Fic: Hellraiser: The Angels Beneath - 6/?
Jul. 18th, 2005 11:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
suki_blueTitle: Hellraiser: The Angels Beneath
Pairing: S/X
A Btvs/Hellraiser x-over
Summary: Riley returns to Sunnydale and brings back a mysterious puzzle box.
Chapter Summary: Dawn's world crumbles and an argument causes Buffy to go too far.
Rating: 18
Warnings: Erm, just about every warning you can think of. Character Deaths (Not the boys. Everybody else is fair game), Torture, Dark Themes, References to Non-Con, Non-Con, Sexual Abuse, Extreme violence, Badly Timed Jokes, S&M Themes and probably a whole lot more once I think of them.
Thanks and hugs to the amazing![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kitty_poker1 for the wonderful beta.
Previous Parts here
Chapter 6
Spike opened his eyes and squinted at the figure beside him. “Hey, luv.”
“Hey.”
“What time is it?” Spike asked, rolling onto his side and pulling his lover closer.
“About three o’clock. Sorry I woke you.”
“Don’t fret, luv. Three o’clock is prime time for us cold-blooded creatures of the night.”
“Is that so? So what are you doing in bed with me, then?”
Spike nuzzled at Xander’s throat. He smiled against the warm flesh as Xander tipped his head back and sighed.
“What am I doing in bed with you? Well, let me see. I reckon I’m about to give my human the best blow job of his young life.”
“Oh, okay. Glad we got that…cleared up,” Xander gasped as Spike slid down his body and swirled a cool tongue in and around his navel.
Spike took a moment to look up at Xander’s rapidly flushing face before he slipped further down the bed until he was in line with Xander’s groin.
Xander pushed himself up on his elbows. The need to see Spike sucking on his cock was just as important as the sensation of feeling it. He watched as Spike took his heavy shaft in his hand and he fought the urge to thrust upwards as Spike’s lips covered and suckled on the purpling cock-head. Spike’s tongue swirled around and around the tip, lapping up the small spurts of pre-cum and teasing with an uneven rhythm.
Xander reached out and grabbed a clump of curly blond hair, urging Spike to suck deeper, longer and harder.
Spike finally allowed Xander to take control. His head was pushed down and Xander’s hard cock pushed up and filled Spike’s throat. He swallowed around the welcome intrusion, loving the feeling of Xander quivering beneath him.
Xander’s body began arching from the bed, his free hand clenching at the sheets and his breath leaving his body in short, rapid pants. He was close, so close. He called out his lover’s name in warning and in response Spike brought his hand down between his own legs and pumped hard at his own unattended erection.
Spike felt his own orgasm threatening and he tugged harder and faster at his cock until he was groaning for release, his mouth humming around Xander’s shaft.
Xander unclenched his hand from the bed sheet and used both hands to keep Spike’s head and mouth exactly where he needed it. He thrust his hips up with as much power and speed as he could and when he felt his balls draw up and his orgasm beginning, he screamed his approaching release up into the ceiling. His body tensed and shuddered and he stroked his hands all over Spike’s face and head as he spilled his hot seed into the waiting mouth.
Xander watched with wide eyes as Spike swallowed every drop of cum. Spike’s body was softly jerking and Xander longed to watch Spike complete his own orgasm.
“I want to see.”
Spike nodded and moved to straddle Xander’s hips. He gripped his aching cock again and began a slow, agonising rhythm.
“Spike, so beautiful.” Xander ran his hands over Spike’s thighs, his hands resting to fondle and massage two sensitive balls.
Spike groaned and quickened his pace and Xander leant up to crush his mouth against Spike’s in a gesture that was meant to be possessive as much as passionate. He knocked Spike’s hand away and placed his own hand on Spike’s aching cock, teasing it with light, feather touches. He smiled into the kiss as he felt Spike’s growl vibrating against his lips.
The growl grew louder and Spike’s face shifted into its demon form. Xander looked into his golden eyes and his cock instantly hardened.
Xander gasped as razor sharp fangs scraped over the flesh at his throat and he thought he would come just from that sensation alone. He took both their cocks in his hand and began a strong and steady pace, his fist easily sliding over cocks that were wet with saliva and cum.
Spike growled and snarled into Xander’s neck, his demon demanding to taste the blood of its companion and mate. He placed his lips firmly over the warm flesh at Xander’s throat and sucked firmly.
Xander fisted their swollen cocks faster, the sensation at his neck spurring the quick approach of another orgasm. He held tightly to Spike’s back and dipped his head to a pale shoulder, biting into the flesh with almost brutal force. Spicy blood spurted into his mouth and Xander felt his balls drawing up again for release.
Spike placed his hand over Xander’s, pumping their cocks at a furious and frantic rate. His fangs descended and with a roar and he bit deeply into Xander’s neck.
Spike’s orgasm tore through him at the moment Xander’s sweet blood hit the back of his throat. He pumped their hands faster and he felt Xander tense against him, his boy’s cum shooting between them in long jets and streams.
Xander swallowed Spike’s blood and released his shoulder. He wrapped two strong arms around his lover and basked in the feeling that only two orgasms and a vampire lover, sucking your blood, could bring.
**
Spike glanced at his watch for the tenth time. “This is bloody stupid. Where the hell is she?”
Xander looked up and turned to Giles for an answer. The Watcher sighed and frowned at the ground. “I have no idea.”
“Well, ain’t that just bloody great.”
“Just wait a minute, Spike…”
“Wait a minute! Wait a *bloody* minute!!! There’s a nest of vamps just in there begging for a dusting and there’s no Slayer to be seen!”
