"Hello! First Evil - gone. What the hell," Xander asked as several demons charged them.

"Told you before, Xan," Faith said, getting into fighting stance. "Just because the First is out of the way doesn't mean ALL evil is gone." The two fought and killed the charging demons, picked up the discarded weapons and headed back to the Summers house.

Faith and Xander walked into the house and were met by Buffy and Giles sitting on the couch talking to Willow. "Ah," Giles said. "How was patrol?" Buffy was actually taking nights off to relax once in a while, now that the dark-haired Slayer was back in town and fighting on the side of good.

"Busy," Xander replied. "But profitable," he joked, holding up several daggers and swords. "I'm going to take these to the basement for cleaning."

"Ooh, warning," Willow spoke up. "Spike's down there. He's still pissed about that spell." Xander nodded and headed for the basement.

~~~~~

About a week after Faith arrived, Angel and his group came back to Sunnydale. Cordelia, upon setting eyes on Spike, had a vision of someone with dark hair casting a spell, then Spike having sex with Buffy. Of course, being Cordelia, she claimed she was going to go wash her brain out with lye soap to get rid of that mental picture.

Willow cast a revealing spell that showed Spike being tainted and discovered that Druscilla was responsible. She managed to break Dru's spell and all of the feelings of love Spike held for Buffy rushed out of him painfully. His screams could be heard for a mile. After the physical pain subsided, he cried out in anguish over all that he had done for the blonde slayer, his reclaimed soul being the most agonizing. No one could begrudge him his anger toward his maker.

Naturally, he took it out on everyone, since Druscilla was off somewhere with a horned, slimy demon (of questionable parentage, according to Spike). Xander had finally convinced him to redirect all that rage into the final battles with the First Evil. It was a good thing too. While the Slayers, souled vampires, potentials, and any other fighter available fought off the Bringers and other agents of the First, the magically inclined in the group had time to do their work.

Oddly enough, Ethan Rayne had been the one to fill in the blanks. He arrived shortly after Angel's group and was immediately bound to a chair. Giles, feeling Ripper very close to the surface, asked for a few hours alone with the wizard. Ethan was carried down to the basement where Spike had been staying and Giles locked everyone else out. After the first hour, Spike and Angel got even paler than normal and went out to sit on the shaded front porch. When the sun set, they left completely until morning. When they reappeared, just before dawn, Giles and Ethan were having coffee and acting much friendlier than they had in years. All either of them would say was Giles performed a truth spell, Ethan talked and then they reconciled.

Angel would stammer, go pale, then walk away whenever anyone started questioning what happened down there. Spike, on the other hand, was very vocal in is not wanting to talk about what he had heard. However, he was loathe to enter the basement until it had been thoroughly scrubbed, sheets from the cot washed and the mattress aired-out outside for three days. It was obvious that Giles and Ethan were lovers, once again.

Ethan suggested that they gather all of the magically inclined they could and each individually place a binding spell on the entity that was the First Evil. Then, as a group, do basically what the monks did when they created Dawn. Funnel the energy into a living being. Giving it form, substance. Making it corporeal. Then, making it dead.

Remarkably, it worked. Lives were lost, but not nearly as many as could have been. Kennedy was among the casualties and Willow was upset that she wasn't more upset with the potential's death. She worried that she had become hard and cold after seeing so much death, but then she got the feeling something she lost was coming back to her.

~~~~~

Xander dropped the load of weapons on the table in the basement, doing his best to ignore the grumbling vampire. After about ten minutes, he finally turned to the blond and pointed a dagger at him. "Spike, I swear to God that if you don't shut up, I'll get Buffy, Faith *and* Angel to kick your ass from here to next Leap Year! Now, would you mind helping me clean the… whatever this is… off these weapons?"

"You're off your nut if you think I'm gonna help you be the slayer's lackey," Spike scoffed.

"Even if I let you keep a couple of them and not tell Buffy?" Xander knew Spike had a weakness for weapons. They made him feel 'all manly.' The vampire growled, but smiled. He knew he was being played, but didn't mind so much, so long as it was Xander playing him. The brunette handed over a sword and a rag before asking, "So, if you hate being near Buffy so much, why do you stay here? I mean, I get before, when you were under the spell. And I get later, when we were still fighting the First, but why now? Why do you stay?"

Spike thought for a while, carefully cleaning each weapon and setting them aside. "Don't have any other place to go, do I?" Xander looked at Spike, but the vampire wouldn't meet his gaze. "Well, alright, I technically do have somewhere to go, but it's not exactly where I want to be. Peaches invited me to live in the mansion with him again. I just… there are people I wouldn't see often enough if I lived there."

"Oh," Xander said dejectedly. "Yeah, I can see wanting to spend time with Dawnie and the potentia… Ow." He had been fiddling with one of the daggers that hadn’t been cleaned yet and pricked his finger.

"Xander?" Spike asked worriedly. "Are you OK?"

The human slowly sunk to his knees, trying to speak. "S-ssp-pi-ke, hh-hhel-lp. C-can-n-n'tt m-m-m-oooo-ve," he stuttered out.

"BUFFY!!" Spike screamed while trying to ease the man gently to the floor. "Xander? Christ what's wrong?" When he had Xander laid out, he told him he would be right back and ran up the steps three at a time. "SLAYER! GILES! RED!" he cried. "Something's wrong with Xander!"

Hearing Spike's panicked screams, the entire house came running to the kitchen. "Spike," Buffy said, trying to calm the vampire down. "What's wrong? Where's Xander?"

"He's in the basement. Said he can't move." He turned to Willow and pleaded, "You've got to fix him, Red."

"Giles, Willow, Spike, Dawn, you go down and see what's going on. I'll be right down," Buffy ordered. "Everyone else, back upstairs. We can't all fit in the basement. We'll let you know what's going on when we know."

