thismaz | Bewitched, Chapter 6

This is a bit late. I am going on holiday for a couple of weeks and have been packing. I'll possibly have some internet access while I'm away, but if I do, it will be limited. So I think there will be a short break in postings. In recognition of that fact, this is a slightly longer chapter than usual and gets us to the (intermediate) conclusion that we've all been waiting for.

Title: Bewitched, Chapter 6
Pairing: S/X
Rating: Touches of NC-17.
Summary: When Valentine's Day arrives, Dru dips her finger in the brew and gives it a stir.
Word Count: 3,100
Betaed by

sparrow2000 and DJ, with many thanks. Thanks also to Sparrow for her help with conflabbing on plot twists and forms.
Comments: Are greatly appreciated, loved and cherished.
Disclaimer: here.

Prologue here, with a link to the other chapters, or you can find the whole thing, in reverse order, in tags.

Chapter 6

Spike's right arm was around his chest, Spike's chin was resting on his shoulder, Spike's left hand was reaching out to take the empty glass from him and returning to sneak around his waist and pull him back, stroking across his belly when he was positioned where Spike wanted him. Xander didn't know what to do with his own hands. They hovered an inch in the air, with nowhere to go. Spike seemed to sense this because he whispered, "Stroke my legs, love."

Gratefully, Xander dropped his hands to Spike's thighs and ran them down along the tops, to his knees, and back again. "Can you feel that?" he asked, repeating the move, noting how the action brought the short hairs on Spike's legs into alignment, making them look darker.

Spike sighed. "No, but I can watch and I can imagine. And one day, soon, I'll be able to feel you there."

Xander sighed his agreement with the contained impatience in Spike's voice. That day couldn't come soon enough. Spike's arms tightened around his middle in an abrupt hug. "Want to feel you, so much," Spike whispered in his ear, his voice tight with want. Huffing a long breath, he sighed. "But since there's no doing anything about that..." He trailed off with a slight chuckle and his hands took over the conversation.

Xander relaxed against Spike, enjoying the feel of Spike's stroking. Clever hands teased along the creases at the top of his thighs and rubbed warm circles on his belly. "This is good," he sighed, bracing his feet against the end wall of the tub, to prevent himself sliding away from the solidity of Spike's body behind him.

"Gets better. You haven't seen the half of it. Watch." Spike's left hand disappeared, while his right once again circled Xander's chest, to hold him close, and Xander felt him move slightly. Suddenly the tub was full of bubbles as the vents in the sides came to life. Xander laughed with delight.

Then Spike's left hand was back, bolder this time, once again stroking down his hip and thigh, while his right arm held Xander firm and secure. Xander allowed his body to go totally slack and open, and felt Spike's face nuzzle into the side of his neck, licking and then sucking on the tender skin there. Xander shivered, suddenly hyper-sensitive to every touch.

For as long as he could remember, Xander had lain in bed at night, attempting to produce this sensation, without knowing that this was what he'd sought. His own hands stroking over his skin had never set him alight, like this. He'd never been able to isolate what he felt on his neck and chest, being caressed, from the feeling on the palms of his hands, doing the caressing. He'd also never felt anything that produced this powerful longing, which seemed to curl down into his core, before erupting out, causing every nerve ending to tingle.

The combination of Spike's mouth, alternating kisses and suction on his neck, and Spike's fingertips teasing down his front, was something new and entirely wonderful. Xander felt his mind go as slack as his body, as if it were a physical sensation.

Spike's fingers played across his skin, pausing at his belly button and briefly poking in, causing Xander to release a soft giggle and making him realise that he'd been holding his breath, without knowing it. Spike's hand flattened against him, pressing down, anchoring Xander in the warm, bubbling water and the cradle of his thighs.

Xander's cock was hard and wanting. In his bed at night he would have closed his hand around it, long before reaching this point. Not Spike. Spike passed it by and reached beyond, running a fingernail along the smooth skin behind and following that up with a flick of multiple fingertips against the underside of Xander's balls. Xander gasped and his body arched up, as if it were attempting to escape, although that was the furthest thing from his mind.

