Febuary 5, 2001

With just a week to go until the sign language course started, Spike was getting fidgety about staying for a few days in Fairbanks. It wasn't that he hadn't been to the city before, it wasn't who was going to look after Twatcat. It was that the class was the final acknowledgement that he was disabled. The blond vampire was horrifically ashamed that he had to be taught how to speak again using his fingers.

~ Already know how to use me sodding fingers! Really don't need to know much more. ~

Last of the breakfast dishes put away, the slender male snorted to himself when he thought of just how many obscene gestures he knew and most weren't the normal human ones either. Blood packet ripped open and the contents poured into a mug, Spike programmed the microwave for one minute and 30 seconds. Any longer and he risked burning the top of his mouth on the over heated blood, nevermind the vile taste. While his breakfast heated, the blond couldn't help but wonder how Steph was going with her labour. He had been a little suprised at how much he genuinly liked the group of people he had come to know since moving to Alaska. Out of them all, he liked Steph the best. He had liked Lukas to begin with but after those damn pamphlets, he didn't want to be anywhere near the other demon.

Both himself and the whelp had been woken early that morning by a phonecall from a pretty upset and drugged out Steph informing them that she had gone into an early labour. By all rights, she should have had another month and a half of pregnancy. The phonecall itself had apparantly been pretty incoherant, Xander hanging up in the end after telling her that they both wished her good luck, the vampire nodding along to the words. Spike had cooked a full breakfast that included the usual bacon, tomatoes and eggs since they were up early enough anyway. A blowjob in the kitchen and then the whelp had dashed off to work complete with a few sandwiches.

~ Wow, never thought making fucking sandwiches would be the highlight of my day. Can't wait until I get some wood so I can start this course. ~

Shaking his head at the cat that was demanding to go out, Spike hoped that Steph wouldn't want the kitten back now that the baby was almost out. Xander and the vampire had both grown attached to the small creature, Spike liking the time he spent alone with Twatcat just purring together to a fuzzy Jerry Springer. Kitchen bench given another wipe with the cloth, he knew that he couldn't put it off any longer. He was going to have walk to the post office and see Lukas for some more blood. Now that the snow had eased up some, Xander had told the blond that he could resume going himself to get his blood. Not even bothering to argue, he had just nodded along, shuddering at the thought of seeing the prying demon again.

~ Hope he keeps his fucking mouth shut, don't want to have to rip his head off. ~

The vampire hadn't had to fight anyone since the crypt incident and was actually uncertain of how a fight would go if he attacked the other demon. He knew that if he had been full up on human blood, only his Sire and a few other demons would get the better of him. Spike really didn't want to test it out, since having the accident that damaged his chip, he hadn't felt the desire to even try and fight something. It seemed that with the emergence of his overly tender emotions, his demon traits had diminished to the point where he really didn't think about them anymore. The only things he wanted were his full demon face back and for Xander to tell him that he was loved.

~ Sodding poofy fucking ponce! ~

A frown adorned the pale face as the vampire counted his available cash, deciding that he would pay by debit card via electronic transfer. Check jacket grabbed, he did all his buttons up while putting out the wood heater. At the last minute, he double checked that the kittens hot water bottle would be warm enough until he returned. Once satisfied that everything was in order and that he could no longer put it off, the vampire stepped out into the cold air of the darkened day. Growling in frustration, he started to jog after the small cat that had dashed out of the warm cabin in an attempt to follow him. Weaving a lunatics dance across the powdery snow, he couldn't help but grunt in laughter as the black feline tried to avoid the coldness touching her tiny feet. The result was a small kitten leaping stiff legged into the air every few steps while a grunting blond attempted to grab at her.

After a few minutes, Spike realised that they heading in the right direction anyway. Giving up, he continued to walk to the post office, knowing that the kitten would follow him eventually.

Sure enough, after a couple of paces, he felt a solid thump against his lower leg as the small feline attached herself to him. Grunting again, he gently unhooked the sharp claws and popped her down the front of his jacket, relishing the instant warmth that spread across his chest. It would take longer to walk back to the cabin than to continue towards Lukas. Spike was sure that if he turned back, he wouldn't be leaving the cabin again. Forcing himself to continue foward into the icy air, he surveyed the winter wonderland ahead of him. He had to admit that the scenery was beautiful, his ability to see better than humans in the dark came in handy at times.

While he strode towards his blood, he smiled as he remembered how he had been able to find Spit wandering around drunkenly lost after volunteering to get more firewood for the campsite BBQ. He had heard the others calling out for the missing man about half an hour after he had gone off into the darkness. Idly hoping he would see some wildlife other than the moose that grazed around where he and Xander lived, the vampire had accompnied his claimant in trying to find the drunk man. With his nightvision restored, it had only taken a few minutes before he had found the heat signature of Spit. The lean man had been telling off a tree that continued to drop snow on him despite his impassioned pleas for it to stop. The whelp had just looked at the vampire and had cracked up, Spike only two seconds later in adding to the laughter. Guiding the irate Spit back to the campsite had been easy, Spike just concentrating on the large flare of heat coming from the flames not to mention the delicious smell of almost done sausages. The other man had been too drunk and annoyed at the tree to notice the vampires gameface.

With a groan, the vampire saw the post office building getting closer. All his running after the mental kitten had shortened his journey by a good six or seven minutes. Good was the thought, the sooner he got his blood, the sooner he could be gone and not see the other demon for a few days. Xander was going to use the enhanced esky while they were in Fairbanks, keeping the container in the boot of the car so that housekeeping wouldn't find it and then call the police. The youth's book from Joyce contained assorted vouchers that entitled the holder to numerous discounts and freebies around the state of Alaska. Keeping the offers in mind, Xander had been able to get them a discounted room for Sunday night to Friday morning in a bed and breakfast that was within walking distance to the college. Thankfully the days were still pretty dark so that the vampire would be inside during the lengthing periods of sunlight.

So far, the barely sunny hours were from around 11am to just after 3pm. According to Spike's watch, it was only about quarter past nine, plenty of time for him to get his blood and get home before he encountered the deadly sunlight. Trying not to giggle at the feel of the kitten moving around his front in the effort to get comfortable, Spike pushed the post office door, entering the small building. With a quick glance around, he saw that the other demon was nowhere in sight. Lukas was in the building, that the vampire was sure of, he could hear the Fijian's heartbeat. A few loud rings of the desk bell saw the dark man come from behind the curtain that lead to the main living area.

