*****
Part 9:

Giles calmly walked over to the counter and removed his glasses. He then unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and rolled them up past his elbows. After that he lit a cigarette. Only after he'd finished half of it did he return to Willow. The witch was still sitting in her chair, boiling mad and not bothering to hide it.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Giles asked calmly.

Willow completely missed the danger in his voice. "Yeah, I messed up. Now Xander's a demon," She said sullenly. "I'll just fix him."

Giles ashed his cigarette onto the floor. "And how do you propose to do that?"

The girl shrugged. "The same way I messed him up-just make up a potion. He seems to be pretty familiar with the way that language works. We'll just write a new word in and poof!"

"Poof?" Giles echoed. "Willow, do you have any idea how banishing potions like that one work?" He looked down at her. "They eat the demon alive. There is no word in that language to simply reverse the spell you made up. In fact, there is no way to separate the human Xander from the demon-because there is no human Xander anymore. His fate was sealed the moment he ingested that potion."

"Oh." Willow thought for a moment. "But he's not an evil demon-and he's got neato abilities that will help Buffy out!"

Giles forcibly restrained himself from killing Willow with his bare hands. "Did you ever ask Xander if he wanted to be a demon? Interesting side effects or no, the decision is not yours, but Xander's. Think, Willow. If you one day offered to change Xander into something else, just to give him an edge in slaying vampires, what do you think he would say? What would his response be? Think, dear Willow. After all, as you so often point out, you are the one in this group who knows him best. You have been best friends since you were five years old. What would Xander have said?"

"No," Willow mumbled. "But what would Buffy have said if she'd been given the choice to be or not to be the Slayer?"

"That is beside the point," Giles ground out. "That was her destiny from birth. She could no more avoid being Slayer than Xander could avoid being born human."

"Fine. I'll apologize." Giles glared. "Really, really well. I'll. I'll make him a glamour to hide his eyes, and take him out all the time and be really friendly with Spike."

"Do you really think Xander wants any more of your magick around?" Giles hissed. "Or your paltry attempts at friendship, after this?" He stubbed out his cigarette on a crystal ball. "You pathetic excuse for a human being. You transformed your best friend into a demon! Why on earth would he want anything from you?"

"Look, it was a mistake! We all make them. You made them," She accused.

"Yes, but you, unlike I, were given many, many warnings beforehand. You have been shown, time and again, the dangers of magick!" Giles shouted. "You need look no further than the rodent living in your dormitory to see how the abuse of magick can turn out! Your high school chum is a rat!"

"She was trying to escape getting burned at the stake," Willow shot back. "So it would have been better for her to die?"

"You were there too; did you die? Did Buffy die?" Giles replied angrily. "No. And I seriously doubt Amy intended to spend all this time in a habitrail. Willow, both Tara and I have asked you to be more careful in your magickal practices. Can you not see how your habits have caused this problem?"

"I was trying to help Buffy!"

"By designing a potion to combat a harmless demon that she will probably never encounter?" Giles returned quickly. "Just how does that help the Slayer?"

"It improves my abilities!" Willow defended. "That way I can help out more!"

"By what, casting spells?" Giles replied. "What you do is already dangerous; you've nearly killed Spike with your vampire spells, and let's not forget the other interesting things you've accomplished."

Willow blanched. "I'm learning. Don't I deserve a little slack?"

"If you had earned it, yes," Giles conceded. "But you haven't. Instead of conscientiously practicing your magick, you have gone willy-nilly into areas that you shouldn't have ever even looked at. Do you realize that the book you got that potion from is a text of chaos magick? That is, after all, the only type of magick that will banish a Bhavca demon."

"It wasn't that bad," Willow said. "Yeah, I know it's horrible to turn my friend into a demon. But like I said, I'll apologize. I'll grovel. I'll. do almost anything. He knows I didn't do it on purpose."

"It doesn't matter why you did it!" Giles shouted at her. "The truth of the matter is that you don't care. It is obvious you have no feelings for Xander-you honestly think a simple 'I'm sorry' will wipe the slate clean? Or do you only want to apologize to make everyone shut up about it?"

