Title: Bound 5/?
Author: gertinator
Pairing: Xander/Spike
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: slash and low to mid range kink
Notes: Happy Mother's day, ya'all. This chappie is dedicated to the love of my life who also happens to be a mommy, Trixx also known as synful_trixxie.
Summary: Spike has saved Xander from being a demon's slave... or has he?

part 1 | part 2| part 3| part 4





"So what does Mr. Ed have that I don't have, luv?" Spike asked, leering at the receptionist. Jenna smiled up at him, her eyes twinkling.

"Um, besides a pulse? And not being twice my grandma's age?" Jenna tapped her lip as if thinking. "Do you want it in alphabetical order, or order of importance?"

"Hey, I look mighty good for my age. Devilishly handsome, I am," Spike preened.

"Well, maybe devilish. Or at least... horny." Jenna smirked. The vampire emanated dangerous sexuality but Jenna wasn't about to tell him that. He already had an ego the size of Saskatchewan.

Spike leaned in, as if sharing intimate confidences. "S'pose the 'hung like a' is a given, yeah?"

"Oh yeah. And stamina for the long ride, too." Jenna nodded casually as if she had disclosed a stock tip, not given details on her sex life.

"How does one get to be a were-horse anyway?" mused Spike, lounging on the side of her desk and invading her space. Jenna just smirked. It was a game they played, trying to get a reaction out of the other. "Settled down in the daisies for a nice little nap and then Trigger wanders up for a nibble? Gets a mouthful of trousers by mistake?"

Jenna snorted. "Kurt's not a were, his mom's an elemental. He just... came out that way."

It wasn't as if she had to tell Spike anything, but she thought he might actually be genuinely interested. Anyway, he was one of the more entertaining parts of her day, and he and Xander ran the research department. Jenna was looking to move up from the meet and greet and it didn't hurt to make friends with department heads. She already did small jobs for them.

"Hmmm. Think I caught that show in Tijuana back in the 80s." Spike looked thoughtful. "Might have been a donkey though."

"If he hears you talk about his mom like that, you'll have to change your name to Dusty and start singing folk tunes... like Blowing in the Wind." Jenna thought about introducing Spike to her dark horse boyfriend and laughed. Elementals were known for their jealousy, and her boy was no exception. She might be amused by Spike's flirting, but Kurt wouldn't be.

"You gonna be a little tattle tail? Tell him what the Big Bad vampire's been sayin'?" taunted Spike, tugging at a lock of her hair.

"Awww," Jenna pouted and batted her eyelashes. "Thought you liked my tail." Spike leaned in and leered and then was pulled abruptly away.

"Hi, Xander," Jenna greeted the human half of Wolfram and Hart's own Bobbsey twins. It seemed as if the two were always together these days, and rumor had it there was some kind of demon bonding spell involved. Jenna had noticed a strange undercurrent in their emotions lately, but she couldn't quite get a lock on it.

"Stop bothering the pretty lady, Spike." Xander rolled his eye. "We want her to come work for us full time when Angel finally relents and rehires Harmony."

Xander smiled at Jenna, but she noticed he wasn't quite as friendly around her as he used to be. In fact, his friendliness seemed to always be in inverse proportion to Spike's flirtatiousness.

"You think he really will?" Jenna asked, interested.

She had jumped at the receptionist position when a friend of a friend had mentioned it. There weren't many businesses that were magic friendly, and it was nice to be respected for all of her abilities. It hadn't taken her long to get everything in order as head receptionist, though, and if it weren't for the research projects that got bumped to her, she would go crazy from boredom.

She had heard of the law firm, and knew it had been evil in the past, but she thought it was currently something more like evil adjacent. It seemed to work as a sort of gate, trying to mitigate the impact of the evil flowing through it. She wasn't anything close to a saint herself, so a little bit of evil in the pursuit of over all good was fine with her.

Angel was starting to trust her, and he had used her empathic abilities more than once to check the lay of the land as far as employee loyalty went. It also helped to have her at the front desk, scanning clients and visitors. It got her noticed, and she hoped she was becoming a member of the inner group.

But what she really hoped was it would eventually mean an office of her own. She imagined the row of computers searching databases at her command and grinned.

"Oh, yeah." Spike nodded knowingly. "Peaches is so desperate for family he'll adopt any blighter who's ever sneezed on him. He's just making the bint grovel 'cause it's the only evil he can do without having to brood over it. "

"Making Harmony grovel is of the good as far as I'm concerned. Didn't she get fired for selling you guys out?" Xander had calmed a little after putting himself between Spike and Jenna, but now he was getting an edgy crackle back to his energy.

"Yeah, but she's a vamp without a soul, pet. The pouf was expecting it." Spike shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"Harmony was evil long, long before she was turned," Xander commented, giving Jenna a wink. "I went to high school with her, I know." He glared at the vampire standing next to him, tried to make his next comments casual when they clearly weren't. "She dated Blondie here, too. Before and after the soul."

Ah, Jenna thought. That explained some of Xander's emotional disturbance at the mention of the old receptionist. He and the vampire were clearly "just friends" in an exclusive sort of way.