*****

"Hey Spike, good to see you again. You here for a social visit, come on. Got some good beer out the back, English, none of this American crap."

Barely able to hold back a snarl with his shaken head, the blond vampire indicated that he was only here for his weekly blood order. With another shake of his head, he halted Lukas' questions of if he wanted to talk about his relationship with Xander. A cough later saw both men disappear down the steps leading to the large fridge and engraved door. Spike had seen the door often since getting his own blood but it never ceased to fascinate him. The door was solid metal with odd squiggles and runes carved over it and according to the Fijian, it was a sentient being in its own right. The vampire wasn't sure but sometimes he could feel a slight buzzing on his chipped side of his head whenever he came near the strange metal. It was so fleeting that he really wasn't sure whether he had even felt it.

In silence, Lukas got out the vampire's usual weekly order. The vampire had three traditional meals a day, not including his indulgence for human foods. Twenty-one bags of blood were divided into four plastic shopping bags and held out for the smaller male to take. Caribou, moose and cow, the vampire absolutly refusing anything to do with pigs blood. Mouth almost watering at the sight of the numerous bags of human blood, the vampire steeled himself and turned around so that he could't see them. He reminded himself that he would be getting a bag a day during the summer, something that he was starting to dread. From what Lukas had told him during their last friendly chat, not counting the one on Boxing Day, vampires and other nocturnal creatures usually went into an almost hibernation state during the long hours of sunlight. They only really woke during the short periods of darkness and were then pretty groggy, using that time to feed and do a few things before falling asleep again.

A shadow of a smile while taking the bags from Lukas and he was once again asked if he wanted a beer. With a hand run through his short hair, the vampire was suprised when the other male apologised for intruding into the blond's life when he shouldn't have. A discreet sniff at the demon and Spike hesitantly nodded his acceptance at the other demons apology, he was still upset and embarrassed at what had been suggested but he reluctantly accepted that it had been only tackled because the Fijian was his friend. A bigger smile and a swigging motion with one hand saw him clapped on the back and the kittens head popping out of the vampire's jacket much to the laughter of Lukas and snorts from Spike. Following the larger demon, he went back up the stairs and into the warmer air that circulated around the ground level dwelling.

It was opressively hot in the main living room, Spike hated to think of how much it must cost the Fijian to heat the room into an almost tropic zone. A grimace at how domesticated that sounded even to himself, the vampire eagerly grabbed at the ice cold beer being held out to him. Spike quickly shed his thick coat, depositing the black kitten on the floor, smirking as a fluffed up ginger furball made its way over to inspect the intruder. He figured that he had time for one beer before he had to leave again and seating himself upon the sofa, he listened to the other demon telling him about how Steph had rung him as well that morning. Lukas promised to ring the hospital later that day on the behalf of Spike, telling him that he would give him an update about her condition after the phone call. The blond honestly couldn't remember knowing any woman who had given birth since the day he had been turned. When he had been a human, pregnancy and childbirth wasn't something that was included in any sort of conversation.

Drinking his beer, he nodded and gestured at the wood carvings dotted around the room while keeping one eye on a pair of felines playing hide and seek in the hot room, listening while Lukas described the origins of the traditional South Pacific Island masks and other ornamental shapes. He had a good laugh at the description of how in the days before missionaries, chieftains had a particular way of killing any offenders by basically getting them to kneel with their neck placed across a large stone slab and then dropping a huge rock onto their neck, leaving it there until they died from suffocation. Dropped hard enough, the rock would break the spine, seperating the head from the body almost instantly. Nice, was the thought running through the vampires mind. Sometime the old ways were the best. Beer finished, Spike got up to leave, glad that the subject of his relationship with Xander hadn't been brought up. With a goodbye to Lukas, he rescued Twatcat from being licked to death by the other kitten, tucking her firmly into his jacket before heading off into the cold day again.

He was a bit embarrassed about carrying the kitten around with him but he was ultimately glad that he had been able to repair his friendship with the other demon. As much as he liked the demons that employed him, it was nice to have a drinking buddy just to himself. He wasn't too sure but he thought he caught little hints of dislike from the Fijian every time the dark man came into contact with Xander. With a shake of his head, he continued to trudge back to the cabin. Maybe he was just being overly sensitive about his relationship with the youth and imagining things. Spike gave the purring kitten a reassuring pat through the thick jacket, adjusting his hold on the plastic bags. They weren't heavy to his vampire strength but the handles still cut into his hands, making throbbing lines across his palms.

Blood put away into the fridge once he was back in the cabin, Spike closed all the curtains to prevent the sun from streaming into the cabin. The heavy clouds had started to clear up just as he was only a mile away from the cabin, forcing him to step up the pace. Water boiling for a coffee, he leaned against the kitchen sink while he turned his attention to Xander's birthday. It was coming up soon, March 27th and the vampire still had no idea of what to do to make it special for the youth. He didn't want the boy to go through the same disappointment that had occured during Christmas. Sadly, it was all too probable that the youths arsehole parents would be too drunk to remember their son's birthday.

An idea striking hard, Spike hurridly made his coffee, extra milky with three sugars. Plonking the beverage down on the coffee table, he removed the kitten from his cool lap while he puzzled over just how he should go about his idea.

*****
Part 9:

"Hi, My name is Sarah and I'm your teacher."

With a glance around the small room, Spike knew that he was the only one trying to ignore a chip giving him tingles for wanting to bite off all Sarah�s furiously moving fingers. Only five minutes into the class and the blond was wishing that a Hellmouth would swallow him whole. Sitting next to him on his left side was Xander, listening intently to what the blue haired teacher was saying. On his right side were three other people, a mother and father team along with their child. The little girl looked to be around four or five, Spike wasn't really too sure, he had never liked kids so he hadn't taken much notice of them. The only time he had ever really come into contact with them once turned, was when Darla decided on treating herself with one or two before bedtime.

"Ok, I'm just going to give you a brief description of what to expect in the next four days. Any questions so far?"