"It's not like that. I care about him!" Willow cried.

"Do you? Do you recall what you've been saying about him? That his new part of him is a good thing, because he needs the extra help? That somehow he isn't good enough on his own? That he should be grateful that you have fundamentally changed who he is? That now he is permanently touched by chaos magick?" Giles slammed his hands on the table. "You do NOT care, not about him or about anyone but yourself. The magick is more important than any of your friends."

"That is not true!" Willow screamed. "I love them!"

"Then why can you not see how much you are hurting them?" Giles replied harshly. "You came very close to being eviscerated by Spike, chip or no. Xander wasn't much better. Buffy isn't sure who you are anymore, and Tara is afraid of you. She fears for her life. You can see it in her eyes, Willow," Giles hissed, leaning down to look right at Willow's face. "She is scared of you. She wonders, 'will the next time I annoy Willow be the time she waves her hand and kills me-or worse?'. The girl who walked out of her ten minutes ago was shaking like a leaf."

"She isn't afraid of me!" Willow denied.

"Isn't she? I think she is, Willow, and I think you know it, too," Giles said. "And I think part of you wants that-you want her to fear you, to hold you in awe. 'Look at how mighty Willow is. I am so lucky to be the consort of such a powerful witch!' You want her to idolize you, to worship you. You don't want a lover; you want a sycophant!"

Willow shook her head vigorously. "No! Tara loves me for me, and I for her. I don't need her to fawn over me!"

"Then why do the only arguments you have regard your use and misuse of magick?" Giles countered. "Why does she come to me, privately, to ask about your magick use? Why do you hide so many of the things you do from her? Did she know about this potion? Or any of the others you've done?"

"We don't tell each other *everything* we do," Willow said snidely.

"No? Then why do you know about each spell Tara does, but she is unaware of the many banishings, transmogrifications, and conjuring spells you've done lately? Oh, did you think I didn't know about them either?" Giles said when he saw the disbelief on Willow's face. "Please, Willow. Do you think me so stupid? You forget what I spent years doing, my dear." Giles eyes darkened to pitch black. "I went much farther, much deeper and far darker than you ever have, Willow. I can smell the power on you, the leavings of all those spells. I know how close you've gotten to chaos, how many spirits you've talked to and bartered with. Have you so little faith in my abilities? Do you not think I can sense the demonic power you use so frequently? Humans on their own almost never possess that much raw power-they have to buy it from others. You have been trading for it for months now, haven't you? Letting demons slip free of their own dimensions into this one, taking in return some of their power. It is feeding your habit, isn't it, Willow?"

Willow cringed and recoiled from the deadly fury in Giles' voice. She had never seen him so viciously angry-not even when Angelus killed Jenny. "I-"

"You nothing!" Giles raged. "You irresponsible little bitch! You have no idea what you are doing-to your friends and to yourself! Have you looked inside yourself lately, Willow? Have you seen the ugliness there?" At her expression, he continued. "Yes, I think you have-that is why you keep a glamour up constantly, so that Tara cannot witness it. You're an addict, and it shows poorly on you."

Willow vaulted out of her chair. "I don't have to listen to this anymore. You can't tell me what to do." She ran out the door and into the night.

Giles stared after her, a dark smile splitting his face. "Can I not, Willow? We shall see. Indeed, we shall."

���...�...�...�...���

Willow ran straight back to her dormitory. "Fucking bastard. Who does he think he is?" She muttered quietly. "I'll show him-and the others too. I can handle power, more than they could ever imagine!"

She quickly gathered her supplies and cast a circle of white and black earth. Candles flickered to life as she carved symbols into her arm with an athame. A frigid silence shrouded the room as the demon appeared.

The negotiations were brief and successful-Willow fell to the ground in a rush of power as the demon escaped to freedom. The witch lay writhing in ecstasy for several minutes before getting up and heading out the door.

