These Days
by Kaz

Los Angeles: 2004

Dark street, big bad city. Two figures walked past refuse piled so high against walls that it tumbles down and creeps towards the centre of the alley, as though it were attempting to join its friends on the other side.

Gunn sniffed. "Geez, this place smells almost as bad as mine."

His companion, moving silently beside him drawled, "I thought you were talking about you, not your digs."

"Oh veery funny. That what they call graveyard humor?"

"No," Angel paused in the shadows, his attention focused on a derelict warehouse. "It what they call telling someone they should shower more often." 

The blast knocked them both into the air and about six feet back. Flames shot out, up and anywhere else they felt like. Gunn lay gasping for breath, the blast and fire so intense it sucked the oxygen right out of the air. Having a dead weight on top of him wasn't helping matters.

Angel got the message and rolled off. His attempts at conversation were wasted, Gunn's ears will still ringing from the blast. Sound came back with a sort of fizzing pop, but that could have just been what was left of the warehouse.

Struggling to their feet, vampire and human stared at the devastation. 

"Someone sure as hell is pissed," Gunn took a step forward but Angel restrained him.

"No, not yet." Angel scanned the area. "Cordelia's vision showed her that the warehouse was a nest. The Powers didn't send us here to worry about them, they sent us here for something else."

A fledgling who had been out hunting came into view. Stunned, it too stared at flames before screaming in rage. A dark figure seemingly floated down from a brick wall, the gleam of steel was brief but unmistakable. The machete didn't miss.

Watching the dust settle, Gunn whistled softly in appreciation. "Damn. Good moves."

"Too good."

"Huh?" Gunn questioned that ominous tone. "What are you bitchin' about? So some dude is helping out. If you don't want him, I'll see if he wants to ride with me for a while."

Angel was already moving away, long strides swiftly closing the intervening space between the stranger and himself. His answer sounded more like a warning. "Believe me, Gunn. You couldn't handle him." 

Aware that he was no longer alone, the figure vaulted up onto a car and was about to disappear over a brick wall before hesitating. Then he abruptly sat on his haunches on top of the car roof, and waited. 

Trailing in Angel's wake, Gunn made his examination as thorough as possible. Male, about his age or not. The face was still, bereft of all emotion, even the eyes. The hardware he carried was impressive, from the machete now back in its sheath to the shotgun strapped to his back. An old army camouflage jacket hid the rest of the arsenal, Gunn wasn't taking bets as to what it hid.

A hasty glance at Angel caused exceedingly bad vibes. The vampire's face had shut down, a sure sign that something or someone from Angel's past had just popped up and bitten the vampire on the ass.

Five years of being increasingly drawn into Angel's world had caused Gunn to devise a game to keep life sane. He called it 'spot the bogy man'. Sometimes he cheated though, afterall, he couldn't lose when they came up against Wolfram & Hart. 

He was leaning toward the demonic theory when the guy spoke.

"Long time no see, Deadboy." 

The vampire exhaled slowly, his voice painful. "Xander."

Swivelling his head back and forth between them, Gunn had barely taken a step forward when Xander moved. In the blink of an eye the shotgun was pointed very prominently in his direction.

"Whoaa!"

Angel moved directly into the path of fire. "Xander, NO!"

An infinitesimal sign of emotion from Xander as he says. "Getting in my way will only encourage me to shoot, Deadboy. Time for plan B."

In the eerie glow of shadows thrown up by the fire, the standoff continued. Frustration caused Gunn to attempt to push his way past, Angel was immoveable.

Utilising a fist, Gunn pounds into Angel's back snarling. "Just get out of my way and let me bury the little shit."

"Don't."

Angel's request is not debateable, its an order. The vampire still keeps his eyes locked with Xander's as he asks. "Why are you here?"

The shadows that dance crazily against the brick wall seem to migrate to Xander's eyes. Gunn sucks in a breath, it was like looking at Angel's little brother. Same pain, same regrets, same ruthless *cold* when Angel let his demon out to play.

"I've come to make sure you remembered your promise." 

Angel visibly flinched, shaking his head in denial. "You think he's here?"

"I know." Xander replied with a certain finality.

Ever felt like you've just caught the last episode of an eight year show? That everyone else in the room knows the story and you're still trying to figure out who the fuck the main characters are? Gunn did. 

Not the first time he'd been a spectator in one of Angel's little confrontations, but the undercurrents in this one made him glad he was. Some very bad shit was about to go down, he just knew it.

"Who?" he asked, then wondered why he bothered. Angel and Xander were lost in some dark place Gunn was barred from.

Then Angel seemed to draw that strength he keeps in supply for occasions like this and tries to reason. "Delia's vision led us here, Xander. Maybe it was to help---,"

And Gunn jumps at the almost hysterical laughter that erupts from the other man.

"Did Cordy's visions help 4 years ago?" Xander sneered. "I don't believe she had one, did she? I think your precious Powers showed right then and there just where I fit in their food chain. I'm not even on their fucking menu." 

"But your on his."

