Angel sank down on the sofa, letting his head hit the back with a sharp thump. Cordelia pursued him, not about to let the issue go. "Angel." She threatened. "Talk or I get the holy water."

"What about?" Angel asked, his mind reeling. In five minutes he'd gone from being shocked out of his skull at the revelation that Spike and Xander were involved to reluctant acceptance of their relationship. It wasn't a comfortable feeling.

"Why'd you just let them go upstairs?" Gunn inquired.

"I've got no reason to stop them," Angel replied.

"He's Spike!" Cordelia squeaked.

"And he's involved with Xander, who willingly chose to get into a relationship with Spike. Furthermore, Spike isn't hurting him," Angel snapped.

"Hello? Bite?" Cordelia replied shortly.

"Vampiric foreplay and sexual encounters often involve biting," Wesley commented.

"Eew," Cordelia moaned. "That's so nasty."

Doyle smirked. "I'm guessing that's why Spike threatened us?" He asked, referring to the multiple mentions of pain and death Spike had made in regards to people upsetting Xander.

"Spike can be rather protective," Angel reasoned. "Just leave them alone, and they'll be gone soon enough."

"That's why both of their names were on the Christmas presents, isn't it?" Wesley murmured. "It wasn't a trick."

"Well," Angel hummed, "It might have been some game they were playing, but I'd say Xander was as in on it as Spike was."

"I told you it was Xander's style," Cordelia reminded them. "But I still get to say eww. Spike and Xander? That's just."

Gunn nodded his agreement. It wasn't the most pleasant picture he'd ever had in his head. "So what's this about Willow?"

"From what I gathered, she's lost touch with reality," Angel replied. "Giles is capable of handling it."

"So we host the boys while Giles cleans up?" Doyle summarized. "Fine by me."

Cordelia looked incredulous. "Just like that? You don't care that a huwell, a former human but still goodish-type guywho was straight not that long agois sleeping with Angel's bleach-blonde evil offspring?"

Doyle shrugged. "I liked my Christmas present well enough and they've not done a thing to meor anyone else here. at least not lately."

Gunn frowned but nodded his agreement. "I'm not big on hosting vamps, even with your buddy Giles' word on it. But if you think you can control Spike."

"He won't be causing any problems," Angel stated. He knew that for a fact, although it wasn't because of the older vampire's presence. For one thing, Spike had been nothing less than accurate when he'd told the others his plans for the weekendthe blonde did enjoy the pleasures of the flesh and given a willing partner he could easily lose days on end to sex. Besides that, Xander was still Xander, despite the demonic additions, and the young an wouldn't appreciate Spike causing too much trouble. Xander was still one of the Slayer's friends and Buffy wouldn't stand for Spike corrupting Xander too much.

...

"Rupert?" Joyce murmured as she opened her front door. "Buffy? Is something wrong?" She asked as they walked in, Tara in tow.

Giles waited until Buffy got Tara situated on the couch. "There is a. situation that Buffy and I must resolve."

"What kind of situation?" Joyce pressed. "And what is wrong with Tara?"

"Tara?" Dawn echoed as she descended the stairs. The blonde witch looked up at Dawn with tear-filled eyes. "Is it Willow?"

Buffy looked impressed. "How did you know?"

"What else would get to Tara like that?" Dawn asked as she joined the older girl on the couch.

"Is she." Joyce began tremulously.

"No," Giles replied quickly. "Her magick use has gotten out of hand, however."

"What did she do?" The older lady inquired.

"Summoned a demon, took its strength, started killing off everything not human in Sunnydale," Buffy summarized. "And she's the one who turned Xander into a demon."

"WHAT!?" Joyce shouted. "She turned. is that why he was sick? She. why?"

"It was an accidenta stupid accident," Giles grated out. "Foolish girl was playing around with chaos magicks and got sloppy. Fortunately for Xander, she erred in his favor. The chances of her doing something that *wouldn't* kill him were very small."

"And now you and Buffy have to get her under control," Joyce said. "Dawn and I can take care of Tara. Be careful, though. And," She continued. "I want to know what goes on. Xander."

Buffy softened a bit at the sad tone of her mother's voice. Joyce looked on the Scoobies as though they were her own children, and to hear of one hurting another like that. Well, Buffy knew exactly how her mother felt about such things, having been on the receiving end of those lectures. Joyce Summers had been singularly unimpressed with her brief fling with Xander, as well as her initial response to his relationship with Spike. It was that series of painful discussions that had done the most to make Buffy relent and realize she was being unreasonable. "We'll take care of it, Mom."

"And we should do so immediately," Giles added. "Or there won't be anyone left to worry about." Buffy nodded and followed him out of the house. Soon they were on their way to the Magic Box again.