Spike chuckled against his neck and allowed Xander to relax again, but not for long. At last he closed his hand around Xander's shaft and began to stroke, fast and urgent, twisting his wrist occasionally, making Xander pant and his hips twitch as the pressure built. The arm around Xander's chest was withdrawn and before he could do more than stiffen his knees again, Spike's right hand skimmed between his legs to grab and squeeze his balls.

With a strangled gasp Xander arched his hips one more time, as the tightness that had been building in his groin and up the length of his spine suddenly exploded. For a moment, he had the illusion that he was hanging in mid-air, only his heels and the back of his head in contact with anything solid. The world froze, time stopped, all that existed was the pulsing waves of release that felt as if they would never end.

Afterwards, only a moment later, he knew, he lay back against Spike, panting as his body began to bring him down from the clouds. A hysterical giggle was attempting to force its way out of his mouth and he tried to keep it inside, until he didn't. Then he was laughing, great gasps of happiness, tinged with a smug feeling of achievement, although for what, he wasn't sure. It wasn't his first orgasm, or even his hundredth, but it was his first orgasm that wasn't self-induced.

Shifting himself slightly to the side, he rolled his head and looked up at Spike, who was grinning down at him with an expression that was also smug and completely unrepentant. An attitude that, Xander realised, was probably totally in character. Meanwhile a small voice in the back of his own brain was screaming at him that his own behaviour was not. Xander ignored the voice; where he was felt too right, as if fate had finally cut him a break. "I love you," he whispered.

Spike's grin widened into a delighted smile. "I love you, too," he replied. He bent his neck, straining to reach Xander's mouth and Xander twisted around a bit more, bringing his left arm up to Spike's right shoulder, so he could reach back. They kissed, mouths warm against each other, lips fused in a leisurely acknowledgement of shared certainty, while Spike's left hand stroked up and down Xander's spine.

Eventually, Spike pulled away. "Want another drink?" he asked.

Xander settled back against Spike's chest and looked down at the mess across his front. "Uh, yeah, sure," he agreed.

Dipping a washcloth in the water, Spike wiped Xander clean and then lobbed the cloth with deadly accuracy over his shoulder into the hand basin in the vanity unit. "How about we take the rest of the jug to bed?" he suggested.

That sounded like a good plan, although the idea of moving did not. "It's good here," Xander said. It was more of a token protest than a real one.

"They call them Jacuzzis, where I come from," Spike replied, with a non sequitur worthy of Xander himself.

Xander twisted his head and looked up at Spike's face. "I didn't know they had plumbing in the middle ages."

At first, Spike didn’t react, then Xander’s words apparently registered and, for a moment, his face was a picture of offended dignity, until he started to laugh. "Cheeky bugger," he growled. He grabbed Xander at the waist and began to tickle. "I'll learn ya."

Desperately, Xander tried to capture Spike's hands, but he couldn't hold them. He twisted, hauling himself around onto his knees, but he still couldn't escape the assault. It was only when he began to pull away, towards the other end of the tub, that Spike relented. "Alright. I'll stop," he conceded, his hands falling still and transforming into a firm grip. He pulled Xander towards him, twisting him around, and hauled him back into his previous position.

"How come we never met before?" he asked, once Xander had again settled against his chest.

"I don't know," Xander replied. "We did once. When you busted into parent-teacher night at the school."

Spike kissed Xander's neck. "Yeah, I remember," he said. "You were spitting chips at Angelus." He chuckled and gave Xander a squeeze. "Brave boy." There was a moment of thoughtful silence before he added, "Not what I'd call a proper meeting though."

"No," Xander agreed. "I saw you a few times after that, but never to talk to. I think it might have something to do with the fact that I'm friends with Buffy and she kills people like you."

