Chapter 23

Cordelia sighed as she slammed the door of the dishwasher and started the machine. She had the good grace to laugh at herself. I’m as bad as Angel, she thought, brooding in the kitchen because everyone else has somebody to snuggle up to. She had kicked the couples out of the kitchen shortly after everyone had finished the spaghetti dinner that Spike, Xander and Willow had concocted out of the pantry and cupboards that Xander had pronounced “positively Mother Hubbard-y”.

The ex-cheerleader let her thoughts center on Xander. He had turned out to be a striking man. Who knew? He’d always been cute, making the jump into good-looking in the years after high school. But, now? His leaner, sculpted face and body combined with the graceful way he moved and his obvious quiet confidence were like a beacon. All of the women in the hotel were keeping a surreptitious eye on him, staying under Spike’s radar to avoid being growled at while still enjoying the eye candy. Cordelia shook her head at the thought of the strange couple. Spike and Xander had worked as a team cooking dinner, interacting like an old married couple, complete with good-natured bickering and stolen kisses. Willow had danced around and between the two men, her joy at being with both of them obvious.

Dinner had been a leisurely affair, with discussion and speculation about the meaning of the meager information they had gathered. After hashing over the few facts, it had degenerated into laughing and one-upmanship, as they had combed the printouts for outrageous rumors and teased each other mercilessly. Finally, Willow had left to go see Oz’s band perform at a nearby club. Jase and Dawn had carried a cranky Sara to bed, and Cordelia had shooed the vampires and their significant others out of the kitchen so she could clear the table and indulge in a little self-pity.

She had just settled with a cup of coffee when the phone rang. “Chanticleer, this is Cordelia,” she chirped into the handset. After a short pause, she heard an unfamiliar voice. “Hey, Cordelia – it’s Brooks.” He was obviously on a mobile phone. “Hi.” She waited. After a swish of static, he spoke. “I was at a location shoot kind of near the hotel, and I wondered if you’d like to go for coffee or something? I know it’s short notice …” His voice trailed off. Cordelia smiled. Things were looking up. “Yes,” she said simply. “Yes, coffee or yes, short notice?” he asked. “Both,” she replied. With a wry tone he said, “Cryptic much?” Cordelia laughed. “Sometimes. I just made coffee here. Come to the front and I’ll meet you, OK?” He agreed, and she hopped up to hang up the phone and peer into the toaster to make sure her hair was all right and there was no salad in her teeth.

Dawn curled her fingers around Sara’s chubby ankles and brought the bottoms of her daughter’s feet to rest against her face. Sara had fussed a bit after dinner, and then fallen fast asleep. Knowing that the familiar caress was unlikely to wake the baby, Dawn luxuriated in the feel of her child’s smooth skin. When, shortly after their wedding, Jase had asked about children, Dawn had tearfully confessed that she had no idea if she was even capable of reproduction, given her otherworldly origins. Jase had hugged her tightly and reassured her.

According to both her doctor and Spike’s sensitive nose, Dawn was 100% human. Still, it had taken her a couple of years to conceive. After months of negative tests, Dawn had been so excited to finally get a positive one she had peed on twenty little sticks before Jase had finally forced her to believe the results. The pregnancy had been uneventful, aside from some truly evil mood swings, and the day of Sara’s birth had been crazy, beginning with her water breaking all over Spike’s couch halfway through “Passions” and ending with tiny Sara making her squalling debut to a room filled with one husband, one sister, two vampires, a half-demon ex-cheerleader and assorted medical professionals.

Jase slid onto the bed next to his wife and daughter. He gently took one of Sara’s feet and kissed the sole. The baby twitched, and they both hastily let go of her, not wanting her to wake. A soft sound accompanied her descent back into slumber. Jase pulled Dawn to him, spooning her back against his front and wrapping her in his long arms. Her head rolled back onto his shoulder. “Have I said thank you lately?” she asked. He ran his lips over the curve of her ear and whispered, “For what?” Dawn shifted her brown hair out of the way and bared her neck to give questing lips better access. “For Sara. For you. For this.” He smiled against her neck. “You’re welcome. Wanna make her a sibling?” His whisper was low, seductive. She turned in his arms to gaze up into sparkling blue eyes. “Really?” He looked back at her steadily. “Really,” he whispered, just before their lips met.

