Lycanthrope, Vampirism, and Magick

Title: Lycanthrope, Vampirism and Magick
Author: Amejisuto
Chapter: Eighteen
Pairing: S/A/X
Rating: R
Feedback: Please.
Concrit: by email, please
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. No harm, no foul, no money made.
Warnings/Squicks: wolf!Xander being upset with his past in Sunnydale maybe? Brooding by the gelled one? Minor character death mentioned, but not in story. M/M/M slash. Vamp sex. I don’t know, what else is there to say?
Summary: Xander is helping the Charmed Ones, and finds that it is hard to go home again.

Notes: This is the sequel to Wolf Tracks. Yeah me! I’m changing the Buffyverse once again. Anything to keep Fred, Wes and Cordy. Yes that’s a spoiler for the fic. Ain’t I nice like that? To give you hope? If both Angel and Buffy were still on, this would be happening last summer.

This is the last bit of this one folks! I’d like to thank the wonderful Kyriene and the lovely Kitty_poker1 for helping me through this. Also many thanks to my Sukibluefiction for much handholding.

One last note. The reason it’s been so long since I’ve updated this is because I’ve been trying to write a sex scene for the three men in this for over a month and a half. I’ve tried and tried and I can’t get it to work right. So, sorry people, foreplay yes, actual nookie no. I really tried though.


Lycanthrope, Vampirism and Magick Chapter Eighteen

Spike stretched and let himself wake up slowly. The others were still asleep and Angel had his face buried in Xander’s hair. The wolf must have finally found the energy to shift back to human during the night because when they’d fallen asleep it has been with a rather large animal in the middle of the bed.

After the battle the day before they had pretty much all collapsed in piles of exhausted bodies. Xander had walked over to where Angel and Spike had sat down, right in the middle of the lobby, and laid down on top of them with his belly up. Buffy and Kennedy were consoling each other over their slimed status while Willow hovered around her friend and girlfriend. It was obvious she wanted to help but didn’t want to get slimed herself.

Phoebe and Gunn had collapsed onto the round couch in the lobby and Fred was tending a rather long scratch on Wes’s arm on the stairs. The others were sort of grouped around the reception desk, the two children in the middle of an admiring circle.

Spike had heard Angel sigh and then Xander’s stomach growl. He'd found the whole thing so funny that he had burst into laughter. The quiet chatting between everyone had stopped as they all looked at him and Spike had just shrugged.

“Right, that’s the end of the lawyer gits. Who’s up for take away?”

Everyone had agreed and the pizza place must have been puzzled at such a large order. Xander had pretty much grabbed two boxes for himself and settled in a corner to eat both of them.

After that, everyone had stumbled their own ways, going to their rooms for first aid, rest and some much needed showers. The sound of water running had been audible late into the night.

Xander had been too tired to move and Angel had finally given up and carried the wolf up to what had become their bed, leaving him there to rest before coming back downstairs to help Spike put plywood up over the broken windows. The two vampires had joined him later. They had been the last ones up in the hotel, the stress of being under siege catching up with everyone.

Now, though, Spike could hear signs of life coming from the old place. This was the most people the old hotel had housed since he’d popped out of that damned amulet there in the lobby. He could hear Leo singing to his children and Lorne singing in the shower. There were other noises as well, one of them enough to give him ideas and make a mental note to bother Charlie with later.

Spike looked at his bedmates. Xander was facing him, his nose buried in the crook of his neck. He looked much better after a good bit of rest. What was really cute was the way he snuffled in his sleep. Not snored, snuffled.

Angel had his nose buried in Xander’s hair and it was a good thing he didn’t have to breathe, otherwise he’d be choking. His big, muscular arms were wrapped around Xander as if he was afraid he’d get up and run away.

Or like he’d been treating Xander in wolf form as a big plushie.

Spike grinned to himself at that mental image and resolved to find a digital camera. He’d love to get a picture of that and blow it up full size. Just for his private viewing, of course.

He cocked his head to the side and tried to figure out the best way to wake everyone up. Angel was, as expected, rather grumpy first thing after a long sleep. Back in the days when they both had no soul he’d been known for killing a minion or two for waking him up, even if it was for something necessary. The soul hadn’t changed him all that much in that respect.