"So I'm guessing stakes and swords aren't gonna cut it this time," Buffy commented as Giles whizzed down the street.

"No," Giles agreed. "For the most part, you will be a distraction."

"Ah," Buffy murmured. "Magick fight?"

"Something like that, yes."

"Don't get dead," She warned. "What do I do?"

"Try to physically fight her," He replied. "Not so well that she feels threatened and tries to actually kill you; she is still Willow inside and won't want to hurt her friends."

"And you're going to." Buffy asked.

"One of the first steps to recovery is hitting bottom," Giles said cryptically.

"You're gonna burn her out?" The Slayer inquired, more than a little surprised.

"In a way, yes. When we get back to the shop I am going to prepare a power sink. It will drain her energy stores quickly enough for us to be able to subdue her. The more she fights it, the more it will draw, until she runs out of energy altogether."

"Won't that hurt?" Buffy asked, worried.

"Yes," Giles stated flatly. "A great deal. There is no way to stop her without some measure of pain. If I thought that a calm, rational discussion would work, I would be the first to try it."

"You do have a point," Buffy muttered.

...

While Giles made his power sink, Buffy did some light training. She was no help to the older man in his magickal workings, and a touch of exercise on the heavy bag helped calm and settle her mind. When Giles came to get her, she was just finishing a quick cool-down, jumping rope casually on the mats.

"She's in the vicinity of Willy's," Giles said as they got into his car again. "I would rather we get to her first."

Buffy nodded. She wasn't fond of Willy, or his clientele, but most of them weren't outright evil.

"Most of Sunnydale's demon population is in that part of town; protecting them is of the utmost importance," He continued.

"I thought most of the demons were around campus," Buffy asked, confused.

Giles shook his head. "The ones that you usually fight are; however there is a large contingent of demons in town, all with their own businesses and communities. The vast majority have no interest in the Hellmouth or causing trouble, so I saw no reason to expose you to them."

Buffy wasn't sure she liked that. "But what about when stuff does happen?"

"You've fought here before; you just didn't know it wasn't a human part of town."

"Willy's isn't human?" Buffy asked.

"It is on the far edge of the area," Giles added. "Spike goes there occasionally; apparently most of the residents have forgiven him for using them as punching bags. According to him, the place is usually rather quiet."

"And you take Spike's word on it?"

Giles glanced over at her. "I suspect he's taken Xander there more than once. Do you really think he would expose Xander to something dangerous?"

"I guess not," She murmured. "And I suppose you don't want me adding this place to my usual rounds?"

"Indeed I would rather you not," He agreed. "But we are nearly to Willow. Be prepared for anything; she may attack you quite viciously."

Giles parked on a side street and led Buffy towards Willy's. Buffy could tell immediately that something was wrongthe street was empty. not a single person other than the two of them interrupted the eerily silent night. "Where?"

The ex-Watcher nodded towards the bar. "Inside. We're later than I'd wanted." He crossed the last side street and made for the bar entrance, Buffy right on his heels.

As the Slayer, Buffy had been witness to a lot of nasty things in her lifeall types of demons being torn apart, corpses, disemboweled people, magickal sludge and stink. What she found in Willy's easily topped all of that.

Willow stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by a wide pool of multicolored fluids. The stuff swirled around her in a rainbow of bright shades, a macabre finger-painting of gore and demonic blood. The demons who had unwillingly donated their lives to the artwork lay strewn about, torn into strips and chunks by something far stronger than hands and claws.

Buffy edged further into the room, ducking to avoid getting hit by a swinging mass of. what appeared to be entrails, suspended from a burnt-out light fixture. She didn't bother looking down to see what squishy, gelatinous substance she'd stepped in. since looking would probably make her lose what little stomach acid she had.

"Buffy!" Willow called out as she caught sight of her friend. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, I was out patrolling and heard about some new Big Bad in town. Thought I'd check it out," Buffy replied casually.

"Who? Where?" Willow demanded, eyes flashing. "I can take him, easy."

"Can you?" Buffy murmured. "Cause the way I heard it, there was this little human witch with a demon's energy, going around killing lots of things."

Willow flinched. "I'm just helping you out, Buffy. Think of how much easier it'll be for you! Now that there aren't as many of the bad guys, you can rest!"

Buffy got even closer. "What about the ones who weren't bad, Willow? They're gone too." She reached out, knowing that Willow, in her psychotic state, would interpret the action as a threat.

"They weren't good!" Willow spat. When she saw Buffy reach out to strike her, she sent a bolt of energy towards the Slayer. Buffy flew backwards, hitting a chair and sliding along the floor. The copious amounts of flesh scattered around broke her fall quite nicely, even as it left her gory and sticky with blood.

