Part Nine

Outside of Spike's Crypt

The cloaked figure dug his fingers deeper into the solid oak door as the muffled sounds of passion reached a fevered pitch. His own blood dripped down the outside of the door as he ripped a chunk of the wood free, with a last snarl he dropped his hands. His face came up and the moon shown down on enraged features. "You will not escape me Beauty, and no one will come between us. I will kill everyone who tries to take you from me." The figure faded back into the swirling mists of the graveyard.
*****************
Inside the Crypt

Spike's lips stretched into a smug grin as he heard the wood crumple under the fingers of his rival. "Serves you right." Spike thought. "I hope you get a splinter, you bloody wanker." 

There would be no doubt now that he had staked a claim on Xander. Whoever this interloper was he would know that the only way to claim Xander would be to go through him. All in all it was a pretty good nights work. He had managed to get Xander away from his parents and claim him as his own. The grin stretched a little before faltering. Spike looked down at the mortal snuggled against his chest, and smiled sadly. He stroked his hand over the dark hair brushing it away from the boy's face. So short. Under the slayer's tender mercies Xander would be lucky to live to see his thirties.

Xander murmured against him and Spike glanced down to find that his hand had become white knuckled in its grip on the ebony locks. He consciously relaxed his hand allowing the hair to slide through his fingers. Xander just burrowed deeper into his arms. Well his choices were pretty simple either he savored every moment of the boy's precious existence or he left now to spend the rest of his life regretting this missed chance. He couldn't protect himself from this pain. He could only bring it about that much sooner by leaving. There really was no choice at all. He could only wait for the day that his Xanpet was taken from him and then he would face another decision. Whether or not he could face life without the boy.

He felt two fingers touch the sides of his face, pushing the corners of his mouth up into a semblance of a smile. He looked down into bright brown eyes and a quirky little grin. "Don't look so sad Spike. You'll make me think I shagged the brooding vampire, and I so don't want to go there."

Spike felt his lips curving up into a real grin.

"Anything I can do to help." Xander wrapped his arms up around Spike and pulled him down into a kiss.

"You just did it, luv." Spike squeezed him quickly and then released him.

Xander's brow wrinkled in confusion. "What did I do?"

One side of Spike's face quirked up into a twisted smile. He leaned forward and rested his forehead on Xander's. "You're going to make me do this aren't you." He said with a put upon sigh.

Xander's bafflement grew. "What are you talking about, Spike?"

Spike sighed again. "You made me happy just by being you. There are you satisfied." Spike pulled back and shook his head. "Before this is over I'm going to end up a bigger pouf then peaches." 

Xander snorted, then wrapped his arms back around Spike. "Believe me, no one could be as big a pouf as Deadboy."

"No Big Bad marshmallow?"

Xander giggled. "Well only with me."

Spike glared at him.

Xander shook his head. "It just means you can be whatever you want, or feel like." Xander said seriously. "I'm not going to think worse of you for anything that you are or do. I still don't know if I love you, but I do respect you, so if you want to be all sappy you can. In fact I kinda like it."

Spike looked him in the eye warily. "And if I want to go out and drain someone dry? If that who I am?!"

Xander jaw whitened slightly. "That'll be hard to do with the chip in."

"So you'll only LIKE me when I have the chip in, is that it?!"

Xander looked up at Spike and his eyes swam with tears. "I don't know Spike. I just don't know!" His tone was slightly pleading.

Spike swung his legs off the side of the bed and looked out into the darkness of the crypt. "Sounds like you know all right."

Xander kneeled up on the bed and rested his head on Spike's shoulder. When he was pressed up against spike's back, he tried again. "The truth is Spike, I don't know. I like you in spite of what you have done in the past." Xander paused for a moment, then sighed. "You're right I do know. I'll like you even if you do start killing again." Xander pulled back curling in on himself.

Spike turned around to look at him. "Why do I feel a 'but' coming on?"

"There's no 'but'. The only problem is that I'd probably end up hating myself, because that's not who I am." Xander looked up at Spike with tears streaming unashamedly down his cheeks.

Spike scooted close and pulled him in for a hard hug. Spike's hand was trembling when he stroked Xander's head. He really does love me Spike thought. If he didn't he wouldn't even be able to make this offer. Spike briefly brought to mind the hot swell of red pleasure that accompanied a night of violence. Yes, he could live without it. If anything else the chip was proof of that. The question remained though, would Xander be able to live with what he was offering. Spike seriously doubted it. "I won't kill anymore." He said softly.

Xander shook his head from where he was burrowed into Spike's chest. "I meant what I said spike. I will live with it." Xander pulled back to look at spike.

Spike shook his head sharply. "You won't be happy pet." He sighed. "I want your happiness more then I want the violence."

Xander caught his bottom lip between his teeth. "What about a compromise? We live in a big city somewhere and you only go after bad guys. It's worked with the demons. Why can't it work with the humans too?"

Spike pulled Xander in and gave him another hug. "We'll talk about it again later. We don't have to decide now. I don't think the chip's coming out anytime soon. We need to think about getting to Giles place now."

Xander rubbed at his eyes. "How are we going to get past Flowerboy out there?"

Spike's snort of laughter was interrupted by a long drawn out scream. It broke off abruptly leaving an unearthly silence in it's wake. Even through the musty decaying odor that permeated the graveyard Spike should scent the warm copper smell of freshly spilled blood.

Xander was off the bed like a shot and even with vampire enhanced speed Spike barely managed to reach him before he got to the door.

Xander resisted the urge to struggle this time, not hurting spike was more important then saving whoever was out there. "Let me go, Spike." He forced through barely moving lips. "We can save him." 

"Whoever it is pet, they're already dead. There's nothing we can do" Inside Spike nodded. There's no way the whelp could handle me feeding from people.

"We have to try. At the very least we can look out and see."

"No." Spike said flatly his eyebrows drawn together.

"There's no danger in looking, Spike. You said it yourself. He can't come in unless you invite him."

"It's not going to happen, pet. Whoever this demon is, he's as whacked as my sire ever was. And you and I both know what's going to be out there, and it won't be a bunch of dead Gold fish, luv."

"We have to make sure." Xander said stubbornly.

Spike grabbed both Xander's shoulder and pulled him close so he could glare into Xander's eyes. Unknown to him his own were glazed with gold. " Whoever it is he going to have some artistically stage horror scene out there, designed to fill your sleep with nightmares and your days with guilt, by opening that door you'll be playing right into his hand."

"You think I don't know that." Xander snarled with determination. "I'm not stupid Spike. I'm also not some shrinking violet. I won't let them push me around anymore. Do you know what I think will be out there?"

"What, luv?" Spike asked almost unwillingly. 

"He'll be out there. He wants me to see him. More importantly he wants to see me. At this point Spike that's all we know about him, that he's obsessed with me. We don't know who he is. We don't even have a description to give to Giles. We know he likes roses and that he is a vampire."

"You saw him when I was carrying you."

Xander snorted. "I caught a glimpse of him while he was in game face, that's it. This is an opportunity we can't pass up. We might find out his name or something about him. He'll want to brag Spike. No matter how old he is as a potential suitor he'll want me to know him. He'll want to scare me maybe even break me but he'll want me to know who's doing it or it will be worthless. He will be out there."

"I've no doubt that he will, pet. I wouldn't have been able to resist being out there, but I still don't think this is a good idea. You'll end up giving him information too."

Xander shook his head. "He probably knows almost everything about me already. He's been stalking me. He's been in my house. He knows my weaknesses, my habits, my fighting style. He knows who my friends are and where they live. Would Angelus have neglected learning any of that? Besides taunting the bad guys is just how we do things."

Spike sighed and shook his head even as his lips quirked up slightly. "Get dressed pet. We might need information but we bloody hell won't give the wanker a free show."

Xander looked down at himself and blushed, then scurried to retrieve his clothing. Xander had to get a new shirt out of his bag since the one he had been wearing no longer had any buttons. He discovered that glaring at a vampire just made them look smug and he was left wondering whether or not Spike had actually said something like "One down 24 left to go."

Spike approached the door slowly as if he thought it would bite him. Xander tried to push in front of him but Spike easily circumvented his movements keeping his body between Xander and the door. Spike reached for the door and slowly eased it open. Instead of finding a scene out of Xander's nightmares he felt as if he had stumbled into one of his own. 

Spike tried to swallow the lump that had lodged in his throat at the sight of the a slim youthful dark-haired boy that lay broken and pale in front of the crouched form of his adversary. The vampire slid his hood back and revealed long blood smeared fangs. "Isn't he so beautiful in death, William. Doesn't he make your fangs tingle with need?" The vampire ran his hand along the chest of the corpse, shoving his claws into the chest cavity, and then pulling them back to lick them clean of blood and gore, trailing bit of flesh in their wake. His other hand was stroking the quiescent flesh as if it were a live lover.

