After they arrived at the parking garage, Spike shadowed Xander long strides as he checked over the preparations. Spike still had a look of awed wonder whenever he glanced at Xander. Xander was confused. Willow had done all the work and yet Spike was looking at him like he had removed the chip.

Kelly's truck slowly pulled onto the operations floor. Laura was in the back watching over the cases that Kelly had rigged into a hammock style suspension for transport. If Kelly had had his broadsword in his hand when he stopped by the shop, Xander figured he would be missing his head by now. 'How was I to know what he meant by 'keep her out of the kitchen'? Technically she wasn't in the kitchen due to the whole ventilation issue.' As soon as Kelly had arrived, Laura had bounced over to her boyfriend brandish what she called a modified pipe bomb. By which, she said meant she had experimented on the usual recipe and used a pipe with a much wider circumference and packed in roofing nails with the homemade plastek. She believed, if it worked, it would produce 'one hell of a shrapnel effect', but it was untested. She had made half as many experimentals as the regular ones and had filled similar transport devices in three other trucks with Molotov cocktails, which for obvious reasons were being stored elsewhere. Laura had said she wanted to wait for Kelly to really 'cook'. That should have tipped Xander off to the whole 'kitchen' analogy, but to tell the truth he hadn't really been listening to the little pyromaniac.

"Jonathan!" Xander, practiced at being heard over a din at the construction site, summoned the young man for an update. "How are we doing?" He asked as Jonathan jogged over and fell in beside Spike and him as they prowled the perimeter.

Jonathan consulted his own clipboard and said. "We have the two phone landlines, each roll to two other numbers. Cellulars are shot, you were right something is jamming all radio and digital communications. We do have two modified scanners, they're picking up some activity on the upper 800 megahertz but it's scrambled, we think it's the target. Recon says there are two unidentified observers one on the roof of those new loft conversion units and one on the signaling tower. I know the tower is pretty far but I've got three confirmed sighting. It would be a clear shot to the entrance, but at that distance..."

"Anyone see a weapon?" Xander finally stopped looked squarely at Jonathan.

"Um... I... Yes on the rooftop. Not positive on the tower, the guy is dressed in a work style coverall and has tools but..."

"But, what?" Xander prompted, attempting to hide his impatience.

"Xander, it's after six, you really think the guys legit?" Jonathan scoffed.

"Well I'd rather not shoot him just 'cause he's pulling overtime." Xander said. Jonathan gulped and Xander reconsidered how he sounded. "Good work. I'll see what we can do. Anything else?"

"So far no one has gone into the school since you set up monitors this afternoon. Gunn and that Angel guy when to check and see if some sort of tunnel access is still available. You know about that right?" Seeing Xander nod, he continued. "Kelly wants to know if they should mix up the big stuff here, and Willow needs to talk with you." Jonathan seemed to calm down a bit as he spoke.

"How volatile is that stuff?" Xander frowned as he scanned the floor of the garage. Along the wall, the explosives were being neatly stacked as far away from the weapons as possible. They had far more explosives than firearms. Their normal weapons, staffs, stakes, crossbows, and swords weren't suited for going up against the Initiative. 'Where's a demon when you need one? Well, right beside me, duh.' He gave Spike a goofy grin, completely out of place with the fact that they were going to kill or be killed. It seemed to rattle Spike as much as it did Jonathan.

"Err, ah, not at all actually. I... I think that's what Willow needs to talk to you about." Jonathan stammered.

"Then tell him to start cooking. Where is Willow?" Xander clapped his hands and Jonathan jumped.

"O.. over b.. by the triage with Mr. Giles." He said.

'So much for being calm.' Xander thought. "Jon, you're doing fine. We're doing fine. We have a plan." Xander was surprised at how confident he sounded.

"We do?" He asked

"We do. It's all coming together. We'll make it through this." Xander reassured him. The young man gave him a shake smile and headed back to the operation/communication table.

As they headed over to where Cordelia and Tara had set up the infirmary Spike ask, "What is the plan?"

