Fic: Not Forgotten - 5/13
May. 10th, 2005 08:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
suki_blueTitle: Not Forgotten.
Rating: 18
Genre: H/C
Warnings: Angst, Character Death. Vamping of a main character. Please remember, guys, it's me, Suki, I always make it better!
Summary: Prequel to See Me Xander's life is completely altered in a matter of seconds. It's up to Spike to fix him and make it better.
Feedback: Yes, please!
Thank you to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kitty_poker1 for the great beta!
Written foramejisuto because she gave me repeated puppy dog eyes. This is all for you, hon.
Previous Parts
Chapter 5
The demon adjusted its spectacles and studied Xander closely. “Hm,” he said.
“Hm, what?!” Spike demanded. “Can you do him, or what?”
Xander giggled. “Do me.”
Spike ignored him and continued. “You can do it, right?”
The demon wrapped a tentacle around Xander’s waist and pulled him closer, running another tentacle over his chest. “Hm, it should be easy enough. He is recently turned, yes?” he asked, turning briefly to look at Spike.
“Month, maybe.”
“I see. It can be done. It will, however, be costly.”
“How much?”
“Twelve kittens, *all* tonkinese. Aaaaand…I’d say a full-grown, adult Norwegian Forest cat should do it.”
Spike was aghast. “A Norwegian Forest cat! You’ve having me on. Maine Coon and consider yourself lucky.”
“Maine Coon?! Two a penny! Four German Rex’s.”
“On your bike, mate! Three Havana Browns and that’s my final offer.”
The demon thought about it. It really was a fine offer. Much more than he would have expected from a vampire. “Done. Have them all here next week. Same time, same place.”
“A week! I think my offer was too bloody generous!”
“Master Spike. Please be reasonable. It takes time to gather all the necessary ingredients.”
“You ain’t baking a cake!”
“I realise that, but I will be using very powerful magics. It takes time, preparation and all the correct equipment, herbs and crystals. I’m sure that you want the spell to run smoothly. Even the slightest mistake could prove…fatal.”
Spike pushed down the sick feeling thrown up by the demon’s warning. “Alright. But get this, anything does go wrong, I’ll pull off every single one of your testicles.”
Spike gripped Xander’s arm and dragged him towards the door. “See you in a week, Mastiva.”
“Sire?” Xander enquired. “Didn’t you mean tentacles?”
“Nope.”
“Euuuwww!”
**
Spike sat back against the pillows and watched his Childe. Xander was sprawled out on his stomach at the end of the bed, his feet in the air, watching some god-awful science fiction movie.
It had only been two days since their meeting with Mastiva, but Spike could already feel the excitement building in his belly. Five days. Five days and Xander would be his old self. Well, as close to his old self as he could be, all things considered.
“What?” Xander asked, straining to crane his head around to look at his Sire.
“What?”
“You’re staring.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were, I could see you.”
“You had your back to me, little pet. How’d you manage to see me?”
“Because you always stare at me when I’m watching the TV.”
“Oh.”
“Or *maybe* I have super powers that allow me to see you with just the soles of my feet.” Xander pointed a bare foot in Spike’s direction. “Look deep within my sole,” he giggled.
Spike couldn’t help but laugh. The humour that was inherent to Xander was slowly returning. Even without a soul, Xander could still sometimes be ‘Xander.’
“Spike?”
And there we are again, another change. This was the first time that Xander had dropped the ‘Sire’ and replaced it with the old and more familiar ‘Spike.’
“When I get my soul back…will you still…be here?”
“You might not want me here, pet. Not once you’ve got all your senses back.”
“I will! I love you, Sire.”
Spike was tempted to smile at Xander’s words. What it would be for someone to love him, *really* love him. But Xander didn’t, not in the true sense. He loved him like a Childe should love his Sire.
Spike held out his arms and beckoned Xander to join him at the head of the bed. He closed his eyes and felt the cool body of his Childe draping over his chest. Spike lowered his arms and locked them tightly around Xander’s body.
“Sire?”
“Mm?” Spike responded as he rubbed his face into Xander’s hair.
“Why haven’t you fed from me? Have I done something wrong?”
Spike held tighter and kissed the top of Xander’s head. “No, little pet. You haven’t done anything wrong. You never could.”
“Then why?”
