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suki_blueRating: 18 for the whole saga.
Genre: Action, adventure, comedy, romance, an actual plot, you name it...
Chapter Summary: Angel makes an admission to Doyle. Spike worries.
Feedback: It makes me happy. It'll make you get the next part quicker. Yeah, I ain't above bribery.
Thank you to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kitty_poker1 for the great beta.
Previous Completed Parts Of FOON
Previous chapters inside the tag.
Xander felt his anger and energy slip away and he found himself smiling as he slid down the wall and began to fall into unconsciousness.
~I’m coming, pet. You’ll be alright. I’m coming~
As Spike stormed into the alleyway he was immediately hit with a wall of intense heat. It was the sort of heat that you’d expect to find if you’d just had your body basted, sprinkled with parsley and slid into an oven to roast on gas mark six. Spike swore and scanned the alley for Xander and Doyle.
A slightly slower Angel appeared at the corner. He waved his arms in front of him like he was shooing away the sudden blanket of warmth that was threatening to boil him from the inside out. “Doyle?” he called.
A worried face peered around a dumpster. “Over here, quick!” Doyle got up and stepped back as Spike tore past him and took his place at Xander’s side.
Xander’s face was flushed and he was sweating profusely. Leaning back against the scorching hot brickwork, Xander was barely awake. His eyelids were heavy and nearly closed and his body was limp with exhaustion.
“Luv?”
Xander turned his head into the beautifully cold hand that was now pressed at his cheek. He clutched at Spike’s arm and pulled himself forward, almost throwing himself into Spike’s cooling embrace. “Hot,” he said with barely a whisper. “So hot.”
Spike silently agreed. Holding onto Xander’s body was like clutching a furnace and Spike could already feel his own skin overheating. Without any further talk or questions, Spike scooped Xander further into his arms, stood, and began striding back to the car.
Doyle went to follow, but he stopped at a hand on his arm.
“Are you alright?” Angel asked. He quickly scanned Doyle from head to toe and decided, even before Doyle spoke, that he wasn’t.
“I’ll be fine. Just a few scrapes here and there. Come on, we’d better…”
“Wait, you don’t look…”
Doyle smiled at the genuine concern that was so evident on Angel’s face. “It can wait. Really. I think Xander needs us more at the moment.”
Doyle walked away and Angel quickly joined him at his side. “What the hell happened here?”
“Honestly? I have no idea. But I’ll tell you this, Xander has some serious power. That Jaham guy better know what he’s doing.”
Angel stared ahead. He hoped so too.
**
Xander shivered and looked pleadingly at Spike. “Cold,” he complained.
Spike rolled his eyes and held up a large bath towel. “Wish you’d make your bloody mind up.”
Xander stood on slightly sturdier legs and closed his eyes as he felt the fluffy peach towel wrap around him. He was unceremoniously lifted from the freezing water and placed onto the closed toilet lid.
“Don’t be mad.”
“’Mnot mad.”
“You are. Please don’t be.”
“’Mnot.”
“Spike…”
“Alright! I’m mad! Happy?!”
“No.”
Spike sighed and squatted down next to Xander’s legs. He grabbed another towel from the pile on the floor and started to dry his lover off. He was mad. Sort of. He was mad that Xander and Doyle hadn’t called for help and he was just mad in general that life wouldn’t seem to let any of them be. “Xan…”
“I know what you’re going to say. Sorry.”
“Just bloody call me next time, yeah? I know you can take care of yourself, but you’ve also got some weird shit going on at the moment. What if you’d set yourself or Doyle on fire?”
“Hey, I didn’t know I could do that!” Xander insisted.
“Fine. Well, what if you’d struck yourself with lightning?”
They both glared at each other for a few moments, each trying to picture the results of that scenario. A smile crept up onto both sets of lips…
**
Doyle frowned and glanced over at the bathroom door. “Now what in the hell are they laughing at?”
“Something they shouldn’t be, probably.”
Doyle nodded. “You’re absolutely sure we can trust this Jaham? I mean, Xander seems okay, but…fuck, that was some weird shit. That really could have gotten out of hand.”
“I know. Look, I’ve known Jaham for years and years. He’s the best. If anyone can sort out Xander, then it’s him.”
“I really hope so, man. We *all* need to know what’s going on.”
“Exactly. Which is why I’m stepping up the research to release Isis.”