Xander reached in his pocket for his cell phone. “Okay, guys, okay. Let’s not argue. I’ll call her and see what’s up.”
Spike nodded and watched his tired lover wander away with his cell. This was all so wrong. This was the Slayer’s responsibility. A dozen or more vampires were partying just twenty feet away and Spike was not pleased that they would probably have to take them on without the Slayer. Xander was tired. Very tired. Weeks of sleepless and broken nights, a heavy workload and night after night of slaying was clearly taking its toll.
Spike understood that Buffy had just been through a terrible ordeal, an ordeal that had probably started when Riley had returned to Sunnydale. And with Joyce so sick, Buffy was spiralling into a pit of despair and depression. But what about the rest of them? Was Dawn supposed to suffer because her big sister couldn’t hold herself together? Was Xander supposed to suffer because his friend cared more about her own grief than making sure that he was safe to walk the streets of Sunnydale? Did she even care that Xander was nearly killing himself to make sure that their home town wasn’t flooded with the walking dead?
Perhaps he was being unfair. He couldn’t blame all these problems on Buffy. It had been Riley who had infected her with his darkness and hate. And now he was gone and Buffy was left to pick up the pieces of her broken life. Spike couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, but he also couldn’t help but feel bitterness. An unreasonable part of his brain was telling him that Buffy was just being her usual, egotistical self. Look at me! Look at me! I’m the Slayer! I’m full of darkness! Feel sorry for me! Love me! Let me use you!
Xander wandered back and shoved the phone back in his pocket. “She isn’t coming,” he said.
Spike rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the gravestone he’d been leaning on. “Right. Nice of her to tell us.”
See? This was just the kind of thing that wound Spike up. So she wasn’t coming. She was letting them down yet again. But did she even think to call? Couldn’t she have just picked up the phone and said, hey, don’t really feel like it tonight, so please don’t waste your own evening waiting around?
“What’s her excuse this time?”
“Um, she’s tired.”
“Right. Tired. Right. Well, we’re all bloody tired, aren’t we?!” Spike snapped.
“Spike, please calm down.” Giles asked.
“Yeah, it’s no problem. We can take these guys out.”
Spike looked at Xander incredulously. “Eh?! The three of us? We ain’t even got the witches for back-up!”
“Xander, Spike is quite right. We can’t risk it.”
“And what happens in the meantime? Those vamps are going to leave soon and they’ll be snacking on the population!”
“Pet…”
“Don’t ‘pet’ me. And don’t fucking patronise me. We can do this.” Xander held up a large crossbow. “You go and flush them out,” Xander said, pointing to the gas can on the ground, “and I’ll get them on their way out.”
Spike nodded reluctantly into Xander’s determined face. Any more protests were likely to result in a row. He grabbed hold of Xander’s crossbow and quickly checked it over.
“It’s ready to go. I already checked it,” Xander said in a tone that was much lighter.
The ritualistic checking of Xander’s weapons was something that he’d gotten used to a long time ago. This wasn’t something that made him feel like he was being patronised. It was something that made him feel warm and safe and loved.
Spike carefully checked over the crossbow, despite Xander’s half hearted protest. You never could be too careful. This particular weapon was still fairly new and, although they had tested it a few times, Xander had never used it in battle. It was a pretty impressive piece of weaponry, even if Spike did say so himself. He’d had it custom made specifically for Xander. It was just the right weight for him, featured a totally silent arrow rest, an eight arrow quiver and a whole collection of lightweight wooden bolts, the sort that could fly through the air and strike it’s target from a *very* long way away.
Through many years of necessary training, Xander had become quite the archer and this weapon was like an extension of his own arm. He accepted the crossbow back from Spike’s thorough check and cocked the first bolt into position, watching out of the corner of his eye as Spike continued to observe him. Again, this wasn’t Spike trying to belittle him and it wasn’t that Spike didn’t trust him. Everyone made mistakes, even a Slayer, a Watcher and a Master Vampire. It never hurt to take care of each other.
“Ready?” Spike asked when Xander had tested his aim.
“Ready,” Xander confirmed. “Giles?”
Giles swung his own crossbow into firing position, frowned at its inadequate appearance compared to Xander’s and nodded. “Ready.”
“Right. Time to flush those wankers out, then.” Spike bent down to the ground and scooped up an empty soda bottle. He poured some of the gasoline inside and scrunched up part of his newspaper, stuffing it inside the glass bottle.
Xander and Giles separated, Xander covering the left side of the old crypt and Giles somewhere on the right.
Spike lit the newspaper, casually approached the crypt door and banged loudly. The door opened with a creak and a cheerful head poked out. “Yeah?” the fledge asked.
Spike held up the bottle. “Delivery.”
The fledge opened the door wider and stepped closer to examine the bottle. “What is it?”
“Go lookey.” Spike threw the bottle over the fledge's head and watched with a satisfied smile as it landed in the middle of the room, engulfing the floor with flames and setting three of the fledges on fire.
The fledge at the door turned back to Spike with wide, confused eyes. “That was the delivery? It sucks. I’d rather have some DVDs.”
Spike was unsure if the fledge really was that dumb or if he actually had a wicked sense of humour. He decided it didn’t matter and he quickly staked the vampire before he could answer the question one way or another.
The stampede began. Spike stepped well away from the crypt and out of Xander's and Giles’ firing line. Standing well back, he watched his lover take aim and hit every single one of his targets. Two fledges circled around the crypt and Spike watched with glee as one attempted to creep up behind Giles. Stupid idiot. Spike ran straight for the fledge, catching it in its windpipe with the crook of his arm. He punched it in the ribs and Spike grinned from ear to ear at the sound of crunching bones. He stamped hard on the vampire’s face and, with a certain amount of regret that he couldn’t draw the fight out any longer, he staked him.
