A World of Their Own

Part 6

"Hey, Spike. How long do you think we've been here?" Xander looked up from the bench he was carving. The cabin was finally finished, now he was working on furnishing it. Spike scratched his head and thought a moment. "’Bout a year I'd reckon, why?" Xander frowned. It hadn't seemed like a year. Once he had starting work on the cabin, the time seemed to just fly by.

"No reason. I was just curious. What do you think of this so far?" Spike strode over and looked down at the intricate carving the boy was doing. He had a real talent for woodworking. "Looks good, pet. Where's it going?" Xander shrugged. "I don't know yet. Maybe by the fireplace, what do you think?"

Spike thought about it for a minute. "Nah, that one would be better on the porch. We'll need something bigger for the front room. Something I can stretch out on. Plus it would be a bonus if it was cushioned." Xander chuckled. They had finally found a use for Spike's fur collection. They had used them for bedding and to upholster a couple of chairs to sit on. Spike wasn't too comfortable having bare wood on his back.

Things had been pretty good since the kiss. Spike came back the next morning and started helping Xander with the cabin. They didn't talk for awhile but then they fell into the easy banter they had developed, and neither one had mentioned the kiss. Spike had finally put his lustful thoughts behind him and had moved forward. Sure he still thought Xander looked good, and he'd shag him in a heartbeat, but he could live with the fact that it was never going to happen.

Xander himself had entertained a thought or two concerning the blonde. He just wasn't ready to accept that he and Anya were through yet. He knew in his heart that after this long, she would have moved on with her life. She probably left Sunnydale all together. But Xander just wasn't ready to let go yet. He figured at some point it would become an issue and he and Spike would have to come to a decision. It was obvious that Spike had no gender hang ups, and forever was a long time to go with out ever having sex.

Actually, Xander hadn't been all that surprised by the kiss. Yeah, it was a shock but Spike had always seemed to grab onto whatever was available and make the best of it. He stayed with Drusilla, took up with Harmony, of all vampires, and then he fell for his mortal enemy, the slayer. But seeing as how his only associates were humans, and Willow was very much gay, Dawn was very much a kid, he himself was involved with Anya and Giles was ... Giles, it left Buffy. Plus she was his equal in strength and ability. Neither had ever managed to defeat the other. So being here - stuck with only each other, it made sense that Spike would turn his affections toward him.

Xander missed physical contact. Not just in the sexual way either. He was an affectionate guy by nature and he showed it. He was always hugging one of the girls, or walking arm in arm with Willow and Tara. He missed being touched, feeling someone else’s skin next to his. Also, it had been a really good kiss, and even though Xander had never been with another man, he was open-minded enough to at least consider it.

The place they now lived had a similar climate to that of California, so they didn't get snow. There had been a hell of a lot of rain the one month and the river had overflowed its banks. Thankfully Xander had chosen a spot on higher ground for their home so the water didn’t damage it. And the garden was further away from the river than the house was so it had survived, as well.

"Hey, Xander? Would you teach me how to do that?" Xander looked up from the design he was carving into the back of the seat. "Do what? Carve or make furniture?" Spike rolled his eyes at him. "Both. I figure it'll give me something to do."

"Sure. Tomorrow we'll go out and pick a nice tree for you to start on. How about after I teach you this, you show me how to hunt. I can throw a mean spear but my stealth leaves much to be desired." Spike snorted in amusement. He already knew that. The boy always lost at hide-and-seek; he could hear him coming a mile away. "Sure pet, sounds like a plan."

Spike went inside the cabin and looked around. They hadn't officially started living here until two days ago. It was still pretty bare, other than the beds and the fireplace. Spike looked at his bed and smiled. That had been a surprise, Xander had built them each a platformed bed with split log sides. Inside the bedframe he had stuffed the two old canvas tarps with straw overlaid with reed mats. He'd used rawhide strips to sew them shut. They were surprisingly comfortable.

The cabin only had two rooms. A bedroom and a large common room. That was where the fireplace was, so it doubled as a kitchen. Xander had put their beds on opposite sides of the room and said that at some point when they had more skins, they could make a curtain to hang up to give each other some privacy. Spike wasn't sure how he felt about that. He would miss seeing the boy in his bed, but maybe it was better to take temptation out of the picture.

"You know what we need Spike? A shed. Someplace to store all that crap that landed with us." At the present all that crap was still piled in the back of the cave they had been living in. "What the hell for? Leave it where it is."