Doyle glanced over to the snake. Isis was wrapped around the top branch inside her vivarium and was staring intently at the bathroom door. “Is it me or does she actually look concerned?”
Angel approached the glass cage and tapped lightly on the window. “She looks concerned. I just wish we could communicate with her.”
“Well, what about Jaham? He said that he spoke with her.”
“A vision and a cryptic message. It’s not enough. We need to be able to speak directly to her.”
“But even if we can release her, will it do any good? Or will she float off to wherever goddesses float to?”
Angel sighed. “I don’t know.”
“So, stepping up the research. What does that mean, exactly?”
“I’m going to spend some time with Jaham, go through his library.”
“Let me guess, big library.”
“Like you wouldn’t believe. Would you like to help me?” Angel asked. His voiced was hushed and it held a quality that was shy and unsure.
Doyle smiled. “I’d love to. Now?”
“When we know that Xander’s okay.”
The bathroom door swung open and Spike appeared, leading a bathrobe-clad Xander in the direction of their bedroom. “He’s okay. Bit tired. Taking him to bed. You can both fuck off now.”
“Spike! What he meant was, I’m alright. No permanent damage done and no urge to set LA ablaze. You are both free to go.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Angel asked.
Spike shook his head. “I reckon we’re alright. Go on, go. I’ll call tomorrow.”
Angel nodded and turned to leave.//
“Sire?”
“Spike?”
“…I will call. Take care, yeah?”
“I’ll look forward to it. Thank you.”
Xander and Doyle looked incredulously at each other, silently agreeing that both vampires were indeed acting very oddly. Of course, they would both interrogate their respective vampires and report back with their own phone call in the morning.
The goodbyes were said and a slightly awkward hug was exchanged between Xander and Doyle. There was a definite friendship building its merry way there, but they were both still at the stage where they were working each other out; how touchy feely was the other; how sensitive was the other; and just how would the other person react if you hid a small beaver in their bed?
“Spill,” Xander demanded when he was safely in his bed with Spike wrapped protectively around him. “What happened with Angel?”
“Fuck, pet, where do you want me to start?”
“Doyle. Does Angel still love him?”
“'Course he bloody does.”
“So what’s the problem? What did he say?”
“He thinks that because Angelus abandoned him, it must mean that the souled version doesn’t love him enough.”
“Right. That’s stupid. Angelus takes time for his obsession to go all…obsessy. Just look at Dru…”
“Pet, pet, I know. I told him all that.”
“And?”
“And I think he sees my point, sort of. But…”
Spike paused and Xander gripped tighter to Spike’s waist. “I’m not liking the sound of that ‘but’.”
“*But*…fuck, how can I put this delicately?”
“Spike, I didn’t even realise that you knew the meaning of the word ‘delicate’.”
“Ha fucking ha. Alright then, Angel is off his nut.”
“He’s drunk?”
“*No.* He’s going crazy, doolally, insane, off his rocker, out of his tree…”
“Okay, already, I got it! What makes you think that?”
“The chip.”
“What chip? Your chip?”
“Angel’s chip.”
“Huh?!”
“When Angel was at the Initiative they put a chip in his head, just like they did to me.”
Xander sat bolt upright. “Oh my god! Tell me you’re kidding, *please* tell me.”
“No can do,” Spike said, sitting up and shaking his head slowly.
“Oh my god,” Xander repeated. “I can’t believe he never said anything to us. Why wouldn’t he say anything? Does Doyle know?”
“Don’t think so. And you know Angel, he keeps everything to himself. Bloody pratt.”
“So, it’s the same as yours?”
Spike relaxed back into the pillows and pulled out a packet of cigarettes from the bedside table. “Angel seems to think so. Dunno if he’s tested it.”
“Didn’t you ask him?”
“Well, I would have if someone hadn’t decided to nuke a vampire or two.”
“Ah, yeah.”
“We’ll talk to him tomorrow; see what’s what.”
“Okay. But you said he was going crazy; it’s because of the chip?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. I just can’t seem to put my finger on it. He’s acting fucking strange. Whether it’s psychological or the bloody chip frying his brain, fuck only knows. Jesus, you know, they could’ve fucked him up for good. What if he gets worse? Fucking Initiative cunts. Fuck ‘em!” Spike swung out his fist and smashed the lamp into the wall.
“Spike,” Xander started, gently. “I suggest you light up your cigarette and start soaking up that nicotine.”
