No! But? Bollocks!

Title: No! But? Bollocks!
Author: Margie
Rating: NC-17 (for the naughty sex parts)
Pairing: X/S
Spoilers: None really.

Summary: Another sequel in my Who? What? Huh? Series. This
follows How? Why? Bloody Hell, Yes!. X/S are married and still
fighting the good fight.

Author's Note: Some angst, but overall a happy fic. This might be a
long one folks...I haven't quite decided. Although I hope I don't sound
as if I plagiarized anything, I'd say that this story was probably
inspired by Velvet Crypt's Family (if you haven't read it, go -
http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/firebird_ascending/fics/SpikeXander.html
). I love the idea of X/S having kids, and thought I'd give it a shot.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Joss owns it all, damn him!
Feedback: Yes please! margaritagomez1@msn.com
Archive: If you want it just email me to tell me where it's going. It will
eventually be on my own website when I get the chance to update
(www.angelfire.com/indie/margarks/index.html)

***

Chapter 1 - A Routine Patrol

They were making a final circuit when a cry pierced the silence. At
first, Xander wasn't sure what direction the sound was coming from,
but when Spike broke into a run he followed without question. They
barreled through the cemetery, jumping the waist high, ivy covered
wall without breaking stride, and came upon a gruesome sight.

Before he could stop himself Xander was bent over and heaving, the
contents of his stomach roiling and pitching until they were freed. In a
nauseous haze he heard his mate roar and enter the fray. Unwilling
to let Spike fight without backup, Xander pulled himself together and
moved forward, his right hand bringing up the axe he habitually
hefted.

He tried not to look at the remains, tried not to hear the cries from the
huddled mass to his left. They were safe enough for now, the car
doors once again shut tight, the locks engaged. Although he made
sure to station himself close enough to the automobile to render
assistance if necessary.

Xander hovered anxiously on the sides watching for any break in the
fight. Any help his lover might need. There were two demons circling
Spike. They were of a kind Xander didn't recognize; large, red, and
glistening with some type of ichor that coated their skins, but no
horns, or tails, or other otherworldly appendages. But their eyes were
completely black, all pupil, and their faces were elongated, as if
someone had pinched the tops of their heads and then pulled their
chins down as far as they could go.

"Don't let them touch you, luv!" Spike shouted a warning. "That
slime's like acid. It'll burn right through you."

Xander made an 'ewww' face but nodded. "Be careful!" Xander held
his breath as he watched Spike dance around the demons, his long
black duster flapping behind him.

Then suddenly one of the demons charged straight at Spike, the
other came from the left. Xander knew Spike couldn't escape both
demon attacks at once, so he made his own move. Rushing forward,
he came from the demon's blind side. His axe high, he let it slice
through the air, the demon's own momentum eased the blade's entry
and Xander was splattered with black ooze as the demon's head fell
to the ground.

Ignoring the dripping fluid, Xander glanced up quickly to see Spike
kick the other demon in the face. The monster fell backwards, but
quickly came back up on his knees. Unfortunately for him, Spike had
already maneuvered himself behind the unlucky demon, his arms
encircling the impossibly shaped head and twisting. Xander heard
the snap as its neck broke, and he watched with satisfaction as Spike
dropped the demon back to the ground.

It was only then that the cries from the car broke through his battle
haze. Spike was by his side before Xander could stand and make his
way back toward the vehicle. "Are you okay, luv? Did you get any of
the red ichor on you?" Spike was checking his mate for injuries as he
spoke.

"Nah. Just blood, I think. It's blood t? t? Tell me it's blood," Xander
babbled, not wanting to think about what else the black, viscous fluid
could be.

"Yeah, luv. Just blood." Spike leaned down and gave Xander's
mouth a quick kiss. "We'll get you cleaned up as soon as we get
home."

"Ewww!" Xander tried to fend off Spike's kiss. "I just barfed all over
the place." Xander gestured around them, though it was difficult to
tell what was vomit and what was debris from the battle.

Spike let Xander push him away, but gave him a leering look. "Fine,
but let's head home. Patrol's over and I'm horny."

Xander rolled his eyes at his husband. "You're *always* horny."

"So?"

"So, we have to go check on the people in the car." Xander headed
over toward the old, beat-up Buick station wagon. He turned to find
Spike pouting, but following him nonetheless. "They could be hurt,
and they're probably scared."

"Yeah, all right. I'm followin' you ain't I?" Spike grumbled back, but
he hastened his steps a bit.

Spike arrived at the car first, reaching out to grasp the door handle.
Busting the lock as he pulled the handle up with a hard jerk, Spike
peered inside. Before Xander could get close enough to check the
occupants, Spike's expression tumbled from surprise to sadness to
consternation, all within the space of a few seconds. "Bugger!"

"What's going - " Xander's sentence stuck in his throat when he
looked into the interior of the car and saw two tiny bodies huddled
together toward the other end of the bench seat. They were crying
and sniffling, and Xander's heart immediately went out to them.

One of them was still in a car seat, the other had obviously
unfastened their seat belts and pushed them as far away from the
side the fight had occurred on as possible. The one in the seat
couldn't have been much more than 2 years old, the older no more
than 5, maybe 6. Xander felt tears well in his eyes as he realized that
the remains he'd seen when they'd first arrived on the scene must
have been those of their parents.

"Hey there." Xander slowly entered the car emitting soothing words
and sounds the entire way. "Shhh...Everything's going to be all right.
My name's Xander, and that's Spike. We'll take care of you. Shhhh."
Xander now cradled the older child in his arms, rocking her gently
back and forth. She was crying softly and asking for her momma,
making Xander's tears fall even faster.

Slowly the girl began to drift into an exhausted sleep. When she'd
finally succumbed, Xander lay her back down on the seat, checking
on the boy in the car seat to make sure that he, too, had calmed
enough to fall asleep. Slowly he climbed out of the car, making sure
not to rock the vehicle and wake the children.

Spike was standing just a few feet away waiting for his lover to
emerge. "Xan?"

"They're asleep. We have to take them to social services or
something." Xander's voice was agitated and he paced the sidewalk.
"What do we do? What do we tell them?"

"Shhh, luv." Spike came up beside him, his arms entrapping
Xander's warm body, his voice soothing. "We'll figure it all out. But
there is something you should know." Xander's head came up and
his eyebrow quirked. "They're not human. Not entirely, anyway."

"What? How do you know? They look human."

"I know that, luv. But I can smell them, and the blood that was spilt
earlier. Only one was human, the other - I'm not sure." Spike turned
to look at the car, his expression one of quiet contemplation.

"That means...that means we can't take them to social services."

"No."

"What will they do? We can't just leave them here. We have to take
them home. We'll take care of them."

"No!" Spike ran his hands up and down Xander's arms. "How can
we, luv? We don't know anything about children. We don't even
know what species they are!"

"I promised we'd take care of them." Xander's voice was determined
while he looked at Spike in entreaty. "They don't have anyone else."

"No!"

"But..." Xander's eyes widened as he focused tear filled chocolate
orbs on his lover's face. His bottom lip came out in a quivering pout,
and Spike was lost.

"Bollocks!"