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a/n- this chapter is pretty Xander-centric, just wanted to warn ya! Also sorry about the delay, the words seemed to have deserted me. Hate it when that happens!!!!

Chapter 16
Conversation was stilted at first, helped along by the loud music being pumped out of the speakers behind them. Willow and Xander were on one side of the narrow table, leaving Spike and Buffy on the other. It was hard to tell where Spike ended and Buffy began, they were so entwined on the thick wooden chair they were sitting on. Spike had his arms wrapped securely around her middle, and Buffy's head was relaxed comfortably against his shoulder. This was the first time Willow really had been able observe Buffy and Spike together, and she had to admit that Spike was totally into her friend. And not in the freakishly monsterish sort of way she would have totally expected. All with the deep penetrating looks, low growls and subtle mind control. But more of the cuddly boyfriend kind of way. Each light stroke of Buffy's hair, each gentle graze of full lips that would skim her bare shoulders all pointed to the undeniable fact. That this way evil vampire liked being with Buffy. This made Willow happy, her friend had enough bad stuff in her life. She knew Buffy had told her that their relationship was going really good, but Willow hadn't really believed it. Now she did.

The walled up dam that had been their conversation burst free when Willow began asking about Blake, and Willow could easily see the affection that Spike had for his son. He was kinda weird, for a vampire, but Willow found herself liking him.

Even Xander had to admit Spike wasn't as bad as he had built him up to be. Maybe it had been the cold brutal shock of reality at seeing the two naked together in her bed that had stonewalled Xander's emotions, it was easy to throw the blame in the vampire's court for that one. But now, he could see plain as day how Buffy reacted to this dead freak's touch, and it wasn't the trembling with dread kind of reaction. He had to finally admit it to himself. Buffy liked Spike. And shockingly, Spike liked Buffy. It was right there in front of him, in frank brutal Technicolor. Still didn't mean he really had to like it though.

"So, how did you two crazy kids run into each other?" Xander asked in a surprise attempt at pleasant conversation.

Buffy stiffened slightly, and Spike's grip on her waist tightened in response. "She walked down the street, I walked up the street, we met in the middle. The end."

Xander put his hands up as if to ward away the negative energy. "Ok, ok, was just asking. No need to rip my head off."

Spike arched a perfectly formed eyebrow. "Trust me, you'll know when I'm ripping your bleeding head off." Buffy gave him a sharp warning look, clearing warning him to behave.

"Ooo kee. Now there's a pleasant visual."

Spike tuned out Buffy's annoying friend and allowed his intense gaze to wander around the dim interior of the Bronze. This would have been just his scene, lots of pretty tasty young co-eds just dying for a bit of attention from the Big Bad. Spike had never had a problem luring potential victims to their deaths. He may not be able to look in a mirror, but he knew he was a right handsome bloke, often using that to his advantage. There weren't many who remained immune to the Big Bad when he set his sights on someone, neither male or female. Spike sighed heavily, at the realization that those days were now over. At least for now. All these tasty girls were all safe from him, he wouldn't dare make a move against any of them. Strangely though, he didn't really feel any tragic sense of loss, just a` flash of annoyance at being housebroken, something he had never seen coming.

More rough than he intended, he picked Buffy off of his lap and set her on her feet. At her questioning scowl, he told her he was going to the bar. "Want anything?" he added as an afterthought.

"Oh, can you get me a mineral water?"

"I'll go with you." Xander announced, jumping up. He took Willow's order and pointedly ignored the questioning scowl that was now present on Spike's face. He was hoping that Spike could buy him a beer at the bar, which was the reason behind the manly beer run.

Spike was pushing though the dense crowd with Xander scrambling to keep up. Damn, Spike had that bad ass routine down to a science, Xander thought. He could see all kinds of tasty chicks checking out the vampire right and left, and felt a burning stab of jealousy. Hey, maybe he could learn some pointers from Spike, because god knew some major help was needed in the love department of Xander-land. He took a moment to really assess Spike from an almost clinical perspective, not in the I Hate Your Guts perspective he had indulged in since he'd met the vamp. Ok, he had to admit, so maybe Spike was kinda cool, in a 80's reject sort of way. He tried to figure out just what it was that had the girls and not just a few guys swivel their attention on him as Spike sauntered by.

Xander decided it was because Spike wore danger like some people wore open friendliness. It just exuded from him, oozing out of every cool pore of his body. The bitchin black leather coat, the spiked hair, the cool scar on his eyebrow, all those things were props that added to the whole picture. Ok fine, so he was totally scary, but he was scary in a cool way, and everyone knew that, well, coolness was contagious, right? And suddenly Xander grew a whole new appreciation for the bloodsucker. Maybe he wasn't doomed to a life of being a nerd, of being shoved in lockers for the rest of his life. Maybe if he hung with Spike, that coolness would breed and multiply, with Xander as the lucky recipient. And then he, Xander, would get the chicks checking him out right and left. Yep, Xander and Spike, the chick magnets. Hey, it was worth a shot, what was the worst thing that could happen? Xander refused to think of fangs sinking deep into his flesh as he called out, "Uh, Spike?"