"Some of it might come in useful. That big steel drum for example. I think if I could cut it in half, lengthways, I could make a bathtub out of it." Spike snorted. That was one thing the brunette had complained about several times in the past. A hot bath. "And just how do you plan on filling it?"

Xander shook his head. "I'll take it down to the river and set it up there. Think about it, I could build a fire around it to heat the water and then climb in and soak for an hour. It would be great!" Spike actually liked the sound of that. "Sounds good. I'll help."

"You know, I've missed a birthday, Christmas, New Years, all those big holiday-type days and I never even realised it." Xander shook his head sadly. Being here with Spike, these things just didn't seem important. They had there own way of life here, a simpler way. They spent their days working, hunting, and playing cards or swimming. Xander had started building a dock for the pond last week; it would be finished soon as well. He found he really enjoyed making things with his hands, he just wished he had the proper tools - weapons really weren't meant for woodworking.

"Well, happy birthday, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all that rot. There? Feel better now?" The words were sarcastic but the teasing look in the vampire’s eye made Xander smile. Spike really wasn't a bad guy once you got past all that 'Big Bad' bluster and bravado. He wondered what kind of man he had been before he was turned… Was William anything like Spike? Or was he the complete opposite? Xander had wanted to ask that more than once, but didn't want to alienate his only friend on this world. Maybe someday, a long time from now Spike would be comfortable enough to talk about it.

"Well, words are good and nice but I want presents, damn it!" Xander pouted at the vampire and Spike walked over and tapped his protruding lip. "You know, some bird is going to come along and poop on that lip if you keep pushing it out like that." Spike walked past Xander and picked up some of the discarded wood pieces and took them around to the woodpile beside the cottage. 'That or some big vampire just might decide to nibble on it.' He thought. The boy had no idea how sexy he looked when he pouted. Spike had always been a sucker for big brown eyes and pouty lips - reminded him of Dru in a way. She would pout and turn those big brown eyes of hers on him and he would give her anything.

"Hey Spike! I'm going to go down to the pond and swim for while, you wanna come?" Spike came back around the building and grinned. Xander was always taking off to swim; the boy must've been a fish in a previous life. "Sure pet. Sound fun. Let me grab my shorts and we'll go." Spike ducked inside the cabin and emerged with his boxers in hand. They were looking rather worn and he wasn't expecting them to hold up much longer. He had been surprised they had lasted this long. Xander's weren't in any better shape than his were.

"We seriously need to find a Wal-Mart on this world, or I'm gonna be wandering around naked in no time." Xander's eyes got really big at that statement and he blushed. Truth was he had been wondering what they were going to do when their clothes became unwearable. He just hadn't really thought it would come down to nudity. "You could always make yourself some fur underwear. Or leather shorts."

Spike snorted. An image of him and Xander running around dressed like the cavemen in those old 50's B-movies flashed into his mind. He snorted again and then began to chuckle as the image of cave-Xander chasing after him with a club came to mind. "What's so funny, Barney?" That only made Spike laugh harder.

Eventually, Spike stopped laughing and after explaining the source of his amusement to Xander, he too was laughing his ass off. They headed off toward the pond, still laughing.

~!~

"Hey Spike? Is this what I think it is?" Xander held up a green leafy plant that he had pulled out of the ground. They had gotten tired of swimming and decided to start Xander's stealth training in the woods near the pond. Spike came out of the trees and looked at what Xander was holding. He sniffed at it and then smiled. "If you think it's pot, then yeah."

Xander dropped the plant and stepped back from it. Spike chuckled at him. "What's a matter pet? Think your gonna get busted for possession? Not likely." Xander smiled sheepishly and lowered his eyes. He had almost forgotten that he and Spike were the only people on this planet, or so it seemed. "Shut up Spike."

Spike picked up the plant and looked around, there were a few more scattered throughout the area. He hadn't gotten high in ages, especially since the implant. He needed to have his wits about him at all times. Now though, he had nothing to worry about, so why not? He was sure he could fashion a pipe of some sort out of all those bits of metal back in the cave.

"Spike, what are you doing?" Xander watched the vampire pick up the discarded pot plant. He saw him looking around, and he too spotted the other plants in the area. He groaned. "Spike, you are not smoking that."

Spike spun around and gaped at him. "Why the bloody hell not? It's not like I'm going to get in trouble for doing it. Who's going to catch me? You? So what?" Xander had no answer for that so he merely shrugged and shook his head. "Whatever, Spike. Let's head back, I'm hungry."