Quantum Xander 2

Willow couldn't believe what she had just heard. Xander had been gone for almost a year. He had had to fight for his life, had seen things that no one should have to see, and had no one to share it with. Well, not at first anyway. She was still a bit confused on the two Spikes issue, but it was her own role in the whole thing that really upset her. She had done this to her best friend.

"I didn't mean to. Oh Goddess, Xander. I would never do that to you; you have to believe me."

"I'd like to, Willow. I really would, but how do you explain it then? I was under a spell. You put it on me. You changed who I was. How do I get past that?"

"Sure. Explain to me how you didn't mean to take away my choices, how denying who I am was suppose to help me."

Willow couldn't stop the tears that ran down her face. She had never seen Xander behave so indifferently toward her. It hurt. A lot. She remembered back to when it had happened and began speaking.

"It was just after Jesse died. I found out what happened, that you had staked him. Oh Xander, I felt so bad for you, having to go through that. I just wanted to help you. It wasn't supposed to be like this."

Xander motioned for her to continue, and Willow ducked her head before speaking again.

"I loved you. I think I always have. I saw the way it was hurting you, tearing you up inside and I only wanted to make the pain go away. So I did a spell. It was supposed to make you forget - purge the feelings of guilt and regret you had over Jesse. It was supposed to make it so that you would never feel guilt over Jesse again. I didn't know that you were in love with him. That changes everything."

Xander just continued to watch his best friend from childhood as she tried to make sense of what had happened. He was beginning to figure it out for himself as well. It didn't make this any less painful, but it did make him feel a bit better about Willow. She had only been thinking about him, not herself, after all.

"I guess, the spell made it so that you would never fall in love with another guy, therefore you wouldn't feel any guilt about being with him and betraying your memory of Jesse. Goddess, Xander. I only wanted to help you. I wanted to take your pain away, and all I've done is cause you more. I'm so sorry; I should never have done it. I was stupid and immature, and I'm a bad witch. I should never use magic again; I only end up hurting people."

Willow began to cry and Xander gathered her in his arms. He couldn't be mad at her anymore - well not a lot anyway. They were just kids then, and Willow had only been trying to help him.

"I understand now. But Wills, you can't make decisions for people like that. It's wrong to take a person's pain away from them. I would have come to terms with Jesse's death on my own. I know you learned your lesson after you and Tara broke up, and I'm proud of you for not doing magics anymore. Well, other than today anyway, but that was an extenuating circumstance. You have to let people live their own lives; just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Look what happened to Buffy? Everything that has happened since she came back was because of us. If we had just accepted her death, her sacrifice, none of this would be happening. She'd be in heaven, Spike wouldn't have gotten a soul just to try and win her love, and The First Evil wouldn't be about to spring loose on the world."

Willow nodded her head and sat up. She knew that Xander was right, that she had messed up big time. She had no way of making the past right, but she could do something to make things better between her and her best friend.

"Whatever happens, Xander, I'm on your side. If Spike makes you happy, then I'm all for it."

"Thanks, Wills. But I'm not entirely sure what's going on there. We... Our bonding was kind of an accident. It wasn't supposed to happen, but now that it did, I kinda like it. I mean, he's not my Spike... except that he is now, I guess, but not the one I fell in love with... except that I did. Damn it. This is hard to explain."

"And I don't want to change that. But I want the other one back, too. I need him. Does this make sense to you?"

"Yeah. If I lost Tara, and then found another Tara and fell in love with her - which I would, 'cause she'd be Tara, you know? I'd still always want the first one back as well. Just because you love someone new, it doesn't mean you stop loving the first person."

"No we, just me. I don't want you involved in this. You and spells are not a good idea, especially one as powerful as this one would have to be."

"I know that. I just meant I could help you look. I am research girl, you know."

"Oh. In that case, thanks. I need to talk to Deadboy first, and the green guy said he might have an idea."

Xander ran his hands back through his hair and sighed. He really didn't want to have this conversation. He knew that Angel was only doing what he always did - sticking his nose in where it didn't belong - but he really wished he didn't have to deal with this right now.

Xander looked up and smiled grimly as Angel entered the office and closed the door behind him.

"Both. Start with Spike, I don't think I'm ready to hear the explanation for the other. Not yet, anyway."

Angel sat behind his desk and took a bottle of Irish whiskey and a couple of glasses from a cabinet behind him. He handed one of the glasses to Xander and poured them each a drink.

"Um, can we maybe skip that part? I mean, you're kinda noisy, and they're all right out there in the lobby..."

Xander trailed off as Angel blanched and set down the bottle. Xander realised with a start that that wasn't the kind of welcome Angel was talking about.

Xander started at the beginning. He told Angel about how he had woken up that first morning, confused and not sure of anything. How he had jumped around to different realities - including one where Acathla was in charge. When Angel asked why he hadn't attempted to stake him, Xander blushed and told him that it was kinda hard to stake someone who you'd been intimate with. Angel refrained from asking questions after that and just let Xander continue with his tale.

Finally, Xander came to the end. He told him about what had been going on since he'd been home - he left out the bit about Spike having a soul; that was his story to tell or not to tell. Then he told him he could make his soul permanent.

"I got a spell from another me. He and the Angel of his world have been together since high school. He found it, and used it to anchor your double's soul after Angelus was turned loose following their first time. It works. I can do it right now if you want."

"Uh huh. I wouldn't suggest it otherwise. I'm the last guy who wants to see Angelus unleashed - I'm family now, and I know how he treats family."

Angel closed his eyes and smiled. If this worked, he could finally tell Cordelia that he loved her. He could finally be with her the way he wanted to be, the way he hoped she wanted him to be. Just the thought was almost enough to make his soul disappear.

Xander came back into the office and opened a worn out old gym bag and pulled out two books and set them on the desk. Then he started rummaging around in the bag again. Angel looked at the books and his eyes bugged out at the title on the larger book.

"Holy shit. This book only reveals itself to true magic users. You have to be of both dark and light - balanced, or it remains blank. Even I can't see the words and I'm a demon with a soul. How much more balance is there than that?"

Xander just shrugged and put the spell book back into his bag. He didn't need it anyway; he was trying to get it out of the way so he could find the ceramic bowl and the lighter he had stuffed in there before leaving that morning.

Xander pulled out the little black Bic lighter and set it on the desk next to the saran-wrapped ceramic bowl full of herbs and other less pleasant ingredients.

"...And then I'm going to start the spell. When I point to you, I want you to let three drops of your blood fall into the flames. No more, no less. Got that?"

The spell had been cast and Xander was cleaning up his supplies when he felt Angel come up behind him. He tensed as he realised the position this put them in. He was slightly bent over his duffel bag and Angel was standing close - too close - behind him. Xander stood quickly, but before he could move, Angel had his arms around him and was holding him in place. He could feel his lips brush against his ear before the vampire spoke.

Xander swallowed hard. He wasn't unaffected by Angel's presence. He remembered all too well the feel of those large hands as they touched him. That clever mouth as it rained kisses and nips all over his body. He remembered the way he screamed as Angel filled him. It couldn't happen again though, not without Spike - without either of them.

"Why not? You said my soul was permanent. You want me, I can smell it. It is my right as head of the clan. So why exactly can't we do this?"

"Because Spike isn't here. It would be wrong. And also, there is the matter of everyone else in the hotel being just outside the door."

Angel cocked his head and frowned as he pondered that little problem. It wouldn't do for the others to hear them in here, not if he was going to have any hope of a relationship with Cordy; she just didn't understand vampiric ritual. To not claim right of sire would be an insult toward his childe and his mate. It would be like saying Xander wasn't good enough to be a part of them. After what Xander had done for him, he couldn't do that. Not to mention the fact that the boy was very attractive.

"Hmm, you do have a point about that. But how else do you suppose we test the spell?"

Xander seemed to think about that for a minute. He certainly didn't want Angelus back, and if he was wrong, and the spell didn't work... Well that was as far as he got in his thinking before Angel was whispering in his ear again.

"Do you have any idea how good you smell? You're covered in him; I can smell my William in your veins. Combined with the scent of you... well, I can't be blamed for wanting to welcome you properly now, can I?"

"No, I never hated you, Xander. I hated that you could give Buffy what I never could. But then I got over that. Got over Buffy. Things are different, and besides, you're family now."

"Silence spell. I'm sure a warlock of your natural talents could do something to soundproof the room. Right?"

During the entire conversation, Angel's hands were trailing lightly across Xander's chest, dipping underneath his shirt, playing with his nipples. Xander groaned and leaned back against Angel fully. He was so going to hell for this.

Xander only had to think about what he wanted and a hush fell over the room. He knew the vampire had felt the magic in the air when he was swiftly turned in Angel's arms and kissed possessively. Xander fell into the kiss and just let it happen. It was Angel's right, after all, since he had mated to this reality's Spike. Except...

Angel's lip twitched and then it twitched again. Then he smiled. As Xander watched, Angel began to laugh. He laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes. Xander crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at him.

"Only you, Harris. Only you could end up mated to Spike by accident. My William never was much of a planner; seems like you aren't either."

"No. Not if Spike hasn't taken you yet. Trust me on this, he wouldn't be happy about it."

"I'll just have to wait until that idiot childe of mine claims you properly. Then we can see about testing the spell. All three of us."

Xander swallowed and licked his suddenly dry lips. He knew exactly how that would go and was actually looking forward to it. He was a sick man. A sick, sick man.

"Right. I should... Oh hell! Cordelia! I completely forgot about Cordelia. When was anyone gonna tell me she was pregnant?"

"What? Cordy's not pregnant. She was injured; I... Angelus... she's not pregnant."

Xander lifted the silencing spell from the room and opened the door. Angel followed him out of the office, still trying to figure out why Xander thought Cordelia was pregnant. He got his answer as a very pregnant-looking Cordelia came down the stairs.

A hush fell over the collected group of people in the lobby. Xander watched curiously as his former girlfriend made her way down the stairs. She smiled at the group and rubbed her swollen abdomen. Xander narrowed his eyes and stepped back from her.

"Well it isn't. I mean, yeah that's Cordy's body and Cordy is in there, but she's not the one in control."

Connor stepped in front of Cordelia and glared at Xander. He didn't know who this man was but he wasn't going to allow him to talk like that about the mother of his child. Cordelia had warned him that the others wouldn't understand.

"Oh, Xander. Of course I am. Just because I'm not the same shallow girl you dated back in high school doesn't mean I'm not me."

"No, but the fact that I can see your true face lurking beneath the surface of Cordelia's does. And can I just say, eeewww? I mean, maggots are just so last year's evil, ya know?"

The lobby erupted into chaos. Cordelia - or the thing that was Cordelia - began glowing and Xander shouted for everyone to take cover. Willow and Xander looked at each other and nodded their heads. They would work together to fix this.

We're on our way home. I gotta say I'm glad Wills didn't do that to me on purpose. I missed my best friend, and finding out that she only wanted to help me get over having to stake Jesse - it's a load off my mind. It was still wrong, but she realises that now, so it's done. No more feeling bitter and hateful towards Willow.

Angel's soul is secure; we didn't test it, but I know it is. Still, he plans on coming down to remedy that after Spike and I finish our bonding. I don't know when that'll happen, but it will likely be soon. I have mixed feelings about that. I want him, no doubt there, but I still can't help but feel I'm betraying my Spike by doing this. Plus, there is the fact that Spike even admitted he's never bottomed for a human before. He made it sound like it was something he wasn't interested in changing either. I don't really have a problem with that, I enjoy it either way, but if this is going to be a long term thing between us - and from what I understand about mates, it is - then it needs to be on equal footing. Something we'll have to talk about sooner or later.

Then there is Angel. Christ, when he first twigged to what was happening - and I will so be having words with Spike when I get back, I mean he could have warned me - he was furious. I had to resort to whispering things in Gaelic to him just to get him to let me go! It's a good thing he's a predictable vampire - Spike says he always gasps out the same phrases during sex. It was enough to get him off of me and give me time to explain a few things.

So much has happened. I don't even know where to start. Cordelia was possessed by a ... not real sure what she was, but damn, was she ugly. Willow helped me to cast her out of Cordy, and with no host body she just sort of... fizzled out. It was kinda gross. Oh, and Cordelia's not preggers anymore now, either. Turns out the thing was trying to give birth to herself. Yuck!

The green guy - Lorne - gave me some good news. He knew of a spell that will bring my Spike back. It calls for some really out-there ingredients, though. Not the least of which, being blood of the sire, the subject and the sorcerer. So, Angel, Spike, and I assume the sorcerer is me. That I can do. I have Angel's blood - he was really good about giving it to me after what Willow and I did for Cordelia; I'm pretty sure that Spike will give me his blood, and I already have my own. It's the other stuff that's gonna be difficult. I mean, the powdered Racashka's horn alone is going to take time to track down. I don't care, though. I have a way to bring him back now. Finally, he'll be here with me the way he should have been all along.

The only thing that worries me is how is this going to work? I love my mate and I missed him so much, but now I have this other Spike and he's my mate now, too. I don't want to hurt him. I love him, as well. How is this possibly going to work? I know that my Spike said it'd be fine, that everything would work out in the end, and I believe him, but it's the beginning and the middle that has me concerned. Spike is very possessive; both of them are. And with this Spike having a soul, he's so damaged right now that I'm afraid anything that my Spike says or does to him could hurt him. It's no secret what my mate thinks about having a soul, and then there is the whole "falling for a slayer" thing.

I should just go and buy myself a black and white striped shirt. I'm going to be playing referee quite a bit, I can tell. I mean the idea of being in the middle of them sounds good in theory, but not when it's going to be to keep them from killing each other.

Then there's the ring. It belongs to Spike. I gave it to him and I wouldn't even think of taking it back, but what about this Spike? I mean, doesn't he deserve to walk in the sunlight too? How are Spike and I ever going to enjoy a day out in the sun knowing that he's back at the apartment -or worse, at Buffy's - trapped inside?

I kinda wish this had never happened. Not because I don't love this Spike; I do. It's just that suddenly my life is way more complicated than I ever thought it would be. I mean, the gay thing took me by surprise, the Spike thing was even more of a shock, but two Spikes? One souled and one chipped? How am I supposed to deal with this?

Thank God Willow is a better driver than Buffy. I need this time to sort things out and I would never let Buffy drive my car on the freeway. We're probably an hour away from Sunnydale now. Faith is coming back with us since there is no big evil in L.A. that needs her attention right now. And hey? First Evil? I'm thinking there's no such thing as too many slayers!

So, all I need now is for Cordelia to come on down, and then I can sit around with all my past lovers in front of my current one. Gee, uncomfortable much? But Angel says Faith has changed, and from what I've seen, I believe him. I just hope Buffy can accept her; we need the extra muscle and I'm a firm believer in second chances. If Angel and Spike deserve another chance, why not Faith?

I keep coming back to Willow. God, if I had just told her everything in the beginning, I could have saved myself so much grief. How is it that the demons in my life know more about human relationships than I do? I mean both Anya and Spike told me that I should talk to my friends, tell them everything and get it sorted. But not me; no, Xander has to hold onto a grudge and let it fester. I can be such an ass at times. I hurt Willow. I didn't trust her, and I let my suspicions harden my heart against her. Thank God she loves me.

She's pretty forgiving, my Willow. She told me she didn't blame me, that if it had been her, she might have reacted the same way. After seeing her go all "Evil Willow" in that one reality, I really hope that that is a side of her I never see in this Willow.

Faith is being pretty cool about the whole thing. Even the "Spike as my mate" part. I think she has her ideas about Angel and me, as well. She gave us this weird little grin when we came out of the office and later she made some cryptic remark about Sunnydaler's getting all the hot vamps. If she only knew!

Wills and she are chatting away in the front seat. Discussing the First, Angelus, Cordy's possession and pregnancy. Faith told her about the dream-sharing with Angelus, and I gotta say I laughed at the puppy rescue. Only Angelus would consider that a nightmare. Although, I have to admit, the Angelus I met - the one that tortured Riley - was nothing like the crazy fucker we all knew and hated when he was loose in Sunnydale. He was different, more in control. Spike said he used to be like that before the curse. Now, he's just crazy. But maybe not as crazy as we think. He did take out the Beast after all, ended the no-sunlight issue. It's a moot point now though, what with Angel's soul being permanent.

That's the other thing. Before the spell, Angel was all "I don't want to know about you and me" and after? He was all hands and lips and "Welcome to the family". I mean, what's up with that? Maybe he's channelling his inner demon? I should have had Tara or Willow look over the spell for me. I think I might have blended a bit of Angelus into Angel's personality; either that or the man was a horn-dog before he was turned. I'll have to ask Spike about that. What Liam was like before he ran into Darla and met death at the end of sharp, pointy teeth.

Then again, maybe bringing Angel up when Spike and I haven't even had the sex yet is a bad idea. He's still sore about Angelus taking Drusilla away from him, and about the fact that Buffy still loves Angel. He might get a bit... Angry? Growly? Possessive? I don't want to be the cause of any more of his pain. Maybe I should tell him what Angel said, about being over Buffy. It might help. Then again, do I want to offer any false hope? Plus, hello? Mated to me now? How the hell would he and Buffy ever make it work when he belongs to someone else?

I don't think I'd be very good about it either. Just the thought of the two of them together now makes my stomach twist. I can feel my anger and jealousy rising to the surface. I have to remind myself that it isn't real, that there is nothing going on between them. That they weren't... together while I was in L.A.

Xander closed his book with a sigh and watched out the window as the dark scenery blurred past them. He was looking forward to going home, but at the same time, he was dreading seeing the Welcome to Sunnydale sign. He wondered if Willow would let him drive now? He kinda wanted to run the sign down on his way into town, sort of a tribute to his mate. Both of them.

Xander didn't end up driving over the sign; he didn't end up driving at all. Willow drove them all to Buffy's place where they sat inside the car for the better part of twenty minutes trying to work up the nerve to go inside.

Willow was still in shock after hearing everything that Xander had been through, not to mention seeing exactly how powerful he was now. What he did to Cordelia - even though she had helped - was beyond anything she had ever seen.

Faith was scared. She wasn't too stubborn to admit that anymore. She wasn't afraid of dying; it was what slayers did. She was afraid of how she would be accepted. Or not. She had done some horrible things to these people, facing them wasn't going to be pleasant.

Xander was afraid to see Spike. They had agreed to take things slow, but what happened before he had left was not taking things slow. It was fast, very fast. They went from comfort to naked in under sixty seconds. He was afraid that he would jump the blonde as soon as he saw him. For all his protestations, he wanted him. It didn't help that he was still aroused from what Angel had done to him back in L.A. - not to mention his promise of what they would do once Spike had claimed him properly.

Finally, Faith broke the silence as she muttered 'fuck it' and opened her door. Xander gave Willow a small smile and followed suit. The three of them mounted the steps together and then stood outside the front door. No one wanted to be the first inside.

Xander opened the door and stepped inside. It was not a happy scene. The potentials were all glowery and depressed and there was a strange kid standing in the corner wearing oven mitts. Xander looked around for Buffy but didn't see her.

Xander and Andrew continued to give each other strange looks. Willow put her hand on Xander's shoulder and frowned at him.

"Well, you don't seem to remember Andrew. He's been here since just after Spike came back. He's been helping, trying to make amends for the whole stalking Buffy thing he got dragged into by Warren. You don't remember any of this?"

"No. I remember Warren killed his girlfriend and tried to pin it on Buffy. I remember he got arrested and Andrew and Jonathan got arrested as well, for helping him."

As Xander looked around the room, he noticed that everyone was looking at him like he was crazy. There was something definitely off about this whole thing.

"I... I'm gonna go. Home. I have things... Sleep. I must be overtired. Yeah that's it. I just need a good night's sleep."

Xander shook his head and left the house. He got into his car and drove towards his apartment. He didn't know what the hell was going on but it felt familiar. Like he was in a different reality again - albeit one very close to his own.

After parking and taking the elevator up to his floor. Xander stood outside his apartment door afraid to go in. He was terrified that he would already be in there. That he had somehow ended up back on his nightmare trip through dimensions. Knowing that he wouldn't get any answers standing outside in the hallway, he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

It looked like home. It smelled like home. It was quiet and dark; there were no obvious signs of anyone else being there. Xander turned on the hall light and went towards his bedroom. He looked in his closet and let out a breath of relief. Spike's duster and Docs were there. He opened the bedside table and saw his mate's journal - along with the flogger, the cuffs, and the other trinkets he had picked up in that one reality.

"Yeah, you know, why is Andrew at Buffy's house? Why does everyone seem to think he belongs there? Why don't I remember any of this?"

Xander sat on the bed and Anya sat down next to him. She put an arm around his shoulders and squeezed.

Xander was furious. He went away for a day and everything changed. He hated that damn Halfrek; she had put him through hell. Now this?

"He wished for a different life. One where he was included, where he made a difference. He wanted to help Buffy."

Xander shook his head fondly at his ex-fianc�e and followed her back out to his car. They got inside and he drove toward the Chinese food restaurant she liked. Once they were inside and had ordered, he gave her a pointed look and she sighed.

"Fine. You missed quite a bit. Turns out that Wood guy is the child of a slayer. He had some stuff of his mother's that he gave to Buffy. Included in that stuff was a shadow caster. Before you ask, it's a magical storyteller. This one tells the story of how the first slayer was created. Buffy went into the past to talk to these shadow men and see if they had anything to help with the First."

"Like a bunch of men would be of any use. They weren't. Buffy disappeared and in her place we got a big ole stinkin' demon - Spike had to track it down and kill it. The only way to get Buffy back was to send the demon back through the portal. Of course this was after Buffy told Spike how useless he was now. After she lectured everyone on how they weren't pulling their own weight. She even accused me of not doing anything to help! I mean, hello? I am a demon."

"Because it's the right thing to do. You were my first friend, Xander. My first lover, my first boyfriend, my first everything. You taught me what it is to be human, and even though I'm not human anymore, I don't want to see you hurt. Any of you."

"It was awful. She told him she wanted the old Spike back. The one who had tried to kill her when he first saw her. He was devastated, Xander. You would have been proud of him, though. He didn't show it. He reminded Buffy that he did all of this, the soul and whatnot, for her and she just told him she didn't want the soul, she wanted the demon."

"Where do you think, Xander? He's out being the "Big Bad", trying to prove that he's demon enough for her. It won't work. Buffy doesn't know what she wants, and she's making everyone else crazy because of it."

"No. Not in so many words, but she was pissed about keeping your secret. She thinks you should be doing more on the magic front instead of hiding behind Tara and letting her do all the work. I'm sorry, but I have to agree with her on that point. Tara doesn't have your power. You would be a better choice. It almost killed her and Giles when they had to open the portal to bring Buffy back. You would have been able to do it easily."

"Point. Well, I'm done hiding, anyway. I talked to Willow; we're all good now. I fixed Deadboy's curse and I brought Faith back with us. I think we stand a chance against this thing now."

They didn't talk much after that. Xander was worried about Spike, and it was obvious. Anya finally told him to just go find him and take him home. Xander thanked her, paid the bill and left.

It was almost sunrise by the time Xander made it home. He hadn't found Spike, and he had run out of places to look. He figured the blonde was probably home by now, that or at Buffy's. He'd check his place first; if Spike wasn't there then he'd call over and see if he had gone to slayer central instead.

