Time After Time Series

There was an eerie silence in the city. Spike guessed at least seventy percent of Sunnydale's population had left, and the rest weren't far behind. Caleb was gone, and no one celebrated his death as much as Spike. Course it wasn't an 'out and out' celebration, just bit of justice for what he'd done to Xander and to so many others. If Spike had had his way, the guy would have suffered. William the Bloody would have come out to play... if he'd had the chance.

Things were about to come to a head. He knew it. The Slayers knew it. The potentials knew it. Everything kept winding tighter and tighter.

Knowing anything could happen... that he might not be able to protect his boy, and that Xander would not leave for safety while his friends fought on, Spike treated every minute they had together as a precious gift. He'd proposed seeing a movie, because it was what Xander liked to do.... and because it felt like a normal way to end the day. But Like the rest of the city, the theater was abandoned, the lights were off.
Seeing the disappointment in Xander's eye, Spike went to the front doors and rattled them so hard the chains meant to keep vandals out broke. He banged his elbow into the glass, shattering it, then put his hand inside to use the handle to open the double doors. "Right this way guv’nor..."

Xander looked bemused, and about to protest, but Spike didn't give him a chance. Turning the lights on, he figured out how to work the popcorn machines and soon had drinks and food in hand and was rushing Xander into one of the theaters. "All the way up to the back row, it's where the lovers sit," he said, sliding his gaze over to see Xander's reaction.

"Spike? Do you need me to explain basic biology to you?" Xander quipped. The tension of the last few days and weeks and months was finally getting to him and he was getting more and more nervous. The only time he could calm down a little was when Spike and he were alone, cocky attitude and nervous babbling left at the door. "Why are we here anyway? It's dark, there's no movie. Much as I like the popcorn and the nachos, the movie is a pretty important part of the 'going to the cinema' experience."

"You wanted a movie and I thought to myself, you make me tell you stories all the time." Spike had propped the door open, and with the bit of light coming from the lobby and his night vision, he could see Xander's color rise. Course his stories about their past lives were always of the X-rated variety. "Why not tell you one now, here... we can pretend we're watching it, yeah?"

"You and your stories," Xander rolled his eye but still he settled down, popcorn hugged close and looking expectantly at Spike. "Can we have a really old one this time? And can I please be a guy? It's hard enough to listen to those ones, never mind ones where I'm a girl," he complained.

“Difficult to listen to, are they?” Spike’s eyebrow rose. “Not what you say when you’re demanding the stories from me.” He racked his brain, sifting through the various lives they’d lived, looking for one where Xander hadn’t been a girl. Right… wearing eyeliner didn’t make him a girl.

"I don't demand!" Xander protested, "I ask politely like my mother...well, like Willow taught me. Now, speak," he commanded with a grin.

"Put the popcorn down," Spike drawled, leaning over him. "It's the previews... no one watches the previews, yeah?"

"I do!"

Despite his protest Xander put the popcorn down, watching with mild apprehension as Spike leaned closer. He'd gotten more used to this compulsion to let Spike do whatever he wanted but he still wasn't completely comfortable with the closeness.

Spike watched him intently until the boy did as he wished. “Right. But not when you’re with me. There are better things to do during previews, and the slow bits of the movie, and the credits,” he said, moving in a little at a time, and pulling the arm he had behind Xander closer, “anyone who’s got someone knows that,” he added on a whisper, his mouth inches away from Xander’s.

Xander hummed a soft agreement to whatever Spike had said. He'd been too busy staring at the blond's mouth to really listen. He leaned forward a little, not enough for their lips to touch, doing that would be admitting too much, acknowledging too much. Denial was Xander's friend, yes it was.

"Kiss me now?" he mumbled after a moment, when Spike didn't seem about to move.

“Now you’ve got the right of it.” He didn’t have to be asked twice to do what he’d been wanting all bloody day long. At one point, he’d been tempted to drag the boy away from all the potentials, and have his way with him in the garage … around the block… on the roof… anywhere.