"We play it by ear." Xander laughed and kissed him quickly before hurrying ahead.

~~~~~~~~

Willow and he hadn't had a chance to talk after the chip removal. Xander had left her with Spike while he took Tara to review the set up of the medical supplies and the evacuation plans for the wounded. Kayla had shown up just as they were leaving the store and shyly shrugged "I won't be any use in the front lines, but I did take a class in first aid." Xander knew that just walking in the door had taken more courage for her than he could imagine. He made sure to give her a smile and hug before turning her over to Tara.

They had set up a make shift infirmary off the parking level in a room containing the elevators and vending machines. Kayla was organizing piles of blankets and first aid supplies, she looked up as Xander came in and offered him a brave smile.

"All alone?" Xander looked around the room, he hoped they wouldn't fill it before the night was over.

"The others got called to a conference on the top floor; they're in the office. They said they sent for you." She shrugged and gestured toward the elevators.

"Go have Jonathan assign three people to run this place with you. Have someone set up one of the coffee makers in here and bring in a couple the cases of juice." She nodded and headed out into the parking level.

Xander and Spike took the stairs up to the highest level of the garage. Sunlight spilled into the east and west sides through the vehicle entrances, but it was softening as the day faded to evening. They kept to the deep shadows along the wall as they crossed, from a similar room near this floors elevator bank, to the office behind the glass-enclosed cashiers.

Inside, Angel and Gunn pointed to details on the blueprints of the old high school, updating the others on changes to the substructure and its accessibility since it had been remodeled by explosives. The room fell silent as Spike and Xander entered. 'Oh come on guys, it Xander. You really aren't going to let me make all the decisions are you.' He smiled weakly and asked. "How's it going?"

"It's a tight fit, but we can get people into the school without going above ground." Angel said

Simultaneously, Willow said. "That damn Rennie wants me to do a temporal acceleration spell on his fertilizer bombs. Do you know how dangerous that would be?"

Giles said. "Quite."

Gunn scowled; Cordy rolled her eyes; Tara squeezed Willow's hand; and Wesley, thankfully, was the one person in the room not looking to Xander for an answer.

Xander ran the fingers of both hands back though his hair in what was becoming a nervous habit. Briefly, he wondered it the stress of his lifestyle would cause him to go bald from it before that lifestyle got him killed. "No Will, I haven't a clue. Magic's right up there with Math and French in the things you've never really been able to explain to me. Is there anyway to make it safer? We need firepower."

"Well..." She worried her lip between her teeth and looked at Tara. Tara gave her an encouraging smile and an almost imperceptible nod. "I think... It's still in the testing phase..." Xander tried to hide his shudder. "With Giles' and Wesley's help I think we can set it all up ahead of time with the spell set to activate on a password." Now it was Giles' turn to suppress a shudder, he offered Xander a conspiratorial smile at the thought of testing yet another computer programming technique meets witchcraft. "We may even be able to rig a countdown to the spell so we have a chance to clear out before everything blows up." Willow offered a smile and a nodded at the end of the babble. Xander really hoped it was him she was trying to convince and not herself, but judging by Tara's expression whatever Willow had just said must be at least feasible.

"Okay, make it so number one. Now how stable is this backdoor and is their any chance they know it's there." Xander turned his attention to Angel.

~~~~~

Since Angel had used his vampire mining abilities to reopen the tunnel access to the school, they were reasonably sure that the Initiative did not know they had breached the target. Even if the guy on the tower was one of their lookouts they should be able to secure the library without him reporting it. In a little under an hour the explosives were moved from the parking garage and secreted about the school. A communication system was organized between the school and the base and lines of defense were drawn up and manned.

One minute they were alone, and the next the troops poured into the building with eerily silent efficiency. Runners brought messages from the garage and from closer to the school's entrance. The fertilizer bombs were in place. One word from one of their four magic users would start the detonation count down. It might be overkill but if Xander died today he wanted the piece of mind of knowing that the Hellmouth was buried under several thousand tons of rubble.

Xander tensed. Impatient yet dreading the confrontation he felt Spike's reassuring presents against his back. Looking across the hall he saw Gunn and Angel also primed and ready. They were the last line of defense before the library. Willow, Tara, Giles and Wesley were inside behind the barricade. He hoped it didn't come down to Willow and Tara blocking the assault with their combined power. He didn't feel comfortable with the Initiative knowing just what his witches were capable of; the girls lacked the ruthlessness necessary to break free if captured by the organization.

As the first sound of a taser firing echoed down the halls from the only stable entrance of the school, Jeff came skidding around the corner. Gasping with his hands on his knees he didn't even look up as he spoke. "We have the snipers, one's unconscious, one has a broken leg. Stripped them naked and tied them up in the infirmary. Jon said reports are that thirty armed assailants, three lab coated administrative types and one guy in restraints were dropped off. We took the drivers and blew the trucks just before I left; they've probably been striped by now."

"Why are you taking their clothes?" Angel asked. 'Oh sure look at me like it's my idea. Actually it not a bad idea, if we were doing something coverty we could use the uniforms. I wonder why we are taking their clothes?'

"Laura said it was the only way to be sure they weren't hiding weapons or communication devises." Jeff answered, and looked at Xander to see if that was right.

The sound of explosive flashes announced that the Molotov cocktails were being brought into play. Xander nodded to Jeff and said. "Have Cordelia interrogate them each separately, if she can't get any info she will at least make them rethink their career choices."

Jeff had just dashed off further into the dilapidated building when two uniformed figures cautiously rounded the corner. Angel and Gunn body-checked them in a move they must have spent nights choreographing it was so beautiful. They pinned them to the wall using the commandos' own rifles to choke them.

Just for a second Xander was stunned then he said, "well, well, well, Riley Finn."

