Homeward Bound - Part 4b (interlude)

Spike opened one eye to the sound of a slapping noise. He was unusually unfocused, but he could still hear the sound of Xander's uneven breathing. He risked opening the other eye so he could see where he was exactly; he couldn't feel him in bed beside him. Finally clearing his vision, he smiled and desire stirred at the sight before him; he was suddenly very awake. Slap!

A pink blush spread across Xander's ass cheek as he brought down the table tennis bat as hard as he was able to from an awkward angle. Spike watched him transfixed as he also massaged his own length. He felt himself harden, as the bat connected again and felt jealous that it wasn't his hand around Xander's cock. With cat-like grace he padded from the bed to the floor and knelt in front of him.

They looked at one another and Xander's eyes were almost black with lust and excitement. Spike trailed a hand up the inside of his thigh to his balls and touched him there with the barest whisper of his fingertips. Leaning towards him he darted his tongue out to tease a nipple and stroked down Xander's arm before taking the bat from his hand.

"Did you forget to invite me to the party Pet? Or is my invitation still sitting in the in-tray?"

"This is your invitation." A ghost of a smile flashed across Spike's lips in appreciation. His boy had hidden depths.

"You know the risks, you're a very, bad, boy. But I do like you on your knees love." He laved up his pulse point to his ear, biting the lobe hard enough to pierce the skin and then peppering kisses along his jaw-line. Xander enjoyed the abrupt change of sensations; pain and pleasure and shivered in anticipation of more.

"I need to see that gorgeous ass of yours, see if I can't add a bit more colour." Xander grinned in triumph as Spike encouraged him to turn round and pushed him forward so he was on all fours. Spike braced himself for the possibility of pain, but what the hell if he was able to drink from him without being zapped, he reckoned 'chip' wouldn't argue with a bit of gratuitous spanking. He tapped him with the bat and Xander gave an encouraging wiggle. Then harder this time, bracing himself for a migraine. No pain, just a satisfied groan from Xander. Oh they were both going to enjoy this.

"Tempting me this way when you know I could be hurt, I think you have to be punished." He slapped him again, this time on the other cheek, noticing for the first time Xander was already slicked up and prepared for him. Spike blew gently across the reddening imprint, cooling down the sting, before slapping him hard in the same place. Xander was so hard it ached. Spike ignored his cock, alternately slapping him and blowing or licking him to cool the heat. Xander held his breath in anticipation as Spike reached under him and caressed his nipples, tracing circles around his areola and then pinching lightly at the hardened nub. He ran his hand down his torso to his belly and then slid back round his hip to slap his ass cheek with the flat of his hand.

"Spike please."

"What's that love, you want me to stop? Or is this what you want?" He lined up the crown of his cock with Xander's opening and nudged a little way in. Xander tried to thrust back but Spike held him still at the hips.

"Naughty, naughty, only patience brings rewards." Xander whimpered as Spike inched in a bit more.

"Now, weren't you asking me something?"

"Please. In me, now, please." Spike inched in a bit more and slapped down really hard. Xander bucked backwards and Spike was fully sheathed in heat. Bugger it all, this was getting to him, it wouldn't do to come now before he'd had the chance to deal out the torture and pleasure Xander deserved. He held still a moment and thought of laundry and cleaning toilets and ok that was too extreme he.

"Spike fuck me already!" He brought the bat down hard again.

"Pushy. With the position you're in, you might want to rethink the tone." He whispered in his ear. " I find begging works best."

"Please Spike, please, please do it."

"That's much better."

Spike rammed into him them. Holding his hips with both hands now so he couldn't move, he pistoned his own hips forward, burying himself to the hilt each time. He hadn't touched Xander's cock once and it was weeping copious mounts of precum. Every thrust was creating delicious sparks of pleasure that just kept building and building until Xander started to believe he would be on the brink of orgasm for the rest of his life.