Spike slanted his mouth over Xander’s and pressed his tongue along it’s partially closed seam, seeking entrance. The sound of Xander’s heart rate going into over drive sent a thrill through the vampire’s system. Dragging the boy closer, he delved his tongue inside, tasting, exploring, re-learning, and claiming what was his for all time.

The next few minutes passed too fast for Xander. Despite the uncomfortable chair and the awkward position, all he could feel was Spike, touching him, kissing him, giving him what he wanted all day. It wasn't until Spike's hands wandered a little too far that he was brought out of the pleasure stupor that had taken him. "Story," he yelped, breaking off the kiss.

“Mmm?” Spike lifted his head, his eyes were still heavy lidded. “No, there are always at least three.” He couldn’t stand the idea of stopping just yet. Didn’t the boy see yet that this was right? At times… at times he let Spike get farther. Slowly, he started unbuttoning Xander’s shirt, this time locking gazes with him. “Don’t keep running away from me. We might be short on time.”

"No but Spike I can't, this is, I mean..." Xander's inane babble fluttered to a stop when Spike nibbled on a sensitive spot. Shouldn't he be more freaked out by a vampire nibbling on his neck, he wondered dazedly.

The pulse beating erratically under Spike's tongue told him otherwise. Brushing away Xander's hands, and his reluctance, Spike stroked his finger tip up and down Xander's chest, each time moving lower over smooth skin pulled taut over muscle. He inched his mouth down the same trail, kissing, licking... scraping his teeth along Xander's skin. He loved how tense Xander got, how he shuddered... how he unconsciously lifted his hips. Another invitation the vampire could not resist.

In a single move, Spike was off his chair, and kneeling in front of Xander, distracting him with heated kisses trailing across his chest and abdomen, but preparing to get what he wanted this time. Hands on Xander's thighs, he squeezed each time he leaned closer to kiss or suck Xander's chest, moving in circles and brushing his chin cross the boy's groin, dying for him to want him, as badly as Spike wanted Xander.
Xander didn't quite relax but he did lean into Spike's mouth, enjoying the caresses bestowed on him. One touch below the waist though and he panicked.

"Spike no! I can't, I'm not...fuck I sound like a girl but I'm not...I can't do this, please," he babbled pushing at Spike's head. Spike moved back a bit and Xander immediately felt miserable. "I'm sorry," he said, distress clear in his voice. "I don't mean to be so scared but I can't help it."

No! That was all he was hearing lately. Or rather it was a combination of 'yes'... which inevitably turned too quickly to a 'no'. Time was short, he knew it from the feeling in the pit of his stomach. And so was his patience. Cursing lightly, he rose. "Get your popcorn, let's go."

"Spike?" Xander reached out and grabbed hold of Spike's sleeve. He'd been aiming for the wrist but the blond moved too fast. He knew it, he just knew Spike was giving up on him and despite the uncertainty and the fear he didn't want that. For all he knew, they were both going to die tomorrow and he didn't want it to happen while Spike was mad at him. "I'm sorry. We can," he breathed in, working up the courage to continue, "we can go on if you like."

"Keep your mercy fuck. Get your popcorn," the vampire repeated, more quietly but just as adamantly as he started to make his way toward the aisle. All day long, he'd seen the same appeasing look in people's eyes. Giles... he'd made a big mistake trying to kill him, and now he looked at Spike in a different way. Buffy... telling him how to train the girls, and then after he'd exploded, assuring him he was doing a great job.

And now this... him. How long was it going to take for Xander to see the truth and accept it? Bloody hell, he'd been pouring his heart out to the boy. Story after story, telling him what was the what. Sometimes they were so close... so close he thought the boy would say something intimate, something that told him he wasn't wasting his time... something that would reassure him this wasn't one of those 'almost got together' lives that he remembered just as clearly as the ones where they’d found each other.

"It's not a mercy fuck!" Xander yelled. He watched Spike walk away, his own heart racing and his eye burning. There was too much tension in the air lately and Spike was the only thing to afford him some comfort and now he was leaving. Xander closed his eye, took careful breaths and told himself not to cry. They didn't have time for mental breakdowns, they had another apocalypse to deal with. He could cry later.

