The Forevermore!verse

by
Amejisuto

4
Early In Forever

(S/X for Trading Verses Ficathon NC-17
by reremouse )

Author's Note: Here's my offering for the "Trading 'Verses Ficathon". This is written for amejisuto who offered her Forevermore!Verse

I tried my best to write amejisuto's vamp!Xander and Spike instead of S2AR's.

Xander kept his head tucked in against Spike's shoulder, breathing in deeply, the mingled scents of leather, desert dust, and Spike, as soothing and calm as the roar of the wind in his ears and the motorcycle beneath them was disorienting. "Where are we going again?"

It had taken Xander one hundred miles, just under one third of the distance between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, to learn that even above the roar of the wind, he didn't need to shout in Spike's ear to be heard. In a spot where the windmills turned, and the wind made Xander's newly-sensitized skin feel weirdly numb, Spike had pulled over the motorcycle, swung a leg off, and stood looking at Xander with his head tilted to one side.

"Why're we stopping?" Xander had started to swing a leg over the bike too, when Spike stopped him.

"Budge up," Spike had said, shoving at Xander's hips until he scooted along the seat, then swung onto the bike behind him. "You're gonna drive."

"I don't know how to drive a- ohhh, okay," Xander had said, leaning back into the nice, nice teeth that were nibbling patterns along his neck.

"Just like ridin' a bicycle."

"Pretty sure nobody had their hands down my pants when I rode my bicycle." Xander had bitten his lip, gripping the handlebars nervously. "Except Jesse. Um. Once."

Spike's teeth had closed over Xander's earlobe, and given it a tug then. "Drive, pet."

Xander had, and he'd even driven pretty well, until Spike had gotten around to making his point, shouting directions for the next turn-off into Xander's ear. Loudly. And Xander had run them off the road and into a stand of scrub brush, ears ringing.

He hadn't shouted in Spike's ear since, but he had learned that Spike could drive just fine with Xander's hands down his pants.

Coming back to himself, Xander realized that Spike had answered, and he'd missed it. "Um?"

"Weren't listening, were you?"

"No?" Xander asked, snuggling up in a way he hoped was appealing enough to convince Spike to repeat himself. Fortunately, that hadn't been difficult so far. Even if Spike hadn't been too upset over getting to Sunnydale too late to save Xander's life, and too relieved to have Xander ali-

Well, okay, not-completely-dead, to-

Xander's train of thought suffered a derailment as he lost his place. The point was that Spike was taking it easy on Xander because he was glad Xander was there, and knew first hand what it was like to wake up suddenly and utterly overwhelmed by senses so acute that his eyes and ears and skin burned with them.

*Shit. Missed what he said again.* Xander smiled his best goofy smile at Spike and hoped it was cute enough for Spike to say it one more time.

Spike sighed, pulling the bike over again, twisting in his seat, and cupping his hands around Xander's face, thumbs pressing in beneath his cheekbones as he gave Xander's head an affectionate shake. "Pay attention this time, my little spaceman. We're collecting a debt from a mate of mine in Vegas."

"Vegas?" Xander looked around the nearly deserted highway.

"Haven't been paying attention, have you? See the glow in the sky where we're headed?"

"Uh. Yeah." Because to Xander's new, and improved senses, it could have been the Northern Lights.

"That," Spike said, "is Vegas. Vamp paradise it is. 24 hour service, and loads of people who'll never be missed till we are long gone." Spike nipped at Xander's full lip, silencing his protests. "And loads of cheats, murderers, and nasty folk just waiting for you to learn to make a meal of 'em."

Xander caught in an unnecessary breath, pushing up closer to Spike on the motorcycle, because the thought of biting people shouldn't make him hard, but honestly, it made him want to find one now then have lots and lots of sex with Spike. Xander dropped his head to Spike's shoulder with a shudder and felt Spike shake with a chuckle.

"Meets with your approval, does it?"

Xander's fingers dug into the leather of Spike's coat. "Spike..." Okay, and thinking too much about food was bad. He was so hungry. Well, Xander had been hungry and horny all the time as a human too. Hello, teenaged hormones! It just seemed unfair that when he was hungry and horny as a vampire, he couldn't think of anything else.

Spike's fingers slid back and forth along Xander's arm, soothing. "Shh, pet. Shh. It's all right. Hard to think of much else yet, innit?" Spike waited until he felt Xander's nod, then gave his hands a squeeze, returning to grasp the handle bars and pull back onto the freeway. "We're only half an hour out yet. We'll stop by one of the off-strip dives and find you a little something. Yeah?"

Xander nodded again, pressed his face into the smell of smoke and leather and Spike, and held on.

---

Xander had expected the lights of Las Vegas to be the hardest thing to deal with. The lights, and confusing glare of colors never seen in nature. And if not the lights, then the noise, noise of a thousand thousand heartbeats, clattering slots, dealers with their rapid-snap patter.

But what he hadn't even imagined, hadn't even counted on was the heat and scent.

Scent of thousands of bodies, blood, and spice, and soap.

And hope and misery and lust, greed, excitement, need. Sharp and warm and rich and rotten until Xander had to remember that he didn't need to breathe, and stopped, but still, the pheromones and emotions crawled over his skin like a tide of bugs, and he wanted to cling to Spike, but what kind of embarrassment would he be if he couldn't even stand in a hotel lobby without clinging to Spike's leather coat tails?

They'd passed a poker table on the way through that first casino, cheap and ugly, but one man, one fat, hideous, balding sweaty man in a shirt even Xander wouldn't have worn was one card away from a royal flush with a pile of chips on the table bigger than his head. The pounding of his heartbeat and the waves of lustful greed and pure pheromones emanating from him had left Xander staggering, dizzy, salivating.

