A Wooded Future

by
Josie_H

Part Four

Spike held his friend protectively until dawn, but as the sun began her rise in the sky, the creature of the night attempted to shuffle sideways, even though his own injured behind meant the exercise was both awkward and painful. He wasn’t even sure the shade would be enough for the day, but figured he had bought himself a few hours at least before sunlight caused problems. More worrying was the possible discovery by humans as they were now in a south facing wedge created by two enormous roots and fully visible to any visiting the cemetery.

Spike wondered if the nymph’s recuperative abilities were as speedy as his own, and contemplated the prospect of literally digging in for cover, then remembered that it was almost twenty four hours since he had eaten, that he had been lending his energies to his savagely scored friend for almost six, and that he was utterly exhausted physically and emotionally. So he simply tucked the old duster more securely around his friend, rested his head back on the gnarled old bark of Xander’s beloved tree and drifted off to sleep as morning broke.

But the dear tree did not forget her own so easily. Some time during the day Spike had vaguely remembered reclining further as the surface under him become softer. He relaxed as the body he held pushed around a little to blanket him. The vampire slept and the nymph healed.

Spike woke in a slight state of panic, he knew instinctively that it was late afternoon.

Logic told him that he should be on fire, but instead, struggled to comprehend where he was or why.

It was almost black but Spike felt safe. It was quiet and smelt of… earth. Not the sour earth of burial but the living sweet earth that sustains all its creatures in some way. Preternatural eyes made out that they were in some sort of cave – but one that had sawdust cushioning the floor. He shifted a little and the move disturbed his charge. Sleepy brown eyes framed by long green fronds blinked up at him as the nymph whispered a loving, “Thank you… Mother thanks you… safe now… all safe…”

Spike knew it was true. The tree had enveloped them both protecting them from prying humans and the deadly sun. He dripped a little more of his own blood onto the slowly knitting wounds of his friend, then relaxed back to sleep away the afternoon and try to heal himself.







Spike woke warm and covered by a strong male form, as his internal demon clock registered the coming sunset. He took in his surroundings a little – the vaulted cave structure, the smooth walls and the lovely male in his arms. He ran feather light touches over the raised scars on his lovely friend’s back, relieved to feel that they were no longer oozing sap. It was sadly obvious that there would be some sort of permanent scar on the previously unmarked back.

Xander shifted a little flipping up the soft bark flap that had previously covered his nether regions and leaving the semi-hard member of the nymph resting slightly to the side of the denim clad member of the vampire’s. Spike stilled as the figure over him undulated a little and ground down in the midst of an obviously lovely dream. Spike smiled as an odd thought occurred, perhaps ‘Morning wood’ was not a term invented by humans after all.

As his own arousal began to rise, the vampire swiftly adjusted their position easing his charge to the side and shaking him gently. “Harris…. Harris?? C’mon… wakey, wakey?! Need you to help us out of here pet… C’mon luv… Open those pretty eyes…”

Xander woke to concerned blue eyes and lifted a leaf encircled hand to stroke his dear savior. His back still smarted, but he felt the presence of his tree surrounding them and relaxed.

“C’mon Pet – need to move from here and figure you’re the only one who can do that… Not that I don’t appreciated your dear lady givin’ us a hand and all. Right neighborly of her I figure.”

Xander sat up slowly, wincing as the act tugged at newly knitted and still tender tissue. The nymph leaned over to a section of wall with a single line of moss running down the wall of their enclosure and stroked the greenery gently. The result was a shudder that had Spike scanning the room with worry, before a near perfect triangular opening simply… appeared.

Xander stepped out first – lending his hand to Spike and tugging the vampire from their temporary home. The nymph then ignored the vampire for a moment and hugged the base of the tree before turning to the vampire.

In a move that was both preternaturally fast and surprising, Xander kissed his rescuer hard and passionately on the lips, whispered “Thank you” then launched himself up his tree.

Spike was still reeling from the act as he tried to track the path of his changed friend. He finally spotted the perfectly camouflaged figure, only by his green ankle adornments shivering, as he stood on one of the highest branches and hugged the central trunk before gradually making his way down, meticulously checking every branch and attending to the needs of his charge.

Spike grinned as two rather cheeky squirrels chattered enthusiastically to the nymph as he descended past their abode, but sobered as he observed his friend arriving at the place of his torture.

The tree bore identical scars to that of her nymph. Her's were still raw and the boy flinched as he touched the damaged bark. Spike watched as Xander began to lovingly lave the heart shaped cut, flinching with the tug on his own scars as he bent to lick the point of the heart and made his way up the ugly wound.

