Long Time GoneBy Yindagger
Chapter Ten
Xander’s hands flowed through long, silken hair. He wrapped it around and around his fists and pulled back on it gently. Huge green eyes opened languidly to stare into his. He braced all of his weight on his elbows – she was so tiny; he couldn’t crush her. Her body shifted under his, her hips rising to meet his hardness and brush her lower body against it. One of her legs came up to curl around his hip and intensify the contact. He dragged his tongue up the long column of her neck, leaving a shiny trail on the honey-colored skin. He licked and sucked at the spot where her neck met her shoulder, and then nibbled down to her prominent collarbone.
He gently extricated his hands from her hair and moved down her body, kissing a path between her breasts, and his hands closed on the outer curves of their fullness. Her nipples were tiny peaks; he captured first one and then the other with his mouth, drawing delicate gasps and moans from her mouth. He kissed his way down to her still-flat belly. Once there he paused, knowing that this flesh sheltered his child – their child. He pressed his ear to her abdomen, knowing there was nothing to hear yet, but wanting the contact just the same.
He closed his hands on her narrow hips, preparing to move even lower, when her body was pulled from under his in one strong jerk. He reached for her with a shout, hearing only her scream as she was pulled away. She was being held against the wall in the shadows, by a shadow. He couldn’t move, couldn’t go to her. A long, thin white hand tipped with plum-colored fingernails reached across her body and drew back, one long talon slashing across the throat he had lovingly kissed only seconds earlier. Dark blood cascaded down the honeyed skin.
Xander screamed.
Spike heard the shout from the library, where he was working at the computer. He was on his feet and halfway up the stairs when the scream rent the air. When he opened the door to the guestroom he saw Xander backed up against the headboard, unseeing eyes wide open, reaching out to the corner of the room. The scream had tapered off and he was repeating the word “no” in a stricken voice. Spike could barely hear that quiet, desperate whisper over the frantic pounding of Xander’s heart. He could tell that the other man was not yet awake, caught in the claws of some horrible nightmare.
He moved into the room slowly, trying not to startle the frightened figure on the bed. When the mattress dipped slightly under his weight, the dark head swiveled toward him and the brown eyes cleared. “Oh God, Will,” Xander moaned, diving for the vampire. Spike cradled the larger man in his arms, feeling the cold, slick sweat that covered his body and matted his hair. The smell of Xander’s fear was almost overpowering. He rubbed circles on the heaving back and crooned wordless sounds of comfort until the shaking body stilled and Xander sat up, rubbing his hands over his face. Spike’s heart broke a little when the other man tried to muster up a smile under haunted eyes and failed miserably.
Xander drew in a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. “Well,” he said, “that’s got to be among the worst ways to wake up ever. Did you hear me from downstairs?” Spike nodded and said, “Bat ears,” just so he could see his friend smile a little. This smile had a bit more power and was creeping toward the dark eyes. “Why don’t you go get a shower?” he continued, “And I’ll see if I can get us some food going. Sundown’s in about an hour. Little Bit will be here soon.”
Xander nodded and slid to the side of the bed to place his feet on the floor. He glanced at the blond. “Thanks for running in here to my rescue, Will. Don’t be too freaked, but I have nightmares sometimes. Loud ones, as I’m sure you noticed.” Spike’s lips twisted into something like a grin as he replied, “Join the club, pet.” Xander nodded and went to take a shower.
Chapter ElevenPacking the huge SUV had taken over an hour. Xander marveled at all of the stuff they were carrying. It looked like a baby superstore had been dropped into the truck’s cargo area. They’d had to rearrange it twice to fit in the long weapons bag, Xander and Spike’s two medium sized duffels and the cooler that held the vampire’s blood supply. Dawn had argued that Angel could furnish the blood, but Spike had refused on the basis that the last time he’d visited Angel’s hotel the house vintage had been “soddin’ crap in a plastic bag” and he wasn’t going to suffer with that for a week. Dawn had given in eventually.
They’d been underway for about thirty minutes when a whine split the air. “Can we listen to something else? I really hate this music.” Xander covered his smirk with his hand as he pushed Spike’s shoulder, reaching over the top of Sara’s car seat to do so. Spike kicked him in the ankle and whined, “Are we there yet, Mom?” He smothered a smirk of his own. Sara looked from one man to the other and then decided to get into the act, merrily flinging Goldfish crackers between the seats at her mother and father. Jase lightly banged his head on the steering wheel and Dawn tried to reprimand Spike, Xander and her daughter at the same time.
