Love's Bitches

Title: Love's Bitches 11/11 - end for now
Author: Rowaine (rowained@yahoo.com)
Pairing: Spike/Xander, eventually
See first part for disclaimer, warnings, etc ad nauseum

:: Retry, Abort, Fail ::

Dunno when it happened, but Xander bloody Harris found a few homeless brain cells and took'em in. Shouldn't say that about the whelp -- he's always been the heart of the group, findin' solutions outa some cosmic grab bag of bizaar ideas. Just a bit disconcertin', is all. Havin' a human with no special powers tell me somethin' I shoulda figured out on my own.

So yeh, maybe I'm 'whole' now. Don't feel the same struggle going on anymore, just little things. Whether it's a bad idea to thrown him down in front of the fast food patrons and make him squeal -- part of me says 'why the hell not?', but the other part says he'd probably object about being banned from his favorite greasy treats.

Guess part of this soul-having business comes down to patience. Demons rarely have much, if any. Want, take, have -- as our favorite renegade slayer once said. So the soul is my impulse control. Not saying I like it too much, but at least I can recognize what it's for.

And maybe he's right about the other too. Didn't ask for redemption, didn't ask for anything other than making sure my family stayed alive. But maybe... the Powers are givin' it to me anyways.

*Flash*

What the soddin' hell was that?!


:: Blue screen ::

~William, Xander~

Blue eyes meet brown long enough to verify that they are both following this strange event. They nod warily toward the shimmering grey figures.

~Good, nice to see that you've both caught on.~

~Be nice, brother.~ A stern look at the toga-wearing male. ~William, you are quite correct in your theories. We felt it just to reward you for your unselfish acts, and have given you a second chance. Merging your human soul and demon spirit was only the first step. Accepting that you can be and are loved was the major stumbling block, which you have overcome quite nicely.~

"Eh, so now what? Not gonna turn me into a human, are ya?" He turns toward his lover as Xander grabs his hand. "Not that there's anything wrong with being human, I suppose. Just not what I am anymore, right?"

~Not at all. You are still yourself, William. Yet you are more, what would be loosely called a day walker among your kind. A subset of your species that has not been seen in many centuries, but we felt it appropriate for your reward. Especially considering your choice of companionship.~

"Huh."

Xander looks the two figures over, opens his mouth and closes it again, then frowns and starts over. "So, in exchange for letting himself be torched and ashed, saving millions of humans and assorted peaceful life forms, he gets to walk in the sunlight and has no driving urge to feed. Did I get that right?"

A ghostly chuckle brings shivers to both lovers.

~Simply put, yes, Alexander. Although I believe you missed something along the way. He also gets eternity, if he so chooses. With his mate.~

Spike's eyes flicker toward the mortal for one brief moment. He doesn't want to ask the question, but feels he must. "Did you two push us together? Not sayin' I wanna change anything, but it's not fair to the whelp if he's got no say-so in this."

Another eerie laugh.

~Not at all, William. We forced no one's hand in any affection toward you. There were several candidates who missed you, remembered you fondly, even wished for your presence. Your Alexander's desire for a true partner was most pure, and your own feelings -- however deeply they might have been -- tipped the scales in his direction.~

"Huh."

Looking at the blond, Xander asks, "So, these are the spokesbeings for the Powers? What's with the doublespeak?"

"Ssssssshh! Don't-"

"Oh please, Spike. They've been running around in circles since they dragged us here. Not telling us anything we hadn't already figured out."

~You are correct, mortal. This is simply a... what term would you most recognize... courtesy call? William needed to hear directly from us, the terms of his reward and all that entails. Perhaps now you can take over leading him through the various changes and discoveries. Our time and patience is at an end with this little drama.~

~Speak for yourself, brother. I for one intend on following them around for some time. Just in the interest of-~

~Busybody.~

As the two devolve into some arcane language, bickering, Xander and Spike find themselves back in MickyD's parking lot.


:: In the beginning... ::

They stare at each other for several long minutes, not relinquishing their hand holding.

"So, that was... odd."

"Yeh."

"And you're real talkative."

Shrug.

"Spike, listen." Taking a deep breath, Xander turns the other man's face towards his. "You heard what they said, remember? They didn't force either of us into this. Timing is everything... if they'd tried to push me into accepting what I felt just a couple of months ago, it wouldn't have worked. Took dropping me on my head a few times to understand."

"Uh..."

"No, just... listen, and stop doubting me please. You deserve this. I deserve this. So the Powers decided to play metaphysical matchmaker, who cares? If we didn't have a decent chance together, you wouldn't be *here* anyways, right?"

"Yeh, guess so."

"Ok then, let's enjoy what we've got, and figure out what they meant by 'daywalker'. That's a term I haven't heard before, though it's pretty easy to grasp where the name came from." Snickering, he lifts the blond's face in for a soft kiss. "Wanna give this a try?"

Like an errant child, Spike scuffs his shoe into the ground, thinking. "We've gotta, don't we? Claimed ya already. Can't just-"

"Spike. Choice. Mine. Yours. Remember?"

"Huh, you take lessons from the werewolf in advanced communications skills?"

"Nah, just enough time around Buffy before her morning coffee."

"Ah, right then. S'ok, yeh, guess we'll give it a shot."

Another gentle kiss, transmitting concern and care and so many other emotions. "And we've got eternity to iron out the kinks. Or discover them." And winking at his lover, Xander throws an arm around the slighter form and leads him toward the golden arches.


End

for now


AN: It was my intention to go a bit further with this section, however extenuating circumstances have prevented me from being able to write or get online for the foreseeable future. My computer is dead, eating itself apart byte by byte. I've tried to wrap things up as neatly as possible, answering the major questions, but still reserve the right to deal with the rest in future sequels when I can fix this internet deficit disorder.
Hopefully you will all forgive the abrupt ending (and lack of more smut), and will patiently await my return.
The outstanding reviews and comments have truly made my heart warm to overflowing, no sarcasm either. Your kind words have been one of the few balms to this very trying past week. Many hugs and kisses to the lot of ya!