Xander, he wasn’t too sure about. He’d been with them for just a little while and Spike hadn’t learned everything about him yet. But he would; they had time. Still, if he woke up Xander first they could tag team Angel.

That seemed the best way to go. Spike arched his neck to let Xander snuffle more in that area and moved one hand to his nipple, just caressing. Xander moved a little and he threw his leg over the wolf’s and tried to nudge him closer without waking Angel up.

After a few moments he let his hand run down Xander’s torso and followed the faint line of silky hair that led to his cock. He was half hard and by the sounds Xander was making and how fast his heart was beating it wouldn’t be too long before he woke up enough to repay the favor.

“Mrmpph…morning.” Xander’s voice was hoarse and low and the sound of it only served to make Spike harder.

“Good morning, precious. Awake now?” He thrust even harder against Xander for a moment before pulling back just a bit.

“Uh huh, I’m awake. And precious? I’m a werewolf, not a poodle.” Xander had a teasing glint in his eye and he leaned forward as if to kiss Spike, only to pull away and nip him on the ear.

Spike felt himself react to the teasing bite and took one hand and pulled Xander closer for a kiss. Warm lips and warm tongue and he just couldn’t get enough of him. Finally, they pulled apart and Xander made a strangled laughing sound.

“Someone isn’t letting go.” He looked down at where Angel’s arms were still holding him tight.

Spike snorted. “Guess we’ll have to make him, then. Careful now, he’s a fucking grouch first thing in the morning if there’s no evil to slay. You get the front…” Spike quickly slipped out of bed and moved around to the other side. “I’ll get the back.”

The wolf grinned at him as they maneuvered Angel into the middle of the bed. He had been able to turn in Angel’s arms and started licking the older man’s neck and suckling at it.

Spike, for his part, kissed his way down Angel’s backbone, taking his time. Short, quick kisses, designed to tickle. By the time he had made his way down to Angel’s buttocks, he was showing signs of waking up.

“Mprhf?”

From somewhere on the opposite side of the bed, Spike heard Xander snigger. “Good morning, Angel!”

Spike opted to give his Sire a different kind of wake up call. He used his hands to spread the older vampire’s ass cheeks wide and gave his crease a long, loving lick before kissing and then blowing air over Angel’s pulsating hole.

Spike felt Xander’s warm hand on his arm and pulled back. The young man had a teasing smile on his face and tugged at Spike until they were both kneeling at the foot of the bed.

“Sorry if we woke you up, Angel. We just want to…play.” Xander nudged him and Spike grinned at the wolf before turning to his Sire.

“Yeah, sorry, Peaches. If you want we can just…play with ourselves.” He felt his grin twist into a smirk as Xander pulled him into a kiss. He ran his hands up and down the tanned back, splaying his fingers and grabbing his ass and pulling Xander close to him, a rumbling growl in his chest.

An answering growl came from the head of the bed and Angel suddenly sat up and dragged them both back down to lie on either side of him. Angel’s eyes were nearly black with need as he looked from one to the other. “I’ll have you both know that it’s not nice to tease.”

“Sorry, Angel.” Xander didn’t act sorry, instead he leaned forward and licked and then bit at Angel’s nipple.

Spike ran his hand down Angel’s chest to his waist, pausing just a moment to tickle at his navel before taking his hard length in hand and pulling, using his thumb to play with the foreskin. “Don’t worry, Peaches, it’s only teasing if we don’t follow through.”

*****

“You’re going to have to talk to them some time, you know.”

Xander sighed and continued to feed Wyatt. After their morning round of lovemaking, he had left the vampires up in their room so he could eat lunch with Paige and Piper before they left. He hated leaving them all curled up together but he didn’t want to miss his friends. As it was, Phoebe had gone off somewhere with Gunn and Leo had gone to the Manor to see how the sisters' house had stood up. He had orbed back and privately told Xander that it was a disaster area and asked him to keep Piper busy while Leo cleaned it up a little.

“I know. I just…don’t really want to. I didn’t help Buffy through some long forgotten affection for an old friend; I did it because it was right. They’ve changed just as much as I have, even if they might not be willing to admit it. Besides, I’d rather spend some time with you guys before you go back to San Francisco. I’m really going to miss you, all of you.”