Part 2

"Giles, Willow, Spike, Dawn, you go down and see what's going on. I'll be right down," Buffy ordered. "Everyone else, back upstairs. We can't all fit in the basement. We'll let you know what's going on when we know."

Everyone filed off to where they were directed. Buffy grabbed the cordless phone, just in case they needed to call Angel, Faith or Ethan, all of whom had already gone home for the night.

"I already told you," Spike said while pacing and smoking a cigarette. "We were standing here, cleaning the soddin' weapons and talking, when all of a sudden, he started sinking to his knees. Said he couldn't move. That's when I laid him down and got you lot. Now, fix him."

{Fuck!} Xander thought. {What's going on? Why can't I move? Willow… Giles… Buffy… Anybody?}

"Xander, honey," Willow half-whispered. "Can you hear me? Can you tell me what's wrong?" She was kneeling beside his prone body, touching his arm and helping Giles check for injuries.

{Yes! I can hear you!} Xander thought. He tried with all his might to make his lips move or his eyes open. Nothing happened. The longer he tried, the more panicked he became.

"I think he's either having a heart attack or he's panicking," Spike announced. "His heart's beating like mad." The vampire leaned in and took a quick sniff of the air over Xander. "It's panic. I can smell his fear."

Suddenly, Spike found himself pressed up against the wall by a small, blonde girl. Weapons clanked to the floor. "What did you do to him, Spike?" Buffy demanded through gritted teeth.

"Bloody Hell, Slayer!" he yelped. "If I were going to do something to the boy, I certainly wouldn't call you all down to check it out. Would have convinced him to let me move back in with him, slaughtered him there, then skipped town." Spike pushed Buffy away from him and straightened his clothing. "Thought by now you'd 'ave known me better than that."

"Honestly, Buffy," Giles admonished. "Spike may express bad judgment now and again, but he's hardly daft enough to harm Xander in your house."

Willow stood and walked over to where the other three were. She shook her head, "I don't know. He's alive, but he seems to be unconscious. There are a few scrapes, but those could just be from patrolling." Turning to the vampire, she spoke calmly and quietly, "Spike, think very carefully. Do you remember if Xander cut himself while cleaning the weapons?"

Spike closed his eyes and scratched his head. He ran the conversation through his head as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah," he said, eyes popping open. "Yeah, I think he did. He was toying with one of the daggers as we were talking. I… I think he said Ow."

{Yay, Spike! Now they can figure out what's wrong.}

"Which dagger," Willow asked. "We'll need to examine it."

"Bugger, I don't know."

{Stupid Spike!}

"Well there's only five of them here. We'll just check them all out." Buffy grabbed a box and a rag and carefully placed all five daggers into the box. "I'll just take these upstairs."

Buffy, Giles and Willow started toward the stairs, when Spike spoke quietly, "We're not just going to leave him on the floor, are we?" He crouched beside the dark-haired man, "Can't be good for him." However, he spoke so quietly that the only one that heard him was Xander, and he couldn't speak. He stroked Xander's sable hair before picking him up and carrying him over to the cot. No one had noticed the dagger that Buffy accidentally kicked under the washing machine when she attacked Spike.

Xander tried to relax. Spike was being so gentle with him. The vampire was murmuring soothing words and doing his best to arrange him in the most comfortable position. He could smell the fabric softener from the bed linens, the hair gel that had rubbed off onto the pillow and the earthy scent that was Spike surrounding him. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm going to go check and see if they've found anything. I'll be back."

~~~~~

"Well, Red?" Spike lit up another cigarette. "Have you found anything yet?" He was anxious to get back downstairs. He didn't like the feeling he was getting leaving Xander alone.

"Nothing yet, Spike. These weapons look clean though. Maybe it's something from patrol." The witch sighed and scrubbed her face with her hand. "I'll give Angel a call and have him come over before sunrise and in the morning, we'll get everyone else over here. It's late and if I keep trying to work on this tonight, I'll miss something or screw it up." Spike growled at her and turned to walk away. "Don't worry," she called after him. "We'll work this out."

~~~~~

{God, I hate this!} Xander started panicking again. {What is this? Am I being punished for something? I can't see anything, I can't move, can't speak, but I can hear everything. And to top it all off, they just leave me alone.}

Spike heard Xander's heart rate increase as he started down the stairs. He quickly sped down them, over to the cot and the supine mortal. He spoke quietly in his soft baritone, "Xander? I'm here, Pet. Calm yourself now." He listened as the heart slowed back to normal. "That's my boy. Funny, Dru used to have the same reaction to my voice when she was having nightmares. All I had to do was keep talking soft and low and she'd be fine. Made for many a sleepless day, I can tell you." Spike continued to talk through the night to the apparently-unconscious Xander. Although Spike was unaware, the soothing tones of his voice calmed the human enough that he fell asleep and dreamed of the blond vampire.

Part 3

"What about using that telepathy thing you used with us when Buffy was dead?" Spike was grasping at straws and he knew it. It had been two days and they still didn't know what was causing Xander's comatose state.

"I tried already," she sighed. "Nothing. Something is blocking me. I can tell when he's dreaming because of the rapid eye movement and I can't set into his dreams. I could before." Everyone looked at Willow, shocked. "Don't look at me like that. He asked me to do it. He was having nightmares of Glory and wanted me to help."

"Is there any way we can get a sample of his blood without taking him to hospital," Ethan asked. The warlock had an idea that a potion or poison was on one of the weapons that had already been cleaned and had scratched the young man earlier that evening. "I don't want to just cut him and collect the blood that way, but I will if that's the only way."