The apartment was still dark and quiet. Xander felt his disappointment like a lead weight. He really wanted to see Spike, to tell him that he knew what Buffy had said, and that she was wrong. That Xander didn't think he was useless, that Xander loved him just as he was - soul and all.

Xander sighed and picked up the phone. He dialled Buffy's house and rolled his eyes when Andrew answered. That was another thing he was curious about - why he wasn't affected by Halfrek's magics.

"No. He hasn't been back since Buffy yelled at him. Yelled at all of us, actually. I don't blame him; she was harsh."

Xander hung up on Andrew, feeling a small pang of guilt over it, but too worried about his vampire to give it much thought. He headed for his room, stripped off his clothes and padded naked across the hall to the bathroom.

The shower was a blessed relief. He felt like he hadn't been clean in forever. He smiled as he remembered the look on Angel's face when he smelled him. Xander shook his head and grinned; Spike knew that Angel would smell Spike on him and had sent him off like that anyway. Possessive, thy name is Spike.

Xander stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. He was still scrubbing his hair dry when the bathroom door opened and Spike stepped inside.

"Been here for a couple hours, was sleeping 'til some git turned on the water and woke me."

Xander just then remembered he was naked and quickly covered himself with the towel. Spike snorted and rolled his eyes.

There was something off about Spike. Xander couldn't pinpoint what, but he knew it was there all the same. Spike felt... aloof, indifferent, closed off.

"Where else would I be? It's where I sleep, isn't it? Or do you want me to leave?"

"Oh, I see. You thought I'd be waiting for you, didn't you? What did you think, Xander? That you'd come home and I'd be lying in your bed just waiting for you to climb in and roll me over?"

Xander wanted to slap Buffy. This was her fault. Spike was fine when he left that morning. In the span of less than twenty-four hours, everything had gone to hell. All the progress he had made with the vampire had been undone. Well, at least he wasn't crazy-in-the-basement-guy.

"Does it matter? You love him, and he doesn't have a soul. Buffy wants the demon, you want the demon, why not be the demon?"

"Because you don't have to be? If that's what you want, Spike, I'm okay with that. But you don't have to be anything for me. I love you just the way you are."

Spike cocked his head to the side and studied Xander closely. In a move so fast that Xander didn't even see it, Spike was in front of him - demon face to the fore. He tilted Xander's head to the side and brushed his fangs over his neck.

Spike sank his fangs deeply into his mark and pulled Xander into a crushing embrace. He brought his hand to his own throat and made a cut with his fingernail. He cupped the back of Xander's head and pulled him to the wound. As soon as he felt Xander's lips close over the cut and begin drawing on his blood he removed the towel from Xander's waist.

Xander felt himself harden as Spike's cool fingers closed around him. He moaned into his neck as he continued to suckle at the slow trickle of blood. He fumbled with the drawstring on the vampire's pants and finally got them untied. He pushed them down over slim hips and felt them pool at their feet.

Spike's hand moved with a purpose, expertly bringing Xander closer and closer to orgasm. It didn't take long, and Xander would have been embarrassed if this had happened with a woman, but Spike being a guy, knew exactly how to touch him; how to bring him off quickly. He had barely registered Spike's fangs receding before he found himself on his knees; Spike's cock in his face.

Xander didn't waste any time. He licked across the head of the pale cock and moaned at the taste of the fluids there. He had missed this taste; it had been too long since he had done this. He swiftly took as much of Spike into his mouth as he could. He brought his hands up to caress Spike's balls and pump his shaft as he continued to suck. He could hear Spike's moans of encouragement and sank down further until he could feel the head of his mate's cock against the back of his throat. He swallowed.

Xander did. He swallowed again and then pulled back until only the tip of Spike's cock was in his mouth. He played over the slit with his tongue and then slid one finger into his mouth to lubricate it. He sank down on the vampire's cock again and swallowed continuously as he worked the now wet finger between Spike's cheeks and pressed it into his ass. Spike screamed and came. Xander swallowed and then licked him clean before getting to his feet.

Spike blinked at Xander and then shook his head. He pulled his sweats back up and walked away. Xander grabbed his towel and followed after him with a frown. He found Spike in the kitchen heating blood.

Spike looked at Xander and then shrugged before drinking his blood and rinsing the cup in the sink. He walked past Xander and headed down the hall.

"I'm going back to bed. If you're staying up, try to keep the noise down, eh? Need my beauty sleep and all."

Xander just stood there in shock as Spike went into his bedroom and closed the door.

Xander blinked and then snapped out of his shock. He didn't know what the hell had just happened. Well, sex, yeah. Biting too - at least on Spike's part. They had reaffirmed their blood bond. So why the cold-shoulder all of a sudden?

Xander went down the hall and stopped outside of Spike's bedroom door. He thought about knocking, about demanding an explanation for what had just happened but he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear it. Spike was hard to figure out on good days, and this wasn't a good day. What had happened in the bathroom was good and all, but he was still horny and he really missed sex.

"I should have just let Angel fuck me." Xander muttered to himself and walked away. He barely got a foot inside his bedroom door before he was pressed face first against the wall.

Spike pressed harder and Xander stopped talking. He didn't know what this was all about, but he wasn't going to do anything to aggravate the blonde further.

"Should have let Angel fuck you?" Spike snarled and then dug his fangs into Xander's neck. He didn't drink; just left them buried in the flesh as he kept Xander pinned to the wall. Xander didn't know whether to try and break free or push himself further into the possessive embrace of his mate. Spike withdrew his fangs and licked over the seeping wound to close it.

"I don't know how that other Spike feels, but I don't share. You're mine, Xander, body, blood and soul. You don't fuck with anyone but me!"

"Want to be claimed then, Xander? Want me to finish what you started? Take what's mine?"

Xander pushed his ass back against Spike's naked groin. He could feel Spike�s hard cock as it twitched against his towel-clad ass. He groaned as Spike growled softly in his ear.

The towel was suddenly gone and so was Spike. Xander had only a moment to protest the loss of that cool strong body before it was back, and wet slippery fingers were probing him. And none too gently either.

"Gonna take you, Xander. Fuck you; claim you all proper like. Gonna make you scream, make you mine. No one can take you from me after this."

Spike's fingers withdrew from Xander�s body and were instantly replaced by something much larger as Spike pushed his way inside. Xander muffled his scream by biting on his tongue. It had been awhile and he could have used a little more preparation than that. Still, it was good. It was rough and hard and fast, but it was Spike inside him, inside him and making him his.

"Like this, love? Like my cock inside you, splitting you open? Gonna stay buried in you all day long, Xander. Gonna wake you up every hour and just fuck you and fuck you."

Xander clenched around Spike's cock and screamed as Spike wrapped his fist around his cock and stroked him hard. He was so close, so fucking close. If Spike would just bite, he would be in heaven.

"You like that idea, Xander? You want me to sleep buried inside you? Want to wake up to the feel of me stretching you open? I can do it, you know. Stay hard while I sleep. You want that, Xan? Answer me."

"Yeah, you like that. Gonna scream for me, love?" Spike bit Xander hard and Xander screamed as he came. He was pretty sure his neighbours wouldn't call the cops; they'd gotten used to the noise when he had been with Anya, but all the same, he needed to try and remember not to be so loud. He felt Spike's orgasm as it washed through him and then the emptiness as the vampire pulled out of his body.

"Relax, Xander. Just gonna put you to bed. You might have lost a bit more blood than what's good for you. Stupid of me to drink from you again. Sorry 'bout that."

"Yeah, pet. Love you too. Into bed with you." Spike laid Xander down and then left the room. Xander worried that he wasn't going to come back, but before he managed to sit up, he heard the vampire return.

"Just gonna clean you up a bit." Spike wiped him down with a damp cloth and then climbed into bed beside him. He pulled Xander back against his chest and wrapped his arms around him.

"Sorry, love. Didn't mean to be so rough on you. Demon was clamouring to be inside you; it's not natural to mate with someone and not claim him or her physically. You okay?"

Xander trailed off but rubbed his ass into the vampire again. Spike chuckled, lifted Xander�s leg and slid inside of him.

Xander drifted off to sleep almost immediately. Spike stayed awake for the better part of an hour just marvelling in the fact that Xander was his. That he had finally claimed him. And all it took was Buffy to tell him he was useless.

He snorted, and Xander stirred briefly. Spike grinned and slowly withdrew his cock until it was just barely inside before sliding back in. Xander moaned and pushed back against him. Spike pulled his mate closer and peppered kisses all over his shoulder and the side of his neck. He did tell the boy he was going to wake him up and fuck him; wouldn't want to lie to his mate now would he?

By sunset, Xander had been woken several times - just as Spike promised. He was sore, but it was a good kind of sore. The kind of sore that made soaking in a hot bath feel like heaven. Even better when you were joined by your lover.

The two were silently reclined in the large tub, surrounded by hot water and sandalwood-scented bubbles. Xander was resting against Spike's chest with his eyes closed. Spike was running his hands gently over the human's chest and purring softly. It was the very picture of domestic bliss. But Xander being Xander had to ruin it by speaking.

"You remember a few years back when we first met? The night Angel wanted us to eat you - and not in the fun way? That was me. That was a century of being a demon, socialising with demons, living in Angelus' shadow. It's who I was, all I was."

"Now I'm different. Even before the soul, I knew that I had to be more than the demon if I was going to survive the chip - If I was going to keep the slayer from staking me. Had to draw on my human memories; that little part of William that survived my turning. I came to realise that you lot were not what I had thought you to be. I mean, a bunch of bumbling teenagers kept spoiling my plans? I was embarrassed for my entire species."

"Then I got to be part of the group, saw how things worked. You were just children, yet you fought things that would scare the living hell out of most adults. And you did it because you wanted to. Had to respect that. Made me take a closer look, and when I did, I liked what I saw. I fell in love with Buffy because she's more than a slayer, more than a killer of my kind. She's unique, our Buffy. Had to give Rupert credit as well; for a watcher, he's an all right bloke. Taught his charge to think for herself, not to just blindly follow orders like most other slayers. Red's always been a bit of all right. Stood up to me even when I was drunk and out of my head with grief over Dru; would have kept her that night in the dorms. Probably not what you want to hear though, is it?"

"Right. It's the truth, though. Always liked Anya, too. Fellow outcast and all that. 'Sides, she embarrassed the hell out of you and Rupert. It was better than telly some days."

Spike chuckled as Xander tried to pull away from him. He held him tighter and shook his head.

"The reason I couldn't stand you was 'cause you were always bein' smart with me. You called me names, constantly reminded me that I was damaged - impotent. By the way, I really should smack you for that. I'm not - nor was I ever - impotent."

Xander squirmed slightly, his tender bum reminding him all too well of how not-impotent the vampire was.

"I think, if things had been a little different- if you hadn't been so outwardly hostile to me - we might have been friends. We did have the most in common. You being the only male in the group. Well other than dear old Rupert, but he doesn't count 'cause he's like the father figure to all you pups."

"Yeah. You're probably right. The one Xander I met was already gay and he and that Spike got together right after they had been forced to live together."

"Mmm hmm. See, so if you had only been a little nicer to me, we could have been shagging each other these past couple years and saved ourselves a lot of trouble. There would have been no almost-wedding, no me falling for my natural enemy, I certainly wouldn't have run off and gotten my soul for someone who doesn't even want me."

Xander turned his head and kissed Spike lightly on the lips. He didn't want to hurt Spike, but he couldn't regret the last couple years either. His time with Anya was something he would always treasure, and if not for her, he never would have met his Spike.

"Yeah, but even with all of that, I wouldn't change anything. I've seen my other options and I like my life just fine the way it's turned out. Curses, broken hearts and all."

"Suppose you would. You have any luck in L.A. with that spell you were looking for?"

"Oh! Shit I forgot to tell you. I have it. Angel has some weird green demon guy that works with him. He reads auras if you sing for him, so I sang. He gave me a spell, but it has some really rare ingredients and if it weren't for the fact that he's you, it wouldn't even work."

"It calls for the blood of the subject of the spell. Actually it needs my blood, your blood and Angel's blood. Dru's would have worked too, but Angel was willing, so it was easier."

Spike didn't say anything while Xander rambled on about the rare things he'd need to perform the spell. He was still stuck on the fact that Xander had found a spell. He wasn't so sure he wanted the other him here. He had only just fully claimed Xander and he wasn't sure if he was ready to share him just yet. Truthfully, he didn't know if he wanted to share him at all. He'd done the three-way relationship before with Dru and Angelus. It hadn't worked out in his favour. Even decades after Angelus had left them, he was still first in Dru's heart. He doubted things were any different here.

If it hadn't been for the other Spike, he wouldn't be with Xander right now. They never would have shared blood and accidentally started this bond. It was obvious by the excited chatter Spike could still hear, that Xander was looking forward to having the other one here. Spike wondered briefly what Xander would do if he refused to give him his blood.

Spike smiled and squeezed Xander tightly before shifting him forward and standing up. He pulled Xander to his feet and led him out of the tub. After drying himself off he turned around to find Xander looking at him with a strange expression on his face. He cupped the man's cheek and stepped closer to him.

"I'm sorry. I just... I realise how hard this must be for you, what with me prattling on about the other you, but I miss him, you know?"

"A bit. It's just... What are you gonna need me around for once he's back? I've been through this with Dru and Angelus once before; I don't think I can do it again."

Xander pulled Spike into his arms and held him. He kissed his head, his shoulders, his neck and then tilting his head up, he kissed his mouth.

"It won't be like that. I promise. I love you for you, Spike. Not because you're him. You really aren't, you know. He's different. You're different."

"I have to make a few calls, try to find some of the stuff. Wills gave me a list of people to call, so hopefully it'll only take a few days."

"Alright. Well, come on. We have to go see the slayer and Rupert. Christ I hope that Andrew isn't there. Bleedin' git keeps giving me the eye."

Xander followed Spike out of the bathroom and into what he was now thinking of as their room.

"Because he doesn't belong there, and I seem to be the only one who realises it. Well, other than Anya."

The last couple of days had been better all the way around. Buffy had apologised to Spike - and to Xander for what had happened in his absence. Xander came out - both about his magic and about Spike. Giles was stunned and asked a million questions; Buffy looked hurt, like she had just realised what Spike meant to her and that she had lost her chance with him. Dawn squealed and jumped around the room chanting 'I was right' over and over again. Willow smiled. She was just happy to have her best friend back.

Faith and Buffy were getting on okay; things had been a bit strained at first, but they came to an understanding. They were slayers, and they needed to work together on this.

Xander kept a close eye on Andrew; he soon came to the conclusion that he was harmless. Andrew just wanted to belong to something - a feeling that Xander could identify with - so he left him alone about the wish and just let him carry on caring for the S.I.T's. He wasn't a bad cook, either.

Tonight however, Xander was on his own. He had to go to L.A. again, this time to pick up some supplies for the spell. He had wanted to take Spike with him, but Giles insisted on doing some ritual to reveal what the trigger was that the First was using on him. He assured Xander that it was harmless and Willow agreed. Spike told him he'd be fine and to go to L.A. without him, but not before taking him aside and making sure he knew to avoid Angel while he was there. Spike wasn't ready to share with his sire yet - head of the clan or not.

Xander had chained Spike to the wall as requested, kissed him softly, and then whispered in his ear about getting a set of manacles for their bedroom before he left. The smouldering look Spike gave him in return was enough of a reason to conduct his business quickly and get back home as soon as he could. Ever since Spike had taken him that first night, they had spent every spare moment they had in bed wrapped around one another.

It didn't take nearly as long to get everything as he thought it would. In fact, there was only one more ingredient he had to wait for before he'd have everything he needed. Willow's contacts were amazing; if they didn't have it, they knew where to get it. Even the final ingredient - something called gherystic, -which turned out to be a plant that only grows in a certain demon dimension. He was glad he had worked things out with Willow, otherwise he never would have gotten everything so quickly. It could have taken months of searching to find that - as it stood, it was being shipped from somewhere in China that night and should arrive in a couple of days.

Xander headed home with a smile on his face and a song in heart. He was happy. Happier than he had ever been in his life. Yeah, he knew things wouldn't be easy at first - living with two Spikes was going to be a real test of his patience - but the pros would far outweigh the cons of the situation. He would finally have his Spike back, and he wouldn't lose this one either. Xander had never pictured himself as the kind of guy to get involved in a triad relationship, but then again, before the curse, he'd never pictured himself as the kind of guy to get involved with another man, either. Or a vampire. Now he was involved with two of them. Yep, he was definitely a demon magnet.

He pulled into the driveway of the Summers' house and got out of the car. He was met by Buffy on the front porch. She didn't look happy, and Xander wondered what had set her off.

"What's the deal with you and Spike? I mean, you told me you were trying to find a way to bring back the other one, so why did you hook up with this one, and what happens to him when the other one gets here?"

"It's not easy to explain, Buffy. I love Spike, both of them. I never considered getting involved with this Spike at first; he was in love with you, still is, but things changed. There's a lot about vampires that you don't understand; claims being one of them. When I lost my Spike it nearly killed me - seriously. There's a link between us, and when it was severed it affected my health. One of the other Spikes I met up with helped me. He gave me his blood."

Buffy scrunched up her nose in a classic 'eeew' face and Xander smiled softly at her.

"I knew you wouldn't get it. The point is, when I got back here I was okay for a little while because of what that other Spike had done for me. Then it started again; it might have been worse because I had been practising with my power as well, but I'm not sure. Spike... he cut himself - now that I think of it, it was probably on purpose which means he somehow knew before I told him, and boy are we going to have words about that - and I took his blood. That was the beginning. Then there was the incident where he bit me - you remember I told you about that?"

"Yeah. So what? That made it final? He drank from you and that's it? You're mated?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, there were words and all that with the other Spike, but we knew we were doing it - claiming each other. This was sort of an accident. It wasn't complete either. Not until... "

"The morning after I went to L.A. I came home and ran into Anya; she told me what happened, what you said to him. I looked for him all night but finally gave up and went home - he was already there."

"I didn't do this to hurt you, Buffy, I did this because I love him. Because he was hurting - you have no idea what you did to him that night - and because I wanted him. It would have happened sooner but he was still hoping that the two of you had a chance."

"And you were okay with that? You're his mate, Xander, and would have just stood back and let me be with him?"

"Yes. If he was happy, if you both were happy, then yes. But that time has come and gone Buffy. I can't do that now. Not now that we've completed the bond. It would destroy me."

Buffy shook her head sadly and leaned into Xander's side. Xander put his arm around her and squeezed.

"I've lost any chance I ever had with him, I know I told him it was over, that we could never be together, but I was scared. I loved Angel and looked how that ended. Every time we see each other we cause the other pain. Then Riley; I pushed him away because I was afraid to let him in. Now I've done it again with Spike. Am I ever going to find the right guy, Xander? Or have I already found him and let him go?"

"Nah, you'll find him. The right guy is out there; you just have to wait till he finds you. Or maybe..."

"You ever think about switching teams, Buff? That Kennedy seems to have taken a shine to you."

"Go home to your vampire, Xander. Things got a bit out of control tonight; there was an incident with Robin..."

"He's fine. Robin's mother was Spike's second slayer, he was looking for a little payback; he didn't get it. Spike could have killed him, but he didn't. He won't try it again, I made sure of that."

"Thanks, Buff. I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and tell Robin, that if he does try again, he better learn to like Cat-Chow."

Xander jumped back into the car and drove away. Buffy shook her head and stood up. She looked up at her front door and wondered if she had done the right thing by not telling Xander about Giles' involvement.

"My life just keeps getting more and more complicated. Things were so much simpler when I was dead."

When Xander got home, he found Spike sitting on the sofa and staring at the television. He had a half-full bottle of beer in his hand, but it looked as though he had been holding it for some time. Xander sat next to him and gently removed the bottle and set it on the coffee table. Spike turned his head and looked at him.

"Peachy. Had a nice trip down memory lane, nearly killed Buffy's boss, and oh yeah - got the trigger taken care of."

Xander took Spike's hand and intertwined their fingers. He knew that this had to be hard on him.

"One and the same. Bugger tried to off me tonight. I walked him home - he led me into his garage to kill me; it was full of crosses. He played the song. Unleashed the beast in me."

"Yeah. Made me relive my first night as a vampire. I sired my mum, she was sickly and I wanted to make her better, stronger, like me. I killed her, gave her a demon, and then I had to dust her."

Xander didn't know what to say to Spike. Sure, he had dusted his best friend - a boy he was in love with but didn't have the guts to tell him. But to have to stake his own mother?"

"I never was a good demon - too soft. Angelus always knew; he saw right through me. I became Spike to erase the man that I was, the man who even as a vampire wanted his mother. He never called me Spike - always William. I hated him for it. For reminding me of who I was, of what I had done. The things she said to me, Xander. They were horrible."

Xander pulled Spike into his arms and held him. The vampire went willingly. He knew that Xander wouldn't judge him for his weakness, for needing the comfort of being held.

"She did. I figured that out tonight. All these years I've been carrying that around with me, thinking that my mum didn't love me. The First used that, got inside my head and brought out all that rage and anger."

"Yeah. It's gone. I know now that that wasn't my mum that said those things to me. I've made peace with my past."

"I'm glad. You want me to turn him into a kitten? You could bet him in a poker game and purposely lose."

"Nah, pet. Bloke did me a favour actually. I guess I owe him for making me figure things out. 'Sides, Buffy's right pissed with him; he's blown his chance with her - should be punishment enough."

They sat in silence for a little while, Xander holding Spike to him and running his hands up and down the vampire's back in a soothing motion. It was comfortable, relaxing. Spike shifted a bit till he could look up at Xander. He smiled at him as their eyes met, and slowly leaned in to kiss him.

The kiss was soft, a mere brushing of lips. When it was finished, Xander licked his lips and grinned.

They turned off the television and the few lights that were on. Xander locked the door as Spike emptied the remainder of his beer into the kitchen sink. There was no mad dash for the bedroom. No frantic kissing and pulling at clothes. It was routine - domestic. The bedroom door closed and they both helped the other to undress. There were kisses and soft words of love exchanged and when they were finally naked, they climbed into bed and reached for each other.

Lying on their sides, face to face, they held each other and kissed softly. It wasn't about passion this time, it was about love. It was Spike finally accepting that he was loved by Xander, no matter what happened. The world could end tomorrow, but tonight they had each other and that was enough. More than enough; it was everything.

Spike withdrew from the kiss and buried his face into Xander's neck. He sucked on his mark and then kissed his way up to his ear. He ran his tongue along the shell of his mate's ear and then nipped the soft lobe.

Xander rolled them over so that he was on top of the smaller man and resumed kissing him. He really liked kissing Spike; it was something they hadn't done very much of before the other night, but after the first night that Spike had taken him against the bedroom door, they had shared a lot of kisses.

Xander reached blindly for the nightstand and managed to get the drawer open and find the lube while never leaving Spike's lips. He opened the tube and squeezed some out onto Spike's belly. The vampire jumped slightly at the cold sensation on his skin but quickly forgot about it as Xander moved his lips across his cheek and down to his neck.

As he licked and kissed and sucked on the pale skin of Spike's throat, Xander coated one of his fingers in the puddle of lube and gently began circling Spike's pucker. After a moment he slowly inserted it.

Xander withdrew the finger and returned it a moment later with another one. He began to slowly pump them in and out of his lover, stretching him carefully. He twisted them suddenly and Spike arched off the bed.