Once he had himself under control he got up to follow Spike, popcorn clutched to his chest like a lifeline.

Spike knew Xander was upset. Knew he should talk to him, but he couldn't bring himself to. Maybe it was unreasonable, maybe he shouldn't be hurt at the repeated rejections, and maybe he wanted everything 'yesterday' but had still shown remarkable patience... and yet, he was banging his bloody head against a wall, and at this moment he could do nothing but give his anger and frustration free rein.

Outside, the silence between them was amplified by the absolute stillness of the city. Not a car passed. Not a soul walked by. It was just them... the two of them, but it might as well have been just Spike there, the way he walked slightly ahead of Xander, anxious to get away ... or to get home.

Xander kept the silence until he couldn't bear it anymore. He was a talkative person. A person that talked! Or listened even. He was good at listening. This whole 'silent treatment' thing always got to him, more than all the puppy eyes and sad little pouts in the world. "So...erm...what was the story you were going to tell me?" he asked quietly.

When Spike's head whipped around, his eyes held one message. Fuck you. The boy had just ruined a perfect story, a perfect 'movie,' and was so oblivious, he poured salt into the wound by bringing them back around to the story Spike had been prepared to tell ... once they'd gotten into the right mood. One step forward, three steps back. That's how it was with them.

Clamping down on his need to lash out, Spike tempered his words. Slightly. "Not important. Just about two men. One who loved the other more than..." he made a dramatic gesture, sweeping his hand around to indicate the world surrounding him. "Nothing you'd care to know about... not till you grow up."

At Spike's words the hurt receded deeper into the confused jumble of Xander's emotions and some anger made it through to the surface. He let the popcorn drop to the ground and speeded up, stalking ahead of Spike and towards the house. He was doing his best to deal with the whole situation and if Spike couldn't see that then fuck him.

"I don't know why you even bother with me then," he snapped as he passed the vampire, "I'm just a little kid, nobody interesting or important. Well fuck you Spike, go back to your Slayer, I'm sure she'd fuck you in a minute."

Before he realized what he was doing, Spike grabbed Xander from behind and pushed him up hard against a parked car. His hand pressed against the boy's chest, and he could feel the loud thudding of his heart. It shouldn't be like this. I should be him, kissing Xander like there was no tomorrow... and Xander should be kissing me back. Pleading with him, wanting him with the same force of desire that Spike was constantly battling. Even now, the vampire within was stirring. Demanding he claim what was his. Demanding he crush the boy against the car, take him... body and soul. But that wasn't how these things worked out. He'd learned something over the years.

He gritted his teeth. "Keep pushing me, and I might sodding do that."

It was a lie. It cut him deeply once the words were out. But an apology wouldn't leave his lips. He merely pulled away. "Just get to bed. We're both tired." His shoulders slumped as he turned toward their place.

"Never doubted it for a moment," Xander replied, a bitter smile twisting his lips. He took the lead again, walking as fast as he could without running. All the doubts he'd had about Spike's intentions were running through his head and he needed to escape the blond's presence as soon as possible.

When they finally reached the apartment, he unlocked the front door and went straight into his room, slamming the door behind him. Not the most mature of reactions but Spike already thought he was just a kid so why try and change his mind.

Walking to the cabinet, Spike started to pour himself a glass of whisky, then cursed and just took the whole bottle with him. The door to his room slammed just as loudly and showed as much maturity. But whereas the boy would probably fall into a blissful sleep, he needed the liquor to numb him. Numb him to both his terrible need to reconnect with his soul mate, and the repeated rejections that were wearing him down at soul level.

* * *

Two days later, they were on speaking terms again. But there was a shadow between them. Anyone who knew them well, who'd seen their camaraderie of late, or noticed their closeness, could tell. Spike's gaze still followed Xander, and he was always aware of where the boy was, but no longer did he take every opportunity to touch him... to lean into him... to stroke his hair. He didn't try to steal kisses anymore, or whisper outrageous ideas into his ear when he was supposed to be paying attention to Buffy. And at nights... they had no more sleep-overs in each others’ beds.

