Introductions

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Part 31

He'd have to see about getting the blokes to move into his building, Spike decided as he dashed from his car, leather duster over his head to protect him from the sun. It was the only choice. And so what if they couldn't afford it? HE could, and... he had a feeling his Xan would like having their friends closer. Hell, so would he. If they'd lived in the building, then he wouldn't have had to drive downtown in broad bloody daylight, try to park, and then court immolation just by getting to the front door.

Fortunately, his beloved should be used to the repeated deliveries by now, so he wasn't anticipating any trouble with getting buzzed into the first floor hallway. He hunched in the shadowed doorway, doing his damnedest to avoid the slant of sunlight and pressed the button beside the blokes' names-- Arcady and Washburn.

"Gods, another one?" came the adored and disbelieving voice from the small speaker, "What did he do, buy everything in town?"

Spike grinned, hearing the undertone of excitement in his human's voice but said nothing as the buzzing started. He simply pulled open the door and started inside.

"Just bring it up, whatever it is." A muttered "I am SO gonna kill him..." in a soft, almost forgiving tone.

And that was hopeful, he figured, darting up the stairs rather than waiting for the rickety old elevator. It was only six stories, after all. Not even enough to make him break a sweat if he could have.

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"It's open," Harris called out, his eye roaming the large pile of opened boxes on the floor. "Just put it on the couch, okay? I'm guessing you've already been tipped, judging from the other deliveries."

One hand reached out, slowly stroking over the heavy silk lapel of the robe that had come as the second delivery that day. "Damn," he whispered to himself, "I may be pissed at him, but... he's got some amazing taste."

He smiled slightly as he heard the door close as the delivery person presumably left, then picked up the assortment of cards that had come with the items, each bearing only one word, and how the hell had Spike arranged for them to be delivered in the right order? It was a mystery. Still, if anyone could have pulled it off, Spike was the one.

"Beloved," Harris read from the card that had come with the fountain pen, "Please" the robe, "Forgive" a leather-covered diary, "Me..." the pendant he'd admired in a movie they'd watched one night months earlier, and he couldn't believe Spike had remembered that.

"I" he read on the next card that had accompanied a stained glass bowl, "Was," and this present had made him laugh. Where the HELL had his vampire found a case of Yoo-hoo? "Wrong..." the wine glasses were perfect, all sleek and black.

"Need" a matching decanter, "You," another one that cracked him up-- a box of ho-hos, "Pet..." with the jar of wheat germ and Harris wondered if Spike was trying to say something by that but he couldn't quite wrap his mind around it.

The last card in his hand said simply "Love,". It had been in the box with the incredibly soft leather jacket that would come in handy now that the seasons were starting to turn.

He couldn't help smiling softly as he turned, fully expecting to find another box on his couch along with a card that read "Spike". He was NOT expecting to see Spike himself sitting there holding a box... or the sad and lonely look on the blond's face.

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His beloved looked stunned, Spike saw. Then again, he'd been deliberately keeping their bond closed since before he'd left their home to come here so he supposed it made sense. "Xan..." he began, his voice soft and buried under the human's own.

"Spike... what are you... all of this... I mean..." Harris groaned at himself then shook his head. "I... you can't expect me to just forget, okay? No matter HOW many things you buy me!"

And just like that, Spike was off the couch and standing in front of his lover, mere inches separating them. "I know, luv... don't want you ta forget, yah?" He sighed and looked down at the threadbare rug. "Told you, Xan. I'm a vampire. An' maybe you thought you knew what that meant but I'm thinkin' maybe you need ta be reminded."

His eye closed tightly against the desire to just throw himself at the other man and let go of the small bit of anger still simmering inside him. "Fine," Harris agreed after a moment or two. He opened his eye and met the bright blue gaze. "Remind me."

"Possessive, I am. Me an' th' demon both. An' luv you, pet. Think you know that." His brow furrowed slightly as he tried to put it into words. He should have practiced, he realized, but he'd wanted to be spontaneous and not present his love with a rehearsed speech. "Bloody hell. Come an' sit with me, luv... please."

As it was one of only a handful of times his vampire had said 'please' outside of bed-- or wherever they happened to be making each other moan-- Harris sighed and nodded, stepping around the blond and taking a seat on the couch. "Okay... we're sitting," he said as Spike joined him, close but not TOO close.

A soft deep sigh and Spike nodded. "Right, then. 's like this, pet. You know I want ta Mate ta you, yah? An' you say you're thinkin' about it. 's all well an' good if you are. But..." his fingers rose, nervously tugging at stiff blond locks, "you haven't said a bloody THING about it since I asked you an'... bloody hell, luv! Not rightly a patient man, am I? Or demon for that matter. An' you had that cold last month, all... mucus-y an' fever-havin’, an'..." Spike swallowed hard, his hands in his lap now, fingers entwined.