Despite his own injuries and lack of feeding, Spike was almost instantly at the side of his lovely changed friend with open wrist dripping precious Master Vampire blood into the deep cuts in the tree.

Xander looked up in wonder after three potent drips of coppery flavored crimson fluid ran over his tongue as he applied his own healing saliva to the injury.

Unlike the same act when the vampire had assisted his dear friend, both Spike and Xander saw the sparkle of magic as nymph saliva and vampire blood combined and the tree’s bark knitted almost immediately. Xander spun to kiss his vampire friend again in joy as his mistress healed. As miraculous as the restoration of the tree was, neither expected the rumbled message that seemed to speak through their feet where they connected to the soil, as the Earth herself woke to acknowledge the act.

“We thank you, Dark One. Your unselfish act in saving two of our own – two who are so linked – is noted. Your generosity and noble nature is noted as unique as is your friendship with our dear child of the forest. You are welcome in the realm of the protectors, the fae, vampire. You will always be welcome.”

Spike’s wrist was still dripping blood slowly onto the tree as Xander tugged it gently and pulled the bleeding limb to his cool mouth. He licked it closed then apparently effortlessly lifted his friend with him as he ascended high into his tree.

Before he registered exactly what was going on, Spike found himself straddling the thickest part of the third top most branch of the ancient living entity, his fae friend spooning him from behind.

Spike’s eyes went wide as he spied creatures that were rarely if ever spied by either human or demon community members. Even when seen the faeries and nymphs were generally written off as a trick of the light, mistaken for a strange reflection in a droplet of water, or viewed as some late night antics of a moth or night flyer.

Xander hugged his friend close as the vampire gasped unneeded breaths as he spied three mischievous faeries playing hide and go seek with a family of young field mice; watched three glowing green figures tuck a rather adventurous fledgling owl back into his nest high in the old oak opposite; and observed a very pretty blue water nymph raise herself onto a large granite rock in the middle of the cemetery’s water feature and begin preening her hair using the glassy surface of the pond as mirror and her own fingers as a comb.

Spike turned to Xander with a wicked grin, despite the twinge of pain in his still wounded buttock, “She’s a bit of alright mate… Should get yourself a decent lily pad and make a …”

The vampire was not allowed to finish the sentence as the wood nymph shook his head in protest then took his friend’s mouth possessively.

Spike felt himself overbalance and began to fall. He panicked slightly but strong arms surrounded him and the kiss continued as the tree arrested the descent of her beloved nymph and his chosen. As she eased them onto one of her lower broad branches, Spike broke the kiss.

He caressed the smooth pale green skin in wonder. “Don’t wanna start somethin’ you don’t want pet… You sure? Cause gotta say… you ‘n me… never really a thing before… but that…”

Xander’s finger staid his diatribe and he simply whispered, “This isn’t before.”

“No it’s not luv… no it’s not… so…”

Before the rest of the thought could be completed, Dawn’s voice penetrated the night and they both spotted the former Key moving swiftly toward Spike’s crypt.

“Spike?? Spike!! Come on Spike… please be there!!... Where are you Spike?... Oh Please…”

Xander untangled their hug and squeezed Spike’s hand affectionately, while mouthing, “Tomorrow?”

“Too right, Luv… splinters or none I’m here.” Then the vampire was off in the direction of the girl.

Part Five

Dawn was pacing around his unoccupied crypt, torch in hand, by the time Spike caught up with her. He had been surprised by the spiraling level of fatigue and pain he felt the instant he left Xander and Mother Tree. By the time he reached the crypt he was very near collapse.

He leaned heavily on the metal door, took a moment to wince in pain before calling to the girl inside with the hope of avoiding a stake in the chest (if his training of her had been effective!).

“Oi… Bit… Lookin’ for me?”

Dawn was the epitome of annoyance when she heard the familiar voice. She dropped the box of bagged, out of date human blood she had purchased from the hospital on the ground in order to place hands on her hips and round on the person she saw more as ‘big brother’ than friend.

“You!!! You meanie!! Where the Hecketty have you…?” She was about to move forward to give him an affectionate slap but stopped in her tracks as Spike inhaled an unnecessary breath and tried to answer. “Oh G#$... Spike!!!”

Her own irritation was forgotten as the vampire’s legs gave out and he dropped in a dead faint, hitting his head with an unhealthy crunch against the corner of a concrete sarcophagus as he fell.

