Protective Custody (1/20)COMPLETE

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


"Drusilla!" Spike's voice was raw with pain, but when he swung his gaze to Xander, it was filled with accusation. The last piece of the puzzle fell in place. "You used me. All of you. The Powers. The Watchers. You..." his voice broke on the last. "Congratulations, you win." Dropping his hold on the cross bow, he strode away, leaving Xander and Andrew to deal with each other. He'd had enough.

Xander watched Dru come at him. Next thing he knew she was dust and Spike was talking to him...He stared at the pile of dust for a moment until Spike's words penetrated his brain.

"What? Spike, no, what the hell are you talking about!" He yelled, but Spike was already gone.

"He killed my sire! I shall avenge her death, that evil fiend shall die!"

Xander saw Andrew run for the door and almost absently aimed and shot him through the heart. He watched Andrew disintegrate into dust, feeling oddly numb. He'd known the guy for so long...shouldn't he feel sad or something?

No, because Spike came first and Spike was running away from him. Xander snapped out of the odd feeling of unreality and started running as fast as he could.
"Spike wait!"

Anger boiled his blood, made the blood pound into his temples. Xander had used sex to keep him there... had taken care of him. So he'd been bait all along, to lure big bad Dru. And now they'd forced his hand, he'd killed her. Everyone got what they wanted but Spike. Nothing new in that... he ought to be used to it.

He felt a hand on his arm and wrenched it free. "Stay the bloody fucking hell away from me," he snarled. "Go collect your gold star, or is it an Academy Award? You deserve it." He lengthened his strides, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Spike I don't know what you're talking about!" Xander protested, walking next to the blond. "I got a call from the Council, they told me that Dru sired Andrew. I had to stop them, Spike! I couldn't just let them go and you love her, she's your Willow. I didn't want you to have to do that, please Spike wait!"

"Don't lie to me," Spike whirled, hand pressed against Xander's chest, slammed him against a brick wall, pinning him to it. "Get naked Spike... I want you Spike... and I'm the git who believed it." He shoved the boy hard against the wall again. "I fucking believed in you. I was the trap for her, wasn't I? You and your watchers... I'm so bloody sick of the lot of you." He released him and wiped his hand on his pants.

"Thought it would be different with you. But it's same old thing. Buffy meant pain. You mean pain. And the job comes first. Well fuck you and fuck that. I'm clearing out... find yourself another playmate, yeah?" he swallowed hard then headed to the apartment. He didn't have much to collect, but it was all he had in the world now.

Xander run after Spike again, determined not to let him go on thinking that he'd used him. He slammed the door of the apartment shut, locked it and pocketed the key.

"Spike what you said...it's not true." He explained, speaking as calmly as he could. "I don't know why you'd think...Spike I was just trying to spare you the pain of dusting her. Do you really think I'm capable of fooling you for weeks on end? That I would...that I would lie to you and pretend like that?"

"Did a good job tonight, didn't you?" Spike tasted the bitterness in his words. The small apartment, Xander... it was all crowding in on him now.

Xander watched Spike grab his clothes from the dresser and he finally started getting angry.

"So it's alright for you to put me through hell, make me think that you're touching me but dreaming of Buffy, making me sit through an entire day of teasing and fucking with my head but I make one fucking mistake....Damnit Spike at least all I wanted to do was protect you!" He yelled, advancing on him.

"You were supposed to be the light to my dark. I make the messes, you clean them up. I cry, you make me laugh... no changing the rules. One of me is too many, two of me are impossible." He grabbed the last tee shirt they'd picked out together, and dropped it into the bag. Bloody hell, watching the material disappear, he felt his soul get wrenched out of him. Why had he believed? Why hadn't his naturally suspicious instincts protected him from this? Why had he said the words the boy wheedled out of him? It made it so much worse. He started to turn back toward Xander, though there were no words of goodbye that he could think of.

"So all you wanted was someone to take care of you. Stupid me thought you wanted me. And what, saying you love me was the price you had to pay? Is that why I had to practically beg for you to say it?" Xander pushed Spike back against the dresser. "What would you have done if I told you I was going to go after Dru, Spike? Run after her? Tried to save her? You would have gotten yourself vamped trying. You got what you wanted, I tried to take care of you. It's a pity it doesn't go both
ways isn't it?" He asked coldly.

"Fuck you, Harris," he pushed him back. "You made me say it and then you left me to go after my friend. My sire. And I never asked you to take care of me, I can wipe my own arse, thank you. And your bloody head is on backwards if you think it was one way, I killed her when she went for you...yeah? So fuck you..." he trailed and stared at a spot on the wall across from him, his chest heaving.

"I didn't know she was going after Andrew when you said it! I didn't know! All I wanted was you. I let her go once didn't I? I didn't even tell the Council she was here but she had to go and turn Andrew and they wanted her. It was personal after that. What was I supposed to do, Spike?" Xander tried to catch Spike's eye, willing him to believe. "I couldn't let them catch her, I couldn't let her go."

The reminder of the sequence of events, the phone call during dinner...that took away some of the sting. But not enough to make a difference. It still hurt. And Spike didn't want to hurt anymore. Not because of Xander. Not because of Buffy. Not because of Dru.

"Yeah you wanted me so bad you offered a lap dance," Spike swallowed over the lump in his throat. He wasn't going to let the boy see him break, he wasn't. "So you're a company man now. Good on you, mate."

For a moment Xander thought he'd gotten through to Spike but then the moment was gone and Spike was...Spike was miserable.