Spike stood and walked over to Giles. “Alright?”
“Erm, yes. But I seem to have run out of arrows.”
“No matter. We got ‘em all.”
“Spike! There are two over there. My goodness, they’re heading straight for Xander!”
“Don’t get your knickers in a twist. They’re good as dead.”
Two bolts shot in succession from Xander’s crossbow and, one after another, both vampires turned to dust.
“See?” Spike said
Giles frowned and hissed into Spike’s ear. “I find your lack of concern most disturbing, Spike. Xander could have been…”
“Xander is fine. He always was. You think I haven’t been watching him like a fucking hawk? If I thought for a moment that Xander was in any danger, I would have been by his side and not yours. You’re the fucking liability.”
“Now, Spike. There is no need…”
“Um, guys?” Xander called from the other side of the crypt. “Are you arguing again?”
“No,” said two innocent voices.
Xander sighed and started to walk away, muttering under his breath. “Stupid British people. Can’t do anything without getting in a hoo-ha about it.”
Spike and Giles frowned at each other.
Giles took a deep breath. “I apologise, Spike. I’m just feeling a little on edge, what with recent events. I really am very sorry,” he said. Giles stepped back and waited for the obligatory apology in return.
Spike smiled. “Cheers, mate. Yeah, you have been ratty recently. I accept your apology.”
Spike hurried after Xander’s retreating back and Giles was left standing indignantly in the middle of the graveyard. “That damn vampire.”
**
Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.
Dawn dropped the phone and staggered back, reaching blindly for anything that could prevent her from hitting the floor. The back of the couch touched her wandering hand first and she grabbed at it for support.
Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.
For a moment nothing but death registered in Dawn’s mind. There was nothing. An endless black void filled her pink teenage brain and she laughed bitterly that one single phone call had just taken away her childhood. She was in the real world now, a world full of grown-ups, politics, money worries and death. She wasn’t growing up; she was edging one step closer to her own natural demise. Or maybe an artificial one if the Hellmouth ever got the better of her.
Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.
Dawn’s stomach lurched and she bent over to vomit over her own bare feet. Standing up straight, she looked around at her surroundings. Not a home, a house. Her heart sank. She wanted to go home, to curl up on the couch her mom had bought, cuddle and hide her tears in the cushions that her mom had bought, run up to her room and throw herself onto the bed her mom had bought. But she couldn’t. Her thoughts turned to her sister. How was she going to tell Buffy?
This was all so wrong. Buffy was the adult. It should have been her that had answered the phone, her that had to wake Dawn and tell her…tell her…
Dawn sank to her knees.
Over. It was all over.
The devastation washed over her in a violent wave and Dawn wondered how she was would be able to carry on without her mother. Who would she talk too? Who would she gossip with? Who would she share her day with? Who would always be there for her?
Buffy?
Dawn wasn’t sure.
With the greatest amount of effort that she had ever felt in her life, Dawn got to her feet and began climbing the stairs. Each step brought her that much closer to her new life, a life without her best friend, her mother. Once she reached the top, once she entered Buffy’s room and woke her sister, once she had told Buffy that their mother was dead…that would be it.
Over. It would be all over. It would be real.
The fourth step was climbed and Dawn froze. She couldn’t do it. How could she do it? She was a child. She shouldn’t have to do this. It should be Buffy.
Dawn made a decision. She turned around and climbed back down the stairs. She picked up the phone and dialled a familiar number. She couldn’t do this by herself.
**
Spike and Xander stood outside Buffy’s house.
When Dawn had called, it had felt like the world had come crashing down on them all. Xander had calmed his friend and promised to be there in minutes. He’d put down the phone and turned around to find Spike already dressed and ready to go.
~
“She’s gone.”
Spike nodded. “I know. I heard.”
“We have to tell Buffy.”
They looked at each other. Blue eyes shining with tears that refused to fall, yet. Dawn needed them.
Xander looked away and spoke to himself. “She’s gone,” he repeated. “Why?”
Spike shrugged, a little lost for what to say. “I don’t know.”
Xander nodded again and started pulling clothes from the dresser.
“Xan…?”
“I’m okay. I’m strong, remember? For Buffy. For Dawn.”
“Yeah.”
~
Spike knocked quietly on the door. He exchanged a comforting glance with Xander and waited for the light pad of feet to reach the door.
Dawn wrenched it open and threw herself into Spike’s arms.
Spike whispered quiet words of comfort and simply held her. He walked Dawn back into the house and sat her down on the couch. Dawn sobbed into his chest. She was broken. Her world had ended.
Xander stepped into the house and quietly closed the door. He watched Spike comforting Dawn and a memory of his own mother rushed at him. Her face appeared in his mind and his own sanity threatened to tip over the edge. His heart clenched and unclenched and he felt happy that Dawn could grieve so easily, that she had someone who would let her grieve and be the child that she still was. A chance that he had never been given.
The words of his friends and family boomed in his ears: It’s for the best. She’s in a better place. She was never really happy. She never really loved you like a mother should. Now you’re free.
Spike held Dawn close to his chest, his fingers constantly moving through her hair. He looked over at Xander’s pale face and reluctantly gave him a nudge. “Xan; Buffy.”
Xander nodded and straightened himself out. They had already decided that he was to be the one to break the news to Buffy. He walked up the stairs, feeling like he was walking the green mile, and softly knocked on Buffy’s bedroom door. He turned the handle and peered into the room. Buffy was wrapped tightly in her covers, sleeping like a child.
Xander hated himself. He was about to destroy her.
**
His words repeated and echoed.