Mere seconds later Dawn had the gravely ill vampire in her lap, gently squeezing blood into his mouth, stroking his neck to encourage him to swallow and examining him for the cause of collapse. When she had left blood for him a couple of evenings ago, he had been on the improve, now he looked… drained.

He had not eaten the previous supply she had brought for him – that was obvious, but the near translucent skin, sunken cheeks and dark rings around his eyes suggested that he had given away much of his internal supply to someone.

All she could find was a deeply wounded wrist with a bite mark that reflected Spike’s own current dental pattern (one fang missing an unmistakable feature!) But none of it made sense.

If he had turned someone, he would be flush with new blood; if he had been in another fight, there would be more evidence of new injuries; and if he’d been helping demons, there would be no need to donate blood. It was also unlikely that he would give blood to any but ‘his own’ (the Scoobies) even in a crisis! So Dawn worried. Feeding had brought on his game face and it was clear that the missing fang had not even begun to regenerate.

The figure in her arms moaned a little and she ventured a concerned hand down his side to where she knew the worst of the injuries from the fight nearly a week ago had occurred. She was horrified to feel his jeans looser than normal and that she could still feel a large indentation where flesh should have been. She pulled away her fingers as his body silently arched away from the pain of her touch even in his unconscious state.

Dawn ceased the exploration in preference to adjusting his position so his injured buttock was off the floor and head was in her lap. She then tugged the box of blood toward her and began to feed him bag after bag of the healing elixir.

Somewhere around bag seven, her charge sighed a little and rolled further so his face was against her torso and pale hand gently rested on the lower part of her left arm. She distinctly heard a mumbled “Sorry Pet”, before her vampire was again unconscious.

Dawn eventually dragged Spike to the old mattress he had shoved into a corner of his crypt, safe from the sun. She fed him one more bag of blood then tucked as many blankets and old clothes around the vampire as she could find, adding her own sweater to the pile as an after thought. She thought for a moment before crawling in to spoon Spike with her fully clothed form – it was far too late to go wandering home through a cemetery of the Hellmouth anyway. She left a brief text message for Buffy to indicate she was “Zzing at Ss Fone on”

She knew Spike did not have body heat, but even after she departed as the morning sun peeped over the horizon, she hoped that the nest of covers might hold the warmth for a time while he healed.







Xander snuggled into his position under the bark and communed with his tree for the day, still buzzing with the earth’s energy. His marked tissue and that of his dear tree healed together and they both silently thanked the wonderful creature who had given his blood so willingly that they might be well.

Xander had hoped to see his lovely rescuer the following night, as Spike had promised, however had emerged from his daytime resting place and tended his tree for several hours with no sign of his friend.

He sat high in the tree in the early hours grinning at the antics of the three rather naughty faeries who resided in the huge camellia bush nearest his tree. Their giggles were infectious as they taunted each other and their fellow creatures with endless harmless games and practical jokes, but by the end of the night, even their good spirits could not cheer Xander. He watched and waited, and waited and watched.

By the time his mother tree enveloped him again for the day, he was more than ready to be comforted. His friend had not come.

Mid morning she felt his still conscious form sigh sadly when he should have been sleeping, and worried for her nymph. Her bark pulled him a little closer than normal, and the feeding frond returned to comfort rather than nourish as she squeezed a little of her own sap deep into his system. He suckled and finally slept.

The following night was the same, though even the light fall of rain so sorely needed at this time of year failed to lift Xander’s mood. His green tresses hung limp despite the infusion of life giving fluid and he huddled chin on his knees in the softest spot he could find amongst his mother’s roots. She allowed a slight wind that came with the rain to push the leaves of her lower branches and caressed her sad boy. He was so young and caring, but with her age came immense patience, a virtue she knew he too would learn in time.

The tree felt the dark being’s energy still present in the cemetery, though worried a little that it was very weak. She would have conveyed the knowledge but Xander was too busy contemplating all the things that might have gone wrong to prevent his new friend from visiting yet again. Xander worried that he had been too forward and caused the vampire to have second thoughts regards their friendship; or that the mostly human female who called for him, had meant him no good; or that some other demon had taken exception to the vampire’s acceptance into the fae family and hurt him.

As a second amber tear dripped and Xander’s thoughts turned even darker, his tree welcomed a rather damp and bedraggled little male faerie as the lad sought refuge from the rain under the shelter of her canopy. The pretty boy fluttered awkwardly around the fork of the first large branch for a time, pleased to note there were many dry patches where he might rest and preen his rather soggy wings. As he wrapped his sodden appendages around his tiny form and shivered a little, contemplating a day with the tree, a soft keening below him drew his attention.