Slap! Slap! Slap, with his hand. Then mercifully Spike reached around and started to pump his cock in time to his thrusts, until Xander was in free fall. He experienced seconds of total sensory depravation and then he was screaming Spike's name as though he was afraid he might forget it. Spike felt Xander's muscles close around him and he snarled as he came. Spike fell forward onto Xander clutching his waist, not wanting to lose contact for a second, and silently bemoaning the fact his cock was slipping out of him already. After a while Xander turned over and wrapped his arms around him. Holding him tight, he covered his face with kisses and ran his hands through his hair, all the time wishing he could get closer, somehow get under his skin.

"I like it when you deny me things, so much more than when you just give them to me." Spike smiled at the nonsense he was spouting because oddly he knew exactly what he meant.

"Me too, I'll be denying you quite a bit more often I think."

"My ass hurts." Xander stood up and held out a hand to Spike. He took it, and wrapped him in a warm embrace as soon as he as standing. He kissed him because he could never have enough Xander kissage and he was officially spending too much time with the Slayerettes for that thought to go through his head. Perhaps it was just time to stop thinking of them as something other than him; to all intents and purposes he was a Slayerette, now more than ever, since they had made a bigger space for him.

"Well yeah, you did take some punishment there Pet. Took it real good, I'm thinking chains next time and possibly a feather, clichéd but effective." He looked at him intently to gauge his reaction and was satisfied to see his pupils dilate.

"Oh I don't know, I'd kinda like to hear you beg, see if I can bring out the poet in you."

"I was an awful poet."

"I think I could provide some incentive for improvement, and they do say practise makes perfect." Spike's eyes glazed over as Xander kissed him again.

"I need a drink, you want anything?" Xander disentangled himself from Spike reluctantly, but he did feel as though he could drain the tank dry and still shout, water!

"I'll come with you I want a smoke."

"What day is it Spike? My internal clocks all off." They both walked into the den; Spike fished for the pack of cigarettes from his duster pocket and sat on the couch unselfconscious of his naked state. Xander went to the fridge to drink a gallon of whatever he could find.

"It's the early hours of Sunday morning and if you're gonna spend all your time in bed it's gonna screw up your time frame a bit." Spike lit his smoke and drew deeply. Xander propped himself behind the counter whilst he drank his water and smiled at Spike.

"You know not many people could smoke naked and not look a total dork. You look like someone should paint you."

"Someone did once or twice." He smirked at him. "I wasn't naked every time though. You gonna stand there long Pet? Because as lovely as the view is I think I can see you better from over here." Xander went over and sat on the couch carefully. He liked to be close to him, in fact it was his preferred place to be, but sometimes because they spent so much time side by side, he liked to stand back and take a really good look at him.

"What kept you?"

"I was gone for like two minutes."

"Too long."

"I love you."

"I know."

"I like to stand back and appreciate you."

"You're making me sound like a bloody painting now."

"Listen to me Spike, it's important. Sometimes, this is all really scary. I'm dealing surprisingly well with the fact that the love of my life is a 122 year old vampire, I'm also doing ok with my zealous foray into bloodplay, whatever the consequences may be." He stopped for a moment, he hadn't wanted to get so serious but in truth you couldn't always ignore this stuff if it surfaced. He put his bottle of water down and linked his fingers in Spike's free hand.

Spike's expression was soft and his hair had escaped into waves during sleep and each time Xander saw him looking this way he wanted to kiss him into oblivion; he looked so exposed, vulnerable even and it delighted him to be allowed to see this side of him. He suspected he was the only one for a long time who had.

Spike stubbed out his cigarette and ran his hand down Xander's cheek, relishing the rasp against two-day-old whiskers and then he scooted around to lay his arm across his legs. The tenderness he had experienced in his life or unlife was very time specific, he'd spent most of it taking care of Drusilla and not being on the receiving end. The moments he'd had were a long time ago and he wasn't sure if he knew how to accept it any more. That didn't stop him craving it. Xander smiled at him and continued.