*****
Part 19:

"Xander." Riley gasps his eyes darting from Angel to Spike and back. As far as he knew Spike was still chipped and Angel had kicked his ass before so it was Angel he kept a wary eye on.

"Who's you friend, Ri?" Xander nodded to Gunn and Angel, they released the commandos but kept their weapons. Gunn and Spike took up position with the tasers watching the direction from which the men had come.

"Graham Miller, Xander Harris." The quick response to Xander's unspoken orders seemed to have Riley reevaluating the command structure.

"Welcome to the Hellmouth Mr. Miller. I think I remember you. Didn't you try to kill Riley once?" Xander pitched his voice light and conversational, but warily watched the tall powerfully built commando. 'This one is dangerous.'

"Xander, what the hell is going on here?" Riley interrupted the two warriors' silent assessment of each other.

"You tell me." Xander said his attention still on Miller. "What's the cargo? Why are you storming the Hellmouth?"

"You know we won't talk." Miller said quietly

"I know you guys haven't always shown a strong survival instinct. Frankly I'm tired of cleaning up your messes. I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to see that this doesn't turn into another Adam. Are you sure you're on the right side Mr. Miller?" Xander could practically see the thoughts whirling behind Miller's eyes. He knew no matter what he said Riley would think he was bluffing. He really hoped he could get through to Miller, he didn't have time to bluff. The floor shook with an explosion and a pained scream was heard in the distance. Xander almost flinched; these were his people he did not have time for this macho bullshit.

"Riley, how's that little addiction of your?" Xander still watched Miller and saw, even though his stoicism the slightest look of surprise. "I bet the past twelve hours have been a living hell for you. Finding out that because you weren't man enough to face you short comings that your cowardice left the woman you loved alone at the worst period of her, oh so short, life. There probably isn't anything you want more right now than oblivion. I've been there. You can't stand the sight of yourself. If you had only been a little stronger, a little faster, a little braver you could have saved her. Instead she died alone and exhausted, beaten by life and betrayed by someone she loved." Xander's voice remained calm and clear, even though he felt like throwing up at his own words. "There isn't a bottle deep enough or a drug strong enough to shut out your memory of how things could have been. But you know what'll make it better. What you turned to every time you couldn't face"

"Shut up Xander." Riley voice was ragged and broken as he cut into Xander's taunt. "Just shut up." There were tears streaming down his face. Angel looked at Xander with bewildered distaste.

"Ri?" Miller was torn by Riley's outburst. Xander could see as Riley slid down the wall into a sobbing heap that the other commando wasn't sure how to react.

"It's okay, Riley. I can get you what you need." Xander's words felt oily and he hated himself as he said. "It'll be all better, just tell me what you know."

"It... the power here is too unstable..." He started.

"Finn!" Miller finally showed emotion only to be slammed into the wall by Angel.

Riley watched and seemed to be in shock, not quite registering the action. He continued. "We just want to tap it. That way we can release it when it builds up, like a safety valve." He did seem to notice the sounds of gunfire and explosion as he looked up at Xander, who squatted down in front of where he had collapsed sitting on his own heels. "What is this? Xander, no one was to suppose to get hurt. We were just to escort the guy in, have him tap the source and get out. What is this?"

"What guy?" Xander ask softly.

Riley seemed to see though whatever haze had been making him docile and launched himself at Xander. The two of them had hardly hit the floor before Spike lifted Finn by his throat and shook him before slamming him into the wall.

"Let him go Spike." Xander said getting to his feet, and Spike dropped him instantly.

"He can't tell us anything if he's unconscious." Xander offered his lover a rueful smile and said. "Thanks, make sure were not interrupted." Spike went back to his position with Gunn, and Angel apparently just realized that the chip was gone. So did Riley judging by the pale clammy color he turned and the beads of sweat that began to drip from his forehead. "The cargo, who is it?" Xander prompted.

"Xander." Riley gasps his eyes frantically darting between Angel and Spike.

"Come on Ri, don't make me break you kneecaps, it'll ruin you career." Xander spoke in a joking voice but his eyes were cold as he stood toe to toe with Buffy's ex. Xander was alarmed by the fact that he knew he could slam a heel right in to Riley's knee and move on to the next order of business.

Now Riley's full attention was on Xander, and he didn't appear to think he was bluffing. He licked his lips and rasped out, "Ethan Rayne."

"Fuck." Xander whispered softly, but not soft enough to get past vampire hearing.

"Pet?" Spike didn't take his eyes off the corridor but his voice held concern.

"Angel" Xander barked. "Take these two inside. Tell Giles what's going down. If they try to escape break something none fatal. If they try to contact anyone from this society of asinine death wish junkies snap their necks so loud we can hear it out here." When Angel had gone into the library Xander turned to Gunn. "Watch the door, I'll send someone to back you up as soon as I can."

"Where are you going?" Gunn said.