"Not particularly, mate. Despite the obvious I've never much been into necrophilia." Spike nonchalantly leaned up against the side of the crypt door. He pulled out fag and lit it with complete ease, not allowing his enemy's actions to phase him. 

"I see..." The stranger said leadingly, as he drew one hand down slitting the front of the corpse's shirt.

Unwillingly Spike found himself asking. "You see what?"

The other's face twisted into a smirk. "Between the chip and being a foot stool for the slayer, you've gotten soft. You're as lost as if you had a soul, only it's worse because you are a demon."

Spike found himself growling and surging forward. He was stopped by soft mortal hands that had a surprising strength and authority to them.

"Oh yeah, like that's going to work Flowerboy." Xander 

Their opponents eyes hardened and a white line appeared around his lips. He dropped the rapidly cooling boy and strode over to the crypt entrance. His fangs dropped slightly then he shook his head. "Very nice beauty, but it doesn't really matter what you say now. No matter how much you wiggle you just drive the hook in deeper. Soon when you breathe my name it will be with awe because it will represent the center of your universe."

"Fuck that man." Xander returned with derision. "I don't even know your name. You're nothing to me. I have friends and loved ones here. People who are real to me."

The vampire reached out. His hand rested on the invisible wall that protected Spike and Xander. "Then I will have to remove those bonds, so I can have you for my own."

Xander's face whitened as the blood left it.

"As for my name, it's Devril, Beauty. Learn it well because it's where your world will begin and end. It will be the breath you breathe, every sound you hear, and every sight you see." He emphasized the word with a quiet certainty.

Xander gathered himself and lifted one side of his upper lip in a sneer. "Does that mean I actually get to smell for myself? Whoopee!"

"Well pet you definitely wouldn't want to smell him." Spike chimed in. "Week old sewer water is so passé."

Devril's face morphed and he slammed up against the wall. He drew back his inability to reach his prey made his eyes glitter with an insane rage. "The house of Aurelius has crossed me one time too many in this affair. I suggest you withdraw from this field, William. Beauty will be mine. He was marked as such from the moment of his birth, and your fair face will not gain you the same mercy I extended your Sire. If you send him out now I'll make your death swift and relatively painless." The elegant words were marred by the animalistic growls that emanated deep from within Devril's throat.

"Listen you bloody poof...."

"No Spike." Xander interrupted. "We have all the information that we need. We know our enemy. Why waste anymore time talking to him."

"For a moment personal pride and admiration warred in Devril's face, but a new look won out, derision. His lip curled. "You know nothing, Beauty. I have you check mated and you are still fumbling around trying to find the board. You don't even know yourself, but I know every thing there is to know about you."

Xander smiled. "Maybe I don't know everything, but you've told us where to look." He turned and walked back into the gloom of the crypt.

Spike swung the door shut but could not resist throwing Devril a final hand gesture.

As the door clanged dully, Spike walked silently to the center of the crypt and embrace Xander from behind. Xander remained stiff in his arms for a moment before relaxing and accepting the offered comfort.

"You did real well pet."

Xander shook his head.

"Yes you did." Spike countered.

Xander shrugged out of his arms and stalked over to the table. He viciously twisted the knob of his stolen radio to high. The loft was filled with the raucous noise of acid rock. He swung around to look at the vampire in the middle of the room. Spike stood alone with his arms stiffly at his sides, surrounded by a forlorn air of sadness. Xander dived at him and caught him up close. He buried his head against Spike's shoulder, and felt those cold arms come up to hold him tightly. "I just didn't want Devril to hear what we're saying. 'Cause even if we got the information I wanted I don't feel like I came out of that the winner." Xander shuddered as he remembered the lewd hunger that had filled Devril's eyes when he played with the corpse. It was the same way the vampire had looked at him.

Spike's arms tightened to the point where Xander felt his ribs begin to creak. "He isn't going to touch you, p... Xander. I won't let it happen.You did real good out there. You found out exactly what you wanted to know plus some things we didn't expect to hear. Don't let him get to you. Remember that's what he wants to accomplish with this visit."

Xander nodded his head against Spike's shoulder, then he looked into his eyes and smiled ruefully. "I know, but I guess I just didn't expect it to be this personal. It isn't about world domination or the good versus the bad. It's about me, for some reason he's obsessed with me. I'm starting to think that Willow's right after all, that I am some kind of demon magnet."

Spike moved them back to the leather recliner, pulling Xander down onto his lap. He ran his hand soothingly over Xander's back and sighed. "I don't know what to say Xander." Spike looked rather lost.

Xander pressed his lips together to keep them from trembling. "Just tell me the truth, Spike. Whatever it is I'll handle it."

"There is something to what Red said. I don't know what but you Call. I don't even know why."

"What?!" Xander's brow wrinkled.

"It's why Peaches offered you up at the school. He was hoping you would distract me enough that I wouldn't notice the changes in him." 

Xander just looked more confused.

Spike sighed again. "I don't know how to explain it. It's just kind of subtle, like a fascination. Even though I know it's there I still just find myself watching you at times."

Xander's face scrunched a little and he looked like he wanted to cry. "Is that why you...?"

Spike shook his head violently. "No it's not!" He said sternly. "Did it stop me from trying to kill you any of the time's before? Has it stopped any of the other demon's from messing with you?"

Xander shook his head but wouldn't meet Spike's eyes.

Spike caught his chin and forced him to look at him. "Yes it makes you more attractive. It did NOT make me fall in love with you." Spike growled in frustration as Xander's eyes slid away from his. Spike pulled them back through sheer force of will. "It's just like the way you look wouldn't cause me to love you." Spike said seriously. "I might be attracted by your dark hair and chocolate eyes but if your hair fell out and you lost your looks, I would still love you."

Xander was watching him again with a pleading look.

"I know these things are going to happen." Spike said. "I know that you are going to get old and I won't but I'll still love you."

Xander ducked his head and cuddled close to Spike. A thin clogged voice said "thanks."

They each stayed like that for a moment shielding each other from the rest of the world until Spike prodded Xander's side.

Xander looked up at him with slightly reddened eyes.

"We still have to get to Giles."

"How?" Xander asked.

Spike smirked his eyes gleaming. "My bolt hole of course."

Xander's brow wrinkled. "What?!"

Spike slid off the seat taking Xander with him. He moved quickly over to the coffin leaving Xander to scramble for footing. Xander found that the death glare thing still didn't work. Vampires! He thought with frustration.

"Com on lu... Xander. You don't want to be left behind do you." Spike shove the coffin to the side to reveal a deep black hole. 

Xander looked into it with apprehension. "That doesn't go where I think it does, does it?" He crept a little closer to the edge. He could barely make out rungs that led down into the blackness.

"Yep." Spike answered smugly. "Leads right into the sewer. Ya didn't think I was dumb enough not to have a bolt hole with you lot constantly barging in at all hours of the night. Now get in, lu... Xander." Spike gestured toward the hole.

Xander caught his hand. "Don't let him do that to you, Spike."

Spike's jaw clenched. "He was talking to you like you weren't even there, like you were a thing without a name, just Beauty."

Xander glared at him sternly. "Yes but that's not what you do, Spike. With you it means that I'm more then just a person. It means that I'm someone special to you. Don't let him take that away from you and me." Xander cuddled in close. "I like being something special."

Spike wrapped his arms around him pulling him close. "Anything for you, luv, but it still not keeping you out of the hole.' he smirked down at Xander.

"Drat. Foiled again."

"Did you say you wanted me to foil you, luv? I know this great thing we can do with tin foil and a dildo."

"Eww. I don't want to know Spike."

"Just try it I know you'll like it Mikey." Spike whined as they disappeared into the hole.

"Way too much television for you."

*************************
At an isolated payphone in the middle of the night

The shadowed figure of the council's assassin stood quietly waiting for the call to ring through. 

"Did you kill her?" came the raspy voice on the phone.

"No. I tested her on her way home. Getting close was easy enough but the eye did not glow. I repeat the eye showed no change in the presence of the slayer. How do you want to proceed?" The assassin asked.

"You positive that there was no change. "

"Yes. She is not the person in the prophecy."

There was complete silence on the other end of the line.

The assassin waited.

"Check the rest of her entourage. It has to be someone who helped close the Hell mouth, and they are the only ones who have. Test them all."

"Yes sir."


Part Ten

Devril raised his hand to knock on the door. He felt the anger at Beauty's escape roiling over in his stomach. Tonight his Beauty would begin to understand who he belonged to. His hand had fallen but once before the door was snatched out from under his knuckles. Oh yes now it would start.

"He's not dead! You said you would kill him tonight!"

Devril's lips twisted into a derisive smile as he stepped forward into the house. "Unfortunately, there have been complications. Your son is a bit more elusive then you gave him credit for." He said as he looked down into the glowing green eyes of Xander's mother.