Giles thought for a moment and remembered that he had the hypodermic needle the Watcher's Council had given him when Buffy turned eighteen. "Dawn, there's a small leather case in the trunk of my car, if you could bring it in please?" Dawn nodded and rushed out to get the case. Giles filled a basin with warm water and asked for a belt to act as a tourniquet. Dawn returned with the case and handed it over. She bit her lip in worry over her friend's state and allowed Spike to embrace her. Taking the needle, Giles drew water up into they syringe and squirted it back out repeatedly to ensure the 'drug' he had given the Slayer years before was completely gone. He rolled up Xander's sleeve and tightened the belt around his arm. Spike watched carefully as Giles tapped for a vein before inserting the needle.

"Done that before, have you Rupert," the blond vampire asked. The former Watcher smiled faintly and just nodded. "Good. I didn't want to have to do it for you." Several pairs of eyes turned on him. "You lot keep forgetting that I was actually around when cocaine and heroin were thought to be wonder drugs and were prescribed by doctors. Yes, I injected drugs into my veins and I enjoyed the high they gave me. I also crashed hard on them and had a bugger of a time trying to kick the habit. Can we concentrate on the situation at hand now?"

{Woo hoo! Go Spike. Keep them on track,} Xander thought. {Merciful Zeus, who thought I would ever think that? Man, he sounds angry… or nervous. That can't be good for anyone.} Ethan took the blood upstairs to test it. Giles and Willow followed closely behind, both wanting to know the results of the tests and to get away from the protective vampire.

"Spike, calm down," Angel whispered, putting his arm around the tense blond. "Whatever it is, we'll solve it. Get him back on his feet." Spike nodded his head and walked over to the cot and sat on the floor beside it. The elder vampire had come over just before daybreak to check on Spike and Xander. He knew the blond would be having trouble holding it together, but would be too stubborn, as usual, to ask for help. "When did you last feed?" Spike shrugged. He hadn't worried about his own food since the ordeal with Xander started. He did, however, worry about the comatose human's sustenance. Angel went up, prepared a mug of blood and brought it back down. Spike took the mug without thinking and just held it, letting the warmth soak into his cool fingers. "Drink, Childe," Angel commanded.

Spike looked at the mug, surprised to find it in his hands, then downed it quickly. "Sire, what do I do," he asked, staring blankly into the empty cup. He looked up at Angel, "I… he… fuck." Spike jumped up and ran up the stairs. He had to get out of there. It was torture for him to be in that room, helpless to do anything.

Angel chased after Spike, catching him as he grabbed the doorknob. "Spike, if you're going to run away, take a blanket. It's daylight and you're still needed around here." The blond's head dropped, followed by his hand His shoulders hunched up and a sob racked his body. "What is it you're not telling me, Spike?"

Spike dropped to his knees before Angel and stared at the patch of floor between Angel's feet. Tears started to flow. "I love him, Sire." The words came out in a whisper. "I love him and I don't know what to do. I was about to tell him the other night, then this shit happens. Why, Angel? Why him? Why me?" His body shook with the force of his sobs. Angel bent down and easily lifted Spike to his feet and guided him to the living room sofa. Holding the younger vampire in his arms, he let Spike go through a range of emotions. His sadness and confusion turned to anger and rage. Angel allowed him to scream and blame and hit until Willow, Giles and Ethan came into the room.

"Ethan figured out what the potion affecting Xander is," Willow announced. "Now we just gotta figure out how to reverse it."

"The potion is called Der Schlaf Vom Wachen," Giles explained. "Which translates, literally, to The Sleep of the Awake."

"Basically, it's the potion used on Sleeping Beauty," Ethan continued. "According to the fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger on a spindle and slept for a hundred years, until her true love came and kissed her, thus waking her from her sleep. What's not in the tale is that one, she was aware of her surroundings, but not physically able to speak or move. And, two, it took more than a kiss." The wizard smiled mischievously. "Seems the prince was a bit of a twisted soul. Liked sex with the dead, or more to the point, sex with the unresponsive."

Spike's eyes went wide. "You mean, we have to wait around until some so-called true love comes along and rapes Xander?" He couldn't believe his ears. He stood and looked at the witch, watcher and wizard, "No way! I won't allow it. Come sundown, we're outta here. I'll take care of him. If he never comes back, so be it, but I won't allow you lot to let him be raped repeatedly until this true love comes along. I've got to get back down there. If he's aware of his surroundings, he's probably freaked because we left him alone." He pushed past the gaping humans and stormed down the stairs.

Willow looked to Angel, who was sitting on the sofa still, clenching his fists. "You have to believe that I wouldn't condone raping Xander. He's my best friend. We're looking for a counterspell or potion that will bring him out of it. But, Spike is right. He should take care of him. Is there any way you can talk to him, talk him into staying in town? Maybe at the mansion?" Angel looked up and saw the sincerity in her face and nodded. He stood and went to talk to Spike in the basement. Angel wasn't thrilled about having either of them living under the same roof as him, but he knew it was for the best.

"Spike…"

"Yeah, I heard. May we, Sire?"

{Sire?}

"Yes, Childe, come sundown, we will move you and Xander to the mansion. No one will rape him and they will continue looking for another cure." Angel laid his hand on Xander's arm and spoke softly to the human, "Xander, you're under the influence of a potion that Willow, Giles and Ethan are trying to correct, but for safety's sake, you will be coming with Spike and myself to the mansion tonight. Spike will keep you safe. Trust in that."

{I trust Spike, but what was that about rape? Who's gonna be raped?!?}

Part 4

"Shit," Spike muttered as he rushed to Xander's side. "Sshh, Xand, calm down." The blond could hear Xander's heart rate pick up and smell the panic radiate off him. "Everything's gonna be fine. You'll be safe as houses with me. That's right, calm down." Spike smoothed the silky, sable hair, making soft 'shushing' sounds until the human calmed down.