“Sorry, pet. I’m just frustrated…and fucked off. Life doesn’t give us a break, does it?!"
“Yes and no. At the moment, no. But it will get better.”
“Yeah? When? When you next sneeze and set fire to yourself? Or when Angels cracks up completely and goes psycho on us?”
“Spike, don’t. Come on, it will get better. We know about the chip now so we can help Angel. And we know that I can do weird stuff and I’m already getting help…Okay, so I’ve *accidentally* set fire to a couple of vampires since then, but that’s not the point. The point is that we’ll get there. We always do. We've got each other, right?”
“'Course, luv. Yeah, you’re right. Sorry, pet. It’s just been one of those days, you know?” Spike pulled Xander towards him and hugged him tightly. “You feeling alright now?” he asked after a weakly returned squeeze.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just tired. I think I wore myself out. I hear pyromania does that sometimes.”
“Sure that’s it? Not too hot? Cold?”
“No, I’m good, really. Just in the mood for an epic sleep.”
Spike touched his lips to Xander’s, pouring his love into a slow and gentle kiss. “Good night, pet,” he whispered as he pulled away and laid them both down. “Love you, flames and all.”
**
Xander peered cautiously around the corner. “Over there,” he whispered, pointing to the corner of the room.
“Oh, right,” Spike whispered back. “Why are we whispering?”
“Because they’re asleep.”
Spike, as promised, had called Angel the next day to let him know that Xander was fine and back to his normal bouncy self. They had arranged to meet at Jaham’s place. Angel had gone there with Doyle to continue their research on releasing Isis and, in light of the flame throwing incident, it had been decided that Xander was in need of a swift follow-up appointment.
“They look cute, don’t they, all cuddled up,” Xander observed. “I guess they must be getting on okay.”
“See? I was right.”
“About what?”
“All they needed was a distraction. You set stuff on fire, they fall into bed.”
“Glad I could be of service,” Xander beamed.
A door opened behind them and Jaham beckoned Xander to join him.
“That’s my cue. Have fun and be nice to Angel.”
“I’m always…! Yeah, alright.”
A small kiss was exchanged and Spike watched as Xander disappeared into the other room and the door closed slowly behind him. He was prepared to leave him alone for an hour with Jaham before checking on him and his progress. This was not a time for patience. Who knew what else Xander could do with his gift? It had to stop, or be controlled or at least reined in a little.
Spike shoved his hands in his pockets and started a loud trudge towards the opposite end of Jaham’s library, allowing Doyle and Angel to hear him and compose themselves.
To Spike’s surprise, his Sire and Doyle stirred, woke, and stayed in each other's arms in the tapestry couch they were lounging on. Well, someone’s obviously crawled out of his own arse.
“Alright?” he asked.
Doyle and Angel both blinked themselves fully awake.
“Mm,” was just about all Doyle could manage.
“Is Xander alright?” Angel asked.
Spike nodded and glanced over at the table full of books and scraps of paper with scribbles on. “Anything?”
Angel squeezed Doyle and kissed his temple before releasing him and getting up from the couch. “We’ve turned up a few possible leads, a few fragments of information.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t get excited just yet, Spike. We don’t have anything solid. Like I said, fragments, that’s all.”
“Still, better than nothing, eh?”
“Is Xander with Jaham?” Doyle asked.
“Just gone in. So, need some help? With anything? Research? Anything else? Anything else happened while we were gone?”
Angel’s lips twitched in a near smile. His Childe had never been any good at hinting.
“I’ve told Doyle about the chip,” he confirmed. “And I’d like to talk to you about it, get your advice.”
“My advice? Really?” Spike was in a state of shock.
“Look, I’m not proud of the way I’ve been behaving and I’m not even sure why I’m doing it. But I do know one thing: keeping you all in the dark about it is doing none of us any good at all.”
Spike raised a suspicious eyebrow at Doyle. It seemed a certain little halfbreed had managed to finally talk some sense into Angel.
Angel continued. “When we’re done here, we’ll go back to the office, the four of us, and we’ll get things out in the open, properly. But for now…”
“Xander.”
“Yes. He’s the priority at the moment.”
“Damn right. Where do I start?”
Doyle handed over a book that was nearly as big as he was. “Have a butcher's at that. I can’t make head nor tale of it.”
“And you think I can? Not feeling optimistic, here.”
**
“This is stupid.”