When none came forward, the tall thin middle-aged lady went on to describe how the days would go for the Sign Language participants. Spike snorted to himself, four days trapped in a small room with a wanker hippy teacher who was flapping her hands around like they had been burnt, a Claimant who was on the way to being seriously sick with the flu and the bloody perfect do-gooder family of the year sitting right next to him. What the hell was there not to love?

~ I hope Cornfed and Arseholes Inc. end up with cock cancer. Hope it bloody well eats their nuts as well ~

"Class will start each day at 9am, morning tea at 11.15am, lunch at 1.30pm, afternoon tea at 3.30pm and of course, everybody leaves at 5.30pm. Morning and afternoon breaks are 15 minutes each, while lunch is half an hour"

~ Thank fuck for that! Won't have sit the whole time with the sodding chip mushing my brain just because I want to smother the sunshiny little turd of a teacher ~

Ok, regular breaks. Spike could handle that. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. A bout of coughing from his left side and the vampire cast a worried gaze at the brunette next to him. If the class hadn't already been paid for by the two witches, he would have suggested that they both go to the one next semester. Xander had woken up the morning before complaining of a sore throat and stiff muscles. Calling the boy irritable just wasn't the right word. The blond allowed a slight grimace to ghost over his pale face as he recalled the punch he had received when he had tried to massage the other males back in an attempt to relieve some of the stiffness. A snarled request for the vampire to go away had led to a punch when Spike had chosen to ignore Xander's words, instead trying to give the man some relief.

Spike had quickly scrambled into the kitchen for a bout of tears while the kettle boiled. He had been almost in tears again when his offered coffee hadn't been thrown over him, the vampire had been thankful that the small gesture had soothed the grumbling brunette. The bleached blond had tip-toed his way around the cabin all day, jumping whenever Xander had snuffled out a request for more tissues or coffee. Even Twatcat had been ordered out of the bedroom, Xander in no mood to pet and tickle their substitute child. The drive from Pennington to Fairbanks had been in silence, the brunette not even mocking the country stations choice of music, only stopping the once to drop the kitten off at the post office and to top up the blood supply.

As soon as they had arrived at the Farmer's Rest Inn, they had checked in and had been shown their room, Xander crawling into bed and going straight to sleep after he had coughed and hacked his way into telling the vampire not to whinge about the separate single beds. Spike had been at a loss as what to do while his Claimant slept, afraid of provoking a hissy fit if he turned on the radio or television. A glance around the yet again wood panelled room, he had gone down to the front desk to arrange a meal to be sent up. While he had been waiting for the room's electric jug to boil so that he could warm up his blood at least a little, he had nibbled on the plate of hot chips and egg that had arrived at his door. It had ultimately been a lonely night for the vampire, he had slept in his single bed, listening to Xander's congested breathing while just wishing that he had a pair of strong warm arms wrapped around him. Someone to soothe his fears that he would look like a complete retard while doing the course.

"Right then, day one will be just simple. Learning the Alphabet and our names as well as other important names. Day two will be common things like, please and thank you. How to form sentences and signs for slang. Wednesday, we will be looking at how to utilise the available literature and various resources available including the Internet. On the last day, Thursday, I will be getting you all to give a ten minute talk on any topic of your choice. Megan, because she is so young, she can do a few minutes of whatever she likes. We will use that morning to get everything set up for the talks"

"Any questions?"

~ Can I go home yet? ~

Sliding further down into his seat, Spike felt the first of his nerves give way. He had been so excited to receive the voucher from Red and Mouse but now, when faced with actually having to learn the language, he was scared. The vampire didn't want to have the label of 'disabled' but it looked like there was no escape from it now. A snort, a glare from Xander and the blond wondered just when he would find a situation to apply this knowledge to anyway. It was Alaska. Sure, they obviously had deaf and mute people in the State but it wasn't as if he would be able to walk down the street and 'sign' words with everybody knowing what the hell he was on about. He was still going to have to rely heavily on his note pad.

"Now, the first thing is that you are not deaf and dumb. You are both Aurally and Orally challenged or just Orally challenged like Spike"

A cough and snicker from Xander beside him, Spike allowed himself to just accept the horror of having a politically correct label stuck to him. The snuffling brunette beside him nudged the vampires side with a solid elbow, giggling a little at the word oral.

~ Any fucking money she tries to get us into either the gay/lesbian support group for the college, or dance around a sodding tree in an effort to better express ourselves ~

With another glance at her attendance sheet, Sarah took in the group of people in front of her. The parents of the little girl Megan were quite obviously dickheads. Just part of the new breed of upper white collar class that believed in letting children develop at their own pace. Not a bad thing in theory but debilitating if their child happened to have an undiagnosed problem. Mark and Carol had at first thought that Megan was happy in her own little world, not even thinking that she might have a disability. It was only after she had been almost hit by a truck that they had discovered she was deaf. Head shaken, she looked at the dark haired smiling girl sitting in between her parents. If they had only taken Megan to the audiologist sooner, she would probably have already had a good grip on sign language.

Dismissing that thought from her head, she turned her attention to the bleached blond male who looked like he was torn between wanting to be here and wanting the earth to swallow him. Spike, nice name she thought, too bad about the weird phobia. Not a bad looking couple either. She had originally thought it was nice of the mute males friend to come with him to the class but just one glace at them and they had practically screamed 'couple'. It wasn't very overt but the brunettes hand on the blonde�s lower back as they had walked through the door had been a dead give away. A slight frown as she heard Xander cough again, grimacing at the sound of building phlegm in the boys chest. Not a good idea for everybody to get sick. She would have to send him down to the colleges on campus pharmacy during the next break. Get him to buy something that would clear up the mucus before it got too bad.

"Ok. These two gentlemen are Spike and his friend Xander, Spike is orally challenged. This is Mark and Carol with Megan who is both aurally and orally challenged."

Nose blown, Xander tried to focus on what the blue haired lady was saying. It was hard, everything was looking and sounding strange. He felt like he was in a glass box, able to see and hear everything but not quite with it. A warm bed would have been most welcome at the moment. Another soft giggle that he managed to turn into a cough at the thought of Spike being challenged at providing anything oral, he was sure that his sinuses were just about to explode. Looking at Sarah, he watched as her hands made a few pretty shapes before being told they were the first three letters of the alphabet.

