Hidden Treasures

Fic: Hidden Treasures

Disclaimer: The characters of BtVS belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, UPN, etc... The man behind the discovery of most of The Royal Cities of Ptolemies is Franck Goddio. I did some research into this so I thought I'd just give him a little acknowledgement here.

Distribution: You want it, be my guest. Just tell me where please.

Setting: Season 7, around March.

Summary: After building their friendship up and spending more time together, Xander and Buffy started seeing each other officially as a couple around Christmas. Meanwhile Spike has just returned from his trip to Africa and has been in Sunnydale for about a month now and is not happy one bit about Buffy's decision to be with Xander. Also, last summer Tara was severely injured when she was accidentally caught in the attack on Buffy by Warren but she recovered. She and Willow have been slowly easing back into their relationship ever since. Giles later returned in early season seven and is now running the Magic Box again with the help of Anya, who is not pleased to be going back to second in charge.

Rating: What, you think I post it on Adultfanfiction cause it's Disney? NC-17 of course.



Near Alexandria's East Harbor, in Egypt
The once lost Royal City of the Ptolemies
September 22, 2002


The sun slowly made it’s descent into the horizon - a sight that Professor Joseph Brahm had seen many evenings here on his expedition in this sacred land of Alexandria. He was in charge of what many Egyptologists were calling the greatest find of their time. He was heading the dig into the deepest parts of Cleopatra's Palace where she was believed to be buried. All of her treasures, her secrets, and perhaps much more were to be discovered here at any moment.

Just two months ago, no one was able to get to close enough to the palace without the help of scuba gear since the city itself had been submerged under the Mediterranean for centuries. That was before the drought that had begun in May and lasted all the way through August. The receding water allowed greater access to the city itself and finally to the Palace. Professor Brahm considered the drought to be fortuitous however, many of those who survived warned those who came of ancient prophecies that foretold such events, but Professor Brahm would hear none of it. He wasn't going to let superstition get in the way of this great opportunity.

Brahm hadn't felt this alive since he was a young boy. His father, who was one of the most famous archeologists of his time, brought back an ancient statue that had once lain inside an Egyptian tomb. He could remember the way it shined, the way the statue seemed to take on a life of its own as he ran his fingers along the smooth, golden surface before his father took it to the one of the local museums where it would be displayed for all to see. Now he would be the one to discover such hidden treasures with his own hands. Now he would be the one who found such fanciful artifacts and others would now relish in his findings. The thought of his name being mentioned with the likes of Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon, the discoverers of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, was what drove him day and night.

"Professor, over here."

Brahm turned his back on the setting sun and he saw a man, half his age, beckoning him to follow. Brahm followed the young man into the inner walls of the Palace and they came upon the major dig site. They had just barely broken the surface of this place and with each day they drew closer to perhaps what Brahm hoped to be Cleopatra's tomb.

"What is it? Have you found something?" he asked kneeling down beside the man who pointed to the relief etched in the wall.

Brahm ran his hand along it with the awe of a child running his hand along a new toy.

"Magnificent," he said in astonishment before looking back at the young man beside him with a smile and then breaking out into a laugh. "Marcus, we have found it! Go get the others, tell them to stop what they are doing and come. I want everyone concentrating their diggings here."

When Marcus nodded with a smile and got up to leave Professor Brahm laughed out loud as he ran a hand through his hair. "By God, we found it. Magnificent! Simply magnifi!" !" he said through his laughter.


*****************


Nearly Six Months later
Stoneridge Park
March 19th 2003
10:44 P.M.


"Xander, stake now!"

"Honey, I would," Xander said, letting out a grunt as he ducked a vampire's punch, "but I lost it a second ago," he said just before using his momentum to bury his shoulder in thepirepire's stomach, knocking them both to the ground.

Buffy cast a quick glance towards her boyfriend but that was all she could spare as she blocked a punch from the vampire attacking her before grabbing its arm and flipping it over. However, when she flipped it over it managed to land back on its feet and regain momentum. The vamp grabbed hold of Buffy this time and managed to toss her about ten yards away where she landed on the ground with a thud.

Buffy started to get up but stopped as she looked down at the sides of her pants, "Hey, these were new! I just got these last week and now you made me get grass stains on them!"

"It's okay honey, .... I'll get ... you another pair," Xander choked out while on the ground, wrestling the male vampire on top of him as they struggled against each other.

"Are you going ... to ... help me ... or not?" Xander pleaded as he continued to struggle with the vamp.

Upon the young man's question, the vampire that he was struggling with looked at him strangely just before feeling a sharp pain in his back. He looked at Xander and the shocked expression on his face quickly turned to dust.

"Thanks," Xander said as he coughed from the vampire dust while taking the outstretched hand.

"No problem, it's just what I do young man."

Xander looked up with a curious expression on his face, "It's just what I do?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, old habit," Giles said.

"Hmm... it's a wonder why your private eye gig in England didn't work out, huh?" Xander said before quickly changing the subject upon receiving a glare from the older man beside him. "Uh, let's go help Buffy."

"Yes, let’s," Giles said, his glare still on the young man before him.

They turned their attention to Buffy just in time to see the vampire getting up from the ground and turning to escape. Seeing this, Buffy took a step forward to give chase and stepped on a garden hose. Thinking fast, she picked up the hose and slung it over her head. The vampire took one look over his shoulder just as the garden hose wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his body. With one yank from Buffy he hit the ground. She then walked up to him and knelt down, wrapping the vamp's legs with the rest of the hose just before she sprung back up with a smile.

