Acquaintances

“Xander. It’s Giles. I believe I may have made some headway regarding your search. Call me back when you can, and… Yes, well, I’ll be awake and available for the next five hours. Your cell number seems to be out of commission so do call as soon as you get this message.”

* * * * *

#beep#

“Alexander… I was under the impression that this request of yours was a priority. Please return my call at your earliest convenience. We really must discuss this. I… may know who the missing child is… and where.”

* * * * *

#beep#

“Where the bloody hell ARE you? Three days and not even a ring back? CALL. I… you may not believe what I’ve found. I’m not entirely sure I believe it myself.”

* * * * *

#beep#

“I’m becoming concerned, Xander. It isn’t like you to ignore… well, yes it is, but not perhaps in this case. Return my call or I will be forced to come find you. This is not the sort of information one leaves on a bloody machine.”

* * * * *

He’d barely been able to make himself leave New York this time. In fact, he almost hadn’t. Surprisingly, it had been Spike who’d nearly pushed him out the door with a growled ‘take care of things an’ get your ass back here for good, luv, an’ I’m not kiddin’.’.

Gods, his body was still aching, although in the best possible ways. The ache in his heart, on the other hand, was less good. He truly didn’t know how much longer he could go on doing this. Visiting Spike for a few days, then leaving to sit at his apartment moping and missing him. The phone calls were great, but they just weren’t enough.

Harris sighed softly as he got out of the Washington Flyer cab and paid the driver. Obviously Giles hadn’t gotten anywhere with finding Lily’s grandchild. He figured if the Watcher had, he would have called and Harris’ cell had been on and charged the entire time he’d been gone.

“Fuck,” he grumbled, unlocking the security door and striding across the lobby, “Maybe I’ll just suggest the whole moving thing to Lily… Spike would be happy if she agreed. And more to the point, so would I.”

He got into the elevator and rode up to his floor, his suitcase hanging by his side. Not that he’d needed much for the trip, but… he hadn’t really wanted to explain the big glass dildo or the lube when they x-rayed a carry-on bag, so… suitcase it was, and checked, as well.

Spike had laughed at that, he remembered with a smile. Then again, Spike probably would have gotten on the plane with the thing in his… pocket. One thing his vampire wasn’t was shy.

He was still smiling as he headed down the hall to his door, only seeing the older man standing outside it when he almost walked into him. “Giles?” he demanded, completely shocked, “What are you DOING here?”

The Watcher had only arrived a few minutes earlier and had gained access to the building by the simple expedient of helping an elderly woman with her shopping bags. As it had turned out, the woman knew Xander. She apparently also knew Spike, although she’d referred to him as William.

In an odd but amusing flash of memory, Giles had passed himself off as the younger looking man’s father and had agreed to join the woman for tea if he was unable to contact either Xander or his ‘son’ shortly.

And here was Xander, looking a bit worn but reasonably healthy which was both a relief and an annoyance.

Giles frowned deeply. “A better question might be why you haven’t been returning my calls. I was worried. I’ve been trying to reach you for three days, Xander.”

“I was… away. You should have called my cell, G-man… or tried me at Spike’s.” Harris frowned himself then unlocked his door, opening it to let the other man precede him. “Anyway, since you’re here… what’s wrong?” He set his suitcase by the door, pulling Giles’s travel bag in from the hallway as well.

“Your cell phone appears to be disconnected. Or that was the message I received when I tried the number you gave me.” The older man sighed and looked around the living room quickly. “As for Spike, he hasn’t seen fit to share communication options with me. Do you mind if we sit? I really must speak with you. It’s rather urgent.”

Harris sighed. “Yeah… uh, take the chair. Trust me, you do NOT want to sit on the couch.” He blushed slightly. “Um, drink?”

“God, yes… at least one.” The Watcher settled himself in the surprisingly comfortable leather chair with a soft groan. He’d never particularly cared for air travel. The seats were always… cramped, to say the least.

The brunette busied himself pouring cognac before taking the matching chair across from his former mentor. He handed him one glass, then waited expectantly. “Okay, Giles. You said we needed to talk, so… if it’s about the weather or something I can start without you. Otherwise…”

Giles sighed, taking a bracing sip of the liquor. “Yes, it’s simply that… as I said on your machine, Xander… I’ve found your missing person.”

Harris blinked, then collapsed back in his chair. “Oh, Gods… they’re dead, aren’t they? That’s why you flew all the way here, right? Or… are they evil? Shit! They’re evil, right?”

“No, no… that’s… not the problem. The… boy… is neither evil nor dead, but it’s… complicated.” The older man sipped again, then sighed deeply and began to explain as Harris’s eye got wider and wider.

“Fuck,” he muttered after a few minutes. “Wait. Let me…” He shook his head. “I need to call Spike. He should be in on this. It’s… his project, too.”

* * * * *

“Hey, babe…” Harris said, clicking on the speaker as the ringing was answered.

“Luv… was waitin’ for you ta call. What are you wearin’?”

Harris blushed, trying not to look at Giles. “Um, the same thing I was wearing when I left, Spike.”

Snort. “Thought you knew better than that, pet. Get naked. Now.”

Giles couldn’t help smiling at the look on Xander’s face. “If you don’t mind, Spike, I’d really rather he didn’t.”

A pause. “That you, Rupert? What the bloody hell are you doin’ in my Claimed’s apartment? Didn’t think you poached like that, mate.”

“Jesus, Spike! Could you tone down the ick-factor?” Harris shuddered then blushed again as he finally looked over at his guest. “Uh, not that you aren’t an attractive man, Giles, but…”

Giles rolled his eyes. “And as flattering as that might be if you didn’t look like you were about to heave, Xander, you’re not actually my type so can we move on?”

Spike’s next snort was even louder. “Wish you would, blokes… was fancyin’ a bit of a phone-shag. Don’t care ta make it a threesome.”

And now he was blushing as much as Xander was, Giles knew. “Yes, and I assure you I have no interest in doing so myself. Now if you’ve finished playing the latest round of ‘tease the Watcher’, perhaps we can get to the reason for my visit, as well as this call.”

“He’s blushin’, isn’t he luv?” Spike said, the smirk clear in his voice.

Harris grinned, then caught the look Giles was giving him. “Um, not as much as I am, babe. But Giles is right. We do need to talk. He… he found the grandkid, Spike. GrandSON, I should say.”

“Bloody hell! Where is he? And how soon can we get th’ git ta DC?” Another pause. “An’ who is it, mate?”

“That’s a very good question, Spike, and is also why I’m in Washington. It’s quite a story, really. And one I would never have expected.”

“Out with it, Watcher!” Spike growled through the speaker, “Th’ sooner we can get th’ bloke here, th’ sooner my Xan can move his ass to New York where he belongs!”

And that was a very valid point, Giles admitted silently. He’d never even heard of vampire and claimed deliberately being apart. It was astonishing that Spike and Xander had managed it even once without serious psychological imbalances, much less separating repeatedly.

“Yes, well,” he said, taking another sip of cognac and nodding when Xander looked at his glass with an arched brow. Another drink wasn’t even close to being a bad idea. “It’s like this…

* * * * *
(A/N: Yes, I know. I'm a horrible tease. *grins* Thanks to TheShadowCat, Zephyr and RemityGirl for the reviews. As always, much appreciated. More soon.)