Spike shut the telly off and got up. He was lonelier than he'd ever been... and the man he loved was right next to him. What could be more fucked than that?

The moment Spike turned off the television Xander looked up from his comic. After their argument he had expected Spike to go back to the way things were, the way he always did after they had a fight. But this time the blond paid no attention to him whatsoever and Xander was sure that Spike had given up on him. For the last two days he'd been watching and waiting for the moment when Spike would go back to Buffy.

"Going out?" he asked, trying for a casual tone. This was it, he was sure. This was when it would be really over.

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Is there anywhere left to go to?"

Xander shrugged, eyes steadfastly on his comic. "I don't know. Maybe...maybe you want to check up on the girls or something," he mumbled.

"Had enough of them during the day. Nightime would be a bit much," he wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "One good thing about the stores being empty... free beer."

"Yeah."

Xander looked towards the kitchen, then back to his comic. He wished he knew how to bridge this gap that had appeared between them but he didn't know how. Every word he could think of seemed awkward and somehow accusing.

"Want one?" Already the vampire was popping the cap off his bottle with the pressure of his thumb.

"Erm...sure, okay."

Strolling back into the room, Spike handed Xander the drink, looking thoughtfully at him when their fingers brushed. No. He had promised to keep himself in check, and he would... even if it killed him.

Xander drank his beer as fast as he could without seeming desperate, glancing over at Spike from time to time then back to his comic. The tension around him kept rising until he couldn't take it anymore. "Right, I'm off to bed. I'll...I'll see you tomorrow."

“Goodnight.” Staring into his almost empty bottle, Spike waited until Xander left the room, then got himself another beer. They’d gotten close... very close, to the point Xander had been sleeping with him in his bed. He’d allowed kissing and some touching, but eventually they’d hit a plateau... and that was it. No moving forward in their relationship. Right... they talked a lot, but when it came to other needs... you’d think they were bloody girlfriends... touching and playing with each others’ hair, then rolling over and saying good night. How long could a man pretend the ache between his legs wasn’t there?

Shuffling off to his own room, he left it open a crack. Shirtless and in bed, he nursed his drink until sleep came. That was one good thing about all day training sessions... made it a bit easier not to think and keep thinking about all the ways they might be about to ruin another one of their lives together.

* * *

Caleb was there again, reaching for him, pressing his thumb into Xander's eye. Except this time Spike wasn't there and Caleb was laughing and taunting him as he started pushing against his other eye. Xander kept screaming but there was nobody there.

Just as the pressure got too much and his eye felt like it was about to burst Xander snapped awake, panicked and reaching for Spike. Except, much like in the dream, Spike wasn't there.

He tried to calm himself down and go back to sleep but every time he closed his eye, he could see Caleb standing there, smirking at him.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" he whispered to himself. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking longingly at the door. He could go find Spike. Just get up and go find all the comfort he wanted. The thought took him all the way to Spike's door. But what if Spike didn't want to comfort him anymore? He stood in front of the door, one hand on the doorknob, trying to work up the courage to go in.

He’d listened to the thrashing and knew that Xander was at his door. Probably seeking some girlfriend duty. Even though the thought was bitter, Spike called out, “come.” By the time the door was pushed open, he held the blanket up for the boy to crawl in. If he didn’t like the fact spike wore only his short... it was too bleeding bad.

Xander stepped inside the room, hesitant and embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, "I can go back if you want."

The vampire’s gaze raked Xander, from head to bare feet. He merely shook the blanket up and down. “In.”

"It was Caleb again," he said as he burrowed under the blanket, keeping a bit of a distance from Spike, "he took both eyes this time."

Every muscle in Spike’s body tensed. Caleb was gone, but he haunted them still.