"Wouldn't call what we did after the soul 'dating', mate.'" Spike observed mildly, smirking. "Anyway, you see how picky you are after burning up to save the world and then being incorporeal for months. Went for the first pretty poppet I could get my hands on."

Xander made a noise halfway between a gag and a growl. His empathic signature spiked so high Jenna raised an eyebrow. Harmony might be getting more than she bargained for by coming back - like maybe a stake to the heart. Especially if she made a move on Spike.

"I heard she tried getting a job as a stripper, but kept flashing her demon face when she got turned on," Jenna whispered confidentially. She always knew the best gossip, and she thought this tidbit might soothe the waves of jealousy coming off the man in front of her.

Getting reassigned to research would give her time to sort the tangled emotion wrapped around these two, and wouldn't that be interesting? But if she wanted to actually get work done, she'd have to let Spike know he needed to lay off flirting in front of Xander. Xander clearly did not want to share his vampire.

"Oh, that's good," hooted Spike. "Bet that curled the goolies on the humans in the club."

Xander smiled wickedly in appreciation, giving Spike a kick. "Anyone getting off on Harmony completely deserves it."

"Speaking of getting off, I heard you had a hot red head teleport in to see you last night..." Jenna mentioned with a raised eyebrow, hoping for a little fresh gossip to brighten her day. "What's that about?"

"Aw, that's just his witchy mate Red. They've been chums since they were in nappies." Spike leered at Jenna from Xander's side. "Didn't know you were tracking the birds as well as the blokes..."

"I'm a woman of many... interests..." Jenna leered back. Spike licked his lips and waggled his tongue suggestively and Jenna made a face. "You need to keep your vampire on a leash," Jenna suggested to Xander. "Maybe take him to obedience school once in a while." She was gratified to feel Xander's jealousy cool and a tendril of humor curl out from him. He clearly liked hearing Spike referred to as "his vampire."

"We're taking Willow out dancing tonight if you want to, uh, come along and bring Kurt," suggested Xander.

"Hmmm." Jenna was supposed to go out with the boy anyway that evening. He had a tendency to get really possessive at the clubs, but that could play in her favor if it made Xander see her as less of a threat. "I just might do that."

****

"I can't count the number of clubs I've been in since high school, and somehow, they all make me miss the Bronze." Willow glanced around the room and sighed. She twirled the mini umbrella in her frostie girlie drink and smiled at her best friend.

"I know what you mean," Xander said, peeling the label from his beer. "Guess we've probably made it better in our memories, but the Bronze still stands for me as what a club should be."

"You are a melancholy lot of sods," Spike pronounced. "The spicy wings were pretty good, but otherwise, it was just another dark hole filled with teenage hormones." He finished off the last spicy wing on the plate in front of him, as if to make a point.

"Maybe that's what we liked about it," Xander pouted. "I miss my teenage hormones."

"You don't seem that far from your teenage self, actually," Willow commented. Between the flush of energy he seemed to be getting from the bond with Spike, and the fact that he was actually wearing the false eye she had sent him, Xander seemed to have dropped almost ten years.

"That's Spike's fault," Xander said, sticking his tongue out at the vamp. "His immaturity is contagious." Spike wiggled his eyebrows and made a rude gesture.

"What's that about anyway?" Jenna asked from her perch on Kurt's knee. They had invited her to hang out, so she figured it was only friendly to try to find out more about them. That and she had been dying for details on their sudden joined at the hip status, and no one seemed to know what had actually happened. "Rumor has it you two got caught in some bonding spell?"

"Yeah." Xander glanced at the vampire, but he was deeply engrossed in watching the band and licking hot sauce off his fingers. Xander tried to control the surge of lust as one pale finger after another slipped into Spike's mouth. "Uh, a spell." He could see the amusement in Jenna's eyes and knew he had been caught. Luckily the room was dark enough to hide his blush.

"So are you, like, his Consort now?" Jenna asked. Gossip was a form of currency in a law firm, and she liked to be the richest girl on the block. Kurt groaned and hid his head in her back. Leave it to his girl to go digging in the business of a master vampire.

Spike snorted. "Consorts are a load of bollocks made up by poxy gits who call vampires the Lonely Ones and fancy living forever without giving up their souls. Can't get it into their heads that they're food and nothin' more." Spike sucked the last sauce off his fingers and took a swig of his beer. "If a vampire thinks a human is worth keeping, they turn 'em. Otherwise, they're pets until they wear out."

"There are spells in the books..." Willow offered. She would have never brought the topic up, but it certainly was an interesting discussion.

"Been around a bit, haven't I?" Spike said with a raised eyebrow. "Never seen a vamp keeping a human like that, as a mate. Met a bloke once who had a herd, though, right civilized it was, snack any hour of the day or night..." He cut off at the queasy looks from the humans and licked his teeth in a fond smirk of memory.