"The objective has changed. If I know Rayne we're going to have to protect the Initiative from him." Xander took off down the hall, not even checking to see if Spike followed. He knew he would.

~~~~~

Within the hour, Spike and Xander squeezed past the temporary barricade they had put in front of the library and reunited with the others. Finn and Miller were still unarmed but hadn't been restrained. Xander crossed over to where Giles and Wesley were set up behind a table, which seemed to have been thrown together out of scrap materials. Angel was keeping an eye on the prisoners and Spike joined Gunn who was now watching the door from the inside. Willow and Tara sat cross-legged on the floor on either side of a large blue ceramic bowl and chanted softly. Willow held the Thing in her hand and the bowl began to emit a shimmering light that lit up both witches in a weird blue glow.

"We pulled back everyone to the base. No fatalities among 'the Children' but there are six dead commandos and ten more aren't mobile" At Giles sharp look Xander sputtered. "Spike didn't do it!" He continued more reasonably "We do have one really bad injury, Jeff took a hell of an electrical jolt from one of the tasers, he's twitchy and he smells like burn meat but Kayla said he should be okay. There are four commandos, two white coats and Rayne himself unaccounted for. They're some where in the building; we have all the exits secured. There was a dead white coat not far from here, just down the hall. He didn't have a mark on him, Spike says he smelled funny."

"Smelled funny?" Wesley raised an eyebrow, asking Xander to elaborate. 'How does someone manage to give a look with a British accent?'

Xander just shrugged and waggled his hand it the universally understood Xander-speak that said 'Hey, you're the one who does magic, I just kill dead things.'

Xander was torn. He didn't want to distract Spike and Gunn, because that was the most likely direction of attack. He didn't want to distract the witches, because they were busy doing something witchy and besides 'Magic + Xander = Bad.' Giles and Wesley had returned to discussing something that was way over his head, and that only left Angel.

"So, how's it going?" Xander asked leaning against the wall near Angel. 'Well that's a feeble attempt at a conversation starter, way to go Xand-man.'

"He doesn't look so good." Angel nodded in Riley's direction. He was right. The young man had gotten even paler since hearing Xander run down the list of fatalities and wounded. "Is this 'addiction' something we should worry he'll go into withdrawal over?" Riley's head snapped up from his contemplation of the floor and he glared at Angel.

"No. It endangers him, and the lives of everyone who trust him, but right now he is safer than in rehab. I can practically guarantee he can't feed his habit and right now he probably doesn't want to." Xander sighed and tilted his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. It was about ten thirty pm, Rayne, being the predictable bastard he was, would probably time his assault so that he could capture the Hellmouth by midnight.

Xander expected a response from Angel. Angel had never been known to share the title of cryptic guy willingly. But it was Riley's voice that cut into his moment of rest. "How can you say that? I never endangered Buffy. I loved Buffy."

Xander had had about enough of Riley blaming everyone else. If Finn had stayed at least long enough to talk things out with Buffy she might not have died blaming herself for their meltdown. "You really believe that don't you? How many times did she pull a punch when you surprised her on patrol? How many times in the thick of battle did she stop herself from staking you? What would it have been like for her to find you cold drained body when sweeping the park? I know what coming home to find Joyce did to her. What you would your death done? Would she have blamed herself? She certainly wouldn't have blamed you. I would never have occurred to her that you hadn't been killed because you were the slayer's boyfriend. It would never have occurred to her that you were getting your rocks off having mindless fledge feed from you." Xander now had not only Riley's attention, but Angel's and Miller's as well.

"If Spike hadn't" Riley tried to jump in, but Xander ruthlessly continued.

"If Spike hadn't what? Told Buffy she may come home to find Joyce and Dawn drained and you waiting for her? That some night when she stopped herself from staking you on patrol you may have just turned the tables on her, may have distracted her long enough so whoever sired you could get a slayer under their belt. Listen asshole you owe him, if not for saving your life by telling Buffy at least for not taking it." Xander clenched his fist to keep from grabbing Riley and banging his head against the wall.

"He would have killed me if he could. Chipped he settled for destroying my relationship with Buffy, that was the worse he could do." Riley spat out.

"Shit man I could do worse than that chipped and I don't have his creativity or experience to draw on. He's William the Bloody, slayer of slayers, he let you live farm boy, not because he had to, because... because it would have hurt Buffy. God Riley, use your head. One word in the ear of one of those blood whores and you would have been meat." Xander sighed in exasperation and shook his head.

"He didn't do it to protect Buffy." Riley said. "He did it to hurt her."

"Killing you would have done that; she loved you." Xander said.