He turned on his side, and swallowed at the horror etched in Xan’s expression. He wasn’t going to hold him, wasn’t going to touch him... right, every last self imposed restraint fell away from him. Spike put his arm around Xander, and dragging him close, against his chest. “Safe now. Safe from him,” he whispered against soft dark hair. There were ten thousand ways to make the boy forget the nightmare, but... yeah... he didn’t want that... not from Spike. Not yet.

"Thank you."

The words were whispered against Spike's skin, as Xander wrapped his arms around the blond. It took a while for the feeling of naked skin against his to sink in but once Xander calmed down he became very conscious of the way Spike pressed against him.

"Would you...could you kiss me?" he asked, leaning back to look into Spike's eyes.

Spike searched Xander’s face. The other night was too fresh in his memory to try anything. Then again, these past several days had been bloody awful too. He leaned in and pressed a closed mouth kiss over Xander’s eye patch. “Sleep now, yeah?”

Gathering all his courage, Xander licked his lips and leaned forward a little.

"I was thinking more like this," he said and pressed his lips against Spike's.

The tentative touch sent all sorts of signals to Spike’s brain, and other parts. He started to push Xander on his back, mouths still touching. “Are you doing this for me, or for you?” he asked. The questioned burned in his gut.

"Both," Xander replied immediately, "I'm tired of being scared and you want me," he explained. "And I want you too."

As he talked, his hands moved up and down Spike's back. Now that he had his hands on so much skin he couldn't seem to stop touching Spike.

Arching as Xander touched him the way he’d been dreaming since he’d recovered his memories of their past lives, Spike answered. “I want you in so many ways... but mostly, I just want all of you.” Lowering his mouth over Xander, he kissed him. It wasn’t a soft , gentle probing kiss, or a fiery kiss that promised all-night-sex. It was a soul baring kiss, filled with love, and hope, and slow, simmering heat.

"Want you too...so much," Xander murmured against Spike's lips. He smiled a little and gently pushed Spike back, settling himself over the blond. He couldn't help but push his hips down a bit, a gasp escaping him as his erection rubbed against Spike's.

"This okay?" he asked breathlessly.

“You have to ask,” Spike gruffly asked, gripping the boy’s hip to make sure he stayed right there. “Again... oh yeah...” he tilted his head back on the pillow as a jolt of heat exploded through him. Fuck... just one touch...

Raising himself up, he melded their mouths together, sweeping his hands up and down Xander’s back and ass, feasting on strong, well defined muscles that shivered and tensed under his touch. Urging him to move again, and again, to bring pleasure to their surging erections, Spike finally found what he’d been looking for... for Xander to drop all of his defenses and let what was meant to happen, happen.

"Been wanting to-" Xander murmured, breaking the kiss to kiss down Spike's neck. "Not a vamp but neck fetish," he continued and proceeded to devote whole minutes licking and sucking on the pale skin, moving his hips languidly as he explored.

His boy... his boy was kissing him... tasting him. His boy was physically demonstrating what was in his heart, what Spike had known was in his heart. Else why would Xander be so insistent that he tell one story after another? Why would his breathing grow erratic when Spike got to the naughty bits? Why did he tense and close his eye... or much later in the night, cry out Spike's name? Still... it had been difficult for the vampire, to know all this... to be allowed to touch and sometimes kiss, but then be pushed away because Xander wasn't ready to acknowledge the truth that his body recognized.

All the nuzzling and moving about was getting Spike worked up, but he exerted every last shred of control he had not to escalate. "Really shouldn't be hiding your fetishes from me, I'm sure I can take them," he moved his head back as Xander's mouth and tongue slowly drove him crazy.

Despite the euphoria, he was afraid though. Afraid Xander would stop... and they'd be where they'd been a few hours ago. He needed this... he needed progress so bad, he'd make any deal... any... "Tell you what. I know you don't want to rush things, and I... I want to rush things. How about we keep our clothes on, and everything else is fair game?" Already, he was imagining rolling Xander over and making him as breathless as his counterparts in all the stories he'd told.