Then Spike had caught him, warm strong arms around his waist, cold lips against his ear. "Want that one, pet?"

Xander'd only been able to shake his head, gasp something about feeding only on the evil that made an old woman at the nearest slot machine glare at him.

But Spike hadn't been done. "Oh, he's evil pet. That one. Can smell half a dozen whores on him."

"N-nothing wrong with that in- in-"

"And their blood," Spike had finished. "Smell."

As if the command had a direct line to his brain, Xander had drawn in a deep breath, and there beneath the excitement, the greed, the stench were a dozen sweet spices, laced with a heady richness that made Xander's head spin.

"Want him?" Spike had asked again.

And all Xander could do was nod.

They'd caught up with him in a room that stank of cheap gin and cigars, and smelled like Xander's father, which he wasn't going to think about, and Xander had never dreamed that a man like that would taste so good.

He'd come to himself on his hands and knees beside the body with Spike removing the man's poker winnings from his wallet and pulling Xander to his feet. "Good, wasn't he?"

"I need a shower," Xander gasped, though his tongue was still darting between and behind his teeth, greedily chasing down the last dwindling drops of that rich thick blood.

Then Spike's tongue had shoved his aside, claiming the last drops for his own until Xander's lips tingled and his groin throbbed, and everything seemed so bright with odd halos around the edges, and he wished he could see himself in the mirror, sure he looked drugged out of his mind.

But Spike had only laughed, brushed away a drop of blood from Xander's lips, and half led, half carried him out of the room. "Our lad back there is treating us to the high life while we're here, pet."

Xander hadn't understood what Spike meant until they pulled onto a long, curving drive to the splash and roar of fountains and Sinatra, and Xander had been bundled off the motorcycle and into a world of spun glass flowers, white columns, and gilt edges...everywhere.

"Smell that, pet?"

Spike's voice wound through Xander's senses the way Spike's arms wound around his waist, and Xander drew in an obedient breath, overwhelmed by sweet and spicy and green and wet beneath the ever present scents of sweat and blood and human lusts. "What is it?"

"The conservatory." Spike rested his cheek against Xander's.

Xander was aware, distantly, of some people looking at them in wariness, curiosity, disgust - but all he could feel was smug - *Mine.* - and lean back against Spike possessive and possessed - and, oops, distracted again. "Huh?"

Spike chuckled against his ear. "Got a dreamer, have I? That's the conservatory. Thousands and thousands of flowers in bloom, all year 'round. Took Dru here when she was ill. Spent all night sitting with the flowers. Talkin' to them." Spike paused thoughtfully, but all Xander could think about was the slow rub of Spike's thumb just beneath his ribs. "Eatin' them too," Spike finally admitted. "The flowers. Well, and the security guard they sent to stop her eatin' the flowers."

"That's - that's not gonna get us in trouble?" Xander tried to twist in Spike's grasp unsuccessfully, so went back to leaning against Spike's body.

"You planning to snack on the posies?"

"Uh. No."

"Then no trouble." Spike spun Xander around, claiming his lips in a swift, bruising kiss, then released his waist for his hand and dragged Xander into the chaos of the casino and kept a very tight grip every time Xander swayed hypnotically towards the soon to be winners.

He was just leaning in to the nape of a woman at the slot machines who smelled so delicious when Spike jerked him upright, and Xander realized that they were faced with a bank of mirrors, floor to ceiling, and that he and Spike were standing in the one spot they didn't reflect. "Rules of the road, pet. Don't feed in your home, no matter how good it smells, and pay attention to the bloody mirrors," Spike murmured under the guise of kissing Xander's cheek, then inserted a golden room key into the little lock next to the elevator.

"Wasn't gonna," Xander mumbled, leaning into Spike's grasp, still feeling the tight fullness in his belly after gorging on Mr. Poker Winnings. It just all. Smelled. So. Good. Xander nuzzled into Spike's neck again, wondering if this was just a vampire thing or his teenaged brain taking 'necking' to new levels. Wait. Key. Elevator? "No elevator buttons?"

"Not for the penthouse, luv." Spike said, slipping the key back into his pocket. "Buttons are for the lower classes, see."

"For a guy who works so hard at sounding like Johnny Rotten, you're really a snob."

"Sid Vicious," Spike corrected, guiding him into the gilt (*surprise, surprise*) elevator, and shutting the doors before anyone could get in with them and recognize their lack of reflection.

Xander closed his eyes as he realized that the sick feeling of the elevator going up was also stronger now than it had been when he was a human, and he dizzily clung to Spike, the rest of the way to the room passing in a blur of stumbling steps, pine fresh cleaning fluid on every shining surface, and the perfume of a refined, distilled, concentrated greed. Those who had money, and fully intended to get more.

Then Spike was putting his key in another lock, opening the room to a world of muted colors and scroll-backed chairs, plush carpets, and- okay, it looked like somebody's living room. Xander didn't want a living room. He wanted a bed.

Or was it a shower?

He swayed on his feet, trying to think around muzziness like he hadn't felt since he was possessed by the hyena, full on a belly of pig-

Which actually didn't disgust him as much as it used to.

"Where's the bed?"

"Thought you wanted a shower, pet."

Oh. So it had been the shower he wanted. Xander lifted a sleeve to his nose, sniffing, then reeling from the stink of gin, and smoke, and the rank rot of blood that'd gone off, but- "Tired," he muttered, sagging against Spike as it all caught up with him, the tingling of his skin left so sensitive by the wind on the trip from Los Angeles that it was like a sponge to the noise that vibrated the very air of Las Vegas and every confusing scent put off by the humanity below.

