White Knight, Black Knight

Spike figured he knew what would happen when the boy found out about the chip, so he had kept it quite. He didn’t really feel like leaving Sunnydale as of yet and he sure as hell didn’t feel like ending up a pile of dust. No matter what his feelings for the Slayer had been, if they knew… well he hadn’t really thought about it when they found out. Not one for borrowing troubles was he.

And now he was going to pay for it, he knew. He had seen the boy’s jaw drop like something out of one of his bloody cartoons, and then Xander had snapped out of it and started pummeling the gits that had attacked them. The scent of anger filled the air, it even drowned out the scent of blood from their punching bags.

Part of Spike’s mind was on the fight, and part of it was on the boy. He spared a moment to admire how the boy fought when seriously pissed off, his movements had a flow that weren’t usually noticeable.


Then the fight was over, two of the idiots having to be carted off by their friends. Xander didn’t say anything, didn’t even say a word, just continued on their route for patrol. His shoulders were stiff, and Spike could tell just how tightly controlled the boy was.

He followed, giving the boy distance while waiting for the other shoe to fall. After a few minuets Harris stopped at an alley and went in. Spike followed, figuring the boy wanted to talk in private.

When did his Unlife get so messy? Here he was, waiting for someone not even half his age to make us mis mind about whether or not to attack him. Spike opened him mouth to say something, anything to break the silence, but Xander beat him to the punch.

“You jerk! You asshole! You, you…. sheepfucker!”

“Now pet, no need to get rude.”

“Arrggh!”

Spike just watched while the boy made the most unusual sound and quickly turned to kick, hit, and beat on the trash dumpster they were standing next to. He could almost see the child Xander had been, in the middle of a temper tantrum. Still the boy hadn’t taken a swing at him as of yet.

“Calm the fuck down Harris, and I’ll tell you what happened.”

“It better be good Spike, real good cause I’m still pissed as hell.”

They walked further into the alley, finding a couple of old boxes to sit on. Spike quickly light up a cigarette and for once offered Xander one. He declined.

“This might go better with some artificial help pet, and we don’t have a case of beer or any JD on us.”

“Just talk asshole”

“Charming talk considering you know I can rip off your head.” The look he got would have actually frightened many people and demons, Spike’s skin certainly didn’t shiver. Sure. He could hear Xander’s teeth grind.

“Talk.”

“It’s like this. Remember the night we fought Glory? ‘Course you do. When I took that little fallas pas pretty messed up. I know you were busy, what with your ex-demon girl all over you, but I wasn’t healing up quite right. Ended up having to go to a healer, real powerful witch, for help. Part of the problem was the damn chip; it got damaged somehow in the fall. Kept giving me sparkle even while watching Passions and I was yelling at the telly.”

“So the witch helped me, not only with getting the bloody thing out, and it’s totally out, but did some real powerful mojo to help me get back to full strength.”

“And you didn’t tell me? Why?”

“Didn’t want to end up swept under the carpet Harris, why do you think?”

“Bullshit Spike, that was a good excuse that night we started talking, but why didn’t you tell me later? I understand not telling Buffy, or Giles, but dammit Spike I thought we were friends! I really thought that I could talk to you and you’d talk to me and we could get along without doing the whole ‘keep something back from Xander for his own good’ routine! Look at me! Did you really think I’d dust you? Really?”

Spike couldn’t meet his eyes. “You’ve got to admit six months ago you would have staked first and asked questions later.”

“Past Spike, I though we’d buried the hatchet and it wasn’t in either one of our heads.”

“Didn’t know how to tell you, did I? Not like it comes up while talking cars or movies. ‘By the way I could kill you now, please pass the popcorn’ does not make good conversation.”

“Since when do we have normal conversations? I seem to remember bickering for an hour on the best way to get gore out of knit pants one night. We are not normal; did you miss the memo on that? Here I am, an everyday guy trying to help keep the Hellmouth closed and you’re the only vampire I ever knew that is limiting his killing for a human girl.”