Xander hummed happily against Spike's skin, he'd found a spot that made the blond shiver and he took full advantage of his discovery, worrying at the skin with his teeth and soothing the sting with his tongue. "Not like we're wearing much," he murmured. Still, setting the rule removed the last bit of tension from his body. He pushed back into Spike's arms, a move he never would have dared even hours ago, and pressed down again, rubbing his cock against Spike's.

Spike groaned, and rolled them over so he was on top. "Speak for yourself... any clothes is too many clothes when you're in bed and you're..." he ground his hips in slow circles to make his point. Xander looked so good under him, so relaxed... except for the way he was kneading the sheets... so natural. Unable to resist the boy, he brought his mouth down hard over Xander's, and proceeded to kiss him with the mastery of a hundred years of experience, groping and exploring his body at the same time, learning once again how and where he liked to be touched.

"Oh, God, don't stop," Xander moaned into the kiss. With Spike on top he was free to let his hands wander down the pale back. Spike pushed down and Xander clamped his hands on Spike's hips, pulling him down and thrusting slightly so that their erections rubbed together. "So close, Spike, please."

Close already? He really had to be potent. Keeping the thoughts to himself, Spike made a concentrated effort to get Xander off. If it went right the first time, the boy would be more adventurous next time... and there would be a next time, because Spike wasn't giving this up for anything... the slide of his chest over Xander's, the hunger... the need in his boy's face... the love that withstood the centuries... the millenia...

"Wanted this so much," Xander whispered, dragging Spike down for a kiss, "sorry, so sorry, never say no again," he babbled, thrusting up harder and faster, overexcited and overeager and desperate to have Spike any way he could get him.

Was this a dream? It had to be... and a bloody good one at that. This time, Spike's kisses took on a wicked edge as he synced the movements of his tongue with the movements of his hips, meeting Xander's thrust for thrust. He shoved one hand under the boy's arse and started to lift him, forcing their surging cocks together with more pressure. He ached, and wanted, and needed, but took only what he thought Xander was prepared to give him. "Come... come with me," he said gruffly against that sweet, hot mouth. "Come Xan..."

"Yeah, just more, need it faster Spike, please," Xander gasped as Spike gave him exactly what he needed. "just...fuck, just like that." His hands latched on Spike's hips, guiding the blond's movements, pulling him hard against Xander until he could no longer fight the sensations.

Spike couldn't stop if he'd wanted to. Time stood still. There was no yesterday and there was no tomorrow, only now. Only the feel of Xander clawing at him, wanting him, saying his name like he mattered. They stayed in the moment... fucking, kissing, demanding, choking on words, spinning out of control, spinning into oblivion. By the time they were crying each others' names out as they released, the bed was a wreck and the headboard had dented the wall. But neither one of them was aware of anything... anything but how they felt in each others' arms.

Rolling off Xander, but still touching him, Spike whispered. "Harris?" He smiled in response to the outraged look Xander gave him. "Alexander, Alexandre, Xa'an, Xandros, Xan dar... none of them hold a candle to you. None of them compare," he said, kissing him lightly. "Even if you are a git for making me wait, yeah?"

"Oh hush," Xander replied through a yawn. "I wasn't ready and you're way too touchy," he continued, more confident now that he knew Spike wanted him. "I'll go get something for us to clean up a bit. I like you close but I don't want to literally be stuck on you," he said and stumbled out of bed and to the bathroom. Minutes later he was back with a wet cloth which he promptly threw on Spike's stomach.

He settled down on the bed again and closed his eyes. As soon as he neared sleep, Caleb's face was back, menacing and hateful.

"Spike, maybe a story now?" he said quickly.

Sleep or... more sex was on the vampire's mind, but he recognized the panic in Xander's voice. It always meant one think, and he'd do anything to chase his boy's nightmares... nightmare... away. "Right, come closer." He couldn't help smirking... they were both naked now, no shorts to separate them now that they were NOT having sex. A bit fucked up, that, but he wasn't complaining.

He thought for a bit. "How about a time when I had weighty matters of fate and holy quests on my mind, but you managed to distract me?" He ran his hand down the side of Xander's face, the side that he wore the patch on. "You weren't a girl, but you were very pretty... long hair, kohl lining your eyes, a pout that could make a grown man cry..."

