Long Time Gone

By Yindagger

Chapter Nineteen

The line outside of the club 668 snaked almost to the corner. It was comprised of humans, some demons and the occasional vampire; but only the coolest of each species, of course. Everyone lined up was trying to exhibit their own brand of the L.A.-too-cool-for-the-venue vibe with varying results. Angel and Spike moved to the front of the group and strode directly up to the large, horned bouncer guarding the door. The demon turned to them with a dismissive look on its face, a look that quickly changed to a smile of welcome and an obsequious gesture when he recognized them. Spike dropped back to rejoin Xander and whispered into his ear. “We had to bust this place up a while back, and I think we made that guy nervous. He’s right helpful these days.” Xander laughed and rested his hand on Spike’s back as they entered the club.

The doors opened into a small lobby that was decorated with industrial-looking furniture and abstract metal sculptures. Dawn collected everyone’s jackets to check, half-listening to Spike threaten her life should anything happen to his duster, and then flounced off. When she returned, the group turned and opened another set of double doors that led to the interior of the club. Driving drums and a thundering bass line washed over them. The room was cavernous. Multi-level bars and dance floors crisscrossed the space, and strobes and laser lights flashed. Spike struck out toward the back of the room; the others followed. By the time they caught up to him, he was shaking off his demon visage and gesturing them toward a hastily vacated red velvet sofa that was nestled in a corner. Striding off again, Spike returned with two armchairs and arranged them across from the sofa. Angel settled into one of the chairs and pulled Buffy onto his lap. Xander turned to Spike and lifted his fingers to his mouth in the international “want a beer?” signal. Spike smiled and nodded. Xander grabbed Oz’s sleeve and they headed for the bar.

They returned with drinks to find Angel and Buffy guarding the seats. At Xander’s questioning look, Buffy pointed out to the dance floor. Xander easily picked out Jase’s red shirt; he was dancing with Dawn and Willow. Buffy pointed again, and Xander’s eyes came to rest on Spike. The vampire’s back was to him. He was dancing with his head thrown back, lost in the music. Spike’s leather-clad hips were moving with sinuous grace, and as Xander watched, one hand rose and ran slowly down the long pale neck, fingers twisting into the chain at his throat. Xander took a long swallow of his beer, and then let his mouth curve up into a broad smile. He couldn’t believe that this beautiful vampire was dancing for him; showing him all the things he had to look forward to. It was one of the sexiest things he had ever seen. He knew that Spike was playing to him, and he loved the blatancy of his lover’s actions.

The song ended, and another began on its heels. At the change of music, Spike turned around, his hand was still at his neck, and his eyes met Xander’s with a frankly sexual look. The vampire stalked toward his prey with a rolling, hip-thrusting gait. Tearing his eyes away from Spike’s, Xander let his gaze crawl down the slim body. Spike’s erection was obvious in his painted-on pants, and the human felt an answering hardness. Stopping in front of his lover, Spike removed the beer bottle from Xander’s suddenly nerveless fingers and tilted it up to drink. Xander watched his adam’s apple bob, then waited until Spike returned the bottle to him. He dangled the bottle by his side and lowered his dark head to place his lips against Spike’s throat. He could feel, rather than hear, a low, rumbling laugh, which changed to a gasp when he bit down on the tender flesh and curled his hand around the vampire’s hard hip at the same time, bringing their lower bodies into contact. Xander bit down again, and thrust his hips up once, then stepped back. He reached to the table behind him and handed Spike his own beer.

Xander felt a small hand in his and found himself being pulled onto the dance floor by a determined Buffy. He shot Spike a small smile, handed the vampire his beer and allowed his friend to lead him over to the others. As they danced, Spike moved to sit across from Angel. He looked over at Oz and saw that the werewolf was sitting on the edge of the sofa, his hands clutching a beer between his knees, his eyes focused on the dancing witch. Angel sipped from his glass of whiskey and looked at his grand-childe. He knew the other vampire would hear him easily, so he spoke in a normal tone of voice despite the din of the club.

“What are you doing with Xander, Spike?” Spike tilted his beer up and took a drink. The answer was succinct. “Foreplay.” Angel smiled broadly. “That I can see – I meant in general, not tonight specifically.” Spike’s expression turned serious, and he looked the older vampire in the eye. “I don’t know exactly what’s happening. He just showed up, and … ah, hell.” His voice and eyes both dropped away, and he looked down at his hands. Angel reached out and touched the younger vampire lightly on the knee. “William, all I know is that you’ve been more like yourself the past couple of days than you have been in years. I’m glad to see you like this, but …” Angel’s voice also trailed off, and he removed his hand from Spike’s knee. Blue eyes met broody brown ones, and an understanding look passed between them. Finally, Spike spoke, and even he heard the note of desperation in his voice. “I have to take a chance, Angel. I just have to.” Angel simply nodded, and they both turned to watch the dancers.

Spike felt his mouth drop open, and glanced at Angel, seeing a similarly gobsmacked expression on the other vampire’s face. Xander and Buffy were dancing together. Buffy had her back to the tall man, and one of her arms was twined up and around his neck. Her other hand stretched around her waist to clasp one of Xander’s that rested lightly on her hip. His other hand was splayed over her ribs, the thumb resting slightly below the curve of her full breast, his long fingers reaching to the center of her abdomen. Buffy’s eyes were closed, her head lolling back against the hard chest behind her as her hips moved to the music. Xander’s head was bowed over hers, and it looked like she was whispering something in his ear. She twisted her head up and smiled at him; opening her eyes and watching him throw his head back to laugh. Their rhythm never faltered as they laughed, and Spike could see the roll of his lover’s hips against Buffy’s.

God, they look hot, Spike thought, admiring how Xander’s dark good looks were set off by Buffy’s gleaming blondness. He wondered if he and Xander looked as striking together then smugly decided that they probably did. Maybe even better, since he was so much paler than the slayer. He turned to his grand-sire. “Close your mouth, mate, you look like an utter git. And go rein in your girl; she’s getting awfully touchy with what’s mine.” He softened the snarled comment with a sardonic smile, and the two vampires rose to claim their dates.

Xander leaned down to whisper in Buffy’s ear, “It worked; here come the territorial insane vampires." She turned her head and giggled against his cheek. “We’ve only got a couple more seconds, let’s make it good.” As the two vampires approached, the Slayer and one of her oldest friends moved their hips in unison. Xander kept his head bent to her neck and swept his hand up from her hip to just below her breast, while as a final detail she caught her lush bottom lip between her pearly teeth and closed her eyes.

Spike gestured to his grand-sire, and Angel stepped in front of Buffy at the exact moment that Spike stepped behind Xander. Angel put his hands on Buffy’s hips, and Spike put one hand on Xander’s waist and reached the other across both bodies to rest on Angel’s shoulder. The four bodies moved in perfect harmony for a moment, and then Buffy and Xander broke apart, pressing away from one another and against their respective lovers. Buffy looked over her shoulder and winked at Xander, and then smiled brilliantly. “Oh, so you and the slayer were playing a little ‘taunt the vampire’, eh?” The low growl in his ear sent a shiver up Xander’s spine. He leaned his head back and let it roll on Spike’s shoulder. “Did it work?’ Xander’s wry question turned into a gasp as Spike ground his leather-clad erection against the ass in front of him. It became instantly clear to Xander that Spike was not wearing anything beneath his leathers.

Crushed into a corner of the back seat of Dawn’s SUV on the way home, the night came back to Xander in bright flashes. Xander and Buffy’s exhibition had set the tone for the night. Numerous drinks had been consumed, and the group had come together and broken apart numerous times on the dance floor in various permutations.

FLASH

Spike had Xander pinned against the wall next to the red velvet sofa. The vampire’s hard body ground into his, hips thrusting with the same rhythm that his cool tongue plundered the human’s hot mouth. Both of Spike’s hands twined in the sable hair, pulling their mouths together. One of Xander’s hands gripped Spike’s hip, and his other was tangled in Willow’s titan tresses as she sat on the sofa, straddling Oz’s hips, and kissing him with abandon. The circle was completed as Oz’s warm hand rested at the small of Xander’s back.

FLASH

All three girls laughing hysterically as Xander was sandwiched between Angel and Spike, dancing. Xander trying desperately to deny to himself that he was turned on by the fact that Angel’s erection was pressing against him while he was pressing his against Spike.

FLASH

Willow, very tipsy, sitting on Xander’s lap in one of the plush armchairs with her arms around his neck and her warm lips resting against his temple. Spike leaning in as if to kiss him, and then turning at the last moment to run his tongue from Willow’s pointed chin to her ear, causing her to squeal and blush.

FLASH

Dawn asking Jase if she could, and then kissing Spike’s shocked mouth, then blushing furiously before kissing her husband deeply.

FLASH

Spike regaining his composure and asking Dawn for a repeat, with tongue, and laughing at her when she backpedaled away from him.

FLASH

Xander looking out onto the dance floor in time to see Angel lean down and run his tongue slowly over the claim mark on Buffy’s neck and seeing the shudder that ran through her body, even at a distance.