Dead. She’s dead. I’m so sorry. She’s dead. She’s dead. I’m so sorry, Buff. Sorry. She’s dead.
Gone.
She’s gone.
Xander was talking. Dawn was downstairs crying. Spike was shushing. So many sounds but none that could penetrate Buffy’s thoughts. This was hell. Earth was hell. One torment after another.
“You did this to me,” she whispered.
“Buffy?”
“You.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I do. You pulled me out of heaven, and for what? This?”
Xander stood and covered his face with his hands. So many emotions swirled inside him, a train wreck of sadness, disbelief, horror, regret and love. “Oh, god…”
Buffy laughed and got up from the bed. “Want to know if there is a god? I know the answer to that. I also know something else. Do you want to hear it?”
“Buffy, please, this isn’t the time. Dawn…”
Buffy carried on, regardless of Xander’s protest. “Well, I don’t think you’re gonna want to hear it, but hey, I didn’t want to be pulled out of heaven but you damn well did it anyway, didn’t you?”
“Buffy, we didn’t know…”
“Shut. Up.” Buffy wandered around the bed and opened the wardrobe door. She stared into the full length mirror and touched shaking fingers against the glass. “Nights are so dark. Days are so dark. Goodbye, mom. I know you’ve gone to heaven. I think you’ll like it. So bright.”
Xander shifted uncomfortably, his hands suddenly feeling spare with nowhere to put them. He caught Buffy’s eye and she turned sharply to look at him with a hateful glare.
“A brightness you’ll never know. You’re going to hell, Xander.”
Xander straightened up, taking the comment firmly on the chin. “This isn’t about me. This is about you and Dawn. And about Dawn needing her sister strong.”
Buffy ignored him. “You don’t believe me, do you?”
“What? I…”
“Answer me. Just give me that. Answer me and tell me if you believe me.”
“I don’t know, I…I don’t even think I believe in heaven and hell.”
Buffy laughed. “I always thought you were lacking in the smarts, but really? Xander? Hello? We live on a Hellmouth?”
“I know that. I just mean I don’t know if I believe in a heaven and hell when you die.”
“I was in heaven. Are you calling me a liar?”
“No! It’s different for you. You’re…special. And the way you died, it wasn’t exactly normal.”
Buffy circled her friend before standing in front of him and taking his face gently in her hands. “You sleep with a vampire that once tried to rape me. You defied all natural laws by pulling me from heaven. You cheated on Anya with another *man.*. You didn’t even turn up to your own mother’s funeral. You. Are. Going. To. Hell.”
Xander wrenched Buffy’s hands from his face. “Why are you being like this? Why are you doing this to me?”
“Oh, it’s always about you, Xander…”
“No! No fucking way. It’s *never* about me. And just for the record, you don’t have a clue about me and my mother. This is about *you.* You, fucking, you. Your mother just died, Buffy, and your sister is waiting downstairs for you to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart. But no, here you are ripping seven shades of shit out of me instead. Easier, isn’t it? Pick apart someone else’s life instead of facing up to your own. Riley is dead. He’s gone and it’s over; deal. He got involved with something sick and…”
Buffy’s voice rose to a hysterical level. “He was not involved with anything. He made a mistake, that’s all. He didn’t know what that box was, what it did. It took him over and made him do those things.”
“What things?! *What* did he do to you?!”
“NOTHING!”
“BULLSHIT!”
“He was a good man. He *was.*”
“HE WAS A RAPIST!”
“NOOOO!”
Xander knew he should stop. The timing could not be any worse if he tried. But something inside him had snapped and he needed Buffy to know, needed to make her see, needed to jolt her out of herself and back into the real world.
“Yes,” he said firmly. “I heard one of the Cenobites through the wall. I heard what he said. Riley, he’d done things, awful things. He was a rapist, Buffy. If anyone deserves to be in hell, then it’s him. He was evil. He got what he deserved.”
Buffy moved fast and Xander didn’t even see her coming. Her fist pounded into his face and Xander felt himself falling backwards. He covered his face ineffectually with his arms and prayed that she wouldn’t go too far.
Dark blotches danced before his eyes and Xander tried to distance himself and leave his body while Buffy’s fists rained down on him blow after blow. His mind flashed with old, forgotten memories yet again and his vision was filled with the sight of his mother.
Screaming. Drinking. Screaming. Hitting.
Raping. She’s being raped.
Xander gasped at the new memory and he choked on the blood that was filling his mouth. Desperate voices rang out around him and Xander felt the harsh collisions of a fist turn to a soft caress from a hesitant hand.
“…ander? …to me…luv?...hold on…long…Xan…?”
Xander tried to smile. Spike was here. Spike makes it stop.
Spike.
Xander winced as his body was lifted from the floor. He felt comfort in the arms of his lover and he let himself enjoy the childish feeling of being coddled.
Cool air hit him and he realised they were outside. Dawn’s voice sobbed and he felt her touching his hair. In the distance he could hear Buffy. Her voice was caught between fury and remorse.
“He…did it…pushed me…Spike!...leave me…don’t…me, please!”
**
The room remembered. *He* remembered. This was where it had happened. This was the room where he had died. He hadn’t been ready. He had been misled. Hell was not as promised and he wanted out.
Three weeks since his wishes had been granted. Three weeks that were really three long centuries if you were on the warmer side of hell.
Riley smelled Xander’s blood even before it hit the floor and, as the precious liquid flowed, Riley waited.
From the other side, he laughed. Good old Buffy. The old bitch fucks herself again.
The three voices dimmed and Riley seized his chance. Xander’s blood slowly seeped down into the floorboards, taken, consumed and used by a once friend, now demon.