"There is no time for complications!" She practically spat in anger. "Eighteen years I have been trying to kill that brat and he always found some way to escape. I don't have time for complications. He's already begun puberty. He's no longer just my property. He belongs to the clan now too. If I can't kill him before my father gets here then I won't be able to touch him. He must die now! What the hell is stopping you?" Mrs. Harris ranted as she paced back and forth.

Devril easily shoved past the shrieking woman, and sauntered into the living room.. Not much had changed from the last time he had entered the room. The single naked light bulb that hung down from the ceiling did little to illuminate the clutter of dirty clothes and debris that was piled around the room. Chaos demons, he thought with distaste, they all had such deplorable habits. Well at least he would be getting Beauty young enough that he could still be trained to my expectations. 

He casually glanced over to the couch, where the elder Harris was drunkenly sprawled. He silently circled the room drawing closer and closer to the sleeping man. "I wonder. What do you see in him?"

Mrs. Harris literally stomped her foot in frustration almost pawing at the ground. Vampires! She thought, they always have to play their little mind games.

Devril merely cocked his head at her, studying her as he would a particularly interesting insect.

She growled as she realized she would not be able to bend Devril to her will. To get anything out of him she would have to play the game his way. "Why do you care?! We both want Xander dead stick to the topic. Vampires!" She snarled in anger.

"I must admit I'm curious as to why you never got him to kill the brat." Devril ran his hand down the side of the limp man's face. his fingers trailed up the man's chin, tilting it just so. All those lovely veins were exposed now. Just waiting.

"He's a souse." Mrs. Harris returned bitterly. "He'll do anything for liquor but not with any competence. I can get him to the point where he'll beat the crap out of the kid but he never takes it too far. He always has an eye to the money the kid's worth. What the hell does it matter? You're here kill the kid already. It's your fault we're in this mess anyway."

"My fault?" Devril questioned as he raised one eyebrow with a smug curiosity.

"Yeah! If you had just told me you wanted to kill the brat in the hospital. I would never have fought you and we wouldn't have had this problem."

"Fought me?!" He snorted with incredulous humor. "Is that what you call screaming your fool head off?"

"I was young you asshole. You..."

""Enough Madame! All I want to know is why it's so important that the child dies. You will tell me this and then I will tell you how we will accomplish that goal." He lips twisted with distaste.

"It's simple that fool you're drooling over..."She gestured toward Xander's drunken father.

"Hardly." Devril snorted. "I admit he was handsome at one time but his appeal has long since been lost in a bottle of alcohol."

"Anyway.." She gritted her teeth. You just have to put up with the vampire for a little longer she reminded herself. "The fool was my way out. The clan is very controlling when it comes to the lives of their children. There are very strict and confining rules you have to follow. The only way out is to come of age or to accept a mate who is of age. My father" she emphasized the name sarcastically, "made very sure that I would never come into contact with any demons of age. The human was my way around that. They consider their kind of age when they reach eighteen."

"Wouldn't they have considered your own half breed status when setting the age?"

"No!" She spat out in remembered fury. "If you have any demon blood at all, they require a full 200 years before they consider you of age. Two hundred fucking years! Then to make things worse 'my father' refused to give me my inheritance after I married. He gave me this pittance and spouted some nonsense about 'me' flaunting tradition. He said that if I chose to follow the ways of the humans then I could not be part of the clan."

"That still doesn't tell me why you want the boy dead."

"The only way to regain the privileges of the clan is to return to the clan, but if I go back now he get all the power." She pointed to the couch. "But when he dies then I become machal, a widow, and I get the power."

"The boy?" Devril reminded through his own clenched teeth.

"If I'm burdened with a child I become lachal or a matriarch. There's more freaking rules for a matriarch then there are for a child. It's not fucking worth it. The child must be protected. The child must be comforted." She bobbed her head up and down mocking the rules with a sing song chant. "It goes on for pages and pages. Hell I've already broke most of them."

"Couldn't someone else raise him?"

"Oh yeah and then I'd lose face for not being a good mother. If someone else found out what I've been doing I'd be cast out and hunted." She stomped her foot. "He must die and you said you'd kill him!"

Devril slowly stalked over to her and with a viper-like strike he back-handed her into the wall. As she struggled to her feet, he was on her again his massive hands wrapped around her throat closing her windpipe. He watched with a emotionless detachment as she pulled ineffectively at his fingers. Her features melted from demon to human in an odd fugue-like manner, but the added strength of her demon was not enough to break free of his iron grasp.

Her lips formed the word "why?" but she had no breath to give it voice.

He smirked down at her as she dangled off the ground. "You weren't that good of a fuck," the smile spread, "but I'm sure your son will be. I might even decide to keep him."

Her eyes flared brilliant green before fading and then glazing over. Devril continued to squeezing feeling an almost orgasmic thrill as the bones snapped and crushed under his fingers, the with super human strength he ripped the head entirely off the lifeless body.

He let the body drop heavily to the ground, and sighed with discontent. "Now that was over entirely too quickly. It's too bad I had to worry about your magic. I would have enjoyed playing a little longer. Oh well at least there's one left." He smiled slyly at the couch. "Wakey, wakey Mr. Harris." He lightly slapped the cheeks of the drunken man, leaving bloody hand prints behind. 

The drunken man peered up at him blearily.

Devril leaned forward and sniffed at the man's neck. Deep down below the nauseating smell of old liquor was that scent. That heady scent that was part of his Beauty. A slow evil smile stretched across his face. His hands ran down the older Harris' chest. He grabbed one of the man's nipples and twisted it viciously through the material. Harris' eyes shot open and he tried to shove the vampire off of his body. "Now, now don't be like that." The vampire said mockingly. "We're going to have lots of fun you and I. Well I'm going to have lots of fun anyway, and you're going to learn how many different ways to scream." The man had stiffened underneath him.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Half a world away an ancient demon paused in the act of packing a trunk to throw back his head and howl his pain out to the midday sun. There would be no return for the Lost One. His youngest daughter had died separated from her Clan. and no matter how much she hated him he still loved and missed her. All that was left as her legacy was his Grandson. In his heart he vowed that nothing would stop him from retrieving the boy for the Clan.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"I can't believe you made me walk through that. It was all ewwwwww. It's on my shoe. Get it off Spike. Now!"

Spike stopped in the middle of the street and pulled out a notebook. He flipped through it for a while leaving Xander to stare at him in bewilderment. "Nope. I can't find it in here."

"Find what?" Xander asked with growing suspicion. 

"No where in the Evil Vampire Handbook does it say anything about removing sewer slime from the feet of Happy Meals on legs."

Xander placed both fists on his hip and glared at the vampire threateningly. "And what does it say about boyfriends that won't give out when they're covered in sewer slime?" Xander raised on eyebrow.

"Hmmm." Spike started flipping again. He looked up at Xander. "It says right here that if you drag mortal boyfriends through the sewer you get to have all kinds of fun with them in the shower. And you get to trash another shirt."

"Spiiiiike! Why do you hate my clothes so much?" Xander bottom lip pouted out.

"Ahhh! the Lip. More dangerous then any stake. It wasn't me, I swear. It's on page 57 of the evil Vampire Handbook."

Xander giggled. "And here I thought that the Evil Vampire Handbook would contain important things like the fine art of medieval torture and such."

"Used to. This is the updated version on how to use evil to get the one you love naked. It's really very interesting. I'd let you read it but you have to be a union member."

Xander launched himself at Spike, wrapping his arms around the vampire's neck and his legs around his waist. Startled Spike let him hang there a moment before squeezing him tight with his own arms. Xander leaned in and fused his mouth to Spike's for a deep wet hot kiss. When he broke the connection between them Spike unconsciously followed his lips. 

"Thankyou." Xander breathed against his lips.

Spike quirked one eyebrow.

"Just for being there for me."

Spike's arms tightened convulsively. "I wouldn't 'ave been anyplace else luv."

"Xander!" A voice squealed.

Xander buried his face in the crook of Spike's neck. "Please, please tell me that isn't Buffy behind us."

Xander could feel the smirk spreading across Spike's face. "It's not Buffy." Spike said obediently.

"Oh good." Xander said ignoring the Slayer he knew was behind him.

"It's Buffy and Riley."

Xander swatted him across the back of the head as he slid to his feet. "I told you not to tell me that." Xander turned around reluctantly to face his audience. "Um Hi Buff."

Part Eleven

"Xander! You kissed Spike." Buffy shrieked.

Xander drew back slightly as the slayer strode up to him. "Um, yeah Buffy."

"No. You kissed Spike."

Xander felt his eyes rolling against his will. "Yeah Buff. I think we
covered that."

"Oh My GOD! This is just so great!" She shrieked again as she pulled him in
for a hug.

Xander stood stiffly in shock. His hands came up and he patted Buffy
uncertainly on the back.