"Overwhelmed," Spike answered, kissing the point where Xander's neck tapered into his shoulder, the point that still tingled from that bite in the hospital and made Xander stiffen every time.

Xander yelped as Spike picked him up, flailing for a grasp as his mind told him that Spike was too small to- to-

"Vampire, pet."

Xander folded his arms. Spike didn't have to sound so amused at his panic. But it was nice not having to walk all the way to a bathroom, wherever it was in the blur of gold and cream and peach that was their - *oh. Suite. Penthouse...suite? God, it's boring.*

Feeling Xander's snort against his neck, Spike glanced at him. "What's got you all derisive, pet?"

"People pay for this kind of decoration?"

"S'not the decor people pay for, luv." Spike set Xander briskly on his feet, stripping off his clothes with methodical swiftness until Xander was rubbing mindlessly, soft skin against rough denim and old leather. Spike chuckled, holding him back. "Thought you were tired pet."

"Huh?" Xander asked, confused until Spike gently eased him away and down onto a little brocade-covered stool that scratched at Xander's too-sensitive skin, and he squirmed.

"Stay," Spike ordered, but gently, sitting on the rim of the enormous tub and letting it fill as he stripped off, pale cream and gold to match the decor of the room, and okay, maybe boring wasn't the word to describe that color combination.

At least not on Spike.

If only he could...keep his eyes open long enough to appreciate it and-

Xander mumbled a protest as he was lifted again, and carried into the warmth and stillness of the bath, letting out his breath and sinking beneath the water, eyes closed, and his head in Spike's lap.

And only then was there relief from his senses as all became still, and warm, and calm, and quiet. Xander's last breath bubbled out of him in a sigh, and he nuzzled his way into the skin where Spike's thigh joined his hip, wrapped his arms around his *lover, sire, Spike*, and wanted. Parted his lips, and took him in, the water tasting of chlorine and chemicals, but giving way quickly to the taste of Spike as Xander sucked, feeling the slow, cool swell of Spike's cock growing erect, but no pulse.

No throb that he remembered so well, just cool and quickly-hard flesh filling his mouth, filling his throat as all of his other senses had been shut down, shut out by the warmth and weightlessness of the water, and Xander moaned around Spike's flesh, tongue sweeping hungry licks of warming flesh that tasted like new pennies and musk.

Throat stretched, scalp tingling with the scratch and scrape of Spike's painted fingernails, senses closed down but for the warmth and touch and swell of Spike's thrusts, Xander closed his eyes, and drifted, and let himself be tenderly, gently, lovingly used, and for the moment at least, free of the chaotic, dizzying blare of the demon's senses.

Safe.

Wanted.

Full belly, full throat.

And loved.

5
Cat's Eyes

Xander pouted at his Sire as the other man sat back on the couch and laughed his ass off at him. He couldn’t help it!! Since being turned things just looked so different to him. He understood what cats looked at when they stared at what looked to be nothing for one. There was a whole world of dust motes and bits of fuzz that floated and caught the light.

This time though it was the glint of light off of Spike’s new watch. Well, almost new. It had been new to the man who had though Xander a runaway and had tried to “help him find a place to stay for the night”. They had taken the watch after he’d been drained. Gold Rolexes didn’t fall off trucks after all.

It would catch the light from the lamp and shine on the wall or reflect off of the mirror above the dresser in the hotel room and jump around. He couldn’t help but follow how it moved.

Of course Sire had noticed, and moved it around on purpose a few times before bursting out in laughter, pointing his finger at Xander and spluttering “kitty!” between gales of laughter.

He pushed out his lover lip and crossed his arms. He hadn’t done it to be amusing. The spot of light just moved so fast and it was fun to keep his eyes on it. He’d been bored; there was nothing worth watching on the television. Well, Spike had been watching something, Xander wasn’t sure what it was other than boring.

“M’sorry for laughing pet, but you were being so cute!”

“You said vampires weren’t cute Sire, so that means you’re laughing at me.”

Before he could stomp his foot Xander was dragged into his Sire’s lap and petted. “Sorry Xan, luv, but normally vampires aren’t cute. Just think, was Angelus ever cute, or any of the minions you used to stake?”

Xander shook his head and then hid his face in his Sire’s neck, inhaling his scent as deeply as possible.

“No, eh? But you, my Childe, my dearest, are defiantly cute. Never seen a fledge have fun with anything other than blood and guts or fucking before. It makes me happy Childe, because that means you’re still you. And not many vamps pay attention to what they’re seeing, all right?”

“Okay, I guess. Make it up to me Sire?”

6
Lost Souls In The Hunting Ground

Xander slid into the booth in the back of one of the classier bars in Cleveland and grinned at the human sitting there. “Hey, G-man! What's shaking?”

Giles rolled his eyes. “One would think you'd get tired of that insipid nickname after a certain amount of time. And dare I ask where your evil half is?”

Xander grinned, and purposely let his true face show for a moment. “Right here, but if you're talking about Spike, he's scaring drinks out of the bartender.”

“Dear Lord. I can see I'm going to have to avoid this pub for a few weeks. Why I didn't ask to meet you in some place I'd rather not show my face, I have no clue. Wal-mart comes to mind.”

Xander snorted. “Please. Like vampires hang out in Wal-mart. We may be evil, soulless creatures but we do have some standards.”