"The thing that overwhelms me isn't that this feels right and true and real, but because there's something inside of me that knows this is a lifetime deal. I've never had that kind of clarity before and I have to remind myself from time to time that you're not just an extra part of me, but someone who exists outside of me. I always watched you, before, and it used to confuse me how it made me feel; I couldn't understand the attraction to looking at you so much but I get it now. You're such a performer and I was looking for the real you underneath the performance."

Spike swallowed hard around the lump in his throat, and leaned over to kiss him; tasting him, nibbling at his bottom lip and then seeking entry. Their tongues sparred for a while until Spike sliced into first Xander's and then his own, the taste of each other's blood mingling in their mouths. Xander sat on his lap, knees either side of him and deepened the kiss, as he held on to the back of his head. Spike cupped his ass cheeks and quickly let go when Xander jumped in surprise.

"Sorry love, forgot about that." He put his arms around him instead and just held him for a while.

"So you think you've found it then, the real me?"

"I do and I'm lucky. Spike I know you love me, which in turns amazes and surprises me when I remember it's still so new. You simply needed someone to love you back. I do, so much, and when I watch you now, I can see you."

"The love of your life?" He looked at him with a smile that lit up his whole face, he couldn't remember being this happy before. Good job he didn't have a soul to lose.

"Never doubt it." He tightened his arms around him before reaching for his water again. He drank deeply, until it was all gone and then got off Spike's knee.

"Hey, we're you goin'?"

"Back to bed, are you coming?"

"Is that another invitation?"

"Only if it some how doesn't involve my ass!"

"It won't.much."

"Tell me what it was like with Angelus." They were lounging on the couch, Xander in his underwear and Spike in his jeans, shirtless. Spike was watching football, which Xander didn't like but hey, he could watch Spike instead. Or annoy him, to get his attention.

"What? Are you insane? You do remember that I only spent twenty years in his company don't you and that was a long time ago, about a hundred years or so."

"Only twenty years? Hey marriages don't last so long these days."

"Many of which are better for it. It was still a long time ago."

"And you remember it like it was yesterday."

"Well yeah, but Manchester United are on." Xander was sitting in Spike's lap, his head on his shoulder. He played with the hair at the nape of his neck, occasionally stroking his skin and marvelling at the way it warmed under his touch. After spending almost two months of non-work related time (and most of the time he should spend asleep) being in close proximity or actually touching him, it surprised him that he was still startled at times by the differences in Spike's physiology.

If he nuzzled his neck he would find no pulse. If he laid his head on his chest there was no guarantee it would rise and fall only a guarantee he wouldn't hear the familiar thump of a heart beating. He had watched him sleeping and it was really disturbing to see him so unanimated, barely moving in sleep as a human might. But not so disturbing as the knowledge it made no difference to the fact that he loved him.

"So, what's your favourite memory, the killing you guys did or the sex ya had?" He asked him curiously. Spike raised an eyebrow, as he glanced sideways to look at him.

"Nostalgia's such a wasted emotion, did anyone ever tell you that? He stroked Xander's bare arm, tracing the scar below his right bicep. The truth was he'd lost all interest in the game as soon as Xander had asked him about Angelus. His history, yeah everyone had one but not many as long and colourful as Spike's. He was torn between bragging about it and playing down the gory details for Xander's benefit.

"Tell me."

"Sure you want to hear this Pet?" Suddenly Xander wasn't sure that he did. Why couldn't he have just seduced him instead, wasn't that a much better way to get his attention? He couldn't chicken out now though and he was curious.

"That depends, will I hate the answer?"

"I don't see how I can give you any answer that will especially comfort you." Xander sat up, and Spike pulled him back down again.

"Relax will you? You have my attention, we really don't have to talk about it." Xander settled back into him.

"No, tell me." Spike went back to stroking his arm, in an unconscious attempt to soothe him.