Xander smiled and repeated the action, rubbing his fingers over Spike's sweetspot. He lowered himself so that he was lying between the vampire's spread legs and could watch his fingers as they disappeared into his mate's body again and again. Spike was purring and thrashing his head on the pillow.

Xander added another finger and at the same time moved up so that he could take Spike's cock into his mouth. The dual sensations were too much for Spike and he vamped out and screamed as he came. Xander swallowed everything and continued to finger-fuck his lover as he brought him to full hardness again with his lips and tongue.

Xander slicked himself against Spike's stomach and then positioned his cockhead at Spike's opening. He locked eyes with his mate and then slowly pushed inside.

Spike wrapped his legs around Xander's waist as the man slowly thrust in and out. The heat was like nothing he had ever felt before. He could feel Xander's pulse beating inside of him, as if they were one being.

Xander never wanted this feeling to end; this connection he felt with the blonde was overwhelming. He leaned forward further and captured Spike's mouth with his own, kissing him deeply as he continued to make love to him. He didn't care what problems tomorrow brought because right here, right now, everything was perfect. Spike was perfect.

Spike closed his eyes and felt his chest constrict with emotion. He had never felt so cherished and loved as he did at this moment, with this man. He knew then, that no matter what the future held, whatever happened when the other Spike came back, he would still be wanted by Xander, would still be loved. It was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

Xander saw the tears as they leaked from the corners of Spike's eyes. He kissed them away gently and then kissed each closed eyelid.

"M'fine, love. Just... that was ... no one has ever said such things to me. Thank you."

Spike leaned up and pressed their lips together again. Xander smiled into the kiss and reached between them to grasp Spike's erection in his fist. He felt like he had been hard forever and desperately needed to cum. He wanted his mate to cum with him.

"Can't last much longer, Spike. You feel too good. Cum with me; I want to feel your muscles as they squeeze me tight."

Xander chuckled and picked up his pace slightly. He kissed Spike again as he shifted slightly to make sure he was hitting the vampire's prostate on every thrust. Spike growled and bucked up to meet each thrust as Xander began to pound into him harder and faster. Spike's eyes bled to yellow, his fangs dropped and his ridges came out. Xander purposely nicked his tongue on one sharp canine and thrust his tongue deep into his lover's mouth. Spike sucked on it eagerly as he bucked and thrashed underneath him. Finally, he released Xander's lips and tongue and roared as he came.

Xander watched his lover's face as his eyes flew open in unseeing ecstasy. He felt Spike's muscles clamp down hard on his shaft as Spike roared and spilled over his fist. It was too much and Xander threw his own head back as he came inside of his mate for the first time, claiming him as his own. He collapsed on Spike's chest, panting for breath. He felt Spike's arms come up around him even as his legs flopped down to the bed.

"Bloody hell, Xander. That was amazing. I could feel your heart beat inside me."

Xander lifted his head and looked into Spike's eyes. He frowned a bit and then asked,

"For accepting me. For loving me. Even when I'm acting like a git. I'm sorry about the other night; I was being an ass."

"Oh, you mean when you walked away from me right after the blow-job without so much as a kiss or a thank you?"

"I'm not. It got us here didn't it? I mean, if I hadn't been a little pissed at you, I wouldn't have made that crack about Angel, and you wouldn't have stormed in here and taken me against the door. True?"

Xander had to be sure that Spike was okay with not ever being with her again. He needed to know that it was over from Spike's perspective, as well.

"Not even Buffy. She'd never love me the way you do, the way I wanted her to. When she looks at me, she'll always see the vampire who tried to force her to love him - the monster who tried to kill her again and again. She's a slayer; I'm a demon. It would never have lasted. I still love her, Xander. But I'm no longer in love with her."

Xander rolled off of Spike and pulled the smaller man into his arms. He tilted his head up and kissed him. When he pulled away he smiled.

"I'm glad you're not in love with Buffy anymore. I understand that you love her; I do too, but I'm not in love with her either. I'm in love with you."

Spike's shocked expression made Xander laugh and he rolled out of bed and pulled Spike to his feet.

"Come on, we're in desperate need of a shower. I'll wash your back if you do mine?"

Things were going to hell. There was a new player in town; a preacher, named Caleb. He sent Buffy a calling card in the form of a half-dead potential. She had an interesting scar burned into her neck.

Buffy had been fired from her job as counsellor at Sunnydale high - something about being where she was needed the most, and the kids all skipping anyway. Xander was pretty sure it had more to do with Robin using what little control he had over Buffy to prove a point to her. Either way, it didn't matter; people were starting to pull out of Sunnydale like rats leaving a sinking ship and Buffy was needed at home.

So here they all were, gathered at Buffy's house and about to go into battle. Caleb said he had something that belonged to Buffy and she was dead set on getting it - whatever it was - back. Which was why Xander was now giving the S.I.T's a lesson in weaponry and where to hit to cause the most damage.

"Now remember, we're looking for killing blows only, people. So, chest and throat if it's a vampire. Stomach, chest and face if it's a Bringer."

"Could happen. Something otherworldly. And here's a handy rule: don't go for the flashy tentacles just because they're waving 'em about trying to get attention. Go for the centre - brains, heart, eyes. Everything's got eyes."

Kennedy. She was all warrior, that one. If anyone was taking this whole calling thing seriously, it was she. She would be a good slayer someday. When she realised it wasn't about the fight, it was about what she was fighting for.

Xander turned to look at Andrew and shook his head sadly. He wondered how much like him he might have turned out if it weren't for Buffy opening his eyes to the real world around him and giving him a purpose. He couldn't help but take Andrew's side after Rona started in on how Mathew Broderick killed Godzilla so he couldn't be all that tough.

"Matthew Broderick did not kill Godzilla. He killed a big, dumb lizard. That was not the real Godzilla."

Rona started a whole big conversation on how they were all nuts, that she came here for protection not to go looking for the bad guy in his own lair. Xander reminded her that she signed on to fight - that they all did. Then he started to tell them a little bit about Buffy - about the slayer who had died twice to save the world, and about the girl who held the lives of her friends and family above everyone else's, including her own.

"I've been through more battles with Buffy than you all can ever imagine. She's stopped everything that's ever come up against her. She's laid down her life - literally - to protect the people around her. This girl has died two times, and she's still standing. You're scared? That's smart. You got questions? You should. But you doubt her motives? You think Buffy's all about the kill? Then you take the little bus to battle. I've seen her heart, and this time - not literally. And I'm telling you right now, she cares more about your lives than you will ever know. You gotta trust her. She's earned it."

Everyone turned to see Buffy and Faith standing in the doorway. Xander smiled at the look of honest love and friendship on her face.

The walk to the old vineyard was quiet and tense. Buffy and Faith took point, the S.I.T's in the middle and Xander and Spike brought up the rear. They were all nervous; this was the first time the girls were going into battle and for all his faith in Buffy and her abilities, Xander didn't like the situation at all. It smelled like a trap.

"Yeah. Seems like it, doesn't it? You want me to talk to Buffy? See if she'll pull out?"

"Would it do any good? She's hell-bent on this, Spike. Whatever it is this guy has, Buffy wants it."

"All right. We follow the slayer into battle, then. But, Xander? Don't die on me."

Spike kissed Xander and headed off to the front of the group with Buffy. Buffy turned and looked over the group.

"Okay. Set up a perimeter. Guard the door. I don't want anything getting in behind us. My team goes in first; we check the place out. You guys are our safety net. If this place is a trap, we give the signal, you guys come in, guns a-blazing."

Buffy turned and led her team inside. Xander stood outside the door, waiting for the signal - hoping it didn't come. He felt a charge in the air around him - one he had come to associate with Anya when she 'popped' in on him. He turned around to greet her with a smile and it dropped off his face as he saw Halfrek standing there.

Xander turned away from Hallie and hoped to God that she would just go away. He didn't have time for that.

"Is that what you really think? That you suffered enough for what you did to Anyanka?"

"Anya has forgiven me for leaving her at the altar. She's a happy little vengeance demon again and all is right with her world, so your need to avenge her is misplaced."

"Is that what you think? You think this was about you not marrying her? Honestly. It was never about that. It was about you ruining her. You made her human, all of you with your little plans and spells and smashing her amulet. You took her away from me, and then you made her want that existence. Teaching her to love and be happy and how to fit into society. You ruined her."

"Look. I'm extremely busy right now. My friend and my lover are both inside fighting big evil. Can we do this later?"

"No. We can't. Do you realise it's been weeks since Anyanka has granted a wish? And the last one she did grant? Hrumph; the woman wished her husband to be turned into a frog. Do you know what Anyanka did? Well, do you? She made him French. From France. Not a single wart or anything. You made her soft. D'Hoffryn is not going to put up with that kind of behaviour. He'll replace her, and you don't want to know what they do to defunct vengeance demons."

"So, let me get this straight. You cursed me because I loved Anya, not because I left her?"

"Yes. Your love made her want mortality, if you had only acted like a man and used her for your own sexual pleasure and then discarded her, she would have returned to the fold years ago and none of this would have happened."

"Make a wish. Wish that you had done just that. I'll even let you remember enough of this timeline to leave Buffy dead and buried so none of this will happen. It's your decision. Your happiness or the world's safety."

Xander looked around him at the frightened girls in his care and then back toward the door where Buffy and Spike and the others had gone. He could spare them all this horrifying ordeal. All it would cost him would be Buffy and his mates. They could lose this battle and the whole world would suffer, or he could agree - make the wish - and get to start over. It was a hell of a decision to have to make. Keep his mates, let Buffy live and possibly set the First Evil loose on the world, or give up Spike - both of them - and leave Buffy to rest in peace, and possibly save the world.

Xander knew what the right thing to do was� Buffy wasn't supposed to be alive; the world shouldn't have to suffer because of his and Willow's mistake. If he did the right thing, he would lose his mates, but his happiness would be a small price to pay for the world's safety. He took a deep breath, looked Halfrek straight in the eye and spoke.

Hallie was almost salivating as she watched Xander think over his options. She knew he wouldn't disappoint her; he was always the noble one - putting everyone else first. He would do it this time, as well. She was sure of it.

Xander silently counted down from three and grinned as she turned and glared at him.

"What?! What do you mean you won't do it? You would let the world suffer just so you could keep fucking a vampire?"

"Yep. See, I have faith in Buffy. She'll defeat the First and the world will be fine."

"She knows the score. If she isn't happy with her job, she should quit. Being human isn't a bad deal, Hallie. In fact, I think you should try it."

In a move that Xander wasn't even sure how he pulled off, he ripped Halfrek's necklace from her throat and smashed it under his boot heel. Hallie screamed.

Just then, screams from inside the building brought the others toward Xander and the newly-human Halfrek. Xander didn't even spare a backward glance at her as he led the charge inside to help out his friends.

What he found inside was carnage- pure and simple. Rona's arm had been busted and two of the other girls were dead. Buffy was unconscious on the far side of the room and Spike was looking a bit worse for wear. Xander looked at his mate; Spike nodded and Xander went to help Buffy.

Faith engaged Caleb, but she was no match for his strength - none of them were. Xander knew that they had walked into a trap, and that they needed to retreat. He began pulling Buffy toward the stairs.

Xander nodded and started to gather the rest of the girls. Buffy rushed back into the fight with Caleb, trying to buy Xander enough time to get the others out. She saw what he did to Molly - one of the girls he killed and she lashed out at him in fury. Caleb sailed across the room with the force of the blow.

Spike and Xander were helping the girls to the stairs when Caleb got back up. He grabbed Xander and turned him around to face him.

Xander could see the thumb coming towards his eye almost as if in slow motion. He heard Spike's roar of rage and turned his head to see him running toward him. He knew Spike wouldn't make it; he could see that Spike knew it too. Not even knowing how it was that he was doing it, Xander merely stepped to the side, and then time started to return to normal all around him.

Caleb didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as Spike tackled him to the ground, pouring all his rage and fury out on the man who tried to hurt what was his. Xander quickly grabbed Spike and pulled him away. Buffy was still waiting for them.

The trio headed outside to find the others waiting for them. They were all in bad shape - some worse than others - and they needed to get some of the girls to the hospital. Buffy pulled out her cell phone and called home. Willow said she'd be there in a few minutes with the car.

Xander looked around but didn't see Hallie anywhere. He wondered whether he did the right thing in destroying her power center. Anya had had help acclimating, she had the scoobies and she had him, Hallie was wandering around Sunnydale at night by herself. Xander didn't have time to worry about Halfrek, though; he had to help the others. They needed to get as far away from the vineyard as they could.

Spike was helping Rona; the girl was minutes away from passing out. Xander saw a couple of the other girls who looked like they would collapse any minute and headed toward them. He placed a hand on each of them and sent a small burst of energy through them. He smiled at the shocked look on their faces and headed off to see if Buffy and Faith were okay.

Willow showed up minutes later; Xander didn't want to know how fast she must have been driving to get there that quickly. They piled Rona into the front seat with Willow and a couple of the other girls into the back. Willow drove off to the hospital and Buffy turned to Xander.

"Can you and Spike take the girls back to the house? I want to make sure the others are okay."

Faith shrugged her shoulders and headed after Buffy. Xander rounded up the rest of the girls and he and Spike walked them back to Buffy's. They answered Giles' questions, reassured Dawn that Buffy was fine, and then headed home.

Once inside the door, Spike grabbed Xander and pushed his back against the door before attacking his mouth. Xander yielded to his mate's desire and kissed him back just as aggressively. When Spike finally pulled away to let Xander get some much-needed oxygen, he buried his face into his neck and sucked on his claim scar.

The blonde released the patch of skin from his mouth and pulled Xander away from the door. He began leading him back toward the bedroom as he answered.

"I wasn't fast enough, love. If you hadn't made with the mojo, he'd have gotten you. Blinded you, maybe even killed you. Can't lose you, Xander. Not now; I've only just found you."

Xander kissed Spike and then grabbed the hem of the vampire's t-shirt and slowly began pulling it up - exposing a smooth, flat stomach that just begged to be touched, a well defined six-pack that Xander desperately wanted to explore with his tongue.

Spike raised his arms and Xander pulled the shirt over his head and tossed it aside before slowly lowering his mouth to Spike's collarbone. He nipped it lightly and then traced all the way across to the other side of his chest, stopping in the middle to suck on the hollow in between. Spike groaned and let his eyes fall shut as he felt his mate's warm lips slowly move to his right nipple.

Xander teased the little nubbin of flesh into a hard peak and then bit down softly. Spike made a strangled keening noise and Xander soothed the small hurt by laving it with his tongue before repeating the process on the left nipple.

Spike sighed and threaded his hands through his boy's hair as he felt the tip of Xander's tongue trailing wetly across his abs. He moaned as Xander's hands trailed up the backs of his legs and then squeezed his ass firmly. He could now see why Anya had called Xander a Viking in the sack. There was just no describing what it felt like to be the focus of this man's attention. Spike had never felt so cherished or wanted as he did when Xander took his time exploring his body.

The man in question had finished his exploration of Spike's abdominals and was now contemplating his navel. He dipped his tongue inside and swirled it around, causing Spike to jump slightly and emit a tiny squeak. Xander chuckled against the firm flesh under his lips and then sucked lightly on the small indentation. Knowing that Spike's bellybutton was sensitive, he decided not to overstimulate it and kissed his way down the light dusting of hair that disappeared into the waistband of the tight, black jeans.

Xander smiled as he remembered the confusion he had felt the first time he had heard that phrase. It had been Cordelia who had finally explained what it meant. He remembered blushing profusely when she told him.

Xander just grinned and popped open the button of Spike's jeans with his teeth. Spike watched as his zipper was slowly lowered the same way. Xander peeled back the open front of the vampire's jeans and was smacked in the forehead with his lover's hard cock. He shook his head fondly and moved back a bit.

Starting at Spike's navel again, he licked his way down the trail until he reached the base of his mate's cock. He looked up to see Spike watching him, a look of lust and longing on his face.

That said, Xander swooped down and sucked Spike's penis into his mouth. He heard a soft 'Oh' from above him before the hands tightened in his hair and Spike groaned loudly.

The next morning, Xander was awakened to a banging on his front door. He rolled out of bed and grabbed his robe on the way to answer it. Usually the only person who came around this early in the morning was Buffy, so it had to be important. Needless to say, he was stunned to see a strange man in a brown uniform standing in the hall.

The man thrust a clipboard and a pen at him, and he blinked sleepily. He took the proffered items on reflex and scrawled his name on the dotted line before handing it back.

The man handed Xander a package and walked away. Xander closed the door, set the package down on the hall table and crawled back into bed. He wrapped himself around Spike's cooler body and drifted off to sleep.

He was in the park. The sun was shining and he was sitting on a chequered blanket, a picnic basket beside him. He could feel his mate's body nestled against his back and he sighed softly and rested fully against him.

"No beach this time?"

"Hey, love. Thought you might like a change of scenery."

"Mmm, Spike. Missed you. Don't care where we are, as long as you're here."

"I missed you too."

"Why haven't you come sooner? I sleep every night, you know."

Spike chuckled and kissed Xander lightly.

"I know. I wanted to give you and him some time to adjust. Things are drawing close, love. It's almost time."

"I know. I can't wait to see you again - for real."

"Me too, Xan."

"I've done things, strange things. I'm not the same as you remember."

"I know, love. I know everything that happened. I'm always with you, even when you can't see me, I can see you, feel you, hear you. I'm always with you, love. I told you I'd never leave you, and I never did."

"The whole time? You've been here - seen and heard everything?"

"Everything. Now don't go blushing. I enjoyed watching. Very much so. You have no idea how hot you are, how unbelievably sexy you can be. Watching as you kiss him, touch him, taste him... Fuck Xan, I can't tell you how hard I get. I can't wait until it's my turn again. I miss feeling you inside me. I miss filling you up, sliding into you oh-so-slowly and making you beg for more."

Xander groaned at the words being whispered so seductively into his ear. It had been far too long since he had been with this Spike, and he wanted so badly to feel him again, feel him do all of those things that he was saying.

"God, Spike. Touch me? Please."

"Always love, always.

There were no clothes to get in the way as Spike's hands came around and roamed greedily over Xander's chest. He pulled and plucked at small brown nipples until they were hard little points. One hand drifted lower to stroke lightly over his cock and balls while the other trailed tiny circles over the two small puncture scars on his throat.

"I can't wait to mark you again, love; sink my fangs into your sweet flesh and make you mine all over again. Will you scream for me, Xander, scream for me the way you did for him? I loved that; it was so fucking hot, watching him as he took you hard and fast. Wanna do that myself, plunge into you and ride you hard, taste your blood, make you scream."

"Yes. God yes! Oh fuck, Spike. Please."

The hand on his cock began to move with more purpose now and Xander bucked into the grip. He was so desperate to cum, but he wanted more. He wanted to feel his mate inside him.

"Spike, in me, please, in me. Need you; fuck, want you so bad."

"Yeah love, you beg so pretty. Turn around, Xan. Ride my cock. Let me see you."

Xander didn't need to be asked twice. He quickly spun and straddled his mate's thighs before kissing him deeply. He was so glad that he didn't need lube or stretching while in this dream state and quickly impaled himself on Spike's thick shaft.

"Fucking hell, Xander. Yeah, like that love. Ride me."

Xander was too close to take things slow, he set a brutal rhythm; riding Spike hard and fast. He watched as Spike went into game face and his yellow eyes rolled back in his head.

"Fuck, Spike. Gonna cum, can't wait, haf'ta cum now."

"Yeah love, cum for me; I wanna watch you."

Spike grabbed Xander's cock and tugged it. Xander arched and came with such force that it painted Spike's face and neck. He felt Spike release himself into his body, the cool splash of his cum coating his insides.

Spike licked his lips, tasting Xander's pleasure. He watched as Xander's eyes darkened in lust once again and chuckled at him.

"Mmm, love. You taste good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Spike pulled Xander down and kissed him deeply, sharing the flavour of his release with him. He wanted nothing more than to roll them over and pound into him again and again. He eased away from the kiss and smiled as Xander tried to capture his lips again.

"Christ, pet. I want you so bad."

"Have me, take me. Please."

"Can't love. No time. You have to wake up."

"I don't want to. Why do I have to?"

Spike shook his head fondly and sat up, taking Xander with him.

"Don't you want to know what's in that package, love?"

"Wha... Huh? Package? What package?"

"The package on the hall table, the one you signed for this morning? The one from China?"

"China? Shit! Spike! It's the gherystic! I can do the spell!"

"Yeah, Xan. You can. So, you still wanna stay here or do you want to wake up and bring me home to you?"

Xander kissed Spike quickly and hugged him tight.

"I wanna wake up now. I want to hold you in the real world."

"Good."

"Um, how exactly do I wake up?"

Spike smiled and kissed Xander again.

"You just do, love. You just do."

Xander opened his eyes and looked around his bedroom. He grinned and leapt out of bed. He didn't even bother with the robe - just ran out to the front room naked and grabbed the package off the table. He tore it open and whooped with happiness.

Spike had woken up when Xander leapt out of bed. He grabbed his jeans off the floor and pulled them up over his hips; he didn't bother to do them up. He was halfway to the living room when he heard Xander shout out loud. He peeked around the wall and saw him holding the container of dried gherystic plant. He sighed to himself, painted on a cheery smile and walked out to the front room.

Spike held out his wrist to Xander and waited. Waited to be bled, to be cast aside, to be forgotten. Regardless of what the boy had said, Spike couldn't believe that he'd still be wanted once the other Spike was here.

"I do love you, Spike. Whether you believe me or not, I'm not going to forget about you just because he's back. I promise."

Xander shook his head sadly; he could see the misery on his mate's face, even behind the fake cheeriness. He wished that Spike could believe him, but knew that he would have to prove to him that he loved and wanted him for himself - not because he was a convenient stand-in.

"Oh, just reading over the spell. I never realised that it would take so much time. And I think I might need help."

"I'll help if you want. Can't say as I'm any good with the mojo, but I can crush herbs and mix stuff."

"Thank you. Are you sure? I mean I know you said you were okay with this, but I can see that you're not. I wish I knew how to convince you that I love you, that I will still love you, after the spell is done and he's back."

Xander stood and took Spike into his arms. He kissed him deeply and then looked into his eyes. He smiled.

"I love you. You. And if anything ever happens to you, I will work just as hard to get you back as I am to get him back. Please Spike, you have to believe that."

"I want to, love. I do, but experience tells me that this won't work, no matter how much we want it to. What if he wants me gone? What happens then, if you have to choose between me and him?"

"Won't happen. He knows, Spike. I don't know how, but he's here, all the time. He can see me, hear me. He knows everything that's happened. He's good with it. I saw him this morning - in my dreams again. He told me he enjoyed watching us together, that it got him hot."

Xander chuckled at the slightly shocked expression on the vampire's face. He knew it had to be William's influence there, 'cause Spike was never embarrassed when it came to sex.

"Yep. He really liked it when you took me that first night. The way you made me scream for you."

Spike leered at Xander and then licked the side of his throat before nipping it lightly.

Spike spun Xander so that he was facing the wall and then pressed up against his back. He opened Xander's robe and let it fall to the floor before peeling off his jeans and rubbing his hardness against Xander's ass.

Xander just groaned and pushed back against Spike. He knew that Spike needed this, and in all truth he did, as well.

Spike didn't waste any time. He was desperate to be inside Xander, to feel him hot and tight around him. He pinned Xander's hands above his head and nipped him on the shoulder before whispering in his ear.