"Hmm... what to do first," Willow murmured. "I know!" She stood in the middle of campus and spared a thought for all the vampires around her. They were instantly turned to dust.

"Sewers are nasty places," Willow told herself. Another thought and several thousand demons fell dead in the tunnels beneath Sunnydale. She walked down the street toward the Bronze, hoping for a bit of action there.

���...�...�...�...���

Buffy pulled Tara along, hoping that the young witch would start responding to something soon. They weren't finding many vamps-not that they were looking very hard.

Suddenly, Tara stopped cold. "Magick," She whispered.

"What? Where?" Buffy asked, pulling out a stake.

"Everywhere. Dark, demon magick. Killing things," Tara said, looking around.

"Let's go find Giles," Buffy replied, taking Tara's hand again. They ran towards the magick shop. On their way they saw a pack of vampires simply turn to dust, without any stakes, fire or swords near them. "That is really odd," Buffy commented.

"Magick," Tara replied.

When they got to the shop, they found Giles smoking a cigarette. "Giles, someone is doing weird things all over town," Buffy said as they came to a stop next to him.

"It's Willow," He replied.

"What? How?" Buffy asked worriedly.

"She summoned a demon and is using it's power. It is more than she can handle."

"Overdose," Tara added. "She'll burn out, won't she?" The witch didn't even want to think about the ramifications of calling upon demons for their power.

"Yes. We'll track her down soon enough. At the moment she is searching for something to kill-anything nonhuman," Giles said.

"What about Xander and Spike?" Buffy inquired. "How are they?"

"In no danger," Giles replied. "I made sure of it. I would warn you, though, that this is not the end. She will be resistant."

"Why?" Buffy pressed.

"She's addicted, isn't she?" Tara asked.

Giles nodded. "Yes, very deeply addicted."

"Is that like drug addiction?" Buffy asked.

"Yes," Giles said. "Only the habit is much harder to break."

"Shit," Buffy cursed. "Why this? Why now?"

"Don't be melodramatic, Buffy," Giles spat. "You aren't the one she turned into a demon."

���...�...�...�...���

Spike hadn't calmed down at all during the ride home. Xander watched pensively while the vampire raged and screamed, pitching non-breakable things around the apartment. "Bloody bitch!" He swore vehemently.

"She didn't mean to," Xander replied softly.

"Oh, so that makes it right? You're not angry with her?" Spike replied harshly.

"No, I'm furious. I'm a DEMON!" Xander said. "But yelling all night about it isn't going to do anything for me."

"No? Well, it helps me," Spike growled. "Since I can't hurt her. Can't even slap the stupid twit."

Xander grinned. He'd been thinking along those lines. "But you can hurt me, you know."

Spike whirled around. "What? Why, because you're a demon now? Love, that doesn't matter. I'm never going to hurt you. I'd rather stake myself."

Xander reached for the distraught vampire. "That wasn't what I meant. It's just. there are some things we can do now, you know. now that I'm not lying around sick all the time. and not quite human."

The blonde leaned into Xander. He was still furious with Willow, but his lover's obvious innuendo, spoken in that dark voice, was a welcome distraction. "Like what, Xander?"

"Oh, I don't know," Xander demurred. "You could always see what I taste like now."

"I already know what you taste-" Spike's voice faded when he realized just what Xander meant. "I'm not. You don't."

"You're not what, and I don't what?" Xander replied softly. "Turn me? I don't think it's an option now. I don't want it? I've seen them, Spike. The victims-not the ones screaming for mercy, but the ones moaning in ecstasy. The ones thrusting against you when you feed, begging for more. That, that I want."

Spike shuddered. Yeah, maybe the boy had seen that a few times. Any vamp worth his salt could make the victim want it worse than any drug. Of course, most of the idiots running around these days didn't know how or didn't bother, but still. The idea of sinking his fangs in Xander's neck, feeling him clamp down on his cock and milk him dry, hearing those breathy moans as the boy experienced a different type of climax. "You're not serious, are you?" He asked half-heartedly. He just couldn't imagine Xander really wanting that. It was too close to being prey to Spike's predator.