That stopped the retort on Riley's lips. Xander watched as Riley looked back down. "Riley you're endangering everybody on that squad, one of these days you're going to get killed or turned playing this game." Xander gave up. He crossed back over to Giles and Wesley who had stopped with the book thing to listen to the confrontation.

Angel and Miller had just stood back. They were both hard to read in an over-controlled facial expression kind of way. Miller reached out and put a hand on Riley's shoulder. Xander heard Angel say softly, "Riley, I've seen this before; it never ends well." He handed Riley a business card, and said "I know some people, I might be able to get you some help. If we survive this that is." 'And hey, humor? From Angel? The world really is going to end.'

Xander contented himself with pacing the defenses and checking the weapons, several times. He knew that it was just to fill the time, the final conflict would be a battle of magic. Two distinctive roars cut through the silence. 'Or not.'

"That's Feral" Spike said.

"Well," Giles added, adjusting his glasses, "Ethan is nothing if not predictable. Do try not to kill them, it's highly likely those are the missing member's of the Initiative."

Angel looked at Xander. Xander looked at Angel. He shrugged. "Arm them, their idiots but they don't deserve to die without at least fighting back." Angel gave Miller and Finn each one of the captured tasers. Spike put down the rifle and reached for a steel crow bar, he twirled it like a baton and grinned at Xander. Xander met his twinkling blue eyes and hoisted the rocket launcher, sighting on the door and smiled.

Nothing happen for several tense moments and then a darkness seemed to seep under the door. When it touched Gunn he dropped to the floor. Angel started to rush forward to his friend. "Hold position." Xander bellowed. "Ah, guys." He didn't take his attention away from the door but sensed Tara and Willow moving forward. Gunn's body lifted and skittered across the floor until he was safely back against the far wall. The witches kept walking forward hands linked Willow still held the Thing. They brought the blue light with them and it shot out sparks into the creeping darkness. As the darkness recoiled the doors burst open.

"Well Ripper...." Whatever witty Britishism Rayne had been about to hurl at Giles died on his lips when he saw the rocket launched. 'Ha, ha, ha, he whoever has the biggest gun, wins. And is this really the right time for an inappropriate phallic moment?' Just as Xander noticed Rayne gesture, he felt the rocket launcher and himself thrown against the wall. Two of the Fyrals attacked one shot mucus at Riley and then punched him to the floor with a sickening crunch once he was trapped. Miller stood over Xander firing at the second demon. Xander shook off his ringing headache in time to see Ethan thrown against the wall by the witches. Light burst out of the Thing and the demons dropped to the floor in their human forms. Spike pulled the crowbar out of the now human corpse he had prevented from reaching the witches.

Giles got to be the adult by default. The Children of the Hellmouth, faded into the gray light of the Sunnydale dawn. Giles summoned the watcher's to take Ethan, if he ever came out of the coma. Miller said he would smooth things over with the Initiative. He didn't think it would be to hard considering how badly they had fucked up. Xander had still wanted to level the high school, but was vetoed by Willow and Giles. They felt it was an unnecessary risk but had agreed to leave the explosives hidden in place, just in case.

Angel wanted to talk to him Xander had a feeling that it had something to do with the chip and begged off, pleading exhaustion. He told him to call him after the weekend. He though Angel just might, and oddly enough he wasn't dreading hearing from him. They shook hands as Angel helped Gunn limp back to the base and after kissing Cordelia goodbye, Xander collected Spike and went home.

*****
Part 20:

Unsurprisingly after stumbling into the apartment in the gray light of morning Xander slept through Saturday. Surprisingly, he woke alone. Groggy from too much sleep he looked around his empty bedroom and wondered where Spike had gone. He had vague memories of struggling to consciousness several times in the past twenty four hours, and there had always been a slim hard body wrapped around him. Naked he walked over to the window and peeked around the black out curtain to see if it was daylight. Blinded from the white glare he quickly let go of the window covering and groped about for something to wear.

July was opening with sweltering heat. Even with the AC cranked it was going to be hot. Xander wore only a pair of thin cutoff sweat pants as he padded from the bedroom in search of his absent lover. Xander leaned against the frame of the doorway to the kitchen, watching as a barefoot Spike gulped down a mug of blood. Spike then removed the second bag he had heated and refilled the mug.

"Should I keep restocking that?" Xander asked, as Spike put the empty bag in the small medical waste container they kept in the cupboard underneath the microwave.

"Thinking of chucking me out, pet?" Spike spoke with his eyes cast down at his meal. His voice was soft and controlled, but Xander wondered if his eyes were blue or gold.

"No dipshit. I thought... I figured you might want... to start..." Xander's head hurt. 'I should have stayed in bed. Should have avoided this subject as long as possible. Should have at least figured out what to say when he wants to go back to a diet of happy meals with legs. What if...?'

