Part Seventeen

Xander is not asleep but he is still floating. He won’t ever be alone, he’s Mates with a vampire. Spike loves him in a forever kind of way. Getting bit wasn’t very much fun, but Spike tried hard to do it fast. And it felt good when he stroked his neck. Spike protects him from the bad people. But wait - Josh was human. Spike is vulnerable to humans. Spike can’t prevent the Joshes of the world from harming him. He started thrashing wildly. Josh could still hurt him!

"Pet, Pet! Stop! Wot’s wrong," Spike held down the struggling youth. He was very glad there was no pain accompanying the action.

"Josh can hurt me. You can protect me from mean demons but Josh can hurt me! No humans, Spike, no humans!!" Xander says frantically.

Giles sits down by the two on the couch and squeezes a flailing hand.

"Xander, Josh is dead. Remember? You were quite upset at Spike and I for that incident. He is buried in the ground and will not ever rise. Relax son, he’s gone. Xander... I am not reactivating the chip. Spike has given me his word he will only use his fangs to protect his Mate. That is you. I am not always with you and he is. Do you still trust me, Xander? Do you want the chip reactivated?" Giles worries.

"Spike can protect me from humans? Can he bite the Doctor? Will he bite me? How do you know you can trust him? How do I know I can trust him? What if he goes on a killing spree and offs all of Sunnydale?" Giles cuts through the babble.

"Xander, Spike gave me the word of William the Bloody. No, he may not bite Daniel simply because you want him to. And I doubt even William the Bloody is capable of killing everyone in Sunnydale," Giles comments dryly.

"Could if I wanted to," Spike mutters sullenly.

"Spike, do shut up."

"G-Man, can Spike bite him if he hurts me?" Xander puts in eagerly.

"Xander, doctor’s often need to do things that we may not consider pleasant. Spike may not bite him just for doing his job," Giles tells the boy sternly.

"Sides Pet, not a dog. Can’t sic me on someone like a bloody animal," Spike smirks.

Xander is disappointed but still excited about the Claim. His very own vampire. And to think his Mom wouldn’t let him keep that garter snake he found when he was seven.

Spike eyes the mark on his mate’s neck and can’t help grinning to himself. His human. ~He followed me home, Angelus, can I keep him? No, you can’t eat him, you big pillock!~

Giles decides he doesn’t really want to know why Spike and Xander are both laughing at absolutely nothing.

"When you two are quite finished I shall have lunch ready in the kitchen," Giles comments.

He walks into the kitchen shaking his head.

"C’mon, Spike, I wanna sandwich. Come with me?" Xander pleads.

Spike snorts, but follows his Mate into the kitchen. He’s about a pint low himself.

Xander warms Spike a mug of blood and shyly gives it to the vampire.

"Ta luv," Spike salutes with the mug and starts drinking his lunch.

Giles puts a ham and cheese sandwich and a glass of milk in front of Xander.

"Hey, Rupes, no sandwich for me?"

Giles glares and Xander snickers. Giles raises an eyebrow at him and he starts eating his food, never losing the smile.

"Spike, I will be unavoidably detained tomorrow. I trust you will be able to handle Xander’s appointment. Daniel has already been informed and will be picking you up first thing tomorrow."

"But G-Man, you aren’t coming? I thought both of you were gonna be there. Do you have to do this now?" Sandwich forgotten, the lost sound is back in his voice.

Spike gets out of his chair and pulls his mate back against his chest while glaring at Giles.

"Do not give me a reason to reactivate the chip, William. It is unavoidable that I be absent and I do hope I can count on you," Giles glares right back.

"Right then, Watcher, can’t be helped. Whelp’s safe with me. Gonna take him upstairs now an’ talk to him for a bit," Spike picks Xander up and takes him back to the bedroom. He tucks him in the bed and curls up beside him.

"I don’t want to go without Giles, Spike," Xander murmurs into the vampire’s chest.

"Aw, luv, told you I would stay put. Have your own Master Vampire, Pet, don’t need the Watcher. Nap now, we’ll talk later," Spike says firmly.

When his Mate is this lost it works best to treat him like a child. When Xander is this lost he doesn’t object.

"Sing for me, please?"

Spike snorts, "Don’t sing, luv."

"Please, Spike. Nobody’s sung me to sleep since I was really little," he enlists the puppy dog eyes.

"Sing what?" Spike caves

"Well Mom used to sing, ‘You are My Sunshine’," Xander puts in.

"Wot? No soddin’ way! Bloody Hell, Pet, not singing that! Aw, luv, no crying. ‘M not singing that song. Please, no more tears," Spike is begging. If anyone found out he sang that song...

