Prompt 72 - Preventative measures - BtVS

[thismaz]

OMG, my 65th post. I would never have believed I could keep going this long.

Title: Preventative measures
Fandom: BtVS
Prompt: 72 - Crawl
At: tamingthemuse
Rating: Pg
Summary: Part 11 of my pre-season one story which includes Xander, Willow, Jesse, Angel and Spike.
Word Count: 1,265
Previous parts, in reverse order, are here or in my memories.
Disclaimer: here.
Now beta'd by the wonderful laazikaat



11. Preventative measures

Sunday night

Spike kept to the shadows as he neared Xander's house, in case his grandsire had got there ahead of him. It was only 9pm and barely dark, but Spike's meal had taken longer to corner than he'd expected, so he approached with caution, scanning the street thoroughly before heading up the drive and around the back. Peering in through the window, he confirmed that Xander was safely tucked away in his room, lying on his stomach on his bed, reading, his knees bent and feet swinging back and forth, occasionally hitting his own bum with his heels. Spike would have preferred to have the boy stashed at his own place, where he knew no one could get at him. But in the absence of that, he'd just have to keep Angelus away.

Although reassured that his grandsire was nowhere close, Spike didn't fool himself; Angelus, once he formed an obsession, was remarkably difficult to shift, at least until he'd satisfied his curiosity. He'd appear to skulk in the shadows before the night was out, unless Spike did something to distract him.

There was no clear approach to the house from the rear, so Spike withdrew back to the street and found a deep patch of shadow behind a large bush in the next door's front yard, from where to keep watch. And less than an hour later his vigil and forethought were rewarded as the distinctive, flat-footed silhouette of Angelus turned the corner and started down the pavement towards him.

Dropping his cigarette, Spike ground it out under his boot and stepped out onto the path as Angelus drew level. "Hey, mate. Fancy meeting you here," he announced, in what he hoped was a mildly surprised tone of voice.

Angelus took a step back and he sounded both irritated and resigned when he asked bluntly, "What do you want?"

"Don't want anything." Spike hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and twisted his upper body right and left, sweeping his gaze over the vicinity, the embodiment of innocence. "Was just out for a stroll," he explained. "Evening constitutional, don't you know?"

Angelus was plainly disbelieving and his voice was cold. "No you weren't. What are you doing here and what do you want?" he asked.

Taking his own step back, Spike held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, you got me fair and square," he admitted. "I came to see what you were doing."

"I'm not doing anything." Angelus lied, and even if Spike hadn't known better, the air of soul-filled guilt would have been a give away. "Nothing of interest to you, anyway." But then he returned to his original question, his voice once again uncompromising. "Why are you still here?"

With a shrug, Spike dropped the pose. "Because you are. Because of Dru."

"Well, that's honest, at least." Angelus acknowledged. "But I'm not going with you. My advice?" His voice was soft, almost like he cared, and for a second Spike felt such a strong sense of nostalgia, that he almost cried, but this wasn't really Angelus and Spike knew it. When Angel spoke again, Spike knew it for certain. "If you care so much for Dru, go back to her. She may need you."

"If I care?" With an effort Spike pushed down the fierce burst of indignation Angel's indifference and scorn elicited, it couldn't serve him now, but it didn't go far. He took a deep breath and channelled it into sarcasm, leavened with a slice of truth. "You just had to get that in, didn't you?" he asked, with a disdainful laugh. "But I'm man enough to admit it." He sobered and didn't even care that he was pleading. "She needs you. She needs your blood. She needs your prayer to Eligor. She needs her sire."

"What can I say? It was irresistible," Angel smirked, completely ignoring the latter part of Spike's speech. Then, unexpectedly, his face softened and that hint of Angelus reappeared. "I'm sorry, Will, but I have to stay here."

Spike sighed. "Yeah, I know you think you do. Once you decide on something, doesn't matter how mad brained..." He paused, doing a quick recalculation and discarding this attempt to persuade. He looked up into Angelus' eyes. "I know why, too. Not that crazy story about helping the slayer. I've been watching you. I've seen you killing off the weak ones. Seems to me as how you're clearing the decks. You're going to make a challenge against the Master." His eyes narrowed in thought. "Or maybe for him. Get back in his good books? I hear he's arriving soon."

