Friends Last

Spike groaned softly, the image behind his closed eyelids painting a scene he had witnessed all too often during the hours that he spent in silent slumber.

He was wrapped in an unknown embrace, kissing an anonymous partner. Feeling the tension build between them as the man ran his nails down Spike’s back. The familiar feeling of his chest, his body, as it pressed into his own. Then the dream changed. In his mind, Spike opened his eyes. They were met by brown orbs full of desire. It was Xander.

Spike’s eyes flew open and he shot straight up. He was covered in a thick coat of perspiration, an unmistakable tension between his legs. He struggled to focus and noticed a figure sitting near him in the darkness.

“Morning sunshine.” Xander looked over at the vampire.

This can’t be happening, Spike thought to himself as he struggled to clear his mind. “Bugger off, boy scout.” He pulled his rumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one quickly, eternally grateful for the darkness that prevented Xander from seeing his state of arousal.

“My, my,” Xander taunted. “Seems like little Spikey’s not a morning person after all.”

“What do you want, whelp?”

“A million dollars. And you?”

“This bloody chip out of my head.”

Xander blinked at the candid statement. It was not the response he was expecting.

Spike blew out a lungful of smoke. “You asked.”

The overhead light suddenly turned on, casting a fluorescent glow over the room. “Are you guys awake?” Dawn peered at them from the stairwell.

Spike groaned, covering his lower half with his duster. “Yes, we’re up.” In more ways than one.

“Tara is setting everything up. It’s almost time.”

Xander stood up, offering his hand to Spike. “I’ll be there in a minute, whelp. You go ahead.”

Xander ascended the stairs with Dawn, leaving Spike sitting alone in the basement, willing his body to calm down.


The windows of the room had been draped with heavy blankets, blocking out any source of light from entering. Spike entered the living room and sat down on the sofa next to Dawn. “Feeling better?” he asked her.

Dawn nodded. She turned so Spike could see her cheek. “All gone.”

Spike smiled and sat back, waiting for Tara to begin.

She stood up from in front of her makeshift altar and picked up a backpack, handing it to Spike. “The parchments containing the spell are in the front pocket, the ingredients are in the bag. It’s everything you need.”

Spike took the bag and peered inside. Sure enough, jars and vials rested at the bottom.

“Here,” Willow said, coming out of the kitchen. She handed another bag to Xander. “Take this with you.”

“What is it?” Xander asked.

Willow grinned. “Twinkies, sandwiches, potato chips, and soda. All wrapped up and sealed tight in little Ziploc baggies. I figured that Anya and Halfreck would probably be starving.”

Xander took the bag but Spike raised his eyebrows. “We aren’t going on a bloody vacation, Red. We’re leaving as soon as we get there.”

“It’ll take you a little while to set everything up,” Willow said. “It couldn’t hurt.”

“It’s time,” Tara said, sitting again in front of the altar. Buffy, Willow, and Dawn stood back, watching tensely as Tara began to chant. Spike and Xander stood on either side of her, not knowing exactly what was supposed to happen, but prepared for when it did.

Tara’s chants grew louder as she lit the candles on the altar. A mysterious air began to swirl around the room, seeming to collect five feet in front of Tara. The energies materialized into a sort of hole. Spike and Xander exchanged a glance before walking through. Just as they disappeared, the winds stopped and the room returned to its natural state. It was done.


The moon had just begun it’s ascent across the sky when a terrible gust of wind rose above the ocean. It seemed to collect nearly twenty feet above the water, creating a hole. Two figures fell from the sky, limbs flailing frantically. They landed in the water with a mighty splash. By the time they surfaced, the wind had stopped.

Xander thrashed wildly, struggling to center himself. He finally managed to find his balance and treaded upright in the icy water. He looked around, searching for Spike, but he was nowhere to be seen. After several moments, he began frantically searching, worried that perhaps he had struck his head on the bottom. “Spike?” he called.

Spike surfaced several feet away. “Over here,” came the reply.

“Shit, I thought you drowned.”

“Wouldn’t that be a tragedy? You forget, whelp. I don’t breathe.”

Xander felt his cheeks redden. Of course Spike didn’t breathe. He turned toward the shore and began swimming.

They reached land and stood, dripping wet, on the beach. Xander was shivering. “Cold?” Spike questioned.

“Very.”

Spike muttered a string of curses toward witches in general. Can’t even open a dimension properly. He unconsciously reached for a cigarette, frowning as realization hit him. “Fuck.” He stripped off his jacket and shirt.