"God, that's sexy," Xander breathed and Giles just rolled his eyes at the young man beside him.

The vampire snarled and growled on the ground as Buffy kneeled down beside him, "Now, are you going to tell me why you brought the army of - " she cut herself off for a second and wrinkled up her nose before continuing, "Hey, I know that smell," she said looking up at Giles and Xander before looking back down at the vampire in disgust. "You've been eating Doublemeat Palace employees haven't you?"

The vampire quickly went from snarling and growling to a shocked and almost what one might call an embarrassed look, "What? No, shut your tongue slayer before I .." he said struggling to free himself.

"No, I’d know that smell anywhere," she said and sniffed the air around the vampire before looking him back in the eyes. "I'll tell you what, you tell me what I need to know and I'll make this as painless as possible."

The vampire stopped struggling for a second as a smile formed on his lips, exposing his fangs before he broke out into a laugh, "Go ahead and do layelayer. Torture me, burn me, do whatever because you're not getting anything from me," he said, finishing with a snarl.

"Torture you? You think I'm going to physically inflict pain on you? So much pain that those you’ve sired will feel the injuries?" Buffy asked before looking up at Xander and Giles with raised eyebrows, "Oh please, been there, done that," Buffy said standing back up and turning around as if she was going to leave before stopping after taking only three steps, "However, I wonder what your vamp friends would think about you eating out at the Doublemeat."

An intense fear flashed through the vampire's features as Xander smiled next to Giles.


*********************


The Magic Box
The next morning


"Anya, would you please just do as I said and order the eggs?"

"Fine, but don't blame me when the Craylock Demon comes looking for her young," Anya said as she moved towards the new computer on the far end of the counter that Giles had bought so that he could order shipments and items for the shop online if necessary.

Giles let out a sigh as he rubbed at his temples, "Anya, we have a customer who wants those Craylock eggs and I've done research on them, the Craylock letheitheir eggs unhatched after a certain period has passed so that when the eggs hatch their young become independent on their own, without the help of the adult Craylock. So we have no need to worry about seeing a vengeful mother Craylock. I even did some research into possible spells in which the eggs could be used and there are none that are harmful in any way other than the occasional bad smell."

"Yeah, well maybe the demon won't come for her young, but I read an article online once that said this woman went blind after being infected by an Craylock egg."

"Ah yes, well, I'm sure that Mr. Creighton will not be egging someone's house so there is no danger of the owner getting hit in the eye with one because he or she came outside to investigate," Giles said, walking past Buffy and Xander who sat at the table, both smiling at Giles' frustration with Anya as he put one of the books he was carrying back onto the shelf.

"Give it up Giles, no one wins when they are arguing with her," Xander said smiling at Awho who just gave him a dirty look, yet there was a playfulness to it that one might not see if you didn't know better. After receiving the look, Xander just smiled and looked across the table at Buffy who smiled back at him. When he looked away, Anya cracked a smile and turned her attention to the computer.

It had been almost a year since Xander had left Anya at the altar. It was the biggest regret in his life. Not because he wished that he had married her, but because he just wished he had spoken up sooner about his fears to her. Then they might have worked something out, but he didn't, and it, along with many other obstacles ended his and Anya’s relationship. Xander tried to reconcile with her right after, but she‘d been hurt too badly. Then in the summer, after everything that the gang went through from Tara's injury and pulling Willow back from her attempt at vengeance, they decided to sit down and try to at least make peace with everything that was between them because the rest of the gang needed them. It was hard, and there were many nights in which Xander couldn't sleep because Anya wasn't there lying beside him, but he got through it with Buffy’s help.

He spent many nights with her just talking about things that had transpired over the last year. Regrets, worries about the future, and just simple things like Buffy's worst nightmare being Daryinrying to get her driver’s license. Anya strangely enough, seemed to bond a little with Willow over the summer just as Dawn had, but in a different way. Anya and Willow had conversations about their intense lust for power in their past, Willow with her magic at one time, and Anya with her vengeful acts upon men that consumed her. Yet, despite all of this there were still those feelings of hurt, betrayal and even a little bit of spite between Anya and Xander until the day before Thgivigiving.

On that day, Xander had gone to the Magic Box and asked her to come have Thanksgiving dinner with the rest of the gang at his place. Anya declined at first, telling Xander that going back to a place that she had lived at for so long with him would be too hard for her, but unexpectedly to Xander and the rest of the gang, she showed up at his place later in the evening on Thanksgiving Day. As the evening went on she found herself enjoying being in the gang’s company again, and most importantly Xander‘s. Yet, there was something different about the way she felt this time compared to all those other times she had spent with them. She didn't feel like she did when she was with him before, as a friend and a lover, but more like she was truly part of the group. Part of the family. From that night on, it had been different between the two. The past would always be there with all the pain and hurt that it carried, but they both knew the future was there, a future where they both knew that it was what they made of it.

"So, did I ever mention how sexy that move was that you made on the vamp last night?" Xander asked as his concentration went to the girl across from him.

"Only enough to make me want to go back to England," Giles deadpanned, his eyes still on the books in front of him as he put the last book in his hands back onto the shelf.

Buffy smiled at Giles' comment before looking at Xander, "Yes, I believe you have. Thank you."

"Yes, well, setting aside the ...umm, sex appeal, as you put it of the situation, we still haven't found out anything on who or what is responsible for the increase in the vampire population of late." Giles pulled out a book from the bottom shelf while skimming through it. "Anya, this book doesn't go here. This belongs in with the other volumes on dimensional portals. In fact," Giles said looking over a few more books on the bottom shelf, "All of these do. Why did you move them here without my permission?"