Buffy drew back and punched Xander lightly in the shoulder. " After all the
griping you did about Angel this is just perfect. You're NEVER going to
live this down Alexander Harris. Whose dating the evil vampire now?" Buffy
practically crowed.

"And your okay with that?" Xander asked cautiously.

"He annoys the hell out of me but if you like him....."

"Hey!" Spike yelled.

"Oh Wait!" She shrieked again.

Xander and Spike looked at her with apprehension.

"Oh... This is so great!"

"What?!" Xander asked in frustration when she didn't say anything else.

Buffy's eyes sparkled with mischief. "If you love Spike and he loves you,
then that means you're like married..." she said leadingly.

Xander and Spike exchanged wild looks. "We.. We just got together." Xander
stammered.

Spike edged away slightly from the wildly grinning Slayer. The only time
she was ever that happy was when she was staking something.

"Well if you were like married....then Angel would be like your
father-in-law."

Xander just groaned and hid his head in Spike's shoulder.

Spike smirked, while patting Xander's head comfortingly. "It's not that bad
pet."

"Angel?!" Xander squeaked.

"So are you going to call him Dad. Cause I'd so like to see his face when
you do." Buffy asked gleefully.

"Aaargh." Xander gripped Spike's duster. "I'm sorry about this Spike, but
I'm going to have to break up with you. I mean Dru's Okay in a psychotic
kinda a way but Angel." He shook his head muttering under his breath.

"No way luv." Spike said grinning evilly. "You're not getting out of it that
easy. I mean we slept together and everything pet. If I have to put up with
the poof you do too."

"Arrrgh!" Xander groaned dropping his head back against Spike.

Spike patted him again. "You're repeating yourself luv." He pointed out
helpfully.

Xander lifted his head from it's hiding place on Spike's shoulder.
"Seriously though. Are you sure you're okay with this Buff. Willow told me
how freaked out you were by her and Tara." He peered at Buffy anxiously.

Buffy reached out to him. "It was the shock thing with Wills, and I was
kinda worried she was coming on to me you know. Um with you it's.."

"Stop right there." Xander said with a sharp edge to his voice. "I so hope
you're not going to say that you've always thought I looked gay."

Buffy grinned sheepishly, and then looked innocent. "Nope not going to say
it." She looked around. "It's Spike." She said accusingly. "I mean
comeon that hair just screams gay."

"Hey!" Spike yelled in outrage. "Just remember. I know where you live."

"Yeah you and what army Spike."

Spike growled at her.

"You going to gum me toothless."

"It's nice to know somethings don't change." Xander grinned at Riley.

He was shocked to see Riley with his hands clenched glaring at him.

"Riley?" He questioned taking a step closer to him as Spike and Buffy
continued to bicker. He lifted his hand.

"Don't talk to me." Riley jerked back from him his mouth twisted with
disgust.

"Riley?" Xander pressed his lips together. He hadn't expected this.

"Xander, luv." Spike was beside him. "It's best not to stay out in the open
like this."

Riley's face had blanked of any expression as Buffy and Spike came over.

"Sure." Xander said absently, walking toward Giles' house. Xander's eyes
strayed to Riley's tense shoulders. He'd have to corner him and find out
what was going on. His eyes drifted back toward Spike. He'd have to do it
when Spike wasn't around. Relations between Spike and Riley were already
strained. He didn't want Spike staked or Riley dead and the Slayer on
Spike's tail. Yep, it'd have to keep for later.

"What's up?" Buffy asked with concern.

"We 'ad a run in with a vamp, an old one." Spike answered. "The bloody git
knew the poof."

"Let's wait til we can tell everyone at once." Xander said, as they reached
the doorway.

"It's about time you got here." Giles exclaimed. "It's almost dawn. You
were supposed to come right back."

"Well," Xander answered "Thing didn't go quite according to plans."

"When do they ever?" Willow returned wryly from her place on the couch
beside Tara.

"Yes. Well everyone's here now. We can get down to business." Giles said
calmly.

"Before you gits get to gabbin' about what all. You need to 'ere what
happened to me and Xander."

"They're dating!" The Slayer broke in. "Slept together and everything!"

Everyone sat stunned for a second before Willow erupted.

"Xander!" She shrieked just like Buffy had. "This is so cool. We can
hang out and do like gay things together. There are these meeting at school
and everything."

Xander buried his head in his hands, to cover his burning face.

"I don't see what this has to do with the current situation. It's all well
and good that Spike and Xander are... umm.... friends and such but we have a
serious problem here." Giles harrumphed.

"That's not what I was talking about." Spike returned crossly as he glared
at Buffy. Bloody Slayer he thought with disgust. Can't keep her gab shut.
"When we got to the whelps place..."

Xander glared at him.

Willow cooed. "Oh that's so cuute. Pet names and everything."

Tara giggled.

Buffy snorted.

"Stop interrupting!" Spike returned crossly. "This is important." Bloody
bints! "When we got to Xander's" He glared back at Xander who looked a
little mollified, "the whole basement was covered in roses..."

"Ooooo how romantic." Willow cooed again.

Xander's face had been wiped of any of the merriment that had been peaking
out through his eyes.

Spike wished for a second that he could wrap his arms around the boy, but he
settled for glaring at Willow instead. "I didn't send them! The pillow was
covered with black roses."

"A vamp." Buffy growled.

"Yeah the Bloody thing came right in after us. Real old like. Probably
older then the master. We escaped to the crypt but it followed us there.
Been stalking Xander for some time. We were inside. It was out, pounding on
the fucking door. We heard someone scream and Xan insisted we check up on
it."

"So we opened the door, and the thing killed someone right in front of us.
Went on and on 'bout how bad he was and how we should just give up and all.
Real into himself the bloke was. Xan here got out of him that his name was
Devril and that he'd known the poof. Said that he'd tried to get Xan when
he was a babe or something. Sounded like the great poof stopped him
somehow. We might wanta call 'im up."

Spike leaned back and lit a cigarette. He looked at Xander sadly for a
moment. "Looks like the pet 'ere's who the prophecy's about." He said
solemnly.

"Hmmm." Giles' murmured. "I think we might have two separate problems
then. Do put that out Spike. You'll stink up the house."

"As if one's not enough." Buffy muttered.

Spike shrugged and snuffed the cigarette out by pinching the end of it.
"Why's that peaches?"

"Well, I got the fax while you were away and Xander definitely not who the
prophecy is talking about."

"You seem pretty sure." Spike leaned forward slightly.

"So basically you're saying that Xander's gotten us into another problem
when we already have enough to begin with." Riley said snidely.

Xander gasped quietly.

Spike hissed in anger turning toward Riley.

"Riley!" Buffy said incredulously.

Giles had straightened up, glaring at the soldier. "Xander is not
responsible for the actions of a psychotic."

Riley wilted a little under the combined glares.

"Yes quite." Giles returned his gaze to the others. "As I was saying,
according to the prophecy the person would have to be a girl. That would
eliminate Xander quite nicely." He looked down at a sheaf of papers and
fiddled with his glasses slightly. "It sounds like it might refer to Buffy,
but some things don't fit." He peered at it again.

His audience shifted slightly while his attention remained firmly fixed on
the papers.

Xander rolled his eyes slightly at Spike. "Well why don't you read it out
loud. Maybe we can help figure it out."

Giles' glanced up at them. "Oh, yes. Quite right then.

Darkness shall stalk the night
and at the lips of one of the Master's many mouths
a woman twice descended from madness
And fathered by chaos
Shall bear forth a child to enkindle the world

Moments from birth the light will gaze upon death
And be delivered by an angel
And the light will grow
And be beloved by both human and demon alike
Be possessed by nature's strength and man's cunning
And shall shut up the mouth of Hell

But the endtime will come
And the light shall merge with a child of Darkness
And the light shall bear forth shadows
And the shadows will master both night and day
Only the eyes of Darkness shall discern the light

"What the bloody 'el does that mean?! Just once I'd like to se a prophecy
that just came right out and said what it meant instead of all this
gobbledygook."

"Yeah I'm all for that." Agreed Buffy. "So it means what? Are the darkness
and the light thingamabob going to duke it out or something? I mean if I
wanted to fight darkness I'd just get a floodlight or something." Buffy
cracked her gum.

God Xander thought can she be anymore of a blonde bimbo. Bad Xander! She's
doing the best she can.

"You're missing the point Buffy the prophecy is speaking metaphorically."

Duh! Thought Xander.

"The darkness the prophecy speaks of has to do with the vampire creation
myths, which you would know if you ever bothered to read Hothgarth's
Treatise on Vampire Legends liked I asked you."

"Oh IO remember this." Willow blurted practically dancing in her seat
because she had the answer. Isn't Darkness another name for Kaell, the
father of all vampires. He's supposed to walk the earth every thousand
years or so, and if the slayer isn't there or something then he'll bring
Hell to earth."