"Killing for me was always different to what it was to Angelus. I was very competitive whereas he was more interested in being..creative. He always used to say I leaned too far towards the barbaric and lacked imagination. Personally I think killing people with railroad spikes shows a lot of imagination and saves time. But Angelus was very methodical and efficient in the way he did things; it was compelling viewing. The mere fact that he possessed the patience I lack to make it more interesting, into something besides body count, was an attraction in itself.

I pissed him off a lot of the time because I was impetuous and led trouble to our door, but he loved it when I was his audience. I'm not sure what appealed to him the most, the fact that he might teach me something or the opportunity to bloody show off, he was a poncy git even then. Shagging was always better when he'd pulled off some great scheme of his.

One of his favourites was getting some silly bint to fall for him, exploiting her riches, 'cos he only really went for them if they had money, and then letting me kill her while he watched, doing nothing of course to save her. He would be on a high for days, pleased with himself and me. He would have a celebratory shag with Darla if she was around, and then his focus would switch to me or Dru or both of us. He would be showering us with affection and we'd barely get out of bed for days. I liked it best when it was just the two of us; they were the times it felt most like he was making love."

Spike's voice lowered, as he became lost in his reverie. "I think he did love me, us, is his own way. I swear it was him, who taught me how to love, how I wanted to be loved. He made it so I wanted that feeling all the time, not just in his moments of glory." Spike glanced at Xander to see what expression he was wearing. He was surprised to see his eyes were closed and his face was relaxed. His breathing hadn't changed so he knew he wasn't asleep.

"Xander." He opened his eyes, which contained the inevitable mixture of emotions. He felt jealous at the thought of Spike sleeping with Angel, but he couldn't help but think how beautiful they must have been together, to see. True, it wasn't the Angel he knew and didn't really like back in those days but it was in Angel's memories. He may not have been driving the car at the time but he was along for the ride. Would he still remember and with any affection?

"So you're saying I have Angel to thank for the way you love? Now that's more disturbing than the rest of your tale." Spike laughed at him.

"Your priorities seemed to have changed a bit lately, and no you don't have to thank him, but maybe we could blackmail him into giving us information. He'll probably do anything so I don't bring it up."

"Poor Buffy."

"Ay? Why poor Buffy, apart from the fact that she has to put up with his brooding and the fact that his imagination died when his soul was restored."

"From what you've just told me that's probably a good thing. Not that we really know what Angel's like anymore do we? No, I mean she's probably at home right now, basking in the love and the happiness, I just can't see her relishing the honesty or wanting to be honest come to think of it. D'you think she'll tell Angel about the two of you?"

"You know I doubt very much it will come up. She's only really interested in Angel; not what he was but what and who he is. As for telling him about me, we spend enough time in his company, he'll know, he may do already."

"How can you build a good relationship without honesty? I mean I don't love the details of your past but I need to know why you're who you are now."

"Not everybody loves the way we do Pet, besides she knows enough to know that she doesn't need to know all the details." Spike sighed as he shifted under Xander's weight.

"So you still love me then?"

"You still didn't answer my question. Killing or having sex?"

"Killing invariably led to shagging anyway, so take ya bloody pick. What matters is that I would rather stand by your side and kill demons and shag you senseless, not necessarily in that order." Xander leaned up and kissed him.

"Does this mean you still love me?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"No, I just like hearing you say it."

"I love you Spike." He kissed him some more. "We're not fighting demons right now."

"Best get on with the shagging then." Spike was already stroking his length through his boxer shorts. Xander moaned at his touch and lay down to allow Spike better access. He barely noticed him peel his shorts down before he put cool lips around his cock. He loved this part of vampire physiology. Spike sucked and teased him for a while and then slid out from under him and took off his jeans quickly.

