Mbwa Mwitu

Chapter Summary: Tara returns. Spike and Xander have a few moments to talk and, well, "talk".


.Chapter Four.


Xander forced himself to ignore Spike, who was currently pressed up against his back. On a normal morning, if Spike was still feeling playful, they would have sex on the kitchen table. But, Xander was not the type to have sex in front of someone else. With a sigh, Xander maneuvered his way around the kitchen, pretending to not feel Spike's hand caressing his lower stomach. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Oz talking softly into the phone.

"Spike, stop." Xander ordered, fighting down a chuckle as his mate merely grinned and pinched his arse.

"Uh-uh. Don't want to." Spike pouted.

"It's daylight out. Go sleep." Xander said, trying not to spill his orange juice.

"Hmm." Spike started, before suddenly straightening up. Xander turned his head as he picked up the soft sound of footsteps outside their door. Oz glanced at the front door from his spot at the kitchen entrance, before glancing back at them. A second later, a gentle knock was heard.

Xander was perfectly aware that it was Tara, long before he opened the door. Her scent was so familiar to him, that of magical electricity and lavender, that he would always be able to recognize it. It was the sight of her, however, that had him stunned to silence. She looked like she hadn't slept at all. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was nothing but messy tangles, and she wore only a pair of sweat pants and a tank top.

Xander had actually seen Tara in this sort of outfit before, so it wasn't nearly as shocking as the emotion radiating off her in bursts. He had never seen her this angry before, not even when she had argued with Willow. Her eyes were narrowed, her hands pulled into fists. The magic around her seemed to crackle as Spike pulled her into the living room.

"Bloody hell, pet." Spike said softly, guiding her to the sofa. "What happened?"

"What happened? What happened!" Tara exclaimed, pulling out of Spike's hold to pace. She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. "She... I can't believe she actually..."

"Tara?" Xander reached out to touch her.

"No!" Tara jerked away, pressing her palms against her eyes. With a defeated sigh, she sat down on the sofa. Her shoulder shook slightly, a sign that she was on the verge of crying. "I can't believe Willow would..."

"What did Willow do?" Xander asked. He slowly kneeled in front of Tara. "What happened?"

"She..." Tara shuddered, looking up. Her eyes darted around the room, pausing briefly on Oz. The werewolf was slowly hanging up the phone, his eyes locked on her. Tara let out a noise in the back of her throat, before pulling something out of her pocket. Carefully, she set it on the coffee table.

"What is that?" Spike asked, taking a step back. The small, red-colored sachet set off a strange vibe, which he instinctively wanted to get away from.

"It's..." Tara bit her lip. "It's a love spell. It was under my pillow. It... It makes whoever sleeps over it fall in love with it's creator."

"Oh, Tara." Xander whispered, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"It's really over." Tara said, her voice cracking. She rested her forehead against Xander's shoulder, her tears creating wet blotches on his shirt. "A part of me didn't want to believe it, but... It really is over. I'll never be able to trust her again."

"Shhh, it'll be okay." Xander told her, rubbing her back. "You're with family now."

"Thank you." Tara replied, burying her face briefly into his neck, before pulling away. She discreetly wiped at her eyes. She sent Spike a shaky smile and he grinned. "Family, huh?

"Family." Spike nodded. Xander smiled in agreement, before turning toward Oz, who stood in the doorway

"What did you find out?" Xander asked.

"You were right." Oz stated. He forced his eyes away from Tara, only to stare at the floor instead. "They have complete control over the change."

"I figured." Xander said, yawning. He grabbed Spike's arm and pulled him toward the master bedroom. "Come on, Blondie. Let's go get some extra shut eye. You two can watch television or something if you want."

"I don't think you really want to sleep." Spike informed him as they shut the door. The vampire reached out and fingered the drawstring of Xander's pants, looking up at him with a leer. "Eh, pet?"

"Do you only think of sex?" Xander asked, in mock exasperation.

"'Course not." Spike replied. "Think about blood and violence, as well." His leer turned into a grin. "But you like me like that, don't you? Like watching me fight and kill."

"You're naughty." Xander said, stepping forward in order to press his body against Spike's. Xander took a deep breath, breathing in Spike's sent, before nuzzling his cheek. "Love you."

"I love you, too." Spike whispered. Spike slipped his arms around Xander's neck, pulling him into a kiss. Their tongues immediately met, grazing teeth that seemed sharp to the touch. Xander made a deep noise in the back of his throat, a mix between a whine and groan. Taking a last nip at Spike's lower lip, Xander pulled away.

"I wanted to talk to you." Xander said, his voice low with what Spike recognized as desire.

"About what?" Spike asked, threading his hands through Xander's hair and massaging his scalp.

"The full moon." Xander replied, his eyes half-closing in contentment. A soft, gravel-like purr erupted from his chest as Spike leaned forward to kiss his neck. "We need to talk about Oz."

"Hmm, and? What about the pup?" Spike's voice was soft, his stolen breath causing Xander to shiver.

"I have to spend the night with him." Xander explained. "He has to be... Dominated and accepted into our pack." Xander paused, pulling his head back to look Spike in the eye. "I want you there. If... If you want to be. I don't think... Well, I want the wolf to understand that he'll be below my mate as well as me."

"I'd like that, love." Spike said, giving Xander a genuine smile. "How do you want to go about it, though? I don't know about you, but... Well, in vampire clans the leader usually just shags and kicks everyone until they bare their neck in submission."

