Sacrifice

Chapter 8: It Gets Better





Willow was panting with the effort that the spell had taken. While it had seemed an easy spell, it hadn't been. The power that she had been fighting against had been stronger than anything she had ever experienced. "The wizard that did this is strong, he placed some kind of thrall spell on Xander. I think he was trying to call Xan to him," Willow said tiredly, before joining Xander in oblivion.


Methos thankfully caught her before she fell off the bed. Francesca walked o ver to the pair and brushed her fingers over Willow's forehead. She imbued the girl with some of her power and watched in satisfaction as Willow's eyes opened. "I don't think Xander will survive if he gets him again," Willow whispered painfully. Francesca took the girl into her arms and hugged her gently.


"Don't you worry, my darling, we will stop him. Now I need you all to leave me alone with my son and his mate. There is something I must do and humans cannot witness it." Willow nodded and allowed Francesca to hand her off to Methnd snd soon only Francesca, Xander and Spike were left in the room.


Francesca turned to look at Spike. "You must complete the bond with Alexander," she told Spike.


Spike's eyes narrowed in rage. "No. He is still recovering from being raped and it would be without his permission. He already hates me. I won't add to that."


"You fool, I wasn't talking about sex and Alexander doesn't hate you, if he did he wo uld have staked you by now. It would have been within his rights as your mate and master!" Francesca yelled at him.


Spike growled back at her, not the least bit intimidated. He knew very well that she wouldn't do anything to him and was arrierried as he was. "Wake him like you did Red. Explain what is going on. If and only if he agrees, I will complete the bond," Spike ordered her.


Francesca sighed and nodded. It was really a shame that as his mother-in-law she couldn't intimidate him. Stupid vampire. Turning her attention back to her sleeping child, her face softened. She did not want to wake him, but she knew that William was right. If he finished the joining without talking to Alexander first it would only enrage her son.


"Xander, Wake up, love. I need to talk to you. Wake up darling." Xander whimpered and opened his eyes as she requested. He frowned slightly before latching on to both of them. Spike was surprised when Xander clung to his hand, but put it down to his fear and what had been happening to him. Though both of them could see that Xander was already beginning to show signs of recovery. Obviously the spell that Willow had cast had reversed the magic that had been poisoning Xander.


"Mom, Spike?" Xander asked wearily.


"Darling, you need to finish bonding with Spike. It is the only way to permanently protect you from the Wizard," she told him bluntly, but gently.


Xander frowned at her in confusion. "Spike doesn't want me," he said tonelessly.


Spike scowled. "Of course I want you! You're my mate," Spike exclaimed, making Xander look at him in surprise.


"You still want me after... I'm not clean," Xander said in a whisper.


Spike closed his eyes and had to bite back a howl of rage. He knew instinctively that any show of anger or grief would make Xander shatter. "You're clean, luv, and you're mine. I want you as my mate and I always will," he assured the youn ger man.


Xander didn't say anything, he just offered his wrist to Spike. Spike took his wrist and, cradling it gently, he bit in. Xander sighed and drifted away into the sensations that Spike's feeding were creating in him. Spike only fed for a few minutes before pulling away. He licked the bite wounds closed and kissed Xander's wrist reverently.


He then offered his own wrist to Xander and moaned as the boy bit him harshly. Xander's bite was more intense, since he lacked fangs. Spike was gasping for unneeded air at the feel of his mate feeding on him. After a few minutes, Xander pulled away and fell asleep again, this time into a healing sleep. "He'll sleep for a while. He should begin to heal faster with the blood he took from me," Spike said, never taking his eyes off his mate.


"Willow needs to do a spell to block Xander from the wanker responsible for this," Spike said with a growl. He was about to launch into a vicious monologue, but was stop ped by a voice across the room.


"Does this mean I have to be nice to you?" Buffy asked weakly from her bed. Francesca turned to look at the battered Slayer and was surprised by the fierce and dangerous look in the child's eyes. She had never met Buffy, a fact that was entirely her fault. Francesca had wanted to protect her baby for just a bit longer and she had feared that the Slayer, the human counterpart to herself and her husband, would turn away from Xander because he was not human.


"So you're Xander's Mom?" Buffy asked.


"Yes."


"And you're a demon?" she asked in the same quiet tone.


"Yes."


"So that's why I never met you. Are you going to help me kill the bastards that did this to my Xander?" Buffy asked with quiet menace. They had all thought she was sleeping, but she had heard everything. The truth was, the Slayer was pissed and if she could have stood at that moment, she would have beaten the hell out of Spike a nd his mother and anyone else that knew the truth.


"The bastards, as you say, will be dealt with. You need only concern yourself with healing," Francesca soothed. Spike winced; he knew the in in Buffy's eyes and there was a very good chance that Buffy was about to go off.


"You know, we wouldn't have to worry about mylingling IF YOU HAD BOTHERED TO LET XANDER TELL ME THE TRUTH! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" Buffy screamed at the top of her lungs. Once again the doors burst open as Willow and the others hurried into the room. Willow gulped and whimpered at the rage on Buffy's face.


"Buffy?" Giles called carefully. His Slayer, while injured, was on a dangerous tear.
"Wil"Willow, you should have told me! Xander could have been protected! We could have protected him better! All the times he's been hurt because we pushed him away or because some demon came after him. You knew the truth and you kept it from me. When Xander heals I am going to beg for forg iveness and then I'm going to start kicking ass. Xander is married to Spike, because none of you bothered to tell me the truth. We could have found somewhere else to put Spike. Mrs. Harris, I blame you for this. You're a protector! You should have known that the truth needed to be out." Buffy was rambling and she knew it. If only she wasn't hurting so bad she could make sense. Her mind and her body ached, but it was her heart that hurt the most. It hurt for Xander and everything she had done to push him away over the years. It hurt because she had been the one to pressure Xander into taking in Spike. Now her friend was married to Spike.


She wanted things to be different, but it was too late for that. If she had known that Xander's parents were so strong and fought against demons she would have asked for their help against the demons when she asked for everyone else's help. Buffy didn't know if that would have made a difference, but she knew it might have and that tore at her and pissed her off.


"You're right Buffy, in a way this is my fault. I always assumed that you would turn from Alexander if you knew he was a demon. I was afraid for my son to lose his friend," Francesca said sadly.


Buffy growled softly, "He was losing me anyway! I was doing everything in my power to push him out of the group last year! It was all because I didn't want him to be hurt by a om dom demon. Living on the hellmouth, you should have let him come into his powers as soon as possible or sent him away from here," Buffy swore as she floated on a wave of drugs and pain. There was so much that she could finally see clearly. Including the reason why Xander was sa dea demon magnet.


None of them knew how to respond to Buffy or the anger that she was showing. They were even more surprised by the fact that Buffy accepted that Xander was a demon and still wanted him around. Though why they were surprised Willow didn't know. She should have listened to Xander when he said that Buffy would accept that he was a demon. After all, she had accepted Doyle, Spike and Angel as well as the group of Immortals.

tbc....