“You were so weak, luv. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Xander shifted in Spike’s arms until he had his head rested on a hard shoulder, his eyes gazing up to meet Spike’s.
“I’m not weak now. I’m stronger. Please feed from me.”
Spike trailed his fingers over Xander’s face, tracing the outline of every feature, every dip and curve from his nose to his jaw and back up to his hair-line. It would be so easy to love this beautiful creature. Even now Xander was in darkness, something bright still shone out like the brightest star in the sky. And when he got his soul back, he would shine even brighter. Spike smiled sadly. Would Xander reject him, then?
“Sire? …Spike? Please. I would never reject you. Never.”
Spike looked down at his Childe in amazement. Perceptive little bastard.
“Sire, feed from me. Feed from me, Spike. I love you. Feed from me.”
Spike growled and flipped Xander onto his back. He licked a long trail up Xander’s neck and paused to scent the blood that teased him from beneath. He gripped Xander’s wrists and quickly drew them above his Childe’s head.
“Ssspike, please.” Xander begged, tilting his head to expose his neck further.
Spike licked Xander’s neck one last time, stopping again to appreciate what he was about receive. “So beautiful. Want…”
“Take it, Sire. It’s all yours. Take me.”
Spike slowly sank his fangs deep into Xander’s skin, his cock hardening as soon as his Childe’s blood hit his tongue. The taste was like nothing else on earth. Even slayer blood didn’t come close to this. It was intoxicating and Spike felt like he was falling into a chasm of dazzling light. Something changed inside him and he realised that the last part of the bond was falling into place. He could feel Xander’s emotions; his fear, his joy and his arousal. As the bond thrummed and grew stronger with each swallow of blood, Spike realised something else. Even with the bond now in place, he felt exactly the same about Xander as he had five minutes before.
He was falling. Love was a jagged rock at the bottom of a cliff. And he was plummeting freely towards it.
Xander ground his hips up to press his erection against Spike’s. His Sire groaned and, with an almost pitiful moan, Spike pulled himself up.
“Sire? Did I…?”
Spike lay back down beside Xander and pulled him into his arms. “Sssh, little pet. You haven’t done anything wrong. I want you too much, that’s all.”
“You know, that so didn’t make the slightest bit of sense. I know penguins that make more sense than you.”
Spike laughed at the, again, familiar sound of Xander’s odd humour. “Once you’ve got your soul, sweet. Then, if you still want me…”
“I will.”
“We’ll just see.”
“I will want you,” Xander affirmed, kissing Spike’s jaw to make his point.
“Hush, little pet. Sleep.”
“But…”
“Sssh,”
“Spike!”
“What!?”
“If I can’t kill people and I can’t bump uglies with you, can I at least go back to watching Star Trek?”
**
One hour. One fucking hour.
Spike ripped apart everything he could lay his hands on. Just one more hour and it could have been so different. Maybe the outcome would have been the same but the feelings would have been different. Defence and necessity instead of revenge and bloodlust.
“You’re mad at me.”
“No.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I am mad. But not with you. Never with you.”
“Sire?”
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Are you?”
“Sort of.”
Spike crouched down and pulled Xander out of the corner. “Sort of?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry that I disobeyed you. I know you said that I wasn’t supposed to, not until I got my soul back. But…”
Xander glanced towards the body briefly before Spike tapped his chin and brought his attention back. “But what?”
“He hurt you.”
“I would have been fine.”
“No! I couldn’t let that happen. You couldn’t fight him back. Not properly. He was hurting you. No-one hurts you. I’ll make them pay. I’ll always make them pay.”
Xander glanced again at the body of his father. “Fucker. Do you think I killed him too quickly?” he asked Spike in tone that was so casual it chilled Spike to the bone to hear it.
“Tell you what, luv. We’d better get going. We’re late as it is. Time to tack your soul on. We’ll talk about it all after, if you still want to.”
“Okay. So you’re really not mad?”
“No, little pet. Not mad. Now come on, shift your arse before Mastiva starts upping the price to include a litter of Turkish Vans.”
“What about the body?”
“I’ll make a call.”
“Can I drink…?”
“No!”
“Oh. Is that because it’s dead blood?”
“No, you pillock. You’ve been watching Interview with the Vampire again, haven’t you?”
“Um, maybe.”
“Idiot. The blood will be cold and that git must taste of stale booze.” Spike said firmly.