Stroke.
Stroke.
Dab.

A finger slid down the arch of her foot.

Stroke.
Stroke.
Dab.

A gentle kiss brushed the end of a toe.

Stroke.
Stroke.
Dab.

The tickle of his tongue caused her to draw back, stopped by a stern look.

Stroke.
Stroke.
Dab.
Dab.
Dab.
Stroke.

Angel leaned back against his end of the Jacuzzi tub and closed the bottle tightly. He admired the fresh coat of Orbit Coral nail lacquer on the toenails of Buffy’s left foot, which rested flat on his chest. She giggled as he blew lightly across the shiny polish.

“Orion’s Belt. It holds up Orion’s Pants.” Xander pointed out the three bright stars. “Ursa Minor, the little bear. The Big Dipper, which is big, and dips.” He pointed out two more constellations. Spike’s hand flicked lazily across his field of vision, gesturing toward a formation of blinking lights. “LAX,” he noted in a smug voice. Xander grabbed the slender, pale hand and kissed it. “Very astute, Carl Sagan," he remarked, then turned the hand over to press a warm kiss into the palm, folding cool fingers over it.

The lovers were lying side by side on the roof of the hotel, sprawled out on a blanket, enjoying the warm California night. Xander reveled in the ordinariness of it all. Contentment, rightness and belonging washed over him and soothed any residual stress or irritation from the day’s mostly fruitless research. He raised the clasped hands from his chest and held them under his nose, breathing in Spike’s unique scent, flavored with the dried herbs the vampire had added to the pasta sauce for dinner. “Mmmmmm,” he muttered. “Smoke and rain. And oregano.” Spike laughed and pulled his hand away so he could roll up onto his side. He looked down into his lover’s eyes. “What’s that, pet?” he asked.

Xander crossed his hands behind his head and continued looking up, first at the stars, then into beautiful blue eyes, then back to the heavens. “That’s what you smell like; smoke and rain. The oregano’s from dinner.” Spike leaned in and inhaled. It wasn’t really necessary; he’d been drowning in the other man’s scent since the minute he’d dragged him across the threshold of the house in Sunnydale. However, an excuse to bury his nose in Xander’s warm neck was not to be passed up. “You’re cinnamon and sunshine,” he said. Xander made a happy noise. Spike laughed. “You’re an odd duck, Xan. You notice things that most humans don’t, like scent.” Xander nodded. “Well,” he said, “For me, scent is a big trigger. It’s true for everybody if you think about it. Everybody reacts to fresh baked bread or their Grandmother’s perfume. I notice everyone’s scents.” He paused, thinking. “It must be really intense for you, with the super nose.” Spike nodded. “Scent can tell you a lot. I can smell emotions and sickness – where you’ve been and what you’ve touched. It’s handy.” He paused. “Everyone has their own underlying smell – unique to only them.” Xander pondered for a moment. “OK, then, what is Willow’s scent?”

“That’s easy – she’s mostly rosemary, with a hint of something dark and heady.” Spike frowned. “It’s like the forest, down by the roots of the trees,” Xander supplied. Spike smiled. “You’re right, that’s exactly what it is – it’s old and deep and strong.” Xander smiled, “I always thought of it as the smell of her power. It’s fainter now.” They lay in silence for a few moments, and then Spike said, “How about Cordelia?” They spoke together. “Roses.” Spike added, “Probably the most expensive kind.” They laughed. Xander said, “Sara.” “Easy, mate, she’s baby powder and a dirty nappy.” Xander chuckled. “She just smells like a baby to me – they all have that … baby smell. It’s nice.”