In a flash that line of thought was ended. There wasn't even a blur of movement. Suddenly, Spike's mug was on the counter and he had pinned Xander to the kitchen wall. Growling, golden-eyed, fangs bared Spike pressed his body into Xander, their faces almost touching. Spike snarled out his words in a low silky voice, "What? Thought I'd start culling the herd?"

Xander couldn't look him in the eyes. Using his dark lashes to veil his vision of the angry vampire, Xander kept his head lowed as his spoke. "I don't want you to leave." His voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't want to lose you."

With a lightening lunge Spike's fangs were scraping along Xander's jugular, as gently as when he had been chipped. "I'm not going anywhere." He murmured against the pulse point. "Not ever. We clear of that?" He asked as he pulled back to look Xander in the eyes.

Wide-eyed, Xander met his gaze as Spike's eyes shimmered from gold back to blue. Xander swallowed and asked the question that been haunting him since Willow had removed the chip. "Are you going to turn me?"

"Do you want me to?" Spike asked forcefully.

"Do you want to?" Xander shot back with equal strength.

"Xander." Spike loosened his hold on Xander, but Xander grabbed both hands and held them where they had rested on his hips.

"I need to know what you want. I need to know... how you feel." Xander looked down again, not sure which answer he wanted to hear less.

"I want you." Spike hissed. "However I can have you, for as long as I can have you. If Red can find a way for you to still be you then fine, but otherwise..." He finished in a sardonic voice. "I can bag it for your lifetime."

"And Dawn's?" Xander lifted a hand to caress Spike's angular cheek.

"And Dawn's." He said with a smile.

Xander felt a great big goofy grin nearly crack his face, but didn't care. He got to keep Spike, or Spike got to keep him, it really didn't matter which. "I have something for you." He reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a small jewelry box.

"This better not be an engagement ring, pet." Spike tried to sound annoyed but his hand seemed to tremble when he opened the box. Inside, mounted to a pendent on a silver chain, was the chip. He had had the pendent and chain since Spike had moved in with him. The back had previously been the front and had an ornate 'S' and 'X' engraved on it, the chip had been mounted on by Kelly before the battle when Xander had been helping move the bombs.

"What's this?" Spike asked.

"What do you mean 'What's this?'?' Xander did a credible imitation of Spike's every day accent.

"What does it mean, Xander?" Spike asked, switching to the bedroom accent.

"It means...." And for a moment he was stumped. 'What does it mean?' Then thinking back to some pillow talk about Victorian times, he said. "It means, I greatly esteem you." 'Okay, so not working the Victorian speak.'

Spike snorted and rolled his eyes.

"I do you know. You didn't just survive this." Xander gestured toward the chip. "You conquered it. I... If I haven't told you, I admire you. Your tenacity, your strength. You've really come through for me, for all of us." Xander faltered into a whisper. 'Great! Any minute now, he's going to call me a big girl.'

Spike took the necklace from the box and stared at it a long moment. Then he lifted his deep blue eyes and stared at Xander. "Put it on for me, eh pet?"

Xander reverently placed the necklace on Spike. Willow had chosen the perfect length for the chain. It was suspended just over the spot where Spike's collarbone met his ribcage. Xander's favorite place to bite. Xander leaned in and softly kissed Spikes lips. He trailed kisses down the line of Spike's jaw and as he reached his neck began to intermix them with tiny nips. He pulled back to gaze at the handsome creature in front of him. After a few moments under his stare Spike laughed and said. "Say something pet."

"Fuck me?" Xander's voice was breathless and heady.

Spike's grip on Xander's hips tightened and he smoothly lifted him off the floor. "Here, or in the bedroom?"

Xander seemed torn only for a moment before answering. "Both?"

Spike lowered Xander down and emitted a low predatory growl as he turned him to the wall. The growl transformed to a purr as Spike ripped Xander's shorts neatly down the seam. Xander pressed his arms against the wall, spread his legs and thrust his hips back toward his lover. Kneeling behind him Spike pressed in and gently scrapped his blunt teeth against Xander's balls. With sweeping licks Spike slowly worked his way back toward Xander's opening. Xander moaned, his eyelids fluttered open just in time to see Spike lift the ug down from the counter. "Rule four, rule four!" He hissed, bucking his hips in time with his lovers tongue.

Which caused Spike to stop his assault and ask in a teasing voice. "What was rule four again?"

Xander whimpered at the lose of contact but manage to gasp out. "No using blood as lube."

"Need something pet." Spike said returning to his task with vigor, but thankfully setting the mug aside.

Supporting himself with one arm Xander frantically reached toward the counter, while attempting to maintain contact with Spike's talented mouth.The salt shaker bounced across the floor, but Xander managed to snag the bottle of olive oil. He passed it down to his lover and waited for the cool liquid to be worked into him. Xander relaxed and leaned into him as Spike rose behind him while working his fingers deep inside. Spike was still fully clothed and snickered softly in Xander's ear. 'Nothing like having a lover who can monitor you heartbeat to thoroughly map out you kinks.' Spike had teased Xander often about how quickly he got hot when he was naked and Spike was still dressed.