"I didn't move them, they've always been there."

"Anya, I know that they haven't. I specifically keep these volumes behind the counter for precautionary reasons," Giles said removing a few more of the books from the shelf.

"Fine, but just remember the next time a demon breaks in here and destroys all of the books behind the counter, they d'vd've been all the way over there safe and snug in the bookshelf." Anya said as she walked over and took a few of the books out of Giles' hands and walked back to the counter with them.

Xander smiled just as the bell above the door rang. Willow and Dawn entered, Dawn in the lead looking as enthusiastic as always. oursourse, having on a new skirt probably didn't hurt matters. A skirt that definitely got Buffy's attention. "Uh, Willow. Where did you take my sister shopping?"

"To the mall, why?"

"Oh, no reason. It's just I usually don't buy her the clothing line that would make Tommy heel at her figure," Buffy said looking at Dawn's white short sleeve shirt and too short blue skirt before giving Willow a look.

"Oh come on Buffy, it's not that bad," Willow said, "Besides, it's not like you didn't wear short skirts when you were in high school."

Upon Buffy's intense glare, Willow took a step away from her and towards Dawn. She kept a nervous smile on her face as she looked to Xander for help, "Xander, the skirt's not bad right?"

Xander at times has been known to do dumb things in his life, but he isn't stupid. So he did what any normal man would do in his situation... he decided that the book in front of him that described in detail how the Amikech Demons eat their young to be very interesting as his eyes stayed glued to the pages.

"See Xander agrees with me," Buffy said.

"Giles do you have anything you need me to do? Maybe something in the back, far, far away from anything that will get me into trouble?" Xander asked looking up at the Watcher walking by him with pleading eyes.

Buffy cocked her head to the side as she gave her boyfriend a look before looking back at Dawn. "Fine, you can keep the skirt," she said making Dawn and Willow both smile, "but you only wear it when you're inside."

"What? That's stupid!" Dawn exclaimed.

Buffy raised her eyebrows at her.

"Fine," Dawn said, her expression falling a bit.

"What? No arguing? Okay, who are you and what have you done with my sister?" Buffy asked suspiciously before her face broke out into a slight smile. "Well, it is a cute skirt."

"Really? you like it?" Dawn asked, getting a little excited as Buffy nodded.

"So, what if I said that there were these pretty earrings that I ..."

"Don't push it," Buffy said before walking off towards the training room.

After Buffy was out of range, Xander looked at Willow and then Dawn with a smile, "That was really responsible of you not to argue with your sister Dawny."

Dawn smiled at him as he nodded at Willow before turning to follow Buffy and Giles to the training room in the back.

"Are you going to tell them about the tattoo?" Willow asked softly, with her eyes still on the retreating Xander.

"What do you think?"

"Smart girl," Willow said before walking away.


****************************


Shadyhill Cemetery
9:55 P.M.


"So, why again do we have to patrol tonight and here specifically? I mean, this place usually seems to have the least amount of vampire activity in Sunnydale. Besides, this is like five nights of patrolling in a row," Xander said as he took a seat on top of one of the tombstones.

"Well, Giles said that both Shadyhill and Restfield have had a lot of mysterious disappearances in the past day or so and since Willow, Anya and him are covering Restfield that means we get Shadyhill. Plus, remember? Vampire Slayer?" Buffy said pointing to herself.

"Yeah, I remember. It's just, we haven't figured out who's behind these vampires suddenly calling pep rallies all around town and it's bugging me. Also, why couldn't I be the one who gets to carry the axe? Giles always gets the axe," Xander said, climbing back off the tombstone and looking disparagingly at the crossbow in his hand.

Buffy turned around to face him, "Honey, do me a favor."

"What?"

"Duck!" she yelled and her fist flew out towards Xander. He ducked just in time to hear her fist come in contact with the vampire behind Xander, the force of the blow breaking the vamp's nose as he fell to the ground with a howl.

Xander immediately got back up only to have a vampire grab him from the side and fling him a few feet away and he landed on his stomach with a thud. Buffy didn't have time to worry about Xander because she was busy fighting off four vamps, all of whom were advancing quickly.

"Well, well, if it isn’t the almighty Slayer. I've heard a lot about you. You're a legend you know?" one of them said.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say, but do I even get a vacation? No," Buffy said just before she launched a kick into the vampire’s chest at her right, knocking him to the ground. She wasted little time as she quicspunspun around and kicked the vamp that was advancing on her from behind in the kneecap, making him fall to the ground as she threw her fist at him, punching him a few times in the face before grabbing hold of him and tossing him onto the vamp that she just knocked down a minute ago. She wasn't so lucky with the next vamp she tried to attack though, as he blocked her kick with ease while grabbing hold of her foot and twisting it. Buffy simply went with the twist and twisted just off of the ground before landing on all fours and somersaulting back into a standing position as she turned back around to face the vampire again. However, it was a standing position which came with the vamp's grip around her neck as he lifted her off of the ground.

Buffy was stunned by how fast this vamp had recovered as she struggled to free herself of his grip, dangling slightly off of the ground as she grabbed at his hands around her throat. While doing so, she got a close up view of this vampire and she couldn't believe that she didn't notice just how much darker his skin was when he was just standing a few feet from her a minute ago. While struggling against him, she felt her hands touch something around his wrist. If felt like some type of a bracelet of some sort, but Buffy didn't have time to think about it because she was busy fighting for her life.

