A World of Their Own

Part 2

By the time Xander returned, Spike was back in his jeans and boots and smoking a cigarette. He looked surprisingly relaxed for someone who had been dragged through a vortex and dumped in a strange dimension. Xander just shrugged his shoulders; he'd long ago given up on ever trying to figure out Spike.

"I found a river and some food, no vamp-chow though. How long can you go without eating?" Xander was surprised to note that he was actually concerned about Spike and how he was going to eat here. Spike shrugged his shoulders and took a drag off his cigarette. He blew the smoke out through his nose and looked at Xander speculatively.

"You really want to know?" He was somewhat surprised by the question. He didn't figure Xander would even think about his needs. "A few days, a week at most. ‘Course that was back when I was feeding properly; with what I eat these days, I'll be lucky to go three days before trying to eat my own arms."

Xander shuddered at the mental picture that provided. "Okay, and can I say ewww?" Xander stood and began to pace, being stuck with a snarky, arrogant vampire was one thing - he was used to that. But being stuck here with a half-starved, likely crazy, demon was not sounding like a good idea. "Can you hunt? Animals I mean?"

Spike looked at him like he was nuts. "Of course I can bloody hunt, pillock! Just not sure if I can kill the soddin’ things. Chip, remember?" Xander’s eyes grew comically wide at that statement. "You mean, you might not be able to kill like, a rabbit or anything? Wow, that's harsh. And, hey? How come you never tested it before now?"

"Spike shrugged his shoulders, he wasn't about to admit that he had in fact tried to catch a rabbit one night when he was out carousing but it got away. "Why should I? You lot were always good for a bag or two if things got too bad." It was true, as much as he hated to admit it; they did always feed hi he he asked.

Spike suddenly got a wicked grin on his face and stood up. He stalked closer to Xander and shifted into his demon face. He watched as Xander’s eyes grew big and he smiled around his fangs. "Of course, there is a chance it doesn't even work here; the sun don't affect me, maybe my chip is buggered too."

Xander didn't seem to be listening to him, and Spike couldn't smell even a hint of fear coming from the boy. He was disappointed. He wasn't actually going to bite him - even if he could - Spike was a sociable demon after all, and the idea of eternity here with no one to talk to would make him as barmy as Dru. "Soddin’ hell, Xan. You could at least pretend to be scared of me."

Spike flinched back as Xander’s hand darted out toward his face. He was startled to feel the boy’s fingers trail across his forehead. "What the bloody hell are you doing, Harris?"

Xander withdrew his hand and let out a shaky laugh. "No lumpies. Spike? Did you just go all grrr? Like completely grrr?" Spike was confused, not about the 'grrr' - he understood what that meant; he just wasn't sure why Xander would ask, he had eyes didn't he? "Er, yeah mate. What of it?"

Xander started to giggle and then he pointed at Spike’s face. Spike reached up to touch his ridges and yelped when he felt smooth skin. Not a single bump. "Bloody hell!"

"You look like an Anne Rice vampire! Oh my God, maybe you're impotent now too!" Xander’s giggles had escalated into full-blown laughter. Spike just smirked at him and shook his head. "Nope, not impotent. Already tested the equipment while you were off picking berries." Spike couldn't help but laugh as Xander shot up off the grass and looked around frantically.

"Don't worry pet, you're not sitting in it or nothing." Xander sighed, and Spike debated on whether or not he should tell him how he had cleaned up his 'mess'. He licked his lips and thought better of it.

"Alright, since you're the glorified bricklayer, you can find us some sort of shelter." Xander looked at Spike sceptically. "And what prey tell are you going to be doing while I do this?" Spike snapped his fangs at the boy and said "Hunting."

~!~

While Spike was off on his 'hunt', Xander sorted through the debris from the tower site. There were quite a few useful things among the rubbish, one being the weapons bag. Along with that there were a couple of heavy canvas tarps, a steel drum, three hammers, four boxes of nails, some sheet metal, a crowbar, and three glass jars amongst other various things. Most of it was junk, but Xander thought some of it might come in handy.

Xander was thinking of using the tarps and some of the various bits of metal to fashion a tent for the time being. He wasn't sure how long they would be stuck there, but he figured it wouldn't be too long. Willow would find a way to bring him home, he was sure of it.

Spike tracked his prey through the trees that lined the river’s edge. He could hear the beating of its heart, smell the blood in its veins. He almost laughed when he realised how much he was enjoying this. He hadn't hunted for food in far too long, no matter that his prey was animal instead of human.

