Wishes

Thanks to AddictedtoBuffy,Daeomae,Anon,WarpedMinded,Tesgura and 1thirty7 for the reviews! So many!
I'm glad you liked the last line! You can just picture it can't you!

I'm glad you like it 1thirty7 It was your challenge after all!!!

Sorry this was a bit later guys, it was really hard to get it right. It's a bit different to the other chapters because its in Spike's point of view. It's also the longest chapter so far, so hopefully it makes up for it being a little late.

*:words in ' ' mean something spikes hearing with his heightened senses.

Well, happy reading. I hope you like it!
Suede
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“Oh god Xander!”
Does that Willow bint have some demon in her? Because I’m sure I never saw her move and yet here she is beside us reaching for my Xan and already she’s fishing around in the kit and barking orders at Giles. I relax a little. Normally I concentrate on getting the blood out of the human not keeping it in, so apart from getting the glass out I didn’t know what to do.
I look up, the bloody slayer is staring at Xan and I like we are some sort of horrific accident, you know where you just can’t look away. All that blood and gore to look at and enjoy only I can see she’s not very pleased with the picture that Xan and I make cuddled together on the floor.

“Who did this to him?” Her voice is cold and I get the feeling that if she finds out ‘who’ he’s going to be in a lot of trouble.

“He did” I point at Angel who still hasn’t lifted his head, well not since he finished banging it up and down anyways.
“Well the glass was him, was my bloody vase originally I’ll have you know I nicked it from china myself.”
Buffy ignores me and turns to look at Angel in disbelief “You? You used Xander as some sort of pincushion?”
The poof just sighed. “I didn’t know he was there” He reached for Buffy’s hands “I would never have hurt him on purpose”
Buffy seemed to accept his words but subtly shook her hands free.

I could just let it go but where is the fun in that? “The bruises on his neck however was the fault of your barmy Slayer. Bint tried to strangle him yesterday”
“Faith? But Giles said that Angel captured her and the council took her away she couldn’t have….”
“Well it was an easy capture because he had a great distraction in the form of me draining her as she strangled the life out of Xander!” I’m growling again and I really don’t care. Bloody slayer makes my skin crawl.
“God Spike I can’t deal with you right now” Buffy’s eyes are swimming with tears as she looks down at Xander. About time she realized how important Xander is to them.

“God Angel why are we even here in the first place? That one” a finger was waved in Cruz’s general direction “said Xander’s been here since last night, but not you? Where were you?”
Yeah go on dickless explain this one then.
“I was… well you see… Faith had just tried to kill Xander so I had to get her out of here. She was out of control.” “I had to think of the safety of the innocents Buffy”
I can’t help it I snort. And her Slayership whips her head around to look at me.
”What’s so funny Spike?”
Buffy stalks closer and I shift Xander to the ground and stand. No bloody slayers going to stand over me.

“Him!”
She pauses doubt creeping across her face.
“Faith was damn near drained when he pulled me off and I dare say of the four of us in the room she was not the liveliest. Xan was passing in and out, mostly out and Angel and are aren’t exactly ‘of the living’ now are we. She wasn’t about to get up and run away. Sides ‘sire’ you used to have allsorts of chains lying around wouldn’t be hard to find something to hold her long enough to…”
I look down at Xander and the trail of thought evaporates. The witch and the watcher are patching him up still. At some point they removed his shirt. Damn that’s a nice view. Note to self destroy all hideous shirts he so doesn’t need them.

I’m lucky I’m a master vampire or I might just have been startled by Buffy suddenly moving past me to Xander’s side. I wasn’t a bit. Just so you know.

Buffy knelt by Xan’s head brushing his hair back and running hesitant fingers over his bruises. “So Xander, our Xander, is lying on the floor of that dingy apartment building, dying for all you know and you choose to leave him with a vampire that was draining the life out of a slayer when you arrived.” She looks over at Angel her breath coming in short angry pants “Is that it?”
I thought she was talking to me for a second, but no. she was talking to the brooding wonder. I was hoping he was going to get a good bollocking and this is all she has. Pfft. Slayers.