FLASH

Returning from the restroom and seeing Spike sprawled out on the steps that led to a higher level of the dance floor; legs spread, body relaxed, being chatted up by two gorgeous girls. Seeing the looks on those same girls’ faces as he slid down behind his lover on the step and trailed one hand into the open collar of the vampire’s shirt to tweak a nipple, causing the blonde to close his eyes, groan audibly and arch back against him.

FLASH

Pinning Spike against the exposed brick of the back wall of the club and kissing him senseless, then noticing that Angel was doing the same to Buffy right next to them.

They stumbled into the elevator in a pack. The two vampires were awash in the human pheromones, and Spike knew that his eyes were flashing as yellow as his grand-sire’s when they shared a look. The elevator was filled with the sounds of kisses and soft moans, broken only when Xander asked breathlessly, “Whose hand is on my ass?” and Jase answered, “Sorry!” The elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and Dawn and Jase and Willow and Oz stumbled toward their rooms, waving distractedly back at their friends. The doors slid shut again. Xander whispered a question into Spike’s ear, and a pale hand shot out to the control panel, pushing the “stop” button.

The two couples stood slightly apart, and then Xander leaned over very slowly and kissed Buffy. Her jaw dropped in shock, and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth. Only their mouths touched as he explored the lips he had wanted to kiss for years. Her tongue met his, and she tilted her head for a better angle. They kissed for a long moment, and then broke apart, putting a tiny space between their lips. She gestured upward with her eyebrows, and Xander turned his head enough to see that Angel and Spike were also kissing. Where Buffy and Xander’s kiss was a gentle exploration, the vampires’ kiss was brutal; both were in game face, and Xander could see a trickle of blood running down Angel’s chin. On impulse, Xander twisted his neck enough to allow him to gather the small rivulet of blood on his tongue. He marveled for a moment at the smoothness of Angel’s skin, then turned and kissed Buffy again; sharing the small drops of blood he had collected. As he swallowed it, he felt a current of electricity run through his body.

Spike and Angel moved apart, both licking blood off of their lips. Spike’s hand went to the control panel again, and the elevator car began to move. Xander kissed his lover and tasted the mixed blood in his mouth. The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. Angel and Spike exchanged a look, and at Spike’s small shake of the head, Angel pushed them out of the car and hit the button for the penthouse.

In room 407 Jase had Dawn pinned against the back of the door and was unbuttoning the small gold buttons that ran down the front of her vest while he kissed her deeply, sweeping his tongue through the hot cavern of her eager mouth. She was pulling at his red silk over shirt, stripping it off his shoulders, and breaking his grip on her buttons to jerk the cuffs over his hands. He finished with her buttons and paused to cup her braless breasts as they spilled out from between the sides of the vest, milky white against its bloody hue. One hand tweaked a dusky nipple and the other slid to her waist to unbutton and unzip her pants.

Dawn used her toes to push her boots off and began tugging at her husband’s tee shirt, pulling the hem from the waistband of his jeans and rubbing her hands over the sharp planes of his chest. He moaned into her mouth, and then broke the kiss to pull the shirt off and kick off his own shoes. He buried his mouth between her breasts and continued working on the zipper of her pants. The fastenings finally gave way, and he pushed them over her hips as she wriggled out of them. Jase straightened and ground his cloth-covered erection against his wife’s body, causing her to gasp and draw her long legs up to curve around his waist. He pushed her harder against the door so he could move his hands, and as his tongue slid into her mouth he pressed two fingers up into her exposed wetness. She gasped into his mouth and moved her hands around to unfasten his pants and push them down his hips to free his hard cock.

She stroked him for a moment, and then used his shoulders for leverage to impale herself on his hardness. She slid down his shaft, and as she felt him fully sheathed inside her she exploded in an instant orgasm. Jase panted into her mouth as he tried to hold back his own release, feeling his wife’s body pulse around him. He stood perfectly still as shudders wracked the body between his and the door. As soon as Dawn’s wetness stopped clutching at him, Jase started to move within her, bracing her body against the door and thrusting up into her strongly. Her heels drummed on his back, and she dug her nails into his shoulders. Their bodies became slick with sweat, and their bellies slapped and slid. Jase put his hands on her hips in a bruising grip and pumped into her with long, fast strokes. He felt his orgasm build, and pushed one hand between them to find that tiny bit of engorged flesh that would send her over the edge again. His fingers closed on the nub and pressed, and Dawn’s scream and Jase’s groan met in each other’s mouths as they reached their mutual completion.

In room 442 Willow and Oz had actually made it to the bed. Oz had stripped her clothes from her body with slow thoroughness, then lowered her to the bed and simply looked at every inch of her, a small smile on his face. Willow basked under his gaze, tucking her hands behind her head and crooking one leg prettily. Oz used his fingers to trace every part of her that his eyes had touched, and then followed with his lips and tongue. Willow stayed in her reclining position, knowing that this slow, worshipful exploration was his favorite activity, and that her patience would be rewarded. Finally he lifted his head from her body and began stripping off his clothes. He joined her on the bed, and then resumed his mapping of her body, rolling her over to touch and lick every inch of her back. Roughened, callused fingertips and soft pointed tongue brought her to a fever pitch. Once her moans and vocalizations became incoherent half-words, he finally pulled her up on all fours and entered her from behind in one long, sure stroke. They both howled.

In the penthouse, Angel’s long body was sprawled out on the floor of the living room. He was on his back and Buffy’s slim, golden body rose over him as the pushed herself up and down on him. She braced her hands on his chest and leaned forward to change the angle at which his cock entered her body on each of her hard thrusts. Angel’s large hands cupped her breasts and his fingers closed on her hard pink nipples, eliciting deep moans from her mouth.

In the hall outside suite 501 Xander’s hands shook violently as he tried to unlock the door. He growled with frustration, and then finally managed to get the door unlocked and open. He strode into the room, and then turned to look at Spike. The vampire leaned against the wall across the hall, taking and releasing unnecessary breaths, fighting for control. Xander looked into his eyes and ordered “get in here – now.” The blond pushed off from the wall and stalked into the room, stopping about a foot from his lover. Up close, Xander could see that his blue eyes were rimmed in yellow, and this outward signal of the barely restrained demon caused a shudder to run through his body. He tilted his head to the side and smiled at Spike. “I’m guessing that I don’t get to be in charge tonight?”

The eyes before him flashed completely yellow, and Xander gasped. Spike shook his head, trying to dispel the almost painful urge to allow his face to change; his eyes switched between blue and yellow several times. Xander closed the distance between them and placed a hand on either side of the pale face before him. He leaned in and kissed Spike gently, then pulled back and looked him right in the eyes. “Don’t hold back with me,” he whispered. “Let it go, Will. I want to see you.” The husky tremble in Xander’s voice broke Spike’s control, and his face rippled and changed; his forehead furrowing and fangs dropping.

Xander looked into the face before him, and then leaned forward to carefully kiss the fanged mouth. He ran his tongue over the familiar lips, and then slipped it inside to trace the new contours there. He ran the tip over the sharp teeth, and then started exploring the long, slightly curved fangs. Xander could feel their razor-sharpness. He carefully wrapped his tongue around one and sucked gently. Spike groaned and slammed their bodies together at the sensation. Xander sucked harder and felt his lover go wild thrusting against him.

Spike broke the kiss and panted harshly. He twined one hand into Xander’s hair and roughly pulled his head back so that their eyes met. “Luv, I’m going to have to apologize in advance,” he gritted out between pants. “For what?” Xander’s breathing was also unsteady. “For how fucking sore you’re gonna be tomorrow.”

Xander relaxed into the soothing hot water. He groaned a little as certain body parts protested the motion. Spike shot him a contrite look and went back to rubbing his feet. It was all Xander could do to not laugh. Who would have imagined that Spike, master vampire, would turn into Florence Nightingale after an evening of what Xander had to admit was spectacularly athletic sex. Spike’s advance apology had not been in jest.

The hours of arousal coupled with the small amount of bloodplay in the elevator had brought the demon to the forefront, and Xander bore evidence of the wild encounter. After a careful inventory of body parts he decided that his injuries consisted of some mildly strained muscles, numerous finger-mark bruises, a tired jaw, an almost-healed, inch-long gash in his tongue, and a very sore ass.

He considered Cordelia’s advice from the night before and tried to decide if he wanted to correct her on the turnaround time point. Spike’s erection had not waned at all until after the third time he had spent into Xander’s body; snarling and sinking his fangs into his own forearm next to where Xander’s head was buried in the pillow. When Spike had finally pulled away from Xander, neither had been terribly surprised to find themselves bloody; although Spike had been horrified and immediately began apologizing. Xander had stopped the apologies by grabbing the vampire by the chin and kissing him deeply, not caring that Spike was still in full game face. As soon as the cool tongue had started moving in his mouth, Xander had wrapped his tongue around a fang and slashed it open on the razor edge.