"Yes Willow. You are quite correct." Willow settled back down with a
slightly self satisfied smirk.

"So it's my job to kick this Kaell's butt and send him back to Hell."

Spike felt the growl rumbling up through his mouth even though he tried to
stop it. He felt like the slayer was threatening his family. He shook his
head. He had never even met this Kaell. Why was he acting this way?

He felt a hand touch his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Xander staring
at him worriedly. Even Giles had drifted closer to him. "I can't do that."
He said "I don't understand it but I can't help you with that."

"It's alright Spike." Giles said soothingly. "This incantation of Kaell
was already destroyed about eighteen years ago. It was one of the times
where the watcher didn't have the option of just watching. About twenty
watchers and the slayer died that night."

"And Kaell." Spike felt his demon wailing.

"And Kaell." Giles confirmed. "Historically speaking the first few
centuries after Kaell's death are rife with all types of danger. It is well
known among the demon population that prophecies with Kaell's name in
usually come about around the times of his death, which is why the counsel
is so certain that this one will come true."

Willow interrupted. "I don't understand this though. It says that the
person the prophecy is talking about will be born on the hellmouth. That's
what the first part means doesn't it. When Kaell is alive that the child
will be born at the hellmouth, so wouldn't that mean it couldn't be Buffy.
The other part says the person who the prophecy talks about has to be
someone who helps close the mouth of Hell, so that would mean it would have
to be me."

"No it wouldn't." Giles countered. "It's probably a slayer. The strength
of nature and man's cunning thing points to it. This isn't a well known
fact but all slayers are born on a hellmouth somewhere."

"You're kidding right." Xander exclaimed. "I thought there was only one
Hellmouth."

"No pet. There have been a lot of Hellmouths over the years. It wouldn't
matter if they were opened or closed."

"Yes quite. There are also are many place where the hellmouth will open in
the future. That piece of the prophecy is almost useless. Faith would fit
the prophecy very well. Insanity runs in her family. No one has been able
to decipher what the chaos part means, however."

"Well insanity doesn't run in my family." Buffy interrupted indignantly.

"Actually we don't know what runs in your family Buffy. Your mother was
abandoned in a church and adopted while she was still a baby. My friend at
the council sent that information along with the prophecy. actually when
you look at that part of the prophecy you are pretty much ruled out Willow.
Your family is distressingly normal."

Willow's brow puckered. "Well thanks I think."

"I don't see anything in this prophecy that says it has to be a woman. It's
probably Xander after all." Riley growled.

Spike glared at him.

"I think that is rather self-evident in the last section. It says that the
person in the prophecy or the light will merge with a child of darkness,
and bear forth shadows."

"So?!" Riley returned.

"Well normally only women can bear children Riley."

"What?!" "No Way, man?!" "Oh Yuck?!"

"The current theory is that the light will mate, for lack of a better term
with a vampire and have a human vampire crossbreed."

"Bloody Hell! There's no fuckin' way mate. Vampire's can't have children.
Their seed is dead."

"Well I'm sorry to break it to you but under very specific and unique
circumstances it is possible for a vampire to have a child."

Xander shook his head, and thought I have a really bad feeling about this.

""""""""""""""""""
Outside Giles' residence

The assassin leaned closer to the window and extended the eye of Kaell
toward
the glass. The lid to the eye snapped open and the assassin jerked in
response almost dropping it. The eye began to glow at first it was a dull
red but it brightened and yellow glints shown from deep within.

Part Twelve

"So don't leave me 'anging 'ere peaches. 'Ow the 'ell do 
Vamps have 
children. 'Cause I sure as hell have never seen any of them 
running around 
with the little anklebiters."

"Well strictly speaking not all vampires can have children and the 
children 
wouldn't be pure bloods anyway. The circumstances have to be 
rather 
specific, and ... um... well the people that they have children with 
would have 
to fall within a certain range of characteristics or the child wouldn't 
survive 
until birth. All in all it is very unlikely that a vampire would 
have a 
child."

"Oi, will you bleeding well just get to the point already. 
Everyone 
in this room has had sex at one time or another. I'm sure if you 
work real 
hard you'll find that you can actually say the word sex without rubbing 
a 
freakin' hole through your glasses."

Giles guiltily put his glasses back on his nose.

"Now I don't know anything about this bleedin' prophecy, but it 
don't seem 
very likely that the council would be that far off. That makes it 
pretty 
likely that one of your lot is going to end up fucked in more then one 
sense. It'd be better for them if they knew what in bleedin' 'ell 
was 
going on. So stop being a bloody poof and spill."

"Listen Spike. Just because you..."

"Giles held up his hand. "It's alright, Buffy. I 
hesitate to 
say this but Spike is quite right. Sometimes I forget that you are 
no 
longer children, so I'll endeavor to stop being a "bloody poof" and 
explain more 
thoroughly."

"You are right when you say that your seed is dead Spike. So 
too is a 
female vampire's egg. However, a vampire's blood has the property 
of 
reanimating the dead. So if you were to mix your seed or a females 
egg 
with your blood then they would become reanimated and gain at least part 
of a 
demon. Fortunately, a female vampire's womb is also dead, so it 
would be 
impossible for her to carry a child to term. Even if she did the 
baby 
would not age beyond an embryonic stage, because while a demon is 
able to 
reanimate a corpse it cannot cause the corpse to grow. 
Therefore the 
vampire genetic material needs the life-force of regular genes to 
actually 
develop."

"So you're saying that basically all a vampire would have to do to 
have a 
child is mix his blood and his seed and have sex with someone?" 
Willow 
asked.

Spike's eyes got very wide.

"No. It's not that simple it's also a matter of the vampire's 

partner. For instance the reason this prophecy is so unique is 
that 
physically there could never be a vampire human cross because human 
would not 
survive the first trimester. Vampire's are very violent by nature, 
even 
baby vampires. It is quite possible that the child would rip a 
human 
female apart from the inside out, without even meaning to. A 
normal baby 
kick could rupture the womb, and even if the baby was unnaturally 
still the 
mother would still die eventually from blood loss."

Spike's arms came around Xander almost crushing him. He 
buried his 
face in the side of Xander's neck and clutched at him 
convulsively. He 
steadfastly ignored the shocked looks he was receiving.

Xander's hands petted up and down Spike's back. "It's alright 

Spike. Listen to me. There's nothing wrong!"

"How can you say that? You heard what he just said."

"Yeah, I heard. I was worried too, but once Giles started 
talking I 
realized it can't be me."

Spike kept his head buried in Xander's neck. He shook it 
slightly.

"Spike. Spike!"

Reluctantly he raised his head.

Xander looked deeply into blue eyes ringed with yellow. "At 
first I 
thought it was me too. I thought it might be some freaky magic 
thing, but 
it's just simple biology, and in simple biology you need sperm and an 
egg. 
Believe me there were no eggs involved! I am not now nor ever will 
be 
pregnant Spike." Xander said with determined emphasis.

Spike pulled away rather awkwardly not meeting all those curious 
eyes. He tapped a cigarette out of a crushed package in an attempt 
at 
indifference. Xander politely ignored the way his hands 
shook. "You 
sure about that luv?"

"It's the one thing I am sure of Spike. I'm male. The 
rest is 
apparently subject to change on the hellmouth but I am male." 
Xander 
answered wryly.

"Then why the 'ell is flowerboy after you." They both smirked 
at the 
sound of Devril's new moniker.

Xander's smirk faded into a look of frustration. "Who knows 
what his 
problem is?! He could like my shirts or something. Or it 
could be 
Willow's right and I only attract Demonic psychos."

"Oi!" Spike growled at the last then his lips turned up into 
a 
smirk. "Well he'd have to be a bit of a psycho to like your 
shirts."

Both Xander's hand went to his hips as he glared at Spike. "I 
knew 
it. I just knew it. This is all some evil plot to destroy my 

wardrobe. He already managed to destroy two of them, 
Willow." Xander 
directed at the witch who was watching with a barely suppressed 
merriment. 
"We have to band together to stop his evil plot. Common Willow. 
Scoobies 
rule bad guys drool."

Spike snorted. "Well pet I can definitely see them drooling 
at you 
lot. I know I do." He leered.

"No comments from the peanut gallery. As I was saying one 
shirt died 
when he viciously ripped it from my body just before ravishing me. 
The 
second he sacrificed to the undergods of the sewer slime. We have 
to act 
now before I'm forced to go around shirtless."

Willow giggled. "I'm sure Tara and I can find a spell 
somewhere that 
will protect your wardrobe from the evil vampire bent on decimating 
them. 
Of course now that I know his aim is Xander nakedness I'll have to weigh 
that 
against defeating evil. Hmmmmm... I thought it over and the wardrobe 
goes."