~Jesus Christ! This is going to be a loooong day. I need a fucking drink and the whelp needs bed ~

Sighing, Spike settled down into learning how to sign the alphabet, resisting the urge to offer how to teach the signs he knew to the little girl. He was sure that his phrase of "If your what�s on offer for tonight�s entertainment, I'm not sorry to say that I would rather tongue kiss a ferret that's been cross bred with a warthog and dipped in a fungus demons entrails", would come in handy for the brat one day. Sure, only a demon from the Vetogr Clan would be able to understand it but it was always the thought that counted.

~ Fuck it, might just teach the little shit anyway. Would love to see the parental figures faces when it comes out with that little pearler ~

*****
Part 10:

Wednesday 14 Febuary

Farmer's Rest Inn

8.13pm

With one hand, Spike gently rubbed the hurling brunettes back in the hopes of soothing the spasming muscles. Nose wrinkled at the acrid smell floating through the air, he briefly wondered if the youth would be too upset if the vampire rented another room for the night in an effort to escape the noxious odour. A deep gulp of air from the hiccuping male and the blond sighed as the tiolet was gifted with another bit of dinner.

It was without a doubt now, that Xander would not be going with the vampire to the last day of the Sign Language Course. The brunette had tried his best to keep up with the lessons but with his mind addled with the day/night cold and flu tablets, Xander really wasn't beyond making individual letters. Just the thought of his Claimant being unable to understand the vampire was making Spike not want to go and give his ten minute talk the following morning. Really, what was the point if the person he lived with wasn't going to be able to communicate with him? The only bonus was that he actually recieved a diploma for attending the course. A small thing but one that gave him a certain pride. He had come to terms with being classed as disabled, just thanking the higher beings that he wasn't also deaf like Megan.

Sarah had turned out to be a great source of dirty jokes much to the disgust of both Mark and Carol. Whenever there had been a break, Sarah, Spike and a sniffling, snorting Xander had swapped all the dirty jokes they knew. The do-gooder family had kept right out of it which had suited the other adults just fine. The only person who had been upset had been the little girl, Megan. She had taken a real shine to Xander, at first sitting on his knee while being bounced up and down by the patiently coughing brunette. Her parents had put a stop to that when they had finally clued into the particular nature of the two men's relationship. The looks of disgust being shot at both Spike and Xander at the beginning of each break had pretty much put up a barrier between the two groups.

Xander had kicked and sworn his way around the Inn's room at their homophobic attitude, only calming down when his latest handfull of cold and flu tablets kicked in, reducing him to a snoring bundle underneath a thick comforter. The angry youth had been more upset over the possibitlity of Megan growing up gay or bi and having to face that sort of attitude from people who were supposed to love her unconditionally rather than the muttered demeaning words directed at them both whenever they passed Mark and Carol. It had been an eye opener for the vampire. He had been almost sick when he had realised that one day Xander might leave him for someone who could provide him with a child of his own. That the vampire could very well be just a passing phase for the brunette. It was a possibility that Spike refused to entertain.

~ He bloody well claimed me though, surely that would count for something? ~

Reaching over a panting body, Spike pushed the full flush button, grimacing as the smelly mess was flushed down the pipes. Hand wrapped around the shivering male's upper arm, he gently pulled Xander to his feet and guided him back towards the bed. Once the youth was back under the covers, the vampire checked that the electric blanket was on a comfortable setting. He gave the sweaty hair a few sweeps with his pale hand, marvelling at how the boys face was almost as white as his own skin.

"Mmmmm. I like you. Your'e pretty!"

~ Riiiight! I guess someone is off in LaLa land then ~

With a snicker, the vampire pulled his hand away from the youth who was so doped up on cold and flu tablets, he was licking whatever skin he could reach with a hot tongue. Spike was tempted to take off his pants and pull out his cock for the boy to lick at but knew that it just would'nt be worth the beating when Xander was well enough. The bleached blond, while sympathising with the boy, was finding the youths drugged state quite funny to be around. Earlier that evening he had seen Xander holding a pretty intense conversation with himself in the bathroom mirror. Upon being caught out, Xander had sworn black and blue that he had an identical twin, the large brown eyes had brimmed with tears once he had realised that his 'twin' was no longer around to be seen. Spike had had to hold a hand over his mouth to stop his laughs from upsetting the boy any further. Only two minutes later, Xander had loudly demanded a meal of chicken parmigana to be sent up with extra chips and two cans of coke.

Which out of them had made the youth sick, the vampire wasn't sure but it had only taken ten minutes for the hurried scramble towards the bathroom to be set into motion. A shake of his head at Xanders babbling, Spike checked a red and white striped box for some more cold and flu medication. A groan greeted the room when it was made clear that the box was empty. After a quick read of the ingredients, he saw that the box only provided three days and nights worth of tablets.

"Do you know my snot is green?"

~ Jesus Christ! Thank fuck I'm no longer a human, that is just plain disgusting! ~

Jaw dropped at the very thought of anything coming from Xanders body being green, the vampire was sure that the colour wasn't a normal human thing. Worried, he made a descion to go straight to the nearest pharmacy to pick up some more drugs for the boy.

"Hey, If I you know, came right now, would my cum be green?"

"Errrk, cough!"

~ Right thats it. More drugs. Now. Very much right now and sure as hell no sex! ~

Snapping his jaw shut, Spike quickly wrote a note for the boy. Instructions for him to stay in bed until the bleached blond came back, Spike wasn't suprised to find that his stomach was churning at the thought of green cum. Finally, the vampire knew what was a certain cock drooper if he ever needed one in the future. With a burp, he managed to keep down his own drink of Coke. Keys to the Commadore grabbed, he smiled as just how mental Giles would go if the older human knew the vampire had been driving for the past few days.

A few taps on the lobby desk saw the desk clerk come to help him. After a few notes had been passed to the chirpy Alaskan Native man, Spike was in the possession of the addresses for all the late night pharmacies in Fairbanks. All seven of them. Samuel had been very helpful indeed, all the while letting his warmer fingers linger over Spikes hand as each note was passed onto him. The vampire had known the other man was attracted to both himself and the whelp as soon as they had stepped through the front doors. The aroma of arousal pouring off the lobby jockey as he had signed them both in.