It was true, Xander’s father would be tough on the palate, but that wasn’t the reason that he didn’t want Xander to feed from him. His Childe was going to freak out enough when the soul returned and he realised what he’d done. He didn’t need another memory to torture himself with.
“He did taste a little…odd. But then again, I only really know what your blood tastes like and I’m guessing that it’s going to be different to anyone else’s. I can’t wait to find out!”
“Mm,” Spike said quickly. “Grab the kittens, luv. Let’s be on our way, yeah?”
Xander nodded brightly. He was in good spirits. His father was dead, his Sire wasn’t mad at him and he was going to get himself a shiny new soul that would apparently put him right. Xander wasn’t exactly sure how it was going to put him right. He felt right already. But he trusted his Sire, his Spike. And perhaps when this was all done, Spike would realise exactly how much Xander adored him.
Xander stepped over the body and picked up the basket of kittens. He stepped back over the still form of his father and spat on the dead face. “Picked on the wrong person, huh? Bastard.”
“Pet.” Spike stood at the door, anxious to get going and let someone else take care of the body. He’d pay someone to clean up the blood, too.
Perhaps they wouldn’t even come back here tonight. It might be all too much.
**
“Ooh, this is kinky!”
“Pet, just keep still.”
“Yes, Master,” Xander whispered in his most sexy voice, his body completely contradicting his words.
“Xan. Would you rather tentacle guy tied you down?”
“Euuuwww! No way! Want you.”
“Well, you got me. So shut your cake-hole and keep still.”
“Not that I’m not enjoying this, Sire, but…why am I being strapped to what looks like a sacrificial alter?”
“I’m going to sacrifice you.”
“Really? Will there be knives and chanting and a large sacrificial cock?”
“Have you been watching Race with the Devil again?”
Xander nodded.
“Bloody hell. I gotta get you some decent films to watch.”
“That is a decent film!”
“No, it bloody ain't! It’s a pile of shit, is what it is. You wanna watch Wicker Man. Now if you want a film with a good sacrifice, that’s the one to see. Can’t beat a good burning if you ask me.”
“Hmm, I’ll give it a go. Sire?”
“Mm?”
“Could you tighten that one? I reckon I could get out of it.”
Spike tightened the strap and checked over the others.
“Sire?”
“Mm?”
“Why am I *really* being strapped down. You’re not going to hurt me, are you?”
“I would never hurt you, little pet. Not for all the tea in China. But…this spell, to get your soul back. Mastiva says it’s going to sting a bit.”
“A bit?”
“Like a bitch.”
“Oh. But you’ll be here, right? You won’t leave me like this?”
“’Course I’ll be here. I ain’t gonna leave my Childe. What sort of Sire would that make me?”
Xander nodded his acceptance. “Let’s get it over with, then. We could rent Wicker Man on the way home!”
“Sure. Yeah. Mastiva!”
“I take it you two are ready?” The demon asked.
“As we’ll ever be. C’mon, then. Do your thing.”
Spike laced his fingers through Xander’s and locked eyes with his Childe. “Stay still, little pet. It’ll be over before you know it. Just remember, I’m here, yeah? Always here.”
Xander nodded and closed his eyes. A strange language began drifting into his ears and Xander became aware of something inside his chest becoming warm. It was nice, like swallowing steaming hot soup on a very cold day. He felt Spike’s other hand carding through his hair and he couldn’t stop the purr that escaped.
Something cold brushed across his chest. Blood? Xander couldn’t quite work it out. The warmth inside him turned to burning and he opened his eyes and stared down at the source. A cross, painted with blood, was drawn upon his chest. The holy symbol sizzled and smoked and Xander turned pleading eyes to his Sire.
Spike could feel Xander’s eyes on him. He could feel them pleading for understanding and reassurance. But Spike couldn’t look at him. He couldn’t look at the pain that was creeping into those eyes. If he did, then he would have to stop the ritual. He could not watch his Childe suffer this way.
Spike kept his gaze firmly on the wall opposite, his hands constantly petting, comforting and reassuring through touch. Xander’s purr, his first ever purr, had long disappeared and in its place were whines and whimpers, desperate sobs that soon turned to howling as the pain of a returning soul filled his very being.
Xander closed his eyes against the hurt. White light lifted from the bloody cross and hovered over his body and, with a brilliant flare and a woosh of energy, the light sank deep into his chest.