Spike lowered himself until he was kneeling behind Xander between his spread legs. He ran his hands reverently over the swell of his mate's ass and then gently parted his cheeks. He could hear the man's heart rate increase and smelled his arousal. He licked over the small rosette and then blew chilly air across it.

An evil grin crossed the vampire's face as Xander whimpered above him. If this was going to be the last time he'd have the boy all to himself, he was damn sure going to make it unforgettable.

Xander kept his arms pinned above his head as he was teased into a frenzy. Spike licked over his hole, occasionally pushing inside him and making him cry out in pleasure. It was maddening; he was so turned on, he was desperate to cum. He knew that Spike had no intention of giving him release any time soon, though. He could only push back against that maddening tongue and beg for the sweet torture to stop.

Spike was quite enjoying himself; he had Xander at his mercy - begging for him to stop teasing and just fuck him already. He had to grin though; the boy never moved his arms from where Spike had placed them. Reluctantly, he moved away from Xander's sweet ass and stood. He was too hard to wait any longer; if he wasn't inside Xander soon, he was going to embarrass himself.

Spike chuckled and grabbed the bottle of olive oil from the cupboard. It was the only thing handy and he wasn't going all the way back to the bedroom for the lube. He poured some into his hand and smoothed it over his erection. He shuddered and stilled as that touch alone was almost his undoing. He used his still-slippery fingers to oil and stretch Xander's ass before driving into him without warning.

Xander yelped and then moaned as Spike began to piston in and out of him. He was so close, too close. He didn't want it to be over so soon.

Xander groaned and felt himself grow incredibly harder at the command. He was glad that Spike was holding off his climax for him or he would have been done for at the sound of that voice, speaking those words, in that tone.

Spike stopped moving, holding himself completely still, buried balls-deep inside his mate. Xander had tears leaking from his eyes he was so desperate to cum. He couldn't believe how turned on he was by being denied.

"Please, Spike, fuck me hard. Make me scream, make me bleed. Anything, just fucking fuck me already!"

Xander sobbed as he clenched Spike hard and felt the vampire begin to move again. He screamed as Spike smashed into his prostate and then bit deeply in his neck. He still couldn't cum, Spike's hand having tightened its grip.

"Fuck, Xan. Feels too good. Gonna fill you with my cum, pet. Want to feel me cum inside you?"

Spike pounded into Xander and then roared as he came. He didn't stop, though; he just kept fucking him as he remained hard inside him. He could smell Xander's tears and frustration but it was buried under such a thick haze of lust that he knew his boy was enjoying it.

"So hot, love; so tight and so good. You make me want to cum too soon, Xander. I'm so close again already. Do you want to cum with me this time? Shall I release your cock and let you cum?"

Spike released his firm grip on Xander's cock and began stroking it lightly instead as he thrust himself hard and fast into Xander's tight channel. He whispered softly in his ear,

Xander screamed as he shot his climax all over the wall and Spike flooded his insides again with cool liquid. He barely heard the phone begin to ring as he passed out.

Spike pulled out and gently scooped Xander into his arms. He carried him into the bedroom and lowered him onto the bed. He cleaned him gently and then lay down beside him. He looked around the room to see if there was any sign that they were indeed being watched.

"I don't know if you're here, but if you are, know this. I won't leave him. Not for you, not for anyone. If you want me gone, you'll have to stake me. Xander's mine, as much as he is yours; I'm not giving him up."

That said, Spike kissed Xander softly and headed out to the living room to check the answering machine.

Xander stirred and blearily opened his eyes. He gazed up at Spike, blinked sleepily and then smiled. It was one of the most beautiful smiles Spike had ever seen, as it was full of love and directed at him.

"I have to go, pet. Rupert called, he wants me to go check a lead he has on our preacher."

Xander was torn. He desperately wanted to bring back Spike, but he didn't want this Spike to go off on a dangerous mission without back-up. Damn, these decisions were going to kill him.

"Hey, I can hold my own against Bringers, and thanks to you I can defend myself against any humans, as well. I'll be fine, love. Trust me."

Spike kissed Xander and then backed away from the bed. He stopped in the doorway and shook his head. He couldn't believe he was actually passing up the opportunity to spend more time alone with his mate.

"I asked Red and Glinda to come by and help you out with the spell, since I won't be able to assist."

Xander chuckled and got out of bed. He went to the closet and rummaged around in the other Spike's duster pockets. He pulled out a set of keys and tossed them to Spike.

"Take the bike. It's in the storage locker in the basement. It'll be faster than Giles' car and easier to make a hasty retreat on."

"Ta, love. 'Cept of course if it's daytime, perhaps I should take the watcher's car, just to be on the safe side."

Xander frowned at that. He was well aware that Spike could look after himself, and had been doing so for over a century but he didn't like this situation one bit. Everything about this Caleb had, so far, been trouble.

Xander reached back into the coat. His fingers closed around the object he was searching for and he withdrew his hand from the deep pocket. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then held out his hand to Spike.

"I wish I could let you keep it, but I can't. It was his first, and it's still his; but right now I want you to wear it. Wear it and be safe."

Spike looked at the ring in Xander's palm. It was the gem of Amara, the vampire equivalent of the holy grail. He had held it once before, worn it for almost an entire day, until he had stupidly gone after Buffy instead of hopping a flight to Aruba.

Xander nodded sadly. He didn't know what to say to make this better. The fact that he could have let Spike wear it, that he could have spent time with him in the sun this whole time and hadn't, it was stupid of him, but he hadn't actually given it any thought until he was coming home from L.A.

"I sorta forgot I had it for awhile there, and then when I did remember, I had the spell. I didn't want to give it to you, only to have to take it away from you. It seemed... cruel. I'm sorry, I wish I had another one."

Spike inched closer to Xander; he looked at the ring and then looked at the saddened expression on his lover's face. He wasn't angry with Xander - far from it. He was shocked; amazed that Xander was giving him this wonderful gift, even if it was only on loan. He understood that Xander had kept the other Spike's things and held them somewhat sacred. He himself still had mementoes of Drusilla and Angelus that he would never part with.

Xanders shout of frustration startled Spike back into the here and now. He watched as his lover paced the room suddenly, fists clenched at his sides.

"I love you! Both of you. I want you to be safe. How the hell can I keep you both safe with only one ring? Not to mention the problems this is going to cause after the spell. How am I ever going to enjoy being out in the day with him, while you're stuck here inside in dark? I won't, that's how!"

Spike slowly backed away from Xander as his eyes began to darken and his skin began to glow. He was torn between wanting to rush to him and protect him from whatever was happening, and fleeing in terror from the powerful mojo he could feel coming from him.

Spike trailed off as Xander turned black eyes on him and his hair began to stand on end.

Spike swallowed and hedged a little farther to the door. He knew Xander wouldn't hurt him, but he had a powerful preservation instinct and right now it was screaming at him to run and hide.

"Alright, love. No choosing. I'll make it simple for you, his ring - he keeps it. Alright?"

Xander closed his eyes as he felt his entire being surge with strength, he didn't register anything Spike had said. He was blind and deaf to the world around him; the only thing he was aware of, the only thing he felt was the power as it surged throughout his being.

Spike panicked as Xander began to float a good two or three feet off the floor. He had only seen and felt power like this one other time in his life and that had been when Willow took on Glory, and he was pretty sure that what he was feeling now was even stronger than that had been.

There was a flash of blinding white light and Spike had to turn away under the onslaught lest he be blinded. When he turned back, Xander was lying on the floor, perfectly still. Spike rushed to him and gathered him into his arms.

Xander was still for several minutes while Spike carefully monitored his breathing and heart rate. He knew that the man was okay physically, and hoped it was just exhaustion that was keeping him from waking up, not something more complicated.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Xander opened his eyes and sat up. He blinked and looked around the room before finally settling his gaze on Spike.

Xander looked down at his left hand; the one that he had been holding the ring in and slowly opened it. The ring was still there. He then opened his right hand. Sitting in his palm was an exact replica of the same ring.

Xander was smiling and whistling a happy tune as he answered the door and let Willow and Tara into his apartment. He had just watched as Spike roared off down the street on the motorcycle in broad daylight. He had been kissed so hard his lips were bruised. It was totally worth the physical exhaustion he felt, just the look on Spike's face when he stepped out into the sunshine and then turned his face to the sky. Xander had only seen such a beautiful sight once before in his life, and that was when he'd given the same gift to his other mate.

Xander grinned stupidly at the sound of his lover's name and led the girls into the kitchen where he had the spell and the supplies laid out on the table.

"I'm going to need some help getting everything ready, plus, I might need some extra oomph in the casting department. I kinda overexerted myself earlier. The girls both blushed and he laughed at their misconception.

"Not doing that! Geez, Wills. I did something... I'm not even sure what or how, but I made a copy of something - an exact duplicate - it drained me pretty good."

"He's a born mage - wizard, warlock, whatever you want to call it, Xander is one. He was born to it, like my Grandmother was. You remember I told you about her?"

"No, I said it's almost always women. I haven't heard of a man being born with the power for centuries. In fact, I think the last one was almost a thousand years ago. Xander?"

"You do realise that this power comes with great responsibility. You have to make a choice, and soon. If you continue to use your gift, you will change; in a way, you'll ascend. Become something other than a regular human being. The power you have, it's too much for a human body to withstand. You have to decide if you are willing to accept it. If you can't, you have to stop using it."

"What happens if I can't accept the changes, I mean, if I continue to use the power but don't accept the changes?"

Xander swallowed and nodded his understanding. There were a lot worse things than dying, after all. Willow looked at Xander with wide eyes and began to cry. Xander and Tara sandwiched her between then and tried to soothe her tears.

"Hey, none of that now. I'm not going to die, and I'm not going to do anything stupid, either. I'm an accepting guy, Wills. I accepted that I'm Bi, that I'm hopelessly in love with not one, but two vampires, two Spikes - of all vampires, and that I'm apparently some kick-ass warlock dude. I'm all for changes, if they bring about good. Well, so long as I don't sprout horns."

Willow breathed a sigh of relief and the three separated. Tara winked at her lover and then turned a sly gaze on Xander's bum. Xander noticed where her eyes were and cleared his throat.

At Xander's startled look, both girls burst out laughing. Xander joined them for a minute and then shook his head.

"Alright, enough of the messing around; let's get down to business ladies, I have a vampire to resurrect."

For the next hour the threesome carefully measured ingredients, crushed herbs, chanted, and double and triple checked until they were sure everything was in place. Xander retrieved the urn of ashes from his bedroom and carefully poured them out onto the floor inside the circle Tara had set up. He poured the combined blood of himself, Angel and Spike into the centre of the small mound of dust and sprinkled the crushed herb mixture over the top.

After closing the circle, he was joined by Tara on one side and Willow on the other. Xander would draw strength from the two wiccans to replenish his own so that he could cast the spell without faltering.

Xander closed his eyes, took a deep, calming breath and began to chant. It felt like he was on one of those gravity-inducing rides at the yearly carnival. His body felt unusually heavy and he had trouble forcing his lungs to work, but he pushed on. He could feel Willow and Tara's strength seeping into him and he was glad that he hadn't tried this on his own without them. After several minutes of chanting, he could barely stay on his feet; Willow squeezed his hand, letting him know that she was still there, and that he could draw more strength from her if necessary. He did so, and felt instantly better.

There was a soft gasping sound and Xander opened his eyes to see that the dust had begun to move. It filled out and slowly took on a distinctively humanoid form. Willow and Tara watched with him as it became clearer and clearer. Bone formed and then muscle covered the skeleton. Eyes filled previously empty sockets and skin started to grow.

Throughout the entire thing, Xander never faltered in his chant. His voice was a steady accompaniment to the miracle they were witnessing. Hair and nails completed the picture, and Xander watched as stunning blue eyes flew open and locked on his. The chant stopped. He held his breath. The girls blushed at the picture of a naked Spike sitting up in the circle. Xander dropped both their hands and stepped forward. He stopped at the edge of the circle and waited.

Xander smiled and broke the circle before grabbing the naked vampire and pulling him into his arms. He held him tightly and then as two strong, pale arm came around him in return, he wept.

Willow and Tara smiled at the dark-haired version of Spike and then gathered their things. Willow quietly got Spike's attention and motioned that she would call Xander later. Spike nodded once to let her know he would pass it along and then turned his attention back to his mate. He lifted Xander's chin and placed a soft, reverent kiss on his mouth as he heard the apartment door closing behind the two witches.

Xander just shook his head and hugged him again; he was too overwhelmed to form words. Spike lifted him into his arms and carried him to the bed. He undressed him slowly and then crawled in beside him.

Xander nodded his head, wrapped his tired body around his mate and drifted off to sleep. Spike smiled and held Xander close. He wasn't tired, but he couldn't think of any other place he'd rather be than right where he was. In bed, surrounded by his mate.

While Xander slept, Spike took the time to go over his options. He knew that he would have to learn to share Xander with his double, that he owed the other vampire a debt of gratitude for keeping Xander sane and making him feel loved and wanted while he was unable to do it himself. He also knew that he wouldn't get rid of the other one easily, either. Xander loved him, and Xander was very protective of the ones he loved. He had a necklace of soldier teeth to prove it.

Thinking of that made him wonder where those teeth were; he gently disentangled himself from his mate and went to the closet. He searched through his duster pockets, finding first his ring and slipping it onto his finger. He found his smokes, his lighter, some change and a rumpled bandanna - but no necklace.

Quietly, so as not to wake Xander, Spike began rifling through the contents of the nightstand. He grinned lasciviously as he found the cuffs and flogger. He remembered well the night he had used them on his lovely boy. He grew hard just thinking about it.

Spike set the leather items on the bed and continued his hunt. He looked under his journal, snorting at the fact that his double had read it and knew what a ponce he was. It was one thing for his mate to know; his double was an entirely different matter. Of course, it had led to him taking care of Xander, so it was forgivable, after all. Anything that helped Xander was forgivable as far as he was concerned.

In the back corner of the drawer, Spike found his chain. He put it on, feeling the cool enamel against his skin and smiled. He remembered the night Xander had given it to him, how nervous he had been. He chuckled and looked at his sleeping lover. Xander was such a contradiction - he was so gentle and loving and kind, but he could be the meanest, most vindictive, cruel bastard that he had ever met if his loved ones were harmed or threatened.

Watching Xander these past weeks, seeing him interact with his friends, he began to understand what Xander meant when he said that these people were not like the ones from his reality. They really weren't. The stood by each other through thick and thin; they were family. And now, he would be a part of that, if he accepted them.

Spike sat on the end of the bed and just looked at Xander. He looked worn, like he hadn't slept in ages, but he looked happy too. Like, despite everything that was happening, all was finally right with his world. Maybe it was.

Several minutes passed while Spike lost himself in just watching Xander sleep. Eventually he snapped himself out of his daydreaming and snagged his journal out of the drawer and opened it to the back of the book. He found a blank page and began to write.

Xander woke to the soft sounds of pen scratching paper. He opened his eyes and took in the sight of his lover's dark head bowed over his journal. He smiled. This was a sight he had thought he might never see again, and he was reluctant to move lest he break the moment. But he wanted to touch Spike. To hold him in his arms, kiss him breathless, make love with him. He had to move, had to touch, had to prove to himself that this was real, that Spike was real and whole, and back with him.

It was whispered, but it made the vampire look up and smile. The book was forgotten; the pen fell to the floor and Spike found himself with a lap full of happy, grinning Xander before his mouth was covered by soft, warm lips. He lost himself to the kiss, the feel so much better than all those nights when he visited his boy in his dreams. Dreams could never compete with the reality that was Xander. Spike reluctantly tore his mouth away from that of his mate to allow him to draw air into his lungs. Xander panted harshly as Spike turned his attention to the smooth column of his lover's throat instead, nipping, kissing and sucking on the warm skin. Tasting his mate's unique flavour.

Xander lifted the vampire's face from his neck and kissed him again. The kiss was full of love, caring, tenderness, all the pent up emotion of months of loss. Spike held his mate tightly to himself, sinking his hands into his hair and deepening the kiss. He had wanted to play with Xander, get up to no good with the cuffs and the flogger, but that was going to have to wait. He needed to be inside his lover, and he needed to be there now.

Xander blinked in shock as he suddenly found himself flat on his back and naked. He smiled widely as Spike pulled the drawer out of the nightstand in his haste to get the lube. His smile was quickly replaced by a look of pleasure as slick fingers found and entered his tight little pucker.

Spike withdrew his fingers and lined himself up. He pushed forward and stopped at the slight gasp of pain from his mate.

Spike leaned down and took Xander's mouth in a fierce possessive kiss as he plunged the rest of his cock deep into his mate. Xander arched and howled into his lover's mouth. Spike didn't stop; he couldn't stop. The feel of Xander, hot and tight around him, made him growl and he felt his face shift.

Xander watched as his lover's face shifted and moaned in anticipation. He turned his head, baring his throat to his mate and pulled his head down and into the crook of his neck.

Spike growled and bit hard. Xander came screaming Spike's name and the vampire followed right behind him, not retracting his fangs until the last tremors of his orgasm subsided. He licked over his mark, closing the wound and began a deep rumbling purr. Xander ran his hands up and down the vampire's back and kissed him softly on the temple. Spike lifted his head and looked into his mate's deep brown eyes.

Spike slipped out of Xander's body and rolled them so they were on their sides, face to face. He kissed his forehead, his eyelids, the tip of his nose, and finally his mouth. Xander smiled at him and repeated the gesture.

There were no more words after that. Only the soft sounds of two people making love for hours on end.

"That's what the phone is for. You don't have to get dressed and out of bed to use the damn phone."

Xander smiled at the vampire's grumbling. He had missed this; the other Spike didn't snark so much anymore.

"Thank you. But as I was saying, if I'm not needed here, we'll leave. I seem to recall promising you a day at the beach, after all."

Spike leered at his mate and kissed him soundly. Xander opened his car door and stepped out into the street. Spike followed suit. They made their way up to the front door of the Summers' house and Spike held Xander back for a minute. He cocked his head, frowned and then pushed the door open slightly so that Xander could hear what was being said on the other side.

"...still able to make me see cartoon birdies all around my head? You betcha. The short lack of consciousness was nice. I feel rested. So...how did those police files work out? Were they helpful?

"Uh...uh... yes. Very much so, I think. Um... there's evidence that Caleb may have established a foothold up north.

Whatever Giles had been about to say dried up in his throat as Xander - followed by Spike - strode into the room. He looked from Buffy to Giles and then back again.

Buffy looked guiltily at the floor and Giles swallowed down his rising panic. He had known that this might happen, and after careful consideration, he realised that trying to kill Spike had been a foolish idea. The vampire was no longer any threat to his slayer, and Xander was powerful enough to hold his own. He should have never listened to Robin Wood.

"First off, what did Buffy mean when she asked if you intended Spike to return from this mission?"

"I was an accessory to Robin's attack on Spike. I kept Buffy otherwise occupied, whilst they fought."

"No. This is a genuine fact-finding mission. I - I can show you the proof if you like."

"Truthfully? The boy was getting on my nerves; I saw an opportunity to get him out of the house for a couple days."

"You don't think Spike'll kill him and give you an excuse to have him put down?"

"Good Lord. I never even thought about that. I do hope Spike has more patience than I. If the situation were reversed, I'm not entirely confident that I wouldn't ring the little prick's neck."

"Yes, I do realise that, Xander. And please refrain from calling me that insipid name."

Giles sighed and wished for his glasses. He needed something to busy his hands with.

"You must realise my position, Xander. My slayer was deferring to a vampire. Granted, it's not the first time such a thing has occurred, but this time, I didn't trust her motivations. She has a blind spot where Spike is concerned."

"Hello? In the room here." Xander and Giles ignored Buffy's outburst and continued to glare at one another.

"And I'm still standing right here. Think you two could talk to me and not about me?"

Spike snickered and shook his head. This was quite entertaining, almost worth getting out of bed for.

"Then you know that I'm not joking when I tell you that if you threaten my mate again, no matter what your reasons for doing so, I will stop you. However I see fit."

"No. No, Giles, I'm not. I'm just making sure you are aware of the consequences of your actions."

By this time Buffy had given up with a snort of disgust and stomped into the kitchen. Spike followed after her and perched on one of the breakfast barstools.

"Oi! M'so Spike. Just not the one that's native to this reality. Make no mistake, slayer, I am Spike."

"Sorry, not what I meant. I just meant that, I thought it would be hard to tell you two apart, but it isn't."

"It's not just the hair. Although, it is a different look for you. I can see it in your eyes; there's something different in them. It's hard to explain."

Spike smiled as he thought of his plans for Xander. Sunny beach, warm water, no swimsuits. His thoughts must have been easy to read, for Buffy giggled and shook her head.

"Mmm hmm. And likely have sex on the sand, in the water and again in the car before going home, right?"

Spike grinned and waggled his eyebrows. This all seemed far too easy; here he was, sitting in the slayers kitchen, talking with the chosen one herself as if they were old mates.

"What are you really thinking, slayer? It can't be this simple. I'm a demon, without a soul, and I'm shagging yer best friend. You can't tell me you don't have a problem with this."

Buffy let out a sigh and rolled her head on her neck. She grimaced as the bones cracked.

"It wasn't. Not at first. But I've had time to get used to it, and Xander is far from helpless. I know that you wouldn't hurt him, and even if you did he could defend himself. But the reason I got over it is because I know Spike. If you are half the man he is, then I know you would never do anything to hurt Xander - 'cause he loves you too. That's good enough for me. And right now, I have more pressing issues to deal with."

Xander strolled into the kitchen and stood behind Spike's stool. He leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

Spike stood, nodded to Buffy and followed Xander out of the kitchen. He snorted at the watcher on the way out the door and followed his lover to the car.

"Giles says that Spike came back about an hour ago. It seems there was some sort of disagreement among Buffy and the others while we were at the beach. Long story short, Buffy is gone and Faith is in charge."

"Yeah. Apparently Spike didn't take it too well either; he and Faith came to blows over it. Giles thinks Spike's out looking for her."

"No. I think Buffy is hurting right now, and she doesn't like her friends to see her weak or in pain. Spike will find her, and he'll help her. She trusts him; so do I."

"If you're sure; I mean, I don't want to hold you back from helping your friends."

Xander sighed, he had been having a wonderful day; he and Spike had spent hours at the beach, laying in the sun, holding hands, kissing, making love in the waves. The nice thing about Sunnydale being abandoned was that the beach was empty. Seeing a naked, hard, Spike in the sunlight was definitely a sight worth savouring. Then they had come home, and when Spike wasn't there, Xander called Buffy's house only to find out that everything had gone from bad to worse while he was off having fun with his lover. He felt horribly guilty.

Spike knew Xander well enough to know when his lovely boy was brooding. He put an arm around Xander's waist and led him to the sofa. He sat and pulled Xander down beside him and pulled him close. After tucking his mate's head under his chin he began to rub soothing circles on his back.

"And said what? Yes, Buffy, I believe going back into the bad man's lair is a good idea. We didn't lose nearly enough people last time?"

"Xander. She may be the slayer, and she may be your friend, but she's still human, and as such she is capable of making mistakes. Don't you think this might be one of them?"

"Then she'll prove it. Come on love, let's get you a cuppa hot chocolate and then into bed. You look exhausted."

Xander yawned widely and Spike smiled and headed for the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway and turned around to look at his lovely mate. He was so damn happy to back in the real world with him, that even knowing that he had to share with the other Spike didn't bring him down.

