Protective Custody (1/20)COMPLETE

(Disclaimer: We own nothing. Joss owns all. You know the drill.)


Xander drifted awake slowly. Something was niggling at the back of his mind, something wrong but he couldn't figure out what it was and he didn't care. He snuggled closer to Spike, letting out a little sigh of contentment.

He felt something tugging at his hair and he reached out to feel what it was. Eye-patch. Huh...strange... he always took it off before going to bed. He must have been really tired to forget.

A little thought flickered in his brain.

Not so much tired as drunk. Which would explain the weird feeling in his stomach. He frowned and tried to remember how he got that way. Spike had tortured him until he caved and they went out for drinks at La Scala.

Guess he'd drunk a bit too much. He relaxed again, wanting to enjoy this before Spike woke up and he had to go. He should probably follow Spike's advice and get a girl, that way he'd forget about the blond and just send him off to Buffy. She could break his heart without Xander being there to watch.

Hang on...there had been a girl! Xander's eye opened as he remembered that part of the evening. There had been dancing and some kissing and then Spike had come back from wherever and godamnfuckingdamnit!

Xander jumped off the bed, and stared at the sleeping blond in horror. He'd ordered Spike to dance with him! And then, oh fuck, he'd kissed him. He'd kissed Spike! Again! Okay, so Spike had kissed him first but it was only to get rid of evil girl and shit, there was no way he could hide now was there? Spike would know about his crush and he'd either mock him relentlessly or try to make things better. Xander honestly didn't know which option scared him more.

He dressed as quickly as possible, needing to escape again. Stupid Wankers not letting him out of his own apartment. He glared upwards, ignoring the knock on the door. He did not feel like company.

He glanced at his watch. Who'd be knocking at this time in the morning? Oh please don't let it be Andrew with another fake apocalypse! He'd told the boy time and again that he couldn't work until this thing was resolved but no, Andrew had to keep bothering him with stupid stuff even thought he knew very well Xander couldn't step out of the bloody apartment.

He threw the door open, glaring at Andrew only to find that it wasn't the idiot. It was the postman. "Mr Harris?"

"Yeah?"

"Mind signing here please, I have a package for you."


"Sure thing." Xander automatically took the pen and stepped out into the corridor to sign the papers.

He took the package and went back into the apartment. Halfway to the kitchen he froze. His mind replayed the last few moments and he ran back to the front door.

He looked at the entryway dubiously and stuck his foot out. Huh...no barrier. He jumped out into the corridor. Jumped back in. Out. In. Out. "You shake it all about." He snickered.

They could go out! He couldn't wait to tell Spike that they could get out and finally get some privacy!

He was on his way to the bedroom to wake up the blond when he stumbled and fell on something round and freaking hard.

"Oh great, another scroll. What do you bastards want from us now?" He muttered unrolling the thing. “Do the hokey-pokey for your entertainment?” He quickly scanned it. "Oh. Okay then."

Xander scribbled a note for Spike and stuck it on the fridge. He grabbed his coat and with one last longing look at the bedroom door he left the apartment.

Spike finally woke. Strange. He'd dreamt of dancing with Xander all night long. Well there was the tussle with the Aghoran demon, but other than that and the cool Durnian silver weapons, there had been dancing, and kissing, and ordering around. The good kind.

Smirking, he sat up. One thing he hated about getting better was that apparently, it dulled what Xander called his 'octopus instincts.' Now, the boy could slip out of bed, and he'd sleep on. He liked waking with him in his arms. Maybe he should tie him up?

The smirk got broader, until he found that Xander was nowhere to be found in the apartment. He rained curses on the WTB, this time the exact opposite of his words from only days ago. Yelling at them for lifting the curse or whatever it was, when he needed Xander.

But when had the WTB been responsive? The apartment was still empty. Where would Xander be? Probably at the... right, Spike snatched the note off the fridge. At the Watchers Council. While getting the mail, he'd discovered he could walk out. "Bloody fucking brilliant of you," Spike complained.

Well he wasn't staying here all alone. As he rushed back towards the room, he almost tripped over something. Another scroll. He reached for it and read it. His walking papers. He was free of Xander's protective custody. It was over. Woo bloody hoo .

Taking it with him, he sat down on the bed. It was what he wanted, so why wasn't he partying. Why did he miss Xander already? Because you're bored. And there's no one to laugh at. Or with Because one person really cared for you... not just a part of you...or a strong you...or a human you... but all of you, and you drove him away.

He plucked Xander's shirt off the ground, and flopped down on the bed, holding it to his chest and taking a sniff. The boy’s soapy musky scent was still on it from last night. It had been fun. The drinking, the female viewing, the dancing. There had been hotness there. Yeah. He couldn't deny liking the way Xander felt in his arms, and in his bed. What to do?

He sat up suddenly and folded the scroll, then kicked it under the bed. "This plan is the mother of all plans."

*

Xander stood outside his apartment, looking apprehensively at the door. Spike would have found the scroll by now.