"So is Xander your pet?" asked Jenna, curious, ignoring the nudge from her boyfriend trying to remind her to observe a little magical creature etiquette. Jenna had never been one for etiquette when there was something she wanted to know. As far as she was concerned, the fact that she had been born an empath gave her a right to stick her nose in other people's business.

"'s far more than a pet," Spike said, ruffling Xander's hair. Xander looked perplexed, but pleased. "Pets don't last long, generally, and this boy's a keeper." Spike shrugged. "Don't rightly know what we are, but closest thing seems to be a sire bond."

"Wow. Really? But you're still human, right?" Jenna was impressed, and even Kurt seemed to be intrigued.

"Yep. Mostly anyway, but with some enhanced features in the Xan 2.0." Xander waved his hands as if he were Vanna White displaying a particularly good prize. "Only downside seems to be a sudden lust for vampires." He finished his beer and waved to the waitress that he wanted another.

Spike was surprised Xander had shared that detail, but then again, the spell had brought a lot of the babble back to the boy. Spike would have never brought it up himself, but since the boy had, he decided to do a little digging. "Something I should know about, pet? Lust for vampires? Or lust for me? You haven't been sending grandpa the shady glances, have you?"

"I - I - ugh! No!" Xander sputtered, completely flustered. Spike leaned back in his chair and smiled. That was all he needed to know.

"I wonder..." Willow pulled out her little velvet notebook and flipped through her pages of jottings and diagrams. "We never checked that. The repulsion bit of the spell might not work on other vamps in the Aurelius line."

"So what? I can go for the crazy lady who talks to stars and calls me her kitten or..." Xander couldn't even make himself say it. "No. No way, no how. I am not bending over for Deadboy. Yuck! I'd rather become a priest."

"Well, there's always me, luv, I'm no Angel... Maybe we can even work up a bit of a threesome, if you're wanting a bird..." Spike leaned in and leered as the rest of the table watched in amusement. Xander looked like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide, mouth open. He moved forward as if to meet the vampire in a kiss, but then he got control of himself abruptly and pulled away, clearly regrouping for a witty comeback.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll steal my diamonds and bring me back some gold. But if you offer to show me your tattoo, I'm out of here." Xander pulled at his shirt, jiggling it to try to create a breeze. "I'm feeling a little warm. Any one else warm? I think I'm going to go dance on the cool, air conditioned dance floor with the big overhead fans. Blowing wind to cool me off, because, man, is it warm up here. Anyone care to join me?"

Xander chugged the fresh beer the waitress had just brought him and was out of his seat in seconds, Spike on his heel with a predatory grin.

"Well, that was fun," Jenna commented to Willow. "Is this really all a spell?"

"I'm not sure," Willow said thoughtfully, a bemused expression on her face. "They've always... had a thing, a bantery thing, lots of tension and unresolved... stuff, if you know what I mean. And Xander attracts demons... I don't know."

"Can we just go dance?" asked Kurt plaintively. "I just met these two for the first time, I don't need to know about their repressed man love."

Jenna hopped to her feet and held out her hand. "Let go rub bodies in sweaty dirty ways, sweetie."

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Kurt agreed with enthusiasm. "You coming?" he asked Willow.

"In a minute..." she murmured, scribbling some more notes in her little book.

*****

Xander was last to join the meeting. Without thinking, his feet took him to the open spot next to Spike. He stopped himself. He didn't like to think the spell made him do it. He deliberately turned to the other side of the table... then took the spot across from Spike. Spike smirked as if he knew just the thought process that had brought Xander there.

"We have a problem," Gunn began.

"Don't we always?" Angel rolled his eyes.

"This one involves Spike," Gun continued. Big surprise, Angel's expression said. "And Xander."

"Willow's trying to find a way to break the binding spell," Xander contributed. "She says it's really complicated, though."

"Right now, it's better if she doesn't. This got delivered this morning." Gunn slid a bundle of papers down to Angel

"What is this?" Angel asked, flipping through the official looking forms.

"Legal writ from the Beilissith clan of Naad, demanding Spike and Xander be turned over to them immediately," Gunn explained grimly.

"What???" Xander and Spike exclaimed, almost in unison.

"Apparently the Beilissith clan has hunting rights on Earth according to a treaty negotiated through the Senior Partners a millennia ago. They say Spike unfairly denied them a legal capture, as well as killing Sleikslath Naad, son of Shuillera, who was the designated hunter for this dimension. They plan to execute Spike after a bit of torture, and reclaim Xander as a slave," explained Gunn.

"No way," Xander whispered hoarsely, trying to suppress a shudder. "I won't go. I'd rather die."

"Won't let them have you," growled Spike, reaching out a hand to reassure his boy.

"Don't worry, Xander," Angel assured him. "I might be tempted to give them Spike, but I won't give them you. How do we defend against this, Gunn?"

Gunn flipped through the paperwork. "Xander had no claim mark, and since humans are considered little more than cattle - " he grimaced, "He was free for the taking. According to the contract, Spike did commit an unlawful taking of life and property."

"I told that scaly grey bastard that the whelp was mine. If he would have listened, we could have waited and killed him in a right proper manner," snarled Spike. "Not letting a soddin' Naad get his hands on Harris."