“Hey! I don’t give a flying fuck about the Slayer’s opinion of me anymore! She can sod off for all I care!”

“Did I say Buffy? No. Did the bleach eat through your brains? I said girl, not slayer. Protest all you want, you’re being a good little vampire because you love Dawn.”

Spike had to get up, had to move around. Damn little fuck was all too close to figuring it out. “’M not in love with the Niblet!”

“In love with, no. Again get the graveyard dirt out of your ears Spike; you’re not hearing me straight. I said you love her. That’s okay, I love her too, she’s the little sister I never had, except I could sneak her candy and then send her home to Buffy to work off the sugar high. If you started being the Big Bad again you’d either have to kill Buffy, the only family Dawn has left really, or she’d kill you, which would hurt Dawn. So I know you’re going to be good. Dammit I’m still pissed as hell at you for not telling me, but I trust you. You’ve had plenty of chances to kill me, hell you could have killed me that first night we really talked, couldn’t you?”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t going too, especially after the offer of booze.”

Xander stood up and walked over to where Spike had ended up leaning against the wall. “So, are we friends? Real friends, who help each other and all that sentimental shit?”

Spike was surprised at the knot that had formed in his throat. He hadn’t had someone he’d call friend in a very long time.

“Yeah mate, friends.”

Xander’s face broke out into widest smile. Spike couldn’t help but think the boy should show his real smile more often.

“And friends do stuff for each other, right Spike?”

“Yesss! What are you getting at Harris?”

“First of all, no more of this Harris shit, it’s Xander. Come on, you can say it, Xan-der. Secondly, you being my friend means that you have to come to my birthday party aning ing a gift on Friday!” The boy bounced out of the alley, leaving it up to Spike to follow him or not.

“Bloody hell a flipping birthday party? I thought we were friends, how come you want to punish me? There are better ways you know, Xan-der!”
The boy blushed, and almost stumbled. Well, well looks like someone’s mind was in the gutter.

“I am so not going there right now Spike. Besides I’m still mad. If you come I just might forgive you, depends on how good a gift you bring. Besides it’s at demon bar so you’ll fit right in. There will be alcohol, chocolate and possibly blood. If you’re nice I’ll buy you human. Or get someone else to buy it for you since it is my birthday. They guys at work found out about it and are treating me.”

“Alright, I’ll go, the blood convinced me. ‘Sides I can’t wait to see what the Slayer is going to do in a roomful of demons.”

Spike noticed the boy stumble again, and smelled the change in his emotions. Sadness and disappointment.

“Willow and Buffy and the girls won’t be back in town till Sunday, so they won’t be there, and Giles is busy.”

Spike looked at his…friend. Really looked closely. He could see the hurt at being forgotten, and remembered how he felt when he was at boarding school on his thirteenth birthday. Except for his Mother no one had said a thing. Problem was Xander’s Mum as well as his Da had completely forgotten the boy since he moved out.

That meant if it hadn’t been for his mates at work, Xander would have been alone on his birthday unless he had mentioned it to Spike.

Spike threw a friendly arm around Xander, and turned him towards his car. He’d come back later and finish patrolling; he had to get Xander out of his sudden funk.

“Well then, they’re gonna miss a damn fine party and it’s their loss. Let’s wrap it up for tonight, there was a movie on your telly I wanted to watch.”

***

Friday afternoon and Xander was almost bouncing with glee. Okay so it was childish to bounce for a birthday once you were over ten, but damn it he was now twenty-one. He didn’t have to use a fake license to buy beer anymore! He was officially an adult and if he wanted to celebrate with an ice cream cake with the Enterprise on top who was gonna argue?

Not that he was, actually he didn’t know what was being planned and that was part of the fun. He’d gotten to talk Tuesday with Bobby and his girl at lunch and mentioned his birthday. Okay so he might have bitched about his best friends forgetting, it was just a little whine, not a whole bottle of it, and no he didn’t need cheese to go with it as Kyri had asked with a smirk.