Spike waited for the perfect moment to strike. Just as his victim was approaching the water’s edge to drink, he attacked. It was quick, painless - for him at least, and efficient. His fangs sunk deep into the throat of the young deer and he swallowed mouthful after mouthful of hot salty blood. Next to stale, bagged, pigs blood this was ambrosia. The deer fell dead and Spike licked his lips before hefting the carcass over his shoulder and heading back to Xander.

Xander took one look at the dead animal that Spike had dropped at his feet and jumped back. "What the hell!" Spike chuckled at him and nudged the fawn with his boot. "Dinner. You do need to eat ya know."

Xander screwed up his face and shuddered. He was so not eating something Spike had been sucking on. "I realise it's been a long time since you were human, but as a rule, we usually prefer our meat cooked. I don't see a stove around here, so get rid of it."

Spike rolled his eyes and fished around in his duster pocket. He drew out his lighter and tossed it to Xander. "Make a fire, git. I'll skin it for ya." He smirked when Xander shuddered again. Well, the boy needed to get used to the idea that they could be here for awhile. Besides, he'd lived with him, he knew a few berries weren't going to hold him over for long.

~!~

They had been there for four days. Xander had found a cave not more than a half mile from where they had woken up and they had moved into it, after Spike had eaten the previous occupant. Spike spent all day, everyday lying in the sun. Xander didn't blame him, he knew that once they got home Spike would miss it. They hadn't talked much about home, Xander was grateful. He knew there was a possibility that they were all dead. Glory had opened the portal; otherwise they wouldn't be here. If they did survive, if everything was okay, it could still take a long time for them to find him.

Xander and Spike had emptied their pockets to see if they had anything useful in them. Other than the lighter, Spike had a flask of cheap whiskey, a deck of cards, two knives, a straight razor - which Xander had appropriated for himself to shave with, and two battered packages of cigarettes. In Xander’s pockets there were keys, a cell phone - Spike put on a big production of trying to call for help - it had actually made Xander smile - two Twinkies - which Xander had eaten immediately, Anya’s ring - which Xander kept to himself, and his work schedule for next week. Nothing of any real use, other than the razor, lighter, and the playing cards.

Xander spent his days wandering along the river, fishing, gathering fruit, and thinking. He was bored. He had run out of things to occupy himself with. He needed a project, something to keep his hands busy. That was how he found himself picking reeds from the river and weaving them into mats. They would be more comfortable to sleep on than the folded-up tarp he was currently using.

Spike snorted in amusement as Xander weaved. He was doing a decent job of it but it wasn't tight enough to hold for long. He'd bet money on the thing falling apart in a week. Xander sighed in frustration as he tried to tighten the mat he was working on. "Hey, Spike? Anywhere but here."

Spike looked over at him, confusion clearly written on his face. "What the hell are you going on about?" Xander chuckled. "It's a game, bleach head. We used to play it back in high school when Giles had us cataloging his stuffy old books. I say 'anywhere but here' and you tell me where you would rather be and why. Get it?"

Spike thought for a minute, he really couldn't think of any place he would rather be; this place suited him just fine. He just wished that he had better company. "Can't think of anywhere. I like it just fine here, I get to lay about in the sun all day, the blood is hot and fresh, even if it is animal. And I get to hunt. Ask me again, when I've gotten tired of the sunlight, say in a hundred years or so. What about you?"

There was only one place Xander wanted to be; back home in the basement of the Magic Box hearing Anya accept his marriage proposal. "The Magic Box, in the basement about an hour before we went after Glory." Spike had expected him to say something along the lines of 'the food court at the mall' or 'the locker room of the Laker Girls', not the Magic Box. "How come? What's so special about the shop's basement?"

Xander dug into his pocket and brought out the ring box, he opened it and just stared at it for a while. "I proposed to Anya there, right before we were going to leave." He chuckled. "She hit me. Said I was only asking because we were going to die and I wouldn't have to go through with it. I told her I was asking because I knew we were going make it; she said yes. She told me to give this to her after we made it." He showed Spike the ring and then put it away.

Spike didn't know what to say. Yeah, he loved Buffy but he was smart enough to know she would never see him as anything more than a demon. Xander had a real chance at a happy ending; at least he did before all this happened. "Something to look forward to then, eh mate? You figure she'll kiss you before or after she slaps you for getting yourself sucked into a portal?" Xander couldn't help but smile. Anya most likely would hit him first.

"We're going to be stuck here for a long time aren't we, Spike?" Xander picked up his mat and started weaving again. Spike rolled over to face him and sighed. "Yeah, pet. I think we are." There was really nothing else to say so they sat there in silence absorbing the fact that this place was going to be home from now on.