He recognized the sobbing nymph as the tree’s newly chosen (and rather pretty) protector and worried. He, like all the fae in the area, had felt the unusual energies flowing two nights previous, and heard Mother Earth accepting a dark one into their realm, and (due to a rather silly game of hide and seek with faerie Lily and a rather enraged ghost moth) had spied the now upset nymph below and the strange dark one kissing a few nights previous! They looked so lovely together… so happy! What could possibly be wrong?

Harry took matters into his own hands, and standing on the broad branch, much as a pint sized Peter Pan might with hands on his hips and a look of resolve, he shook his wings as hard as his little form could manage. A mist of tiny droplets marked his wings ready for flight and he launched his pretty silver blue form from the mother tree, alighting on his large fae cousin’s shoulder mere seconds later.

Xander registered the light touch on his shoulder and waft of cinnamon scent before a tiny voice began to whisper in his ear… “Is this about your pretty dark friend?”

Xander uncurled a little and looked at the perfectly formed, blue male figure mere inches from his nose and gave a rather weak nod. Harry folded his arms in a rather flimsy attempt at further bravado in the presence of his much larger fae cousin. His tough attitude diminished however as wings began to beat gently, obviously ready for flight should he be literally ‘brushed off’. But no such thing occurred as Xander lifted a leaf encircled hand and carressed the little creature’s torso with gentle fingers and breathed a “Thanks”.

The act was soothing and the nymph smiled as the little faerie relaxed, obviously enjoying the loving touch of his cousin of the wood. A sparkle of green and blue intertwined as the two made contact, and then it was gone.

The moment past, Harry was back to the task at hand.

“Right … well since I’ve got the wings and you’re stuck here… how about I go look… can’t take long if he’s around can it!”

With no more adieu, the swift silvery blue figure departed only to return a matter of minutes later.

The little faerie looked rather distressed, and Xander felt as though cold rocks had suddenly taken up residence in his stomach. “He is in pain Cousin… I think he needs our help.”

Part Six

This one is dedicated to petxnd with thanks for her lovely manip

Xander turned away from his helpful friend, falling against his lovely maker. He hugged her broad moss covered base in preference, first for reassurance then simply for comfort. The lovely one who had helped them both when they were carved so savagely was in trouble. He seemed so strong so… why was he hurting so desperately that he could not move to visit?!

Harry took exception to being ‘blanked’, and moved to hover right beside one of Xander’s pointed ears. He used a closed tiny fist and smacked the tip with all his might.

When Xander turned in surprise, his little silver-blue friend was waiting at eye level, “Oi!!! I just flew half way across this cemetery for you! Least you can do is a ‘thanks’ and ‘gee what do you think we should do brave Harry!!!’”

Over his days since his first emerging from his tree, Xander had come to terms with the idea that he would never have more voice than the sound of a breeze rustling through leaves, but also knew that this was not a problem for his brothers and sisters of the fae. Harry’s voice was youthfully strong and resonant to those of the realm, but would have sounded like the twitter of a small robin were a human or ‘unwelcome other’ to hear it. A fine example was now, as Xander’s sensitive hearing clearly heard Harry’s reprimand as that of a very annoyed, older cousin.

Harry was getting more and more agitated with the inaction of the nymph, but held his temper (just) and tried to remind himself that wood nymphs were always a bit inclined to do their ‘tree thing’ if really upset. But faeries…?! Harry really did enjoy his faerie status… when it came to action or a bit of a fight (on a skirmish level of course), faeries were always in the thick of it.

Finally Xander turned around completely and leaned against the mother tree, taking strength from her moss covered bark. He held up a rather shaky, leaf encircled hand and Harry landed elegantly to wait while the nymph found his rarely used voice. “Thank you… cousin. But… How can I help if it’s so far away ?! I can’t leave her! I…”

Harry suddenly realized the problem. This one was so young, not even two weeks from emerging. The boy would never have ventured from his tree yet, probably didn’t even know he could! The faerie’s annoyance dissipated immediately and he signaled for Xander to take a seat at the foot of his tree. He then found himself a perch on the nymph’s pale knee. He folded his own wings and wriggled a little to get comfortable before beginning a patient lecture.

“You may belong to her for all time, dear cousin, but she freed you from her folds for a reason. Even so very young, you have already bravely borne her pain and found her a truly unique ally – the dark one from your before who straddles human, demon and now fae realms with ease, and is a champion in all. But then, I don’t doubt that she knew you would prove your worth. She had waited so long to embrace you, her rightful one.