It was Spike’s turn. “Buffy.” Xander thought about it. “She smells like vanilla and something else, something kind of sharp.” Spike told him, “It’s sandalwood.” Xander said, “Oz.” Spike smiled. “He’s different – I just smell the wolf on him, and that hippie stuff – patchouli. Smells kind of like feet.” Xander poked him in the side. “I’m *so* telling Oz you think he smells like feet. Your turn.” After a few minutes, Spike said, “Joyce.” They shared a sad smile for the woman they had both cared about, Xander as a surrogate mother and Spike as a friend. “Joyce was also vanilla, but with cloves and ginger – spicy,” Xander decided. Spike agreed. “What about Angel?” Xander asked. “I’ve never really gotten close enough to smell him.” Spike paused and thought about his grand-sire. His voice was slightly husky when he answered. “He’s Irish whiskey and blood to me.” Xander decided to lighten the moment. “I was sure you’d say hair gel and angst,” he snorted. “That, too,” Spike retorted. They laughed together and both relaxed onto their backs again.

“Hey, Spike?” Xander began. “Yes, luv?” Xander paused. “The other night, in the elevator, when you kissed Angel….” Spike interrupted with, “He kissed me, pet.” “Whatever,” Xander rejoined. “When you guys kissed, I licked some blood off his chin.” “Yeah, I saw that.” The huskiness was back in Spike’s voice. “I … shared it with Buffy … when I kissed her.” Xander continued, looking steadfastly at the stars. “Saw that, too,“ Spike said. “Was it yours or Angel’s?” Xander’s fingers brushed against a cool arm. Spike leaned into the touch. “Uh, both, pet.” Xander’s voice was also getting husky. “It tasted different than yours and mine did later that night.”

“His is … older, stronger.” Spike let his fingers rest against Xander’s warm hip. “Hmmmm.” Xander shifted toward Spike almost imperceptibly. “And I kissed Buffy, to let her taste it.” He paused. “That was the second time. The first time I kissed her because I wondered what it would be like.” Spike narrowed his eyes, but kept his voice even. “And what was it like?” He watched as Xander’s tongue stole out to moisten his lips, as if tasting the kiss again. “I was excited, because I’d always wanted to, but after I did, it seemed … unimportant. Kissing you is so much better.” Spike didn’t reply, but he let his body relax. He stiffened up again at Xander’s next question. “When Angel kissed you … does he do that a lot?” Spike barked a short, hard laugh. “No, pet. That’s the first time he’s kissed me in over a hundred years.”

Silence descended on them again. Xander took a deep breath. Spike knew another question was coming, but he decided that he liked talking to this man, even if the questions were a bit odd. “In the elevator, before we got out. You and Angel had a look thing going on, and you shook your head and we got out. What were you turning down?” Spike remained quiet for a moment, trying to decide how honestly to answer this latest query. Fuck it, he thought and just told the truth. “Vampire, slayer and human group grope, luv.” He smiled when Xander’s reply was a disinterested, “Huh. That’s what I thought. Maybe some other time.” The human laughed out loud when the grinning vampire rolled on top of him.

“God, I love the way your mind works.” Spike said, smiling madly down into snapping brown eyes. Xander feigned offense. “Hey, I’m not just a brain, you know – I have a hell of a body, too!” Spike answered him by kissing him with unhurried thoroughness, breaking away only when he heard Xander gasping for air. “Yes, luv – you have a gorgeous body and a wonderful mind, and a fantastic sense of smell and terrific taste in men,” Spike assured the panting human, who smiled at him. They lay there for long moments, simply looking at one another and smiling, exchanging soft touches.

