thismaz | Prompt 84 - Down the rabbit hole

Title: Down the rabbit hole
Fandom: BtVS
Prompt: 84 - Suspension of disbelief
At:

tamingthemuse
Rating: Older Teen
Summary: Part 23 of my pre-season one story. I think it's now official, this is not going to be a Xander/Jesse story. If anything, it's S/X. Again.
Word Count: 2,320
Comments: Are greatly appreciated, loved and cherished.
Some dialogue borrowed courtesy of http://www.twiztv.com/scripts/
Previous parts:
In reverse order, in tags here
In my memories.
Or, starting here with links to the next, at the end of each chapter.
Disclaimer: here.
Now beta'd by the wonderful

laazikaat

Warning (highlight the white area to see the warning text):

Demon Spike/Vamp Xander story

23. Down the rabbit hole

Saturday evening

When they got back to the house, Spike took off his coat and hung it on a hook in the hall before entering the living room and pausing just inside the door. Peering over his shoulder Xander could see a woman sitting in the chair next to the sofa. She was slim and elegant and very beautiful. Her face was smooth and peaceful and her long dark hair flowed like silk around her shoulders. She sat tall, with a straight back, and her hands rested on the arms of the chair as if she was holding court over the mundane, suburban room. He felt Jesse crowding up behind him, also anxious to get a first look at Spike's sire.

Spike bowed his head in a nod and crossed to her, dropping to one knee. "My Queen," he said reverently.

Now that Spike no longer blocked his way, Xander responded to Jesse's shove and took a single step forward, but in that moment he hesitated to approach her himself, she looked so remote and regal. Jesse followed closely and came to a stop just behind his shoulder. The woman glanced down at Spike's bowed head and a small smile curved her lips. Then she looked up, eyes sliding over Jesse to fix on Xander as he hovered indecisively and he felt a shiver of awe pass through him. Eyes still fixed on Xander, she lifted one hand and Spike took it in both of his and raised it to his lips. He knelt back allowing her to use his grip for leverage as she unfolded herself from the chair. For a moment she stood still, swaying slightly, then she pulled herself free of Spike's grasp. Her hand trailed over Spike's shoulder and fell away as she stepped past him.

She walked like she was dancing, like she was floating, and her eyes never left Xander's face. "Oh Spike," she whispered, her voice both smug and dreamy, "you have been previous." Her accent was strange and Xander had a flash of chimney sweeps dancing on a roof top, to the music of a fun fair carousel, even as he realised that he couldn't break from her hypnotic gaze. "Not supposed to be this way," she said. "You've changed the order of the world." A smile began to spread across her face and at last she looked away, to Spike, and Xander felt his whole body relax with relief. "I like it!" she announced, turning back and pinning Xander again.

Vaguely, out of the corner of his eye, Xander was aware of Spike getting to his feet and watching her take the last few steps to halt in front of Xander, who stood frozen as she lifted the hand that had so casually caressed her childe and trailed the back of her finger nails down his cheek. "Your face is a poem," she breathed. "I can read it. And what wonderful dreams it brings." She laughed delightedly. "Everything in my head is singing! We'll be a family again. We'll feed," she sang, with a playful growl towards Spike. "And we'll dance." Abruptly she stepped back and began to spin on the spot, her hair flying as she clapped her hands.

As suddenly as she had begun, she jerked to a stop voicing a distressed whimper. Her hand to her brow, she swayed again and before Xander could blink, Spike was at her side, arms around her shoulders, steadying her. "Drusilla," he crooned, as he turned her away from Xander. "You shouldn't be dancing. You're weak."

Drusilla allowed herself to be eased back down into the chair, but she looked up through the hair that now obscured her eyes. "What a lovely mess you've made," she observed. "But not with me." Her voice took on a shrill note and she suddenly appeared to be distressed or angry. "No. No. Not with me," she wailed.