Xander screamed.
Rating: 18
Genre: H/C
Warnings: Angst, Character Death. Vamping of a main character. Please remember, guys, it's me, Suki, I always make it better!
Summary: Prequel to See Me Xander's life is completely altered in a matter of seconds. It's up to Spike to fix him and make it better.
Feedback: Yes, please!
Thank you to
kitty_poker1 for the great beta!Written for
amejisuto because she gave me repeated puppy dog eyes. This is all for you, hon.Previous Parts
Chapter 5
The demon adjusted its spectacles and studied Xander closely. “Hm,” he said.
“Hm, what?!” Spike demanded. “Can you do him, or what?”
Xander giggled. “Do me.”
Spike ignored him and continued. “You can do it, right?”
The demon wrapped a tentacle around Xander’s waist and pulled him closer, running another tentacle over his chest. “Hm, it should be easy enough. He is recently turned, yes?” he asked, turning briefly to look at Spike.
“Month, maybe.”
“I see. It can be done. It will, however, be costly.”
“How much?”
“Twelve kittens, *all* tonkinese. Aaaaand…I’d say a full-grown, adult Norwegian Forest cat should do it.”
Spike was aghast. “A Norwegian Forest cat! You’ve having me on. Maine Coon and consider yourself lucky.”
“Maine Coon?! Two a penny! Four German Rex’s.”
“On your bike, mate! Three Havana Browns and that’s my final offer.”
The demon thought about it. It really was a fine offer. Much more than he would have expected from a vampire. “Done. Have them all here next week. Same time, same place.”
“A week! I think my offer was too bloody generous!”
“Master Spike. Please be reasonable. It takes time to gather all the necessary ingredients.”
“You ain’t baking a cake!”
“I realise that, but I will be using very powerful magics. It takes time, preparation and all the correct equipment, herbs and crystals. I’m sure that you want the spell to run smoothly. Even the slightest mistake could prove…fatal.”
Spike pushed down the sick feeling thrown up by the demon’s warning. “Alright. But get this, anything does go wrong, I’ll pull off every single one of your testicles.”
Spike gripped Xander’s arm and dragged him towards the door. “See you in a week, Mastiva.”
“Sire?” Xander enquired. “Didn’t you mean tentacles?”
“Nope.”
“Euuuwww!”
**
Spike sat back against the pillows and watched his Childe. Xander was sprawled out on his stomach at the end of the bed, his feet in the air, watching some god-awful science fiction movie.
It had only been two days since their meeting with Mastiva, but Spike could already feel the excitement building in his belly. Five days. Five days and Xander would be his old self. Well, as close to his old self as he could be, all things considered.
“What?” Xander asked, straining to crane his head around to look at his Sire.
“What?”
“You’re staring.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were, I could see you.”
“You had your back to me, little pet. How’d you manage to see me?”
“Because you always stare at me when I’m watching the TV.”
“Oh.”
“Or *maybe* I have super powers that allow me to see you with just the soles of my feet.” Xander pointed a bare foot in Spike’s direction. “Look deep within my sole,” he giggled.
Spike couldn’t help but laugh. The humour that was inherent to Xander was slowly returning. Even without a soul, Xander could still sometimes be ‘Xander.’
“Spike?”
And there we are again, another change. This was the first time that Xander had dropped the ‘Sire’ and replaced it with the old and more familiar ‘Spike.’
“When I get my soul back…will you still…be here?”
“You might not want me here, pet. Not once you’ve got all your senses back.”
“I will! I love you, Sire.”
Spike was tempted to smile at Xander’s words. What it would be for someone to love him, *really* love him. But Xander didn’t, not in the true sense. He loved him like a Childe should love his Sire.
Spike held out his arms and beckoned Xander to join him at the head of the bed. He closed his eyes and felt the cool body of his Childe draping over his chest. Spike lowered his arms and locked them tightly around Xander’s body.
“Sire?”
“Mm?” Spike responded as he rubbed his face into Xander’s hair.
“Why haven’t you fed from me? Have I done something wrong?”
Spike held tighter and kissed the top of Xander’s head. “No, little pet. You haven’t done anything wrong. You never could.”
“Then why?”
“You were so weak, luv. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Xander shifted in Spike’s arms until he had his head rested on a hard shoulder, his eyes gazing up to meet Spike’s.