Yellow eyes had snapped open to meet his as the hot blood splashed into their joined mouths. Xander had felt Spike bite his own tongue to mingle their blood, and then the vampire had closed his lips on Xander’s tongue and sucked. Xander felt his eyes roll back as he came harder than he ever had before in his life. He barely registered the inhuman sounds Spike made, as he also climaxed again. Xander had come back to his senses to find his lover tenderly licking him clean. Spike took particular care to run his tongue over the shallow gouges he’d clawed into Xander’s thighs when the boy’s rich blood had flooded into his mouth unexpectedly. As soon as he’d finished there, he had flipped Xander over easily and turned his tongue to any other sore areas he could find.

Xander had been quite gratified to find out that it was possible to have an orgasm simply from being rimmed. Especially if the person rimming you had supernatural strength that extended to his tongue and the added benefit of not needing to breathe. As soon as Xander recovered, he dragged his seriously aroused lover off of the sticky, bloody, sodden bed and into the marble shower. There he had earned his sore jaw by giving Spike an extended blowjob, bringing the vampire to the brink of coming again and again, then backing off to draw out the sweet torture. After much babbling and begging, Xander had finally allowed the vampire his release, swallowing against the cock that was driven to the edge of his throat as Spike’s body rippled around the four fingers wedged tightly up his ass and he poured out his essence into Xander. The trembling blond had sunk to his knees in the shower, the two men clinging together under the pouring hot water until lassitude had threatened to overtake them. They had fallen damply into Xander’s bed and crashed immediately into deep sleep, sated and exhausted bodies intertwined.

Xander had come awake in the afternoon to find Spike lying flat on his back, hands behind his head, staring unblinkingly at the ceiling. The blond head hadn’t turned to follow as the human went into the bathroom, or upon his return. Xander settled himself on his side, tousled head propped on one hand. He laid his other hand gently on the unmoving chest of his lover and asked, “What’s with the broody, bleach boy?”

Spike’s eyes closed and he let out a sighing breath. Without opening his eyes, he said softly, “I’m so sorry, luv.” After a moment, Xander replied, “For what, Will?” Spike sat up and shrugged off Xander’s hand, sitting cross-legged on the bed with the sheets pooling in his lap, where he started twisting the material between his agitated hands. Not meeting the dark eyes that searched his face, he began to speak in a low, miserable voice.

“God, Xan – I didn’t mean to … I lost control and I …I hurt you.” He hung his head. “Everything got so crazy ... and it’s been so long … and I wanted you so much. I couldn’t hold back.” The vampire’s voice began to rise, and Xander could feel the self-loathing in it. “Christ, Xan – I fucked you bloody and damned if I didn’t love it.”

Xander leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the top of the bowed head, then slipped his hand between the ones twisting the sheet, gripping tightly. He leaned closer and placed his lips beside the vampire’s ear and spoke in a low, husky voice. “I liked it, Will. I loved it. I enjoyed every minute. It was rough and harsh and wild and I’ve never felt anything like it in my life. Feeling you tear into me, feeling the pleasure and the pain and the hot blood, oh God, it was a revelation.” He knew Spike could feel the shudder that ran through him, and he flushed with equal parts arousal and embarrassment at the words he was saying. He had felt the pain in the vampire’s voice, and knew that Spike believed himself to be a monster. Xander was trying to let him know that everything they had done together had been good, a source of excitement and pleasure.

Xander sat back and looked at the man before him. “Spike … Will, look at me.” When the blue eyes finally met his, Xander smiled a small smile into them. “When you … went all ‘grrr’? That was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. I loved watching you let go, knowing that all of that power and lust was for me.” Xander’s smile grew as he watched heat bloom in those crystal depths, chasing away the haunted look he loathed. He continued speaking.

“Being with you is like nothing else in the world. Being with Shari, that was all about sweetness and gentleness – and you and I have that, too. But you give me something I’ve never had – you give me your strength and your wildness and your darkness. I know we can do anything together, and you won’t hold back and you’ll take me farther than I think I can go. And I know you’d never really hurt me. Much.” Spike’s head had come up, and Xander was staring into his eyes, pleading for Spike to understand him, to know what he was talking about. The blond’s eyes were wide, and he smiled suddenly. “Really?” he asked. “It was good – all of it?”

Xander counted on his fingers. “Allow me to sum up. Sex with you is good. In fact, it’s amazing. You getting all ‘grrr’ during the amazing sex: also good. A little pain: yep, good. Oh, and vampire spit: extra good for healing the damage from the previous good stuff. Vampire blood: again with the good; it kind of makes me feel zingy – like drinking seven or eight Red Bulls.” He grinned at the vampire and received an answering smile. Xander continued, “You getting broody? Well, that’s bad. I hate it when you get all Angel-y on me.”

Xander laughed when Spike picked up a bed pillow and bopped him on the head for that comment. He leaned in and initiated a little wrestling, then hissed when several of his injuries made themselves known. Spike’s eyes got stormy and he demanded, “Are you still hurting?” Xander shifted a little on the bed and grimaced. “I’m a little sore, but it’s not bad. It probably won’t help me much in the sparring match tonight, but it was worth it.” At that, Spike growled and flipped Xander over onto his stomach. With one hand, he pushed the human flat on the bed. “Stay there,” was his terse command as he strode off to the bathroom, unconcernedly naked. Xander waited, and soon heard his lover come back to his side.

Spike drizzled lightly scented oil on Xander’s back and started to knead the abused muscles. The low groans from the body beneath him let him know when he was hitting all the right spots. As he worked the supple muscles of the human’s back, Spike thought about the conversation they’d just had. Spike had awoken refreshed and sated. He had lain in bed, remembering the night before. When his mind came to the memory of pulling away from Xander as the human knelt before him and seeing blood, the vampire had felt almost physically ill. He recalled how Xander had stilled his apologies with the wholly unexpected gift of his blood. Spike began to grin as a thought hit him. The grin turned to chuckles, then outright laughter, and soon he was almost lying on top of Xander, shaking with the strength of his mirth. “What’s so funny?” The muffled question came from beneath. Spike got himself under control and went back to rubbing the oil into sore muscles. “I’m sorry, luv. I just had a funny thought. I was thinking about what you said, and it came to me: you fuck like a vampire.”

Xander twisted from the waist so he could look at his lover over his shoulder. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, somewhat indignantly. Spike pushed him back down gently. “Nothing bad, pet. I just mean that in the vamp world sex is right up there with blood and violence: the big three. Those are three things that your average vampire doesn’t hold back on – we do it all, balls to the wall and no holds barred. Most humans have a lot of hang-ups about sex; worrying if something is bad or wrong. Vamps don’t care – if it gets you off, it’s good.”

“I can get behind that kind of thinking,” Xander murmured. They were silent for a while, both enjoying the massage. “Will?” Xander’s voice was low. “Yes, luv?” Spike answered him. “Um, during … well, during, why did you bite yourself instead of me?” Spike hesitated, unable to read from the human’s tone what answer he expected. “I’d never bite you, Xan. Not without your permission. No matter how much I wanted to. I do have that much self-control. Barely.” He softened the sentiment with a short laugh.

After a long pause, Xander said, “I was just wondering what it was like, because when you drew on the cut in my tongue last night, I was pretty sure all of my brains came out of my cock. I guess a real bite is pretty intense.” Spike worked his way lower on the human’s back before answering. “Intense is an understatement, mate. The bite is…well, it’s everything. Even when it’s just feeding, the one getting drained goes out on the highest of highs. Why do you think people like Buffy’s farm boy whore themselves out to vamps? But when it’s during sex, well – you felt something of it.”

Xander didn’t answer, and Spike continued his ministrations on his lover’s back. His hands trailed down Xander’s sides and over his hips to knead his strong buttocks. Xander hissed as the manipulation caused sensitive, sore flesh to rub together. Spike dipped his head, and Xander felt the warm push of the vampire’s muscular tongue stroking against his tender opening. He gasped and arched his back to increase the contact. He rose up slightly on his knees and leaned back as Spike began to rim him in earnest. Xander groaned and thrashed as the slick, strong muscle pushed in and out of his body. Finally, he could stand it no longer, and he came all over the last set of clean sheets in the suite, screaming, “Oh, God, Will! So good, oh fuck, yes!” Spike had allowed him to rest while the vampire drew him a hot bath, then had carried him to the bathroom, lowered him into the water and proceeded to wash him and rub his feet.

After twenty minutes in the bath, watching Spike attend to him while the vampire was sporting a painfully hard erection, Xander came out of his reverie and leered at his lover. “Why don’t you climb in here and we’ll do some underwater fucking experiments?” Spike shot him a dark look. “I’m not fucking you until you’re healed, pet,” he growled. “However …” he got an evil glint in his eye. The vampire moved with his usual grace to the side of the tub and climbed in, settling with one knee on either side of Xander’s waist. He braced his thighs and knees against the warm, wet body below him and wrapped his hand around his erection.