“Try again.”
“No.”
“Try again.”
“Why? What’s the point?”
“The point is to clear your mind.”
“With mini golf? I’m telling you, I can’t get the ball in the little hole!!”
“Alexander…”
“It’s Xander, for fuck sake. How many more times? It’s XANDER!”
As Xander’s frustration boiled over into anger the room shook and the window cracked.
Xander gasped and whirled around to face Jaham. “Shit! Is that me or an earthquake…or a Hellmouth opening?”
“Calm, calm, it is you. Don’t worry, just calm yourself and things will return to normal.”
“Hey, did you wind me up on purpose?!”
“Yes.”
“Oh. Well, at least you’re honest.” Xander suddenly smiled and the shaking stopped.
“What the bloody hell was that?! Was that you, pet?!” Spike asked as he crashed through the door.
“Yeah, I got mad.”
“Why?”
“He made me play golf and kept calling me Alexander.”
“You bastard! Xan must have told you about his golf ball phobia!”
“It was simply a tool to allow me to witness his power for myself. I meant no harm.”
Angel appeared at the door and placed a calming hand on Spike’s arm. “Leave it, Spike. Jaham?”
“It is a great power, oh yes. It will take time and skill to harness and control it.”
“Can he hurt himself with it?” Spike asked. “That's all I need to know.”
“Doubtful. And from what you’ve told me about the incident in the alley last night, I also think that it’s doubtful that he would hurt any of you. Come back tomorrow,” Jaham said, turning back to Xander. “Come back tomorrow and maybe I’ll have something for you.”
Xander nodded shakily. He wasn’t sure what had scared him the most: the shaking room, the window cracking or all the golf balls.
“C’mon, pet. Long night ahead. Lots for us all to talk about. Let’s go.”
Looking at the expressions on everybody’s faces, Xander suspected that Spike wasn’t exaggerating. He took Spike’s hand and followed him out the door.
TBC…
Genre: Action, adventure, comedy, romance, an actual plot, you name it...
Chapter Summary: Angel makes an admission to Doyle. Spike worries.
Feedback: It makes me happy. It'll make you get the next part quicker. Yeah, I ain't above bribery.
Thank you to
kitty_poker1 for the great beta.Previous Completed Parts Of FOON
Previous chapters inside the tag.
Xander felt his anger and energy slip away and he found himself smiling as he slid down the wall and began to fall into unconsciousness.
~I’m coming, pet. You’ll be alright. I’m coming~
As Spike stormed into the alleyway he was immediately hit with a wall of intense heat. It was the sort of heat that you’d expect to find if you’d just had your body basted, sprinkled with parsley and slid into an oven to roast on gas mark six. Spike swore and scanned the alley for Xander and Doyle.
A slightly slower Angel appeared at the corner. He waved his arms in front of him like he was shooing away the sudden blanket of warmth that was threatening to boil him from the inside out. “Doyle?” he called.
A worried face peered around a dumpster. “Over here, quick!” Doyle got up and stepped back as Spike tore past him and took his place at Xander’s side.
Xander’s face was flushed and he was sweating profusely. Leaning back against the scorching hot brickwork, Xander was barely awake. His eyelids were heavy and nearly closed and his body was limp with exhaustion.
“Luv?”
Xander turned his head into the beautifully cold hand that was now pressed at his cheek. He clutched at Spike’s arm and pulled himself forward, almost throwing himself into Spike’s cooling embrace. “Hot,” he said with barely a whisper. “So hot.”
Spike silently agreed. Holding onto Xander’s body was like clutching a furnace and Spike could already feel his own skin overheating. Without any further talk or questions, Spike scooped Xander further into his arms, stood, and began striding back to the car.
Doyle went to follow, but he stopped at a hand on his arm.
“Are you alright?” Angel asked. He quickly scanned Doyle from head to toe and decided, even before Doyle spoke, that he wasn’t.
“I’ll be fine. Just a few scrapes here and there. Come on, we’d better…”
“Wait, you don’t look…”
Doyle smiled at the genuine concern that was so evident on Angel’s face. “It can wait. Really. I think Xander needs us more at the moment.”
Doyle walked away and Angel quickly joined him at his side. “What the hell happened here?”
“Honestly? I have no idea. But I’ll tell you this, Xander has some serious power. That Jaham guy better know what he’s doing.”
Angel stared ahead. He hoped so too.