Angel stepped away from the two men, cursing himself for forgetting what he had been told not five minutes earlier. Xander was aware of his surroundings. He could hear what Angel had said to Spike about rape and didn't understand what was going on. "Spike, I'm going upstairs and make some calls. Make arrangements for transportation and furniture. I'll leave you to explain to Xander." Spike nodded without looking at the elder vampire. Angel turned and went up the stairs and away from the irate blond and frightened brunet.

"Bloody hell, but that's effective in gettin' rid of Peaches," Spike chuckled as he continued to soothe Xander. "We'll have to remember that one, Pet."

{Mmmm,} Xander thought, once he got over his wig-out. {Spike's voice is so nice. It just flows over me like velvet. I'm almost glad I'm stuck like this, just able to listen to his voice and not have my own mouth interrupt. I just wish I could see his eyes, too.} He let himself drift off, the subtle tones of Spike rambling on about moving to the mansion, getting a bed instead of the cot and all that he knew so far about the spell he was under, lulling him to sleep.

When he awoke, Xander was being lifted by a pair of strong, cool arms. Spike was still talking to him and he could feel the rumble of his chest. "Wish there was some way I could tell if you were really hearing me. I can't always tell when you're asleep and when you're awake, Xander. I'd wager that by the time we get you sorted and back to your normal, lively self, you'll be pretty tired of my incessant prattling." Spike carried him upstairs, careful to not bang his head on the railing or doorframe.

"Is he awake," Buffy asked. Spike nodded as he headed out the door. "Xander, sweetie, Willow says you can probably hear me. I just wanted to tell you that you'll be just fine with Spike taking care of you… and it's not that we don't want you around here or anything like that, it's just that we all have other responsibilities and Spike is the only one that can devote all his time to your care. Plus the fact that he can hear your heartbeat without a stethoscope and smell your emotions and all that. God, I don't think I'm saying this right… just, I love you, Xander and I'll stop over every day. I promise." She kissed him on the forehead and let Spike settle him in the back seat of the car.

{She's feeling guilty.}

"You feeling guilty, Slayer?" Spike climbed into the front seat, "'S not your fault. You didn't give him the potion, you weren't on patrol with him that night, to see what demons had what weapons. It couldn't be helped. It's no one's fault." He looked at the man in the back seat and chuckled, "Would've happened to Xander if he was locked in an empty room, by himself. Just the boy's luck." He knew he shouldn't say things like that, but it was the only way he could keep from attacking the people Xander cared about.

Angel, sitting in the driver's seat, spared a glance to Spike, then Xander. "Ready to go?" Spike nodded and they drove off. "Gunn and Wesley have already picked up the stuff you wanted from Xander's apartment and are coming to get your things from here. They'll meet us at the mansion."

~~~~~

Spike carried the limp body in his arms up the stairs and into the bedroom they were to share. He had insisted that Angel put two beds in that room. As much as he wanted to lay next to that warm body and wrap himself around Xander, he forced himself to wait. Time was something they had now. According to the witch and wizard, Xander wouldn't age, had no need for food or water or to relieve himself, but was awake and aware. He could hear and feel, smell and, if his eyes were opened, see. His eyes managed to lubricate themselves without having to blink, so that wasn't a problem. What he couldn't do was speak or respond in any way.

Dawn, after having her little adventure with Gnarl, decided to see if Xander was pose-able, like she was. Much to her glee, he was. Spike, of course, had made note of that and requested a plush sofa and television. He set Xander up on the sofa, turned on the television and opened the dark eyes. "Stay," he snickered. "OK, bad joke. I'm going to go draw you a bath. You're starting to get a little ripe there, Xand."

Bath drawn and Spike came back out to retrieve his charge. He laid Xander down, closing the man's eyes in an attempt to keep his own reactions hidden, and proceeded to undress the man. "Fuck, Xander. I love your body. It's so tanned and muscled," Spike sighed. "I guess there's no point in my trying to hide it. I can definitely see what Cordelia and Willow and Anya all saw in you. Aside from your body, you are a truly good person. That's why I won't let anything happen to you." He removed Xander's boxers and had to swallow hard. Spike licked his lips as he took in the sight before him. Xander was apparently able to respond in one way. His cock was semi-erect and very impressive. Pushing his lusty thoughts away, Spike lifted the man, carried him to the bathroom and placed him gently in the tub.

{Mmmm… nice…} Xander thought, drifting off to sleep as the warm water soaked into his skin and soft hands washed him from head to toe. Something about Spike soothed him and he didn't worry about his nudity or growing erection. He rationalized that the nudity was necessary for a bath, and yes, he was getting rank, and his cock… well, that was just natural. Spike was the main object of his desires in the weeks before his accident and to have the vampire caressing his skin was bound to make things… harder.

When Spike's hand drifted over Xander's hardened member, both man and vampire gasped as the cock twitched. "Xander? Did you just… oh, God, you gasped." Spike realized that he was the 'prince' in this situation. Quickly, he finished bathing Xander, got him dried, dressed and put into bed. Then he got Cordelia to stay with Xander while he went out to 'kill things.' What he didn't tell anyone was the things he was going attempt to kill were his thoughts, doubts and fears with several bottles of whiskey.

Part 5

Spike stepped out of the liquor store in time to walk smack into a semi-familiar body. "Watch it," Spike grumbled.

"Spike? Wonderful," Oz said. "Causing trouble?"

"Wolf-boy. Bloody perfect," he sighed. The last thing the vampire needed was a white-hat with an axe to grind. "In case you haven't already heard, got meself a soul. I'm sweet as a lamb now." He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go kill these bottles of whiskey and try not to think." Spike started to walk off.

"I know," Oz said stoically. "Want company?" Spike shrugged and gave the werewolf a 'come on if you're coming' nod. The bleached blond and the green-haired man walked through the streets of Sunnydale in companionable silence. Often, Spike would take a swig from a bottle, occasionally, he would hand one to Oz. After the second bottle, Spike sat on a bench. "Want to talk?"

"Yeah, mate," he didn't know where to begin, though. "Where to start… you know about what happened to Xander?" Oz nodded and waited for Spike to continue. "Well, we just moved him from the slayer's house to the mansion and I was givin' him a bath. I accidentally brushed over his cock and he sighed. It's the only sound he's made since it happened. As far as we know, the only thing that cures this hex is sex. As much as I want him, I can't. I mean, what if it wasn't really a sigh. What if it was just a fluke, just air being pushed out differently because of his position. I can't take advantage of him like that. I won't be part of his repeated rape. I'm afraid that if I don't, though, he'll be stuck like he is for years." He tipped back a third bottle, only to find a sip left. Spike hefted it out into the street and pulled out a fourth bottle. "I love him too much to hurt him. I just don't know what would hurt him more."

"Tough choice," said Oz. "On the plus side, you have time." Spike looked at the werewolf questioningly. "According to legend, the victim is in a type of stasis. No need for food or drink, not aging. Whatever you decide, whenever you decide, Xander will be the same age he is now, physically."

The vampire stood unsteadily and looked down at his companion. "Thanks." He started back to the mansion and to Xander. When Oz followed, he continued to speak. "Care to help me out a bit, mate? Need you to take a sniff of the boy. Even when I'm not piss drunk, I'm not sure what I smell on him. I think my own desire is overwhelming his scent. I need an unbiased nose." Oz nodded his agreement.