She looks up at me. That’s right slayer I’m above you.
“Why. Why help him?”
“Bloody hell why do you lot keep asking me that! Boy’s mine. My Grandsire gifted him to me” I know I’m pouting but I can’t help it.
Giles looks up hands covered in Xan’s blood but it seems like they are almost finished patching him up. “You’re not serious?!”
I nod once, none of his bloody business what I do anyway.
“But Angel didn’t really give him to you” the slayer seems to be trying to pout me to final death.
“He did enough!” I can’t help looking smug as I look at the stricken look on her face and the regret plastered allover Peaches.
Angel thumped his head down again. Wonder if he knows what that is doing to his hair? Its times like this I wish we still had a reflection so I could see his face when he realized what he looks like. I lean across the edge of the table and catch his eye before looking up at his hair and wiggling my eyebrows. His hand flies up to fix it before he can stop himself and it’s all I can do not to laugh.

“Spike”
I look over at the watcher; the slight smirk on his face says that my taunt of Angel’s hair didn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated. “We need to keep Xander warm do you have a bed or blanket that would be suitable? He really just needs to rest now”
Cruz nods “Perhaps Alexander would be comfortable resting in the main bed”
I look over at Cruz. He’s playing the good little minion tonight. I’m impressed.
I nod as I push away from the table and return to Xander’s side. Best I get him settled. I reach down and lift him into my arms.


I don’t like him this cold.


I lay my head down a little to check his heart beat and as I look up again I catch the watchers eye and he nods at me a little sadly. Suddenly Willow is standing beside me and opening the door. Her shoes crushing little shards of glass into the stone and making us all cringe.
I stride through the corridors and she matches me step for step all the way upstairs. I settle him back into the bed brushing my fingers gently across the cuts on his arm Willow smoothing blankets back into place.
“Can I stay with him?”
I nod “Sure ducks”
She snuggles down next to him on the bed. For a moment I have to fight the urge to pull her from him remembering the attraction between them during my last visit to sunnydale but as she makes her self comfortable I realize that it is long gone. They look like puppies curled around each other like that. I stare down at Xander without really thinking about it and rest my forehead against his before I step away. She sighs next to him and I look over into two deep green eyes and Willow smiles a little. “You hurt him and I will beat you to dust with a shovel”
I raise my eyebrows at her “Pardon luv?”
“I find vague threats aren’t nearly so effective” and with that she snuggles back down and closes her eyes.

I can’t help the smile on my face as I walk down the stairs. Right piece of work that little witch.
I like her.

I sweep back into the room and was surprised to see only Cruz and the watcher at the table surrounded by books and musty smelling papers. But then I hear her slayership and captain hair gel outside having the argument I expected earlier.
‘Xander’s mortal and he’s terrified and he’s there in the firing line. Every-single-time. You’re practically immortal, with centuries of experience and you’re in the shadows’. Nice. Point slayer.

I settle myself at the table, feet scuffing the polished surface and crinkling priceless texts judging by the matching sounds of dismay from Cruz and the tweed one. Sounds like they are trying to out nerd each other. I lean back a bit rocking the chair onto two legs to stretch out more, this could take all night. Wonder what they were talking about before I returned…? Probably who’s ‘briefcase’ is bigger. I laugh to myself. Cruz shoots me a knowing glance and I give him a British salute in return. He smirks then plasters back on his brainless minion face as he passes texts to the watcher. Oh, seems like they are talking about the latest contender for the hell mouth baddie of the month. I keep scoring for the two outside. Sounds like the slayer is giving him a proper bollocking after all. 4:2 slayer.

“Master?” I look over at Cruz who is holding out one of the books. “Watcher says there is a nest of these in the south east of the city, in the sewers” I look at the picture. Fair enough. They are ugly, but harmless unless you happen to be a cat, then your more than likely dinner. I pass this on and the watcher looks somewhat embarrassed.