“You came here often before accepting your new form, cousin. I saw you… a warrior at the side of the Slayer… Then finally you came alone with the amber pendant around your neck…!” Harry went rather starry eyed at that point then added, “All creatures of our realm rejoiced as she took you as her Hamadryad… but when your champion proved himself too then was accepted by the Earth mother too?! Well… it has been so long… But it’s no wonder...” Harry sighed, “You are both so pretty.”

Xander’s eyes flew wide as several flashes from his vague memories of ‘the before’ strung together: Dark beings and magic; sad family, happy friends and… fighting; duster, Docs and Spike; the former dark one… Anyanka…; and the six month anniversary present - a smooth chunk of amber on plain narrow strip of black leather; then it all blurred and … tree… tree… [sigh] … tree.

“Oi, you big oaf!” Harry’s wings caught the air mid tilt as Xander moved his legs with the memory and he regained his composure.

Harry had tipped off Xander’s knee and resumed his hover as his young friend attempted to integrate the information with his own thoughts now and a little of his memories of ‘before’ with other more pressing matters. “So it was the amber? That’s the only reason… I was…? But I thought… she didn’t want me?!” Xander’s slow blink allowed the tears he was trying so hard to hold back, spread across the long green lashes to lie like morning dew, before dissipating in a mist as he tried to blink them away.

Harry caught up with his young friend’s vulnerable thinking, “No wood for brains!!! It was her amber, the amber of your line! Her Hamadryad, Her wood nymph… It’s made of the same sap as now runs through you. And that she chose you (and she did choose you) meant that she had to get it to you, and then for you to accept it – and sometimes the how and when, with that sort of thing is incredibly tricky. And even after that… you still had to accept her. But finally, you must have answered her call. She would have known, but also known that she needed still to be patient.”

“What call? All I remember is putting the stone on. It did this sort of glowy thing for a second but…”

“… you thought it was a trick of the light or some little happiness spell for the occasion. And I’ll bet you said, ‘Thanks, I love it’, then you would have said ‘I love you’. Don’t you see??!! That’s when she, your maker would have known! After that, she had to wait for you, her chosen, you had to come to her. And she has been waiting for so long. Her last chosen was taken by a vampire before he even had the chance to be embraced by her… but now she has you.”

Xander thought hard to try to access his memories of ‘the before’. Harry was right, he had said those things, though at the time he seemed to recall saying them to someone else, but that couldn’t be, since his next clear memories were of being in her loving embrace.

Xander gave the little faerie a rather teary nod before he stood, turned, and hugged his tree again, conveying his gratitude and adoration. It may not have been his choice to be a nymph, rather, it seemed it must have been his destiny, and one he was now truly thankful for.

Integrating all the old memories with new fae information, Xander finally turned back to Harry looking (once again) very distressed as his train of thought returned to the original reason for the conversation, “But… our lovely savior, what of him? I still can’t help if I am fixed within her confines.”

“I was getting to that! And just for the record – you are years off the planting thing and yeah… you’ll learn about that in time, this time is yours to use!” Harry rolled his eyes, “Listen, when you’re new, you need the Mother Tree. You’ll mature and she will need you more and more - you know? For the things she can’t do - like move swiftly to get help, or stop someone doing her harm.

“She needs you to tend some of the little creatures she feeds and protects, and to care for and heal her wounds. And for sure, you can go wherever you like, for as long as you like, once you’re weaned completely – and that usually only takes a few years… See you bed down for a full on suckle all night, every night so far, am I right?!”

The last statement was said with such a cheeky grin that Xander’s pale skin flushed a pretty green for a moment, and Harry saw the nymph’s hand reach out to caress the moss covered trunk once more as he whispered, “Yes, but I…”

“Oh, don’t get your twigs in a twist!! Everyone needs feeding, most of your lot never give it away completely, and you? Dear boy you are so young! C’mon! Of course you need her every night!! But eventually you’ll be able to fend for yourself – even bask in the sun once you sort your magic properly.”

Xander’s eyes went wide as he imagined the warmth he felt each day through the bark of his protector, actually including the life giving light as it directly shone onto his own soft pale coverings, and on his leaves… He let out a sigh of anticipation.

“Anyways, having said all that, you can never leave her. You do know that, right? You will be prepared for ‘the turn’ over time… most love it! But seriously, that’s decades away.”

