New Order

A/N: Here we go...please review. Pretty please. Oh, and just so you know...I've posted a new story over in the Buffy (General) section called Spike's Passions. Check it out! It's going to be a fun story.



Beta: carinas_carinae





Oz was getting pissed. The vampires were obviously driving Xander crazy with their hovering and they were too blind to see it. Or they just didn’t care. He wanted to yell at them to just get the fuck out. Better yet, he’d just change into his wolf and tear them to pieces.



He was surprised by the intensity of his anger. It really wasn’t like him to get so bent out of shape. Maybe he was channeling feelings from the old days back in Sunnydale. For some reason though, he was feeling mighty protective of Xander and he wasn’t impressed at all by Angel’s and Spike’s posturing.



His wolf was definitely treating Xander like pack; worse, like a lower member of the pack that needed to be watched over and guarded. Oz realized that he needed to take some time to consider what could be causing him to feel this way.



Angel and Spike were annoyed by Xander’s unresponsiveness and by Oz’s perpetual scowl. Neither vampire knew what to do to for Xander. They were both angry with him for leaving the way that he did. Angel, in particular, felt that they at least deserved a chance to talk through what happened, especially since Xander was still claimed by them.



Angel’s thoughts of the spell reminded him that they had never discovered who the culprit was. When Xander left, their priority became finding him. He had associates both at the hotel and at Wolfram and Hart researching the issue, and they had learned more about the actual spell, but not who was behind it.



No one seemed to know anything about it which was enough to infuriate Angel. Spike had gone out several times trying to beat information out of their informants but he hadn’t had any luck either.



Now that Xander was back, they would have to devote all of their research energies into finding out who was behind the spell and what their purpose was. The only real purpose Angel could see was that both he and Spike would be distracted by Xander and potentially mess up something big enough to get themselves dusted.



But why Xander? And when was the spell cast? Until he reached the hotel, no one would have connected him with Angel and Spike. Was it the demons who kidnapped him and performed the original ritual? That didn’t seem to make sense to Angel although he wasn’t going to discount it as an option.



The only other possibility was that someone cast the spell before Xander left England. If that were the case, Angel didn’t even know where to begin. He had mentioned the idea to Willow but she seemed to think it originated in L.A.



Angel scowled as his thoughts on the spell brought him back to square one yet again. Unless they found a lead, which wasn’t looking likely, they would have to wait and see if the spellcaster struck again, which meant that Xander was still at risk.



Spike watched his Sire’s frown and figured he was working on the puzzle of the spell. Again. He knew that Angel didn’t like the mystery behind it. But, hell, they had researched every source they knew of and had beaten a few others for good measure. If anyone knew anything, it wasn’t anyone they knew.



Xander looked around the room and saw that all three of his companions were now scowling. Enough was enough, damn it. He finished his meal and handed the tray back to Spike. Then he cleared his throat. “We need to talk.”



The words instantly drew all attention to him, and Xander was pleased to notice that the scowls lessoned. Turning to Angel, Xander continued. “I know that there are lots of things to discuss. But frankly, all of this hovering is making me crazy. I don’t know what you guys are thinking and I just can’t deal with it right now anyway so I think it would be best for me if I moved to a different room.”



Angel’s eyes went cold. “I don’t really think that’s the best idea Xander.”



Xander returned his expression, equally cold. “I really don’t care, Angel. I can’t do this. I can’t sleep here with you two like nothing has changed. Everything has changed, at least for me.”



He turned to Spike. “I’m not saying that I don’t care about you, both of you. But I really need some space and I would really appreciate it if you would respect that.”



Spike wanted to scream and argue, but in a way he understood where Xander was coming from. He didn’t like the fact that they had all been manipulated either. It reminded him of that time that Willow put the whammy on him and Buffy. Made them go all wonky for each other. Wasn’t much fun to wake up and know you were doing something against your will. “Xan, pet, I agree with Angel. I don’t want you to go somewhere else, but I get why you want to.” At that he stopped. What more could he say, really?



Xander looked back at Angel. “Please, give me some time. I…just please, Angel.”



Angel glanced at Spike before he answered. “I’m not going to force you to stay, Xan. I know you’ve been forced enough. I’ll have the room next door set up for you. I still want to have you close.”



Xander nodded. He wasn’t going to push Angel too hard. He watched as Angel walked to the door and had a brief discussion with the minions outside. They all stared awkwardly at each other for a while before Xander pleaded exhaustion and settled back into the bed.



By the time he woke up, the room was situated and, although he protested, Angel scooped him up and carried him there. He placed him gently on the bed and spent a moment leaning over him before straightening up and heading out the door.



“Just yell if you need me. I’ll be right here.” Angel was stopped from exiting by the appearance of Oz. The werewolf stood in the doorway carrying his bags. When Angel didn’t move, Oz just stepped around him and placed his bags on the dresser.