Spike had shrugged if off, he was with Xander now and by all rights and traditions, he wasn't allowed to wander off with anyone who took his fancy. It was up to his Claimant to decide who he could do. Xander hadn't taken any notice, more interested in getting into a warm bed for some sleep. A wink from Samuel plainly indicated the other males willingness to participate in more than note passing. Returning the wink, Spike didn't see the harm in teasing the youngster. He really wasn't that bad looking, quite cute in a dusky way.

But no, he was with Xander and that was that mattered. Still, might be nice to be able to dip his wick for once instead of always getting it up the arse. A thought of a hot wet mouth around his much neglected cock and suddenly the vampires jeans were 3 sizes too tight. Resisting the urge to start wanking right in the middle of the lobby, Spike instead jogged out through the heavy doors, towards the Commadore's parking spot.

======================
Twenty minutes later
======================

~ What the hell is a mucolactic? Does the Whelp have diabetes? Actually, what the fuck is diabetes? ~

Standing infront of the large cough/cold and flu display at the first pharmacy, Spike studied the flu preparation he held in his hand. The sheer range of items one could buy was horrifying. If he had known even as few as ten years ago how much humans depended on medication, he would have found a way to invest some money into one of the then emerging companies. Box turned over, he snarled as he saw that it was made by Rainer.

~ Bugger! If only I had had just a hundred quid, would be a sodding millionaire by now ~

He couldn't stop himself for cursing missed opportunities. He had almost laughed himself into a second death when a fellow demon had talked about investing into a newly formed pharmacuetical company. Don't be so fucking stupid had been the bellowed reply from the bleached blond vampire. If only he had known that the emerging company, Rainer, would become the third most requested brand of cough, cold and flu medicines on the pharmacy only market.

~ Fuckfuckfuckfuuuuuck! Ok, calming down now. Oh, fucking sod it! Now I have to bloody well pay for the bint of a box ~

Crushed box held firmly in his tight fingers, the vampire looked around for someone to help him with his purchase. The last thing he wanted to do was buy something that would make the brunette worse than he already was. The busy pharmacy was filled with people who were coughing and spluttering with various ailments.

~Errk, don't bloody well touch me! Go away, go on, shoo! ~

Breifly wishing that every body would just drop dead and leave one person to help him, Spike shuddered as a snotty nosed toddler was chased around the shop by a woman waving a handfull of tissues. Scalp tingling, the vampire had a sudden fear of having another flash while in the shop. Trying to think of soothing scenery as he had been instructed by Giles, Spike was pleased to know exactly what sort of cough Xander had.

It was a cough.

Yep, thats right, a cough. But no, just knowing it was a cough apparantly wasn't enough. Was the Whelps cough dry, chest, or just plain irritating. Grabbing a bottle of bright blue liquid that promised to clear the chest as well as the nose, Spike wondered if the boys snot would turn blue once the mixture was taken. Another glance at the crumpled box in his hand and the decsion was made to get some throat lozenges as well. Bypassing the menthol and eucalyptus ones in favour of the yummy blackcurrant flavoured squares, Spike took a long look around before pocketing a few packets as he saw that no-one was looking in his direction.

~ Bugger paying for them. Haven't done this in ages. Miss it too! ~

Items thumped on the counter, he drummed his fingers ontop of the daisy yellow counter as he waited for the sales woman to serve him. Smiles all round as he handed over his eftpos card, he punched in his code at the prompt. Medicine gathered up in its plain paper bag, he headed off towards the sliding door. Just going through and into the cool nights air, he felt his fangs drop as a heavy hand clapped down onto his shoulder.

"Excuse me Sir, I think you forgot to pay for something. Would you care to come back inside please?"

*****
Part 11:

Wednesday 14 Febuary

Fairbanks Police Station

10.36 pm

~ Bloody Fuck! I can't believe this. Unlife just keeps on piling up the shit. ~

Shoulder flexed once more, Spike grimaced as the links to the handcuffs jangled against the metal bench he was cuffed to. He didn't mind the handcuffs in the least, if it had only been in a different place. To be a Master vampire and at the mercy of the Fairbanks police was quite an embarrassing situation. The only thing more humiliating was the things he had been arrested for.

Shoplifting items to the total of $3.45
(three packets of Allens blackcurrant soothers at $1.15 each)
Driving without a current license
Driving without two number plates
Resisting arrest and making a public nuisance of himself

~ Stupid sodding plate! How was I to know that constantly taking the back plate on and off all the time would make it fall off eventually? ~

Sneering to himself, the blonde vampire quickly let his eyes tear up as he caught the arresting officer looking his way. The only thing going for him at the moment was the fact that he couldn't talk, and he could smell the sympathy rolling off the officer whenever he had had to write an answer to the questions fired at him. Spike was trying to milk the emotion for all it was worth and so far, he thought he was doing a great job as the officer kept smiling at him each time he looked in his direction.

~ Resisting arrest! All I fucking well did was run to the goddamned car! ~

As soon as the heavy hand had clapped down on his shoulder, Spike had listened to his instinct and had twisted from the gripping fingers, running down the street, towards where the Commodore was parked. He had heard the heavier male running after him, all the time bellowing for the blonde to stop. Car reached, Spike found he had gripped the bottle of medicine so hard it had broken and was leaking through the paper bag. The result had been a slippery car key that had refused to slide into the car door easily. The vampire had been in the process of a third attempt at opening the door when the large man had caught up with him.

~ Arsehole! Stupid fuck should be too fat to run that fast, sure it�s not possible! ~

Sensing the officer still looking in his direction, Spike let his chin wobble a little, overjoyed at the sudden flood of sympathy directed at him. He had been held until the police had come, the vampire unbelieving as to how serious the whole matter was to the storeowner. With a barely concealed smile, the blonde had been handcuffed and placed into the back of a police car after Officer Sewinski discovered the male had been driving without a licence. Henceforth his little trip down to the larger than imagined police station. Surprisingly enough, it was the first time Spike had ever been arrested.