Giles took advantage of the momentary distraction and activated the power sink. Buffy saw him and got up, running towards Willow. The redhead focused on getting rid of Buffy and didn't immediately sense the power drain. When she did, she turned on Giles. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She screamed, throwing power his way.

"Stopping you before you kill anyone else, you stupid bint," Giles growled. The power sink absorbed everything she tried to lob at him. In her rage she didn't realize that the more she fought, the worse the drain was. When Buffy moved against her for a third time, she couldn't break the Slayer's hold.

Giles carried the sink closer to her, right down to where Buffy had her kneeling on the bloody floor. He could see that it was almost over; she was fading fast, the unnatural light fleeing from her now-ragged body. "Giles," Buffy murmured, pitying her friend. The fighting hadn't been as bad as she'd expected; Willow hadn't planned well at allshe'd completely ignored Giles!

"It is done," Giles said a moment later. He sealed off the power sink and waited for Buffy to pick up Willow. The redhead was unconscious, catatonic from her exertions. "Take her to the car." Buffy picked up Willow and carted her off, Giles just behind. They drove to the Magic Box in silence, trying not to be sick over the amount of blood that covered them all.

...

"So, where were we?" Spike murmured as he slipped into his and Xander's hotel room. Xander was shoving their belongings into a closet, not bothering to unpack. well, except for the bag he'd filled with personal hygiene itemsnamely lubricant.

"Er. before or after the annoying phone call?" Xander asked from the bathroom, where he was storing away shampoo and soap.

"Before," Spike replied seductively.

"Oh," Xander sighed. "Something about me with my legs in the air, right?" He waved his hand towards the bed. "I think there's a movie on the television, though. James Caan." The young man dropped the lubricant he was carrying on the nightstand just in time to get thrown down by Spike.

Spike growled and pounced. Yeah, he knew the boy was playing him, but he didn't care one whit. Xander laughed and let himself fall to the carpet as Spike tackled him, rolling them both along the floor.

"Oof," Xander huffed. Then he sneezed. "Time out, lover."

"What?" Spike muttered as he tugged at Xander's clothes. He may have started out playing, but now he just wanted to shag the boy stupid. Stress tended to do that to him, and having to put up with Angel was indeed stressful.

"Carpet is majorly ucky. I am not, I repeat *NOT* fucking on it," Xander swore vehemently.

Spike reluctantly paused and looked down at the floor. It was indeed filthy. While that in and of itself didn't bother him, fucking a constantly sneezing Xander didn't sound all that great. Neither did gritty lube. "Fine. Bed." He stood up and reached for Xander, tossing the boy onto the mattress. Angel had bothered to change the bedclothes, so at least the boy wouldn't start coughing up there.

"Thanks," Xander muttered as he finished shucking out of his jeans. "You gonna watch or play?" He asked when Spike continued to stare at him. The blonde was still fully clothed, and that was a sin in Xander's book.

"Play, methinks," Spike murmured. Instead of stripping down, he sat on the bed and gathered Xander into his arms. The boy went willingly, meeting Spike halfway for a long, heated kiss. Spike tried to stay slow and easy, but it wasn't meant to be. Soon he had Xander pressed into the mattress, screaming as the vampire sucked him off while stretching his hole, slicking in lube as he prodded the boy's prostate.

"Clothes, now!" Xander demanded when Spike finally released him. The vampire complied, yanking his dark garments off and tossing them across the room. He lunged forward, impaling Xander brutally as he folded them together. Xander squealed and arched, wrapping his legs around Spike's and squeezing as hard as he could.

Spike rested his forehead on Xander's chest, unable to move for the striking sensation of being buried so deep inside his hot lover. He could feel the blood rushing through Xander's veins, the tight rhythmic pulse of life squeezing his cock even as rough legs urged him on. Xander's whimpering finally caught his attention and Spike broke out of his paralysis, thrusting shallowly.

"Come on, Spike," Xander moaned. The vampire was moving far too slowly. "Please, you gotta *move*."

Spike shifted his face and leaned up to stare into Xander's eyes. "You want me to move?" He asked, abruptly changing tempo. He reached for Xander's legs and held them wide apart, opening his lover completely. He thrust faster and faster, going deeper than he ever had before. Xander kept his eyes locked on Spike's as he submitted to the overwhelming rush of Spike's desire. He tried to reach for the vampire, but couldn't manage to get his arms to move that far. Every time he got close, Spike would thrust especially hard, making his eyes flash.

"You want more?" Spike hissed after another few minutes. He pushed harder and harder, the force of his thrusts knocking the bed frame hard against the wall. The pounding of wood on plaster was almost enough to drown out Xander's screams as Spike reached further up his body and sank his fangs deep into the boy's neck. A sharp, high scream from Xander followed the bite and the boy climaxed hard, jetting between their still-moving bodies. Spike thrust again and again, even as he sipped slowly at the exotic blood he'd been offered. Xander encouraged him with soft words and clever hands until the blonde couldn't stand it any more and came, his shout muffled by Xander's neck.