It felt good, to be bantering with his old friend again. After his death the girls just didn't think he was still Xander. He didn't have the soul of their old friend so what few times he'd met up with Buffy and Willow they were, well, scared to death around him, actually.

It made the demon inside him purr. And the Xander inside him a little sad.

Giles, though, Giles still treated him much the same. Oh, his old mentor liked it better if Xander showed up without his Sire for a visit but didn't expect it. Giles even had asked Spike and him for help the year before when the First Evil had tried to take over the world. It had been fun in a way; they were both allowed to terrorize baby slayers in the name of “training”. Xander had even gotten a good bite of Willow's new girlfriend. She tasted awful, like bad bubble gum, though. He'd had to wash his mouth out with JD for an hour.

“Shove over, pet, you're taking up half the booth. Gonna have to stop hunting for muggers outside McDonald's, Xan. You’re getting too much cholesterol in your food.”

Xander laughed but looked under his bangs to see how Giles liked the idea of his hunting but, as usual, there wasn't any sign of condemnation. If anything, there was a slight bit of amusement.

“Right, Spike, just as soon as we stop catching the guys holding up liquor stores and you stop trying to get the liquid 'thanks' of the owners.”

Giles opened his mouth and closed it before speaking again. “As much fun as this is, I am here on business. Official business.”

Xander stilled and Spike growled. They had been opposed to the idea of making every Potential a Slayer, and not just because that meant there were more Slayers running around attempting to stake them. It had just seemed sort of wrong, like an imbalance of power or something.

Giles straightened the glasses on his face and continued. “Yesterday I was contacted by an old associate of mine, a Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. I believe I told you of him; he came to Sunnydale not long after...”

Giles made a vague motion with his hand and Spike snorted. “Not long after my boy kicked the bucket, eh? Remember you talking about some ponce of a Watcher that nearly wet his pants and then went on to help Peaches in his quest to prance about LA making it safe for children, puppies and various damsels in distress.”

“Yes, well...as you know, Angel made some sort of deal with the law firm of Wolfram and Hart last year. Part of that was the amulet that he used to seal the Hellmouth. Since then Wolfram and Hart have come under new management. Angel was... resurrected, and is now the leader of the Los Angeles Branch. His former associates, including Wesley, now run the firm. From what Wesley told me, they feel they can work the system to their advantage.”

Both he and Spike growled at the thought of Angel running around yet again and Giles paused and fiddled with the drink that he had long since abandoned. “I have great doubts about this. Corruption in an organization such as that is much like a cancer in the body. Unless it is totally cut out and extreme measures are taken, the cancer cells will eventually invade the healthy ones.”

Xander nodded. “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

“I want to know what the fucking hell we have to do to get rid of that soddin' bog-trotter!! Do we fucking well have to tattoo 'Do Not Return' on his fucking forehead?! We made sure the bastard was shoved into hell the first time. Shame we didn't get to see his roman candle impression the second.”

“Yes, well, I must admit that I am rather worried. Still, back to the issue. Wesley called to inform me that they have what appears to be a Slayer who is rather, well, psychotic. Apparently Angel was able to view tapes where the girl, Dana, spoke in tongues and said something about being a Chosen One. By all reports she has the strength and speed that is characteristic of a Slayer, so...”

“We get it, G-man. If it walks like a psycho Slayer and talks like a psycho Slayer... Why tell us, though?”

Giles sighed. “Ideally, we would send a Watcher and a team of Council members in, track her down and provide for her care ourselves. That is difficult to do. For one thing, with most of the Council dead the only person I could send is Andrew and I wouldn't send him to LA for a cucumber sandwich, much less a possibly ill Slayer.”

Xander grinned. They hadn't had much to do with the little guy while in Sunnydale. Mostly the Potentials and the two vampires met in a warehouse to train because Buffy refused to invite them into her home. But what contact he did have, Xander had enjoyed tormenting Andrew. Between jumping out of dark corners at the boy and taunting him for having a better Star Trek collection despite the fact that he was dead, Xander had very nearly given Andrew a heart attack more than once.

“So why'd you call us, Watcher? We're not Council.” Xander had to grin as Spike pulled out a cigarette and lit up, despite being almost directly underneath a No Smoking sign. That was his Sire.

“No, but of all the various people I know, and I am using the term people rather loosely, you are the one person that has had any success in tracking down Slayers. I cannot in all conscience send in the older Watchers with the newer Slayers; they haven't worked together in teams long enough. Plus, while I would rather the girl be brought in alive, and unharmed I might add, I do not care to have any deaths on my hands. I feel that, between the two of you, you should be able to subdue her. The Council has more funds than people at the moment so you will be suitably rewarded. At the risk of sounding as though I don’t trust the two of you, there is a substantial bonus in it for you if she is brought back alive, if at all possible. Of course, I do not expect you to give up your lives for it.”

Spike leaned back and put his arm around Xander's shoulders. “Well, now. Is this a one time thing then? Or is it something else?”

Giles waved one of the waitresses over for another drink. “While I would like to believe that this is a one time happening, it would be naive. We have no way of knowing just how many young girls and even women were gifted with Slayer powers. Hopefully, in time I will be able to have a system in place to help any and all Slayers, however, for the moment I cannot allow a psychotic Slayer to run rampant.”

Xander wriggled in his booth. He really didn't have a problem with the idea. For one, hunting a slayer would be fun, even if they couldn't kill her. But his Sire, well, he didn't like helping Giles without incentives. And while Xander was all for hour long blow jobs, getting Spike to willingly work with Angel would take a lot more. “And you're trusting Angel to help us?”