"Spike..."

"No! Let me finish, Xan!" he demanded, the demon writhing within him to just MATE the human and be done with it. It had worked with the claiming, his evil half insisted, and it would work with the Mating.

"Look, luv," he finally said once his beloved stopped looking shocked and nodded, "I was wrong. We both know that, yah? Should have just asked; you were right about that. But I needed ta KNOW. Needed ta stop wonderin' just how little time I'm goin' ta have ta enjoy with you. An'... when you got all pissed off last night, I..." He sighed. "I did some thinkin' too, luv."

It was the pained and distressed look on his love's face that had Harris shifting closer on the couch. One hand covered the clenched and tangled fingers of his vampire's hands and he sighed. "Talk to me, babe," he whispered, suddenly worried.

Spike stared fixedly at the warm brown fingers wrapped over his hands and clenched his jaw before nodding. "I'm takin' th' Matin' off th' table, Xan." His demon almost crowed at the hitched breath that got him.

"I'm not sayin' I don't still want that, luv. Just that... I can't bloody well DO this anymore!" His voice got louder and he couldn't manage to stop it. "Can't sit around WAITIN', hopin' you'll decide that you want me for that long! An' I know what I said 'bout your little Scooby friends an' th' gay blokes, an' that was true! But it's drivin' me 'round th' soddin' BEND ta wonder what you're thinkin' 'bout th' whole thing alla th' time!"

The vampire took a deep breath, trying to calm himself a little. "So I'm takin' it back, luv." His eyes left their hands and met the wide, hurt-looking brown eye that was staring at him with shock and sadness. "Still want it, Xan. More than you know. An' if you decide you want it too, then... ask me an' it's yours, yah? But until an' unless you do... I'm just goin' ta pretend you said 'no'... or that I never asked. Might make things easier for th' both of us, I'm thinkin'."

Harris couldn't even begin to understand the emotions running through him they were so contradictory. Fear. Relief. Shame. Want. Desire. Sorrow. Hope. Disappointment. Need. Betrayal. But over and above all of those, he felt... lost. His fingers tightened on the slender hands beneath them and he sighed, ignoring the first tear that leaked from his good eye. It was hardly the first time Spike had seen him cry, after all.

"I... shit, Spike," he finally said, squeezing the pale fingers hard, "I never said no, did I? I just... fuck, it's... a lot to think about, okay?"

Spike shook his head and tried to smile. "Think all you like, Xan. Least you know about Matin' now. An' like I said... I'm not holdin' my breath. Or I wouldn't be if I had ta breathe for anythin' other than talkin'." He inhaled the softly salty tinge of tears in the air and resolutely didn't lick the small trail of moisture from his beloved's face. "An' I'm sorry for tryin' ta get around you th' way I did. Shouldn't have done it. Was disrespectful, that."

Harris frowned, suddenly wondering if maybe the truth wasn't that Spike had reconsidered being with HIM for hundreds of years or even longer. If so, then whatever he decided... he'd never tell the vampire. He wouldn't force the man to be tied to him forever if that wasn't what he wanted.

He frowned, determined to hold fast and steady to that course when he felt the link between him and his lover fly wide, and... any concerns he'd had about Spike's feelings vanished under the onslaught of 'mine, yours, always love you, always need you, can't live without you, can't go on, nothing without you, won't ever leave, love you, need you, always, always, beloved, beloved Claimed, mine' he felt.

And he couldn't help it, didn't want to help it if the truth be known. His eye slammed shut hard as he pushed his end of their bond wide, returning everything he felt for his love, his man, his demon.

Spike found himself gasping, his back arching against the couch as he was filled almost beyond bearing with the 'yours-always-never anything else-scared-want-need-afraid-secrets-yours-mine-in you-in me-love-belonging-always here-always yours-always mine-never leave you-never leave me' from his Claimed. His hands somehow wrapped around the tanned one, pulling it to his chest where his long-dead heart... BEAT just once before returning to its usual motionless state.

"B-bloody... h-h-hell..."

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A/N: Many thanks to Littlest Coyote, Susan & Kat for the reviews... as always, MUCH appreciated and adored! *hugs them*

And yes, Kat... there really IS a pig lighter. I saw it at the gas station near my house. You toggle the twisty-tail down and flames come out of the snout. Good thing it's not the other wat 'round, 'ey? *sniggers*

More soon. Possibly later today or tomorrow.

*hugs for the good reviewers*

~Tis