Xander took a shocked step backwards, colliding with Jesse who reached out his hands and grabbed at Xander's waist, but whether it was to steady him, or hide behind him, Xander wasn't sure.

Falling back to his knees in front of the chair, Spike pulled the woman into his arms and patted her back, soothing her like a hurt child. "Hush, love. Hush. It's okay. He's yours, just as I am. I'd never leave you." Drawing back he gently eased her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ears. "C'mon Pet. Take a look? For me?" There was a note of hopeful desperation in his voice as he cajoled her. "Remember? Remember Whitby? Angelus wanted that one. Now we have this one instead." Looking back over his shoulder at Xander he snarled, "Come here! And either kneel or stand to attention, one or the other."

Xander pulled himself free of Jesse's grasp, stumbled across the room and dropped to one knee, next to Spike, bowing his head. He felt the feather light touch of her hand on his hair. "Oh," She murmured. "My knight, my poor knight." Keeping his head bowed, Xander watched from under his brows as she turned to Spike. "He's perfect, my darling," she breathed.

Spike let out a huff of a sigh and stood up, grasping Xander's upper arm and pulling him to his feet too. Xander felt like he'd just passed a test he hadn't known he was taking. Stepping back, he glanced over at Jesse, who was still standing just inside the door, a lost expression on his face. Following Xander's gaze, Spike grunted. "Oh yeah," he said, addressing the woman. "You'll have to suspend your disbelief and imagine that this one might be useful. He's a tagalong, bit of a mistake, but we all make 'em." He spared Xander another glare. "Seems I was away too long." Xander cautiously backed up until he was stopped by the wall, across the room from his sire.

Sitting up straight, Drusilla rested her head against the back of the chair, once again the image of regal majesty. Her smile was soft. "Don't worry, dear heart," she said. "He'll play his part." With another of her abrupt changes of tone she asked flatly, "You found my Angel?"

"Yeah, sort of," Spike replied. "I know where he is. Looks like the stupid blighter got taken by Luke. Who seems to call himself Master Luke, these days." Spike's sneer made it clear his opinion of that conceit. "He's safe enough for now. Luke's keeping him alive for The Master to deal with. Apparently believes he's coming back soon."

Shifting slightly in her chair, Drusilla reached down beside her and pulled out an antique doll in a frilly flowered dress which she propped up on her lap. "The King of Cups is refusing to play with his food. They laid on a picnic for him, but he won't eat. It's not his birthday."

Spike snorted. "Stupid bugger. But he'll never last, love. He was never one for self denial." He began to pace. "We just need a plan to get him out. He's no use to us locked up. Now that we know exactly how to do the spell, we don't even need his cooperation." He shoved his hand into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a packet of cigarettes and a silver lighter, but did nothing with them, simply passed them from hand to hand as he thought. "We just need him."

Drusilla's fingers had been busy fussing at the neck of her doll and she now pulled its lace cap off. Underneath the hair was missing from the crown of its head and she licked the tip of her finger and began to rub at the bald patch, like a mother cleaning dirt off her child's face. "I want to go out," she announced sulkily. "I miss Prague."

Spike spun on his toe and returned to her side, sitting himself down on the arm of the chair and leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "You nearly died in Prague," he said, momentary rage apparent in his voice, in contradiction to his actions. "But this place..." he added. "This place will see you well. Angelus and the Hellmouth between them will restore you, put colour in your cheeks, metaphorically speaking. And..."

Tilting her head back Drusilla smiled and interrupted, "The stars will align and the time will be right."

With an indulgent laugh, Spike agreed, "Yes, pet. But in the mean time, you need to take care and keep strong. I'll go out and get you something to eat in a moment, as soon as I've sorted out a plan to get Angelus back."

Despairing of understanding the nonsensical conversation, Xander looked across at Jesse who gave him the sort of grin that the boy Jesse used to give, when a teacher said something particularly stupid. A growl interrupted their silent exchange, causing them both to turn to Spike, who looked like he was about to stand up, a fierce scowl on his face. Jesse immediately shrank back, as if trying to make himself invisible, while Xander snapped to attention, bobbed his head to his sire and did his best to look like he knew what the hell was going on. Spike spared Xander a second glare, before relaxing again and turning back to Drusilla, his mouth already opening to continue what he had been saying.