That's when the sound of a vamp getting dusted caught his attention as the vampire looked to his right to see Xander lying on the ground with the crossbow aimed at what use to be a vamp as it turned to dust. As soon as the vampire holding Buffy turned his head away from her, she brought her feet up and kicked him in the stomach. He released his grip on her and fell back. Buffy continued her momentum, flipping backwards and landing on her feet as she coughed and sucked in oxygen. After catching her breath, she looked up expecting the vampire to be on her in no time, but was surprised to see him nowhere in sight.

"Okay, I hate it when they do that," she said looking around to verify that there were no sign of the vamps before going to help Xander up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said taking her hand while coming to his feet, "but I still think I should've had the axe."

Buffy smiled before quickly turning in one motion behind her with fist flying as it came in contact with Giles' axe, nearly shattering the weapon. "Giles! God, don't you know not to sneak up on a slayer who hasn't met her quota for stakings in a night?"

"Ah, well, usually yes, but this isn't me sneaking up on you," he said as a snarl came from behind him. He ducked a ire\ire's clutches, and Buffy and Xander were both off guard and they took a step back to regroup. The vampire lunged forward off balance, and right into Buffy's foot as she landed a kick to his face knocking him backwards right into the direction of Giles who brought the axe down, severing the head as the vamp turned to dust.

Just after the vamp was dust, Buffy, Xander and Giles were met by Willow and Anya who came around the corner. "Nice of you guys to join us," Xander said.

"Yes, quite. Are you two alright?" Giles asked the two young women.

"Sure, nothing a good meal couldn't cure or possibly a shower, but yeah we're fine," Willow said as she looked down at the pile of ash. "So I see we kicked ass."

"Yep, I think I've met my quota now," Buffy said, suddenly stopping herself for a moment before continuing, "or not," she said, with a touch of irritation in her voice before turning towards the few trees that surrounded the park area. "I know you're here so why don't you just come out already Spike."

"We were always on the same wavelength, you and I," said the platinum blond vampire strolling out from behind the shadows and into the opening towards the group, "then again, I guess that's what made us so good together."

"Oh yes, good. I always hurt the one I love right?"

Spike just grinned at her and then tossed a cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it under his boot. He looked back up at Buffy for a moment and then turned towards Giles and the rest of them, "Well, it seems you've had fun. Taking the kids out for another stroll, Rupert?"

"Spike, what do you want?" Giles asked, clearly agitated as he looked back at the vampire with a sigh.

"Yeah, and can we help you get any of it? You know, maybe a stake to the heart, a little sun, perhaps some bottled water from Father Marino?" Xander said looking at the vamp.

Spike smirked at the young man, "So, Harris. How does being the Slayer's leftovers feel? Does she tell you that you're the only one? That you make her happy?"

"Spike, I suggest you shut up before I give Mr. Pointy some more action tonight," Buffy said staring at

"Yes, I suggest you be on your way Spike... now," Giles agreed.

Spike looked at Giles with a tiresome expression, "Sure Rupert, but first I need to talk with the Slayer... alone."

"What, so that you can tell her how she belongs with you? How you love her? Just do us all a favor and ..." Xander stopped short when a knife went flying into the ground between them and they both looked up.

"I've had enough of this X chromosome spitting contest! I'm tired, I've had nothing to eat for eight hours, my feet hurt, the only way I get to have sex now is with Mr. Pointy and business sucked today so if you don’t mind I’d like to get going now!" Anya shouted. Everyone looked at her with wide eyed expressions, and Buffy dropped her stake really quickly in the process.

"I think A-Anya is right," Giles said looking at the young woman as he slowly started coming to his senses after her outburst, "Yes, right. Uh, we should get going, it's getting pretty late.

Besides," he said looking off into the distance and around the park, "I don't think we're g to to run into any more trouble tonight. Best if we get back and get some rest."

"You guys go ahead, I'm going to patrol. One of them got away," Buffy said.

"Got away?" Giles said as Buffy nodded, "Well, can you describe him?"

"Yep," Buffy said as she let out a breath, "there was definitely something about him too. I think he dug the jewelry…” seeing that Giles was about to go into interrogation mode Buffy cut him off, "but, I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Uh, yes, quite right. Tomorrow," Giles said as Willow spoke up, "Uh guys, where did Spike go?"

Everyone turned to where he once was to see nothing and Buffy sighed, "Someone's really going to have to tell them that that's getting old."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"What?" Buffy asked turning around to face Xander.

"On patrol."

"Oh. Uh, no. I'll be fine. You go home and get some rest," she said.

"Okay, but be careful." Xander said, slowly taking her hand into his as he ran his thumb over her hand for a moment before slowly letting go with a silent I love you. After seeing Buffy smile and return a you too to him, Xander turned and followed the others out of the park, leaving Buffy to patrol.


***************


Sunnydale Museum of Historical Arts
Same Night around 10:30 P.M.


"So, what's the score?" Frank Catron asked, setting a Coke down onto the desk in front of the man who was glued to the nine inch television set.

"Fifty five to forty five, Duke leading with ten minutes left," Sparky said.

This was Tommy Anderson's, known as Sparky by his friends, usual night shift. However, on this night he was watching his Duke Blue Devils against the hated North Carolina Tarheels with the other security guard, Frank Catron. Tommy had been working security here in the museum for over twenty years now. It wasn't the greatest job in the world. Hell, it wasn't the greatest job in a two mile radius, but it paid the bills.

"You know, that freshman kid can play. I bet he'll make a great pro one day," Frank remarked.