Xander marveled at the erotic picture before him. His eyes were locked on Spike’s hand, which moved with punishing speed on his flesh, sliding his slick foreskin forward and back as he masturbated over the body of his lover. Xander’s hands rose, one cupping and tugging at the vampire’s balls, the other sliding back between the tight globes of his ass. There was enough oil in the water to lubricate his fingers; he pushed one inside Spike’s grasping channel, and then quickly added another, curling them to hit the exact spot that made the vampire howl. Thrusting forward into his own hand and back against Xander’s fingers, Spike worked himself to his orgasm, staring down into the face below him. At the very last moment, Xander tipped his head forward and took Spike’s cock down to the root, swallowing every drop as the vampire came with a whine, his forward motion splashing water all over the floor.

Chapter Twenty

Jack and Lily walked down the row of adults, giving everyone hugs and kisses. At the end of the row, Cordelia knelt to hold her twins close for a long moment. Their father stood by the door, waiting to take them for the week. Xander could see that this was the usual order of things by the way everyone had fallen into line to say goodbye, while checking to make sure the kids had everything they needed. He and Willow were the only ones who had no idea what was happening, so they just stood at the far end of the line and got their hugs and kisses like everyone else. Once the kids had departed and the group dispersed, Willow turned to Cordelia. “You probably don’t care to hear this, Cordy, but your ex is gorgeous.” The brunette turned a wry smile on her friend. “Oh, he’s really hot, but he’s totally self-centered. Actor, you know.” She paused. “And before you say it, Xander, I will – there’s only room for one egomaniac in a relationship, and in my relationships, I’m it.” The three exchanged a smile.

They walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, where Buffy was already seated. Cordelia burst out laughing as both Xander and Willow seated themselves with exaggerated care and grimaces. She looked around the table and said, mock-indignantly, “Did every adult in this hotel get fucked through the mattress last night except for me?” Xander, Willow and Buffy all flushed bright red, and Cordelia laughed some more. She turned to Buffy, “Why aren’t you sitting funny, too?” Buffy replied, “Slayer healing; it does come in handy sometimes.” Their laughter trailed off as Spike wandered into the kitchen holding a cordless phone. He handed it to Xander and demanded, “What’s so bloody funny?” when the girls giggled.

Xander stood up from the table to take the call away from the noisy girls and vampire. He returned to the table a few moments later to find Spike grinning and all three girls completely red-faced. He sank into his chair and buried his face in his hands. “Christ, Spike – what did you tell them?” he groaned. “Nothing, pet. We were having a serious scientific discussion about the healing properties of vampire spit, and the birds got embarrassed, that’s all.” Xander banged his head on the table. He kept his head down until the conversation turned to the upcoming sparring. Buffy told the group that Jase, Angel and Oz had gone down to the gym to set up, and Xander shared that the phone call had been from his Master, confirming that the group would arrive in an hour and a half.

Just as Xander was going to ask Buffy where Dawn had disappeared to, the girl in question strode through the door juggling huge bags of Chinese takeout, followed by her daughter. Buffy phoned down to the gym, and soon the gang was spread out in the lobby, feasting and chatting. After the final fortune cookie, Xander addressed the group. “OK, who’s sparring?” Angel, Buffy and Spike raised their hands. Xander nodded at them and continued. “So, all supernatural beings – please refrain from displays of preternatural strength and flexibility if at all possible. All non-living beings,” he eyed Angel and Spike, “please try to remember to breathe at least occasionally. No vamping out, and let’s keep the growling and snarling to a minimum. Also, during sparring, try to avoid low blows and especially dirty street fighting moves. Most of these people know forms and a little bit of freestyle stuff. They have not been doing this for ten to two hundred years like the rest of us.”

He looked around the room, his eyes coming to rest on Spike. “You’ll meet a man who I, and all the other students, will refer to as ‘Master’ or “Master Alan”. You can just call him ‘Alan’, since you aren’t his students. The others will call me ‘Sifu’, it means ‘teacher’ – it’s my title within the school. There will be some bowing – you don’t have to do it, though it’s customary to bow to your opponent when you begin to spar. When in doubt, if somebody bows to you, bow back.” He smiled and explained, “When we first start, there will be a very short formal bowing in. You don’t participate – you can just hang back while we do it. It’s no big thing. Then, Alan will introduce me, and I’ll introduce you. Then Alan will get us started. That’s all.”

Buffy raised her hand in the air. Xander smiled and gestured for her to speak. “I hate to do the girly thing and ask the fashion question, but what do we wear?” Xander laughed. “That’s a valid question, Buff. Just wear drawstring pants and a tank top or tee shirt. Just don’t wear black. Wearing black is a black belt privilege. Technically, if you were visiting a school, you’d wear all white.” Xander laughed when Spike scowled at him. He locked eyes with his lover and grinned. “Sorry, Will – no fashionable black for you this time.”

Everyone laughed and stood to gather the empty takeout containers. All heads turned when a buzzing noise sounded through the lobby. Cordelia strode across the lobby, tossing the explanation, “Door” over her shoulder. She reappeared after a moment, leading a young man dressed in black to Xander, who crossed the floor to meet them.

“Brooks!” he exclaimed, “I didn’t know you were coming. Good to see you, man!” As Xander approached, Brooks dropped the weapons bag he was carrying and met the other man with a bone-crunching hug. Xander stepped back and led him to the group. “Guys, this is Brooks Donovan. He used to live in Atlanta and moved out here a few years ago.” Xander introduced Brooks to each of his friends, noting that while Spike smiled and shook his hand, the vampire’s eyes flashed the tiniest sliver of gold. Xander didn’t stop to analyze the small bit of satisfaction he felt at the evidence of Spike’s possessiveness. The girls seemed suitably impressed, and Xander couldn’t blame them. Brooks was almost six feet tall, had piercing green eyes in a handsome, angular face and his jet-black hair trailed down his back in a braid that hung to slightly below his waist. He was, in a word, gorgeous.

After the introductions, Brooks apologized. “Xan man, sorry I’m early, but we finished early on the set – the leading man had an emergency manicure or some other Hollywood crisis, so I thought I’d swing by. “ He smiled sheepishly. “Are you an actor?” Buffy asked. Brooks laughed, “No, I’m a stunt designer.” Xander dove into the conversation. “Well, Brooksie – Cordelia here is an aspiring actress. Why don’t the two of you do shop talk while the rest of us get changed? Then we’ll go downstairs and warm up.” Brooks agreed and walked off with Cordelia happily chatting to him; she flashed Xander a grateful smile as they walked away.

Buffy, Angel, Spike and Xander boarded the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, Buffy turned to Xander and said, “Brooks is hot – is he straight?” Xander laughed and replied, “Straight as an arrow, Buff. Why do you ask?” She grumbled, “Well, apparently I can’t really trust my instincts anymore. You and Willow both turn out to be bent and I was clueless both times, so I figure I better just ask.” The men laughed. “He’s a great guy. I think Cordy likes him,” Xander raised an eyebrow and the others chorused “Duh!” as the elevator doors opened on the fifth floor.

Inside the suite, Spike trotted into Xander’s bedroom and leaned against the doorframe. “Will this do?” he asked, indicating his clothes. “I didn’t have a lot of white.” The vampire was wearing a pair of navy drawstring pants and a ribbed, white wife-beater t-shirt. Xander strode to the door and answered the query with a slow, gentle kiss. “You look good, baby,” he whispered against cool lips. Spike sucked in a breath and then let it out with a laugh. “Oh, very clever, pet,” he groused. “You almost had me there. “ He pushed Xander back a step. “I’m not fucking you til you’re healed. Furthermore, I’m certainly not fucking you while everyone we know and a handful of strangers are waiting for us in the lobby.”

“Prude.”

“Git.”

“Victorian.”

“Wanker.”

“Well, yeah – since you won’t fuck me.” Xander whined. They both laughed, and the brunet tugged a black tunic-style uniform top on over his black pants and tank, leaving the shirt’s red frog closures open. He draped a black cloth belt over one shoulder and walked into the parlor for his shoes, glancing wistfully at the bed they’d messed up earlier.

Spike came to stand in front of Xander where the human sat on the sofa tying his shoe, and stroked his thumb lightly over his warm lips. “Are you doing alright, luv?” he asked. Xander parted his lips and brushed the cool digit with his tongue briefly before he reached up and took Spike’s hand, using it to draw himself upright. He sighed.

“It’s been a big couple of days, Will.” Xander leaned their brows together, staring into his vampire’s eyes. “I feel … so different. It’s like a huge weight has been lifted, by coming back, and just by telling the whole story. It feels good to have it all out in the open.” The two men shared a small smile. Xander continued, “But, telling the story has started the next part, and that’s the part where we have to find Drusilla and I have to face her and kill her. And I’m putting my friends, the people I love best, right in front of the thing that killed my wife and child. I’ve gotta tell you, that scares the hell out of me.”