“What are you doing?” Xander asked.

“Getting out of these wet clothes, whelp. I suggest that you do the same before you catch your death out here.” He began pulling off his boots.

Xander opened his mouth to make a smart-ass comment, but the words died in this throat as the sight of Spike’s pale back caught the moonlight. It seemed to come alive, the muscles moving over its length, creating shadows. He swallowed heavily and pulled off his shirt, unable to tear his eyes from the sight. The low light seemed to enhance every movement as if he were moving in slow motion. Every muscle movement is outlined with moonlight and shadow.

Xander, as he is watching, is also being watched. Spike notices with a hint of appreciation that Xander is not the boy that he assumed him to be. The time Xander has spent in construction has been good to him, the definition of his muscles very apparent as he tosses his shirt over a nearby rock. Spike keeps his eyes on Xander’s body, trying not to appear too obvious, as they drape their clothes over the stone, willing them to miraculously dry.

Xander’s eyes continued their journey upward until his eyes were met with Spike’s. He blushed, knowing that he was busted.

But Spike was none the wiser. He tried to cover his own actions. “Ducks mate?” he said, eyeing Xander’s boxer shorts.

Xander looked down. “Oh yeah. Ducks rock.” Xander again looked at Spike. “Nice….lack of ducks,” he stuttered.

Spike grinned. “I never did get into those undergarments you humans seem so fascinated by. Au Natural. That’s me.”


Buffy lifted the heavy chest that was the altar with little effort. The air in the room was very tense, none too sure of what to say. Buffy broke the silence. “How long is this going to take?” she asked.

Tara looked up. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “It depends on Spike.”

Dawn slipped out of the room, unnoticed. She went into her room and to her dresser. She pulled the second pendant out of her pocket and opened the lid of her mother’s jewelry box. She lifted out the tray and set it safely inside.

Just as she returned to the living room, a flash of light stopped her in her tracks. Willow and Tara each took a step back and Buffy stood up. The all too familiar face of the short man became visible through the haze. She let out a frightened gasp and stepped back into the hallway.

The man fully materialized in the room and looked around. “Where is the girl?” he growled.

“You must mean me,” Buffy said sarcastically.

Willow whispered something in Tara’s ear and Tara began to recite something in Latin. The man froze in his tracks and glowered at the witch.

Buffy sprang into action, lifting him by his neck and pinning him to the wall. “What do you want,” she demanded.

Slake knew he was defeated. For the time being. The witch has bound me here, he thought.

Buffy tightened her grip. “Don’t make me ask again.”

“Halfreck,” he gasped.

She loosened her hold. “Where is she? And where is Anya?”

“I have sent them away,” he replied slowly.

“Where,” Buffy spat out.

“You already know where,” he said. “You have sent others there, have you not?”

“Bring them back,” Buffy demanded.

“Buffy, hurry up,” Willow said, sensing Tara’s bind starting to weaken.

“Why did you come back here?” Buffy asked.

“For the girl.”

Buffy was growing impatient. “What girl?”

He lifted a finger and pointed at Dawn, who was peeking around the corner. “Her.”

Buffy turned back to him. “Why?”

“She holds Halfreck’s amulet.”

“Dawnie? Is that true?”

Dawn stepped into the room. “No,” she said truthfully.

“You heard her. She doesn’t have it.”

“Buffy…” Willow said again.

Tara’s bind disintegrated and the man disappeared, only to reappear in the hallway. He held up Anya’s pendant. “Try as you will, your friend is already beyond hope. You can’t break this spell. By sunup she will be dead.” He made a grand performance of swallowing the amulet, chain and all, before disappearing completely.


Xander trailed behind Spike, whose eyes were able to see much more than his own. Try as he might, he couldn’t keep his eyes from Spike’s naked form as he made his way across the island.

Spike could feel Xander’s eyes on him. As much as he would like to believe that it was because of his lithe form, he knew that the more likely explanation was that he was trying not to lose him in the darkness. He stepped carefully through a cold stream before stopping abruptly.

“What is it?” Xander asked, nearly crashing into him.

“Nothing,” Spike said. “This way.” He began again to forge ahead.

The faint glow of light about thirty feet in front of them caught Spike’s attention. He turned to Xander. “They are over there,” he said.

“Well, let’s go,” Xander responded.

“Um, Xan? Not a good idea.”

“Why not?” Xander walked ahead of him toward the glow.

Spike shook his head, his sharp senses telling him what they would find.

Xander halted suddenly as the sight of the women came into view.

