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thismazThis bit is causing me problems. I almost didn't post today, but I knew if I didn't, I'd lose the impetus, so this is a bit short and I'm not sure I'm happy with it... but here it is.
Title: Two's company...
Part 24 of the Blood on a Sundial series. Previous parts, in reverse order, are here or in my memories.
Fandom: BtVS
Prompt: #40 - Revenge is bliss
At:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
tamingthemuse
Disclaimer: here.
Rating: Pg
Word Count: 1,130
24. Two's company...
Spike came into the room from the stairs. "Get a move on. We're going out tonight."
Xander looked up, the last spoonful of breakfast poised in midair. " Huh? What?" he asked, intelligently. He shook his head and tried again. "Why? Where?"
Spike's voice was deadly serious for once. "One of Heinrich's brood finally came out on top. We're going to meet her on ground of our choosing."
"Her?"
"Yes, Her." Spike's frown turned into a full scowl. "You got a problem with fighting a woman?" he asked. "She's a vampire, remember? She's also wiped out at least half a dozen other claimants to get where she is. So she's not really in need of your chivalric protection."
That hadn't been what Xander meant, but now that Spike had challenged him on it, he couldn't remember what his real point had been. One thing did tug at his brain though. "If she's come out on top, why does she need to kill me?"
Spike sighed. "Not you," he corrected. "Us. She needs to get me because I'm older and not family and a potential threat. I could step in and take the city away from the whole clan. You're with me, so she needs to take you out too." He smiled suddenly. "'Course, she might choose to keep you alive as a trophy. Or turn you and make you hers..." He paused, thinking. "Or turn you and kill you twice." He nodded in apparent satisfaction at having thought of all the possibilities. "That's what I'd do, if I was her. Bit of revenge is all well and good, but doubled... that's sheer bloody bliss."
Xander meanwhile was still figuring through the earlier part of Spike's speech. "So when you said I got myself noticed... I was the target... What you really meant was you were the target and I'm in danger because I'm with you."
"You killed Heinrich." Spike said, his tone making it clear that they'd dealt with this. "If you weren't with me, someone would have got you already. But they know who I am, so they're being cautious. Now get yourself dressed."
Xander looked down at his jeans and shirt and wiggled his toes in his socks. He considered pointing out that he was dressed, but Spike didn't seem in the mood for sass. "How do you know all this?" he asked instead, picking up the empty cereal bowl and taking it over to the kitchen sink. "You haven't been out tonight."
"Little bird told me." Spike said, walking back to the door. "Fifteen minutes," he added over his shoulder as he left.
Xander grabbed his sneakers from the corner and pulled them on, tying the laces in ten seconds flat. Grabbing his jacket he ran to the door, opened it cautiously and peered down the stairs. There was no sign of Spike so he tiptoed down, keeping to the edge of the steps and avoiding the one that creaked. At the bottom he stuck his head round the door and looked into the open space of the ground floor.
At first he couldn't see much of anything. The room was big and the light from the single bulb that hung from the ceiling barely penetrated the corners. The car occupied the space in the middle, close to the big double doors to the street. Beyond it were a few empty store rooms, but they were always locked, while to his left was the doorway to the old staff wash room. He reminded himself for the tenth time that he should really buy some cleaning materials and make that place a little more welcoming. There was still no sign of Spike.
Xander wasn't sure what he was looking for, or why he was being so cautious, but he had acquired a good working knowledge of Spike's moods over the past few weeks and something was bothering him, so he went with his instincts. Cautiously he stepped out into the room.
A faint sound caught his attention and drew his eyes across to the main doors. The single man-door swung open and Spike came in, followed by another man. Xander ducked down behind the car, out of sight. Crouching down and trying not to think about what would happen if Spike caught him spying, he crept forwards until he got to the corner. Carefully poking his head round the tail fin, he could see them standing together just inside the door. The guy looked young, maybe a student. He was fresh faced with longish dark hair and he was standing very close to Spike. Xander hesitated, cursing himself for his own curiosity that had sent him following so soon and casting about in his mind for ways to get Spike away, which wouldn't end up in either of the humans in the room being dead. There was the low murmur of voices, but the words were too soft for him to make out what was being said. Suddenly Spike pulled the young man to him and spun him around so his back was plastered to Spike's front. Spike's left arm went around the man's waist, holding him close and his right arm slid around the man's neck, the hand resting gently on his shoulder. The pose was somehow intimate, almost sexual. Spike buried his face in the man's neck.
For a split second, which felt like full minutes, Xander froze in disbelief. He had been fighting, and running from vampires for over a year, but he had never actually seen one feed before. Then he shook himself free of the sick fascination and deliberately not giving himself time to consider what he was doing, he was up and running towards them yelling, "No!"
Spike looked up and glared at Xander, his yellow eyes swirling with incipient violence, blood on his fangs and lips. "Piss off," he growled. A shiver of dread passed through Xander, but it wasn't that which brought him to a screeching halt. It was the fact that the man in Spike's arms raised his own head and growled at him through his fangs. Xander froze.
Spike gave a snort of disgust and released the vampire, bringing his right arm up to his mouth, licking away the trail of blood. They had been feeding on each other, Xander realised.
Spike glanced between the two of them. "Xander meet Jimmy. Jimmy, this is Xander. You don't touch him. Understood?"
Jimmy nodded vigorous agreement, his body language meek and his eyes pleading from beneath heavy brows. Spike gave him the shove towards the door. "Out," he said. "Scout around, keep those eyes open, let me know if that bitch Flavia makes a move."