**
Xander shivered and looked pleadingly at Spike. “Cold,” he complained.
Spike rolled his eyes and held up a large bath towel. “Wish you’d make your bloody mind up.”
Xander stood on slightly sturdier legs and closed his eyes as he felt the fluffy peach towel wrap around him. He was unceremoniously lifted from the freezing water and placed onto the closed toilet lid.
“Don’t be mad.”
“’Mnot mad.”
“You are. Please don’t be.”
“’Mnot.”
“Spike…”
“Alright! I’m mad! Happy?!”
“No.”
Spike sighed and squatted down next to Xander’s legs. He grabbed another towel from the pile on the floor and started to dry his lover off. He was mad. Sort of. He was mad that Xander and Doyle hadn’t called for help and he was just mad in general that life wouldn’t seem to let any of them be. “Xan…”
“I know what you’re going to say. Sorry.”
“Just bloody call me next time, yeah? I know you can take care of yourself, but you’ve also got some weird shit going on at the moment. What if you’d set yourself or Doyle on fire?”
“Hey, I didn’t know I could do that!” Xander insisted.
“Fine. Well, what if you’d struck yourself with lightning?”
They both glared at each other for a few moments, each trying to picture the results of that scenario. A smile crept up onto both sets of lips…
**
Doyle frowned and glanced over at the bathroom door. “Now what in the hell are they laughing at?”
“Something they shouldn’t be, probably.”
Doyle nodded. “You’re absolutely sure we can trust this Jaham? I mean, Xander seems okay, but…fuck, that was some weird shit. That really could have gotten out of hand.”
“I know. Look, I’ve known Jaham for years and years. He’s the best. If anyone can sort out Xander, then it’s him.”
“I really hope so, man. We *all* need to know what’s going on.”
“Exactly. Which is why I’m stepping up the research to release Isis.”
Doyle glanced over to the snake. Isis was wrapped around the top branch inside her vivarium and was staring intently at the bathroom door. “Is it me or does she actually look concerned?”
Angel approached the glass cage and tapped lightly on the window. “She looks concerned. I just wish we could communicate with her.”
“Well, what about Jaham? He said that he spoke with her.”
“A vision and a cryptic message. It’s not enough. We need to be able to speak directly to her.”
“But even if we can release her, will it do any good? Or will she float off to wherever goddesses float to?”
Angel sighed. “I don’t know.”
“So, stepping up the research. What does that mean, exactly?”
“I’m going to spend some time with Jaham, go through his library.”
“Let me guess, big library.”
“Like you wouldn’t believe. Would you like to help me?” Angel asked. His voiced was hushed and it held a quality that was shy and unsure.
Doyle smiled. “I’d love to. Now?”
“When we know that Xander’s okay.”
The bathroom door swung open and Spike appeared, leading a bathrobe-clad Xander in the direction of their bedroom. “He’s okay. Bit tired. Taking him to bed. You can both fuck off now.”
“Spike! What he meant was, I’m alright. No permanent damage done and no urge to set LA ablaze. You are both free to go.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Angel asked.
Spike shook his head. “I reckon we’re alright. Go on, go. I’ll call tomorrow.”
Angel nodded and turned to leave.//
“Sire?”
“Spike?”
“…I will call. Take care, yeah?”
“I’ll look forward to it. Thank you.”
Xander and Doyle looked incredulously at each other, silently agreeing that both vampires were indeed acting very oddly. Of course, they would both interrogate their respective vampires and report back with their own phone call in the morning.
The goodbyes were said and a slightly awkward hug was exchanged between Xander and Doyle. There was a definite friendship building its merry way there, but they were both still at the stage where they were working each other out; how touchy feely was the other; how sensitive was the other; and just how would the other person react if you hid a small beaver in their bed?
“Spill,” Xander demanded when he was safely in his bed with Spike wrapped protectively around him. “What happened with Angel?”
“Fuck, pet, where do you want me to start?”
“Doyle. Does Angel still love him?”
“'Course he bloody does.”
“So what’s the problem? What did he say?”
“He thinks that because Angelus abandoned him, it must mean that the souled version doesn’t love him enough.”
“Right. That’s stupid. Angelus takes time for his obsession to go all…obsessy. Just look at Dru…”
“Pet, pet, I know. I told him all that.”
“And?”