Spike collapsed heavily on Xander for a moment before pulling out and rolling onto his side. "Y'ok?" He asked, a bit worried. He'd been a lot rougher than he was used to being with Xander; he was used to always being gentle with the boy, so it felt odd to go at it that roughlyunless he was on the receiving end.

Xander's face lit up with a beatific grin. "Better than ok."

"Should've told me you weren't satisfied before," Spike muttered. He was more than glad that Xander had taken so well and so quickly to the more intense type of sex that demons often preferredeven as it made him wonder if the boy had been happy before.

"I was satisfied before," Xander replied. "You can like vanilla ice cream every bit as much as chocolate and be very happy to get chocolate when it comes availableand still like vanilla as much as you did before."

"Should've known you'd say that in terms of chocolate," Spike muttered. "But you prefer chocolate to vanilla."

Xander grinned again. "Yeah, but only after I had chocolate. Until that moment, vanilla was the best thing in the world."

"So you're saying you liked sex before, but now you really like it? Because I can nibble on you?" Spike asked, still concerned.

Xander sighed. "Yeah, I like this bettereven after only two times. But that's not because of the bite, or the pain." He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "It's because now you don't have to hold back. Before, you always had to set a part aside, so that you never forgot not to do anything that might hurt me. The only time you really let it all go was when I had you chained down. And while I like that a lot, believe me I do, I prefer equality most of the time."

Spike stared at the ceiling. "You're not scared I'll hurt you?"

"We've gone over this before, Spike, and I'm not going to do it again," Xander said flatly. "So roll back over here and pull the covers up and hold me. I need comfort; my best friend went psycho and I'm stuck in a hotel with Deadboy and Cordy."

Spike chuckled even as he turned to gather Xander in his arms. He burrowed them down into the covers until they were completely submerged. The boy did have a point; they were stuck in what both of them would describe as an annoying if temporary hell. Besides, he wasn't a broody bastard like his sire, so he ought to drop the morose routine. Xander's next words, however, sealed the fate of the last of his worries.

"Next time, can I bite you?"

*****
Part 12:

"What the hell is that?" Gunn asked in shock. Screeches, yells and. rhythmic thumping were floating down from the upper recesses of the hotel. A high-pitched scream had him and everyone else jumping out of their chairs. well, except for Angel.

The dark vampire simply leaned forward and began to bang his head against the table. "Angel? I thought you said Spike wasn't hurting Xander," Cordelia said worriedly. "I still don't like the Zeppo, but."

"He's. Not. Hurting. The. Boy.," Angel grated out, accentuating each word with a thump of his forehead against the worn oak surface.

"That doesn't hurt?" Gunn inquired. "It sounds like cats being mauled by werewolves."

"Vivid picture," Doyle murmured. "Angel, man, stop doing that. You're giving me a sympathy headache." Angel looked up, contrite. "Thanks."

"Er.you're absolutely sure he's not hurting Xander?" Cordelia pressed. Before Angel could answer, more growls and shouts filled the room.followed by absolute silence.

"Yes, I'm sure. Spike has always been.vocal," Angel assured her. "Annoyingly so."

"But it's over now, so back to work," Gunn muttered. "I cannot believe they'd do that here!"

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Hello? It's Spike and Xander. Of course they would. We're probably lucky they didn't go at it in the lobby. Xander knows exactly how much that's gonna bother me, and Angel too."

"They wouldn't, not in the lobby!" Wesley exclaimed. At least, he hoped they wouldn't. The look on Angel's face wasn't backing him up, though.

"Please don't mention that idea anywhere near either of them," Angel begged. "They'll do it."

"How long do they have to stay?" Cordelia asked desperately. "Say it's only until tomorrow."

...

Willow felt horrible, like she'd been chained to a car and dragged through the streets. Every muscle hurt, her skin ached, even her brain was sufferingand she knew her brain didn't have sensory nerves to let it feel such things. "Ugh," She moaned, trying to shift around a little. Was she lying on something? It felt like knives were being pushed into her spine.

"Ah, you've woken up. Finally," Giles spat, standing over the witch. "Get up."

"Wha?" Willow murmured, prying her eyes open. < Big mistake, that, > She thought to herself. Giles was right above her head, and from where she was lying he looked about ninety feet all. and very, very angry. He hadn't looked like that since Buffy had gone off on Xander.

"Get up," Giles repeated. "You're soiling my floor."

Willow frowned. "Huh?"

Giles snarled. "Look at yourself, Willow Rosenberg. You're filthy; you are contaminating the floor, the air, everything around you. Get up. Go bathe yourself."