She turned to her husband and demanded, “See, Jase? And you want more kids? We’d go insane.” He grinned back at her. “I’m starting to see the merits of population control now. “ He raised his voice so the two hooligans in the backseat were sure to hear him. “If you boys can’t behave, we’re going to have to play Dawn’s Horrifying Music in the Car Game.” Spike’s eyes got huge and he shook his head at Xander emphatically. Xander raised an eyebrow and stuck his head between the front seats. “What on earth is Dawn’s Horrifying Music in the Car Game? Ow!” He jerked his head back as Spike thumped him smartly on the ear.
“What?” he asked the unapologetic vampire. Spike gave him an exasperated look. “What is with you people? You were born on the Hellmouth and you don’t know any better than to ask stupid questions about something already clearly labeled as horrifying? Git.” Xander asked quietly, “Why is it horrifying?” Spike whispered back, “She makes everybody sing, that’s why. Idiot.” Spike crossed his arms over his chest and sat back in his seat with a frown. “Oh,” Xander said in a small voice. “Who gets to pick the songs?” Spike scowled at him. “She does, mostly. And I am not singing ‘White Wedding’, Dawn.” This was directed at the front seat. Dawn looked over her seat with a gleam in her eye. “’Rebel Yell’ then?”
“No.”
“’Mony Mony’?”
“No way.”
“I got it. “ She held up a CD. “’Rock the Cradle of Love’. Come on, Spike – you know you want to. You’re a complete sucker for the Billy Idol oldies.”
Spike snorted, but didn’t deny her accusation. “Hmpf. Well, I’m not going first, Bit.” He tried to maintain his glare, but the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. “It’s your game, you should have to go first.”
“No,” she replied. “We have to do a group number first.”
Xander broke in. “Didn’t I already cause something like this with that singing, dancing, burning-up-from-the-inside demon?”
Spike gave him a direct look. “Oh, yes, you did, whelp. Did I ever thank you properly for that? I sang to Buffy, you know. Very heartfelt; very humiliating. Thanks tons, luv. It was great.”
Xander touched the top of his shoulder and said with a teasing tone, “Don’t be bitter, baby.” He noticed Spike’s eyebrows rise and his eyes widen. Hmmmm, he thought. The vampire likes to be called “baby”. File that away for future use.
Dawn squealed and opened a CD case. “OK, Xander – if you don’t know this one it’s a crime. It was old when you were in high school.” Xander smiled when the opening notes of Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right” thundered out of the stereo. He laughed out loud when everyone in the car launched into the song, with little Sara babbling along. Xander could hear Dawn’s high voice over everyone, and he remembered Spike’s surprisingly good, growly tenor. He leaned forward slightly and was floored to hear a deep, basso profundo voice rolling out of Jase. Dawn caught his expression and shrugged at him as if to say, “go figure”. Xander stopped caring what he or the others sounded like and applied his perfectly adequate singing voice to the chorus.
“You may be right
I may be crazy
But it just may be a lunatic you’re looking for
Turn out the light
Don’t try to save me
You may be wrong for all I know
But you may be right”The song ended and they all laughed as Sara clapped her chubby little hands and cried out “Again, again!” Jase opted to go next and sang a slow country ballad that Xander had never heard before to his wife. Xander thought Jase’s voice was much better than the guy on the CD’s and told him so. Jase ducked his head shyly at the compliment. Dawn went next, and sang a Sara McLaughlin song that was suited to her high range. Once she finished she changed the CD and the driving beat of “Rock the Cradle of Love” started. Xander watched Spike in the darkness, wishing he had the vampire’s night vision.
Spike’s voice wrapped around the words of the song and he easily hit every note. The sensual growl in his tone was making Xander feel soft and squishy inside when the blue eyes turned to him and Spike sang the last part of the song directly to him. He smirked at Xander as he finished up and then immediately started badgering the other man to pick a song. Xander held up his hands in mock surrender. “I have one, hang on a sec.” He twisted around in his seat and reached for the CD case he had transferred from the Mercedes to the SUV on impulse. He passed a disc to Dawn and asked her to cue up track 7. As the simple guitar notes started he told the others, “You’ll have to chime in on the chorus.”
As soon as Xander started singing, the others started laughing. His chosen song was a slow, partially rapped version of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown”. Xander knew the rap by heart, and as soon as the chorus started the others chimed in.