He climbed on top of Xander, facing away from him and carried on from where he left off. He grazed the underside of his cock with blunt teeth and then probed his slit with the tip of his tongue. Xander leaned forward so he could reach Spike's ass and massage his cheeks, before running his tongue over his hole. He laved it and blew on it before he entered him, pushing in as far as he could and almost withdrawing before pushing in again. He gently fondled his balls and then started to pump him in rhythm with Spike's sucking. It was an awkward angle and after a while it made his tongue ache, but the eeping noise Spike kept making, made him reluctant to give the position up. It was Spike who moved first, laying down on the floor and pulling Xander on top of him. He tongued Xander's throat, paying special attention to his mark and thrust up to meet Xander's erection with his own.

Their pace slowed and they rocked each other unhurriedly, nipping and licking each other's throat and sharing kisses that were languorous and deep. Eyes wide open as they watched each other's pleasure; Spike could feel emotion build in his chest that threatened to spill over. He didn't realise that his face was wet with tears until after Xander entered him. His cock was trapped between their bodies as Xander leaned over to kiss them away, providing much needed friction. He didn't interrupt his gentle thrusting, burying himself deeply inside him each time. He looked in wonder at the wet trails sliding down Spike's face and the way it crumpled as he lost the battle to keep them back.

"Xander I love you." He whispered.

"I can feel it Spike, it's amazing. Come for me, I'm so close, can't hold on much longer." He felt cool semen spread across his belly and he let go, he sunk into him again and again as he rode through his climax; and felt as though he was slipping into Spike's whole body. He gasped for air when it was over so he could kiss him, running his hands through his hair as Spike clung to him. His body was shaking from emotion and exhaustion and as he slipped out of him he didn't think he would ever be able to move again.

"Wow. That was incredible."

They fell asleep wrapped around each other.



Xander awoke first, shivering from the cold.

"Wake up Spike, I'm cold, have to move."

"Wah?" Xander rolled off him, wincing as he peeled himself from his belly. His teeth wanted to chatter from tiredness and the cold and he was stiff all over from sleeping on top of Spike.

"I think I'm dead, no wait, knew that all ready. Besides." He sat up with a grimace. "I ache too much to be really dead. Let's go to bed." He got to his feet and spotting the cause of Xander's discomfort went over to shut the open window.

"You go to bed if you want, I'll just put some clothes on, I need to eat something." Xander ran into the bedroom to put on his dressing gown and grabbed Spike's too. He could hear him rummaging about in the kitchen.

"I thought you wanted to go to bed, here." He put the robe on his shoulders.

"Ta love, I am going to bed but food does sound like a lovely idea, I've been meaning to try it some time again before we go back to the real world. After all I can't exist on just you now can I?"

He looked at Xander and took in the paleness of his skin and the dark circles smudging his eyes. The need to shave completed the image of a down and out. His hair was growing out again, curling over his ears and he had lost weight. The weight loss suited him; his muscles had become more defined. Spike preferred his hair longer, he loved to run his hands through it he had good hair.

He only had to look at his eyes to see that anything that looked wrong was superficial, he didn't look any worse than anyone who had spent the better part of the last two and a half days and nights having sex with his lover. True he had a bruise radiating from the mark on his throat, he was gonna have to find some where else to bite him at least some of the time, give it chance to heal and scar. Yet his eyes were so alive and he was exuding an air of easy confidence that was hard to associate with the man he'd been such a short time ago.

"Where d'you go then pal? Was it a fun place because you didn't hear a word I just said did you?"

"What did you say?" Xander handed him his heated mug of blood.

"I said I have to go to work tomorrow. And we should check in with the others." He bit into the massive sandwich he had made with obvious enjoyment, and poured a cup of instant coffee. Spike stole a bite of his sandwich. "I've loved every minute of this, we should do it all the time or at least once a week. What d'you think, will evil behave so we can have the lovin'?"

"I have a better idea. I want us to go back to LA with Angel."

"What? Why? Can't we learn over the 'phone? Buffy needs us and there's work, where I earn the money, ok I was channelling Anya there, sorry why again?"