Willow looked around. Indeed, she was ucky. Dark, sticky stuff was stuck to her skin and clothes, and she didn't smell so fresh. "What happened?" Had there been a fight?

"What happened?" Giles echoed dangerously. "What happened, dear Willow? You happened."

"Me?"

Giles crouched down, his face screwing up in disgust when he got a whiff of the odiferous witch. "Yes, you. Oh, you don't remember? I shall remind you then." He glared briefly before continuing. "You called on a demon, yes? Then you went on a killing spree. At first you killed from a distancedusting vampires with a thought, I believe. It wasn't enough, though. For your finale, you went into the Alibi Bar and tore everyone to pieces."

"I what?!?" Willow screeched. "I did not!"

"Yes, you did!" Giles roared, standing back up. "You tore them apart, with your hands and your mind. The stench you so abhor is blood and gore from your little massacre, dear Willow. You ripped demons apart like they were disposable toys."

Willow shook her head violently. "I did not! I couldn't have!"

"Really? Tell that to the demons, or what's left of them. Perhaps you should tell Willy, too."

"Willy? Huh?" Willow murmured. "I didn't do anything to himto anyone!"

Giles looked heavenward. "Didn't you? Then who was the redheaded witch in Willy's calling her self Willowwho tore the poor fellow into several pieces?"

"Willy?" Willow whispered. "He's dead?"

"Very much so," Giles replied angrily. "And it was youI was there, dear Willow. By the way, you do realize what kind of demon Willy was, hmm?"

"No," Willow said, stunned by what Giles was implying. She couldn't have possibly hurt anyone!

"He wasn't a demon at all, unless you count humans as a demonic species," Giles stated. "Human, Willow." He turned to leave the training room, where Buffy had dumped the witch. "I suggest you bathe, and think about yesterday. If you concentrate very hard, I believe you will remember just what you've done."

Willow stared after Giles, confused, hurt and more than a little scared. How could he think such things of her? She struggled to stand up and lurched towards the little bathroom Buffy used for after-training freshening up. After a brief, but wholly necessary shower, she borrowed some of Buffy's clothes and went into the shop. Buffy and Giles were there, standing at the counter. The shop itself was dark, as though it was closed, even though the sun shone brightly. "Guys?"

Buffy swiveled around to look at the witch. "You're cleaner. Good."

"Uh, what's going on, Buffy? Giles said that someone"

"Giles told you what you did last night," Buffy said harshly. "I was there too, you know."

Willow blanched. "I didn't"

"You did. And you know it. I can tell when you're lying," Buffy said, stalking over to the witch. "You might not have remembered it at first, but you do now. Your eyes are twitching a little. Just like every other time you try to lie."

Willow took a step back. "I didn't mean to, Buffy. Really! It was an accident."

Giles came out from behind the counter. "You accidentally summoned a demon and traded for its strength? You accidentally killed thousands of innocent demons, who had done nothing to evoke such wrath?"

Willow blanched. "I was trying to help! Trying to help Buffy!"

"You were showing off!" Giles countered, yelling. "You were angry and prideful and didn't want to admit that you couldn't control your magick use, so you went off to prove to all of us just how powerful you really were. And look at what it brought you."

"NO!" Willow shouted back.

"You're famous now," Buffy murmured. "Well, infamous, really. Giles has already gotten four calls about youwell, about that insane witch who killed off more than half the nonhuman population of Sunnydale."

"I believe that one of the few survivors has dubbed you, 'Red Death'. Must have been a fan of Poe," Giles added nastily. "There are many who are quite angry with you, Willow. You killed a great number of demons who are considered harmless, even good."

"And now the entire community thinks the Slayer is gunning for them," Buffy added. "Not good, you know. Not making my job any easier. Not when they think I've got some insane murderer working with me."

Willow started shaking. She wasn't a killer, wasn't a murderer. "They're just demons." She began, her voice trailing off.

"Just demons," Giles echoed. "Is that what you've learned from me, from all of us? That they are just demons?" He strode across the room to where Willow had gone in retreat. "Might I remind you that Spike and Xander are also 'just demons'? And that you very nearly killed them as well?"

Willow burst into tears. "No! I didn't kill them! NONONONONONONONO!" She began to chant, slumping onto the floor. She hadn't killed her best friend, or Spike. There was no way.

"No, they aren't dead, despite your best efforts," Giles snapped.

"Giles protected them," Buffy confirmed. "They're in LA with Angel right now."

"Alright," Willow choked out. "I"

"You have said enough," Giles interjected. "Now it is our turn to talk. You, Willow, have a choice to make."

The witch stared at the floor for a long time. Giles didn't continue until she acknowledged him.

