Xander stood on the second floor balcony watching the stars. Six months ago he'd invited Spike in, the blonde hadn't left yet. And Xander really didn't want him to. They'd made a life together here. It was very different from the life the boy had left behind in Sunnydale, it was even different from the life he'd been living before Spike. 

There was no more dancing. Spike had tried everything to get Xander to quit, finally after a huge screaming match the blonde had confessed that he couldn't stand knowing that a room full of drunks were looking at his lover. It made him jealous and angry, and it made him worry that Xander would find the idea of a living human with a bank account more appealing than a vampire with bad manors and a bad attitude. Xander had given notice the next night. Now he was a bar tender at a club not far from where they lived. "Shade's" catered to mixed clientele. Gay, straight, human, demon, nobody really cared as long as you paid your cover charge and didn't make trouble. The humans who frequented the club were like Xander, aware of and in some way involved with the nonhuman community. Although, he was probably the only one living with a vampire.

Other things had changed besides his career choice. Spike had developed a reputation as the vamp to see if you were in trouble. His lover was no saint, but he didn't kill the innocent. There were more than enough sleazebags to keep Spike well fed. Between his healthy appetite and Xander's magic they'd managed to handle a few really nasty villain types. 

He learned a few things too. Not all vampire's were evil. Not every demon was out to destroy the world. The fact was, most of them were more concerned with living their own lives then with ending other people's. Most vampires didn't even kill when they fed. A few sips here, a few sips there, nobody really noticed, nobody got hurt, and there were no massive increases in the death toll. Things like that tended to attract nasty things, like slayers and watchers. Since moving to New Orleans the brunette had discovered that there was a thriving industry based solely around supplying vampires and demons with what ever form of sustenance they needed. 

There were blood banks that made donations to the cause, people who voluntarily gave a pint or two when needed, and even a type of prostitute that made there living by letting a vamp drink straight from the vein. They were extremely well paid to compensate for the fact that they couldn't do it very often and none of them would take on a client without a referral from a trusted source. And for the demons that needed things other than blood, there were morgues in on the whole thing. And there were rumors that a few guys with money were looking into the idea of using organ cloning to supply the necessary items.

Things weren't the way the watchers wanted people to believe. And in his heart he was pretty sure that Giles had known it all along. But the fact was, he rarely thought about Sunnyvale or any of the people he had left behind. His life was here. The only person who knew about Xander Harris was Spike, to everyone else he was Xavier St. Martin. But something was about to change. He'd woke up in a cold sweat with a feeling of something coming. Spike was inside making him tea even now. His life was about to change again. He just hoped that like the arrival of his lover, it would be a change for the better.

tbc