With snort of derision and in a tone of supreme assurance, Spike asserted, "There are no people like me." He raised a hand and ran the back of a finger down Xander's cheek, adding quietly, "Can't believe Dru, sometimes."

"Yeah," Xander whispered, too busy enjoying the feeling of Spike's finger on his face to risk dislodging it by nodding.

"She knew we were coming to get you. Was her idea. Although I didn't know then. But as soon as I... as I... as soon as..."

"It's okay. I know. You wouldn't leave me with Dru, if you knew where I was."

"Wouldn't leave you with anyone," Spike promised. "Not going to leave you."

"I know. It's okay." Wanting to lift the suddenly heavy mood, Xander gave Spike a nudge. "Wiggle your toes again," he suggested. Spike did so and Xander watched. "I think they're working better than they were, even an hour ago," he observed.

"Not the only thing that's working."

Xander laughed and twisted around so he was face to face, chest to chest, with Spike, his back bent like a seal, his forearms resting on the sloping wall of the tub, on either side of Spike. "Really?" he asked.

Spike reached down between their bodies and picked up his half-flaccid cock. "Maybe not," he acknowledged, allowing it to fall again.

Looking up into Xander's face, he seemed to read the sympathy there and gave a half-hearted smile. Xander allowed his face to drop to Spike's chest, to hide his disappointment.

"Soon, eh?" Spike suggested, running his hands up and down Xander's back.

Xander looked up and smiled as encouragingly as he could. "Sure," he said. "The way you've already got more movement in your toes, I bet it won't be long before you're running around with all parts fully functional again."

Smiling back, Spike briefly cupped Xander's shoulders with his hands, before running them down Xander's upper arms and pushing him away. "Love you, pet," he said. "Let's go to bed, yeah?"

Across town, Giles sighed with exasperation as he faced Amy across the chemistry lab bench. "Alright, Buffy should be back safe... I hope. Show me the other spell." With bad grace, Amy shoved her book towards him. He pulled it the rest of the way and studied it. "These additions," he asked doubtfully, "are they your mother's? They look more recent." Amy didn't reply.

Giles continued reading, attempting to plot the shape and texture of the spell. When he got to the end of the page he looked up, aghast. "You did this?" he asked. "Didn't you read it, you stupid girl? This... My God! If any part of his mind was not focused on his revenge upon Cordelia. If there was any part of him that was thinking about the lover he was truly destined for..." Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. Agitation would not help and could hinder his attempt to break the spell. "Never mind. At least your mother noted down the antidote, too. We'll just have to hope that Cordelia was the only thing on his mind."

Sulky to the last, Amy added more worry to Giles' already severe concerns. "He said he knew Cordy wasn't his true love," she announced. "That's how I know that he's destined to be with me. He wouldn't have come to me for help, unless he felt it too."

Giles closed his eyes and silently begged for strength. At least they already had the ingredients ready. He wouldn't have to put up with this misguided adolescent angst for much longer. Hopefully. He stood and moved over to stand next to the beaker of distilled water that was bubbling over the Bunsen burner. With one final glance at the spell, he picked up the glass stirring-rod. "Just pass me the ingredients as I point to them," he ordered.

Getting Spike out of the tub was more difficult than getting him in. Xander got out himself and dried off as quickly as he could, so he would have a better grip, before he attempted it, but the task was awkward. Leaning forwards with his forearms under Spike's arms and his hands clasped across Spike's chest, he hauled Spike up, until he was sitting on the edge of the tub. Then he had to hold him there, as he lifted Spike's right leg up and over the side. Once Spike was astride the rim, Xander was able to stand up straight, while Spike braced himself on the edge.

To make up for the indignity of the first part of the manoeuvre, Xander spent some time drying off the bits of Spike that he could reach, before lifting Spike's other leg out. From there it was fairly easy to lift him back into his chair. "I'll dry the rest of you when we've got you into bed," he promised, walking around to take hold of the handles of the chair.