"You will either submit to treatment, to overcome this dangerous addiction to magick," He continued, "agreeing, of course, to a set of stipulations surrounding that treatment."

"Or you're out of here," Buffy added. "Gone. Out of Sunnydale. You may be a big bad witch, but I'm the Slayer and this is my town. See," Buffy went on, crouching down to look right at Willow, "I've got this policy about bad guys. They either stop being bad or they go away. Sometimes they leave on their own and sometimes I make them go away. And right now, Wills, you're a bad guy."

"I'm not bad," Willow whimpered. "I was trying to help."

"The road to hell," Buffy muttered. "You know the line, Willow. You killed. You didn't slay. You killed. It's the same thing that separates me and Faith. I slay. Faith kills."

Willow flinched at being compared to the now-imprisoned Slayer. It was the truth, though. Faith was a killer. The only thing that had kept her out of trouble had been that her targets weren't human. As they had all seen, though, she was more than capable of killing humans too. She killed for sport, for the rush; Buffy slayed because it was her duty to do so; she didn't exactly relish it.

"Well?" Giles grated out. "What shall it be, Willow Rosenberg? I believe the bus station is well within walking distance."

...

"They are not going at it again," Cordelia moaned. She had just gotten to work when the thumping and howling began, signaling that her ex-boyfriend and his current boyfriend were engaging in another round of wild monkey-sex.

"Again?" Angel whispered from behind the counter. "As if they ever really stopped?" He'd been listening all day; with the amount of racket they made sleep had been impossible. His head still hurt from where he'd spent two hours banging it against the wall, in time with the knocking sound of a headboard striking plaster.

"Oookay," Cordelia hummed. "So, any work?"

"If Doyle would just have a vision, we would have an excuse to make our departure," Wesley said quietly. "Unfortunately he is not cooperating."

"Can't we just go kill something?" Gunn asked. "Anything?"

"If I could make the damned visions come on demand, I would," Doyle replied. "Believe me. Right now I'd pay to have one, just to get out of her. Angel, isn't it time you checked on Merl? He might have new information for us," Doyle asked desperately. "Or Lorne. Or" The half-demon's words faded into an anguished howl as a vision struck. "I was kidding, I don't want one, please take it back," He chanted as he slid to the floor. "Oh, this sucks!"

Angel leapt over the counter and picked Doyle up from the floor. "What is it?"

Doyle moved away from the vampire to lean on the counter. "Just a minute, hmm?" He rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on what he'd seen. "Er. big, nasty demon. Real ominous, shadows-and-dark-evil type."

"Where?" Angel asked, already reaching for his axe.

"Dunno.nothing looks familiar," Doyle murmured. "I'm not recognizing anything."

"Describe it, so we can start calling around," Gunn said.

...

"I'm hungry," Xander whined from underneath Spike. "Lemme up. I need food."

Spike growled but rolled over. "Bring me some blood, eh?" Xander nodded as he pulled on some clothes.

"Sure. Back in a bit." Xander headed downstairs. It was past dark, so the whole gang would be in. He really didn't want to face them, but hunger won out. When he reached the stairs, though, he found Angel and his crew bent over the counter, listening to Doyle and taking notes.

"Where?" Cordelia asked again. "There's no street named that in Los Angeles!"

"I know that," Doyle spat. "But that's what the sign said."

Angel shook his head. "Maybe you misread it?"

The half-demon snarled. "It's burned into me brain, idiot. I can look at it all I want."

"What's going on?" Xander asked, joining the group.

"Doyle had a vision. We're working. Go away," Cordelia snarled. "Scat."

Xander shrugged and moved away from the ex-cheerleader. No one paid him any attention as the kept arguing about some stupid street name. The boy was curious about what was going on, so he looked at Wesley's notes. The vision seemed to be about some big, nasty demon who appeared at a bar. A bar. "Carey's. I know that place."

Five heads turned at the same time. "What?" Angel said. "You know what?"

"Carey's," Xander repeated. "The bar in Wesley's notes? I know a place called that."

"Uh huh," Cordelia said. "You know of a place called Carey's in Los Angeles?"

"No," Xander replied, shaking his head. "I know of a bar called Carey's in Sunnydale. Spike and I go there sometimes."

"Sunnydale?" Gunn murmured. "Why would Doyle have a vision set in Sunnydale?"

"He doesn't have visions for Sunnydale," Cordelia stated. "Xander, you're wrong. Go away."

Xander nodded. "Ok, fine." He turned to go to the kitchen. "But just so you know, Carey's is at the corner of Oak Grove and Wasatchinabini."

Doyle's eyes bugged out. "That's how you say it?"

"Say what?" Gunn asked, confused.

"That damned street name. Wasatchinabini. Mouthful," The half-demon explained.