Paige looked up from there she was making a sandwich. “That’s so sweet! It’s also bullshit…”

“Paige! Little ears!!” Piper made a motion with her head to indicate the children and Xander had to laugh. He really hoped Wyatt didn’t pick up that phrase. The toddler had heard his Aunt Phoebe use “Damn it!” once and had gone around saying nothing else for three days.

“Sorry, Sis, but it’s true. Wolfboy here knows he’s going to see us, between orbing the kids back here to visit their favorite babysitters and Phoebe and Gunn already making both me and Leo promise to orb them back and forth during their great romance. Plus I’m coming back next week to go shopping with Cordelia. We’re going to see each other all the time. He’s using us as an excuse to keep from talking to his Sunnydale friends.”

Piper put down the bottle she’d been feeding Chris and put the baby on her shoulder to burp. “She does have a point, Xander. You’re going to need to face your past at some point in time.”

Paige came over and set a plate with a sandwich and some chips by his elbow. “Just think of it as ripping off a band aid; it’ll hurt less if you do it real quick.”

Xander looked from one sister to the other. “There’s no way I’m getting out of this, am I?”

“Nope. Sorry, Xander, you’re just going to have to face the music. Isn’t he, Chris?” The baby blew spit bubbles at his mother. Xander knew how he felt; he would have liked to stick his tongue out at Piper himself.

*****

He stood out in the hall in front of Buffy’s room for five minutes at least before finding the courage to knock. It wasn’t that he was afraid of what she would do, really; he was almost a match for the Slayer’s strength. He just…didn’t want to deal with old wounds and people who didn’t see who he was now.

To the Sunnydale people he was always going to be the joker, the Zeppo, but he’d left that behind. Then again, he remembered Buffy and Willow as they were as teenagers, and the Giles he remembered got flustered and wore tweed. They had all changed.

Finally he just shrugged to himself and knocked on the door. Paige was right: do this quick, get it over with.

“It’s open!” Willow’s voice came from inside and it just sounded so…odd to hear her. But in a way that made it easier. He could talk to the two of them together and get it over with. He opened the door and slipped inside.

“Hey. Angel said you wanted to talk.”

The two women looked at each other before turning to him. Buffy nodded. “I did.”

But they just stood there, looking at each other and it was awkward. Part of him wanted to babble to break the tension but that would only be returning to his past life. Finally he just shrugged. “It’s your call, Buffy, you’re the one who asked me here.”

“How did we end up here, though? I mean, look at you…long hair, gay, werewolf. What happened?”

He gave a rueful sort of laugh. “Five years happened. Life happened. What else can I say?”

Willow shook her head. “That can’t be it. I mean, we haven’t changed. Have we?”

“The last time I saw you, Wills, you had problems keeping a pencil floating and now you’re some super wicca. If you don’t change you don’t grow as a person and I like to think I’ve done that.”

“You’ve grown into a person that fucks both my ex-boyfriends at once? Is that how it works, Xander?”

Buffy’s voice was bitter and Xander found himself biting back his first response, that she had driven them both away herself. He took a deep breath. “You don’t have any say in what they do, Buffy, and you certainly don’t have any control over me. I need a pack; they need someone to keep them from killing each other. It’s not something you’d understand but it’s...”

“It’s silly, and selfish. You’re willing to forgive and forget when the last time you saw Spike he almost killed you and you and Angel hated each other. You belong in Sunnydale, with us.”

Willow had her resolve face on, and wasn’t it odd that even after five years he could still recognize it? “And do what, Willow? Go back to following you two around and providing the comic relief? Teach new slayers like Kennedy how to hunt weres? Somehow, I don’t think so. I’m needed here.”

“You’re just trying to punish us for not being there for you. Well, I’m sorry, but we had lives too, you know!”

Xander closed his eyes and resisted the urge to growl. He was willing to forgive them for their actions, not forget but forgive. But they didn’t seem to want to leave it alone.

