It's An Adventure

Spike heard the door open and moved closer to Xander; pulling the sheet up and throwing his leg and arm across the sleeping youth.

"Spike." Angel's voice was calm and patient.

Always so fucking *patient*, Spike thought, peeved.

"Yeah?"

"We're pretty sure we know where the Bleathvores are holed up. It's after sunset. *Well* after sunset. We should get going."

Spike grunted. He moved even closer to Xander. "What say *you* go make sure they're really there? Come back and get me when you've pinned 'em down."

"Spike." Angel said, still all calm and patient.

"Effin pouf." Spike muttered.

"Spike. Let's go."

Spike growled, low in his throat. Xander murmured and moved closer to the vampire, seeking to soothe and calm, even in his sleep. Spike grinned and petted the soft dark hair on Xander's head.

"Spike. We have to go."

Spike muttered an expletive beneath his breath and reached out to shake Xander awake.

"You don't have to disturb Xander, Spike, let him sleep."

Spike turned disbelieving eyes to SireSire. "Yes, I *do* have to 'disturb' Xander! I have to bloody well wake his ass up and tell him I'm leaving and that I'll be back! *You* may think it's fine and dandy to leave without so much as a 'piss off', but I *know* you don't do that!" Spike shook Xander's shoulder a little more roughly than necessary.

"What? Shit! What?" Xander blinked, scowling. Spike grinned down at him. "You!" Xander muttered sleepily.

Spike grinned wider, rolling his eyes. "Yes, *me*. This is a tough concept for you to grasp, eh, Xander? Me Spike, you-"

"Xander!" Xander finished. He giggled and sank under the sheet. "Spike?"

"What is it, pet?"

"About waking you up?"

"What about it?"

"I offer a *full* apology. It was cruel. Wrong! Terribly *wrong* of me. I see the error of my ways. Now, le'me'lone. Sleepy. Sleep now."

Angel watched, as Spike's grin grew even wider. His eyebrows rose and then fell to a scowl. He coughed.

"You gettin' sick, Spike? That sounds nasty. Do vamps *get* sick?" Xander asked, his words slurred with sleepiness.

"I'm fine, pet. Does sound nasty though, I'll admit. Sounds like Angel."

The sheet over Xander's head puffed up as Xander chuckled. "It did!"

"That's cause he's here. Come to take me off to the fight the Bleathvores, Xanpet. Now give us a kiss goodbye."

Xander yanked the sheet down with both hands. "What? All ready?" Xander looked over at Angel. He pulled the sheet up to his chin. "Really?"

Spike nodded. He rose from the bed, naked, looking for his pants. "Where'd you toss my denims to, Xander?"

Xander pointed across the room. "That way I think."

Angel walked across the room, retrieving Spikes trousers and handing them to his unconcernedly naked childe.

"Give 'em here!" Spike snatched them away from Angel, sitting on the bed to shove his legs in; he stood, pulling them up and over his naked ass. Xander grinned at the pretty ass before it was hidden behind the faded denim. "My boots?"

Xander rolled over and picked up the battered Doc Marten boots. "Here." Spike took them from Xander, leaning down to place a kiss on Xander's forehead. "Thanks." He sat back down, shoving his feet in his boots and buckling them tight. Spike stomped his feet against the floor. "Right, then." He stood, picking up his shirt and heading towards the door.

"Hey!"

Spike turned back at Xander's shout. "What about, um, your, ah, goodbye kiss?" Xander asked, feeling silly and needy for asking in front of Angel but needing to ask anyway.

Spike winked at him, pulling the door open. He then waggled his eyebrows, causing Xander to smile and bite back a giggle. "You can kiss me 'hello' when I get back. Get some sleep, Xander. You won't get much when I get back." Spike promised, leading Angel out of the room and closing the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What is it, exactly, you are doing with Xander?" Angel asked.

Spike kicked at a rat, sending it flying several yards. He watched it land in a puddle of stagnant water with a grin. His eyes widened and he gave a whistle through his teeth when the thing picked itself up and scurried away. "Tough rats you have down here, Angel. They bite?"

They continued walking along the sewer tunnel, heading for what was, hopefully, a din of Bleathvores and their stockpile of pilfered treasures.

Spike kicked another rat.

"Stop that!"

Spike's head shot up and he grinned at Angel. "Oh. Right. You may want to eat him later, eh?"

"What are you doing with Xander?" Angel asked again.

"What are you doing with the beauty queen and the not-a-watcher-anymore, watcher?"

"Nothing! They work for me! I'm not do-"

"Yeah, well, that's not my problem, is it? Not my fault. Not my *business* either, is it?"

Angel sighed. "I've always liked Xander, Spike. Despite his dislike of me, I feel, well, *protective* towards him."

Spike snorted.

Angel kicked the rat that was about to run across his shoe. The poor thing was sent speeding through the air, landing hard enough against the wall that its back was broken upon impact.

Spike crushed its head when he reached it.

"Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"Dammit, Spike! What the fuck are you doing with Xander?"

Spike snickered. He meant to, at least, but before he could get a good "snick" out, Angel had a hand wrapped around his throat and was holding him against the slimy wall of the sewer tunnel. Spike's hands came up to wrap around Angel's, trying to loosen his Sire's hold.

"*What.*" Squeeze. "Are." Squeeze. "You." Squeeze. "Doing." Squeeze. "With." Squeeze. "*Xander*?" Squeeze and hold.

Spike gasped and mouthed something. Angel came closer to hear what Spike has was saying. Spike kneed him in the groin, catching Angel off guard. He brought his hands up to push his Sire away, sending the older vampire against the far wall. Angel snarled and came at Spike, murder in his dark eyes. Spike grinned, bending low for the impact.

It didn't come.

Instead, there was a "foump" sound and both vampires fell to the damp floor, covered in a heavy net.

Shuffling footsteps and non-human chatter followed. Spike was prodded with something wet. Something wet and slimy that had a sucker on the end. When the sucker was pulled away from his cheek with an audible "pop", Spike could feel the stinging welt as it rose on his face. "Bleathvores." He groaned and reached out his hand, feeling for Angel. Once he connected with his Sire 's overly gelled head, he punched it. "This is all *your* fault!" He hissed.

"No it's *not*! It's-" Angel didn't continue.

A hard crack over each of the vampire's heads stopped any further bickering for the moment.

It was a blessing for them both that they were out as they were dragged the rest of the way through the sewer tunnels and into the Bleathvore's nest.

They would have been heartbroken to note what was happening to their leather.