“And I think he sees my point, sort of. But…”
Spike paused and Xander gripped tighter to Spike’s waist. “I’m not liking the sound of that ‘but’.”
“*But*…fuck, how can I put this delicately?”
“Spike, I didn’t even realise that you knew the meaning of the word ‘delicate’.”
“Ha fucking ha. Alright then, Angel is off his nut.”
“He’s drunk?”
“*No.* He’s going crazy, doolally, insane, off his rocker, out of his tree…”
“Okay, already, I got it! What makes you think that?”
“The chip.”
“What chip? Your chip?”
“Angel’s chip.”
“Huh?!”
“When Angel was at the Initiative they put a chip in his head, just like they did to me.”
Xander sat bolt upright. “Oh my god! Tell me you’re kidding, *please* tell me.”
“No can do,” Spike said, sitting up and shaking his head slowly.
“Oh my god,” Xander repeated. “I can’t believe he never said anything to us. Why wouldn’t he say anything? Does Doyle know?”
“Don’t think so. And you know Angel, he keeps everything to himself. Bloody pratt.”
“So, it’s the same as yours?”
Spike relaxed back into the pillows and pulled out a packet of cigarettes from the bedside table. “Angel seems to think so. Dunno if he’s tested it.”
“Didn’t you ask him?”
“Well, I would have if someone hadn’t decided to nuke a vampire or two.”
“Ah, yeah.”
“We’ll talk to him tomorrow; see what’s what.”
“Okay. But you said he was going crazy; it’s because of the chip?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. I just can’t seem to put my finger on it. He’s acting fucking strange. Whether it’s psychological or the bloody chip frying his brain, fuck only knows. Jesus, you know, they could’ve fucked him up for good. What if he gets worse? Fucking Initiative cunts. Fuck ‘em!” Spike swung out his fist and smashed the lamp into the wall.
“Spike,” Xander started, gently. “I suggest you light up your cigarette and start soaking up that nicotine.”
“Sorry, pet. I’m just frustrated…and fucked off. Life doesn’t give us a break, does it?!"
“Yes and no. At the moment, no. But it will get better.”
“Yeah? When? When you next sneeze and set fire to yourself? Or when Angels cracks up completely and goes psycho on us?”
“Spike, don’t. Come on, it will get better. We know about the chip now so we can help Angel. And we know that I can do weird stuff and I’m already getting help…Okay, so I’ve *accidentally* set fire to a couple of vampires since then, but that’s not the point. The point is that we’ll get there. We always do. We've got each other, right?”
“'Course, luv. Yeah, you’re right. Sorry, pet. It’s just been one of those days, you know?” Spike pulled Xander towards him and hugged him tightly. “You feeling alright now?” he asked after a weakly returned squeeze.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just tired. I think I wore myself out. I hear pyromania does that sometimes.”
“Sure that’s it? Not too hot? Cold?”
“No, I’m good, really. Just in the mood for an epic sleep.”
Spike touched his lips to Xander’s, pouring his love into a slow and gentle kiss. “Good night, pet,” he whispered as he pulled away and laid them both down. “Love you, flames and all.”
**
Xander peered cautiously around the corner. “Over there,” he whispered, pointing to the corner of the room.
“Oh, right,” Spike whispered back. “Why are we whispering?”
“Because they’re asleep.”
Spike, as promised, had called Angel the next day to let him know that Xander was fine and back to his normal bouncy self. They had arranged to meet at Jaham’s place. Angel had gone there with Doyle to continue their research on releasing Isis and, in light of the flame throwing incident, it had been decided that Xander was in need of a swift follow-up appointment.
“They look cute, don’t they, all cuddled up,” Xander observed. “I guess they must be getting on okay.”
“See? I was right.”
“About what?”
“All they needed was a distraction. You set stuff on fire, they fall into bed.”
“Glad I could be of service,” Xander beamed.
A door opened behind them and Jaham beckoned Xander to join him.
“That’s my cue. Have fun and be nice to Angel.”
“I’m always…! Yeah, alright.”
A small kiss was exchanged and Spike watched as Xander disappeared into the other room and the door closed slowly behind him. He was prepared to leave him alone for an hour with Jaham before checking on him and his progress. This was not a time for patience. Who knew what else Xander could do with his gift? It had to stop, or be controlled or at least reined in a little.
Spike shoved his hands in his pockets and started a loud trudge towards the opposite end of Jaham’s library, allowing Doyle and Angel to hear him and compose themselves.