"I'm sorry." Xander whispered, "I just didn't know what else to do. It was stupid and mean and okay, maybe part of me was getting you back for the pain I felt before but I thought I could apologise and explain. I thought you'd let me make it up to you."

"Revenge... that's what I thought." And that was something he understood, or should. Only he hadn't expected if from Xander, the boy had been so mellow. His pride had taken a kick in the teeth, and then his heart with having dusted Dru. But Spike had done that himself - not Xander. The fight went out of him. "My plans never work out, do they? Why should yours?" he asked finally looking at Xander.

He took a step closer, fighting the urge to hug Spike close. He was sure the blond wouldn't appreciate that. "Please let me make it up to you."

The anger pulsing through the ex-vampire changed suddenly into need...a desire for things to make sense and work out. Who was he kidding, it was a desire for the boy looking so intently at him, and making an offer he couldn't resist. "How?" he managed to croak out the challenge, without reaching out and touching the boy.

Xander spread his arms out and let them drop. "I don't know...anything you want, name it and I'll do my best to give it to you."

"Anything? Dangerous offer, that." Spike couldn't quite hold the smirk as he imagined Xander doing everything he ordered. In the end, he decided it wasn't what he wanted right now. "Use your imagination," he whispered, his voice husky with raw sensuality.
Xander looked at Spike uncertainly, trying to think of something, anything to make things better. He finally decided to do what he'd promised to do before. "Stay there, I'll be right back." He said and ran from the room.

"I've heard that one before." Spike walked to the bed and sat down, cradling his face in his hands. Was it his body or his heart talking when it said to stay... to give this a chance? And should he listen to either? He'd said he loved Xander, but when had love ever worked out? Had it all been in his head? That this time it could be different... different in so many ways, he hadn't known where to start.

Xander shifted through his cds, quickly finding the one he wanted. He put it on, and took a deep breath…show time!

The intro started playing and he moved to position in the doorway to the bedroom, standing with his legs slightly open and his hips swaying slightly.

Spike looked up and stared intently at the boy in the doorway. Watching him move to the music...watching that uncertain smile...and maybe the look that said the boy couldn't decide whether he was in hell or heaven, something shifted inside Spike. The anger, the loss, the confusion, all suddenly dwarfed by the need to smile back... to laugh with him. Wasn't that what he'd thought was special about Xander all along. The way the boy could pull him back from his worst moods?

"Very nice. There will be stripping involved, yeah?" His gaze lingered at the top button on Xander's shirt.

Xander’s smile widened at Spike’s words. “Well, what kind of a show would it be if there wasn’t?” He asked, moving his torso with his hips and singing the words, all the while, looking intently at Spike.

When I get you all alone I'm gonna take off all your clothes Ain't nobody gonna interrupt my game, oh no

He moved forward, until he stood right in front of Spike. Putting his weight on his right leg he twirled until he was facing away, giving Spike a perfect view of his jean-clad ass.

Ever since you've been hangin' around I've been trying to figure out
What I'm gonna say to you to get something, yeah

Spike's leather pants grew uncomfortably tight as he enjoyed the view. The words...the beat...the circular motion of Xander's hips with those torturous little surprise thrusts almost undid him. Bracing his hands on either side of his body as he sat on the bed, Spike leaned slightly away. It was either that or he'd pull Xander on his lap, but he wanted to make the moment last a bit.

Couldn't we do what we did last night again Baby you and I could be better friends
Don't you think it's time we went a bit further, oh yeah

When Xander turned around and jerked his hips forward, Spike sucked in his breath. He wanted to go further... much further. And once they were done, friends wouldn't cover what they were to each other. Wordlessly, he nodded his encouragement. God did he need a drink. Or something.

Kind of faded, but I'm feeling alright
Thinkin' about making my move tonight
I can't pretend that you're only my friend
when you're holdin' my body tight

Xander concentrated on the steps, trying hard to keep his movements in control. He’d forgotten how much work dancing was but the look on Spike’s face was worth all the effort. He looked coyly at the blond, his hands fingering the shirt buttons, singing with all his heart.

'Cause I like the way you're making your move
I like the way you're making me wait
At the end of the night, I'm gonna make you feel like mine
You'll be coming on home with me, yeah, yeah, yeah

The intense fires of Spike's eyes were trained on Xander's teasing hand. "Do it," he growled, without meaning to. But did the boy listen? Yes and no.

He revealed skin and muscle at an excruciatingly slow rate, his movements parting the material, and letting it cover him up, and parting it again. "I'll pay you a thousand pounds, if you rip it off," he said, looking up at Xander's face. Oh God... the mouth... why had he looked at his mouth?

“Don’t think you can afford that, Spike. Tell you what, I’ll take it off if you wash the dishes for the whole week.” Xander laughed, never pausing in his movements.

"Yeah... do it." He hardly cared what he'd agreed to, he just needed to see more. Sitting with his legs wide open, he didn't even bother to cover the tremendous bulge that was waiting for Xander.

Don't you know you've got it?
And you know I want it
I can't wait to take you home (you know you've got it tonight)

Xander laughed and followed Spike’s instructions, eye dropping to eye the blond’s crotch. I know you want it One hand dropped to cover his own cock, cupping it through the jeans, the other slowly trailed up and down his chest.

“Want this off too, Spike?”


(A/N: Yes, yes... finally getting somewhere ::grins:: If you enjoyed this, please comment.)