"What."

"Could you maybe, uh, buy me a beer?"

Spike stopped so suddenly that Xander almost ran into his back. "I'm not bloody buying you anything, you berk. What are you on about?"

"What? Oh, no, so not what I meant. I mean I give you money, you order me a beer, you give me the beer." Then couldn't help but add, "and my change."

At the bitter look Spike threw out, Xander back pedaled, his great plan already in jeopardy. "Ok, ok, fine, I'll be the official sponsor of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. Just don't let it be said that the greatness that is Xander doesn't share the wealth, mister."

Spike gave a curt nod. "Fine. I'll buy your bloody beer." He held his hand out impatiently, grabbing the money that was proffered him, fully intending to keep whatever change he got back.

"I'm going to go run to the little boys room. I'll be right back."

A pained look shadowed Spike's features. "The little boys room?" He scoffed.

"Ok, guess that didn't really make with the macho ness, did it? Fine. I need to go take a squirt, that better? Need to let the ole hose out for a bit of fresh air."

"Just go to the bloody loo." Spike instructed in a disgusted tone, turning away from the annoying boy and setting off in the direction of the bar. Bloody humans.

After Xander had relieved his bladder, he was half way to the bar to meet up with Spike when the clear path he had was suddenly blocked. Xander groaned, this was so not his night. He thought he'd already had to deal with these idiots once tonight, but no, here they were. Shouldn't there be a rule against that? Only one taunting per night? For this group before him was the bane of his entire school career, his whole childhood practically had been tainted with their stupid antics. Xander had lost track of how many lockers he had been stuffed in, and how many times his books had been knocked out of his laden arms. And how could he forget how many times his lunch tray had been knocked to the ground, to spatter corn and mystery meat all over the floor of the grimy cafeteria. Why couldn't he have run into them AFTER he had drank his illegally obtained beer? Maybe then he'd be able to face them without feeling that big ole stab of low self esteem rubbing itself in his face.

"Hey guys."

"Well, well, if it isn't little Xander Harris. Watcha doing, you little faggot?"

Xander raised his index finger in protest. "First off, so not a faggot. Although the very fact that you boys are always together, as in closely together has always made me more than just a tad suspicious." He eyed their furious faces with mock suspicion. "Something you need to be sharing with the class, huh boys?"

"You're dead meat, Harris." Scott bit out, his alcohol flushed face reddening even more with his growing anger.

Ok, maybe taunting these meatheads wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever done, Xander conceded, as he literally saw his life flash before his eyes. Why he'd never let Buffy beat these assholes up, he didn't know. It was obvious by the droopy eyes and goofy looks that they had drank a whole lot more than when he'd seen them last. Suddenly he saw a pair of punctures marks on Scott's neck, that caused him to take a step back. Speaking of dead meat...Shit, dead meat didn't flush with anger, did they?

Scott, in a sudden need to bolster his fear ravaged self confidence back up, reached out to grab Xander by the front of the shirt causing Xander to let loose with a shrill yelp. But before he could find purchase on Xander's obnoxious button down, Scott found his fist engulfed in an unrelenting savage vise. His own yelp rivaled Xander's for shrillness, and Scott found himself looking into furiously cold blue eyes. Ones that no amount of alcohol would make him ever forget.

"My hand!" Scott yelled, noticing his comrades backing away in unison. The response to his comment was a tighter hold, and even Xander was forced to wince at the sound of crushing bones that seemed deafening even over the steady thump of the latest pop hit coming through the speakers.

Spike's face was cold and barren, lips tightly compressed with anger, eyes flashing with rage. He forced the boy down to his knees, savoring the sweets sounds of his utter agony, before he allowed his grip to loosen and finally allowed his own hand to drop free. Scott began to wail, clutching his mutilated hand to his chest, as he stared at Spike in abject terror. Spike fought with everything in him to not let himself loose on this wanker, who deserved to die in a thousands different ways.

"Shut the fuck up." Spike snarled. When Scott refused to listen, Spike made as if to grab his hand again, and the idiot finally remembered his previous lessons and quieted his hysterical sobs.

Xander was dumbfounded. What the HELL? He watched as Spike clenched his fists, tipping his head in the air for a brief moment and closed his eyes, his jaw locked with tension. Rage and tightly coiled fury blew off of the vampire, almost palpable in its intensity and even Xander took a step back before Spike took a deep calming breath. Then he reached to grab one of the bottles he had cradled against his chest and held it out to Xander. "Here's your beer, mate."

Xander took it from his outstretched hand, the same hand that had just crushed Scott's, probably rendering him useless for football for the rest of his life. "Thanks, Spike." He surprised himself by saying.

A bouncer came over and pushed his way through. "What's the problem here?"

Spike looked in his direction, and shook his head. "No problem. A little minor difference in opinion, is all. But we got it all sussed out, right boys?"

