Summary: If his Boy is gone, what's left?
Rating: Safe for all
Warning: Complete mush – too sweet for words!
Disclaimer: The boys do belong to me, but only in a 'I'm obviously delusional and need some psychiatric help' kinda way!
Feedback: would be lovely – this is to make up for the mean fic I posted earlier!
Poetry Lesson III : Facing the Sun
“OMG Spike, what happened to you?!!” The sheer horror in the Slayer's voice should have been enough to bring him to his senses. But it wasn't. His Boy was gone – nothing made sense anymore, nothing mattered anymore. Nothing remained but facing the sun, his steps taking him to the Magic Box with no forethought.
“Angelus....” he stuttered, swaying in the doorway, the gruesome gift still clutched tight to his chest.
“Well yes, we meant to warn you - we saw Angelus – he almost got Xander but he managed to escape … ” Giles' voice reached him from very far away.
“No, you don't understand. Angelus took his heart and gave it to me – left it as a gift”. The vampire sounded so lost, so bereft – incongruous with the picture he presented, blood smeared across his chest, bloody hands held out to them like an offering.
“Oh dear Lord!” The Watcher finally put two and two together and realised what had happened. He moved towards Spike, slowly, hands held in front of him to show he meant no harm. “Spike, no, Xander got away – he's got some lacerations, but Willow is bandaging him up now. Believe me, he's safe”.
“He's – what? No, no. Angelus left me a poem – he said..... he said it was so I could keep his heart with me always...” Looking up at Giles, he had never looked less the Big Bad, instead he stood before the Watcher, a small, thin, lost man, all hope stripped away.
“Buffy, get Xander,” Giles ordered, taking Spike by the shoulders and leading him to one of the chairs round the research table. Ignoring the books strewn around, he sat on the edge of the table, looking down at the Vampire. Taking the leaking heart from the his loose grasp, Giles tried to get through to him again. “Spike, you need to give me that. Angelus lied to you – he was messing with your mind. Xander is here – safe”.
“Safe?”
“Blondie?” Shirtless, a white bandage showing starkly against his tan, Xander stepped through from the training room, heading straight towards his lover. “Spike – oh my God, what's wrong?”
“XANDER!!” Leaping to his feet, Spike strode across the room, yanking the tall man into his arms and burying his face in his neck. Inhaling deeply of that unique aroma that made up his Boy, he took deep unneeded breaths, his mind refusing to accept that what he was seeing was real.
“Hey, Bleachie, it's ok. You know there's no way Deadboy was gonna get the drop on me. It's ok, really, sssh now”. Wrapping his arms around the shaking vampire, Xander pressed kisses against his hair and forehead, wherever he could reach, his hands stroking up and down Spike's back.
Spike looked up at last, grabbing Xander's face in his hands and pulling it down until their foreheads were pressed together. His eyes closed, he thanked all of the Gods of the Undead Evil for keeping his boy safe, for not taking away his reason for un-living. Shifting his face to the side, he pressed their lips together, putting everything he felt into that kiss – love, longing, fear – everything. He held nothing back. And Xander – his beautiful, loving Boy – gave him everything in return. Their arms wrapped around each other, they held on tight, both almost drowning in the knowledge of how close they had come to losing each other.
“Oh my Goddess, Buffy, he really does love him!”
“Yeah Willow, it looks like he really does”. Buffy coughed slightly. “And I gotta say it - they look really hot together....”
“Well yes, be as that may be, perhaps we should er settle down and try to figure out what exactly is occurring....” wiping his glasses, Giles avoided looking at the kissing couple. “Come along, Willow, Buffy – let's give them some semblance of privacy”, and so saying he shuffled and nudged the girls back towards the training room, away from the completely oblivious pair.
“...and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)”
“I Carry Your Heart with Me“ – E E Cummings