A few minutes later and the officer was almost yelling each question at the nervous vampire. Spike was not looking forward to what Xander was going to say about this little incident.

"NOW, MR LAVELLE. IS THERE SOMEONE WE CAN CALL FOR YOU? DUE TO YOU NOT HAVING A LICENCE, I CAN'T LET YOU DRIVE."

~ Oh fuck! The Whelp is so going to tan my hide black and blue over this. Oh and by the way, I'm sodding well mute not deaf, you interbred dumb fuck cousin of a pig! ~

With a nod, Spike wobbled his chin again as he felt very real tears well up in his large blue eyes. Trying not to wince at the loud level the officer was speaking in, the vampire indicated that he wanted to write with his free hand. Pen and paper shoved towards him, the blonde scrawled the number and name of where he was staying just underneath Xander's name. Slumped against the seat, the demon watched as Officer Sewinski finished typing up his newly established rap sheet and placed it on top of his mug shots. Spike had been surprised to find that he was able to be photographed. When cameras and film had first been invented, vampires and a few other demons were unable to be caught on film and no-one knew why so it had just been shrugged off. Obviously things had gotten better with either the cameras themselves or the film, quite possibly both.

~ Not the sodding pictures I wanted to have floating around. ~

Spike felt his stomach lurch as the officer made contact with The Farmers Rest Inn. The vampire was horrified to find that he was sniffling as he tried to hold his tears back. Sure, the display would get him extra sympathy points but the vampire would end up staking himself due to the embarrassment.

"I'M SORRY MR LAVELLE, BUT I CAN'T GET ONTO YOUR FRIEND. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE I CAN CALL?"

Head shaken, the vampire was aghast to find that he was now weeping openly, the officer awkwardly patting at his shoulder in an attempt to soothe him. What the hell was he supposed to do? Walk back to the Inn and come back for the car with the Whelp later on that day? That is of course he was still in the land of the unliving.

"TELL YOU WHAT, HOW ABOUT I TAKE YOU HOME? YOU AND YOUR FRIEND CAN COME TOMORROW AND PICK UP THE CAR KEYS FROM THE OFFICER ON DUTY. SOUND OK?"

Another head shake and Spike found himself choking on his sobs, the handcuffs rattling as his whole body shook. Xander was so going to beat him into a second death. Spike knew he would be lucky to just get away with a few broken bones after this. Having an idea, he wrote for Officer Sewinski to call the Inn again and ask for Samuel instead. A nod and he listened to the other man arrange for the desk jockey to come and pick the vampire up in just over two hours.

"RIGHT. THE YOUNG MAN IS GOING TO PICK YOU UP AFTER HIS SHIFT AT WORK. LUCKY FOR YOU HE DOESN'T MIND DOING IT. I'M GOING TO HAVE TO PUT YOU INTO THE CELLS, BUT IF YOU PROMISE ME NOT TO DO ANYTHING STUPID, I'LL LET YOU KEEP THE PEN AND PAPER, OK?"

Thanking his lucky stars for a horny Samuel, Spike nodded at the Officer. On his way to the holding cells, he listened as he was told when his court date was for the charges. The vampire was finding it upsetting that he had been nabbed on such stupid charges. Here he was, one fourth of The Scourge Of Europe and all he had done this time was steal three fucking packets of blackcurrant lollies. Cell's reached, Spike caught the scent of something familiar as he grasped the out held pen and paper. Walked through the first of the locked doors, the vampire was pleased to find that his tears were drying up as he yet again smelt the familiar scent wafting around him.

He knew this scent. He knew whom it belonged to and with that, the vampire started to pant. Unable to summon up the courage to resist, Spike let himself get led through the second locked door and into the second cell on his left.

Right next to the one holding the former Initiative soldier he had never gotten the name of.

*****
Part 12:

Thursday 15 February

Fairbanks Police Station

12.57 am

Curled up on the floor, as far away from the former soldier as possible, Spike was counting the minutes until he didn't have to smell the unpleasant scent anymore. He was trying to ignore the lewd whispers and suggestions by doodling on the paper with the black ballpoint pen he had been allowed to keep. The vampire was hoping that Samuel wouldn't forget about him. If Spike had to go through another gang-bang to get out, with all of the staff at the police station and or the Farmers Inn, then the blonde was seriously considering it.

"And when I stuck my cock up you that last time, damn! I thought I was going to cum so quick. Just hearing you moan like a bitch!"

With a sigh, Spike looked at the clock hanging over the main door into the cellblock. Shit! He had been here too long for Xander to ignore. The male had been hoping to pass this incident off as one of Xander's drug induced imaginings. Now it looked like it was going to be impossible to do. There was no way he was going to be able to convince the boy that Spike being gone for so long was just in the brunette�s imagination. How the blonde was going to get back to Fairbanks for his court date was something that he really didn't want to think about.

"Bet I could find out where you live. You would like that wouldn't you? I *know* you're just aching for me to come and fuck you again."

Christ! Where the hell was Samuel? He just wanted to be gone and back at his claimant�s side. Maybe he could just get a lawyer and arrange an out of court appearance? They did that on the TV all the time so why not in Alaska? How much would a lawyer really cost? Sensing the large ex-soldier start pacing up and down again, Spike flipped over the page on his note book and continued to doodle. One of Joyce's books had some great designs in it on how to carve images of letters and border work, something that had really caught the blonde�s eye. When he had been a thief, he had almost come undone a few times by trying to shove a couple of ornately carved trinket boxes down his shirt at the last moment, leaving him with almost no time to get back up onto the roof again. He just loved the feel of the wood against his sensitive fingers. He was seriously toying with the idea of applying to do an advanced woodwork course that had instructions on how to carve the delicate features. Unfortunately, the sketching of such designs wasn't helping to distract from the soldier in the next cell.

"You know, it would be real easy for you to go missing."

Pen snapped at those words, Spike swallowed convulsively at the undercurrent of menace in the soldier�s voice. How the hell one of the Initiative soldiers had come to be in the police station at the same time he did, was something that was stumping him completely. Spike knew that the taller man had probably been arrested for drunken behaviour, the stench of alcohol intermingled with old sweat was disgusting, but why he was in Fairbanks was still the most important question of all.