Halfreck and Anya were wrapped in a passionate embrace, oblivious to their presence.

Spike came up behind him and rested his chin on Xander’s shoulder. “Shall we wait?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Xander’s elbow connected with Spike’s stomach. He stepped forward. “Anya?” he called.

Anya shot up. “Xander?”

Halfreck scrambled to her feet as Xander appeared out of the darkness. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

Spike stepped up beside Xander. “Rescuing you.”

Anya’s jaw dropped. This was so not what she was expecting.


“So he took one of the pendants?”

“Yeah.”

“And you didn’t say anything to us?”

“It didn’t come up.”

Buffy threw up her hands in exasperation. “We’ll deal with this later,” she said to Dawn. She turned to Tara. "Now what?”

“We wait for Spike and Xander to bring them back.”

“Did they even make it?” Dawn asked quietly.

“What?” Buffy said.

“What if they ended up someplace else?”

Tara started. She hadn’t even thought about that. “Well,” she said slowly. “There is a way we can check.”

“How?” Dawn asked.

“She can cast a spell on one of us,” Willow said. “To see through their eyes.”

“Let’s do it,” Buffy said.

Tara nodded. “Who is going to do it?”

“I will,” Dawn spoke up.

“No way,” Buffy said. “I’ll do it.”

“No, Buffy. I think Dawn should be the one,” Willow interjected. “Tara can’t perform the spell on herself, I can’t have it done on me, and we need you coherent in case he shows up again.”

Buffy relented. “Fine. But be careful.”

“The most likely target would be Spike,” Tara said, settling Dawn of the sofa. “I want to know what he is doing and I have a better chance of making a connection with him because he recently tasted Dawn’s blood.”

Buffy winced. “That sounded bad.”

Tara smiled. “Sorry.” She turned to Dawn. “Ready?”

Dawn adjusted her head on the cushion and nodded. “Ready.”

Tara rested her hand on Dawn’s head and began the ritual. A short time later, Dawn spoke up. “I can see Anya.”

“What is she doing?” Tara asked gently.

“Talking to Xander. He’s in his underwear.”

Buffy and Willow exchanged a questioning look.

Dawn concentrated on the vision behind her closed eyes. She saw Halfreck standing behind Anya, a protective hand resting on her shoulder. She saw Xander’s underwear. She watched as Spike knelt down to pick up the bag. She saw Xander’s underwear. She saw Spike open the front pocket and stick his hand inside. She saw Xander’s underwear. Why does he keep looking at Xander’s shorts? She thought. The next sight caused her heart to leap into her throat. Spike looked down and pulled a wet mass of yellow mush from the bag. The parchment had melted. Or at least that’s what it looked like to her. She opened her eyes with a gasp. “They’re in trouble.”


“Oh, fuck.” Spike pulled the wet lump of parchment from the pocket of the bag.

Xander gasped. “Tell me that isn’t what I think it is,” he moaned.

Spike answered grimly. “Wish I could, mate.”

“What is that?” Halfreck asked.

Xander couldn’t answer. It was Spike who spoke up. “Well kiddies, it seems that our rapid descent into the water has taken our spell.”

“Do you remember what it said?” Xander asked hopefully.

“Not enough, pet. I can’t promise that we’d make it back to Sunnyhell, that’s for sure.”

“Well, then we just wait,” Anya said matter-of-factly. “When they realize that we aren’t coming back, they’ll think of something else.”

Xander nodded. “That’s true. Even if it took us awhile to find you guys, we’d still be back in the course of and hour. Maybe two.”

“So you came in through a dimension portal,” Halfreck stated. “That doesn’t explain why you did it naked.”

“We shucked our clothes after we swam to the island,” Spike said. “I couldn’t have him catching a chill out here.”

Xander looked down at his soaking shorts. “Yeah, no chill here. Warm as a sauna.”

“Why did you two come to save us?” Anya asked. “I have trouble believing that you would volunteer.”

“I didn’t bloody volunteer,” Spike muttered.

“Anya, this is stressful enough without you adding to it,” Xander said.

“It is a viable question,” Halfreck jumped in. “Don’t get upset at her.”

“I’m not getting upset,” Xander responded.

“That is what I was telling you about, Halle,” Anya said.

“What did you tell her?” Xander questioned accusingly.

“Nothing that I did not already know,” Halfreck spat out. “You men are all the same.”

“Is that why I found you here with her,” Xander said to Anya.

“That is none of your business, Xander,” Anya retorted. “Just because you couldn’t keep me satisfied in bed-“

“What?” Xander exploded. “You never complained before!”