Spike closed his eyes and rolled his brow against Xander’s. “We’re not exactly rank amateurs at this, you know, Xan. Every one of us, save Sara, has killed a vamp or twenty in our day.” Xander looked at the pale, angular face before him, taking the opportunity afforded by Spike’s closed eyes to stare. When the blue eyes opened languidly, the human closed his and let out a shaky breath, which ghosted across the vampire’s lips. “I just don’t want to lose anyone else, Will. More to the point, I don’t want to lose you. I just found you.” Xander’s voice cracked on the last word, and Spike closed the distance between them, enfolding his lover in his arms, holding him tightly. He whispered against sable hair, “This time, nobody loses anybody. I’m not giving you up.” The two men stood in the embrace for long moments, dark hair resting on ivory shoulder, pale hair standing out in sharp relief against Xander’s black uniform. Finally, as they shifted apart, Xander tilted his head to give Spike a long, soft, chaste kiss; a kiss that took the vampire’s unneeded breath away; a kiss that held trust and hope and affection and caring. Spike kissed his lover in return, pouring out all of the same emotions; recognizing that he was losing his heart to the sweet, damaged mortal before him, and refusing to be sad about it.

Back in the elevator, Spike disentangled his hand from Xander’s reluctantly. “We better knock off the nancy-boy hand holding in front of the guests,” he observed wryly. “They might not understand.” He was surprised when Xander grabbed his hand firmly and carried it to his lips for a kiss. “Spike, everyone in my dojo knows I’m bi; I dated a guy who studied there before Shari and I got together.” He laughed out loud at Spike’s flummoxed expression, and then continued softly. “I had too many secrets growing up. I decided a long time ago to just be who I am. If other people don’t like it, they can fuck right off.” He kissed Spike’s hand again and then dropped it. “That said, we probably should be discreet, just so it doesn’t turn into a question-fest.” He paused, looking into his lover’s eyes. “Thanks for thinking about it, though. It means a lot that you’d want to protect me, protect us.” They shared a smile, and Spike followed Xander out of the elevator, shaking his head. How little I know about this man, Spike thought.

Spike trailed Xander across the lobby, still lost in thought. His head came up sharply when he heard Xander exclaim “Master!” and hurry across the marble floor to a man standing with Brooks and Cordelia; a group of black-clad students ranged behind them. Spike stopped in his tracks when Xander bowed deeply to the man, who returned the courtesy. The other students then bowed to Xander, who bowed back. Once the formalities were done, the whole group surrounded Xander and everyone began talking to him at once. Spike hung back and observed the chaos.

Xander first spoke to the man he’d called Master. Alan, Spike corrected himself, in an effort to silence the growl that was building in his chest. Xander leaned down to speak to Alan, and Spike noted with sharp satisfaction that the man was short. Really short – at least four inches shorter than his own modest five foot ten. Spike laughed himself for being so elated about the man’s lack of stature.

Alan appeared to be in his mid-forties, had curly, graying hair and glasses, and wore a uniform identical to Xander’s, except that where the belt Xander was tying around his waist had four red stripes on one end, Alan’s had seven red and yellow chevrons. The man looked strong and athletic. Spike couldn’t wait to fight him.

Turning his attention from Alan, Xander stepped forward and grabbed one of the students in a bear hug, spinning around slowly. As the other person’s back was turned to Spike, he could see that it was a petite woman, who had a long, dark ponytail hanging down her back. Xander’s face was buried between her neck and shoulder, and from her dusky skin tone, Spike could tell that she was Asian. He felt a tightening in his chest when he realized that this is what Xander and Shari would have looked like together. As Xander released the girl and set her on her feet, he dropped a kiss on top of her head. Xander’s eyes met Spike’s across the lobby, and Spike could see the tears that hovered there. He started forward to join the group, but hung back as Buffy and Angel exited the elevator, both dressed in workout gear, Buffy’s all white, Angel’s all gray.

The three advanced to the group. When they neared, Buffy spoke quietly, knowing only the vampires would hear her. “They love him.” Spike gestured toward three men who were hanging back from the fray. “Except for Moe, Larry and Curly there; I don’t think they know him,” he observed. Buffy shot him a look. “You know what I mean.” Spike looked back at her. “I do, Slayer. I know exactly what you mean.” By the look that passed between them, Spike realized that, for once, he and Buffy were on the same wavelength, both pleased that Xander had people in his life that cared about him the way that his Sunnydale family had, and his real family hadn’t. With a nod the Slayer and vampires turned to the group, Buffy wading into the center to throw her arm around Xander, demanding, “Introduce me!” Xander laughed and pulled her close, announcing to the group, “Everybody, this is Buffy; Buffy, this is everybody.” Buffy’s laughter rang out as the whole group replied in unison, roaring, “Hi, Buffy!”

Xander gestured to the mass of people and said, “Let’s all go downstairs to the gym – we’ll do the introductions there.” The students gathered their duffels and weapons bags from the floor, and Spike noticed that Xander shouldered Alan’s bag, respectfully leading him to the front of the group. It took several trips of the elevator to get everyone down to the basement gym. The room was enormous and well appointed. One end held a Universal Gym weight setup as well as a stair stepper, elliptical trainer, two stationary bikes and two treadmills. Another corner was set up with two heavy bags, two speed bags and a practice dummy for boxing. There was a large expanse of open floor, and pads and weapons were racked the same way as Spike’s.

The walls were painted, but devoid of mirrors; one of the walls at the short end of the room was decorated with a large, half-finished mural. Looking more closely at it, Xander realized that the mural was of a woodland scene populated with fanciful creatures that looked familiar. He saw a fairy that looked suspiciously like Dawn, and another that he knew was wearing Tara’s face. Xander quirked an eyebrow at Spike, who mouthed the name “Angel” at him. Xander flashed his “impressed” face, and earned an eye-roll.

The students all stowed their weapons against a wall and shed their shoes and socks. Xander, Spike, Angel and Buffy did the same. Alan stepped to the front of the room, and the students automatically lined up in front of him in rank order. Xander stepped to his master’s left side and gestured for his friends to stay put.

Alan began speaking to the group. “It’s good to see everyone. I’m pleased to be able to introduce Sifu Xander Harris of our Atlanta school. He’s out here visiting and was kind enough to host our little traveling squad and LA locals on short notice. Many of you already know him. Sifu Xander, I’ll let you introduce your friends, and then I’ll do the honors for the other students. If you would, tell us a little about the martial arts background of the victims, er – sparring participants.” Alan gestured to Xander, who bowed and said “Thank you, Master.” He turned and pointed to the spectators. “In the cheap seats, we have the Peanut Gallery. The red haired lady is Ms. Willow Rosenberg, who has the dubious distinction of being my best friend since practically birth. With her is Daniel Osborne, who we call Oz. The little family is Jase, Dawn and Sara Hunter. The lovely brunette on the end is Ms. Cordelia Chase, who had the great misfortune and glaring bad taste to actually date me in high school.”

Xander gestured toward the three in workout gear who were standing at his side. “Here we have the victims. In the center, truly a rose among thorns, we have the lovely and talented Ms. Buffy Summers. Buffy is very deceptive – I promise you that she can kick most of your asses; I know she can kick mine. Buffy’s been a martial artist for more than fifteen years and has been tutored in more techniques than I can name.” Buffy blushed prettily and smiled.

Xander continued, gesturing at the vampires. “And … the thorns, the one-named wonders. Tall, dark and broody here is Angel. He studied ass-kicking and brawling at many of the finest pubs across Europe and Asia, and has been fighting, well, pretty much forever. This is his gym and his hotel. Oh, and if you mess up his hair, he may kill you, or at the very least, throw you out.” Angel shot Xander a dagger look followed by an evil smile.

Xander gestured at Spike, who was facing the group with his arms crossed over his chest and a challenging look on his face. “This is Spike,” Xander said, smiling at his lover, who gave him a sardonic grin in return, waiting to see how Xander would describe him. “Watch out for Spike. He’s possibly the most devastating fighter I’ve ever seen. He’s also not overly burdened with a burning desire to follow the rules. Spike’s very checkered background includes street fights, bar fights, brawls, mosh pits, riots, small wars and civil insurrections. Mess with him at your own risk.” Spike flipped Xander the two-fingered salute and grinned.

Alan took up the introductions again. “Thank you Sifu Xander, and thank you Angel, for the use of your facility.” Angel and Alan exchanged a short bow. “I think most of you know Sifu Xander, either by experience or by reputation. For those who do not, just let me say that he is one of the finest students I have ever had, and I consider him a friend.” Spike saw that Xander was swallowing hard against a lump that had risen in his throat at the high praise, and pride swelled within him. God, I’m a sap, he thought.

Alan ran down the row of students, naming them. The Asian girl was Naomi, and the others were Bruce, Paul, Donna, James and Kelly. Moe, Larry and Curly turned out to be Jeff, Todd and, ironically, Larry. Once the introductions were complete, Alan spoke a phrase in Chinese. The students all sank to their knees, sitting on their heels and dropping their loosely fisted hands to their knees with their eyes closed. Spike recognized the meditation posture that Xander had assumed at his house that first day. The group sat motionless until Alan spoke another phrase; then they placed their fists next to their thighs and bowed until their foreheads touched the floor, then sat up. They rose in rank order, following Alan and Xander.