“To tell the truth, I don't know what to think. That is another reason to send the two of you. I sincerely doubt Angel will try to manipulate you to his advantage, and even should he try I trust the two of you to...”

“Kick his fat arse all the way to Cleveland?” Spike looked interested. “Let me get this straight: you're gonna pay us to hunt a Slayer, and we get to bother Peaches all at once?”

“Yes, well, if all goes well I might actually ask the two of you to stay in the area to keep an eye on Angel. I am concerned that his new position will make it easier for Angelus to re-emerge.”

Xander tried not to bounce or give his Sire his Vampire Puppy Eyes (tm). He tried only to use the Eyes for important things. Not that this wasn't important but he'd already used them to get Spike to leave Detroit to come to Cleveland and he didn't want to push it.

But is sounded like so much fun!

But Spike didn't let him down. “Right, then. When do we leave?”

******

“This is where Angel works? It's all nicely landscaped and everything.”

Spike laughed. “What? Did you think an Evil law firm would look more oppressive or something. You should know by now that Evil likes to look pretty; it catches all the young boys off guard.”

Xander grinned. “You sure did catch me off guard, and you're very pretty...”

Spike grabbed him by the neck and started dragging him into the building. “Gonna pay for that, Childe! When you least expect!”

“Ooh! Goody! Gonna whip me within an inch of my life, Sire?”

“Fuck, no. You’d enjoy that too much. Gonna make you sit and watch movies with the little ponce, Andrew.”

As they entered the building the whine Xander gave was genuine. “Sire!! NO!! He gives Sci-fi fans a bad name! If I'm seen with him everyone will think I'm that much of a loser! And if I kill him, I'll get cooties!”

“Cooties? Whatever, Childe. Be good while we're talking to the Brooding One and I might just forget about it, then.”

Xander mimed zipping his lip, since if he were to say anything it would be to giggle at his oh-so-British Sire saying “Whatever”, and that would get him more Andrew-torture.

They went up the elevator and walked out to the receptionist’s desk and there was a blond vampire sitting filing her nails with her back to them. Xander rolled his eyes at that. In his mind, he envisioned an undead version of a Carol Burnett skit.

“Oi! A little service here, luv!” Spike rapped on the desk and the secretary spun around on her chair and Xander realized it was worse. It was Harmony.

“Hey! No need to be rude! I'm already here working overtime! Now, what can I do for...Xander Harris! I thought you were dead!”

Xander rolled his eyes. “I am dead, Harmony. So are you.”

“Hmpf. Around here the boss prefers us to use the term Non-Breathing American, thank you!”

Spike growled and reached over the desk and grabbed Harmony by her throat. “You're gonna be a dusty American in a minute, you stupid little bitch. Tell Angelus that we're here to take care of his Slayer problem.”

Just then the door opened and they all heard Angel bellowing. “HARMONY! Where's the--”

Xander flinched. He didn't like Angel at the best of times, but meeting up with him in an Evil Lawyer's office while the older vampire was screaming just made him nervous. He might have been dead for six years but he was still too young to take on a vampire of Angel's age and that made him jumpy.

Spike, though, just grinned. “Ta, luv. We’ll just go right in.”

His Sire caught the door as it was closing and Xander followed along. Now that he was here, annoying Angel didn't seem like such a good idea but it was too late to back down now. Xander followed and tried to keep his true face from showing. He wouldn't shame his Sire by showing fear or apprehension.

But alive or dead, he really hated Angel.

“Shut your pie hole, Angelus. We've come to pull your fatty ass out of the fire once again.” Spike stalked to the middle of the room and stood there, looking confident. Xander always admired his Sire for that, that Spike always looked like he knew exactly what he was doing even if he was just making it up as he went along. Xander followed and stood two steps behind him and to his right and tried to look just as confident but he had the feeling he didn't make it.

In the room were several mortals and one demon. Well, besides Angelus, that is. There was a black man dressed in a sharp suit, a small brown haired girl, a green demon who dressed like Liberace and the former Watcher, Wesley. Xander recognized him from Giles’s description. That and the old pictures Xander had stolen a look at once when he and Spike were visiting Giles at his flat in London just after he left Sunnydale. Not that Giles knew about that; Xander was evil, after all.

“Spike.” Angel was sitting behind his desk, and Xander could almost hear his Sire bitching about Angel playing lord of the manor. He did give off a menacing tone but, then again, Angel had always hated him and knew the feeling was mutual so it wasn't like they tried to act nice around each other.

“Poof. Hear you have a Slayer running around like a right nutter. Head Watcher sent us to throw a butterfly net over her. Just point the way and we'll get out of your overly styled hair.”

“I find it hard to believe that Giles would send two vampires to do the Council's job for him. The Council has resources when thing like this happen.” Wesley gave a sniff and crossed his arms and Xander mentally moved him down a level in his brain from “Don't kill, friend of Giles” to “Kill if I can get away with it without Giles finding out.”

“Shows what you know, don't it, Percy? Council went boom and there's not many Giles trust to watch his girls and to track down one that's out killing people left and right. Besides, who better to hunt a Slayer than a vamp? Especially one with two under his belt.”

“What? They sent someone who kills Slayers to take this one in? Angel, man, are you sure those Watcher guys haven't been snorting the dust off their books too much? No offense, English.”

Xander watched as the humans all made token protests while Angel looked on from under hooded eyes. What surprised him most was the other demon in the room. He seemed to be on his third drink and barely looked up.

Angel stood up and placed his hands on the desk. “What you're seeing, Gunn, is the only two vampires that have gotten under Giles's radar. He still has a fondness for the boy, and since in his mind Spike 'saved' him, he turns a blind eye to what evil they do.”