He watched as Jimmy sidled to the door and slipped through it, then he turned back to Xander.
Next Part
Title: Two's company...
Part 24 of the Blood on a Sundial series. Previous parts, in reverse order, are here or in my memories.
Fandom: BtVS
Prompt: #40 - Revenge is bliss
At:
tamingthemuseDisclaimer: here.
Rating: Pg
Word Count: 1,130
24. Two's company...
Spike came into the room from the stairs. "Get a move on. We're going out tonight."
Xander looked up, the last spoonful of breakfast poised in midair. " Huh? What?" he asked, intelligently. He shook his head and tried again. "Why? Where?"
Spike's voice was deadly serious for once. "One of Heinrich's brood finally came out on top. We're going to meet her on ground of our choosing."
"Her?"
"Yes, Her." Spike's frown turned into a full scowl. "You got a problem with fighting a woman?" he asked. "She's a vampire, remember? She's also wiped out at least half a dozen other claimants to get where she is. So she's not really in need of your chivalric protection."
That hadn't been what Xander meant, but now that Spike had challenged him on it, he couldn't remember what his real point had been. One thing did tug at his brain though. "If she's come out on top, why does she need to kill me?"
Spike sighed. "Not you," he corrected. "Us. She needs to get me because I'm older and not family and a potential threat. I could step in and take the city away from the whole clan. You're with me, so she needs to take you out too." He smiled suddenly. "'Course, she might choose to keep you alive as a trophy. Or turn you and make you hers..." He paused, thinking. "Or turn you and kill you twice." He nodded in apparent satisfaction at having thought of all the possibilities. "That's what I'd do, if I was her. Bit of revenge is all well and good, but doubled... that's sheer bloody bliss."
Xander meanwhile was still figuring through the earlier part of Spike's speech. "So when you said I got myself noticed... I was the target... What you really meant was you were the target and I'm in danger because I'm with you."
"You killed Heinrich." Spike said, his tone making it clear that they'd dealt with this. "If you weren't with me, someone would have got you already. But they know who I am, so they're being cautious. Now get yourself dressed."
Xander looked down at his jeans and shirt and wiggled his toes in his socks. He considered pointing out that he was dressed, but Spike didn't seem in the mood for sass. "How do you know all this?" he asked instead, picking up the empty cereal bowl and taking it over to the kitchen sink. "You haven't been out tonight."
"Little bird told me." Spike said, walking back to the door. "Fifteen minutes," he added over his shoulder as he left.
Xander grabbed his sneakers from the corner and pulled them on, tying the laces in ten seconds flat. Grabbing his jacket he ran to the door, opened it cautiously and peered down the stairs. There was no sign of Spike so he tiptoed down, keeping to the edge of the steps and avoiding the one that creaked. At the bottom he stuck his head round the door and looked into the open space of the ground floor.
At first he couldn't see much of anything. The room was big and the light from the single bulb that hung from the ceiling barely penetrated the corners. The car occupied the space in the middle, close to the big double doors to the street. Beyond it were a few empty store rooms, but they were always locked, while to his left was the doorway to the old staff wash room. He reminded himself for the tenth time that he should really buy some cleaning materials and make that place a little more welcoming. There was still no sign of Spike.
Xander wasn't sure what he was looking for, or why he was being so cautious, but he had acquired a good working knowledge of Spike's moods over the past few weeks and something was bothering him, so he went with his instincts. Cautiously he stepped out into the room.
A faint sound caught his attention and drew his eyes across to the main doors. The single man-door swung open and Spike came in, followed by another man. Xander ducked down behind the car, out of sight. Crouching down and trying not to think about what would happen if Spike caught him spying, he crept forwards until he got to the corner. Carefully poking his head round the tail fin, he could see them standing together just inside the door. The guy looked young, maybe a student. He was fresh faced with longish dark hair and he was standing very close to Spike. Xander hesitated, cursing himself for his own curiosity that had sent him following so soon and casting about in his mind for ways to get Spike away, which wouldn't end up in either of the humans in the room being dead. There was the low murmur of voices, but the words were too soft for him to make out what was being said. Suddenly Spike pulled the young man to him and spun him around so his back was plastered to Spike's front. Spike's left arm went around the man's waist, holding him close and his right arm slid around the man's neck, the hand resting gently on his shoulder. The pose was somehow intimate, almost sexual. Spike buried his face in the man's neck.
For a split second, which felt like full minutes, Xander froze in disbelief. He had been fighting, and running from vampires for over a year, but he had never actually seen one feed before. Then he shook himself free of the sick fascination and deliberately not giving himself time to consider what he was doing, he was up and running towards them yelling, "No!"
Spike looked up and glared at Xander, his yellow eyes swirling with incipient violence, blood on his fangs and lips. "Piss off," he growled. A shiver of dread passed through Xander, but it wasn't that which brought him to a screeching halt. It was the fact that the man in Spike's arms raised his own head and growled at him through his fangs. Xander froze.
Spike gave a snort of disgust and released the vampire, bringing his right arm up to his mouth, licking away the trail of blood. They had been feeding on each other, Xander realised.
Spike glanced between the two of them. "Xander meet Jimmy. Jimmy, this is Xander. You don't touch him. Understood?"
Jimmy nodded vigorous agreement, his body language meek and his eyes pleading from beneath heavy brows. Spike gave him the shove towards the door. "Out," he said. "Scout around, keep those eyes open, let me know if that bitch Flavia makes a move."
He watched as Jimmy sidled to the door and slipped through it, then he turned back to Xander.
Next Part