The floorboards rattled and twisted and piece by piece, bone by bone, Riley lived.
TBC…
Pairing: S/X
A Btvs/Hellraiser x-over
Summary: Riley returns to Sunnydale and brings back a mysterious puzzle box.
Chapter Summary: Dawn's world crumbles and an argument causes Buffy to go too far.
Rating: 18
Warnings: Erm, just about every warning you can think of. Character Deaths (Not the boys. Everybody else is fair game), Torture, Dark Themes, References to Non-Con, Non-Con, Sexual Abuse, Extreme violence, Badly Timed Jokes, S&M Themes and probably a whole lot more once I think of them.
Thanks and hugs to the amazing
kitty_poker1 for the wonderful beta.Previous Parts here
Chapter 6
Spike opened his eyes and squinted at the figure beside him. “Hey, luv.”
“Hey.”
“What time is it?” Spike asked, rolling onto his side and pulling his lover closer.
“About three o’clock. Sorry I woke you.”
“Don’t fret, luv. Three o’clock is prime time for us cold-blooded creatures of the night.”
“Is that so? So what are you doing in bed with me, then?”
Spike nuzzled at Xander’s throat. He smiled against the warm flesh as Xander tipped his head back and sighed.
“What am I doing in bed with you? Well, let me see. I reckon I’m about to give my human the best blow job of his young life.”
“Oh, okay. Glad we got that…cleared up,” Xander gasped as Spike slid down his body and swirled a cool tongue in and around his navel.
Spike took a moment to look up at Xander’s rapidly flushing face before he slipped further down the bed until he was in line with Xander’s groin.
Xander pushed himself up on his elbows. The need to see Spike sucking on his cock was just as important as the sensation of feeling it. He watched as Spike took his heavy shaft in his hand and he fought the urge to thrust upwards as Spike’s lips covered and suckled on the purpling cock-head. Spike’s tongue swirled around and around the tip, lapping up the small spurts of pre-cum and teasing with an uneven rhythm.
Xander reached out and grabbed a clump of curly blond hair, urging Spike to suck deeper, longer and harder.
Spike finally allowed Xander to take control. His head was pushed down and Xander’s hard cock pushed up and filled Spike’s throat. He swallowed around the welcome intrusion, loving the feeling of Xander quivering beneath him.
Xander’s body began arching from the bed, his free hand clenching at the sheets and his breath leaving his body in short, rapid pants. He was close, so close. He called out his lover’s name in warning and in response Spike brought his hand down between his own legs and pumped hard at his own unattended erection.
Spike felt his own orgasm threatening and he tugged harder and faster at his cock until he was groaning for release, his mouth humming around Xander’s shaft.
Xander unclenched his hand from the bed sheet and used both hands to keep Spike’s head and mouth exactly where he needed it. He thrust his hips up with as much power and speed as he could and when he felt his balls draw up and his orgasm beginning, he screamed his approaching release up into the ceiling. His body tensed and shuddered and he stroked his hands all over Spike’s face and head as he spilled his hot seed into the waiting mouth.
Xander watched with wide eyes as Spike swallowed every drop of cum. Spike’s body was softly jerking and Xander longed to watch Spike complete his own orgasm.
“I want to see.”
Spike nodded and moved to straddle Xander’s hips. He gripped his aching cock again and began a slow, agonising rhythm.
“Spike, so beautiful.” Xander ran his hands over Spike’s thighs, his hands resting to fondle and massage two sensitive balls.
Spike groaned and quickened his pace and Xander leant up to crush his mouth against Spike’s in a gesture that was meant to be possessive as much as passionate. He knocked Spike’s hand away and placed his own hand on Spike’s aching cock, teasing it with light, feather touches. He smiled into the kiss as he felt Spike’s growl vibrating against his lips.
The growl grew louder and Spike’s face shifted into its demon form. Xander looked into his golden eyes and his cock instantly hardened.
Xander gasped as razor sharp fangs scraped over the flesh at his throat and he thought he would come just from that sensation alone. He took both their cocks in his hand and began a strong and steady pace, his fist easily sliding over cocks that were wet with saliva and cum.
Spike growled and snarled into Xander’s neck, his demon demanding to taste the blood of its companion and mate. He placed his lips firmly over the warm flesh at Xander’s throat and sucked firmly.
Xander fisted their swollen cocks faster, the sensation at his neck spurring the quick approach of another orgasm. He held tightly to Spike’s back and dipped his head to a pale shoulder, biting into the flesh with almost brutal force. Spicy blood spurted into his mouth and Xander felt his balls drawing up again for release.
Spike placed his hand over Xander’s, pumping their cocks at a furious and frantic rate. His fangs descended and with a roar and he bit deeply into Xander’s neck.
Spike’s orgasm tore through him at the moment Xander’s sweet blood hit the back of his throat. He pumped their hands faster and he felt Xander tense against him, his boy’s cum shooting between them in long jets and streams.
Xander swallowed Spike’s blood and released his shoulder. He wrapped two strong arms around his lover and basked in the feeling that only two orgasms and a vampire lover, sucking your blood, could bring.
**
Spike glanced at his watch for the tenth time. “This is bloody stupid. Where the hell is she?”
Xander looked up and turned to Giles for an answer. The Watcher sighed and frowned at the ground. “I have no idea.”
“Well, ain’t that just bloody great.”
“Just wait a minute, Spike…”
“Wait a minute! Wait a *bloody* minute!!! There’s a nest of vamps just in there begging for a dusting and there’s no Slayer to be seen!”
Xander reached in his pocket for his cell phone. “Okay, guys, okay. Let’s not argue. I’ll call her and see what’s up.”