Spike, growing ever more annoyed with the conversation, stepped between Xander and the women. “Hate to interrupt your stroll down memory lane, but could we get back to the matter at hand?”

Xander glared at Anya. “We should have just left them here,” he muttered.

“Perhaps you should have,” Halfreck said.

“Shut up, both of you.” Spike picked up the bag of ingredients and walked to the edge of the low fire, leaving Xander and Halfreck gaping after him.

Bloody fools, he thought as he began pulling out the items. His mind struggled to recall the details of the ritual. Xander cast one more glare in Anya’s direction before moving to kneel beside Spike. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Spike grunted. “Not my problem.”

“How long do you think it will be before they start to worry?”

“If I were them I’d be worried already.”


Halfreck took Anya’s hand and led her away from the vampire. “Dear, I still don’t understand what you saw in either of them.”

“I’m beginning to wonder,” Anya muttered.

Halfreck glared back at the pair, feeling an unfamiliar stab of jealousy. “Well, that’s over now,” she stated.

Anya nodded, sensing Halfreck’s thoughts. She smiled softly in the darkness and wrapped her arms around the brunette’s waist.

Halfreck kissed the top of Anya’s head and pulled her closer. “You’re shaking,” she said.

Anya nodded. “I don’t feel very well. Probably getting a cold.”

“Well, you should sit down.” She led Anya to the bank of the stream and sat next to her. “What does it feel like?”

Anya wrinkled her nose in distaste. “My head feels kind of foggy. And I’m achy.”

Halfreck smiled sympathetically. “Oh, the downfalls of being mortal.” She brushed a wayward strand of blonde hair from Anya’s forehead. “Try to relax. I’m sure it’ll pass.”


Xander sat in the sand next to Spike, watching as the vampire fought to recall the spell. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked.

“No,” Spike said, distracted. He held up one of the jars, studying it.

Xander sighed. He had never felt more useless in his life. “Do you want a sandwich?”

Spike looked up at him. “A sandwich?” he repeated.

Xander laughed nervously. “Well, you must be getting hungry.”

Spike shifted into gameface and turned to face Xander. “Very.”

Xander jumped back. “Spike?”

Spike’s features relaxed. “Sorry pet.”

“It-it’s okay.” He stood up and paced behind Spike. If we are stuck here too long, what is Spike going to eat? He wondered. Then another thought stopped him in his tracks. If we are stuck here too long, the sun will rise. He looked around the island. The full moon cast an eerie glow over the landscape. The few sparse trees would offer no protection. A sinking feeling of dread washed over him. He again knelt next to Spike. “Do you think you can remember the spell?”

Spike looked at Xander. He could smell the fear coming off of him. “The way it’s going right now, pet, we could be stuck here for awhile. I just hope that the witch will realize and find another way.”

Wincing, Xander stood up. He began again to pace, his thoughts racing wildly. “Keep trying,” he said as he walked away from the fire.

Spike watched him go. Trust me, mate. I’m trying as hard as I can. I don’t want to be stuck out here come sunrise.


Halfreck dipped her hand in the cool water and brushed it over Anya’s forehead. It was hot. Very hot. Her brow furrowed in increasing worry as the blonde moaned softly. A sound behind her made her look up. “What do you want?” she asked as Xander came into view.

“Have you looked all over the island?” Xander asked her.

“Yes, why?”

“Is there a cave? Some huge rocks? Anything?”

Halfreck looked at him. “A cave? Not likely.”

Xander let out a sigh of frustration. “Never mind,” he said, walking past her.

Halfreck shook her head. “Men,” she muttered. Her attentions were quickly brought back to Anya as a massive shiver wracked her body. “Anyanka,” she said.

“Halle,” came the weak reply. Anya struggled to sit up, only to fall back on the bank.

Halfreck kissed her forehead and stood up. She stormed away from the stream and marched down to the water’s edge. “Spike,” she called.

“What?” Spike was sitting in the sand, surrounded by bottles and jars.

“What are you waiting for? Get us out of here.”

“I’m doing my best.”

“Well, your best isn’t good enough! Something is wrong with Anya. She is burning with fever. We need to leave now.”

Spike glared at the ex-demon. “I’m trying,” he growled. “I’m a vampire, not a witch. If you hadn’t been so loose in your associations, I wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

Halfreck inhaled sharply. “Well, try harder.” With that, she spun on her heel and disappeared in the darkness.

Spike shook his head. Bloody demons.