Giles sprinkled a pinch of dried herbs into the water. "Diana, goddess of love, be gone," he recited, stirring the mixture and noting with satisfaction the brief burst of sparks that that action elicited. "Hear no more thy siren's song." He picked up the heart pendant that Amy swore was the anchor for the spell, waved it once over the liquid and dropped it in.

Feeling like an old hand at vampire wrangling, Xander lifted Spike out of his chair and laid him on the bed.

A cloud of light particles erupted from the beaker in front of Giles' face and a burst of energy broke around him, rocking him back on his heels. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and watched as motes of light danced around the room, like dust in a sunbeam. It was almost mesmerising. For what felt like long minutes nothing more happened and he began to fear that he had failed to defuse the metaphorical bomb, but then the light contracted, coalescing into one bright ball that hovered in the air above the bench. The ball began to spin.

Xander picked up the towel he'd slung over the back of the chair as they left the bathroom and turned back to the bed. "You're pretty dry on your front, but I want to roll you over and make sure you're back's dry too," he explained.

Spike reached out his hand. "Or you could just get in here with me," he suggested.

As it spun, the light pulsed; spiral arms began to form in the mass and Giles took a step back.

Xander took Spike's hand, laughing and pulling away when Spike tried to drag him down onto the bed. "No, let me dry you first," he protested. "I don't want to cuddle a soggy vampire."

Spike smirked up at him. "Vampires don't cuddle, love," he corrected. "We're fearsome predators who'll ravish innocents like you, at the drop of a hat."

Snorting with laughter, Xander pulled his most threatening face and waved the towel at Spike.

The light spread out from its centre, like a miniature spiral galaxy. Giles stared at it in fascinated horror. That wasn't what he'd been expecting. A premonition of failure formed as a tight knot in his stomach. He took another step back, noting from his peripheral vision that Amy had also backed away and was now cowering against the far wall, her face a stark study in contrasts under the bright, ominous light from above.

The light pulsed and Giles began to fear more than just his failure to undo the spell. It spread across the ceiling and he felt the wall hit his back. He hadn't realised that he'd been moving. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the entire sheet of light imploded, contracting down into a single fiery point, which fell like a shooting star, straight down into the beaker. The room was suddenly very dark by comparison.

All over town, gangs of girls and women stopped in their tracks and looked around in confusion.

In the alley behind Willy's Alibi Bar, Dru lifted her face to the stars and growled.

Xander straightened up, the laughter dying from his lips as he gazed down at Spike in horror. Spike's face mirrored his feelings, his eyes wide with shock. Xander staggered backward. "What? I... We... Did...?"

Something changed in Spike's expression, but Xander didn't wait to interpret it. Turning on his heels, he rushed into the bathroom. He heard Spike shout "Wait, love!" but he closed his ears and grabbed his clothes off the floor, hugging them to his chest as he tried to figure out what to do next.

He felt as if he ought to feel sick, but in truth, he was too shocked for even that natural reaction to the sudden tilt to his world. Realisation of his exposure penetrated his consciousness and he frantically pulled on his jeans, desperate to get out of the room, the suite, the entire hotel, and thankful that the vampire on the bed couldn't follow him.

In the time it took to get his shirt and socks on, his memory ruthlessly replayed the entire evening in front of his mind's eye. He tried to breathe slowly, to calm his heartbeat. He tried to think of any reason why he would have done what he had done, to rationalise his madness. He came up blank.

Without bothering to tie his shoelaces, he tugged his shirt down and walked, as calmly as he could, out into the living room.

Spike's voice reached him through the open door to the bedroom. "Hey, can you bring the chair a bit nearer, before you scarper, pet?"

He reached the door to the outside and turned the handle. As he slipped through, into the hall, he thought he heard Spike still calling after him, "Will you at least tell me your name?"

Next

Note - so, is this where I hide behind the barricades or, at least, duck? *g* I'll see you all in a couple of weeks.