The Senator's Downfall (and its sequel Warrior)

(A/N: The characters are Joss', not mine)

They hadn’t had the luxury of spending the day in bed, or in each others’ company. Xander had to go back to training and Spike had to be at his ancestral home for Maleck’s birthday. Even if a bit frivolous for a warrior, the man didn’t make unreasonable demands of Spike.

Wine flowed freely at the castle filled with guests and well-wishers. Spike gave Maleck a dagger... one that was a spoil of war. They kissed, and then each went back to his separate group of friends.

He would have stayed the night with Maleck, but Maleck had been called up and would be sent to battle tomorrow. Like all warriors going to battle, his sex ban started three days prior to the date he was to leave.

Neither of them made the other’s blood burn... it wasn’t like being with Xander, but it didn’t have to be. The important thing was that they got along, liked each others’ company well enough, and the sex was good enough. And he’d live where he belonged. Spike ran a long, finger over the stone-carved armrest.

His forefathers had lost their family castle, but their pledge to get it back never died. In the years before, when duels solved property disputes, several of Spike’s ancestors had been maimed in an effort to wrest back what was theirs. In the present world, gold pieces were the way to resolve property rights... if he had enough, he could buy out Maleck... everything had a price. But it would take several lifetimes to raise the amounts necessary for such a venture. No... sharing his title in exchange for equal rights to the castle was ... not a bad deal at all.

* * *

The next afternoon, when Spike reached the stairs to his quarters, he found Xander sitting on them and staring glumly into the horizon.

“What have we here?” He pulled Xander up to his feet and kissed him soundly. When the boy pulled away, he cocked his head. “Didn’t miss me, then?”

“Where were you?” Xander brushed the hair out of his eyes. “We have the day off. I came to find you last night... we could have... you were with someone, weren’t you?” he demanded.

“Let’s get you something to eat—“

Xander shrugged him away. “I asked you a question Spike. Are you fucking someone else?” He took a breath, “is someone else fucking you? Answer me... it’s that guy, from the other night... isn’t it...”

“I wasn’t with anyone, not in the sense you’re asking. Not last night.” Spike felt himself skittering near the edge of a precipice. Salutrali were so different... so less pragmatic. And this one in particular was very emotional, at least in matters dealing with himself. It had been that way from the start.

“Not last night... how about the night before... or the night... Feckitall, Spike, you know what I’m asking. Where you with him last night... who is he!”

“His name is Maleck. We’re to be hand fasted in three moons—“

“What... you’re what....”

Seeing Xander pale, Spike felt cold fingers of fear clutch his heart and squeeze. “Xander... listen to me,” he put his hand on Xander’s back. “It’s a hand fasting of convenience.”

“Convenience! Whose... not mine. So you’re going to marry that ... that... you’re going to walk away after all this...”

“No!” He pulled Xander into his arms, forced him to stay. “I’m not walking away. I’ll still see you... be with you. He won’t care... just as I don’t care who he's with—“

“I care.” Xander pushed away. The warrior was strong, but even in the short time he'd been here training, he’d found new strength from all of the exercise. “I – care – Spike. Why... why do you want this... this other person... I don’t fecking understand. Make me understand.”

“Don’t judge... wait. Listen.” He wanted Xander to get it, to know what it was like for a family to lose its honor... it’s place, but he didn’t think a Salustrali would. “He wants my title... I want my family’s land back. It’s simple... it’s something I have to do.”

“It’s not simple,” Xander shouted. “it’s not simple at –“

Spike climbed up the stairs and dragged him up against his frame, kissing him hard... kissing him until he stopped fighting. “It is simple. I don’t feel like this with him, only with you... This is reserved only for you. He gets the title, the occasional appearance at his side, a few nights... my friendship... that’s all. You have everything else... you have my heart.”

“You’re insane... where is it... where is this land you’re doing this for? What land is that important?” Xander’s voice rose, “what is so important. Show me. Godamnitall... show me.”

Spike gave a silent nod and lead the way down the stairs. For the first time, an uneasy silence hanged between them. Their boots struck the cobbled ground, the sound echoed off the walls on either side, but there was no attempt to talk.

The cliffs on the West side of the town weren’t too far. They walked through the civic courtyard, each remembering many moments shared right there at the dining tables, then took the road leading to the cliffs.

The Cliffs of Fortresses was an impressive sight. Onyx walls and flying arches gleamed in the light, while stained glass windows acted as prisms, making it seem as if the skies above the cliffs were showered in pale hues of ultraviolet and yellow. In all, there were 23 fortresses carved into the cliffs, though only about half were visible from the city.

There were no large grounds, just a simple garden leading to the stairs that stopped lead to the entrance of the mansion. Before they reached it, the doors were opened and Lord Spike was welcomed by the staff. He waved them away and stole a glance at Xander’s strangely dark visage.

“There... you’ve seen it... can we go...”

“No... no we can’t go. Where is he... where is Maleck?”

“He’s gone, Xander. He’s gone to battle...” Spike’s gaze followed Xander, as the brunet strode around the large entry hall, went inside one of the living rooms and came back.

“This is it... this rock... Show me... show me what it is about this place that you would sell yourself...”