“Sundown you better take care
If I find you been creeping round my back stair
Sometimes I think it’s a shame
When I get feeling better
When I’m feeling no pain”When the song ended they all laughed themselves breathless, and Jase begged Dawn to play the song again, and Xander to sing it again. They both complied, and the whole group sang the song again. They took a break while Dawn searched for another group sing, and Xander turned to Spike.
“You have a nice singing voice,” he remarked. “I like it.” Spike smiled and ducked his head a little.
“Thanks, luv. Many decades of practice. Yours isn’t too bad, either – I really liked your song.” Xander returned the smile. “It just struck me the first time I heard it – made me laugh, so I kept it.” Spike’s smile turned wistful. “So, if I make you laugh are you going to keep me?” he asked, too softly for the others to hear. Xander put his arm along the back of the seat and tugged lightly at the blond hair until blue eyes met brown ones in the gloom. He traced his fingers along the shell of Spike’s ear for a moment and replied, his voice husky. “I think that could be arranged.” He watched as Spike’s tongue darted out to moisten his lips and wished like hell that they were alone.
“Oh.” They both turned toward the soft sound to find Dawn looking at them from the front seat, her eyes huge. She quickly shut her mouth, which had been hanging open, and said, “Sara’s asleep, so no more singing for a while.” She tried to hide her brilliant smile as she turned back around to the front of the car. She rummaged in her CD case for a while and chose a CD that she knew contained moody, atmospheric, romantic songs. She slid it into the player, happy to be contributing a little to what she hoped she was seeing. Her hand stole out to clasp her husband’s where it rested on his thigh.
The fingers that had been tracing against the inside of Xander’s elbow moved up to encircle his bicep and squeeze. “We’re here, pet,” Spike whispered. Xander had fallen asleep shortly after Sara. He had started to struggle a bit in his sleep, so Spike had started rubbing soothing circles on his arm, which had remained draped over the seat back. He’d calmed, and Spike had kept up the contact for the rest of the trip.
The car was sitting in a front space in an underground parking garage. Xander assumed it was attached to Angel’s hotel, the Chanticleer. Angel had moved his business several times after the destruction of the Hyperion, but had eventually realized he liked the hotel setup. The Chanticleer was a restored Art Deco hotel in an old section of L.A. Xander stepped out of the SUV and stretched, then smiled while he watched Spike deftly wrestle Sara out of her car seat without waking her. He settled her against his shoulder and shut the car door softly. Dawn opened the cargo area and they grabbed as much of the luggage as they could carry. They walked to a set of glass doors and Dawn punched a code into a security keypad. The doors slid back and a computerized voice said, “Welcome to the Chanticleer.” They stepped in and proceeded to an elevator located directly in front of them. A bell chimed as the car arrived, and Sara stirred. Spike traded the waking girl to Dawn for the duffel and diaper bag she carried as they boarded the elevator.
Xander took in a large breath and let it out slowly. Spike leaned against him and whispered in his ear. “No big deal, luv – it’s just the same old gang.” Xander bent slightly to rest his head against the blond waves. The elevator doors opened and they were attacked.
Chapter TwelveBuffy jumped at Xander and he dropped his bags to catch her. Over her shoulder he saw Angel greeting Spike with a big smile and a handshake. As he placed Buffy back on her feet he was blindsided by a petite brunette. “Cordelia?” He hugged her tightly as Buffy intercepted her sister and brother-in-law for more hugs. Two small dark-haired children were peeking out from behind a sofa in the ornate lobby. As soon as Sara had been set on her feet they ran out to greet her. They looked very much alike and Xander guessed that they were four years old or so. Cordelia gestured toward them with a laugh. “Those little hellions are Jack and Lily. They’re mine.“ Her eyes glowed with pride. Xander grabbed her hands and held them wide, as he ran a suggestive glance up and down her body. “I never would have guessed it, Cordy. You look great.” She blushed happily, and then pulled her hand free to shake a teasing finger at him. “This figure took a ton of work, Xander Harris, and don’t you forget it. Twins are hell on your waistline.” She spun away to greet the others and Xander found himself face to face with Angel.
Angel, of course, looked exactly the same. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth as he held a hand out to Xander. Xander took it and they smiled at one another. “Hey, man,” Xander said. “Hey,” Angel repeated. Distracted, the large vampire looked down. Sara was tugging at his dark pants. “Up, Angel,” she said. He lifted her and buried his face in her hair to kiss her neck. She squealed and pulled back, and Xander saw the huge smile lighting Angel’s face, reaching all the way to his eyes. So that’s what Buffy sees in him, he thought. Sara turned away from her uncle and held out her small hand. Xander placed his finger in it and was enchanted when she said “Bander” and then kissed his finger. His eyes met Angel’s and his old nemesis shrugged. “Well, if Sara approves of you …” his voice trailed off and the two men laughed together easily.