Eventually, Xander noticed that something not so soft was touching his hip, and he pressed back against it with his own hardness. He thrust his hips up into Spike’s and was fascinated that he could actually see lust and heat bloom in the crystal blue eyes. He thrust harder, and watched Spike’s eyes start to cloud. Cool, he thought, I can’t believe that I can do this to him. He repeated the motion, and a moan was torn from the vampire’s lips. Spike lay perfectly still to let Xander do whatever he wanted. Xander’s hands came up and pressed flat against the sides of Spike’s head. He tilted his lover’s face, first to one side, and then the other, studying the play of moonlight across sharp cheekbones and sculpted lips. He traced the contours with the pads of his thumbs; callused flesh brushing smooth skin in delicious contrast.

Xander slid his fingers through Spike’s hair and cupped the back of his head to bring their lips together, starting with feathery brushing motions and tantalizing little licks along the contours of the vampire’s mouth. The warm tongue became more insistent, sliding into the cool mouth a little at a time, curling around Spike’s and encouraging it to join in the fun. As the kiss deepened, Spike was careful not to become dominant, wanting to let Xander explore at his own pace, determined to play passive as long as he could.

Xander’s hips mirrored the motion of his tongue, and their cocks brushed together maddeningly, through layers of denim and cotton. Spike’s hands came to rest on Xander’s arms, clutching at his broad biceps. Xander’s fingers dropped from Spike’s head to his chest, starting to unbutton his shirt with slow, precise motions. As each bit of pale flesh was uncovered, hot fingers danced across it, painting over the dips and swells, stopping to rub responsive tissue into hardness, earning stifled groans. Slipping the last button through its hole, Xander peeled the shirt away from Spike’s shoulders and took it off, carelessly tossing it aside. He kissed the vampire lightly and placed his hands flat on the pale chest and pushed until Spike took his own weight on his hands, which were braced on either side of Xander’s arms.

Their hips were still cradled together, but the length of Spike’s arms separated their upper bodies. Xander brought his hands between them and ran his fingers slowly over the contours of taut muscles that were beautifully flexed and defined. Spike tipped his head back and lost himself in the sensation. Xander’s fingers were hot, blazing fiery trails over his skin everywhere they touched. One hand traced a long line from his wrist to his elbow, stopping to scratch circles on the sensitive inner fold before continuing up over the bulge of his bicep. It stroked across his shoulder, and then slipped into the hollow over his collarbone. The other hand rested flat against his ribcage, the fingers lightly massaging his back, the thumb teasing the hollow between two ribs. Spike groaned when soft, wet lips replaced the fingers on his collarbone, and Xander sucked hard against the skin there. He threw his head back even further and turned it to the side, opening himself up to his lover submissively.

Xander took the invitation, moving his mouth to Spike’s long, pale neck, kissing up its length, drawing intricate patterns with the tip of his tongue. Finding the spot he wanted, just over the jugular, he bit down softly. Spike hissed in pleasure and arched his back, pressing his groin against Xander, who was momentarily shocked to realize that he could feel the vampire’s cock twitch against him through both pairs of their jeans. Xander released the flesh from his teeth and licked the slight mark he’d left. Spike shuddered and relaxed against him, still bearing the brunt of his weight on his arms. As soon as he felt the vampire sag against him, Xander bit the same spot again, harder this time, skirting the edge of the amount of force it would take to break the skin. Spike howled, pressing himself fully against his lover. Again Xander released him and looked at the mark; it was an angry red, and he could see the small indentation left by each of his teeth.

He raised his eyes to look at Spike’s face. He stared up into the yellow eyes of the demon. Xander raised a hand to trace the ridges that decorated Spike’s game face, drawing his fingers down them slowly. The vampire’s eyes rolled back at the caress. Tentatively, Xander traced Spike’s lips, stopping at one fang to lightly run his finger over it. Spike’s tongue flicked out to lick at his finger. Bolder now, Xander ran his fingernail down the smooth surface of the fang, and Spike groaned. The questing finger moved to the other fang and gave it the same treatment. As Xander’s eyes flicked down to the mark on the vampire’s neck, Spike finally spoke. “Finish it,” he hissed. Xander knew what he was asking for. He took a deep breath, then grabbed the neck of his own t-shirt and ripped it down the front. “Together,” he said, then bent his head to Spike’s neck and bit down as hard as he could.