By the menacing look in Spike's eyes, Scott knew it was useless and potentially lethal to say otherwise. "Everything is fine." he managed to bite out, his face pale and diaphoretic from pain.

The beefy bouncer nodded, then turned away but not before issuing a blanket warning of what would happen if he saw any other signs of impending violence. They all nodded, the other jocks fighting the urge to flee for their lives. They had let Scott talk them into drinking more, all desperately needing courage in a bottle. They had all sat around bolstering their self confidence back up again, greedily guzzling whatever they could get their hands on. By the time they had entered the Bronze for the second time that evening, they had it in their heads that the vampire was lucky they had let him live, rather than the other way around. Alcohol and stupidity, a lethal combination. In more ways than one.

"I need to get to a hospital, you broke my fucking hand." Scott muttered from his position on the floor. He attempted to get up, but Spike was right there.

"Did I tell you that you could get up?" He said softly, which sounded more dangerous than if he had roared at full volume. When the others attempted to back away again, one brutal look from Spike stilled them from their actions.

The fear reattached itself with stunning accuracy, the alcohol and their community pep talk deserting them just as quickly as it had taken control, and it didn't escape Xander's notice that these idiots knew exactly what Spike was capable of. "So, uh, Spike. You know these guys?"

"We've met." was the cryptic reply Xander got, but he did catch a glimpse of pain beneath the cold fury that was firmly stamped on Spike's face.

"Wow, lucky you." Xander commented sarcastically, and Spike looked over him, as he arched an cynical eyebrow in response. Xander gave him a tentative smile. This was met with a curt nod of the head from the blonde vamp.

"So, how did you get to be so lucky?"

"Caught these gits trying to rape Buffy." Spike allowed the bitter words to roll off of his tongue, blanching slightly as he said them. He looked over at Xander and caught a glimpse of the horrified look on his face.

"And you let them live?" Spike was surprised by the coldness and seriousness of the question.

His lips quirked up in a mockery of a smile. "Yeah. Stupid, eh?"

"I'll say." Spike watched as Xander walked up to Scott who had not moved himself from the floor, and leaned into him. "What, you didn't like that Buffy said no, was that it, Scott? You decided to rape her because she wouldn't dance with you?" He straightened up and shook his head in disgust. "And here all this time I thought it was Spike that was the monster. Guess I was wrong, wasn't I?" Xander turned his back on Scott, intentionally kicking his foot back and caught Scott in his injured hand, as he ignored the howls of pain. "Whoops, clumsy me."

"Come on, Spike, the girls are waiting for their drinks." And with that, a much cooler Xander headed back in the direction of the bar to get Willow and Buffy their drinks.

"Remember what I said, all of you. Not a bloody word, or Harris and I will pay you a little visit. Have you ever seen anyone with their penis cut off? If caught in time, I'm told there is a chance for reattachment." He shook his head in wry admiration. "Those transplant teams, amazing work they do. Oh, but hey, no worries. Those transplantation rules won't apply to you. Kinda hard to transplant your penis after it's been digested, y'no. Something about human stomach acid. Well, the teeth and all the gnashing first does a number on it to begin with."

Spike looked up and saw his words had the intended affect. There was a tinge of green haunting each one of them, and the other jock Spike had sunk his fangs in made a dash for the bathroom, hand covering his mouth frantically.

"If you can't bloody handle your liquor, don't' bloody drink it." Spike growled, reaching down to grab Scott by the wrist and hauling him painfully to his feet. "Get the bloody fuck out of here, I don't want you gits even around my girl. And you can thank her for the reason you're even alive right now. Fact is, I would have torn you to pieces if I didn't know she wouldn't' approve." Spike looked over his shoulder as Xander came up with Buffy's mineral water and Willow's coke. "Let's go Harris."

Spike sent one last penetrating glare, making sure each one of them met his eyes and saw his serious intent. He spun around with a dramatic flurry caused by a whirl of black leather cascading around his legs, and sauntered back confidently in the direction of his girl, Xander sent his former tormenters his own version of a penetrating glare, then stalked off after Spike. He was sickened by what he had heard, what they had tried to do to Buffy. He mentally slapped himself upside the head, he should have known after Scott and his trained chimps left the Bronze right after Buffy with identical looks of anticipation on their hormone charged faces that they were up to no good. But, after tonight, hopefully the tables were turned and Xander would be a victim from this gimps no more. Or anybody else, Oh no. A happy feeling butted its way rudely into his feelings of disgust and anger, realizing that yet one more thing good had come out of Spike. Ok, so that didn't really come out right.

When Xander reached the table he saw Buffy's face light up at the sight of Spike, and his welcoming look of adoration and happiness. Ok, mental note to one Xander Harris. Spike plus Buffy just MIGHT equal good. And hey, it couldn't hurt to have another guy around, could it? It's not like his life was brimming with male bonding or anything. There was Giles, and Oz, who was ok, but was a bit too mellow for Xander's taste. So.. then there was Spike. Who was cool and had a car. And also the undead father of Buffy's love child. Xander shook his head at the irony. Only on the Hellmouth.

TBC..




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