Spike nodded and watched his tired lover wander away with his cell. This was all so wrong. This was the Slayer’s responsibility. A dozen or more vampires were partying just twenty feet away and Spike was not pleased that they would probably have to take them on without the Slayer. Xander was tired. Very tired. Weeks of sleepless and broken nights, a heavy workload and night after night of slaying was clearly taking its toll.
Spike understood that Buffy had just been through a terrible ordeal, an ordeal that had probably started when Riley had returned to Sunnydale. And with Joyce so sick, Buffy was spiralling into a pit of despair and depression. But what about the rest of them? Was Dawn supposed to suffer because her big sister couldn’t hold herself together? Was Xander supposed to suffer because his friend cared more about her own grief than making sure that he was safe to walk the streets of Sunnydale? Did she even care that Xander was nearly killing himself to make sure that their home town wasn’t flooded with the walking dead?
Perhaps he was being unfair. He couldn’t blame all these problems on Buffy. It had been Riley who had infected her with his darkness and hate. And now he was gone and Buffy was left to pick up the pieces of her broken life. Spike couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, but he also couldn’t help but feel bitterness. An unreasonable part of his brain was telling him that Buffy was just being her usual, egotistical self. Look at me! Look at me! I’m the Slayer! I’m full of darkness! Feel sorry for me! Love me! Let me use you!
Xander wandered back and shoved the phone back in his pocket. “She isn’t coming,” he said.
Spike rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the gravestone he’d been leaning on. “Right. Nice of her to tell us.”
See? This was just the kind of thing that wound Spike up. So she wasn’t coming. She was letting them down yet again. But did she even think to call? Couldn’t she have just picked up the phone and said, hey, don’t really feel like it tonight, so please don’t waste your own evening waiting around?
“What’s her excuse this time?”
“Um, she’s tired.”
“Right. Tired. Right. Well, we’re all bloody tired, aren’t we?!” Spike snapped.
“Spike, please calm down.” Giles asked.
“Yeah, it’s no problem. We can take these guys out.”
Spike looked at Xander incredulously. “Eh?! The three of us? We ain’t even got the witches for back-up!”
“Xander, Spike is quite right. We can’t risk it.”
“And what happens in the meantime? Those vamps are going to leave soon and they’ll be snacking on the population!”
“Pet…”
“Don’t ‘pet’ me. And don’t fucking patronise me. We can do this.” Xander held up a large crossbow. “You go and flush them out,” Xander said, pointing to the gas can on the ground, “and I’ll get them on their way out.”
Spike nodded reluctantly into Xander’s determined face. Any more protests were likely to result in a row. He grabbed hold of Xander’s crossbow and quickly checked it over.
“It’s ready to go. I already checked it,” Xander said in a tone that was much lighter.
The ritualistic checking of Xander’s weapons was something that he’d gotten used to a long time ago. This wasn’t something that made him feel like he was being patronised. It was something that made him feel warm and safe and loved.
Spike carefully checked over the crossbow, despite Xander’s half hearted protest. You never could be too careful. This particular weapon was still fairly new and, although they had tested it a few times, Xander had never used it in battle. It was a pretty impressive piece of weaponry, even if Spike did say so himself. He’d had it custom made specifically for Xander. It was just the right weight for him, featured a totally silent arrow rest, an eight arrow quiver and a whole collection of lightweight wooden bolts, the sort that could fly through the air and strike it’s target from a *very* long way away.
Through many years of necessary training, Xander had become quite the archer and this weapon was like an extension of his own arm. He accepted the crossbow back from Spike’s thorough check and cocked the first bolt into position, watching out of the corner of his eye as Spike continued to observe him. Again, this wasn’t Spike trying to belittle him and it wasn’t that Spike didn’t trust him. Everyone made mistakes, even a Slayer, a Watcher and a Master Vampire. It never hurt to take care of each other.
“Ready?” Spike asked when Xander had tested his aim.
“Ready,” Xander confirmed. “Giles?”
Giles swung his own crossbow into firing position, frowned at its inadequate appearance compared to Xander’s and nodded. “Ready.”
“Right. Time to flush those wankers out, then.” Spike bent down to the ground and scooped up an empty soda bottle. He poured some of the gasoline inside and scrunched up part of his newspaper, stuffing it inside the glass bottle.
Xander and Giles separated, Xander covering the left side of the old crypt and Giles somewhere on the right.
Spike lit the newspaper, casually approached the crypt door and banged loudly. The door opened with a creak and a cheerful head poked out. “Yeah?” the fledge asked.
Spike held up the bottle. “Delivery.”
The fledge opened the door wider and stepped closer to examine the bottle. “What is it?”
“Go lookey.” Spike threw the bottle over the fledge's head and watched with a satisfied smile as it landed in the middle of the room, engulfing the floor with flames and setting three of the fledges on fire.
The fledge at the door turned back to Spike with wide, confused eyes. “That was the delivery? It sucks. I’d rather have some DVDs.”
Spike was unsure if the fledge really was that dumb or if he actually had a wicked sense of humour. He decided it didn’t matter and he quickly staked the vampire before he could answer the question one way or another.
The stampede began. Spike stepped well away from the crypt and out of Xander's and Giles’ firing line. Standing well back, he watched his lover take aim and hit every single one of his targets. Two fledges circled around the crypt and Spike watched with glee as one attempted to creep up behind Giles. Stupid idiot. Spike ran straight for the fledge, catching it in its windpipe with the crook of his arm. He punched it in the ribs and Spike grinned from ear to ear at the sound of crunching bones. He stamped hard on the vampire’s face and, with a certain amount of regret that he couldn’t draw the fight out any longer, he staked him.