Xander leaned in close, until his lips were just brushing Spike's ear. "Hell yeah, I want it. Don't you? I've felt you listening to my blood, wanting it inside you, on your tongue. Now's your chance. I'm not going to keep offering it, not if you're going to turn me down."

"Please," Spike moaned. How the hell the boy knew just how much he wanted, he'd never know.

"Please what?" Xander asked, already knowing what the vampire wanted. This wasn't something they'd even had to talk about-he knew with absolute certainty that the vampire wanted to bit him, to feel his blood flowing through his own veins. Xander also knew that Spike didn't want to kill him.

"Let me," The blonde continued. "Just once," He said. He wanted it once, just once, before Xander changed his mind and said 'fangs off.'

"Alright," Xander said happily. "Bedroom?"

Spike picked him up and fairly flew into the other room. They yanked and tugged on each others' clothing, desperate for flesh. Spike pushed Xander onto the bed and grabbed the lube. Xander spread himself, more than willing to go fast. He liked it that way. Spike was already in gameface when he climbed on top of Xander and began to prepare him, pushing one lubed finger roughly inside the boy's body. Xander arched and hissed, relishing the touch of pain. Spike had never been able to give that to him-not even a hint of discomfort. "Is this what you want?" Spike growled, getting right into Xander's face so the boy could see the demon in his lover.

"Yeah," Xander replied, eyes flashing. Spike gasped at the sight of the aforementioned membranes in Xander's eyes. They were a sinister green-yellow, glowing in the darkness of the bedroom. He pushed in another finger, relishing the snarl his lover gave him in return. "Now, Spike," Xander ordered, reaching for his lover.

Spike lifted Xander's legs and wrapped them around his waist. Then he pushed his erection against the boy's tight hole, knowing that it was going to hurt Xander. The brunette just used his legs to pull Spike deeper, thrashing as he was filled.

"Do it," Xander demanded, twisting his neck to present it to the vampire. Spike stared for a moment, then lunged. Xander screamed as long ivory fangs pierced his neck and punctured the vein there. Spike left them in the wound, keeping it from bleeding freely. He thrust madly into Xander, letting the friction of their bellies bring the boy off.

Xander floated in a haze of sensation. He felt rather acutely every thrust and drag of Spike's cock, hitting every nerve in his ass. His stomach felt like marble, pressing unforgivingly on his own erection. Then there were those fangs; whatever they did made everything else sharper, stronger, and more real. He could feel the ridges of Spike's face; could hear the vampire's muted howling. He scrabbled his hands down Spike's back, urging the vampire on. Spike obliged, jackhammering into his willing body.

Spike reveled in the slow trickle of blood that seeped from Xander's neck. The demonic part of his lover didn't detract at all from the taste, which was exquisite. He could sense the boy's arousal, his excitement. It built up quickly, making his blood tangy and hot. Soon, soon the boy would come. In just a few seconds.

Xander tried to hold it back, but he couldn't. He screamed his pleasure, back arching off the bed despite the weight of Spike's body. The vampire released his neck to howl through his own orgasm, bucking into Xander with almost cruel thrusts. Aftershocks made the vampire collapse on top of the boy, but Xander didn't mind.

"Spike?" Xander murmured a few minutes later. The vampire was still lying on top of him, softening cock still deep inside his body.

"Er?" Spike moaned into Xander's chest.

"Can we do that again?"

Spike managed to lift his head. "Right now?"

Xander grinned. "Nah." He thought for a moment. "I want a shower first. And maybe some food. Gimme ten minutes."

Spike didn't even bother to complain.

*****
Part 10:

Xander was just stepping out of the shower when he felt an odd flutter in his stomach. Dismissing it as sex-induced hunger, he wandered naked into the kitchen, where Spike was heating up blood and leftover pizza. He snagged a piece of the junk food, tearing off the crust for Spike. The vampire accepted the bread and dunked it into his now-hot blood. He was leaning over to consume the bloody food when he froze in place.