"Riley told me you had moved to the great state of Alaska with that useless prick, Harris. Laughed myself stupid at that. Should have seen the Slayer, almost keeled over from laughing herself while Riley was telling the rest of us."

Stomach clenched in embarrassment, the vampire wasn't surprised to find he was about to cry again. This time, it was more in sadness for Xander. The Whelp had stood by Buffy for so long and with what thanks? None it looked like. The stupid bitch was forgetting that Xander had saved all of their lives at one time or the other. With a thought that at least Giles and the two witches weren't too bad, Buffy's standing on the vampires totem pole slid until she was now lower than his human mother. A mean feat indeed.

"You see, it's funny. I just happened to be approached by one of my former superiors and asked if I wanted a job recruiting for the army. Not a problem, I said. The first assignment being in the state of Alaska as soon as the winter started to diminish. Met a few guys in Anchorage in the first weeks, went well too. Signed up lots of guys and a few girls as well. Moved to Fairbanks. Haven't liked it up to now."

"Bosses said that I could make either city my base. Looks like it might just be Fairbanks. Things are looking up."

Fear crawled all through the vampire�s body at the words. He had a good idea of what the former soldier was getting at and the blonde didn't like it one bit.

"Bet Harris has no idea of where you are just now, does he?"

"Hey! You look at me boy!"

With an effort, Spike managed to sniff back his emerging tears and looked over at the man who was taunting him. Trying to keep his gaze steady, the vampire felt the first tear slide down his face as he obediently dropped his eyes in an all too submissive gesture.

"Least you know your place bitch!"

"Does that useless little shit know where you are? No, hang on. If he does, he would be here by now, wouldn't he?"

A barely perceptible shake of his head and Spike felt a few more tears spring up in his eyes.

"I can find you so easy. All I have to do is request to be let into the stations records. Just tell them that I have to check up on the background of a few applicants. Won't even take me ten minutes."

Groaning at the thought, the vampire wondered again just where Samuel was at this very moment. He hoped that the other man hadn't gone home for a quick shower and splash of aftershave. Somehow, he knew that this was precisely what Samuel had done. The vampire couldn't even find it in himself to be remotely flattered. Spike knew that his payment for getting sprung by the Alaskan would be a romp in an unoccupied room of the Inn and it really didn't bother him at all as long as Xander didn't find out.

"Why don't you just save me the trouble and tell me now where you live. Really looking forward to going out on the town with one of my old friends, William."

A dry retch from the vampire and Spike was ashamed to hear the soldier laughing at his distress. Shifting himself, the blonde crept closer into the corner of his cell, his gaze on the floor in front of him.

"Come on Gimpboy, make it easy on yourself. I can get you out when I get free if you like? My housemate is on his way up with my bail. Has to come from Anchorage but I'm sure you could make it worth his while, couldn't you?"

At the sound of the main cellblock door being opened, Spike was in tears when he saw the friendly face of Samuel standing just behind a policeman he hadn't seen before. Two minutes later the vampire was listening to the Alaskan apologising for not coming sooner, the person meant to take over his shift was sick and he had had to call around for another worker. Head nodding, Spike didn't give a shit as long as he just got out of the station. As he was leaving, the former soldier whispered a sentence that made his stomach twist.

"The name is Deihl. You'll soon know me real well boy."

Shuddering, Spike brushed past both Samuel and the officer, wiping at his tears. He tried not to snatch the clean handkerchief offered to him by a chirpy Samuel. The vampire was anxious to get back to the Inn, get screwed by the desk jockey and receive his beating from Xander. Thankfully Samuel kept his mouth shut until they were out of the station and standing just out front in the crisp night air. A watery smile at the sympathetic lobby captain, Spike quickly wrote what happened, leaving out the shoplifting.

"Oh, that�s alright. I don't actually have a licence myself. Keep forgetting to renew it. Don't worry, lets just get you back to that luscious man of yours."

A quickly written question of if Xander was alright, the vampire was somewhat pleased to know that Samuel had gone upstairs and had knocked on the room's door in an attempt to wake the slumbering boy but with no success. With a sigh of relief, the demon was thinking that Xander might have just slept through the phone ringing in the room and the knock at the door as well. Hopefully, he wouldn�t have to tell the brunette anything, especially if he was able to arrange things with a lawyer.

Walking down the main street, towards where the Commodore was parked, Spike wondered if the young lad was going to be able to handle the V8 on such icy looking roads. The car was old but it had a hell of a lot of grunt in it. It was hard to handle if you weren't used to it and he was sure that Samuel hadn't been behind the wheel in anything more heavy duty than a 20 year old two door hatchback. This would not be a good time to kiss a tree amidst twisted car wreckage and flames.

A good 20 minutes later, Spike and a shivering puffed Samuel were standing in front of a frosty Commodore. The vampire smiled thinly as the Alaskan did the usual four tire kick and then unlocked the drivers side door, a few 'icks' at the dried crusty remnants of cough syrup coating the door lock making themselves known. His door unlocked, Spike slid into the drivers side as Samuel rested a warm hand on the cool upper thigh. The vampire knew that if he could blush, he would have been bright red by now. In all reality, it should have been his claimant that was helping him get out of the hole he had dug for himself.

"You don't want this mentioned to your boyfriend do you?"

At the shake of Spikes head, Samuel told the vampire that they would go through the staff entrance and up to the fourth floor.

~Well, that�s it then. All that�s left to decide now is what Sammy wants me to do to him. ~

In an echo of what was going through his mind, Samuel informed the pale man of what he wanted from the vampire. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Just a blowjob. Samuel giving it though. That was something the vampire was more than happy to comply with. It had been too long since someone had blown him and he almost came in his pants at the mere thought of it. Spike though that he was lucky, he had been under the impression that he would be getting a warm cock up his arse that night. A simple blowjob and one that he didn't even have to provide was something he could handle.

The drive back to the Inn was quiet, Samuel proving to be adequate in handling the cantankerous car. Obviously experienced on icy roads. A quick stop at an auto teller for the vampire and Spike was happy to pay back the $300.00 Samuel had paid out for bail. Laughing, the Alaskan told the older man that he had taken it out of the petty cash tin in the office. Grunting, Spike just nodded, having no idea what a petty cash tin was. Car parked in the spot reserved for his room's number, Spike was taken quickly around the back entrance by a very horny smelling desk jockey.