The rest of the gear was retrieved from the car and carried to another set of elevators. Dawn danced up and distributed room keys, smiling to herself as she gave Spike and Xander theirs. Cordelia corralled the children as the others boarded the elevator to go to their rooms, with Buffy and Angel providing extra muscle for Dawn and Jase’s luggage.
The elevator opened on the fourth floor and Jase, Dawn, Buffy and Angel exited. Over her shoulder Buffy said, “Go settle in. We’ll meet in the lobby in an hour to leave for the airport, OK?” Spike and Xander nodded as the elevator doors slipped closed. As the car climbed to the fifth floor, Xander looked down at the tag attached to his key. It was a metal oval with a raised carving of a rooster on it. Beneath the rooster was the number 501. He glanced at Spike’s tag and laughed. “What’s so funny, mate?” the vampire asked with a raised eyebrow. Xander held out his key. “I think Dawnie’s doing a little matchmaking.” Spike held out his key. They were both to room 501. Spike merely raised his eyebrow a little higher. “You OK with that?” he asked. In answer, Xander leaned over and kissed him. It was an affectionate brush of lips with a promise of things to come. The doors slid open at the fifth floor.
Room 501 turned out to be a large two-bedroom suite. It had a sweeping view of downtown L.A. and very heavy drapes. The suite was set up with a central parlor which included seating, a wet bar and a large entertainment center. The two bedrooms were identical. Each had a king-sized bed, a large armoire with a television, a complete sound system and a small sitting area. Each also had a palatial bathroom with claw-footed tubs and walk-in showers. All of the rooms were richly decorated and appointed. Xander placed his duffel on the bed in one of the rooms and unpacked his belongings. Spike knocked on the door as he was finishing up. Xander invited him in. Spike prowled around, checking out the bathroom, and then came to stand at his friend’s side at the open closet. He ran a finger down the row of Xander’s neatly hung clothes, all black.
Xander flushed a little at the scrutiny and started to stammer. “It’s, well … I just …” His voice trailed off when Spike met his eyes with an understanding look and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Xan, I’m an actual Victorian, remember. We invented the concept of wearing mourning. It’s OK. It’s ... good – that you choose to remember her that way.” Xander dipped his head in the gesture that was becoming second nature to him and pressed his forehead against Spike’s. After a moment they broke the pose, and Xander closed the closet door.
“Well, we’ve got the better part of an hour. What do you want to do?” Xander asked, and immediately laughed when Spike gave him an exaggerated leer. “Besides that,” he added. He rubbed his hands over his face and grimaced. “I better shave, so I don’t rub a hole in Willow when I hug her.” He saw Spike’s expression brighten and asked, “You wanna watch, baby?” in a light, teasing tone. He was rewarded with that same flash of heat he’d seen when he had called Spike “baby” in the car. He pulled his shaving kit out of his bag and walked to the bathroom, Spike following close behind.
Spike sat perched on the edge of the claw-footed bathtub and watched as Xander stripped off his black tee shirt and turned the water on in the sink. While the other man unpacked shaving supplies and tested the water’s heat, the vampire took the opportunity to ogle his body in peace. Xander was barefoot, which Spike had noticed seemed to be his natural state. As soon as they’d come upstairs Xander’s shoes and socks had been history. Moving his eyes up the tall body, Spike admired the tight black jeans, and especially admired the form beneath them. Xander has strong calves and thighs that filled the jeans well, but the good stuff was just above; the boy had a fantastic ass. Having seen it in just boxer briefs, Spike had been impressed. The low waist of the jeans hugged Xander’s hips, and as he turned slightly, Spike could see where the dark arrow of hair on Xander’s chest slipped below the button fly. Xander’s waist was narrow, which only emphasized the breadth of his back and shoulders. His back and shoulders flexed as he started spreading shaving cream carefully over his face and neck. The muscles in his shoulders bunched as he smoothed his shaggy hair away from the white foam. The back of his neck was hidden by the sable waves. Spike loved his hair this long; it looked wild and made the boy look like some sort of debauched cherub.