"Yeah, if doesn't screw it up and leave school too early," Sparky said with a little bit of pessimism in his voice.

"Oh, here we go," Frank muttered with a sigh, getting ready for Sparky's usual rant about players leaving school too early. "Can't we just watch one game without you bringing this up?"

"Hey, you're the one who brought it up," Sparky said looking up at his partner before finally smiling, "Sit your ass down and watch my Devils kick your Tarheels' ass."

"Yeah, right," Frank said taking a seat as he opened his can of Coke.

For about thirty seconds or so no one said anything while they both watched the game. Then Frank turned his head to look behind him while stretching back in his chair and trying to look out of the open office door, "Did you hear something?"

"What?" Sparky said, obviously too immersed in the game to care, "No, you're just getting senile in your old age," he said with a slight chuckle. "Old man."

"Old man? Did you, the person who will be using Rogaine in two years, tops, just call me old?" Frank asked with a smile and a slight chuckle.

Before Sparky could answer him a slight scratching sound caught both of their attention as they turned around in their seats to look out the office door, "Okay, old or not, you had to have heard that," Frank said.

"Yeah, let's check it out." Sparky said getting up as he took the flash light off of the counter, making his way to the office door with Frank close behind as the sounds of the game blared out behind them.


*********************


Xander's Apartment
11:38 P.M.


Buffy put her key for Xander's apartment into the door and turned, opening it as quietly as possible. She had thought about going home but something about tonight made her long to see Xander again. She looked at the clock and slowly crept over to the phone on Xander's living room table and she picked it up as quietly as possible and dialed the number.

"Willow?" she whispered.

"Buffy?" Willow said in a sleepy voice.

"Yeah, it's me. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"Uh, yeah, we're good. I mean, I possibly could qualify as a zombie right now, but otherwise everything’s fine," Willow said before yawning as she laid her head back down on the pillow.

"Willow, who is it?" Tara asked beside her.

"It's Buffy."

"Oh, okay. Tell her I said night," Tara mumbled out, half asleep.

"I'm sorry to wake you Will, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to stay the night at Xander's tonight. You know, so that you don't go to Spike's crypt in the morning with stakes and crossbows like you did before. No wait, on second thought..."

"That was just one time," Willow defended with a smile, starting to catch her bearings as she leaned up a little from her pillow, "and it was before you and Xander hooked up."

"Yeah," Buffy said turning her head towards Xander's bedroom door with a slight smile.

"Besides," Willow said, "it was worth it just to see Spike trying to explain why he was eating Count Chocula Cereal."

"Yeah, well, I just wanted to let you know," Buffy said with a smile, "I'll talk to you tomorrow Will. Bye."

After hanging up the phone, Buffy took off her shoes and let out a sigh of relief from having them off. She took one quick look around Xander's apartment and then started tiptoeing to his bedroom door. She reached for the door handle and grabbed a hold as she turned the knob, opening the door slowly trying to make as little noise as possible. Once the door was open enough for her to squeeze through, she went inside the room and turned to close the door slowly.

"I give it an eight point five."

Buffy whirled around in shock, "Jesus Xander, don't scare me like that! You surprised ... Wait. An eight point five?" she asked with her face breaking out into a slight smile as she looked at him questioningly.

"Well, I heard you on the phone in there. I mean, sneaking into a person's place and then using their phone? That's bad technique if I do say so myself. I've got to be fair and at least deduct a point and a half." Xander said smiling.

"Oh really?" Buffy said smiling, "Fair, huh?"

"Yeah, the Russians wanted two but then we worked out a deal. See, fair."

"Hmm... so, you've got Russians sleeping in your bedroom again, huh?" Buffy said, playing along as she walked over to his dresser and ran a finger over the top of the surface before picking up one of the pictures on top of Willow, Xander and her.

"Oh yeah, you just missed Irina and Anna. Too bad, because they said that they would've loved to join us," Xander said smiling as he watched Buffy run her fingers up and down the border of the picture in her hand.

"Yeah, that's too bad," Buffy said absently while looking at the picture, but turned enough to where she could still see Xander out of the corner of her eye. Just to make it even sweeter she ran her hand up and down the picture frame very seductively as her nails lined around it perfectly before she let out a low sigh that neared the sound of a moan. "Oh well, at least now there's plenty of room on the bed for me to sleep," she said laying the picture back on top of the dresser before she faked a yawn.

"Yeah, there is that,“ Xander nodded. “Then again, there's plenty of room to do other stuff too," he said with a mischievous smile starting to form on his face as Buffy looked at him, trying to act as nonchalant about it as possible.

"Oh, you mean like room for me to stretch my feet so that you could massage them?" she asked with her eyebrows raised at him.

"For starters," he said before walking to the other side of the room where she was as he stood right in front of her, "but there's also a lot of other things I could massage."

"Hmm... really?" she said walking past him as she made her way to the bed.

Xander saw the way her hips moved as she made her way to the bed and he wanted to take her right there. He wanted to feel her skin up against his as their bodies intertwined. He wanted to bend her over the bed and fuck her so hard that she wouldn't be able to walk in the morning. However, he took a deep breath and moved forward trying to calm those thoughts. He wasn't going to let her get to him like this. Nope, it didn't matter that she was... {Oh God, she's sliding her tight, black pants off}

Buffy smiled with her back to him as her pants slid down to the floor while she stepped out of them, "Ahh, this is more like it." She slid onto the bed in nothing but her black shirt and red panties before laying down on her back and looking up at him innocently, "Aren't you going to massage my feet?"