Brooks came to the front and began warming the group up, taking them through a series of stretches and calisthenics. Spike found himself very impressed with Xander. He had noticed in the bedroom that his lover was flexible, but seeing the human kick one foot straight up in the air, grab the foot and fall effortlessly into a full split made him realize that he needn’t hold back on the “complicated” positions any longer. A small groan slipped out of Spike’s mouth when Xander lifted himself slightly off the floor and converted his American split into a Chinese split; he quickly covered with a cough, but not before Xander, Buffy and Angel all shot him a look. He shrugged and grinned in response.

Warm and sweating lightly, everyone donned padded gloves and mouth guards, coming to stand in a loose semi-circle around Alan and Xander, who were discussing which students should be paired. Angel wound up with Bruce, who was by far the largest student. The two men shook hands, sizing one another up. Buffy was paired with Brooks, and Spike with Naomi. Once all the others were paired up, Alan turned to Xander and indicated that they would be partners.

Naomi and Spike exchanged bows, and then began circling one another, fists up in defensive positions. Spike waited. The petite Asian girl didn’t make him wait long. She stepped in and aimed a flurry of punches at him, which he blocked easily. He responded with a punch and sweep combination; she blocked the punch and deftly sidestepped the sweep. They smiled at one another through their mouth guards, and the speed of their circling increased.

Naomi changed directions and bounced into a front kick combination, Spike blocked and returned with a combination of his own; she danced out of reach. The vampire decided to up the ante, and closed the distance between them to hammer at her with a series of short jabs. She blocked him again, and set her foot behind his to dump him on his ass with a shove to the shoulder. He snagged her wrist and pulled her down with him. They grappled, and Spike was impressed with her flexibility as she slithered out of his grasp. Her light body pinned him, and he slapped the floor as a signal for her to let him up; he preferred to fight on his feet. She hopped up and extended a hand. He touched it lightly and sprang to his feet, circling again.

“Xander was right,” she said; her slight accent softened the name to “Sander”. Spike quirked his scarred eyebrow at her. She grinned. “He was impressed with your fighting skill. You inspired him to study the martial arts.“ Spike’s surprise showed on his face, “He told you that?” His right cross was deflected, and Naomi used his forward momentum to spin him around. Spike used a back fist to block her follow-up strike and sidestepped, ducking a roundhouse kick. He spun again, grabbed her heel and pulled her off of her feet. She laughed out loud and accepted his hand up. As they turned, they realized that everyone else in the room had stopped sparring to watch Xander and Alan.

Spike felt his mouth drop open, and caught the mouth guard as it tumbled from his slack lips. The two men were almost a blur, spinning, kicking and punching. Despite his height, Alan was aiming kicks at Xander’s head and easily reaching the target, only to be deflected away by repeated blocks. Xander was countering with punches and kicks of his own, but neither man was landing many blows. As the students watched, one of Alan’s kicks connected to the center of Xander’s chest, knocking the taller man flat on his back.

Alan advanced to give him a hand up, but Xander rolled back onto his shoulders and jackknifed his body upright in one smooth motion, grabbing the extended hand and using it to flip his opponent. Alan rolled and swept Xander’s feet out from under him, and they fell to the floor, grappling. Spike could see that his lover was trying to exploit his longer limbs, but the master was slippery, repeatedly breaking Xander’s holds. Finally, Alan maneuvered into a position that should have been almost impossible for a human, wrapped one leg around Xander’s neck and pinned him. Xander slapped the floor, and the combatants stood, panting and laughing. As they noticed everyone staring, they said simultaneously “What?” Everyone else in the room broke out into applause.

Alan raised a hand to wipe his forehead and gestured to the group. “All right, enough with the ego-stroking. Change partners, bow, spar.” The students shuffled themselves into new pairings, and Spike found himself facing Bruce, Angel’s previous opponent. The big man was tough, and only Spike’s speed saved him a couple of times. In the third round, Spike was paired with Brooks, and found him to be an able fighter. Spike did smack him around a little, all the while telling himself that it had nothing to do with the hug Xander had shared with the man when he’d arrived. Brooks took his shots and landed a few of his own, a large grin never leaving his face.

After one-on-one sparring, they took a short break. Cordelia had set up a table with towels and drinks and was acting as hostess. Both Xander and Alan had been approached by students and were demonstrating particular moves. Spike grabbed a bottle of water and slung a towel around his neck, and then drifted to where Xander was assisting one of the Stooges, who he introduced as Larry.

Spike watched his lover finished helping the student, and then offered him the water as Larry left them to speak to another student. As Xander drank, Spike asked him in a low voice, “Having fun, luv?” Xander’s smile was breathtaking, not that Spike needed to breathe. “I’m having a blast,” he enthused. “You look like you’re holding your own.” “Course I am,” was Spike’s indignant reply. “I can take a bunch of bloody humans any day.” He stepped just a little closer to Xander, allowing their shoulders to barely brush. The contact was electric. “You really looked good out there, Xan. You make me want to hold you down and make you scream.” His voice was a low, sensuous rumble, pitched so only the two of them could hear. “I can’t wait to get you back upstairs later.” Xander’s hand came up and brushed against the vampire’s arm. He leaned in and whispered, “Sounds good, but right now you have to get away from me so I don’t embarrass myself by getting a major hard on in these pants.” He snared the towel draped over Spike’s shoulder and used it to scrub roughly at his sweaty face and neck, then replaced it and pushed Spike back a step. The vampire yielded and turned to walk away. He hesitated, then took one step backward and turned his head to speak over his shoulder. “Did I mention how much I want you right now?” he asked, then strode quickly away, not looking to see the open, flushed, needy expression on his human’s face, though he knew it was there.

Alan called the group to order and explained that the next sessions would be uneven matches, two on one, three on one and four on two configurations. In the first round, Spike found himself defending against Kelly, a tall, thin blonde woman and Jeff, one of the Stooges. He had very little trouble fighting them off and was even able to sneak looks at Xander, who was easily holding off two students. For three on one sparring, Naomi joined Spike’s attackers, and he was much busier. He caught a few glimpses of huge Bruce joining Xander’s group. For four on two, Spike and Naomi teamed up, as did Xander and Brooks, each team fighting four attackers. Spike found Naomi to be easy to team with, and had fun fighting beside the petite girl. Alan called time, and the group again broke apart to grab towels or water, or just to rest.

Spike sank down against the wall, panting unnecessarily from the exertion. Naomi slid down on one side of him and Buffy on the other. The three passed a water bottle among themselves. After a moment, Buffy looked at Naomi over Spike’s knees. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” the slayer asked her. “Not at all,” Naomi replied. Buffy hesitated. “Did you know Xander’s wife?” Naomi nodded sadly, and Spike could see the pain in her black eyes. “Yes,” she said. “Shari was my best friend. We went to college together. I was in their wedding.” Spike laid a hand on her shoulder, and Buffy gave her a sad smile. “I’m sorry, Naomi – I shouldn’t have asked.” Naomi smiled. “It’s OK. I just … miss her.” They sat quietly for a moment, and then Spike squeezed the shoulder under his hand gently. “Were they happy?” he whispered. Naomi covered his hand with hers and returned the squeeze. “Yes, they really were. They had something very special.” She hesitated. “You worried about him, yes, while he was gone?” When they both nodded, she continued. “He was happy – they were happy. He will be happy again; with good friends like you to help him.” They shared a smile as Alan called them all to order again.

“I have a special treat for everyone,” he announced. “We’re going to play a little game I like to call ‘bar fight’.” The students laughed knowingly. “In honor of our special guests, we’re going to let Sifu Xander, Spike, Angel and Buffy be the home team.” He gestured at them. “You four are the defenders. Everyone else, you are the attackers. If your ass hits the floor, you’re out, and you have to join the Peanut Gallery. We play to last man standing. Defenders, get ready.” Angel and Buffy immediately turned back to back, and Spike and Xander mirrored their stance, forming a tight square with each one defending a side. Alan looked around at the group. “Bruce, Larry, Kelly and Brooks – attack!”

The brawl was on. Angel scored the first direct hit, knocking Bruce backward with a powerful kick. The big man faltered, but did not go down. Xander kept his shoulder pressed to Spike’s and parried attacks from both sides. Every sixty seconds, Alan called another name and drew another attacker into the melee, jumping in himself at the last. By the time Alan was in, all three Stooges were out, as well as two other students. That left the odds pretty even at five on four. The battle raged like that for several long minutes, each side gaining and losing the advantage, but no one falling. It was Buffy who turned the tide, sending Bruce out with a roundhouse kick that caused him to go over, taking another student with him. That left Naomi, Brooks and Alan fighting the Sunnydale squad. Dawn and Willow were cheering, “Go, Scoobies!” from the sidelines, and the defeated attackers were cheering for both sides.