Angelus shook his head in disgust. "You're a fool, William," he said.

"Am not! You've not changed that much. You can't have. You've heard the rumours."

Angelus' eyes narrowed in speculation. "Which rumours are you talking about? There's always rumours in a place like this. It's a hellmouth. You do know that, don't you?"

"Of course I know it's a bloody hellmouth. I also know it's closed. Got bunged up with something, 'bout fifty years ago and hasn't opened since. What's that got to say to anything?"

"Spike, Spike, Spike." Angelus shook his head with exaggerated disappointment. "You never would learn your history. The thing that 'bunged up' the hellmouth, was the Master. He's trapped down there, until Luke finds a way to get him out."

"Oh!" Well that was new, but it made sense, explained a lot of the confused talk he'd picked up at Willy's. "So that's what the gathering over behind the school's all about then?" Angelus went still, his eyebrow raised in question. Spike ignored him, thinking aloud as he pieced the bits together. "A Hekaton magus and his acolytes. The talk last night was about some spell, or summoning, at the high school. If that hasn't got the Master written all over it, I don't know what has."

Angelus lips pressed together in an annoyed grimace. "Damn! Chaos worshippers! Luke must have got tired of waiting for Darla to get back." He visibly hesitated, desire clearly in conflict with his ingrained caution.

"Want to go and kill them, then?" Spike offered.

"Why would you want to do a thing like that?"

"Don't like Hekatons. Really don't like old bat-face, and anyway, can see you thinking. " He waved his hand in front of his face, as if swiping away the smoke that effort had caused. "Can see you want to take them out and I have a vested interest in keeping you alive."

Angelus sighed, thought, then nodded. "Okay, come on then." He turned away from Xander's house and set off back towards town.

Spike stood still for a moment, surprised by Angelus' easy capitulation, then he pulled himself together and called out to his grandsire's retreating back, "Ta. Ta, ever so, mate," before he ran to catch up, so he was walking at Angelus' side. He dug his cigarettes out of his pocket, tapped one out of the pack and lit it with a flourish. Glancing around as he exhaled the first plume of smoke into the still air, he grinned at Angelus. "Nice night for a bit of mayhem, eh? We'll send this lot scuttling back to the hell they crawled out of and have us a fun time doing it. Be just like old times."

Angelus spared him a sidelong look. "Why do I put up with you?" he asked. "Every time I see you. Why don't I learn?"

It was a rhetorical question, but Spike answered anyway, "Because you need me? Because you know you haven't the strength, yet, to take them alone?"

Continued here.

Comments

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

Weeeeeeeee. I do love Angel and Spike fighting together, especially when they have such different motives. This is just wonderful. And poor, clueless Xander who has no idea that fate has just dumped him in the deep end of the pool and the predators are circling. This is truly wonderful

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Hee, fighting together in both senses of the term.
And your description of Xander's position is very good - since he is certainly prey here, with two very clear predators (even if one of them is trying to deny it).
Thank you, thank you, thank you, I am so pleased you are enjoying it.

[sparrow2000.livejournal.com]

65th post eh - I don't know whether to congratulate you or hand you the wrinkle cream! *g*

Love the description of Xander kicking at his bum as he lies on the bed reading - I can just picture it.
Interesting face off between Angel and Spike, I can actually see them doing a spot of bonding over a smidge of demon slaughter - brings a family closer together, or something...

"I'm sorry Will, but I have to stay here." So there is definitely family feeling there, and that's what Spike is going to dig into.

Looks anxious for poor, lamb to the slaughter Xander - he's so sweetly oblivious, but for how much longer?

Pets your muse.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

*grabs the wrinkle cream from your hands*

he's so sweetly oblivious, but for how much longer?
At least a couple of weeks, I think (real time weeks, since we are only in day 5 after the story started).

*looks over at contentedly purring muse* How do you do that? I couldn't get it to behave.

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

Angel is such a complete bastard and so very easily led. :) wonderful banter between these two who love each other and hate each other in turns.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Angel has a mission. And a well recognised tendency to become obsessed *g*
I'm glad the banter worked. I am still nervous writing Angel, but my beta did assure me that he does sound Angel like, so I am beginning to feel more comfortable with him.
Thank you, as always, for your encouragement.