"You told him that?" asked Gunn, making a note on his legal pad. "You said you had a claim on Xander?"

"I'm not bloody stupid. Knew the only chance to keep Harris from that wanker was if I claimed ownership. Told him I hadn't gotten around to marking the boy. He was the one who got rude and started the sodding pissing contest." Spike looked to Angel. "You know I couldn't back down. Couldn't pull a runner, anyway, he bloody well put the boy in thrall."

Gunn was making more notes on the pad. "You and Xander lived together for a while back in Sunnydale, didn't you?"

"Oh, yeah, I was the regular Harris Hostel for Hostiles. Twice. Once when Blood Breath first got chipped, then again when he turned Soulboy and was all crazy weird and the First was messing with him." Xander paused and thought about it. "Actually, three times, if you count when we all lived with Buffy near the end."

"Maybe we can show a past history, sort of circumstantial ownership. I don't suppose you've ever had any of Xander's blood?" Gunn turned to Spike, and Spike was struck by how casually the question was asked.

"You've changed, Lawyer boy." Spike commented. The old Charles Gunn would have never asked that kind of question without a stake at the ready.

Gunn shrugged. "Still don't like blood suckers, but in this case, the Naad are clearly the bigger evil. If I can find a legal way out of this, we'll all be better off."

"First time I met Blondie, Deadboy offered to share my neck, but no, I managed to avoid that until after Mr. Tall, Dark and Scaly made his moves on me," Xander answered.

"Angel offered you to him?" Gunn was excited and a little appalled. One part of him did not want to know about the vampire he called boss doing such things, another part was thrilled that this could be the foundation of their case. "Did you really mean it, Angel? Did you genuinely offer to share Xander with Spike? The truth spell will know, so it only counts if you would have let Spike drink Xander's blood."

"It was a trap." Angel stared into space, not making eye contact. Illyria wouldn't jusdge him, but he didn't want to see the expression on Nina's face. He tried to remember the vampire/person he had been back when he first met Buffy. So much had changed since then. "I wouldn't have let Spike drain him."

Xander snorted. "Thanks for the honesty, Soulman. I never did trust you. I wouldn't have let him drain him is not exactly reassuring."

"Hah!" crowed Spike. "Knew you weren't such a bleeding Boy Scout. Had them fooled, but not me."

"Spike had Buffy," Angel explained to Gunn. "Xander agreed to help get in past Spike's defenses."

Gunn was writing on his pad a mile a minute. "Could be a Sire gift. How old were you, Xander?"

"Sixteen, maybe seventeen?" answered Xander, biting his lip.

"Too young to turn if Spike wanted you as childer. This could work, this could work. If we can prove they made the unlawful take, we can break the contract allowing hunting in our dimension." Gunn was practically bouncing with glee. "You were feuding, Xander was young. Spike did you actually refuse Xander?"

"No, he threw a hissy fit about what a shitty sire I was." Angel grimaced as he answered for Spike. Spike flipped him off.

"Wasn't just whinging. I had genuine complaints," Spike protested.

"So you never refused the gift. The bond can be considered pending as long as it was never refused. Xander gave Spike refuge when he needed it, and he was living with him prior to the Naad's claim, both here and in Sunnydale." Gunn rocked his hand in the air in a victory cheer. "Yes! We've got them!"

"You're saying I've legally belonged to Spike all this time?" Xander shuddered, but also felt a faint thrill. "Even when I hated him and beat the crap out of him for sleeping with Anya?"

"Who was Anya?" Gunn asked, ignoring Spike's leer and Angel's look of disgust.

"My fiance." The word held all sorts of heavy memories and Xander could feel Spike's eyes on him, but he refused to look up.

"Ex-fiance. He left her at the alter. I was giving comfort." Spike felt the load of Xander's regrets, but he wasn't about to open that can of worms in the conference room. Best to just stick to the party line. Anyway, the boy had treated her like shite and Spike had no remorse.

"On video broadcast," snorted Xander, remembering his rage that day.

"That was the Geek Triumverate's fault," Spike defended, caught between the need to defend himself and dislike for the wave of hostility suddenly coming from Xander. Okay, maybe he regretted the camera bit, but he hadn't exactly planned for that, had he?

"You were on a table at the Magic Box!" Xander realized he was yelling and lowered his voice.

"Didn't mean for it to happen," Spike said, as close as he was willing to come to an apology. "Really wasn't about you, pet."

"Yeah, I know." Xander admitted. He had screwed up things with Anya on his own, and he had also long since made his peace. He wasn't even sure why he had brought it up.

"Anyway, you got your licks in. Planted a facer on me, nearly got up close and personal with the pointy wood bits." Oddly enough, the fact that Xander had almost killed Spike was one of the things Spike liked most about him. Best childer were those who fought like hell, loved and hated their sires. That's what Angelus always said.

"Wow. You Sunnydale folk are messed up." Gunn said, breaking in since the two seemed to have resolved their conflict. He knew they could go on all day if given the space. "But that helps our claim. Spike shared your human mate. We won't mention the near staking. Any other little tidbits? I'm assuming Spike saved your life a few times, and you probably saved his?"