Spike shifted position so he could see Xander’s face in the mirror. He began to draw the razor down his cheeks, making funny faces to smooth the skin for optimal closeness, rinsing the razor periodically in the sink. He worked his way down, shaving his upper lip, then his chin. He carefully evened off the bottoms of his short sideburns and then tilted his head back to work on the strong column of his throat. He shaved the tanned skin in long strokes, and then returned to the area under his jaw to clean up any stray whiskers. Once finished, he rinsed the razor a final time, and then bent to rinse his face. He pulled his head out of the sink and dried his face and neck with the hand towel.
Xander turned and smiled at the vampire who’d been watching him so intently. He gestured to his face. “You want to come check my work?” he asked. Spike was instantly at his side, running his fingertips over the sleek planes of freshly shorn flesh. As he circled under Xander’s jaw, he hit a rough patch. “You missed a spot, pet,” his voice was husky, as he was almost painfully aroused from watching Xander do this mundane task. The dark man picked up the razor and ran it over the spot, wincing as he nicked himself. “Ouch!” he hissed, rubbing the small spot of blood with the towel.
The smell of Xander’s blood hit Spike like a freight train. His eyes widened, and he couldn’t stop himself from scenting the air lightly to capture just a little more of that intoxicating aroma. He licked his finger and held it out to Xander. “Here, vampire spit’ll close the cut – semi-gross, but true.” Xander looked at him for a moment, and then kissed the tip of the proffered finger. He placed his hand on Spike’s shoulder. ”How about you give me a little of that right from the tap?” It took Spike a moment to understand that Xander was offering to let him lick the tiny wound. His mouth dropped open and he shut it with a snap. He stepped forward and placed his lips against the warm flesh of the boy’s neck. He ran his tongue lightly over the cut and both men moaned. Spike fought the urge to draw on the nick and simply ran his tongue over it one more time. Gripping Xander’s arm, he pushed himself back a step.
Xander looked at him quizzically. “What does it taste like?” he asked softly. Spike unconsciously ran his tongue over his lips and considered the question, still savoring the small taste. “Tastes like you, luv. Just like you smell and your skin tastes, like the inside of your mouth tastes, just more intense, hotter, wilder … more,” he hesitated. “Just – more,” he finished. His blue eyes glittered into Xander’s dark ones. “I’m glad you like the way I taste.” Xander said, with a small smile. “Is it different from the bagged stuff?” Spike didn’t drop the eye contact, but his eyes glittered even more. “It’s a world away. Your blood is alive. It’s you.” As he spoke, he closed the distance between them. “I think we’re done with questions,” he growled as he pushed Xander back against the sink and brought their lower bodies into contact. Xander gasped as Spike’s erection pressed against him. In their previous encounters he had marveled at the tensile strength of the vampire’s body, but this was different. Spike was beyond hard, his flesh crushed against Xander’s with bruising pressure.
Spike moved his hips enough to slide against the human’s hardening length and leaned his head forward to lick the healed spot on Xander’s neck with one long, wet stroke that ended just below a flushed ear. Tanned hands came up and tangled into blond waves, gently at first, then with urgency and their lips met in a rough, hard kiss. Mouths opened, tongues fought and teeth clashed as they tried to devour each other. Spike’s hands closed on the hips before him and he started pressing their groins together in a rhythm he echoed with the thrusts of his tongue. The bathroom was filled with groans and growls. Xander freed one hand to curl over the vampire’s hip and grip his hard backside. Spike could tell that the human needed air, but was reluctant to break the passionate embrace. He finally gathered what was left of his wits and wrenched their mouths apart. Xander panted breathlessly against him.
Taking a deep breath of his own, Spike stepped back. The hand on his ass tightened to keep him in place, and wide brown eyes met his. “Not trying to be a tease, pet, but we have to go to the airport and get Willow, and you haven’t told your story, and I’m not wasting our first time against the bathroom sink. OK?” Xander replied “yes” but shook his head “no” at the same time. They shared a laugh and put a little bit of space between them. Spike took another step back and said, “We’d better get showers. Angel will smell us all over each other, and I don’t really feel like answering the questions just yet.” He took one more step back, fighting the urge to grab the boy again and ravish his kiss-swollen lips.
Xander glanced down at the bulge straining the front of his own jeans. “I guess I do have something I need to take care of in the shower.” He smiled ruefully, and then laughed as Spike gave him a dirty look. “What?” he asked. “You’re evil, mate. You didn’t have to tell me that.” Xander looked down pointedly, “I don’t think it’s a secret,” he groused. “Now get out of here, since I can’t have you yet.” Spike turned with a smile and left the room.
Both men took longer in the shower than usual.