“I’m not weak now. I’m stronger. Please feed from me.”
Spike trailed his fingers over Xander’s face, tracing the outline of every feature, every dip and curve from his nose to his jaw and back up to his hair-line. It would be so easy to love this beautiful creature. Even now Xander was in darkness, something bright still shone out like the brightest star in the sky. And when he got his soul back, he would shine even brighter. Spike smiled sadly. Would Xander reject him, then?
“Sire? …Spike? Please. I would never reject you. Never.”
Spike looked down at his Childe in amazement. Perceptive little bastard.
“Sire, feed from me. Feed from me, Spike. I love you. Feed from me.”
Spike growled and flipped Xander onto his back. He licked a long trail up Xander’s neck and paused to scent the blood that teased him from beneath. He gripped Xander’s wrists and quickly drew them above his Childe’s head.
“Ssspike, please.” Xander begged, tilting his head to expose his neck further.
Spike licked Xander’s neck one last time, stopping again to appreciate what he was about receive. “So beautiful. Want…”
“Take it, Sire. It’s all yours. Take me.”
Spike slowly sank his fangs deep into Xander’s skin, his cock hardening as soon as his Childe’s blood hit his tongue. The taste was like nothing else on earth. Even slayer blood didn’t come close to this. It was intoxicating and Spike felt like he was falling into a chasm of dazzling light. Something changed inside him and he realised that the last part of the bond was falling into place. He could feel Xander’s emotions; his fear, his joy and his arousal. As the bond thrummed and grew stronger with each swallow of blood, Spike realised something else. Even with the bond now in place, he felt exactly the same about Xander as he had five minutes before.
He was falling. Love was a jagged rock at the bottom of a cliff. And he was plummeting freely towards it.
Xander ground his hips up to press his erection against Spike’s. His Sire groaned and, with an almost pitiful moan, Spike pulled himself up.
“Sire? Did I…?”
Spike lay back down beside Xander and pulled him into his arms. “Sssh, little pet. You haven’t done anything wrong. I want you too much, that’s all.”
“You know, that so didn’t make the slightest bit of sense. I know penguins that make more sense than you.”
Spike laughed at the, again, familiar sound of Xander’s odd humour. “Once you’ve got your soul, sweet. Then, if you still want me…”
“I will.”
“We’ll just see.”
“I will want you,” Xander affirmed, kissing Spike’s jaw to make his point.
“Hush, little pet. Sleep.”
“But…”
“Sssh,”
“Spike!”
“What!?”
“If I can’t kill people and I can’t bump uglies with you, can I at least go back to watching Star Trek?”
**
One hour. One fucking hour.
Spike ripped apart everything he could lay his hands on. Just one more hour and it could have been so different. Maybe the outcome would have been the same but the feelings would have been different. Defence and necessity instead of revenge and bloodlust.
“You’re mad at me.”
“No.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I am mad. But not with you. Never with you.”
“Sire?”
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Are you?”
“Sort of.”
Spike crouched down and pulled Xander out of the corner. “Sort of?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry that I disobeyed you. I know you said that I wasn’t supposed to, not until I got my soul back. But…”
Xander glanced towards the body briefly before Spike tapped his chin and brought his attention back. “But what?”
“He hurt you.”
“I would have been fine.”
“No! I couldn’t let that happen. You couldn’t fight him back. Not properly. He was hurting you. No-one hurts you. I’ll make them pay. I’ll always make them pay.”
Xander glanced again at the body of his father. “Fucker. Do you think I killed him too quickly?” he asked Spike in tone that was so casual it chilled Spike to the bone to hear it.
“Tell you what, luv. We’d better get going. We’re late as it is. Time to tack your soul on. We’ll talk about it all after, if you still want to.”
“Okay. So you’re really not mad?”
“No, little pet. Not mad. Now come on, shift your arse before Mastiva starts upping the price to include a litter of Turkish Vans.”
“What about the body?”
“I’ll make a call.”
“Can I drink…?”
“No!”
“Oh. Is that because it’s dead blood?”
“No, you pillock. You’ve been watching Interview with the Vampire again, haven’t you?”
“Um, maybe.”
“Idiot. The blood will be cold and that git must taste of stale booze.” Spike said firmly.