Xander swallowed, suddenly serious. "Spike saved me from Caleb."

"Not damn soon enough and I'd have ripped that unholy prat from limb to limb nice and slow like if I would have had the time. What he did to you, still makes me itch to kill things." Spike's fists clenched and his voice came out in a low rumble of hostility. "Bastard could see how you held us all together, knew if he took you out, we'd fall apart."

Xander stared at his hands while Spike ranted. Caleb still showed up in his nightmares, along with the feel of Spike pulling him to safety. Spike seemed to notice where his thoughts had gone and reached out to nudge Xander's hand.

"Sorry, pet. Didn't mean to get all worked up and push your thoughts back there." Xander looked up and held Spike's gaze while the room around remained silent.

Gunn seemed to be trying to figure out what was going on without disturbing the two. He looked to Angel who tapped his eye. Gunn nodded in understanding and made a few more notes on his pad.

"Okay. I need to do some research, but I think we might actually have a strong legal case here. Especially since the spell the Naad cast recognized Spike's claim. Spike, Angel, I'll need to take statements for my rebuttal, and we'll have to do it under a truth spell. I'm gonna word the questions as narrow as I can, but I think we can make it convincing. Don't undo the bonding until we have this clear, okay?" Gunn looked from the human to the vampire, who both nodded their assent.

"Don't think that's gonna be a problem." Xander sighed. "Willow isn't getting anywhere, anyway."

It wrenched at Spike to hear the hopelessness in Xander's voice, to see him slumped and dejected like that. Especially since parts of Spike were singing their praises at the bonding and didn't want to let it go.

****

"Whatcha doing over there, Jenna?" asked Xander, as he flopped down with the new journal he had grabbed from the vault. They had the fancy catalog books that could call up anything W & H owned, but he still liked the feel of the authentic leather covers and old parchment. It reminded him of Giles, of simpler days. It was one of the things that made him ask Angel if he could be placed in research. He had been a little shocked to find out Spike ran the department, and even more shocked when Spike made him a dual department head.

"Running a data search program on 6th century portal breaches." Jenna waved a hand and jotted some notes on a pad. "Takes a while to search."

Xander nodded to her lap. "And that?

She held up mini crossbow made of pens, rubber bands, and paperclips and winked. She pulled the toothpick out of her mouth and shot it at Spike, hitting him in the neck.

"Oi! What's that for, luv?" asked Spike, rubbing his neck in dismay. He came away with a smear of blood and sucked his finger suggestively, batting his eyelashes at her. Xander smelled an intense release of pheromones and narrowed his eyes. Count on Spike to get turned on by a girl drawing his blood.

"For not having my office ready. And for being you." Jenna stuck out her tongue playfully. She had resolved to cut down on her flirting with the vampire, but Spike was just such a damn easy target.

"Well, I'll take responsibility for being my gorgeous self, but the office is the pouf's fault. Beheaded the last bloke and got the furniture all covered in Baznit blood. Stuff eats through all natural materials. Lucky the carpet was synthetic or you wouldn't be in for a week." Spike sighed. "Tell ya what. Captain Forehead has a meeting across town tonight. We'll sneak in his office and liberate the desk and all that rot for you."

"No way. I've heard stories about Angel's office furniture." Jenna made a "Pssssss" sound and giggled.

"You know all the gossip, don't you, luv?" Spike laughed. "Promise Gunn hasn't been near the new stuff."

Xander glared between the two of them. He used to be amused by their banter, but lately it just grated on him. Especially since Jenna had become a full time member of the Special Research team - meaning Angel trusted her to not be evil, and she was suddenly part of the late night research parties.

Xander wanted her in the department, he truly did. He just wanted her to lay off the flirtations with his vampire.

It didn't help that Xander was finally figuring out the details of his newly enhanced senses. He didn't quite have a vamp nose, but he was particularly in tune with Spike's scent. In fact, it had taken him a while to sort out the smell of arousal, since he had thought it was just part of Spike's signature. Vampire signature, actually, since Angel always carried a low level of it, too, though Xander tried not to think of why Angel might be aroused around him. Angel's scent was usually overpowered by the muggy staleness that Xander guessed was guilt or shame, and he generally avoided Xander unless there were at least two other people in the room.

But once Xander had burst in on Angel with Nina in his lap, and the tangy sharp scent of lust, almost like chili peppers under his tongue, had been overpowering. He had known for sure then what he had been smelling all along. No wonder he was perpetually horny; Spike gave off more pheromones than a dog in heat, and Xander was constantly breathing them in.

After that, Xander had started to track Spike's scent, the roller coaster ride of lust as it went up and down but never quite disappeared. He also liked to note his own effect on the Bleached Wonder. He couldn't help it. The vampire filled all of his waking thoughts and a good portion of his dreams. If Willow couldn't break the spell, Spike was the only sex he would ever have for the rest of his life. That alone was getting him past any clinginess to the het life.