Spike finally got his wish of fighting Alan, while Xander and Brooks fought, and Buffy and Angel double-teamed Naomi. They managed to knock her down just as Xander dropped Brooks to the floor. The three turned to assist Spike, but stopped short. Spike and Alan were dancing across the floor, flying through the air in flurries of kicks and punches. They both had huge grins on their faces, and it was obvious to all of the spectators that the two men were truly fighting to the best of their abilities. After more than five straight minutes of sparring, with neither able to take the advantage, they wound down, stopping as if by mutual consent. As they came to rest, Spike bowed deeply to the master, who returned a bow of the exact same depth, then straightened to clap the vampire on the shoulder. The room erupted in cheers and the two men were swarmed. In the confusion, Xander managed to grasp Spike’s arm briefly and smile his approval into dancing blue eyes.

Cordelia walked to Angel’s side and spoke to him quietly. The large vampire clapped his hands loudly. Once everyone’s attention was on him he announced, “Well, if we’re done here, Cordelia and Dawn have set us up some drinks and snacks in the lobby.” At a nod from Alan, the sparring participants lined up facing him. He chose to have them bow out with an informal standing bow, and they were soon on their way upstairs, shrugging out of sweaty uniform tops and drying off.

Xander turned to look for Spike, and saw that the blond was talking to Naomi and Bruce in an animated conversation. He took a moment to marvel at his lover. It was hard to believe that this was badass Master Vampire Spike. This man was laughing and joking, and doing that shy-smile-ducking-his-head thing that made Xander crazy every time another student clapped him on the back and complimented him. The Big Bad was practically blushing, and Xander was feeling some answering heat, and not in his face. Xander hung back for a moment to savor the satisfaction he was feeling at the integration of two groups of his friends. Buffy, Angel and the others were mingling easily; Angel was even smiling and pointing out features of the hotel to interested students. Dawn and Jase were trying to keep an eye on Sara as she was passed happily from person to person. Oz and Willow had been cornered by an LA student who recognized Oz from some club gigs, and Cordelia hadn’t left Brooks’ side, which seemed OK with him.

Xander felt a hand on his arm and looked down to see Alan standing beside him. The older man leaned against the wall next to his student. “Thanks for having us, Xander – this was great.” Xander smiled. “Thanks for coming. I was going into withdrawal – no classes for almost a week.” Alan raised an eyebrow, “I think your buddy Spike could be a worthy sparring partner – he’d keep you on your toes.” Alan hesitated, and then took a breath. “How long have you been away from them?” Xander wasn’t surprised at the perceptive question; Alan had always been able to read situations well. Xander sighed. “Eight years. I was stupid to stay away so long. I had … issues.” Alan laughed, then sobered. “Well, Xan – you know what they say, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ and all that.” Xander pushed off from the wall and they turned to go to the elevator. He shot back over his shoulder, “I thought it was ‘out of sight, out of mind’?” Alan gave him a wide-eyed stare. “I find it hard to believe that you could forget *these* people, even if you tried.” They joined the others.

Chapter Twenty One

Spike was ready to vibrate right out of his skin with tension. It had been an hour since he’d touched Xander and the craving – the need – to do so was making him twitch. To add insult to injury, it seemed that everyone *else* in the hotel was touching his lover. Spike knew he was being irrational and possessive and territorial, but seeing other hands on Xander when his were not allowed was causing him to come unglued.

Angel had kicked Spike sharply under the table at one point, and the sudden jolt of pain made the younger vampire realize that he was growling sub-sonically at Brooks because the black-haired man’s hand was resting on his boy’s shoulder as he and Xander chatted. Intellectually, Spike knew that Xander’s friends were responding to him with affection, and that Xander relished the contact; emotionally, however, he was finding it difficult not to growl. Or switch into game face and kill them all. Whichever. Eventually, Angel resorted to a dirty trick, sending Sara to ask her “Uncle Will” for a bedtime story and tucking-in services. Spike had allowed himself to be led away by the toddler, but not before flashing his grand-sire a killing look.

Three stories, two drinks of water and about a hundred questions later, Spike had returned to the lobby to find that most of the visitors had left. A lively group comprised of Buffy, Angel, Dawn, Cordelia and Brooks was gathered in front of the fireplace. Spike walked over to tell Dawn that Sara was asleep and that Jase was with her. He found himself drawn into their conversation, going over specific moves they’d used in the sparring session and exchanging friendly insults.

Looking around, Spike spotted Xander, Alan and Naomi sitting in a far corner of the lobby, deep in conversation. He desperately wanted to join them, but knew that if he did he would not be able to keep his hands off of Xander, so he stayed put. Looking more closely, he saw that Xander was twisting the two platinum bands on his ring finger in a gesture he’d not seen the human make in days. Spike knew that they were talking about Shari. He viciously smashed down the urge to run to his lover’s side and settled for simply walking across the room, making sure that the others saw him coming.

He stopped at the back of the sofa and placed his hands lightly on Xander’s shoulders, leaning in to put his head between his dark head and Naomi’s. He deepened his voice for effect and intoned, “I feel a tremor in the Force.” In his normal voice he continued, “Come on, Xan – Angel’s over there laughing it up and you’re over here brooding. That’s just unnatural.” He was gratified when Xander laughed and stopped twisting the rings.

Alan and Naomi stood and pulled Xander to his feet and helped Spike herd him over to the rest of the group. Over the next hour, they laughed and talked, but Spike could tell that Xander was not fully engaged. Finally, the party wound down. Xander, Willow and Cordelia walked the visitors out, along with Oz, who was going back to his apartment because of an early session the next day. Buffy, Angel and Dawn all retreated upstairs, but Spike stayed in the lobby. After a few moments, Cordelia and Willow returned to the lobby, their heads bent together, whispering, and then bursting into laughter.

“What?” Spike demanded as they approached him. Cordelia laid her hand on his arm and tried to catch her breath. “I was telling Willow that Brooks pulled me aside and told me to be careful, because he was pretty sure that my boss is a vampire!” She and Willow whooped with laughter at the flummoxed expression on Spike’s face. He gathered his wits and asked slowly, “What did you say to that?” Cordelia wiped her streaming eyes and struck a hands-on-the-hips pose.

“I told him that not only is Angel a vampire, you are, too; and that I’m part demon, Willow’s a witch, Oz is a werewolf, Buffy’s the Slayer and we’re not really sure what Dawn is anymore.” Spike’s lips moved, but no sound came out. On his second try he managed to croak, “How’d he take it?” Cordelia cocked her head to one side. “He seemed OK with it – mostly wanted to make sure that Xander is still human. I told him Xan, Jase and Sara are our token normals.” Off his quizzical look, Cordelia gave Spike a tight smile. “I figured, what the hell – love me, love my family; fangs and all.” Spike looked at her admiringly, “You’re a class act, Cordy.” At that, she gave him a real smile, one that slowly faded. She squeezed Spike’s arm. “You better go out and get Xander – I feel broody vibes from the parking lot.” Both girls kissed Spike on the cheek and departed. As she left, Willow whispered, “he needs you” in the vampire’s ear on a warm breath.

Spike stepped out of the front door of the hotel into the covered turnaround area and looked around. Xander was sitting on a decorative half-wall, staring up into the moonlight. Spike was instantly reminded of the heartbreakingly beautiful figure that Xander had cut, standing in the moonlight in tears on the night that he’d first told them about Shari. Tonight there were no tears on the tanned face, and the two men were lovers; not recently reunited acquaintances. Xander turned his head and noticed the vampire, gesturing him closer.

Spike closed the distance; Xander parted his knees and drew the blond between them. His seat on the wall put their heads at the same height, faces inches apart. Spike raised a hand and carded his fingers through tangled sable waves. Blue and brown eye met and neither man moved for a long time.

When Xander started to stir on the hard bricks, Spike cupped the back of his neck and leaned forward to brush their lips together lightly. Stepping back, the vampire pulled his lover into a standing position and began leading him back to the hotel. They didn’t speak as they crossed the lobby or in the elevator, content to merely stand close and lean on one another. Once on the fifth floor, Spike gestured for Xander to wait while he moved down the hall and opened an unmarked door, pulling out several sets of bed liens and a stack of towels, then led Xander back to their suite.

Xander opened the door, and Spike pushed him toward the bath, admonishing him to get the shower started. Xander complied. As soon as the human was gone, Spike stripped and remade both beds, then gathered up the clean towels and joined his lover. Spike peeled off his clothes and walked into the enormous marble shower. Xander was standing with his back to the door, arms braced on the wall, forehead pillowed on his arms. One leg was slightly bent and his body was wreathed in steam as the water cascaded over his tanned back. Though he made a lovely picture, standing unaware, Spike knew that the pose was one of dejection, not calculated to arouse. Still silent, Spike pressed his brow to the center of Xander’s upper back and let his hands rest lightly on the hips before him. No other parts of their bodies touched, and they again stood motionless for long minutes.