“Look, all I’m doing is being…me. Xander Harris, werewolf, demon hunter and bartender extraordinaire. It just so happens I’m falling in love with two Master Vampires who you’ve had…relationships with but that has nothing to do with it, Buffy. And I’m not going back to Sunnydale, Wills, not because I’m trying to get back at you but because my place is here.”

The room was quiet and all Xander wanted to do was go to his bedroom, wake up his two vampires and crawl in between them. He should have asked that Phoebe stand in the hallway, at least. Maybe she could have given him a hint as to what to say next.

Apparently neither did Willow and Buffy. Willow’s eyes were suspiciously bright and Buffy had her arms crossed over her chest. Finally Xander couldn’t take the silence any more.

“So…what happens now?”

*****

Angel climbed up the stairs to the roof of the hotel, Spike following behind him snarking all the way, and he experienced a feeling of déjà vu. The last time they’d come up here it was to find their wayward wolf.

It was odd to think that had been just a few days ago. So many things had happened, and not just with Wolfram & Hart but personal matters as well. Hopefully, now things would get back to normal. Only not the old normal, but a new normal.

He chuckled under his breath. A few days of being exposed to Xander and he was already thinking like him.

“Why can’t he bloody well brood in the basement like you? No, the Pup has to be all different and brood up where I have to climb two flights of stairs.” Spike had been complaining for the past half hour. About anything and everything. Angel knew it was just his Childe’s way of blowing off steam, but it was really starting to get annoying.

“Shut up, Spike. And I mean it.” He growled down low in his throat and reached for the door to the roof. But of course Spike had to have the last word.

“Anybody got a peanut?”

Spike had the type of grin on his face that made Angel want to kiss him quiet or maybe throw him off the roof. Either way would be good. He didn’t do either but he was glad that he hadn’t opened the door yet. It allowed him to bang his head on the old metal in frustration one or two times.

“I hate you, Spike. I really, really, really hate you.” He opened the door and walked onto the roof, ignoring the crude faces Spike was making. Sometimes he wished his mother had been right and Spike’s face would freeze that way.

Xander was sitting on the parapet, his legs dangling over the side. Angel looked at Spike and Spike just shrugged. They weren’t sure if their presence was welcome but there they were. In the end they just sat down on either side of him and waited.

Minutes went by before Xander said anything. “You know, you guys should really think about doing a comedy routine. Or, you know, doing a buddy cop movie. Something. You shouldn’t let all that natural chemistry go to waste on just those of us in the hotel.”

He couldn’t help but smile at that and he could hear Spike’s snorting laughter coming from one side. “Sounds good, Pup, but see, can’t do it without a wacky sidekick. Or a goofy next-door neighbor. Sorta like Leo Getz to our Riggs and Murtaugh.”

“Uh-huh. And you want me to be the goofy one?”

“’Course. Peaches here is the serious one, and of course I’m the devastatingly handsome one.”

Angel knew he had to stop the conversation right then, otherwise they'd end up being compared to Fred and Barney and Dino. “You going to tell us what happened with Buffy and Willow or are you and Spike going to plan our acting careers?”

Xander sighed and Angel put his hand on his leg. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Spike rubbing the back of Xander’s neck. It wasn’t sexual, just…being connected.

“Well, we're pretty much just going to do a forgive and forget. Well, forgive anyway. All of us screwed up; I could have tried more, and they could have listened. Hell, I could have called Giles or Joyce while she was still alive. I didn’t. So, yeah, equally at fault. Although I did tell Buffy that if she tried to poach one or two of you guys away again that she wouldn’t like me when I got angry. Silly me, she didn’t get the reference.”

Angel was confused but he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit it. Not with Spike and Xander looking at each other and so obviously sharing the joke. “So, you’re good then? That’s…good.”

“That’s our Angel. Why use ten words when you can use six.”

And damn it they were both laughing at his expense. But at least Xander wasn’t being so still and quiet. His lover might have changed in the past few years but he’d been comparing notes with Piper before coming up here and they all agreed that a quiet Xander was a bad sign. Which was why he and Spike had come up to the roof.

When Xander wasn’t looking he glanced at Spike, but only got a shrug in response. He hated this kind of thing. He wasn’t good with feelings and talking about them. He would much rather beat up whoever caused the bad feelings, and if that included Buffy and Willow, so be it.