Xander felt like he must have drifted off, for what seemed like only seconds later, Spike was back, sitting beside him and holding a steaming mug of chocolate under his nose.

"Yeah, love. And if you sit up and open those lovely eyes of yours, you can have it."

Xander sat up, opened his eyes and reached for the cup. He sipped the hot beverage and sighed.

Spike led a sleepy Xander into the bedroom and stripped him down before tucking him into bed. Xander didn't even manage to finish his hot chocolate before drifting off to sleep.

Spike went back out to the living room and turned on the television. He wasn't tired, and if he had stayed in the bedroom with Xander he would have ended up waking him; he couldn't be around Xander without wanting to be inside him, and Xander needed his sleep. So while his mate slept in the next room, Spike flipped around the channels and finally gave up with a sigh. There was nothing on - literally. It seemed that since there was no one in Sunnydale anymore, there was no one running the cable station.

Spike went outside and lit a cigarette. It felt strange still, being there. He had grown accustomed to shifting from one place to another in a matter of days while he and Xander were together. Now though, they were finally at a standstill. This was where Xander belonged, where this reality's Spike belonged. He snorted and shook his head. He was as bad as the other him; he just couldn't help but feel concerned. Xander had been with his double for weeks now, they were mated, in love, and relatively happy considering the world was possibly coming to an end. Where did that leave him?

Yeah, he was there first, and he knew that Xander loved him. But he had seen everything that had happened, how his mate and the other Spike looked when they were locked together in passion, how Xander's eyes smouldered just watching the other vampire walk toward him. Plus, that little speech The First made - about him just being a "used up replica of the demon Xander really wanted" had struck a nerve. It was the one thing that Spike had worried about when they were still shifting - what would happen when they got to Xander's home dimension, whether or not Xander was interested in his world's Spike. He wondered if things would have turned out this way if he hadn't been dusted. If he had made it back here with Xander, would the other Spike even be here?

Of course, he knew he would, that Xander would never have left him in the school's basement. But would he be sharing Xander's bed? Xander's body? No, probably not. There would have been no need for the other Spike to spill blood for Xander, no accidental suck and grope session in the loo. No claiming, and no mating. Xander would be his and his alone. Spike - the other Spike - would still be chasing the slayer's skirts; maybe she might have even admitted she loved him by now.

Spike flicked the end of the cigarette away and came back inside. There was no point in dwelling on what might have been. The reality now was that he had to share his mate with his double. So he had better get used to it. It wasn't like he hadn't shared Xander with Angel, and with another version of himself before. The only difference was this time it was permanent.

Spike reached down between the sofa cushions and pulled out the book he knew his double had stashed there. With nothing else to do, he figured he might as well read for awhile. With any luck, his souled doppelganger would return before Xander woke and they would have some time to figure out how this was going to work.

Spike had drifted off on the couch with the book hanging limply in his hand. The ringing of the telephone startled him awake. He grabbed up the receiver before it could wake Xander and snarled into the phone.

There was silence on the other end of the line and then finally a quiet voice, one that Spike recognised as the slayer's sister spoke.

"And Giles wants to question her - find out what, if anything she knows about Caleb and The First. He thinks Xander might be able to do a spell as she can't talk - her tongue has been ripped out."

Spike hung up the phone and shook his head. Served the bitch right, after everything she had put his Xan-pet through, she deserved her fate. Hells, she deserved a hell of a lot worse. Being human and then made a mindless servant for evil was nothing compared to what he would have done to her.

Spike was not looking forward to having to wake Xander. He looked so peaceful lying there on the soft blue sheets. Nevertheless, he knew the young man would be angry if he didn't wake him. His friends needed him and Xander needed to help his friends. Spike sat on the edge of the bed and kissed Xander's slack mouth.

"Yeah, love. Slayer's sis just called. Seems they need you to do a little mojo for them. They have a Bringer in custody and want to question it."

"Something like that. I'm guessin' you should take a gander in that book o' yours. Might have just the thing you need."

Xander climbed out of bed and retrieved his book. He flipped idly through the pages until he came to a stop on the one page so far that actually had words on it.

"Yeah, well you won't get an argument from me. All mojo is creepy as far as I'm concerned."

"Never said I wasn't grateful for it, just that it's creepy. Is that the spell you need?"

"Yeah, but I'm gonna need someone to act as a voice for the Bringer. Talk about creepy."

Xander shuddered and closed the book. He handed it to Spike and picked up his clothes off the floor. He got dressed and then took the book back from his mate before tilting his head in question.

"Hmm, well, if he hasn't shown up by the time we're done with the Bringer, we'll go look for them."

It didn't take long to drive to the Summers' house. The streets of Sunnydale were deserted so there was no point in stopping for red lights or stop signs.

They walked into slayer central and took a good look around. The place seemed somewhat different, as if by Buffy's leaving, the whole feel of the place had changed. Xander shook himself out of his thoughts and headed to the basement. He nodded to the young girl - Vi, he thought her name was - who had told him where the others were waiting for him.

He wasn't quite prepared for the sight of Halfrek chained to the wall and sitting on Spike's old cot. He felt the calming presence of his mate's hand on his shoulder and closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them again, he was under control.

Spike watched the others as Xander performed the spell. He didn't know a whole lot about this group, but he knew what they meant to Xander. The witch, Willow, was paying special attention to the spell; her lover was paying attention to her. The watcher and the dark-haired slayer were keeping an eye on the bound Bringer, and Andrew was sitting a ways back in the corner, looking like he didn't want be there - which was probably true as Xander had designated him to be the voice for Halfrek.

Xander's quiet statement brought them all back into focus. Giles turned his attention to Halfrek.

"I say I'm part of the great darkness. I'm only a fragment of the we. We work as one to serve the First."

"We attend to the needs of the infinite evil. We exterminate girls and destroy the legacy of the slayer. We build an arsenal beneath the dirt. We obey the commands of our teacher, Caleb."

"We build weapons to prepare for the coming war... at the farthest edge of town. We are everywhere. We are like the ocean's waves. We watch your efforts and are not scared. We will laugh at you as you die."

Giles, having heard enough, took the knife and slit Hallies throat. Andrew jumped up from his chair holding his neck.

"What the bananas?! You are so lucky that you did not just... magically decapitate me."

"We have what we needed. Gather maps, we need to find a subterranean space large enough to house an armoury."

Everyone began to file out of the room and Andrew - who was still rubbing his neck muttered softly,

Xander shook his head a little sadly at what he had to put Andrew through and then smiled as Spike stepped up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

They were alone in the basement. Just the two of them and the dead Bringer - Hallie. Xander didn't want to think about that right now, though; he refused to feel guilt over her death. He had, most likely, saved thousands of people from experiencing worse things than death by making her human. Besides, she knew what it was like in Sunnydale at night - she was a demon, for Christ's sake; she should have run like hell.

Spike's hands began to wander on Xander's body, effectively distracting him from thoughts about Bringers, The First Evil, and ex-vengeance demons. He turned in his lover's arms and kissed him.

Who knows how long the kiss would have continued if Anya hadn't picked that particular time to show up and interrupt them.

"Excuse me. If the two of you could stop sucking face for a moment, I'd like to talk to Xander."

Spike growled, vamped out and pulled Xander behind him. Anya rolled her eyes and took a step closer to the snarling vampire.

"Relax. I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk to my ex-fianc�e, and then I'll be leaving."

Xander squeezed Spike's shoulder, kissed his neck and stepped out from behind him. He looked at Anya and smiled somewhat sadly at her.

"Don't be. It was her own fault. After you guys all left, she went inside and looked for Caleb. She thought he would help her; he did this to her. Some help."

"She said she wanted to help him get the slayer and her group, especially you. She said she didn't want to be human, and would he be able to change her. He did. Just not the way she wanted. You know, that guy has serious issues where women are concerned? Too bad I can't find any of his victims; I'd love to wreak a little vengeance on his ass!"

"I came for Hallie. She was my best friend for a very long time and I can't just leave her like this. Also, I knew you would be blaming yourself and I didn't want that. So don't. Okay?"

"I can hear them. Upstairs, all of them; Willow and Tara, Faith and the principal, Kennedy and one of the other girls, all of them, making love. I miss that. It was the nicest thing about being human. You made that nice for me."

"I exact revenge on men, Xander. Who in their right mind would sleep with me, knowing what I am? They'd all be too scared of what I might do to them if they were lousy."

Spike didn't like the way she was looking at Xander, it was one thing to share with the other Spike, but he was not going to share with Xander's demon ex-fianc�e.

"I think it's time to go home, pet. This is hardly the place for the things I want to do to you."

Xander swallowed as his pants suddenly got tighter. His eyes locked with Spike's and he licked his lips. Anya sighed again.

"See, this is why it was never gonna work with us, Xander. You never looked at me like that. Spike did once, but it was only the once and he was drunk. Of course, so was I, and we did have some great sex, but that wouldn't have worked out either."

"Yes. It was caught on camera and everything. Very embarrassing for both of us."

Xander laughed. Anya smiled and shook her head. Spike just rolled his eyes and headed for the stairs.

"Forget I asked that! I don't think I want to know� Next thing I know you'll tell me I shagged the watcher's wrinkly arse. Or that idiot Andrew!"

Xander hugged Anya goodbye and headed after his mate. He stopped halfway up the stairs and watched as she gently lifted Halfrek's body from the cot and disappeared. He heard Spike pacing in the kitchen and hurried to catch up to him.

Now that he was upstairs, he could hear what Anya was talking about. Then again, he was pretty sure everyone could hear Faith. That girl never was the shy, quiet type. Spike's nostrils flared and his eyes flashed. He looked at Xander and leered.

"I don't know if I can wait 'til we're home, love. Might have to just take you right here and now, where anyone could come down and see. Think I could make you scream louder than the slayer up there? Make you shout my name, let them all hear it?"

Xander was slowly backing toward the door. As good as Spike's words sounded, there was no way he was having sex in Buffy's house, in the living room, where they would get caught. And possibly by Dawn.

"No way, not here. I'm all for public displays of affection, but we are not having sex in the same house as Dawn."

Xander nodded and bolted for the car. He was in the car and had the engine running before Spike even opened his door. As soon as the passenger door closed, Xander squealed away from the house and sped all the way back to his apartment building. As soon as they were out of the car, Spike scooped Xander into his arms and ran all the way up to their door. The two men fell through the doorway kissing and laughing.

Spike practically dragged Xander to the bedroom and began removing both their clothes. Once they were naked he gave his mate a gentle push onto the bed and then pounced on him.

Both men were too far gone to draw it out. Xander retrieved the lube as Spike rolled onto his back and hooked his arms under his knees, spreading himself open to Xander's hungry gaze.

Xander shook his head to clear some of the thick haze of lust away and then flipped open the bottle of lube. He poured some into his hand, slicked his fingers and then introduced them one at a time into his mate's waiting entrance.

By the time he had worked three fingers into Spike's hole, the vampire was moaning and thrashing on the bed, begging to be taken. Xander poured more lube into his hand, coated himself with a shaky hand and then lined himself up. With one slow, smooth stroke, he buried himself inside his mate and then froze.

Spike chuckled and clenched down on Xander's shaft. Xander's eyes rolled back and he bit his lip.

Xander nodded his head and took a deep breath. He slowly pulled out before pushing back in. Spike wrapped his legs around Xander's waist and pulled his face down for a kiss.

Xander sped up his movements and reached between their bodies to stroke Spike's erection. The vampire bucked up into the new sensation and then bared his throat to his human mate. Xander didn't hesitate; he sunk his blunt teeth into the pale flesh of Spike's neck and drew on the wound. Spike howled and came, his cool seed coating both their bellies. Xander withdrew his teeth, thrust one last time and flooded Spike's body with warm liquid.

Panting, Xander fell onto Spike's chest and licked over the still-seeping punctures. Spike held Xander tight and purred his contentment. They would have to get up in a few hours and go look for the missing Spike if he hadn't shown up by then, but for now, Spike was happy to fall asleep with his mate in his arms and still inside him.

It was daylight when Xander awoke. He groaned and then rolled off of his mate, wincing as their glued-together bodies pulled apart. He saw the vampire's eyes flutter open and then close again. He smiled and climbed out of bed.

"Come on, Spike. I can't believe we overslept! We have to get up and go find Spike and Buffy. Come on."

Spike grumbled but nevertheless got out of bed and followed Xander into the bathroom. He started the shower while Xander relieved himself and brushed his teeth. By the time Xander got in, Spike had already washed his hair and was in the process of rinsing it. Xander took the opportunity to ogle.

Spike stepped out of the spray and picked up the bar of soap. He began to wash himself and noticed that Xander hadn't yet made any move to even get wet.

"You plan on washing, love? Or does the idea of running around Sunnyhell smelling like spunk appeal to you?"

Xander shook his head and stepped under the spray. He didn't dawdle; now that his mind was back on track, he was worried about his other mate. He hoped that nothing hellmouthy had happened to him.

Spike didn't even try to molest the wet, soapy human as he watched him bathe, which for an evil creature such as himself was a testament to his self control. He handed Xander a towel and then began to dry himself as well. He knew that Xander was worried about the other Spike, so he decided to be less than evil and play nicely.

"Dunno. I think we should check in with the others first. See if they've heard anything."

Xander went to the living room and picked up the phone. He put it back down and cursed. Spike popped his head around the doorway.

The two left the apartment and headed to the car. As they were driving toward Buffy's place, Spike watched the tense set of his mate's jaw. He frowned; Xander was obviously upset.

"Why? Buffy is a slayer for Christ's sake, and Spike... well, he's me. And without a chip, I might add; nothing he can't take care of."

"It's not that; okay, it is that, but it's not just that. Spike, Buffy has been the strongest person I've ever known. For seven years she has kept me and everyone I love - mostly everyone - alive and sane. And they all just turned on her like that. I should have been there - regardless of not being able to change anything, I should have been there - at least to tell her that she still had me."

Spike nodded; this made sense to him. Xander always took on too much and now was no exception. But still, there had to be more to it than just the slayer.

"I fell asleep. I said I would - we would - go and look for them - for him - and instead we went home. We made love and we fell asleep. I should have made sure he was alright first."

Now it all made sense to the brunette vampire. Xander was feeling guilty for enjoying himself, for being with him instead of out looking for the other Spike.

"No, you don't understand. He was afraid this would happen, that once you were back I would forget about him. I promised that it wouldn't - that I wouldn't do that to him. But I did; I fell asleep and God knows what might have happened to him."

"I get that. Do you think I haven't wondered the same thing? That you would choose him over me now that we're all together? He has a soul, love. Something I don't have - and don't want either - but it's something that makes him more acceptable. Your friends trust him; they don't have a problem with the two of you being together. I have a chip, Xander, but Spike already proved that a chip isn't enough to make us not behave like a demon. It seems that both of us have insecurities where you're involved. Can you really love both of us? We aren't the easiest vampires to get along with, you know."

"I know that! But yes, I can and I do love both of you. I want both of you. I don't know if that makes me perverted or greedy or what, but it's the truth. I fell in love with you during the craziest time in my whole life. You made that whole thing bearable - enjoyable even. If I hadn't found you, I don't think I would have made it home; I don't think I would have had the strength. And Spike? Shit, that wasn't supposed to happen, but I'm glad it did. He's a part of me now, and I wouldn't give that up for anything. He needs me, and I need him. I need both of you."

As Xander finished speaking they had arrived outside the Summers' house. He parked the car and turned off the engine. Spike leaned across the seat and gave Xander a gentle kiss.

"You have me, love. And I'm pretty damn sure you still have him as well. What say we go inside now? If no one knows anything, we'll set out on foot. See if I can track him down."

The two men exited the vehicle and went inside the house. The gang was all grouped in the front room going over strategy. It looked as though Faith was ready to lead the girls into battle.

Faith smirked at the brunette vamp who growled and flashed his eyes at her. Xander gave Faith a warning look and she returned it.

Spike may have agreed to help, might even want to, but he was not taking shit from a girl who under different circumstances would just be one more notch on his belt. In fact, the more she looked him over, the more he itched to make her number three.

"Ooo, tough words from the chipped vampire. Might I add that I kicked your double's ass even without the chip? So you'll excuse me if I don't tremble in fear."

Xander could see this was going to turn out all kinds of bad as Faith stepped up and got in Spike's face.

"Or should I be worried that you'll try to lick me to death? Seems you have a sweet spot for slayers going by how your blonde half trails after B."

"I have a sweet tooth for slayers. The only thing I want to sink into you is my fangs, luv."

What's the matter, pet? The principal not doing it for you? Not enough of a man to satisfy you? Tough shit, girlie. I wouldn't shag you with Angelus' dick. 'Course you'd probably like that, wouldn't you? Always picking up Buffy's leavings. First Angel, then her soldier boy, yeah I heard all about that one; now you want a piece of the Big Bad, eh?"

Spike licked his lips in a lascivious manner and cocked his head to the side. Everyone in the room moved as far back from the pair as possible - except for Xander, who stepped closer to his mate and tried to draw him back toward the door. He didn't want them to trash Buffy's house, and he was pretty sure Spike no longer had a chip, and this was not the time for him to discover that.

"Pretty full of yourself for a guy who's taking it up the ass from Xander Harris, aren't you? I mean, if you were all that, you could do way better. I've had him, and believe you me, he was nothing to write home about."

Xander heard Willow mutter 'Oh shit' from the other side of the room just before Spike exploded. It was one thing to insult him, but no one insulted Xander.

Xander wasn't sure who was more shocked when Spike's fist connected with Faith's jaw and he didn't go down in blinding pain, the vampire or the slayer. All the same, the shock didn't last long as they flew at each other with intent to kill.

Willow again. Her voice broke through his stunned paralysis, and without thinking, he shot his arms out toward the two combatants and yelled.

Faith went one way and Spike the other. They soon realised that neither could move from where they were sprawled on the floor. Xander walked toward Faith and crouched down in front of her.

"I realise that you are under a lot of stress right now, and that it's not easy filling Buffy's shoes. For that reason, and the fact that we need you in this fight, I won't let Spike make you his third slayer. But if you start it again, I won't stop him."

Spike snickered from his spot on the floor. Xander turned his glare on him and strode across the room. He looked down at the vampire and shook his head.

"You don't get off that easy, mister. We came here for Spike, not for you to make Faith your chew toy. Yeah, she's an obnoxious, arrogant pain in the ass, but you know better. This is not the time."

"I know. And if it were any other time, I might have let you play with her a bit longer, but right now we need to find Spike and Buffy."

"Now, are you going to behave or do I leave you down there on the floor for awhile?"

Xander waved his hand toward her and then turned back to Spike and pulled him to his feet.

The search was a bust. They had tracked Buffy's scent to a house a few blocks away but it was empty by the time they had gotten there. Xander was becoming increasingly worried, and even Spike was beginning to get concerned. He was still pumped up from fighting with Faith - the realisation that he was no longer chipped was making him want to celebrate. And he could think of no better way to do that than to throw Xander down and shag him into the middle of next week. Of course he couldn't do that until they found the missing blondes.

"Let's try back at the house again. If she was here and left, it's a good possibility that she went back there. If for no other reason, she'd want to check on her sis, right?"

"We don't have any other ideas, so let's try that one. But Spike? No fighting, okay? We'll need every fighter we have if we're going to beat The First."

"Don't take it too seriously. She's probably right. It was my first time and she basically just threw me down and climbed on board."

"Hardly. I was sandwiched between two vampires, and one of them was draining the life out of me. Hardly my best performance."

"Come on, pet, let's go back and see if the peroxide twins have made an appearance."

"You know, if you keep insulting Spike's hair, I'm going to remind you of it once you're all shiny and blonde again."

The walk back to slayer central was made in silence. Xander had a niggling feeling that something was wrong. Terribly wrong. He just didn't know what. By the time they reached Buffy's house, Spike was starting to feel it too. They were met at the door by Robin Wood - who took one look at Spike at sneered.

"You know, for someone who was raised by a watcher, you don't have much of a survival instinct do you? I mean, first you go and try to kill my blonde mate, and then you go and insult my brunette one. Did you not see him kick your girl's ass earlier? And if that doesn't scare you and make you think twice, just think of what I could do to you. The only reason you are still in one human-shaped piece is because Spike figured he owed you for the trigger being disabled. That debt has been paid. Next slip up, you're gone."

"They went after the weapons. If you had stuck around, you'd know that. They should be back anytime now."

"That you did, love. But give him a break; it's not easy being left behind, knowing that your lover would rather put her trust in a bunch of children to watch her back."

Robin scowled and walked away. Xander smiled at Spike and leaned in and kissed him.

"Glad to hear it, pet. What say we go take a look-see at what the girls are up to?"

Walking through the tunnels toward the location of Faith and the S.I.T's, Xander started to get that uneasy feeling again. He looked over at Spike and saw that he too was frowning and looking around the tunnel.

They took off running and as they got closer, they heard the sounds of battle. Spike shifted to game face and sprinted ahead; Xander followed him and hoped that they got there in time. The last Bringer fell by Spike's hands just as Xander exited the tunnel into the small dug out room.

Kennedy was shining a light on a doorway in the corner. Faith went to investigate, followed by the rest of the girls. Xander and Spike took up the rear guard and made their way down as well. They watched as Faith broke the padlock off an old wooden box. Inside there was a detonator counting down.

The explosion rocked the cavern and Xander barely had enough time to throw up a shield. It wasn't a very strong one but it did protect them from the worst of the damage.

Various girls responded that they were, but so far no response from Faith. Seeing as she had been the closest to the explosion, Xander went toward the last place he had seen her and began to dig through the debris. He found her face down in a puddle of water.

"Well, this looks familiar." Xander quickly pulled her up and checked her vitals. Her pulse was steady and after coughing up some water, she was breathing all right, but she was unconscious.

The girls all did as Xander said, and Spike watched as Xander carried Faith toward the staircase. He shook his head, rolled his eyes and then reached out to stop him.

"I know what you mean, git. And yeah, I promise. Where's the sport in killing an unconscious slayer?"

Spike took Faith from Xander's arms and motioned for his mate to precede him up the stairs. They found Buffy waiting for them at the exit to the tunnel with the potentials all crowded around her.

"Are you okay? What happened? Where were you? Have you seen Spike? And oh yeah, what the hell is that in your hand?

"Fine. I was relieved of duty so I left. I spent the night in a house a few blocks away, and Spike was still there when I left this morning. He stayed with me. I, I asked him to. I'm sorry, Xander. I just didn't want to be alone - I needed a friend. As for this..."

"I'm a big girl, Xander. I don't need you to stick up for me, but thanks. You sure you're okay about last night?"

"Yeah. I understand. I sort of figured that Spike was with you, that you'd need a friend. But uh, we tracked you to the house, and it was empty when we got there."

Just then one of the girls screamed as a Turok Han came charging toward them. Xander released Buffy, Spike handed Faith off to a couple of the potentials who were also less then battle ready and the rest of the girls formed a barricade in front of the two injured girls who were crouching protectively over Faith.

One of the girls shouted, and sure enough there were now two of the Uber vamps making their way toward the group. Spike grinned wickedly; he was looking for a good fight, had been since Xander stopped him from pounding Faith earlier in the day.