"I'm not talking about staying there for good, more like a holiday, we could pump Peaches for information and have loud obnoxious sex in his hotel." Xander looked at him to see if he was joking. He wasn't joking.

"Angel's here in Sunnydale with Buffy."

"Yes, but you know as well as I do that he will have to go back sometime, he's still got this redemption thing going on, and responsibilities to his own team." Spike thought about the logistics of Angel's situation. "Guess he'll just have to commute. Look, sooner or later you're gonna start feeling different, if you don't already. I don't think it's a bad thing but we need to be sure and Angel's the best person to turn to, his heads full of vampire lore and if he doesn't know he'll know someone who does. Giles may help us too when he's finished laughing hysterically and plotting my horrible death."

"Spike, it's not that long since I had over a week off work, for my 'unhoneymoon' remember, though that did work out ok in the end." He smiled at him in appreciation. The truth was he could get another weeks annual leave if he did some nifty reshuffling of the shift rotas. He just wasn't sure how ready he was to involve the others in everything they had been up to; accepting their relationship was one thing but Xander's new appetites were something he didn't think they'd be overjoyed about and he especially needed to keep it away from Angel. Mostly because he knew he deserved the look he would get from him, he wouldn't even need to say anything. Xander had not exactly been support guy between Buffy and Angel, ever. On the other hand, he did want to know what the consequences were going to be.

"How long do you think it's gonna take for someone to spot the mark on your neck? It looks fresh, mostly because I can't seem to leave it alone, but the biggest problem is that sooner rather than later Angel will be able to smell us both anyway. Not just the fact we're together, but he'll know we've been drinking from one another." Spike walked over to Xander and put his arms around his waist.

"If we don't volunteer the information he might get all noble and stake me in your honour or to save it or whatever."

"Yeah, I can just see Angel doing anything to save my ass. What makes you think he will help us, or that he would even want us at his place? It's not that long ago that you tortured him and almost got him killed for the Gem of Aunt Mara, though I have to say that would have come in quite useful now your on the home team."

"I'm still evil you know."

"I know that Spike. Kitten poker eh? You wicked fiend."

"I'll bite you."

"Not tonight, I need a shower and some sleep, but your right, we'll go to LA if he'll have us. It will actually be worth it just to see Cordy's face, she's gonna love you."

"He knows it wasn't personal, I just wanted the ring and I knew what he would do with it."

"Yeah, well let's be glad you didn't get it back shall we or we wouldn't be here now having this conversation, nor would you have your arms around me." He hugged him close and Spike nuzzled his neck.

"You're all warm again now. Shame to waste it."

"I'm going in the shower, you're not."

"I'll be good."

"You are evil."

"But you love me."

"No way would you come in the shower and just, you know, shower." Spike's mouth opened in an innocence pout. Unfortunately the image was spoiled by the leer in his eyes. Xander felt himself getting hard. It appeared that increased stamina might be a perk he could look forward to. He couldn't resist that bottom lip; he just had to have it. He caught it gently in his teeth and nibbled and licked it and forced himself not to bite down hard.

After a while he parted his lips and captured Spike's. He slipped his tongue inside and brushed it over his teeth, paying special attention to his incisors, getting harder as they elongated and sharpened. Carefully he swept across his tongue and upper palate, tasting faint traces of blood, tobacco and his own body scent. Spike reached up and ran his fingers through his hair tugging on it painfully as he resisted trying to deepen the kiss. Xander pushed Spike's robe aside to fondle his balls and massage his length and then deliberately sliced his tongue on his fangs. Spike latched on and sucked before closing the wounds with the tip of his tongue.

"Now who's being evil?"

"I can't help myself, you're so irresistible. Come on let's get in the shower."