And if it meant beating up Kennedy that would be a bonus.

He must have taken too long to say something because Spike took up the slack. “So you’re going to make nice with the Slayer and Red. What about the Watcher? He’s been doing a bit too much watching of your backside for my liking.”

Xander laughed. “He was giving me the eye, wasn’t he? That was just…very disturbing. Haven’t really talked to him yet but, let’s face it, I was close to G-man but not that close. I mean, Willow and I had that whole kindergarten friendship going on. Giles and Buffy I knew two and a half years before leaving town and I didn’t hang out with him like I did Buffy. Not that I’m not glad he’s still around and all but it was losing them that really hurt.”

Angel scooted closer and moved his hand up and down Xander’s leg. “We understand. Just think of this as a new start. You can get to know the new Buffy and Willow and they can learn all about the new Xander. It’s not that far to drive up to Sunnydale and I saw that motorcycle Paige orbed in with her. I really doubt that you go the speed limit on that thing.”

Xander laughed. “You’re right, I don’t, at least not all of the time. We’ll have to get you and Spike a bike too and we’ll really have some fun.”

“Don’t know about a bike for Peaches, not sure he can handle something that powerful between his legs. From what Percy told me, last time Angel here rode a bike he was in the bitch seat, in a bright pink helmet.”

Angel couldn’t help but wince at that memory and he drew his arm back as the other two laughed. Giggled, really. “Spike, I’m wondering just how far you would bounce if I shoved you off this roof.”

Spike started to growl but Xander grabbed both of their hands and stopped them. “Hey now, you’ll have to play nicely or you can’t play at all.” Angel could see him looking from his face to Spike’s. “I can see I’m going to have my hands full keeping you two from dusting each other.”

“More than just your hands full; hopefully we’ll fill up a few other places.” Spike leered at the wolf but Angel found himself groaning at the bad joke. So was Xander.

“Man, Spike, that was terrible, even for you.” Xander sighed. “So, what now?”

“Now, we go down and you can play with Wyatt and Chris and talk to the sisters because they’re leaving in the morning. Except for Phoebe. She and Gunn are out on a date and Gunn has promised that the first demon that tries anything is going to get its ass kicked all the way to the Cleveland Hellmouth. We’ll even make nice with Giles and the Sunnydale crew before they all leave tomorrow. Won’t we, Spike?”

“You’ll play nice. I’ll be the same charming vampire that I always have been. You’re the one with the social issues, after all.”

Angel growled. Spike just loved pushing his buttons. “I do not have social issues!”

Xander and Spike both laughed but Xander actually turned and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Let’s face it, Angel, between the three of us we have enough issues to fill up two newspaper stands. That’s okay, though. It'll make the next fifty years or so interesting.”

He wanted to disagree but knew it was the truth. They had about a century of past mistakes, regrets and grief amongst the three of them. Spike pushed his buttons because he wanted, needed, attention. If he couldn’t get it by sex he’d get it by fighting. He also needed someone to take care of but Angel never needed anyone for that; he’d been taking care of himself long before meeting up with Darla in an alley.

Xander, as much as he had been a loner for pretty much the past five years, wanted a home and a pack and just some place to belong. Somewhere he was accepted whether he was on two legs or four.

He already knew what his biggest problem was, simply because every day since Spike had shown back up he’d been told. Guilt and a hero complex.

Angel shook his head and then pulled Xander and Spike closer. “I think we’ll be alright, as long as we’re together. Come on, let’s go downstairs.”

He turned and carefully stood up and the others did the same. Spike made yet another face. “I’m for that; this concrete always makes my arse cold.”

“Poor baby. Want me and Angel to kiss it better?” Xander was laughing but Angel thought it would be a good idea. Sex was always the best way to shut Spike up and now with Xander around maybe they wouldn’t kill each other within minutes of getting in a room together so they could make out.

And he had to admit it felt right, going down the stairs with the two of them and there was laughter and teasing and even a few more pot shots being thrown his way. It felt like he was on a more even keel now. Xander made them stable, made them strong.

Yeah, the next fifty years or so were definitely going to be interesting.

~Fini~