"I wore make up?" Xander asked, "No way did I wear make up. When did I wear make up?" His hand was absently patting Spike's chest as he talked, comfortable and calmed by the blond's presence.

"Well you said your lips were naturally red, but it was hard to believe you hadn't stained it," Spike said, running the pad of his thumb over Xander's bottom lip as he looked up at the ceiling and tried to retrieve ancient memories locked into his soul.

"It was the time of the crusade. A call to holy war, to make sure Jerusalem belonged to the Christian world and to push out the infidel." How ironic was it that the cross he fought behind was physically painful to him now? That his contemporaries of the past would have tried to cut him down as cavalierly as they cut down the infidels? No, that was putting it too simply... but Xander wasn't interested in a history lesson.


* * *

[Past]

Lord William De Sonnac had prepared for over a year for the hard journey to Jerusalem. As one of Richard's right hand men, he'd gathered a large army which would stand behind his King and would push the infidel into the deserts, into the very seas if necessary. His men were trained and unlike some of the other traveling armies, they were well armed. They had every advantage and he had no reason to believe they'd come back tattered and broken like many others who'd gone on the holy quest before him.

They were camped on the shores of Cyprus, resting until the ships which would take them to their destination arrived. The people of the island welcomed them with open arms, food, their famous wine, and supplied women to the camp. Whether it was because they supported the cause or because they knew from experience that an army would take what it needed and it would be worse for the people, made no difference. He and his had what was needed.

Deals were being made as well. Women and traveling servants to come with the army were being bought, their families persuaded to do what was right. William had just inspected the horses, and was striding to his tent, when his trusted knight and second in command, Fitzpatrick appeared at his side.

"We have replenished our stock of animal feed and foodstuffs, though fruit is yet being collected. Several barrels of wine have been purchased, and a few barrels more are promised free of cost. The silver smith..."

"Halt, what's going on there," William asked, looking at a line of boys being given a talking to by one of his knights. One of the boys... clearly a native of the island, or from some other place, caught his fancy. He had long dark hair, almost to his elbows, and eyes colored with kohl... a custom that Will knew came from the land of the infidel.

"They're just being chosen to come with us... to help with chores and--"

William strode to the group. Although he wore no armor, he had his sword at his side and his clothing gave away his rank. His gaze swept over the boy, from his exotic eyes, to red lips, to a thin but well muscled chest, and down the loose white breeched he wore. His Lordships cock surged. He hadn't felt his appetites stir so in many months. Looking back up, his eyes locked with the boy’s.

Alexandros stood in a row with the rest of the boys, waiting to be deemed worthy. His parents had died in the battle of Tremetusia and their ruler had completely fucked up any chance the people had of surviving this crusade without fatalities. As it was, they were forced to give their brand new ruler more supplies and people than they had expected and Alexandros , being the second son, was the most expendable. His brother had to stay home and take care of the family and he would go be a page boy or whatever it was the English wanted him to be. Still, his family and his people had pride and he was not about to snivel or cry like some of the other boys. He stood tall, staring at the knight straight in the eyes. The man had been lecturing them about proper behaviour for what felt like hours.

"You there. What's your name," William asked, a bit roughly.

Surprised at the interruption Alexandros stepped back, away from the new knight. Angry at himself for showing fear, he stood even straighter and stepped back to his previous position before answering.

"Alexandros, sir."

"You will bathe me tonight," he snapped out the order, the discomfort in his loins making him impatient. He didn't care that he'd usurped his knight's decision, this boy was in and would travel with them.

"What? But I thought I was going to the kitchen I'm..." Alexandros looked at the knight that had been lecturing them and then back to the new knight. They both looked about ready to tear his head off his shoulders. "Whatever you say, sir."

"After supper, then. Be prompt." Dragging his gaze away from what threatened to stay on his mind until his bathing hour, William took Fitz aside and they headed off to inspect the arms.

(A/N: Do let us know if you're still interested in this series. We know we've been slow with updates. Thanks :) )