Spike and Buffy made short work of the Uber vamps; that new axe of hers was the perfect weapon for defeating them. Spike had pouted after it was all done since he didn't actually get to kill any of them, but he had had fun beating them up. When it was finished, Buffy looked behind her at the group of young girls, all standing ready to defend Faith and the two other slightly wounded girls, and felt pride in them. They had come a long way in a short time.

Spike took Faith back from the potentials and walked to Xander. Kennedy looked around nervously and then turned to Buffy.

In silence, they made their way back to Buffy's house and through the front door. Robin was on his feet and heading for Spike as soon as he saw him with Faith in his arms. Buffy placed a hand on his chest and gave him a hard shove back into his chair.

"Spike, Xander. Take Faith up to my room and get her comfortable. Giles, I think Amanda might have a sprained elbow. Can you look at it? Rona, find Andrew; tell him I want to know everything he and Spike saw at that church."

"He did. But I want to hear it from Andrew too; he might have seen something Spike missed."

Rona shrugged her shoulders and went to find Andrew. Buffy headed for the stairs to check on Faith.

Buffy nodded and went up the stairs. She found Spike and Xander in the hallway outside her bedroom door.

"She seems to have a thing for pissing off Spikes, doesn't she. Apparently the other one went a couple rounds with her last night. What happened this time?"

"I see. And I assume since neither of you are dead, your chip went off and Xander stopped her?"

"Spike doesn't have a chip, Buff. He came back without it. But yes, I did stop it, and it won't happen again."

"I'm going to trust you to keep your fangs in check. I need all the help I can get right now. Can I trust you?"

Buffy went into the room and Spike and Xander went back downstairs. Spike was feeling a little caged in what with all the humans in the house, so they went out on the front porch. Spike dropped onto the step and pulled out his cigarettes. He lit one and blew the smoke out through his nose.

Just as they were heading for the car, a familiar blonde-haired figure came strolling up the street.

"I was - we were - out looking for you, then there were explosions and Turok Hans, and Faith being unconscious and Buffy has a neat new weapon she stole from Caleb and we came back here, and we were just heading home to see if you were there and God I missed you!"

Xander trailed off as Spike's arms came around him; the blonde pressed a kiss to his lips to further silence him.

"I missed you too, love. Remind me to never go anywhere with that Andrew again, would you? He's lucky I have a soul now, or I might have given in to temptation and had him for lunch. Bloody annoying, he is. Git never shuts up."

"You sure about that, love? I was kinda hoping to get you excited once we got home."

Xander's eyes glazed over and he jumped as the other Spike came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist and licked the side of his neck.

"Now that sounds like a bloody brilliant plan to me. Always knew I was a smart bloke."

Spike grinned cheekily at his double and then began to pull them both towards the car.

Xander didn't need to be told twice. He dug his car keys out of his pocket and tossed them to the dark-haired Spike before being unceremoniously shoved into the backseat and then pounced on by the blonde one. The brunette Spike chuckled and climbed in behind the wheel. As he pulled the car away from the curb, he turned to the occupants of the backseat and spoke to his double.

The blonde lifted his head from Xander's neck where he had been sucking and nipping a path up to his ear and grinned at his dark-haired doppelganger.

Xander groaned and Spike went back to work teasing the skin of his mate's throat before sucking his earlobe into his mouth. Spike reluctantly tore his eyes off the rather erotic sight in the backseat to pay attention to the road. The streets might well be deserted, but he could still run them into a pole if he wasn't paying attention.

By the time they got home, the darker of the two Spikes was ready to shag Xander right there in the parking lot he was so turned on by the little show in the backseat.

Spike opened the door to the building and the other two raced inside. Xander broke away from the blonde Spike and sprinted up the stairs to his apartment. The two Spikes looked at each other, shifted into their demon forms and grinned.

The other Spike nodded and they proceeded to hunt down their prey. It wasn't much of a hunt, as they found Xander in the bedroom, naked and sprawled out on top of the sheets. In tandem, both Spikes discarded their clothes and pounced on either side of him. The brunette vampire - who just happened to be on the side closest to the nightstand - grabbed the leather wrist cuffs and waggled his eyebrows at the blonde. Blonde Spike smirked and proceeded to distract Xander long enough for his double to get the cuffs on his wrists and secure him to the bed.

Xander quickly realised his situation and swallowed hard. He looked from one Spike to the other, taking in their matching leers.

Blonde Spike licked his lips and looked at his lovely mate laid out naked, hard, and restrained to the bed. He turned to the other vampire with a smirk and a raised brow.

"Now, I seem to recall there being other toys in that drawer. Think we might find a use for them as well?"

Spike reached back into the drawer and pulled out the flogger, the anal beads and a tube of lube. He tossed the lube and the beads to Spike and then ran the soft leather tongs of the flogger through his fingers.

Xander might have panicked if he didn't trust Spike implicitly. But since he did, he merely groaned as his cock twitched, and then arched off the bed as the blonde between his legs inserted a slippery finger into his ass. He looked once again to his dark-haired mate and smiled nervously.

Xander just nodded his head and then his attention was drawn back to the other Spike who had begun slowly inserting the beads inside him, one at a time.

While Xander was distracted by the sensation of the beads being fed into his ass, Spike attached the cock ring and then stood back to look at his work. He wished for a minute that he had grabbed a set of nipple clamps while they were in the sex-shop, but figured he'd purchase some at another time.

Xander's eyes flew open as the leather connected with his thigh. It hurt, but it was only a small sting. Spike moved around the other side of the bed and struck the other leg in the same spot. Xander watched as his mate looked him over, deciding where to strike next. He tensed his stomach muscles as the flogger made contact and then moaned out loud as the blonde Spike chose that moment to pull the first bead from his ass.

The sensual torture continued for some time; the vampires switched places and Xander learned about the sweet sensation that was pleasure/pain. Finally, The brunette Spike crouched between Xander's spread thighs; lubed cock in hand and slowly entered him. Blonde Spike straddled him and when Xander had expected to be presented with his cock to suck, he was instead given a sweet, slow kiss and then Spike turned around - facing the other Spike and impaled himself on Xander's aching shaft.

At that moment, Xander was extremely grateful for the cock ring. The feel of having both his mates at once was beyond anything he could have imagined. Blonde Spike rolled his hips and at Xander's groan, looked over his shoulder and winked at him before turning back and kissing brunette Spike.

Xander watched in shock and lust as his mates kissed each other passionately. Then they both began to move at once and Xander's eyes rolled back in his head. Not for long though, 'cause the sight of his mates hungrily kissing one another while they fucked him was too hot to not watch. He wished he wasn't still cuffed to the headboard; he was desperate to touch them.

The vampires moved in tandem, never faltering as they increased their pace. Xander spared a moment to marvel over the wonders of demonic strength and flexibility - knowing that he would never be able to pull off the position Blonde Spike was in - before he lost all ability to think as the catch on the cock ring was released and he was screaming his completion.

Both Spikes were lost in their own pleasure, bloodied lips smashed together as they came in unison. Blonde Spike toppled off to one side of Xander and the darker of the two lay down on the opposite side. They each reached a hand up to undo one wrist cuff before flinging arms and legs over their mate and purring happily as they drifted off to sleep.

Xander looked down at his sleeping vampires and smiled. This had gone a lot better than he had expected, but he knew better than to think it was going to be this easy all the time. Sooner or later, one of them was going to snap.

He was awakened by the sound of the telephone ringing. He crawled over the form of his dark-haired mate and headed for the living room to answer it. He stopped briefly in the doorway and smiled at how the vampires had curled into one another in his absence. He shook off the look of fondness, and suppressed the urge to "Awwww" and went to answer the phone.

"Totally up to you, but if you do bring them, try to keep the hands-in-naughty-places to a minimum, okay?"

Xander hung up the phone and then blinked in confusion. Hadn't the phone been dead the last time he'd checked? He shrugged his shoulders and headed back to his room. He smiled at the sight of his lovers - naked and intertwined on the bed. He wondered how long the peaceful feeling in his body would last.

Xander sighed. Apparently the feeling would only last until they woke up. Brunette Spike scowled at his twin and then crossed his arms.

Xander saw that this was going to go very badly and decided to step in before anyone said anything that couldn't be taken back.

"Enough. You guys are going to have to learn to get along. I'm not giving up either one of you, so I suggest you kiss and make up."

He tapped his foot impatiently as he watched his two mates continue to glare silently at one another. Finally the blonde shook his head disgustedly, muttered something under his breath and looked the darker vampire in the eye.

"Buffy called. She needs to see me, so I'm heading over. You guys coming with? Or can I trust you to stay here and not kill each other?"

The Spikes looked at Xander and then looked at each other. With matching grins they leaned in and kissed gently, tongues brushing sensuously together, hands coming up to run gently over each other's body. Xander watched in wide-eyed fascination, his breath catching as his cock filled almost painfully. He made a small sound of protest as they ended the kiss and turned their heads to look at him. Brunette Spike climbed out of bed and handed the blonde his jeans and t-shirt before pulling on his own clothes. Xander was still standing slack-jawed and glassy-eyed as the blonde stood in front of him.

"Oh, very funny. Get the human all worked up and then send him to a house full of women he thinks of as sisters and little annoyances."

"Well, you did say we had to kiss and make up. We were just doing as we were told."

They both nodded solemnly and put innocent expressions on their faces. Xander couldn't help but smile. He caught the clothes that were thrown to him and began to dress as he wondered if he would ever get over the sight of the two of them together. Their pale, perfect bodies touching, their lips pressed together, the expressions of passion etched so clearly on their faces. He was definitely a lucky man.

At the car, Xander rolled his eyes heavenward and prayed for strength as his mates both grinned at him and climbed into the backseat together, leaving him to try and drive to Buffy's house without wrapping them around a pole because he kept looking over the seat to watch them. It wasn't as though they were really doing all that much; just kissing and touching each other above their clothes, but it was almost too much for Xander to bear. He desperately wanted to just stop the car and climb over the seat. When the sounds of a zipper being lowered and a low moan met his ear, he swore under his breath and pulled the car to a stop.

He shook his head at their chuckles and opened his door. He stepped out into the dark street and walked around the car to the back passenger side door. He opened it, reached in and hauled the closest vampire he could reach out into the cool night air. There was a muffled complaint from inside the car before the other one joined them.

They both wore "who me?" expressions on their faces and Xander couldn't help but laugh.

And then Xander crushed his mouth to that of the dark-haired vampire in front of him. He then spun him around so he was up against the car and pushed his duster up over his hips.

Spike smiled, reached into his pocket and drew out a battered-looking tube before passing it back to his mate. Xander wasted no time in undoing Spike's jeans and pulling them down. He nudged the vampire's feet apart and then began preparing him to be entered.

Spike groaned at the desire in Xander's voice and took the tube from him. He had to admit, having the other vampire around was proving to be a hell of a lot of fun so far. He undid Xander's Dockers and slid them down his thighs. He took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the man in front of him. Half naked on the side of the road in the moonlight, and Spike had never seen Xander look so sexy.

At Xander's whine, the blonde stepped closer and began to ready Xander. He opened his own jeans just enough to free himself and slicked his cock before pushing slowly inside the tight heat that was his mate. He heard twin groans as his thrust pushed Xander into the Spike in front of him.

Xander was sandwiched between two hard, cool bodies; he was pretty much naked from the waist down, and he was fucking and being fucked up against a car outside, on the side of the road. He knew at that moment, that he was well and truly corrupted. But he really didn't give a shit.

Spike sped up his thrusts, pushing harder and faster into Xander, in turn making Xander thrust harder and faster into Spike. Xander's hand came around Spike's waist, his fingers encircling the dark-haired man's erection. Spike howled at the extra sensation and came with a roar. Xander followed behind him and then finally, as the blonde Spike sank his fangs into Xander's skin, he too came with a muted howl. The three men slumped against the car, Xander panting harshly and the vampires using their tongues to clean both him and each other up.

Finally, Xander pulled himself away from the side of the car and fastened his pants. He climbed into the back seat and stretched out across it. The vampires climbed into the front of the car - blonde Spike driving - and pulled back out onto the road.

"Wait. I'm not to the "got it" place yet. I'm still in the neighbourhood of "you've gotta be kidding".

"I don't. I have power now; finally I have something to offer in the fight against evil besides my wicked carpentry skills. Buffy, do you get that?"

"I know. That's why I need you to do this. Xander; I need someone that I can count on no matter what happens."

"I just always thought that I would... I would be there with you... you know, for the end."

"You will be. You're my strength, Xander. You're the reason I made it this far. I trust you with my life. That's why I need you to do this for me."

"I'm sorry Buffy. I can't. I need to be here for this. I can't explain it, but I just know that my place is here. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep Dawn safe, but I can't leave. Besides, do you really think she would leave willingly?"

Buffy smiled a bit sheepishly and pulled a bottle of chloroform out of her pocket.

"Hey, it's not as if all the women are jumping at the chance to run away with you."

"I never said you were gonna die. I-I implied that you were gonna die. It's totally different."

The two vampires had overheard the entire conversation and were both at odds with their feelings. On the one hand they both wanted Xander by their sides where they could watch out for him, but on the other hand, if he had agreed to take Dawn and run, then he would be safe. The fact that Xander had power, that he was more than capable of looking out for himself, never crossed their minds. As far as they were concerned, it didn't matter. Xander belonged to them and they protected what was theirs. Of course, the wanting Xander beside them won out over any other feeling so they were both relieved by his refusal to leave.

Spike - the darker of the two - had no qualms about leaving with his mate if he had decided to run. He didn't owe these people anything; the only reason he agreed to fight was because of his mate, and because he liked the world as is, but if Xander had left, he would have gone too. It wasn't so cut and dried for the peroxide vampire. These people were family to him. Okay, so Buffy and Dawn were family to him. The others - Giles and the witches - were merely people who abided his presence and didn't actively try to kill him. The potentials were just scared little girls learning that the world was a crueller place than they'd thought. He pitied them. But moreover he pitied himself, 'cause if Xander had agreed to leave with Dawn, he knew he wouldn't have been able to follow. He owed Buffy far too much to just abandon her in her darkest hour. Whether she thought she needed him or not, he knew that his place was here, just as Xander did.

As Buffy came into the room, her eyes locked on those of the blonde demon and she smiled hesitantly. She looked behind her and saw the other Spike pull Xander into his arms and kiss him. She shook her head at the weirdness and then after another look at the blonde vampire went back into the kitchen. Spike stood and followed the silent summons. He found her holding the scythe and staring out the window into the darkness.

"So you did it. Fulfilled your mission. Found the Holy Grail. Or the Holy Hand Grenade, or whatever the hell that is."

"Well, pointy and wooden is not exactly the look I wanna know better, but it does have flair. Can see why a girl would ditch a fella for one of these."

"It doesn't matter. You're back in the bosom. All's forgiven. And, uh, last night...was just a glitch. A bit of cold comfort from the cellar dweller. Let's don't make a thing out of it."

Spike turned to leave the room. He suddenly wanted to feel Xander's arms around him, to remind himself that he had someone real, someone who loved him, who he loved in return. He didn't understand why being around Buffy made him act this way. He was over the slayer. So why did she still have the capability to make him so damn defensive?

And it was fine. He knew she was more than capable of looking out for herself. She didn't need him, and truthfully he wanted to be with Xander anyway, not off trolling around in the dark with Buffy on some secret mission.

"It's not a secret. Well, I mean, it is, but that's the point of the mission. Find out the secret. This thing was forged by - I don't even know. I mean, something about... a tomb on unconsecrated ground. That's what I have to do. I need to find out what this is and why I have it."

"And that's the thing the preacher man was so anxious to keep out of your mitts?"

"Well, maybe I'll swing by the vineyard when you go, take Xander and the other me; make sure he's sitting tight."

Spike headed for the doorway again only to be stopped by a soft hand on his shoulder.

"This may actually help me fight my war. This might be the key to everything. And the reason I'm holding it is because of you. Because of the strength that you gave me last night. Because you held me and told me you believed in me. Because I really needed a friend and you were there for me. You made me believe in myself again. I don't know what you felt, how you feel about last night but..."

Spike took a moment to think about what he felt, how last night had changed him, changed how he felt about Buffy, how he felt about Xander - hell, how it changed how he felt about the other Spike coming back.

"It was one of the best nights of my life. If you poke fun at me, you bloody well better use that, 'cause I couldn't bear it. It may not mean that much to you, but..."

"I've never really had a friend before, Buffy - well not before Xander, and now I feel like I do. I loved you, still love you, but last night, I held you in my arms as you slept and I realised that as much as I loved you, I love Xander more. I didn't think I could ever love anyone more than you. I was gonna stake Dru for you! So, terrified pretty much sums it up, but at the same time, I feel free. You freed me."

"Fear. Of not being good enough. You trusted me to keep you safe when your world was falling apart. You made me realise that I'm worth something, that I have value. That I didn't need to be afraid that Xander was gonna forget about me now that the other Spike is here. That I can be loved for myself. He tried to tell me, but I was too afraid to listen."

"He does love you. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you, when he talks about you. It's real, Spike."

"Yeah. I used you, and I regret that. I'm not the one, Spike. Xander is. I get that now. If things were different now, maybe you and I..."

Buffy sighed but nodded her agreement. Maybe she did love him, but he wasn't her one either, and deep down she always knew that. She just wasn't sure who her one was anymore.

Spike nodded and followed her back out to the living room. Xander reached out for him, and Spike allowed himself to be pulled into his mate's arms. He felt the gentle press of warm lips on his neck and smiled. Yeah, Xander was definitely the one. He turned his head slightly to the other side and blinked at the open look on the other vampire's face. Then he rolled his eyes, realising that he had overheard every word he had spoken to Buffy. Too late to change anything, and he'd just blame it on the soul if he gave him a hard time over it.

The unsouled Spike leaned in and whispered to him. Spike nodded his understanding and felt that he was one step closer to letting go of the last of his apprehension.

"I have to go track down the maker of this scythe. Spike? You still planning on swinging by the vineyard?"

Xander stood and followed Buffy into the dark night, his vampires on either side of him. They climbed into the car and drove toward the vineyard as Buffy set out on foot. He really just wanted to go home and fall into bed between his lovers and sleep until the apocalypse had passed once again.

The vineyard was empty - not even a Bringer in sight. It made sense, Xander figured; now that Buffy had the weapon, there was nothing there to guard. The question was, where was the crazy preacher now?

"Well, I'm figurin' Buffy took something that he wanted to keep away from her, right?"

"Alright, I'll drive; you two can ride with your heads out the window and play bloodhound."

He received twin looks of consternation from his mates, but ignored them and got in the car. The vampires scowled but did as Xander suggested and began scenting the air for traces of the slayer's scent. It eventually led them to a cemetery where Xander parked the car and got out with a huff of annoyance.

"Why am I not surprised? Just once, would it be too much to find the answers to your questions at the Dairy Queen or maybe the video store? I mean, why does everyone in this town hang out in the graveyards?"

The brunette vampire snorted his amusement and kissed Xander lightly on the throat. The blonde Spike opened his mouth to reply but then closed it with a snap as his eyes bled to yellow and he growled low in his throat. Xander spun around to look at him and asked what was wrong. The other Spike sniffed the air and a look of comprehension crossed his face.

Xander's face flamed as he remembered what Angel had told him back in L.A. the day he had secured his soul, about welcoming him into the family properly. He blushed even harder as his cock twitched at the memory of Angel's lips on his, his hands roaming over him. It was obvious his mates had picked up on both his embarrassment and his arousal. The un-souled version of his lover just smirked at him and waggled his eyebrows, while the souled version pulled Xander to him and continued to growl.

"Stop that. We'll never be able to eavesdrop on them if you keep up that noise."

The brunette Spike grumbled. The blonde ceased his growling but did not lessen his hold on his human mate as they crept closer to the tomb in which the slayer and the elder vampire were ensconced. They heard Caleb speaking from inside.

"You know, I gave you ample warning. Told you not to interfere, but you chose not to heed. I was kind of hoping it'd go this way."

There was a scuffle and they didn't hear anything other than the sounds of battle for a few minutes. Then Buffy's voice again.

The threesome sneaked closer and peered inside just as Buffy pressed up against Angel and kissed him deeply. Xander blinked. Brunette Spike shook his head in disgust and the blonde just closed his eyes and turned away. He knew he was never the one she wanted, but to see her kissing his sire... it still hurt for some reason. Xander seemed to sense his distress and pulled him closer. He kissed his temple and then whispered in his ear.

On the way back to the car, brunette Spike sidled up to his blonde half and leaned in to talk to him so that Xander wouldn't hear them.

"Probably not. So, here's my theory. You ever wonder why you went after her? What it was about her that made you want her? Besides the not being able to kill her bit?"

"What if she was your link? Like Dru was. What if you saw in her a way to keep Angelus in your unlife? What if the reason it hurts you to see them together is because of him, not her? Did you ever consider that?"

"'Cause, I hate the bloody poof! No way am I still pining after him, not now. I gave up on Angelus years ago."

"Yeah, I used to think that way too. Then he dropped everything and came for me. He stood up to the Initiative and the slayer for me. Soul or not, he's still Angelus. And he's still our sire. Think about that, Spike. If we still feel it, don't you think he might too?"

Spike gave his double a look that clearly said he was serious about this and left the blonde to consider what he had just told him. It wasn't easy for him to accept his feelings about Angel either, but he had. He had not only made up with his own sire, he had shared his lover with another version of him in a different reality. He remembered well what had gone on between this Angel and Xander a few weeks ago in L.A., and was expecting Angel to show up at their door at some point tonight.

Spike was unusually quiet on the drive home. He was thinking over what the other him had said. While he refused to believe that the only reason he had fallen in love with Buffy was because of Angel, he had to admit that it might have been one reason why he had pursued her in the beginning. Whether it was to piss Angel off by taking her from him, or to try and feel close to him again by being with her, he wasn't sure. He knew that with Angel in town, he was bound to show up looking for them. He had unfinished business with Xander, something Spike wasn't wanting to dwell on.

Back at the apartment, the dark-haired vampire sent their human mate off to shower so he could have a moment alone with the other Spike. He fetched them both a beer and paced the room as he tried to figure out what to say. Finally he came to a stop and just looked at the other vampire.

"This is stupid. You know he's going to show up here tonight, and you know why. What happens then? Are you honestly going to turn him away? Not allow him to accept Xander into the clan properly?"

"Yes. No. Argh, I don't know. I haven't come to this great understanding that you have. Your sire might have come for you, taken you back to L.A. and coddled you, but mine never did. I was chipped and left defenceless, and he didn't do a damn thing to help me. Yes, I know you had it way harder than I did, but it doesn't change the fact that he didn't even care enough to check up on me. This Angel doesn't give a rat's arse about us. The only reason he wants to welcome Xander is 'cause he wants to get his end down and make sure his soul is stuck on tight before he slips it to the cheerleader. Or Buffy. Or that wannabe watcher of his. Trust me, it has nothing to do with the lore, nothing to do with us, and certainly nothing to do with Xander. He doesn't even like the boy."

Just then the shower turned off and the two vampires eyed one another before silently agreeing to table this conversation for now. Thoughts of Angel would have to wait; there was a warm, wet, clean-smelling Xander available - and they planned to take advantage of that.

After unsuccessfully trying to get Xander into bed, the two vampires sulked as they watched their lover consume the better part of a large frozen pizza and a litre of cola. Xander knew that there were things they needed to discuss - namely Angel and the fact that he was liable to show up looking for them - but he didn't want to get into it on an empty stomach. Plus, any stall tactic he could come up with was all good, as far as he was concerned. Finally, as his stomach protested the consumption of any more food, he wiped his hands and face and then cleared his throat to get his lovers' attention.