~~~~~

"Xand, I'm so sorry," Faith murmured while sitting next to his bed. She held one of his hands in hers and cried. "All that I've ever done to you… the sex, trying to kill you, trying to kill you during sex… everything." She felt Spike walk into the room and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Spike, Oz, hey."

"Where's the princess," Spike asked gruffly.

"Said she needed sleep. I think she just wanted to go ride Conner for awhile though." The vampire and slayer chuckled and shook their heads. Cordelia had been shagging Angel's son for months and everyone knew, but pretended that they didn't. "So, I said I'd sit with Xander. I think he's asleep, but it's so hard to tell with him." Faith chuckled. She felt guilty for Xander's condition because she had let him take care of cleaning the weapons that night. "Anyway, since you're back, I'm going to get out of here. Gonna head over to B's in the morning. I know Ethan and Giles found out what the poison was, but I have this funky feeling that there's something more. Something to do with the blade itself. I want to take a look at it."

"Good luck with that bit," Spike said. "Can't find the blade and the potion wasn't on the rag he was using. Bloody thing's just gone."

"Well then," Faith said determinedly, with her hands on her hips. "I'll just have to tear apart that basement until I find it. Talk to you later. Bye Oz." She bent down and kissed Xander's forehead, then turned and left.

Once she was gone, Spike listened to Xander's heartbeat. Faith was right, he was asleep. "He's sleeping. You can stay or you can go. If Faith's right, and can find the dagger, we might be able to wake him another way. We've got time."

Oz wrote down a phone number and handed it to Spike. "I'm staying with my parents while I'm in town. Give me a call if you need me." He left.

"Well," Spike sighed as he started to strip off his clothes. "Here we are again. I promise you, I'll fix this." He climbed into his own bed and laid down with the soft thumping of Xander's heart lulling him to sleep.

Part 6

Xander felt cool lips press against his warm ones. The kiss was tentative, waiting for a reaction. He tried to move, tried to let Spike know he wanted more. His body just wasn't cooperating. Spike's lips slowly became more insistent. Occasionally, a cool tongue would swipe across Xander's lips, begging entry. As frustrating as it was to not be able to respond to the delightful sensations and kiss the vampire back, Xander decided to just relax into the pleasure Spike was giving him. When he relaxed, his mouth fell open slightly. Spike took great joy in the opportunity to deepen the kiss, delving his tongue inside that warm, wet mouth. His fingers twined in the dark locks as he laid down half on top of Xander.

"You're so beautiful, Xand," Spike whispered in his ear. "All tanned and muscled. Love that you work construction. Out in the sun all day, working those muscles." He nibbled lightly on Xander's ear and ground his denim-clad erection into the man's equally-covered hip. One hand drifted down Xander's chest, rubbing light circles around his nipples, his navel. As the dark-haired man lay there, reveling in the attention poured upon his body by the sleek, sinewy vampire, he noticed his breath had started coming out in pants and little moans escaped his throat. Spike noticed these reactions also. "That's right, Luv. Go with it."

Spike slid one hand up inside Xander's shirt, lightly caressing the taut muscles. "Dear God, your skin feels so wonderful." He kissed and licked and nipped his way down Xander's chest, breathing in his scent, memorizing his taste. Xander's muscles jerked, causing him to thrust up slightly. Spike continued the assault on the man's senses, desperately trying to break through. "I want you Xand. I want you inside me. I want you to…"