Just as he felt the cool flesh part under his teeth, Xander felt Spike rear back slightly and then plunge his fangs into the spot where the human’s shoulder and neck met. Sensations poured over him. He felt the shock of the vampire’s skin parting, which was immediately washed away by the taste and feel of blood in his mouth. Unthinking, he drew and swallowed a mouthful, tasting copper and electricity. Xander could smell the blood, sharp and sweet, familiar and ancient. He could feel the exquisite pain of Spike’s fangs in his shoulder, his head spun from the sensation as his blood was pulled into the vampire’s mouth. At the same time, his cock was throbbing, sending him into the longest and most intense orgasm of his life.

At the whispered word “together”, Spike had pulled back, not daring to believe the offer being made. As soon as the human’s blunt teeth had broken his skin, the demon had taken over. Exercising a small amount of control, Spike had managed to not tear his lover’s throat out, and had even been able to keep himself to a spot that they’d have a chance of hiding later. The pain of the teeth in his own throat, combined with the taste of Xander’s blood sent him over the edge, into the orgasm that had been building, and he came hard, snuffling and groaning around the mouthful of flesh. Xander’s taste and scent surrounded him and he sucked it into his mouth, wanting Xander around him and inside him. After one last mouthful, he reluctantly pulled himself away, retracting his fangs and licking tenderly at the wound until it closed; he then buried his face in the crook of his lover’s neck.

They held each other tightly, bodies fully pressed together until they stopped panting. Xander’s hands began circling on Spike’s bare back, tracing soothing patterns there. The vampire levered himself back up onto his hands and started down into languid brown eyes. They shared a slow smile. Warm fingers came up to caress Spike’s face, back to normal now. Leaning into the contact, the vampire smiled again. “That was …,“ he started, and trailed off. “Yes, it was.” Xander rejoined, also smiling. They shared a soft, lingering kiss. Xander’s fingers came up to trace the wound on his shoulder. “Will this scar, like Buffy’s?” he asked. Spike gave him a small smile. “No, pet. It should heal fine. Between my spit and the blood you took, it’ll be gone in a couple of days. Besides, Buffy’s isn’t just a bite scar – it’s a claim mark. It was meant to scar.”

Xander rubbed the bite mark and frowned a little, and then shifted his hips, grimacing at the feel of drying stickiness. “We need a shower,” he said. Spike nodded his agreement and gracefully got to his feet. Reaching down, he pulled his lover up beside him and kissed him lightly on the lips. Xander bent back down to grab the blanket and Spike’s discarded shirt, and the two men each wrapped an arm around the other and walked slowly to the stairs.

Cordelia was waiting. She was patiently waiting for Brooks to move his hand two inches to the left and take her hand. They were sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee. Before he arrived, she had turned off the harsh overhead lights and lit an oil lamp on the table. It threw a small circle of soft light and cast the rest of the room into shadow. Over the course of their conversation, she and the dark-haired man had each taken a couple of opportunities to move their chairs closer together so that their knees almost touched. Cordelia was starting to get frustrated. My God, she thought, this is Los Angeles. I usually have to use all of my skills to get men in this town to stop touching me, not to start.

Brooks moved his hand one inch to the left. Cordelia smiled at him and ground her molars at the same time. They had talked about his job and her job and the sparring match and the weather and the entertainment industry and a million trivial things. Pretty much everything except vampires, Slayers, werewolves, witches and half-demon aspiring actresses. Brooks lifted his hand and placed it on top of Cordelia’s, curling his warm fingers over to touch her palm. She looked down at their clasped hands and inwardly yelled, “Score!” Their hands clutched together tightly as they heard something heavy hit the door that led into the hotel lobby.