Xander took a moment to smile at the beauty before him before lowering his head for a second and then looking back at her, while smiling at her display as she leaned back with her arms behind her head as if waiting impatiently for him to come massage her. After a moment, Xander started walking towards her as he climbed onto the end of the bed. He looked down at the other end where her head lay and his eyes couldn't help but travel down her body. Despite the only light in the room being from the window and the stars in the night, her legs seemed to glisten to him. Without even knowing it, he ran a hand up the side of her calf and to her knee just before reaching her thigh, caressing it slowly and softly. A slight gasp from Buffy brought him back as he looked up at her and then smiled. After a moment, he ran his hands back down her thigh to her calves just before reaching her feet. As his hand slid down her leg, Buffy barely was able to prevent the low moan that she wanted to escape her mouth from the sensation of his hand on her.

Xander took hold of her feet and slowly started massaging her toes with light, delicate squeezes before sliding his hand along the side of her foot down to the heel. This time, Buffy couldn't help but let out a slight moan from the sensation. He massaged the bottom of her heel with the precision that Buffy slays vampires. With each squeeze, each caress, Buffy felt her eyes closing more, just letting all of the day's worries go away. Xander continued to massage her feet up and down for about five minutes, getting all of the kinks out of them, all of the soreness that one gets from being on their feet all day. After hearing Buffy let out another sigh, Xander couldn't help it anymore as one of his hands slid back up the side of half alf and to her thigh.

This action did not go unnoticed by Buffy and Xander heard her breath catch in her throat from the sensation. Xander then slid his hand up to the side of her thigh as he lifted his feet now off of the ground and fully onto the bed while his hand continued to slide up the side of her thigh. Buffy let out a soft moan as she kept her eyes closed, just giving in to his touch, his caress, to him. His hand slid up to her hip and over the side of her panties to her waist. Buffy couldn't take it anymore as she removed one hand out from behind her and started sliding it down her body and then back up to her breast to massage her erect nipple through the fabric of her shirt.

She was surprised however, when Xander's hand took a hold of hers, making her open her eyes, "What?..." she moaned out lightly in surprise. Then she saw what he held up in his other hand and her face took on a somewhat surprised, yet lustful look. Xander took the handcuffs and took a hold of her hand with a smile as he lead it back behind her head and cuffed it with her other hand to one of the small bed posts in the center of his bed frame. When he pulled back he took a minute to take in the sight before him. There was Buffy Summers, tied to his bed in nothing but a black shirt and red panties.

"Now, I'm all defenseless. This isn't fair," she said with a little sultry pout that made Xander want to nibble on her lips.

"Don't worry, you won't know what hit you," he said with a smile and he leaned over to the nightstand on the side of the bed and held up a red silk scarf.

Buffy gazed at the scarf and was trying, unsuccessfully, to control her breathing as she anticipated every move, every inch of her that was about to be discovered by him. Sure, they had made love before but had always been very tender and almost simple. The first time she had been with Xander she felt at peace. She felt passion, love and devotion. However, there was something different this time about the way he looked at her. This time there was something even more in him that she saw and it excited her to no end to think of what he was about to do to her. Just as he put the scarf over her eyes and tied it around the back of her head, she let out a gasp. She reached up and barely made contact with his lips before he pulled away, "Nah, uh, bad girl. I may have to punish you for that."

Buffy could feel herself getting more wet in anticipation of his touch, of his body in contact with her own. She was someone who had been trained to see without her eyes. She could do this by staying quiet and listening with her advanced slayer hearing and right at this moment she just heard Xander’s pants fall to the floor. Then five seconds later she heard another layer of clothing, his shirt she guessed, hit the floor. She lay there just waiting for his touch, his body to make contact with her own. When she didn't feel anything for a moment she began to wonder if Xander had left, but then she felt his hand come in contact with the bottom of her waist as he slid it to her midriff.

Buffy let out a moan while his hand slid up and under her shirt all the way to her breasts as he cupped her left one, making her moan a little louder, "Oooh. Mmmm..." Then she felt his mouth engulf her right one over the fabric of her shirt as he wrapped his mouth around it. This sensation did nothing but make her moan louder and she couldn't help but jerk her hands forward a little against the chains from the sensation of his tongue against her breasts. Then his hand moved underneath her shirt and pinched her erect nipple hard, sending a shiver down her spine, "Xaaander, ooooh,” she moaned softly.

He pulled his mouth away from her right breast and slid the hand that was underneath her shirt down to the bottom of it. He then pushed it up and just over her breasts, giving him a clear view of them. The sensation of her breasts being exposed to the air sent shivers up her and she struggled weakly against the cuffs again. Xander took just a moment to marvel at her exposed body and then he lowered his face just over her right breast. Buffy could feel his breath just above her nipple ahen hen he flicked his tongue slightly out to lick it, she let out a long moan of pleasure, "Oooooh God." He flicked his tongue around her nipple, just teasing her with it before finally opening his mouth and engulfing her breast with his mouth as he started sucking on it. Buffy's legs were the only thing that she could move and they were nearly making up for what other parts she couldn't as they slid up and down the sheets. She could feel her wetness start to seep through her panties. Xander swirled his tongue around her nipple in his mouth and it was obviously driving Buffy to the edge of passion as she arched her back against his mouth.

"Xander, I .... ooooh God."