Xander noticed that Spike liked him in certain colors, dark silks, and tight jeans. Spike liked it that he was gaining skill at sparring, and even though he couldn't best the Master Vampire, he could hold his own. Every solid blow to the vamp was rewarded with a heady release of lust perfume.

Xander also noticed that Spike liked flirting with Jenna. A lot. And he called her "luv."

Jenna was devoted to Kurt and not interested in a fling with the undead. Xander understood that. He knew it was harmless teasing, but that didn't help. It pissed him off and Spike had to know it. Xander had been planning his revenge for a while. Tonight was the night. If he didn't do something, he was going to break and take it out on Jenna in a totally unprofessional way. And he knew it was really Spike who deserved to suffer.

Xander watched their flirting match escalate for another few minutes before excusing himself and going up to his apartment. It was almost the end of the day, he justified. A typical night for them ended at midnight or so, so Jenna could see her boy, Spike could prowl and Xander could sleep. He would play his little game, Jenna wouldn't know, and Spike would go out and drink it off at the bars.

He pulled the plastic plug out of its bubble pack and carefully washed it. He wanted it to smell fresh and new, wanted Spike to be able to figure out what he had done. The next step was a generous squirt of cherry lube. He was a little grossed out by the fake fruity smell, but he wasn't planning on subtlety. Not for Spike. And the cherry added nice commentary.

Xander stared at the object in his hand and almost put it down. The old Xander would have never done anything like this, and not only was it a walk on the gay side, the plan clearly had evil vampire undertones, along with a little bit of malicious immaturity.

Xander closed his eye and put his forehead to the wall and thought of Spike. Thought of Spike that night in the sewers, thought of him the morning Xander had found himself in the wrong room. Thought of how Spike had reacted when Willow did the kiss test, and the fact that Spike could still manage to have sex with others, even if it was "a little harder to get his end off." Just the thought of Spike touching someone, anyone but him, made Xander homicidal.

They had been playing a teasing, flirting game ever since Willow had been to visit, and Xander knew that Spike had purposely been giving him space and trying to play the normal. Xander just wasn't sure that he wanted to maintain the status quo, that he wanted things to be normal. He certainly didn't feel normal anymore, what with his jealous lusting after Spike and weird dreams and heightened senses.

He slid a cherry scented finger back to his hole, knowing somehow that he was dressing in red before running with the bulls but he didn't care. It didn't take long for him to relax enough to fit the plug in place. His daily showers had involved a regular amount of exploratory touching and incandescent memory.

The curve of the plug felt foreign, but exciting. His cock was semi hard, and he was glad he had been wearing baggy khakis, because a change of pants would have called the game far too soon. He could smell his own scent of lust, and he knew that would only intensify as soon as he saw Spike.

He wiggled a little, tried to get himself under control. The point was a slow torture of Spike, but it would clearly be mutual destruction. He considered beating off, to take of the edge, but that would require a shower to kill the scent and again, it would give away the game too soon.

No, this was best. Let Spike smell all the details, from his hard on to the cherry lube to the fresh plastic of his new toy. Let him suffer, because Xander was sick of suffering alone.

He rode the elevator down to the research floor, feeling smug and powerful. That lasted right up until he walked through the door.

Spike's head shot up and his nostrils trembled. His eyes narrowed down to slits, and Xander saw the yellow in them. Xander's cock went rock hard and his legs turned into spaghetti noodles. He practically fell into his chair.

"Bout time you got back, tosser," Spike said, glaring, emphasizing the word. He wasn't sure exactly what Xander had done, but he had his suspicions. The boy reeked of sex. And artificial cherries. And fresh plastic? "The old cow here found two portal openings that coincide with the prophecy."

"No way you can call me old, Mr. Victorian Sunshine. And I may have pretty little titties, but they sure as hell ain't udders." Jenna passed a printout to Xander. Her eyes narrowed for a moment and she examined him suspiciously.

Jenna couldn't smell anything more than a normal human, but Xander hadn't counted on her empathic abilities. She sensed something was weird between the man and the vampire. Weirder than usual, that is. They were close to finishing the assignment, though, so she held out, breathing deeply and trying to stay above the tension that was ratcheting up in the room.

After about twenty minutes, she piled up a stack of printouts and copies, scrawled a note and clamped them together with a binder clip. She tossed the bundle into Spike's lap.

"I'm done with my part. Add your translation and pass it along to the big guy. I'm outta here." She bounced to her feet with a sigh of relief.

"It's still early," Xander protested, suddenly afraid to be left alone with the vampire he had been taunting. Spike's eyes were still threaded with gold, and Xander could hear him breathing which was never a good sign.

"Not willing to play buffer girl. Call me if you want a threesome." She winked at Spike when Xander's jaw dropped open. She paused to slip a small paper in Xander's book.

"What's this?" Xander read the note to himself. 'Teasing a bear will leave you bare-assed.' "Huh?"

"Think of it as a fortune cookie. Without the cookie." Jenna smirked. "I'm gone. Got a hot date."