To Spike’s surprise, his Sire and Doyle stirred, woke, and stayed in each other's arms in the tapestry couch they were lounging on. Well, someone’s obviously crawled out of his own arse.
“Alright?” he asked.
Doyle and Angel both blinked themselves fully awake.
“Mm,” was just about all Doyle could manage.
“Is Xander alright?” Angel asked.
Spike nodded and glanced over at the table full of books and scraps of paper with scribbles on. “Anything?”
Angel squeezed Doyle and kissed his temple before releasing him and getting up from the couch. “We’ve turned up a few possible leads, a few fragments of information.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t get excited just yet, Spike. We don’t have anything solid. Like I said, fragments, that’s all.”
“Still, better than nothing, eh?”
“Is Xander with Jaham?” Doyle asked.
“Just gone in. So, need some help? With anything? Research? Anything else? Anything else happened while we were gone?”
Angel’s lips twitched in a near smile. His Childe had never been any good at hinting.
“I’ve told Doyle about the chip,” he confirmed. “And I’d like to talk to you about it, get your advice.”
“My advice? Really?” Spike was in a state of shock.
“Look, I’m not proud of the way I’ve been behaving and I’m not even sure why I’m doing it. But I do know one thing: keeping you all in the dark about it is doing none of us any good at all.”
Spike raised a suspicious eyebrow at Doyle. It seemed a certain little halfbreed had managed to finally talk some sense into Angel.
Angel continued. “When we’re done here, we’ll go back to the office, the four of us, and we’ll get things out in the open, properly. But for now…”
“Xander.”
“Yes. He’s the priority at the moment.”
“Damn right. Where do I start?”
Doyle handed over a book that was nearly as big as he was. “Have a butcher's at that. I can’t make head nor tale of it.”
“And you think I can? Not feeling optimistic, here.”
**
“This is stupid.”
“Try again.”
“No.”
“Try again.”
“Why? What’s the point?”
“The point is to clear your mind.”
“With mini golf? I’m telling you, I can’t get the ball in the little hole!!”
“Alexander…”
“It’s Xander, for fuck sake. How many more times? It’s XANDER!”
As Xander’s frustration boiled over into anger the room shook and the window cracked.
Xander gasped and whirled around to face Jaham. “Shit! Is that me or an earthquake…or a Hellmouth opening?”
“Calm, calm, it is you. Don’t worry, just calm yourself and things will return to normal.”
“Hey, did you wind me up on purpose?!”
“Yes.”
“Oh. Well, at least you’re honest.” Xander suddenly smiled and the shaking stopped.
“What the bloody hell was that?! Was that you, pet?!” Spike asked as he crashed through the door.
“Yeah, I got mad.”
“Why?”
“He made me play golf and kept calling me Alexander.”
“You bastard! Xan must have told you about his golf ball phobia!”
“It was simply a tool to allow me to witness his power for myself. I meant no harm.”
Angel appeared at the door and placed a calming hand on Spike’s arm. “Leave it, Spike. Jaham?”
“It is a great power, oh yes. It will take time and skill to harness and control it.”
“Can he hurt himself with it?” Spike asked. “That's all I need to know.”
“Doubtful. And from what you’ve told me about the incident in the alley last night, I also think that it’s doubtful that he would hurt any of you. Come back tomorrow,” Jaham said, turning back to Xander. “Come back tomorrow and maybe I’ll have something for you.”
Xander nodded shakily. He wasn’t sure what had scared him the most: the shaking room, the window cracking or all the golf balls.
“C’mon, pet. Long night ahead. Lots for us all to talk about. Let’s go.”
Looking at the expressions on everybody’s faces, Xander suspected that Spike wasn’t exaggerating. He took Spike’s hand and followed him out the door.
TBC…
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-07-10 09:35 am (UTC)Favorite part though: and just how would the other person react if you hid a small beaver in their bed? *snickers*
Lovely and looking forward to more!
~Nebula
(no subject)
Date: 2005-07-10 11:02 am (UTC)I'm not exactly sure how I came up with the golf ball phobia. Jaham was trying to make Xander frustrated by making him play a game he couldn't get to grips with and then deliberately calling him Alexander. so then I was going to have Spike rushing in and being indignant about the name calling. But 'golf balls' just popped out of his mouth! Not literally. ;o)
Ta very much and more very soon.