Xander pulled up from her breast and looked up at her to see her struggling to see through her blindfold, "Xander I wa..." but before she could finish he laid his fingertip across her mouth and shushed her. She flicked her tongue out across his fingertip. He let her suck it into her mouth briefly before pulling his hand away. Then all she could do was lean her head back onto the pillow and concentrate on the sensations that ran through her body at his touch.

Just when she felt like she was finally getting control of her breathing, she felt a chill come into contact with her nipple. She gasped and her whole body bucked in response. Seeing her reaction to the ice cube, Xander smiled as he began moving it around her nipple in a circle. The cold ice cube against her hot skin sent rivulets of water trickling down the side of her breast. She moaned and felt a chill go up and down her body. Xander worked the cube around her nipple, stopping to lick the melted water from her breast. He then trailed the cube between her breasts until it reached her other nipple, following the trail of the ice cube with his tongue.

Being blindfolded and unable to touch herself or Xander only heightened Buffy’s awareness of what he was doing to her. He circled her nipple with the ice cube, making sure to lick off the melting water. The combination of his hot tongue licking off the cold water made her wish that he would never stop. She couldn’t think of a time when she had felt comfortable enough with a lover to let herself be restrained and blindfolded, but with Xander everything was different. She trusted him with her body and her heart, and somehow she knew that he would never break that trust.

She moaned when he moved the ice cube away from her nipple and slid it up the top of her breast and then over her shirt and up the side of her neck. She gasped as he traced the cube across her parted lips, and as he slid it into her mouth, her lips wrapped around it and she began sucking on it. Then Xander brought his lips down to hers and covered her mouth with his while sucking on the ice cube sticking slightly out of her mouth and flicking his tongue against her lower lip. Buffy let out a sigh when he sucked the cube out of her mouth with his own and moved away from her.

She then felt him move down to the foot of the bed. It didn't take long for her to figure out what he was doing, but that still didn't prevent a low moan of ecstasy from escaping her lips when his hand came in contact with the top of her panties. Buffy's breathing quickened when he stroked her lightly right between her thighs, allowing him to feel her dampness. Then he took a hold of the top of her panties and started to slide them down her thighs. She raised her hips and he pulled them off and she heard the soft rustle of them being tossed on the floor. Her hips bucked slightly from the sensation of her sex being exposed to the air, and she immediately licked her lips at the thought of being in front of him with nothing on but the shirt pushed just over her breasts.

Xander’s hands ran up the side of both her legs, starting at her calves, all the way up to the inner part of her thighs. She felt his chilled fingers, still cold from the ice cube, grow nearer to her glistening sex. When his fingers came into contact with her lips she bucked her hips and moaned from the sensation. "Mmmmmm.... God, Xander please…..” she whimpered.

Xander then stroked two fingers on both sides of her clit and massaged the edge of her sex all the way around as she struggled, bucking her hips forward trying to drive his fingers inside her. He moved his hand away for a moment and she moaned from the loss of contact. Then she felt a drop of cold water hit just about her sex from the ice cube that Xander held over her. She pushed her hips forward and raised her head off the pillow as she gasped from the cold water running down her hot, wet sex. “Xander, please….” she moaned again.

Just then she felt him spread her opening apart with his fingers and blow a puff of air into it. She moaned and writhed and pushed her hips up towards his face. “God, Xander, I want you inside me,“ she said more insistently this time. She was now almost growling as she struggled against the cuffs more with each passing second. With her opening still spread apart with his fingers, Xander licked slowly around the edge of her clit. Then he pressed his thumb gently against it and began rubbing in small circles as he slid his tongue slowly inside her. That was too much for her and her body shattered around his tongue. She cried out and shouted his name as her body bucked against him.

"Ooooh yeah, Oooooooooh fffffuck!" she screamed, shuddering from her release. He kept thrusting his tongue inside her and massaging her clit, drawing out her orgasm. Her hips bucked against him, trying to ride his tongue faster. Xander then gripped both her hips tightly and ran his tongue up to her clit and began sucking on it. The sensation of his mouth and tongue around her clit brought such an intense wave of passion over Buffy that she jerked her hands forward and tore the chain of the cuffs through the wooden post and shattered it. Neither of them cared, especially Buffy as she brought her still chained hands to her face and pulled down the blindfold. Xander had only a second to look up at her before she grabbed hold of him and tossed him on his back.

Without a second of hesitation, Buffy reached down with her hands still cuffed together and pulled down his boxers as his cock sprung out. Without letting Xander catch his bearings she leaned down and brought her lips over his cock and engulfed it in one hard swoop.

"Ahhhh shit," was all Xander could get out as Buffy began to slide her lips up and down his cock, sucking and swirling her tongue around him as her head moved up and down. He pushed his fingers into her soft blond hair and closed his eyes and let her take over. She sucked him harder each time she m dow down his cock. She licked up the sides and sucked hard on his engorged head while stroking him fast with one hand. Then she slid her mouth back down, taking in as much of him as she could and gently massaging his tightening balls.

"Ooooh, God! Buffy! I'm about to... I'm about to cum!" he choked out, but at that second she slid her lips off of his cock and it sprung from side to side. She moved above him and leaned down and pressed the opening of her sex against at the tip of his cock. Xander had just enough time to look up at her as their eyes met before she lowered herself down onto him hard, taking him all the way into her. When Xander's cock hit the farthest part of the back of her walls, they both let out a moan of ecstasy. They stilled themselves just for a moment and looked at each other, lost in the pleasure of being as one. Buffy then began moving up and down his cock. Xander’s hands gripped her hips tightly as they established a rhythm. She moved slowly at first, and then faster as the pressure inside her built.