The door flew open, and two bodies stumbled through. The taller figure grabbed the shorter one by the shoulders and pinned him against the wall just inside the door. Cordelia and Brooks both stared openmouthed at the spectacle of Xander Harris, wearing sweatpants and a tee shirt, barefoot and with shower-damp hair, holding his similarly-clad vampire lover three inches off the floor and kissing him soundly while grinding his hips against him in an unmistakable rhythm. Breaking the kiss, Spike looked over Xander’s shoulder into the two shocked faces.

“Er, Xan,” he said to the oblivious human, who was kissing and biting his neck. “What, baby?” Xander moaned. “Um … audience, luv,” the vampire answered. “Oh, fuck,” the human replied, and lightly banged his head into the wall over Spike’s shoulder. “Please, God, let it *not* be Angel,” he begged, thumping the wall with his forehead again. “No, not Angel.” Spike told him. “Oh, good. So, who is it?” Xander asked, still not daring to look. “The May Queen and your Kung Fu friend.” Spike craned his neck over his lover’s shoulder and looked at the clasped hands of the couple at the table. “They look kind of cozy.” Brooks snorted. “Look who’s talking,” he said.

Xander stepped back and let Spike slide down the wall until his feet touched the floor. He gave Spike a quick peck on the lips then turned to the table. He pulled a chair out and turned it around backward; hoping that by straddling it the tented front of his sweatpants would be less obvious. He rested his chin on the top of the chair and smiled at his friends. “Hi, Brooks,” he said, in a casual voice. The dark man replied, “Hello, Xander,” in an equally casual tone. Spike and Cordelia exchanged a look and burst out laughing, quickly joined by the two men.

Once they finally quit laughing, they all settled at the table, wiping their eyes. Cordelia levered herself out of her chair and went to refill her coffee cup. “Xander, do you want any coffee?” she asked. “Hell, yeah,” he replied. “Got any cookies? I’m starving.” He looked at Spike, who glanced over his shoulder at Cordelia and said, “I’ll take a mug of the good stuff, if you don’t mind, Cordy. Thanks, luv.” Xander’s eyes grew wide when he realized what Spike was asking for. Spike gave him a smug look. “’S alright, pet. Your buddy knows what’s what around here. He guessed about Angel the other night and Cordelia set him straight about the rest of us.” Xander closed his mouth with a snap and regained his composure. Looking at Brooks, he asked, “What gave Angel away?” Brooks smiled. “That guy never breathes.”

Xander spluttered, “I *told* him to breathe, dammit. Didn’t I, Spike?” The vampire murmured that indeed Angel had been instructed to breathe, but what did Xander expect from the stubborn ponce? Cordelia returned to the table with coffee and cookies for Xander and a mug of warmed blood for Spike. While they ate, Brooks regaled the group with the story of all of the warnings Xander had given him when he’d decided to move out to Los Angeles. “He told me to keep an open mind, and not to be too quick to discount the impossible. He also gave me a stake,” Brooks told them. “I hadn’t been out here a week when I found out he wasn’t as crazy as I thought. I was walking home one night from a club, when I got jumped by a guy.” Spike broke in, “Let me guess – one of those bumpy-forehead, pointy-toothed guys?” Brooks laughed. “Exactly that kind of guy. Luckily, I was carrying Xan’s stake, and the guy was slow as hell. I don’t think he expected me to fight back. Still, it took me two tries – I missed his heart the first time. I think that just pissed him off. My aim was better on the second try, and he went ‘poof’.”

They chatted about the demon population of the greater L.A. area and ate cookies and drank coffee until Xander finally caught Cordelia’s look – the one that was desperately trying to tell him to take his vampire and *go away*. Spike and Xander excused themselves and slipped back out the same door by which they had entered the kitchen; though their exit was much quieter than their entrance. Once they were alone again, Cordelia placed her hand lightly over Brooks’. “Is this where we were?” she asked with a smile. He smiled back, and then leaned in and brushed his lips softly over hers. “I thought we’d better move on over to this part before someone else comes tumbling in here,” he whispered, and kissed her lightly. Cordelia traced her tongue along his lower lip invitingly, and said “Excellent idea,” just before his mouth claimed hers.