"In Sunnydale?" Wesley muttered to himself. "The demon is in Sunnydale."

"I've never heard of Carey's," Angel said.

"Neither have I," Cordelia added.

"It's not that old," Xander replied. "And it's not a place you would've gone, Cordy."

"We're gonna have to go to Sunnydale, aren't we?" Gunn asked Angel. "To fight this demon."

Angel sighed and laid his head on the counter. He gave the surface a few good, hard raps. "Yeah. Somebody call Giles, please? And Wesley, see what you can find out about the demon. We'll leave tonight."

"What about us?" Xander asked, referring to Spike. "We're not going to just stay here."

Angel thought for a moment. Hmm. "Whoever calls Gilesbe sure to ask if it's okay if Xander and Spike return."

Xander grinned and reached for the telephone. Spike would be so happy they were leaving early.even if it meant that Deadboy was going to Sunnydale with them.

...

"What happened?" Spike asked as Xander walked into their hotel room. The boy had been gone far too long for his tastes; even considering how much Xander liked to eat, it had been a long time.

Xander grinned, which worried Spike a lot, and handed over a large container of blood. "Drink and I'll tell you all about it." Once Spike had taken the blood off his hands, Xander settled down on the bed with his own stack of sandwiches and chips, along with a two-liter bottle of coke. They fed in silence, Spike occasionally snagging some chips do dunk in his blood.

"So," Spike began, once his meal was completed. "Tell me."

"We're going back to Sunnydale tonight," Xander answered happily.

Spike cocked his head to one side. "Do I want to know why?"

"Doyle had a vision. Some demon's gonna show at Carey's," Xander replied. "They're not too happy about it. I called Giles; they have Willow back down from whatever thing she was on so it's safe for us to go home."

"And Angel and his minions are going with us," Spike snarled. "To fight this bloody demon."

Xander nodded. "Like I said, they're not happy about it. But Angel and the others don't ignore Doyle's visions; Deadboy himself admitted that if The Powers saw fit to send them to Sunnydale, it was for a good reason."

"You mean, The Powers don't think Buffy can handle it on her own," Spike retorted.

"Maybe," Xander admitted. "But I'm not going to ask them, you know? Anybody who can make Angel quake in his boots is on my 'don't bother to call' list."

"Xander, everyone you know can make Angel quake in his boots," Spike reminded the boy. "He's a bloody poof."

"Er, you've got a point," Xander conceded. "He is easily thrown."

"For such a big bastard, he certainly is," Spike agreed. "So. we've still got hours before sundown, and I'm guessing they don't want us helping them get ready."

Xander laughed. "No, they don'tin fact, Angel nearly threw me up the stairs trying to get rid of me. He's in a weird mood, you know? And he's got a headache."

"Probably the company," Spike murmured. "Being around the cheerleader all night wouldn't put me in the best mood either."

"Hmm," Xander hummed. "Yeah, Cordy's a bit much. But he was twitching a little. Looked at me funny too."

"He's a bloody poof," Spike repeated, as though that answered all questions regarding Angel. "Poncy, souled bugger."

"Might I remind you that, technically, I'm a poof and a souled bugger as well?"

"Nah, you're a slightly bent soul," Spike argued. "Although if you spend much more time on your hair"

"What did I tell you about that?" Xander warned. "Because I seem to remember mentioning the imminent death of a certain poster."

"Just making a point," Spike defended.

"And it's not like you don't spend time on yours," Xander added. "By the way, when are you getting your ears pierced?"

Spike's head jerked up. "What? Pierced? When?"

"That was too cute," Xander commented. "'What? Pierced? When?' When are you getting your ears pierced, Spike? As in, 'when are you going to let someone shove some metal through your earlobes, in the name of fashion?"

Spike shook his head. "Wasn't planning on it."

Xander crawled across the bed, draping himself across Spike's lap. "No? They're neat, you know. I love it when you play with mine."

Spike ran one hand up Xander's neck to toy with the heavy loop in his ear. "That right?" The vampire's other hand roamed across Xander's chest, tickling at the ring in his nipple. "I seem to recall you liking this one too."

Xander closed his eyes, humming with pleasure. "You'd look good with one of those too. And they ARE fun to play with."

"Right," Spike murmured, still teasing Xander here and there. "Not sure, though."

Xander sat up a little, turning to kiss Spike. The vampire returned the gesture, sealing their mouths together. Several minutes later, Xander pulled away, running one hand down Spike's chest. He let it rest on the obvious arousal he found at Spike's groin. "Of course, you could always get something here," He murmured, squeezing Spike's cock for emphasis.

Spike's eyes rolled back and he thrust into Xander's hand. He wasn't sure if it was what Xander was doing with his hand or what he'd just suggested that did it, but he was suddenly very desperate to fuck the boy. "I could," He admitted. "Don't see why, though."

