Quantum Xander II: In Wake of the Curse
folder
BtVS AU/AR › Slash - Male/Male › Spike(William)/Xander
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
65
Views:
20,559
Reviews:
119
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
BtVS AU/AR › Slash - Male/Male › Spike(William)/Xander
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
65
Views:
20,559
Reviews:
119
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
~PART 44~
Part 44
“Xander. Xan, love. Wake up.”
Xander stirred and blearily opened his eyes. He gazed up at Spike, blinked sleepily and then smiled. It was one of the most beautiful smiles Spike had ever seen, as it was full of love and directed at him.
“I have to go, pet. Rupert called, he wants me to go check a lead he has on our preacher.”
Xander sat up in alarm and grabbed Spike’s hand.
“By yourself? No way! I’m going with!”
“Xan, I appreciate the thought, but don’t you have a spell you need to do?”
Xander was torn. He desperately wanted to bring back Spike, but he didn’t want this Spike to go off on a dangerous mission without back-up. Damn, these decisions were going to kill him.
“I do, but I don’t want you to be in danger.”
“Hey, I can hold my own against Bringers, and thanks to you I can defend myself against any humans, as well. I’ll be fine, love. Trust me.”
“I do. I just worry; I love you.”
“I know, and you offering to come with means a lot.”
Spike kissed Xander and then backed away from the bed. He stopped in the doorway and shook his head. He couldn’t believe he was actually passing up the opportunity to spend more time alone with his mate.
“I asked Red and Glinda to come by and help you out with the spell, since I won’t be able to assist.”
“Thanks. Oh, hey! How are you getting there?”
“Rupert’s lending me ’is car. Some little shit-box rental he has.”
Xander chuckled and got out of bed. He went to the closet and rummaged around in the other Spike’s duster pockets. He pulled out a set of keys and tossed them to Spike.
“Take the bike. It’s in the storage locker in the basement. It’ll be faster than Giles’ car and easier to make a hasty retreat on.”
“Ta, love. ’Cept of course if it’s daytime, perhaps I should take the watcher’s car, just to be on the safe side.”
Xander frowned at that. He was well aware that Spike could look after himself, and had been doing so for over a century but he didn’t like this situation one bit. Everything about this Caleb had, so far, been trouble.
“Hang on a sec.”
Xander reached back into the coat. His fingers closed around the object he was searching for and he withdrew his hand from the deep pocket. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then held out his hand to Spike.
“I wish I could let you keep it, but I can’t. It was his first, and it’s still his; but right now I want you to wear it. Wear it and be safe.”
Spike looked at the ring in Xander’s palm. It was the gem of Amara, the vampire equivalent of the holy grail. He had held it once before, worn it for almost an entire day, until he had stupidly gone after Buffy instead of hopping a flight to Aruba.
“You’ve had it? This whole time?”
Xander nodded sadly. He didn’t know what to say to make this better. The fact that he could have let Spike wear it, that he could have spent time with him in the sun this whole time and hadn’t, it was stupid of him, but he hadn’t actually given it any thought until he was coming home from L.A.
“I sorta forgot I had it for awhile there, and then when I did remember, I had the Spell. I didn’t want to give it to you, only to have to take it away from you. It seemed… cruel. I’m sorry, I wish I had another one.”
Spike inched closer to Xander; he looked at the ring and then looked at the saddened expression on his lover’s face. He wasn’t angry with Xander - far from it. He was shocked; amazed that Xander was giving him this wonderful gift, even if it was only on loan. He understood that Xander had kept the other Spike’s things and held them somewhat sacred. He himself still had mementoes of Drusilla and Angelus that he would never part with.
“This is so fucking unfair!”
Xander’s shout of frustration startled Spike back into the here and now. He watched as his lover paced the room suddenly, fists clenched at his sides.