They were able to get to the lobby elevator without getting seen by the night clerk, button pushed for floor four. Both men almost jogged down the hallway to room number 413, tumbling into the room. The air in the cold room was tinged with lust and nervousness. Spike suddenly wanted to ask if the other man had ever provided a blowjob before. Spike felt his skin crawl as he realised that he wouldn't be able to let the other man go through with it. Spike was a demon and his face would change the minute Samuel put his hot mouth around his cool penis. He was pretty sure the instant his face changed, Samuel would be shrieking for his life as the desk jockey ran down the carpeted hallway.

With a sigh, the vampire was stumped as he continued to let the other male pet and caress him through his too tight jeans. The only other options was if he fucked Samuel so that the younger man's face was turned away or if he blindfolded Samuel. The demon wasn't sure of how either option would be taken let alone just how to convey the idea without his note pad. The Alaskan would be noticing how cool he was almost immediately anyway and it would only take a few minutes before Samuel clicked that something wasn't quite right with Spike.

Spike resisted the urge to fang straight out as he found a warm hand stroking his cool shaft.

"I really wanted to blow your boyfriend but I guess you will do."

Pulling back slightly, the blonde gently grasped at the younger man before he was completely on his knees. Would it be possible to do? Surely if Xander was as drugged out as he had been before his little incident at the police station, then maybe the brunette wouldn't notice the difference between the vampires mouth and Samuel's mouth. Maybe he would think it was just a weird dream? No, it just wouldn't be worth it if Xander twigged during the act. The vampire wasn't ready to die just yet. It was better to just cut his losses and try and think of a way out of his up and coming court appearance.

"I'm sorry, that was a really stupid thing to say wasn't it?"

A shrug of his shoulders and Spike let the boy sink fully to his knees in front of him. His zipper undone, the vampire groaned at the warm breathe blown across his penis. Hissing as a hot tongue tentatively touched the weeping slit. Any minute now he was going to fang out at the boy. Spike gasped for unneeded air as his cock was introduced to a hot cavern, his pale hands intertwining with Samuels�s thick hair. Unable to stop himself, the vampire started to pump in and out of the eager boy's mouth. It had just been way too long for the demon and he knew that he would be coming very soon. Hopefully Samuel wouldn't mind.

"Mmmm. You're so cool, it's..it's weird. I like it though, maybe this room needs more heating."

Little whining noises came from deep within his chest as the youth momentarily let his rock hard penis slide out of the hot mouth for a few seconds. Slowly, he felt his pupils starting to change, his fangs just dropping, prompting the vampire to close his eyes and mouth. Two hot hands were gripped around his slender hips as Spike felt the warm tongue sliding underneath and around his pale shaft. Any minute now. A little glance and he saw that Samuel had his eyes closed, deep in concentration. The hands clenching his cool flesh tightly, the demon was amazed when he felt the youths throat relax, enabling him to take Spikes penis fully into his mouth. Jesus! If he had been without his chip, he would be turning this one just for his head skills. Some men were addicted to giving head and this one was certainly skilled enough to have done it numerous times.

Hips pumping back and forth in a steady rhythm, Spike could feel his balls smacking into a solid chin. Something that was drawing him closer to the edge. He was almost hypnotised by the flares of heat being thrown of the man in front of him. They were rolling off the youth in steady waves like a slightly wind whipped ocean tide.

~ Oh God! Almost there...almost..uh, oh! ~

"Mmgrt...'yes grunt'"

~ Oh, yes...yes! ~

~Grrraaahhhhrrr!~

"Grggnt..ack.ngt!"

In an instant, Spike closed his eyes, mouth open slightly as he panted with not needed breath. His hips were still slowly pumping towards Samuel, the last of his cool cum pouring down the welcoming throat. Fuck! It had just been way too long since a human or warm demon had done this to him. He was already hoping that Samuel would want another round before Xander and himself left the next evening just after sunset. The vampire felt his pants slow down as he ran his fingers slowly through the still kneeling boy's hair. Lip bitten, the demon whined as his spent cock slid out of the warm mouth. Maybe he could work on convincing Xander that sucking cock wouldn't mean he was less dominant?

"Um,...that was good!"

His eyes now returned to normal, Spike was somewhat annoyed by that fact that his fangs were refusing to withdraw.

~Fuck! Thought that they were all sorted out, was more worried about my sodding eyes! ~

With the unpleasant thought of another flash rendering him unconscious before he reached Xander's side, the vampire wondered if Samuel would get offended if the blonde just ran away. Spike resisted laughing at the Alaskan as he watched the youth tuck his limp penis carefully back into his boxers, gently zippering him up.

"Come on, I'll walk you to the lift."

Samuel stuck his head out of the door and with a quick check, he saw that the coast was clear. The lift made in what was quite possible record time, Samuel gave Spike a peck on the cheek. With a comment for the vampire to get more iron in his diet, the Alaskan stunned the demon with his next words.

"Uh, Mr. LaVelle. Arrange for me to be able to blow your boyfriend before you leave tomorrow and I'll just forget that you are technically released into my care, ok?"

With that, Samuel stepped back from the lift and made a comment about how he liked to provide only the best in customer service for all the Inn's guests, a wide grin plastered on his face.

The lift door closing, Spike rode out the first jerk that saw it descend to the second floor. Jesus Christ! The little bastard. He should have known that there would have been more to it than just the one blowjob. Maybe they could leave before Samuel came back onto duty? But then again, Samuel could just as easily call Xander at home one night with the tale of the police station. Slowly walking down the hall towards his own room, Spike wondered just what else could go wrong in his unlife.

Door quietly opened, the vampire was relieved to see Xander still curled up in bed. In what was the exact position he had been in when the vampire had left. The soft snoring reaching the demons ears, oddly it was comforting to him. With a check on the boys heart rate, Spike was finally assured that the boy was truly asleep and not faking it. He quickly shucked off his clothing. Spike needed a shower to get the little arseholes saliva off his dick. It was not something he wanted to sleep with. He was *not* going to think about Diehl or Samuel until the next morning.

*****