"Knew you didn’t really love me," Xander brings out the big guns.

"Oh, Soddin’ Bloody Hell, FINE!" Spike snarls.

Xander curls more into Spike’s chest to hide his smirk.

Giles is still cleaning up downstairs so when he hears the Big Bad singing, ‘You are My Sunshine’ he drops the plate he’s washing. As for Xander, he’s asleep. He got William the Bloody to sing him a nap lullaby and he went to sleep knowing his Mate is wrapped around his fingers.

Spike growls very softly as he snuggles his Mate in a protective embrace. He can’t soddin’ believe he did that. Nobody better have heard him...

Giles sits down at his desk, opens his journal of William the Bloody, and begins to write. Every once in a while you hear him give a small chuckle.

Xander felt like he had an anvil on his chest. He peeled his eyes open and had a close up view of a sleeping vampire. Spike was using him for a body pillow. Xander pulled one of his arms out from under the vampire and stroked his soft hair. Spike stretched like a cat and leaned into the caress.

"Nice vampire, good vampire, my vampire," Xander muttered nonsense.

"Git," Spike said affectionately. He lifted up his head and rested his chin on Xander’s chest.

"Hi, Spike," Xander grins goofily.

"Hi, Pet," Spike snorts.

Xander continues the goofy grin. He loves Spike and Spike loves him. He has a Master Vampire for a Mate. A Master Vampire that can bite him again. EEP Xander scrunches his head down to hide his neck. Not enough. He pulls his shirt up to his nose.

"Luv, you cold? Can get you another blanket," Spike offers.

"Its okay, ‘m good," voice muffled by the cloth.

"Xanpet, what’s with the shirt?" Spike is puzzled.

"Um, neck was cold and now its not."

Spike reaches up and pulls the shirt back down. Then he scoots up enough to lick Xander on the nose.

"Won’t bite ‘less you ask, luv," then he lays his head back down on the boy’s chest.

"I knew that," Xander mutters then he starts trying to scoot out from under the vampire.

Spike is starting to doze off when the surface he is laying on starts bouncing and rolling.

"Earthquake, whelp?"

"Nah Spike, just the usual human stuff. Need to take a leak," Xander sits up with the vampire. He starts to stand but is scooped up before he can.

"Um, Spike, I have to pee."

"Not walkin’, luv," Spike retorts stubbornly.

"No way, Fangle-er Fang. You are so not helping me. Forget it!" Xander futilely tries to wrench himself out of the vampire’s arms. Spike doesn’t budge. He kicks the vampire’s shin.

"Ow," Spike says with a smirk.

"But the chip! Why - Oh. So not fair," Xander sulks as his Mate carries him into the bathroom and helps him go pee. He’s only done this alone for the last sixteen years. Spike reaches to tuck him back into his pants.

"Back off, no touching Xander’s um, bits, as you would say," he glares at the vampire and fixes everything himself.

Spike flashes yellow eyes at his mate but lets him do it himself before carrying him back to the bed.

"Spike, I’m boooored!" he whined. "I’m tired of being in here. I want to do something besides sleep,": he pauses for a minute, "What do you want to do?" he asks Spike.

"Vampire here, luv, we get off on fighting, feeding, killing, and shagging. Gives the term, ‘Paint the town red’ a whole new meanin’," he smirks.

"Well the feeding part sounds okay but not the blood because, ewwww," He takes a deep breath, "How about we go out for dinner? I kinda would like to get out of the house for something other than poking, prodding, and getting my head shrunk. I-I don’t want to go alone. Go with me please?"

"Out of the house Pet? course I’ll go!" Spike is so happy. Other than doctor’s appointments and his impromptu run the other night, Xander hasn’t wanted to leave the safety of the house. This was the first real sign of healing he has shown.

"Really? You would go out with me? Wow, Cordy always made out in closets. This is like a first date. What should I wear? Oh God, maybe we should order in. Yeah, I’ll call someone to come here," Xander reaches for the bedside phone.

"No, Pet. We’re goin’ out. You can do it," Spike stays the hand then starts digging through the dresser for clothes.

"Watcher have anything besides tweed?" he says in disgust.

Clothing is starting to pile up on Giles’ floor.

"Spike, you are making a mess. The G-Man is gonna be so not happy."

Spike snorts and just keeps digging. Finally he pulls out a sapphire long sleeved silk button down and a pair of black jeans. No they are not leather, that would be Angel’s dresser. Spike looks up triumphantly and then looks for his Mate. The youth is buried under mounds of Watcher wear. Spike finally removes one last Oxnard shirt from Xander and uncovers two amused chocolate eyes.