Just Us

I do not claim to own any of the characters; I just like to play with them. I am but a poor office clerk without two pennies to rub together and I make NO money from writing any fanfic. So, suing me would be pretty pointless and I would cry.


Xander closed the apartment door behind him and leant against it. Breathe, breathe, breathe.

“You alright?” Spike asked from the couch.

“GAH! Geez, warn a guy, would you?”

“Sorry, mate. Just popped by to watch some footie. Don’t mind, do you?”

“Go ahead. Couldn’t care less. My casa is your casa, or something with a little more French. Or Italian. Spanish?”

Spike snorted a laugh, shrugged, and took a huge gulp from his drink. “Spanish, I reckon. So, what's wrong? You look as pale as me.”

“I did it, Spike,” Xander explained as he took a deep breath. “I just handed in my notice at the site.”

“Yeah?”

“Yep, one month and I’m gone. God, Spike, what am I doing?”

“Erm, moving in with Peaches?”

“Exactly.”

“Not having second thoughts, are you, pet?” Spike eyed Xander suspiciously and then carried on talking when he got no reply. “It ain’t too late to back out, you know. If you’re not sure about you and Angel…”

“NO!”

Spike flinched slightly at the sudden, loud bellow.

“I mean, no, in a slightly less desperate tone. I love Angel. I wanna go live with him. I wanna leave damp towels on his bathroom floor every morning. I wanna irritate him when he’s trying to work. I wanna call him Cuddles in front of inappropriate people. I wanna be with him.”

“I’m sensing there’s a but coming.”

Xander turned around to check.

“Not that kind of butt, idiot!”

“Oh. Sorry, one track mind. Um, the but is – and now I can’t stop thinking about butts – that this is all really scary stuff. I’m moving away from my friends, giving up my job – which I’m really good at, by the way. I’m leaving *my* apartment, my sacred little space. I’m gonna have to share again, Spike, and you know how long Angel takes in the bathroom.”

Spike nodded and grinned.

“And then I’m going to have to find another job. I mean, I know I’m qualified and all and it shouldn’t be all that hard to find work, but…what if I don’t like it? What if LA sucks big time? What if Angel *never* lets me in the bathroom? What if I’m never clean again? What if I slip on my own damp towels? Spike, what if Angel won’t let me have any towels?! Oh, my god…!!!!”

“Xan, luv, calm down a sec and tell me what this is all really about.”

Xander threw himself on the couch, beside Spike, and flung an arm over his eyes. “Buffy.”

“Ah, thought so.”

“What am I going to tell her?”

“The truth?”

“Oh, yeah, the *truth.* Like that won’t go down like several tons of bricks. Hey, Buffy, I’ve been boning your beloved ex for the past five months. Why didn’t I tell you? Because I’m a liar and a loser. Oh, and by the way, I’m moving in with him. Will that do for the final nail in the coffin or would you like more? Yeah? Okay, I love him and he loves me; he loves me enough to want me by his side. I guess he never loved you that much, huh?”

Spike narrowed his eyes in thought and finally got up to retrieve more Cherry Coke from the fridge. “Well, a little brutal, but at least you’re getting the point across.”

“Spike,” Xander warned.

“Pulling your leg. Look, I don’t know what you should say, but you should say something. In fact, you should have said something at the start like I said you should. Not that you ever listen to anything I say…”

“I do listen! I-I just don’t like to admit it. Look, I know you’re right, I should have said something right at the start. But it’s too late now. I’ve made my bed and not washed the sheets for five months. Now I have to lie in it and wish that I had a maid.”

“Eh?”

“I have to live with it and eventually do my own laundry.”

“Eh?”

“I have to be straight with Buff.”

“Oh. Want me to be there?”

“No, it’s okay. I’m a big boy now and I can fight my own battles. Although, feel free to lurk in the shadows somewhere near just in case she gets all battley.”

“Will do. When?”

“Um, sometime soon that isn’t right now? Is that committy enough for you?”

“It’ll do. But do yourself a favour and make it sometime sooner than soon. They’re going to want to know why you’re upping sticks to the city.”

“Can’t I just tell them that I prefer the shops? Yeah! Actually, that could work. I’ll tell them that I’m gay and I’m moving to the city for shopping, dancing and dating reasons. They’ll never suspect a thing! Of course, it’ll involve having to come out, but…”

“And when Buffy shows up on your doorstep looking for Angel and fluttering her girlie, Slayer eye-lashes at him? What are you going to do?”

“Bitch slap her ‘cos he’s mine? Okay, I see your point.”

“Exactly. Don’t lie to her anymore, Xan. It’ll make matters so much worse.”

“Yeah, I know. Hey, when did you get all wise and knowing?”

“Been watching Dr Phil. Bloody good bloke, he is. Just let me know if you ever get pregnant and don’t know who the father is. I’ll know exactly what to do. Just give me a shout.”

“Um,” Xander said with a puzzled expression. “I’ll be sure to do that.”

Spike nodded and held out one of the two cans in his hand. “Cherry Coke for your sorrow?”

Xander took the can and smiled. “That’s just the thing. I know this is a big deal and it is really scary, but I can’t remember ever being as happy as I am right now. I found him, Spike. I found my ‘someone’ and I’m so happy. I don’t see why I should feel guilty for that. And that, in turn, makes me feel incredibly guilty. Ironic, huh?”