The spray was hot and fast, darting needles all over their flesh, stimulating nerve endings already awakened by desire. Muscles danced under one another's touch as they soaped each other, washing away sweat, dried semen and tiredness. Spike slid his hands down Xander's thighs and clasped the back of them as he dropped to his knees. He licked up the prominent vein on the underside of his cock and engulfed the head, sucking hard before taking the rest of him in his mouth. He massaged him with his lips and tongue, aware that Xander was digging his fingers into his shoulders, urging him on. Xander came quickly and hard, thrusting into Spike's mouth hard enough to bruise his throat, his knees buckling. Strong arms moved to hold him up as he rode through his orgasm.

Spike stood up and leaned against the wall. He spread his legs and Xander pushed his finger into his entrance, getting hard again as he added a second and then a third finger. Impatient, he entered him in a single thrust, tearing delicate inner walls that bled and eased the intrusion. He covered one of Spike's hands with his own and reached round with the other to pump his cock. They set a fast pace, Spike pushing back against him each time he thrust into him. As Spike felt climax approach he turned his head and bit into Xander's median cubital vein1 on the inside of his elbow, drinking deeply until his orgasm ended.

Xander felt the pull as the blood left his vein, he could hear it rushing to meet the vacuum caused by Spike's lips and he disintegrated. Spike turned around to kiss him and hold him and was surprised when Xander's incisors slid easily into his tongue. He latched on and sucked greedily at the blood that seeped out. It wasn't enough; he dipped his head and punched into Spike's exterior jugular vein2. Frustrated that it didn't gush he drew harder, pulled what he craved from him. Flavours that told of Spike, his past and his present infused his being. He felt the sting and the dull aches leave the inside of his elbow and throat and while tissue repaired he walked the emotional streets of Spike's life. This was like being inside his skin, the closest he had ever felt to him and orgasm built again. He came violently, biting into Spike harder making him cry out before they both crashed to the floor. Xander retracted his teeth from Spike's neck and ran his tongue over them in wonder. They weren't fangs exactly, but they were much sharper and only his canines were affected.

"Spike are you ok? Did I hurt you?" He searched his neck for a wound that was already closing.

"What the fuck just happened?" The last time he could remember feeling that much intensity was when Angelus had turned him in to a vampire.

"I don't know exactly. I couldn't get enough of you and hey, great new set of teeth. Did I hurt you?" Spike shrugged.

"It did hurt, but in a good way. I reckon things have already started to happen. How do you feel? You've never taken that much blood from me before, and look here, your wounds have closed." He pointed to the inside of his elbow and then fingered the mark on Xander's neck possessively. "Still tell your mine though." He kissed it.

"Let's turn the bloody shower off shall we it's getting cold."

A short time later in bed, they wrapped their arms around one another, Xander's head on Spike's chest as Spike stroked his fingers through his hair. Xander's teeth had returned to normal again and he felt better physically than he had felt for a long time. He felt strong and, he hated to admit it but the truth was he felt nourished.

"I guess we're going to LA then and soon, yesterday kind of soon."

"I'll try to find out when Angel's going back, I doubt he'll be here much longer." Xander wondered if he would actually get to sleep before he was due to start work the next day, he was so wired.

"Spike?"

"Yes love?"

"I liked it, a lot."

"Me too."

"Yeah but you're a vampire, you're supposed to like it. I understand Riley a bit better now." Spike snorted at him.

"Oh bugger off, it's nothing like the same thing. We love each other; we're not hustlers, any way I seriously doubt he was biting back. For one thing the vamps wouldn't have been too happy if he had."

"Did I mention I liked it?" The whole thing dazed him, but Spike was making soothing gestures in his hair and the proximity of him was so comfortable, and the smell of him so familiar that in no time at all he was drifting into sleep. Xander stirred briefly as Spike whispered to him.

"D'you feel lucky despite everything?"

"I feel lucky because of everything. You are my everything."3

TBC.











1 The median cubital vein is where blood is taken from if we need to give a sample to the doctor for testing. 2 The exterior jugular vein is superficially located and is therefore easier to access than the carotid artery.

3 Joely Richardson and Hugh Laurie. 'Maybe Baby'