"Willow!" Xander said in a shocked tone. "You would 
betray your 
duty as a force for good just to be a voyeur. Naughty, 
naughty 
Willow. The morals of kids today. See Tara not only do we 
have to 
defeat the forces of evil by saving my wardrobe we also have to save 
Willow from 
herself."

Tara ducked at being the center of attention, but grinned a little 
as 
Xander winked at her. "MM...Maybe I can lure her back to the good 
side by 
revealing the many hour of spell casting practice we w...would need 
to do 
the spell."

Xander broke into a big grin.

Willow just shook her head sorrowfully. "You're on your own 
Spike. I can't pass up practicing spells with Tara."

"Bloody Hell." Spike looked disgusted. "Another 
deliciously 
evil plan foiled by the Slayeretttes. I'll have to move on to plan 
B in 
the Evil Vampire Handbook." Spike started patting down his 
pockets. 
"If only I remembered where I put it."

"Well when you find it let me know." Giles said dryly. 
"I'm 
sure the council would find it of great interest."

Spike froze and then looked around innocently. "Did I say 
Evil 
Vampire Handbook? I'm sorry I meant to say Lamprey identification 
book. 
Yes that's what I meant. You know the little fishey things that 
cling to 
the sides of other fishey up North in the Great Lakes. They're 
great fish 
remind me of myself all sucking blood and such. Not really evil 
mind you 
but still my kind of fish."

"Can I just interject an ewwwww at this point? Only you would 
like a 
fish that sucks the life out of another fish. Hell only you would 
know of 
such a fish." Buffy commented.

Spike pouted. 

"Yes well. Let's do get back to the subject at hand."

"Which one?" Xander asked cheekily.

"That would be the imminent destruction of the world." Giles 
returned.

"Oh thaaat!" Xander replied. "Happens all the time 
around 
here. I want to hear about the blood sucking fish." Spike 
brightened. "I mean maybe vampires aren't as unnatural as we 
thought. I mean if bats do it and fish do it then maybe it's just 
the 
natural order of things."

Giles snorted. "I'll remind you of that the next time a 
vampire wants 
you for a meal."

Xander's pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Sorry Spike, from the 

position of the Happy Meal on legs, I'm going to have to side with the 
Blood 
Sucking Not of the Good team." He sniffed letting his lower lip 
tremble to 
demonstrate his sorrow.

"S'okay luv. I'll tell you all about the fishies when the 
parents 
aren't around."

Xander beamed happily at Spike.

Giles just shook his head.

"Yes well now that we have eliminated Xander from the running for 
mother of 
the year. We might want to get back to the prophecy. The two 
parts 
that alarm the watcher's council the most are the end of the first 
stanza 
and the last stanza. The first stanza ends by claiming that the 
mother 
descended from madness will bear forth a child that enkindles the 
world."

"How the hell does a normal human set fire to the world?" 
Muttered 
Riley.

"It is assumed that the light will open the hellmouth 
somehow. Hell 
is often associated with fire. You have to remember that the 
wording of 
the prophecy has been translated from the original demonic 
language. It 
was a very old language so it may not be an exact representation of 
meaning. It may mean to bring hellfire to earth. The last 
stanza 
seams to state that the child born of the light and a vampire will 
control both 
the light and day. The council fears that this means that both 
human and 
vampires will be brought under the domination of the child in question." 
Giles 
expostulated.

"Yeah well there're two problems with that. The first is that 
this 
will happen after the endtime. If the world has ended then there 
isn't 
much that is going to be happening. The second thing is that the 
prophecy 
states that the light will bear forth shadows. I catch that you 
think that 
means they're going to be half breeds but you missed that there are 
obviously 
going to be more than one of them. Shadowsss. Not shadow. So 
whoever 
it is, is going to have more then one child. The real question is 
what do 
we need to do to stop it from happening. I mean do we have to kill 
the 
light, or can we just stop the light from getting pregnant?" 
Xander 
asked.

"Well there seems to be two different branches that the prophecy 
can take 
just within the prophecy itself. One where the light destroys the 
world. The other where the world is brought under the control of 
the 
light's children."

"Again I have to ask is the latter necessarily a bad thing. 
Not that 
I'm all for one government or anything but I'd think that whether or not 
that 
was a bad thing would depend upon whether or not the children were 
bad."

"That's an interesting idea, Xander. The current school 
of 
thought in the council is that the first part of the prophecy will only 
come 
true if the second does not. In other words, if the children 
do not 
get to rule the world. If say the council was to kill the children 
then 
the light would destroy the world in revenge. Therefore the 
council has 
deemed it necessary to remove the light before she even becomes 
pregnant, thus 
saving the world."

"That's just wrong. You can't destroy an innocent just 
because you 
think they might cause problems in the future. That just make you 
evil." Willow broke in.

"Yes quite right, but the council is either unable or unwilling to 
see 
that."

"The problem is how can we fight this thing. It's so 
ambiguous." Willow murmured.

"If it wasn't for the councils obvious interference I would suggest 
a wait 
and see attitude. However in light of the threat they pose it 
behooves us 
to concentrate on discovering who the light is."

"I think that the last line offers a clue to that." Willow 
suggested.

"Yes Willow the council believes the same thing. When the council 
last 
defeated Kaell they kept both of his eyes. One was lost in the 
years since 
that fight but the council retained the other to test possible 
candidates. 
It is thought that the eye will in some way indicate who the light 
is."

Spike felt his stomach turn over. "So there's some blighter 
out there 
carting around an eye in the hopes that it will pop open or something 
when it 
gets near this light person. Bloody humans." He shook his head 
muttering. 
"Do the daftest things." 

"So we still need to find the assassin, and kick his butt."

Giles nodded. "Yes. Buffy we need to retrieve the eye from the 
assassin.

"Great I was beginning to think I wouldn't get to kick anyone's 
butt."

The slayerettes looked at each other and smirked.

Suddenly someone pounded on the door shaking it slightly. 
Everyone 
froze with the same look, expressions usually only dedicated to loud 
noises 
during the middle of ghost stories.

"E isn't going to knock on the bloody door." Spike said 
disgustedly 
as he stalked over to the door and wrenched it open. They could 
all hear 
Spike's frustrated voice when he saw who was at the door. 
"Great just 
what we needed to make this party complete, the bloody Poof." He 
stalked 
back to the couch leaving Angel to stand in the doorway.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
''''''''''''''''''''

On the far side of town in a ruin of a bar the assassin was 
approached by 
several hulking men. "The council sent us." The one in the 
front 
growled.

"Did they tell you what you were to do?"

"Told us to do what you said."

The assassin nodded. "There are seven people in the 
house. The 
thin bottle blond man is a vampire, but he has been fitted with a chip 
that 
makes him helpless. He's to be captured the council wants to study 
the 
technology and have a real live vampire to experiment on, but that is 
not the 
main objective to the mission. Each of the people in the house are 
to be 
tested and one of them is to be killed. One of the houses 
occupants is the 
slayer. She is dangerous shoot to kill. You are authorized to 
use any 
means necessary to accomplish the mission. All of the people in 
the house 
are expendable. You will however follow any orders I issue without 

hesitation. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. It will be our pleasure."

Part Thirteen

"Well can I come in? The sun will be coming up in half and hour." Angel 
stood right on the door stoop held in check by an invisible wall. 

Giles looked at him blankly for a moment and then said, "Oh yes of course. 
Do come in Angel. I'm just shocked to see you, here. Who's that with you?" 
Giles hovered at the edge of his living room wondering where he would stuff 
the new arrivals and when exactly it was that his house had become the Grand 
Central station for Heroes Anonymous. 

"Oh." Angel ducked his head a little when he realized he had again 
forgotten one of those pesky human rituals. "Um.. This is Doyle. He's half 
bracken demon." At Doyle's look he offered a half apologetic smile. "The 
Powers That Be use him as their connection to me. Doyle this is Giles, he's 
a watcher. You've met Spike." 

Doyle eyed the vampire warily. 

"This is Buffy. She's the slayer." 

Doyle gave a rather stiff nod to the girl who had caused his Angel so much 
pain. 

"This is Willow. She's a witch." 

Despite the tenseness of the situation Doyle felt his lips turn upward at 
the engaging grin the red head threw his way. 

"And this is Xander. I'm afraid I don't know the rest." 

Doyle could see the brown eyed boy was tense and ill at ease. He hoped the 
stress was because of what was going on and not his half demon status. 
Even though he was not at his best Doyle found himself drawn to the 
boy. "These're for you then. The Power's That Be wanted me to give them to 
you." Doyle offered the youth a long thin box full of red roses. He never 
expected the reaction he got though. 

He could smell the fear rolling off the boy and see the tremors that racked 
his body. The boy shook his head in negation and started to back away from 
the outstretched flowers. 

Suddenly Doyle found himself on the ground Spike sitting on his chest 
growling. His eyes were a piercing yellow and his fangs lowered. The roses 
had fallen to the floor and Doyle knew he was moments from death and he had 
no clue why. "What the 'ell do you think you're pulling?" 