"No." Xander sighed and shook his head. "I don't want to be like that. With Buffy it was easy, I just held her down until she pushed away her own pride. With Oz? I think he just needs to be aware of our strength for it to work. Of course, I'll have to bite him."

"You naughty hyena, you." Spike accused, grinning. "Biting the poor little pup."

"Hmm, it's not that bad." Xander smirked slightly. "You seem to enjoy it."

"Oi, none of that kind." Spike narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, master." Xander's eyes practically glowed with amusement. He wasn't worried about Spike's small surge of jealousy, though. He was comfortable in their relationship, and he knew Spike understood that Xander only wanted him. Still, it was nice to get his mate worked up every once in a while.

"Come on, pet." Spike wiggled his eyebrows. "Let's get some rest."

"Rest, huh?" Xander grinned, pushing his mate gently toward the bed. Xander took hold of the belt loops of Spike's jeans, being the only clothing he was wearing. He leaned down for a kiss, lightly grazing his lips against Spike's.

Spike made a small noise in the back of his throat, before deepening the kiss. The vampire's legs hit the bed, before he allowed himself to fall back. Xander tumbled down on top of him, their mouths refusing to separate. Finally, Xander pulled back for a breath, before diving back down to Spike's neck and sucking hard. Spike let out a low groan, his hips jerking forward.

Clothing was quickly pulled away, leaving their bodies bare and pressing against one another. Xander slipped an arm around Spike's waist, lifting him and scooting them until they were resting fully on the bed. Xander let out a soft moan as their hard cocks pressed against one another. Their lips crashed together once more. Tongues twisted around one another, teeth bit down on lower lips. Spike's arms wrapped tightly around Xander's neck and shoulders.

Xander kept his arm around Spike's waist, pulling him into a hard, thrusting rhythm. Their cocks glided against one another, sweat and pre-come easing the way. Spike's leg hooked itself around one of Xander's, the other leg stretching out in order to give them more room to move. Pants and groans began filling the air.

It didn't take long for them to reach orgasm. Their cries of completion erupted into the air, before Xander collapsed on top of Spike. Spike let out a soft hum of contentment, his arms pulling Xander closer. Xander used the last of his energy to kiss Spike lightly on the chest, right above his unbeating heart.

"Mmmm, happy place." Xander purred. Spike chuckled softly in reply. "We should probably clean up."

"Later." Spike said, tightening his hold around Xander.

"Got to breathe, hun." Xander squeaked.

"Annoying habit, that is." Spike informed him. He released Xander in favor of threading his fingers through his mate's hair. Xander smiled against his chest, nuzzling it slightly.

They dozed for a bit longer, before Xander found himself wide awake. He took a moment to watch Spike sleep, the vampire now curled up on his side, one hand stretching towards Xander's side of the bed. With a small smile, Xander pulled on some clothes and made his way into the living room.

It was there that he found the most adorable sight he had ever laid eyes on.

The television was on, some forgotten movie playing at a loud volume -- most likely to cover Spike and Xander's noise. Tara and Oz were on the sofa, fast asleep. That, of course, wasn't the cute part. Through, the soft little noises Tara made as she dreamed certainly was sweet, the thing that hit Xander the hardest was their position.

Somehow, possibly after they had fallen asleep, the two had gravitated towards one another. They were now curled up on the sofa together, Oz's arms wrapped around Tara's waist. It struck Xander as strange that they look so... Perfect there. Like the two were meant to cuddle. Oz's hand resting on her hip. Tara's head pressed against his shoulder. They simply... Fit.

Unable to stop the grin that spread across his face, Xander darted back to the bedroom and began digging in his dresser. His happiness was mostly because the idea of the two newest members of his pack being a couple sent little jolts of contentment through his inner animal. But it was also because this was a perfect picture opportunity.

"What are you doing?" Spike mumbled from the bed. His sleep-filled eyes cracked open slightly to watch his mate pull out a digital camera.

"Come see!" Xander said, trying not to bounce. Spike grumbled under his breath as Xander grabbed his ankle and began tugging him out of the bed. With a sigh, he got up and pulled on some pants, before stumbling after his lover.

He entered the living room to find Xander rapidly taking picture after picture of Tara and Oz, who somehow managed to remain fast asleep. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the camera out of Xander's hands. "Let them sleep, yeah? Besides, save some for when they wake up."

"You don't look surprised." Xander stated, frowning slightly. "Why aren't you surprised?"

"Should I be?" Spike asked, genuinely confused. He headed back to the bedroom, stripped back down, and fell into a lazy sprawl across the bed. Xander followed, closing the door softly behind him. Spike watched him shuffled around the room a moment, before speaking. "I guess I'm more observant than you."

"I observe." Xander insisted.

"Yeah." Spike smiled, wiggling around in order to get under the covers. "You observe, but you tend to get involved as well."

"Like you don't? I wasn't the one that followed Tara home, killing a total of fifteen vampires along the way." Xander pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah." Spike rolled his eyes. "Fine. I get involved. But only with Tara. I haven't really done that much with Oz, just observed."

"Hmm." Xander walked over and sat down on the bed. "And what have you observed?"

"Every time she walks into the room, his eyes immediately lock on her." Spike said softly. "Kind of like you do with me. Remember, love? The way you used to watch me, your eyes filled with lust and love and the desire to simply... Own me."

"I do." Xander leaned down to kiss him lightly. "Own you that is."

"Own you right back."

"Yeah." Xander said with a happy sigh. "You do."