“I love you! Both of you. I want you to be safe. How the hell can I keep you both safe with only one ring? Not to mention the problems this is going to cause after the spell. How am I ever going to enjoy being out in the day with him, while you’re stuck here inside in dark? I won’t, that’s how!”
Spike slowly backed away from Xander as his eyes began to darken and his skin began to glow. He was torn between wanting to rush to him and protect him from whatever was happening, and fleeing in terror from the powerful mojo he could feel coming from him.
“Er, Xan? You all right there, love? You’re getting kinda…”
Spike trailed off as Xander turned black eyes on him and his hair began to stand on end.
“…scary.”
Spike swallowed and hedged a little farther to the door. He knew Xander wouldn’t hurt him, but he had a powerful preservation instinct and right now it was screaming at him to run and hide.
“I can’t do this, Spike. I won’t. I won’t be forced to choose!”
“Alright, love. No choosing. I’ll make it simple for you, his ring - he keeps it. Alright?”
Xander closed his eyes as he felt his entire being surge with strength, he didn’t register anything Spike had said. He was blind and deaf to the world around him; the only thing he was aware of, the only thing he felt was the power as it surged throughout his being.
Spike panicked as Xander began to float a good two or three feet off the floor. He had only seen and felt power like this one other time in his life and that had been when Willow took on Glory, and he was pretty sure that what he was feeling now was even stronger than that had been.
“Xan?”
There was a flash of blinding white light and Spike had to turn away under the onslaught lest he be blinded. When he turned back, Xander was lying on the floor, perfectly still. Spike rushed to him and gathered him into his arms.
“Bloody hell, love. What have you done now?”
Xander was still for several minutes while Spike carefully monitored his breathing and heart rate. He knew that the man was okay physically, and hoped it was just exhaustion that was keeping him from waking up, not something more complicated.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Xander opened his eyes and sat up. He blinked and looked around the room before finally settling his gaze on Spike.
“Are you okay, Xan? You scared the living hell out of me.”
Xander looked down at his left hand; the one that he had been holding the ring in and slowly opened it. The ring was still there. He then opened his right hand. Sitting in his palm was an exact replica of the same ring.
“Holy shit.”
Xander whispered in awe.
“I did it.”
“Xander. Xan, love. Wake up.”
Xander stirred and blearily opened his eyes. He gazed up at Spike, blinked sleepily and then smiled. It was one of the most beautiful smiles Spike had ever seen, as it was full of love and directed at him.
“I have to go, pet. Rupert called, he wants me to go check a lead he has on our preacher.”
Xander sat up in alarm and grabbed Spike’s hand.
“By yourself? No way! I’m going with!”
“Xan, I appreciate the thought, but don’t you have a spell you need to do?”
Xander was torn. He desperately wanted to bring back Spike, but he didn’t want this Spike to go off on a dangerous mission without back-up. Damn, these decisions were going to kill him.
“I do, but I don’t want you to be in danger.”
“Hey, I can hold my own against Bringers, and thanks to you I can defend myself against any humans, as well. I’ll be fine, love. Trust me.”
“I do. I just worry; I love you.”
“I know, and you offering to come with means a lot.”
Spike kissed Xander and then backed away from the bed. He stopped in the doorway and shook his head. He couldn’t believe he was actually passing up the opportunity to spend more time alone with his mate.
“I asked Red and Glinda to come by and help you out with the spell, since I won’t be able to assist.”
“Thanks. Oh, hey! How are you getting there?”
“Rupert’s lending me ’is car. Some little shit-box rental he has.”
Xander chuckled and got out of bed. He went to the closet and rummaged around in the other Spike’s duster pockets. He pulled out a set of keys and tossed them to Spike.
“Take the bike. It’s in the storage locker in the basement. It’ll be faster than Giles’ car and easier to make a hasty retreat on.”
“Ta, love. ’Cept of course if it’s daytime, perhaps I should take the watcher’s car, just to be on the safe side.”