Spike woke from the dream suddenly. "Fuck me," he breathed. His senses were on overload. The scent of Xander was all around him in the small, enclosed room. The man was breathing harshly, heart pumping rapidly. Spike sniffed and smelled the arousal heavy in the air. Suddenly, Xander's panting stopped, he held his breath and Spike could smell the ejaculate from across the room. Xander started breathing again and his heart rate slowed back to normal. The vampire shook his head, "Guess I'm not the only one having wet dreams, like a bleedin' teenager." Spike was covered in his own cum and still rock hard. The smell of Xander surrounding him was intoxicating. Quick as a flash, Spike wiped himself off with the bedsheet, slid on his jeans and ran out of the room. The demon inside him was howling for Spike to take the mortal, to fuck him, bite him, claim him. He had to leave and he had to leave now.

~~~~~

"Angel!" Spike called out, pounding on his sire's door. "Let me in, damnit!"

Angel flung his bedroom door open, rubbing his bleary eyes. "What's wrong, Spike? Is Xander alright?" He looked at Spike's face and saw something he hadn't seen in years. Lust. Angel could tell Spike was hanging on by a bare thread. "Come in, Spike. Talk to me."

"Don't want to talk," he gritted his teeth. "I need to fuck or fight. Which will it be, Sire?" Spike was tense with nervous energy, sexual tension, frustration. Angel knew that if he were to have sex with the blond, both would regret it and they would end up fighting anyway.

"Fight," he sighed. "But not in here. Let's go to the workout room." Spike turned heel and practically sprinted for the workout room. Angel grabbed a pair of leather gloves, with the fingers cut out, from his dresser and slipped them on to protect his knuckles as he walked after Spike. He found the younger vampire taping up his hands and stretching, preparing for a good fight. "Ready?" Spike nodded and threw the first punch.

Halfway through the fight, fangs came out on both sides. Spike snarled and growled as he used Angel for a punching bag. They fought for nearly an hour, until Spike, having received several hard jabs to the kidneys, fell to the ground, panting and shifting out of gameface. "Will, you don't need to breathe, stop the panting already."

"Sod off!"

"Hey, you're the one that wanted a fuck or a fight." Angel dropped to the floor a few feet from Spike and leaned against the wall, also returning to his human visage. "So, Childe, you ready to talk to me?" Spike nodded and lay back on the floor and stared at the ceiling.

Part 7

Spike lay back on the floor of the workout room, stared at the ceiling and almost wished he had a cigarette. He started picking at the blood-coated tape on his hands. Angel sat a few feet away, intently waiting for the only other known vamp-with-a-soul to tell him what was currently bothering said soul. Spike finally sighed and spoke without lifting his head, "I love him."

Angel waited for his Childe to continue. There was obviously more that Spike wanted to say, the soul's influence forced him to, once more, choose his words carefully. As a human, he was always in search of the perfect words. "I love him. I want to touch him, taste his skin, his cum, his blood. I want to claim him… I want him to wake up." Spike had sit up and pulled his knees to his chest.

"Have you told him this? I mean, before this happened?" Spike shook his head no. "Maybe you should tell him now. You can obviously read his body. You can smell his emotions better than anyone, even me. You know what he smells like when he's happy, when he's in fear, sadness, anger, everything. Talk to him. Tell him how you feel. He may surprise you."

He nodded thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again. "But what about the spell? Say I tell him what I feel and I don't terrify him, how do I break the spell without raping him? 'M pretty sure he's a virgin in that respect. I can't just go in there and bugger him without knowing for sure that he's alright with it. Just because I don't 'give him the wiggins,' as the Scoobies say, doesn't mean that he wants me." Unshed tears were starting to glisten in Spike's eyes and he dropped his head to his arms, which were crossed over his knees.

"William," Angel said, scooting closer and placing a cool hand on an equally cool neck. "I know you are a master in your own right, but do you remember when you were still young and in my bed?" He caressed the flesh with his thumb as he reminded the younger vampire of their past together. "You'd get Dru to talk Darla into taking her out to do whatever it was in her head to do that night, leaving us together. Then you'd come to my bed before I woke. You'd prepare yourself, then suck my cock until I was hard as steel. Once I woke, you'd slide up my body and sink down on my cock and ride me for hours. God, but it took everything I had to hold out and not cum too soon."

Spike smiled at the memory and touched the hand on his neck. "Thank you, Angel."

~~~~~

{What the fuck?} Xander thought. He woke up from a very nice dream, feeling very sticky. He dreamt of Spike, he always dreamt about Spike anymore. {Why couldn't I have said something while I could still speak?} After a few minutes of being awake, Xander began to wonder where Spike was. Since the spell, every time he woke up, Spike was right there, letting him know he wasn't alone. Now, he's alone. Xander had gotten used to listening to the blond ramble on about anything and everything. When Spike couldn't think of anything to say, he would read to him. Read anything. Science fiction novels, magazine articles, classic works of literature, even poetry. Two months and Xander had learned more about literature than he did all through high school. Not surprising though. In high school, he was out every other night helping Buffy or researching. Plus, it was high school… who pays attention in high school when you live on the Hellmouth?

