all his soul. He knew that the vampire missed the ‘good old days’, but he also realized that the Spike he knew now, the Spike who held him last night, wouldn’t do what this demon asked of him.

His Spike would never just murder someone to make a gesture. And he wanted to kill the smug demon for suggesting it, for making Spike shoot a worried look at Xander, for making Spike doubt that Xander trusted him. He stepped closer to the vampire and placed all of his hate into the stare he gave the Shur-hod.

“I’m sure it was great, Dlah,” he said sarcastically. “However, we aren’t going to be doing any grand gesture making that involves the cold blooded murder of anyone.” He leaned into Spike’s side, giving him the only support he knew how that didn’t include ‘sissy boy hand holding’.

Spike nodded slowly. “He’s right. We’re here to take out B’Thaaug. We may have to extend that to include his backers, but we aren’t going to just pick a random someone out of the crowd and kill him to make a point.” Spike couldn’t stop himself from looking to Xander for approval. Nor could he stop the warm feeling that flooded him as he saw that approval glowing in Xander’s eyes.

A small uproar broke out in the demon ranks. At the sounds of hissing and growling, grunting and roaring, Spike shoved Xander behind him again. Willow and Tara meeped and scurried back against the wall, hands held up in preparation for a spell should it be needed. Spike held a hand up to halt them.

“In case you’d forgotten, ‘gentlemen’,” he called loudly, “there are some of us that can’t speak demon languages.”

The Pockla snorted. “You can,” he hissed.

Spike nodded. “Well, yes, but they…”

“And that is the problem, isn’t it? William the Bloody.” The Pockla flung his arm out, pointing at the vampire. “Them. They have corrupted you. Especially the boy.”

Spike tensed and opened his mouth to speak. He was cut off by a growl from the Serparvo. The demon moved up into Spike’s face, his fetid breath causing Spike’s nose to wrinkle. “You are weak,” it snarled. “Weak and pathetic. You are no longer William the Bloody. You are a sad excuse for a pet.”

Spike moved in, ignoring the sheer quantity of flashing teeth and fangs snapping near his face. “I am no pet!” he roared. “The boy is my consort and I am concerned for his protection. As would you be for your consort!”

The Serparvo shrieked, a horrible ear-piercing sound. “Consort?” he howled. “He is no consort! He is a toy, a plaything! There is no mark; there is no claim! He doesn’t smell of you, he reeks of humanity! He is no mate of William the Bloody; he is expendable and will remain so until he is properly claimed!”

Spike lost his veneer of humanity. He melted into gameface and backhanded the demon across the room, bellowing in rage. The Serparvo bowled into the Nezzla and the Drokken and caused the Brachen, the Shur-hod and the Slod to scatter out of the way of the flailing teeth and claws of the three monsters. Spike bunched up his muscles to launch into the pile but Xander’s arms wrapped around his chest and he paused, wary of hurting his boy.

“Goddammit, Spike knock it off!” he screamed. ‘All of you, stop it! Mivka! Stop them!” he nodded with his head to the catfight occurring in the corner of the room.

“Allow me.” The huge Vahrall stepped elegantly up to the teeming mass of limbs and closed its eyes. It held out its hands over the bodies and waited patiently. A few moments later, the thrashing began to slow. Rational thought seemed to come back to the fighting demons and they shoved away from each other, getting to their feet calmly.

“What did you just do?” Willow breathed, her eyes wide.

The Vahrall turned to smile at her, actually quite frightening with the teeth and spines, but Willow could see the effort the monster put into looking pleasant. “Not all transfer of pheromones must be as unpleasant or painful as those done by B’Thaaug.”

Willow nodded and turned her attention to Spike, who was standing stiff in the circle of Xander’s arms. Xander was breathing soothing words into his ear and rocking them slightly from side to side. A moment later and Spike’s gameface slid away, leaving a still-very-pissed Spike, but a Spike who was in control.

Xander sighed in relief. “Good. Well, now. Let’s all just talk about this rationally. Let’s start with this whole claim thingy,” he didn’t notice Spike’s wince. “So, Spike. You said that they’d all think we were a couple. Obviously, that isn’t the case. And not just these guys. B’Thaaug noticed also. So spill already.”

He moved out in front of the vampire and crossed his arms, schooling his face into his best Willow-resolve impersonation. Spike looked pleadingly at the girls. They became very interested in their nails and Spike sighed.

