Spike woke up alone. Two hours before sunset on the day after one of the best nights of his life and he woke up alone. But he could still smell Xander. The boy's scent wasn't just all over the house, it was all over him. Then he heard it. Purring. Looking down to the end of the bed, he was captured by a pair of chocolate eyes surrounded by ebony hair. And long white whiskers, and a pick nose, and pointy ears, and a tail. 

"What the flamin hell?"

The cat grinned. The large black tom cat that was currently walking up his legs and laying on his chest, grinned. Then it licked him. Pink, sandpapery, little cat kisses on the tip of his nose. And it was still purring.

"Xander?"

It grew, it lost its fur, and it turned into his lover. His grinning, purring lover who was laying on top of him. 

"What do you think?"

"I think you make a wonderful cat luv. When'd you learn to do that?"

"Coupla months ago. I tried a dog first, didn't work. But I can do almost any kind of cat."

"Any kind?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think you were ready to wake up with a lion...or a tiger."

"Hmm. Good thinkin'. Now...give us a kiss Kitten."

They spent the rest of the day and part of the night in bed. By the time it was time for Xander to leave for work they had agreed that Spike would stay with him. The vampire had tried everything he could think of to keep the brunette from going to work. Finally, Xander had agreed to think of looking for a different job.

Andre had sent a minion for his potion and Spike had nearly scared the boy to...um, undeath? Xander wasn't exactly sure, and they debated the point amidst much laughing and kissing as they walked to "Cyrano's" Xander did two shows and no encores. They walked home by way of the river and he stayed on the main streets while Spike ducked into the alleys looking to fed. Halfway to the house they came across two men trying to rape a young girl. Spike made a meal out of one while Xander broke the other one's neck with a simple telekinesis spell. Then the brunette made the girl forget what they looked like. Spike dragged the bodies into a sewage drain and they finished walking home. 

Climbing into bed together felt like the most natural thing in the world, even though they had only done so once before. They were kissing almost as soon as their heads hit the pillow. Xander laid on top of Spike, every inch of their bodies pressing together. They began to move against each other slowly, building a rhythm to match the beating of the human boy's heart. The lover's found their pleasure with each other and drifted to sleep still entwined in each other's arms.

For Xander it felt like coming alive again. The color had returned to the world. For Spike it felt like coming home. Home, for someone who had never really had one...until now.

tbc