Angle's words hit Xander like an ice pick, Gunn could see it. Any semblance of emotion that had briefly awoken was gone.

Xander shrugged lightly. "We've been playing our own kind of tag for a while now on three different continents. He's bored with it, I'm bored with it, time to change the C.D."

"Then let me help," Angel pressed. The desperation in his voice is worrying, Gunn has never quiet seen his friend like this.

For a moment it appears that Xander hasn't even heard Angel speak. His gaze now fixed on the flames of the warehouse, the longing in those eyes sends a shiver up Gunn's spine.

"I never knew he was subject to touches of whimsy," Xander's voice is drifting, a reflection of the mind perhaps? He stares back at Angel before continuing.

"I think he's taken me on that wild vampire tour everyone raves about. You know the one, Angelus. The ' this is where I killed my first Slayer' tour. The best blood and bone cities, where every vampire can chow down without worrying about interference. If I mention the names will you recognise them?" and even Gunn can see how much that one cuts.

Taking advantage of Angel's momentary wavering, Gunn steps in. "That's enough. I don't know what your beef is with Angel..."

"No, you don't," Xander's voice rose. "You don't know *anything*. You don't know what its like to sit here and chat with the creature that created the monsters that destroyed your life. You don't listen to him offer to help fix the mess he helped bring about. You don't wait in the dark begging for the screams of you girlfriend to stop. You don't close your eyes and see her lying there like a piece of butchered meat so torn apart that all you can recognise are her painted toenails----,"

"ENOUGH," Angel screams.

Blessed silence reigns. 

Angel raises his head and meets Xander's dead eyes full on. "If you continue like this he's won."

All he receives is a rueful smile. Xander has calmed down somewhat so his voice is steady. "Did you ever think that maybe I want him to win this one? That when this is all over he and I will start playing another game of tag? Do you want to guess who we'd choose to play 'it', Angel? Or do you already know?"

The underlying threat was implicit.

Sirens can be heard in the distance. Apparently large explosions still attract attention, even in shitty parts of L.A.

Running out of time, Angel makes one final plea. "If you won't let me help you for yourself, Xander. Then let me help for the people who still care about you. Buffy and Willow, Cordelia ---"

"--- wouldn't recognise me any more. And would run screaming if they did." The bitter laughter says it all. "*He* knows me better than anyone now. Ya gotta love the irony of it."

Raucous noise draws ever closer. Gunn is already pulling on Angel's arm. " C'mon, man. Time to book." 

It's a wasted effort, Angel refuses to budge. Xander has no such qualms. He pauses at the top of the wall, and for a moment, just a moment Gunn sees what perhaps had once been the *real* Xander.

"Do me a favour, Deadboy?"

"Name it," Angel replies solemnly.

There's a ghost of a smile and remembered joy in Xander's eyes as he says." Tell Cordy next time you see her that she's got a hair growing out of her chin. The thought of her faster than light trip to the nearest mirror might keep me going for a while."

Angel and Gunn can't help but glance at each other and smile at the visual. 

But when the first cruiser comes hurtling round the corner, they look back to where Xander had been to find him gone. They beat a hasty retreat back into the alley and Gunn can literally see the 'Do not talk or touch' signs hanging off the vampire.

And yeah, he thinks. Some very bad shit is about to go down.

******

Two buildings away and three floors up, a blond figure clad in a black duster glowers at the fire, then casually lights up a cigarette.

To no one in particular he mutters, "If you keep this up, Xanpet. I might start thinking you don't like me any more."

Soft tinkling laughter draws his attention. Spike smiles as he watches his princess twirl about.

"I'm dancing in the rain, Spike." Drusilla has her head tipped back in ecstasy. "It's all red and pretty."

Spike glances up at the clear night sky before walking over to gather her into his arms. "Is there any for me, precious?"

She looks away coyly before answering. "You and the little one are all wet. He's all dark and red. And my Spike is pretty too. You look so lovely together." 

Her face morphs into demon as she snarls. "Bad, bad Daddy is trying to stop Spike from playing with the little one." Drusilla nuzzles Spike's neck before crooning, "But he's ready now. Just like I told you he would be the other day."

Arms wrapped around his Dark Queen, Spike notes dryly. "That was four years ago, Dru. I'm glad you've been paying attention. And I'm bloody glad about the other stuff. If the little bastard keeps blowing up things I'm going to start getting a reputation as a fire bug."

They kiss passionately, fangs slicing deep and tongues licking away the blood. 

Drusilla draws away, her golden eyes stern. "You must take him now, Spike. The clouds are being pushed away by the wind and soon there will be no more rain." Ruby lips pout. " It will ruin our family picnic."

His body already hard from foreplay with Dru, suddenly jumps into overdrive. Spike closes his eyes as he recalled the feeling of that warm hot body writhing beneath him. 

The screams, the blood, brown eyes glazed with hate. He missed it, wanted it again one more time before he made Xander truly his. He nodded in agreement. "You're right, baby. The time is now."

**********
tbc