Fire in the Heart
by Sileya

He kicked in the door, adrenaline fueling his fervor and haste. The wood burst, splintering as it hit the heavy barrels behind it. The air rushed out, thick with smoke, and hit his face. Resisting the reflex to cough, he wasted no time running inside, avoiding a look at the flames licking at the ceiling, his hands waving in front of him to clear the dark ash floating in thick clouds. 
Ignoring the voice inside his head screaming at him to hurry, with infinite patience he kicked in each door he found, scanning the small storage rooms, ducking flames that reached out to caress him. 
A loud whoosh startled him, and he dropped to the floor just in time to avoid a monstrous arm of fire that ripped through one wall, jumping over him to engulf another. 
Shaking his head, he pulled himself to his feet and staggered to the next row of doors, coughing and wheezing. 
One door kicked in, then another, then another. Nothing. Fear started to grip his heart. 
He ran up the steel stairs, not daring to touch the railing that glowed a dull red with burning heat. His movements became jerky as he tried another door, then another. He threw himself down again when a burning support beam crashed to the floor, busting open storage crates, throwing burning feathers into the air. 
With a curse he brushed the burning fluff off his shoulders and out of his hair, and swore as he rubbed his eyes, trying to match what he was seeing with the map's perception he had quickly memorized. 
He took off in another direction, jumping burning trash and piles of smoldering wood, as the roar and crackling of live fire filled his ears until it seemed silence surrounded him. He squinted against the bright yellows, oranges and white flames around him, instinctively avoiding the darker, blue flames when he had to pass near. 
Finally he reached the end of the warehouse, kicking in the last door on that floor. 
And there he was. 
Curled in a corner, hands and feet tied, eyes closed. 
Not dust. 
Xander rushed over to Spike, screaming at him over the huge roar of destruction surrounding them, but his voice was only swallowed in the din. 
Spike's disbelieving eyes blinked open when Xander touched his shoulder. Taking a second to flash a rakish grin, Xander pulled a knife from his boot and cut Spike's bonds. Spike sprang up and they ran to the door together, only to face a crashing wall of burning wood that fell toward the door, throwing them violently back into the room. 
Xander jumped up to pull several pieces of burning trash off Spike, ignoring the searing shooting through his hands. Spike grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the fire to the back of the room, and they were thrown back again as the walls collapsed around them in a deafening crash. 
Stumbling, they moved to the edge, holding each other up against the crosswinds that threatened to suck them back into the inferno. Xander peered over the edge to the water five stories below - a dark oily mass dotted with blobs of burning kerosene. 
Spike grabbed Xander by each shoulder and pulled him close, his lips moving, his eyes hard and filled with dark resignation as the floor beneath them began to shake. 
Xander just smiled and shook his head as flames flew up behind him, fiery wind and light shining behind him like a halo of living energy. 
Spike stopped talking and just looked at the man who gave his life trying to save his. 
After another second, Xander reached forward and pulled Spike's mouth to his, a hard, crushing kiss with no hint of desperation. After a second it was over, and Spike stood dazed. 
Dazed enough that Xander was able to push him forcibly over the edge. 
After watching Spike disappear under the water, Xander jumped to join him.