Xander squeezed again, gratified by the response he got. "I've heard. that some of that stuff can be fun. You know." He stroked up and down, applying delicious pressure to Spike's erection.

"Fun?" Spike choked out. Christ, the boy was going to be the undeath of him. "How so?"

An evil grin crossed Xander's face. Unfortunately, Spike's eyes were closed. "Oh, nothing. It's just. I was on the internet the other day and read this thing about piercings and." He squeezed a few more times. "rings, little metal balls, the joys of prostate stimulation." The young man moved his hand with more purpose, stroking Spike off through his jeans. The vampire bucked helplessly into Xander's hand, falling back to lie fully on the bed.

"Oh," Spike gasped. "That kind of fun."

Xander crawled up to lay on top of Spike, his hand between them. He leaned over to whisper in Spike's ear even as he pressed on the blonde's testicles and stroked him some more. "Yeah, that kind of fun. You know, fucking me through the mattress, again and again. Gods, I love it when you make me scream, begging, coming so hard I go blind and pass out."

Spike shuddered and grabbed at Xander. The boy laughed and kept working Spike's flesh. A devilish thought occurred to him. Concentrating for a moment, Xander worked to shift his hand, just a little. It was enough to push him right though Spike's cloths, but not enough to actually pass through the vampire himself. He wasn't sure that was possibleor a good idea. Still, the sound that came from Spike's throat when warm flesh unexpectedly touched him was rather gratifying. He squeaked.

"And don't even try to tell me you wouldn't like it, getting it done," Xander warned, whispering right into Xander's ear. "The push, the pain, of a needle sliding through your flesh. The blood welling out. Hells, you'd probably fuck me the same night, even though it would hurt like a bitch."

"Ahh." Spike groaned. His control was almost gone; his face started changing as he struggled not to come. No, the boy was not going to bring him off just talking dirty and rubbing around a little.well, more than a little. And that trick with the phase shifting.neat, but he wasn't that easy. Well, actually.

Xander leaned in for the kill. "Of course, I couldn't ask you to do that. I mean, self-mutilation is cool and all, but it's not the only way to say I love you. And besides, I'd never ask you to do something I wouldn't do myself," He added. "Which is why I'd get it done too."

Spike's eyes flashed open and he arched high under Xander. The image of his lovely boy, hard and bleeding and climaxing in a twist of pain and pleasure sent him over the edge. A long, high shriek poured from his lips as he jerked and shuddered through his orgasm. Xander petted him throughout, until the vampire was once again somewhat relaxed.

"So," Xander began again, giving Spike's now-quiescent cock a loving pat. He withdrew his hand, satisfied with both the effects of his attempt at dirty sex talk and his first real try at phase shifting. "Wanna get pierced?"

Spike lay there for a long time. Xander was starting to get uncomfortable, beginning to worry that maybe he'd misread the vampire, when Spike reached up and flipped them over. The blonde pulled at the fastenings of Xander's pants, quickly stripping them down around his knees. He found Xander already hard and weeping. "Oh yeah," He hissed, licking at Xander's face. "I'm all for it, Xander. Wanna see it, a ring right here," He said, drawing a sharp fingernail along the underside of Xander's cock. "Or maybe on top. It'd be better, what with how you like to do it."

"You like it better that way too," Xander gasped out. "At least, that's what you say."

Spike buried his head in Xander's neck, nipping the skin here and there. Xander's cock jumped with each little bite. "Yeah, that's right. I wanna see you half hard all the time, all hot and bothered, angry 'cause you're at work and can't do anything about it. Can't go into that smelly excuse of a loo and jerk off."

Xander turned his face to the side, giving Spike better access to his neck. "Wanna." He began, but was cut off by the vampire, who abruptly slid his fangs deep into the muscles at the base of his neck, right at the collarbone. The cool hands on his erection moved faster, harder, pulling at the skin of his cock with cruel force. Spike didn't actually take any blood; he just worried the bite a little. It was enough; Xander felt every nerve in his body sing, his cock straining in Spike's hands, pleasure shooting through him. It was like an orgasm that started in his balls and filled him all the way to the top of his head, oozing through his skin. He felt himself come all over Spike's hands and his belly, but the pleasure went on and on, freezing him in place. He couldn't even scream, it was so intense. Spike just kept at it, teasing his neck and prolonging the torturous ecstasy.

It took Xander almost five minutes to regain consciousness. When he did, he found a smirking, self-satisfied vampire watching him. "That was evil."

"So am I, pet," Spike replied.

"Well?" Xander asked.

Spike pretended to think about it. "I know a guy in town. We'll swing by to see him when we get back."

*****