Finally, Spike raised his head and grabbed the shower gel, carefully washing Xander’s skin and then his own. The vampire turned his lover to face him and shampooed and rinsed his silky hair. Spike moved the unresisting boy to sit on the shower’s bench while he attended to his own hair. Once finished, he pulled Xander back under the spray, where the taller man automatically assumed his previous stance. Spike left the shower, dried off and got dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt. Back in the bathroom, he called to Xander, “Come on out, luv.” He waited, and the water was turned off.

Xander stepped out of the shower and Spike wrapped him in one of the large, fluffy bath towels and dried him carefully. Xander dressed in the sweatpants and t-shirt Spike had brought in for him and smiled absently as he allowed himself to be led to the parlor. The blond vampire sat on the sofa and maneuvered his lover to sit on the floor at his feet so he could towel-dry the dripping dark hair. When Xander’s shaggy sable waves were barely damp, Spike finger-combed them into order and tossed the towel away, pressing a kiss to his temple.

“Do you want to talk about it, pet?” he asked softly. Xander took and released a shuddering breath and then another. “It hurts,” he said, his pain-filled voice cracking. “It hurts to see all of those people and not see Shari. I – I kept looking for her, expecting her to be there.” The human gave a mirthless laugh. “Hell, when you were fighting with Alan, I actually turned to see if she’d seen some great move you made. Then I remembered.” Xander took several more deep breaths. When he spoke again, his voice was thick with unshed tears. “When does it stop hurting so much?” he asked miserably.

Spike gently rubbed the back of Xander’s neck in soothing circles. “Hell, Xan, I don’t know.” He gave a short, bitter laugh. “I’m still hurting for people dead a hundred years.” He paused. “You don’t ever forget, luv, not if they were important to you. But, after a while, the pain gets … tempered with all of the good memories, so it’s more bittersweet.” The vampire leaned forward and wrapped his arm around Xander’s neck, resting his chin on the warm shoulder. “You’re not wrong to grieve.”

Xander scrubbed his face with his hands, and Spike sat back on the sofa, recognizing that the boy still needed to talk. “I feel, I feel so ungrateful,” he gritted out. “I came back to Sunnydale, out of the blue. You took me in and made me welcome, and made me feel … normal – or almost normal - again. You and Dawn and Buffy and Willow – you all forgave me instantly for being a shitty friend for eight years. I get to spend a great evening doing something I love with people who love me, and I turn it into one big pity party.” He hung his head. “I’m an ass.”

“No, luv – you’re just being you. It’s your nature to try to carry the weight of the world – you always were a glutton for punishment.” Spike leaned forward and rubbed his cheek against Xander’s silky hair. “So, what’ll it be?” he asked brightly. “Evening of brooding? We can probably find a chick flick on the telly, bawl into our popcorn.” Xander dipped his head to place a kiss on top of the cool hand that rested on his shoulder while he pondered. After a long moment he stood and held out a hand to Spike. “I think I have a better idea.” Spike took the hand and was pulled gently into his lover’s arms. Warm lips traced the outside edge of a cool ear, and Xander whispered, “Take me to bed, Will. Love me.” Spike answered him with a soft kiss and then led him to the bedroom.

An hour later, Xander was sleeping peacefully. Spike was not. He slipped from the bed and pulled on his discarded clothes. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, scooped up a room key and let himself out of the suite.

Willow answered his knock wearing soft-looking pink pajamas, with a pair of wire-framed glasses perched on her nose. Her hair was held back with a headband, and her face, devoid of makeup, glowed. Spike thought she looked about twelve years old and told her so. “Flattery will get you everywhere,” she told him as she ushered him inside. She crossed the room to the desk and busied herself shutting down her laptop computer. Once the computer was taken care of, she crossed back to the vampire, who was standing by the door staring at the carpet, and took his hand to lead him into the bedroom. She pointed to the bed, and they shared a smile as he kicked off his unlaced boots and they both climbed under the covers, arranging the pillows so they were both on their sides, facing each other. Spike slipped a cold foot between her warm ones. They both sighed, relaxing easily into these positions that they had taken so many times in years past, when everyone else had been to busy with the latest apocalypse and they’d been too damaged to do much else but comfort one another.

“I was wondering when you’d wind up back in my bed, you vampire slut,” Willow teased. “I thought you might have forgotten me.” Spike smiled, “Wasn’t willing to risk the wolf bite, Red.” She smiled back. Her green eyes searched his face and saw the strain there. “Xander was sad tonight,” she did not phrase it as a question. “Yeah,” Spike sighed. “He got hit with some pretty powerful memories, what with the Dirty Dozen here and all.” They shared a sad smile. “I liked his friends,” Willow confided. “It makes it easier, knowing that he had them while he was away. Except that it also makes me jealous, which isn’t very nice at all, and what do you know – I’m babbling.” Spike grinned. “It’s OK. I like it when you babble. It’s cute.” She gave him a mock-frown. “More flattery. You must want something big.”

Spike turned over on his back. Willow recognized this gesture from the past. Both of them had used this particular dodge when they needed to ask or say something horrible or embarrassing and didn’t trust themselves to be able to maintain eye contact. The vampire studied the ceiling and then mumbled a question that Willow didn’t catch. “Spike, human ears here. Say again?” she demanded. He sighed, and then spoke clearly. “Why won’t Xander fuck me?” Willow’s mouth fell open, and she was thankful that he wasn’t looking at her as a blush raced from her chest to her hairline. “Wha …um, I mean …Spike, I was pretty sure that, uh you two, er …that your relationship had a, um, physical component …” She trailed off, and then also turned on her back to study the ceiling.

“We’ve *had* sex, Red. What I mean is that I’m always top and he’s always bottom, and when I suggested we switch, he looked bleedin’ horrified.” Spike draped an arm over his eyes. Willow asked softly, “What did you do then?” The vampire sighed, yet again. “What do you *think* I did? I pretended I never said it, then I distracted him by trying to suck his brains out through his dick, and then I fucked him.” They both paused, and Spike flashed back on the wholly erotic mental picture of Xander’s face when Spike’s cock had eased into his body as they had coupled face-to-face for the first time. Spike knew he was lying when he said that he had fucked Xander. He had made love to the man, and he had seen those brown eyes go wide with some unnamed emotion as their chests and stomachs had sealed together, close, closer, then joined inextricably together. Finally, Willow spoke. “Wow,” she breathed. “That was a short, yet very vivid description.” After a long moment, Spike replied, “I guess it was, wasn’t it?”

They lay quietly on the bed, each lost in thought. After a few minutes, Willow shifted to face the center of the bed and tugged Spike over to face her. “I know the answer,” she said, matter-of-factly. “It’s not you, Spike. It has nothing to do with you.” The vampire looked at her disbelievingly. “I’m a narcissist, pet – it’s *always* about me,” he deadpanned. She gave him a small smile and tangled their feet once again as she spoke.

“Do you remember what happened when Kennedy and I first got together?” He shrugged, not sure if he did or not. He hadn’t really liked the dark-haired girl – he’d thought she was kind of a bitch, and she hadn’t liked him either. Willow continued, “Well, after she and I kissed for the first time, my mind went all overdrivey and I almost turned into Warren.” She shuddered delicately at the memory, and Spike realized he did know the story. “That was a spell,” he said. Willow shook her head. “The spell made the punishment manifest, but it was my mind that came up with it. Brains are funny that way, with the torturing and craziness. I wanted to turn into Warren because I felt like I had betrayed Tara by kissing Kennedy.”

She ran the back of her hand lightly down the vampire’s smooth, cool cheek. “He wasn’t horrified at the idea of …making love to you; he was horrified at the idea of making love to anybody other than Shari. Not to put too fine a point on it, she was the last person he was *inside*, and it’s one of the last things of her that he’s got left. When that’s gone he’s just one step closer to having to accept that the part of his life that had her in it is over.” She smiled sadly and saw her gathering tears mirrored in his beautiful blue eyes. “He doesn’t have much of her left to cling to – just his revenge against Dru and wearing mourning,” she concluded. Spike smiled at her wryly, blinking back the tears. “Noticed that, did you?” She stroked his face again and spoke softly. “I’ve *done* this, remember? It does get better. You just have to give him time and support and love, and try to be ready for the days when he stumbles.”

Spike leaned into her warm hand and pressed a soft kiss to her palm. His voice was muffled. “I just don’t want to screw this up.” Willow gathered her friend into her arms and marveled at the changes the years had wrought in this beautiful, flawed creature. She sometimes thought that the vampire was the most human of all of them. She crooned soothingly and rubbed his back as he relaxed into her embrace. “It’ll be fine, Spike. You’ll do great. I have faith in you – in both of you. You and Xander will take care of each other.”

Spike slipped back into Xander’s bed, and the human instinctively curled toward him and pulled the cool body close. Warm lips settled against the back of his neck and arms enfolded him. Spike luxuriated against the solid body sealed against his back and smiled. Give him time, he thought. Oh, well, one of the upsides of immortality – lots of time. Xander’s fingers circled lazily on the inside of the vampire’s elbow, and Spike slept.

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