Xander sighed and lay his head back on Spike's shoulder. Spike's purr kicked up a notch as he began to lave the corded muscles along Xander's collarbone with his tongue. Each thrust of his fingers sent waves of desire trembling over Xander's body. Spike whispered softly against Xander's neck. "Want you. Want to mark you. Deep in the muscle, leave a scar. Want to claim you." It was his human visage Spike rubbed along Xander neck an across his shoulders, like a rutting cat. "Xander." Spike hissed with passion and need.

Xander moaned, his mind scrambling around a thousand thoughts. He knew what this meant to Spike, and what it would mean for him. They had had this talk when Spike was still chipped. Would the others understand? Xander didn't care about the rest of the world, but Dawn? Willow? Giles and Tara? Would they misinterpret this, blame Spike? Could they know what it meant to them, both of them? "Do it." He gasped.

He was acutely aware of the flesh rending for one brief moment, then ecstasy. He never felt more alive, more connected. The fact that he knew what this meant to Spike was intoxicating. He had a guilty flare of sympathy for Riley. 'No wonder this was too much for him to resist. Although, the thought of letting just anyone, anyone other than Spike, do something this intimate is revolting.' Then, euphoria swept over him obliterating all thought.

Slowly Xander became aware of the world around him. Spike was bathing the mark with long sweeps from shoulder to neck. Spike's fingers were still lazily moving inside Xander. His strong arm holding Xander around the chest was the only thing that had prevent the young man from collapsing to the floor with the force of his orgasm. Xander's cum was dripping down the wall and Spike hadn't even undressed yet.

Spike slipped his fingers out and turned Xander to face him, never releasing his firm grip. Exerting tremendous effort and fighting a post coitus languor, Xander lifted arms and draped them around Spike's neck. Wishing he could purr himself, he settled for Spike's steady vibrations, Xander drowsily requested. "Bed, now?"

Spike didn't throw him over his shoulder, like Xander expected. He gathered him into his arms and in a disconcerting show of vampire strength carried him slowly to the bedroom. After laying Xander down on the crumpled sheets, Spike knelt on the bed beside him and admired him like a work of art. Spike's look of unbridled lust, and something else deeper and more permanent, was making Xander wish his had a vampires recuperative powers. Spike's fingers ghosted across Xander's naked flesh, brushing his lips, his nipples, trailing through the line of dark hair between his navel and genitals, but stopped nowhere.

"Please." Xander hoped his eyes and his feeble attempt to lift Spike's tee shirt conveyed his need for Spike to get naked. He knew he was down to wrapping his mind around only a few words and did not think they would be very coherent.

Spike, ever the linguist, laughed as he leaned back and pulled his shirt off. He slowly unbuttoned his jeans, smirking at Xander's obvious frustration. His cock sprang out ridged and ready as he tossed the denims off the bed. "For me?" Xander whispered, determined to show his lover he had been working on the whole retaining-the-ability-to-speak-during-sex thing.

Spike's laugh deepened and he crawled over Xander, he wore nothing but the necklace and tongue kissed the mark. "Mine." Spike's voiced sounded happier than Xander had ever heard him. It contained none of the possessiveness he had expected; instead the rich deep tones were almost giddy. "My beautiful brown-eyed boy; my sweet precious pet; my Xander, so sweet." His hands tumbled and tickled, rolling Xander into a gasping giggling ball of desire. Spike finally lifted Xander's ankles over his shoulder and slid home into the well-oiled passage.

Xander bucked up into his purring, laughing lover and called out. "More, faster harder, now Spike now." 'So much for the whole speech thing.' Spike obliged him by quickly increasing the tempo of his thrusts and angling for his prostate. As the repeated stimulation sent blood pounding to his head Xander could just make out Spike's words.

"O, how thy worth with manners may I sing,
When thou art all the better part of me?
What can mine own praise to mine own self bring?
And what is't but mine own, when I praise thee?"

Xander hugged Spike tightly to him with both his arms and legs to prevent Spike from rolling off his body after his climax. He asked. "Did you write that?"

Spike lifted his head from where it was tucked under Xander's chin and met Xander drooping gaze with an incredulous look. His voice held exasperation and affection when he said. "Idiot."

Time past. Basking in the afterglow segued into lazing about in bed, until the front door bell nudged Xander out of a light doze. "I told you Red was bringing over Chinese for supper, didn't I?" Spike asked lifting his head up of Xander's stomach, which he had been using as a pillow. Xander bolted from the bed pulling on a crumpled pair of jeans as he left the bedroom. 'Bad vampire. Bad Xander, going commando with Willow in the apartment.'

Xander ran toward the door to the apartment, doubled back and slingshot into the kitchen. He scooped up the remains of his shorts and mopped up the spilled oil off of the floor. Using the oil soaked rag he wiped the dry cum off the wall. Tossing the damp item into the covered trash bin, he flipped the switch on the fan above the stove in an attempt to get rid of the reek of sex. He finished his dash to the door just as the bell rang again.