Xander couldn't help it. He snorted. It wasn't loud but it was enough to draw Angel's attention to him. Spike, thankfully, stepped forward. “Why don't you lay it on thick, you wanker?! We are what we are, hunters. But for the past six years we've not gone to the excesses you used to love. Bet if you counted out our kills, the two of us still couldn't match up to what you did as Angelus that last time.” Spike turned and looked at those assembled. “And every one of you gits have blood on your hands from that. Xander and I didn't work damn hard to kill the bastard so you could go and let him out, pretty as you please. We kill to survive, and, yeah, we may play with out food a bit but for the most part it's them that deserve killing. Even by your moral standards, Angel. Now give us the information and we'll go.”

“You—you killed Angelus? But I thought...” The girl's voice was soft and Xander had the sense she was a lot like Willow, shy around new people at first and then would babble their ear off.

“What? You think the Slayer actually had the balls to kill her boyfriend without being maneuvered into it? As it was it was damned close. Bastard had opened hell on earth; we'd all have been dead if my Xander hadn't lied to her.”

Angel turned a smile on him and it wasn't a nice one. “Never did thank you for that, did I, Xander? I spent several hundred years in a hell dimension, thanks you to, boy. Should I thank you, perhaps? Welcome you into the Family officially?”

The tone in Angelus's voice made Xander shiver. His Sire never gave him more than general details about how Angelus had turned him from William to Spike, but somehow that made it worse. He didn't want even the souled version of his Great-Grandsire to come near enough to touch him with a ten foot pole.

Spike must have heard the challenge in Angel's voice, too. One moment he was standing in the middle of the room and the next he was dragging Angelus across the desk, snarling. “You even look cross at my Xander and you'll regret it. I haven't forgotten one of your lessons, despite it being over a hundred years since our time together, Angelus. I'd love to use some of the tricks you taught me. I wonder if it would take you longer to heal from having every inch of hide stripped off you than it does a fledgling.”

Angel brought his arms up to break Spike's hold and growled back. “There was a time when you knew manners, William. Maybe I should remind you of them?”

There was a dangerous glint in his eyes and Xander took a step back as he felt his true face coming out. Before the two elder vampires could fight, though, there was the sound of a throat clearing.

“Can't tell you people how fun this is, mainly because it isn't, but if we're going to skip right to the mindless violence and non-con scenes, anyone mind if I check out of the meeting early? Because my glass, sadly, is not able to contain all the alcohol I’d need to stomach something like that.”


If Xander hadn't been so tense he would have laughed. The demon sounded like Carson from Queer Eye, only gayer. If that was possible. Also, his words seemed to hit everyone in the room hard. All of the humans’ eyes got wide and the girl gasped and put a hand to her mouth, her eyes darting from Angel to him and then to Spike. The scent of human fear, anger and disgust filled his nostrils and made him want to growl but he kept quiet. Angel and Spike stopped their stand-off and Spike moved back to the middle of the room. Xander couldn't help it, he scooted closer, just wanting to touch him and reassure himself that his Sire was all right.

Wesley cleared his voice, and the sound seemed odd in the quiet that had followed that statement. “Yes...well, perhaps we should move onto other matters, such as finding this Slayer. I was just about to bring everyone up to speed on Slayer mythology...”

*****

Xander sat on his hands and tried not to look too bored. Why Wesley was droning on about the ancient order of the Slayers and how there could be only one he couldn't understand. Especially since there were now hundreds of Slayers, if not thousands. Chosen One was a joke now; it was more like Chosen Many.

Everyone else looked bored as well. Except for Wesley, which only proved to Xander that Watchers got off on listening to themselves lecture. He'd hate to see it if Giles and Wes ever got together; they'd probably sit there and pet each other's book collections and speechify until they both came. Boring.

He was sitting on one of the couches in Angel's office, the long haired girl on the other side. She had started out as far away from him as she could but slowly, as she realized that Xander wasn't going to drag her into his lap and drain her, she had scooted over. When Spike and the others in the office started arguing about how to track the Slayer down, she leaned over to him and whispered.

“Hi! I'm Fred.”

He smiled. “Neat name. I'm Xander.”

“Is it true? Did you really try to kill Angel?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. But at the time he was Angelus and had been loose for months. I don't think even Buffy knows how many people he killed, ‘cause he didn't limit his hunting to Sunnydale. Most vamps, well, like me and Spike, we're like big cats or crocodiles. One kill will do us for a couple of days, easy. Not to say we won't snack more if given the chance, but it's the hunt that's so much fun. Since I still have a lot of humanity left, Sire figured out ways so I don't get all squeamish about eating nice people and we still have fun. In fact, I don't think he'd change it even if I suddenly stopped caring about who I kill.”

“But I thought—I mean, vampires will kill just about anyone, won't they?”

Xander sighed. He didn't feel like getting into the nature/nurture argument where Angel could hear him, but she did ask. “Most vampires are minions, and aren't smart enough or have enough pieces of the human they were to control their actions. Now, I'm Spike's Childe, and Childer are different. We have most of our human memories and knowledge. Everything that the human Xander was, I pretty much am, minus the soul. That does include my ethics, though, for the most part. Now, normally when a Master goes to make a Childe, they choose someone with traits they'd want in a companion. Brutality, deviousness, whatever.”