“Do not—“ Spike snarled, then reminded himself that Xander wasn’t Kerali. He grasped his wrist and dragged him up a flight of curved stairs, coming to a stop in the gallery. “This is why.... him, and him, and her, and him,” he pointed at the paintings of his ancestors. “I belong here... with them.”

Xander’s chest heaved as he looked up at the paintings, faces of dead people, people who didn’t matter. “Where’s your room?”

Surprised, Spike was about to question him, but changed his mind. The sooner the boy saw what he needed, the sooner they could talk about this. He led the way, and opened the door.

Xander strode past him. He didn’t see the beauty of the room, or of its furnishings. He only saw the large four-poster bed. “It this it.”

“'It'...what?”

“Is this where you fuck him?”

It wasn’t over... he didn’t know when this would ever be over, or how he could help Xander contain his feelings. “No. This is my room. Only.”

“Where’s his?” When Spike didn’t answer, Xander strode out and pushed open the doors of the room directly across the hall. He found himself inside a much larger room, with an even larger four poster bed made of intricate wrought iron. “This is it, isn’t it,” he turned.

Spike stood just inside the door. “It’s his room, yes.”

“And where you...”

“Yes,” his voice dropped to a whisper. “Come... please...”

Even as he said the words, he saw a strange light creep into Xander’s eyes. Anger... Jealousy. Madness. He wasn’t all that surprised when Xander slammed the door shut and pushed him toward the bed. “How does he take your clothes off?”

“He... I take them off...”

“Then do it.”

Before Spike was done undressing, Xander hauled him up against his frame and kissed him. It was a hard, punishing kiss, filled with rage and pent up emotions. Spike took it, gave him free rein, if this was what he needed... it was what he’d have.

Rough hands groped him. He winced as Xander’s teeth cut into his lip, and caught his breath when Xander’s hand dipped inside his open trousers.

“Does he touch you like this. Do you grow hard for him... like this?” Xander pulled him close again, rubbing his groin against Spike’s.

Spike tasted his tears, felt his trembling, felt helpless. “It’s not the same. I swear it isn’t. Warrior’s don’t lie.”

“You didn’t tell me... you call that the truth?” Xander finished stripping, then dragged Spike’s trousers off. “Put your face in his pillows.”

“Xan...” deciding that the boy wouldn’t listen to reason, Spike went down on the bed, lifting his body as he felt Xander shoving a large pillow under his stomach.

“This is how you spread for him, isn’t it... that’s what all the fecking pillows are for... and this is how he takes you, every night, he fucks you.”

Spike braced, gripping the pillows as Xander slammed into him. Pain... pleasure... more pain. He took a few calming breaths, and tried to relax as Xander thrust again, and again. He shifted, moving so that Xander’s blunt tip started hitting him where it counted. “Fuck...” All of a sudden, he didn’t care that Xander was still angry, still accusing him of getting fucked like this by Maleck. “Harder,” he demanded, raising his ass up to meet each violent thrust. “Yeah.... fuck... yeah...”

“That’s what you say to him... that’s what you fecking say to him.”

Each time Xander drove into him, Spike saw white lights and gasped for air. It was difficult to distinguish between pleasure and pain... to want something that hurt so, to listen to words filled with anguish and accusation.

“I hate you. I hate you for doing this to me...” Xander screamed out his release and collapsed on top of Spike, still squirming under him.

Spike’s throat constricted. A warrior never cried. “I’ll explain again, later... you’ll understand...” He struggled to catch his breath, struggled to think straight...

“On Salustra... it was a set up, wasn’t it? You used that voice thing... the looking into someone’s eyes thing... you made me a traitor, you didn’t want me...not really.”

Spike didn’t move, didn’t push Xander off, or try to look at him. He could feel the rise and fall of Xander’s chest on his back, feel every kick of his heart, every gasping breath that he took. Swallowing, he answered as best he could. “Those are our weapons, yes. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t want you. I wanted you as badly as you wanted me. Warrior’s honor.”

Warrior’s honor,” Xander snorted. “You made a deal with me... you came to my place, because of the deal.”

“But I stayed... if I hadn’t wanted to... then one fuck was all you’d get,” he said harshly, trying to get through to Xander. “Three days... countless fucks. Laughs,” he strained to breath under Xander’s weight. “We talked, we ate, we... It meant something... it did... only a closed-mind could see it for other than what it was.”

“But you want your castle... you won’t give it up for me. Will you?” he demanded hotly, in Spike’s ear.

It was an ultimatum. Icy cold fingers entered Spike’s gut ... he couldn’t imagine losing him. Before, when he’d left Xander on Salustria, it had been different. Now... they’d reconnected. He’d started to daydream about sharing a place, about training together, traveling when they had time. It was all about to slip out of his grasp.

“My name... you have to understand--” the moment Xander was off him, Spike got up and tried to stop him. “Listen... Xander.”

Xander dressed and didn’t bother with the complicated silver clasps on his pants.

“Xan...”

The boy locked gazes with him. “Choose me.”

Spike flinched.

Silence spoke the words he could not.

(Look how quickly I updated ::grins:: Would love comments!)