Still she had offered to set up a party for Xander’s friends at work at Dark Havens, talking to the bartender to insure a reserved area for everyone.

The guys at work had all finished up early, so it was still afternoon and Xander was home getting ready when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“All right mister, you better tell me what’s hningning with you and you’d better make it quick. I’m important around here now and I don’t have all the time in the world to fix your life!”

“Cordy?!”

“No, it’s the Easter Bunny! Yes it’s me. What the hell is happening Xander! I know for a fact that today is your birthday; I even took time off from MY lunch break to go home and look it up. How come Willow and Buffy isn’t making with the party? You’re not alone are you? Because I really don’t have the right outfit for an impromptu trip to Sunnydale.”

Xander couldn’t help but grin. Cordelia had changed, but was still the same in some respects. And he hadn’t talked to her in a long time, they hadn’t actually parted ways as enemies, but they weren’t really friends either.

“What’s the matter Queen C, jealous that someone else besides you might be giving me the brush off?”

“Ooh Xander’s got fangs! Meow! Really though Xan, what’s up?”

“Nothing really, well nothings wrong, they just had some time to get out of town, and I just couldn’t take off from work so the girls went to L.A. for some female bonding. I’m assuming that will include make up and shopping of some sort, other than that I really don’t want to know what they’re up to. I need to have plausible deniability if anything happens.”

“So it’s just you and Giles for your birthday? How sad, are they at least bringing you back something? You can use the guilt factor to get something great!”

“Nah, Giles’s ‘friend’ Olivia is in town this week, haven’t seen hide nor glasses frame of him.”

The line got quite, and Xander felt the odd need to speak up. He wasn’t going to be alone, and for some strange reason he didn’t want Cordy to feel bad. He was such a sucker.

“Besides I’ve got it covered. Well my friend from work and his fiancé has it covered. Going to a bar, and there has been a promise of chocolate as well as drink, and the possibility that I can con Spike into singing, dependin ifn if he brought a good gift or not. Of course he does not know of my evil plans involving him and the karaoke machine, but I don’t think you’ll tell.”

And in fact Xander did have it planned. He’d try to use Spike’s guilt over not trusting him to make the vampire sing, hopefully something from Billy Idol so he could make fun of the look as well. It was going to be a fun party!

“You’re going to a bar with Spike? Spike?! The vampire Spike?”

“Yeah, we’ve gotten to be real friends since Anya left me.”

“You were dating Anya? Why do I not get the memos about these things?”


Two hours later and Xander was finally in his SUV going to get Spike for the party. He’d spent quite some time on the phone with Cory, giving her the rundown on what had been happening in Sunnydale since she left and finding out about her.

It was kind of nice. Now that the sexual tension wasn’t there, and they admitted they were friends, he could see Cordy as the bitchy big sister he never had. She’d even made him tell her what he was planning on wearing over the phone and had made him change it. He was now wearing dark jeans, and a red button up shirt.

She’tchetched at him over his lack of cool clothes, and about his lack of an email address and cell phone. All the while she had also been bitching at Gunn about tracking demon goo into the hotel, and Angel for leaving his weapons out. It was really funny, the bitchyness she’d used to kill people with words in high school was now used to show how much she cared.

Of course now he had promised to get a phone and computer.

The cemetery was deserted so Xander was able to get quite close to Spike’s crypt.

“Bout time you got here, if I have to go I at least want to get there before they stop selling beer.”

“Keep your pants on, I’m here now.” He saw Spike pulling on a tarp for the short run to the car. “What no present?”

“Stored it at the bar last night, didn’t want someone getting nosey and peeking when he came to pick me up.”

“Aww, would I do that?” He tried to look as innocent as the driven snow, but Spike was right, he would have peeked.

“Quit driving like a granny and lets get to the party already!”

Ooh, Spike was in a snarky mood. This goingoing to be fun!