Spike stood and walked over to Giles. “Alright?”
“Erm, yes. But I seem to have run out of arrows.”
“No matter. We got ‘em all.”
“Spike! There are two over there. My goodness, they’re heading straight for Xander!”
“Don’t get your knickers in a twist. They’re good as dead.”
Two bolts shot in succession from Xander’s crossbow and, one after another, both vampires turned to dust.
“See?” Spike said
Giles frowned and hissed into Spike’s ear. “I find your lack of concern most disturbing, Spike. Xander could have been…”
“Xander is fine. He always was. You think I haven’t been watching him like a fucking hawk? If I thought for a moment that Xander was in any danger, I would have been by his side and not yours. You’re the fucking liability.”
“Now, Spike. There is no need…”
“Um, guys?” Xander called from the other side of the crypt. “Are you arguing again?”
“No,” said two innocent voices.
Xander sighed and started to walk away, muttering under his breath. “Stupid British people. Can’t do anything without getting in a hoo-ha about it.”
Spike and Giles frowned at each other.
Giles took a deep breath. “I apologise, Spike. I’m just feeling a little on edge, what with recent events. I really am very sorry,” he said. Giles stepped back and waited for the obligatory apology in return.
Spike smiled. “Cheers, mate. Yeah, you have been ratty recently. I accept your apology.”
Spike hurried after Xander’s retreating back and Giles was left standing indignantly in the middle of the graveyard. “That damn vampire.”
**
Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.
Dawn dropped the phone and staggered back, reaching blindly for anything that could prevent her from hitting the floor. The back of the couch touched her wandering hand first and she grabbed at it for support.
Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.
For a moment nothing but death registered in Dawn’s mind. There was nothing. An endless black void filled her pink teenage brain and she laughed bitterly that one single phone call had just taken away her childhood. She was in the real world now, a world full of grown-ups, politics, money worries and death. She wasn’t growing up; she was edging one step closer to her own natural demise. Or maybe an artificial one if the Hellmouth ever got the better of her.
Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.
Dawn’s stomach lurched and she bent over to vomit over her own bare feet. Standing up straight, she looked around at her surroundings. Not a home, a house. Her heart sank. She wanted to go home, to curl up on the couch her mom had bought, cuddle and hide her tears in the cushions that her mom had bought, run up to her room and throw herself onto the bed her mom had bought. But she couldn’t. Her thoughts turned to her sister. How was she going to tell Buffy?
This was all so wrong. Buffy was the adult. It should have been her that had answered the phone, her that had to wake Dawn and tell her…tell her…
Dawn sank to her knees.
Over. It was all over.
The devastation washed over her in a violent wave and Dawn wondered how she was would be able to carry on without her mother. Who would she talk too? Who would she gossip with? Who would she share her day with? Who would always be there for her?
Buffy?
Dawn wasn’t sure.
With the greatest amount of effort that she had ever felt in her life, Dawn got to her feet and began climbing the stairs. Each step brought her that much closer to her new life, a life without her best friend, her mother. Once she reached the top, once she entered Buffy’s room and woke her sister, once she had told Buffy that their mother was dead…that would be it.
Over. It would be all over. It would be real.
The fourth step was climbed and Dawn froze. She couldn’t do it. How could she do it? She was a child. She shouldn’t have to do this. It should be Buffy.
Dawn made a decision. She turned around and climbed back down the stairs. She picked up the phone and dialled a familiar number. She couldn’t do this by herself.
**
Spike and Xander stood outside Buffy’s house.
When Dawn had called, it had felt like the world had come crashing down on them all. Xander had calmed his friend and promised to be there in minutes. He’d put down the phone and turned around to find Spike already dressed and ready to go.
~
“She’s gone.”
Spike nodded. “I know. I heard.”
“We have to tell Buffy.”
They looked at each other. Blue eyes shining with tears that refused to fall, yet. Dawn needed them.
Xander looked away and spoke to himself. “She’s gone,” he repeated. “Why?”
Spike shrugged, a little lost for what to say. “I don’t know.”
Xander nodded again and started pulling clothes from the dresser.
“Xan…?”
“I’m okay. I’m strong, remember? For Buffy. For Dawn.”
“Yeah.”
~
Spike knocked quietly on the door. He exchanged a comforting glance with Xander and waited for the light pad of feet to reach the door.
Dawn wrenched it open and threw herself into Spike’s arms.
Spike whispered quiet words of comfort and simply held her. He walked Dawn back into the house and sat her down on the couch. Dawn sobbed into his chest. She was broken. Her world had ended.
Xander stepped into the house and quietly closed the door. He watched Spike comforting Dawn and a memory of his own mother rushed at him. Her face appeared in his mind and his own sanity threatened to tip over the edge. His heart clenched and unclenched and he felt happy that Dawn could grieve so easily, that she had someone who would let her grieve and be the child that she still was. A chance that he had never been given.
The words of his friends and family boomed in his ears: It’s for the best. She’s in a better place. She was never really happy. She never really loved you like a mother should. Now you’re free.
Spike held Dawn close to his chest, his fingers constantly moving through her hair. He looked over at Xander’s pale face and reluctantly gave him a nudge. “Xan; Buffy.”
Xander nodded and straightened himself out. They had already decided that he was to be the one to break the news to Buffy. He walked up the stairs, feeling like he was walking the green mile, and softly knocked on Buffy’s bedroom door. He turned the handle and peered into the room. Buffy was wrapped tightly in her covers, sleeping like a child.
Xander hated himself. He was about to destroy her.
**
His words repeated and echoed.
Dead. She’s dead. I’m so sorry. She’s dead. She’s dead. I’m so sorry, Buff. Sorry. She’s dead.