Xander frowned at that. He was well aware that Spike could look after himself, and had been doing so for over a century but he didn’t like this situation one bit. Everything about this Caleb had, so far, been trouble.
“Hang on a sec.”
Xander reached back into the coat. His fingers closed around the object he was searching for and he withdrew his hand from the deep pocket. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then held out his hand to Spike.
“I wish I could let you keep it, but I can’t. It was his first, and it’s still his; but right now I want you to wear it. Wear it and be safe.”
Spike looked at the ring in Xander’s palm. It was the gem of Amara, the vampire equivalent of the holy grail. He had held it once before, worn it for almost an entire day, until he had stupidly gone after Buffy instead of hopping a flight to Aruba.
“You’ve had it? This whole time?”
Xander nodded sadly. He didn’t know what to say to make this better. The fact that he could have let Spike wear it, that he could have spent time with him in the sun this whole time and hadn’t, it was stupid of him, but he hadn’t actually given it any thought until he was coming home from L.A.
“I sorta forgot I had it for awhile there, and then when I did remember, I had the Spell. I didn’t want to give it to you, only to have to take it away from you. It seemed… cruel. I’m sorry, I wish I had another one.”
Spike inched closer to Xander; he looked at the ring and then looked at the saddened expression on his lover’s face. He wasn’t angry with Xander - far from it. He was shocked; amazed that Xander was giving him this wonderful gift, even if it was only on loan. He understood that Xander had kept the other Spike’s things and held them somewhat sacred. He himself still had mementoes of Drusilla and Angelus that he would never part with.
“This is so fucking unfair!”
Xander’s shout of frustration startled Spike back into the here and now. He watched as his lover paced the room suddenly, fists clenched at his sides.
“I love you! Both of you. I want you to be safe. How the hell can I keep you both safe with only one ring? Not to mention the problems this is going to cause after the spell. How am I ever going to enjoy being out in the day with him, while you’re stuck here inside in dark? I won’t, that’s how!”
Spike slowly backed away from Xander as his eyes began to darken and his skin began to glow. He was torn between wanting to rush to him and protect him from whatever was happening, and fleeing in terror from the powerful mojo he could feel coming from him.
“Er, Xan? You all right there, love? You’re getting kinda…”
Spike trailed off as Xander turned black eyes on him and his hair began to stand on end.
“…scary.”
Spike swallowed and hedged a little farther to the door. He knew Xander wouldn’t hurt him, but he had a powerful preservation instinct and right now it was screaming at him to run and hide.
“I can’t do this, Spike. I won’t. I won’t be forced to choose!”
“Alright, love. No choosing. I’ll make it simple for you, his ring - he keeps it. Alright?”
Xander closed his eyes as he felt his entire being surge with strength, he didn’t register anything Spike had said. He was blind and deaf to the world around him; the only thing he was aware of, the only thing he felt was the power as it surged throughout his being.
Spike panicked as Xander began to float a good two or three feet off the floor. He had only seen and felt power like this one other time in his life and that had been when Willow took on Glory, and he was pretty sure that what he was feeling now was even stronger than that had been.
“Xan?”
There was a flash of blinding white light and Spike had to turn away under the onslaught lest he be blinded. When he turned back, Xander was lying on the floor, perfectly still. Spike rushed to him and gathered him into his arms.
“Bloody hell, love. What have you done now?”
Xander was still for several minutes while Spike carefully monitored his breathing and heart rate. He knew that the man was okay physically, and hoped it was just exhaustion that was keeping him from waking up, not something more complicated.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Xander opened his eyes and sat up. He blinked and looked around the room before finally settling his gaze on Spike.
“Are you okay, Xan? You scared the living hell out of me.”
Xander looked down at his left hand; the one that he had been holding the ring in and slowly opened it. The ring was still there. He then opened his right hand. Sitting in his palm was an exact replica of the same ring.
“Holy shit.”
Xander whispered in awe.
“I did it.”