The dark-haired Spike nodded his agreement, while the blonde snarled in annoyance. Xander turned his gaze on him and smiled softly. He knew that Spike didn't want Angel touching him, and he was fine with that decision, but they needed to present a united front to the older vampire when he arrived. Xander knew - it had been made painfully aware to him back in L.A. - that he was no good at reasoning with his lovers' sire, especially once he was distracted with the touching and the kissing. He didn't want to risk them doing something that Spike would regret.

"I know you don't want him to touch me; I understand that. I promise you, he won't - not unless you say so."

Spike dragged Xander onto his lap and wrapped his arms around him before burying his face in his mate's neck.

Xander carded his fingers through the short, blonde locks and waited for Spike to calm himself. The other Spike watched all this with a cold look in his eyes.

"Do I get any say in this? I may not be this reality's Spike, but nevertheless, I am Spike. Therefore, Angelus is still my sire - therefore I should have some say as to whether you get a formal acceptance into the clan or not. So, do I?"

Blonde Spike looked up at his darker-haired double with hate-filled yellow eyes. Xander could hear the fan starting up; could smell the shit approaching. He just hoped he could pull the plug on it before it hit.

"Whoa! Hold up; everyone calm down. First, explain to me what the big deal is about getting the Angel seal of approval, then we'll go from there. Okay?"

Both vampires nodded and the blonde continued to hold Xander on his lap as the brunette thought about the best way to explain why he wanted his sire's approval of his choice of mate.

"If I had claimed you unwillingly - if you hadn't wanted it - I would need Angel's approval to keep you, but since you accepted my claim, and claimed me back, it's not necessary."

"However, it's my right as a Master vampire of the line of Aurelias to have my sire acknowledge my mate. I've never taken a mate before, Xander - never wanted to - but now that I have, I want that approval, that acceptance. I want every demon out there to know that you are a member of the Aurelias line, that to mess with you is to mess with not only me, but the entire clan, as well. You know I would never do anything to hurt you, love. And if you really don't want this, I won't force the issue. I just... I want this."

Xander nodded his understanding and then turned to face his other mate. He could tell that the blonde was torn, that at least a small part of him understood, and maybe even felt the same way.

Spike blew out a frustrated breath and stood up; he set Xander back down on the sofa and paced the length of the room. He couldn't explain why; he didn't know. He was still coming to terms with having his soul back, Xander being the only thing keeping him sane, the world coming to an end, having an evil twin from another dimension, and being mated to a human. Throw in the complications of still having feelings for Buffy, and now Angel showing up - not to mention that his double might possibly be right about what he still felt for his sire; well, he was so confused he didn't know which way was up.

"I don't know. I don't know how I feel about Angel; I resent the hell out of him. I hate him with every fibre of my being - the thought of him touching you makes my cold blood boil. He's taken everything from me, my life, my princess, the slayer, and now he wants you. I know it's not the same - Dru was his to begin with, so was Buffy - but you... You. Are. Mine. I don't want to share you. Not with him."

Xander looked at the dark-haired Spike and begged him with his eyes not to make an issue of this.

Spike spun on his heel and stormed out of the apartment. Xander looked from his lover to the door and then back again. He felt his eyes fill and then hot, salty tears were running down his cheeks.

"No, it's not your fault. You have a right to feel this way; he has a right to feel the way he does. We're just going to have to learn to deal with these things - compromise. This obviously means a lot to him; more than I realised."

"It does. I just... I think a part of me - maybe - still loves him. What happens if I let that part out, if I allow Angel into my heart again? He doesn't love me. I was chipped and left defenceless, love. He didn't care. Didn't come to see if I was getting on all right, if I was feeding. He just turned a blind eye, ignored me. If I let him, he'll destroy me. I just don't know if I can take it again. Not now with this... soul in here. I'm too weak."

"Not weak, Spike. You are the strongest man I know. And if it helps... Well, Angel knew about the chip. Giles called him after it first happened; Angel offered to come and take you back to L.A., but at the time, we were still trying to find out about the Initiative, and you were so sure you could find a way to get it out... "

"I guess we should have told you, but we all assumed that you hated Angel, and that you wouldn't go anyway. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, he even asked about you a few times after that. At the time, I thought it was because he was worried you were bothering Buffy, but I've come to know him a lot better since then. He was worried about you. He does love you, I'm sure of it."

Xander spluttered indignantly and Spike lost the battle not to grin. In fact, he laughed out loud.

"Alright, we'll do it then. When Spike comes back, we'll tell him that Angel can do his Master of the line of Aurelias shtick, and welcome you properly."

"I am. He's right, you know; it is our right as Master vampires to have our mating acknowledged by our sire and the head of the line. Besides, it gives you an added measure of protection - not that you need it now, what with you being Mr. Wizard an' all - but the more people looking out for you, the better I like it."

Xander kissed his mate deeply, savouring the taste of him in his mouth. Finally he had to pull back for breath and smiled at the look on the vampire's face. The door opened and a sullen Spike strode back into the apartment and flopped down on the sofa. Xander smiled at the blonde Spike and then crouched down in front of his sulking brunette mate.

Spike pouted and crossed his arms in a childish manner. Xander felt his lips twitch and bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning.

"Spike, Spike and I talked while you were gone. He's changed his mind. When Angel shows up, we'll go through with the ritual or whatever it is. Okay?"

Spike grinned and launched himself at his blonde doppelganger and kissed him soundly on the mouth. Xander smiled. Things were never going to be easy among the three of them, but it would always be worth the small conflicts to see them together like this. Blonde Spike blinked in shock when his double first kissed him, but then gave himself over to the gentle pressure on his lips. Xander was just about to suggest they take this into the bedroom when a knock at the door broke him out of his thoughts of naked Spikes.

Angel stood outside the door and waited. He was still in shock after what Buffy had told him; Spike had a soul. He wondered why Xander had neglected to mention that fact when he had been in L.A. Hell, for that matter, he wondered why no one had called him when they first found out. Angel remembered all too well the way he had felt when he had first been cursed - the crushing guilt, the insanity, the nightmares, the visions of every single person he had ever killed coming back to haunt him over and over again. He could only image how much harder it had to have been on his childe.

The First had tried - and almost succeeded - in getting him to kill himself years ago. It was only Buffy's dogged determination that had kept him from following through on it. He had been used to having his soul at that point, so when he thought about Spike - being newly souled and up against The First as well - he had to admit his childe was stronger than he gave him credit for. It did hurt though, that their relationship was so non-existent that Spike wouldn't turn to him for guidance. It was his fault; he was the one who had walked away, abandoned his childer and lived on the fringes of humanity for decades on end. He knew that even though Darla had shunned him, Drusilla and William would not have.

Angel shook himself out of his thoughts of what could have been; he needed to focus on the here and now. On the other side of that door was his childe - two versions of him, actually, one souled and one not. Plus there was Xander. Xander, who was mated to both versions of his childe, who had secured his soul and then gone back to Sunnydale. Xander, who was still not an official member of the family, something Angel was planning to remedy tonight. If he ever got up the courage to knock on the damn door.

There was a noise in the stairwell and Angel ducked into the empty apartment across the hall and watched through the peephole as a dark-haired Spike walked into Xander's apartment and slammed the door behind him.

"William?" Angel whispered. He had expected both vampires to look the same, but it made sense to him now that he thought about it. Of course Spike would have changed his appearance; he would want to distance himself from what he had been before. Gathering his courage, knowing that his childe surely needed him, Angel walked across the hallway and knocked on the door to Xander's apartment.

Xander watched, fascinated as his lovers both shifted momentarily to game face and then back again as they looked at the door. He had a pretty good idea of who it was on the other side, even before they both confirmed it was Angel. He took a deep, calming breath and opened the door.

Xander stepped aside and Angel entered the apartment. Both Spikes were already on their feet and watching the by-play. It was quite unexpected though, when Angel walked directly to the dark-haired Spike and drew him into his arms. Xander and the blonde both blinked as Angel began to speak.

"I'm so sorry, William. I didn't know; if I had, I would have come sooner. You have no idea how proud of you I am; you're much stronger than I gave you credit for. Are you all right? Is there anything I can do for you?"

The brunette had finally gotten over his shock and looked up at the older vampire with a smirk on his face.

Angel looked at him in confusion, then looked at the room's other two occupants hoping for some explanation. They too looked as if they wanted an answer to Spike's question.

Angel trailed off as the blonde started to howl with laughter. Even Xander couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh, that's it! I'm getting rid of this damn hair just as soon as I can find a box of colour."

Angel finally seemed to clue in to the fact that he had just embraced and tried to comfort the wrong Spike. He took a closer look at the blonde and shook his head.

"Well, I suppose there's no point in repeating what I just said to him, to you, is there?"

Spike looked at Angel, searching his eyes for any trace of the affection that he once had for him; he must have found it for he smiled and stepped closer to him.

Spike smiled at his sire and Angel smiled back. The older vampire quickly pulled Spike into his arms and breathed in his scent.

"S'okay, I get it now. I don't think I'd be able to be around my childer either now. If I had any, that is."

"No. I did though; thought you hated me, so I hated you back. It was easier than admitting that I still loved you."

Xander and Spike watched the reunion with smiles on their faces. They both understood what this meant for the other two; a century-long rift was finally being mended. Spike knew how miserable he had been when he'd lost Angelus, and how he had buried any feeling he still had for his sire behind his budding feelings for Dru. He had made her the centre of his world, knowing that she needed him. It was the only thing that kept him from greeting the dawn those first few months. He turned to Xander and tilted his head toward the kitchen; Xander nodded and they quietly left the room - giving sire and childe some privacy to reacquaint themselves.

Eventually, Angel let go his death grip on Spike and stepped just slightly away from him. He cupped the side of Spike's face and tilted it up as he slowly lowered his own, giving Spike time to withdraw if he didn't want this.

Spike stood still, his eyes never leaving those of his sire, waiting for the one thing he never thought he'd feel again - his sire's kiss. Finally, Angel's lips brushed over his own and he sighed with relief. He hadn't realised quite how much he still needed Angel, not until that moment. He parted his lips in invitation, and was thrilled when Angel pulled him closer and deepened the kiss.

In the kitchen, Xander and Spike stood with their arms around each other, heads resting on each other's shoulders. They were both wanting to do more than just hold each other, but didn't want to distract the pair in the living room from their reunion. Finally, Spike pulled back and kissed Xander softly on the lips.

"I think it's time we move this to the bedroom, love. Come on, we'll gather the other two en route."

Xander licked his lips and nodded his assent. He followed Spike out of the kitchen, stopping dead in his tracks, his mouth going dry at the sight of his blonde mate and his sire devouring each other with lips and tongues. The brunette was watching the scene with more than just a casual interest as well.

Spike and Angel broke apart, both turning feral gazes on the other two men before stalking toward them. Angel grabbed the other Spike and kissed him almost brutally as the blonde demon claimed the lips of his human mate. Both couples continued the kiss as they walked toward the bedroom.

Xander found himself suddenly the focus of three master vampires. His brain wasn't quite sure how to react to this, but his body seemed to be carrying on just fine on its own as he grew impossibly hard, his breath hitching in anticipation. His mates approached him slowly, circling him as they trailed light caresses over his still-clothed form. Gently they began to remove the barriers that kept them from seeing all of Xander until he was finally standing naked before them.

Xander swallowed down the sudden burst of panic and embarrassment that overcame him at being the only one who was sans clothing. He figured this had something to do with the ritual or whatever it was they were about to do. He looked over at Angel as his mates left his side and made their way toward him.

With heads bowed in supplication, they began to undress the older vampire, being careful to fold and stack his clothing as each piece was removed. Xander's eyes swept over Angel's naked form and he grinned. While he was not the lean, sculpted perfection of his mates, Angel had a classic beauty, and certainly nothing to be embarrassed about below the belt.

Angel allowed Xander to study him, enjoying the frank admiration he could read in his hungry gaze. It had been far too long since he had taken anyone to his bed, and longer than that since it had actually meant something. Eventually though, he had to break the silence.

Xander nodded, looked toward his mates who were watching with aroused expressions on their faces, and then walked to the bed and crawled over to the middle of it. He lay on his back, head propped on the pillows, and waited. Angel turned to his childe - childer - and they both nodded and stripped out of their own clothing.

Once naked, the two younger vampires joined their mate on the bed - one on each side of him. Angel watched as they petted and kissed and stroked Xander into a frenzy of lust and need. As the blonde slicked and stretched Xander's opening, the brunette reached into the bedside table drawer and removed a cock- ring before quickly attaching it to the writhing human.

At Angel's soft-spoken command, both vampires ceased their attentions and moved to flank Xander's sides. Angel crawled up the length of the bed until he was hovering just over Xander's prone form. Without any encouragement, the younger vampires each took one of Xander's legs and opened them up revealing him to their sire and master. Angel sat back on his heels and looked at the image Xander presented. He was hard, sweaty, and flushed with arousal. Angel could hardly believe that this was the same boy that had made his life a hell while he was dating Buffy. He shook his head in wonderment and then promptly forgot all about the slayer as Xander moaned and thrust his hips up wantonly. Angel swallowed.

"Xander, by taking you, I am acknowledging you as mate to my childer and accepting you as one of my clan. You will be a member of the line of Aurelias, and expected to hold to the lore. You will be mine as well as my childer's and be expected to treat me accordingly. Do you understand the commitment you are making, to not only your mates, but to myself and the clan, as well?"

Xander nodded his head, but when Angel remained silent and simply watched him, he realised that he probably had to say the words. He licked his suddenly dry lips and cleared his throat.

"I understand. I accept that I am yours as well as my mates; I will uphold the lore and will submit to you as Master of the line of Aurelias."

Then he drove himself into the young man in one swift stroke. Xander cried out and arched his back, baring his throat to the hungry gaze of the three vampires. Angel growled low in his chest and then struck swiftly. As his fangs pierced Xander's throat, he felt the human's muscles clench around him and knew that Xander would have cum, had he not been wearing the ring. Gently he removed his fangs, bit into his wrist and presented the dripping wound to the writhing man beneath him.

Xander fastened onto the wound and drew on it as Angel roared and spilled himself deep within him. As soon as Xander let go of his wrist, Angel slid from Xander's body and the brunette Spike moved into his place. Xander's eyes widened in shock as Spike slid deep inside him and began to move with hard, fast strokes. He bared his throat and Spike bit directly over the mark left by Angel. He didn't take much blood - barely a mouthful - before removing his fangs and biting his wrist. He, too, presented it to Xander who fastened his still-bloody lips to it and drank. Spike barely managed another stroke before he, too, came.

Xander, who was still hard and desperate for release, turned his head in time to see that Angel had pinned the blonde vampire to the bed and was fucking him through the mattress. Spike turned his head to look at Xander at the same moment. Their eyes met and then they both leaned forward a fraction until their mouths met as well.

Xander could taste Angel's blood in Spike's mouth; he wondered if his mate was being reclaimed by his sire while he was being reclaimed by the other Spike. Then he had no time to wonder as Angel pulled Spike's mouth away from his and the two Spikes changed places. This time, before Xander was entered, Spike leaned over and placed a soft, reverent kiss to his lips.

Was whispered against his mouth and then he was taken once again. Xander wondered if he was ever going to be able to cum. Not that he wasn't enjoying this, but he felt like he had been hard forever.

Spike looked over to Xander's other side and saw that Angel and the dark-haired version of himself were likewise engaged and grinned; Angelus always did have stamina. He brushed his lips over Xander's again and then nudged his head to the side before placing a soft kiss over the angry-looking bite mark on his throat.

Spike chuckled as he heard Xander's softly-muttered "thank God" and then he sank his fangs into the mark. He withdrew his fangs, slashed his wrist, and as Xander's mouth fastened over the wound, he reached between them and released the clasp on the cock ring. As Spike increased both the force and the speed of his thrusts, Xander finally came with a loud scream, his back arching off the bed, and then fell back to the mattress just as his mate spent himself inside of him.

There was a muted howl and a loud growling noise to the left of him. Xander barely managed to turn his head in time to see his dark-haired mate lick the blood from his lips before they were covered by Angel's - as the eldest man in the room kissed his other-dimensional childe. The blonde vampire sprawled across Xander's chest, sated and at peace. He had his mate - now a fully accepted member of the line of Aurelias, and he had made up with his sire.

Xander smiled as the vampire on his chest started to purr. Much like cats, the other two vampires curled into his warmth and echoed the rumbly noise. Xander wondered if this was just going to be a one-time thing, or if he could expect to be sharing his bed with Angel again anytime in the future. He had read the watchers' diaries - along with anything else he could get his hands on that had to do with Vampires - and he fully understood the commitment he had made tonight. Angel was now his master - his sire in a way - and he knew that as such, he was entitled to do whatever he wished to him, including taking him to bed.

"Eh, you know, just practising up on my brooding. Thought I'd get an expert's opinion on whether I'm doing it right or not."

Xander swallowed and shook his head even as his cock twitched at the thought. Angel sniffed the air, smiled and moved closer to the wary human.

Xander smiled softly and closed his eyes; he was somewhat startled when the man on his chest began muttering.

There were soft chuckles and then silence as the foursome drifted off to sleep. The only sound in the apartment was Xander's soft snores.

When Xander woke the next morning, Angel wasn't in the bed. He carefully extracted himself from the tangle of bodies without waking his mates and made his way to the kitchen. He found Angel - wearing only his slacks - making coffee.

"Sorta used to keeping human hours - Cordelia insists that I do the office stuff during the day."

They were silent for a few minutes, both watching the steady drip-drip of the coffee until Xander finally broke the silence.

"She slept with my son. I know that she was being influenced, but that doesn't change what happened. Besides that fact, Conner loves her.

He's my child; I won't be the reason that she hurts him. I can't hurt him that way; he's already lost so much because of me, I can't take Cordelia too."

"Buffy and I... I love her; I will always love her, but she isn't ready. She needs to live, to grow, to... finish baking."

"There was a cookie-dough analogy; I didn't really understand it myself at first. She said she wasn't ready to be eaten."

"I have time to wait for her; when she decides she's ready, if I'm the one she wants, I'll be there. Otherwise, well, I've been alone for the better part of a century. I'll survive."

Xander had a sudden pang of sympathy for the vampire right then. Being in love with someone like Buffy couldn't be easy. She would always have to put her duty before her personal feelings; it made Xander glad that Buffy had never returned his boyhood affections.

Xander said that in all seriousness. He was surprised to hear his statement confirmed by his lovers. He hadn't realised they were awake.

The brunette kissed Xander on the cheek on his way to the kitchen. He grabbed two mugs out of the cupboard and passed them to the blonde Spike who had followed him into the kitchen before grabbing another two out of the cupboard for Angel and Xander.

The vampires drank the blood that the dark-haired Spike had prepared for them before refilling their mugs with coffee. Xander just sipped at his own overly-sweetened beverage and watched them as they interacted. It was amazing how easily they all seemed to get on with one another. He wondered where the angst, sorrow, and anger from the night before had gone. Then again, they were vampires; maybe it was just easier for them to accept change and move on.

The blonde whispered in his ear before nipping the lobe softly and then kissing it better.

"Well, it's the same thing with Angel. He's our sire. We love him, he loves us. Not the same as it is with us, but it is love. You are part of us now, a full-fledged member of the line of Aurelias; we're all family here, Xander. That's why it's so easy. Family forgives you. Family loves you, protects you, and fights for you. Family drifts away sometimes, but it always comes back to you. Always."

"Yeah, you'll never be alone again either. No matter what happens with The First. None of us will be alone again; we're all family now."

Xander smiled and kissed his mate soundly. He didn't want to think about The First or the battle ahead of them. He knew that they wouldn't all make it out alive, that some of them would be lost. He just hoped to God that his little family - scoobies included - would survive it.

Xander nodded and began walking his mate back toward the bedroom, his lips never leaving the vampire's for even a moment. Angel and the other Spike exchanged a look and then silently followed behind them.

Spike and Xander had torn off their clothes and were already sprawled across the bed. Xander had the blonde pinned beneath him and was pistoning two slick fingers in and out of him. The blonde was panting, begging his mate to hurry.

Angel and the other Spike wasted no time in removing their own clothes and joining the couple on the bed. The elder of the two newcomers took up the discarded tube of lubricant and began preparing Xander thoroughly. The human continued to stretch and tease his mate while moaning and pushing back onto Angel's fingers. Finally, the blonde vampire could take no more.

Xander giggled at the silliness of that statement but then decided to take pity on his mate and removed his fingers and pushed his cock inside of him. He felt Angel move behind him and held still while he was filled as well. He looked over at the dark-haired Spike who was slowly stroking himself and watching the three men on the bed. Xander grinned and beckoned him closer.

Spike allowed Xander to move him into position and then smiled. He was sitting astride his double's face while Xander was sucking him off. It wasn't the easiest of positions, or the best blow-job he'd ever had, considering Xander was being fucked by Angel and fucking Spike at the same time. But it was getting more interesting by the minute, especially when he felt the tip of his doppelganger's tongue flick over his hole.

Angel was slamming himself into Xander; which made Xander slam into the vampire beneath him. It also made Xander moan a lot - something that felt incredibly good on Spike's shaft as he sucked him. The blonde vampire was rimming him with abandon and he couldn't remember when he'd ever felt this good. Having someone who knew exactly how to touch you was amazing.

Xander couldn't hold back any longer. Having all three vampires taking their pleasure from his body was such a turn-on. He wondered if he looked as hot as he felt at that moment. His passionate cries were muffled by the cock in his mouth, but still loud enough that had he still had neighbours, they would be wondering what the hell was going on in his bedroom.

Xander's climax triggered Angel's and he stiffened suddenly, his eyes bleeding yellow as he howled and emptied himself into the warm channel that surrounded him. The blonde Spike was next to let go; he, too, changed to game face as his orgasm ripped through him, turning his head and burying his fangs into the other Spike's thigh, which, of course sent him over the edge as well.

Soon enough, the four men lay sprawled in a tangle of limbs on the messy bed. Xander could barely keep his eyes open; he was sated and exhausted. His mates curled up on his chest and Angel spooned behind the blonde Spike. He wished that it could always be this simple, that they weren't facing the possible end of the world. He kissed the top of each vampire's head - even Angel's - and drifted off to sleep.

It was just before sunrise when Spike woke up. He noticed right away that Angel wasn't in the bed; he extended his senses and sighed when he realised that he wasn't even in the apartment any longer. Not wanting to disturb his lovers, he slid out of bed and padded naked to the kitchen. He was just sitting down with a mug of heated pig's blood when he spied the paper on the table. He picked it up and began to read.

My dearest William,

Or should I say Williams? This is very confusing, and I extend my sympathies to Xander. I can't imagine how he copes with the two of you every day. Not that it would be a hardship having two of you, just confusing, and maybe I should start over?

I had to leave this morning before the sun came up; I have responsibilities in L.A. and I had to go back. I would have awakened you - all three of you, but you looked so peaceful, so serene. I couldn't bring myself to disturb any of you.

Buffy has asked me to head up the second line of defence - in case this thing gets past her and the rest of you, I'll be there to try and stop it. I know it's a foolish idea; if two slayers, a bunch of potential slayers, two master vampires, a warlock, two witches and a watcher can't stop this, what chance do I have? None, but who am I to argue with Buffy?