It was true, Xander’s father would be tough on the palate, but that wasn’t the reason that he didn’t want Xander to feed from him. His Childe was going to freak out enough when the soul returned and he realised what he’d done. He didn’t need another memory to torture himself with.
“He did taste a little…odd. But then again, I only really know what your blood tastes like and I’m guessing that it’s going to be different to anyone else’s. I can’t wait to find out!”
“Mm,” Spike said quickly. “Grab the kittens, luv. Let’s be on our way, yeah?”
Xander nodded brightly. He was in good spirits. His father was dead, his Sire wasn’t mad at him and he was going to get himself a shiny new soul that would apparently put him right. Xander wasn’t exactly sure how it was going to put him right. He felt right already. But he trusted his Sire, his Spike. And perhaps when this was all done, Spike would realise exactly how much Xander adored him.
Xander stepped over the body and picked up the basket of kittens. He stepped back over the still form of his father and spat on the dead face. “Picked on the wrong person, huh? Bastard.”
“Pet.” Spike stood at the door, anxious to get going and let someone else take care of the body. He’d pay someone to clean up the blood, too.
Perhaps they wouldn’t even come back here tonight. It might be all too much.
**
“Ooh, this is kinky!”
“Pet, just keep still.”
“Yes, Master,” Xander whispered in his most sexy voice, his body completely contradicting his words.
“Xan. Would you rather tentacle guy tied you down?”
“Euuuwww! No way! Want you.”
“Well, you got me. So shut your cake-hole and keep still.”
“Not that I’m not enjoying this, Sire, but…why am I being strapped to what looks like a sacrificial alter?”
“I’m going to sacrifice you.”
“Really? Will there be knives and chanting and a large sacrificial cock?”
“Have you been watching Race with the Devil again?”
Xander nodded.
“Bloody hell. I gotta get you some decent films to watch.”
“That is a decent film!”
“No, it bloody ain't! It’s a pile of shit, is what it is. You wanna watch Wicker Man. Now if you want a film with a good sacrifice, that’s the one to see. Can’t beat a good burning if you ask me.”
“Hmm, I’ll give it a go. Sire?”
“Mm?”
“Could you tighten that one? I reckon I could get out of it.”
Spike tightened the strap and checked over the others.
“Sire?”
“Mm?”
“Why am I *really* being strapped down. You’re not going to hurt me, are you?”
“I would never hurt you, little pet. Not for all the tea in China. But…this spell, to get your soul back. Mastiva says it’s going to sting a bit.”
“A bit?”
“Like a bitch.”
“Oh. But you’ll be here, right? You won’t leave me like this?”
“’Course I’ll be here. I ain’t gonna leave my Childe. What sort of Sire would that make me?”
Xander nodded his acceptance. “Let’s get it over with, then. We could rent Wicker Man on the way home!”
“Sure. Yeah. Mastiva!”
“I take it you two are ready?” The demon asked.
“As we’ll ever be. C’mon, then. Do your thing.”
Spike laced his fingers through Xander’s and locked eyes with his Childe. “Stay still, little pet. It’ll be over before you know it. Just remember, I’m here, yeah? Always here.”
Xander nodded and closed his eyes. A strange language began drifting into his ears and Xander became aware of something inside his chest becoming warm. It was nice, like swallowing steaming hot soup on a very cold day. He felt Spike’s other hand carding through his hair and he couldn’t stop the purr that escaped.
Something cold brushed across his chest. Blood? Xander couldn’t quite work it out. The warmth inside him turned to burning and he opened his eyes and stared down at the source. A cross, painted with blood, was drawn upon his chest. The holy symbol sizzled and smoked and Xander turned pleading eyes to his Sire.
Spike could feel Xander’s eyes on him. He could feel them pleading for understanding and reassurance. But Spike couldn’t look at him. He couldn’t look at the pain that was creeping into those eyes. If he did, then he would have to stop the ritual. He could not watch his Childe suffer this way.
Spike kept his gaze firmly on the wall opposite, his hands constantly petting, comforting and reassuring through touch. Xander’s purr, his first ever purr, had long disappeared and in its place were whines and whimpers, desperate sobs that soon turned to howling as the pain of a returning soul filled his very being.
Xander closed his eyes against the hurt. White light lifted from the bloody cross and hovered over his body and, with a brilliant flare and a woosh of energy, the light sank deep into his chest.
Xander screamed.