"Xander?"

"Hmm?" Xander mumbled around his pizza.

"Did you just.get an odd feeling in your stomach?" Spike asked.

Xander shrugged. "Maybe. Felt like hunger pangs."

Spike looked down at his blood. "Me too."

"Sex. Very athletic sex," Xander replied. "Need more food."

"I'm not that hungry," Spike noted. "And besides, when I am starved for blood, I don't get stomach pains."

Xander wiped his hands on a towel and turned to face the vampire. "You think it's something else?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what," Spike said. "Just a bit weird."

Spike polished off his blood and pizza crust, eager to forget about whatever weird thing had just passed through both him and Xander. Sex would do the job nicely, and his boy was obviously interested in an encore performance. He rinsed out his mug and set it to dry. Then he reached for the brunette.

"Hey!" Xander squeaked as Spike caught him up and carried him to the sofa. The blonde let Xander slide down the couch, his skin dragging sensuously across the leather covering it. Xander held onto Spike, pulling the vampire along with him as they tumbled over.

"Oh, you wanted something else?" Spike growled into Xander's neck. "Maybe a documentary? Or a game of Parcheesi?"

Xander wrapped himself around his lover, pulling Spike tight against him. "Strip Parcheesi."

Spike looked down his body, liking the way his ivory skin pressed and twined with Xander's darker flesh. "Love, we're both naked."

"Winner gets to dress the loser, one article of clothing at a time," Xander replied.

"Ah," Spike murmured. "A game you play to lose."

"But we've no Janx Spirit," Xander lamented, tracing the veins along Spike's shoulders with his tongue.

"There's always bourbon, and I'm definitely for obscenely biological forfeits,"1 Spike replied, leaning into Xander. That warm tongue, pressing just so, was going to be the death of him.

"But we'd both try to lose, and then where would we end up?" Xander asked.

Spike grinned and flipped them over, so that Xander was pressed into the sofa. "The same place we end up every night, Pinky."

"In bed, with my legs up in the air?" Xander asked innocently.

"Better than trying to take over the world," Spike replied, leaning down for a kiss. "More fun, anyway." The vampire had just sealed his mouth to Xander's when an icy breeze drifted through the apartment. Both men froze, staring at each other with wide eyes. Spike shuddered as the odd sensation he'd felt earlier repeated itself, over and over. His stomach seemed to quiver, the vibration echoing through his entire body. Xander's eyes filmed over to their demonic, solid green-yellow as he too experienced the unsettling sensation.

After a minute or two, it ended. The room returned to its normal temperature and both men's stomachs calmed down. "That was not hunger pangs," Spike whispered.

Xander shook his head. "That was."

"Mojo," Spike muttered, eyes narrowing. "Call the Watcher." He sat back and moved away from Xander, looking for his cigarettes. Xander nodded and reached for the phone.

"Giles?" Xander said tentatively. "Um. something very, very weird just happened."

"I'm well aware of that, Xander," Giles snapped.

Spike listened to both sides of the conversation, immediately picking up on the older man's state of mind.

"Oh. You mean, you know what's going on?" Xander exclaimed. "Are you gonna tell me, or do I have to guess why my living room turned into an icebox and I got the heebie jeebies all of a sudden?"

"Willow has. done something rather foolish. As a result all the nonhuman residents of Sunnydale are at serious risk of being injured. I have extended wards to protect you and Spike, however, so you needn't fear," Giles replied.

Spike growled when he heard mention of Willow. The sound deepened to a malevolent, bone-shaking roar when the Watcher went into detail about what the witch had done. His first instinct was to push Xander into some clothes and drive him as far away from Sunnydale as possible. The fact that the Watcher was 'protecting' them with his own magicks didn't reassure Spike one bit. No, as long as Willow was gunning for nonhumans, neither he nor Xander needed to be anywhere near the Hellmouth.

"Ok, um. I'll avoid Willow. So will Spike. Are you sure you don't need us to do anything?" Xander inquired, worry evident in his voice.