Back outside I hear her mention parent teacher night and that takes me back to meeting Xander for the first time. He really didn’t seem like much. Just another happy meal with legs. Fear making his blood jump through his veins and lacing it with flavour no doubt. It was tempting to bite and then deck the poof but I couldn’t let him think he’d got one over me, like I was some bloody fledge. So I passed him over, something it seems Xander is no stranger to.

I concentrate hard to listen up to the bedroom; most of the minions are out hunting (avoiding the slayer) so it’s quiet enough that I can pick up that he’s still sleeping, the little witch too.

6:3 Slayer nice to hear she noticed that too. She’s got quite a sharp tongue. Maybe she isn’t a total loss after all. I pause then shake my head. Who am I kidding?

“Well that’s easy enough, decapitation and steer clear of their horns” Giles shuts the book hard a little gust of musty air and dust flying up. He puts it down on the table top and removes his glasses rubbing the bridge of his nose. From the look on his face and the fact he subtly turns towards the courtyard, he can hear them arguing now too.
‘You left him behind because you think we don’t need him, you think because he’s just an ordinary human he isn’t good enough to fight this fight. Well guess what. The night the master rose; that ordinary human was enough to save me when you weren’t. You need this fight to earn you redemption. You’re the one who isn’t enough yet Angel. Not him’.

Game set and match slayer.


The door bangs open and Buffy storms in. I notice peaches doesn’t follow her, probably settling in for a world class brood. I’m choosing between three incredibly witty remarks when I hear the noise from upstairs. I’m out of the room and down the hall before my chair falls.

Top of the stairs and I can see Xander is struggling to get free of Willow's arms as she tries to calm him. “Xan it’s alright!”
“Willow she’ll stake him! Let me go!”
I reach him and tug him into my arms pushing her down to the floor and checking him over. His heart is going a million miles an hour and two frightened brown eyes are locked on me. He pulls free his own arms and pushes my duster back to lay his hand against my chest over the heart. Shuddering in relief when he finds me intact.

The watcher and slayer try to enter the room behind us. Cruz carefully places himself between us and bars them entry.
“So you’re claiming him then?” The watcher sounds very tired all of a sudden.
I nod without taking my eyes from his. Willow stands slowly and joins the watcher and the slayer by the door. Pity they don’t keep moving so I can talk to the boy in peace.
“You’re claiming me? Like a pet?” Two worried chocolate eyes look up at me from under stark white bandages. I push the startled witch into the hall and then shut the door in their faces and turn back to him. Stroking my fingers down his arm calms us both.
“No. Not a pet.”
“Then what? A handy happy meal with legs!”
I growl lowly at him “Bloody hell I didn’t go through all this just to eat you!”
He sighs “What then?”
“Well for starters…” I give into the desire I’ve had since that first night and drop my lips down onto his. He squeaks and his hands fly up to grab my shirt. I deepen the kiss a little and am thoroughly enjoying myself until he pulls away panting and puffing warm air onto my face. Bloody inconvenient that, humans needing to breathe all the time.
“Oh that” he’s breathless and biting a kiss swollen lip. then he looks at the bed stiffening. “So that’s why you put me in your bed.”
I shake my head and he relaxes
“I’m going to court you. Woo you.”
“Oh. He leans against me. “Ok then”.

With his chest pressed to mine like this it’s almost as if his heart is beating for both of us. I can feel its echo in my chest like it was my own. He smiles up at me and says “Hear that Willow? I’m getting a wooing”
And outside the door I hear a tired English groan, a smug chuckle and a synchronized rendition of “Xander’s got a boy friend” followed by two sets of giggles.
Xander's smile turns devious when he looks up and sees the look on my face. “I bet you are the only master vampire with a watcher and a slayer as in-laws! What will the bridge club think?”

Don’t know about a bridge club, but I reckon the poker guys will have kittens.

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See what I mean?! With Xander out of it for so much of the chapter it kept slipping further into Spike's point of view so I went with it. Bleh it just totally had a mind of its own. Oh well. Let me know what you think.

Next chapter: The Trick to it

Suede
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