Angel grabbed Spike and hauled him back off of Doyle "What do you think you 
are doing, Childe?" Angel's demon face had come out too. 

"He hurts what is mine he dies." Spike again lunged at Doyle only to be 
drawn up short by Angel again. This time though Angel had a rather bemused 
look on his face. It in combination with his game face looked rather weird. 
He absently confined the struggling vampire in his arms as he looked at the 
mortal boy who was still staring rather blankly at the roses. 

As Spike struggles grew more frantic Angel turned his attention more fully 
on the boy. He might not know all that was going on here but he was 
starting to put together part of the picture. He inhaled deeply. Yes even 
at this distance under the lingering odor of sewer slime he could smell it. 

His childe and this mortal had lain together. Recently too. It was more 
than that though. Something as simple as a good shag as Spike called it 
would not produce this dramatic a result. No it was definitely more. Spike 
had claimed this mortal. He was protecting his mate. 

Angel did not even try to reach through his childe's unreasoning fury 
instead he directed his voice to the only one who could snap him out of 
this. "Xander." He said softly at first. He glanced at the others and 
found that they were staring at Spike and him and ignoring the one actually 
in need. Doyle was pulling himself up off the floor. He then started to 
walk over to the frozen boy, but Angel yelled "No!" as Spike redoubled his 
attempts to reach the half demon. 

"Settle down, Spike!" Angel yelled in futile frustration. "Xander! I need 
you." He yelled a bit more sharply. Still no effect. With a great heave 
Angel moved his struggling childe closer to Xander. "Xander! Spike needs 
you." 

That seemed to break the boy's trance. Xander turned great big frightened 
eyes up to Angel. The master demon felt his heart melt at the mute agony in 
those eyes. Whatever it was it was not good. "Don't worry Xander." Angel 
tried to comfort as much as he could under the circumstances. "We're here 
and we'll deal with it, but I need you to help with Spike right now." 

Xander shook his head as if shaking off cobwebs and then stepped forward and 
touched Spike on the cheek. Almost instantly Spike stilled, his eyes drawn 
to the boy's. "Could you just hold me Spike?" The boy's eyes brimmed with 
tears. 

Angel allowed himself to be shrugged off by Spike as the vampire gathered 
the boy up and half carried him into the livingroom. Spike sank into an 
ottoman cuddling the boy on his lap. 

Angel smiled smugly, "Is there something you want to tell me Spike?" 

"Yeah, sod off." 

Angel looked at the others who were beginning to come out of their shock. 

Buffy bounced once, "Spike and Xander sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g." She 
grinned impishly at Angel. 

For once he found himself smiling back at her with an ease that had been 
long missing. "I got that much." 

"I don't understand you people. He just, in this house, turned into a 
raving 
maniac and you think that's okay. That Him and Xander dating is a good 
thing!" Riley bellowed into the room. "He should be taken out of here and 
staked!" 

Buffy swung on him. "No we don't think it's a good thing, but it 
happened..." 

Both Spike and Xander's heads popped up. Xander cringed a little. It was 
just too much he couldn't stand it if his pack rejected his mate. He didn't 
want to be outcast. He felt Spike's arms come around him in an almost 
viselike grip. His ribs creaked alarmingly. 

Angel was there though. He stood beside them, and Xander sighed a little 
knowing that there would be another pack that accepted him for what he was. 

"Spike lost control. It happens to everyone. We'll have to find a way to 
help him with it..." 

Xander felt himself sag limply against Spike when he understood what she 
had really been saying. His pack remained whole and they still thought of 
him as one of them. 

"Hell, I'd have lost it too if someone came in and handed you the very same 
thing that a demon had been using to stalk you with. I don't think many 
people would have been able to keep control after that. Listen Riley, we're 
all under a lot of stress right now especially with two problems to deal 
with. Let's just back off a little and chill okay?" 

Riley nodded sullenly, but glared quite openly at Xander. 

Spike growled quietly in response. 

Angel stepped in front of the duo drawing all eyes to him and shielding 
Xander from Riley. He did it without thinking only later realizing that at 
that moment he had accepted Xander as his childe also. "If someone would be 
so kind as to tell us what is going on here then maybe we could be of some 
help. I'm afraid the vision that sent us here was not very concrete." 

"What did your vision entail?" Giles asked the watcher in him coming to the 
forefront. 

Angel shook his head. "Not me Doyle." 

"So, Mr. Doyle what exactly did you see in your vision?" 

"I saw a fire. Not sure where, but Spike and this vampire were fighting, 
then the vampire took the lad here." Doyle pointed at Xander. "I didn't 
know who he was until I described him to Angel." 

"Y..You came here to save me?" Xander asked with his eyes wide. 

Angel swung around to look at the boy. "Of course I'd come to save you." 

"But...but I thought you didn't like me." Xander said in a small voice. 

In that instant Angel could see it. All this time the boy had been pushing 
and shoving against him with words and with actions because he thought that 
Angel didn't like him. 

Angel shook his head, and thought wryly he had mistaken the boy's antagonism 
for an overdose of testosterone but it was something even simpler. Xander 
didn't think he was loveable so took it upon himself to push people until he 
was proven correct. It was low self esteem, and the only way of fixing that 
was to keep telling and proving to the boy that he was important and he was 
wanted. 

Unfortunately, Angel couldn't see him getting much of that from this group. 
Angel thought briefly of his new found freedom in Los Angeles, it looked 
like this was going to be a longer trip then he had thought. 

"I've always liked you Xander. I've even admired your bravery. If it 
wasn't for you I'd probably be eating rats in a sewer somewhere. You've 
been here for each of the people in this room. There have been times when 
you've forced all of us to become more than what we thought we could be. 
You're very important to all of us." The boy looked a little shell shocked 
and Angel wasn't sure how much of this was actually getting through. 

"You do mean a lot to us Xander" Giles interrupted "that is why we need to 
talk 
about what's going on." Giles turned his attention to Angel, "We have two 
problems here. The first is that the council is afraid that a prophecy is 
going to come true right now. They think that the person who fulfills that 
prophecy is in this room, so they plan on sending an assassin to eliminate 
the 
possibility of the prophecy being fulfilled." 

"The second problem is that Xander is being stalked by an ancient vampire 
who has become obsessed with him. The vampire confronted Spike and Xander 
last night and killed a young man in front of them. The vampire in question 
keeps leaving roses for Xander everywhere." 

"Shit!" Doyle exclaimed in remorse. 

Xander smiled at him wryly. "It's no problem." He climbed off of Spike's 
lap and went into the hall. He came back with the box of roses and put them 
beside Spike's chair. Then he climbed back onto Spike's lap. 

"What'd you do that for pet?" Spike asked as he pulled him close. 

"Doyle said they were part of his vision, so they're important for some 
reason. Frankly just thinking about them still give me the willies but if 
they're important we keep them. Sorry I freaked out on you." He directed 
the last to Doyle. "It's just been a long night and this Devril is really 
getting to me." 

"Did you say Devril?!" Angel shot to his feet. 

There was a loud pounding at the door. Again everyone froze. 

Xander shook his head "It's light out folks. He's not out there." 

"Well look what happened the last time we opened the door." Spike commented 
as he glared at Angel. 

Giles merely sighed and got up to answer the door. There were two policemen 
at the door. "What can I do for you, officers?" Giles asked politely 
but with foreboding. 

"Is there an Alexander Harris here?" 

"Yes sir. What's this about?" 

The man didn't answer he just pushed past Giles into the room. 

Xander who was still perched on Spike's lap, leaned forward as soon as he 
heard the word officer. "Behave yourself Spike! No matter what! If 
there's a problem I don't want you in a jail cell with me. Work from the 
outside. Please." 

"Alexander Harris." The officer stopped in front of them, apparently 
knowing what Xander looked like. "You are under arrest for the murder of 
your parents. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that 
right, then anything you have to say can be used against you in a court of 
law." The officer had pulled Xander up and started cuffing his hands behind 
him. Xander's face had lost all color, and he reacted dumbly in shock. "Do 
you understand these rights as I have read them?" 

Xander looked at him his eyes wide. He nodded jerkily. 

Part Fourteen

Xander's wrist ached from where the cuffs cut into them. He was pretty sure that it wasn't common practice to keep the cuffs on when the prisoner was secured in the station. The room they have shoved him in was a very drab olive beigeit had two seats that faced each other across a long thin table. One wall of the room was covered by one of those large one way windows masquerading as a mirror. An officer he hadn't seen before stood at the end of the table leaning against the wall watching Xander with an onimous silence. 

That was alright with Xander he felt no real desire to converse with the squarely built man anyway. His mind kept rerunning that final heartrending shriek that Spike had emitted as the cops had pulled him out of house and stuffed him into the squad car. He had seen the vampire lunge for the cops even as Angel had wrapped his arms around his childe catching Spike as he fell in response to the chip. 