"No, just stay out of the way. I will handle this," Giles insisted. Spike nodded at the Watcher's answer. There wasn't much they could do, so it was better that they stay away. Still, he kept his mouth shut until Xander had ended the call.

"Right. Get dressed," Spike ordered. Xander frowned.

"Uh, why?" The Bhavca demon asked.

"Because we're leaving," Spike said flatly. He got up and stalked into the bedroom to throw some things into a duffle.

Xander followed him. "We're what? Leaving? Says who? Why?"

Spike spun on his heel, leaning right into Xander's face. "We're leaving, says me, because it's not safe here." He saw Xander's expression and reached for the boy, knowing he had a bit of a battle ahead of him. "Look, Xander, Rupert's good, but she's gone off the deep end, and right now you and I are the only nonhumans in the lot. How long do you think it'll be before she slips upif she even thinks of us? She's on a rampage, Xander."

"So we're gonna run?" Xander snarled. "Where to? I've got to work, you know."

"Not until Tuesday," Spike countered. "And it's Friday night now. By the time the weekend's passed, Rupert will have her under control, and you won't be in any danger."

Xander worried his lip, obviously thinking very hard. "I don't know, Spike. Running away isn't."

"'S not running away," Spike murmured, knowing he'd won. "Self-preservation's a good instinct to have, and you can't tell me you didn't want to find a cave and hide in it when you first found out what was going on."

The brunette laughed harshly. "Yeah, a cave in Nepal."

"So, go put on some clothes," Spike insisted, pushing Xander towards the bedroom. The phone rang again and the vampire answered it, not wanting Xander to get distracted again. "What?" He snarled into the phone.

"Spike, perhaps it would be wise for you and Xander to" Giles began.

"Get the hell out of this town?" Spike finished for him. "We're already working on that. Lemme guess, you're not doing as well as you'd thought at getting her down?"

"I am quite capable of restraining Willow," Giles grated out. "However, it would be easier if I wasn't trying to protect the two of you at the same time. However, it is not required that you leave; you will not be endangered if you"

"You can't promise that, can you?" Spike threatened. "So we'll just leave. You know Xander's cell phone number."

"Go to Angel," Giles insisted. "I will call ahead to let him know you're coming."

"No," Spike stated angrily. "We're not going to the Poof!"

"Angel? We're gonna see Angel?" Xander asked from the bedroom. "Cool!"

Spike glared at Xander. "Not cool, Xander. Hell."

Xander smirked. "You don't want to torture Angel for a few days, with Giles' blessing?"

Spike slowly grinned. "Alright, Rupert, we'll go to Angel. For a little while, anyway."

���...�...�...�...���

Angel hung up the phone and glanced over at Wesley. The conversation he'd just had with Giles had been short, confusing, and worrisome. "Wes, we're having company."

Wesley looked back at Angel curiously. "We are? Who?"

"Spike. And Xander," Angel replied.

The ex-Watcher straightened immediately. "Why on earth are they coming here?" He exclaimed.

The dark vampire shook his head slowly. "Giles only gave me a little informationhe said that they could fill me in later. He sounded very busy. It seems that there's some sort of out-of-control witch in Sunnydale, and they're in danger of getting hurt. He's making them come down here so that they're not distracting him and Buffy from the problem at hand."

"That's it?" Wesley pressed. "Nothing more than that?"

"No. They should be here in a couple of hours," Angel said. "Maybe they'll be able to give us a few more answers."

Wesley and Angel spent the ensuing time trying to prepare for their somewhat unexpected guests. There was plenty of room for the two men, but nothing other than blood to eat in the hoteland Xander wasn't fond of blood, if Angel remembered correctly. He called Cordelia to ask her to pick up some things on her way in, so he didn't have to run out to get anything. Doyle and Gunn arrived in the midst of their preparations. Once they found out what the 'crisis' was, they demanded answers.

"So we've just got to welcome Spike in here because this other Watcher says so?" Gunn asked skeptically. "I'm not liking this idea."

"Me either," Doyle murmured.