"Gonna change into your riding habit, luv?" asked Spike, deliberately casual though the glare he was throwing at Xander showed that up as a facade.

"You're just jealous that I won't play jockey with you," taunted Jenna, blowing him a kiss. "Don't hurt him," she mouthed to Spike and tilted her head at Xander. "At least, not too much."

Spike shrugged and made a helpless gesture that seemed to indicate people always get what they deserve.

Research continued for another half hour, though very little was accomplished. Xander wriggled on his seat, feeling the plug in his ass, the weight of his arousal, the sharp edge of Spike's lust in his nose and under his tongue. Even his skin felt itchy with need. He was caught between being incredibly turned on and a little wary of what he had started. He knew if he didn't leave soon, he would be spreading for the vampire, flat on his back on the desk. Or maybe down on all fours. He wasn't even sure whose choice it would be, only that it was inevitable.

They hadn't said a word to each other since Jenna left, and Xander could hear the vampire breathing raggedly. He squashed the feeling of pride and elation at how he could work over a master vamp, make him take unnecessary breaths to steady himself. Spike was never predictable, and every second that he stayed in the room was one more pull of the trigger in this peculiar Russian Roulette.

Xander couldn't read a word in front of him, and anyway, they had the important bits done. This was all about a power of wills, and who did he think he was kidding in trying to best Spike? He caved.

"Gonna take a shower..." Xander mumbled. Spike looked up and his eyes were narrow and rimmed with yellow. Pure lust. Xander felt it straight through to his cock, which twitched happily in recognition.

"I'm not gay," he told himself, though the toy in his ass was giving a different viewpoint, and his cock was screaming for Spike, so clearly it had its own opinion as well.

Xander fairly raced out of the room, and he heard Spike growl at his fast retreat.

In the shower, Xander pictured Spike's eyes, Spike's scent, as he stroked himself, rocking his ass against the shower wall so that the plug pushed further inside him.

"Oh, god, Spike," he moaned, mad at himself, sick with lust and want. "This is so gay, I'm so gay now, and I don't even care, I just want..."

"What do you want, pet?" asked a deadly quiet voice.

"Spike?!" Xander squeaked the name, opening a startled eye and trying to cover his manly bits. Unfortunately, said manly bits seemed to like the attention and bobbed a friendly hello. "Door was locked, Spike," Xander said, trying to sound firm though his knees were weak.

"More than 100 years of evil, pet. Locked doors don't mean anything." Spike paused, then continued in the quiet voice that somehow was far more intimidating than a yell. "You said my name." Xander tried to read the expression on Spike's face, but he had no idea what it meant. Angry, menacing, aroused... betrayed.

In a flash of vampire speed, Spike was in the shower with him, had him pinned cheek to the wall. The cool feel of vamp skin told Xander Spike had some how managed to strip in that bare second's time, and that made him flush with fear and desire.

"You've been confused and I respected that," Spike whispered in his ear. The tone was low and raw and sent shivers down Xander's spine. The soul made Spike more human, but there was no mistake about it, he was still also demon, and Xander had really pissed him off.

"Not into blokes, you said," Spike continued, "Didn't want me to take you again." Spike effortlessly held Xander's hands against the wall with only one of his. His other hand slid down the broad plane of Xander's back and over the curve of his quivering buttocks, tracing a path through the warm rivulets of water.

The small shower reeked with the heavy scent of two aroused males. Spike's erection pressed into Xander's hip, and Xander's own cock was hard enough to cut steel. He gasped, trying to get some air, but all he could taste was Spike.

It was true, Xander had told the vampire all of those things. And yet he had pushed and pushed until this moment. He had to admit to himself, he might not be interested in men but he was damn well interested in Spike.

Spike's finger was gently tracing the base of the plug. Xander recognized it for what it was: the calm before the storm. Any second now, Spike's tight control was going to break and Xander was going to be punished for baiting the bear. You were so of the right, Jenna, he thought ruefully. And yet, he didn't regret a thing. He knew Spike wouldn't hurt him. Much.

"You chose a piece of plastic over me, pet." Spike sounded oddly hurt, but also extremely horny, and still so deadly deadly calm. "You think this -" his finger flicked at the plug, making Xander moan, "Could be better than my cock?"

"Felt so empty," Xander confessed to the cool tile of the wall. He was glad for the never-ending spray of droplets, because he was sure his cheeks were wet, and he didn't want Spike to know that. "Needed something... wanted to make you... notice..." Had that been his plan? Shit, no wonder they never followed his plans.

"I noticed, pet." Spike was playing with the toy now, getting a symphony of noises from the man pinned to the wall as he pushed and rubbed and wiggled it. "You've been rubbing my nose in your scent for a week or more now. The only reason I haven't taken you - " Spike paused, seemed to reconsider what he was going to say. "You didn't choose this bond, pet. Still a chance Red might be able to break it."

The soft, understanding tone of Spike's voice was a direct counterpoint to the way his thumb was viciously working the plug in Xander's ass. Xander squirmed against the tile, trying to get some friction to his cock. If only he could shut of his brain, he could come! Didn't Spike understand this was not the time for a serious talk?