He's probably on his way to Buffy already. And hey, maybe that Carlos guy is a rebound and she'll be happy to see him and they'll be together.

He looked at the keys in his hand and then at the door again. He should go in, order some Indian food, relax and finally enjoy the peace and quiet that Spike's absence was sure to bring.

Sighing softly, he unlocked the door and went inside. He didn't realise anything was different until he tossed his coat on the couch and went to the kitchen to get a beer.

He came back to the living room and took in the sight. There were candles everywhere and the table was set out for what appeared to be a romantic dinner for two.

Xander's eye widened when he realised what was going on. Spike had invited Buffy over! They were going to have dinner in his apartment!

He heard a noise coming from the bedroom and his gaze snapped to the door. Oh God no. Buffy was already here and they were in the bedroom. In his bed. Spike and Buffy.

Carlos was a rebound and she's with Spike in my bed. With Spike. In my bed. Buffy and Spike.
Xander grabbed his coat and turned to leave again. They didn't need a third wheel in their date. Especially if they were...in his bed. He could handle seeing them together but not yet. He had to get used to it first.

Hearing sounds from inside, Spike pushed away from the wall in the bedroom and walked into the living room. "Watched the exercise show on the telly... was doing push ups against the wall to keep fit and my arms nice and cut," he said quoting the exercise guru, and curling his arm as he reached Xander. "You think it's working? Feel me," he smirked, crowding the boy's personal space.

"What? Huh?" Xander stared at half!naked Spike and his bicep. Then he remembered why he was leaving. No Buffy here yet but she'd probably be here any minute now. "Erm...no need, I can see it now, you'll be Mr Universe in twelve months or less, okay bye-bye, see you later."

"Mr. Universe. That's good, yeah?" Spike plucked Xander's coat from his hands and then threw it across the room with deadly accuracy. The coathanger tilted, then righted itself. "Are you sure you don't want to feel me? I don't bite you know?" He moved just a little closer, close enough to feel the heat emanating from Xander's body. Close enough to see the boy's throat convulse.

"No, it's fine. I don't need to touch." Xander managed to stammer out, backing away carefully. "I'm sure Buffy will love to do that for you. Now really, I have to go out and work. Yeah work! Have to work." He babbled and went to get his coat again.

"You just came back from work." Spike's gaze narrowed, fixing on the boy. He strode right behind him, put an arm around his waist and forced him to walk towards the kitchen. "There will be no leaving for you, yet. You have to help me with the cooking, or I might burn the place down, yeah?" Sliding his hands to Xander's shoulders, he guided him inside and parked him against a counter.

"I have insurance. You can burn the whole building down if you want." Xander replied mechanically. He was supposed to help Spike cook for Buffy? What the hell had he done to deserve this? Calling the PtB wankers somehow didn't cover all this, there had to be more. He briefly wondered if maybe he was paying for stealing Willow's Barbie when they were little.

"Now..." Spike flipped the pages of a cookbook he'd found. "When it says a pinch of salt... what do they mean? A big pinch like this or a little pinch..." While Xander's gaze was locked onto Spike's hands which were demonstrating the variety of possible pinches, Spike moved suddenly.

He reached behind Xander and opened the cabinet, leaning into the boy. "Salt... where did I put it?" But he wasn't looking into the cabinet, he was staring at Xander's mouth. Dragging his gaze away, he looked him in the eye. "I probably should put a shirt on. Didn't want to get dirty." There was maybe an inch of space between them.
Spike closed it, while at least his one hand rattled around inside the cabinet, as if he was searching.

Xander stood frozen to the spot, trying not to look or smell or touch or oh God even breathe because breathing brought him that much closer to Spike. He tried to understand what Spike was up to but he couldn't for the life of him figure it out. Was this payback for the protective custody thing? Spike should be aware of Xander's attraction to him by now, maybe this was a way to get him back.

"Shirt would be good." He said, his voice breaking from tension. He didn't think Spike would be that mean.

"Yeah?" His gaze dropped to Xander's mouth. Just a taste... He took a breath. "Or you could take yours off. We'd be a matching set, I'll help if you like." He skimmed his hand over Xander's abdomen and heard him hiss. "You've heard of 'the naked chef?' At least we wouldn't be naked and...you forget... I've already seen everything there is to see." Only when he thought his own body might give him away, Spike moved slightly back, eyes still dancing as he waited for Xander's response.

Xander looked over Spike carefully. He didn’t understand what was going on. Spike seemed to want…he didn’t understand. This was all for Buffy. Spike had read the scroll, it was impossible not to see it where it was, and was sure to call Buffy. He’d been bugging Xander for days, trying to get him to agree to that phone call…he must have called Buffy. Unless he had called Buffy and…

“I refuse to be anyone’s stand in.” Xander said angrily and pushed Spike away from him. “You wanted Buffy, fine. Go get


(A/N: Thank you for your comments. I'm very glad to see that most of you are still enjoying this story. Sorry for the cliffhanger. No... really, I am... *ducks*)