Gone.
She’s gone.
Xander was talking. Dawn was downstairs crying. Spike was shushing. So many sounds but none that could penetrate Buffy’s thoughts. This was hell. Earth was hell. One torment after another.
“You did this to me,” she whispered.
“Buffy?”
“You.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I do. You pulled me out of heaven, and for what? This?”
Xander stood and covered his face with his hands. So many emotions swirled inside him, a train wreck of sadness, disbelief, horror, regret and love. “Oh, god…”
Buffy laughed and got up from the bed. “Want to know if there is a god? I know the answer to that. I also know something else. Do you want to hear it?”
“Buffy, please, this isn’t the time. Dawn…”
Buffy carried on, regardless of Xander’s protest. “Well, I don’t think you’re gonna want to hear it, but hey, I didn’t want to be pulled out of heaven but you damn well did it anyway, didn’t you?”
“Buffy, we didn’t know…”
“Shut. Up.” Buffy wandered around the bed and opened the wardrobe door. She stared into the full length mirror and touched shaking fingers against the glass. “Nights are so dark. Days are so dark. Goodbye, mom. I know you’ve gone to heaven. I think you’ll like it. So bright.”
Xander shifted uncomfortably, his hands suddenly feeling spare with nowhere to put them. He caught Buffy’s eye and she turned sharply to look at him with a hateful glare.
“A brightness you’ll never know. You’re going to hell, Xander.”
Xander straightened up, taking the comment firmly on the chin. “This isn’t about me. This is about you and Dawn. And about Dawn needing her sister strong.”
Buffy ignored him. “You don’t believe me, do you?”
“What? I…”
“Answer me. Just give me that. Answer me and tell me if you believe me.”
“I don’t know, I…I don’t even think I believe in heaven and hell.”
Buffy laughed. “I always thought you were lacking in the smarts, but really? Xander? Hello? We live on a Hellmouth?”
“I know that. I just mean I don’t know if I believe in a heaven and hell when you die.”
“I was in heaven. Are you calling me a liar?”
“No! It’s different for you. You’re…special. And the way you died, it wasn’t exactly normal.”
Buffy circled her friend before standing in front of him and taking his face gently in her hands. “You sleep with a vampire that once tried to rape me. You defied all natural laws by pulling me from heaven. You cheated on Anya with another *man.*. You didn’t even turn up to your own mother’s funeral. You. Are. Going. To. Hell.”
Xander wrenched Buffy’s hands from his face. “Why are you being like this? Why are you doing this to me?”
“Oh, it’s always about you, Xander…”
“No! No fucking way. It’s *never* about me. And just for the record, you don’t have a clue about me and my mother. This is about *you.* You, fucking, you. Your mother just died, Buffy, and your sister is waiting downstairs for you to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart. But no, here you are ripping seven shades of shit out of me instead. Easier, isn’t it? Pick apart someone else’s life instead of facing up to your own. Riley is dead. He’s gone and it’s over; deal. He got involved with something sick and…”
Buffy’s voice rose to a hysterical level. “He was not involved with anything. He made a mistake, that’s all. He didn’t know what that box was, what it did. It took him over and made him do those things.”
“What things?! *What* did he do to you?!”
“NOTHING!”
“BULLSHIT!”
“He was a good man. He *was.*”
“HE WAS A RAPIST!”
“NOOOO!”
Xander knew he should stop. The timing could not be any worse if he tried. But something inside him had snapped and he needed Buffy to know, needed to make her see, needed to jolt her out of herself and back into the real world.
“Yes,” he said firmly. “I heard one of the Cenobites through the wall. I heard what he said. Riley, he’d done things, awful things. He was a rapist, Buffy. If anyone deserves to be in hell, then it’s him. He was evil. He got what he deserved.”
Buffy moved fast and Xander didn’t even see her coming. Her fist pounded into his face and Xander felt himself falling backwards. He covered his face ineffectually with his arms and prayed that she wouldn’t go too far.
Dark blotches danced before his eyes and Xander tried to distance himself and leave his body while Buffy’s fists rained down on him blow after blow. His mind flashed with old, forgotten memories yet again and his vision was filled with the sight of his mother.
Screaming. Drinking. Screaming. Hitting.
Raping. She’s being raped.
Xander gasped at the new memory and he choked on the blood that was filling his mouth. Desperate voices rang out around him and Xander felt the harsh collisions of a fist turn to a soft caress from a hesitant hand.
“…ander? …to me…luv?...hold on…long…Xan…?”
Xander tried to smile. Spike was here. Spike makes it stop.
Spike.
Xander winced as his body was lifted from the floor. He felt comfort in the arms of his lover and he let himself enjoy the childish feeling of being coddled.
Cool air hit him and he realised they were outside. Dawn’s voice sobbed and he felt her touching his hair. In the distance he could hear Buffy. Her voice was caught between fury and remorse.
“He…did it…pushed me…Spike!...leave me…don’t…me, please!”
**
The room remembered. *He* remembered. This was where it had happened. This was the room where he had died. He hadn’t been ready. He had been misled. Hell was not as promised and he wanted out.
Three weeks since his wishes had been granted. Three weeks that were really three long centuries if you were on the warmer side of hell.
Riley smelled Xander’s blood even before it hit the floor and, as the precious liquid flowed, Riley waited.
From the other side, he laughed. Good old Buffy. The old bitch fucks herself again.
The three voices dimmed and Riley seized his chance. Xander’s blood slowly seeped down into the floorboards, taken, consumed and used by a once friend, now demon.
The floorboards rattled and twisted and piece by piece, bone by bone, Riley lived.
TBC…