Buffy rode him faster and harder with her cuffed hands raised in the air and her firm breasts bouncing with each thrust. Xander could feel her walls tightening around his cock and knew she was about to come. Her eyes closed and her hands moved down to pinch her nipples as she bit her lower lip. Then she threw her head back and screamed his name as her walls clenched around him and an orgasm ripped through her body. Xander couldn’t control himself anymore when he felt her walls tighten and spasm around his cock. His head rolled back and he came deep inside her. He thrust into her several more times as his own orgasm rocked his body. Buffy continued to ride him, trying to milk every drop of fluid from him. She could feel him shooting inside her and mixing with her own wetness.

Finally their bodies stopped shuddering, and Buffy collapsed onto Xander‘s chest. She rested her head against his shoulder while they both caught their breath. Then she leaned up and kissed him softly while wrapping her still handcuffed hands around the back of his neck. Xander put his hand on the back of her head to deepen the kiss, and then they finally pulled apart. Xander looked into her eyes and pushed the hair back from her face. “I love you,” he whispered.

Buffy smiled back at him and whispered, “I love you, too.”

Xander reached up and pulled the blindfold over her head and tossed it on the floor. Then he reached over to the night table and held a small key up to Buffy. “I could unlock those for you. You know, unless you feel like sleeping in them,” he said, with a wicked smile on his face.

Buffy laughed softly and pulled her hands from behind Xander’s head. He unlocked the cuffs and tossed them onto the floor with the blindfold. She pushed her hands into his hair and brought her face down to his and kissed him long and hard. She finally pulled away and laid her head back onto his shoulder. He pulled the covers back over them, and within a matter of minutes Buffy's eyes closed, followed by Xander's as they fell asleep in each other's arms.


****************


O'Reilly's Quick Stop
On the corner of Lake View Drive
Same Night around 1:40 A.M.


Pat O'Reilly made his way from the back of the store to the front as he surveyed the place. {Damn that kid, where is he?}

Mr. O'Reilly was the only person left on duty except for Jimmy Boston. Jimmy wasn't just a co-worker to the store owner however, he was also a friend and once even a house guest. Jimmy had arrived in Sunnydale as a runaway from Los Angeles nearly four years ago. He had come into the convenience store one night and tried to hold up the place. The store owner remembered the look of fear in the then twenty one-year-old's eyes as he held the gun at him. It was obvious that the kid was in way over his head, and that became even more obvious when Jimmy slipped on the just-mopped floor. He’d fallen flat on his ass and accidentally shot himself in the arm in the process. Mr. O'Reilly called the paramedics and the kid was rushed to the hospital. The funny thing was, after the kid’s injuries had been taken care of, the store owner actually visited him like he was a friend.

The store owner smiled as he remembered Jimmy’s attitude towards him when he had walked into the hospital room to visit him that night. Mr. O'Reilly thought that it was strange that he was actually treating this kid as if he was his own son, yet there was something about the kid that made him feel for him. Later that week when Jimmy was able to be released from the hospital, Mr. O’Reilly actually offered the him a job in the very store he tried to rob. He even let him stay at his house for about a year until he was able to get a small place of his own.

Sometimes the kindest acts are those given when they are least deserved.

Now it was three and a half years later and the kid was not a kid anymore. He was starting to become a decent young man who was even thinking about going back to L.A. this summer to see if he could track down his mother. He’d always regretted leaving her, despite the troubles he had with his family.

Mr. O'Reilly came out of his thoughts as he walked out of the doorway, and headed back behind the counter. He walked around the far end of the counter and made his way to the cash register. Bending down underneath to the safe, he quietly turned the lock to the first part of the combination and then the second. However, hearing the front door open he raised his head above the counter to see the person who had just walked through the door.

"Oh, it's you. Scared me for a second there, son," he said chuckling. "If you'll take those cases of beer we just got in over there in the corner to the back I'll let you off early. Maybe you can go see that girl of yours," O'Reilly clicked the last combination on the safe while opening it. When he stood up he was surprised to see the person in front of him pointing a gun directly at him.

"Jimmy?" he said taken aback by the sight before him, "Jesus son, put that gun down before you hurt ..."

Nothing.

Nothing but the sound of the gun going off as the bullet hit Mr. O'Reilly square in the chest. Nothing but the sound of the store owner hitting the back counter as he fell to the ground.

Jimmy Boston calmly walked over and around the counter at the far side. He then made his way in front of the fallen store owner, bent down and clicked the last combination on the safe before reaching in and taking out the money. He walked back around the counter and calmly out of the convenience store without looking back.

Jimmy walked purposefully down the block and around the corner before making his way down the alley behind one of the buildings that used to be a bar. He just stopped in the middle of the alley and looked around as if waiting for something, for someone.

"You did well," the sultry voice said from behind him.

Jimmy turned around to face the person as he held out the bank bag filled with money.

"The money is of no importance. You passed the test," the woman said.

"Now do I get the prize?"

"Oh yes, you get the prize. You get the prize and so much more," she said walking around behind him.

The way she walked was more mesmerizing than any sight Jimmy had ever seen. Her hair swung fluidly down her shoulders with each step. She was the embodiment of perfection to Jimmy.

"You will now be rewarded," she said running her hand over his shoulder and down his chest. The feel of the skin on her hand as it grazed his neck was like silk. He felt himself being turned around to her as the bag of money hit the cement below him. The last thing Jimmy Boston's mortal eyes saw when he turned around was the visage of the woman just before sinking her teeth into him and he didn't care one bit. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.