And when his mind wasn't dwelling on Spike it numbly poked over and over at the fact that his parents were dead. Dead... Murdered. No longer there. He wasn't sure how he felt. 

Xander felt his chin fall against his chest. 

How did he feel? 

How was he supposed to feel? 

They had been killed and Xander wondered why. Was it something he had done? He had this sickening feeling that it was. It reverberated through his being that Devril had been inside his house. He had total and complete access and Xander had not done anything to protect his parents. He had been so busy saving his own hide that he had left them to die. Just like he had been unable to save that boy in the cemetary. 

Guilt. Was that all he felt? An impersonal guilt that his own parents had been murdered. 

Xander rocked slightly wondering what kind of person that made him. He forced his mind back trying to remember some time, some connection. 

What did he really remeber about them? He knew some things about his Dad. He could remember times when his Dad had pulled him close. Hands that had actually comforted him or brought him brightly colored presents after they had been too harsh with him, but mostly he found that the image he had of his father was of him passed out in his own drool on the couch. 

His mother. Never. It seemed like she had always gone out of her way not to touch him physically. But she watched him. No matter what he did she watched him. Her eyes heavy on his back. Everything he did was under her scrutiny. It wasn't until he had been moved to the basement that he had finally found some measure of safety from her cold calculating eyes. 

But he had never seen any of the things that Buffy's mother had given her. Even Willow's parents with their constant absenteeism still managed to give her more love in a single day then he got in his entire life. 

Maybe that was all that had been left in his relationship with his parents, the guilt. 

Guilt that he had never been good enough. 

Guilt that he had never felt like he belonged. 

And now finally guilt that he had not been there for them, that he hadn't been able to save them. 

Xander's thoughts were shattered when the door to room he was in slammed open. Two burly detectives with grim determined faces pushed in through the door. On of them carried a stark white pad which he slapped down in front of the boy. 

The larger of the two detectives jerked his head aan the officer that had been waiting walked out of the door. The large man then leant down into Xander face and growled at him. "I'm going to tell you what's going to happen here kid. We know you're guilty. You know you're guilty, so what you're going to do you sick fuck is to write down exactly what happened and then maybe my partener and I won't trash your ass." 

Xander's mind to this moment to point out to him that it would be awful hard for him to write anything down with his hands cuffed. 

"Are you laughing at me boy?!? Do you think this is funny?!?" The meaty paw of the detective reached out and grasped the front of the boy's shirt hauling him up so his hips jammed painfully into the table. 

Again Xander's mind gave thanks that he wasn't any taller or the table wasn't any lower because if it was then he'd be in a remarkable amount of pain. 

The hand shook him back and forth. His head snapping limply with the force of it. 

Xander forced his body to remain relaxed. The soldier in him warning that to tense and to fight the pain would make it more real. His eyes fell shut and he remained loose waiting for the pain to start. 

"I suggest you refrain from striking my client or I will enter a suit on his behalf that will at the very least brankrupt this little town. I don't think that your superiors will be very pleased with you." 

"Who the hell are you and how'd you get in here?" The man holding Xander asked. 

"My name sir is Lindsey and I represent the firm of Wolfram and Hart. They sent me as Xander's council. As to how I got here your police chief was kind enough to escort me." 

The officers wrenched their eyes from the prefectly pressed lawyer to actually look behind him in the doorway. "What I want to know" The steely eyed man behind him asked "is what the hell you think it is that you are doing? Let him go immediately and undo those cuffs." 

Xander looked around in confusion and staggered as the detective let him go like he was a hot potatoe. 

"Both of you get the hell out of here immediately. You're off the case. Send Gary in. He's familiar with it." Xander could hear the barely contained disgust in the comissioner voice. 

"Why don't you take a seat young man?" The chief said kindly as he took in the youths shell shocked face. His gut was telling him that the boy didn't do it, but the fancy lawyer was making him edgy. 

Another detective hurried into the room. "I heard you needed me sir." 

"Yeah Gary. I'm afraid you're going to have to take over the Harris case. Are you familiar with it." 

Gary looked at the occupants of the room. "Yes sir." 

"Mr. Harris do you wish to press charges against detective matterson and Carmichael." 

Xander felt himself gulping. His head came up and he looked at the chief in confusion. 

Lindsey started to interupt with an answer but Xander held up his hand. 

"Listen no offense but I don't know you from Adam. I don't know who Wolfram and Hart are and I've never had a lawyer that I know of. I apprieciate what you did but I don't have any money to pay you and I don't know why you're here." 

Xander looked at the police chief again imploringly. 

The steel eyes softened at the boys look. "Listen son. You probably should retain council." The chief found himself shaking his head wryly at his reply. 

"The detectives.." Xander offered tentatively 

The chief nodded encouragingly. 

"I don't want to cause trouble but I don't want them doing this to someone else because I didn't do anything." 

"How about since they didn't actually get the chance to hurt my client," 

The chief gave the lawyer a glare for his presumption. He really didn't like this guy. 

"they be given a three day suspension with the addition of sensitivty training. Would that be acceptable for you Xander?" 

"Okay." The boy agreed softly. 

Lindsey sighed internally. The boy was still in shock so it would be easier to manipulate him. "Now as to the other matter. I assure you that my client is innocent." 

"Don't you think you might actually want to talk to your 'client' before assuring me of anything?" The police chief growled a little. 

Xander looked at him with hurt. 

Lindsey chuckled a little. "I may not know exactly what happened but I know of my client's character. He would not do such a thing." 

The soldier in Xander was questioning the whole thing. How did Lindsey know that he was here? How did he get here so quickly after Xander's arrest? What exactly was it that he wanted? And why the hell did he feel like Eve being offered the apple? 

Xander opened his mouth to enter the fray, but he was overoad by Lindsey. 

"We can clear this up very simply. At what time did the murders take place?" 

"The corerner determined that the time of death was about 4 AM for Mrs. Harris and Mr. Harris was about an hour later. They have dtermined that 
a man was responsible for the murders." The police chief's mouth tightened. The detective that he had called wisely refrained from trying to direct the questioning. 

"So where were you from about 3:30 to about 5:30, Xander?" Lindsey asked as if the answer was already known to him. 

Xander looked at him sharply. "We arrived at Giles' house around 1'oclock. Everyone was there." 

"Who's everyone and who is the 'we'?" Gary finally asked. 

Xander looked worried for a minute. Then he raised his eyes and looked directly at the officers. "The 'we' is Spi... I mean William and I." His eyes wavered for a moment then firmed. "He's my boyfriend." 

Lindsey looked startled, but covered it quickly. 

The Police Chief looked worried, and then asked gently. "Did your boyfriend have any reason to not like your parents?" 

Xander looked up startled. "No! Well maybe but he was with us at Giles." 

"Who all was there?" 

"Oh sorry. Um Buffy, Giles, Riley, Willow, Tara, William, and I. Then Angel and Doyle show up at dawn." 

The Police Chief chuckled slightly. "We'll need their last names also." 

Xander ducked his head in embaressment. "Sorry." He scrubbed his eyes. "A lot happened last night. We didn't get much sleep. That's Rupert Giles. He used to be the school librarian. Most of us have kind of been friend since then. Giles opened his house to us. Um it's Buffy Summers, Willow Goldstien, Riley Finn, I don't remember Tara's last name. They're all friends from college. Um William's last name is Bloody. Again I don't know Angel's or Doyle's. Friends of Buffy. Angel's a PI." 

The Police Chief looked a little confused then shook his head. "Do you know of anyone who wanted to hurt you or your parents?" He looked like he was considering something for a moment. "Someone who would leave eighteen red roses?" 

Xander started shaking in his seat. Some part of him knew it. Had known it from the moment that the police had shown up on Giles' doorstoop. But he hadn't wanted to accept it. A moan escaped his lips without his conscious control and the room blurred around him. 

When it steadied again big hand were ther holding him up pressing a cold glass to his lips. "Take small sips Xander." Xander focused stubbornly on the man steadying him. He shoved the glass away. 

"I'm okay." In contradiciton to his words his hand tightened briefly on the Chief's. "It all started yesterday when I turned eighteen. I found these roses outside the door eighteen of them in a long thin box. I guess it started before that. I kept getting the creepy feeling that someone was watching me but I couldn't see anyone so I thought I was just imagining it." For some reason the roses the Doyle had brought were burning in the back of his mind. Okay he thought to himself stick to the truth or at least as much as you can. Let them assume it's human. Edit out the dead body in the cemetary and actually talking to the vampire. 

"Everything will be alright Xander just go slowly." The Chief encouraged . 

Xander felt his hand come together in a death grip as he began his story. 

Meanwhile several silent figures began to surround a house across town, and Giles was about to receive several more unasked for visitors.

TBC