Fred had a look in her eyes that reminded him again of Willow and how she looked when she was curious about a new subject. It made him a bit melancholy that his old friend still didn't really want much to do with him. “Now, Spike was sort of, well, an anomaly. See, Dru turned him but she was kind of loony. Spike was a pretty good guy, actually. Too good. Angelus...” This was getting into more than Spike probably wanted humans to know but maybe then they'd understand why Spike had been so quick to anger earlier.

Xander glanced over to make sure his Sire and Angelus were still fussing over plans and lowered his voice as much as he could. “Angelus kind of broke him, and then remade Spike in his image. Sire doesn't talk about it, ever. I got to know Spike after he'd had his back broken in Sunnydale. Vamps can heal from that sort of thing pretty fast, as long as they have plenty of blood. But not when you're getting re-injured every other night, and not when you're being half starved.”

It brought back memories to Xander, of his first few meetings with Spike. Being scared to death and yet feeling sorry for him, and agreeing that while they might not like each other they both hated Angel more. It was sorta ironic that Angel being an asshole had brought them together.

“So what Lorne said, you mean, Angel really planned to....hurt you?”

Xander shrugged. “His scent was serious but how far he would have gone I have no idea. It may just be his demon having fits that it hasn't dominated me as of yet. Or it could be the fact that Angel and I have hated each other long before he went all evil back in Sunnydale and I stopped breathing.” The memory of Angel being too much of a coward to stand by Buffy flitted across his brain but the sound of an argument on the other side of the room distracted him.

“I'm telling you, Angelcakes, houses have long memories. You just gotta know how to get them to talk. I think we have a few good psychics on staff that can handle it.”

“All right, fine. Get on it.”

“Bloody hell, this girl is going to kill another dozen people while you lot arse about!! We should...”

Xander turned back to Fred and tuned his Sire out. Whatever Spike decided Xander would do, but maybe he could get some information that Giles could use while the others were playing “Biggest Nads.” “So, what's the green guy's story?”

“Oh? Lorne, he's a sort of empath. He can pick up things but he can also sort of read your future or soul or something when you sing. It's really neat! Well, except when Angel sings. But that's because he’s either tone deaf or just really, really bad. I used to like Barry Manilow too, but now...”

Xander bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. That was a mental image he wasn't going to forget and would share with Spike the first chance he got. “God! I'd give a million bucks to see that!” He quickly sobered up. “Is that why Lorne's all twitchy? I mean, no offense or anything but this place has some bad vibes. If he's an empath he must be constantly blocking them out.”

Fred nodded. “I think so, and maybe… well, you know the deal we made to get into power here, right?”

Xander winced and nodded. “Giles told me that Angel bargained with the bad guys and got power and the nifty amulet but you have to work here or something like that.”

“Well, I think that maybe Lorne is having second thoughts. I don't know. Things just seem so different now...”

Xander risked another glance at the others. It looked like they were wrapping up. Spike and Angel both had the look that meant they were nearly done talking and would be fighting in a moment. Xander fumbled in his pocket for one of Giles's business cards. “You know, you can sell your soul in pieces just as easily as doing it all at once. Sometimes you don't even know you're doing it. I kind of think that's worse, somehow, because you don't realize it until you're totally screwed. At least I gave up mine for love. If you or Lorne, or any of you, need help or a way out, call this guy. Don't give it to Angel, though. I still don't trust him.”

Fred's eyes got wide as she took the card, but before she could say anything Spike turned and stalked out of the room. “Come on, Xan, we'll be doing this the tried and true way. Hunting.”

*****

Xander followed his Sire, listening as cautiously as he could and trying to get a sense of the Slayer they were hunting. He kind of felt sorry for her. From what Spike had said, she'd been kidnapped and abused after her family was killed and left in a coma until she came on line with the other potentials. Between the kidnapping and the dreams and being sick, she really did need help. Hopefully they could restrain her without hurting her too much.

They left Wolfram and Hart and went directly to an Internet cafe to get in contact with Giles. Not long after his death, Spike had insisted that not only he get his GED, but become more than just passably familiar with computers. When Xander asked why his Sire had explained that as a vampire he'd have to work hard to keep up with current technology or be left behind. That was followed by a half hour's worth of teasing about Star Trek and that not all computers would talk to him, just yet.

While Spike got in contact with Giles and the Watcher's Council, Xander had been put to work trying to read local news reports to track Dana's movements. They'd gotten to be old hands at this type of hunting. Several times a year Xander or Spike would go trolling through databases, looking for the serial killers or child molesters that they loved to hunt. It was such a thrill, hunting down humans who thought that they were at the top of the food chain and showing them just exactly where they belonged. In the past five years they must have taken twenty five kills, at the very least.

They always tasted bad, though, like their blood had a taint in it. Still, it was fun to scare them to death.

Finally he'd tracked down what he thought was her trail. Which was why they were down at the docks three hours after leaving Wolfram and Hart. This was where the trail ended and now they only had to find her. There were hundreds of places to hide, though, and plenty of areas to set up an ambush. They could sense Dana's Slayer vibes if they got close enough but then she could sense them, too.

Spike's head tilted and they stopped. Xander closed his eyes and tried to pick up whatever scent his Sire had. There, just faintly, was the smell of blood and power that signaled a Slayer.

Spike turned and looked at Xander and he nodded before they moved on. Spike was taking point in the hunt and Xander was going to watch their backs. They'd been hunting together long enough to not need to speak. Although after the hunt Xander would probably end up babbling for hours, as usual. This sort of thing was so much fun and the fact that it was a Slayer they were tracking only made it better.

Finally they came to an alley and the scent of blood was stronger. Large, fifty-five gallon drums were stacked and stored all down the alley and there were plenty of hiding places. Spike's hand stopped them and Xander could sense the Slayer nearby.