[charlies_dragon]

65th post?! Wow! That's really cool :) Congratulations hun *passes over chocolates*

I love the manipulating!Spike that's in this fic :) Angel, really should know better. Then again, if he's stil not at full strength and hasn't completely recovered from his century of guilt filled starvation then he clearly isn't thinking properly, otherwise he'd have kept a much closer eye & ear on the murmurings of the hellmouth, whether it was to keep the coming slayer safe or to protect himself when the shit hitteth the fan (as it always does). Silly Angel. Silly foolish Angel.

charlies_dragon

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much *hugs chocolates, looks down, tries to wipe chocolate smears off t-shirt*
Foolish Angel, maybe, but conflicted Angel, certainly *g*
Thank you for your lovely comment. I've always felt that Spike would never have survived to be 120, if he hadn't been very clever and very good at hunting/manipulating.
I'm hoping the fact that you're still talking to me, means I didn't offend you.

[charlies_dragon]

Ok, so I had a whole lovely comment written out explaining how Spike's intelligent but impatient and that the Big Bad persona is part of Spike but also a smoke screen for his intelligence, but LJ ate my comment *pouts*

I also had a whole lovely section explaining that you didn't offend me and that your con-crit was just what I was looking for (thanks for that hun) *squishes you hard* but LJ ate it. I'll email you back after I've finished my evil essay.

Edited because I can't spell *headdesk*

charlies_dragon

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Oh, doesn't it drive you spare, when it does that? And it is impossible to remember exactly the smooth flow of your previous words.
And you are exactly right about Spike. I have a couple of sheets of notes about the different aspects of his personality and motivations that I keep hoping to be able to build into a story. Alas, I haven't the skill to do so, and still make it interesting *g*
I'm so pleased my few comments were helpful. Good luck with your essay and your next story.

[smwright.livejournal.com]

"Evening constitutional, don't you know?" *snorts* Really, in these scenarios, you do him so very well. *g* I just adore the dry wit, and somehow it reads so true to form.

They had to come together at some point like this, and it's lovely the way in which Spike orchestrated the event. This is much different than the beginning of the last series, with Spike always bumbling and Angel nearly always having the upper hand. I wonder when the house of cards will come tumbling down, and I wonder whose puff of air will cause it? *winks*

Beautiful as always.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

*Grins at you* I was quite proud of that line. Once or twice, in canon, Spike came out with something like that, all pretentious, like.

This is much different than the beginning of the last series...
You're right. I hadn't thought about that. Of course in BoaS I was following canon. Plus he was up against the slayer. And Angel was more secure in his role. Hmmm. Thank you for that observation. I'll need to think about whether there are any implications to that thought.

Thank you, as always. *g* Your encouragement is always so welcome.

[smwright.livejournal.com]

That's what we're all in this for, right?

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[laazikaat.livejournal.com]

Spike is really bending over backwards to keep Xander safe from Angel's obsession. Very interesting, and Spike doesn't realise himself how much the protectiveness is beginning to grow.

Again you have written a well characterized story that painfully inches the boys together a teensy step at a time. Love it!

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

to keep Xander safe from Angel's obsession.
Or to just keep him away from Angel, for his own reasons.
I have drafted and discarded three replies to this comment. I don't want to give a spoiler (plus there are some fairly major things that I don't know yet) so all I can say really is, 'take care'.
Thank you for reading and for commenting.

[laazikaat.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, that sounded ominous. I hope you're planning on looking after my boys and not going to ill-treat the poor darlings.

[laazikaat.livejournal.com]

Don't feel you have to reply to my last comment, I don't want to make it difficult for you while you're formulating the story of course, so I won't say another word and I'll just wait quietly while you get on with the story.

You are getting on with the story, yes? Enjoying it so much, even if you sometimes bruise my poor boys. *pats Xan and Spike*

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

*grins at you teasingly* Sorry, I'll behave.
Yes, I am getting on with the story, in small segments.
Thank you, I'm glad you are enjoying it. That's what makes it rewarding to write.