Angel silently agreed with them. The only good thing he could think of was that he'd finally be able to confront Spike about the Christmas presents they'd received, courtesy of the vampire and Xander. While they were probably nothing more than Spike's idea of mischief, he wanted to be sure.

Meanwhile, Xander drove himself and Spike to Los Angeles, singing along to his Ryv'riv CD and trying to keep Spike's hands out of his jeans. It wasn't an easy task; the vampire seemed determined to distract him with sex. Of course, it wasn't that Xander really minded the attention, he just preferred to be able to drive in a straight line and not get hit by a tractor-trailer in the process.

"Right," Spike murmured as they parked Xander's car near the Hyperion. "Stay close to me and don't let Angel touch you."

Xander frowned at Spike. "Why?"

"Bloody bastard will try to take you away, that's why," Spike snarled. "It'll take a lot of convincing to"

"Make him see that we're actually together?" Xander finished. "Maybe. Maybe not. But don't worry about the whole touching thing. The last person I want near me is Angel."

Spike nodded curtly and led Xander into the hotel. As he'd suspected, Angel and his entire gang were waiting, lined up like a posse in the lobby. "Spike. Xander." Angel said flatly as they stopped in the entranceway.

"Deadboy," Xander murmured. "Cordy. Wes. Don't really know the others."

"Tall one's Gunn," Spike supplied. "Pale one's Doyle."

"Ah. Gunn. Doyle," Xander echoed.

Angel took a step forwardas did Spike. The blonde moved slightly in front of Xander, blocking him from the older vampire. "Giles didn't really say why you two need to be here," Angel said, trying to peer around Spike and look at Xander.

"Long story," Spike muttered, not budging.

"Start talking," Cordelia ordered. "Because Giles' orders or not, I'm not too fond of you, Bleachboy."

"Lay off," Xander warned. "He hasn't done anything lately."

Angel, Wesley and Cordelia all gaped. Since when did Xander defend Spike? They'd all pretty much decided that Xander had had nothing to do with the Christmas presentsyeah, he liked mind games, but so did Spike. Besides that, Xander was known to not like playing nice with vampires. "Xander, would you mind explaining why you're here?" Angel asked.

Xander shrugged and moved out from behind Spike. He made sure to stay as far from Angel as possible, knowing it would calm the blonde. "Sure, but you might want to sit down. It'll take a while."

Angel stepped forward, which made Spike growl and narrow his eyes. Angel echoed the threat, wondering why Spike was being so protective of"Xander, why do you have bite marks on your neck?" Angel asked, shock obvious in his voice.

Xander grinned. "Because I got bit."

"What?" Cordelia shrieked. "Are you ok? Who bit you? Is that why you're here? And why would that make Spike need to be here?"

Xander shook his head at the cheerleader. "The bite's not important," He reassured her.

"Who bit you?" Angel pressed, getting an odd feeling. Xander had been bitten by a vampire, and Spike was acting very possessive.

"Who do you think?" Xander taunted.

Angel turned to Spike. "You bit him?" The dark vampire shouted. The lobby erupted into a cacophony of furious voices. Angel and Spike were in gameface, circling each other warily. Gunn had a stake out, looking for an opening, while Cordelia and Doyle tried to corner Xander. The Bhavca quickly grew tired of the yelling and posturing and called a halt to the proceedings the only way he knew how.

"STOP!"

Everyone turned to look at Xander, who had shouted at the top of his lungs. "Thanks," He muttered. "Ok. First, Angel, stop trying to fight with Spike. Yeah, he bit me. I asked him to."

"But he's chipped!" Cordelia said. "He can't hurt people."

"Correction," Xander said. "He can't hurt humans."

"But." Angel began. Then he took a step towards Xander and inhaled deeply. "What happened?"

Xander smiled ruefully. "Willow happened."

"Willow?" Wesley murmured. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"She messed around in some magick and accidentally turned me into a demon," Xander said.

"Ah," Angel grunted. "So."