"Want you..." Xander managed to pant out.

"Do you now?" Spike's tone was edged with danger again. "And what about tomorrow?" Spike ground his hard prick into Xander's hip, letting him feel the full state of his arousal. "I give you a bit of that, I reinforce the bond. You could belong to me forever."

Xander's brain was hazy with want, need, and he arched against Spike, tried to get as much skin contact as he could. If he had been able to think, he might have heard the wistful tone of Spike's words, the need and regret under the harshness. But all the subtlety was lost on him in his single minded desire to just fucking come already.

"Spike, please..." He begged, eyes closed, humping the tile. "Please make me come."

Suddenly the spray of the water changed, a hot wash along Xander's back and down to his ass.

"Chose this bit of plastic over me," hissed Spike. "Maybe it's all you deserve." Spike set the massage head to the base of the toy and Xander felt vibrating waves run through his prostrate and all the way up to his chest as the water pounded into his ass. It wasn't Spike, but it felt damn good.

"Oh, fuck, Spike. Oh, fuck," he ground out as his orgasm swelled.

"Touch yourself," Spike commanded gruffly. Xander did as he was told, marveling at the focused pleasure of the vibration against his ass, the tug of his own fingers, and Spike's cool body rubbing up against him. It only took about three pulls and he was there.

He came with a loud cry and felt the cool sticky wash of what he assumed was vampire come across his back. As he tried to catch his breath and make his mind work again, he felt the shower spray go back to its normal perch, washing all evidence of Spike's orgasm down the drain.

Cool fingers pulled the plug from his ass and threw it to the ground.

"You ever wear that thing around me again, you'd better be prepared to spread 'em and take my cock." Xander felt a cool finger at his over stimulated hole. "I will take you and make you mine," Spike growled, low and fierce. "For the rest of your life."

Suddenly the weight of the vampire was gone. Xander rested his forehead against the tile, tears running down his cheeks. He heard the slam of a door and knew Spike was off to kill things.

He slid to the floor, grateful for the never ending hot water of the shower. Some benefits to bedding down with evil, and speaking of which, what the hell had he been thinking?!

He had been pushing Spike to make another claim on him, ignoring the consequences. The permanence. As in forever. No more of the kissage of women, no more of the worship of boobies, no more of sleeping spooned to a body as warm as his own.

It was ridiculous that the most impulsive, reckless, ADD vampire ever sired had thought all those things out...and was protecting him from himself. His chest tightened at the thought, at the depth of caring it represented. Spike had made it clear that he wanted Xander... he had also made clear that he didn't believe Xander really wanted him. He was so wrong.

"Oh, god," Xander said, pounding his head against tile for good measure. Deja vu and all that. Why did his revelations seem to come in the shower? "I really am so fucked."

Xander was pretty sure Spike was in love with him, and he felt the same way. He did the only thing he could think of. He got out of the shower, dried off... and then he called Willow.

"Are you sure you really want to be tied to someone like Spike for the rest of your life?" Willow asked, her voice filled with concern.

"It's not like I have a choice. Anyway..." He faded off with a distant look and suddenly the more mature, tired Xander came back. "I learned a lot in Africa, Wills. About what it means to be human... and not. I had my lines drawn pretty black and white back in Sunnydale, but in Africa... I saw humans doing things... as bad as any demons we fought. I even killed a few people myself."

At the squeak from Willow, he sighed. "Giles knows, and we agreed to keep it out of the reports. I did what I had to do, I don't feel guilty. Those men... were barely men at all. I had this friend who was a journalist... " He faded out again. "Anyway, Spike, Spike's not so bad. In fact, these days he's pretty good." Xander laughed at himself, at the dirty edges that slipped into his thoughts. "Kinda weirds me but, the lusting and panting bit, but even that... I'm not sure that is entirely the spell. Everything with a functioning sex drive wants Spike; he’s his own sexual orientation.**"

"I just want you to be happy, Xan, whatever that means. But maybe we should still try to break the spell, so that you would know it was really just about you." Willow's concern was clear over the phone.

"Honestly, Will, the spell doesn't bother me. In fact, I kinda... I kinda like feeling like I belong to him. I feel more at home here that, well, than I ever have anywhere." Xander scrubbed his hands through his hair. "It's just weird, you know, knowing it's Spike."

"Well, Buffy loved him, too, Xan. So he's clearly got something a little special about him. And he was devoted to Drusilla for a hundred years. That says a lot. I do think he really cares about you," she added reassuringly.

Xander wasn't particularly pleased to be reminded of the women in Spike's past, but then he reminded himself how Spike had promised to claim him forever.

"Looks like I've finally found that monogamous demon who won't eat me after the honeymoon is over." Xander blushed and was glad Willow couldn't see him. "At least, not in a way that involves food."



** Everything with a functioning sex drive wants Spike; he’s his own sexual orientation is a quote attributed to Andrew in a story by the lovely lunabee, but it was just so perfect here that I had to borrow it. I'm hoping she won't mind.