{Where is he? I hate this. I can't handle being alone anymore. Not when I can't move, can't see, can't speak. Spike! Where are you?}

~~~~~

Spike stood in front of the door to his and Xander's room, "Thanks, mate. I needed the fight and the advice." Angel nodded and walked to his room. Spike opened the door and heard the increased heart beat, smelled the panic and rushed to Xander's side. "Fuck, Xand. I didn't know you woke up. I'm sorry." He kissed the dark man's forehead and brushed the hair away from his face. As Xander calmed down, Spike made shushing noises and kissed his forehead and hands. "Shh, Luv. I was just down the hall working out. You should see me, Pet. I'm a right mess. Sweaty and bruised. Angel puts up quite the fight, as you well know. Course, he's a little bruised and battered too." He chuckled and continued to soothe Xander.

When Xander had calmed and relaxed into the cool touch, soft kisses and gentle voice, Spike decided to take a small chance. He leaned in and lightly kissed Xander's forehead, then moved to his closed eyelids and gently kissed each in turn. Xander's breathing deepened and Spike could smell the arousal pouring off him as he moved to kiss the man's soft lips. Reluctantly pulling away, he whispered, "Mmm, you taste good, Luv. Let's go get you cleaned up." Spike picked him up and carried him to the tub for a bath.

Part 8

"Thanks for helping us move, Spike," Buffy said as they loaded the sofa into the moving truck. Another two months had passed and life was moving on. Willow and Oz were reconciling and had gotten an apartment together. A two bedroom apartment, and for the time being, there were just roommates, working on becoming better friends. Giles had gathered the few remaining Watchers in Sunnydale and was working on reforming the Council, with some serious changes in the works. All of the Watchers had moved into apartments or houses. Those who were given Potentials had taken the girls in. Everyone was being trained. The Potentials, of course, always had to train in case they were called. The Watchers had to learn that a Slayer having friends who helped her was not a bad thing, that not all demons were part of an evil plot to take over the world or re-open the Hellmouth. Wesley had stepped back into the position as Faith's Watcher and she was trying very hard to respect that fact. Buffy and Dawn, having the house to themselves once again, realized that they could not only not afford to keep the house, but that it was too big for just the two of them.

They found a small house and, with help from Giles and the other Watchers, managed to buy it. They were moving away from Revello Drive. "Not a problem, Buffy. I just don't want to be away from Xander for too long. He panics when I'm not there when he wakes." Spike had finally calmed down about the spell that made him think he was in love with the Slayer and had forgiven her for using him. He was still angry with Dru, but knew it wasn't Buffy's fault. "Let's say we get the appliances up from the basement next, then I need to go check on Xan." Buffy nodded in agreement and they headed downstairs. They unhooked the dryer and hauled it up the stairs and into the truck and went back down for the washer. Buffy made sure the water was off before disconnecting the hoses, then slid the washer away from the wall. Underneath, they found a long slim blade.

"Huh, what's that," Buffy asked, bending to pick up the dagger.

"Let me see," Spike said, looking at the blade. As he looked at it, his eyes got wide and he grabbed Buffy and hugged her. Taking the blade from her hand, "Slayer, I could kiss you… what the hell." He went ahead and kissed her chastely and started running up the steps. "We gotta call Rupert and Ethan oh and Red. Get them all over here. This is Xan's dagger. The one with the potion."

Buffy chased after him, "I already turned the phone off, Spike." She watched him for a moment, his eyes searching wildly for some way to get in touch with the Watcher, wizard and witch. "Hey, let's get the washer loaded in the truck and head over to the new house. The phone is working there and there are actual pieces of furniture for people to sit on there." Spike agreed and they quickly finished up and drove over to the small house on Rosewood Avenue.