“Very. You shouldn’t feel guilty, though, Xan. These things happen, and it ain’t like you stole him or anything. Look, maybe he should be the one to tell her?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. Fuck. I wish I’d told her at the start.”

“Told you so.”

“Don’t be an asshole.”

“Can’t help it. Learned it from you.”

“Well, I don’t know how you managed that because I learned it from you. So there.”

“Immature brat.”

“Learned that from you, too.”

Spike seemed to realise that he had no way on this earth of winning an argument of such childish proportions. He popped the tab on the can of Coke and slurped half of it in one go.

“So, how goes you and Cordy?” Xander asked, cunningly steering the conversation away from the mini-argument. He was winning and there was no way he was prepared to jeopardise that.

“Yeah, good, good. A beautiful bird and hot sex; what else could a bloke ask for?”

“You miss her, don’t you?”

“Fuck, yes. Every minute of every day that we’re apart.”

“So why don’t you move, too? I’m sure Angel wouldn’t mind. Much.”

Spike shrugged and turned away. “We’re not at that stage yet. Hasn’t even been mentioned.”

“Oh.”

“’Sokay. When you think about it, you and Angel moved really fast, ‘specially when you consider your arch enemy status. Me and Cordy, we’re just taking it slow.”

“Oh,” Xander said, again. It really didn’t take a genius to work out that Spike wasn’t being entirely truthful himself. “I’m gonna miss you, you know?”

Spike turned back around and smiled. “I’m gonna miss you, too, pet. Very fucking much.”

“You too. I’m gonna visit, though - lots. And you’d better visit, too, buddy, and not just for the hot sex with Cordy.”

“Oh, I get to have hot sex with you and Angel?”

Xander slapped him on the arm. “Euw. You know what I meant. Don’t forget me, blondie.”

“It’ll never happen.”

Xander smiled and leant back against the couch. “Good. Who else is going to make me the best tea on the planet?”

“Angel?”

“Puhleeze! Sewer water, much? Ergh.”

It was Spike’s turn to smile. So, he finally had one up on his Grandsire. Weirdly, that thought made him feel a hundred times better. Spike’s smile turned into an evil grin as he bet himself that he could probably fry a better flat sausage than Angel.

“Hey, Angel.”

Spike shook his head and pulled himself out of his daydream as Xander spoke. He looked around the room and realised that Xander was on the phone. “Say hi to the old bloke, would you?” Spike called out in a bored tone, turning back to the TV and settling down for the long run.

“Spike says hi.”

“I heard.”

Xander waited.

“Okay, if I really must; say hi back.”

Xander grinned and turned towards Spike. “Angel says hi back.”

“Joy.”

Xander rolled his eyes and sat on the floor, pulling the phone onto his lap. “So, how are you?”

“I’m good. You?”

“Good.”

“Missing you, though.”

“It’s only been three days,” Xander remarked. “Missing you, too, though. Um, I handed in my notice.”

“Yeah? That’s great.”

“Yeah, I had a day off, so I finally got around to typing it up and I thought I’d just go in and do it - get it out the way, you know.”

“How did they take it?”

“Good. They said they were sad to lose me, but they’d give me a recommendation.”

“That’s great. I’m pleased.”

“Me too. This is it, Angel. The ball is set loose and it’s started to roll. It’ll roll the right way, right?”

“Of course it will. And you know I’ll be there if you need me.”

“I know. Thanks, Angel. I love you.” Xander ignored the fake gagging actions from the couch.

“I love you, too, baby. What about your apartment?”

“Oh, well, my choices there are simple beyond simple. Either I can break my lease and pay a hefty fine or I can illegally sublet. Either way, I’m pretty much stuffed.”

“How much longer left on your lease?”

“About four months, I think.”

Xander could almost hear Angel nodding in thought on the other end of the phone.

“I’ll pay.”

“No, you won’t. I don’t want to start things off like that. I’m a responsible adult and I can take care of my own problems.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“I just won’t leave a forwarding address. They’ll never find me.”

“Xander…”

“Joking! Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

Angel sighed. “Just tell me if you need help.”

“I will. Thanks. So, I was thinking, I could come visit you again this weekend. I know that I should be doing stuff, but I miss you, and how long does it really take to pack up a life? Couple of days? Yeah, packing shmacking, I can do it anytime. Spike can help me!”

“Oi!”

“Xander, there may not be any point in you coming to visit this weekend.”

“Oh. Why?”

“Because chances are I’m still going to be in Sunnydale.”

“But…What…? You’re *still* going to be in Sunnydale? *Still?* You’re here already? Here in Sunnydale? Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“How so? Don’t tell me there’s a demon on the loose and Buffy needs help to find it and destroy it?”

“Not quite. Giles called me. He needs help.”

“You’re telling me. Why anyone would want to wear all that tweed is just beyond…”

“No, he needs help with some books. They’re part of a set that was lost a millennium ago. Very dark magic is contained within them. We need to seriously consider what would be the best thing to do with them.”

“And he called you for that?”

“No, he called Wesley.”

“So, what happened?”

“Wesley has a bad case of 'flu. There’s no way he could go anywhere. Then Giles suggested that maybe he could come down to LA with the books.”

“Yeah?”

“I vetoed the idea. This way I get the bonus of seeing you.”

“Plan. Where are you now?”

“Outside your door.”

There was a small knock and Xander slammed down the phone and wrenched open the door. “Angel,” he breathed.

And then they kissed.

“Bleedin’ hell! Mind a bloke’s eyes, would you?!”

TBC…