Xander didn’t understand the last ‘turn’ reference but nodded vigorously, “Wouldn’t ever… Couldn’t!! Love her… Love her so much!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. So for now…” Harry took flew down, took a fist full of Xander’s wrist leaves and tugged as he flew skyward and vaguely in the direction of Spike’s crypt. Xander had no choice but to follow, “That’s it… finally! Now keep walking and listen. I’ll keep you safe and lead you to your dark friend, you fix him, and we can be back to your tree by sunup. It’s all good.”

Harry’s broad grin and obvious confidence in the plan had the young nymph rather mindlessly following the faerie until they were both well away from the Mother Tree.

It was only when Harry insisted they scramble through a number of quite dark thickets and skirt the small lake Xander had spied from his tree that he realized just how far they had come.

He was about to panic as he looked back and realised he could only just see her upper canopy, when he literally bumped into Harry. He would have complained, but a tiny hand signaled him to be utterly silent and simply look.

A line of five crypts stood opposite them, separated by only a small expanse of lawn.

“He’s in the first on our right… Well? Go on!” But it really was too late, Xander entered panic mode at the prospect of going across more open lawn, taking him even further from his tree, and seemed to be rooted to the spot. She wasn't there and he was facing something and somewhere unknown, something from his 'before' realm and he couldn’t help it. He began to shake then became totally still. By the time Harry realized what was happening and looked down, the nymph’s feet had begun to dig themselves in, the long nails and toes literally trying to anchor Xander to the Earth.

“Oh no you don’t! Spoiled my fun enough for one night! Here we go…”

With that Harry flew in, grabbed one of the nymph’s long green tresses pulling two lines of leaves out painfully. The young Xander finally broke from his attempt to make roots as the fronds of leaves Harry currently held were beginning to hurt too. Harry’s harsh words, the stress of the evening and his own buried feet predicament found him struggling to move and do as instructed. Eventually Harry literally tugged the terrified nymph toward the crypt.

His feet were still heavy and covered in sodden soil but he tried to speed across the open area and toward their destination, the consequence being a rather inelegant stumble just before the pushing aside the hefty door.

It would have been embarrassing but the being inside (Xander and the Mother Tree’s rescuer) was incapable of noticing.

Spike was facing away from the entrance, curled in a ball on a tattered old sofa, rocking himself and keening quietly. Xander immediately forgot all his fear and raced to his friend’s side. He gently lifted the stricken figure’s head and shoulders and eased himself onto the couch so the blonde dark one’s head was in his bark covered lap.

Harry flew to the cool box on the ground next to the sofa, managed to leaver the lid up but only managed to frustrate himself trying to lift a bag until Xander looked down to see what all the swearing was about. Xander smiled gratefully at the scowling blue figure

Harry took the opportunity to depart for a few minutes – he knew better than to leave such a young one alone for long but really did need to catch up with one of the water nymphs he’d seen playing as they scooted around the tiny lake. Five minutes couldn’t hurt!







Spike woke to a cool hand stroking his hair and his head on a surprisingly soft but muscular lap.

His head still hurt terribly but the pain wasn’t just there – it seemed to radiate outward from some central point. Instinctively he knew, he had been injured many times before, but something about saving the tree and her nymph had pushed his system to the limit. It was as though he had some sort of serious virus. Were it not for Dawn’s caring efforts he would have dusted. The odd part was that even the human blood she brought didn’t quite seem enough to cure the malaise.

Xander’s soft mane of green tresses fell lightly against the alabaster skin of the vampire as he took one of the bags Harry had revealed, punctured it with his nail then continued to stroke the blonde hair and smile down at the vampire, now in game face as he fed. Three bags on and the nymph sensed something more was needed. Without thinking he firmed his mud covered feet against the dirt floor and appealed to Gaia herself to provide his treasured friend with energy.

Still operating totally on instinct Xander pulled Spike up to his chest – mouth level with his knot hole like nipple. The nymph then watched amazed as a feeding frond literally burst from the bud on his chest and push into the vampire’s mouth. He relaxed as he felt the vampire latch on and allow the sweet sap to pulse in and mix with the blood in the other's system, gradually restoring Spike's balance.

For one so young, the nymph’s act was extraordinary… and resulted in both giver and receiver falling into a deep, exhausted sleep, Xander reclining and Spike draped over him. The vampire was in human face again with his tongue still licking ever so occasionally over the now retracted nipple that had so recently fed him.

And that was how Harry found them nearly an hour later. “Oh dear... What have you done now?!!”

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