“Fine. But you’re not going to like it,” he said.

Xander smirked. “I rarely like things that people feel the need to keep from me ‘for my own good’.”

“A real claim is a permanent thing, Xan,” he began. “You can’t fake it. All the kissing and handholding in the world won’t make it real. A real claim requires a ritual, not just a few nights of sleeping near each other to smell alike. It binds two people…or demons together. If I claimed you, you would belong to me. You’d want to belong to me.” He wanted to crawl away from the horror in Xander’s eyes, but he forced himself to continue.

“I could make you into a minion, a human pet; I could also make you into a consort. You’d belong to me, but I’d belong to you too. We’d be…mated; married if you’d rather. Your soul and my demon would enter into a kind of marriage.”

Xander just stared at him for the longest few seconds of Spike’s existence. “I see,” he finally managed.

Spike panicked. “But I’d be able to protect you better. It could link us together. A-and other demons would recognize my claim. No one would touch you. You’d be safe. You’d be protected.” Spike wondered why the hell he was suddenly trying to talk the boy into mating with him, much less in front of 11 demons and Willow and Tara.

Xander looked as though he were on a slow burn. “Protect me?” he forced out between clenched teeth. “Of course, you’d protect me. Everyone protects me. Because I’m the fucking inept idiot who happens to be a demon magnet.” He glared at Spike, clenching his hands into fists. “Buffy protects me, you protect me, Willow and Tara protect me. Fuck, even Giles protects me!”

He started to shake, the anger overtaking his brain. “Well, let me tell you something, bleachboy,” he yelled. “I don’t need you to protect me! I’ve been fighting demons since I was 15! Granted I get my ass kicked a lot, but at this point, I’d rather be gutted in the street than accept one more fucking moment of help from you!” Spike winced visibly and held his hand out to Xander, beseeching him to calm down.

“I’m done with this fucking ridiculous ‘mission’ of yours!” he scanned the room for his jacket and snatched it up from the floor. “I’m sorry I ever decided to participate in Giles’ hair-brained scheme to begin with. I’m sorry I’m such a goddamn nuisance that you have to recruit half the hellmouth to protect me. Mostly? I’m sorry I trusted you, Spike. You could have asked me about the fucking claim. You could have offered me the option. But no. Just like everyone else, you decided to do what was best for me.”

He moved up into Spike’s space. “I thought you were different,” he said softly. “I guess I was wrong.”

He shoved rudely past the huddle of demons, some twice as large as him, without a second thought. He could barely see for the tears forming in his eyes. All he knew was that he needed to get out of that room. He needed to be away from Spike. He could still feel the vampire’s comforting weight against him; his arms wrapped securely around Xander as he slept.

He could still smell him, the scent of Spike embedded in his nose…in his head. And it hurt. Spike treated him just like the others did. Like he had no brain. Like he had no common sense. Like he was too fragile to make a fucking decision about his own life. He knew he had nothing going for him. He thought about it every day. It just hurt more having Spike, of all people, shoving that in his face.

He wanted to be special. Even if nothing else than belonging to someone special. No, he sighed. That wasn’t it. Belonging to someone special wouldn’t do it. Not anymore. It was Spike or no one. Spike had made it very clear that he didn’t think Xander had the emotional capacity to make that decision. And he’d also made it clear that he wasn’t going to make that decision for him, either.

Blinded by tears, stumbling around in anger and pain, Xander didn’t notice where he was headed. Until he ran headfirst into a brick wall on legs. He stumbled backwards and fell on his ass. Looking up in irritation, he quickly realized that…yes, he was fucked.

“You,” the Fyarl demon growled.

“Eep?” Xander answered, scooting back frantically.

The Fyarl demon bent down and snatched Xander up by the hair. The pain started the tears flowing from Xnader’s eyes again and he yelped. “You,” the demon grunted again. “Give to B’Thaaug.”

“What?” Xander gasped. “No! No, really, you don’t have to do that cause I really don’t have anything else to say to him I mean after all he tried to kill me you know so maybe he really isn’t interested in talking to me and besides Spike won’t be happy to find out that you’ve kidnapped me and he’ll have to kill you and that would probably be something you’d rather avoi—“

Xander slumped as the clawed demon punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious. Blood dripped from his nose and the Fyarl grimaced in appreciation. “Silence. Good.”

_______________________________________________________________________