~~~~~

"You may have something here, Spike," Giles said, examining the dagger. There was an inscription on the dagger that needed translation. "It appears to be Voldhish. Something about blocking the mind." Giles and Ethan went back to their apartment to translate the inscription, taking Willow with them to analyze any potion that might still be on the blade after four months. Buffy sent Spike back to the mansion, back to Xander, to wait for news.

~~~~~

Spike practically bounced into the shared bedroom and over to Xander's bed. He leaned over and kissed the man soundly on the lips before realizing what he was doing. Spike pulled away with no guilt or shame and smiled down at the prone form. He carded his fingers through Xander's dark hair, "Soon, Luv. Got Rupert and Red working on it. We found the dagger, Pet!"

{Please, Wills! Giles! Please find something to help. If I don't get to look into those eyes soon, I'm gonna go mad!} Xander thought, silently pleading to be set free from this prison and allowed to gaze upon his guardian.

"Oh, Xan," the blond spoke, just barely above a whisper. "Soon I'll be able to look into those eyes again, hear your sweet voice. Even if you tell me to bugger off, I can't wait to hear you speak again." Spike leaned in, kissed Xander again and sat in his chair beside the bed. With one hand, he caressed the man's hand, with the other, he picked up a book. "Shall we have a little Chaucer while we wait?" He started reading from The Canterbury Tales, pausing every now and then to explain a confusing passage. It was all he could do to keep himself occupied while waiting for word about the dagger.

Part 9

"Hey! How's Xander doing tonight," Willow asked, walking into the bedroom.

"Good… I think," Spike said, putting his book down. "Heart's goin' a bit fast, but I think he's just excited by the fact that we found the dagger. So, you have news?"

" OK, here's the deal," she spoke in an almost sad tone. "The inscription translated to 'Blood of one, to block the mind. Blood of two, to link them.'" Spike nodded, waiting for her to continue. "Basically, Xander got his blood on the blade and it blocked his mind. Remember, this is separate from the sleep potion. Anyone else who gets their blood on it will have their mind linked to Xander's. Now, I *think* that it's limited to the distance between them. So, say two minds were linked, they wouldn't be able to hear each other from halfway around the world, but would be able to hear each other within the same room, possibly same town."

Spike sat thoughtfully for a moment, then a scowl crossed his features, "OK, this seems like it would be a good thing… why aren't you happy? Why aren't we getting someone else's blood on it?" There had to be some problem with the dagger, or the witch would have cut into someone by now.

"It's the potion. We can't get it all off the blade." Willow hung her head in regret. She hated having to tell the vampire that, even though they had a way for Xander to talk to one of them, they couldn't use it. "The chemical properties of the potion caused it to soak into the metal of the blade, making them one. We cut anyone else with this blade and they will be subject to the same potion. Sleeping, yet aware, until their true love comes and… well… you know the rest."

{Crap! How can I tell him it's OK, that I want him, if the only way he can hear my thoughts puts him in the same position as me? This sucks!}

"This sucks, Red," the blond sighed. He scrubbed his face with his hand and slumped back in the chair. "I love him, Willow. My soul cries and my demon screams for him." Spike spoke in soft tones, pouring his heart out to the redhead, while staring wistfully at Xander. "He's beautiful, isn't he? All dark hair and tanned skin. I kissed him this morning, when I got back. He tastes like sunshine. At least, what I remember of sunshine. I saw it for about three hours about four years ago." When Willow looked at him questioningly, "Gem of Amara. I had it for about three hours before I found Buffy and tried to kill her. I just walked around, letting the sun warm my dead flesh, you know, in the non-fatal way. I even saw Xan in the light. He was stunning. Of course, I wasn't interested in him then because of Dru's little spot of mojo. But, I remember every second in the sun and, looking back, he was absolutely stunning."

{Want him. Want him so much. Dear, God, I want him to kiss me again. Oh, the way he felt… those cool lips, both soft and strong, against mine.} Xander's cock stirred as he thought of the few kisses Spike had bestowed upon him. {Hmmm… someone's awake. Spike, touch me. Please!} Spike absently reached out his hand and caressed Xander's thigh. Just from the soft touch, Xander came with a breathy moan.

Spike and Willow both turned suddenly at the sound. "Did he just… you touched him and he moaned a happy little moan." Willow practically bounced in her chair.

"More than that, Red," he said with an astonished smile. "He just got off. He's not asleep, either."

"Do you think he's trying to tell you that he want's you to make love to him?"

"Possibly. Can you leave us alone? I need to clean him up." Willow nodded and left the room. "How's about we forgo the bath this time and clean you up another way, Luv?" If his voice got any more sultry, Xander would pass out from the sheer pleasure of the low tones. Spike kept the brunet in sweatpants and T-shirts for the ease of changing clothes. He sat him up and pulled the T-shirt off his torso, then returned him to his back. "Mmm… I love your soft skin, Xan."

Spike ran his cool, slender fingers across the supple muscles. {I love your touch, Spike. Touch me more.} His fingers played up and down Xander's ribs, while the blond laid down half on, half off his body. One hand drifted up to Xander's chest, the thumb rubbing small, soft circles on and around the dusky nipple. Spike felt the nipple harden under his touch as he buried his nose in Xander's neck and inhaled the intoxicating scent.

"You smell so good, Xan," he murmured. He kissed and nipped and licked his way down Xander's chest, stopping to tease a nipple with the tip of his tongue. {If this is another dream, let me wake up now. I can't take the torture of not being able to touch him.} Spike hooked the waistband of Xander's sweats with his fingers on his way down, sliding the thin fabric off his legs. "Sticky, but…" and he tasted the fluid on the human's belly, "Mmm… Christ, you taste so damned good. Never get enough of you." His gentle words were met with Xander's growing erection pulsing up to poke him in the chin. Spike chuckled and continued to lick the sticky cum off the prone man.

Once he was satisfied that Xander was clean, Spike took a shaky breath and sucked his cock down to the root. He swallowed and hummed as his head bobbed up and down, keeping up a constant suction on the swollen member. After over a century of practice, Spike was able to remove his button-up shirt, boots and jeans without ever taking his mouth of Xander's cock. Xander's moans came more often as Spike continued to suck. A small, disappointed groan escaped the man's throat when Spike pulled away to coat his fingers in saliva. Once slick, he reached around to prepare himself quickly, returning to Xander's cock.

{So good! Don't stop, Spike.}

Three slick fingers thrust in and stretched his opening, causing Spike to moan around the hard cock. The vibrations sent jolts of pleasure throughout Xander's body. Spike let the hardened flesh slip from his mouth as he slid forward, up the human's warm legs, until he was straddling Xander's hips. He kissed the brunet's closed mouth, sweeping his tongue across the soft lips, as he positioned their bodies and sank down onto the thick shaft. They both moaned as Spike's body adjusted to fiery flesh throbbing inside his cool body. "Dear God, Xander," Spike cried out. "It's been over a century since I let another man inside me. Fuck, but you feel so good." He started to move, up until just the head remained inside him, down to the base, small circle of his hips, then back up. Over and over, straining his self control to keep a steady pace.

"So hot, Luv. Burning me up." Xander's eyelids began to flutter as Spike continued his litany of babbled, half-formed words. "Mmm... oh yeah… that feels… Oh Fuck! I forgot how good this could feel." He continued to thrust up and down as he picked up a warm hand and wrapped it around his own neglected erection. Spike gently squeezed Xander's hand to create pressure while he rocked his hips back and forth. "I love you, Alexander Harris," he sighed when the tip of Xander's cock brushed his prostate, sending shocks through his body, pulling his orgasm from him.

As the whispered words floated to his ears and the cool semen splattered on his chest and belly, Xander's hips thrust up. "I love you too, William," he moaned, cum flooding out, into the tight channel of his lover.

"Xan?"

"Spike."

"My God, Xan," Spike said between light kisses to the mortal's face and neck. "Are you alright? Can you move?"

"Yes and no," he replied. Then, taking in the shocked look on Spike's face, he smiled. "I'm alright, but I can't move because you're still on top of me." The two men laughed and Spike started to shift his weight off him, "No, don't go anywhere." Xander thrust his still hard cock deeper inside Spike. "I'm still not sure that this isn't just another dream… fuck, your ass is so tight. If I am still dreaming, I want to hold on to it as long as I can."

Spike nodded in understanding as he gasped. Xander had pulled him down and was mouthing his neck. "Trust me, Luv. Neither of us are dreaming. Wide awake and, oh bloody hell, your mouth feels good… and your cock is perfect, hot and throbbing. I love you."

Together they whispered words of love and devotion to each other. Their coupling grew more intense, rising like the tide, then receding, only to rise again. Xander changed their positions, finally, and looked down into Spike's eyes. He kissed the vampire gently on the lips before he thrust hard and fast inside his lover. Just as he was about to climax, he sunk his blunt teeth into Spike's pale throat. The blond howled and cool cum shot between them at the same time hot cum filled him up.

Xander licked the blood off Spike's neck and his own lips, "Tasty." He grinned a goofy grin at Spike, "I'm starving. We have any food in this place, lover?" Spike barked out a laugh and helped Xander stand, dress and walk to the kitchen. His muscles were only a little weak from disuse over the six months of his curse, but much better than they should have been. Spike knew his lover would be just fine, and that if anything else did come up to hurt the man, he would be there to take care of everything. Always.

The End