Being Sunnydale, even though it was Sunday afternoon he checked the peephole. 'So not Willow and Tara, and speaking of commando.' Outside the door were the two commandos, Riley and Miller. Xander felt Spike stroking his bare spine and turned to be handed a tee shirt. 'Spike? Covering me up? He spends all his time ripping my clothes off.' Spike smiled at Xander's confusion and trailed a finger across the mark. 'Oh, duh. Goofy grin back. Erection back; commandos outside the door. Thanks Spike.'

"It's Riley and that Miller guy. I'll totally lose the cleaning deposit if you kill them." Xander joked while biting his bottom lip.

"Told you I wouldn't." Spike scowled,

Xander pulled on the shirt and leaned in to plant a calming kiss on his pissed off lover. "Actually you said you wouldn't hunt to feed, you never swore off revenge. Vengeance... Well let's not go into my experience with vengeance." Xander offered Spike a wobbly smile. "But I owe Miller, and Finn's an asshole but he's Buffy's asshole. Wait... That really came out really wrong."

Spike snorted and turned and strolled back it to the apartment. "Unless they hurt you pet their safe, for now."

Thinking that was as much as he could hope for from Spike, Xander opened the door. Riley was using a pair of crutches and sported a cast from the top of this thigh to his ankle. Xander invited both men in, and lead the way into the living room. The bedroom door was shut and there was no sign of Spike.

"Can I get you anything?" Xander asked the men.

"No. Thanks. Xander, I just wanted to say..." Riley faltered and looked to his friend for moral support. Graham didn't say anything, but he gave Riley a slight nod.

"You were right." Riley said. "About everything."

"Riley... some of that stuff... I would have said anything to get you to talk. Those were my people in the front lines; the sooner we stopped you the fewer would die." Xander temporized, but Riley cut in.

"It was true, and you know it. I was a liability to Buffy, to all of you. I put you in danger, and I'm doing the same thing to my unit now. I'm going to resign my commission and get some help." He looked down at the floor seeming almost as broken as he had seemed the two nights ago. Miller looked uncomfortable, like he wanted to offer support to Riley but didn't want to make him seem any weaker in front of Xander.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Xander said. "Not sorry you're getting help, but that you're resigning. You've learned some hard lessons about blindly following orders and not questioning the results. I believe that deep down your a good man Riley Finn. I think that if good men leave the hard jobs to those without the moral conscious for it to bother them then only the bad men are doing those jobs."

"Thanks Xander, that means a lot." Riley clenched his jaw and squared his shoulders. Graham placed a supportive hand on his back.

"She loved you." Xander said softly. "Believe that that means you're worth loving. I do."

The doorbell rang and Riley used the distraction to break eye contact with Xander's frank gaze. Spike emerged from the bedroom much to the surprise of the commandos. "That'll be the girls." He said and continued stroll to the door. Riley looked like he was going to say something, but was interrupted by the sounds from the doorway.

Dawn squealed and through her arms around Spike's neck and the men in the living room heard her clear voice say "I always miss the explosions!" Spike snorted and swung her up in his arms. He carried her into the apartment, trailed by witches bearing paper sacks of Chinese food. Dawn stopped laughing when she saw Riley. Spike set her down on her feet, but she locked both arms around his waist and pressed close.

"Hi Dawn." Riley said.

"Riley." She answered. Her eyes darted from one commando to another. If, she looked this scared with them in street clothes, Xander was glad she hadn't run into them in uniform.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am. About you mom, about Buffy...." The young man looked so helpless, apparently Willow couldn't stand to let him twist in the wind.

"Thank you, we appreciate your sympathy." Willow said quietly, sitting down her bag on the dining table and turned to take Tara's and doing the same. "I feel horrible you're finding out like that." Willow continued. 'That my Willow always ready to forgive and forget.' Willow crossed to stand near Dawn and Spike. "We would have told you as soon as it happened, but of course we couldn't. We tried to reach you before Buffy died." She gently stroked Dawn's hair. 'Or maybe not, maybe she's just going to bludgeon him with a shovel.'

Xander stepped in before Riley and his friend ended up sharing a cage with Amy. "We're all" Xander cast a significant glance at the little group standing so close together, complete now that Tara had sidled up to Willow. 'Maybe the whole pack thing isn't just hyena-speak.' He continued. "We're all glad to hear you're getting help Riley. We've lost too many good people to the Hellmouth.

The doorbell rang again, and Riley and Graham declined to stay for dinner. Xander let Giles in while he let out the commandos. He responded to Giles' raised eyebrow with a shrug and a shake of his head. They could discuss it later for now food beckoned and all else was secondary.

Xander sat at his table. He watched Dawn pumping Spike for details about the battle. He caught Tara's covert eye roll to Willow over some piece of Spike hyperbola. He looked across the table at Giles and smiled. This was home. This was family. Whatever tomorrow brought, they could face it together.

The End