The attack, when it came, was unexpected. One moment they were standing there, trying to get a feel of where Dana was, and the next she was jumping out from behind a stack of drums, attacking. She hit Xander in the head hard enough to rock him back on his heels for a moment before shaking it off.

When his head cleared, Xander found his Sire and the Slayer trading blows. Finally Spike got in a good hit and Dana went soaring ass over teakettle into a few of the drums near Xander and they collapsed around her. Xander pressed forward then, not giving the girl time to get her balance but picking up one of the heavy drums and throwing it at her, and she fell again.

He approached her carefully but not cautiously enough. As Xander leaned over to try to restrain her, she pushed hard and the barrel hit him in the chest, knocking him down. Spike was there to back him up, though, and hit her on the side of the head, hard, and Dana dropped like a ton of bricks.

Spike grabbed her as she fell and laid her down carefully before coming to help Xander. “Stupid bloody git!! I know you know better than that, Childe! That was an amateur trick she pulled on you!”

“I know, I know, I've seen it in a dozen movies but I thought she was out. Sorry, Sire.”

“I'll “Sorry, Sire,” you, you arse! Should tan your hide. You could have gotten killed, Xander!” Spike's eyes were gold and he pressed Xander up against the wall of the alley. Xander ducked his head. He knew he'd made a mistake.

Before Xander could apologize again, Spike grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and threw him against the wall. Instead of getting reprimanded as he expected, Xander found his Sire's mouth on his, their tongues twining around each other. Xander groaned and kissed his Sire even harder, nipping at his lips and tongue. Spike did the same and soon their kisses were flavored by their blood.

Finally Spike pulled away and Xander swayed on his feet. “Come on, pet, let's get the Slayer to her new home so we can have our wicked, wicked way with each other.”

Xander nodded and picked up Dana, holding her in his arms while Spike tied her hands together. With any luck they'd get her to the Council and not have to worry about her trying to kill either one of them again. She was mumbling even though she was knocked out and he could hear scattered bits of conversation. It wasn't a lot but it was enough to know that she'd been horribly abused and tortured. Hopefully, Giles and the others would be able to help her.

Holding her close made the demon inside him cringe. There was an almost overpowering sense of Slayer that made him want to bite and drink deeply. He held himself in check, though. His Sire trusted him not to hurt her and so did Giles and Xander wasn't about to let either one of them down.

As they made their way out of the docks area no one stopped them, but as soon as they got into the busier area of town two dark vans and a car pulled up and blocked their way. Spike growled and Xander shifted Dana to a fireman's carry in case they needed to fight.

Men and women in SWAT type body armor piled out of the vans and took up defensive positions. Out of the car came Angel and his merry band, the vampire frowning and Lorne looking quite drunk.

Angel turned and spoke over his shoulder to the guards. “All right, I want her chained into the van and armed guards riding with her in the back...”

Spike snarled. “You aren't bloody well taking the girl anywhere, Angelus! She's going to the Council and that's that.”

“Spike, you're not going anywhere with her. You don't expect me to believe that you're actually going to let her live, do you? I know you better than that.” Angel glowered and folded his arms across his chest, and Xander thought he kind of looked like an evil version of Superman, only with a caveman brow. Supercaveman, maybe?

Xander noticed several of the shadows moving around the guards but kept his mouth shut and tried not to react. He didn't quite manage it, though, when a figure stepped out of the darkness.

“Baby, you'd better believe it. We Slayers tend to take care of our own.” Faith stood there, her long hair shining even under the artificial light and Xander had to grin. He hadn't got to know her while she was “bad” in Sunnydale, but while fighting the First the year before both vampires had gotten to know her pretty well. She understood them, in a way. Not that they wouldn't kill each other, given a reason, but there was respect between them too.

Spike grinned. “Nice to see the Watcher took my warning seriously.”

“Five by Five, Fangs. Giles figured if you were worried, well, that was enough reason to get Willow to zap us all here. Glad you've got our Sister, though.”

One of the younger Slayers stepped forward and Xander gladly turned his burden over to her care. Angel's people were confused and he could sense the anger pouring off the older vampire.

“You're way outta your league, Faith, if you're going against us.”

“You know, Angel, I figure I owe you, what with you helping me through rehab over being evil and all. So take this as a warning. You're on thin ice. Best be careful where you step.”

Angel turned and glared at Spike. “And I suppose you have something to do with this, William?”

Spike snorted and took a cigarette out to light. “'Course I did, you wanker. And it was fun.”

This time Xander did speak up. “Surprise, surprise, no one trusts you, Angel. This whole deal with Wolfram and Hart has you burning all your bridges and you don't even know it.”

Faith came to stand on the other side of Spike. “And guess what? Giles has assigned me to keep this area of the world evil free.” Her eyes flicked to Spike and his Sire nodded. Something must have happened during Spike's talk with Giles earlier that night. “In fact, he's going to move Slayer Central, just outside of town. The better to keep an eye on you. Think of the Watcher's Council as your own personal Santa Claus.”

Xander laughed. “We'll know if you've been bad or good, Angel!”

Spike leaned into Xander's side and threw an arm around him and Xander couldn't help it, the relief at not having to deal with Angel made him purr. “Not only that, Peaches, but, if you're bad, ol' Rupert says I get the pleasure of pelting you with coal.” Spike turned them around and he and Xander walked back towards the docks, Angel's guards being held at bay by a group of adolescent girls. “I'm sure we'll see you around, Angelus. After all, we like hunting bad guys.”

The End

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