"And Spike and I have been together for a while now," Xander continued. "So lay off, Deadboy. You mess with Spike, you mess with meand Buffy and Giles and Joyce and Dawn and Tara."

Spike just smirked at Angel. Although the approval of Xander's friends wasn't necessary, it certainly helped them both at times. "You touch him, the cheerleader sweeps you up in a dustpan," The blonde threatened.

Angel hissed but didn't argue. He knew all to well that Spike wasn't jokingif he even tried to come between the blonde and Xander he'd be staked. if he was lucky. The only thing that had kept Spike from killing Angelus over Dru was that the insane vampires had had her obsessive affection for her sire, and would've suffered if he'd died.

"I'm guessing that's not why you're here, though," Doyle commented. He could see that Spike and Xander were comfortable together; they had some excellent nonverbal communication going on.

Xander nodded. "You're right. There's a lot we're skipping. To sum it up, though, Willow went off the deep end. She's gotten addicted to magick and this time she went too far. Demons are dying by the hundreds in Sunnydale; the only reason Spike and I are still standing is because Giles protected us."

"He needed you gone so he could concentrate," Angel guessed.

"No guarantees he could do that," Spike growled.

"He could've," Xander insisted. "But this way is easier. Don't worry; we're only staying until it's safe to go backonce Willow's under control." Angel nodded and backed down from his aggressive stance against Spike. Gunn likewise stepped back, but he kept his stake out.

"So what kind of demon are you?" Cordelia asked Xander. "What'd she make you?"

"Bhavca," Xander replied.

"My word," Wesley whispered, eyes widening. "How fascinating."

"You know about Bhavcas?" Xander asked. "'Cause all we've got is one measly entry in an encyclopedia."

"I do know a little," He admitted. "But Angel has a book or two that might shed more light on the subject."

"You can read them later," Spike said firmly. "Where are we staying, Peaches?"

Angel cocked his head towards the stairs. "There's a couple of rooms for you upstairs."

"Only need one," Spike muttered.

"Xander, you're not gay," Cordelia said, remembering the whole 'I'm with Spike' thing."

"No, I'm not," Xander agreed.

"Ah," She murmured. "Bi?"

"Something like that," He replied. "But I doubt you really want to discuss my sex life."

Cordelia blushed and shook her head. "Nope, I don't." Xander picked up his bag and headed for the stairs, with Spike following behind him.

"Angel?" Gunn said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you trust them?" The vampire hunter asked.

Angel thought for a moment. "Partially. I'll keep an eye on them, but I don't think they're here to cause trouble."

Spike stopped in front of Angel, who was next to Gunn. "We're here because the witch can't keep herself together. Twice now she's nearly killed Xander, and she's not getting another chance. If you don't like us here, we can leave. I'd be more than happy to go; in fact the only reason he and I are here is because Rupert insisted and Xander's more important than a bloody argument," The blonde hissed. "But you upset him, threaten himhells, look at him funny, and I'll use your entrails for bunting and decorate this blasted hotel from top to bottom. Understand?"

Angel's eyes flashed yellow. "Don't threaten me, William."

Spike leaned in further, slipping into gameface. "I'll threaten as I like, *Angel*. He's mine and you've got no say in it. Mine, willingly."

Angel took a very reluctant step back. If the boy had willingly chosen Spike, he had no recourse but to leave them alone. He suspected that they'd gotten involved before Xander's accidental change, which meant that Spike had chosen the boy when he couldn't raise a finger against him. And Xander still seemed to be in good health now that Spike could hurt him. The bite didn't really concern Angel that much; vampire sex often included such things. "Fine," He conceded. "But don't mess with anyone here," He added menacingly. He didn't put it past Spike to torment the dark vampire's coworkers.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Not planning to. Actually, all I wanna do this weekend is shag the boy stupid and go back to Sunnydale. Probably won't see much of any of you." With that he ran to catch up with Xander, who by that time had found their room.

Once the blonde was out of sight, Cordelia and the others turned to Angel. "Ok, Angel, you'd better start talking," She hissed.

*****