Drusilla's sudden scream cut him off. "No!" she cried. "I want a treat! I need a treat! The wasps will leave the nest when they hear the bird is flying."

Sitting up straight, Spike looked down at her in shock. "Dru? No, please? You're weak. You have to be careful. Please, let me look after you?"

"But I'm fast," she said with finality.

Spike sighed. "Why would they?" he asked.

"The bear wants the lion tamer to come back with his whip and teach him how to dance."

"And he thinks you can help with that?"

Drusilla just smiled and licked her lips. She picked up her doll and raised it in front of her face, staring into its eyes. "He wants the stars to tell him how to find the door."

Sliding off the arm of the chair, Spike knelt at her feet again. He reached out and gently removed the doll from her grasp, laying it down on the floor next to him. "Please Dru, let me think of something else, eh? Just give me tonight to come up with another plan?"

Dru looked down at him "Do you love my insides?" she asked. "The parts you can't see?"

"Eyeballs to entrails, my sweet." Spike replied fervently. "That's why I don't want you risking yourself." He raised her hands and kissed each one of her fingers, sucking the last one into his mouth. Watching, Xander felt a shiver travel the length of his spine. Not that he wanted to have his fingers sucked, but the expression on Spike's face, oh yes, he wanted that.

Dru shook her head. "I... I need to change Miss Edith."

Closing his eyes, Spike now looked like a man resigned to being hanged. He let her finger fall free of his lips. "I'm sorry, kitten," he said. "Forgive me! You know I can't stand to see you like this. I just don't like you goin' out alone, that's all." He stood up and threw his hands in the air. "But we're runnin' out of sodding time!"

Standing also, Drusilla lifted her hand and patted gently at his face. "Shh. Shh," she crooned. "You'll make it right. I know you will. But we need him and the fool wants me and that's the dance we'll play."

Spike let his head fall back and stared at the ceiling. He stood like that for a long moment, then he looked back at Drusilla again. "I'm sorry baby. I'm a bad, rude man, who doesn't listen to his sire." His mouth twisted. "Are you certain this is the best thing to do? That this will work?" he asked.

Apparently content, now that she had her way, Drusilla sat down again and leant forwards to pick up her doll. "The king, the knight and his squire will lead the way."

"And what about you. You shouldn't go out alone."

"The bear is all growl, big lumbering thing. Can't catch a butterfly, let alone a bee." She brought her hands up in front of her and fluttered her fingers. "Buzz. Buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz."

Swinging round, Spike pointed at Xander. "You!" he said. He pointed at Jesse. "And you! Come with me. It's time to turn into the sodding cavalry and rescue the damsel in distress." He walked over to Xander. "And remember," he added. "That," another stabbing finger towards Jesse, "is not your friend! You are not that boy!" He cupped a hand behind Xander's neck and pulled him forward. "He's a minion and not a very good one at that." he explained, his mouth inches from Xander's ear. "There is no long history of friendship between you. It was the humans had that." He pulled back and stared into Xander's eyes. "You remember the human memories. He doesn't, at least not to feel them." His hand stroked Xander's nape, then his fingers tightened and he drew Xander close and kissed him. Xander sighed into the kiss, relaxing for the first time since they walked though the door. He tilted his head and kissed Spike back, feeling the need and want and power in Spike's reaction and sinking into it, giving himself to it and letting the peace and security of it overtake all his senses. Eventually Spike broke away, pausing to place one last peck on Xander's lips. "You are my childe," he whispered. "Approved by my sire. This is your place now. I've got you safe."

Xander blinked in agreement and knew that no matter what, he'd follow Spike, his sire, into hell, if that was what he asked.

Continued here.