Spike, Will, what happened between us, it was more than I ever expected. I have missed you, terribly. I know that doesn't make up for everything that you have been through, but it's true. If I had the chance to do it over again, I never would have left you. I do love you. Both of you; you are both my childer, my William, my sweet boy.

As for Xander, I have to say that I am impressed by him. He has come a long way from the boy I first met, and I am proud to call him family. You have chosen well, Will. Xander is a fine man, and will be a great addition to our family.

If we all survive this, and I have every confidence that we will, I hope you will come to L.A. to visit with me; I'd like to introduce you to my son - even though he hates me. Maybe if he sees that I have people who love me - you do love me, right? - then he might think he could love me too, one day.

I have to admit that I am jealous of you. You have been given a rare and precious gift, my boy, unconditional love. I wandered for decades, lost in my own grief and pain before I rejoined the world once more. The guilt I felt over my actions was a constant source of pain and I had no one to share it with, no one to help me adjust. You have had your soul for only a short while and you seem to have come to grips with it so easily; I envy you your support, your friends and family. Hold on to them, Will, for they are precious.

I wish you only the best in life, and I hope you will take me up on my offer to come to L.A. I would love to see you all again. If there is anything I can ever do, anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I owe Xander the biggest debt of gratitude - a debt I will never be able to repay, but I will try to. Please, all of you, be careful when you go up against The First. I don't want to lose you, not when I've just found you again.

Will, there is something you should know. When I came here, I brought with me an amulet, I don't know what it does, but I was told that it would be an asset to the fight. It can only be worn by a champion - a souled being, who is stronger than a human. I thought it would be me. Buffy said that she wanted you to have it. That you had earned the right to be a champion. To be her champion.

I don't know if this helps you, but she chose you - not me - to be at her side for the end of the world. You have proven yourself worthy, and for what it's worth, she thinks of you as a friend. Buffy doesn't consider just anyone a friend. Go see her today, Will. Get the amulet, wear it with pride; you've earned it.

With love,

Angel.

Spike folded the letter and got up and put it in his duster pocket. If it all went bad, he wanted these words to go with him. Angel had said he loved him, said he was worthy, called him a champion. It was more than he had ever hoped for when getting his soul back. So, he didn't get the girl, so what? He got more than that. He got Xander, he got his sire back, he got an interesting bed partner in the form of his double, and he got to save the world - be a champion - not bad for a former evil, soulless bloodsucker. Not bad for a soft-hearted former poet, either.

Spike went back to the bedroom and stood in the doorway. He watched his mate and his double sleeping entwined together in the bed and smiled. He was surprised at the lack of jealousy he felt toward the other vamp. The fact that Xander was still his, still loved him, made all the difference. And he knew that the other Spike would fight just as hard as he would to keep Xander safe. It was good for Xander, having them both here, and that was enough to make Spike accept him.

Shaking off his morose thoughts, Spike slipped back into bed and spooned against the warm back of his mate. Xander stirred briefly, reaching behind him with one arm to pull Spike closer before falling back into a deep, restful sleep. Spike sighed in contentment and let himself drift off as well.

When he woke later, he was lying on his back with Xander sprawled across his chest and the other Spike was absent. He listened closely and determined that the other him was in the kitchen, it sounded like he was cooking.

Xander shifted in his sleep and rubbed the lower half of his body enticingly against the vampire. Spike reflexively bucked his hips up against him and groaned softly. Xander wriggled closer and thrust against him again.

Spike knew that Xander was still asleep, he was merely reacting to his close proximity. He wished he were awake; he wanted him. Then again, he always wanted him these days. He thought about all the wasted years they could have been together and kicked himself mentally. When Angel had offered him up at the high school, he should have taken him then, but he'd been too wrapped up in Dru.

"And look how well that turned out." He muttered softly. Then there was the kidnapping; he had thought about turning Red, but never even considered Xander. After the chip, he had been forced to live with Xander, and through careful observation, learned a lot about him. How brave and loyal he was, how he always thought about others before himself. At the time, Spike had ridiculed these traits, thinking it would be the young man's undoing.

Now though, now he could look back and see that Xander had always been more than a mere acquaintance; they had a weird sort of non-friendship thing going on. They traded barbs and insults, laughed at each other's jokes. When Spike had been at his lowest - wearing Xander's clothes - the boy had tried to cheer him up as though they were friends. Then he saved his unlife by dragging him out of the wreckage. They should have been friends, but Spike's vampire nature rebelled against it, and Xander was too insecure at the time. He saw any male as a threat to his status in the group. Then again, if he hadn't been under that spell, things probably would have turned out differently.

It had to be like this, though; he knew that. If Xander hadn't been cursed, he never would have learned about the spell on him, he never would have found his own power, and he never would have fallen in love with a damaged vampire - which ultimately led to falling in love with him. For Spike's part, he needed to go through what he had, too. If he hadn't been chipped, he never would have gotten to know these humans who stood up to evil on a nightly basis. He would never have fallen in love with Buffy, never gotten his soul back, and never had to be rescued from the basement of the high school by the man who was slowly coming awake in his arms. All in all, things worked out fine.

Xander lifted his head and placed a soft sweet kiss on Spike's lips before snuggling back down on his chest.

"Angel's gone back to L.A., pet. He had to go before the sun came up. Spike's in the kitchen making brekkies."

Xander accompanied that question with a small roll of his hips. Spike groaned and shifted underneath him so that Xander was settled between his thighs.

Xander began rubbing against his mate and Spike brought his legs up and wrapped them around Xander's back. Their cocks brushed together and both men moaned.

Xander continued to rub their erections together as he thrust and writhed against his mate. He bared his throat in invitation, wanting to feel Spike's fangs in him, drawing on his blood, connecting them in the most primal of ways.

Spike brought Xander's lips to his throat as he turned his head enough to reach his mate's neck as well. Xander clamped his blunt human teeth onto Spike's flesh and bit deeply even as he felt Spike's fangs penetrate him. He tasted blood in his mouth and sucked hard. Spike bucked and writhed beneath him as he quickened the pace of his rutting. Xander released the vampire's throat as he threw his head back and screamed with the force of his orgasm. Spike thrust twice more and then he too came with a howl.

The sound of clapping brought both men out of their post-orgasmic haze, and as one they turned to look at the doorway where the darker-haired Spike was leaning against the open door, slowly fisting his cock and looking at them appreciatively.

"But I'm left somewhat ... unsatisfied. Think you could do something about that?"

Xander looked at his flaccid penis and hoped that Spike didn't want to be fucked; he wasn't sure he could manage just yet.

"Hmm, thought perhaps I'd like to bury myself in that pretty arse of yours. If you've no objection to that?"

He quirked his scarred eyebrow at Xander and then chuckled at how fast he rolled over and spread himself.

It was the blonde's turn to watch as his double leaned in and claimed their mate's lips in a possessive kiss. He reached into the drawer and pulled out the lube, passing it over to the dark-haired vampire and then propping himself up against the headboard to enjoy the show.

Neither the dark-haired vampire nor the human minded the audience. In fact it was kind of hot, knowing they were being watched. As Spike stretched Xander he watched his double take himself in hand and start stroking his renewed erection.

Spike knew that he was a narcissist; that wasn't news to him, but he'd never thought that watching himself could be so erotic. He was even entertaining thoughts of fucking, and being fucked by his souled doppelganger. Not something he would normally consider. He'd only been willingly topped by Angelus and Xander. He hadn't thought he'd ever want that with anyone else, but the remembrance of how his double had rimmed him, the self confidence in his technique - knowing he was doing everything exactly the right way - was making him wonder what it would feel like to be taken by him, to take him in return. He knew he could make the other vampire scream from pleasure.

He locked eyes with his double as he slid into the warm body of their mate. Hooking Xander's feet over his shoulders, he set a relentless pace, driving into Xander again and again. Xander cried out as he felt Spike's cock ram into his prostate. He felt his orgasm building and bared his throat to his dark-haired mate. He felt the sharp ivory points tear into him and he screamed out in ecstasy.

Spike tore his mouth away from Xander as he howled out his climax. He turned his head in time to see the blonde stiffen and then spill his seed over his own fist. He licked the blood from his lips and then lowered Xander's legs before collapsing on top of him.

The brunette vampire chuckled and kissed him before rolling off to the side of him.

"Well, I was coming in here to tell you I made pancakes, but if you're too tired to eat them..."

Xander was up and out of bed before Spike finished speaking. He pulled on his boxers and then looked at his lovers, who were both still naked and lounging in the bed.

The blonde smiled and got up; he pulled on his jeans and then tossed the brunette his pants as well.

"Alright, love. We'll feed you, but then we have to go to the slayer's. Turns out she's got a prezzie for me."

Xander and the dark-haired Spike exchanged looks of confusion but followed the blonde out of the bedroom.

They were all gathered in Buffy's living room; Spike had the amulet tucked safely away in his duster while he watched his mate and his former lover having a heated conversation across the room.

"It's a lot more than that. Buffy, what you said, it-it flies in the face of everything we've ever-every generation has ever done in the fight against evil. I think it's bloody brilliant."

"Whoa, hey. Not to poop on the party here, but I'm the guy that's gonna have to pull this thing off."

"This goes beyond anything I've ever done. It's a total loss of control, and not in a nice, wholesome, my boyfriend knows how to wield a flogger, kinda way."

Xander looked over at Dawn and ducked his head in embarrassment. He heard his lovers snickering and silently vowed to get even.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could do it. Xander. I know you have the power; you brought Spike back from dust. You can do this."

Xander - as well as everyone else - looked over to where Willow was trying to blend into the background.

Buffy was in full-on panic mode. Xander shook his head fondly. Sure, let the kid stay and fight The First Evil, but anything to do with sex and Buffy didn't know what to do. Giles, it seemed, was no better.

Giles went off with Dawn and Buffy and the two vampires approached their mate and wrapped him in their arms.

"Hmmm, wholesome and flogger. Not two things I'd ever put in the same sentence. How about you mate?"

"Nope, we must be doing something wrong. Think we'll have time to remedy that later tonight?"

Two pairs of crystal blue eyes looked up at him in anticipation. Xander swallowed and cleared his throat.

It still came out as a squeak. The brunette Spike threw his arm around Xander's shoulders and led him toward the doorway.

Xander ducked out from under Spike's arm and walked out. Spike shrugged his shoulders and put his arm over the blonde vampire's shoulders and together they followed him.

After rounding up all the S.I.T's, Xander and the Spikes were sitting around in the living room, the vamps a little miffed that they weren't going to get any alone time with Xander anytime soon. Buffy had decided, and Xander had agreed, that it would be safer for everyone to stick together. Therefore, they were spending the night at Casa de Summers.

Xander had sent Andrew downstairs to bring up a bottle of the whiskey that he knew Spike had stashed down there, and his mates were currently enjoying the intoxication; soon they would be enjoying the unconsciousness, once the alcohol kicked in.

Willow and Tara were sitting on the stairs, Tara was calming Willow, telling her that she would be fine, that this wasn't a misuse of her power, but a necessary glitch in her recovery, and that she would be right there with her, every step of the way.

Dawn was curled up in the corner chair with a large dusty tome. She looked like she was really getting into her junior watcher title. Xander wasn't surprised; she needed to fit in somewhere - feel like she was contributing something to the effort - and with all these potential slayers around, fighting was pretty much covered.

Giles, Andrew, and Amanda - one of the S.I.T's - were sitting around the table in the kitchen. Xander decided to join them. He kissed his mates and then left them to their disgruntled drinking session.

A while later, they were still there. Xander and Giles were bent over a map, Xander trying to explain the situation to the older man.

"That puts me over by the door. Demons around the perimeter- Right! I open the door."

Andrew looked at Amanda like she had just said Janeway was sexier than Seven of Nine.

"Ninth level sorcerer, and I carry the emerald chalice. Trogdor is frozen in time. Deal with it."

Xander laughed and looked at Andrew, taking in the sight of his red cloak and wondering if he was ever this much of a geek.

"Could it possibly get uglier? I used to be a highly respected watcher, and now I'm a wounded dwarf with the mystical strength of a doily. I just wish I could sleep."

Xander looked into the living room where the two vampires were curled up together on the couch and smiled softly.

They took a school bus to Sunnydale High. Xander wasn't asking where they got it from; he really didn't care. It was the possible beginning of the end of the world. What was a little grand theft auto? He climbed down the steps and took a deep breath of hellmouth tainted air. He wasn't sure if it was just him, or if everyone could now smell the evil that emanated from the school. He'd ask about it later - if there was a later to ask about it.

They all followed Robin into the school. Xander was actually shocked that the man was still there, seeing as how he had been dissed by his girl, threatened by Xander and his lovers, and had Buffy push him aside as if he were nothing. But then again, he himself was still there, and he'd been in that position at one time too. Sometimes, having a sense of duty really sucked.

"Welcome to Sunnydale High. There's no running in the halls, no yelling, no gum chewing. Apart from that, there's only one rule."

Spike snickered softly and rolled his eyes. Buffy shot him a look and addressed the potentials.

Xander clapped his hands together and faked a cheery grin. Truth was, he was terrified. And having one of his mates out of his sight was not helping matters. He was grateful for the cool hand that rested reassuringly on the back of his neck.

"If you have to go to the bathroom, it's to your left. If you don't have to go to the bathroom, picture what you're about to face. Better to go now."

Robin pointed the way and Xander nodded. Willow and Tara gave him an understanding smile before heading in the direction that Robin had pointed.

"Okay, civilians. The vampires get upstairs, we have three areas they could get through to another building and then down into the sewers. Down the hall in the atrium, the north hall there, and the primary target, through the lounge straight to the science building. Now odds are, most of them will head there."

"Besides, it's not like we won't get to fight. After the spell, we'll head to the atrium."

Xander grinned at Dawn whose eyes lit up at the chance to fight. She was all Summers, that girl was.

Robin looked less than impressed at being teamed up with Andrew. Andrew looked like he was ready to take on the world - or die trying. Xander had admit he was beginning to respect the guy.

Xander nodded his approval and Spike snorted. He looked at Andrew and then motioned toward the principal.

"And don't be afraid to use him as a human shield. Least he'd be useful for once."

Andrew looked at Spike in shock, and then smiled as he saw the glint of humour in the vampire's eyes. He got serious again and spoke up, breaking up the tense atmosphere in the hallway.

"I just want to say how proud I am to die for this very special cause with you guys. There's some, um-there's people I'd like to thank, both good and evil. Um, a shout out to my brother Tucker, who gave me the inspiration to summon demons and also..."

Robin grabbed Andrew by the elbow and led him down the hall towards their post. Dawn headed for the office and Giles discreetly turned away to offer Xander and Spike a moment of privacy. The vampire wasted no time in drawing Xander into his arms and kissing him possessively.

"And I you. Forever, Xander. No matter what. If something happens to me, you and Spike go to Angel. If neither me nor him make it out of this, you go to my sire, love. Promise me."

"Okay, I promise. But only because I know you'll make it. Both of you, you have to."

Xander and Spike exchanged a soft smile and turned away from each other. Spike stomped past Giles on the way to the lounge.

Giles chose to ignore the rough sound of the vampire's voice and after a smile to Xander, followed behind him.

Xander walked to the office, hoping against all hope that he was able to pull this off. He opened the door and saw that Tara and Willow had gotten everything set up and were currently sitting on the floor in the lotus position. He cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow in inquiry when Tara opened her eyes.

Xander clapped his hand over his mouth as he realised what he just said. Willow and Tara both laughed and got to their feet.

Spike stood back and watched as Buffy, Faith and the others each cut their hands and let their blood flow onto the seal. This was something he remembered all too well. The seal opened and a staircase was formed. With one last thought and yes, he admitted, a prayer, for Xander's safety, he followed them down into the ground.

Spike took the amulet from his pocket and hung it around his neck. He waited. When nothing happened, he shook it, then he held it up to his face and scowled.

"Not to be a buzzkill, love, but my fabulous accessory isn't exactly tingling with power."

Buffy looked from the amulet to the vampire wearing it and with a look of determination answered.

Spike looked around and saw the millions upon millions of Turok Hans in the large cave system below them and gave Buffy an incredulous look. Deciding to play along, he smirked at her and offered up his own unique brand of humour.

"Cheer up, Liz. Xander's big spell doesn't work, it won't matter what you wear."

Buffy looked down at the seething mass of Uber vamps and repeated her earlier statement.

She looked back at the young girls behind her and repeated it again. More to assure herself than them.

Too late, as the Turok Han looked up and saw them. Buffy's eyes widened and she whispered under her breath.

The Turok Han rushed toward them, their fierce battle cries echoing off the cave walls. Spike stood ready, Buffy and Faith at either side of him. Behind them the potentials were in battle stance - looking more sure of themselves than they felt.

In the office upstairs, Xander was holding the scythe in front of him, his hair blowing out behind him and his eyes black with power. Willow and Tara were holding hands behind him - each of them with one hand on his shoulder, feeding him their power. Dawn was standing guard at the door, a sword firmly clenched in her hand.

A ripple of energy swept through the cavern; the potentials could all feel it and they stood just a little straighter.

Buffy sighed in relief just as the first of the vampires reached them.

Xander collapsed to the floor - Willow and Tara were quick to flank him and get him back on his feet. Dawn rushed toward them but stopped short at what she saw.

Xander thrust the scythe toward the two witches and they ran out of the room. Dawn watched Xander with a frown on her face.

"You're going to have to see about coloured contacts after this. Come on, we have to guard the atrium."

The vampires were everywhere; for every one they killed, there were more just waiting for their turn to come at them. Willow came rushing down the stairs - the scythe held firmly in her grip.

Buffy caught the scythe and began dusting the Uber vamps left and right. Willow went back up the stairs to Tara as the slayers engaged the enemy with renewed vigour.

"That's what the others are for! Keep fighting!"

Turok Han flooded the hallways; Willow and Tara were still too close to the seal and started fighting. Out in the hallway, Giles and the dark-haired Spike stood back to back, their swords slicing through anything that got close.

Dawn and Xander were engaged in battle as well. Xander didn't even have to raise his weapon; he incinerated the vampires with a few words. Dawn stared in awe and then quickly decapitated one of the few who actually got close enough for her to reach.

In another hallway, Andrew and Robin weren't doing so well. The Uber vamps outnumbered them and were stronger than they were. As one got too close to Andrew, Robin tripped over his sword and fell into its arms. The vampire broke his neck and tossed him to the floor.

The blonde vampire was in the midst of the battle when he felt something change. He looked down at the amulet and then called out.

Buffy looked down to see that a Turok Han had stabbed her with a sword from behind, piercing her abdomen. She stumbled forward and collapsed to the ground, face-first. Faith noticed that Buffy was down and ran to her side. Buffy leaned up on her elbow and passed Faith the scythe.

The First appeared - as Buffy - in front of the downed slayer and pouted at her.

"Oh no... ow! Mommy, this mortal wound is all... itchy. You pulled a nice trick. You came pretty close to smacking me down. What more do you want?"

Buffy caught the scythe as Faith tossed it back to her and instantly used it to take out several of the Uber vamps. All around her, the new slayers were fighting, taking out the Turok Han.

A bright blue light shot up from the amulet, knocking a hole in the ceiling, going up through the floor of the hallway near Xander and Dawn, up through the ceiling and through to the open sky. The light turned a warm orange colour.

Spike looked from the glowing amulet to the slayer and his eyes went wide as he realised what was going to happen.

Xander grabbed Dawn by the hand and ran toward the seal. He encountered Willow and Tara near the door and handed Dawn off to them.

As Willow and Tara ran, pulling Dawn behind them, Xander ran down the stairs and into the seal. He saw the carnage, and frantically looked around him to make sure that Buffy and Spike were okay. He saw that Buffy was favouring her side but otherwise looked fine, then he saw Spike.

Xander whispered in awe. He was never more grateful for having been cursed than he was at that moment. Spike was bathed in sunlight, and if it weren't for the ring, he would surely be on fire.

Xander watched in awe as the Turok Han began disintegrating before his eyes. He saw Buffy trying to get to Spike, and he realised that he'd just been standing there. He started running toward Spike, dodging the clouds of dust as he went. The ground began to tremble and Faith looked around - eyes wide in realisation.

She yelled and the new slayers began filing out of the cave; Faith looked back at Buffy, worry written clearly on her face.

"My soul. It's really there; it kinda stings. Xander? What happened to your eyes?"

"I'll tell you later."

As the potentials ran through the hallway, they passed a battered and bloody Andrew who was stumbling toward them. Faith grabbed him and carried him toward the exit. As they passed Giles and the dark-haired Spike, the vampire called out to them.

"He's in the seal, with Buffy and the other you. I don't think the vampire can leave."

Spike growled and took off, leaving Giles to follow after the girls.

Outside, Dawn was standing beside the bus waving her arms and yelling.

Faith made sure everyone got on the bus and then looked behind her for Buffy. Finally, she knew they couldn't wait any longer. She climbed the steps and boarded the bus. Giles gave her a sad, knowing look, and then pulled the bus away from the curb.

Spike was glowing. He knew without a doubt that without the ring he would be on fire; he could feel the heat from the light even with the protection the gem offered. The funny thing was, he knew that even if he didn't have it, he would still be doing this. This was his destiny; he was meant to save the world.

Buffy nodded and ran up the stairs, she passed the dark-haired Spike on his way down and smiled. She should have known he was just as stubborn as the blonde.

A new voice joined the conversation. The other two men looked over to see the dark-haired Spike walking toward them even as the cave ceiling fell down around them.

"Would have been here sooner, but the seal was almost buried. Had to dig my way in."

Xander held his mates to him tightly and spoke softly. A soft blue light emanated from him covering the three men in a protective bubble as the latest tremor brought the entire cave down around them.

Outside, Buffy ran from rooftop to rooftop, finally getting close enough to jump onto the top of the bus. Dawn sat at the back looking out the window as the town collapsed behind them. A lone tear rolled down her face as she thought of Xander and Spike.

Andrew was sitting beside Faith mumbling about how sorry he was, how it should have been him that died and not Robin. Faith just shook her head and held his hand.

Giles finally stopped the bus on the outskirts of town. They all got out and looked back at the crater that used to be Sunnydale. Giles looked around with confusion and asked no one in particular.

Just then Anya appeared out of nowhere and took off her necklace. She held it out to Giles and smiled at him.

"I was scared. I wanted to do this sooner, but I was afraid I would lose you. Would you... I want you to break it. Even if you don't want me right now, I'll prove myself to you."

Anya smiled and Giles folded her into his arms.

In the centre of the crater, the earth trembled, a soft blue bubble of light burst free and the three men inside of it looked up to the sky and smiled. Xander lowered the shield and they looked around them. Off in the distance there was a figure walking toward them. As it got closer, Xander squinted to make out the form of a woman dressed in an impeccably tailored suit.

"... belongs to my firm. But, I'm here to make you an offer. Sort of a thank you for a job well done."

"Not that I'm not interested, but where the hell did you come from, and why are you dead?"

"Funny you should ask. My employer would like to thank you for ending world peace by offering you the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram and Hart."

Xander looked at his lovers who merely shrugged their shoulders. He turned back to the woman and asked.

"Not now, that thing with Cordelia. Her spawn would have brought about world peace; you took care of that. My bosses want to reward you. So, will you come back to L.A.? We could discuss this further?"